“Dragons are powerful and majestic beings. They nearly equaled the Gods for control of the mortal realm in ages past.”

Chapter 37

Wil could hear the axe whistling pass his ear. The force of the blow created a gust of air that blew his hair back as he ducked below a wild swing.

The Bugbear was larger than most of the others he had seen before. It stood tall enough to look Wil in the eye as it swung its axe overhead, gripped in both of its hands. It was determined to see Wil cleaved in half.

Wil’s shield of Mana, as strong as he could make it, was a visible haze around him with the large amount of energy he was pumping into it. The shield caught the heavy axe only inches away from his right shoulder, holding only briefly before giving way to the blow.

Wil watched in horror as the cracks quickly spread through the magic barrier, before it shattered like glass.

The weighty weapon was barely slowed by the shield, continuing downward towards his body. His thick fur lined cloak and hard leather armor prevented the blade from sinking into his flesh, but the force of the blow shattered his shoulder blade. His right arm instantly becoming useless.

Wil dropped his sword in agony, before thrusting his left hand forward. He hurled whatever Mana he had left into creating blistering hot jet of flame. He couldn’t form a coherent magical matrix, not with the pain he was in, so he simply focused on the symbol for fire. Channeling all his Mana into it and directing it forward with his left hand.

A crimson-colored flame erupted from his hand, directly into the Bugbear’s face. The bugbear was unable to avoid it, the distance between them was too close. It screamed and fell backwards. It was too late in throwing up a hand to protect itself.

Wil watched the flame melt the creature’s face, as its entire upper body was engulfed by the fire. It flailed about wildly, attempting to douse the flames, before Mara stepped in and stabbed it through the chest with her sword.

Wil stumbled backwards before falling against a nearby tree. He sat on the ground, his back leaning against the trunk of the tree. His shoulder had gone from searing pain to a dull numbness. The numb feeling spread from his shoulder all the way down to his hand.

Wil tried to remove his cloak to assess the injury, but the slightest movement brought the intense pain back. He sat perfectly still, taking small breaths to avoid aggravating the injury.

Mara knelt beside him, removing her helmet. Her short brown hair was wet from sweat, and her face showed concern as she assessed his wound.

“How bad?” She asked as she slowly pulled back his cloak to look.

“Bad!” Wil hissed out, as her actions jostled his shoulder, causing a flare of pain. “In my pack, reddish potion.” He told her, looking towards his discarded pack that lay nearby.

Mara stood up and scrambled towards the pack, pulling out the small case of healing potions that Wil had purchased from the auction. She opened the case and pulled out a reddish looking healing potion.

Seeing the bottle, Wil nodded slightly as Mara opened it the vial and poured the contents into his mouth. Immediately, the pain subsided. He felt a warmth spread from his stomach to his shoulder. The heat flared intensely for a moment, before a cool sensation spread across his chest and shoulder.

Wil tested his shoulder slightly. The agony from before was gone, replaced by a dull ache and some stiffness. He slowly climbed back to his feet with Mara’s help.

The potion had eased the pain, but it would be days before he could use his right arm again. Mara, pulled out a bandage from her pack and crafted a sling for his arm.

Wil looked around at the forest clearing. The body of the Bugbear had already cooled, and a layer of snow covered it. In the distance, through the blowing snow, Wil could make out the wagons behind them.

The pair, along with a few of the other more experienced guards, had been scouting ahead for the caravan. They had come upon a small group of Bugbears. Rather than allow the creatures to assault the vulnerable wagons, they had split into small groups and attacked the bugbears first.

With Wil and Mara working together to take down their leader, the large Bugbear lying dead on the ground, the rest had broken and fled.

He turned and looked at the Rank 1 Mara beside him. She had reached down to pick up Wil’s sword, before handing it back to him. Nodding gratefully at her, he placed it back in its sheath awkwardly with his left hand. He began to walk back to the wagons, Mara hurrying after him.

He had come to trust the young woman beside him. Although she was only Rank 1 and inexperienced, she had proven herself a quick learner and reliable. She was handy with a sword, and while she was short and slim, her agility meant she could dance circles around the other guards.

“So, do you think we’ll be there soon? I’m getting tired of all this snow and wind! I just wish we were in a common room somewhere, feet up in front of the fire and…” She rambled on, from one topic to another as they walked.

If there was one fault Wil could find with Mara, it’s that her tongue was as quick as her sword. She also never seemed to tire, she had boundless energy.

Wil just nodded along as she talked, content to let her go on. She had apologized when they first met, saying that she rambled when she was nervous. He couldn’t fault her for the quirk, heavens knew he had enough problems of his own that others had to put up with.

They returned to the line of wagons. Bell, seeing them return, walked towards Wil.

“You alright?” He asked, looking at the sling around Wil’s arm with concern.

“Yeah, but I can’t hold a sword until it heals.”

Bell grimaced at the comment, concerned to be down a person in the next confrontation.

“I can still fight, just not with a sword.” Wil said, attempting to placate the older man.

Bell nodded and led them back through the line of wagons. “Good, we can’t spare anyone. Especially a higher ranked like you. Not when we’re so close.”

“We’re almost there? I don’t know how you can recognize where we are through all this!” Wil said, waving his good arm at the blizzard surrounding them.

Bell shook his head at Wil before spitting on the ground. “Can’t see a god’s forsaken thing in this snow.” Bell kicked at the snow, which was now up to their knees.

As they walked, they left long trails through the snow to mark their passage, quickly covered by the strong winds. “But one of the scouts found the bridge a mile or so ahead. Should only be about five miles to Grand Falls once we cross it.”

“That’s great news, if we can get there in one piece. We ran into another group of Bugbears just in the trees, only a couple hundred feet away.” Wil explained, pointing at the tree line they had just come to.

The trio came to one of the wagons, where Wil’s horse, Snowflake was tied.

Taking the reins, Wil slowly mounted the horse, careful of his injured arm. Looking down at Bell and Mara, he watched the slow-moving wagons struggle to move through the knee-high snow.

“Five miles. If we travel through the evening, we should get there by morning?” Wil asked Bell.

“Aye, at this pace. Don’t expect this storm to break before we reach town.” Bell said, taking a long drink from his ever-present flask.

“I was thinking about that Bell. Doesn’t this all seem…unnatural to you? You’ve been to the northern province before. Have you ever seen a storm with this much snowfall lasting for as long as this one has?” Wil looked at the other man from his saddle.

“It’s rare, but spring storms sometimes happen this far north. They usually blow out as quickly as they come, maybe half a day at most.” Bell paused, looking into the sky. “You could be on to something, lad. Bugbears are the same as goblins, they wouldn’t come out of their holes during the day unless they knew the storm cover was staying for a while.”

“What could create a storm of this size?” Wil wondered aloud, as he looked into the sky as well.

“Whatever caused it, it’s not for us to be worryin’ about. We need to pick up the pace and make for that bridge.” Bell said, turning away from Wil. He walked with Mara towards the front of the Caravan, bellowing orders along the way.

Wil nudged Snowflake forward, the horse struggling to move through the snow. As he paced the wagons, he closed his eyes and concentrated on gathering the ambient Mana into his core. He needed to recover his spent Mana quickly. He had a feeling that he would need every bit of power to make it safely to Grand Falls.

Quentin watched Wil from her carriage with concern. She saw the man close his eyes, as a faint shimmering haze formed around him.

She was anxious about his injuries, and the dark circles he had under his eyes. He was pushing himself hard to protect the Caravan and all the people in it, he hardly rested anymore. Although he acted disinterested most of the time, she knew he cared about the wellbeing of those around him.

The caravan pushed on through the falling snow, finally reaching the bridge late in the evening.