The forest was quiet. Peaceful. Not a sound to be heard. Not a bird's call, or a breeze through the trees. That is how Gaijan knew that something was wrong. They, that is, Gaijan and the other magicians that made up their company, had been traveling through this forest on horseback for the past three days. And in that time they had not seen any sign of any other living thing. Not a bird, or a squirrel, or even an insect. They had all fled this place. Gaijan drew his cloak tighter around his shoulders, but it did not dispel the creeping gloom that hung over this place. Something was terribly, horribly wrong. He could feel it in the air. He thought he could smell it, too. 

Ahead of him he could see the long line of horses carrying twenty or so of his fellow magicians, or should he say, they were full magicians. He was only an apprentice. But he had been assigned to this quest. This quest that had brought him to this place that made his skin crawl and made him want to turn back. But he couldn't show his fear. He had to show the others that it wasn't a mistake to take a 2nd class apprentice. He knew that the majority of his companions thought he was too inexperienced for something like this. That he wasn't ready. But Mage Unda had personally granted his approval, so they had to deal with it. And there really was no time for arguments.

Mage Unda had called a meeting of the magicians, which had not been done in the lifetime of anyone now living. The meeting concerned strange premonitions the Mage had. They were of destruction, of something powerful that had entered this world, which would prove the annihilation of everything. He told the magicians gathered that there was no more information than that, except that he knew where this power would appear. He recommended that a company be formed to travel to this place and try to contain this power and change the fate of this world. Some protested, saying that if the premonitions were really that strong, then there was nothing to be done, and they should just accept it. Others shouted these down, saying that they were not yet ready to die. So, the company was formed, of those that volunteered, and those that were volunteered, like Gaijan. He had felt immensely inadequate. He thought that there would have been enough opposition to him going that he wouldn't have to, but Mage Unda had personally approved, and that was that. Gaijan still didn't quite understand why his mentor, Eyish, had volunteered him. But he trusted his mentor's judgment. This was a test of his abilities. And he wanted to make Eyish proud.

So that very next day after the meeting of magicians he had set off with the company. They had traveled for weeks, and as they got closer Gaijan could sense it. At first it was only an occasional sensation every few days or so, but soon became more and more frequent, until they had entered this forest, where the unnatural... something seemed to envelope everything, and make shivers run up and down his spine. Again Gaijan drew his cloak around him, a fistful of the thick cloth clutched tightly against his chest, but it didn't stop this feeling of foreboding. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Horribly wrong. Just wrong.

Suddenly, up ahead the leader of their company, Royan, reigned in his horse, and all the others followed his lead. Royan turned and spoke to some of those behind him, but Gaijan was too far back to hear any of what was said. He watched the conversation, wishing he could remember that spell for enhanced hearing. Of course he wouldn't have used it for something as trivial as this. That was one lesson that Eyish had drilled into him again and again and again. 'Never use magic unless it is absolutely necessary.' During his training he only used magic when his mentor required it of him. All of his learning was from books and scrolls and what Eyish had in his mind. It was all very boring to Gaijan. Eyish said that it was because he was an instinctual magician, so learning without actually doing it was very difficult for him. He tried the best he could, but he now saw that it was useless. He couldn't even remember that simple spell for enhanced hearing. What if something happened that required him to use those spells that he had tried to learn, but he couldn't remember any of them? That feeling of inadequacy returned, again making him wonder why he had come on this quest, or even why he had been allowed to train as a magician at all.

Up ahead he saw that Royan had continued to move forward, and Gaijan urged his horse on as well. He wondered what had caused them to stop, but as he went forward, he saw why. The trees on either side of him were blackened and scorched. There had been a fire here. A massive fire. Ash and soot covered the ground in a thick layer, and the horses' hooves disturbed it and made clouds of it rise up in the air, causing the magicians to cover their mouths to protect from breathing it in. It became so bad that Gaijan could only see the hindquarters of the horse directly in front of him, but nothing else. Soon his eyes were watering fiercely and, despite the cloth he held to his nose and mouth, he began to cough as well. Suddenly it was like a bubble was surrounding him, and he could see quite clearly up ahead. Someone had performed a spell to protect them from the cloud of ash, a very sophisticated spell. Gaijan wondered if he would ever get that good.

They continued on. And on. And on. Gaijan wondered if they would ever find this powerful force that Mage Unda was so frightened of.

That night they found a spot to make camp, a few magicians performing spells to get rid of the layer of ash on the ground so they could sleep comfortably. Gaijan thought of the disapproving look Eyish would have given those magicians. He could almost hear the reproving words of his mentor.  'If you could do it just fine without magic, then you should roll up your sleeves and get to work.' Gaijan knew that there were many different styles and rules that the different magicians that filled this world lived by. He also knew that when he completed his training, he would have to decide which of his mentor's teachings he would keep, and what he would discard.

Gaijan fed his horse from a bag of oats, then ate his fill of jerky, and laid out his blanket and tried to go to sleep. He was a ways away from the others (they didn't exactly offer much in the way of friendship) but he could hear some hushed conversations.

Something about magical fire consuming the forest. It was not natural. There must be a rogue magician on the loose. They should be getting close now. A few people complaining about the hard ground.

Gaijan fell asleep to their droning voices.

To be continued...