Master Mage (33 page)

Gripping the hilt of his sword
nervously, Thad waited alongside the others for the final call to
battle. It had taken so long to get to this point, and now
everything seemed to be moving so fast.

CHAPTER XXVI

When the final horn rang out, Thad and
more than fifteen thousand troops rushed toward the city gates. The
city had been built for trade, not war, so there were no real
barriers to their entry except for a few guards who were quickly
overtaken by the skilled Vathari warriors.

Thad moved through the city streets
with confidence. It had not been that long ago that he had prowled
the city, and now those memories guided his footsteps.

Thad never looked back to see if any
others followed him. They were skilled warriors and fighters, and
he knew they would have little difficulty in finding their way. As
he passed the large street that would lead him in the direction of
the guild hall, Thad slowed down slightly. He wanted to be there
when it all ended. He wanted to see the look on the faces of the
men who had hunted him and others like him when all their worlds
ended, but he knew that he would be most effective where he was
meant to go.

The palace was not far from the guild
hall, and Thad was sure that it was by no coincidence. From what he
had heard and learned, the king was nothing more than a puppet
leader, but even a puppet could be trouble if left unattended. The
taking of innocent lives always left a bad taste in his mouth, but
for the king, Thad only had a slight hesitance crying in the back
of his mind. The man might not be the real power behind the throne,
but he had willingly sat there and let the guild rule his country
without any struggle.

As Thad ran up the wide staircase
leading to the palace ground, he was amazed at the size of the
building that stood in front of him. He had seen the impressive
structure during his last visit to the city, but at a distance, it
looked like many other building he had seen in his life. Now
standing at its very walls, he was able to grasp it in its full
splendor. The columns were not made of simple brick and mortar like
those of the Farlan palace, but of pure marble. Everything within
his sight told of the wealth of Rane, from the gold banisters to
the crystal statue of a merchant scale that stood in the massive
courtyard.

As Thad moved through the grounds, he
was amazed at the little resistance he faced. Three guards were all
that raised their blades at him, and none of them were very skilled
in the art. As he reached the massive double doors leading into the
main section of the palace, Thad slowed his movements.

Turning around briefly, Thad saw that
behind him stood a large regiment of Vathari soldiers. They were
skilled at keeping their presence hidden, so Thad didn’t know if
they had been with him the whole time or if they had suddenly
arrived. Shrugging off the small questions that popped into his
mind, Thad pulled open the doors and entered the wide hallway
leading to the throne room.

As the hallway opened up, Thad could
see a large number of people waiting ahead. Slowing down, Thad
walked into the large room, his sword at the ready. With the
numerous number of Vathari warriors at his back, Thad knew he had
little to fear from the near-thirty soldiers that protected their
king, but still, he had found himself in dire straits many times
due to his reckless nature.

“So it is the young mage who started
everything that has come to my chambers,” a loud and deep voice
echoed throughout the room. Looking up, Thad let his eyes come to
rest on the lone figure that sat upon the golden throne. “Thaddeus
Torin, the boy who grew to be far more than a simple
thorn.”

Thad didn’t know what he had suspected
to find, but it was anything other than what he had. The king was a
large man, almost seven feet tall and well muscled. “It seems like
you have the benefit of knowing about me while I am in the dark,”
Thad said, lowering the tip of his sword slightly.

Thad was amazed that no sounds of
fighting came from behind him. Turning his head, he noticed that
the Vathari waited silently outside the entrance to the throne
room.

“Most visitors tend to call me by my
title, but if you must put a proper name with my face, it would be
Cyrus Rane,” the king said, standing from his throne. “Before we
undertake our fight to the death, do you mind me asking why you
want to destroy our world?”

“I didn’t wish to destroy anything,”
Thad replied, his voice heavy with confusion. “I just wanted to
live.”

Cyrus laughed. “You living dooms this
world, though I guess I cannot claim to be innocent.” Cyrus pulled
his sword and looked at the cold white metal of its blade. “I never
enjoyed the feel of this when it was near me. Even after thirty
years of having it at my side, it still makes my skin crawl. I
don’t think your companions will wait much longer, so shall we
start our dance?”

Cyrus stretched out his hand, and a
stream of fire roared from his palm, nearly catching Thad, who got
his shield up only seconds before the flames touched his skin.
“You’re a mage,” Thad said, surprised. “Why would you fight on the
side that wants all of our kind dead?” Thad asked as he rushed in
with a quick forward thrust, which the king easily knocked
aside.

“Because I know the truth,” Cyrus
replied with a sneer. “I have heard the stories that you have been
told about the world and its creations. They are lies,” Cyrus
replied, pushing Thad back. “The gods came here from another realm.
They forced their way through because they had been hunted by the
others of their kind. The flow of magic was the only connection
left between our world and theirs, but your goddess didn’t simply
want a new life—she wanted to make an army to take revenge on the
people who had chased her out of her home. With each new mage, a
little bit more of the vale that separates our worlds is torn away.
Can you imagine what would happen should it fail
completely?”

Thad stopped in midstep, shocked at
what Cyrus had said. “Why tell me this now, and why should I
believe you?” Thad asked, his fingers tightening on his sword’s
haft.

“We have lost,” Cyrus replied, lifting
his hands up and shrugging his shoulders. “The veil will fall one
day, and even if you don’t believe me, maybe you might take a peek
behind all the lies. That is, should you live through the
day.”

Cyrus’s next attack left Thad no doubt
that their friendly chat had come to an end. The sheer force behind
the blow knocked him to his knees and sent vibrations through his
arm that shook him to his very core. Before Thad could regain his
footing, a stream of fire tore past him, burning away his shield
and singeing his hair.

One of the white swords he could deal
with, but with the man wielding magic as well, lessened his chances
a great deal. The Vathari warriors had made quick work of the
guards and now stood in a ring around him, letting his own fight
play out. They saw it as a match of honor, so none would interfere,
even should he ask for assistance.

Thad knew what he had to do. A cold
sensation ran through his body as another blast of fire raced
toward him. Thad didn’t feel the heat of the blaze, only the
coldness of the gods’ magic washing into his body as he let every
inch of his skin turn to stone.

“That is a neat trick,” That heard the
muffled words of Cyrus say as the king lunged forward, then jumped
back as his sword skipped off Thad’s rock armor. Though Thad had
nothing to fear from the king’s attack, his body of stone was
sluggish and didn’t respond quickly enough to land a hit on the
trained swordsman.

Thad continued to press his attack,
waiting for his chance. Quickly closing his eyes, Thad cast a
bright ball of light and heard Cyrus’s alarmed scream. Thad didn’t
press his attack; instead, he created a lifelike image of himself
and let himself fall into the shadows.

Thad let the coldness fade from his
skin and checked thoroughly to make sure there had been no lasting
damage done. With the exception of a few small places, his body had
returned to normal. Letting out a silent sigh of relief, Thad
turned his attention back to his double and Cyrus.

The king had regained his composure but
still circled the image cautiously. Thad knew that as soon as the
king struck, his trick would be revealed; it was in that one
instance that the battle would be determined. Thad let his hand
meld with the shadows as he waited.

When the strike finally came, Thad
faded into the darkness, appearing right behind Cyrus. His blade
dug deep, plunging into the mage king, as his sword cut through
Thad’s image, destroying the magic that had formed it.

Thad lowered the lifeless body to the
ground. Slipping his own sword back in its scabbard, Thad retired
the fallen white-bladed sword and held it firmly in his hand. The
odd sensation of the metal drawing at his body made his stomach
lurch, but he found it a much weaker sensation than he had when he
had held the other swords of its kind.

Strapping on the sword, Thad tapped its
hilt strangely. He didn’t know if Cyrus had spoken the truth, but
he needed to know. Laughing to himself, Thad wondered if it really
mattered. Even if the world was overrun with gods, he would still
fight to live. That would not change.

EPILOGUE

Thad looked out the window of his room
at the large monument that now stood at the palace gates. Thousands
of names belonging to the major races of the realm were carved into
it. Even after five years, the sadness of all the losses from those
days still struck him.

Killian was now the king of Rane and
had ruled thus far with kindness. Monique had overtaken the
merchant guild and rebuilt it. Crusher had stayed in Farlan. Though
the dwarf still walked with a limp, it didn’t seem to slow down his
enjoyment of life.

“Dear, you need to get going if you are
going to reach the council in time,” Thad heard Maria say sweetly
behind him. “Without you, there is no telling what the mages will
decide to do with their new school,” she added with a
wink.

Thad looked at his wife and her bulging
belly. “Do you think this is the right time for me to be leaving
you alone?” Thad asked, his voice laced with worry.

“Me and the baby will be fine,” Maria
assured him. “I doubt the Brotherhood will send an assassin for me.
They seem more interested in you. I swear, when will they give it a
rest? Already four attempts this year.”

“They do seem to want my life badly,”
Thad said with a dark chuckle. “I will be back as soon as I can,
dear,” Thad said, cupping his wife’s cheek in the palm of his
hand.

“Just make sure that the mages don’t
get too full of themselves. I may have given them part of my land
that borders Rane, but that doesn’t mean I will let them do
whatever they wish inside my borders,” Maria said
forcefully.

Thad laughed and grabbed his cloak. The
mage’s school had once been a dream of his, and now it was
realized. It was not just a school, but a small independent country
with land from both Farlan and Rane. Thad, by right, was the king,
though he didn’t really make much issue on his title. His only real
goal was to create a place where all beings of the magical races
would feel welcomed. The school was a starting place for their
reemergence back into the rest of the realm.

As Thad put his foot in Lady’s stirrup,
he gave the monument a last look. “Sleep well, my friends,” he said
softly as he mounted the horse.