Forgotten Mage

by D. W. Jackson

  After more than an hour of sparing, Bren found himself sitting in the dirt, rubbing one of his many bruises. Everything hurt, and his breath was coming with great strain. “You could at least let me get in one strike,” Bren said, pushing himself to his feet by sheer will.

  “If I did that, you wouldn’t have truly earned it,” Cass replied with a smirk. “If you think this is bad, wait until tonight when the Weapons Master starts his training.”

  Groaning, Bren brought his sword to the ready, his arm barely able to hold the tip of the blade up anymore. “Then I will just have to earn it.”

  That afternoon, as Bren headed back to the Tower, everything hurt. He was sure that if he was to stand in front of the mirror, he would look almost like a vathari with all the new welts and bruises that covered his body. He thought about stopping at one of the foot carts, but he hurt so bad and was so tired that even the act of chewing seemed to be too much.

  The long walk back to the Tower was bad enough, but the endless stairs to reach Sae-Thae’s chambers was even worse. Each time he brought up his foot to take the next step, it was as if he was having to pick up and move the whole building.

  “What happened to you?” A soft voice asked from behind Bren.

  Turning around, Bren found Faye standing on the steps below him. “Had an argument with a sword,” Bren said with a strained smile. “It kept thinking that I was a pell…I tried to tell it otherwise, but it just didn’t seem to listen.” Bren chuckled at his own joke, but Faye just stared on as if he was speaking gibberish.

  “What is a pell?” she asked, cocking her head slightly to the side and looking at him with a blank expression.

  Bren laughed so hard that he doubled over. “Please don’t make me laugh…It hurts too much,” Bren said after he was able to catch his breath.

  “Fine be like that,” Faye said pushing past his her elbow hitting him hard in the rips.

  Bren tried to call after her to apologize but she had hit him just right that he had lost his breath for a few moments and by the time he recovered she was out of sight.

  After a dozen small breaks Bren finally reached Sae-Thae’s quarters. “Bren you are a little later than usual…You didn’t have any trouble with the weapon master did you?”

  “No just with my training partner…He seemed to think I needed to learn how much more I had to learn,” Bren replied rubbing one of his bruises to emphasize his point.

  “That is a lesson I believe has to be taught, many times over in one’s life,” Sae-Thae said with a sly grin. “Come with me Bren, today you will be training with Master Carnear.”

  As Sae-Thae started down the stairs, Bren let out a long groan. “Not more stairs.”

  If you had thought to take me with you, I could at least lesson some of the burden on your body. Maybe next time, you will think about that before leaving me locked away in this empty room day after day.

  “Not now, please,” Bren pleaded. “If you can make this better, then I promise next time I will take you with me.”

  I can’t say that I enjoy only being used because you need me, but at the moment I will take it. One day, you will learn that life is much easier if you listen to me more often.

  “I will listen to you more often, when you spend less of your time telling me how every woman in the land is after me,” Bren grumbled under his breath.

  One day, you will understand how devious women are.

  Bren ignored the comment and kept his mind on the momentous task at hand, climbing down the stairs.

  Luckily for Bren, he only had to go down two flights of stairs before they reached the floor on which Master Carnear held his classes. Having spent most his time at the fighter’s academy or with Sae-Thae, Bren hadn’t had much time or extra energy to explore the Tower. Unlike the main hall, or where the master’s chambers were, this had a long broad walkway with only a few doors on each side. Sae-Thae brought Bren to the second door and knocked on the door hard. When there was no answer, he knocked again. It looked as if the mage hit the door with the same force as before, but this time, as soon as his knuckles hit the wood, it sounded as if a battering ram had hit.

  “What is all that racket?” A shrill voice asked as the door swung open. “Master Sae-Thae, why did you have to knock so hard? My ears are still ringing,” A thin, older woman, with salt and pepper hair said, giving Sae-Thae a withered glare.

  “Master Carnear, I believe we discussed you working with Mr. Farlane,” Sae-Thae said calmly.

  Master Carnear squinted her eyes and looked over Bren thoroughly. “A little bit younger than I thought he would be,” She said, after a few moments of harsh stares. “Listen up boy, I am not your mother. I will not tolerate any tomfoolery…understood?”

  “Yes, Master Carnear,” Bren replied.

  “Well then, come in,” She said, moving aside to let Bren enter. “Take a seat on one of the pillows,” She said, closing the door without even a word to Master Sae-Thae.

  The room was much larger than Bren would have thought. It was sparsely decorated with large paintings hanging on the wall, but the only thing on the floor were a circle of thick, richly colored pillows. Bren did as he was told and took a seat on a large dark green pillow. It was soft and took the weight off of his aching body. Happy to be off his feet, Bren let out a contented sigh.

  “Why did you pick that pillow?” Carnear asked, coming up and taking a seat on a dark purple pillow to the side of Bren.

  “I liked the color,” Bren answered honestly.

  “Very interesting,” She said as she looked him over. “I would have thought you more for a dark blue or maybe burgundy. Did you know, that even the smallest choice can tell a lot about a person? Take the color you chose for instance. It is a dark color meaning depth, and it is green which indicates rest…which from the looks of you, it makes sense.”

  “Just as every small choice has a meaning to you, it does for your magic as well. The flow of magic is all around you, and it responds to not only your thoughts, but your mood. It is not simply a power that lies dormant until called, it has a life of its own. The reason Sae-Thae has asked me to work with you, is so that you can work to see those flows. Most the time, mages pull in more magic then they need, but their bodies adjust and learn over time how to feel the right amount. For you, that is not an option because of the sheer amount you can pull in. You need to learn how to take only what you need and no more, otherwise…” She said, leaving the ending hanging.

  “End up dead,” Bren finished nervously.

  “Everyone dies, but it is the kind of death you would undergo that would be so horrible. Your body would be pulled and ripped apart at to the lowest level of being. Now that I have explained the importance of what we are going to be doing, I hope you take it seriously.”

  “What do I need to do?” Bren asked, sufficiently scared for his life.

  “Simply close your eyes and try to sense everything around you. The wind, scents, the life around you…Everything.”

  Bren closed his eyes and listened, but all he could hear at first was the sound of his own heart beating in his chest. When the smell of something sweet and light hit his nose, Bren tried to figure out what it was. Bren started to drift off to sleep when the sound of a bird in the distance, reminded him why he was there. Focusing harder, Bren tried to listen to the bird’s song as it grew fainter. When the bird’s song completely disappeared, Bren tried harder, in hopes of finding anything to hold his attention.

  As he strained his mind, for a brief moment he thought he had opened his eyes. He could see thin rivers of color, floating through the air. It had an odd beauty to it, in a chaotic way. It was as if a painter had simply tossed colors in random directions on his canvas. The vision of the magical currents was lost as soon as he found it. He tried to find it again, but for the rest of the session with Master Carnear, he couldn’t clear his mind enough to catch another glimpse.

  “Did you find anything in your search?” She asked, pulling Bren from his
self-thought.

  Bren tried to explain what he had seen, but he found himself lacking words to describe it. “It is good that you have made it that far already…You might not be a complete waste of my time,” The words sounded harsh, but the smile on her face let Bren know that she was happy with his success, no matter how limited.

  Bren headed from Master Carnear’s, straight to the academy. When he reached the lower levels of the Tower, he was amazed to find that the sun was close to setting. He knew that he had been sitting for a long time, but he didn’t figure it would have been long enough for the sun to move so far along in its route in the sky.

  His body was still sore, but most of the pain was gone, which amazed Bren even more than the passage of time. Growing up, he had his fair share of bruises, and most the time there was lingering pain, but this time even the worst only held a mild ache now.

  Bren found not only Weapons Master Jacob waiting on him, but Cass and three other older trainees as well. “Ah Bren, we were just preparing for your class,” Cass said, with a devious grin.

  Bren knew that Cass was not an evil man, but he still seemed to enjoy seeing others in dire situations. Bren didn’t know if it was because Cass himself had been in the same situation before and understood what was about to happen, or if it was some sort of game to those that had passed so far in the Katanaga training. “I can’t wait,” Bren replied with a dour expression.

  “That is good, because anger is one things that will take a lot of effort to master…and a lot of pain,” Jacob added with a grin, sending shivers down Bren’s spine. “I think we will start with something simple. Why don’t you work the pells for a bit? Cass and the others will watch you.”

  Bren shrugged his shoulders and did as he was told. Working the pells would be a bit tiring, but it was nothing new to him. He didn’t understand what was really happening until he made his third strike on the large wooden beam and something hit him in the back. It wasn’t hard enough to leave a welt, but it had been done with enough force to get his attention. Bren looked over his shoulder, and found all three of the boys to be holding thick wooden reeds.

  After more than an hour of the three boys hitting him whenever he tended to forget about them, Bren snapped and turned around to confront them. Jacob was right on him, his face so close to Bren’s that he could smell the sweat on the older man’s hair.

  That night, Bren felt as if he had accomplished nothing but tiring himself out. He was so tired that when he was putting up the last of the firewood, Bren crawled into the storeroom and fell asleep on a pile old leather armor that was to be used for scrap.

  “Your son is progressing much faster than I would have thought possible,” Humanius said, in a tone that seemed as much a commendation as a complement.

  “Not going to be as easy as you thought,” Thad replied from his spot on the ground. Humanius had let him up, but there was little for Thad to do but watch, and hope for his child’s survival.

  “There is still plenty of time before your son will be a real threat. Once his body starts to turn silver then, he will start to be a danger.”

  “I wouldn’t underestimate him,” Thad said smugly.

  “I might have underestimated you, but I will not make the same mistake with your son. The mistake last time was, that they came at you head. This time, they will be taking a more subtle route to your son,” Humanius said coldly.

  “I still think you are underestimating not only my son, but those around him. They will not allow any harm to come to him.”

  “I will admit that currently, your son has more resources at his command than my people, but all it takes is one opportunity. My agents will see the task done, no matter how long it takes. If they fail, you might see your son sooner than not, but it will be a short reunion.”

  “Do you plan to kill us if he breaks the veil?” Thad asked, his hand clenching into a fist.

  “There would be no need then…”

  CHAPTER XV

  Day after day, Bren was put through the same routine. In the morning he would Train, in the afternoon meditate, and at night, the Weapons Master would find new ways to set off his anger.

  His training with the sword had progressed well, though he was still unable to land one solid hit on Cass. Horseback riding and the longbow were also brought into the trainee’s daily routine. Having ridden for most his life, the first part came easy, but Bren seemed destined to miss even the largest target with a bow.

  His meditation had also progressed and Bren could now see the flows of magic, nine out of ten times. Master Carnear hadn’t let him cast any spells yet, but she started making him mentally separate the different flows of magic. It was hard and daunting work, and Bren had varied amount of success with the task.

  With his hectic daily routine, Bren had almost forgot about his mother’s pending arrival, until a young runner rushed into Sae-Thae’s office. “Sir, the Farlan queen is here to see you,” the young mage said, breathing heavily.

  “Maria has finally made it,” the elder mage said, setting down the book that he was reading. “I had thought she would have arrived days ago, but then again, women of the court love to bring nearly every person they can find with them on a journey that lasts more than a day. Have her brought up… But do tell her to leave those obnoxious guards of hers down in the foyer.”

  “She is going to try and force me to go home,” Bren said, his voice sounding defeated.

  You sound as if you don’t have a choice in the matter. It is your life, not hers, and tell her so. If she wants you home so badly, she can drag you there in chains. I swear you’re as bad as your father was when it comes to dealing with your mother.

  “There is always the hope that Maria will listen to reason,” Sae-Thae said, but his voice didn’t hold much conviction. “In any case, you can’t go home as of yet… you still haven’t gotten a good grasp on your magic.” The last bit Sae-Thae added with a small grin, and wink in Bren’s direction.

  Bren had been used to someone being announced then directly led into the room, but he had forgot about the long winding stairs that separated the bottom levels and Sae-Thae’s office. As he waited nervously, Bren began to wonder if the reason the head master’s office was so far away from the entrance, was so that he would have time to mentally prepare to greet less than friendly guests.

  “Sae-Thae, I see that you have already called my son…I wish I could stay and chat, but these shoes were not meant for stairs and I wish nothing more than to soak them in a hot bath,” Maria said, abruptly turning around. “Bren come along... Your little fun is finished, time for you to return home.” As his mother spoke, a second form edged into the office, and Bren noticed the all too familiar look of triumph on his sister’s face.

  “I do not think that wise Maria,” Sae-Thae said in his normal causal tone.

  “I don’t think I asked your opinion about what to do with MY son,” Maria replied, giving the vathari mage a harsh look. “Let us be off Bren…”

  “No,” Bren said, closing his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to look at his mother’s face.

  “What did you say young man?” Maria asked, the pitch of her voice rising slightly.

  “No mother…I have to stay,” Bren said with more confidence than he felt.

  “What you have to do, is listen to your mother,” Maria said. Bren felt something grab his arm and pull him forward.

  Bren pulled free of his mother’s grasp and quickly took a step back. “No,” he said again, as the years of frustration and anger began to boil to the top.

  “Bren, you need to calm down,” Bren barely head Sae-Thae said through the pounding in his head. “Mages must be in control of their emotions at all times, remember what Master Carnear has taught you.”

  Bren could hear Sae-Thae’s words, but they meant little to him at the moment. He had lived with his mother controlling everything he did for so long, and now that he had finally stepped outside of her reach, there she was trying to pull him back in. “I
will not go home,” Bren said forcibly.

  Bren opened his eyes, but everything was white. Loud noises assaulted his ears, along with the familiar sound of crackling. Panicking, Bren tried to cut off the flow of magic that he had unleashed, but it was like a feral creature let out of its cage. “Mother… Sae-Thae,” Bren cried as his knees began to buckle, as more and more power rushed through him. As the strain grew too much for him to bear, Bren felt his mind grow hazy and his eyes heavy. He didn’t try to fight it, he simply let the darkness take him, hoping that whatever he had unleashed would end.

  When Bren woke, he found himself once again in the medical ward, his body screaming in pain. He tried to move, but nothing seemed to work. Tilting his head slightly, Bren noticed that almost all of his body was wrapped in bandages, and most of those were tinted a light red. He cared little for that though. His true fear was that something had happened to his family or Sae-Thae. He might have been mad at his mother and sister, but he wished that no harm had come to them.

  When the medical mages noticed that he was awake, he tried to get information from them. All they could tell him for certain, was that Master Sae-Thae had been uninjured and that many others had not been so lucky. Unable to shift his body to look around, Bren closed his eyes and listened. In the distance, he could hear many others in the room, some talking, others whimpering in pain.

  It was less than a half hour after he had awaken that Sae-Thae came to the medical ward. The vathari looked good, with the exception of a large burn that covered the right side of his face. “Did I do that?” Bren asked as soon as the elder mage was within hearing distance.

  Sae-Thae ran his fingers over the burn on his face, never showing any pain. “Yes, though I was the least of those caught in your little tantrum,” He said harshly, causing Bren’s stomach to drop.

  “My mother…”

  “Is fine, and so is your sister,” Sae-Thae finished for him. “It seems as if the woman had enough sense to use one of your father’s shield rings to protect them from the magical onslaught, but many others were not so lucky. Before you ask, no one died, but there are more than a few who are going to spend a fortnight within these walls, not to mention my office is gone.”