“I can protect myself,” added Byrn.
“You have saved me twice, now,” Sane told him, “and you are my prince. Kaleb, you need to get out of harm's way.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy answered, showing more sense than Sane and ran down the street, hopefully to someplace safe.
A strike of tendrils surged from Xander towards the sorcerers cutting off their exchange and Byrn raised a wall of protection to withstand the onslaught of magic that desperately tried to reach them and drain their energy or their very lives- it was difficult to tell which Xander intended. The battle would have to be ended quickly before Xander used up enough of his own energy that he would find it necessary to take strength from the other citizens of Wolfsbane as he did in Colum.
The air became superheated as Byrn forced a fiery flare into the mass of tentacles consuming them as it bore down on Xander Necros, who summoned a wall of earth at his feet to turn aside the massive fireball.
From behind the wall a dozen war wraiths swarmed out and charged the sorcerers. Byrn was the first to act with a wall of fire meant to destroy the wraiths, but only succeeded in destroying half as the others veered out of the way. Sane answered with a Moran’s Circle, a wind based spell that acted as a personal whirlwind providing protection on all sides, that held the others at bay while Byrn conjured another fire spell. Byrn’s next spell created a constant rush of fire into the circle transforming the whirlwind into a tornado of fire.
“Let loose the circle,” Byrn shouted over the raging wind that surrounded them and Sane did as he was told. Then Byrn pushed out the tornado until the remaining wraiths were consumed before he allowed the spell to dissipate.
A sudden surge of energy rushed from behind Xander’s earthy barrier. Byrn silently cursed. The wraiths were just a ploy to keep them occupied so that Xander could summon something much more powerful. This time a pair of molten creatures that Byrn had never seen before emerged, one on each side, from behind the wall. From their size and form they could only be fire elementals.
Shrieks of fear came from several onlookers who had gathered some distance away to watch the battle unfolding before them. The fire elementals were grotesque creatures of a substance that could only be described as liquid fire whose faces oozed into elongated approximations of what human faces should be. They slithered forward like snakes on their bellies and were nearly as quick. Byrn wondered if his invulnerability to fire would extend to these elementals, but decided not to take the risk. His mind raced as he mentally catalogued the non-fire spells in his repertoire that might hurt the creatures.
Water shot past Byrn’s head as Sane engaged the elementals, causing steam to fill the air as the liquid touched their flesh. Byrn followed with a torrent of waves that shot forth from the air, but the elementals were barely slowed in their advance.
Dread passed over the young sorcerer as the elementals surged past him and went for Sane. He reached out with his mind and grabbed the elementals willing them to halt their attack. If I can control fire, then I can control these things, he told himself and miraculously he held them against their wills, but it required all of his concentration. Unlike a natural fire that bent willingly to his thoughts, the elementals were sentient beings and preventing them from moving required his complete focus.
“I can’t hold them for long,” Byrn grunted at the exertion.
Sane showered the elementals with water and ice, but the damage he was doing was negligible against their molten hides.
Searing pain surged up Byrn’s spine forcing him to his knees and releasing his hold on the fire elementals, which immediately went after Sane. He gasped; as the air was sucked from his lungs- no, not air… his magic… his very life force was being drained by Xander’s deathly tentacles lodged into his back.
“Go!” shouted Byrn through the excruciating pain as the elementals backed Sane against a wall. If he did not flee now, then he would be dead. Sane blinked out of existence before Byrn’s eyes.
The last sounds he heard were the footsteps of the grandmaster and his words: “You have power to match my own- perhaps even more, which is astounding enough in its own right, but I have something that you will never possess: Four hundred years of experience and the will to do what must be done.”
Chapter 17
Avelice tugged at Kaleb’s finger as he made a valiant effort to keep her entertained while the grown ups discussed matters that most would consider too weighty for the boy to understand. Alia knew better. He was a bright lad and proved not only his resourcefulness and quick wit by choosing her of all people to come to, but his bravery as well. There was little reason to suspect that she would side with a ten-year-old lesser over her own father, but he came to her anyway and she had listened to his tale.
It was a month earlier that he was banging on her door with enough gusto to set Avelice to crying at the sound that must have been frightening to little ears that recoiled from such loud, abrupt noises. Alia had stormed to the front door and swung it open determined to give whoever was foolish enough to do such a thing a verbal beating that they would not soon forget, but when she saw the terrified face of Kaleb hurriedly wiping the tears from his eyes and cheeks, his chin quivering as he fought to be brave in front of her all she could do was bid him to enter and offer him a seat while he told his story.
He told her of the confrontation between Byrn, Sane, and her father. At first Kaleb thought that it was some kind of joke when he saw Sane running towards them like a jackrabbit all soaking wet, but soon he understood that something very bad was about to happen as the sorcerer kept telling Byrn about how Xander intended to use him. When the fighting started they made Kaleb run away, but didn’t tell him where to go. He ran and ran without thought to where he headed, but when he stopped he was standing outside of Alia’s door. It was one of the places that he knew best in Wolfsbane and she was the only person that he ever saw stand up to Xander Necros besides Byrn.
Alia left Avelice with Kaleb and went to see her father immediately who admitted to the confrontation, but swore that he was the innocent party and that the sorcerers tried to kill him upon hearing of their king’s death. Sane fled like a coward once it was clear that Xander had taken the upper hand, to hear the grandmaster tell it, but Byrn was determined to take the necromancer’s life. It took a considerable amount of Xander’s strength to subdue him and he was held in a safe location that was known only to Xander. He swore that he would not let Byrn pollute the minds of anyone else until he had gotten to the bottom of Byrn’s trickery.
It was a compelling story and Alia guessed there was some seed of truth to it. There had to be considering the number of witnesses that saw the clash, but she could not deny the sneaking suspicion that she was being lied to. Byrn loved Kaleb like a little brother. He would never provoke a fight with Xander while the boy was around.
There was also the little known fact that the goddess of life, Ashura, cursed Byrn years ago so that he could never kill without sacrificing his own life in the process. For that reason alone, he was unlikely to aggressively try to kill Xander or anyone else on his own.
She longed to trust her father, but her belief in him had waned since his rescue from prison. The man he was did not measure up to the memories she held of him as a child. She remembered him as being a larger than life figure who could do no wrong, but now she saw a man who was flawed by his own lust for vengeance and whose sole focus was on sating that desire no matter the cost. Perhaps her mother had been right all along to never try and rescue him. Had she known this side of him or was this something he had kept hidden from her too during their marriage?
After that day, Alia knew she had to discover what her father intended to do with Byrn. He could have executed the sorcerer at any time if that was his wish, or asked Alia to delve into his mind to find out why he would want to kill Xander and she would have done so willingly, but neither of those things happened and it was for that reason that she decided that it was necessary to begin spying on her
father.
Ever her faithful student and friend, she asked Tomlin first who agreed to help without a moment’s hesitation. Tomlin joined her when he was only a little older than Kaleb and became the second member of the Collective. Despite his often-lackadaisical attitude and penchant for bravado, he could always be relied upon when she needed him. He was possibly the Collective’s best man when it came to finding information that no one else could and for this reason Tomlin was invaluable for her needs.
The only other person she had included in her search for the truth was Ryonus Southsun. He had proven himself reliable with the breaking of the control collar and had earned her trust as one who was able to look at the bigger picture and act accordingly. Though he was a friend of her father’s, Ryonus was also a friend of Byrn’s going back to Baj and she hoped that would be enough to convince him to help her in this. Being one that always tried to consider all sides before acting, Ryonus did not agree as swiftly as Tomlin did, but soon came around to Alia’s way of thinking.
Now, as they all met in Alia’s home and talked in a hushed discussion, the first bit of good news came forward. “Byrn is being held in the northern tower,” Tomlin told them, “Xander declared the tower off limits to all save himself for his own needs about two months ago, shortly before Byrn showed up and well before last month’s attack.”
“You think that Xander planned this?” Ryonus asked incredulously, “To what end?”
“That is the question,” Tomlin agreed. His usual aloofness barely masked the seriousness of his reply. Few would notice the difference except for those lucky enough to say that they knew him well.
“What you are suggesting borders on treason,” Ryonus warned, “If anyone outside of these walls heard you.”
Tomlin’s face became flushed at the implication. “I’m stating facts, Ryonus, and nothing more. It is common knowledge that that tower is off limits to all except Xander. It is also commonly known that Xander holds Byrn; he admitted that openly, but no one knows where. No one put these together before now, because the tower was closed off well in advance- that and no one outside of this cabin really cares that much what happens to Byrn enough to push the issue with Xander.”
“Then how can you be sure? My father could have easily taken Byrn anyplace in the kingdom. Would he really keep him so close?” It was Alia that asked this time. Another person might have viewed the question as a sign of doubt, but Tomlin knew it for what it was- a leader collecting as much information as possible before making a potentially deadly move. Alia could openly defy her father on small matters and council him against certain actions privately, but this was the first time she had ever gone behind his back and there was no way of knowing how he might react if he found out.
“Because he has been taking his meals in the tower. He gets them delivered to the base of the north tower and takes them up himself.”
Ryonus shook his head dismissively, “That doesn’t prove that what you say is true. He could just be hard at work on some secret project and finds it convenient to eat his meals there.”
Tomlin got that grin on his face that reminded Alia of a cat that had just trapped a mouse. Whatever was about to come next would prove why he was the best in the Collective at finding out what others did not want anyone to know and when he spoke he did not disappoint. “I might agree with you if I had not observed him taking meals in the dining hall as well and since he does not appear to be putting on weight, then someone else in the tower must be eating the food he brings up.”
After a minute when he was able to find no flaw with Tomlin’s reasoning, Ryonus admitted, “You might be right, but we should remain cautious. There could be someone else in that tower and for that reason we should proceed carefully, but what you are suggesting is the most logical conclusion.”
“Then we must find a way into the tower,” Alia decided, “and we should do so quickly. I don’t want to drag this out.”
“There is more news,” Ryonus added, “and I think it is of greater consequence than finding out what happened to Byrn. Some of our men on the outer regions of our territory reported seeing a kingdom army- perhaps the entire kingdom army- headed this way. They estimated ten thousand troops including Kenzai and what looked to be collared magicians. Tomorrow morning a decree will come down from the council to call everyone in the town and the outlying farmlands to the castle in preparation for a siege.”
“How long do we have?” Alia asked in surprise. The timeline didn’t make sense. To move such a large army, they would have to have set out almost immediately after Byrn left Mollifas.
“Less than a week.”
“What about the magicians? Can you de-collar them?” Tomlin asked voicing genuine concern at the potential for a massacre of magicians on either side.
“From a distance? Maybe I could deactivate one or two with enough effort, but the spell is best applied at close range. I would need to fight them hand-to-hand.”
Ryonus stood up suddenly, “That would be suicide!”
“Agreed,” Alia assured him. Under other circumstances it would be possible to deactivate the collars, but not so many at one time while being harried by Kenzai and a vast kingdom army.
“It is getting late. Perhaps we should all sleep on this,” Ryonus suggested once more taking on a calm, pragmatic guise, “However, the arrival of the kingdom army changes things. Perhaps we should wait until that crisis has been dealt with before trying to make contact with Byrn. If Xander is up to something, he will put it on hold to deal with the kingdom army and I think we should do the same thing. If Byrn is in league with the kingdom, then it is in everyone’s best interest to stay away from him and if he is not, then he is in the same ship as the rest of us and it ultimately won’t matter.” Ryonus did not add, “because we will all be dead.” He did not need to. They were all thinking it.
Alia sighed in resignation. “We will deal with the kingdom first as if nothing is amiss and gods willing we are victorious, then we will deal with whatever concerns are between my father and Byrn.”
“This could be for the best. If we defeat the kingdom army, then Xander would have no reason to keep Byrn hidden away, right?” Tomlin asked hopefully. He looked between Alia and Ryonus waiting for agreement, but neither of them offered it. Instead Alia shared the thought that the two masters probably shared.
“And if he does not share his secrets at that time, then it means that he does not trust us enough to know them.”
Tomlin and Ryonus left Alia’s home before Kaleb offered his opinion. “Byrn is my best friend. You have to trust him.”
Such an easy thing for a child to believe, Alia mused, that is the same conviction I once held for my father. “I would like to,” she told him and took a sleepy Avelice from him. She motioned for Kaleb to follow him into the nursery. “The kingdom is sending an army here, Kaleb. I can’t guarantee your safety once they arrive. If you wish to leave I wouldn’t blame you. I could take you anywhere in the kingdom in the blink of an eye and be back before anyone noticed.”
Kaleb shook his head. “Byrn would not leave me behind if I was in trouble.” What could Kaleb do? thought Alia. He was just a boy. He could not fight or use magic, but he refused to run away. He was either very brave or very foolish; or maybe he was both.
***
Below the northern tower a hooded figure dressed in black approached. Xander watched the man skulk about outside and look over his shoulder more than once to make certain that he was not followed. It was a wasted effort fore such suspicious movements would surely alert any passersby that the man in black was someplace that he was not supposed to be. If anyone had been following him, then he would never know it.
“Is he coming?” asked Riona who sat near the hearth that went unused since the end of winter. Riona was a necromancer like Xander. However, unlike Xander she was only a master. She was his servant now ever since learning that the grandmaster was over four centuries old. All magicians at one time or another dream of extending t
heir life- of becoming immortal- but few ever learned how to accomplish that lofty aspiration. She longed for that secret too and would serve Xander in whatever way he desired to become privy to it. That was good, because he needed servants that he could trust without question especially when those he should have been able to count on were conspiring against him.
“He will be here shortly,” Xander told her, but did not look away from the window. He would watch a little longer to make sure that the man in black was not followed after all. His plans were progressing smoothly, but he had not expected to have an open confrontation with Byrn. It would have raised fewer questions if Byrn had just mysteriously disappeared considering his long absence.
Over the past year, he spent much of his time looking for the proper candidate: A man that was young, but also had great potential for magic. There were several likely candidates among the Collective, but none of them really stood out. Never the less he was dying and time was running out. A decision had to be made and certain events needed to be manipulated to guarantee that he maintained control of the Collective. So he took possession of this tower to make his plans ready.
Then Byrn returned. He was like a gift from the gods. When he tasted Byrn’s power, not just his potential, but true fully realized power he knew that there was no better candidate in all of Aurelia. There were complications to overcome. Alia loved him and they had a child together. That relationship would have to end and there was no way to do that without hurting his daughter, but time has been known to heal matters of the heart before and Xander was confident that given time she would forget about Byrn. Still even knowing that Alia would be hurt was not enough to dissuade Xander. The opportunity to have that much raw magical energy at his command was too good to ignore.
Sane nearly ruined that when he tried to warn Byrn. Xander had intended to make Byrn into a hero, but following their altercation in the town pulling that bit of theater off would have been impossible if not for the arrival of the kingdom’s army.
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