Leaving for Redthorne

The next day, we awoke in cozy quarters, with warm blankets and soft beds. We were treated quests by the count and arranged for us the best of his rooms. I shared the room with other five bronze-rank mages, and none of them was Clarence or his henchmen. So while they also looked down on me, they did not hate me enough to cause me harm.

A maid knocked on our door, early in the morning to inform us that breakfast had been prepared. The morning meal was served in the same hall, where we feasted the other night. All of those in attendance yesterday, were also there including the count.

We did not eat breakfast within the order, it was because as holy men, we were supposed to shy away from excessiveness. But that day was special, and so we were served the meal. Despite being lighter than our previous dinner, the breakfast of cabbage, cheese, bacon, bread, and eggs was still heavy, at least by my standard.

"The count has revealed to me the purpose why we were needed." our grandmaster stood up and announced while we were supping. He glanced at the count who was beside him and after a nod continued.

"A scourge of immense strength had been spotted in the forest of Redthorne, slaughtering in his wake, an entire village. If the witnesses were to be believed, we have in our hands an undead knight."

Thus the rumor was confirmed, and all of us were dumbfounded. Undead knights were the group of knights cursed by a mighty evil entity, in a conflict years ago. They were given unparalleled power and long lives in exchange for their sanity. So they roamed the lands, broken and senseless souls, extinguishing life wherever they find it.

Only the strongest of mages could survive after meeting them, and none had ever defeated one. Thankfully, they hated the light of the sun and prefer to hide within the covers of thick woodlands and abandoned structures. And it seemed that one of them had sought refuge in Redthorne.

"Redthorne is close enough to our villages and so we cannot give the forest to this undead knight. And so while this is risky, with the might of our order, and the soldiers of Lord Leonard, we will attempt to rid the forest of this scourge." Sir Arnaud continued.

The announcement was not met with cheers but with worried frowns. However, though we considered it extremely dangerous, our pride in our order led us to believe we can handle it. We were one of the best of the mage orders in the kingdom, with our grandmaster and elders spoken even in the court of the king.

Our hearts pounding with both anxiety and excitement, we were not able to enjoy our breakfast as much as we would. We proceeded to eat in silence and with haste.

After breakfast, we were given an hour to prepare, and we returned to our quarters. On my way to the room, one of Clarence's henchmen handed me my staff, accompanied by a hateful leer and no words. I inspected the staff for any damage, but Clarence must have feared that I'll say something to the elder and it was left untouched.

The wooden staff had a handle made of ash wood, with a crystal on top. The crystal was called Eilifer and is considered a most sacred precious stone. The presence of the artifact helps magnify and concentrate a mage's magical power. And so if two mages of equal strength would fight, with the other having a staff and the other without, the former would always certainly win. And so I was relieved to have it back whole.

Inside the room, I reached for a booklet that I had in my girdle. Scrawled on its pages were the spells I deemed most necessary. They were spells of different kinds, and chants directed to different lords. I have extracted them from spell books that were too heavy to carry around.

However, a lot of them were spells I have yet to cast. Some I was still mastering, and most many have said, were beyond my magical capability. Yet I kept them, in hopes that someday I'll wake up more favored by the gods.

I reviewed each one, sitting on the side of the bed, not wording them out as that would trigger the spell. My roommates did the same and each found their corner to focus, for once studying intently just before our most dangerous assignment.

An hour ran out, and all of us were summoned to the courtyard. Arrayed in full attire, with our bags and staves, the grandmaster once again addressed us. He informed us that we are to be divided into seven groups, each with an elder. Each group would be assigned to a company of soldiers, to scour the forest in multiple directions.

To my relief, Sir Roland had arranged that I will be included in his group, together with a silver-rank mage, and four bronze-rank mages. The soldiers were gathered outside the town, and Redthorne was seven kilometers away from Woluberg. The thought of marching again on such a clear hot day upset me more than the danger we were about to face. Partly because I believed I would be safe around Sir Roland.

After the rather brief congregation, we proceeded out of the citadel.

Just before I passed by the gate, I noticed the maid I saw last night, a small pale of water in her hand. She was coming from outside and I was going out, and I thought she wouldn't notice me. But she did recognize me, and paused, puzzled at first, and then smiled at me. The light of the sun revealed more clearly her beauty, and I noticed she was younger than I thought she was, maybe many years younger than me.

And it was all that I needed to consider the journey and the task ahead bearable. Because if we were to succeed and return glorious, I could have a better chance of wooing her.

"You deserve better, child." I remembered Sir Roland saying to me atop his horse when he noticed what was happening.

"I don't understand what your talking about sir" I responded like a thief caught in the act.

"You're a mage, you at least deserve a daughter of a noble."

"But I am not a noble sir, and I am not interested in noblewomen."

"Hmm, why?" Sir Roland asked, looking down with a curious expression.

"I have lived my life being insulted by my noblemen sir, and I began to think very badly of them." I forgot that Sir Roland, was a nobleman himself and I almost panicked at what I have just said.

"Fair point." he muttered and then paused, and initially I thought that he had hated me.

"But at least settle for a good woman, the count's maids are his possessions and most of them do not remain chaste."

I feel insulted by what he had said, for he was calling her a whore, but knowing who he was I knew it was spoken out of concern for me. Maybe he thought that I was being naive and I was falling prey to deceitful women which I insisted then that I was not and knew that she was not. But I did not reply and he did not pursue the matter.

We traversed the same muddy road we used yesterday, and though it was brighter, there was nothing new to see. There were more people around comprised mostly of onlookers, who were there to see mages because we were not commonly seen. They were cheering and I could see children waving and jumping in the crowd. Just a decade ago, I was also like them, to be a mage was every child's dream. I was fortunate, sort of, that I have achieved something that remained a dream for most. I smiled at them, though it was likely that I was not the one they were looking at.

The traffic of people gave way, as well as the carts and even carriages carrying noblemen. And so unhindered we soon reached the gates.

Outside, by the walls, were about five hundred armed men with the majority being mercenaries. Captains of the soldiers greeted the elders, and guide the mages to their assigned company. Sir Roland and our group were greeted by a captain named Guiscard, and upon seeing the men we will be marching with, we were not impressed.

While Guiscard and the other twenty men were soldiers, the rest of our group were mercenaries. Unlike the count's men which were clad in mail, the sellswords wore leather and gambeson. Most of them were also ten years older than the typical soldier, and they looked weak and unreliable. But we did not dare voice our disapproval, most of the men were there because they needed to, they had mouths to feed.

Even then I had a hunch that that day wouldn't pass without something wrong happening. I forcibly rebuked myself for it, comforting myself with the fact that we had Sir Roland.