Forgotten Mage

by D. W. Jackson

  “Those who seek personal gain may rise quickly, but they never last. People will not tolerate that kind of treatment,” Thad said reverently.

  “I think you overestimate your race again, but only time will tell. I think that your son might find his task much harder than he anticipated. Though I will admit to being intrigued on how things will unfold.”

  “He will fix what my own lax attitude has wrote,” Thad declared as he turned his attention back to his son, who now stood in a rundown butchers shop haggling for meat. He had hoped to leave his son a place of freedom. One where everyone was equal, no matter what their skills or race. How could it have turned so wrong, so fast?

  CHAPTER XXVI

  It took three days for Crusher to complete the seal to his liking. Bren was sure that the dwarf had finished many times over, but he was a perfectionist when it came to his work, and there was often more things tossed aside than used within his workshop. Most of the time, it was something to small that no one would notice, but the dwarf wouldn’t let anything that wasn’t completely prefect leave his forge.

  Besides the seal, Crusher was working on two special weapons for Cass and Flynn. Saying that if they hold a position of power, they needed weapons that showed that. Not some scraps that they had picked up along the road.

  Standing in front of a large mirror, Bren looked at his new clothes. They were grand things…much like the clothes he had worn to social affairs with his mother. The tunic had a deep v-cut down the chest, showing off a hunter green tunic with black lining. The tunic itself was a deep green, trimmed in black with the symbol of the eagle over his heart. The trousers were the opposite and were pitch black with only a thin strip of green down the leg.

  Cass’s uniform looked much the same as his, but it was of a simpler make, without the v-cut and with bright silver buttons with the eagle symbol on them. Flynn’s was even simpler still. It was made nearly completely black with only the barest hint of green down the middle, with the eagle symbol on copper buttons.

  The clothes were well done. They were not only made good enough for state functions, but also sturdy enough for everyday wear, without the fear of them easily falling apart. Other than the clothes and seal, they had been hard at work on the inn, making small changes where they could. They even went so far as to have the elven tailor, Halona, make banners and drapes in the royal colors for the inn. With Halona’s help, they had also found an elven carpenter and dwarven mason to help them change, not only the outside look of the inn, but the inside as well.

  Everything was proceeding smoothly, but there was also rumors that the council was searching for him. Bren doubted that with all the commotion in the non-human district that he would stay hidden for long.

  “We need to recruit soldiers,” Flynn said firmly. “Even if they’re not properly trained, we need bodies to help enforce our role here in the non-human district.

  “How should we go about recruiting though?” Bren asked as he grabbed a piece of bread off the long table. “It is not as if we can simply run around yelling that we need men for an army.”

  “Why not?” Flynn replied. “I think it is the only way we are going to be able to get anything done. If we continue to move so cautiously, the council will have us in chains before we have a chance to do anything. Our only real chance to make this work is if we have some sort of force behind us…Even if we don’t have to use it, the force is still needed.”

  “Then I will trust you to take care of that,” Bren told Flynn, still not sure if his method would gain the soldiers, or the eye of the council.

  “What do you think we should do today my lord?” Cass asked with a barely hidden grin.

  “Would you please call me Bren when we are alone?” Bren asked, sighing to himself.

  “You need to get used to being addressed as such,” Cass said with another thinly veiled grin. “I never would have thought a prince would have been so unaccustomed to proper titles.”

  “I didn’t attend many state functions and the guards and my family rarely used them,” Bren replied in explanation.

  “Then while Flynn is out stirring up trouble, why don’t we make head over to Halona’s?” Cass asked, without trying to hide his smile.

  “She has been a great deal of help,” Bren said nearly laughing. “But I am afraid that if you keep leering at her, she might decide it would be safer for her to turn us over to the Tower.”

  “I do not leer,” Cass said, punching Bren in the shoulder. “I merely enjoy the sight of a beautiful woman.”

  “You enjoy the sight of any woman,” Bren added laughing. “I could have sworn you were checking out that grey haired dwarven woman that brought over the groceries the other day.”

  “That is a low blow my friend,” Cass said, feigning injury. “I was just being polite.”

  “Well, I guess if there is nothing better to do, we can go visit you elven tailor,” Bren said laughing.

  As soon as they left the inn, they were greeted by the smiles of numerous townsfolk. In their short stay in the non-human district, they had become well known. Avalanche was also treated well during their stay with a never ending supply of young children to play with. Bren had been afraid at first that the rock hound might injure one of the children, but the hound was as gentle as could be to the younger children. Though she would still often find an adult to jump on so that she could let out some of her pent up energy.

  “Is something wrong?” Cass asked Halona as soon as they entered the store. He face was drawn and creased with worry upon seeing them. Bren had to hand it to Cass, he could notice the slightest difference in anyone, especially when that person was a female. It was almost as if he could tell what someone was thinking before they were even aware of it. The talent made him prefect to be a personal guard.

  “I am glad you two came to visit,” Halona replied with a sad smile. “I was just trying to decide if I should visit you or not.”

  “You know you are more than welcome to visit anytime you wish,” Cass said with a wry grin.

  “Fool boy, you know I am ten times your age and have no interest in little boys who still need their mothers to wipe their noses,” Halona said with a light laugh. “I just wanted to warn you that two tower guards were here this morning asking about you.”

  “I see,” Bren replied.

  “I didn’t tell them where you were, or that I saw you, but they were quite insistent in their questing.

  “They didn’t hurt you did they?” Cass asked, his voice deepening in anger.

  “No,” Halona said with a light giggle. “But it is kind that you would get so worked up over it. They simply threated to have my merchant permit revoked. The tower guards are afraid to touch any of the people here. They tried it once and it ended badly for them.”

  “I guess Flynn was right, we don’t have the luxury to move slowly,” Bren said sadly.

  “I have some news that might brighten your mood though,” Halona added, pulling a letter out from behind the counter and handed it to Bren.

  “What is this?” Bren asked as he took the letter. He noticed that the seal was the same as his own coat of arms. Breaking the wax seal, Bren unfolded the thick parchment and began to read.

  Dear master Farlane, it is with great honor that I greet you. My name is Salina Reinwood, the Temporary head of the Reinwood estate, and your steward. I have received your request for funds, but it was unclear on the amount needed, so I took it upon myself to look into your needs with certain people that I have within the magic city. From the information I have gathered, I believe I have sent along not only enough needed funds, but also personal, that will aid you at this time. If you require anything further from me or the Reinwood family, you just need to request it. We do hope that someday you will find the time to visit us, but we understand that you are currently busy with your own affairs. Sincerely, Salina Reinwood.

  “I wonder how many other secrets my father has hidden away?” Bren asked to himself as he folded the paper up
and placed it within an inner pocket of his tunic.

  “If memory serves me right my lord, your father was fond of earth and darkness element, so he would be prone to secrets,” Halona said smiling.

  “Was he…Sometimes it seems as if other people know more about my father than I will ever will,” Bren replied, feeling slightly left out.

  “It is hard to know those that we love. Sometimes that love blinds us from all but what we wish to see,” Cass said, patting Bren on the back.

  “Do you know how long it will be before the ship arrives with the funds?” Bren asked, looking back to the young elf. “I don’t want to keep living off of credit and good will.”

  “If they dispatched a fast ship, it should arrive at port within a few days, then it will take three days for it to come over land.”

  “I wish that it could be here a bit faster, but I guess nothing happens instantly,” Bren said shaking his head. “Cass, I know you would love to stay a bit longer and enjoy the scenery, but we need to find Flynn and let him know about the tower guards.”

  “Duty calls then,” Cass said, bowing toward Halona.

  It didn’t take them long to find Flynn who was with Crusher, talking to a group of dwarven men. The young general already had a fair number of people around him and it looked as if he was firing well in his efforts.

  “Lord Farlane,” Flynn yelled at him when he noticed him and Cass. “I am glad that you are here. I would like to introduce you to some of the people who are willing to join your army,” Flynn said, pointing out about a dozen elves, dwarves, and a few of the other races.

  “It is nice to meet all of you, and a pleasure to have you working for me in an attempt to stall the Towers unfair and unjust laws against your people,” Bren said eloquently. “General Flynn, I need to speak with you about something that has come to our attention.”

  “At once my lord,” Flynn said, his voice calm, but his words still holding the same bite to Bren’s ears that they always had.

  “What is it Bren? I still have a lot of ground to cover,” Flynn said annoyed.

  “The Tower has already sent there guards around to try to learn about my location. I believe they are at least vaguely aware of what we are up too,” Bren said in the way of a quick explanation.

  “All the more reason for me to get back to work,” Flynn said with a harsh tone. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to make sure that we have at least enough people to look imposing, even if they don’t know which side of the sword to hold,” Flynn said before stalking off.

  “Guess that was a waste of time,” Cass said with a smirk. “We should head back to the inn, in case the Tower decides to send some of their brutes there as well. Guess we really shouldn’t leave it unguarded from now on…It would look bad if the Tower simply pulled it down while we were out.”

  “This is nothing like what I imagined my trip to the Magic City to be when I left the palace,” Bren said when a heavy sigh.

  “You mean Torin not the Magic City…You need to get used to using that name, otherwise no one will do so either,” Cass said, slapping Bren on the shoulder. “And if everything went the way we wanted, life wouldn’t be fun enough to care about living. It’s the challenges that make life fun.”

  “I wish I had the same outlook,” Bren said, laughing slightly. “I just want a nice simple life where I don’t have to worry about who is hiding in what shadows.”

  “Then you are in the wrong line of work,” Cass laughed. “You should quite the whole king business and try for a farmer or fisher. I don’t believe either of those ever have to worry about taking a dagger in the back.”

  “I tried my hand at farming,” Bren replied smiling. “I don’t really have the skill for it…fishing might do, though I won’t know unless I give it a try.”

  When they arrived back at the inn, they were met with a surprise. Inside, sitting at one of the long tables in the common room was Sae-Thae and Phena. When they entered, he noticed a worried look on the master mage’s face, but he couldn’t tell if his friend was happy or mad with him over his actions during his absence.

  “Bren, it is good to see that you are well,” Sae-Thae said in even tones. “From the reports I received from the Tower, I had feared that you would have been crippled. There are even a few who think you wandered off to die.”

  “I am very much alive uncle Sae-Thae,” Bren replied, smiling. “A lot has happened in your absence.”

  “I have heard,” Sae-Thae said, frowning. “Leave you alone for a span and you turn the whole Tower on its head and most of the city as well. I had hoped to ease you into what has been happening around here. I guess that isn’t an option anymore.”

  “Why didn’t you do anything about this before uncle?” Bren asked, a small spark of anger in his voice.

  “I figured you might take it that way,” Sae-Thae said with a sigh. “It is not as if I just let it happen. It was more the fact there was nothing I could do to stop it. Your father didn’t put near enough thought into the Tower and town when he started it. Everything in the Tower is up to a vote, and even as the head master, there is little I can do when it comes to the council. The truth is that I am risking my position just coming here to meet with you, given what you told the council.”

  “I am sorry uncle, I just couldn’t…”

  “I know boy,” Sae-Thae said, cutting Bren off midsentence. “That is in the past now and there is nothing we can do about it but move forward. The reason I am here is not for that,” Sae-Thae said, giving Bren a hard look.

  Right as Sae-Thae was about to say something, a light sneeze came from his side. Cass quickly drew his sword and approached the position the sound had come from. “Show yourself, we already know you are there,” his friend said menacingly.

  “Sorry,” A light voice said, as the air beside Sae-Thae began to shimmer. Once where there had been nothing, Faye stood with an apologetic look on her face.

  “Faye, what are you doing here?” Bren asked, after jumping back nearly a foot when she popped out of thin air.

  “It’s your fault,” Faye said, stomping up to Bren. The soft look gone from her face was replaced by one that threatened reprisal. “Ever since you left, everyone has kept their eyes on me, and no one would tell me anything. When I saw master Sae-Thae leaving the Tower, I figured that if I followed him he would lead me to you.”

  “I’m sorry,” Bren stammered. “I didn’t think…”

  “When do boys ever think,” Faye said hotly.

  “As much as I enjoy a good show, we must conclude our business here before the Tower has the same thought as our young friend here,” Sae-Thae said with a thin smile. “Bren, I spoke with my god about the veil.”

  “What did you learn?” Bren asked, completely forgetting about his argument with Faye.

  “Nothing good,” Sae-Thae replied. “There is indeed a veil, but my god was very reluctant in speaking about it. The best I could gather, it is in the valley you spoke of, and the chances are that your father is trapped in the abyss, a space between the worlds. It isn’t really the veil, but they are connect in a manner. I wish I had more to tell, but that is all I could drag out of my god before his lips sealed tighter than a Rane merchants purse.”

  “It is more than I knew,” Bren said thankfully. “At least I know that there is a good chance that my father is still alive. Now, I just have to find a way to bring him back from the Abyss.”

  “You already have your hands full as it is,” Sae-Thae admonished Bren. “While you deal with the problems you have stirred up here, I will research a way to break into the abyss. Phena will be staying with you for a while too. She can be a good deal of help to you.”

  “If that is what you wish master,” Phena said calmly, but Bren could tell that she was not pleased with the news.

  “I’m staying too,” Faye declared, forcing everyone to turn to look at her. “If I go back to the Tower, I am just going to be watched and continue to be treated as an outsider anyway.”


  “That might be a good idea miss,” Sae-Thae said, his brow furrowed in thought. “One can never go wrong when he surrounds himself with trusted allies.”

  Bren wanted to argue that it wouldn’t be safe, but after looking at the determined look on Faye’s face, he knew that nothing he could say would sway her decision. “Well then, we might as well find you two rooms,” Bren said after a long drawn out moment of silence.

  “I am sure that we can find our own rooms,” Phena said, grabbing Faye by the arm and dragging her off. As they left, Bren could see Faye trying to escape the vathari mage’s grasp, but was having little success.

  “Bren, be so kind as to walk me to the door,” Sae-Thae said as soon as the girls disappeared up the stairs.

  “Sure uncle,” Bren replied, thinking it odd that Sae-Thae would make such a request.

  “This will not go as smoothly as you believe,” Sae-Thae said when he reached the doors to the inn. “You are still young and full of your own ideals of how the world should work. It would be nice if you would be able to hold onto that innocence, but soon you will learn that the world does not work in absolutes. I fear that before this is over, you will learn more of the nature of your fellow men, as well as some of your own that you keep buried. It is a necessary sacrifice in order to grow, yet I still hoped that you would have been older before that came to pass. I just wanted to give you a warning and my blessing. Now, I must return to the Tower, and I fear we won’t meet again until this unfortunate business is complete.”

  “Until then Master,” Bren said, giving the vathari mage a deep bow.

  CHAPTER XXVII

  Within two days, Flynn had found more than enough people to form a small army. There were a wide range of races among them and Bren believed that every magical race was present with the exception of dragons, nadarie, and the fish folk whom Bren could never remember the name of.