Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus)

by Wigboldy Jr, Donald

  “Winter’s Edge should be over now,” Elzen stated as the mage walked alongside of her. He had foregone a jacket as he wore a long sleeve shirt. It was heavy winter weight material, but still the young man was pushing the boundary of how warm the day might be.

  After so many months of cold, it did almost feel like summer compared to the miserable winter temperatures, but Rilena wasn’t as brave. Her leather jacket was open revealing a similar shirt to Elzen’s, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to release the protection the leather afforded against the occasional wafting breeze. Her eyes watched Garosh’s back as she had so many times now, ever since that first ride back from the fortress; but her hate was a thing of the past. She hadn’t come to complete forgiveness for the mistreatment at his hands, but it wasn’t as hard to look at him now.

  “I wonder how Sebastian did?” she replied half heartedly. It wasn’t the first time they had discussed the matter. In fact, over the last week when it was scheduled to run, Elzen seemed to ask her that question almost every hour like clockwork. She worried over her friend, but in a controlled event like the wizard duels Rilena was fairly confident he couldn’t seriously harm himself.

  Elzen started counting on his fingers. “If Hala sends word by peregion, it could reach Norcrom in about three days. With another four days to Blackwall and almost five days to reach Windmeer, it will still be at least a week until we will hear anything,” he said disappointedly as the boy did the math.

  “How do you know all the days of a bird messenger’s flight?” Rilena asked in surprise. He sounded so sure in his numbers that it sounded like more than an educated guess. “Did you ever visit those towers or something?”

  Looking at her in almost as much surprise, Elzen was forced to laugh as he reminded her, “There was a class on inter city communication and the time to travel between towers. I always liked the birds so I guess that it stuck. The birds are the fastest means of communication since they don’t have to deal with hills and turns.

  “For a rider basically double that time. Even using the wall to speed a rider along, it’s almost double.”

  Rilena smiled wickedly and asked, “What if they change horses and riders at each tower so it is fresh?”

  “Um,” he started to try and remember if the idea had ever been covered.

  “Or maybe what if there were archers set up so each archer shoots the maximum distance of his bow, then it gets picked up and is fired by the next and so on?”

  “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?” the boy asked with a pout starting to form if only in jest.

  “Oh, but what if a gust of wind blows the arrow over the edge of the wall or the archer just misses his target? Then someone would have to run down below to get it. That would be a shame,” the girl continued on as if oblivious to Elzen’s complaint.

  “They could form a line at the base of the towers and avoid that. By the way, I know you are definitely messing with me now,” he said rolling his eyes at her joke.

  “You know Sebastian and I traveled through the ground or through plants or something due to Wizard Druick’s nature spell. We moved for miles to find the caravan after it had been moving through the hills towards the east and Windmeer. If they could do that easily, wizards could move between cities much faster than anything else. I wonder if it would be possible, but wizards would need to be willing to do so. They could carry packs of mail though so that would be more convenient than one of the birds,” mused Rilena much to Elzen’s chagrin, though the two soldiers in earshot began to laugh.

  Shaking his head, the boy mage replied, “You really know how to milk something don’t you?”

  Laughing at her thoughts, Rilena shrugged. “Sorry, but you started it; and it really is surprising that some wizard hasn’t solved the problem of communicating between cities magically or practically by now.”

  “Gah!” he shouted bringing silence to the nearby crowd and unwanted attention to their group.

  “Nice weather?” she asked willing to change the subject.

  Elzen nodded and added, “The king picked a good time to name his tournament Winter’s Edge. If Hala’s weather is anything like ours, it literally changed right after the duels should have ended.”

  “And you wonder how he did and who won.” It was her turn to complain and they both laughed.

  The gate opened depositing Palose near his hidden touchstone. This one he left where it was. Blackwall had been seeded with a stone, but the mage knew little of the city. Now two days of walking had led him out of sight of the guardian city, but today wasn’t about extending his range.

  Calling up a second portal, the dark mage strode through and into an alley. Stone walls rose up for a couple stories around him and he looked up at the windows finding most of them open. It was much warmer in Cadmera where his uncle lived.

  He had come in the night in an effort to use stealth. The river city was close enough to North Wall to receive information like a betrayal of Windmeer long ago. With the river and ships moving up and down its length, Palose knew that news of his part in it had certainly preceded his note, when he found both note and touchstone pin thrown away.

  Barely waiting long enough for the note to be delivered, it was still outside his uncle’s home when he had arrived. The mage had found and taken back the pin. It was possible that he could use them to increase the cities he could reach similarly to the first three notes. He had found a secluded spot a few blocks away to plant a new touchstone. By moving his gate point away from his uncle’s home, Palose hoped to avoid being discovered by those who knew him.

  It was another brief stop as the mage double checked his surroundings and the security of the gate point. Feeling comfortable with his choice, the mage was off once more through another portal.

  Shadows held his new point of entry as he exited between overhanging roofs in a tight spot between two buildings. More of a breezeway than an alley, there were no windows to reveal the mage’s portal. Stepping free of the two buildings, the sound of carts hauling ore, smiths’ hammers striking and working the metal into bars and the general noise of a town devoted to mining was all around him.

  Though closer on a map to Windmeer, Fort Maridith lay on the other side of the mountains from the northern city. Positioned halfway up the mountainside of Press Mount, the mining town was a rougher version of the cities along the coast or even manning the relatively dangerous areas near the North Wall. It was also still cool in the mountains even as much further south as the town was, since the elevation and the winds channeled through the mountains only let the town feel true heat in the depths of summer.

  A bell sounded in the distance from the Silmarin River where the dock yards held ships traveling between the fort and the southern cities of Siltrene and Mariport. From there, the metals and rare stones could be sent not only to other ocean cities in Southwall but around the world. Perhaps one day he would take one of the ships and see where his fortune might take him, but this day wasn’t for sight seeing or creating new jump points.

  Having made sure of his gateway choice, Palose returned to the breezeway. His cousin had been working in the mine for days when this message had arrived and the letter had been left in the mailbox of his home nearby. The mage had collected the touchstone pin without his ever knowing of its arrival and that was best as far as he was concerned.

  His next portal lit the shadows briefly and the mage was gone once again.

  “That was quick,” the three words came from the silence in the front room and would have surprised him more, if Sylvaine hadn’t asked to come this morning.

  Over the last week, the emperor had been having the mage take Acheri and Lanquer to Windmeer and he had a feeling that the curly haired apprentice was beginning to miss him. He had little time of late and had been forced to cancel some of their training sessions because of the need of the emperor and his family. His usual time of moving the touchstones to the east or west had been maintained at the emperor’s behest. Having someone
capable of opening portals behind North Wall meant an obvious advantage for Ensolus and Kolban understood that, though Palose often wondered if the boy emperor actually cared about destroying Southwall for good.

  “I was only checking on the portal points today. If they could be easily compromised, then I would have needed to move them or remove what had compromised them.”

  “What or who?” the girl asked still bundled up in her jacket. She hadn’t started a fire, and the room was still cold since the house was shielded from the sun.

  Shrugging at her question, Palose changed the subject. “You know it’s already warm in Cadmera. The sun was shining and I had to take off my jacket. You would think winter was over if you were there.”

  Sylvaine sighed knowing that he was avoiding her question, and worse he was rubbing it in that he could escape Ensolus so easily. “If you could use one of your gates to bring summer here early that would be great. Until then, my jacket remains bonded to my skin. Enjoy your time in the sun while your friends continue to freeze in this cave and please stop flaunting it so cruelly.”

  Walking over to the sofa where the girl would have appeared to be lounging had she not been so bundled up, Palose extended her his hand. “You could enjoy some time in the sun too, if you want.”

  “Are you serious?” the girl asked as her violet eyes widened in surprise. “I thought that you said you weren’t strong enough to take anyone with you.”

  Her cold hand was placed in his and the warmth of the south spread from his fingers. “Well, first I have been using them so much that forming a portal has become easier. Second, it seems like my magical strength has kept growing since Atrouseon pulled me back. Kolban said a side effect of his resurrection spell was that he shared some of his power with me. It was also like creating a bigger hole in a jar, I think. My magic flows stronger and the pool refreshes quicker as well.

  “How much comes from Atrouseon, I don’t know; but I can tell that I am stronger.”

  Looking at him critically, the apprentice slowly agreed. “When I first met you, your strength was like a modest wizard at best, but your current power feels close to a typical full wizard. How is that possible?”

  Shrugging at the question, since he had little idea beyond what Kolban had conjectured Palose looked down into her violet eyes as she stood close to him and asked, “Are you ready for some sun?”

  He cast the portal and added more strength than his solo gateway. Holding onto the girl’s hand, Palose pulled her after him into the silver light. It was a momentary feeling of the wind and light as usual, but the mage made sure to hold onto his spell as he passed through the doorway onto the packed earth of the alleyway.

  Turning as he exited, his eyes followed his hand holding onto Sylvaine’s as her arm and body quickly followed. Inadvertently blocking her path, the girl’s body bumped into his. Her head rested against his shoulder as their free arms caught hold of one another.

  “Sorry,” Palose apologized immediately as he watched the gate hold for several seconds more. “I turned to make sure you were alright and didn’t think about where I would be when you crossed,” he added with a chuckle flushing a bit with embarrassment.

  Her free hand was placed against his chest between them even as they rested against each other. Finally giving a gentle push away, Sylvaine looked up at him quietly appearing a little flush as well. “It’s alright,” she responded as the girl brushed at a lock of curls that had chosen to cling to his shirt and drop back into her face. “We can chalk it up to a training accident.”

  Looking around her, Sylvaine waved her left hand towards her face trying to fan a little breeze. “My, you weren’t kidding. It really is warm here. I think I may be a little over dressed for this weather.”

  Like most apprentices, Sylvaine wore a modest dress, this one being mostly gray wool. Her shoes were little more than slippers, but she wore warm stockings still to combat the cold air of Ensolus. With the sudden change, even having left her jacket behind, she looked warm and a bit flush.

  He pointed up at the sun just passing its zenith and warned, “It’s still early enough to think it might get even warmer, but we can take care of that.”

  Pulling her after him as Palose realized they still held each other’s hands since Ensolus, the mage led the girl through a few streets twisting and winding until they wandered into a crowd of people. Sylvaine marveled at the difference in this world. She had lived most of her life under the stone ceiling of Ensolus and only seen the sky in the distance through the opening above the defensive walls. Now to be in a city made of stone and wood, with the sky open wide over head and the sun shining blindingly down on them; the girl was almost overwhelmed.

  The trip to the fortress had been too short and cold to notice much outside. In fact, much of the time before Southwall’s armies arrived she was either in the mountain or in a tent trying to keep warm. That was more confining than the huge cavernous city, but more familiar than this.

  She was equally impressed as Palose pulled her into a shop. The front door was open to catch the early spring breeze and a handful of shoppers roamed the store. Sylvaine noticed that all the customers were women and then realized that the clothing consisted of dresses and other female pieces. There were many colors, which were as overwhelming to her as the sky, since the common colors were gray, brown or black. Apprentices rarely wore something other than brown or gray limiting them even more.

  “Good afternoon,” a woman in her middle years greeted a little more dramatically than was normal. She was very cheerful as the woman took in Palose and the pretty girl holding his hand. “Aren’t you two a cute couple? You look like you are still dressed for winter though, so I am guessing your young lady is in need of some spring clothing.”

  Nodding with a smile plastered on his face to mirror the saleswoman’s, Palose agreed quickly even as Sylvaine was nearly honest in refuting that she was his lady or part of a couple. The mage replied, “We came to visit my uncle, but failed to pack properly. Spring hit us faster than planned, though I suppose we should have really seen it coming, huh?”

  Glancing to the mage, who seemed to be someone else entirely all of a sudden, Sylvaine wondered at the ease with which he was blending in with the people in the shop.

  “You came from the north, I suppose?” the woman asked trying to build rapport, though being young she doubted that they had much money. They were travelers so that always had possibilities.

  “By way of Windmeer, yes,” Palose lied easily, though it wasn’t a complete lie for the mage who had been there in the morning checking his touchstone points. “Those mountains sure seem to direct winter at the city up north. So,... um,...” he searched for a name not given.

  “Arlaean,” the saleswoman offered the chatty young man.

  “So, Arlaean, I would really appreciate if you could help clothe my lady like the lady she is.”

  Sylvaine rolled her eyes as she turned her head away finding such talk too ridiculous not to avoid.

  “Well, she is lovely and this isn’t called Hala’s Best for nothing. We keep up with trends from the capitol and the southern cities. No one else in Cadmera can tell you that and not be lying.” She offered a hand to Sylvaine trying to draw her away from Palose whose hand the girl realized she still held. “We can’t very well have you changing in front of your young man, now can we? Don’t be shy. I have a couple ideas already, just from looking at your pretty face and this luxurious hair.”

  Once the girl was whisked away, Palose was left to his own devices and stepped outside where the air was cooler though the sun was shining brightly. He could hardly be the best sounding board for shopping anyway, so Sylvaine could handle this part of the trip. It should be fun for the girl who so rarely had been out of the city and had been under the control of the warlocks and wizards of Ensolus since she was a child.

  The only feeling he could compare was the release from Southwall and his relative autonomy gained in Ensolus. While the mage corps was
hardly oppressive, a cadet and even most falcons had their lives run almost entirely by the corps. Where they lived, what they wore as a uniform, when they had to leave and where they would be stationed for their next assignment were all given as orders with little input from those serving the system. Atrouseon took over as a guardian and master, but that relationship had deteriorated first from the warlock’s obsession over the emperor’s vessel and then from his current rudderless life.

  He was becoming his own man and knew that Atrouseon’s participation had already become superfluous since he no longer needed the warlock. Money he could get and he had the house. The emperor and his siblings had drawn him into their inner circle which was much closer than Atrouseon had ever managed to reach. Then there was his increased magic and the portal magic that would let him escape to anywhere he wished given a little work.

  A rap on the window behind him drew Palose’s gaze to see Sylvaine’s bare arms waving him inside. Entering the dress shop once again, the mage took in the curly haired girl with her hair pulled back in a red, braided cord. The cord matched a sundress covering her lower chest and held in check by strings going over her shoulders. Below her breasts the dress clung to her torso making the skirt and bodice seem to flare in greater curves to accentuate Sylvaine’s hips and chest.

  The girl looked slightly uncomfortable and asked cautiously, “Is it too much? I’ve never worn something like this and the red might be a little bolder than I intended.”

  Her hands began to wave with each worry from her nerves and the girl started to look away as if looking for help or a place to flee.

  “It looks marvelous on you,” he stated in a calm gentlemanly voice.