Tournament of Mages: Commencement: Tournament of Mages 1st Series Short (Tournament of Mages Series Shorts)

by Cleave Bourbon

  Table of Contents

  Tournament of Mages

  Tournament of Mages Series:

  Author’s Note:

  Tournament of Mages: Commencement

  Part One: The Rise of Ephaltus

  Part Two: Thelee’s Training

  Part Three: Into the World

  Part Four: Vestia

  Part Five: Tamania

  Part Six: Ag Caderan

  Part Seven: Equal and Opposite

  Copyright

  Tournament of Mages

  Commencement

  (Opening Series Short)

  Cleave Bourbon

  Copyright 2017 Cleave Bourbon

  Tournament of Mages Series:

  Tournament of Mages: Commencement, Series opening (1st series short)

  Red Mage Book 1 of the Tournament of Mages

  Blue Mage Book 2 of the Tournament of Mages

  Tournament of Mages: Interlude, (2nd Series Short)

  Black Mage Book 3 of the Tournament of Mages

  Grey Mage Book 4 of the Tournament of Mages

  Tournament of Mages: The Players (3rd Series Short)

  Green Mage: Book 5 of the Tournament of Mages

  White Mage: Book 6 of the Tournament of Mages

  Tournament of Mages: Opening Ceremony (4th Series Short)

  Enter the Area Book 7 of the Tournament of Mages

  Author’s Note:

  Hi, welcome to the Tournament of Mages! This series is set up a little differently than you might be used to. If you study the book chart above, you will see that there are four series shorts and seven novels. The shorts have their own story line and plot that follows closely with the novels. The novels are stand-alone stories of each mage leading up to the final tournament where everyone, the characters in the shorts and the mages of the novels will all come together. The series shorts follow the story of the Tourney Master and his preparations and verifications of all the mages who will participate. It’s a somewhat treacherous story of plots and betrayals. One is not required to read the shorts in order to enjoy the novels, but that would be like eating cake without frosting. The cake is delicious by itself but even better with the frosting! The reason for the shorts is I wanted to tell that story independent of the narratives in the novels as the reader meets the mages, a kind of behind the scenes story, and I also wanted to make reading it voluntary.

  Cleave Bourbon

  Tournament of Mages: Commencement

  Every one hundred years an individual is born in each one of the six kingdoms with remarkable abilities. The gods create them to be champions. The red mage uses blood magic, the blue mage is all elemental, the green mage has command over nature and can shapeshift, the black mage has dominion over death, the grey mage is the master of the mind and illusions, and the white mage can cast spells through song, dance, and voice. It is the job of the Tourney Master, a wizard who awakens 5 years before every century, to find and prepare them for the great Tournament of Mages, a contest pitting them all against great obstacles and ultimately each other to decide who will rule all of the six kingdoms for the next one hundred years. Only, the mages are born at random, have free will from the gods, and are not always so easy to convince to fight for the fate of the six kingdoms.

  Part One: The Rise of Ephaltus

  A moss covered tree trunk barred the way to the Earth Chamber, a hollowed residence descending deep under the forest floor, not used in one hundred years. Inside, dust covered the shrouds of linen, which in turn, covered the lavish furnishings and accouterments of the place. One shroud, in particular, covered the sleeping body of the one called Ephaltus, tourney master of the Tournament of Mages. As happened every century, the dryads resurrected the wizard back to the living. Ephaltus had become the special emissary of the gods long ago when the six sought to end the wars and bickering between their peoples. Ephaltus belonged to no god and to all gods at the same time. His breathing became stronger and stronger as each day passed since his resurrection and soon he would awaken to perform his duties once again.

  As he slept, the child-like dryads removed the shrouds from the furniture and began the cleanup. Everything had to be ready for the wizard upon his rising. Each of the six kingdoms depended on him to find their champions for them once again.

  This century was also the marking of the millennium, a time when Ephaltus would be able to train his successor and finally be allowed to live out his life as he chooses. As such, his awakening was earlier than the centuries past. His successor had already been chosen by the six gods.

  The dryads finished their work when Ephaltus began to stir. He sat up in bed and glanced around. The dryads assembled at the foot of his bed.

  “Has my successor arrived yet?” His voice was broken and scratchy from the time he had spent sleeping. He cleared his throat loudly.

  One of the dryads stepped forward. She was green, as were her sisters, and her hair appeared to be a cascade of leaves. “She has, my lord.”

  “She?” Ephaltus repeated. “That is unexpected. I have not heard of a female tourney master before.”

  “She waits in the antechamber. Shall I show her in?” the dryad asked.

  Ephaltus inspected himself and dusted off his robes even though the dryads had already cleaned him too. “May as well.”

  He stood from the bed, his legs a bit wobbly. A few moments later, a girl of about seventeen years entered with the dryads. “My lord, I present to you, Thelee, the choice of the six gods to be your apprentice. Ephaltus inspected the girl. She stood but a few inches above five feet, by his estimate, with fiery auburn hair and an extremely pleasant face, complete with a smattering of flattering freckles on her rosy cheeks. She genuflected before him.

  “Thelee, that’s a Tamanian name, is it not?”

  “Yes, master, very good.”

  “Forgive me, child, but it has been a thousand years since my apprenticeship. Remind me, how were you chosen?”

  The girl cracked a smile. “I suspect you remember your apprenticeship well, my master. You test me?”

  “Well?”

  “Very well, I was challenged by the god Andiel. She and her brother god Asrion sent me on the task of awakening. I have identified two of the six mages already.”

  “You have? Excellent! So, which ones have you discovered?”

  “The red mage and the black mage, master.”

  “Do you understand the task I, and then you for the next millennium, must perform in addition to the identification of the mages?”

  “I do.”

  “Why don’t you begin by explaining your understanding to me so that I may be certain of you.” He motioned for her to sit in an oversized, comfortable chair and he sat opposite. “Get us some water to drink.” He instructed one of the dryads. The girl sat at on the chair.

  “We find out which of the mages have which of the magic disciplines.”

  “Let me stop you there. I want to hear this from the beginning. Start with the whys and go from there.”

  “All right.” She accepted the cup of water from the dryad. “The six kingdoms of the six gods constantly warred and conquered each other for centuries until the gods stepped in and proclaimed that they would enact a way for all the kingdoms to have an equal chance at ruling. Every one hundred years, a champion above all others would rise from each kingdom, more powerful and noteworthy than any other who could use magic. The discipline of the mage would be random and each of their rise to prominence would b
e unique. It is the job of the Tourney Master to find each mage and bring them to the arena where one will rise to defeat the others and be proclaimed leader of the six kingdoms for the next one hundred years until the process begins again.”

  Ephaltus nodded. “It sounds so simple doesn’t it.”

  Thelee nodded.

  “Well, it isn’t!” Ephaltus said acidly. “It’s damned hard! Not one of those mages will want to come to the tournament. On top of that, each god will endow their champion with extra abilities, and consequently, that means they, the gods, cheat like crazy! The mages live their own lives until we find them so many have romances and whatnot, sometimes even families, and you have to convince them to leave them behind. Some of them, of not all of them, will die in the tournament except the winner. Twice the black mage has killed his former rivals in my tenure as tourney master for no good reason. Not to mention as soon as the black mage begins to show magical talent he or she will begin to inadvertently unleash horrible, dark creations on the six kingdoms to try and slow the development of the other mages. And, the current leader almost always tries to sabotage the tournament because they know they will die when the new winner is declared and they don’t want to give it all up.”

  “Really, has the current leader ever succeeded?”

  “Hells no! Not on my watch anyway, but it won’t stop them from trying. This is a long, difficult job.”

  “The black mage unleashes dark creatures without knowing what they’re doing?” Thelee didn’t sound convinced.

  “Sometimes yes, but sometimes the black mage does it as soon as they learn how. Either way, it usually does happen.”

  “”There’s nothing to stop them?”

  “Well, the red mage can. I will get into all that when we get around. Still think you can do this job?”

  “I can do it!”

  Ephaltus eyed Thelee with consternation. “Let’s get into the meat of it then, if you think so highly of yourself. Do you know the magic disciplines you face? You said the disciplines appear at random earlier, that isn’t entirely true.”

  “Why do you mean? I thought the mages all developed magical powers and they manifested at puberty.”

  “That much is true, but each mage follows a pattern. The red mage always has blood magic and can do just about anything they set their minds to doing. They can boil your brains right inside your head. The blue mage commands the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water. They can freeze you as well as burn you alive at their whim.

  “They can do all that to me?”

  “Rhetorical you. Try to keep up! The grey mage is all mental and can see the immediate future, try sneaking up on someone to convince them to join you at the arena when they can see you coming, not to mention they will mess with your head. The black mage will make you wish you were dead, while they conjure up all sorts of dark creatures, and one of them might very well be your beloved, dearly departed grandmother! The white mage can manipulate you with the sweetest melodies and lyrics, and if you somehow silence them, they can dance and move their bodies to do even worse things to you. Don’t even ask me what they can do with a musical instrument! And finally, the worst of them all, the green mage. They use nature magic and shapeshift into any animal, plant, or race on the face of the Earth. Anything of nature follows their every command. Try not to let them turn you to stone, or trap you within an earthen prison.”

  “How do you convince them? How do you do this job if they are so powerful?” Thelee asked.

  “Well, most of the time, when I find them, they have yet to reach their full potential. So, we must be quick at finding them. Also, we are not without our own unique protection. I will teach you our own magic.”

  “As tourney master, are you immune to any of their magic?”

  Ephaltus cleared his throat. “I won’t lie to you, yes and no, more yes than no. I’ll get to all that if you make it through training. I can’t hand out all of my secrets all at once. Some knowledge and trust you must earn. You say you have found the red mage and the black mage?”

  “Yes, I have, master.”

  “Good, you see, we already have a head start on them. Do you know which one we need to go after first?”

  “The black mage?”

  “Hells no! The black mage will not understand what is happening for quite some time. No one sets out to be dark or evil, and even though the black mage is not always evil, they will struggle with their dark magic. It’s rare for a black mage to be the kind of person they need to become from the outset. No, the red mage is the more urgent of the two. Blood magic is addictive, the more they use it the more they like it and they more they like it the more they use it and so on and so forth. Often using it when they don’t need to.”

  “Is blood magic easier to defend against?”

  “No, all the magic disciplines are deadly. How they use their gifts depend a lot on their moral upbringing. Some have it and some don’t. The gods try to choose the best of the best for their champion but there are all sorts of factors involved. The other gods interfere a lot trying to sabotage the other. You will see.” Ephaltus took a deep breath and slapped his hands on his knees. “That’s enough for right now. I have been asleep for one hundred years. It’s time to eat something.” The dryads scrambled to please him almost as soon as the words came from his mouth.

  Part Two: Thelee’s Training

  The dryads set the long polished wood table with cheese, bread, and dried meats. They poured red wine into golden goblets and served it next to a cup of water. The Earth Chamber was all one room but it was cordoned off into several different areas. There was even a place where water fell through into an underground spring. Thelee ate freely, which made Ephaltus wonder when she was last fed.

  They ate quietly for some time before Ephaltus finally broke the silence. “To continue, when I begin your training I must warn you that the Mages are probably the easiest part of this job.” Thelee looked up from her plate to give him an inquisitive glance. “Remember when I told you the gods cheat?”

  “Yes,” Thelee said between bites.

  “They don’t like it when we find their champion early in their development. None of the gods can hurry along their mage’s individual discovery and growth. Also, each one of the mages has free will so that the tournament will be fair, but the gods will try their best to slow us down, you see. It always turns into a race against time, for the gods at least.”

  “So that their mage can grow more powerful before the tournament?”

  “Precisely so. Each mage will have their own pace. Like I told you before, the black mage is usually one of the slowest to come to grips with their abilities. Since you have already located the black mage, we can consider what kind of person they are.”

  “We can?”

  “Oh sure, we have our own abilities don’t forget.” He cut some of his dried meat into smaller chunks. “The longer the mage has to develop the more powerful they might become when they have to fight each other in the tournament.” He pointed his knife at Thelee absent-mindedly, “You know, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if you see some of the machinations of the gods even tonight while I train you. They usually begin the moment the Tourney Master awakens.” He took a bite of his roasted potato.

  Thelee set down her fork. “Now, that worries me. I don’t know how to do anything yet. What kind of trouble am I looking at here?”

  Ephaltus was dismissive. “Don’t worry about any of that. We have a few preparations to make and then we will make our rounds through each of the six kingdoms. Sometimes the best way to find our mages is through the court of the emperors and kings. Sometimes visiting the inns and villages will expose rumors here and there.”

  “I meant our defenses and magic. What can we do when the need arises?”

  “You will find all that out at our first preparation at the Arsenal of the Way. And before you ask, the Arsenal of the Way is the place where the Tourney Master keeps all his or her toys.”

  “Do you
have anything I need to know about here at the Earth Chamber?”

  “No, of course not. Why would I keep weapons here where I sleep?”

  “For protection.”

  “Absolutely not! The dryads take care of me, and any tourney master for that matter, while I sleep. They would never allow the artifacts from the arsenal inside the Earth Chamber.”

  “Oh, that’s good to know,” Thelee said.

  A prickle of suspicion crawled up Ephaltus’ spine. He eyed her for a moment until she began to squirm in her chair a bit. She picked up her fork, dug into a hunk of cheese, and brought it up to her mouth to nibble. Ephaltus returned to his meal, “You ask a lot of strange questions. Where did you say you came from again?”

  “Tamania, sir.”

  “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-two years last birthday.”

  “You do realize this job lasts for one thousand years before you get to resume your life again. You will look as old as me by that time.”

  Thelee nodded, “Of course I do.”

  “All right. Well, get that cheese eaten up and we’ll get started.”

  Thelee dropped the fork with the hunk of cheese still on it, “I’m ready now.”

  Ephaltus took one last bite of his dried beef and then abruptly got up from the table slapping his hands together, “The first thing we need to do is inspect the arena.” He made it a point to signal one of the dryads where Thelee couldn’t see. “We just need to use this.” He took a piece of parchment from a shelf. He opened it and a thin blue haze evaporated off it.

  “What is that? It’s magical!”

  “A spell to get us around quickly.”

  “But the arena is just outside. The Earth Chamber is in the circle where all six kingdoms meet.”

  “I know.” He watched as the dryads surrounded Thelee.