The Chronicles of Brendan Earle, Apprentice Mage.

New Stories

Ali

Nick and I had added Karn weed to the feed of the beasts in the train. It’s one of the most powerful laxatives known. The next morning I could have found the train in the other world by following the noise of moaning beasts. The Sileni were trying to get them up on their feet, but it was clear that the only thing that was going to move that day were bowels. The rogues should have guessed that this wasn’t an accident, but they were out of the wagons and walking around in plain sight, yelling at each other and disagreeing about what to do next.

We watched them stew for about quarter of an hour when Fatima came with a familiar we didn’t know. I gave it our report and it went back to its host with our location and instructions.

Five minutes later a flight of Mages from Eagles Cliff Gard came over the trees and hovered, throwing blows and making a noise. The rogues, Sileni and Pheres all turned to face them. Our group launched ourselves at the backs of the Mages and gave them all the good news before they knew we were there. Then we all joined in with putting the Sileni and Pheres out cold.

The Eagles Cliff lot told us that no food at all had got through to any of Maldon’s forces in their forward positions. We didn’t know what they’d been planning on doing, but it wasn’t happening now. The Eagle’s Cliff leader reckoned they’d blown it for any kind of invasion unless they were so desperate that they thought they could break through and steal food from some of our villages. Since the East Gard spooks (Malaika’s crowd) had them under their watchful eyes though, they were going to have to be ready to go into a full on battle to get through. Given how long they couldn’t have eaten for, they’d have to be mad to think they’d succeed. Our side was looking for them either pulling back or for desertions.

The Eagles Cliff lot gave the beasts a quick-acting cure to the Karn weed and then took them away to dispose of the supplies. We bound the Mages (spells and ropes, I’m a belt-and-braces man where it comes to dealing with other Mages) then we woke them, and the Sileni and Pheres up.

I made sure they know I was blind, then gave them the speech about not having any quarrel with them and pointed out that we hadn’t started this war, we’d only killed in self defence and were trying hard not to do any more of that.

I pointed out to the Mages that there was a Gate nearby and they might want to make use of it rather than go back to Maldon, who hadn’t ever been right famous for his good temper. That last was one of Senior Ferguson’s ideas. It weren’t quite as nice as it might have looked to the lads in front of us. We were hoping he’d send others to chase ‘em in the other world, taking a weight off our backs.

They’d probably be able to guess we were based here, because of the trick with the Karn weed. I was sure the Sileni’d know what had done that to their beasts. We all went over our procedures for getting back and went out following the Eagles Cliff crowd’s route back ‘til we met up with them and then peeled off one-by-one to go back to the house.

I really wanted to keep that house uncompromised. By the weekend it would be able to play music for us. No one had been able to carry any instruments, of course, and I was getting a bit bored of not having anything to listen to. Course it was going to start arguments about what we did listen to, wasn’t it? I could understand I was the only one who’d want to play Qawwali (Parsa is more into Nancy Ajram), but how come I was the only one into the Arctic Monkeys? That were just weird that.

Adam

Grandmothers from Wallsend can be relied upon to kick butt harder than the average fairy story model does. Was that meant to be a joke I’d laugh at? Those wolves that got away did it with a whimper and their tails between their legs.