“Lia,” he pushed, his gut churning with worry for both the news and for Lia’s obvious pain.
She shook her head, her lovely cerulean eyes glowing with unshed tears, “I can’t… I’ll lose what little focus I have, just… follow me. Later. Don’t hold back, none of ours are left in the castle.”
A shiver went down his spine. Was this the time, the moment he’d have to take a life for the first time? He would do anything to protect Lia, but he hated this whole situation, and he certainly didn’t want to kill anyone. His iron dagger was crude, just twelve inches long, but it was also razor sharp and much harder than flesh. He was a builder by nature, not a destroyer, but he was a protector as well.
They moved forward cautiously, but it wasn’t long before one of the masters started to move in their direction. The game was even, they could all detect each other through the detect magic spell and other enhancements. Lia moved away from that contact, they’d only take the risk if they had too. They’d have a chance against one master mage, but not that much of one.
Lia flowed up the stairs before him, and he realized by the route she was taking they were headed for the princess’s suite. That seemed suicidal to him, but he didn’t question it. He tried to think if any of his spells would allow him to jump from a seventh story window and survive. Even his enhancements wouldn’t help him survive such a high fall, and then they’d still need to get past the castle walls.
His attention snapped back to his surroundings, there were two other mages in the game now, all three of them closing in from different directions in the castle. Fortunately, none of them were in front, in the direction they were going, and they were fire mages without the ability to enhance their bodies, master mages or not.
Lia and Olin on the other hand, moved very quickly with their enhanced speed and strength. Without the princess to guard they had no liabilities to slow them down, outside of their own limited power at such a young age.
He frowned, “What’s the plan.”
They were almost to the princess’s suite, and there was no way the mages would catch up to them before they did… what? He wasn’t sure yet.
Lia’s voice cracked, “Portal, princess’s inner chamber, we might have to hold them off for a minute, it’ll take a few minutes for my mother and the others to cast it.”
He grunted, “It’ll annoy Vida, but we could collapse the ceiling in the outer two rooms. Fire mages won’t be able to get past that much stone very easily.”
They could of course, but not very quickly, or with a simple quick spell like an earth mage could.
She sighed, “I suppose.”
He swallowed, as he realized Lia wanted to fight and kill a few on the way out, no matter how dangerous an option that would be. What had she learned, what had happened? It was going to drive him crazy. His adrenaline and fear however, kept him focused on the mages moving their way, and the situation, but his worry for Lia was at an almost unbearable level at that point as well.
For good measure, he cast an earth rune spell as they entered the receiving room that collapsed the walls and ceiling of the corridor outside.
That was around the time he felt several more mages come into range of his detect magic, then more still, and even more. Fire, air, and death mages, and more of them than he could conveniently count. If he didn’t know better, he’d say every mage of those three towers were in the damned castle.
He completely demolished the princess’s two outer rooms, blocking them in good and well.
He took Lia into his arms, and she stiffened against him briefly, but he didn’t let go until she melted against him and let out a sob. He held her gently then. The story would have to wait, as she completely broke down at that point. There was no doubt in his mind people had died to engender such a reaction in his love, but he had no idea who, or how many.
He cast some follow up earth spells, taking all the small and large pieces of wall and ceiling, and melding them together into one large and huge block of stone. It took a lot of his magic to do it, as he had to cast the earth spell multiple times to get all of it that was in range. There was a lot of it.
The enemy mages got close to them just a minute later, but it took a lot of heat to shatter stone, even master fire mages would take too long to get through it, or so he hoped.
Then he felt something inconceivable, and he snorted at himself. He was naïve. Believe it or not, didn’t change the fact that there was an earth mage headed their way. A very powerful one, if not a master, had sided with their enemies, betrayed their oaths, out of a thirst for freedom perhaps, but it was still a betrayal.
Why had he thought if it came to a mage civil war, that it would be a clean fight between four towers and three? Life was never that simple. On the good side, it probably meant there were a few death, air, and fire mages that had defected as well, on matters of conscience.
“We’re going to be in deep crap shortly.”
Lia sniffled, “I know. I feel him coming too.”
It wasn’t just the earth mage, it was all the fire, death, and air mages waiting in the corridor by where he’d started the collapse.
He frowned, “Do you think if we levitated something, it would hold our weight too?”
She snorted, “Not a chance, the spell isn’t powerful enough.”
He laughed, “I’m not following the rules, if it gets us killed. Besides, I’m pretty much outed already.”
She smirked through her tears, but despite her attempt at teasing her voice came out morose, “Evil mystic.”
He nodded, and then focused on a spell rune that would work in such a situation. It didn’t take long, since it was just a slightly modified version of the levitation spell that already existed.
“Vida’s going to be pissed,” he noted clinically.
He cast another earth spell, which ripped out all the nails holding her dresser together, which immediately collapsed into a pile of wood and expensive clothing. A second earth spell inscribed the new rune onto his left bracer in less than a second. He cast the new spell on the thick oak dresser top, and he sat on it and took Lia with him.
She giggled, “This is crazy, you know that, right?”
He nodded, “Maybe a little. Hold on.”
She held onto him, while he held onto the slab of wood, which raced out of the princess’s seventh story window, and a few moments after that right over the forty-foot high walls.
It was exhilarating, and entirely terrifying, being held aloft like that. The smooth oak seemed far too precarious and slippery, but he lowered them slowly as they continued toward the tower.
Lia had that faraway look in her eyes again, he assumed she was letting her mother know the portal wasn’t necessary.
He felt a bit awkward, as the commoners gawked at him, and looked at him in fear, while they landed and quickly ran the rest of the way to the tower.
Chapter Eleven
The living room in the tower was a somber place at the moment. Talia had her daughter’s lovely face, light blonde hair, and vivid blue eyes. He’d been joking when he said it, but it was also the truth, Lia’s mother was still a very attractive woman at her age. It didn’t take him long to discover she had a similar sense of humor as well.
Lia asked first thing, “Where’s dad?”
Talia said, “At the border. One of us had to stay and keep an eye on the battle happening there.”
Talia looked at him critically for a moment, then smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
He wasn’t overly insulted, he was pretty sure that was because of what was going on, and not about him at all.
She said, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, I’m sorry it had to happen under such circumstances. Now, what happened, and how did you escape?”
He supposed his own questions would have to wait a little longer. He also did the lion’s share of the reporting on what happened since Tanner started his coup the previous day, Lia was still too upset to get out much.
/> Talia nodded, “We’ll worry about you breaking the rules later, you kept my daughter safe, and I can see how much she cares for you. I won’t see you harmed either.”
He asked, “What happened, Lia hasn’t told me.”
Talia sighed, “I don’t know all of it, not since you were put in the dungeon. I believe based on the reports of the rest of your team, that Cassandra overplayed her hand. In an attempt to turn Sun and Kaitlyn to our side, she berated them for their cowardice, and that their attempts to distance themselves from it would backfire, as they’d be found guilty of conspiring with Tanner.
“She told them the only chance they had was to fight on their side, otherwise they’d fall when Tanner did. For whatever reason, this put steel in Sun’s and Kaitlyn’s spines, but not in the direction Cassandra hoped. Perhaps they were more integral to the coup than even Cassandra believed, and knew that would come out in the end if Tanner lost, and they decided it was all or nothing to save their hides.
“Regardless, for whatever reason, they sided with Tanner more openly. Sun, is the one who actually killed the queen.”
His eyes widened, and Talia looked at Lia reprovingly, “You didn’t tell him anything?”
Lia flushed, “I was too upset, and I couldn’t fall apart since we were in danger.”
Talia sighed, “Anyway, those two moved more openly at that point, and brought in mages from their towers as well. At that point Karina contacted us to fill us in. The mages watching them had stopped paying attention, and she was able to get off a spell while eating. That’s when we started to plan. We planned and executed a rescue operation, Lia already told me you heard it, then we heard from you shortly after.
“We’d have gotten you as well, but Tanner had that part of the castle well-guarded at the time, and our rescue ran into a few snags. We hoped you were both safe where you were, although we knew it likely at some point or another Tanner would use you as hostages.
“Regardless, the rescue was mostly successful. We managed to rescue most of the rest of your guard team, as well as Mistresses Aubrey and Elisha, and Master Jace. I’m sorry to be the one that has to tell you, that Cassandra didn’t make it. Neither did Joseph, one of the young mages on your team. We also lost two others, that you don’t know, they were at the border with us and part of the rescue team.
“We moved fast and hard, then pulled out with our people. If it’s any consolation, we took out five of theirs, but I know it isn’t. Cassandra was the only guild leader to fall.”
He felt frozen, as he tried to absorb that information. Cassandra was dead, he could hardly credit the idea. All the questions he had for her, why she’d protected him and kept his secret, so many things he’d expected them to discuss one day. She’d also been like a mother to him, a mentor, and even a friend. His heart squeezed, and he felt sick at heart.
No wonder Lia was so devasted, as close as he and Cassandra had grown the last eight months, Lia had always known her, and she’d grown up with Cassandra as a constant presence in her life.
She sighed, “Currently, we’re here in the towers, all the mages that are rebelling are in the castle. Right now, I don’t think either side knows what to do. Mostly, it’s fire, death, and air that has rebelled, but a few of ours went against their towers and joined, as did the reverse. Tanner is on the throne, and the nobles won’t go against him, they fear him too much.”
“Don’t know what to do?”
She sighed, and replied reluctantly, “The right thing to do is to stop them, and put Vida on the throne, almost seventeen or not. I believe we could win, but the cost would be horrific. Mages as a whole would be gutted, our population diminished to very dangerous levels. There wouldn’t be enough mages left for all the things we do, and there’s a good chance that rune mages will become extinct, at least in Reton. The fire, air, and death mages would number very low as well, and we’d lose a good number out of the other three towers as well.
“Of course, we can’t not do the right thing, or ignore our oaths, just because it’s hard. However, we’re letting things cool down after the rescue, in the hopes it won’t come down to major battle. It seems inevitable, however. Unless we can come to some sort of compromise that satisfies our oaths, and their desire for freedom.”
He snorted.
Talia said, “Don’t be mentally lazy and lump them in all together. Tanner is there for power, and is a corrupt man, but many of them are there for freedom, don’t doubt it. If it didn’t betray my oaths, my honor, and require regicide, I might even be on their side.”
Lia added, “Olin had a compromise plan that might work.”
He laughed, but then stopped, when he realized she was serious.
Talia gave him a questioning look.
He felt a bit self-conscious about it, but he spoke confidently enough as he went through his and Lia’s conversation earlier.
Then he asked, “But how could that help?”
Talia said, “It could help avoid all-out war, though some will still inevitably pay a price in blood. If we can get Vida to agree to some sort of change, or compromise in that direction, then all the people on the other side that just want freedom get it. They may be less inclined to lay down their lives to put Tanner in power, if they win what they want without risk. At that point, Tanner might stand alone, or at least, only the most rabidly loyal of his people will stand by him.”
He frowned, “You think Vida would go for that? It saves a lot of us, so I could see where it would even make most of the mages on their side jump ship, but I’m not quite sure I see the benefit on her side. Why would Vida take the risk of losing her mages’ service after ten years?”
Talia smirked, “You didn’t play what if long enough. There will always be Tanners in the world, who want to rule. But in a world where mages get to choose their destiny after paying their debts, he and others like him would have a much harder time garnering support for a coup. It would also be a benefit in that any mages serving her past thirty years old, she would know they were loyal to Reton and the royal family, otherwise they’d have moved on. That means better results, more productivity.”
He grinned, “And I thought I was naïve.”
Lia gasped at his playful shot at her mom, but Talia snickered.
Talia grinned at her daughter, “I see why you like him. I’m also sorry about Cassandra, I know you were really close. Much closer than her and I were.”
Talia turned back, “Obviously, there’s a lot to figure out with that. To make it palatable for both sides. Including the competitions, we need to question and reassess all the rules, and how they either would or wouldn’t fit in with the new way of doing things. If she doesn’t agree of course, all of this is moot, and it will come down to a fight. We’ll be lucky if there’s two hundred mages left in Reton, out of the seven hundred current, if that happens.
“Which is another reason Vida might compromise. She might lose a few of us to other pursuits, but I doubt she’d lose five hundred of us. All that death would hurt her rule, and the stability of the kingdom as well. She might not say no, but there’s only one way to find out.
“I’m going to run the idea past Elisha, Jace, and Aubrey, we’ll sleep on it, and act in the morning. It might be safest to retrieve our young queen at this point anyway, keep her in one of the four towers, instead of trusting her fate to luck and perceived anonymity.”
He asked, “Are you the new tower mistress then?”
She made a face, “Until my daughter’s old enough and wise enough to take over. I don’t really want the job, but like you said earlier, we don’t always like the jobs were forced to take. Either by circumstance, need, or law.”
Lia said pointedly, “I’m right here, you know.”
Her mother grinned, then shook her head, “Either way, you did the right thing in saving the two heirs, don’t question that, no matter what happens, or how many die. Their blood is on Tanner’s hands, never doubt that.”
He didn’t feel all that much
better knowing the truth, but it was better than being in the dark, and at least he could put his mind toward solutions. He was a little shocked Talia took his idea and concepts of freedom and responsibility to heart, but he supposed grasping for straws was better than just mindlessly going to war, without exhausting all the possibilities.
He and Lia took the time to go to stores, and he rebuilt his equipment properly. Using the new quick way of course, but with steel bracers and a new sword. His new sword was identical to the old one, but he was still wistful about its loss.
Not so much the spell runes on it, those were easily replaceable. But… that sword, he forged with his own muscles and sweat. Replacing it in seconds with magic just felt… too easy.
They spent the rest of the day mourning Cassandra together. The deaths of Joseph, and two other nameless mages hit him as well, but not nearly as hard. They didn’t speak much, but just shared their grief. Lia wasn’t the only one that shed tears that afternoon, and they held each other or at least were touching the entire time.
Everything felt like it was in limbo, and he felt like he should be doing more to fix it, but what could he do? He had to trust that Talia, Elisha, Jace, and Aubrey would be able to thread their way out of this, without resorting to a level of violence that would scar mage society for centuries. Possibly even weakening Reton enough to make them easier to conquer. He hoped they could convince Vida that her throne and their loyalty would be more secure, if she loosened her grip slightly.
Of course, first, one of the guild leaders, he, or Lia would have to convince Vida to take shelter in one of the towers. He decided not to worry about it anymore, his grief made it hard to work through, and it was even possible that Aubrey, Elisha, or Jace would reject the whole plan.
Chapter Twelve
The hot water relaxed his muscles, and the soap felt good on his skin. So much better than a spell. He’d decided when he’d woken up that morning a little early to delay the start of the day. His heart still ached, mostly for the loss of Cassandra, but also for how strongly Lia was grieving. He couldn’t fix it, and he didn’t like to see her in pain.
Rune Mage: The Rune Mystic: Book Two Page 9
