The (sort of) Dark Mage (Waldo Rabbit)

by Nelson Chereta

  Waldo just stood there for hours gazing at the rivers of fire shining through the dark. It was just so beautiful.

  XXX

  When the skies began to shift from utter darkness to the tiniest hint of grey Waldo knew the time had come. He would have a last meal with his family, gather his food and water and then set out on foot. The idea of leaving not just the castle but everything he knew scared him. Down deep he was afraid that he was as weak and useless as most had always thought. For all his brave words he knew he would probably never make it back. Death was not something to be feared. Waldo knew it was a failing that he could not think of his own death without a cold knot in his stomach.

  Had the others been afraid to die?

  The slaves always begged and screamed; but they were only slaves. Waldo was thinking of his siblings; those brothers and sisters who had sat at the table with him. The ones he had always been compared to, and to whom he’d always been found wanting. Had any of them ever been scared like this?

  They’d all been so strong and sure of themselves. Each one had fought to be heir and had been a true Dark Mage. He didn’t think any of them could have ever been afraid.

  Along with the fear there was something else. In his life he had stepped outside the castle walls on only a handful of occasions. What he knew of the Shattered Lands he’d mainly read in books or heard about from his mother. Now he was going to go and see it for himself. The idea of exploring and facing dangers was exciting. For the first time in his life he was going to be on his own. It was a thrilling thought. Excitement and terror warred inside his heart.

  Before heading down to breakfast there was one more thing he needed to do first.

  XXX

  “Sister, will you come and talk to me?”

  He waited as the colors swirled and Gwen took form.

  His sister appeared before him; throat slashed and skin stark white. She was looking at him with just a hint of amusement. “Hello little brother,” she said in her gasping voice. “Have you come to say farewell?”

  Waldo nodded. “I’m leaving on my First Quest today. I didn’t want to go without saying goodbye to you.”

  Gwen gave a slight nod. “I will miss you until your return.”

  “You sound very sure I’ll come back. No one else seems to.” Not even me.

  “I have told you, one day you will lead the family. Trust your big sister.”

  Waldo looked at her longingly; he wanted any kind of hope. “Will I do well in Galisia?”

  Gwen slowly shook her head. “You are not going to Galisia.”

  “Yes I am.” Waldo said. “I’m surprised you wouldn’t know that.” Maybe she couldn’t see everything that was going to happen. That was not a comforting thought.

  She shook her head again and spoke with rigid certainty. “You will not travel to Galisia or Lemur or Rutenia. If you go south you will die. If you go to Viscaya or Abura or Dacia you will die. If you go to Wylef you will die. If you go to Dregal you will die.”

  Waldo felt the ice in his stomach start to crawl up his throat. She had named off eight of the nine places he could travel to and announced they were death sentences.

  “Are you saying I have to go to Lothas? Isn’t it the most dangerous of the northern kingdoms?”

  She made no reply. She simply stared back at him.

  Thinking of going to Lothas something immediately occurred to him. “Wait! Are you saying Enver was being serious last night? Are you telling me I should actually follow his treasure map?”

  “Listen to me very carefully now brother,” Gwen said in a somber voice.

  Waldo gave a nod and paid her his full attention. When Gwen asked for him to take note it was always something important.

  Gwen spoke in a rhythmic voice.

  “Moon rises and sun sets, day turns to night and summer to winter. Five winters shall pass before you shall return. Long will your journey be and difficult your challenges. Three shall follow you; claws, horns, and fangs devoted to your service. They will journey with you to the forgotten keep, where you shall find your treasure. Your return shall be glorious, but turn to ash in a moon’s turn. When brother, sister, and mother are gone you shall stand above all others. What is broken you will make whole.”

  When his sister finished Waldo just stood there staring back at her. Obviously this was another one of her prophesies, but he really wasn’t sure what to make of it. A lot of it made no sense to him. Her words did seem to suggest that he would return in five years’ time. He also took special note of, ‘three shall follow you.’

  “Are you telling me I should follow Enver’s advice then? You’re saying he was actually serious last night?”

  Gwendolyn tilted her head to the side and blood spurted from her wound. “I have given you my help. You may accept it or not as you wish.”

  Waldo stiffened.

  “If you want me to follow Enver’s map why don’t you just say so?” Waldo asked. “Why does all your advice have to come in riddles? Why can’t you just tell me what is going to happen to me?”

  “I am dead little brother. You have to grant me a little bit of fun.”

  “I’m glad I amuse you.”

  “You always have,” Gwen responded with a rasping laugh.

  Waldo shook his head. “Thank you for helping me sister. You have always been very kind to me.”

  “If you are going to insult me I am leaving.” Gwen scolded.

  As her form began to dissolve she looked at her brother with real affection. “I will not say goodbye to you little brother. We will meet again. Whatever happens, no matter how hard, do not give into despair. Remember that you are destined to return home again. In glory and in blood.”

  His sister was gone and the mirror once more was empty.

  “Thank you sister.”

  Waldo hurried back to his room to recover the treasure map he had thrown away.

  XXX

  Enver’s map was taken out of the trash, neatly folded, and slipped into a pocket. Waldo would study it later. His plans from last night were now tossed aside, but all that really meant was that he would take the north road out of Alter rather than the south.

  Hurrying along a hallway Waldo came to a halt and glanced towards a partially opened door to his right.

  “Really?” Waldo said wearily. “Do you still want to play this stupid game, even today?”

  The door flung open and Walter rushed out.

  “Repulso!” Waldo waved a hand.

  Walter had not made it more than two steps before magical forces slammed him into the wall and pinned him there.

  “Damn you! Why can’t I kill you?”

  Because I can always sense you.

  He’d always had the ability to sense the undead. It was a rare talent that sometimes ran in his family. Waldo had told his mother but no one else about it.

  “I’ve told you before,” Waldo said. “No matter how well you hide there’s no way to disguise that stink.”

  “It’s your fault, all of this is your fault! When you’re dead I’ll be heir again, and I’ll have everything that should be mine!”

  Waldo wanted to laugh at the sheer stupidity of it. “Yes, I’ve heard that before.”

  “You stole my place!”

  Waldo was sick of being the target of his brother’s hate. Sick of the idiocy and the mindlessness. Since this was the last time he would be seeing Walter until his (hoped for) return he decided to go ahead and say a few things.

  “The reason I took your place is because you’re dead. The dead cannot rule the living. You know that!”

  “If you were gone she would have to make me heir! There is no one else!”

  “Wrong! There are the other branches of the family. Mother would choose one of them.”

  “No she wouldn’t!” Walter denied. “She would choose me! I’m her son! She would never pick some cousin or uncle or nephew she hardly knows!”

  Waldo shook his head. “Whoever leads the family must be able to mak
e contracts, perform the greater magics, and provide an heir. A zombie can’t do any of those things. Even if mother did choose you the council would never allow the choice to stand. Your chances to be heir ended the day grandfather killed you! I never had anything to do with it! Mother only put me on her right because she had to. I didn’t do anything to replace you, and even if you killed me it wouldn’t change anything.”

  “Liar!” Walter hissed and thrashed about trying to somehow free himself. “You were always just like the rest! Always plotting to destroy me and take what should be mine! I know it was you! I know it! I know it! I know it!”

  Watching the pointless display of fury only made Waldo shake his head.

  “You’re pathetic,” Waldo said and left with him still pinned. “Goodbye brother.”

  Walter screamed after him but Waldo didn’t bother to listen.

  XXX

  As was tradition Waldo had a big breakfast before setting out. His mother said very little and did not ask him what his plans were. Waldo could remember her acting the same whenever the others went out.

  The kitchen slaves brought him two full waterskins and a pack filled with jerky, nuts, dried bread, and other travel food. The slaves spoke well wishes and hoped for his safe return while keeping their eyes lowered.

  When the meal was finally finished he put on his backpack and waterskins and proceeded out of the castle proper, through the courtyard, and towards the main gate. His back was bending forward just a bit under the weight. Having to travel so many miles on foot toting everything on his back was going to be wearying.

  The morning sky was a barely visible ash grey. His mother was the only one to accompany him. When his brothers and sisters were still alive they would come and see whoever was leaving. Since Gwen and Walter could not join them for obvious reasons, it was just him and his mother. He wondered what it was like for her to be sending the last of her children off on a First Quest. It had to be hard, especially given the circumstances.

  Whatever she was feeling his mother gave no sign; her face was rigidly set and her demeanor utterly calm. She was certainly not behaving like this might be the last time she ever saw him.

  “I will definitely come back,” Waldo said as they came to the opened gate.

  The wooden drawbridge was down over the dry moat with its rusting iron spikes. Beyond was a rutted dirt road that led down to the city of Alter. From there he would follow the north road and begin his journey.

  Now that the moment had really come Waldo felt really scared. He looked back at the dreary castle and the undead shuffling along the battlements. He looked out at the volcanoes in the distance spewing ash into the sky and bleeding lava into the rivers of fire. The morning breeze was heavy with the stench of sulfur. How he would miss this place!

  His mother looked at him and there was a miniature smile beneath solemn eyes. “I am sure you will,” she agreed.

  Reaching into her cloak she produced a leather sack that jingled in her hands.

  “Take this; it is a hundred gold coins. I made sure they are all foreign mint, you will only find ducats and denari; no gold skulls. It’s all I can do for you.”

  “Isn’t this against the rules for a First Quest?”

  “Oh it’s completely against the rules, but then so is setting impossible conditions. Now go ahead and take it.”

  “The whole point of the First Quest is to prove yourself as a Dark Mage. You’re not supposed to take anything with you beyond the necessities.”

  “That’s how it normally goes,” Lilith agreed. “But if the council is going to bend the rules I am too.”

  “Did you ever give any of the others money when they went out?”

  “No,” Lilith admitted. “But they all went on normal quests.”

  Waldo looked closely at the purse his mother was holding. Not having to worry about acquiring gold would make things easier.

  He shook his head. “I can’t take this.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s against the rules and I want to face this the way I am supposed to, the way the others did.”

  “The others went on normal First Quests,” Lilith reminded him. “For them it was a fair test of their abilities and their courage so I didn’t give them any extra help. Your situation is completely different.”

  Waldo again shook his head. “I want to do this the right way so that when I return you can know I succeeded on my own and be proud of me.”

  His mother blinked. “You really mean that? You honestly don’t want this gold?”

  “I mean it.”

  His mother stood there a moment, still holding the leather purse. “You are very brave my son.”

  “Thank you mother.”

  “You are an idiot, but a brave idiot.”

  She grabbed him by a shoulder and roughly turned him around. He could feel her tugging and opening up his back pack.

  “Mother what are you doing?”

  “What else? I’m putting the gold in your pack.”

  “But I said I didn’t want it!”

  “I heard you, why do you think I called you an idiot?”

  He opened his mouth to try and argue but his mother cut him off.

  “What did I always teach you about following rules?”

  Waldo sighed. “That rules only matter when you know you’ll get caught.”

  “Exactly, results are all that count my son. Just succeed and come home, that is all I care about. We are Corpselovers; we are bound by no laws.”

  “Not even the ones made by the council?”

  Finished Lilith tied shut his backpack. “We have to follow their dictates of course, at least as far as they can see. You don’t ever need to worry about what I think of you. I am only sorry I cannot do more.”

  “It’s okay mother. It makes me happy just to know you’d break the laws to help me.”

  “Well of course I would,” his mother said and placed an affectionate hand on his cheek. “After all you are my son, and more important to me than the council or anything else.”

  Waldo blushed and a simple happiness filled his heart and pushed away all the fear that had been there just moments before. His mother had never really shown him a lot of warmth growing up. “Thank you mother.”

  She gave a single nod and withdrew her hand as though afraid she’d already shown him too much kindness. “I will pray the Dark Powers to watch over you and see you safely home. I will offer a hundred sacrifices.”

  “Ah, I would be grateful for the prayers, but please don’t make any sacrifices for my sake. I have never liked having people die because of me, even if they are only slaves.”

  Lilith gave an amused shake of her head. “You have always been a bit strange my son, but if that is your wish I will honor it.”

  “Thank you. Goodbye mother. I will see you again.”

  “Goodbye my son. I will wait for your return no matter how long it may be.”

  Taking a deep breath Waldo took a step out onto the drawbridge and began his journey.

  Chapter 3

  Melissa

  Peabody was a small village in northern Lothas. It was located near the marshlands that were infested by goblins. Thousands of the vile creatures festered there, living in their filth and squalor. They kept mostly to themselves, but small packs would often go out to do a little hunting.

  It was said that human flesh was a goblin’s favorite food.

  There were forts and strongholds all along the frontier, manned by local militia and the King’s troops. They did what they could. The soldiers patrolled constantly and killed or captured any goblins they came across. The men couldn’t actually go into the bogs, those who did never came out again.

  Every few years the goblins would come out in force and go on a rampage. Whole families would be slaughtered and eaten, villages and forts would be burned to the ground. When that happened the king would raise the levies and lead the army into battle. The goblins would always be crushed and sent fleeing back
into the marshes. The army would follow after, in hopes of being rid of them once and for all.

  It never happened, in their bogs they knew how to disappear when they wanted to. The army would burn down the thatch huts they found and kill a few stragglers, but most of the goblins would simply vanish and be impossible to find. After a couple of weeks the men would start to complain and want to go home. The army would disband and the cycle would continue again.

  “They lack commitment,” she said to herself. “You can never accomplish anything lasting without commitment.”