Chapter 12

I promised to tell about the chase after the mage and Ertak.

By the time we get on our way after them, they had several minutes of head start.

When I felt the general search magic fade, the mage was heading east, towards the main gate, so we start running that way.

At the gate both Nedia and I notice that the tracks do not follow the road, instead they go south towards the nearest forest.

We continue running along the clear tracks for a while until I notice that we are slowly turning and it hits me that Ertak is likely making a big circle and returning towards the village.

I stop and tell the others to stop too.

As everyone is catching their breath I explain my idea.

Nedia says "That would make sense, I have noted that we started south and now we are going almost straight east."

I suggest that we run towards the village and prepare to meet them when they return.

Both Garis and Anneli are a bit skeptical, but since it is clear that we cannot really catch Ertak, the mage and the northerners by running after them, even the skeptics agree that it is worth trying.

Thus, about ten minutes after we ran out, we are back at the village.

Once there Garis says "Lets go just inside the gates, on the sides and ambush them when they come back"

Slanat replies in a worried tone "What about being held in place like last time?"

Anneli snorts and replies with a fierce growl "Not me at least now that I know it is coming"

Garis asks "What do you mean? You were held like the rest of us the previous time."

Anneli snarls at Garis "It came as a surprise so my defenses were not up, but when I am aware if things no mage can do that to me."

At that point all of us males decide to not comment more, as we all remember the case where Anneli yelled at at a poor fellow student for two straight hours at a volume that could make you deaf in much shorter time. Further she has the largest vocabulary of swearwords, putdowns and other nastiness that I have ever heard from anyone when she gets truly angry.

After few moments of uncomfortable silence Garis clears his throat and says "Right - So lets spread out on both sides of the gate."

After some more discussion it is decided that Anneli and Slanat will be on one side with Garis and me on the other. Nedia will be a bit deeper in the village and use her bow. I will stand on a barrel and watch over the low village wall until I see them approaching and then pull my head down.

Then we wait.

After maybe twenty or thirty minutes I see some movement near the forest.

Soon after that Ertak comes running out of the forest towards the village. The thing that startles me is that he have been running for an hour and looks as fresh as ever.

The mage is only maybe two hundred yards after him and does not seem tired either.

The two northerners on the other hand seem to be dead tired and have fallen a hundred yards behind the mage. That seems strange, as I have heard so many tales of the high endurance of northerners, and yet both Ertak and the mage seem to be outrunning them effortlessly.

Ertak then runs through the gate and continues through the village towards the Mayor's house.

I start projecting the "I am not here" and stay still.

As the mage enters though the gate Garis, Slanat and Anneli charge him with swords and Nedia shoots her arrows.