Death Mages Ascent

by Jon Bender

  “You see, there you have it. Jaxom says I can do it,” Celia said.

  “That is not what he said. He said you know which end of a sword is the pointy one. There was nothing about you knowing what to do when a line of cavalry charges your infantry,” Corin said.

  “That is easy, move the pike men to the front and have archers fire into the front ranks to break up the charge,” she said smugly.

  The three men in the room stood there dumbstruck. Corin’s mouth hung half open as he had prepared a retort for whatever she was going to say, then finding he had nothing with which to argue with. Jaxom had studied with Corin in battle tactics, and though it was not something he had ever excelled at like Corin, he did know however that her answer had been exactly correct. With their silence Celia became very pleased with herself at winning over Corin. So much so that she crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out at him, something she would do when they were children every time she had a victory. Realizing what she was doing she covered her mouth with a hand turning a bright red in embarrassment.

  Finally regaining his composure, Corin stood a little straighter showing that he was about to make a command, and Jaxom could see some defeat seep into Celia’s defiant stance. “I do not care what you learned in a book. It is not the same…”

  “Leave off Corin,” Nelix interrupted. “Jaxom says she can handle a sword, and she was quicker to answer than half of the young lordlings we have commanding small units. She obviously knows what she’s is about.”

  “Fine,” Corin growled. “But you will work directly under the General Blackburn’s command. I know you out rank him but you will do as he says. Agreed?”

  Celia controlled the smile she obviously wanted to beam and instead gave a curtsy spreading her dress. “Of course your majesty,” she said. As if the whole idea had been Corin’s and she was simply obeying his command.

  “General would you please take Lady Celia and work her father’s… her men into your current strategy,” Corin said.

  Giving a bow at the waist to Corin, the General indicated with a hand that she should lead the way. Before she left she gave Corin and Jaxom a hug then walked out, her back straight and shoulders set with pride.

  “Father is probably spinning in his grave right now knowing I just put my little cousin in command to send her off into battle,” Corin said.

  “You’re right, but he did not know your little cousin as a grown woman. I am not sure he could have handled that any better.”

  “Well it’s done, and I cannot take my word back now. Let’s move on to something that is within the realm of our control… unlike Celia,” he said, moving to look over the map and troop placements.

  “What did you mean earlier? That me being the only mage in the castle was an oversight that you corrected?” Jaxom asked.

  “Only that the mages have been given great latitude while in service to me. Their needs are paid for from the treasury and they are left to do as they wish until I have need of them, which is not often since you are always here. They are now going to earn their keep, and part of that is to have two mages living within the castle at all times. You may not have come as close to death as you did last night if you had more magical help.”

  Jaxom was unsure of how he felt about having other mages living under the same roof. Granted it was a very large roof, but for years he had been the only one. Corin was probably right however, things may have gone much better if other mages had been there last night. The loss of life on their side may have been much less if other mages had helped fight. The Guard had fought bravely but if Jaxom had not been there… He shivered at the thought of losing both Corin and Celia.

  “So what school of magic do you think is responsible for the Shades?” Corin asked.

  “I am not sure that it is an enchantment,” Jaxom said coming back to the matter at hand. “Only that is what makes the most sense, and I do not know of any school that has command of the shadow.”

  “So where does that leave us then? Obviously this was an attempt to send our kingdom into confusion with the coming war. If they kill me, it could be the tipping factor in Ale’adaria falling to those Dradon and Azuria bastards, but I do not think they had the ability to pull off what happened last night,” Corin said.

  “I don’t either. Whoever sent them just wanted to give the southerners an advantage,” Jaxom replied.

  “Alright, I guess you will have to do that talking to the dead thing you do and figure out who does have this kind of power.”

  “I told you before, I don’t talk to the dead. I just kind of go through the memories left behind,” Jaxom said slightly annoyed.

  “Well whatever you do I need you to figure out what’s going on. We cannot afford to go to war not knowing who all our enemies are,” he said.

  “You know I will do what I can Corin.”

  “I know, it’s just I have never had to protect this kingdom from such a threat before. We have not had an all-out war since father was alive,” Corin replied

  “I will go do my talking to the dead thing then and see what I learn,” Jaxom said not knowing how else to respond. Corin just nodded his head showing his agreement before Jaxom left the room.

  Chapter 5

  Asking the guards outside the council room where he could find the Shades bodies, they told him that they were down in the holding cells. Having never needed to visit that particular part of the castle before he had to stop and ask for directions. Climbing down the torch lit stairs he arrived at the outer room to the cells where three men were stationed. The two sitting near the door playing dice at a small table stood bringing their fists to chest at the sight of him. This brought the attention of the third who had been sitting at another table writing something.

  Cribble leered at Jaxom from where he was sitting, then looking over to his men with disgust. “What can we do for you Jaxom?”

  Jaxom was irritated that he had to deal with the man again and was in no mood to do so. “Why are you here Captain? I thought you were assigned to the outer gates?”

  “With last night’s attack, the Guard Commander order more men to be stationed in the castle itself,” he said. The loathing in his tone slipping to be replaced with a more serious one.

  “I need to examine the bodies. Are the other mages still here?

  “No, they left some minutes ago. Have you been down here before?” he asked.

  Jaxom shook his indicating that he hadn’t. With a sigh Cribble stood and walked to the iron door separating the room from the holding cells. Grabbing a torch from the sconce on the wall he looked over to the other men. “One, three, one,” he said.

  Throwing the heavy bolt on the door he pulled it open, causing the metal hinges to squeal in protest. Walking into the dimly lit corridor without looking to see if Jaxom was following, the guard captain headed into the darkness. Quickening his step to catch up with the unpleasant man Jaxom heard the door slam behind and the bolt being thrown back into place.

  “What was that you said to the men back there?” Jaxom asked.

  “The code for them to open the door to let us out. If you don’t give the proper sequence they have standing orders to not open it,” Cribble replied.

  While walking the captain made several turns which Jaxom made note of, in case he had to get out on his own. They passed several cells with occupants who stared at their passing. “Who are these men?” Jaxom asked.

  Cribble spit at the mention of them. “They are some of the worst the city has to offer. Most are rapists and murderers, sentenced to live the rest of their time down here. Waste of food if you ask me. It would be better if we just put them to death but the King does not feel it would serve the people to do so.”

  Jaxom left it at that, he agreed with Cribble but was not about to tell the man so. Besides if Corin did not want to kill these men he was the King and made those decisions. Jaxom had always known that as strong as Corin was, his friend found it difficult to order an execution in cold blood. Thankfull
y Ale’adar had very few of these types of criminals leaving the cells mostly empty.

  They reached an iron bound door which Cribble opened revealing a room with large tables in rows, on which black clothed men had been laid to await cremation. Only two torches lit the space leaving the farther corners in darkness. Cribble stepped to the side allowing Jaxom room to move into the space. Approaching the nearest table he found that the shade no longer had a shadow mask. Serin had been right, once the vessel was destroyed the enchantment had been broken. Looking at the man’s face he found nothing out of the ordinary, it was the face of someone you could run into on the streets and never think twice about. His clothes were all black and nondescript giving no clue as to where they had been made. Placing a hand on the dead man’s forehead Jaxom pulled the energy of death in, channeling as he had before with the young noble he delved into the memories. It was different this time, the memories were jumbled making no sense. He pushed harder trying to focus them, going back to the earliest and most clear memory he could find.

  Jaxom stood in a great room of unadorned grey stone. All around him other men and women stood looking to the raised platform at the head of the room. There were dozens upon dozens of people all dressed in black surrounding him. On the raised platform stood three men in dark robes chanting in a prayer, and behind them in a great throne made of black stone sat another older man. His black hair was graying at the temples and black eyes behind smooth skin betrayed no emotion. Jaxom looked at the men chanting waiting for something to happen. A presence drifted into the still air of the room, something powerful had heard the call of the men on the platform and answered. The man on the throne raised a hand signaling something to the three men who stopped chanting, and gestured for a woman in the crowd to come forward. Walking slowly forward she stopped, kneeling before the three men who again began chanting. This was different from before as darkness began to swirl around the woman and passing through her. The pain in her face was evident from the tears streaming down her face, her lips shaped in the form of a silent scream. The darkness slowed, settling on her face forming an impenetrable mask of shadow. Once it was over the women stood and stepped away as the next person moved to take her place.

  This went on for over an hour until it was Jaxom’s turn. Stepping up to the platform he knelt as the others had done before him, the darkness beginning to swirl and pierce through his very being. Something was there… something was whispering to him, a whisper so loud that it felt as if it would split his skull open. WILL YOU SERVE!? WILL YOU OBEY!? Jaxom could feel the man whose eyes he watched through answer yes, screaming the reply in his mind. I WILL GRANT YOU GREAT POWER SO THAT YOU MAY DESTROY ALL THOSE WHO STAND AGAINST US. Again he screamed yes, agreeing to whatever the voice wanted if it would only give him that power. I FIND YOU WORTHY OF MY GIFT. The darkness joined with him, seeping into his very soul, covering his face and allowing him to see into the darkness around him as if it was day. Power flowed through him giving him strength and speed and the ability to become one with the shadows.

  Something changed then, it was no longer the memory of this man. Jaxom was there himself and the voice was there with him. I SEE YOU MAGE… I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE… SERVE ME AND YOU WILL BECOME MORE THAN YOU EVER DREAMED POSSIBLE. This could not be happening, it was just a memory. THIS IS NO MEMORY JAXOM. EVEN NOW I SEE YOU STANDING OVER THE BODIES OF THE FAITHFUL.

  Jaxom pushed out with his mind forcing it back into the flow of the shades memory. Moving forward away from the great room the voice did not follow. He could not release the memories yet, he had not found anything to tell him where the shades had come from. The memories settled and he was walking at night, the sun coming up on his left. They must find a place to wait out the day. They were weaker in the light, their strength would diminish with the dawn. The memory played over and over and he did not understand why he could not move past it. Then he realized the places around him where changing, it was not the same memory over and over again. The shade had walked south for almost two weeks and only at night, then he stood in front of the Ale’adar. The city was lit brightly to his eyes, showing every building and street. He moved forward with dozens of others toward the city. YOU CAN NOT HIDE FROM ME MAGE… I CAN FIND YOU WHERE EVER YOU GO…That was it, he had enough of whatever this was and now he knew that the Shades had come from the North. Pulling his own mind from the memories he felt the voice trying to pursue him, but Jaxom cut the flow of magic as he retreated giving the voice no path to follow. Still it persisted, clawing after him until finally he was free of the dead shade’s memories.

  Jaxom was staring down at the dead shade and the room was just how it looked when he entered. Looking over his shoulder he found Cribble staring hard at him, fear evident on the Captain’s face. He had seen Cribble defiant, angry, even worried, but he had never seen fear before.

  “What is it?” Jaxom asked.

  “Who where you talking to, and why was it I could almost hear what it was saying?” Cribble said his voice wavering.

  “I was talking?”

  “Yes and whatever it was, was talking back. I have never liked what you are but this is taking it too far,” Cribble said anger replacing the fear.

  “Shut up Cribble,” Jaxom said, not wanting to deal with the man’s prejudice right then. “What did you hear?”

  “I am not sure, I only got the last part clearly. It said that it could find you wherever you went,” he said, sensing that now was not the time to prod this very powerful mage.

  That was not possible. It had only been a memory. Or had it? The voice had said it could see him standing over the bodies of the faithful. Did it mean literally? Had it been watching him here… in this room? He searched about, but finding nothing with his eyes he drew the power of death to heighten his senses. There it was, Jaxom could feel something in the room with them. Focusing on the darkened corners he saw it, a shadow huddled into the corner of the darkness watching them. The creature, knowing it had been spotted stood, its shadow made body reaching near seven feet in height with its head almost brushing the ceiling. Its body was thin with long arms that almost came to its knees, each ending in five very long, very sharp looking claws. It was a creature of nightmares that would cause children to cry out in the night. Stepping forward into the dim light he noticed that it flinched and its substance seemed to lessen. Jaxom heard the sound of steel scrap on leather as Cribble drew his sword, finally seeing the shadow creature as well.

  “What is that,” the Captain said thrusting the torch forward to cast more light on the creature while brandishing his sword in the other hand.

  Jaxom had no idea and was not ready to find out. Slowly he began backing towards the door, hoping that Cribble was doing the same. Channeling the power he still held he cast into the corpses of the dead shades animating them, but gave no command for them to move. As Cribble moved into the hall Jaxom heard the sound of banging coming from outside, a sound much like that of cell doors being opened. As Jaxom crossed the threshold of the door the shadow creature rushed forward, its claws outstretched to tear into flesh. With a thought four of the shades leapt from the tables to grapple with the thing, they had no weapons but Jaxom only needed them to delay it long enough to escape. The creature slashed with a clawed hand cutting a risen shade in half at the waist while it had still been in the air, the other risen grabbing on to its limbs as they tried to hold it in place. Not waiting to see how well they were doing Jaxom rushed out the door drawing his sword as he went.

  With Cribble right on his heels Jaxom rounded a corner and was forced to dive to the side as a club made from the leg of a table sped towards his head. Cribble’s trained reflex did not miss a beat in thrusting his sword through the attacker’s mid-section. Using a boot to kick the now dead prisoner free of his weapon, he offered a hand to Jaxom getting him on his feet.

  “What is going on Jaxom!?” Cribble yelled.

  “I don’t know. Let’s just get out of here first and we can figure it out then.” Usin
g his connection with the risen he looked through its eyes to see how much time they had. He saw one risen clinging to the thing’s back while another struggled to hold an arm in place. A clawed hand flashed in front of him and the connection was severed. Not much time at all.

  “Well what are you waiting for? Lead the way,” he said to Cribble.

  “Excuse me… I did not want to interfere with your communing with dead or whatever it was you were doing,” he replied, then took off down the hall at a run leading the way out.

  Halfway to the iron door and safety a mob of ten freed prisoners stood in the low torchlight blocking their path. Cribble stopped in his tracks weighing the situation. They were only armed with wooden clubs and sharpened stone daggers, but their sheer numbers would buy time to use the makeshift weapons to good effect.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Blast them with a fire ball,” Cribble said.

  “Don’t you know anything about mages? I do not have command of fire.”

  “What good are you then?” The loud Guard Captain said in disgust.

  Having had just about enough of the man, Jaxom did something he would never have done under normal circumstances… he showed off. Raising his hand, Jaxom unleashed the blight at the mob. Not knowing what was coming for them the men in their dirty rag clothing stood still, readying weapons for something they could not hope to beat. The column of twisting black and grey smoke smashed into the first man’s chest wrapping long tendrils around him, then spreading to others before his screams of agony had even begun. By the time the prisoners realized what was going on and backed away four had been ensnared by the magic. Their bodies rotting where they stood as bits of flesh fell away and their hair fell out in clumps. Not wishing to hear their screams anymore, Jaxom directed the smoke to wrap around the men’s throats silencing them forever. Once the screams had stopped Jaxom released the magic, his arm dropping to his side feeling sick from the carnage he had caused.