Stranded Mage

by D. W. Jackson

  Thad was in so much pain that he didn’t notice the door to his cell open. He didn’t even notice as the tip of a sword burst through Hern’s chest, nor the feel of the man’s blood as it sprayed across his face. He did however notice when the spike was carefully removed from his leg and the shackles were removed from his body.

  Thad had went so long without the warm feeling of his magic coursing through his body the sensation scared him for a moment as he feared death was near. When a thin shaking hand snaked around his neck and pulled him into a setting position Thad nearly fainted.

  His head bobbing Thad found himself staring into the deep blue eyes of someone he thought he would never see again. “Monique, what are you doing here?” Thad asked dazed.

  “What do you think, saving my worthless brother's hide,” She replied, tears streaming down her face.

  Thad tried to respond but he was weak and his throat hurt from the countless hours of screaming. Quickly but gently Monique along with another woman Thad had never seen before bandaged his wounds. Monique quietly whispered to the other woman and Thad could feel the warmth of magic flooding though his body, healing wounds and alleviating a portion of his pain. Thad felt better but the woman had barely touched the surface of the damage that had been done to him.

  When the two ladies were done Monique put her arm around Thad’s waist and helped him to his feet. The broken bone of his leg wouldn’t hold his weight and his sore and swollen joints screamed out in pain at every movement but Thad forced himself to stand.

  With one person under each of his arms Thad was carried from the room. He was carried gently but at a fast pace. Down the hall Thad could see many other people who were clearly not of the Brotherhood standing in the halls.

  As they passed one of the doors Thad felt his staff call out to him. “Stop,” Thad said in a horse whisper. “My staff,” Thad said, raising his hand weakly pointing at the door.

  Monique looked at him then called to one of the men who stood not far away. When the door was opened Thad saw his staff along with many of his other belongings. Two men ran into the small room and grabbed everything they could carry. “Thank you,” Thad said, giving Monique a weak smile.

  When they exited the small hallway Thad was carried up a steep set of stairs. Off in the distance Thad could hear the sound of swords striking each other. As they moved down the halls loud voices yelled out, “Retreat.” Thad wasn’t sure if it was meant for his rescuers or the Brotherhood but his mind was in no fit state to care.

  When they reached the outside Thad had never been so happy to feel the air against his face. He had wanted to see the sun and feel its warmth on his face but the moon occupied the sky. Though he couldn’t feel the warmth of the sun Thad was more than happy to share his freedom with the stars that hung above him.

  Monique and the other woman continued to carry Thad as a large band of men ran in front of them, engaging anyone who blocked their path. Thad could hear the yells of the city guards as they maneuvered down the winding streets.

  Though each movement sent large waves of pain through his body Thad could still feel the workings of magic around him. It wasn’t the workings of a single mage either. So many questions ran though his mind as he was carried through the dark streets. How had Monique found him? How had she been able to get him out? Where had she found so many mages? The last question was the one that burned the most in Thad’s mind.

  Thad had known the possibility that other mages might live in secret but never did he expect to find so many in one place. He had searched for any hint of mages back when he had been a young boy first leaning the craft and now that he had nearly given up on that task here they were coming to his rescue.

  “There was a small glass orb with a red gem inside it among my belongings,” Thad said his voice horse and raspy. “If you shatter it against the ground the streets of the city should break.”

  Monique shouted to a man at her side. Thad couldn’t hear what she was saying but within a few heartbeats he felt as the magical orbs he had placed around the city went to work.

  “What in the nine hells,” Monique gasped as she watched as a large portion of the city began to sink.

  Thad more felt the magic working than saw it as his one good eye was clouded with pain. The enchanted orbs all had a simple set of instructions. When the master orb was broken they would shatter the stones of the large underground sewer system.

  Thad knew that using the orbs could backfire but Monique and her group had been far enough away from the center of the city to avoid the destruction. Whole houses and buildings crumbled as sections of the supporting ground gave way.

  Soon the walls of the town were replaced by the open ground of the surrounding farmland. Thad hoped with each passing moment that his rescuers would stop or at least slow down, but they seemed to have near limitless energy as they ran into the night.

  “Looks like we were saved,” Thad said to his staff weakly.

  None too late it seems either. Your mind and body are a mess.

  “Can you do something about the pain?” Thad pleaded.

  I could help sooth your wounds but only if I was touching your skin.

  “My staff,” Thad said barely above a whisper in Monique’s ear. “I need my staff.”

  “Jonathan, who grabbed the staff out of the storeroom?” Monique asked to one of the men running at her right.

  “I think Marcus has it,” the man replied. “Want me to retrieve it?”

  “Yes,” Monique said gently. “It seems our friend thinks he must have it on him.”

  Jonathan returned a few moments later carrying Thad’s staff in his hands. When Thad feebly stretched out his one good hand toward the staff Jonathan gently place it and helped him wrap his fingers tightly around its shaft.

  As soon as the staff touched his skin the pain wracking his body lessened and Thad breathed a sigh of relief. The woman to Thad’s right turned her head and gave him a curious look. Thad was sure that she could feel the staff working but he had no reply for her silent question so he simple gave her a weak smile.

  “Thank you,” Thad said gratefully to his staff.

  It is about the best I can offer and even that small balm will not last through the night. Your wounds are bad and even with my aid it will take you years to fully heal. You might consider making a trip back to the dwarves or elves and find an experienced healer.

  “I will think about it,” Thad replied his spirits high. The pain was still their clawing at the back of his mind but it had been dulled.

  Thad had no clue what would happen in the future but he was sure of one thing. He would never be a prisoner again.

  Thad had no clue how long they had run but he was happy when he was finally laid down and the jarring and jolting came to an end. “What are you doing here?” Thad asked Monique as she tried to pour a ladle of water down his throat.

  Monique gave him a motherly look and stared off into the distance. “It’s a long story but the short of it is that me and my friends heard that you were being held prisoner and decided that we might come save you, and give the Brotherhood a black eye while we were at it.”

  “How bad is it?” Monique asked the other woman who had helped carry him to safety.

  Thad saw the woman shake her head sadly. “It is bad,” she said, her voice filled with both terror and anger. “His right leg and left hand are shattered and nearly all his joints have been dislocated. Many of his muscles are torn and he has small burns over a large portion of his body. Add the fact his right foot and left eye are missing I would say it couldn’t be much worse.”

  “He could be dead,” Monique replied caringly.

  “There is that,” the woman conceded. “I suspect that our friend even wished he were at times,” the woman said he voice breaking as tears rolled down her eyes. “How can someone do this to another human being?”

  “I don’t know,” Monique replied, wrapping the woman in a gentle embrace.

  As soon as the wo
man composed herself she placed her hands lightly on Thad’s right leg. Her magic was light and warm and Thad could feel as the fragments of the bone began to knit themselves back together. By the time she was done she was sweating profusely and Thad knew the woman had pushed herself beyond her normal capacities. Having done the same many times himself in the past he understood the pain that accompanied it.

  “Mary, Todd and the others are here with the horses,” Monique said, helping her friend to her feet. “Do you think he can ride?”

  “It will hurt and we will have to tie him to the saddle to keep him from falling but is there any other choice?” Mary asked, her voice laced with concern.

  “No I guess there is not,” Monique replied as she bent down and helped Thad to his feet. “The Brotherhood is most likely already massing to follow. Your little trick back in the city has delayed them a great deal but I doubt it will be long before they are on our trail. It will hurt but you will have to ride, otherwise we all risk ending up in their dungeon.”

  “Hurry up and help me in the saddle then,” Thad said determinedly. “We don’t have time to play about.”

  Thad had thought that he could handle to pain of riding but he was more than a little mistaken. To call the ride excruciating would have been an understatement. It was downright torturous and Thad did not use that word lightly. He was sure that if Hern had known how much it hurt he would have used it in his own practice.

  Less than an hour into the ride The pain became too much for Thad to handle and his eyes began to swim and he found himself floating in a restless and nightmare filled sleep.

  CHAPTER XXIV

  Thad woke as he was lifted down from his saddle. He tried to get his eye to focus but nothing seemed to want to come into view. His leg felt warm and his body was burning up.

  Thad could hear the people speaking around him though their voices sounded muffled to his ears. One of the ladies sounded worried, though Thad couldn’t understand what she was saying, he was pretty certain she was talking about him.

  Thad had studied many things in the academy and even though field care had not been his best subject he knew that he was in a bad way.

  Thad tried to focus but his mind wouldn’t heed his command. Small multicolor dots swam through his vision. When one of them women came close to him Thad tried to explain that he was thirsty but his words came out slurred and incomprehensible.

  The woman looked at Thad sympathetically before putting a bottle to his mouth that smelled of alcohol and herbs. The concoction burned as it slid down his throat. Thad had been forced to drink foul tasting medicine many times in his life and he still wondered why it had to taste so bad? Was it on principle? Was it so that people who try to stay healthy just to stay away from the foul taste. Whatever the reason Thad was determined to find a way to make the swill at least drinkable once he was better.

  Shortly after the last of the medicine was forced down his throat Thad’s eyes began to grow heavy. He tried to fight against it but it was a losing battle and gradually his eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

  The room was cold and quiet as Thad along with many other children sat listening to one of the mothers speak. “You will be the pride of the academy. Over the next few years you will learn many things so that you will be of use to your future masters. For those select few of you who excel and find positions of honor in the houses of nobles, your lives will be far better than you could imagine. For those of you who lag behind, you will find your lives of menial work to be far less than satisfying”

  Thad listened as she went on about what was to be expected of them in the coming years. The longer she spoke the more Thad wanted to run away. Looking around frantically Thad spied a door at the far end of the room. Jumping from his seat Thad ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. Thad could hear the mother yelling at him as he neared the door but he paid little attention to her as he wrenched the door open and ran through.

  Thad found himself outside in the main yard of the academy. Standing across from him was another one of the children holding a wooden practice sword. Off in the distance had could hear one of the older youth walking up and down the lines yelling instructions.

  When the youth reached Thad and his partner the two were forced to fight. Thad was faster and stronger and quickly had the other boy on the ground. Thad pulled his strike short of hitting the other child full forced and was immediately admonished by the youth. Thad raised his wooden practice sword again ready to strike but looking in the defeated eyes of the child on the ground he couldn’t make himself finish the blow.

  Tossing his sword aside Thad ran toward the wall as hard as he could. As he rushed past the trees and bushes his stride increased and his pace quickened. When he broke through the brush line he was standing in front of the ruins of an old tower. Thad found the hidden stairway that led down to the tower's basement and found the book that told the secrets of magic.

  “You have failed us,” An eerie voice echoed through Thad’s mind.

  Turning around Thad stood face to face with a ghostly apparition of an older man in long flowing robes. “You have used the sacred arts to do harm to your fellow man, a grave breach in the ethics of the council of mages. For this transgression you shall be whipped until dead.”

  The ghost lifted up its transparent arm and a wicked looking nine headed whip appeared. When the apparition swung down the ghostly whip shredded the flesh on Thad’s leg sending waves of pain through his body. As the ghost raised his arm for another strike Thad covered his face with his arm.

  When nothing stuck him Thad slowly lowered his arms and found himself standing in the living room of Joan’s house. Joan was there along with the rest of her family though for the life of him he couldn’t remember most of their names.

  “What have you done?” Joan asked, indicating a small tree that now grew in the center of the room.

  “I didn’t mean …” Thad started to say but one look from Joan quickly silenced him.

  “Meaning to and not meaning to don’t matter what matters is what you did or did not do.”

  Joan’s face turned red as she shouted and Thad closed his eyes as the tirade continued. Suddenly everything went silent and despite his own better judgment Thad opened his eyes again.

  “The little runaway,” the queen said sitting on her throne. “Guards, seize him! Time to teach the little mage a lesson he won’t soon forget.”

  Dozens of strong hands grabbed Thad, dragging him from the room. As he was carried into the dark he could hear the queen’s laughter echoing behind him. Thad tried to call his magic but nothing seemed to heed his call, it was as if it abandoned him. When the guards stopped, Thad lifted his head to see the small cell where he had spent a span of his life. He tried to struggle but he was no match for the strength used against him and was thrown into the room.

  Thad rushed the door but it shut it a resounding thud before he was even near. Slumping to his knees Thad pounded on the door, whimpering lightly.

  “Why are ya cryin on tha floor?” Thad heard a familiar voice say from behind him.

  Slowly Thad turned and nearly cried out when he saw Brianna casually tending the small bar back at the dwarven village. Thad rushed up to embrace her but stopped short when he noticed the dark fletching on the bolt sticking from her neck. “You’re dead,” Thad said, taking a step back.

  “Whose fault do ya think that is lover boy?” She asked, giving him a dreadful look. “If ya would have never met me I’d still be laughing happily with me kinfolk,” she said, her voice full of sorrow.

  Thad turned back toward the door and pulled on it hard, wrenching it open. As he stepped through the portal Thad found himself standing in the courtyard of the manor where he had left his elven friends.

  A foul odor hung in the air making his eyes water. Thad turned his head to see that the ground was littered with bodies most of those belonging to tall golden giants he had once called friends. Reeve was propped up against the wall with a t
hree foot long pike protruding from his chest. On his left Parson lay face down in the dirt, his body nearly cut in twain. Worst of all was Tuck whose body was not to be found, but whose head rested at Thad's feet with a look of utter horror etched into it. Unable to take anymore Thad dropped to his knees and wept.

  “Raise your head child,” a warm voice said off to Thad’s side.

  Fearful of what else waited for him Thad clutched his eyes tight and shook his head and tried to crawl away from the voice. As Thad crawled across the ground the voice continued to talk to him like a father consoling a frightened child.

  Thad didn’t know how long he tried but it was clear he was not going to escape whatever haunted him by scampering across the ground like a fool. Standing up but keeping his head down Thad slowly opened his eyes. The dead bodies were gone replaced by flowers and trees with fluttering silky silver leaves that danced on a light breeze.

  Lifting his head Thad saw the elven god leaning back against the trunk of a large oak. “You are not well my son,” the god said, looking at Thad his face etched with concern. “I can do little for you but sooth your troubled mind. It will depend on your friends whether you live through the night.”

  “I am dying?” Thad asked as he walked over and sat down across from the god.

  “Your body has gone through a great deal of stress, and has taken a fever. If you can overcome the fever you shall live, if not…” the god said, leaving the last word hanging.

  Thad didn’t know what to say or think at the moment. Would death be so bad? There would be no more killing, no more dying, and no more watching friends die.

  “There would also be no one to protect your friends. Don’t give up on life so quickly. I know it has not been an easy road for you, but even you have had times you would have went through the fires of the abyss to see again,” the god said consolingly.