Battle Mage: A Hero's Welcome (A Tale of Alus Book 8)

by Donald Wigboldy

  Gerid stepped forward from the group a single step as he answered, “I am he. Unfortunately a sailing trip after the Cataclysm to check on those caught in the heart of the turmoil in the North Sea turned out to be an extended trip that I could not end until recently.”

  The king’s eyes narrowed slightly judging the giant before him. “Explain yourself fully, if you are the king of kings and an immortal, I think you should have the time.”

  Chuckling with little humor in his voice, Gerid nodded and replied, “Being immortal I do have plenty of time. The emperor’s black ships caught my much smaller merchant ship while investigating a new island that already had a castle serving the emperor’s interests. Holding my men as hostages, he forced me to give myself up in exchange for their lives.

  “Since then, I have spent my time on an island prison designed to trap me there whether I chose to try and sail free or not. There were other people there and we built a village while expanding our farms to settle the whole island.”

  Gesturing to Sebastian and the others, he finished, “My friends from Southwall and Malaiy discovered me and destroyed the barrier holding me prisoner. I have returned to see my descendants and perhaps lend a hand in driving the emperor back into his hole. Maybe this time I can even kill him in a way that will prevent his further malice.”

  King Qeyless glanced to the boy beside him as if to see if the prince was still paying attention as the adults talked. The boy’s eyes were wide with even the most skeletal of stories. Sebastian had also noted several points left out by the Grimnal; mainly that the people already using the island were the merfolk. Equally legendary and probably more mythical since few had ever been able to find one, the merfolk lived in anonymity for a reason and Gerid wouldn’t risk having surface men going off to find or even capture them.

  “After nearly two hundred years, how did these people manage to stumble across your island? Others have gone in search of your lost ship both shortly after the Cataclysm thinking to find you alive and since then hoping to find the wreckage and evidence of your death. These people simply found your island, an island no one else has found in nearly two hundred years?” the king asked sounding less convinced than when he had started.

  Sebastian stepped forward and introduced himself, “I am Falcon Sebastian Trillon, your majesty, and leader of the expedition to find the Grimnal, if I am allowed to speak?”

  At a dismissive wave from the king, the battle mage continued, “At the Winter’s Edge tournament in Hala, I met High Wizard Darius from Eremia, another immortal like the Grimnal. We spoke together of our belief that Gerid Aramathea was not dead and how we could prove that.

  “The high wizard repurposed a gate finding talisman that was calibrated to find traces of the Grimnal. Using relics from Hala for those traces, I set out with Lady Annalicia’s ship, the Sea Dragon to find him. We investigated several islands with evidence of his passing and drew the attention of the emperor’s wizard hunters. Even plagued by their attacks, we eventually discovered Gerid and his people on the island which the emperor had designed to hold him and his children.

  “After we defeated a last attack from the Wizard Hunters and drove them off, my team and I were able to disable the barrier to finally allow the Grimnal to return home.”

  Again the prince looked eager to hear more stories, even though the battle mage had barely touched the surface of the many adventures and dangers he had faced along the way. The king seemed less impressed as he turned from the young mage to the giant and asked, “So saying that I believe you are he, what is it that I can do for you, Grimnal?”

  Taking over as Sebastian stepped back allowing the man to explain since a mere falcon wasn’t important enough for a king to care about when a giant proclaiming himself the Grimnal stood before him, Gerid shook his head and explained, “It isn’t what you can do for me, King Qeyless, it is what we need to warn you about concerning your colony on Litsarin.”

  Sitting forward slightly, the king’s hand rose to rest his bearded chin as he rested his elbow on the arm of his chair. “And what about my colonies brings this concern?”

  Sebastian could feel the new tension building in the king and worried that their warning would be received in the wrong way.

  Gerid didn’t seem to care as he pushed onward and said, “We have a wizard on board the Sea Dragon who knows much about finding the portals his warlocks have been creating for centuries. The compass the wizard uses tracked several gates to eastern Litsarin that have been active of late. While he closed those, we believe that more warlocks and their guards have used the east gates to begin to move on your colonies.”

  Sitting straight once again, the king frowned and questioned, “How can you assume that the emperor suddenly wants Litsarin? I assume that what you are saying is that you believe that he has found a way to try and conquer lands beyond the mountains he holds north of Southwall.

  “You travel with wizards and mages from Southwall. They may have simply told you this to influence you. You have been away for so long that you have little knowledge of the world as it is now. Southwall would have us send armies to deal with a foe contained for centuries and now they are using you to instill fear that they can attack my cities? That is preposterous.”

  Maura angrily spoke without permission saying, “We don’t beg from kings sitting on their islands in safety because we keep them safe. We have seen the emperor’s warlocks and fought them many times across the North Sea and on Litsarin. Your mayor asked us to give you the message to help them. We didn’t have to come here to be insulted by you!”

  Turning on the wizard like an angry beast, Gerid raised his hand as if to strike the woman and commanded, “Your opinion was not asked for, wizard, now silence!”

  Sebastian knew that it was for show, but Maura paled first in fear and then anger. Maura still had the sense to be quiet. The mage wondered if her outburst and subsequent quelling by the Grimnal didn’t help build the relationship between the kings.

  Turning back to King Qeyless, Gerid appeared apologetic and asked forgiveness, “I am sorry, your highness. This woman is a research wizard I am told. Unfortunately while she is good with books, the woman has no sense for dealing with lesser people and certainly no idea of how to speak to a king of so many.”

  Qeyless looked a bit red with anger at the wizard’s outburst, but his calm was slowly returning. “Wizards in general should be seen and not heard. You would think that a wizard would have more sense than a simple battle mage, but I guess strength in magic doesn’t necessarily make for intelligence or manners.”

  Feeling Maura’s anger radiating from several feet away, Sebastian caught her eyes and frowned a warning at the woman. While she wasn’t truly a member of his team, he had led and proven himself capable. The younger mage could control her when he needed to and this was one of those points.

  Maura settled and Sebastian turned to see the king had caught their exchange. A slight smile touched the man’s lips at the sight of the older wizard settled with just a stern look.

  “You, falcon, are you the one that they spoke of who joined the wizards’ tournament?”

  At Sebastian’s nod, Qeyless commented, “Remarkable. That a battle mage could rise so high in a tournament to humble wizards and now I suspect that you lead here as well.

  “You let the Grimnal speak, but do you control the giant as well?” he asked with a bit of humor. Gerid fought the urge to frown and Sebastian could tell that despite his calm features.

  “As I said earlier, your highness, I led the mission to find the Grimnal. The wizard is a consultant and, of course, I defer to Lady Annalicia in regards to her vessel, still I have done my best to respect their guidance while doing my best to lead them.

  “As to the Grimnal, I am but a falcon in service to King Alain and my country. I never dare to say I could control him anymore than I have the right to dictate to any other king.”

  Qeyless stood surprising the mage slightly and the king asked, “Is the
warning for my colonies true, in your opinion?”

  Nodding immediately, Sebastian answered, “I fear that the towns in the east have been servants of the emperor since their founding. The mines feed the empire and the harbors bring revenue to him while hiding his ships until he needs them.

  “With gates found at Banosh and Parik, it is easy to assume they are closely connected. While we destroyed the gates there, since then the compass has revealed new portal activity on the island. We inconvenienced them, but haven’t ended their connection, so warlocks must be opening the new portals.

  “Wind riding we managed to spot a few groups heading west, so we warned Helsen hoping they could warn the other cities while we rushed to speak with you, King Qeyless.”

  The king frowned at the news. Turning to look at one of the officials, Qeyless stated, “Have Lord Ferin take my place with the petitioners. I need to speak with the Grimnal and this mage further on these matters.”

  Chapter 28- Old Stories

  Sebastian looked around at the large antechamber they had been escorted to where King Qeyless stood beside a large table holding a map which featured most of North Continent and the islands of the North Sea. A dozen soldiers stood with them, but now his group had been filtered down to just Sebastian, Gerid and Annalicia. The rest of the team had been made to sit on a set of benches near where they had entered the hall.

  Maura had looked angry at the slight, but the wizard had mishandled her attempt to speak with the king and he had subsequently snubbed the woman in return.

  Gerid was the first to speak in a friendly way as he began, “King Qeyless, am I correct in judging this fine lad must be your son? I am afraid that at this point I know nothing of the current families of the kingdoms I once knew.”

  Smiling like a proud parent, the king nodded and said, “This is Prince Gideon, my third son. His brothers are old enough to help govern in other ways and are away from Tarmand at the moment.”

  “Gideon?” the immortal mused looking towards the ceiling as he thought. “That is a good name. Is he named for the king of Sileoth who stood against the Tyrant of the North in my early years?”

  Looking surprised by the Grimnal’s knowledge, Qeyless nodded and replied, “Well, he is the one that many have been named after since. It is a popular family name, since the great things he achieved in helping defeat the king who wished to conquer North Continent.

  “The legend we are taught is that he fought the mad king and united the remaining kingdoms against his dragons and gargoyles. If not for him, the north would have been defeated before you brought reinforcements.

  “As one who lived through it, are our legends correct?”

  Sebastian could feel that this was yet another test of the king for the man he believed was merely stating that he was the Grimnal.

  “When the mad king Merrick discovered the Mar’goyn’lya, or gargoyles, with his sorcerers, he found weapons that no man could stand against for a time. He took over nations in days with the power of his new soldiers. When Cadmene stalled him with their knights, he brought the Che’ther dragons reinforcing his strength with the monsters. King Terris had to surrender or watch all his people die.

  “That was when he moved on to your ancestor, King Gideon. He was a smart man and knew that alone, he couldn’t stand against Merrick’s forces. He gave up Entias sacrificing only one unit of his army and the city. Most had evacuated and the king joined with Maris to the north.

  “The two kings with sorcerers adding to their armies by creating giant golems and using the rest of their magic, managed to fend off the advancing Merrick for months. Your ancestor led well and managed to work with the king of Maris without egos getting in the way.

  “In some ways, Merrick’s queen and the rebels within the conquered lands were as much the reason Merrick failed, though I brought mercenaries and pirates to bolster their numbers. Our combined forces, the dragons and gargoyles leaving his army along with a few other variables brought the self proclaimed emperor of the north down in defeat.”

  Eyes glazing as he looked back in time, Gerid finished with a nod and said, “King Gideon was a good man and someone to strive to be like. It is indeed a good name to have for your son.”

  The boy’s mouth was slightly ajar with the story of his ancestor and even King Qeyless appeared impressed. The king sighed as he replied, “If you aren’t the true Grimnal, you certainly fake it better than I could imagine. The general stories in Sileoth praise Gideon, but some called him a coward for leaving his city to be taken by the emperor or tyrant as you call him.

  “The official records still exist and every king usually reads that history to learn from it. Gideon recorded his acts very candidly in the records. He said much the same as you just now. While Sileoth says he united the remaining kings, he stated that just Maris remained willing to fight with him and that he was a king without a country fighting the emperor for years until the Grimnal arrived with a proposal for victory.”

  Gerid looked thoughtful. “I am sure that he had an ego when dealing with him in later years, but King Gideon put his people, soldiers and kingdom ahead of his personal feelings, especially back then. A very good man, indeed.”

  Qeyless looked at Sebastian and questioned, “Now that I can believe he is the Grimnal or close enough for me, what is it you think you see happening on Litsarin?”

  “We have been fighting the emperor and the one we call Betrayer for much of the last year. In Banosh, I sensed more of the Betrayer’s work. He used his magic to bring the enemy into Windmeer last summer. Now I have seen him in Parik as well.

  “The emperor doesn’t always just seek to just use force to get his way. He first used trickery to enter our world after all.

  “We were barely away from Litsarin when new portals began showing up on our wizard’s compass. He waited for us to leave with the wizard who could close portals and found a way to keep warlocks out of our sight to reopen what we tore down.

  “If the emperor has decided that he wants all of Litsarin, then your rich colonies like Helsen will be in his cross fire. Any kingdom would appreciate the wealth centered there. If he doesn’t wish to share any longer, the emperor can use his portals to bring armies large enough to tear down the walls. If spies infiltrate the cities; new portals can bring soldiers and warlocks inside the walls to destroy them from within also.”

  The king looked unhappy with the news, but he asked, “If he can move his armies so easily, what would stop him from attacking Sileoth directly? Does he have these portals here?”

  Annalicia spoke up hoping to be a comforting voice in the midst of the troubling news, “Our portal expert has seen no portals in Sileoth so far.”

  “Though have you heard the men calling for you to attack Southwall to take the southern cities?” Sebastian asked curiously of the king.

  Looking a bit ambushed by the question, Qeyless replied carefully after a moment’s pause, “My men have been monitoring these malcontents who have shown up recently trying to stir up the people. With the north so heavily populated, maybe a few might agree with them, but no one in their right mind will bother to listen.

  “I have no intention of turning on my ally. Surely you weren’t inferring that these instigators voiced my thoughts in the square,” he finished showing concern in their beliefs. Sebastian wasn’t sure if Qeyless was fearful that they would spread such beliefs to his allies or if he was insulted that the mage might suggest such an insult to his honor.

  “Of course not, your highness,” the owl replied as he should whether there was any doubt or not. “We heard that there were similar men in Helsen preaching a revolt of the colonies against you and Sileoth as well. The odds of both happening simultaneously without encouragement from another source would make for a safe bet.

  “No, what worries me isn’t that these men are trying to instigate such ideas, but I wonder if among them there might be any warlocks.

  “The compass revealed no gates in Sileoth, but there are portal
s to the north and they are closer than Ensolus or the north end of Southwall for that matter. It would be a simple enough matter for these instigators to come aboard a ship from New Harbor or Southpoint. They wouldn’t need to use a portal just to send spies to stir up trouble in your cities. All they need here is a distraction to help keep you from seeing what is going on in Litsarin, just like they hope to cause distrust in the colony cities.”

  King Qeyless started to look angry at the idea. “They hope to distract me from fortifying my interests in Litsarin and hope to create bad blood between us. I will have my soldiers haul them off to cells so deep that they will forget what the sun looks like in a very short while.”

  “You will want your wizards to make sure that none are warlocks in disguise,” Sebastian cautioned. “You wouldn’t want to place them inside your castle’s dungeon and have them bring an army from within.”

  He thought of how Palose had done a similar thing making him the Betrayer of Windmeer.

  The king nodded. “Good idea. The emperor won’t find us so easily duped or unready to defend the kingdom.”

  While Qeyless took possession of the idea, they quickly laid out their plans to return to Hala and warn King Alain of his ally’s difficulties with the emperor. No one would want to give the emperor a second front to attack from leaving Southwall in particular caught in a two sided battle. At least, with the North Sea separating Litsarin from the mainland, they couldn’t attack by land.

  Another hour passed as the king readied a message to his ally in Hala. Placing his seal on the scroll and giving them his thanks, King Qeyless sent them on their way once more. There was no proposed dinner with the king for their assistance or other forms of thanks, but Sebastian was alright with that as he was thankful that the meeting had gone so well in the end.

  Sebastian was a bit surprised to find Drayden waiting for them on the deck of the Sea Dragon. It had seemed too short of a time to find, grab and interrogate one of the men; even if they had spent a couple hours speaking with King Qeyless by the time they had left the castle. Still the mage had witnessed just some of man’s apparent abilities and skill over the last couple months. It wasn’t beyond the captain to surprise him.