Battle Mage Broken Empire (Tales of Alus Book 14)

by Donald Wigboldy

  Captain Rorsted seemed uncertain of what to do as he waited and Torva used that as he maintained his relationship with the wizard. It was also a way to keep her informed when the city was on edge. He cared for Megan and wanted to keep her safe, but they were two sides of a magical coin meaning that they still had duties that were quite different from each other's.

  "Teacher, are we supposed to just keep working on our regular studies?" a younger apprentice that had been added to her group of students asked the wizard as her mind wandered from her troubled thoughts to the children practicing their spells in the large school room.

  She managed to avoid appearing to start at the question which had pulled the woman from her reverie. Megan smiled at him in a way that she hoped was reassuring before nodding, "Yes, Mika, just keep working through your newest spells. Learning to make them second nature and to memorize even the smallest nuance of the movements for your magic is more important than anything else you can do right now. Your job is to become a full wizard and that doesn't change no matter what is happening in the city right now."

  The boy was only about as old as Holdy, but unlike the other boy, he wasn't as far ahead as the adept apprentice. He was one of several added to her care that were just beginning to learn magic. Four boys and a single girl had been added to the ten that she and Fordenna had been in charge of before the invasion. Their former teachers had been among the casualties in the front line of the battle. Though more than half of the group in front of hers had been apprentices, few of those had been killed. Most had been put to sleep or otherwise knocked unconscious. There were deaths among the apprentices, though most of those had occurred on the other streets.

  Megan wasn't sure why her street had been spared, but the wizard had a feeling that their enemy had taken pity on the frightened children. It had been obvious that the apprentices, some of whom were barely better than novices, were frightened. Nervousness had been pervasive among the youngest of their students and the wizard still wondered why the grand masters hadn't kept most of them behind the protective walls of their school. The old men had remained behind, she had noticed, leaving children and their teachers to try to reinforce the emperor's fortress.

  "Stop frowning," Fordenna whispered from her side. The other woman had appeared as distraught by the destruction of their warlocks and apprentices. She had even been caught by the Southwall mages, but had survived luckily.

  Turning to look at the slightly older wizard, Megan kept her voice low and asked, "How can I not? We were destroyed by the enemy in spite of our training. Our wizard hunters were defeated as well, though more of them died than our apprentices. The enemy appeared to take pity on the children unlike their grand masters."

  Blue eyes stared at the younger wizard showing concern, but Fordenna replied, "I didn't agree with their decision either, but they are the masters and we need to follow their decisions."

  "Even if they get us all killed?" Megan countered as her eyes narrowed in frustration.

  "And what would you have us do then, Megan?" the taller woman asked as she brushed at her long brown hair and turned to look at the students.

  A moment of silence passed between the two women. Megan knew that Fordenna hadn't liked the choice to put so many apprentices in the front of their formations and certainly hated the outcome from the battle; yet if they continued to follow the decisions of men that cared more about their own safety than the children they supposedly led, they could easily lose an entire generation of wizards and warlocks. The problem was whether Megan or someone else dared do anything different.

  When the emperor had been around, no one would dare question his power or the choice of leaders that he had set. Without Kolban to lead them, however, Megan wondered who would step up and if the next leader would lead them to glory or ruin. It was a time to make decisions, yet after only a couple days her mind was still reeling from the attack on her home city.

  Megan wanted to give Fordenna an appropriate answer to her question, but the younger girl had no answers save that something needed to change if they were to survive as a nation and people.

  A knock from the open door drew her eyes to an older man who smiled at the two women.

  "Master Lesolas, what brings you here?" the younger wizard asked in surprise. It had been awhile since she had seen her former mentor. Though they both spent most of their time in the school, their students and classes kept them busy enough in different places that their paths didn't cross too often.

  Coyly the wizard replied, "Do I need a reason to check in on my former students?"

  Fordenna seemed less enamored of the older wizard, but Megannah remembered her classes with Lesolas fondly. He was partly the reason that Megan had chosen to become a teacher at the school after graduating to full wizard status.

  "Most masters need a reason for almost everything they do," Fordenna replied sarcastically.

  Lesolas chuckled at the woman saying, "Well, you haven't changed since I taught a sarcastic young apprentice... what fifteen years ago or so?"

  Surprisingly Fordenna didn't have to think long at all to answer, "My first class was with you seventeen years ago, the last only thirteen years ago depending on when you mean, Master Lesolas. I think that I have changed a bit since I was just an apprentice learning from wizards like you, however."

  She spoke in a cool voice, but Megan and Lesolas couldn't help smiling at the woman's calm protest.

  "If you say so," the master replied with his smile still on his lips. Megan thought that he didn't seem to agree with her partner's belief in spite of his words.

  "What do you need, old man?" Fordenna sighed in annoyance.

  There were eyes on the three as many of the students looked at them curiously, so Lesolas gestured for the younger women to follow him into the hall.

  Megan frowned at the apprentices and tried to sound authoritative as she ordered, "Continue with your work, we will be right outside."

  Though uncertain why the older wizard needed to speak away from listening ears, the two women followed their former master filled with inquisitiveness even so. They found the hall empty, which wasn't unusual for this time of day while morning classes were running.

  Fordenna shook her head and asked as Megan pushed the door nearly closed, "What is it, Master Lesolas? This is rather unusual behavior, even for you."

  Again the older man smiled at her final jab at him. "It is an unusual time, to say the least. Our emperor dead, his brother missing in Litsarin and even the princess seems to have disappeared as well. Ensolus and the rest of the empire are now like a rudderless ship lost in the sea."

  "As if you have had experience with ships and rudders," Fordenna countered crossing her arms. "Even so, you aren't telling us something that we don't know. Will one of the generals take power or one of the lesser lords? Lord Devolus is still in Litsarin dealing with that war as well, if I am not mistaken; but he would seem a likely candidate to become the next emperor with his power."

  "The jackals will come forward looking to pick over the remains for sure," Lesolas replied ignoring the woman's joking at his expense once again. "If the princess and prince can't be found, then the power vacuum will likely draw many with ambition. The other cities are far enough away that they might even have other men coming forward to break away from Ensolus."

  Megan said quietly, "Torva looked for Princess Acheri, but he only found more questions."

  "Torva?" the older wizard questioned without recognizing the name.

  "Wizard Hunter Torva De'Rasia is a squad leader who searched the princess's room."

  Fordenna added with a smirk, "He is her elven lover."

  Ignoring the woman, she continued, "He said that not only was there a decaying portal in her room, but her power inexplicably seemed to disappear as if it was taken away. While he doesn't believe she was killed, there are several magical reasons that could answer the change in her magical power. That is just the magic we know about in Ensolus, since it is entirely possib
le that Southwall used magic that we have no knowledge of as well.

  "Perhaps if that resurrection man from Southwall could be found, he might know more."

  Master Lesolas frowned at the last. "Palose was only a battle mage in his former life," the master stated quickly. "His knowledge of real magic would be unlikely to help us.

  "Your lover... the hunter, he said that the princess had been taken away?"

  Shaking her head, Megan answered, "Torva said that it was inconclusive. He was uncertain if the princess's magic was stolen or destroyed first, or if the portal was first. Either way Torva and the portal wizards, who were brought to try and reopen the gate, were unable to follow. The doorway had been shut permanently. With no destination ascertained, they were unable to determine what happened to her, though there was no sign of blood in her room.

  "She might be alive."

  Master Lesolas frowned in thought as his left hand curled beneath his chin. After a moment, the man reminded them, "Even if she is alive, without her power the girl would likely be pushed aside anyway. Only if she had the emperor's full strength in her, would Acheri have had a chance of taking his place.

  "These siblings came from nowhere and without explanation. The emperor named these young teenagers his family. I can't see the lords following a young girl brought up from obscurity or a brother many felt was considered inferior by the emperor himself."

  He paused and Lesolas seemed to change topics completely as he asked, "How did you feel our defense of the city went... in your opinions?"

  Fordenna looked unsure of how to answer, but Megan replied frankly, "The grand masters seemed to care little about the safety of our students, if that is what you are asking. They sent the children ahead of them and hid behind the school walls. Then they wanted to send the survivors to confront the enemy again after losing many of our veteran warlocks and wizards."

  "So you would say that they were irresponsible with the students' lives?"

  Fordenna crossed her arms in front of her defiantly and replied, "I wouldn't say anything like that to a master who might choose to relay such an opinion to the grand masters."

  Giving her a tight smile, while Megan remained silently glancing from one to the other uncertainly; it was Lesolas who appeared to try and assuage their worries as he said, "Would it surprise you to hear that Grand Master Echolus has let it slip among the masters that he might wish to use the power that he has by overseeing the school to perhaps make a play for the throne as well? If he believes that all of the school is his to do with as he wishes, there is the possibility he might need to throw our students against any resistance that might stand against him.

  "If your opinion aligns with mine, that his careless disregard for our lives could very well get us all killed and destroy magic as the empire knows it, then perhaps you would join me tonight after dinner. I have been looking for likeminded wizards and warlocks, who might wish to discuss our options."

  "What kind of options?" Fordenna asked guardedly.

  "Well, that would be for us to discuss later. If you are interested in choosing your future for yourself in some way, then join me with anyone else you believe might feel the same tonight. For now, I think that it is best that I leave it at that. The hallway is hardly the most secure of places to talk of such things," the older man finished glancing around warily.

  Megan wanted to ask more of his plans, but Lesolas quickly said his goodbyes before walking down the hall.

  The two women were left alone and Megan asked her partner and friend, "What do you think of that?"

  Frowning suspiciously, Fordenna replied, "As long as it isn't a trap, I might be interested."

  It was slightly surprising to hear for the younger wizard. Fordenna hadn't spoken of the battle or invasion until now and Megan wondered if she had felt as forsaken as she had. Echolus and the other grand masters hadn't seemed to care if they lived or died and were willing to send them out, already halved, while none of the old men appeared willing to risk their own lives.

  "I wonder if Torva would be willing to listen to Master Lesolas as well?" Megan questioned aloud.

  "So long as it isn't a trap..." the other woman repeated worriedly before they opened the door to return to monitoring their expanded class.

  "What are you doing?" Maya whispered leaning closer to Holdy.

  Normally receiving attention from the pretty girl with the slightly wild looking blonde hair might distract Holdy, but not once he had started a spell. His attention was also focused on what his magic could do. It wasn't one of the spells that the class was supposed to be studying, but he couldn't help wanting to know what the master might be saying to the two wizards. He wasn't someone who focused on someone else's conversations normally, but the apprentice felt the timing of Master Lesolas' visit had more importance than just a wish to have a casual conversation.

  Turless looked as curious about Holdy's magic as the girl, but held his tongue. He could feel enough of the spell to know that it had nothing to do with the class project.

  "Wizard Megannah left the door open enough to be able to check on the class and listen in case we should start goofing around, but that means the right spell will let me listen to their conversation also."

  Looking fearful, Maya leaned closer placing her hand on his forearm as she whispered anxiously, "Don't, you'll get caught and get in trouble! With everything that has happened lately, you'll just add to her stress. You're adding to mine for sure."

  His magic was subtle enough not to be noticed by the three full wizards, even the master. It was similar to the spells that let a wizard see well beyond their eyesight's limitations. Like riding the wind for miles to see a distant location, this spell let a wizard listen beyond the ability of their normal hearing. He sent out a line of magic like a rope and tethered his hearing to the unseen spell. Where the end of the line reached, Holdy could hear.

  He listened to their conversation learning of the master's wish of another option to following the grand master blindly. Though Holdy was young and had only been studying magic for a little over a year, the apprentice had certainly thought Echolus' choice of sending his apprentices into danger at the head of their column while remaining in the relative safety of the school's walls was distasteful. There were choices that could have been made that could have protected the inexperienced and only partially trained apprentices. Grand Master Echolus seemed more concerned with protecting the grand masters than the children he was supposed to teach and train.

  Dropping his spell as the teachers parted, Holdy quickly manipulated the lump of stone in front of him reshaping it into a vaguely humanoid shape. By the time Megannah and Fordenna had returned, the miniature golem was already beginning to move proving he could use the magic that had been presented to them.

  The others sitting by the boy all frowned.

  "How did you...?" Turless began with a shake of his head.

  Whispering to the older apprentice, Maya complained, "It figures that he would already know the spell. Holdy reads ahead."

  The students weren't the only ones to notice the boy's golem. Megannah nodded and praised him, "Good work, Holdy. Try and give the shape more definition next time to push yourself further."

  Moving around the tables; there were others to praise, but few of the fifteen apprentices had managed as much. Maya and Turless hadn't tried very hard, however, since they had been distracted by Holdy and the teachers' meeting in the hall.

  "Well, what were they talking about out there anyway?" Turless asked.

  Again Maya followed up on the other apprentice's question saying, "I hope it was worth the effort. You distracted us and we still need to figure out this spell."

  The pretty girl pouted in an amusing way in Holdy's opinion, but he managed not to smile or laugh. Doubting that she meant to amuse him, Holdy replied lowering his voice, "They were discussing whether they disliked what Grand Master Echolus and the other grand masters had done by sending the apprentices into the thick of battle
while hiding here."

  That brought frowns to the others' faces and surprisingly it was Defrienne who remarked, "They were cowards. If the enemy hadn't pitied the kids, more would have died. They didn't seem to want to kill anyone other than the emperor."

  "How do you know the enemy pitied us?" Turless asked in confusion.

  "You've heard what those closest to the fight have said. Even some of the apprentices that had been put to sleep with a spell or blow to the head say as much. They killed mostly veteran wizards and wizard hunters while relatively few apprentices died considering the number of them that they faced.

  "Surely that means that they had to have held back from killing the younger apprentices. If they fought to kill, all of those who were knocked out would be dead instead."

  Holdy said quietly, "They didn't hold back in the emperor's spire. Hundreds of guards and soldiers were killed; the warlocks guarding him too."

  "I heard that the servants and those who didn't fight were left alone though," Maya added quickly. She apparently knew a few people who worked in the spire. A note had come for her later in the day after the attack had happened. Apparently it had told her that much about the attack there.

  "If you are chatting, then you should already have mastered this spell," Fordenna stated moving closer to their table surprising the students. "If you can't make a golem and move it, then I suggest you work harder and talk less."

  Reprimanded by their teacher, the four went back to work letting the matter rest until lunch.

  Maya sat beside him at the lunch table making Holdy a bit warm. His cheeks remained a little red even as they ate. Letting him get started, the girl asked, "So was that all that they talked about?"

  As if their previous conversation had happened moments ago rather than hours before; the girl seemed to think that they should all be able to follow her thinking.