The (sort of) Dark Mage (Waldo Rabbit) (2 page)

The others all nodded wearily.

“We should just kill him!” Darius Heartless shouted. “He’s a disgrace! An embarrassment! He has no place among us!”

“He is heir to one of the Great Families and you cannot deny he has skill with magic.” Xilos Soulbreaker said.

“You call what he does talent?” Heartless challenged.

“Well he can use magic,” Soulbreaker said defensively. “Some of his spells are quite effective.”

“Oh I’ve seen the things he can do.” Heartless said with contempt. “It’s
white
magic. He will never make a fitting head of family! Much less a member of this council.”

“None of us are arguing about that,” Gawreth said. “The question is what do we do about it?”

“Kill him,” Darius said flatly.

“How?” Gawreth asked. “The boy never leaves the castle. I swear he is better protected than a virgin sacrifice.”

“Is there any way we could convince her to choose another heir?” Xilos suggested.

“Have you ever tried changing her mind about anything?” Dante asked in annoyance.

“Can’t Walter be the heir?” Darius demanded.

“Don’t be stupid, Walter is dead.” Gawreth reminded.

“He’s only mostly dead.”

“The dead cannot rule the living.” Baldwin stated in his usual, well-bred manner. “Heads of families must meet certain criteria. For instance, how exactly would Walter father an heir?”

Darius shrugged. “He could stitch one together I suppose. He would still be more fitting than that miserable disgrace.”

“Who’s a miserable disgrace?” A cold voice said from the doorway.

The six men turned to the new arrival, the seventh member of the council, and the most powerful necromancer in all Alteroth; Lilith Corpselover. Pale alabaster skin, long straight raven hair, with a full feminine figure that her tight fitting black robes showed off nicely. In her hand she held a wand carved from human bone. Drawing a wand was always a provocative step, the other members all carefully placed hands on their own. No one actually drew one out though, none of them wanted to provoke her.

“Just who is a disgrace?” Lilith repeated, gripping her wand with both hands.

“I think you know who.” Darius told her.

“Lilith, the time has come for us to address the situation.” Blooddrinker said with a calm friendly air. “Let us sit down and talk about this rationally.”

“The fact is your youngest cannot be your heir.” Soulbreaker said.

“Since when does the council decide who the heir of a Great Family is?” Lilith demanded. “That has always been the choice of the family head.”

“Lilith,” Baldwin said sounding pleasant. “Even you must admit he is not someone who could replace you, either as the head of the Corpselover family or as a member of this council.”

“Why?” She demanded. “Because his blood isn’t pure enough to suit you? I can name someone here whose ancestry isn’t exactly unmixed.” She stared pointedly at his ears.

Baldwin spread his hands before him. “His parentage is not the question here Lilith, we are not uncivilized after all. Whatever it is that runs through my veins, no one has ever questioned my ability as a Dark Mage. It is your son’s talent that is the issue.”

“He has immense natural talent. He can do things even I can’t manage.”

The six men looked at each other.

It was Dante Poisondagger who decided to force the matter. “Your son is a White Mage.”

Lilith snapped. She grabbed the small man about the neck with her free hand and began to shake him as a dog would a rat. Instantly the other five were on their feet pointing their wands at her. Despite having the advantage none of them dared cast a spell.

“Say that again you rotten mouthed dove!!” Lilith screamed into his face.

“Let’s just calm down, shall we?” Baldwin said serenely. He had his wand pointed at her and a killing spell on his lips. “I’m sure Poisondagger did not mean to insult you. Isn’t that right Dante?”

“That’s ri… right,” Dante managed to get out as he was being rattled. “Pl… please forgive me.”

“Fine,” she spat out and released her grip, dropping him unceremoniously onto the floor. Though only slightly appeased she knew there were limits to what even she could get away with. “I shouldn’t expect anything better from a Poisondagger.”

“Why don’t we all sit and calm down?” Baldwin suggested.

Nodding, Lilith took her usual seat; the others put away their wands and returned to theirs. Poisondagger looked paler than usual and avoided even glancing in Lilith’s direction. As soon as they were all seated Baldwin spoke again.

“Lilith, you know how important it is that we guard our reputation as ruthless and powerful Dark Mages. Fear is our shield. Were the other nations to see any sort of weakness they might try to attack us.”

“Especially Avalon and the Alliance.” Darius put in.

Baldwin nodded. “I beg you; see this from our point of view.”

Lilith shifted in her seat. It had to be Baldwin who brought that up. It would have been so much easier if it had been Darius with his bluster or Dante with his usual double talk. Baldwin was always sensible and as fair as anyone here could be. “I am willing to admit my son is a bit unusual for a Dark Mage, but he has the potential to be extraordinary. He will definitely prove to be a worthy successor.”

“Do you truly believe that Lilith?” Baldwin asked, a sudden glimmer in his eyes.

“I do.”

“In that case,” he slowly. “Would you agree to a test of his abilities?”

Lilith frowned. “What sort of test?”

XXX

In one of the highest towers of Castle Corpselover a young man in black robes was down on his knees. At his side were several opened books as well as scrolls with hand drawn sketches. In his hand was a piece of chalk. On the stone floor he had drawn a summoning circle, with a myriad of arcane symbols and runes surrounding it.

“This time it will work,” he muttered to himself. “I know it will.” He had checked the formula time and again and was certain it was correct. He was going over the chalked symbols he’d written with exquisite care. He was determined that this time there would be no mistakes. Everything had to be perfect.

As he was bent over studying the runes and symbols the door to the room slowly and silently opened. A figure with tattered and filthy black robes slipped inside. From a distance it might have passed for human, up close it never would. The skin was an unnatural shade of grey. The eyes were a milky white and without pupils. Its fingertips ended in razor sharp, bony talons. The lips were bloated and an inky blue, when they pulled back in a ravenous grin they revealed sharp pointed teeth. The creature stretched out its arms and readied to tear apart its unsuspecting victim.

Still bent over and studying his handiwork the teenage boy waved a single hand. “
Repulso
.”

It felt magical energies take hold and slam it into the far wall. “Aaarrrrrrrgh!” The creature screamed in frustration, not actual pain.

“Hello brother,” the boy said without ever bothering to look up.

The creature struggled against the magical energies that were holding it pinned to the far wall. It knew it was hopeless but still fought to get free.

“I don’t mind you wanting to kill me, but could you please wait until I’m done?”

It stopped struggling and bore its teeth in a hateful snarl. “I want to tear out your throat! I want to gnaw on your bones! I want to feast on your still beating heart while you watch!”

“Yes, I know, but could you at least wait until after I am done? Is that too much to ask Walter?”

“How did you know I was here?” Walter Corpselover demanded. “You couldn’t have heard me; I was as silent as the grave. You didn’t have any wards set up.”

Sighing, he slowly got up and faced his brother. His face was boyish and looked young even for a sixteen year old. He had small, delicate hands and a thin undersized frame. His short cropped hair was the color of spun gold and his eyes were a bright, clear shade of yellow. “You’re a zombie Walter. No matter how well preserved your body is, it still stinks of rot; there’s no way I wouldn’t smell you from twenty yards away. Besides…” he waved a single hand.

Hidden runes on the cell floor suddenly revealed themselves.

“Even if I had done nothing, you’d have been held in place as soon as you took one more step.”

Walter’s whitish eyes widened as he saw all the trap spells that had been set for him. “How… how did I not notice?” Ordinary humans could not sense hidden wards and circles, but mages and certain monsters could.

The undead could not sense or feel magic.

Waldo Corpselover looked at his brother with sympathy. In this family death was not the ultimate tragedy; weakness was. Walter had been three years older and, for a time, the designated heir. He had been powerful, arrogant, and ruthless; in other words, a typical Dark Mage. A glorious future had stretched out before him. Everyone assumed that eventually he would replace mother and take over her position as head of the family.

Then one day grandfather ate him.

Not all of him, just his heart.

Mother had done what she could, raising him as a zombie. She had done an incredible job. He retained most of his memories and could still think and feel emotion. Walter could even still use some minor spells, with the exception of liches that was considered impossible for the undead. He was an exceptional zombie, but still only a fraction of what he’d once been.

In life Walter had always treated his younger brother with contempt. In death he openly hated him. Not simply because he was still alive, but because everything Walter had wanted and treasured had been handed over to his younger brother. Walter could no longer smell a flower or feel a warm breeze on his face, but he could still feel hatred.

“Is that pity I see in your piss colored eyes? Hah! What a joke!”

“You know I never wanted to be heir.”

“Liar,” Walter cursed. “Don’t pretend. The joke is that even like this I am still a better Dark Mage than you will ever be.”

Still pinned to the wall Walter glanced at the summoning circle Waldo had been working on. Walter could no longer perform the deeper magics, but still retained his knowledge.

“You’re trying to summon a homunculus this time? I summoned one when I was just nine. Don’t you feel pathetic that you can’t manage that when you’re sixteen?”

“Big talk from a zombie who can’t even move right now.”

“If you really are the next head of the family I weep for Corpselover.”

“Can zombies weep?” Waldo’s right hand sliced the air in front of him. “
Nunc
.”

The spell ended and Walter was once more free.

“If you’ll excuse me, I still have work to do.” Waldo went back to his summoning circle.

“You’re turning your back on me?” Walter growled.

“Why not? We both know you can’t touch me.”

Waldo did not have to turn around to know that would make his brother furious.

“I really am going to kill you.”

“Yes, I know, but wait until after I am done here. Close the door on the way out.”

Still not bothering to look Waldo heard the footsteps and the door slamming shut.