The Wizard's Council (22 page)

“You must be Emily. We are here to welcome you to the magic academies on Magic Island. Are you to be the only one staying with us?” One of them asked.

“Yes, I am alone in that. That does not complicate things, I hope.” Emily found it hard to concentrate on the conversation as she looked up at the majesty of the castle.

“Not at all. Your friend would have been an added bonus, but you have far more potential here than he ever would. His path in through the fire, if he comes out alive he may yet learn to control his magic. You, on the other hand, your learning comes from books, lectures, and practice. That is what we specialize in here, creating an environment that allows you to tap into potential that you never knew you had. Once you have learned all that we have to teach, then you can test your abilities in battle. If that is what you wish. For now, you must choose your path, for there are several schools here at the Island of Magic.” The eldest of the mages guided Emily up the path and through the gates.

“What are the schools from which I may choose?”

“You have misinterpreted my meaning. We choose your school based on your results in the tests.”

*

Gareth slowed to a stop as the events of the day began to catch up to him. He dropped to his knees and began breathing heavily. His body ached as he struggled to his feet, not wanting Leniya to see him in this state. He leaned against a tree and tried to normalize his breathing.  It took him some time to realize that she was calling out to him. He looked over at her, smiled, and then raised his hand. She approached him with a quizzical look on her face and was about to ask him a question when he raised a finger to his lips. He pointed of
f in one direction and watched as she began to intently scan the area.
Why am I here?
he asked himself as he watched her try to figure out what he was trying to tell her. His legs began to wobble, and he put more of his weight on the tree. The pained expression on his face was enough to show Leniya that his action was far from deliberate. She placed his arm around her shoulder and walked him into a small clearing. After helping him sit down, she turned to face him.

“Why didn’t you tell me you needed a rest?” She asked.

“I have no rational explanation for it. All I can think is that I don’t want to disappoint. Your people put a lot of risk into seeking my help, and I don’t want to break that trust. It may seem strange that one who was your enemy not long ago is trying so hard to help you, but I have seen Bartholomew’s handiwork and it is not something I can ignore any longer.”

“It is somewhat hard to believe, but we had nobody else to turn to. Our people have been destroying each other for far too long. We needed an outsider with knowledge of our people. You were our best hope. There are few of your old order that are as honorable as you.”

“None of that matters now. Even if we were to overthrow the other Witches, the Holy Order will return and decimate whatever forces we have left. We need to find a place of refuge. It is the only course of action left for us.” Gareth desperately hoped that she would listen.

“Reports tell us that the Holy Order has moved on to attack the Necroma
ncers. Surely this will change the outcome of our war with them, will it not?”

“I am afraid not. The army that Bartholomew commands is among the largest that anyone can field. Even if we were to hold them off, he could still call in more reinforcements from home. We cannot afford a war with that man. Not without allies.”

“Then we must seek allies.”

Gareth shrugged, not knowing how to respond. He knew full well that Grand Cleric Bartholomew would stop at nothing to see the Witches rooted out. What he didn’t know was whether they could find any allies strong enough to oppose him.
Hiding is our best chance
, he thought as he slowly rose to his feet. His resolve was once again strengthened. Though she did not currently agree with him, he knew that she would have to come around at some point. The road ahead would be harsh at best, but it was better than the slaughter that lay behind them. He knew very few outside the Holy Order and the southern parts of the world were quite foreign to him. The journey south promised him, Leniya, and her people a new beginning, but he couldn’t help but wonder how far the Holy Order would go to exterminate him and the Witches. His thoughts began to wander as he followed Leniya to the south. Most of her people had already fled south from the oppressive Witches, but they had agreed to wait before passing through the mountains into the forests of the southlands.

“I do not know what we will find on the other side of those ridges, but my people have no other choice,” Leniya said as she looked up at the mountains that loomed ahead.

“I’ve heard rumors that the elves and Druids offer their home as a refuge to those in need. Let us hope that they are willing to accept Witches and an exile from the Holy Order.”

*

James was waiting for Leon just outside the castle courtyard. He stood his ground as the Elementalist approached. Leon threw his arms out and did a small twirl before facing James.
He seemed to have added a flair for the dramatic to his repertoire
, the fire Wizard thought as he watched Leon turn back toward the crowd. Leon thrust his hands in the air, causing sparks to fly up from around him. The crowd burst out in oohs and aahs, but it did little to impress or intimidate his opponent. Leon had a much larger following than James. His crowd was full of guards, nobles, Wizards, and a large portion of the populace. James had a small contingent of rebels that stood behind him who were waiting for the right moment to strike. He wanted to keep casualties to a minimum and had tried to insist that they allow him to take on Leon alone, but they demanded to accompany him so that they could back him up if the Elementalist tried anything underhanded. James stepped forward and addressed Leon.

“This is between you and me, Leon. None of these others need to be involved,” He motioned toward the crowd as he spoke.

“There is far more at stake than you realize, fool!” Leon replied.

“So be it.” James opened his hands and a ring of flames formed around the two Wizards, blocking the witnesses from interfering.

“Let this be no concern to you, your Wizard Emperor will defeat this usurper!” Leon yelled to the crowd.

James rolled his eyes and he clenched his left fist, readying a spell. Leon growled as he stepped forward and thrust out his left hand, unleashing a jet of water at his opponent. The fire Wizard smiled as he rolled to the side of the water jet and released a fireball from his left hand. It shot out toward Leon, who threw up a giant water shield. Just as the fireball was about to collide with the shield, it broke into two pieces, one heading left and the other heading right. They both turned sharply and hit Leon from each side. He dropped to one knee as he prepared another spell. James stepped forward and thrust both of his hands forward. A massive burst of flames exploded out of his hands and engulfed the other Wizard. The flames scattered as Leon send a burst of wind flying at his opponent. James stepped back a few steps as the wind was too much for him to keep his footing. With James distracted by the winds, Leon had an opening.

He shot three bolts of lightning at his opponent. James dove aside, dodging two of the three bolts. The third bolt slammed into his arm, sending a surge of electricity through his body. Leon turned to the crowd and raised his hands. They erupted in applause at the Wizard’s antics. James rolled to his feet and sent another fireball toward the Elementalist. It slammed into Leon’s back and knocked him to the floor. The fire Wizard clenched his teeth as he shot two more fireballs at his opponent. Leon threw up a water shield that covered his entire body. James shot his hands forward, and lightning surged out of his fingertips. Leon dropped the water shield and slid to the side, letting the lightning hit the floor where he had been moments before. He stood up and faced his opponent. They both stood for several second, breathing heavily and slightly worse for wear. Leon chuckled and raised his hands, hoping that James would give him a moment to speak.

“This is all for nothing, my friend. Can’t you see that we need to consolidate our power?” Leon asked, still breathing heavily.

“We cannot force our will on others. That is not the way of the Wizards. We offer to share knowledge with those who want it, and we give protection to those who request it. What we do not do is submit our will onto others,” James replied.

“Are you blind? That is what Rolin spouts, but do you see him removing himself from the Carmalians when the others come to invade? It is all the same, my friend. Your intentions may be noble and
, perhaps you can live that way in the desert, but things are different here in the cities.”

“The Galimdorians are using us as an excuse to invade as much territory as they can. We should not reply with a power grab of our own, it would make us no better.”

“So be it, if you are unwilling to see then I must do what I must.” Leon shook his head and raised his hands.

“You were a brother once, but I will dethrone you. Should I be forced to kill you, I will.” James raised his hands and prepared to be attacked by Leon.

The Elementalist made the first move. He shot a bolt of lightning out of his left hand and an icicle out of his right. James allowed the lightning to slam into his left shoulder, using the moment of the attack to roll backward and dodge the icicle. He slammed his hand against the ground, and the earth began to rumble. Leon shot another lightning bolt at his opponent, but it was too late. James lifted his hand from the ground, and a geyser of lava erupted out of the spot where his hand had been moments before. He reached his hands toward the lava, and a glob of magma exploded out toward Leon. The Elementalist screamed in pain as the magma hit his hand. He jumped backward to dodge the rest of it. James flung his hand at the ground, closing up the geyser.  He paused when he saw his opponent hold his charred left arm.

“It doesn’t have to end this way!” James yelled.

“I seem to have underestimated you, old friend. This wound will heal, but I’ve only seen one other who can wield such power. Perhaps I was wrong about the Wizards. I don’t want to die, James. Please, let me live,” Leon pleaded with his old compatriot.

“You’ve always been power hungry. That is not a good trait to have, but I have seen too much death lately. Consider yourself warned, Leon. If I hear about you trying something like this again, the results will be much different.” James flicked his wrist and the circle of flames died down.

James turned to the crowd, half expecting to be attacked by some of the onlookers. The majority of the crowd was frightened by the powerful display of magic and was slowly backing away from the Wizards. Leon walked back to his students and began ordering them to leave with him. There was a short discussion among the group and a little less than half agreed to go with Leon. The rest of the Wizards approached James. He held up his hand and turned toward Leon and his students. The Elementalist looked back, James could see the fear in his eyes as their gaze met.
I best not find you taking advantage of the weak ever again
, James thought as he watched Leon lead his group away from the castle. He turned to the remaining Wizards and noticed that the King had followed them.

“My original intent was to come ask for reinforcements. Is that still a possibility?” James asked.

“You may have unseated Leon’s power, but that does not mean his actions have gone without consequence. My own men are split on whether I should be King. Even if you were to choose a side, neither my men nor my enemies would be able to leave the city without losing their foothold. I am afraid that Sardinia’s fate is civil war,” The King replied.

“You could step down, let the people choose their ruler.”

“You waste your breath on this one, Archwizard. We will follow you into battle, but I am afraid we won’t be able to assist you much,” One of the Wizards said.

“So it is, then. Gather your things, recruit what men you can. We leave in the morning.” James sighed as he thought about Carmalia being in danger.

*

Septimus pulled his cloak around him as the winds picked up. Water splashed up and threatened to soak his clothes, but he didn’t seem to mind. Talia much preferred to stay indoors during the voyage, but Septimus enjoyed the open sea. His attention was diverted from the seas when he overheard two crew members arguing about his quarters. It seemed that the crew was uncomfortable with his presence on the ship.
If only you knew the truth about me
, he thought with a chuckle as he looked back over his shoulder. The two glanced over at him before taking their discussion elsewhere. Septimus sighed as he turned and headed for the captain’s cabin. He knew better than to let something like this destroy his plans. There were hushed voices coming from within the cabin as he approached. He pounded on the door and waited for an answer.

“Who dares disturb the
Captain?” A voice asked.

“Septimus, the noble who is paying for half of your voyage,” he replied.

The door swung open, and a hand reached out to grab the Warlock. Septimus allowed them to pull him inside. The Captain, his first mate, the two men who he saw arguing earlier, and several others were gathered in the captain’s cabin. Septimus was surprised that the captain allowed so many of his crew to enter his cabin.
He is weaker than I anticipated
, he thought as he was forced into a seat at the table. The Captain, a grossly overweight man that looked more like a pirate than a respectable Captain, stood up and shook his head. His first mate, a man whose ugliness was only matched by his stupidity, whispered something in his ear. The Captain nodded and made a small motion with his hands. Two of the crew members pulled out knives and each held one to Septimus neck. The Warlock held back a laugh as he mimicked a surprised reaction to their maneuver.