Battle Mage Visions (A Tale of Alus Book 12) (53 page)

"You're sure that you want to do this?" the captain asked as if the answer didn't change anything.

"I can use Istrias to get us inside the castle for the first time," Sebastian answered looking away from the magic that would draw him to the wizard. "I am not sure about bringing Jana though."

The girl drew out a small pouch from inside her jacket. "I have your stones. Two I carry to draw you to me. The talc rock I break if we are separated and I need to call you to me."

"She can take care of herself and can change clothes to blend in too," Drayden added with a nod to the mage. "If you really want to make the most of this opportunity, Jana can do more than you. I doubt that you can blend in enough with all the warlocks he has in there."

"I could try to stifle my magic," the mage replied having seen others that could mask their strength. His aura wasn't as strong as those wizards and he knew the principles of masking magic from others.

"I don't have to conceal any magic. Once we are inside, I can find a cleaning woman or someone like that, take their clothes and sneak around the castle without having to do much at all," Jana said with a slight frown for the mage. She had been adamant even in the face of his worry.

Sebastian hated risking others. He had lost Palose because of his need and still wondered if he could have made that diversion work by himself. Palose had turned against his people after Sebastian had lost him under his first command. He had led others since, but the mage avoided risking others beyond where he felt his abilities would be able to save them.

"All right, but when we go through, give me time to fight. I made these flash acorns before I came here. They'll stun an enemy long enough for me to put them to sleep. If you're in the line of fire, I'll have to carry you back out again anyway."

"Whatever you say, mage," the girl replied seeming unconcerned. It was his fifth time reiterating the point and Jana had felt that she completely understood him the first time. Now he was just starting to annoy her.

He could see Drayden's smirk behind the girl and Sebastian turned around with an acknowledging grunt.

"Reflex," the owl ordered his first spell. It made the next word sound long and drawn out to his ears. "Door," he said calling up the golden portal. His Hollow Sword was already drawn and touching the ground. The power needed to make a doorway was pulled to avoid touching his reserves in case of a long drawn out fight.

Jumping through the doorway, Sebastian passed through the void and landed in a dark room. Bars were noticed dimly in front of the mage and he was glad that he hadn't tossed the acorns before entering a cell. The gateway remained and his ears caught the sound of a gasp.

He spied a man in the corner. His magic matched the stones that the owl had used to find Istrias and Sebastian asked, "Istrias?"

The wizard looked beaten and worn, though it had only been a short time since he had arrived in Ensolus and disappeared.

"Wh-wh-who are you?" the man asked in a frightened gasp.

"Fire wisp," Sebastian called the dim light into being letting the small globe dance away towards the ceiling.

Istrias wasn't dressed like a wizard, at least not obviously. His clothes were a bit torn already and there were marks on his face as if he had been struck repeatedly. "Are you all right, Istrias?" he asked making sure to use the man's name to try drawing him past his shock.

Before the man could answer, Jana slipped through the doorway behind him. Disoriented, the girl stepped forward into the bars bouncing off to fall onto the ground rather ignominiously.

"Ouch," she said quietly remembering that they were supposed to be stealthily infiltrating the castle if possible.

Pulling the wizard to his feet easily, as the strength runes made him more powerful than he should be, Sebastian cut the bonds on the wizard's wrists. A second strap bound his thumbs together making sure that the man couldn't use the gestures needed for a wizards' spell. It was too tight for him to cut with a sword.

Istrias wasn't bound in any other way, so the mage pulled him towards the golden portal. "Drayden will have to help you with that. Now go through the doorway quickly so I can drop it. We don't want the emperor's warlocks chasing us down because of this gate."

"Thank you," the wizard said gratefully and didn't wait to be acknowledged before jumping blindly through the portal.

Sebastian dropped the spell a moment later leaving the glow of the wisp. The more distant lamps or torches gave a golden cast to the walls of the hall that the cell faced onto.

Helping the girl up from where she sat on her rear end, the mage stated, "Well, that's one down. Now we just need to escape this dungeon."

His magic pushed into the dagger tattoo on his left hand as he prepared to cut through the bolt locking the cell door. Jana stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

"What...?" he began.

"If you cut the bolt, we leave more evidence that you were here. Open the lock with these," the girl said holding a small set of picks, "and they'll have to figure out if he managed to use magic to escape or is in the castle."

"They'll still look," Sebastian stated not wanting to waste the time on her trying to pick a lock.

Both hands extended through the bars and Jana worked the set of picks like a professional. It didn't take her long, though his magic would have cut through much faster, he thought. Still, if they left the gate locked, it might give the enemy more to consider. They also hoped to find the captured spies that they hoped were in here as well.

"Which way?" he asked as they noticed the hall went either way to find a wall making a 'T'.

"How am I supposed to know?" the girl complained.

"Do we stick together or double our efforts to look and return here?" he asked suddenly second guessing taking the girl with him again. If they separated, they should be able to double their efforts; but if something happened to her while they were split, he wouldn't know it until she failed to return or broke the warning stone.

"You go that way and I'll go this way. Just call out 'sparrow' and wait for someone to say 'flies south' to know it is one of ours."

Jana knew their faces, but other than Drayden, Sebastian had barely encountered the other spies sent here. He had brought them all, but the time spent together was often just a few minutes.

Moving to the right of the cell, the mage went the way she suggested.

"Hound," he ordered a new mage spell. The reflex spell had been dropped once Sebastian knew that Istrias was alone. He hadn't truly used it and could call it up again much sooner than if he let it run its course. His body and mind could recoup without wasting that time if there was an emergency.

His senses were heightened now. While it meant that his sense of smell had to deal with the dank, disgusting scents of a dungeon; he could still pick out the smells of men and others in the various cells. When there was nothing there, he didn't need to call out or warn whoever must be guarding these cells.

A scent of a human came from the next cell on his left. "Sparrow," he called out softly, though it sounded like a shout in the quiet of the hallway.

There was no answer. Sebastian waved the wisp into the dark cell. It lit up a man with long over grown hair and beard. His fingernails remained lengthy and uncut. Sebastian thought that he would have simply bit them down in the same situation.

The man saw the glowing sphere suspended above him slashing at it like an animal with those long claws. His eyes were feral and Sebastian wondered what could have happened to his mind to remove so much of the human from him.

Taking the wisp back out into the hall, the mage continued by turning right at the intersection. He considered running. The added speed would let him cover more ground in a much shorter time, but his footsteps would also carry to anyone listening. Moving quietly meant going at a normal pace and not rushing.

Another human scent came from an upcoming cell and no one else came to the doors looking to find out the source of the light along the way. Orcs, goblins and even elves had been stored here. It was strange to think that any of the emperor's creatures could have done something to land in here. He had thought that they obeyed and followed his rule letting their anger out on Southwall. To think that there would be any creature that had been raised here that would still do something dungeon worthy was a surprise.

"Sparrow," he repeated waiting for a response.

"Flies south!" a voice gasped. It was female, another surprise. Drayden and Jana had said that some spies had been captured, but had never said their names.

A woman in torn clothes crawled to the bars. There were tears in her eyes.

"Please save me," she cried quietly as the woman moved into sight. He guessed that she was young like Jana and wondered why they would send girls into such a dangerous situation. Before his portals, no one had ever returned from Ensolus with any information. Most were captured or killed before entering the walls leading into the cave.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

Pulling herself up the bars, Sebastian realized that more of her was exposed than he had expected. Likely raped by the jailors, he was just glad that he could send her to safety.

"Door," he called pulling power up the iron bars rapidly making a new portal behind the girl. "Go, Drayden, is on the other side. I'll send you home once I find the others."

"Thank you," the girl said before half falling through the portal. It winked out of sight as the mage's jaw clenched angrily.

Feeling more stirred than ever to find the people of Southwall and send them to safety, the mage hurried down the hall. It turned to the left. Wondering if it would lead to the other side and maybe to Jana, Sebastian moved along looking for the other spies.

No more were found by the time he found the end of this tunnel too. It didn't lead back to the right, but turned away and up a set of stairs. Perhaps it was the end of the dungeons, he thought. The mage turned back hurrying to find his way back to the end of the 'T'. Instead of returning to the cell to find Jana, the mage moved past and found more cells along this end of the hall. He could sense no other humans before it led to a dead end.

A waste of time, Sebastian started back when he heard the sounds of fighting.

He rushed through the halls no longer worrying over silence. Turning down the first hall, Sebastian could hear the noise growing. Metal struck metal in clangs while voices cried out.

At the T, he followed the sound to his right in a near sprint. A larger room was at the end of this hall and that was where he could smell blood.

His eyes registered a couple trolls and several orcs pressuring three people into the far corner.

Sebastian ran forward throwing the harpoon lit up by his magic towards the closer of the trolls. If they finished closing on the humans, he doubted that they could survive long. A mage was the largest threat to a troll. Though the creatures were resistant to most magic, a battle mage had spells which enhanced their abilities. Swords could cut and slay the monsters, though they didn't go easily.

The new runes were something different again. Powered by the essence of his magic, Sebastian controlled the spear end watching it drive through the monster's neck. Giving it a yank while making the chain split in two, the battle mage succeeded in removing the head dropping the headless troll onto its back.

Blood splattering its shoulder, the second troll turned with two of the orcs. Sebastian had more than a dozen steps to reach any of them, but his harpoon was already there. Like a two headed snake, one lashed out at the second troll. It fended off the attacking weapon with a club, while one of the orcs was pierced through its chest by the other head.

A sword cut down on the line attached to the orc splitting it to Sebastian's surprise. There was no pain as if it was a part of him and, in fact, after the end disappeared in a sparkle of magic dust, the mage reformed the spear from the remaining tendril.

By that time, he was closing in on the creatures and drawing all the attention except from three orcs closest to the humans in the corner. Sebastian closed drawing back the harpoon lines in an instant and slashed at the orcs with the Hollow Sword. Forming a fist with his left hand, a tattoo dagger speared towards the troll growing longer while powered by his magic. It fended off the initial attack with its club, but Sebastian's sword cleaved an arm from one of the orcs sending it screaming away from him.

Pushing magic into the shield tattoo, the mage released the dagger letting the glowing rune shield push the troll back. His strength wouldn't have been enough to drive it back with a regular shield, but his magic was more powerful than even a troll. The shield surrounded him an instant later and he bowled through the remaining orcs. Turning to put the orange barrier between him and the creatures that had been attacking the three people, Sebastian quickly assessed the situation.

Jana was lying on the ground. He saw blood on her clothes and cuts that should have revealed skin, but all he saw was red bloody wounds. The two men held each held one of her daggers and wielded the remains of broken, wood chairs for shields.

"Get her up," he ordered the two men whose eyes were wide at the sight of the battle mage. The troll and orcs hammered at the powerful shield, but the mage ignored them. He pushed the shield forward into the monsters creating more room and placed the Hollow Sword on the ground.

"Door," he called up the portal. Without needing to tell them to escape, one of the men carried the girl following the other through the light.

There was another man nearby already lifeless. Not every spy was going home, he thought. Sebastian just hoped that was everyone before he jumped through the glowing doorway.

His shield disappeared letting the creatures lunge forward after him. Sebastian felt something try to pull him back, but felt the change from the void to his world again and released the portal spell. He thought that he heard a scream as the gate closed and felt something fall from his upper arm. As his senses recalibrated after the changing worlds, the mage looked at the ground seeing the large hand and forearm of the troll. It had been cut off as the portals had shut behind him. Whether any of the creatures trying to pass through the gate had been trapped inside the void mattered little to him now. Trapped in the dungeon or the void, only the troll's hand had managed to follow him to the building that Drayden had found for a hideout.

He heard voices and found Jana lying on a table where the men, including Drayden were quickly trying to bandage the girl's wounds. Pulling Bairh'loore from the oval tattoo on his forearm, Sebastian handed the Hollow Sword to one of the men before placing his left hand on her arm. The flow of power from the earth came to him through his staff. It was always warm with the magic bound to Bairh'loore, but the heat of the earth in his impatience threatened to burn him up like a torch made from grass.

Taking a deep breath, the mage sent his mind into the girl. She felt so fragile to his magic. Three wounds, all to her abdomen gave witness to the savagery of a single orc's repeated stabbing of Jana.

He could feel the blood seeping from the wounds. Air was escaping from her right lung where the blade had pierced upward into her chest narrowly missing her heart. If it had stabbed that, the healer would have no chance to save her at all. Even so, Jana's heart struggled. Her beats fluttered as shock threatened to shut her body down.

Blood loss was substantial already also, but his magic worked fast to close the flesh. Veins and arteries sealed becoming like new where the sword had sliced through.

"Bring food and drink," he gasped hearing his voice like it came from a great distance. His mind was away from his body. His mouth spoke as an echo of his thoughts, but it was a single request in the middle of the many things required to save the girl.

She didn't have magic and her strength was dwindling. Sebastian could lend her some, but the patient needed enough to fight to live.

"Come on, Jana, you told me not to worry about you. Now you need to fight," he heard echoes murmured from his mouth encouraging her to live.

Her heart struggled even as the mage felt like his healing was being too blunt in his attempt to heal her quickly. She wasn't strong enough, he feared. Each piece of her flesh told him the way it should be and he frantically wove the patterns back together.

The sound of her heartbeat stopped, but he was finished. She should live, but as the mage felt the life go out of her, he knew that it hadn't worked. "Come on, Jana, you're healed. Don't leave now!"

Ashleen had brought him back when his heart had stopped. She had told him that in her panic, her magic naturally tried what was a part of her. His body channeled lightning towards her heart. It beat once, but that was just a response to the electricity coursing into her.

How could he keep her heart beating, he wondered?

A burning was felt in his chest. The tattoo wells held residual magic from the lightning threatening to burst in his chest.

"Maybe that's it," the mage thought suddenly.

The wells were copied to the either side of Jana's heart. Threads tied them to her veins before Sebastian released the magic inside his power wells. He filled those on the girl before using the power of the earth again to refill what had been used.

Reaching out with his magic, he made the wells flow through the girl's heart. It beat and the flow repeated continuing to pump the blood in her veins. Magic joined the flesh and began to create a secondary flow like a wizard's or mage. Side by side a wizard's magic followed the veins of flesh, but in Jana's case they joined together.

She breathed in and out as the magic continued making her body work.

The girl groaned and her eyes fluttered open. She looked at Sebastian and he thought that he could see the flicker of magic in her eyes.

"Try feeding her," he ordered as the mage reached for the plate of food. Maintaining his connection with her system, Sebastian kept Bairh'loore touching the ground. Only the strength of the staff and earth, kept the mage from falling over now. The massive transfers of power through him had made him dizzy.

He nearly swallowed every bite of cheese and fruit. Juice and milk were brought to him and drained quickly. His energy was beginning to settle back to normal by the time he was finished. He could still feel the tattoo wells in the young woman feeding slowing out into her system. Whether there would be any side effects, Sebastian wasn't sure. This had never been done before as far as he knew.

Before he could start to feel good about the success of saving the girl, he felt magic just before a new portal opened.

"Bas!" he heard a familiar voice. "I have you now!"

After climbing several stairways to rise higher up the spire of the emperor's fortress, Acheri led the mage to a strange, vast room. Plants lined the walls and created paths towards a set of glass windows facing south towards the opening of the cave.

Leading Palose through the plants, Acheri led him to the edge of the stone floor. A railing was driven into the stone for safety since the edge dropped straight down for twenty feet with a gap between stone and glass. The windows spanned thirty feet across and rose to almost twenty feet above the floor as it dropped down as many feet to join the column of stone below them.

The room was heated like a botanical garden defying the cold of Ensolus and making it very comfortable to walk through it even without a coat. Acheri wore a dress, perhaps heavier than she would wear during the summer months, but it wouldn't be enough for the bitter cold of winter. Palose still wore his coat, but it was opened since most of the emperor's castle was reasonably warm.

"This is what he calls an observatory?" Palose asked looking out over the city. The morning sunlight poured through the gap above the walls and towers guarding the city's entry. Often cold and gray, this winter day was just the former this rare winter day.

"Kolban, both the previous version and the one he is now, often comes up here to look out over the city. I don't recall why now. It seems the longer I am alive, the more his past fades from my memories," the girl mused looking out through the glass.

"From here, the city looks much more attractive. The stone shapes have more character than when walking the streets down below," the dark mage stated considering the light playing across the other spires holding up the cave roof. One of those spires was the one that had been where Atrouseon had lived. It was his now and had a view of the south as well. Closer to the opening, his apartment enjoyed more of the light and yet the observatory seemed very bright. Perhaps it was because of all the windows or maybe there was something magical at work here too.

"Why did you bring that woman here, Palose?" Acheri asked turning her dark, blue eyes on the mage as she pulled away from the view before her.

"The emperor asked that I look for a true seer, one that could see more than just the lines on a hand to try predicting the future. They used to be called Visionaries, among other names; but many died right before the Cataclysm."

"Cataclysm?" the girl chuckled. "We call it the Arrival, if we label it as a major event at all. You north men trembled before Kolban's wrath. Cities were broken, sunk into the ocean while new islands appeared. He shook your world and it became the 'Cataclysm' to your people."

"They aren't my people anymore," Palose reminded her. "I was brought back to serve the emperor, so I did. Narissa appears to be what he was looking for."

Frowning at the seer's name, Acheri complained, "I don't like her. She seems too familiar with him. It is almost like she desires him. She is too old to be interested in a boy."