The Mirror Mage

34. The Search

Ben squeezed himself out of the half-sized mirror into Rider's Keep. That had been a tight fit, but he was through. He straightened his clothes and looked around. The place was instantly familiar; it was the Mage's workshop, where he had been taken for his first attempt at glass walking. He guessed this must be the very room where he had first been drawn kicking and screaming into Rhillion from Wentworth Manor, all those nights ago. It was a strange feeling.

Ciara was standing by, anxiously waiting for his arrival. Her eyes were reddened and she looked as if she hadn't slept.

"I thank thee for coming, Mage Lucas. There must have been an accident. I can't think of another reason why Lio would have come back alone."

"I'm afraid I agree with you," replied Ben, not wanting to gloss over the seriousness of the situation. "But let's hope for the best until we know something for certain. Is Alizay here? I hoped to set out as soon as possible."

Ciara nodded. "I sent word to the stables as soon as I heard thee were coming. I've prepared a saddle bag for thee, with food and water. Clean cloths, too, and a salve in case he is wounded."

"Excellent! That will save me some time. I don't suppose you have a map of the area?"

The confused look on Ciara's face gave him the answer. "'Map?'"

"A drawing, or chart, of the country between here and Mellow's Hold?"

"No. I'm sorry. But I know it's straight south of here, about half a day's ride. In the Vanda foothills."

"Right." Ben tried not to let his misgivings show. "We still have several hours of daylight left. I'll saddle up now and get going."

"I thank thee again for coming to our aid." Ciara repeated. "None of us ride well enough to go as far as Mellow's Hold." She sounded apologetic. "I sent out everyone we could spare to search the surrounding area on foot after Lio came back, just in case the Rider was lying nearby, but there was no sign of him."

"It sounds to me like you did the best you could," Ben tried to be reassuring. He couldn't help thinking this was a significant downside of the Rider's policy of keeping skills to himself. He thought if ever he had the chance to run a marvellous herd like this, he would ensure every stable hand knew how to ride properly, as well as how to groom the horses.

He led the way to the stables, with Ciara collecting the bag of supplies she had prepared on the way.

Alizay turned his head toward them when Ben entered the stables and gave a soft whicker. Ben was certain he remembered him.

"Hey there, Alizay. Shall we go for a ride?" Ben spoke gently, patting the horse's neck and stroking his nose. He took down Lio's saddle, the one where he could ride astride, and fastened it on Alizay.

Ben led the horse out of the stable, Ciara following anxiously at his heels. Before he mounted Alizay, he took a small mirror from an inside pocket to show her. "I've been practising talking through the glass. I should be able to let you know as soon as I find him."

Some of the tension cleared from Ciara's face. "That would be most welcome!"

"I'll keep in touch," promised Ben, vaulting into the saddle in one smooth movement.

They crossed the ground near the Keep at a fast trot, Ben focussing his gaze ahead, searching for the tracks of a single horse coming out from the grasslands. He hadn't realised how much he missed riding until that moment. Despite the seriousness of the situation, he felt a shot of pure joy as he urged Alizay to a canter.

Once they were into the grasslands proper, Lio's trail was easy to spot. Broken stalks and flattened grass were clearly visible and Ben was able to relax into the ride. After a couple of hours, the hills which had been a smudge on the horizon were looming near and the grass was becoming sparser, the sandy ground dotted with small shrubs.

A cluster of brown roofs covered the top of a low hill at the start of the range. Surely that must be Mellow's Hold, about another eight kilometres away, or five miles in Rhillion's terms.

He spotted a low building far off to his right, but Lio's tracks continued in more or less a straight line toward the hills without veering to the side, so he kept going.

The weather had been excellent for tracking so far, with clear skies and only a light breeze ruffling the grass, but now a wind sprang up, blurring the tracks and causing Ben to drop Alizay to a walk. He had no way of knowing whether the Rider had reached the Hold or come to grief beforehand.

If they had been going any faster, he might not have seen it. A patch of black, lying on the ground behind some shrubs. His heart in his mouth, Ben brought Alizay to a halt and leapt down. He raced over but could see almost immediately that this was a large animal and not the Rider. The black was fur, or wool, and not a cloak. Ben guessed it was a pardu, one of those animals farmed at Mellow's Hold. The pardu was quite dead. It lay on its side, four legs out stiff, throat and stomach ripped open and entrails gnawed, staining the yellow sand with blood.

Ben spun around, his heart beating fast, searching the area for any sign of the predator responsible, but could see nothing moving except the wind.