The (sort of) Dark Mage (Waldo Rabbit) (39 page)

Hera left him there, still unable to move, without a second thought.

XXX

In an empty corridor of her castle Lilith stood before a mirror with no reflection.

She felt a tremor run through her left hand and it shook just slightly.

Lilith grabbed it with her other hand and forced it to stop.
It’s all right, I still have time
. When the tremor passed she let both hands fall to the side.

“Daughter, will you come and talk to me?”

Lilith waited patiently as colors swirled about and an image slowly took form. Gwendolyn appeared before her, throat cut and leaking fresh blood.

“Hello mother,” she rasped.

“Hello dear, how are you?”

“Still dead.”

“Yes I know, I mean has anything changed since the last time we talked?”

“Nothing ever changes on this side. It’s very boring. That’s why I would like to pass on.”

Lilith felt a twinge of guilt at those words. When she had originally bound her daughter’s soul to the mirror she had believed she was doing Gwendolyn a great service. Instead all she had done was consign her to a different sort of purgatory. Neither alive nor dead, she was a spirit trapped here between two worlds, unable to enjoy life but unable to move on to whatever awaited her.

“I am sorry my precious daughter, but I can’t let you pass on yet.”

“I know mother, you need my gifts for Waldo’s sake. You must make one child suffer for the benefit of the other.”

“Do you hate me for that?”

“No, I love my little brother and want to save him too. Besides, I am dead, I can wait.”

“All I wanted was for all my children to be happy.”

“No. What you wanted was power, we were an afterthought. You only started to care when most of us were gone.”

I had too many enemies. Everyone on the council was trying to control me. The branch families were trying to pressure me into taking a husband. They all feared my father and brother and thought I was nothing back then. I had to fight! I had to get power! I did what I had to!

It was true, but saying so would sound like a pathetic excuse. “Is my plan still on its course?”

“Plans within plans, wheels within wheels, you travel down the road that will bring you to your chosen end.”

“In other words yes.”

Gwen chuckled. “I see everything that I told you before, but as I have warned you, things can be changed. I see what will be, but also shadows of what still can be. Life is filled with choices and with possibilities; it’s so very different from death.”

“So even with your help nothing is guaranteed?”

“It will rain tomorrow, the sun will rise and set without being seen, and lava will flow around the Forge. Those things I will guarantee.”

“Wonderful, can you tell me anything I can use?”

Gwendolyn sang in her gasping voice. “Three wives he will have, one painted with fire, one of gold, and one of night. One who loves him, one who follows him, and one who hates him. Each shall be bound to him, by marriage and by magic.”

Lilith’s eyes widened. This was new. “I see. Well I can already guess who is going to love and hate him, but who exactly is this third one?”

Gwen smiled playfully. “You will find out.”

Lilith knew that Gwendolyn’s prophesies always came true, just as she knew her daughter never revealed everything. “I really wish you could just tell me what you know without obscuring it.”

“You must let me have my fun mother; it’s very boring where I am.”

“Well, I thank you for this knowledge.”

Gwen nodded as her image began to fade away. “For what it’s worth mother, all your children loved you, even Walter.”

Lilith waited until the mirror was once again empty, then turned and walked away.

Chapter 28

A Matter Of Justice

It was a bright and sunny day as Melissa Cornwall strolled into Bittford. The last time she had been here was a couple years ago. She had returned to have another go at trying to recruit Roger.

The last couple of years had been spent tramping all over the north. She had visited several nations, preaching about unity, justice, and peace. Melissa had been received by royal courts and spoken directly to various rulers and noble families. She had used her magic to carry out requests from various lords and wealthy merchants. There had also been charitable acts for the common folk, all done without any sort of reward or payment.

People needed to understand that the Order was different from the Independent Mages, who were out for themselves, or the Dark Mages who were simply evil. The White Mages served a higher cause. They wanted to restore the Shattered Lands and bring peace and order to them. To bring back the tranquility the world had known in ancient days under the Amoran Empire. Her order sought to purify the world and rid it of all its corrupt elements. White Mages could be counted on to help the weak and to always keep their promises. It was the duty of every single one of them to represent the ideals of Avalon and make all people, high or low, know they could be trusted.

It was a heroic crusade against the forces of chaos and darkness.

She was proud to be taking part in this heroic struggle. Melissa saw herself as a crusader helping to bring light to those in darkness. It was a war, but not every battle in it demanded bloodshed. Sometimes what was called for was a little kindness and help for those in need. If you could win over the hearts and minds of the people you could bind them to your cause.

Melissa was here to once again try and convince Roger the hedgewizard to travel with her to the Misty Isle. Once most independents saw the groves of soulwoods, the Great Library, and the Hidden Lady they were overawed and more than willing to join the Order. Even those who refused returned home to spread stories of the wonders of Avalon.

Right now the Order had a great deal of interest, not only in Roger, but in Lothas in general. There were hopes Dregal might soon join the Alliance. If Lothas could be enticed to join as well it would give them a long common border with Alteroth. They could begin cutting off trade routes and building up depots and bases for the inevitable war. So far as Melissa was concerned that day could not come soon enough. Every time she visited a royal court and told them about all the advantages of joining the Alliance she would always hear, ‘but what would the Dark Mages do to us?’ Avalon was far away, while Alteroth was close by. The thought of armies of undead lead by black robed mages could unnerve even kings.

Melissa’s eyes swept southward in the direction of the enemy. The Dark Mages sabotaged everything they did. They had undermined the Alliance’s growth and opposed all of Avalon’s noble ambitions. Alteroth’s very existence was intolerable. They had to go and would go; it was only a question of when. It pleased Melissa to know her efforts here were one small step toward that glorious end.

XXX

Walking through Bittford Melissa noted the less than friendly reception the locals were giving her.

People stared and made sure to keep their distance even when that meant crossing to the other side of the street. Children ran away or hid behind their parents. Some of the adults drew circles over their hearts. She waved to the villagers and called out greetings. Her efforts though only seemed to make the people more skittish. No one returned her greeting or even approached her.

The reaction was not a total surprise. Most people, especially common folk, feared all magic users. To many a wizard was every bit as terrifying as a troll or a vampire. That was part of why Avalon put so much effort into establishing their reputation with the people. Melissa had run into this sort of suspicion before and it did not particularly bother her. What was surprising was that these people were used to seeing magic and had a magic user living among them. She clearly recalled the people being much more receptive and friendly during her last visit.

I wonder if anything has happened.

When she sensed a fellow magic user nearby, she soon spotted a balding man in brown robes heading up the street in her direction. Melissa smiled and approached him. Running into him in the middle of the village was good luck; it would save her time.

“Hello again Roger, I bring to you the blessings of Unity, Justice, and Peace.” She offered him a bow, something normally only reserved for those of noble birth.

“Hello.” He did not return her bow, and made a point to keep his distance from her.

She was surprised by his reaction. The last time she had been here he had insisted on buying her drinks and trying to get as close to her as possible. In the end he’d shown no interest in visiting Avalon or converting to her path, but he’d had plenty of interest in her. She had expected a far warmer welcome from him.

“My name is Melissa; I tried to recruit you two years ago. We had some very lively debates about magic and how a mage can best serve the people
.
Perhaps you have forgotten?”

“I remember you. What do you want?”

She continued to smile. “Perhaps we could go to the Inn and talk a bit over some ale. As we did the last time we met. I have some interesting stories to tell you and I was thinking I could offer you some assistance if you’d like.”

“What sort of assistance?”

“If you’d like I could add some spells to your spellbook and offer you some magical ingredients.” That was a normal practice when trying to recruit others into the Order. You gave without asking for anything in return. It helped to build up trust, and it put the person you were recruiting into your debt.

The offer was not always accepted, but she had never seen it spark anger before.

“I see. So first you rob me, and then you offer to give me back what you’ve stolen. Is that the way of it?”

“Robbed you?”

“That’s right; one of your kind stole everything that I had! My spellbook, my wand, all my magical supplies, and all my money too! He was a white like you who came here with this beautiful girl named Alice he said was his wife. He just used her as a distraction to knock me out from behind and then take everything!”

Melissa’s spine stiffened. “You must be mistaken. White Mages do not steal. I’m sorry if someone stole from you, but it could not have been a member of my order.”

“He was a magic user, and he wore white robes, so what does that make him?”

“An imposter,” Melissa answered without missing a beat.

“Because White Mages don’t steal? I never believed your sort were as pure as you claimed. When a man talks about how honest he is you need to keep a hand on your purse.”

“We do not stoop to criminal acts for personal gain.”
When we commit crimes it is always for the cause.

“Does that mean you would if it were for a greater purpose?”

“We serve the cause of Unity, Justice, and Peace. When our cause comes into conflict with local laws or with petty officials, we are sometimes forced to take action for the sake of the greater good.”

“So you admit your kind will break the law if it’s for the good of Avalon?”

She frowned at him. “You are twisting my words.”