Branded Mage

by D. W.

  The first man barreled heavily into Thad’s shield in, what he guessed was an attempt to knock him to the ground, but the thug could find no hold on his shield. Thad slammed his staff down hard into the man’s head, shattering it like a cheap clay jar, splattering his shield with red and pink gore.

  The other man attacked as soon Thad’s staff descended. His body, conditioned from years of training, reached to the slight movement and he pivoted on his right foot moving the majority of his body outside the reach of the blade. The thugs attack still scored a small cut on Thad’s left side. It was not deep, but the fact the sword was able to get passed his shield was the bigger concern. Keeping his guard up, Thad reached out to the weapon with his magic, testing it. A small blue gem flared to life confirming Thad’s suspicions. The weapon was magic in nature, but with his current knowledge and skill, he was unable to judge what qualities it held.

  The two men circled one another, neither wanting to close with the other. Getting tired of the foreplay, Thad stretched out his hand and let loose a massive lightning bolt. The bright flash temporally blinded Thad, but he could hear a high-pitched hum coming from the direction of his opponent. As his eyes regained focus, he could see the thug, his sword held out defensively in front of him. The swords blade had gone a bright white and was shaking slightly. It appeared to be causing the noise that filled his ears.

  The thugs face had also turned pale white, but it seemed to be more out of fear than a reaction to the swords absorption of his spell. He was starting to get an understanding of how the magical weapon worked. If he was right, direct magic would be ineffective. Another spell popped into his mind, one that so far he had only used to help the masons who worked on his new workshop.

  Slamming the end of his staff hand into the ground, Thad send a massive amount of magical energy surging to the man in front of him. He had never tried the spell on such a level before and his head quickly began to ache and his vision began to blur. Knowing the price of failure, Thad held on by sheer will until his spell took effect. The ground below the man turned to a semi-solid state, and the man slowly sank down screaming as he tried to escape.

  Releasing the spell, the ground quickly became solid again, slightly sloping toward the man held fast in the middle of the alley. He was encased from the knees down. The man uselessly struck at his stone prison with his sword. Consumed with his own predicament the man paid little heed of Thad as he walked over and took the sword from the man’s limp grasp.

  The man pleaded with Thad to let him go. He was visibly shaking. He had killed before, and even in self-defense it left him feeling hollow. He had even killed men who were unable to move, but this was the first time he had to listen to a man plead for his life. The screams of the dying men would haunt him for some time.

  He could easily walk away and leave the man there to die a slow death, but the result would be the same. The only true difference in the two would be the amount of suffering the man would have to endure. His mind made up Thad took a deep breath to steady his nerves then turned and with one deft stroke removed the man’s head from his body.

  His shield down Thad was sprayed with more blood then he thought the human body could hold. His emotional, and magical reserves depleted he dropped to knees. The lifeless head of the man he had killed stared at him, condemning him for his coldblooded murder.

  Forcing himself to his feet, Thad stumbled back toward the security of the palace. The guards at the palace gate knew him well, and rushed to his aid when he came into their view. Through the pounding of his head and the tearing of his soul, he could hear them call for help. One of them gently lifted him from his feet as if he were no more than a babe.

  He felt as someone tried to remove the sword and staff from his hands, but he refused to let the go. He held on to them stubbornly until the weariness of the day’s events took their toile, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

  He woke his head still thrumming as the evening sun peeked through his window, assaulting his tender eyes. His body had been cleaned of the blood, and his clothes had been changed. He now wore a thick wool night gown. Trying to not think too hard about who had bathed and clothed him, he got unsteadily to his feet. With his stomach complaining from lack of food, he decided it was prudent to make his way to the kitchen and see if he could snag something to eat.

  Though it was late in the afternoon, the palace halls were still swarmed with people. He hadn’t taken the time to change out of his night clothes. As he passed a group of giggling female servants, he lowered his head, his face burning bright red.

  He found the cooks in the kitchen, doing preparations for the morning meal. They were more than happy to use the leftovers to make him a bowl of quickly thrown together stew. Wanting to avoid any more loss to his already shattered dignity, he took the less used back corridors of the palace to his room.

  As he passed by one of the smaller meeting rooms, he heard raised voices though he couldn’t quite pick up what they were saying. From the tone and pitch it sounded like the queen and princess as well as a few others were arguing. Creeping softly, he moved closer to the door. The words were still muffled and he could only pick out a few from time to time. Knowing he shouldn’t, but too intrigued to stop himself, he placed his ear to the door.

  “Mother he still doesn’t trust you.” The princess said in a much more commanding tone then he was used to.

  “I know dear, but there is little I can do about that. He has every right to hate me after everything I’ve done. Honestly, I can’t understand why he agreed to take on the mantle of the slave even in title if not practice. He’s a good boy, if a bit naïve. I’m sure if we explain the situation he will be willing to help.” The queen said, her voice retaining the quiet dignity he always associated with her.

  “Yes he does have a cute naivety to him, but in my short time with him, I found him quick to defend those in trouble. It is an admirable trait for one so young.” A familiar female voice said, though he couldn’t place who it belonged too.

  “I don’t want to hear your advice, trollop.” The princess said so venomously Thad had a mental image of her biting the unknown woman.

  “Ah! The little princess is growing up so fast. Maybe your young mage will pay attention to you more once you look more like a woman.” The unknown woman replied mockingly.

  “Will you two stop it? Maria we do not treat our guests in such a manner, and Eloen, you are more than old enough to know better.” The queen said trying to sound serious, but Thad could detect a hint of laughter in her voice.

  The room quieted down as the two ladies apologized to each other. Neither of them sounded sincere to Thad, but the queen didn’t push the issue. The thought of the dainty little princess facing off against the tomboyish Eloen almost made Thad double over laughing. Only his desire to remain unnoticed helped him hold his tongue.

  “This is the worst possible time for an invasion. With the current social upheaval, we can’t pull many soldiers from their normal duties, and the soldiers that are currently stationed at Southpass won’t be enough if the information on the size of the Ablaian army is correct. Thad could turn the tide not only with his magic, but his presence should bolster our soldier’s moral and weaken the enemies.”

  The rest of the conversation faded from Thad’s ears. Silently, he made his way back to his room. His thoughts fixated on what the queen had said. Abla was planning an attack, and they wanted him to help defend the Queendom. The princess was right. While he tried his best to be nice to the queen, he didn’t trust her. It was hard to forget the long months of neglect while chained to a wall.

  The main question in his mind was, should he help protect the Queendom? The royal decree that had gone out only a few days prior, had been met with mixed results. To his surprise a majority of the common people welcomed the change, with the exception of female business owners who saw a threat to their current monopoly.

  It was still too early to see if the decree would calm down the current civ
il strife that had been plaguing the countryside. He didn’t like the idea of killing, but he had grown fond of many people and he knew that if Abla invaded, their safety as well as many others would be in jeopardy. With his magic, he could make a large difference.

  His mind warred with itself as he sat on his bed, nibbling from his plate. The Queendom had done little for him, but it was also the only home he knew. When he escaped his slavery he could have went to another country, but he didn’t. He wasn’t even sure why he stayed. He could have gone anywhere. He was glad he had stayed though. Being the quiet type, he never got along with any of the boys at the academy.

  He never thought he really needed friends, but since his escape, he had met many people who had helped him, for no other reason than to be kind. He had people he cared about now. Not many, but that made them even more valuable. Maria, Bren, Shariel, Monique, Joan, and her family; if they were in trouble he would gladly fight for them. They might not be the whole Queendom, but they were part of it.

  His mind heavy, he closed his eyes hoping sleep would bring him some peace. After a few minutes of tossing around, he decided it was futile to sleep when he had woken up not long ago. Pacing back and forth in his room, he noticed a large brown package on his dresser. Ripping the paper, he found a large stack of books. For a moment he stared at them, confused until he remembered that the dean had promised to send over just that. In the day’s events, he had complexly forgotten about his project for the masons.

  Unable to sleep and his mind frantic for a distraction, Thad grabbed the first book in the pile and jumped onto his bed. The book talked about heat stored deep below the ground. It was an interesting read and held many examples of different phenomena where massive amounts of heat had been seen released from the earth. The idea was neat but depending on how low the heat resided would decide if it was useful or not. If he had to go more than twenty feet it would be impossible.

  He read until late into the night, until his eyelids grew so heavy he could no longer keep awake. All the books had had great ideas on how heat worked, but none of them were practical for use with magic as far as he could tell. Maybe after some sleep and the different ideas had a chance to set in, he would figure it out.

  The next day, shortly after breakfast, he was summoned to the audience chamber. Even though he expected it his stomach still tied itself in knots as he waited outside the large elaborate doors. He was somewhat glad he had overheard the conversation the night before. If he had been simply been bombarded with the choice, he wasn’t sure what he would have said. Even after a night of stressed thinking, he still wasn’t sure if he had made the right decision.

  Walking into the room, he noticed the familiar faces staring at him with apprehension. He could even see a thin line of worry marring the queen’s usual impassive face. As he reached the throne, he went to his knees touching his head to the flagstone. “Your Majesty.”

  The queen silently raised her hand signaling him to rise. “Thaddeus, I have requested your presence for an important reason. We have learned that the Kingdom of Abla is planning an attack as soon as the pass clears against Southpass. It takes great time to mobilize the individual armies available to the Queendom, and time is something we don’t have. We ask that you travel to Southpass and render whatever aid you can.”

  All eyes were trained on him waiting for his response. He already knew his answer, but the simple pleasure he gained from making the queen wait, was too tempting to pass up. After what he figured was suitable amount of time he cleared his throat.

  “It would be my pleasure.” The words were simple and clear and shocked more than a few people, including the queen.

  Eloen walked over and grabbed him in a tight headlock. “I knew you would come around without much fuss.”

  He wasn’t sure if he should be happy, or annoyed at the current situation. She was chocking him slightly, but his face was in a rather nice position. The internal debate ended shortly when something grabbed his right arm, jerking so hard he thought it would come out of socket. He would have gladly followed the princess, but Eloen stubbornly refused to let go of her hold on his neck. So the battle presumed, with both ladies trying to see what would break first, him or the others grip.

  The queen was able to stop the two girls before they did any permanent damage. As he sat on the floor gasping for breath, he noticed that both the queen’s and Bren’s eyes were puffy and red. He knew they had enjoyed a good laugh at his expense. He wanted to get mad, but his body hurt too much for the reaction to take hold.

  Bren helped Thad to his feet. Thad quickly backed away from the two girls, who were staring each other down like two Billy goats that were about to see whose head was stronger. The whole thing would have been funny, if he was sure they weren’t going to use him in another tug-of-war match.

  “The attack shouldn’t happen for some time, but I would like you to leave for Southpass as soon as you are able. If there is a rapid warming spree, the pass will clear and honestly we stand little chance of holding it without your help. Eloen and the soldiers she brought with her have agreed to escort you safely to your destination.” The queen spoke with authority her face back to its usual stone-like quality.

  Thad could see the princess was anything but happy with the arrangement. She was his best friend and he cherished her deeply, but sometimes she was overly possessive. He found it both charming and annoying to have someone treat you like their personal possession.

  “I should be able to leave in the morning. I will have to get word to Shariel of my leaving, as well as gather some material for the trip. Will that be good enough?”

  The queen merely nodded her head and dismissed him to begin his preparations. The thought of going to war scared him, but it also excited him. He wasn’t sure why there was such a mix of emotions and for a brief second wondered if all soldiers felt the same.

  CHAPTER V

  He was met outside the city gates by Eloen, who was accompanied by nine other soldiers. The young lady cut a beautiful and commanding figure with her chestnut colored hair that was cropped short and her narrow brown eyes looked like twin drops of chocolate. Her dark leather outfit fit tight against her body, showing off luscious curves, and hints of soft cream-colored skin.

  Though she smiled sweetly at him, her eyes looked him over intensely, making him more than a little uncomfortable. His last meeting with Eloen had been less than formal and while she had turned a blind eye to let him escape, he wasn’t sure if he should trust her.

  As he reined the horse the queen had given him next to Eloen, he reached down and rubbed the horse’s neck. He hadn’t named it yet but he was already fond of the animal. It wasn’t very tall only about four foot, but she was a lovely bay with a small but rather heavy head, with small ears, and large eyes. She had a long thin neck and her soft flowing mane seem to dance in the morning breeze.

  “Are we ready?” He asked keeping his tone jovial.

  Eloen nodded and spurred her horse forward. Thad and the rest of the men followed along, quietly falling into position. Eloen rode at the tip and four men rode on each other’s flanks, and the last man followed at the rear. He thought it was a little silly, how many people would know to look for them, but he doubted that would be their main concern.

  The ride was quiet and peaceful. Thad was thankful for that. It had been a very busy and emotionally draining night. As soon as they were out of sight, the princess had acted like a two year old throwing a tantrum, going so far as threating to have him whipped if he so much as looked in Eloen’s direction. Then, he had said his goodbyes to Shariel, who had cried for hours until she finally fell asleep. He had figured she would take it much better than she had. She had taken his incarceration very well. Thinking about it, started to make sense. She hadn’t seen him or the effects the dungeon had on him, but the sight of him riding in from the woods with an arrow in his back was still fresh on her mind.

  He had spent what little time remained of the night preparing for th
e trip. His staff, rune necklace, and magical sword were must have items. One of his magical tomes for reading, a few changes of clothing, his sleeping mat, and some enchanting supplies were the next things to go into his pack. After that it got hard to decide what he would need and what he would leave behind. When everything was said and done, he had only left himself a few measly hours of sleep before he had to leave.

  He had been excited the night before, but now the enthusiasm was wearing off and his lack of sleep was making his eyes heavy. Not wanting to fall asleep in the saddle, he scanned the countryside for anything that could keep his mind occupied. The area surrounding the capital was mostly farmland, but it was late in winter and a light frosting of snow still covered the ground.

  Whether she noticed the occasional jerking in his saddle as he jolted awake, or to alleviate her boredom, about halfway through the day Eloen dropped back and rode next to him. When she did, the other soldiers of their party readjusted their position flawlessly so one couldn’t even tell she had moved.

  “So Thad, what really made you decided to join us?” Unlike her normal flirty attitude her face remained deadpan, and her voice serious. It made Thad second guess himself for a brief moment.

  “It seemed like the right thing to do.” He answered simply, not haveing a better one and for the most part it was true. He wasn’t being completely altruistic, he did have many new spells he wanted to try out and using them on an invading army seemed like a good idea.

  Eloen let out something between a laugh and a giggle as she looked at him like he was a simpleton. “I should have known. While I’m glad to have you on our side, there is something I want you to think about. Life isn’t black and white, and even the colors of gray intertwined are so convoluted most the time that the wisest don’t know how to tell them apart. I promise you the other side believes it is just as right as we do. Better to think on it now, and make your resolve. We can’t afford for your naivety to wear off in the middle of a battle.”