Battle Mage: The Lost King (Tales of Alus) Read online

  What kind of talk with Darius had drawn the interest of such important people was unknown by the mage and he could feel Yara tensing beside him. Her hand had mysteriously left his upon entering the room, though he could feel her support next him even so.

  Rising from an ornate, almost throne like, chair, the king stood with a smile and gave a greeting, “High Wizard Darius, welcome my friend.”

  With a partial bow to a king not his own, the wizard replied, “Thank you, King Alain, and to everyone who has taken the time to come here today. I know that everyone’s time is limited so I appreciate you all giving me a little of your day.”

  One of the wizards in white stood quickly and pointed towards Yara. “What is the healer doing here? I thought this matter required security and secrecy.”

  The men in black seemed less interested, but the remainder of the room began to feel agitated to Sebastian. Unsure of whether he was supposed to speak, the mage swallowed before answering, “She is my closest friend and confidante. If Yara can’t be here to hear something, then I probably shouldn’t as well.”

  The white wizard was old enough to be gray haired and many extra wrinkles shaped much his face, but he still had a little red mixed through the gray. Sebastian didn’t even need to see the red stripes on his sleeve and collar to know that he must have mastered the fire arts. He also didn’t appear to have lost any of his fieriness with age.

  Before the white wizard could argue the matter, Darius attempted to diffuse the tension, “Yara is quite familiar with much of what we will be talking about. When we get to matters best left to you leaders of Southwall, I am sure there will be time for anyone not needed to leave the room. As Sebastian has said, he and the wizard are quite close.”

  The second wizard in white rose in a more reserved way to stand beside the first, even as the agitated man grumbled, “A mage and a healer close? What kind of talk is that? The two orders don’t mingle.”

  “You have heard of both this mage, who learns from wizards, and Magnus, the champion, who chose to learn from mages at White Hall, Neferen,” the second high wizard said quietly to the first while somehow having his voice carry to everyone in the room. Sebastian knew a diplomacy wizard just from the grace he seemed to exude and his apparent calm in the center of the tension. “It seems that Windmeer and White Hall have begun to change the way we think of our coexistence with our mage cousins. I agree with High Wizard Darius. If he does not disapprove of her presence, then I think we can begin.”

  With a nod to the two wizards, Darius replied, “Thank you, High Wizard Culmore, and since I do approve of the young lady then we can begin.”

  Alain moved back to his chair beside Queen Alyanna, still young, the pair managed to appear quite regal as royals groomed to rule often were. The remaining lords sitting at a large, black oak table mostly appeared decades older and more experienced, but no one seemed less differential to the king and queen they served. It mattered less as all eyes moved to Darius as he approached with the other late arrivals.

  “As many of you know, I have had a long standing relationship with the rulers of Southwall and much of the north since King Gerid still led his children and grandchildren. We first met while fighting the Dark Emperor in his own world after he intruded into ours. His use of portal magic was not the first time the barriers between worlds had been broken and wasn’t the last as evidenced by his return from his prison into our world once more.

  “The wizards of Eirdhen and Enchwold have been watching over such disturbances and have worked to close any doors that we could, which leads us to now. Where his magic once brought him to our world as he used the portals to cross distances unseen in his own, there have once more been several disturbances in recent years all centered near Southwall.”

  The sound of numerous voices suddenly discussing or arguing the wizard’s revelation caused him to halt a moment. Once more Neferen stood looking accusatorily at the foreign wizard and he argued, “Are you accusing us of using this magic or perhaps that we haven’t stopped it? There are none who know of these spells in Southwall. It is a forbidden and long lost magic.”

  Waving off the argument, Darius continued, “Of course, I am not here to accuse but simply to warn you of this potential crisis and, thanks to Sebastian here and information gathered from other sources here at Hala, I know that two of them have already been dealt with or are being dealt with now. That and one other matter has brought about this meeting here today.”

  Sebastian watched and listened as the men in the room began to speak over the wizard once more. News of last year’s use of portal magic by Palose was most likely the first of the matters, though he did not recall ever discussing such things with the High Wizard. In fact, he hadn’t spoken of either event, so he wondered why Darius was essentially telling them that he had.”

  King Alain hammered a wooden gavel onto a stone marker designed for such things. “Quiet, gentlemen, our visitor hasn’t finished. Give him a little courtesy as he has come a long way to see into this matter. He has been made aware of any portal related events by our records kept here. Since Falcon Sebastian is part of those reports, his presence here was fortuitous since he can give us his first hand experience.

  “Please go on, Darius.”

  A nod to the king and Darius continued, “Windmeer was attacked from within by one use of portals and now there is a new fortress that has appeared south of your North Wall, despite nearly two centuries of standing strong. To go along with that matter, a man apparently very similar to the immortal Gerid, or Grimnal as some call him, has now also appeared.”

  Gasps could be heard around the room with the last revelation. The immortal hadn’t been seen since the first years after the Cataclysm and nothing was known about why he had disappeared. If they were being told that he had returned and was working with the enemy, what could they do?

  “From Sebastian’s first hand battling with this giant, I can tell you that he is not the Grimnal. This Garosh, as he was called, can use magic and Gerid was anti-magic. If there is some other relation between the two, perhaps after he is captured we can find out more.

  “To that end, we have word that Windmeer and Falcon’s Keep have sent a joint venture to try and defeat that fortress. Once they take the mountain fort, they can bring him back to enlighten us, which brings me to a proposal.

  “First, we need to try and find King Gerid. I have limited proof that makes me believe that he is alive and I wish to send an expedition in search of his whereabouts. Second, we need someone to interrogate this Garosh character to find out more about his use of portal magic and perhaps what ties he has to the Grimnal.”

  “King Gerid must be dead by now,” Neferen stated bluntly. “If he isn’t dead, why hasn’t he shown himself in nearly two hundred years?”

  Many of the nobles nodded in agreement, but the elder raven, Leros, stood and spoke loudly yet effortlessly, “We have a lot of things to go on by faith, Wizard Neferen. Do we believe immortals exist? If not, then is this man High Wizard Darius? Do we believe the stories which would say they fought this Dark Emperor centuries ago and he still lives here?

  “Perhaps a simple bit of proof from High Wizard Darius can end this arguing so that we might accomplish what we were supposed to with this briefing.”

  Producing a throwing knife, the elder raven threw the weapon at the foreign wizard in question. Darius didn’t even budge as the weapon crossed the expanse of the table striking him in the throat.

  Chairs were toppled as nobles jumped to draw weapons, though none would have a prayer against even a white haired battle mage like Leros. As he had their attention, however, the raven pointed towards the wizard who still stood with the knife in his throat.

  Darius pulled six inches of blade from his throat covered in blood. The red was clearly real as was the wound it came from and they could also hear the gurgling of air from a man who should be dying before them. Instead of dying, the wizard placed his left hand over the wound to keep the b
lood from soaking his clothing and dropped the large knife onto the table in front of him.

  Sebastian was rooted to his seat. Normally a man of action, the strangeness of the attack kept him from moving until after the knife clanged onto the table. The mage was a healer and he suddenly sprung from his seat along with Yara to tend to the wizard, but he held up his right hand still covered in blood.

  Removing his hand, Darius turned slowly that all could watch as the opening in his throat stopped bleeding and began to close of its own accord. The room was stunned to silence.

  After the wound had closed, Neferen questioned aloud, “Magic?”

  Taking a gasping breath, Darius shook his head. “Unless being immortal comes from magic, I simply healed because I am immortal. Raven Leros simply proved one point of faith for you. If that is not enough, then let me remove my shirt and someone can stab me in the heart. It’s painful, but the Grimnal used to love showing off how he couldn’t be killed to those who wouldn’t believe.”

  The man in white quickly waved off the idea and no one did more than shake their heads at the suggestion.

  King Alain looked a bit pale, but managed a smile as he gestured towards Darius, “I think you have their attention and belief now, High Wizard Darius. Go on.”

  After everyone had settled down once more, the wizard continued, “As I said, there are two issues here and I can not be in two places at once. First, I think I need to go Windmeer and perhaps on to this new fortress with the giant, with King Alain’s permission of course.

  “Second, perhaps we can use Falcon Sebastian along with his team to search for the Grimnal. I have some items that I’ve brought that he can be taught to use to search for Gerid. My knowledge of portals and magic require that I go to the site of the spell or I would love to chase the leads to find my fellow immortal.”

  “Why the battle mage?” Culmore asked in his quiet way. The question brought looks from most.

  With a gentle smile, Darius replied, “Well, if nothing else we know that the falcon is very resourceful. He fought and defeated a variety of wizards, even with their own spells at times. If he isn’t a good candidate to go on what must certainly be a challenging expedition, then point out the one you feel better qualified to go in his stead.”

  King Alain stood and began to pace drawing a few stares. Thinking aloud, the king began, “We have all seen what the battle mage can do, and the strangeness of last year’s incident was brought to close in large part thanks to Sebastian. He is also the one who discovered this new occurrence in the mountains.

  “Unless someone thinks otherwise, I think Darius is quite right about this man. He may be young, but he’s shown more wisdom than many twice his age. We will surround him with others that we can be confident in as well.

  “As to the High Wizard’s request to investigate the portals in question, I think my ancestors would wish me to send you on with all my best wishes. Your expertise may help where my other wizards might fail. I am told we have little information on portal magic, though I am no wizard myself to judge, but this is your specialty so I welcome your services. What will you need to accomplish these missions, Lord Darius?”

  Ignoring the honorific, the wizard smiled and replied, “I have already started putting together much of what will be needed in the hopes that you would agree to the importance of what was said here, your highness. If everyone is in agreement, I can begin solidifying those arrangements and keep you notified of any needs I may have.”

  “Your assistant will need to be excused from his other responsibilities and the ravens of Windmeer and Falcon’s Keep will need to be informed,” Raven Leros stated coolly. “Whomever else will be going along will need to be discussed as well. Were you planning on just sending battle mages or will there be representatives from the wizard guilds?”

  The last question brought frowns to the white wizards and they began to nod in agreement. Sebastian looked from one side of the room to the other and realized that, if a search for the immortal king was successful, those who found him would become heroes or legends as well. It was not something he was pursuing, but it looked likely to be thrust upon him.

  Apparently nearly seven centuries of life had brought a good deal of expertise with diplomacy to the high wizard as Darius stated, “I’m sure that you all should discuss that as well as I previously suggested, though perhaps the existing team of mages and wizards working with Sebastian might be a place to start. He does have some history and friendships built there, but that is just my observation and any decisions should be left to you all, of course.”

  The initial meeting degenerated into several smaller discussions most of which were occupied with who the various parties wanted to go on the voyage. No one seemed to dispute putting Sebastian on the quest, which surprised the mage. He was still young and had only been raised to his position of falcon the previous summer. None of that seemed to bother anyone else and the morning progressed as plans were slowly ironed out between them.

  Chapter 4- Managing Time

  The dark, stone walls of the castle seemed to be holding the contents of the new room together in Sebastian’s view. Even with wood bookcases on two of the walls extending slightly above the height of most men, a luxurious carpet and a rich, wood desk stained dark brown to try and bring some life to the stone, Sebastian couldn’t help the feeling of being trapped or even entombed.

  As offices went, it was quite large and had two reasonably big windows on a third wall letting in a fair amount of light for a stone castle, but the mage had been shuffled from one stone room to another since the meeting led by Darius and they were getting repetitive. First, he had been in the impressive meeting room, then he and Darius went to another to speak with the high wizards, then in another room they spoke with the king and his advisors. Lastly, he stood in this office before the leader of the battle mages.

  He wasn’t sure which meeting had held the most nerves for him, but standing in front of Raven Leros, his brown eyes seeming to pierce through him, was easily up there. “So, falcon, why is it that you’ve found yourself here and why should I allow you to go?

  “Pushing this mission through will mean letting my fellow ravens from Falcon’s Keep and Windmeer know that you will not be returning soon. That news may bring a lot of complaints since you have apparently become quite the celebrity among the mages of the north. I’ve been getting reports since last summer about you and all the achievements you’ve had, both good and bad.

  “While your ability to create spells for mages is quite valuable, you also seem to find trouble everywhere that you go as well.” He picked up a folder opening it to reveal nearly an inch thick pile of papers. Pulling one Leros stated, “Saved your squad from a night ambush from the nomads north of the wall.” Another sheet, “Used strange magic to disrupt enemy armies, saved air wizards in an as yet undiscovered way, led the wizards and mages of a pursuit unit to save them from more enemies, fought and discovered the apparent saboteur of Windmeer who brought the enemy inside using portal magic. The list seems to go on and on. Now there is this new incursion behind our wall that you have discovered and this link to the Grimnal.”

  Standing alone in front of the raven’s desk, Sebastian could feel sweat beginning to form on his forehead. The way his superior read the list of incidents made it sound more like an accusation. While he had been praised at Windmeer, maybe Raven Leros saw his continued ability to be near the center of those encounters as something less than heroic.

  Raven Leros continued after placing the folder back onto his desk, “I could see this as a new falcon having extreme luck and skill. I could also wonder at how you of all people seem to continually be able to find your way through these challenging situations.

  “You’re young, but you were a relative latecomer to your magic or the seekers would have found you sooner. Only five years of training, less than one season at the wall and already you are a falcon that has led so many so often. This trip to the tournament you led a team of bot
h wizards and mages, I hear?”

  “Yes, sir,” Sebastian responded as the raven asked him to answer just with his eyes. “I was given permission to gather some wizards to train and learn how the wizards’ duels worked. The extra mages came along to learn as well, though none were ready in the few weeks we had to train.”

  “But you were.”

  He nodded. “Yes, sir, I have always been strong at dueling with weapons and our basic magic. I was able to take those skills and expand upon them for the tournament.”

  Raven Leros began to stride back and forth along the path behind his desk. “On one hand, I see a falcon with the ability to think outside the box and accomplish missions that many would fail, but on the other I see this asset to the corps that maybe we can’t risk losing at sea on some wild goose chase. Explain to me how you came to be tangled up in this mess brought to us by Eirdhen and why I should let you go?”

  Well, he wasn’t being accused of working for the Dark Emperor’s forces at least, Sebastian thought as he took in the raven’s line of questioning. “Running into Garosh and subsequently meeting Darius, who even has an idea of how to find the Grimnal, leads me to believe that someone has to go. Perhaps it is finally time to find him after all these years and discover why he left us to face the emperor without him.”

  “But that doesn’t tell me why you have to go,” the raven countered as Sebastian paused to consider.

  Nodding at the observation, the younger man continued, “I think that it will take an open mind and a lot of patience to go on this mission. It’s unlikely to be a short journey and we have no idea what could have kept him from returning for so long. With the stories of the Grimnal’s heroism and his immortal abilities, we have to wonder if the emperor had some part in his disappearance.