Master Mage

by D. W. Jackson

  “Unless you can conjure up another ten thousand troops with your magic, I don’t think we will last past the first attack. The strengthened walls seem to hold against the siege engines, but we don’t have the men to man the walls against their soldiers.”

  The news fell hard on Thad. They had lost. In two days, the Rane army would march on the city and burn it to the ground. There was some hope they would spare the normal citizens, but Thad doubted it. It was common practice to raze the entirety of a defending city to the ground once it was seized. It was to make the rest of the country take a second thought against any thought of resistance in the future.

  “Does the queen know?”

  “No, and I honestly don’t think you should tell her,” Killian replied, giving Thad a knowing look. “From my experience, kings and queens would rather pull back and lose the city than continue to fight. If we do that, we will live, but only for a time. If we lose the capital, the war is over no matter how long or hard you continue to fight. Our only hope, and even though it’s as small as a grain of sand, is in holding the city.”

  “Understood,” Thad said weakly. He wanted to argue that Maria would stand firm and defend the capital to her last breath, but in his heart, he knew what she would do. She would march them out and away from the city just as Killian had said.

  As he made his way through the palace corridors, Thad knew that the queen was expecting him. She had made it clear that she wanted him to see her at the end of each day, battle or not. It was usually a pleasant task and one that he had grown fond of, but tonight, he couldn’t stand to see her. He knew that his resolve would weaken and feared that she might see the fear that lurked behind his eyes. He wished he could evade Maria, at least for a single night, but he knew it was pointless. If he escaped in his waking hours, she would seek him out during his sleep.

  “Maria,” Thad called as he rapped on the door to her study.

  As the door swung open, Thad’s breath was taken away from him as Maria stood wearing naught but a thin lace nightgown. “My queen,” Thad said, turning around, his face as red as a poker pulled straight from the fire.

  “I am not the queen tonight,” Maria said in a stern voice. “I have only a short time left between us, and I wish to spend it as just Maria while I can,” she continued, her voice softening as she wrapped her arms around him.

  “We could still win,” Thad stuttered.

  “Do not play me for a fool, Thaddeus Torin,” Maria said, forcing him to turn around. “Did you not think I would learn when a messenger enters my own halls? I know of the large army coming to strengthen our enemy’s forces, and I am no silly child to think that we will win with what forces are left to us. I have seen the men who protect the walls, and I know full well that as beaten and fatigued as they are, an army of children could topple them.”

  “Killian had thought to keep it from you. I think we both expected you to want to abandon the capital.”

  “I thought about it. For a brief moment, I thought about asking you to run off with me to some small remote portion of the world,” Maria said, putting her arms around his neck and pulling in him for a soft kiss. I even started to think of what kind of cottage we might live in, but I knew that, in the end, you would not leave. I also knew that no matter how far we ran, I could never abandon Farlan.”

  “I am glad,” Thad said, forcing a smile.

  “But the worry of war is for later,” Maria said, jumping back and twirling around in a circle. “Tonight is just for you and me. Not slave and master nor queen and council. Tonight, we are simply Thaddeus and Maria, just for tonight,” Maria whispered, her voice sounding almost pleading.

  CHAPTER XXII

  Thad sat on top of the thin wall alone as the sun broke over the horizon. Through his magical sight, he could see the forces amassing just over the rise of a small hill. They would march soon, and Thad doubted they would even hold out until midday.

  A warm wind blew in from the south, bringing the scents of summer with it. Leaning his head back and watching the clouds pass through the clouds, Thad gave an odd chuckle. Time was such a weird creature. Each day, it seemed to drag on as if it was never-ending, but as he looked back, it seemed as if it was only yesterday that he was awaiting the snow to melt. “Slow to come and quick to pass,” Thad said out loud as he tried to remember where he had heard the saying before.

  “Shouldn’t ya be with yer queen in the castle?” Thad heard Crusher’s voice ask from below.

  “I don’t know. Shouldn’t you be in one of the medical tents, drinking a tonic?” Thad retorted, trying to hold back the smile that teased at his lips.

  “I’d rather drink horse piss,” Crusher said, making a gagging motion. “I think their foul concoctions are worse than the ailment they’re supposed to cure.”

  Jumping from the wall and landing lightly beside his friend, Thad gave a low laugh. “I believe I said the same thing before when the queen had them pouring those foul-tasting things down my own throat.”

  Thad couldn’t help but for his eyes to wander toward his friend as they made their way back toward the palace and where the other few generals left awaited them for the war council. The dwarf had always seemed stout and as hard as the stone he had been born from, but now he seemed less so. His leg had been badly mangled, and now Crusher walked with a slight limp. “Does it still hurt?” Thad asked, worry hanging thick in his voice.

  “About as much as that thick head of yers does when ya try to speak,” Crusher said, giving his friend a wry glare. “Does it hurt? Fool should have his leg hit with an axe bigger than he is and see if it hurts,” the dwarf mumbled to himself as they made their way down the empty streets.

  As soon as they entered the war room, Thad looked around and found it much quieter than it had been in the past. So many had died, and now only Reeve, Thad, Crusher, and Killian remained. Thad had watched as the generals of the other army held back, watching the bloodshed from a distance, but Farlan didn’t have that luxury. There were too few soldiers to take even one from the field.

  Thad nearly balked when he noticed the queen within the chambers, dressed for war. He had seen her wearing the armor before, but the look of determination on her face showed that she wasn’t going to let her palace fall without her own blood being spilled upon the ground first. The thought of the petite woman he had known since his first days in the capital lying dead upon the field of battle bothered him far more than any other death he had seen come to pass. He thought just for a moment to talk her out of taking up arms in the fight, but from the look in her eyes, he knew it was pointless. In the back of his mind, he hoped that, by some good fortune, she would somehow survive the turmoil that would soon be upon them.

  “What is the plan?” Maria asked once everyone was gathered.

  “There is not much need of a plan,” Killian answered back, frowning. “What men we have left will guard the city walls to the last man. There is scarce else we can do at this point. That is, unless Your Majesty wishes to offer terms of surrender to the advancing army?”

  “I would rather slit my own throat,” Maria replied vehemently.

  “That might be one of the terms they request,” Killian replied back, giving the small queen a slight smile.

  “If there is nothing to plan for, then why did we gather here in the first place? Shouldn’t we be out on the wall, preparing?” the queen asked, her face twisted in confusion.

  “For this,” Killian replied as he set a dark bottle on the table. “My people have often fought in losing battles, and though we are rumored to win, we have often known we would soon meet our end. In those times, we drink what we call our sacrificial wine or Dalamean wine, as we call it.”

  “Dalamean wine. I think I have drunk everything that been named a spirit that’s ever been brewed under the sun or below the ground, and I ain’t never heard of this stuff,” Crusher said doubtfully.

  “I would have been surprised if you did,” Killian replied, giving the dwarf a warm smil
e. “Long ago, before we were landless mercenaries, my people once worked the land as farmers and winemakers. To help us remember that part of our life, we are given three things when we come of age. The first is a sword so that we may defend our lives, the second is an empty book so that we may record our lives, and the last is a bottle of Dalamean wine so that we can enjoy our lives. Every Katanga soldier carries this bottle of wine with him and drinks it only when they believe their life is soon to come to an end.”

  “Then what are we waiting fer?” Crusher said, grabbing a nearby mug and banging it on the table. “Let’s get ta drinking before tha blasted soldiers get here to ruin our little fun.”

  Without laughing or so much as cracking a smile, Killian poured the wine into the cups arranged on the table and handed one to each of the people gathered around. Thad took the offered cup and took a small sip. Before the wine ever touched his lips, a thick fragrance hit and tingled his nose.

  The wine itself went down smoothly with a bittersweet taste that lingered on Thad’s tongue. Only a few moments after the first drink had settled in his stomach, his head grew light.

  “Goes down like water but kicks ya in the head like a horse once it hits tha gullet,” Crusher said, banging his mug on the table.

  “That it does,” Maria said, slumping down in her seat, her hand going to her head. “It has an exquisite taste and fragrance.”

  “It is made from small berries that only grow in the winter. With each passing year, the wine gets a bit stronger and sweeter than the last. It is said that should a soldier carry this bottle until he is old and infirm in bed, it will be so sweet that it will carry him to his rest. It is the goal of all Katanga to one day taste such a drink.”

  “I would have thought you would wish to die in battle, not of old age,” Thad said, shaking his head slightly in an effort to clear his thoughts.

  “Most people think that of us,” Killian said, cracking a slight smile. “That is not the case for most of us, though. We fight as our way of life, but those of us who have grown old are the ones who pass the knowledge along to the younger of us. It is an honored and well-sought-after place among our people.”

  “Rane is on the march.” Thad heard the echoes of the soldier long before the man ever entered the war room. It was a sobering message, one that seemed to rob what little place of peace they had found in their last few moments gathered together. Without a word, the generals split, each headed to their own place along the wall. As he watched Maria leave with Killian, he hoped that the experienced warmaster would keep her safe, though he knew that once the fighting started in full, there would be little he could do.

  Each general had just over three hundred men with them to guard their section of the wall. Thad had been given the southeastern section that, while not expected to receive the brunt of the attack, was also a key area as it was the nearest to the royal school and palace.

  Thad found his hands shaking as he watched the massive army march across the open land. He had expected more fire from the ballista, but it seemed that Rane had given up on that effort. He wasn’t sure it they didn’t want to damage the walls further or if they doubted they would make much of a difference in the coming battle. In the end, it mattered little other than Thad no longer had to fear getting knocked off the wall by a flying rock that missed his attention.

  When the Rane army was halfway to the city walls, a loud roar that seemed to shake the very earth pierced the silence of the city. Thad’s head jerked to the sky, and what he saw left him in utter awe.

  A long writhing flame traced through the sky from the southwest. Thad quickly used his magic to get a closer look and nearly fell to his knees when he caught the first glimpse of the dragon. He had always heard they were massive beasts with wings so large that they could block out the sun, but that was not what he found. The dragon looked like a massive snake with four short legs, each baring massive claws, but with no wings that Thad could see. Instead, it seemed to move through the sky by riding on a cloud of fire with great flames leaping around it. The beast’s head was abnormally large with several rows of teeth that looked as if it could tear an ox in half with little effort.

  The dragon flew only a few yards above the city, giving everyone within a good view of the massive beast. As it passed over them and headed for the Rane army marching ahead, Thad let out a heavy breath that he hadn’t even realized he had been holding.

  Even from over a mile away, Thad could hear the collective screams of the Rane solders as the dragon swooped out of the sky, spraying them with a thick line of fire. Thad didn’t know what to think as the dragon rose back to the sky, leaving a large number of the soldiers dead of writhing in fire upon the ground. He was glad to see the Rane army being accosted before they reached their gates, but he feared that the beast might turn its attention toward them.

  Unable to turn away, Thad watched the dragon make its second pass. This time, as it rose into the sky, a lone man stood among the flames unharmed. The giant flames rose from the ground, licking at the man’s armor. Thad had seen the man many times, and none of them had been pleasant.

  The dragon also seemed to notice the man untouched by his flames and let out a roar of protest as it soared higher into the sky before diving at the soldier below.

  The normally resolute soldiers ran from the dragon except the lone man in armor who stood as if a statue unafraid of the great beast. As the dragon’s talons reached for him, the armored man moved and made one swing with his giant axe, and the dragon recoiled and tried to fly away to avoid the biting edge of the metal blade.

  Thad watched as the dragon tried to rise into the sky but faltered and crashed into the ground only a few hundred yards away from the main army. The soldiers rushed at the beast as it lay on the ground, but a wreath of fire shot up from around the beast, driving them back.

  The armored soldiers walked slowly toward where the dragon lay, and Thad couldn’t bear to stand and watch the creature murdered. Jumping from the wall, Thad used his magic to let him race across the ground at incredible speed. Thad had never used his magic in such a way, but after seeing the dragon aloft, he was sure that he could as well, though it was very straining.

  As Thad approached, the armored man turned and looked in his direction and stopped his move toward the dragon.

  When Thad was less than twenty yards away, he halted his approach and let himself settle softly on the ground. Great beads of sweat coated his forehead from the exertion of the flight only inches above the ground. The second after his feet touched the ground, the soldier started toward Thad, his axe held at the ready.

  Now that it was only the two of them, Thad could see the thin highlights of white metal in the man’s armor. Direct magic would be useless against the man, and his sword seemed merger against the armor. Thad tried to build the magic to use one of his stone pillars, but his head instantly started to grow light, and he was forced to release the currents. Thad tried to think of anything that could aid him, but before anything had come to mind, the axe was streaking toward his head, and he was forced to dodge the heavy blow.

  I really wish you would stop and think. What did you think you could do? Even should you best the armored soldier, there is a whole army behind him, waiting to cut you down. You have done some foolish things in the past, but I must say, this has got to be the most foolish of all.

  “What should I have done, left the dragon to be slaughtered after it had come to our aid?” Thad muttered as he made a quick strike, the blade of his sword skipping off the man’s armored chest, leaving not even the slightest hint that it had been struck.

  Yes, that is what you should have done. Your death will add little meaning to the death of the dragon save for how many bodies will be ready for the pyre.

  Thad pushed the thoughts of Thuraman aside and focused on the man in front of him. He was large and armored, but also slow, and he knew there had to be at least one gap in the armor that he might strike. He needed to calm down and watch and not s
imply react.

  As the axe swept in at him, threating to cleave him in half, Thad ducked and rolled under its blade. As he moved under the man’s arm, he noticed that a very small portion left unprotected. The gap was more than large enough for his blade, but only when the soldier’s arm was up and outstretched.

  Thad moved around, cautiously waiting. It seemed as if the soldier knew what Thad was thinking as his next attacks were all low and aimed toward his legs, giving Thad no chance for the strike. After a few moments, Thad realized that without a good chance, the solder was not going to use a large strike and expend wasted energy.

  Thad drove in quickly, his sword aimed at the soldier’s face. His blade rang off the helmet, making not even a scratch, but Thad didn’t let up. He continued his series of attacks. The soldier countered with a downward thrust of his huge axe, but Thad allowed in the gods’ magic, turning the upper portion of his back to stone. He still felt the impact, but there was little pain. After a few moments, Thad stepped back, breathing heavily, dropping to a knee.

  Thad could almost see the smug smile on the soldier’s face as the axe was raised high. Thad waited until it was at its top before using just a touch of magic to speed his movement and strength of his strike so that in a second, he was under the man’s arm, and his sword was racing for the small gap.

  His blade dug deep, nearly to the hilt. As the soldier fell back, his axe dropping to the ground, the blade of the sword was pinched between the armor, and the hilt was pulled from his grasp.

  Gasping for breath, Thad turned around to find himself circled by the Rane army. During the battle, he hadn’t noticed the soldiers surrounding him, but in the end, it mattered little. Thad knew that this battle would be his last. What did it matter if it came from atop the wall or down in the valley? At least he had killed the soldier that had dogged them and claimed many of his friends before he had a chance to kill the dragon. Should the beast live, it might just help the rest of the Farlan forces. Thad didn’t know if the beast would be able to continue its fight, but there was always hope.