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

by Donald Wigboldy

  Gathering those closest to him as well as Maura and her men, Sebastian’s group used Annalicia’s captain’s suite as they had many times before to hold their most important meetings.

  As the man was the reason for the meeting, Drayden spoke first, “I got one of the instigators alone and questioned him.”

  Sebastian could feel that those words hardly covered what the captain had actually done, but remained quiet as he continued.

  “At first, he didn’t want to cooperate, but with a little urging I was able to get him to tell me what we believed. His particular group of three came across the channel from New Harbor to try and incite riots and possibly even a war.

  “While New Harbor was where they caught their ship to Tarmand, apparently your friend Palose was the one who brought them along with others who went to other cities and towns in northern Sileoth to spread the word to attack Southwall. Beyond the basic words they had been told to bring here, the man knew very little. I doubt capturing anymore of them would yield much. They are just spies doing what they are told. What the end game is supposed to bring, when even they doubt that their words do much to inspire the locals to convince their leaders to invade Southwall, he wasn’t sure.

  “They were just told to come to Tarmand and do their best to recruit men and women to this made up cause.”

  Sebastian wasn’t surprised to hear anything Drayden revealed. The calls for revolution in Helsen and invasion of Southwall in the northern cities of Sileoth were simply too well organized and the timing was too precise to be a coincidence. “The king said his soldiers will round up every one trying to incite the invasion. His interrogators might find someone with more answers, but it doesn’t really mean much more than we thought. The emperor is merely using such these things as a distraction.

  “As long as we are correct that the invasion of Litsarin is the goal and not just another distraction, then our continuing to Hala to inform King Alain becomes that much more important.”

  Annalicia asked, “Should I tell Captain Delfren to prepare to set sail then?”

  The pretty little wizard looked wary of his answer as they were all growing tired of traveling. Those from Malaiy had been away from home and travelling for several weeks longer than those from Southwall, though Sebastian considered anywhere in Southwall home. He had either been travelling by horse or ship since before the end of winter as well, ever since Lord Romonus was saved by his squad of battle mages north of the wall so long ago.

  He looked at Ashleen sitting on the arm of a stuffed chair next to Liam. The wilder had made friends with all of his team members since before the wizards’ tournament a few months ago. She looked more comfortable with his people than she did with her own, at least with Helena in particular, the relationship had become strained without her master or Wendle around to act as a buffer to the little, rich girl. With her father dead and Helena more or less in charge, Ashleen had been unable to remain on the Carnivore, which left Sebastian with a question. “Are you going to return to the Carnivore? We will part ways here since we are returning to Hala and they are returning to Kardor.”

  Yara looked hopeful, but he ignored the healer as Ashleen appeared reflective before she answered, “If you will have me, I think learning magic with you and your team will benefit my home more in the long run. I still haven’t been able to create a portal or learn how to close one properly either.

  “Darterian has been teaching me the latter when he can. There are a few other things that I hope you can continue to teach me. I can always find my way back by land later.”

  Shrugging, even as he saw Yara’s face turn disgruntled, Sebastian answered, “If you are coming with us, then Helena will need to be told. We can’t have our allies believing that we kidnap wizards.”

  Laughing as Ashleen heard his words, the wilder explained, “You mean you don’t want them to think that you took me in exchange for Hyren and Themenor?”

  With a grunt at the thought of the deception the ambassador had used to gather a handful of wizards for Kardor, the mage agreed, “Something like that.”

  Folding her arms defensively, Ashleen stated emphatically, “I told her that I wasn’t coming back with her when I left the Carnivore at Banosh. I told her that I could find my own way home.”

  He could tell that Yara was trying to hide her disappointment and disgust at the other woman’s perceived attempt to remain near Sebastian. Worse, Bas thought Yara blamed him for not turning her away. While he spent no more time with her than any of his team; his past with Ashleen, as innocent as it was in truth, was still enough to create jealousy and distrust in the healer. He had spoken with her many times about having chosen Yara and that Ashleen wasn’t a problem, but maybe her presence was in fact a problem only because she concerned Yara.

  If Ashleen’s continued time spent with the team was enough to start creating a wedge between them, however, then he wondered what might serve to break them up. They were both different and the same, but the last few weeks seemed to have turned their close relationship on its side.

  It wasn’t a time to worry over his personal problems with the two ladies, however, and Sebastian decided as he turned to Annalicia, “Have Captain Delfren prepare to sail. I will go to the Carnivore and tell Helena myself. They can leave when they are ready. I think getting to Hala as soon as possible would be the best idea, but have the captain plan to head to New Harbor first. I want to check on the activity of the emperor’s men there.

  “If Palose is bringing these men through that city, then there is likely to be at least one portal in southern Southwall as well.”

  There was little more to be said about their plans, since their goals were simple enough. The emperor was working to put Sileoth into disarray, but the king was now aware of both the threats inside his cities as well as the one coming from Litsarin. King Qeyless would do what was needed to protect his kingdom, but it was up to Sebastian and the Sea Dragon to apprise King Alain as well as bring the Grimnal home to Hala.

  Sebastian worried that the emperor had found a way to bring his men into Southwall with new portals as well. New Harbor would hopefully yield more information as to what the Dark One had in store for his nation. The emperor’s ability to deceive was as great as the power of his armies. Bring the two together and Southwall could be about to see the worst attacks since before North Wall had been built.

  Palose stood in the portal chamber and created a gate to New Harbor for what seemed to be the hundredth time, though it was probably closer to just a dozen times over the last couple months. Two warlocks were there and held the gate for half a dozen men to pass through. He was just used for the location of the far off portal point and his duty was already done even if it was getting to be monotonous.

  Kolban had been trying to keep the dark mage closer to home of late. His report of Sebastian’s team defeating the ambush team in Parik and subsequent destruction of the three gates had made the emperor more cautious. As a being born and reborn whose lifetimes spanned more than a millennia, Kolban had learned to become patient. He could afford to wait and that wasn’t a trait the young man once had centuries ago.

  Evolving over time and through the change of bodies which had continued his life beyond his mortal years, Kolban seemed to toy with his enemies more now. While Palose had only been in Ensolus for a little under a year, he could see it in the faces of the Dark One’s advisors and often overheard them talking over the new emperor’s actions.

  Palose had even used Stasia and Talia to infiltrate certain households as servants to listen for trouble coming from the warlocks and generals who served Kolban. They did their best to hear what he needed, and was surprised how often the girls managed to find out what the men in the upper echelon of Kolban’s advisors discussed openly before servants.

  Men spoke to wives or had dinner parties with other men of power. Talk would inevitably move to discussing Kolban or his plans. Was the new being different than before or was it simply the emperor’s relief at f
inding a worthy new body that brought on the differences from only half a year ago? Such were their questions.

  For the most part, talk was favorable. As the emperor had been looking at his death, he had seemed to lose the will to destroy his enemies. If he attacked it seemed from desperation to not let his enemies outlive him, but now Kolban was using cunning few had seen from the emperor. Most men serving now weren’t alive before the escape from the emperor’s prison and only knew how he had acted since the Cataclysm.

  So far Palose had seen no sign of rebellion or even a true dissatisfaction with the emperor. His power remained unchallenged and for a resurrection man on his good side, Palose was fine with the situation maintaining the status quo. He would continue to monitor things, however, because he planned to survive no matter how the empire moved along.

  The dark mage hadn’t made definite plans, but his ambition didn’t involve being killed again.

  With the spies sent through the doorway, his job was done for now. There were no new tasks officially before him, so Palose created a second smaller gate to the tower apartment once owned by his maker, Atrouseon. Once he was sure no one had followed, the mage formed a second gateway and stepped through to his hidden home in the human slum to the southeast.

  The humans inside of Ensolus were buried south of Lake End in the corner and received sunlight last, but the sun would keep the east wall lit longer. Whether that made men and women feel better about the state of their lives, he didn’t know. These weren’t rich people like in the central towers directly north of the cave city’s exit, but even poor people could live good lives out of the direct view of those holding the city’s center.

  His eyes looked to the front window of the living room. Drapes were pulled back letting in the light which appeared like twilight most of the day. Still even in the gray light, there was a certain beauty in his view of the smaller homes and buildings holding a large part of the human population.

  “Another busy day working for the emperor?” a man’s deep voice questioned with an air of disapproval.

  “Yes, Dorgred, he had me creating more portals to New Harbor and Litsarin this morning,” the mage stated looking to his right as the gateway faded into nothingness behind him. “I know that you do not approve of my helping his men to move in and through Southwall, but for now I serve as I must.”

  Folding his arms in judgment, Dorgred stated, “When you first brought us back, I thought that we would be doing more to stop him or at the very least not assisting him in destroying our home.”

  “Southwall isn’t my home any longer,” Palose replied without heat. It wasn’t the first time they had had this dispute. While his control of the wizards he had brought back with the resurrection spell was tenuous at times, it was his promise not to make them harm Southwall or Kardor which had helped solidify their service. What they didn’t know was that he had set runes that would keep them from harming him, but being blind slaves wasn’t part of his spell. With that thought in mind, he added, “While I don’t necessarily mean Southwall any harm either, I sometimes wonder if the world would change that much if the emperor was in charge there instead.

  “I mean, if it was done without much bloodshed, would Southwall be any worse off? We could trade with each other, stop killing each other and maybe actually benefit from working together for a change.”

  Surprisingly it was Sylvaine who expressed the pessimistic opinion of, “Unfortunately changes like that never seem to happen without bloodshed. Words and treaties just don’t get that kind of change to happen it seems.”

  Wendle spoke from his seat on the couch. “Not with the emperor maybe, but North Continent was pretty civil before the Cataclysm. Of course, much of that came from the Grimnal remaining somewhat above the politics of the rulers of the old kingdoms. Inter marriage between the royal families across the continent was pretty common and there was little war for several hundred years.

  “Now the remaining countries stand together against the empire for the same reason. Without the emperor’s armies creating the strife, there might be no war even still.”

  Palose shrugged and said, “Well, you all can continue to discuss the history of North here, but I was thinking of taking a trip to New Harbor. A little walk in the southern sun might be nicer than sitting here in reflected light from the cave mouth.”

  First to jump up was Stasia who asked, “Oh, can we go shopping then?”

  Talia said from the kitchen, “A visit to the markets for fresh vegetables and fruits would be nice so I can make a different meal for tonight.”

  The young woman was a surprisingly good cook for one so young and the idea of what she could do with fresh ingredients grown under the southern sunlight nearly made the men drool. Palose shrugged and said, “I think I can be convinced to do both.”

  Dorgred remained the only one to look a bit grumpy as he complained, “The girl wants to go dress shopping again? I think I might be better off staying here in the dark.”

  The little blonde haired Stasia nearly danced over to grab the larger man’s arm and as she looked up at him with a big smile, the girl batted her eyelashes at him and said, “But I can model them for you. Surely that would make it worth it?”

  While Stasia was less than half Dorgred’s age, the girl was a definite weakness for the wizard. As one might say, he wasn’t dead yet and the pretty girl appeared to enjoy flirting with him which made for a nearly romantic relationship between the two though Palose was unaware of anything happening beyond her flirting with him to get her way, at least so far.

  Swallowing hard, Dorgred’s face slipped into a bit of a smile before he caught himself and the wizard had to turn his head away to assume a pouting look again. “I guess if I have to come because you need my opinion, then I will go.”

  The others all managed to hold in their laughter as Dorgred was easily wound around the smaller girl’s little finger figuratively. For all his strength and fiery spirit of a fire wizard, the young woman could tame him with little effort.

  After grabbing a pouch holding Southwall currency, Palose summoned the portal again and he held it for the others to go through. Sylvaine waited and took his arm as the girl joined him to walk through the gateway and into the sunlight of New Harbor.

  Chapter 29- New Harbor

  The crew of the Sea Dragon had first caught sight of the southernmost point of Southwall a few hours ago, but the sight of the white stone buildings of New Harbor made those from Southwall feel like they had finally come home. Sebastian’s team had almost entirely come from the northern towns, so home was hundreds of miles, or even over a thousand, away; but this was Southwall even still. Only Vewen, the water wizard serving Maura, Captain Drayden and Mecklin had actually ever been to New Harbor though all knew of it from their studies of the land and cities of their nation while in school.

  New Harbor not only was a major harbor for the country, but it sat on the east side of the Caldene River. If they didn’t have to return to Hala, the team could take a ship straight up the river and eventually reach White Hall far to the north where many of them had begun their training as wizards and mages. If they didn’t have Anna’s ship at their disposal, it would be tempting to use the river and ride by horse for the remainder of the way. While Gerid and Sebastian’s team all had experience with horseback riding, his family and the mermaids, Yaroma and Naoromi, had none. It was a minor thought in the back of the mage’s mind only because, like most of his team, he was tiring of life at sea.

  A more important worry was the question of portals within New Harbor. Like the man interrogated by Captain Drayden had said, the Southwall city had been used to send out the spies and instigators calling for war in Sileoth. He wanted to know if the emperor was working to undermine the king’s hold on the southern city as well and chose to delay their return by a day to investigate the city.

  He doubted that he would need to speak with the lord of New Harbor, but Maura had requested to go to the local branch of the wizard gui
ld. In the southern cities, the presence of wizards and mages was much lighter than in the north along the wall. They were also typically manned by those trained in Red Hall which made for another difference between those serving closer to the front lines.

  While Maura, Vewen and Idenlare went to the wizard’s guild, Mecklin and Frell would check with the local garrison where any battle mages and soldiers kept in New Harbor would congregate regularly. The rest of the team would spread out to the shopping centers, markets and other places where the locals would gather in numbers. That would be where the speech of malcontents would be most useful if the emperor hoped to drum up unrest in the city.

  Sebastian led Yara, Ashleen, Olan and Liam into the heart of New Harbor and it didn’t take long to hear the first words of discontent within the city. Standing on a box like the spy in Tarmand, a man had drawn a rather significant crowd. The mage paused to listen and the man’s words brought a scowl to his face.

  “My brothers and sisters of New Harbor, how long must we bear the burden of Hala and the north wall? We send taxes to fund a wall that doesn’t need more than maintenance. We send men and women to garrison the wall and pay for the food, weapons and clothing of soldiers that we never see again. They get sent north of the wall and attack the savages of the north just to be able to tell us that there is a war.

  “War?! There’s no war, people! The king of the north simply wants your money and allegiance to inflate his coffers and his ego. A king of peace wouldn’t continue to push a war that has been over since the wall went up.

  “This so called Dark One hasn’t been seen in centuries and even then it was mostly rumor. Sure there were men who tried to take advantage of the destruction after the Cataclysm. Even New Harbor and the other southern cities had to destroy bandits early on, but they are dead. We are at peace now and have been for generations.