“What? You just fought off a bevy of blood feeders, You stink.” Hana said to Thessa’s continued enjoyment.
“You two smell just as bad, I’m sure.”
“I suppose we could all use a bath,” Hana said sniffing under her arm.
“Gross.” Thessa said, “stop sniffing your underarm.”
“There’s a clear stream running through the woods up ahead, or we could wait until we get to Gwade’s cabin. I imagine the stream is frigid.” Asleth said.
“We can wait,” Hana said. “I would love a hot bath.”
It was evening before they reached a meadow with a pleasant cabin nestled into a line of trees. White smoke poured out of the chimney of the brown and white lodge. Deer antlers decorated the space above the threshold. A pile of firewood was neatly stacked under the solitary window. After they had entered the clearing from the opposite side, a man stepped through the brown wooden door. To Hana’s surprise, he was young.
“Are we at the right place?” She whispered to Asleth.
“Aye, that’s Tharen, Gwade’s distant relative and caretaker. The old mage slips in and out of senility. Ephaltus didn’t tell you much, did he.”
“No, I guess not. How is Gwade supposed to teach me anything if he isn’t all there in the head?”
“He has his moments.”
“Ho there!” Tharen shouted as they approached.
“Hello, and well met friend Tharen. It is I, Asleth.”
“Ah Asleth, back so soon?”
They finally walked up close enough for Hana to get a better look at the caretaker. He smiled at her and something within her heart melted. She suddenly felt weak. Tharen was extremely handsome. His blue eyes were prominent under a head of jet black hair. He wore a day-old beard but it didn’t hide his deep dimples.
“And who did you find brave enough to travel with you?” Tharen was looking directly at her.
“This is Hana and Thessa.” Asleth introduced.
To Hana’s astonishment, Tharen took her hand, as dirty as it was, and kissed it lightly. She felt her knees want to give way. Thessa held her hand out and the caretaker shook it. Thessa made a humph sound and shot Hana an icy glare.
“Tharen! Who’s out there?” Came a scratchy, aged voice from the cabin.
“It’s Asleth and his guest’s uncle.” He replied.
“Well, see them in and offer them something to eat and drink.”
“Please, come in,” Tharen said with a flourish of his hand.
The interior of the house was as Hana might expect from two men. There were dishes piled in the sink near a hearth with a huge pot suspended over the fire within. The table had parchment and books layered over one-half of it, and the floor needed sweeping. In the living area sat an old man in a velvet covered chair. He tried three times to get up and on the third try managed it. He made his way to Hana with the limp that comes from old age. He eyed Hana with squinty wonder before his eyes widened in sync with his smile.
“You have it! You are a Red Mage.” He said excitedly.
“Oh, is that true?” Tharen asked.
Hana nodded but said nothing.
“Glorious!” Gwade said. “I’ve not seen one of us for quite some time. Please, come in and sit. I want to hear everything about you.”
“There’s not much to tell, I’m afraid.” She replied.
“Nonsense, I see the furrow of your brow. I can feel the power in your blood. You have been casting quite recently.” He caught the sight of Thessa. “By the gods, it’s a blood feeder. Tharen, you fool, it will have us for…” He looked closer, “wait, you’re not quite what you seem to be are you? You look kind of like a blood feeder but I smell your blood and it’s not putrid and dead within you.”
“I’m not a blood feeder,” Thessa said bluntly.
“Well, sit down all. Tharen, go get some coffee or tea for our guests.”
“At once, uncle.’ He said.
Once they were settled on the velvet divan, Gwade moved his chair so they would face each other. Gwade clapped his hands together, “What brings the Red Mage here?”
“Forgive me, Master Gwade,” Hana said.
“Just Gwade, I’m no master.”
“Forgive me, Gwade, but I need your help. I have been told that I am the Red Mage but I have not been trained as such.”
“Not trained?” Gwade seemed surprised.
“No, sir…Gwade. I was hoping you could help me learn.”
The old man sat back in his chair, “Well, I will do what I can. It’s been a long time since I used the blood magic.”
“Anything you could teach me would help.”
“Of course it would since you have no training.” He looked at Asleth, “You were trained, right?”
“Yes, Gwade. I was trained before I left home. In fact, I still train.”
“How does it come that a mage wasn’t trained? In my day, such things were much better organized!” His gaze trailed off into the corner, and his eyes glazed over.”
“You will have to forgive my uncle,” Tharen said as he brought a tray of tea. “He is over one hundred years old after all. The years are taking their toll on him.”
“Who’s paying the toll?” Gwade said suddenly. “Is that troll hanging around the bridge again. I thought we got rid of him!”
“No, uncle. No one is paying the toll; the troll died years ago.”
“Good, he was ugly.”
Thessa snickered.
“Ahh! A blood feeder!” he yelped.
Tharen put his hands on his uncle’s shoulders. “No, she’s our guest.”
“I’m not a blood feeder,” Thessa said again, her giggling immediately subsiding.
“Oh, where was I?” he looked at Hana, “Ah, yes. I will train you as best I can.”
“Great,” Hana said. “When can we start?”
“In good time, dear, what’s your hurry?”
“I get the feeling time is of the essence, Gwade.” She replied.
“All right, keep your knickers on.” He pushed himself up three times and managed to get up on the fourth try. “Come outside and we will begin this evening.”
“Won’t it be dark soon?” Hana asked.
“Of course it will, but this first lesson won’t take long. Say, are you going to question me like this the whole time?”
“No, Master.”
“Gwade, I might be teaching you but I am not your Master. Stop calling me that. I don’t like it.”
“Yes, Gwade,” Hana said as she followed the shambling old man out of the cabin.
“I have been keeping this staff safe for hundreds of years. It’s not an official piece of your equipment as the Red Mage. I had it made by the elven enchanters of Adendalind.” He brought her into what appeared to be a toolshed. Hana watched dubiously as he removed a long, wooden-handled spade from the wall. “Here, may it serve you as well as it did me.”
“A shovel, Gwade? I don’t mean to be ungrateful, but I don’t think I need it.”
Gwade’s mouth wrinkled up into one corner of his face, “Are you always so impatient?” He shoved the spade into Hana so she would be forced to take it. “Now, be still. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this.” He held out his hands. “Feel the blood flowing through me and feel it flowing through you. Blood is the life bringer to all things living and undead.”
“Undead!”
“Shh! Don’t interrupt me! Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Blood is the life bringer to all things living and undead. Blood is the staff you hold in your hand. Protection true, protection from all, protection for you.” he shoved his hands forward and opened one eye.
“Nothing happened,” Hana said.
“Of course not. I forgot something.” He reached out and ran his finger down the sharp end of the spade, letting his blood infuse with it. It began to shimmer and in the place of the spade was a red handled staff with a ruby jewel inlaid into a star at the top. Around the ruby on each of the five points of the star, but muc
h smaller, was a sapphire, a diamond, and emerald, an amethyst, and polished onyx.
Hana marveled at the staff. “I understand the other colors but why is the Grey Mage represented with a purple gem?”
“Well, Ruby is our world represents and augments blood, The green emerald represents the heart, The diamond is the body, the purple amethyst is the mind and dreams, the blue sapphire is spirit, and the black onyx is the darkness within us all.”
“I never knew the colors were so significant. I’ve been making fun of them. It seemed kind of silly to have a Red Mage, a Blue Mage and so on, until now.”
“It goes even deeper than that, child. The colors represent the whole. The Grey Mage is also known as the Purple Mage. He is the only one that isn’t a pure color. When he is the Grey Mage he is the neutral between good and evil, white and black. When he identifies as the Purple Mage, he is the sum of the Blue Mage and the Red Mage. You want Asleth to remain the Grey Mage, because if he turns into the Purple Mage it means he has taken a far darker path, of blood and elements.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t have to right now. Just make certain you keep him as your ally and be sure you seek out the heart, the Green Mage, as your ally also, and you will be fine. As your journey unfolds toward the ultimate goal of the tournament, you will see this all clearer.”
Hana nodded. “Will I meet all the other mages?”
“I don’t know. Each mage is struggling with their own story right now somewhere in the world. They are all just now coming to grips with the fact that they are different, just like you are now.” He touched the staff and it returned back into the spade. “Tuck that away in your things when we get back to the cabin. There will be a time when you awaken it permanently, but for now, keep it hidden away.”
Gwade and Hana returned to the cabin as the sun was setting and twilight blanketed the meadow. She put away the spade in her pack while thinking up an excuse to tell if Asleth or Thessa asked why she packed a shovel. Neither one of them bothered to question it. After all, a spade could come in handy while traveling.
Asleth put his hand on Hana’s shoulder, “Might I have a word with you in private?”
Hana nodded and the two walked out in the twilight. Once they were far enough away from the cabin, Asleth cleared his throat. “I have to go. I have business to attend to. I will rejoin you very soon.”
“Must you go now?”
“I know the timing isn’t ideal but it is the best chance I will have, with your training. I mean, there is no reason for me to hang around while you learn your craft.” He kicked at the ground, “It’s not ideal because I sense something is very wrong with Tharen. I think he has it in his head to court you.”
“What?” Hana smiled. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Nevertheless, I feel it’s so. Don’t give into him. I also sense his motivations are not strictly pure.”
“Is any man’s?”
“I mean it, Hana. He isn’t as he seems.”
“I repeat, is any man?”
“All right, think as you will and make your jokes. I warned you. There is one other thing. You had better train with Gwade as quickly as you can. He is not long for this life.”
“He’s going to die?”
“We’re all going to die, he is just much nearer to his time.”
“Not a far stretch since he’s over a hundred years old.”
Asleth threw his hands up. “You’re impossible sometimes.”
“Hey, hey.” She calmed him down by cupping his cheek with her hand. “Thessa and I will be fine. I will heed your warnings.”
Asleth nodded. “Even if you are forced to leave here before I return, I will find you.”
Chapter 14 – The Gift
Asleth was right about Tharen, he made a point to invite her on picnics and vied for time to be alone with her often. Especially when Gwade was sleeping or having one of his incoherent moments. Thessa helped out with the old man more than Hana ever thought she would. Despite her condition, the girl had a good heart. By the second week of training, Hana was beginning to understand her power and her role as Red Mage, but there was so much to learn and so little time to learn it. Besides, Tharen was charming and she found her thoughts turning to him more and more as she spent time with him. In fact, she sometimes hurried her magical practice along to find more time to spend with him. By the third week of training, Hana confided in Thessa that Tharen was slowly winning her over.
“Remember what Asleth warned you about,” Thessa said one night after supper. They were alone out in the night, summertime air.
“I do, Thessa. I’m still keeping Tharen at arm’s length. I haven’t even let him kiss me yet.”
“It’s awfully flattering to have so much attention showered on you, especially after what we’ve been through, but remember who you are and who hunts us!”
Thessa’s words jolted Hana back into reality, “It easy to get carried away, but you’re right. Sarren is still out there and the only Sephera child I saw was Thaxa. The others may still be out there. It’s only a matter of time before Sarren tries to hunt me down again.”
“There is a measure of safety here. I doubt Sarren would dare attack two Red Mages if he’s aware of where we are.”
Hana noticed a shadow enter the doorway of the cabin, “Quiet, here comes Theran.”
Thessa nodded.
“Is Gwade sleeping?” Hana asked when Tharen got close enough.
“He does, but I fear by the labor of his breathing that he’s not sleeping soundly.”
“Is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable?” Hana asked.
“Maybe. You’re the one learning blood magic from him.”
“I’ll go check on him,” Hana said.
“Wait, I’ll come with you,” Thessa said.
“No need. I would rather check on him alone. I don’t wish to wake him.”
“All right. I will keep Tharen company then.”
Hana sauntered into the cabin, carefully crafting her body language to indicate she was not worried when in fact, she was. She entered the small room scarcely big enough for one regular sized bed and placed her hand on Gwade’s forehead. He opened his eyes and smiled at her.
“I’m glad you are here child, I don’t have long.”
“What are you talking about. You have lived this long, you are still strong.”
“Nice of you to lie to me so, child, but my time is rapidly approaching. I might have forgotten to mention during your training that the stronger you get the weaker I get. It’s the way of things. You are slowly taking my place. You see, you should have been trained at home and that training should have signaled my death. Now, you are here and I am fading.”
Hana was appalled, Surely that’s not how all this works!”
“I am afraid it’s true. However, there is one final gift I may bestow on you. It is a rare gift because it is rare for the former Mage of a color to meet the new mage.” He pointed to a dagger hanging above his bed. Get my dagger down from there.”
Hana reached up and took down the dagger.
“I must warn you. What I am about to do might give you visions, or impressions of my life. You must realize my life is over while yours is only beginning. Do not act upon the past. Whatever might have happened to me is long over and you should concentrate on your life forward now.” He reached out. “Give me the dagger.”
“No, I’m not going to give this dagger to you for you to end your life.”
“That’s not what I have in mind. I told you I was going to give you a gift.”
Reluctantly, Hana handed the dagger over to Gwade. He stabbed the pointed blade into his palm. Blood oozed out of the resulting wound. He indicated he wanted Hana’s palm. She handed him her right palm. He gently and carefully pricked the skin. As soon as the blood flowed and put his hand on hers and allowed the blood to intermingle. He closed his eyes, “This only works as I die and you are reborn. It is the last resort when our
kind meet. If I could continue to train you, I would.”
A light, not unlike the jolts of lighting Hana had seen cascade through her blood when she was about to cast a blood spell, peeked out from in between their hands. In fact, both hands glowed red as if they were looking through them and seeing the blood within against an intense light source.
The visions came flooding into Hana’s mind. She saw Gwade when he was young. She saw all of his training and his struggle with the other mages. She saw him give up ruling the six kingdoms and yield. He could have easily defeated the final mage but he chose not to because it would have meant the death of a dear friend. She saw his dark side and his anger. Then she saw Tharen. At first, she was glad to see his face and then she witnessed his cruelty. Before they had arrived, he was abusive to the old mage. On more than one occasion, Gwade was only moments away from lashing out with his blood magic. but he stayed his hand because he loved his nephew. Then the pain came as her brain assimilated all the power and training of the Red Mage from Gwade into herself. She knew it all, millennia of knowledge of her power. That was the gift. When she opened her eyes, Gwade was gone.
“What have you done?” Tharen said as he pulled Hana’s bloody hand from his uncle. Hana glared at him with contempt. His pleasant demeanor soured. “Did you kill him?”
“No, he gave me his gift.”
“His gift! You mean you cheated!”
“Cheated? How?”
“You killed the former Red Mage to gain his power.”
“I am already the Red Mage. I didn’t have to kill him.”
“I read about this in one of my uncle’s books. You kill the former mage, you take his place.”
“I told you, I am already the Red Mage. You are trying to distract me from your abuses.”
“You stupid tart! It was supposed to be me. When uncle died, I was supposed to become the Red Mage!”
“Are you hearing yourself? Are you hearing me? I’m already the Red Mage.” She closed her fist around the blood on her palm. “If you knew you could kill the Red Mage and take his place, Why didn’t you just kill him instead of torturing him for so long?”
“Torture? Did he tell you that? I never tortured him.”
Red Mage Ascending: Book 1 of Tournament of Mages Page 8
