Supreme Magus

"Because I’ve worked for the Lark family in the past." Lith replied. "I’m used to moving alone, though, so I’ve never needed one of these things. Is it supposed to-"

"Yes, it glows." Gelm squeezed Lith’s hand to stop him from mentioning the sudden itch he had felt. "It’s how we recognize the new guys. The surprised look always gives them out."

"I see." Lith nodded. "Are there any more surprises I should be aware of, Chief?"

"If the gods will it, this is the first and last." The head caravan sighed. "Give me your papers, please."

Lith handed Gelm his documents, and the man frowned as he read them.

"You look more like a throat cutter than a Snow Thrower, but I guess you’re a man of many talents."

"You have no idea." Lith’s smirk sent a shiver running down Gelm’s spine.

"Minor academy?" He asked.

"Do I look like someone who has that much money to waste?" Lith scoffed. "I’m a self-taught, and I’m much better than any of those posers."

"Lady Keyla believes you, and that’s enough for me." Gelm replied. "Your task is simple. Clear the road ahead of the caravan from the snow with the help of your partner, but stop as soon as you feel tired.

"You must be able to fight if push comes to shove, and we have hired enough Snow Throwers to keep travelling all day if necessary. You’ll patrol the caravan with the other mercenaries while you recover your mana. Leave everything else to us merchants, Tarak."

"I can do that." Lith nodded. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as I make sure everyone is who they say they are."

***

The caravan departed from Ghishal’s main city, Derana, a few minutes later. Since Gelm had never met Lith before, he put the unknown mercenary in the first shift as Snow Thrower to assess his skills before they got too far away from the capital to find a replacement.

"Jorun!" Lith and the man sitting beside him spoke the word of power and traced its hand sign with the practiced skill of someone who had performed the same task countless times.

Snow Thrower was the name of the magicos specialized in using their powers to remove any natural obstacle a caravan might encounter during winter, be it snow, ice, or fallen trees.

A skilled Snow Thrower let the horses advance at a steady pace, spared them from frostbite, kept them from slipping and falling off the road, and preserved their stamina.

A Snow Thrower would also expose holes and traps, and remove any obstacle that would have otherwise forced the caravan to stop, making it easy prey for an ambush.

’At least this Tarak is not one of those useless fellows who need to use tier one spells.’ Gelm inwardly nodded in approval. ’Only true Snow Throwers need only chore magic to do their job.’

The alleged focus that Lith ’needed’ spared him from making small talk. He used his colleague, a yellow-cored magico called Verban, to assess how tired he had to pretend to be.

Lith wore enough cloaking rings to appear as a bright yellow core, and needed to play the part. He kept working for half an hour after Verban left his station, and then joined the guards patrolling the area until lunchtime.

The caravan stopped on the side of the road. The merchants lit fires and prepared a warm meal for everyone, allowing men and horses to recover their strength.

"Good job out there, but there was no need to show off." Gelm said. "Start and end your shift with your assigned partner. It will save you mana and avoid pointless competition. You know how you magic users are."

"Actually, I don’t." Lith shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"Now you are scaring me." The head caravan looked Lith in the eyes and shuddered at seeing his honest curiosity. "All those who failed to enroll in one of the great academies always act as though they have to prove something to the rest of the world.

"They believe themselves to be unsung Lith Verhens and use their powers for magical measuring contests on every occasion they get, trying to prove they are the best."

"Really? This is new to me." Lith shrugged.

"And that scares me." Gelm replied. "You’ve clearly never worked with other magicos, which makes me wonder in what circumstances you met Countess Lark and what you did for her to earn her trust."

Lith had never competed with anyone, even during the academy. At best, he had had a friendly rivalry with Quylla, but even that had lasted only until the plague in Kandria. The mission had helped him greatly develop his mana perception, the only aspect he lacked.

After graduating from the White Griffon, Lith had worked alone and gained such a reputation that most mages gave him a wide berth upon hearing his name. Magicos didn’t even dare look in his direction except to ask for his autograph.

"I’m sorry, but it’s not a good business practice to reveal confidential information about a client just to appease the curiosity of someone I’m unlikely to ever meet again, Chief."

"If you have any problems with Her Ladyship’s decision, you have to bring them up to her." Lith said, ending that conversation.

Questioning a noble’s judgement was always a bad idea unless they came up with something idiotic enough to endanger the lives of the caravan members. Questioning a noble’s judgment about the people they trusted in time of crisis was the fastest route to unemployment.

"If that’s how you want to play it, Tarak, it’s fine by me." Gelm grunted. "Just do me a favor. Stay out of trouble. Most importantly, don’t stir up trouble with the rest of the Snow Thrower crew.

"You may be good at your job, but you alone sure aren’t enough to bring us all safely to our destination."

***

Jiza Gernoff’s secret compound, at the same time.

"This is exactly as I feared." Jiza drummed her fingers on her oakwood desk as she sifted through the report of the Gernoffs’ scouts. "The situation is much worse than I expected."

"I agree with your assessment of the situation." Calam Gernoff, her aide, nodded. "The Assistant Constable and the rookie Knight Guard who travel with the Verhens have been confirmed to be Jirni and Orion Ernas.

"Moreover, Lith Verhen has left the group and has been replaced by a mere construct. It’s the same obvious trick Jirni Ernas used to leave the Verhen Mansion. This kind of tactic can only fool fake mages.

"There is no way Verhen or Ernas thought we wouldn’t notice. The entire scenario doesn’t add up. If it’s a trap, it’s too obvious. If it’s not, then our opponent must have lost her mind. Neither option is credible."

"Indeed." Jiza turned to look out the window, and the sun lost its warmth as it reflected in her ice-blue eyes. "There is only one plausible explanation. The obvious trap is a cover for the real trap.

"Jirni Ernas is taunting us to make our move. Have our scouts uncovered something new about the defensive measures Verhen left behind?"

"Nothing you don’t already know." Calam shook his head, his short, wheat-blond hair shone like gold.

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