Battle Mage, The Caves of Time

by Donald Wigboldy

  "Does the arkon call for full war?" Jurtrub tried to clarify quickly.

  The messenger looked uncomfortable and answered with what he knew, "My arkon is being cautious. Nothing had attacked us when I was sent, but he wished to both warn the arkhein and request aid from its warriors just in case."

  Arkoness Smrajni frowned and noted the men to either side as she said, "Anax is usually more direct. Perhaps he doesn't believe that the Dark One's beasts are a threat, but what might have driven them from their city might bear our sending a gathering of warriors just in case."

  Eratoi responded, "If they haven't attacked or come down from the mountains, then why are we worrying over them. Our people have managed to survive by staying out of their affairs. We gave tribute when demanded of us, so why do we risk war with Ponfies, if not his entire empire?"

  The arkoness reminded her ally, "They speak of a new threat capable of breaking the city. We should learn if this might come to bear on our people also. We can send warriors to watch and they can return when we are certain of the danger. It will help our cousins feel secure if nothing else."

  "If the same creatures which attacked my people have made a new portal near Ponfies, it might be wise to check it out," Sebastian spoke up noting that the council of the three making up the arkhein seemed to need a little direction. "We can send some of our people with even. Our wizards can scout ahead with their magic, if the derashti don't know that particular type of spell. We haven't discussed it yet, so I really don't know their abilities; but I do worry that if these are the same creatures opening more portals we might be looking at the early stages of an invasion."

  Oltus' face suddenly turned stern at the mage's words and Sebastian feared that he had stepped out of line in the wizard's mind; but the man surprised him as he said, "If that is the case, maybe we need to set another example that we won't tolerate such a thing. Our people defeated their first incursion, but now they have returned. Maybe they are testing our defenses and need to know that Alus will not sit still if threatened."

  While the diplomacy wizard was unusually straightforward and more determined than normal, in contrast Arkoness Smrajni answered him calmly, "If our allies wish to send a supporting force, we won't resist the idea; but it will take days for us to reach the base of the mountains. The nearest portion of Southwall is still that many more days away. How will your people reach us in time if there is a true need? Arkon Anax and his people might need to flee before becoming trampled under this new threat's heel. If Ponfies manages to pull itself together to push this enemy back, we risk triggering unwanted notice from them instead."

  Oltus tried to avoid looking suspicious. Feeling the man's wish to look the mage's way, Sebastian also noted his restraint. He felt no other gazes from those who knew of their portal magic. Since they had only discovered this kind of magic recently and knew of the dangers that might exist from abusing such power, it had been decided to keep this kind of magic away from the derashti. The owl hadn't been completely certain that it was good to keep the details from their new allies, but by the same token he understood his countrymen's wariness also.

  He had also never said that he would give every secret away, even if he wanted to create a closer union with the nomads.

  Clearing his throat, a surprisingly noticeable tell, Oltus replied, "We have ways of getting word to the capitol quickly. Once they decide if this warrants sending our people there; magic can help send troops at a surprisingly fast rate also."

  The arkoness' eyes flicked to the vahnin listening to their conversation. Otra and the others hadn't said anything from the time that they had arrived, nor had they made Erasme speak for them as their voice either. Seeing that they would keep their silence while his people were present, Smrajni looked at Oltus with a nod. "We will take you at your word, Wizard Oltus."

  "We can still send at least part of our squad with you," the wizard added. "I am sure that Falconi Ralto and our wizards would be glad to help out if you need it."

  Some of the nomads frowned slightly at his words. Arkon Jurtrub replied sounding a bit vexed, "The Drays and the rest of the arkhein have survived for centuries without needing to call on others to save us, wizard. We can certainly look after ourselves. These plains have been our home no matter what dangers have shown up during that time."

  Realizing that he had made an error in his choice of words; Oltus' mind scrambled for a way to salvage the conversation. Ylena spoke up instead saying, "We understand the strength of your people, arkon. Wizard Oltus merely meant that we would gladly stand with you, if you wish for us to come along. We could put the forces we have at hand under your discretion to lead."

  "They would be extra hands and eyes should you need them," Oltus added with a quick nod as he followed the girl's logic. Once again Ylena proved that she had lost none of the wisdom that she had accrued with age and experience, even if other points of her control had perhaps slipped recently.

  Arkoness Smrajni put out an arm in front of Jurtrub as if to stop him from lunging forward. It was a motion that turned into a gesture that seemed less restrictive as the woman said, "If you would like to send representatives along with our warriors, we would be glad to have our allies with us. We will send out our chosen people in a few hours, so check with your falconi and wizards in the mean time. If your people can be ready, then feel free to join us."

  Not wanting to step on anyone's toes or otherwise jeopardize their slowly forming alliance with these people, Oltus led them in a retreat after the appropriate goodbyes. Returning to their camp about a quarter of a mile away, Sebastian pulled those that followed him aside while Oltus went to speak with Ralto.

  The owl walked to one of the larger tents used for meetings as much as for sleep. There was a field table inside and Sebastian used it as he unrolled a map drawn from the darkness of the oval rune on his right forearm. He hadn't even needed to expand its size with his magic since it was tightly bound into a tube.

  "What are you thinking, Sebastian?" Ashleen questioned for the others. Ylena and Katya had followed him as well. Neither wizard enjoyed dealing with the falconi, he guessed. It was either that or they hoped to keep an eye on him fearing that he was more likely to do something stupid with the information gathered from the arkhein.

  Elzen held one side of the map to prevent it from rolling back up after the sheet had been kept tight to hide inside the unexplored space within the rune. Placing their hands on the corners opposite the mage, Katya and Ashleen looked from the drawn map to the owl's face and back a few times wondering why he would need to peruse it here.

  "I have tasted a stronger source of this alien magic. I haven't explored the mountains with it for this new type of portal yet. Maybe I can not only find the Dark One's city using the map, but maybe this new threat also."

  Some of them watched his hand move to the Dimple Mountains of his map first confusingly for them. Closing his eyes, the owl called on senses that operated somewhere within the realm of magic that he couldn't fully explain. Few others had ever shown that they could do the same, but this was one of the mage's tricks to help keep the many points of magic available to his mind.

  As they watched him work, a new point orange in color suddenly appeared where they would guess that the aging portal used by the dark elves and their creatures would be. To Sebastian's surprise, the magic felt strong. For so much time to have passed and still be that strong, the owl worried that their link to his world wouldn't be cut easily. From what he had learned from High Wizard Darius and his grandsons, portals could be closed with the right magic which those men had proven. He did wonder how powerful a wizard would have to be to seal such a persistent bridge between their worlds.

  His fingers moved away from the worrisome mark and Sebastian thought his magic triggered something smaller and simpler in the same vicinity. It was unrecognizable to him, yet it felt familiar in some way that he couldn't quite put a finger on at the moment. Letting it pass for now, Sebastian's magic reached for other m
arkers that might feel more recognizable.

  A strong resonance similar to that of the bigger marker in the Dimple Mountains was there. Another portal using the more generic feeling that he associated with the empire's shared doors was there only slightly to the west of the first one. Frowning slightly, Sebastian also noticed a smaller marker that felt very familiar.

  All three markers were set on the map and all three had their own colors to tell him of their origin.

  "I am assuming that this mark is Ponfies, the city that our friends have told us about. This other mark is very close to the mountain fortress. If these new intruders arrived with a large enough force to attack Ponfies and break their defenses, I worry how much further they can go."

  Most of them knew the coloration of the third mark having seen this map before and no one questioned why Palose the Betrayer's mark might be in one of the Dark One's cities beyond Ensolus. Since his former friend turned enemy could use portals and had helped Sebastian learn them in his own way, seeing the mark in another of the enemy cities was less surprising.

  It was the only one that he had found since the original markings had been erased by one of the dark mage's people that wasn't changed, however. Perhaps Palose had been unable to return there after the owl had tracked down and used some of his other markers, but he wondered why his enemy hadn't found a way even so.

  "So what's the plan, Bas?" Elzen asked in a similar way to Ashleen, though he thought the younger mage appeared excited to jump into whatever fray they might find on the other end of these portals.

  Pausing only briefly before revealing his plan, Sebastian replied, "I'll give Oltus one of my markers. We can slip away to the Dragon's Spine, scout it out, and return to him anywhere along the way."

  "Won't whoever the nomads send wonder how you can keep returning without ever riding with them?" Serrena asked what seemed obvious to everyone.

  "If we wait until nightfall to return, at least the nomads won't see how it is done. They know that we use magic. This will just be one more thing for them to question, but for now it is off limits."

  His eyes moved to Ylena and Katya. "I could give them to you instead and we can take off now."

  Both girls frowned. His sister retorted angrily, "I can take care of myself and at least I have fought these creatures before. That is more than you can say, big brother."

  "And I can't have my student go without me as her teacher," Ylena said with a slightly smug smile as she crossed her arms. "I also know what worked against this enemy and have dealt with them in that battle. We're going with, if you choose to go on ahead."

  Wanting to groan out loud, Sebastian wasn't particularly surprised by their apparent decision. Both women were bold in their own way and Ylena had grown even more so with her return to her teenage years. Instead of arguing, he said, "Fine, I'll talk to Oltus and we can leave afterwards."

  With that decided, the owl took his map and went to find the diplomacy wizard to let the man know what was happening. Oltus wasn't happy with just his people going on ahead. They did work out that the owl would use his wind magic to find the pass, however, since they could hardly use any of the portals near Ponfies if one enemy or the other might hold the gates.

  Sebastian later sat in one of the tents and raced through the air with his mind. Within a couple of hours, the mage had sent one of his portal markers ahead using a wind arrow as he had while pushing through Kardor during the winter. It was warmer now and he could have used dragon magic to fly as well, but not everyone in his group could do the same.

  His team was just finishing readying their packs when Sebastian spotted trouble on the way.

  "Owl Sebastian!" Ralto called out spotting the younger man surrounded by the others in front of the tent he had been using.

  "Falconi," he greeted with a nod. There was no sign of his annoyance or the frustration of getting caught before they could escape.

  A clean shaven man with dark hair and brown eyes, which were currently squinting in anger, Falconi Ralto was nearly the same height as the younger mage though leaner in form. He was flanked by a handful of battle mages including his falcondi aide, Jarkor, a blond haired man with a flashy looking mustache. Like his leader, the other mages looked at least annoyed with those they faced now.

  "Where do you think you are going?" the falconi asked apparently with the knowledge of just where Sebastian was going by the sight of Oltus sheepishly following along behind the others. The wizard's hands spread in apology mostly ignored by the other men.

  Such a strange gathering had other eyes looking their way as well, which the owl noted even if the falconi either didn't or didn't care.

  "We're taking a brief trip. We'll meet up with you on the way to the mountains," he stated without giving up his exact plan in case Oltus had kept the secret. If others had seen him using his wind magic, they might have guessed at what he was doing and passed along the information to Ralto, he supposed.

  "Oltus tells me that you found multiple enemy portals with your magic. You could show the other wizards and save us the day or so of travel. If both the enemy city and new invaders are gathering there, then we should hurry there and avoid losing any more time."

  Sebastian looked confusedly at the man and asked, "Why would we try to use the portals that I found? Surely either we will wind up in the center of an enemy city where it is likely guarded like the one in Ensolus was or we risk appearing in front of this foreign enemy with its forces.

  "We don't know what kind of trouble we are facing really. They might be fighting each other still or one might have conquered the other. If they find similar ground we might find twice as much against us as before; so without adequate scouting reports, the map only tells us where they arrived but not when or where they are now."

  The falconi frowned and growled angrily. "You know more than you are letting on, boy. You're also up to something. I am the leader of this company, so I demand to know the truth. What are you up to now?"

  Sighing, Sebastian wanted to fully put this man in his place. He had never gotten along with Ralto's pushy personality, but he had managed to keep a polite face on as much as possible. Creating drama wasn't the owl's way of doing things usually, but he could grow grouchy sometimes. Hoping to contain his contempt for the other man, the mage replied, "Just as I said. We will separate while you and the nomads proceed towards the mountains. I'll try to get us back this evening and attempt to avoid showing the nomads how we can use this kind of magic.

  "Even if they did see it, they knew that we could use it before this anyway. I also never promised to teach them everything that we know magically speaking. They will have to accept that if they haven't already."

  "You can't just send us to the mountains?" the falconi questioned though there was a little doubt in his voice this time. It was a small doubt and remained laced with suspicion, but Sebastian could see that it was enough to maybe get the man off of his back.

  "Feel free to ask the wizards who brought you here before us, falconi. They obviously know of my markers. I showed Oltus the map. If they feel comfortable taking you into potential danger or have a different answer, feel free to do as you wish. We can still meet you there as long as Oltus is safe.

  "For now, I have other things that I should do."

  Opening his mouth once, twice and then a third time without a proper reply, Ralto finally said, "Well, then, I suppose you have my leave to go. Just make sure that you return as you said."

  "You might want to send someone back to Hala with word. King Alain might want to ready an army just in case," Sebastian replied starting to turn away from the other man.

  "Don't tell me my job, kid."

  Turning to look at the falconi, his patience was just frayed enough to let slip, "And don't tell me mine, falconi. I don't work for you. I work for the king."

  He watched Ralto's face turn dark red in anger at his insubordination only a moment before turning his back on the man once more.

  "Door," he called se
nding his team through the doorway to a point that he had withheld from the falconi. He would do as he believed was right. Ralto could take his leadership and use it on those still in the corps for all Sebastian cared, but he had left that behind.

  Chapter 27- Timing

  Torva rested his back against the stone of the mountain behind him. Nearly a perfect vertical wall here, the warlock used his subtle shadow spell making it difficult for anyone looking their way to actually see his team. Within the area affected, they could both watch the valley and see each other clearly as they waited in various stances. All four, counting Effian their wind riding warlock who often separated from the group to use his magic far away from the troops across the valley, watched the teenage boy as he leaned forward on the stone rise that also served as a low protective wall.

  Three days in a row the boy had returned with the attractive woman known as Narissa. She had been willing to talk with them, when the hunters had chosen to speak up to the strangers. Even after this much time spent together watching the Southwall fortress and the caves, Torva still didn't feel like he knew that much about the one who called himself Kolban. It was a tough name to live up to or to live down depending who you might ask. Not everyone had loved the emperor, even in his own city.

  A sparkle of light caught his eye. In the boy's hand, two glass flasks sealed by more resilient crystal were often shifted back and forth whether Kolban was looking at them or just watching the valley. He seemed to rotate them over and under in the same hand unconsciously. The continual, apparent careless looking treatment made him nervous for a reason that he couldn't officially put into words, but his eyes would stray from the strange boy to the vials regularly as if by watching them he could will the dust inside to remain safely kept away from them.

  Pushing off the low rise, Kolban turned to look at the four hunters sent to spy on Southwall's army. His people hadn't pushed him to come, but Torva had felt it necessary after they had sensed a powerful release of magic in a force that seemed beyond any single wizard's greatest release of power.