by Jon Bender
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will let Brenin know,” she replied.
“Good. Jaxom, do you think you can make more of these creatures? It would be handy to have a whole unit of those… what did you call them? Durgen?”
“I would need more time than we have just to attempt it, and it would take more time to gather the… materials,” Jaxom said.
“I had to ask.” Corin said.
The disappointment was evident in his voice. Jaxom was sure his friend had more in mind for the risen mounts than just scouts. Jaxom would need time to create them, though, and he could only animate so many without Alimar’s enchanted stones.
“It’s late. I know you two have already had a long night, so I will not keep you any longer,” Corin said. Draining the last of his wine, he stood and offered his hand to Jaxom. “I’ll see you in the morning with the other mages to discuss the coming battle. Serin will be there to outline for me what he recommends the mages’ role should be, and it would be a good idea for you to be as well.”
Jaxom cringed at the mention of having to work with the leader of the mages, but Corin was right. They would need some sort of plan for working together. He nodded and followed Adriana out into the night. In their tent, he let Adriana take the only cot, while he spread his bed roll out on the ground to get some sleep. Tomorrow, the preparations for the battle began.
Chapter 19
Jaxom walked out of Corin’s tent into the bright sunlight. The meeting had been a total waste of time, and he almost wished he had not attended. Serin had told the King where he thought it was best for the mages to be placed, providing both protection from enemy castings and offensive attacks. The fire mage, however, had left Jaxom out of his plans completely. The omission suited Jaxom just fine. Knowing where the other mages were stationed, he would be able to position himself to support them or the soldiers fighting. He would probably be near the front line where his magic and skill with the sword would be most effective.
Adriana and Brenin had left before the sun rose, taking the durgen to scout the area where Corin suspected the enemy army was. Adriana kissed Jaxom while he was still in his blankets, favoring him with a smile that promised more of the same later. Jaxom had nothing pressing to do, so he decided to walk around while he waited for his friends to return from their mission. As he moved through the camp, he pretended not to notice when soldiers stepped out of his path. Jaxom passed by an area where dozens of picketed horses were being fed by men responsible for their care. A little further, he found a small group of soldiers training with the spear, moving through drills as a sergeant barked orders from the side. Everywhere he went, the men’s spirits were high. He heard them laughing and talking as he passed.
Circling back, he returned to his own tent to find the ice mage from the night before waiting for him. Darian wore light blue robes and sat perched on a stool outside Jaxom’s tent, absorbed in a small book. In the chaos of their arrival, Jaxom had barely looked at the ice mage, remembering only that he had a medium build with shaggy brown hair and matching brown eyes. Seeing Jaxom approach, he stood, placing the book in a hidden pocket and smiling warmly.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Good morning, Darian. What can I do for you today?” Jaxom asked.
“I had hoped for a closer look at those creatures you rode in on last night, but I see they are not here.”
“They left this morning on orders from the King, but should return before tonight,” Jaxom said, with a note a true regret. No mage before had ever shown interest in Jaxom’s abilities except to dismiss them out of hand.
“No matter, perhaps you can show me some of the other casting you can do. I know we have never spoken before, but I have heard of you and would enjoy seeing what your magic is capable of,” he said seeming truly enthusiastic.
“I would be glad to, but perhaps we should move away from the tents,” Jaxom replied, trying to mask his own enthusiasm so as to not appear overly eager.
“We wouldn’t want anyone to think we were under attack,” Darian chuckled.
On the walk through the camp, Jaxom asked the other mage about himself and was surprised to find that he was twenty-three. He admitted that his young appearance caused him a bit of strife when dealing with the older mages. While they could not disparage his abilities, they seemed to resent his youthfulness, and many treated him like an inexperienced child. Jaxom found that he enjoyed the man’s company. Even discussing painful matters, Darian displayed a cheerful attitude and seemed to have a slight bounce in his step.
They had passed the tents to the empty area before the perimeter when Darian stopped. “This seems like a good spot,” he said. “I know you can reanimate the dead, but is there anything else you can show me?”
“It would be best if you stood back a bit,” Jaxom said. The other mage took several steps away as Jaxom drew death into himself. When he was brimming with energy, he thrust his hands downward, pulling bones from the ground. Concentrating, he quickly assembled them on his body until he was encased from head to neck in a puzzle of white bone.
Darian waved his hand in front of his face to help clear the dust in the air. He looked Jaxom up and down with a look of clear admiration. “That is really something. I have seen earth mages do something similar, but they seem to have problems moving with so much weight.”
“Bone is lighter, and the way it fits does not restrict my movement,” Jaxom replied. Drawing his sword, he moved through a few attacks to demonstrate.
“Much better than what the earth mages can do. All right, my turn,” Darian said. The ice mage threw both hands forward, and streams of blue and white poured forth, forming a wall of ice almost as quickly as he had donned the armor. Jaxom estimated that the wall was easily seven feet tall and five across, and as he walked to the side, he saw it was nearly two feet thick. Darian practically beamed with pride.
“That looks like it could come in handy,” Jaxom said.
“It has saved me in more than one match,” Darion said with a smile.
“Match?” Jaxom asked.
“Battle training is mandatory at the castle. We face off in non-lethal bouts against other mages. No one dies, but sometime there are injuries,” Darian said. “You have never been in a match before?”
Jaxom thought back to the fire mage he had faced off against, but there had been nothing non-lethal about that. “Just one,” he said.
Darian’s smile dropped away then returned after a moment of consideration. “How about we have a friendly one now? It can’t hurt to train up a bit.”
“What are the rules?” Jaxom asked.
“There is only one. If you are about to strike a killing blow…stop,” he said with a mischievous grin.
Jaxom realized that he was already at a disadvantage with nothing around for him to reanimate. On the other hand, he held a sword, and it was likely the ice mage lacked training in dealing with a mage who also used steel. He would have to get close to win, but it was doable “All right, whenever you’re ready.”
The words had no sooner left his mouth than Darian thrust his hands forward, throwing five small icicles straight at Jaxom’s chest. He was forced to dive to the side and still received a stinging blow as one of the missiles deflected off the bone armor on his shoulder. He turned his dive into a roll as more ice thudded into the ground where he had been.
He cast the black veil obscuring the other mage’s view and using the moment of reprieve to regain his feet. Jaxom waded into the blackness, intent on closing the distance. Inside the dark cloud, he listened for the other mage’s movement. Hearing the slight crunch of dry grass on his right, he stepped lightly towards the sound. The air became very cold, and he could feel his movement slow as. The spaces in his armor stiffening with frost Finding the other mage in the darkness was taking too long, but dispelling the veil would make him vulnerable to Darian’s ice daggers.
Casting into the ground, he found hundreds of dead insects and called them to the surface. He had
never tried this before, and was surprised to find that their small size allowed him to reanimate more than he could men. He commanded his tiny army to bite and sting his attacker. Soon, Jaxom heard the ice mage cursing and swatting his robes as he attempted to rid himself of the pests. The sound gave away his position, and Jaxom rushed forward, dispelling the darkness when he thought he was close enough.
The look of surprise on Darian’s face when the light suddenly returned and finding his foe not more than ten paces away was priceless. Jaxom did not have long to enjoy it as the ice mage instinctively threw more of the daggers his way. Knowing that his armor could take the hits, Jaxom brought the flat of his blade up to protect his face. The impact of ice on his chest and arms stung, but not enough to slow him down. In a last ditch effort, Darian began forming the ice wall, but it was too late. Jaxom crashed through the wall with his armored shoulder before it could gain any thickness, charging straight through into the ice mage. The blow forced the other man down and knocked the wind from his lungs.
Standing over Darian, Jaxom placed the tip of his sword at his neck. “I win.” The other mage shrugged his shoulders, grinning widely.
Hearing a roar to his right, Jaxom jerked back instinctively, readying his sword. A large group of soldiers, nobles, and even a few mages had gathered nearby to watch the match. Many of the soldiers were cheering and some seemed to be handing over sums of money to those next to them. Hearing Darian clear his throat, he looked down to see him holding a hand up. Jaxom grabbed the ice mage’s wrist and pulled him to his feet.
“Good match. I thought I had you until those bugs started attacking me,” he said. As he brushed the dirt and grass from his robes, a few of dead insects fell away as well.
“You almost did. A few more moments, and I don’t think I would have been able to move,” Jaxom said smiling. Darian looked over at the crowd and sighed. “If I had known we would have an audience, I would have charged a fee.” Sighing again, he gave Jaxom a friendly slap on the back. “All that casting has given me an appetite. Let’s go get something to eat.”
They found a wagon where the midday meal was being served. They each grabbed a plate of salted pork stew and a hard piece of bread and found seats on some nearby crates. Darian took a spoonful of the stew and scrunched up his face.
“I do not know how these men can survive on this every day. I think my tongue is starting to shrivel from all the salt,” he said. Betraying his own words, he took another spoonful and then another, polishing off his stew before Jaxom was halfway done. He then used his bread to clean the plate before asking whether Jaxom was going to finish his.
Bemused by the other man’s appetite, Jaxom handed over his own meal and watched him finish that as well. “So what is life like at the mage castle in Ale’adar?”
“There is not much to tell,” he replied, placing the empty metal plates on the ground nearby. “Children born to mages are tested for the ability to channel energy at five. If the child is found to have the ability, they are tested yearly thereafter until the power has fully manifested. When it has, their training begins.”
“What happens to those who cannot cast?” Jaxom asked.
“Usually, they are apprenticed to a skill of their choosing, but all must leave by their eighteenth year,” he said. Jaxom thought he detected a note of embarrassment in his new friend’s voice. “Sometimes those children will have children of their own who will return to become mages themselves, but that is rare.”
With so few mages born, Jaxom was not surprised to learn that this was how it was done. If they allowed every child to stay, the castle would soon be overflowing with people. He wondered what life would have been like for him if he had been raised by other mages in the castle, then quickly banished the thought. It was pointless to think on the past.
“What about you? It must be wonderful to live in the palace itself with all those noble ladies flittering about batting their eyes at you,” Darian said leaning forward eagerly.
Jaxom tired to picture Celia batting her eyes at anyone and found the idea so ludicrous that he laughed. “I think you have a mistaken image of what palace life is like. From what I have seen, ruling is mostly a lot of work.”
“Surely you had some fun there, and you just don’t want to share it.” Darian clearly did not want to let go of his fantasy of a lavish palace life.
Jaxom let the other man imagine while he considered what he had said about testing children for the ability to channel. Alimar spoke of finding other death mages, but he had not discussed how he would do it. If they had a way to look for others, their chances of finding them would increase.
“Do you know how to perform this test?” Jaxom asked.
“It’s not difficult, but trying to find someone who can cast randomly without knowing their family history is wasted effort. It would be like closing your eyes and grabbing a grain of sand off the beach, hoping that the one you picked is the right one,” he said.
“Still, I would like to learn if you are willing to teach me,” Jaxom returned.
Darian looked confused but nodded his head in agreement “It’s a simple matter of drawing in the energy as you would before casting. Without molding that energy to purpose, direct it at the one you wish to test. If that person is capable of casting, it will feel as if they are absorbing it into themselves.” Scooting his crate forward a little, he looked Jaxom in the eye. “Try it with me.”
Jaxom did as the ice mage instructed. He drew the energy of death into himself. When he thought it was enough, he lifted his hand and pushed that energy towards the other man’s chest. It felt exactly as he had described. The energy seemed to flow into Darian with a slight pulling sensation. Jaxom remembered once floating on his back down a slow moving stream, being drawn along by the gentle current. This felt similar.
Releasing the magic, he saw Darian smiling broadly at him. “Could you feel that? Jaxom asked.
“Yes. It feels like sitting near a fire and feeling the heat from the flames,” he replied. “I can do the same to you, so you know it is not harmful.”
Jaxom nodded. If he intended to perform this cast on children, he needed to know exactly what he was doing to them. Darian’s face took on a look of pure concentration, prompting Jaxom to wonder if that was what he looked like when he cast. The other man reached out his hand, and Jaxom could feel the warmth flowing from it, like heat soaking into his body and warming him. Jaxom felt as if he could draw more of the warm energy, so he tried it instinctively. The gentle flow turned into a torrent as power filled him. Suddenly his own energy was adding to strong current and the torrent became a hurricane. He had never held so much energy before. Then it was gone. When his eyes focused, he saw a frightened Darian sitting across from him.
“What was that? You should not have been able to that.”
“Do what? What happened?” Jaxom asked. The whole experience had felt so natural.
“You drew in my power. I could feel my energy joining yours, like you were draining it away. If it had been my lifeforce, it would almost feel like dying,” he said, his voice shaking. Darian stood.
“Other mages can’t do this?” Jaxom asked.
“No mages that I have ever heard of. What did it feel like for you?”
“Amazing… It was more power than I have ever held before. I felt like I could cast twice as much with it,” Jaxom said. Then it hit him like a charging horse. This could be why other schools feared death mages and persecuted them. “Please do not tell the other mages about this.”
Darian looked at him, considering. Finally, he nodded. “You’re right. Serin and the others would not receive this news well. But I do think we should try again. Imagine what you could do if you cast using my power as well as yours,” Darian said
Jaxom had been thinking the same, and he was glad the ice mage wanted to try again. They parted ways then with a promise to meet again when Darian’s duties allowed for it. Walking back to his tent, Jaxom thought about what had happened and
the potential ramifications of joining their power. He wished he could speak to Alimar. He remembered the other death mage’s bindings, which had held Jaxom’s magic in check. Did the man know what they were capable of? Or did he not realize the full potential of that cast? Jaxom would need to broach that subject carefully with Alimar until he really knew whose side the other death mage was on.
Chapter 20
Da’san approached the front gate to the palace where four of the Guard stood watching the dense foot traffic on the street. They tensed at his approach but made no overt move towards their weapons. He understood their apprehension. When he had returned to the temple, his brothers had filled him in about recent events. People had begun disappearing all over the city shortly after Jaxom’s party had left for the Teriken Forest. Rumors spoke of dark priests converting citizens, and if they refused to worship, they were never seen again. So far, the Guard had failed to find those responsible, and the tension within the walls of the city had grown palpable.
The temples, not only Sarinsha’s, but those devoted to other gods as well, had been attempting to flush out this new religion. Even with their nearness to the common people, they had no more success than the Guard. Da’san himself had gone out the past two nights in search of signs of these dark priests but had found only scared people afraid to leave their homes. The second night, he had thought he was being followed and had waited in a dark alley to allow his pursuers a perfect opportunity to take him, but something must have changed their minds. Those following him may have been simple cut purses.
“Priest Da’san to see Captain Cribble,” he said standing in front of the gate guards.
