Battle Mage Broken Empire (Tales of Alus Book 14)

by Donald Wigboldy

  The younger teacher shared her power with Holdy hoping to buy him enough energy to be able to use the spell again in time to check on his mother. It was possible that the battle here wasn't part of something larger which might encompass the whole city, but Megan feared the worst.

  When their friends were gone, she warned, "Go get your mother and uncle and whomever else you hope to save in the quarter. Ensolus is no longer safe for human men and women."

  The boy nodded and let his first gate wink out of sight. His stomach told him that he needed to eat to replenish his magic. He had sent more than a dozen people through a doorway. It wasn't horribly draining in itself; but after the long drawn out defense of the school, the apprentice was starting to push himself too hard, he worried.

  A second gate formed with a word and Holdy disappeared into the light. It winked out much sooner and Megan was left alone to see more enemies starting to work across the uneven line of the wall towards the last wizard left in front of them. Feeling for Torva, the wizard opened her portal between them. Her vision was obscured, but there was nothing that she wanted to see beyond it anymore.

  It was time to leave and hopefully start a much better new life in Sanctuary with her beloved Torva. The doorway disappeared with the girl before any of the enemy could do any more than curse her magic.

  Torva raised his hand towards the two trolls as they went for two soldiers seeking shelter behind one of the remaining stone walls. At his call several stone spears rose up on an angle not only blocking the monsters off, but they scored deadly strikes on the creatures. Impaled by the stone spears, one of the trolls slunk forward dropping its weapons alerting the hunters that they had nearly been killed from behind. As the two men pulled back looking exhausted and fearful, the second troll began trying to push away from the three pieces of stone holding it fast.

  Even though he had expected it to die, Torva wasn't completely surprised by the durability of the monster. Trolls were tough to kill and, if you failed to do so, their bodies could heal and regenerate after wounds that would have killed most creatures. Debating on finishing it off, the squad leader held his attack feeling exhausted as well. To kill the troll might feel good, but its death was pointless right now. Even if it survived the blood loss and damage, the monster would need to recover and wouldn't be fighting any longer.

  His mouth was dry. The warlock's stomach felt hollow and his squad looked as worn down as he was.

  Though the hunters had been outnumbered, betrayed from within, and fighting for too long; there were still quite a few of them left alive. Warlocks covered for the soldiers and in turn their shields and weapons did their best to block for them, but there was only so much that they could hope to accomplish.

  Torva felt the attention of the enemy remained split between the two targets and that was all that had managed to save the survivors for so long. When the enemy warlocks began to help in the assault on the school, the hunter knew that their time was up. If the school was broken and fell, the thousands of monsters would turn on the few remaining wizard hunters and wipe them out in minutes.

  "Fall back to the barracks. We'll have to hope that the walls will give us time to recuperate or we're finished," he spoke loud enough for his men to hear. The warlock fired a red ball of fire into the air brightening the nearby buildings and ground. Those who weren't too distracted by fighting the thinning pursuit saw it and did their best to disconnect from their pursuers. With the hunt master dead and many squad leaders as well likely, Torva wondered if he was the highest ranking officer remaining.

  Whether he was the last or not, the squad leader watched as the men in black armor did their best to leave stone walls in the way of their enemies and limped away from the fight. Summoning his magic, Torva slowed his step letting as many of the men move past him as was safe before shouting, "Avert your eyes!"

  Releasing a bright flash of light towards the enemy army, those which had started to chase pulled up short blinded for a moment by his light spell. Even through his closed lids and averted eyes, the hunter could see the light blindingly bright and tried to crush his lids together even tighter. He opened them again and the land before him seemed even darker than before, but the enemy seemed to be worse off than he as they stopped in their tracks and held their shields before them hoping that they wouldn't be struck down before their vision cleared.

  The men hurried and ran with the moment bought for them. A few hunters had to be helped by their friends, but most of those remaining alive moved to the sheltering walls of their last fortress.

  A tremor could be felt as magic was centered on the wizards' school. Torva prayed that Megannah was safe and dared not look to see if the wizards survived.

  "I'm sure that she got out, cousin," Yelon said quietly as the man ran alongside him.

  Nodding, Torva tried to search for the wizard who held his heart and his step faltered a moment. He didn't sense her behind him any longer.

  A rectangle formed just ahead of him causing the hunter to stumble. A girl stepped out of the light and blinked at him. Her pretty face was dusty and streaked from moisture leaving dark trails on her cheeks. He wasn't sure if they were tears or sweat from exertion, but didn't care as his chest unclenched with relief to see Megan in front of him suddenly.

  "Megan!" he cried out before her short blinding from the trip through the void cleared entirely.

  The girl blinked and he could see tears in her eyes. Wiping at them quickly as Torva swept her up with one arm, Megan gasped, "Thank goodness you are alive, Torva. I thought that you were, but I had this worry that the stone was bringing me to a dead body instead."

  "What are you doing here?" the wizard hunter questioned somewhere between worried for her safety and anger that she would risk herself out in the open like this.

  "The school defenses are overrun. Those who could have taken the children away to safety," she informed him. "I came for you and your men. I assume that they are coming with you anyway."

  Torva and Megannah had spoken of his attempts to find men with like minds. Not as many wizard hunters were likely to be onboard with the idea formed by wizards abandoning the city, and he had been more tentative with reaching out than he probably should have been. Those not elven and human were even less likely to be joining a peace seeking group of wizards now, he believed. His eyes glanced towards Gock and Bocha.

  "My men are ready, but I am not sure if Gock and Bocha will be as welcome there. I think that they would be the only trolls in Sanctuary."

  Yelon looked over his shoulder and said, "Perhaps this conversation can be finished in the barracks' courtyard. We can go now, but maybe you would like to make the offer to the other survivors."

  They were at the rear of the fleeing line of hunters. Even those limping along with help were ahead of them. The gate was open and those that remained from the battlefield did their best to get there ahead of the enemy.

  Looking behind them, Torva noted that either his spell had caused them confusion or the enemy was simply not worried about those which remained. Perhaps the wall could slow them down, but with their warlocks power behind them maybe they also figured to finish all the remaining hunters off by corralling them into one place also. Once inside their fortress, the remaining, worn down, wizard hunter warlocks might be able to buy some time; but based off the destroyed school it wouldn't take long to destroy the hunters. Their magic was waning as well as their numbers, while the enemy was numerous and their warlocks had barely needed to do a thing.

  "I think we've bought ourselves a little time," he replied and agreed. "Some of those left alive in the barracks know about the plan and have gathered their possessions for a quick getaway. The rest should be given a chance at survival."

  They entered the barracks, the last to return, and the gate was closed. Of the hundreds which had gone to try and save the wizards, maybe a third had managed to survive. There were a number of wounded among them as well.

  As Gock and Bocha followed them inside, T
orva noted that they were the only two trolls remaining. A handful of orcs, likely with mixed blood, stood as worn down as the others. These were the ones both loyal and brave enough to stand with their brothers.

  His eyes wandered to the towers and walls above them. About twenty hunters had remained behind to hold the barracks in case the enemy should try to cut the others off, but the others had been through hell. These men he could trust with his life.

  "Hunters, our city has fallen to the orcs. The wizards' school is gone and we'll be wiped out next. Some of you know of the Sanctuary beyond the lands of the empire. With the emperor dead, Zarl did his best to keep the wizard hunters separate waiting to see who would take the throne.

  "Either General Corven rules the city or someone else controls the creatures of the west, but we know that whoever controls that army no longer wants us here. We can supply a home to those who wish to go. If you are unsure, we can at least get you free of this barracks before it is destroyed.

  "Gather any belongings you wish to take with you. We will be leaving in less than ten minutes."

  Megan looked at him with worry and said quietly, "I can't do it all by myself. If you wish for me to send them all to Sanctuary, someone will need to lend me their magic for a time."

  Nodding, he said, "Let's get my bag from my room."

  Those who could quickly rotated in and out as the men listening to him did as he said. Some were too injured to move any longer. Exhaustion slowed many of the men, but those holding the walls stayed until they could do the same. Others had enough energy to climb up onto the wall to watch as the enemy worked to finish off the school.

  As the couple entered his familiar room, Torva pulled the girl close kissing her as he embraced her tight. "I was worried that you had died as well. Now we have a little time before they attack to finish us, but you know my men and I will stay to lend you what energy we have left. We'll try to save the rest, even the orcs and trolls standing with us."

  "What do you mean 'even them', Torva? What happened to the rest?"

  "Some of the orcs and trolls turned on their teams and betrayed the hunters. I would guess most that lived simply slipped away hoping to survive. An orc, goblin, or troll can take off their armor and join the winners later, I suppose; but an elf or human will likely be killed if they are caught."

  "I can't blame them if they fled," Megan said with a sigh as he released her to grab his pack.

  His eyes glanced about determining if he had missed anything necessary and decided that if it wasn't in his bag or on his body, it must not be important enough. Hearing her words, the man's eyes looked at her with a frown. "I prefer the cowards to those backstabbers. Still either one I would rather see run through right about now. The fight was dire enough without the traitors in our midst."

  The two of them returned to the hallway. Torva didn't even pull the door closed behind him. His life here was over and likely the barracks would be destroyed soon enough anyway.

  "I don't know if I'd call them cowards," Megan replied as she held his hand. Like two lovers they walked the halls, though there was no peace in their minds as they hurried back to the courtyard in front of the barracks. "The situation is dire. We are leaving as well. Are we cowards also?"

  His frown was set on the path before him, but the elf thought she made a point. While he didn't like that she might be right, Torva understood what she meant. Just because they had decided to leave before a war erupted, didn't mean they were being cowards. They had chosen to leave and try to start a new life. Ensolus had never felt like home to him as an elf anyway. Caves weren't natural to his people and many couldn't handle living beneath so much stone.

  The creatures that could blend in with the remaining army could be cowards, but perhaps they were choosing to stay and make a new life as well.

  Once outside, Torva called his warlocks together and joined in a ring touching Megan's shoulders. Three gates formed at her desire. They were wide and tall enough to allow four men or even trolls to slip through each one at the same time.

  Wounded were helped up and brought through the light disappearing from the gray world of Ensolus made darker by the dust of broken buildings. Men on the walls hurried down as the bulk of their number disappeared from the courtyard.

  One of the men warned, "The enemy is headed this way, sir."

  "We'll be right behind you. Now go," he ordered as Torva maintained the circle of magic.

  Once there was only his squad left, their leader said, "Gock, Bocha, you can come, but there are no others of your kind there. You will be alone."

  The bigger of the two trolls, Gock, shrugged and replied, "We will go with our brothers in arms. Perhaps later we will return to see if Ensolus is any safer for us."

  Megan glanced at him over her shoulder and he nodded.

  "The rest of you go through then. We'll be right behind you."

  His troopers, including the trolls, went through the single remaining gateway. With just his team remaining, they didn't need the strain of holding more. Silas and Effelo broke the chain to go next followed by Yelon. Each release seemed to shift the weight of the magic onto the remaining couple. Torva felt his exhaustion returning and assumed that Megan was little better off after all the magic used in the battle.

  "Ready?" she asked seeing the others disappear.

  "As I'll ever be," he sighed and moved to hold the girl's hand. The light encompassed them and in that moment of transition, Torva noted islands in the distance. More stone floated in the silver void now, he thought curiously before his vision clouded. His hearing and other senses shut down from the long travel to the newly built town and fortress.

  When they cleared, the two of them looked at the walled fortress in front of them. Snow was under foot, though trampled from those who had come before. A wind stirred the air in a way that was never felt under the mountain in Ensolus. His elven blood stirred and Torva sighed again; but this was both one of relief and feeling like maybe he had finally come home.

  Chapter 31- A Mother's Orders

  The golden light shone in a living room cluttered with assorted cloths and materials for clothes making. Rolls of fabric stood grouped together or leaning against furniture, while pieces in various stages of construction rested on a table where a single sewing machine sat with thread ready for Renelley's next project to begin.

  "Mom?" Holdy asked the air as his vision remained clear for all but a moment as he transitioned from the upper wall to the dimly lit room. A single lamp was lit but was placed low where much of the light was blocked by furniture and her sewing related paraphernalia.

  "Holdy, what are you doing here? Did you feel the tremors in the earth?" his mother asked as she quickly joined him passing through her bedroom doorway. She was dressed and looked ready to move, but currently her eyes looked on her son with relief.

  "The wizard hunters' western barracks was attacked and destroyed with earth magic. An army from the west was backed by warlocks, we think. We were never able to actually see if there were orcs using the magic or not; but once it was destroyed, they attacked the wizards' school next."

  Holdy fumbled for his canteen at his hip. Holding it up, barely a drop was released onto his tongue. Frowning in disappointment, he was surprised when Renelley poured a glass of water from the pipe in the kitchen. Though they lived in a cave, or maybe because of it, all of the city had running water coming from the lake thanks to the original wizard planners in charge of building the city over a hundred and fifty years ago.

  She handed the glass to her son and took the canteen from his hand, even as Holdy pulled some crushed nuts and berries from one of his pouches to keep trying to replenish his energy.

  "The wizards were attacked as well? Is everyone safe?" the woman asked as she smoothed back her brown hair. Her green eyes were shadowed by the lack of light as they peered at him looking for injuries.

  "Maya, Turless, Defrienne and the rest of class were sent to Sanctuary already. I came here right after they w
ent through to make sure you were safe and take you there as well. We can pick up Uncle Poultus and see if we can finally convince him to come with us to Sanctuary. Staying here is too dangerous for anyone human or elven right now."

  Surprisingly, a frown crossed his mother's face. "Your class is safe. Could you help save anyone else there?"

  Shaking his head, Holdy swallowed the bite he was chewing and replied, "I was worried about you and came here right after, so I am not sure. My magic is running low though, so I don't know if I can do much more than open a gate for us."

  "I am safe enough for now," Renelley stated. "If you are really too drained to help your friends, the other apprentices and teachers, or you think that they were able to get to safety; then by all means, let's go. If on the other hand, you could save even a few more lives; shouldn't you try, Holdy?"

  Blinking at the unexpected calm of his mother under such circumstances, Holdy asked, "What are you saying?"

  "I think you know. You have great ability in magic and not everyone can open these portals you have said. If the school is in trouble, maybe you should see if there is any more that you can do before we leave for good. If you could have saved some lives, and don't try, you could regret it."

  "But..." he started and realized that she was right. Finishing the glass and his food, the apprentice replaced his filled canteen at his waist before asking, "Can you be ready for when I return? Please?"

  Smiling at her son, Renelley replied, "I'll be ready. Now go quickly and be safe."

  Silver light gave in to blindness yet again though Holdy thought that the effects were shortening with each trip as his system seemed to be growing accustomed to the long trips through the portals. As his vision cleared, the apprentice could see the handful of other apprentices ahead of him that he had just brought to Sanctuary. They were the last of those he knew of that remained.

  He had put off returning to his mother as she had asked. Maya handed off a pouch of food and drink quickly as she and Turless waited for him. Working to restore his energy before making the trip back to his mother's home; Holdy considered how many of his fellow wizards that he had actually saved by going back to the various parts of the school and grabbing any survivors that he could find. His mother was important, but the apprentice was able to save dozens of his fellow students and a few teachers as well. One of those mentors had been willing to sacrifice himself for his class, putting his body and magic between them as dozens of the enemy beasts cornered them in the courtyard.