Crouching in a defensive position, the lion looked midway between attacking and fleeing.
“Do you speak?” the mage questioned the creature. “I come from Ensolus and am looking for the fortress.”
Easing its stance, the lion shifted becoming more human and he realized, more feminine. Her figure became nearly human as it was stuck between the lion and the woman. While her body remained covered in lion fur as it turned nearly human, her face seemed to retain more of the cat than human or orc. “I speak,” her voice came out as if it rolled in her throat uncomfortably before leaving her mouth.
“Are there others of your kind out here?” he asked managing to avoid looking around him nervously. The mage had made a target of himself after releasing his magic. He was far from helpless, but it made him uncomfortable.
“Maybe two dozen wolves and lions hunt this mountain. They trapped us under the stone but we couldn’t stand it in there. Those humans allowed us to hunt and roam the mountain, but we are not allowed to leave.”
She was being cooperative, but even as the lioness answered her eyes flicked to the rabbit struggling in his snare. “Who leads the fortress without Garosh?”
Eyes flicking to the rabbit hungrily, she replied, “Warlock Verian though some might say the wraiths of Garosh truly rule. Carianic is ever at his side and the others roam the tunnels making sure the others follow whatever plan is in play.”
“What plan is that?”
Edging towards the rabbit as her instincts pulled at the lioness, she shrugged and answered, “They seem to be waiting, but they won’t say for what. The giant surrendered and gave them orders, but we only hear what they want us to hear.
“Cravaugh says we will stay here free to hunt and away from the emperor. If we are, then Rena is glad. The cave city is no place for a lioness,” she finished and Palose was pretty sure that she was talking about herself in the third person.
“Did they destroy the second portal in the mountain?”
“Rena does not know about portals save that she came through one to be here on this mountain.” The lioness was in pouncing distance of the rabbit, but seemed unsure.
Lifting his prize in the air with his magic for Rena to take hold of with her clawed hands, Palose knew there was little more to be gained in talking to the lioness. “Where is the fortress?”
The lioness pointed behind her as she broke the rabbit’s neck. Its squeaks and squirming ended immediately. “Two hills on the west side, the men have made a camp there.”
“Thanks, Rena, enjoy your dinner,” the mage said before renewing his stealth spell. Her eyes followed the depressions made with each step as Palose covered the holes behind him. His illusion could only do so much once the lioness knew where he was, but from earlier he knew that the spells were working well enough.
Chapter 24- The Messenger
More than two score tents greeted Palose when he finally found the entrance to Garosh’s fortress. The mage moved swiftly and yet silently through the tents discovering that most of these were not for the human men of Southwall, but for the army of Ensolus. Orcs, goblins and men cooked, ate, slept and waited for something to change. These were the unlucky ones who had been left to obscure the fact that more than half the army had returned to Ensolus. Most of the forces which had come at Garosh’s behest had returned through the second portal before it had apparently collapsed or been destroyed. The biggest question was who had destroyed it.
If the men of Southwall could actually find and understand the gateway magic enough to destroy it, then maybe they had entered the fortress with permission and ended the threat. On the other hand, if the wizards of Southwall hadn’t found the portal, then why had those remaining destroyed their only hope of escaping should the men decide to try and destroy the fortress? It was the mystery he was there to solve.
Though passing through the tents had been easy enough, the massive gate securing the fortress was not likely to be as easy. Palose moved close to look at the problem before him. Stone buttressed a pair of iron bound doors in the center. The manmade wall ran from one side of the cave to the other and then nearly to the ceiling. Judging the gaps to be a tight fit if he wanted to test the twenty foot climb, Palose wondered if the security had become lax with the men of Southwall likely to have been visiting the men in charge of the fortress. They weren’t under siege since Garosh had surrendered and essentially were working towards being allies, which meant that they should be able to pass to and fro without much trouble.
Taking a deep breath and readying to run, Palose released his spells as he neared the doors. Rapping on the heavy obstructions with an obnoxious iron knocker, the mage waited for one of the doors to be pulled back to let an orc see the man in front of the entry.
“I am here to see Warlock Verian. I have an important message to deliver,” the mage stated figuring that to an orc he looked like any other human. It was doubtful that he would believe a human wasn’t with the guards roaming the mountain.
Giving a big sigh, the orc pulled the door farther open letting him in surprising the mage only in that it was so easy. Calling over another pair of orcs, the guard turned him over to the escorts already beginning to forget his arrival by the time he was walking away. Security was certainly lax for a fortress, Palose thought, though it had worked quite well for him.
As they walked, down a tunnel slowly descending into the heart of the mountain, the mage drew out a touchstone in a fairly empty space letting it drop onto his foot to avoid the noise of the stone colliding with the rock floor. Rolling off his foot, the touchstone was directed to the side of the tunnel where it rested with other small stones to be ignored. He could now bring others through to the fortress if he desired and could also use it for himself should the need arise.
In a simplistic set of turns, Palose followed the two orcs until they brought him to a double door at the end of a tunnel. They had passed several others along the way one of which led into an apparent jail or dungeon with a pair of doors that looked like they had been burned. Other marks and a lack of furniture had the feel of magic having been used. Having only the briefest of looks as they passed, the mage was unsure what had happened inside, though he had heard that a small group of Southwall wizards had been captured before being broken free in a strange use of magic that resembled portaling. Perhaps if he had time, the mage would have to investigate the mystery, but for now the doors opening in front of him drew his attention back to the matter at hand.
As the two wooden obstructions opened, he quickly took in a large room with a pair of plain tables set to either side. Maps covered one; lists and books the other. He noted two wizards look over as their conversation was interrupted. Two wraiths and a rough looking man stood nearby. The red eyes of the former were passionless, while the last man’s eyes were nearly rabid and ferocious as they met the disturbance.
A bald warlock wearing gold chains around his neck and rings on both hands, frowned at the orcs and asked, “What do you want? Aren’t you supposed to be watching the doors?”
“Messenger,” the one on Palose’s right stated gesturing with his thumb at the mage just behind him. Turning to go, the two orcs were obviously not trained for dealing with diplomats or even the warlocks they served. The man in his brown and dark red robes looked ready to stop them for only a moment.
Recovering from the abrupt rudeness of the orc soldiers, the warlock addressed the messenger. “You are a messenger? I sense magic about you. Have you come from those fools of Southwall? They seem to want to send someone every day, sometimes three visits even.
“I can’t tell your masters anything new that I haven’t already told them. Lord Garosh surrendered and before your wizards could dismantle the second gate most of the reinforcements escaped back to Ensolus. No, I can’t send your armies into the emperor’s city and I wouldn’t advise it. Now go back and leave us to watch over the rest of these orcs and goblins and give me a rest,” he finished waving off the mage as if he didn’t matter.<
br />
Palose considered that he probably wouldn’t matter to a trained warlock in his position. On the bright side, he had been given at least part of his answer in greeting. “My master wouldn’t approve of my leaving before finding out all I can. Since he is your true master unless you have decided to escape your duties to the emperor, I suggest we talk.”
The two warlocks looked at each other in surprise even as the scruffy looking man started to advance cautiously. The two orcs had closed the doors behind them, so there was no other reason for him to approach except to either try to intimidate or attack the mage.
“Shadow snare,” he gestured towards the approaching wolf man whose face had begun to change to that of a beast in his anxiety. The dark bands lashed out from his hand like shadows in midair. They wrapped around the man even a he tried to change to a beast hearing the two words of power.
Growling and straining at his bonds, the werewolf was forced to a halt even as the rest of the men began to react to the new magic. Swords left scabbards from the wraiths while the warlocks stepped back preparing to start their spells.
“Down, boy,” Palose ordered using the shadow ribbons to force him to his knees. His eyes stopped the others in their tracks as he warned, “I wouldn’t recommend attacking the emperor’s agent if I were you. If I die there will certainly be more coming and you as leaders will certainly be dead as well.” He glanced at the wraiths clarifying, “Some will be more dead than others.”
“You are no warlock,” a voice like bones rattling on stone announced from one of the wraiths. “You were an apprentice at the portal room and now you claim to be an agent of the emperor? This is a quick ascension for a resurrection man.”
“A resurrection man?” the first warlock questioned. “This is the one Atrouseon brought back from Windmeer? That stupid city is nothing but trouble. I knew Garosh was insane to give himself up to them when we could have easily destroyed their combined armies.
“Boy,” the bald headed warlock pointed at the mage as if he was worthless once more, “you have quite the audacity to come to my fortress and start threatening my officers. Now why are you here truly?”
“The emperor sent me to find out why the fortress gateway is closed and to find out who is responsible.”
“So you were expendable and he sent you,” the second warlock said with a laugh. “And if you found out that the fortress had turned against him, you would do what? You are alone. Your power in magic is slight and there are dozens of warlocks in the fortress as well as hundreds of goblins, orcs and trolls. You only have two hands and you are already wasting one on the dog. What makes you think we care to listen to you?”
As he spoke, the blond haired warlock began to step away from the bald man. His robes were mostly red with black gilding making him most likely a fire user. Palose could sense his power sitting at the ready and that his questions were masking that he was on the verge of attacking the battle mage dismissively. He didn’t believe that the mage had any authority given to him apparently.
“Why would a weak battle mage enter this fortress?” Palose countered as one of the two wraiths began to separate from the one who had spoken earlier. He remembered the first wraith’s name as being Carianic and that he was one of the creatures serving Garosh directly as a bodyguard.
The power in both warlocks was on the rise though no words or magical gestures could be seen. While he tried to keep the men intent on his words, the fingers of his right hand began to move. While it appeared the nervous twitching of a man debating on pulling his sword, Palose was actually executing a spell. Negotiations were unlikely to go well and as the warlock had stated, he was outnumbered and even given his speed the dark mage was unlikely to outfight two warlocks with wraiths assisting them.
“Mind lock,” he breathed while sucking in a breath. The hybrid spell concluded an incantation that would have revealed his intent had it been louder, but only the wolf man looked at him quizzically doubting that he had even heard something.
“Grab him,” the bald warlock ordered. “Take him alive and we will put him in a cell.”
The second warlock questioned the first, “We should kill him, Verian. If he were to somehow escape, he would tell the emperor of the break.”
“Just grab him. He knows that he has no play here, Hereseth. You’ll come along quietly, resurrection man, or experience death again.”
Palose remained locked in place and let the wraith Carianic take his arm with his rotting fingers. The shadow spell released and the wolf man rose suddenly free. He looked ready to exact some revenge, but the mage was already a prisoner. His confusion with the compliancy of Palose after the early show of strength was evident, but with two wraiths leading the mage he was unlikely to be trouble.
The six men walked down the hall finding the prison he had spotted on the way in and Palose was escorted to a cell.
“Chain him or he might use a spell to break free,” the warlock Verian ordered the wraiths.
With no resistance, the mage let them bind him and his eyes looked at the lead warlock unblinkingly. The second warlock looked a mixture of arrogance and surprise at the ease with which they had taken the emperor’s messenger in hand.
“You are a bit of a disappointment,” Hereseth stated his face showing his words echoed the sentiment. “If you truly serve the emperor, then I would have thought that you would have at least gone down with a fight.”
Shrugging, he made the chains clink with the movement, but Palose didn’t say a word.
“Leave us,” Verian ordered the others as the cell closed and was locked by the wraith. “I want a word with him a moment.”
Hereseth started to protest, but the older man cut him off saying, “I am in charge until Lord Garosh returns. Now go and close the doors behind you so that I am not disturbed. He might become rather loud while we talk anyway.”
Starting to smile, the blond haired wizard realized that Verian meant to torture some information out of the messenger and not wanting to be disturbed meant that he would use magical means to extract that information. Like Lord Garosh, Verian knew how to create pain to make someone talk.
“Enjoy your talk, Verian,” he said with a laugh. “You too, messenger.”
His laughter could be heard until the doors closed.
Once the doors were closed the bald warlock hurried to the ring of keys placed on a table by the wraith after locking the cell. His hands fumbled to find the right key among a dozen, but quickly opened the iron barred door before unlocking the mage’s shackles. In moment’s, the two had exchanged places in fact.
Locked in place, the warlock suddenly blinked groggily as Palose looked on the man. “Did you destroy the portal to help join Southwall or did they find the portal room and do it for you?”
Like he was in a daze and not quite awake, Verian replied, “Lord Garosh ordered us to send those not from the original fortress army back to Ensolus and then destroy the second gate.”
“Why?”
“Lord Garosh fears that the emperor will no longer need him now that he has a new body and his new family. He fears that the emperor will destroy him. It is why he volunteered to be the one to take the risk of creating the fortress in Southwall’s lands. Once it was completed, he would have destroyed the altar and we would have sued for peace with Southwall.”
Palose nodded hearing that the emperor’s unvoiced worries were merited. “Do those remaining share Garosh’s wish to be free of the emperor?”
Trying to resist his mind lock spell for a moment, the warlock finally confessed, “Yes, those who remain follow Lord Garosh and do not wish to follow the emperor any longer. His power has become weak. Even with the new body, most can not see themselves serving a child. He is no longer the god we once served.”
“He was never a god,” Palose rebuked quietly. “Kolban is the emperor and more powerful than anyone I have ever met however. You are fools to try and escape only this far, but we will see what Kolban decides when I tell him of your
betrayal.
“Now you promised Hereseth the sounds of pain. Start screaming like you are being tortured, but give time between each cry to try and make me talk.”
Verian suddenly screamed as if his arm were being cut from his body with a dull knife. As he began to scream every few seconds to take a breath and give the illusion that the mage was being asked a question, Palose quickly chanted his portal spell. The glow of the gate formed and the mage stepped from the fortress to the safety of his house in Ensolus. A pair of touchstones clattered on the stone floor as they rolled into the corners in case the emperor wanted to return.
Blinking as the glow of a gateway faded before the warlock’s eyes, Verian found his mind freed from the mage’s power. As his mind slowly awoke, the warlock looked down at his iron shackles and from them to the iron bars around him. The mind lock spell had let the mage dominate and share his thoughts. The messenger had steered his body and put words in his mouth. Even his thoughts had been tapped to pull Hereseth’s name to order his second as if Verian had control of what he said.
With a last shake of his head, the warlock began to get angry. The mage was more powerful than he had guessed and talented at mind magic besides. He had slipped in and gotten the information the emperor needed. If Kolban decided to act, Verian feared what punishment they would receive. They were traitors, all of them. The emperor had always treated those who betrayed him harshly. They would certainly suffer before they died.
“Help!” he called out loudly. “The prisoner has escaped! Help!”
How would they survive? Was it time to run and leave this place, even if it was in chains to be taken to a prison in one of Southwall’s cities? They would certainly treat him better than the emperor or his torturers.
“Help!”
The room was dimly lit by the curtained window as Palose stepped through the gate formed above the touchstones. His back was stiff with nerves until it winked completely out of sight. If someone with Acheri’s skill had found his gate, they could have pushed through in an attempt to silence him.
Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus) Page 36
