A Jedi Wizard Tale

Chapter 3

The ride was insidious. Because the negotiations had to be in neutral territory, Skywalker and the Republic had agreed on the Outer Kingdom as the fairest place to meet. Which meant switch-back trails through mountain passes for Obi-Wan. On three different occasions he had had to cast a levitation charm to stop him and his accompaniment from plunging into a ravine. Commander Cody had been rather offended by the last, as Obi-Wan's spellcasting had been almost too slow and the result had dangled the commander upside down from his ankles. Cody's horse was lost and he now had to ride double with Rex.

Rex, Cody's twin, gave his brother no grief over the incident, but Cody had slipped into a moody silence nonetheless.

Obi-Wan did feel rather guilty about the situation, as he had been lost in his own thoughts.

Even with Jocasta Nu's assistance, Obi-Wan hadn't found what he was looking for in the Archives before the Council had called on him to get on his way. Now he traveled through mountain passes where his chief thought was that he was expected to come this way and it was a perfect setting for a trap.

"General Kenobi," Rex called out yet again. Obi-Wan already had his fingers sparking, mindful for a quicker save this time. Rex and Cody and mount seemed perfectly set on the narrow trail, so he let his grasp on his magic slide back into the pool he imagined in his chest.

Rex waited calmly, Cody still looking put-out at being down a horse. "Yes, Commander?" Obi-Wan inquired. If he could cock an eyebrow, now would have been the time.

"We really should be leading."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. This argument again.

"I must also agree, General," Cody chimed in. So much for sulking, Obi-Wan thought moodily.

"Agreed or not, the decision is out-of-hand until such a time as we can reach a path wide enough for us to switch places," Obi-Wan deflected. He didn't want to bring up the rear. He had originally been sandwiched between the two brothers, but after Obi-Wan had failed to save Cody's horse, he had taken the lead. The twins, sent as his honor guard, had heatedly debated that they should continue to sandwich the general with Cody on foot. Obi-Wan had irritably pulled rank and told them to buddy up.

That actually may be more the reason for Cody's sulking, now that Obi-Wan allowed himself time to think about it.

Obi-Wan could hear the brothers armor clinking as they shifted on the remaining mount. "Sir, if that is the only argument, you could easily levitate us over you," Rex said. "Or we could revisit the plan of one us going on foot…"

A clattering of rocks behind them stopped conversation as all three glanced behind them. Little rocks were dancing across the path they had just passed over and a deeper rumble was becoming audible as they stared.

"Avalanche, sir!" Cody cried, hand pushing against Rex's shoulders and feet digging into the sides of their horse, urging the poor thing into the rump of Obi-Wan's mount.

"Don't be ridiculous, there's not enough snow!" Obi-Wan snapped even as he urged his own mount forwad.

Rex, recovered from Cody's shove, gathered his horse's reigns tightly to keep from overtaking Obi-Wan as they hurried around the next bend in the trail. "Rockslide then!" he cried. As in answer, one large boulder crashed onto the trail behind them, followed by a jumble of others.

Obi-Wan threw up a shield as rocks came pouring down the mountainside. Pebbles and boulders and stones rolled over the top of his barrier, shunted over then down the mountainside to their right. Sweat beaded his brow as magic crackled at his fingertips. The weight of the rock was testing his strength, draining him faster than they really should.

As quickly as it came, the rockslide was over. Obi-Wan collapsed over his pommel, panting as he drew his magic back into himself. That shouldn't have been so difficult.

"General?" Cody, or Rex queried. Obi-Wan had trouble knowing which one spoke on voice alone.

"I'm all right, though I'm getting a bad feeling," Obi-Wan said, forcing himself upright and gathering his own reigns. He grabbed for his water tin and took a great drink, casting out with his senses for anything peculiar in the Force around them.

Hitting a block just around the next bend in the trail was the opposite of reassuring.

"A very bad feeling," Obi-Wan murmured.

There was a clatter of armor and Cody was there, deftly slipping around Obi-Wan's mount to the front of their small party. He already had his sword half-drawn as he snapped his visor down over his face. With sword fully drawn, he stalked up towards the bend.

"Commander, wait!" Obi-Wan barked. Obi-Wan too slipped off his horse, despite the precipitous drop to his right.

"Sir, I've watched you throw up plenty of those overhead shields. This is the first time, though, where it made you break a sweat. There's wizardy—"

"Dark wizardy," Rex added.

"—afoot here." Cody finished.

"All the more reason for me to go first!" Obi-Wan insisted. "You both were meant as an honor guard and protection against mountain bandits. I will not have you sacrifice yourself against forces you cannot fight!" In a pique of frustration, Obi-Wan levitated Cody back to his brother and knocked both of them out with a mind suggestion.

There was no sense in them dying.

When Obi-Wan rounded the corner, it was to a wider bit of trail, some scrubby grass growing along the cliff face. The sun lit up a small alcove where a man sat, legs crossed, on an intricate granite seat that was undoubtedly unhewn rock earlier in the day.

The man had shoulder-length dirty blond hair, dressed in black riding leathers with sharp-looking red trim. Broad shoulders filled out the leather admirably as long arms draped negligently over his perched knee. He wore gloves on both of his hands, his broadsword resting peacefully against the cliff face.

Obi-Wan knew him immediately.

"Skywalker," he hissed.

Skywalker quirked a smile in his direction.

"This was not our agreed upon meeting place," Obi-Wan said. He forced his shoulders to relax even as he crossed his arms. He tested his reserves—they were alarmingly low after the rockslide. He reached for the Force, only to find and dark and swirling almost lovingly around Skywalker.

Skywalker simply nodded.

"This is a trap!" Obi-Wan blurted as he leaned forward, putting as much accusation into his tone as he could muster.

Skywalker laughed. "Of course it is a trap, Kenobi. You're too good at escaping me otherwise." The dark wizard stood, the bright sunshine suddenly muffled by the darkness swirling around the dark wizard. "If you knew this was a trap, I suppose I should thank you for springing it anyway." With a casual step, Skywalker toed a line in the dirt.

And activated a Sith trap that Obi-Wan suddenly realized he was standing in the middle of. The Force sprung up around him like so many vines and turned black in his veins. Tendrils slithered up his arms and chest until he felt his heart entangled and his magic inaccessible. The spiderweb of spellwork was almost beautiful in its delicate darkness. Obi-Wan didn't have a single chance to fight it and the shock of being cut off from the Force after constantly feeling its presence sent Obi-Wan stumbling to his knees.

He pressed his hands to his chest, gasped breaths burning in his throat. The darkness of unconsciousness was welcome relief after that.