Chapter 32, Kellar, an Overwhelming Enemy

(Kellar)

Kellar trudged down a winding road, repeatedly glancing over his shoulder. Hair rose on his neck, the faint channeling of mana pulling at his senses. His senses, honed from decades of war, picked up on his runes, being pulled apart. Kelly tensed. It took immense skill to notice, let alone take apart his rune traps. That meant whoever was following them was at least a master mage, maybe a grand master.

Kellar and his force of soldiers were at the rear of the refugees. After a week and a half of slow gruelling travel, they were almost to the first city big enough to feed the thousands of people they had with them. His heart tightened at all the people left behind. Soo many had simply stopped falling behind. Kellar would have stayed and fought the enemy if he thought it would save people's lives. But the attacking army had gained reinforcements and after a week of no trouble, one of Kellar's rune traps had been torn apart.

Since the fall of the city, the refugees had been safe. Many were hungry, but none were dying of starvation just yet. They had enough food in their wagons to keep them fed. That was until the first attack. The damned Darva always attacked the food supply. Now some were too weak and simply gave up. He had to focus on the remaining army troops and most of the civilians.

Kellar kicked a rock. How in the nine hells did that little demon get away? If Kellar would have killed the demon when he had the chance, they wouldn't be in this mess. Kellar just knew that little bitch of a demon was the one responsible for burning their food stores. He heard a crack drift down the valley, followed by faint rumbling like thunder. On the far edge of the valley a plume of smoke drifted into the sky. Kellar smiled. He hoped the Darva caught in that trap spent the rest of eternity in the nine hells.

Kellar, even though he was tired both from walking and channeling mana skipped a little. The thought of those Darvan warriors shaking in fear with every step made his day. Judging by the plume of smoke, the Darvan army was perhaps a day behind them, maybe less. The only reason they had not caught up yet was all the mages of the army were placing rune traps all over the place behind the refugees.

Shielding his eyes from the noonday sun, Kellar caught site of his replacement riding a white horse. Kellar sighed in relief. Now he could relax a little. He waved to the journeymen mage as the man on the horse joined the rear guard. Kellar hurried to catch up with the cooks kart. Whoever prepared the food could make dirt taste good. The portly cook had promised to save one of those delicious rolls just for Kellar. Being a master mage had its perks.

He caught up after nearly twenty minutes at a brisk walk. Passing many exhausted, sorrowful, and angry people. By the time he reached the food cart, there was already a line forming. Kellar thought of food came to a jarring halt when he caught site of that beautiful sergeant again. She stood in-line dressed in dark scouts garb covering her light leather armour. A bow was slung over her shoulder and a sword rested at her belt.

Keller's heart skipped a beat as her short, curly black hair rustled in the breeze, revealing a fresh scar on her angular cheek. He was going to just barge past the line and get his food, but he really didn't want to cut in front of her. Kellar's rank as a master mage gave him the authority to do so, but it still might be seen as rude.

Keller strode up behind her in line and cleared his throat. She turned her deep brown eyes to him, eying him with a critical gaze. Now was his chance. He should say something sweet, maybe something charming.

" You look as lovely as a tree." said Kellar, kicking himself internally. Really, that was all he could come up with a tree?

" What? A tree? Is that supposed to be an insult?" asked the woman.

" It is a compliment, I meant you look as lovely as a tree in winter." said Kellar. He bit his lip, realizing he might have just made it worse.

" Trees are bare and ugly in winter." Replied the woman, her frown turning to a scowl.

Kellar opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again. He seemed to make things worse with every word.

"Are you trying to insult me until I move out of your way, mage?" asked the woman, scowling at his bright red robes. What had he done to deserve that kind of look? He had just been trying to give her a compliment.

" No Carter. It's me." replied Kellar, shifting nervously, smoothing his dust covered red robes.

"My name is not Carter, my name is Carley. And who are you? Should I know you?" asked the woman, scowling at him.

" I am Reskeme's master." replied Kellar, thinking he might get some points for being the young man's teacher.

" Oh, you mean you are the ass that taught him magic?" asked Carley, clenching her fists in a white-knuckled fist.

" Yes, that was me. Where is he?" asked Kellar. Carleys face fell, and she let out a sigh of resignation.

" The church inquisitor and his thugs took Reskeme back to the city for practicing demon magic." replied Carley, her face red with anger.

" You mean the city of Drent?" asked Kellar, anger and a crushing fatigue settling on him. Such potential lost, and from such a young man. Kellar took a few steps forwards the long line advancing slowly towards the food cart.

" Yes, my former teammate Dusty betrayed us and fled, taking the church's gold. I hope he chokes on his tongue in his sleep." replied Carley.

" How did you escape from the city?" asked Kellar.

" You wouldn't believe me if I told you." replied Carley.

" I'm sure it was an interesting story." replied Kellar, flushing. He was actually keeping her talking, if he kept his cool she might come out liking him?

"Do you remember the little dog that was following Reskeme around?" Asked Carley, moving ahead in line.

" Yes, he said it was his familiar, but the familiar was disguised with illusion magic." Replied Kellar, furrowing his brow.

" After they captured Reskeme, they left me tied to a damned tree. I'm lucky a monster didn't come along and eat me." Said Carley, shuddering.

"How did you escape?" Asked Kellar curiously.

" That's the confusing part. The small fluffy white dog strode from the trees and walked right up to me. It tore through the ropes like they were wet paper, and I was free. Just as it freed me, nearly forty Darvan warriors and ten scouts crept from the forest. They had us surrounded but one hiss from the white dog and all of them backed off." Said Carley, her face pale.

" You are right. That is a truly unbelievable story." Replied Kellar.

He said that, but his mind drifted to thoughts of the demon. Could it be? He remembered the grating hiss the demon made. It was the same size as that white dog, maybe taller. It made sense. No wonder Reskeme had wanted no one to know what his familiar was. And no wonder the church arrested him. Everything settled into place for Kellar, all the pieces connecting.

" I think that fluffy white puppy is actually a demon. I fought one of those hateful creatures leading a group of forty warriors in the city. From what you just told me, that demon in disguise must be the reason the church arrested Reskeme." Replied Kellar. Carleys bitter expression cracked, and she shivered.

" It's my fault the monster went to the city. I told the demon he was in the city." Said Carley, her hands shaking.

" That is probably true, but you can't change that."replied Kellar truthfully. He would not give her some useless platitude.

" Reskemes familiar may just be some weird monster, or it may be one of the mythical demons." Said Carley.

" The church likes to keep it quit, but I'm now nearly certain the demon with the Darvan army is Reskemes familiar. The questions are we going to do about it?" asked Kellar, cocking his head.

" I dont know what you are going to do. But I'm going to leave that problem to the experts at the church." replied Carley. Reaching out and taking a steaming roll of bread spread thickly with butter, Kellar contemplated his next move..

"There is a problem, from what i know of the secretive branch of the church they will kill the familiar." said Kellar, pulling apart the crunchy bread.

" Why is that a problem? The demon dies and we can sleep better at night." replied Carley.

"Soul magic is the problem. Reskeme and his familiar are two halves of the same soul. If one dies so will the other." said Kellar, tearing off a piece of bread with his teeth and chewing the soft but crunchy bread.

" Is there a way for us to get rid of the demon with magic?" asked Carley, waving her hands pointlessly through the air. Kellar's heart skipped as she said 'for us.' That meant she might help him?

" Maybe, I will need to talk with a friend of mine in the church. My skill with rituals is like my skill in talking to women." said Kellar, scratching his dark curly beard.

" So you cannot create rituals at all? But you are a master mage, why can't you create runes?" asked Carley, grinning.

" Mages learn runes, not rituals. Rituals are highly regulated and most are extremely illegal. If you would like, I can get you re posted to my guard when we enter the city?" said Kellar, crossing his arms.

" Alright, but if you try anything lecherous old man, I will remove your limb with my boot knife." said Carley, her eyes roving him and then dismissing him with a toss of her head. Old man? He was only forty, she was perhaps thirty. He flexed his well-muscled arms, his robes straining. Old man, my ass thought, Kellar.