Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus) (39 page)

“Sometimes it is best to let some go or experience larger growing pains as an empire. Besides, their defection can be used to better his goals as well. Other countries will see them separate, but worry if the emperor is just executing another ruse.

“He is known for creating unassuming threats as you know, since you were once the tool of one of his machinations.”

Remaining guarded, Palose ventured a last question, “Why would you tell me something like this?”

Acheri achieved a mysterious smile as she toyed with him. The girl always seemed to be leading him where she wanted like a master manipulator, he thought, and wondered again how old she should be in his mind. This was no babe of a mere few months’ of life and no little girl like the outer guise would suggest. “I like you Palose, and the emperor likes you.” Glancing over to Lanquer who had remained distant enough for the two to talk in private, she added, “Even Lanquer likes you, when he isn’t busy being mad at you as his teacher. Shouldn’t I be able to speak with you as a friend in such confidence? You are loyal to the emperor, aren’t you?

“A man like you, or perhaps I should say a resurrection man like you, is an excellent asset and more valuable than you can imagine. We already trust you with Lanquer’s life and mine by association, Palose. Surely a little information like I’ve shared is nothing compared to the value of two lives so close to the emperor?”

Like a metal jawed, spring trap, Palose felt her words closing in on him daring him to try and escape. There was only one answer to be given whether he meant it or not. “I guess if you put it that way, then it must be all right,” he said not exactly declaring his loyalty as much as agreeing with her viewpoint.

She sat upright casually and placed her hand over his bicep with only his shirt between them. Her face was earnest as she added, “A loyal servant of the emperor can achieve great things. He has big ideas for you, Palose. Become the greatest version of yourself and you’ll be amazed by how far you might go here.”

Her hand was gentle as it slid down his short sleeve before tracing her fingers over his forearm to his hand. Her fingers lingered as the palm covered the back of his hand for a long moment. What the exact meaning of her attention could be, he wasn’t sure. She had never seemed overly affectionate and yet Acheri had always seemed to give him more attention than even her half brother.

“I should probably get back to work if you want Lanquer to become proficient enough to protect you or the emperor then,” he said rising from the bench still feeling a tingle on his skin where the girl had touched him. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but it was confusing. Her faint smile held him as the mage gathered his student to try once more.

Rilena approached the double doors apprehensively with Elzen beside her. They had been placed on the same detail for the first day of watching over Garosh. Neither guards for or against, they were the watchdogs there to see if the giant would honor his word or was simply a master of deception.

While she still hated that this was her duty, the falcon had become resigned, after talking with her friends, to treat this abhorrent task as her way of discovering the truth as she felt it. Though he had apologized and surrendered, it had all seemed way too easy, especially after the initial fight to get to the fortress. He had sent werewolves and lions to attack them in a blizzard, which still amazed her since the army had been forced to hide in their tents for three days and yet the creatures had braved the elements and found them in the middle of nowhere.

“Are you ready?” Elzen asked the woman quietly. He had once again become that supportive presence she had come to rely on out in the field. With only their original bond to Sebastian as an anchor to each other, they had become close friends.

She nodded. “We will wait for him to slip up and then I will do what should have been done in the first place.”

“Or he will prove himself,” Elzen reminded grimly keeping her grounded and preventing the woman from just becoming his judge and jury.

Grunting without much confidence in the second theory, Rilena replied, “We’ll see.”

The doors opened and the mage was surprised at the size of the room the prisoner had been assigned. Her own room was less than half the size of the one Garosh occupied, though admittedly the girl didn’t need room for a half dozen guards inside her room. Her eyes opened slightly with surprise seeing Wizard Druick and his apprentice Nereith inside along with four soldiers in half armor and armed with swords and long knives.

For all the pretense of giving Garosh the benefit of the doubt, the rulers of Windmeer weren’t being stupid about what the giant could do. A mere battle mage had managed to bring an army into the castle, so with someone holding magical power great enough to dwarf the strongest wizard in Southwall, they could hardly do less than have a half dozen guards around him at all times.

Garosh stood on the other side of a large bed with posts and a heavy curtained canopy. They could be drawn to block out light for those wishing to sleep in and stay in darkness by day, but for now they were tied giving her an unobstructed view of her tormentor. The giant turned at the opening of the door and spying Rilena summoned a kind looking smile.

The doors closed behind them and it was the mage who suddenly felt trapped despite seven others on her side.

As he walked slowly around the bed post, Rilena spied what Garosh had been holding, a book known as ‘First Mage’. Noticing her eyes straying to the cover, he held it up commenting, “Your library here is quite extensive. It is always interesting to get another opinion and see the world from another view. Your first true battle mage created something greater than many had at first believed according to this. Of course, recording history after it has happened can lead to inaccuracies.

“I’m not certain there are any, of course, because the only thing less accurate is someone presuming they know everything when they do not.

“I can also say that I can not answer why your leaders would be
so cruel as to send my former prisoners to watch over me,” the man stated obviously reading the mood of those he had mistreated over a month earlier. “Admittedly, I have my guesses. There is the obvious idea of getting over what has happened by making you confront the one you hate, though that sounds more like something we would do in Ensolus. You have all implied that you are more civilized than that, so that can’t be right.

“Then there is the possibility that I am lying and what better way to get your revenge than getting to try and kill me. There are more possibilities, but those seem most likely.”

The man tossed the book onto his bed before clapping his hands together in one large clap of thunder, which made her wince. “Well, since I have been good, I was told that I get to go outside, if I want. Though this is a nicer room than I had in that mountain fort, I would like the exercise.

“Word has it that some of the wizards are dueling this morning. They were preparing for some major competition from what I hear. If it is at all possible, I would love to see this.”

Druick answered as the leader of this shift, “Those going to the capitol have already left to make the trip in time. There may still be wizards in the courtyard testing their skills. It has become more popular with the advent of this tournament.”

Looking preoccupied as he looked at the bricks making up the upper part of the wall, the giant said dolefully, “That sounds like something I would have love to have seen, perhaps one day Ensolus and Southwall will be on such terms that we can host such an event for you.”

“Maybe if the emperor dies,” Rilena stated curtly. “As long as he is alive or Southwall exists for him to hate, I would guess that we will never get along. Our people wouldn’t feel safe visiting your land and I can assume the same can be said for yours.”

The giant nodded with a sigh and she almost believed the sincerity of the man. If he wanted peace between the two sides, then maybe this sudden surrender was part of his attempt to change things, but she still feared it was something else. He took a large jacket from a hook pulling it onto his body.

Two of the soldiers put their hands on the door handles; while one of the two rapped on the door to let those outside know that they were coming out. Four more soldiers stood outside waiting to escort Garosh through the castle. This trip had been scheduled and the men led the giant through the twisting, turning hallways and down several stairways before finding a set of doors which led outside.

Feeling the cold on her face, Rilena wondered when winter would finally relent and let the warm seasons take back the land for awhile. The sunlight was a slight surprise, after being inside the castle walls for a few days as well as having gray clouds overhead much of the time making Windmeer
feel even gloomier. Despite the cold air, the sunlight actually managed to warm the mage’s face until a stray breeze struck her cheeks reminding Rilena of winter’s hold once more.

The sounds of magical combat came to her ears even as Rilena’s eyes adjusted to the brightness outside. Though those chosen to represent Windmeer had already left for Hala almost a week earlier, the wizards remaining behind had enjoyed the competition enough to continue their matches despite no longer having the chance to go to the capitol for the tournament. Unlike training exercises, the wizard duels involved using whatever combat spells they could come up with and either a stone dummy that they protected or additional wizards using their magic to keep the combatants and spectators safe.

While the duelists preferred the latter type of competition, not every match had extra wizards to cover the field and competitors involved. It took at least two defensive casters for each wizard involved, so four total were needed minimum. Still whether putting themselves into the heart of the fight or using a stand in, stone dummy, the magical battles had been becoming increasingly more competitive among the duelists.

The current battle involved water against fire as men in red and blue faced off using their respective spells. It was one of the things that had been keeping the duelists coming, the rivalry between schools of magic made for the best matches it seemed. Water versus fire, wind versus earth, nature against them all, the five main schools of combat magic were constantly trying to prove who truly
was the best. Fire wizards had always considered their school the number one in combat casters, but each had proven strong over the last few weeks especially.

Fireballs, spinning blasts of flame, constructs that resembled monsters and more confronted water, ice and snow from the water duelist. Winter added to a water wizard’s bag of tricks and made them
more effective, while a fire wizard was only hampered by rain and falling snow. The clear sky meant neither wizard had an advantage, but even walking up halfway through the battle, the mage could tell that the fire caster was in charge of this fight.

When finally fire conquered water, the two wizards looked exhausted. The two were evenly matched and Rilena gathered that the men had fought each other often the last few weeks with the pool of wizards wishing to duel limited in number. These rivals were destined to challenge each other as long as they were stationed at Windmeer, but the return of the army from the mountains might bring some new blood into the mix again.

“Your wizards are indeed a civilized bunch, aren’t they?” Garosh stated more than questioned as the next set of wizards prepared the field for their duel.

The tall nature wizard Druick answered the giant who dwarfed him, “Wizards aren’t an unlimited species, so the duels were created as a way to use their full strength without worrying over needless deaths. I would assume that Ensolus would have exercised a similar amount of safety. Your wizards are seen rarely enough to believe that yours are more numerous than ours.”

Chuckling in response, Garosh said, “You would think that, wouldn’t you? The emperor lets you see what he wants you to see. While I have no idea of Southwall’s combat strength, Ensolus alone has enough to unite in a single attack that could break through the wall if they’re given enough time.”

Nereith his apprentice sniffed in disdain as she rebuffed his claim, “Any group of wizards, if given time, can move mountains, giant. Such a statement is hardly a thing to be feared.”

“True,” he responded with a nod. “Still I can see that your people do not know the power of the Wizard Hunters yet. Has anyone escaped to talk of the warlocks in black armor yet?”

“Wizard Hunters?” voices echoed from around Garosh even drawing eyes from those not with their group. Everyone in Windmeer knew of the giant anyway, so it was just a matter of time before they drew attention.

“Ensolus has been working on armor that will make your best magic useless. You saw part of that in the attack on the fortress. Fires were put out or unable to pass a point of darkness. Why do you think we waited for your last attack in the night? Darkness magic has become certain warlocks’ best spells to use against your wizards,” Garosh stated seeming somewhere between being arrogant and just informative.

Rilena moved towards the giant aggressively forgetting her qualms about their past and ordered, “If you truly are here to help us and want our help in return, then teach us this magic and how to defeat it. It would be a real step towards my believing that you aren’t simply up to something.”

She had pulled no punches, but Garosh gave a shrug before sighing, “I’m afraid that for all my power, I am an elementalist and can’t perform the darkness magic either. I can tell you that a strong enough light spell can break a night shield, though I am not aware of a weakness in the Wizard Hunter’s new armor. It has barely been battle tested, but I haven’t heard of it being weakened in combat either.”