No words came and Byrn was forced to stare into her stunning blue eyes as he wrestled with his tongue to say something- to say anything to fill the silence that hung between them.
Seeing his hesitation, Alia added, “There is only one thing that truly matters.” She placed her hand on top of Byrn’s that held Avelice against him. “Do you still love me?”
Chapter 15
For the first time since his capture in Silvering, Sane slept deeply and restfully. The sun warmed his face gently waking him to the day. The pains of the past year felt like a distant memory as he dressed and prepared for the morning meal. Following the Council of Masters’ vote of confidence for the sorcerers, Byrn and Sane were now allowed to move freely through Castle Wolfsbane and Sane decided to join the ranks of the teachers and begin instructing the lesser skilled magicians today. It was the least he could do to help make up for all of the magicians that he rounded up under the king’s banner.
The dining hall was nearly empty when Sane arrived for his morning meal. It was the third hour for breakfast and most of the other castle residents would have eaten by this time. He fixed a plate from an assortment of eggs, sausage, and fruits native to the region and found a seat near the former priest and council member, Skynryd. The two older men became fast friends in the days since Sane arrived and he found Skynryd’s theories on magical healing to be truly intriguing. Byrn who had more skill at healing than most priests had confirmed much of what Skynryd said already, but it was still interesting to hear from someone who was an authority on the subject. If healing was a true discipline of magic, then what other disciplines had been lost to the halls of time and history? Were his visions some latent form of magic or something else entirely? It got the mind of the old sorcerer racing with possibilities. If the magicians were able to practice openly whole new worlds of magic could be opened in time.
“Looking forward to your first day as a teacher?” Skynryd asked between mouthfuls.
Sane nodded eagerly, “I have trained a few magicians over the years, but this will be my first opportunity to train more than one pupil at a time,” excluding the time he spent training the magicians under Janus’ control, he thought, but did not add. Hundreds of magicians were collared and forced to learn just as Sane was forced to teach. It made for a strange dynamic, as no one actually wanted to be there. The one saving grace was that any truly gifted students like Byrn would be lost amongst the throngs of mediocre students so that Aurelia’s magician army would not reach its true greatness, but that was a small consolation if it came to a battle of Collective and kingdom magicians that would cost many lives.
Who would be the next to take over their training now that Kennath and Sane were both gone? There were a handful of other free magicians in service to Aurelia prior to the widespread usage of the control collars. Sane wondered what had happened to them. They could have been taken captive as Sane was or they might have fled, fearing the collars. It was also possible that some continued to serve the crown willingly, but that seemed unlikely.
A bell rang ten times in the courtyard and Sane shoved the rest of his meal in his mouth. “I take it your class starts at ten?” Skynryd smirked as Sane begged his leave. The old father waved him off and said, “Go on. You don’t want to be late. It sets a bad first impression.”
“Well, we can’t allow that, can we?” joked Sane through a mouthful of sausage as he rushed for the central courtyard.
A dozen students were waiting eagerly for Sane when he burst through the castle door leading outside. He recognized Tomlin who lounged in the back of the crowd against a tree, but most of the students were unknown to him. They were made up of former Ilipse citizens ranging in age from ten years to forty.
“I am the sorcerer, Sane,” he introduced himself hoping that he sounded formal, but not quite believing it, “for those of you who do not know- a sorcerer is a rare type of magician who has mastered two or more magical disciplines. My masteries are in elementalism and manipulation. I am also skilled in enchantments and, to a lesser degree, necromancy.
“Each of you has been recommended to work with me, because you have shown an aptitude in more than one discipline and I can offer you a method of training that most of your previous teachers cannot. What I will be teaching you is how to combine different disciplines of magic to increase your overall effectiveness as a magician. This extends beyond combat situations to common daily tasks, so there is something for everyone to learn.” Sane nodded to a boy of ten at that, who seemed out of place among the older students.
“Now you all know who I am, so tell me who you are along with your primary disciplines.”
***
The aging sorcerer plopped down on his bed and watched the sun setting outside his window, but he did not feel overly tired. His students were all fast learners except for Tomlin who excelled at anything involving enchanting, but struggled with basic spells in other disciplines. Tomlin’s presence was an odd choice to Sane’s mind, but several other masters assured him that “the bard,” as Tomlin likened himself, was one of the most accomplished magicians among the pupils when it came to success in the field. Tomlin’s biggest drawback was his inability to learn the transportation spell that made him reliant on others to travel swiftly throughout the kingdom and that was why he had been assigned to Sane’s special class in the hopes that the sorcerer could help him overcome that hurdle.
The youngest student was a boy by the name of Jin Tanner. His father was a leather crafter in Ilipse before the Collective broke into the domain and freed most of the citizens. The ones that did not leave with the Collective stayed behind willingly believing that a lifetime of safety was better than freedom in an otherwise dangerous world. Now those same people would have been forcibly removed from their homes and conscripted into Prince Janus’ magician army. Jin’s father died years earlier of an infection that spread from his arm to his heart leaving the young Tanner in the care of a family friend. Since coming to the Collective, Jin showed a knack for magic that few so young, save those from a gifted bloodline and raised in the ways of magic from early on show.
A light knock at the door broke the sorcerer’s mental review of his students and he sat up. He wasn’t expecting anyone.
“Come in,” Sane bid the knocker.
It was Xander Necros who entered his room and closed the door behind him. The grandmaster took a seat in the open chair nearest the window without waiting for Sane to offer. “How was your first day?”
The sorcerer exhaled, but could not suppress the smile that creased his face. He did not want to. “It was different from my usual one-on-one teaching, but rewarding too. They are a talented group as promised.”
“Good. Good,” Xander nodded, “It pleases me that things are working out so nicely- with you and Byrn.” The grandmaster’s eyes drifted off to the town below them. It was still early in the evening and Wolfsbane was abuzz with activity as magicians of various professions traded or hocked their wares to one another. Some were offering magical devices or charms beside others displaying more traditional items like food and clothing.
“This is an amazing city to behold,” Sane followed Xander’s gaze across the crowd, “I never thought I would see so many magicians living together free and in peace.”
“It is a fragile thing,” Xander regretfully admitted, “Peace. You know as well as I do that Aurelia will never truly agree to peace. It may last for a week, a month, a year, or even decades, but it will break eventually. Some like Byrn may condemn me for what I did in Colum, but it was that act that got us this offer of an alliance that Byrn has been championing since his return. We must either be their slaves or their masters. There is no middle ground.”
“After my sister’s death, I would have agreed with you.” It pained the old sorcerer to say those words, but he knew it was the truth. “But I think that Byrn could finally change that. He has the king’s trust.”
“Do you trust Byrn?” Xander asked abruptly, but continued to stare a
t the people below, “Given that he is a prince.”
“He is a magician first and a prince second. That is why I trust him and more. It is why I now follow him. If the alliance is successful, then I must accept that Janus will one day become king, but as an acknowledged prince Byrn will have some sway in how the kingdom treats us. Through his bloodline he can put an end to our suppression.”
Now he had the grandmaster’s attention that looked Sane squarely in the eye for the first time since his arrival in Wolfsbane. “Word came earlier today from some of our members abroad; Kale is dead and Janus is now king. If everything you have said about Janus is true, then he would never agree to an alliance with us and it now falls upon him to acknowledge Byrn as a legitimate member of his household.”
Sane’s knees suddenly felt weak and he had to take a seat. King Kale was dead and with him died any chance of ending this war quietly. “Has Byrn been told?”
“There will be no truce, Sane. So I must know where do your loyalties lie?”
“You needn’t ask. My time with the kingdom is done unless we can put Byrn on the throne.”
Xander gripped his staff so that his knuckles turned white. “You need to give up that dream. Byrn will never be king. The people would never stand for a magician king just because of his parentage.”
“Then it would be a civil war. If Janus was out of the way some would follow Byrn as the rightful heir out of loyalty to the bloodline or an opportunity to improve their own houses’ ranks, especially if we could convince the queen to back him. That along with the Collective providing their support would make a formidable force. It may take time, but a future in which magician and non-magic user live in peace would be possible.”
Once more, Xander turned his attention to the town below. “You are too old to be so naïve,” he whispered under his breath, “We can rule them or they can rule us as it has always been for as long as I can recall.” He stood suddenly, or at least as suddenly as any man over seventy years can stand. “You raise some interesting ideas, but how can I trust him when I know he is hiding something from me. Byrn is far more powerful than when we last met. As angry as I was at the way he spoke to Alia in the dining hall, I would not miss something like that.”
Pursing his lips, Sane thought for a moment before framing his answer. “Byrn is slow to trust… as are you. You have more in common than either of you might care to admit at the moment: Firm in resolve, natural leaders…”
“He could one day lead the rebellion if I were not around,” Xander added looking to Sane for confirmation that the sorcerer did not feel comfortable giving. “You doubt that or are you just trying to be diplomatic? We shall see.”
The grandmaster went to leave, but stopped when his hand turned the knob. “I have not been honest about my reason for coming to see you. There is a part of me that still sees you as a lackey of the crown, but I am trying to look past that, because I need to extract a promise from you,” his head shook like he was trying to remove dust and cobwebs from an addled brain, “I am not long for this world, Sane. I don’t believe that Byrn has any intention of taking Alia as his wife and therefore cannot be relied upon to protect her. As her only living relative besides myself, promise me that you will do all within your power to keep her and my grandchild safe after I am gone.”
Seconds ticked away as Sane stood dumbstruck in front of his brother-in-law. “You are dying,” he whispered in surprise. Of all the things that he could have expected this man who was well past his prime to say that was one thing he thought he would never hear. Finally he managed an answer. “Of course, Xander, it is the least I can do in Avelice’s memory.”
At that Xander clapped Sane on the shoulder in thanks…
…And the sorcerer’s world was shattered.
A vision of growing darkness overtook him once more. Byrn’s hand reached out to grab Sane as black energy flew off him in waves. His touch was like ice on Sane’s shoulder as Byrn grabbed him and death oozed from his very essence. The sorcerer tried to push him away, but Byrn gripped all the harder for his struggles.
His eyes were as cold as his grip and conveyed no sign of life. This Byrn was a soulless abomination of the man Sane knew. Slowly, inevitably, Byrn pulled in Sane until the husk of a man’s lips were almost against the sorcerer’s ear.
“Don’t let him take me,” Byrn’s whisper was hoarse and raspy not unlike a dead man who refused to accept his fate.
“Who?” Sane begged for an answer.
The husk turned his head to look behind him and Sane followed his dead eyes to the countenance of Xander Necros.
Light swirled around Sane as he fell to the floor of his room. Xander was standing over him in surprise. Sane recoiled as the necromancer offered him a hand, and Xander’s face changed from one of concern to open hostility.
“You had one of your famous visions.” It was not a question. “What did you see?”
Sane’s mind raced as he tried to find a way out of this situation. For all of his experience and talent, Sane was little more than an annoyance to the grandmaster of necromancy. He had to get away and he had to warn Byrn, but before he could do either of those things he had to buy some time.
“I think you have a good idea,” Sane said getting to his feet carefully. He tried to act indignant to mask his fear. “I saw you and Byrn…”
He let the rest linger hoping that Xander would fill in the blanks while Sane tried to edge his way toward the room’s open window and his staff. It leaned against the wall barely an arm’s reach away, but Xander already had his own staff in hand. He could kill Sane in an instant with a number of simple spells before Sane could reach the device and cast a protective spell if the grandmaster guessed what he was up to, but as long as Xander thought Sane might know something of value he would hold off on killing the sorcerer.
“I take it things did not end well for your former student,” Xander smirked; already believing victory was in hand. “We don’t need to be at odds in this. I meant what I said about you taking care of Alia. Surely you must know that once I have taken Byrn I will never be able to see her again. My daughter’s feelings are too strong for him and it would be too hard to put her through something like that.”
Dust flew as Sane lunged toward the staff, but Xander was too quick. A bolt of dark energy flew from his cane and shattered Sane’s staff as if it were made of glass, but Sane ignored his weapon and dove out the window.
Gods, protect me, he thought as he hurtled toward the ground that rushed for him. He reached into the left sleeve of his robe and pulled out the wand Byrn gave him. Summoning as much wind as he could, Sane barraged the ground below him. He only meant to slow his decent to a speed that he could walk away from, but over-corrected and threw himself back into the air at an angle that left him on a collision course with a castle wall.
A ball of magical energy enveloped the sorcerer and he filled it with water to absorb the impact as the ball crashed against the wall and bounced off. Sane spun around as the bubble rolled to a stop and he released the magical barrier, causing the water that had surrounded him to pour out in all directions. He wished he could lie there for a few minutes more, but Xander would not be far behind.
Small hands helped him to his feet and Sane found he was face to face with the young Jin Tanner. “Is that how you use multiple disciplines to complement each other?” he asked Sane, referring to their lesson earlier that day.
Sane nodded and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Have you seen my friend Byrn?”
Jin pointed at the gate and asked, “When will I be able to do that?”
“If you’re lucky, you’ll never have to,” Sane told him as he ran off.
The boy turned to where Sane had almost smashed into the ground and saw a second shock to his young life as Xander Necros came floating slowly to the ground. He rested comfortably in front of Jin and asked, “Which way did he go?”
Once again Jin pointed at the gate and the grandmaster followed after.
Chapter 16
The first clue that something was amiss in Wolfsbane was when Byrn saw his old master throwing a pair of magicians down the street with a flick of his wand. The sorcerer stopped for a moment to catch his breath and that was when he noticed Byrn and Kaleb. From his vantage point Byrn could see magic pooling around the sorcerer and infusing his body with energy, so that the old man could sprint to Byrn’s side.
“Whatever this is, it cannot be good,” Byrn muttered to his young companion and Kaleb agreed as Sane met up with them.
“Xander…” Sane panted, “He means to take control of you. It all makes sense now: Korok’s vision of you as a manifestation of dark power and my own of darkness spreading out from Wolfsbane. They were warnings about this event.”
“How?” asked Byrn, “Alia told me the control collar in the Collective’s possession was disabled.”
The sorcerer’s head shook. “I don’t know. Perhaps she lied or Xander has another collar that no one knows about. To make matters worse, he told me that he is dying. I think he intends to take all of the non-magic users in the kingdom with him before he passes.”
Further discussion would have to wait as Xander came into view. He boiled with power and anger that only seemed to intensify when he saw Byrn and Sane together.
“You need to go,” Byrn told Sane firmly, “Transport away from here and take Kaleb. He means to destroy us.”
“No, we will fight him together,” Sane took up a position beside Byrn and held his wand like a rapier pointed at the approaching necromancer. “Besides, I don’t have a rune on me.”
“Sane, listen to me and get out of here. I don’t know what he plans for me, but he plans to kill you. Wherever you end up, it will be better than here.
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