Death Mages Ascent: Revised Edition (Death Mage Series Book 1)

by Jon Bender

  Cribble met Da’san’s eyes. “Next time, you get to be the bait, and we will do the praying,” he said with a laugh.

  Chapter 21

  Shadows passed over Jaxom’s head, and he looked up to see the durgen flying overhead. It was only a little after midday, so they must have found the enemy if they were returning already. He reached them a few minutes later, arriving in time to see Adriana and Brenin dismounting. The huntress greeted him with a big smile, running over to plant a kiss on his lips. Brenin followed.

  “We have a problem,” the archer said. “We need to speak to the king immediately.”

  “Why? What did you find?” Jaxom asked, looking from one to the other.

  “The southerners are moving this way. They will be here by tomorrow afternoon at the latest,” Adriana said. “And that is not all. We saw around five hundred of our cavalry moving this direction and pursued by almost twice their number.”

  “Celia and General Blackburn,” Jaxom said. They must have lost half their men harassing the enemy to slow the advance.

  “It would seem so. We tried to get a better look at their pursuers, but as soon as we got close, the mage attacked us,” Adriana said.

  “I was nearly taken down by a bolt of ice. Luckily, the durgen are not living. Otherwise I would be dead,” Brenin said.

  Jaxom looked over to the risen mount and spotted a large hole in the beast’s chest. The wound would have killed any breathing animal, but the risen did not require air to function. “We have no time to waste.”

  On the way to Corin’s tent, Jaxom considered what could be done to help Celia and Nelix. If mages were among those chasing them, he would need the help of other casters as well as a sizable force to repel them. The Guard at the entrance to the large tent did not hinder their entrance. The larger area was empty, and Jaxom was concerned they would have to search the camp for Corin. Then the flap in the rear of the tent moved, and the king emerged.

  “I assume you have bad news,” Corin said, indicating that they should join him at the map table. He looked expectantly to the two scouts.

  “Your Majesty, the southerners are moving north against us right now. They will likely reach our camp in the early afternoon tomorrow,” Brenin said.

  “How many?” Corin asked.

  “We counted around seventy thousand, Your Majesty,” Adriana said. “Their numbers are divided into separate forces.”

  “Show me,” Corin said, clearing some of the smaller maps away to reveal a larger one depicting all of southern Ale’adaria. He placed ten red blocks in a circle where their army currently sat. Each block represented five thousand men. The position they held was centered between a large river to the west and dense forest to the east. If the invaders wished to go any further, they would have to come straight to them, or cross the river over one of two bridges that could support an army of that size. If they did choose to cross, they risked an attack from the rear that could leave half their forces stranded on the western side.

  Adriana began taking black blocks and placing them into four groups in a half moon shape with more blocks in the leading two groups. When she was finished, it was clear even to Jaxom that the enemy intended to surround them. With their superior numbers, the plan was sound. If the enemy managed to encircle their camp, any break in the line would insure their defeat. Once the invaders got to the center of Corin’s forces, everything would collapse around them.

  Corin shook his head slowly. “I knew they had the advantage in numbers, but this puts us in a bad position. You are sure of your count?” Corin asked.

  “Yes, Your Majesty. We had a good view from above, and they are positioned just as Adriana placed them,” Brenin said.

  “We can punch through their center, but that would only allow the rest to flow around us like water around a stone. If that happens, they could simply push north and force us to chase them all the way to Ale’adar,” Corin said. He began moving the red blocks into a half moon of his own, placing them so that four blocks made the front line and the remaining six curved back to protect the flanks.

  “There is something else, Corin,” Jaxom said. “Celia and Nelix are on their way here.”

  “Good, we will need the cavalry as a reserve if the southerners break through anywhere,” Corin said looking up.

  “They are not alone. Adriana and Brenin saw a force twice the size behind them, with mages,” Jaxom said, studying his friend’s face. Corin returned to looking at the map. Sending out another force to rescue the first would weaken his position if things went badly. With an unknown number of mages involved, he would have to commit his own casters or risk losing the soldiers he sent.

  “When will they reach us?” Corin asked.

  “If they keep their current pace, no later than tonight. That is, if the enemy does not catch them before then, Your Majesty,” Brenin said.

  Corin walked to the entrance of the tent and leaned out to speak to the guard. Returning to the table, he looked at both Adriana and Brenin. “How well can you shoot from those flying monsters?” he asked.

  The two of them looked at each other and shrugged. Adriana had hunted in the Teriken since she was a girl and had been shooting animals on the run since she could draw a bow, and Brenin was likely the youngest member of the Guard because of his ability with the ranged weapon. As far as Jaxom knew, though, they had yet to attempt archery from the air.

  “If we could rig a harness to the saddles, I think we would be able to hit our marks,” Adriana said.

  “Good, I will be sending a force to aid General Blackburn, and I want you two there to spot enemy mages. Your task will be to kill them from above if possible, or at the very least to keep them distracted,” Corin said.

  Brenin smiled at the King. “Yes, Your Majesty. With your leave, we will go see the leather workers to have the saddles fitted.”

  Corin nodded. “Tell them to work fast. The men I am sending will leave within the hour, and you will need to catch up to them.” Both Brenin and Adriana bowed at the waist. The huntress gave Jaxom a wink and a smile before they left the tent. As they left, two men walked in to take their place, both bowing to the king. Lord Wilbrin, the noble who had provided their tent, wore his plate armor and sword, while Serin, the leader of the mages, wore simple, blood red robes.

  “You bade our presence, Your Majesty?” Wilbrin said.

  “Yes, I need seven hundred men ready to march immediately. General Blackburn and my cousin are heading to us, and they are not alone. You will lead the men and go to their aid,” Corin said. The noble bowed at the waist again and left without another word. Serin kept his eyes on the king, the smile he held never leaving his face. He reminded Jaxom of a snake. “And what would you have of me, Your Majesty?” Serin drawled. The mage made the title sound almost mocking, as if it was simply another word that held no meaning.

  “Those in pursuit have mages among them, and you will provide some of your own to match them,” Corin said, his words clipped and to the point.

  “Your Majesty would have me risk so valuable an asset for such a small undertaking?”

  “You believe the lives of five hundred of our bravest men, our most experienced leader, and my cousin not worth saving?” Corin said quietly.

  “Risking so much to save so few makes little sense,” Serin replied.

  Corin placed his fists on the table, and Jaxom could hear the wood creak as he bore down. Corin needed the mage’s cooperation to counter his enemies, and Serin knew it.

  “Since the time of my father, you and your mages have been provided for with very little asked in return. It is time for you to earn your keep,” Corin said with steel in his voice. “Five of your mages will leave with the men I am sending.”

  “Your Majesty’s family has been generous over the years, but this fight is only ours so long as I make it so,” Serin replied. “I will send three of my mages with your men when they leave, but I cannot in good consciousness send more.”

  Jaxom could see the
fury building in his friend. He prepared himself to back Corin up if he decided to attack the fire mage. In a surprising display of control, Corin nodded and waved his hand dismissively. Serin bent marginally at the waist, and Jaxom could swear that his smile had grown ever so slightly. The mage left.

  “When this is over, I will see to it that there is some rearrangement in the mages’ castle, or they will no longer be welcome in my kingdom,” Corin said.

  “Do you think you can trust him until then?”

  “What choice do I have?” Corin barked. Standing, he gave Jaxom a hard look. “I will deal with Serin after we win this war,” Corin replied sharply. Turning, he clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing. “I’m sorry, my friend. I don’t mean to take my anger out on you.”

  “I know,” Jaxom replied. “What do you need me to do?”

  Corin stopped pacing. He looked at Jaxom and seemed to relax a bit. “Just you being there is enough. For now, we must get Nelix and Celia back. I doubt that the Southerners will have sent more than three mages of their own in pursuit. I assume you will want to go with the force I’m sending?” he asked. Jaxom nodded. With Celia and Nelix in danger, and now Adriana involved, Jaxom would be nowhere else. “Good, I don’t think Serin will be sending his most experienced mages into this fight. I want you there in case things go badly for us. You always seem to find a way out of whatever trouble you find yourself in, and we may need that now.”

  Corin walked over to him and offered his hand. Jaxom took it, meeting his friend’s hard gaze. “We’ll get them back,” Jaxom said. Corin nodded before turning away.

  Jaxom left the tent in a dark mood. For once, he was glad that he had never been accepted into the mages’ castle. He could not think of living under Serin’s control, required to obey his commands. With so much on his mind, he walked aimlessly through the camp. It seemed clear to him now that rebuilding the Death Mage School was more important than ever, and not only for his own interests. Without the mages, Ale’adaria would be vulnerable in times such as these, and Corin would need someone to fill that vacuum.

  So lost in contemplation, Jaxom did not notice anything or anyone he passed until he stood in front of his tent. Inside he found Adriana sitting on the cot, staring at the canvas wall, fingers interlaced on her lap. When he entered, she stood without speaking and went to him. She held him against her and kissed him passionately. The smell of her was intoxicating, and the feel of her pressed against him sent tingles throughout his body.

  Finally, she broke the embrace. “I was hoping that you would not be long,” she said staring into his eyes. “Brenin is with the leatherworker having the saddles altered. We have some time.”

  Looking into her eyes, he could see uncertainty there. “You don’t have to do this,” he said.

  She punched him in the arm, and her eyes changed from uncertainty to frustration. “Do you think I am worried for myself? I know that you will be among those on the ground. You would not leave your friends when they need you most. I will be safe, high above it all, when things turn ugly.”

  “I did not mean to upset you,” he said, hoping to calm her. Instead, he received another punch, harder than the first.

  “I do not need you to coddle me as if I were one of your fine ladies. I hunted the Teriken since before you could fling your magic about. I took care of myself before I met you and will continue to do so.”

  He was becoming angry now. “Then what do you want from me?” he demanded. “Do you not get it? I do not want anything more than I want you,” she said, tears springing to her eyes.

  Not knowing what else to do, he kissed her again with as much fervor as before. She struggled at first, trying to push him away, but her resistance evaporated quickly. She kissed him back just as hard. After removing their clothes as fast as possible, Jaxom found himself on his back atop the small cot. Climbing on him, she leaned down to kiss him again as her hands roamed over his chest and stomach.

  Stopping suddenly, she leaned back and looked into his eyes. “I love you,” she said. Before he could respond, she resumed what she had been doing even more passionately than before.

  Chapter 22

  After leaving Adriana, Jaxom and seven hundred men rode out of the camp, heading south to meet what remained of the advance force. Jaxom rode near the front with Lord Wilbrin, who wore a full face helm along with his plate armor. When he had left Adriana, she had been lying on the cot, staring up at the roof of the tent. He had whispered that he loved her, and she had smiled broadly but never took her eyes off the roof. He hoped it would not be the last time they saw each other.

  A hand tapped him on the shoulder, and he looked to his left. Darian had ridden up beside him while he was deep in thought and was now looking at him intently. “I just asked how you got yourself an invitation to this little get-together?” he said.

  “General Blackburn and Lady Celia are friends of mine. They command the forces we are going to aid,” Jaxom replied. “How about you?”

  “I was given no choice. The three of us here were chosen because our wise leader, Magus Serin, does not appreciate how we question the way things are run within our ranks,” Darian said.

  “What do you mean?” Jaxom asked.

  “Many of the younger mages, myself included, wish to have a more involved role within the kingdom. To use our abilities to help the people of Ale’adaria in more mundane ways. For example, how much more food could be produced if an earth mage helped till the land or a storm mage called rain to water it. The temple priests heal the sick and injured, granted they do so to further the worship of their gods, but they are still helping others. We could do the same.” Darian’s words bubbled out in a rush with so much enthusiasm it seemed that he could barely contain them.

  Jaxom tried to think of ways that his own magic could help people, but he could think of nothing. Was his power only good for fighting and killing? The idea disturbed him. “Tamrick and Danika Heartwind are the other two,” Darian continued. “Sibling green mages who are as vocal as I am on this topic. Serin has an acute dislike for us, and we for him. If one or all of us do not return from this mission, he would not miss us,” Darian said. His horse side-stepped a little as though it could sense its rider’s agitation.

  “Why would Serin be against helping the common people?” Jaxom asked.

  “He says it is beneath mages to perform menial tasks. To be honest, I think he wishes we could return to the time before the mage wars, so he could rule as a king,” Darian said, lowering his voice.

  Jaxom could appreciate the man’s apprehension. Such an accusation was a serious affair. After the Mage Wars, all mages had sworn to never again seek rule over others. In some tellings of the story, the mages had been forced into the vow by average men. Tired of fighting, they had overwhelmed the mages in sheer force of numbers and threatened to destroy the mages entirely had they not agreed. If it became known that Serin had such ambitions, the other mages could very well execute him to keep similar suspicions from themselves. Jaxom resolved to keep a closer eye on Serin, if only to keep Corin safe.

  “Tell me of the brother and sister,” Jaxom said. He had not known that there was dissension among the mages in Ale’adar. Mages who disagreed with Serin might prove allies if the man did try to take control. “Do you know them well?”

  Darian laughed fondly. “Tamrick is a few years older than you and has always acted the older brother to me. My mother died in childbirth and my father was not around after that. I was raised by a kindly old woman in the castle, but I had no real family to speak of. Danika and I would play together while Tamrick watched over us,” he said. Jaxom thought he heard something else in his voice when he spoke of her, but the other man moved on quickly. “I ate many evening meals with their family. Their mother and father treated me well and have always been there for me. They are the best people I know.”

  Jaxom knew how the other man felt. “They think as you do about the need for changes in the mages’ castle?” he
asked.

  “Yes, but many of the older mages still support Serin and more are simply afraid of him,” Darian said.

  “Why would they have reason to fear him?” Jaxom asked.

  Darian remained quiet for a minute before continuing. “Serin took over leadership long before I was born. He was a young man at the time, but we have heard whispers that two other older mages were also in contention for the position. One stopped breathing in his sleep, and the other was thrown from her horse while out riding. Both died within two weeks of each other, and Serin took his place as the first amongst us. He has led ever since.”

  Jaxom had never liked Serin and avoided him as much as possible, but the more he heard, the more he began to worry that he should have been paying closer attention to what was happening in the mages’ castle. For now, they had more pressing concerns. As far as Jaxom knew, Serin had never caused any real trouble for Ale’adaria beyond opposing Corin whenever he could. Clearly, the matter warranted further investigation.

  “Tell me more of your friends. You said they’re green mages?” Jaxom asked. He knew only that green mages drew their energy from the plants and trees, controlling them so that they almost seemed self-aware.

  “They are the most powerful among their school, though very few share that type of casting. Including their mother, there are no more than half a dozen of them in Ale’adar,” Darian said.

  “Will they know what to do when the times comes?” Jaxom asked, broaching the subject gently so not to offend.

  “If you are asking if they know how to fight, you do not have to worry about them,” Darian said with a laugh. “They do not have the type of ranged casts I do, but then neither do you, and you seem to do well enough.”

  They rode the next couple of hours in silence, both preparing for the coming fight. The call for halt came down the line, and a soldier came to tell them that Lord Wilbrin had requested the presence of the mages. They had stopped near the forest, and Jaxom wondered why they had strayed so far from the road heading south.