Forgotten Mage

by D. W. Jackson

  “Thank all that is holy,” Bren said as he breathed a sigh of relief. “Wait…Your office is gone?” He asked, as the rest of the mages words started to sink into his mind.

  “Yes, it is gone, along with almost everything that was within it,” Sae-Thae grumpily. “Some of those tombs and artifacts have been around since before the Fae War.”

  “I’m sorry,” Bren said, trying to duck his head.

  Sae-Thae, noticing what he had said, waved his hand in the air. “It’s not your fault…it is mine. I should have foresaw the chance for disaster, and had our meeting with your mother in a more open area…like a deserted island,” Sae-Thae added with a thin smile.

  “Where is my mother?” Bren asked after a long pause of silence.

  “She is currently getting her retune situated…It seems as if she plans to stay in town for a bit…though if it makes you feel better, she didn’t seem as keen to take you back home when she left.”

  “Of course she didn’t…who wants a monster living in their home?” Bren said angrily.

  “Self-pity does not become you…Nor anyone for that matter. Your mother would love you, even should you be turned into something beyond imagining. I think she was just in shock, or maybe she can see the need for you to stay and train now. She is a smart woman and I am sure that she noticed the potential for disaster if you don’t learn control.”

  “Bren, are you alright?” Faye said in a shrill voice, as she ran over to his bed.

  “I think it is time I take my leave,” Sae-Thae said, giving Bren a sidelong smile that he didn’t quite understand.

  “I will live…or, at least I think so,” Bren said, trying to smile, but the pain making it hard to hold.

  “One of the other mages said that when they saw you, you looked near death,” Faye said, looking over his heavily bandaged body. “You should be more careful.”

  “For once we agree on something,” Phena’s voice rang out from behind them.

  Bren held in a groan. Every time the two girls were in the same room, it always ended badly, and he was in no state to deal with their fighting today.

  “What in the nine hells were you thinking?” Phena said, giving Bren a stern glare which was quickly mimicked by Faye. It was almost as if a floodgate had been opened, as the two girls began telling him everything that he had ever done wrong in their presence. He didn’t know how two girls, that seemed to hate each other so much, could work so well when it came to telling him where he made a mistake.

  “It is good to know that other people are pointing out your shortcomings,” Bren’s mother said, coming up behind the three.

  Turning around, Faye tried to bow to the queen, it coming out clumsy and nearly landing the girl on her face. Phena on the other hand, simply stared at the woman in her normal, cold fashion.

  “If you two don’t mind, I would like a bit of time alone with my son.” Maria said in a clear kind voice. One that she often used when greeting foreign dignitaries.

  “Of course Your Majesty…Let us go Isophena,” Faye said turning to leave.

  “I think I will stay…I have not finished giving the little mongrel half of the brow beating he deserves,” Phena said coldly.

  “Young lady this is a family matter so if you would please…” Maria began to.

  “And Bren is my Brother, so I think I would qualify as family,” Phena said, cutting the queen off mid-sentence.

  “Excuse me!” Maria said, her face turning white as her eyes widened.

  “I said, Bren is my brother… Thaddeus Torin was my father,” Phena declared openly.

  For Bren, it was as if the whole world had stopped. He could see the words hit his mother as if they were a weapon. Faye also seemed shocked at the news, and it dawned on Bren that he had not yet told his friend the news.

  “One moment please,” Maria said, her words calm, but Bren could see her small fists clinched tightly. “Sae-Thae!” Bren heard his mother’s voice yell, after she had left his room.

  “You’re his sister?” Faye asked, her face lax in a look of complete confusion. “I thought that…”

  Phena looked at the other girl and gave a loud laugh. “No…not in the least. Even if he wasn’t related by blood, he’s just too weak willed for me,” Phena said, still laughing.

  “What are you talking about?” Bren asked, oblivious to the meaning behind their words.

  “Nothing that concerns you… Now, we better leave before his mother returns...Or before Master Sae-Thae arrives. I don’t think he will be too happy with me at the moment,” Phena said chuckling.

  “Then why did you tell her?” Bren exclaimed. “Life would have been so much easier if that was one thing she never learned of.”

  “It was more to get back at master Sae-Thae,” Phena admitted honestly. “Back home, it was celebrated that I was the daughter of Master Torin, but here Master Sae-Thae wanted me to keep it a secret. I pushed him on the need to hide it, but he always said that it was a difference in culture. I don’t see why my kind must keep our culture a secret, just so that we don’t hurt your sensibilities.”

  “I think he was more afraid of my mother than he let on,” Bren said, listening to the echo of his mother, calling for the elder mage.

  “Right now, I would be hiding under the deepest rock,” Faye said chuckling. “I bet your father is glad that he’s not here to catch her wrath,” she added. She suddenly realized the meaning of her words, “Bren I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

  “Its fine,” Bren assured her. “I am sure that if he popped out of wherever he went right now, he would agree that it would be better to jump back,” Bren added with a thin smile.

  Bren was laughing a bit inside as the two girls left. He imagined Sae-Thae hiding under his desk from his mother.

  “Where’s Avalanche?” A small voice said from the doorway. “I haven’t seen her around and I know she’s not at home, she’s been gone since you left,” Princess Sandrea said, stepping into his room.

  Bren thought for a moment, but couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the rock hound. “I don’t rightly know, haven’t seen her in days. You know how she is, could be anywhere.”

  “You know mother cried after you left…a lot,” Sandrea said, her arms crossed in front of her as she looked at him with a pinched face. Bren knew that she was trying to look intimidating, but at her age it just didn’t have the same effect that his mother’s did.

  “She was just mad that I didn’t do what she wanted,” Bren replied.

  “I don’t know, she was really worried,” Sandrea said, her brow furrowing a bit. “She kept pacing in her study, saying that she couldn’t reach you. I don’t know how she expected to reach you, but she was really worried that she couldn’t.”

  Bren remembered the dream talks he had with his mother. It would seem that she kept her ability a secret, though thinking about it, it was clear why. If she could pull other people into her dreams, then she could get information from them without them even realizing it. That would be something to keep a secret, otherwise it might start a war. “Did you miss me as well?” Bren asked, hoping to change the topic of the conversation.

  “No,” Sandrea snapped quickly. “I just thought you should know that you had mother worried. I could care less if you came home.” Though her words were full of spite, Bren knew his sister well enough to tell when she was lying.

  “That is good, because I don’t plan to come home anytime soon,” Bren replied teasingly.

  “You won’t have a choice, mother will make you,” Sandrea said, suddenly not so sure of herself.

  “I think I hear mother in fact, either that, or a group of high pitched mages are coming this way muttering loudly under their breath,” Bren said as the sound of Maria cursing her late husband came closer to the room.

  “I better go, mother thinks I am still at the inn,” Sandrea said before she rushed from the room.

  Seconds after his sister had left, his mother once again came into the room
, holding her right hand and rubbing her slightly red knuckles. “I swear, you men never think past your trousers,” she said angrily. “Now, Sae-Thae said that until you can control your magic, not only are other people in danger, but you are as well. So, I can’t very well take you home and lock you in one of the palace towers and wait for you to destroy yourself. You can stay here, but only for as long as it takes to learn to control yourself,” Maria declared, her voice leaving little room for discussion.

  “Mother, it is not that simple,” Bren tried to explain.

  “It is simple enough,” Maria exclaimed, trying to wipe the few tears that had escaped away before they were noticed. “I lost your father due to his fool love of magic, and I will not lose his son,” she said before storming out of the room, leaving Bren alone.

  Tired out from all the commotion of the day, Bren laid his head back and allowed himself to drift off to sleep. His mother had agreed to let him stay, for now at least. The rest could be dealt with later, when he wasn’t hurting so bad.

  “I was wondering how your wife would take the knowledge that you had other children…well, so far she only knows of the one. I wonder what she would do if she knew there were two others,” Humanius said, as if he was enjoying the story unfold.

  “I think, that if I do ever get home, I won’t be there long before Maria kills me,” Thad said, his heart beating in his chest. It only felt like weeks since he had been gone, but years had passed. For him, not near long enough for him to miss his wife when she was angry. “Maybe it would be best if I stayed here until my wife is in her early nineties,” Thad said, only half joking.

  “I think even at that age, she would be a force to reckon with,” Humanius replied. “She has magic in her blood, just like you, though not as strong…still, she should live to be well into her hundreds.”

  “You’re not very good at reassuring people,” Thad said grumpily.

  “My job isn’t to reassure you, or to make you feel good. I watch. It is all I have done for the past few thousand years. I have seen enough angry women to know, that no matter how much times passes, or how old and infirm she gets, that the second she gets a chance, she will make you regret what you did…even though you did it well before you two were married,” Humanius added with a chuckle.

  “Normally, when you hear of gods in stories, they are all power, knowing, and caring,” Thad retorted.

  “That is why they are called stories,” Humanius replied, laughing again.

  CHAPTER XVI

  It was four days before Bren was allowed to leave the medical ward. He had sustained massive injury to his body, thanks to the excess amount of magical energy that had coursed through him, but still he had recovered at an alarming rate. The mages were baffled by it, as they didn’t want to use magic to heal him and expected him to be abed until the new moon.

  His mother and sister stayed in town and made visits each day to check on his progress. After he was allowed back to his normal routine, they still stayed in town. His mother was adamant that she would get to see just how the mages were training her son to control his power.

  Bren hadn’t brought up staying again with his mother, hoping that by the time the issue needed to be readdressed, he could come up with a better argument, or she might soften more to the idea, but after seeing her reaction the first time, he highly doubted either would work. In the end, he knew that he would most likely have to go against her wishes and fight to be able to stay at the Tower.

  As Bren dressed for his first day back at the Katanaga academy, he stopped to look at his right hand. The silver scar that had always been there, seemed larger and brighter than it had before. The tip of his index finger had a sliver glint to it as well. Bren figured it was just a side effect of the magic he had used, and pushed it from his mind as he grabbed his sword and Thuraman. He didn’t know if the staff could really ease the pain from the beating Cass gave him, but he figured it was worth the try. He had his fill of being abed, and didn’t want to risk another trip to the medical ward so soon after being released.

  I see that you are starting to believe me. That is good, at least it is a step in the right direction. It was so much easier when you were a child. You never questioned me, and would sneak around to carry me. Now, you seem to think you are better off alone. It is those women’s fault. Now that you have them to talk to, you don’t need me anymore, but remember they can’t be trusted.

  “Yes, I know women can’t be trusted,” Bren replied lazily. “You have said that numerous times over. If you are not pointing that out, you are making sure that you are pointing out every mistake I make…. On that note, are you sure you’re not female yourself?” Bren asked, the last bit as a joke, but Thuraman didn’t seem to find humor in the statement.

  Feeling a bit of accomplishment, Bren began to whistle as he walked toward the training grounds. The sun was still down, but he had woken a bit later than normal, so the streets were already beginning to fill with people headed about their day. Even with all the people around, the same feeling of being watched followed him, but it had followed him for years. When he was younger, his mother would tell him that it was his father keeping an eye out for him, but even at a young age Bren had not believed such was possible. Thuraman claimed that Thad was still alive somewhere, but Bren wasn’t sure if he believed that either. However, if it were true, he intended to find out where his father was.

  Just as the squat building of his training ground came into view, a loud piercing noise rang through the air. Not knowing what was happing, Bren quickened his pace and ran for the safety of the buildings.

  As he was running toward the buildings, Jacob began yelling at the older trainees, including Cass, to run to the small building next to the training storeroom, emerging moments later with swords and other weapons.

  “Farlane, inside now!” the Weapons Master yelled at the top of his voice.

  Bren did as he was told and ran through the doors to join the other younger students in the main classroom. Moments later, Cass and two other of the older trainees joined them. Still confused about what was going on, Bren approached Cass who had a stern look on his face. “What in the nine hells is going on?”

  “Brotherhood,” Cass said, as if that should explain everything.

  “How do you know?” Bren probed, wanting more than a one word answer from his friend.

  “About three miles outside the city, there is an enchanted field. It doesn’t do anything really, but if a member of the brotherhood, carrying their white swords crosses it, the alarm sounds. One of the mages tried to explain it to me once, but I didn’t really understand.”

  It was clear that Cass was not in the mood to talk, so Bren moved back to where the others waited. He could feel the eyes on him. He turned his head, noticing the deadly look in Morus’s eyes.

  Bren expected the young fighter to say something to him, but instead Morus lunged at him, a dagger held tight in his fist. Bren reacted without thinking, swinging his staff around and smacking the other boy hard in the side. A blue jolt of energy traveled down the staff, throwing the boy into the far wall. Still confused, Bren just stood there as Cass ran over and pinned the smaller boy to the ground.

  Someone get me a length of rope,” Cass yelled, and one of the younger boys ran from the room, returning a moment later with a thin length of rope about two foot long.

  As soon as Morus was secured, Cass came over to where Bren still stood dumbfounded and shook his shoulder. Bren, are you injured,” His friend asked in a worried tone.

  “Ahh….No,” Bren replied still in a daze. “I was able to knock him away before he could get to me.”

  Grabbing Bren by the arm, Cass hauled him over to stand in front of Morus. “Why did you attack Mr. Farlane,” Cass asked the other boy.

  Morus snarled and gave Bren a disgusted look. “Filthy abomination needed to die,” Morus said, hate seething through his voice.

  “Cass bent down and yanked the other boy’s shirt over his head and search
ed his body. When he found nothing, he ordered the other boys to strip Morus. It wasn’t until Cass checked the bottom of Morus’s feet that he found what he was looking for. In the center of the boys foot was a dark tattoo of a fox. “Brotherhood,” Cass said, spitting on the ground, as if the word alone was a curse.

  Morus was moved into one of the other rooms, one of the older boys set to guard him. After the attack on Bren’s life, Cass had all the other boys stripped and checked thoroughly. When no others were found with a tattoo, then, and only then were they allowed to redress.

  It was late by time the Weapons Master and the others returned, and none of them looked too pleased. They were even less pleased when they learned of what had happened in their absence. Jacob said little to anyone, but he did make it clear that he wanted Bren to have at least three guards at any given time, and that would include being escorted to and from the Tower.

  Bren didn’t think he was all that important, but from the look on Jacob’s face, it was not a negotiable subject. After everything was settled, Jacob had Morus and Bren brought to his office, while Cass and another older boy named Flynn stood guard outside.

  “Bren, do you know why you are present?” the Weapons Master asked as soon as he entered the room.

  “No sir… I mean, Weapons Master,” Bren answered, utterly confused by the day’s events.

  “You are here because you are a witness, and not just any witness, but one of royal lineage. Whenever a person is accused of a crime, the person with the highest rank who witnessed it is required to be present during any questioning. In case they can shed some light on any events that might have occurred. Your father sat down that law, shortly after he founded the Tower. Now that you know your place, I ask that you remain silent unless you have some information that is pertinent to what is being discussed.”