Forgotten Mage

by D. W. Jackson

  CHAPTER XX

  Bren opened to the first page of the journal and found that it was dated at the top of the first page.

  It is the year 4114, three years after the fall of the Brotherhood in Rane. King Killian has kept his word and is helping with the establishment of the new kingdom that lies between Farlan and Rane. It has been a heavy burden to keep my allegiances proper, as I am now the queens consort. I do love Maria dearly, but she will do anything to get better trade agreements with the mages of the new Tower. I have had to watch myself closely with her, and have still had to call upon my old friend Sae-Thae, who is now in charge of the new Tower.

  I was happy that Sae-Thae agreed to take up the post as the head master at the new Tower, though he brought mixed news. He would be bringing along my vathari daughter. I know that she was conceived during a time before I had dedicated myself to Maria, but she is not the understanding type. She would see the child as a threat to her, and would most likely not take too kindly to the news. I fear that should she find out, she will use the knowledge to get me to agree to demands that are not only unfair to me, but to the people I am supposed to serve.

  Sae-Thae has also brought a great deal of tomes with him for my research. He has asked about the veil, but he doesn’t seem to be overly concerned or curious about it, or the fact that it could very well be our downfall as a people.

  In my studies, I have found that magic runs from one source, but I cannot find out where that source is. I know that it is much farther to the north than Farlan, but I know that my life would never agree to an extended journey, nor would the people of the new Tower. I don’t know how long it will be, but I must find the truth. It bothers me not knowing whether our use of magic is simply setting us up for our own end. It reminds me of an old tale the mothers at the academy used to tell us. It was about an ant that worked tirelessly digging out his home, but in his haste, he didn’t notice that he was weakening the supports that held up the ground over him. In the end, the ant was smashed by his own labor. I would hate to see that old wives tale come to pass for all of humanity.

  Bren read over the page a few more times, imagining his father sitting down and writing it in his study. He felt a longing as he stared at those words. He wished to see his father again and talk to the man he had been deprived of. Forgetting about the journal, Bren started to think about what is life would have been like had his father not disappeared. Would Thad have made his mother let him off the palace grounds? Would he have taken Bren with him, when he visited the Tower? So many things might have been different, and in the end, it was his own fault. Bren knew it, he still remembered what had happened that day. Had he done what he had been told, and stayed in the main palace, his father would not had been distracted and he would have still been with him.

  “Are you alright Bren?” Faye asked with a worried look.

  “Just got a bit of dust in my eye,” Bren replied as he wiped the tears that had started their track down his cheek. “I don’t think these have been touched in ages.”

  Bren could tell from the look Faye gave him, that she didn’t believe his words for a second, but she was kind enough not to push the issue. Lifting up the journal to hide his face, Bren began to flip through the pages to see what kernel of truths his father had ferreted out.

  Most of what was in the journal were notes about things he had found in different books, but few of them held any real substance. It wasn’t until Bren was halfway through the thick journal that he found his first hint of what the loss of the veil might mean.

  Two seasons have passed since Sae-Thae brought the tomes with him, and still I only find hints about here our magic comes from. It seems that most mages were just content to have their power without any real curiosity as to where it comes from. Today though, I might have finally found something. A mage from long before the Fae War researched the origin of magic and had some very interesting ideas and findings within his work. Here is a passage that caught my attention.

  “I have followed the trail of magical energy to the edge of the world and have finally found where it begins. In a large valley to the north, surrounded by mountains and cut off from the rest of the world, all magic seems to spring. While I was there, I could feel it pouring around me. In the center of the valley, if one watched close enough they could see a shimmering veil that peeks though a doorway into another world.”

  I read through the rest of the mages books and papers, but found no other mention to this doorway or valley, but I believe that he found where the veil is. At first, I thought that the veil was just a term meaning that it was everywhere and should it tear then our world and the other world would be smashed together, but from what I have read, I don’t think that is the case anymore. I think that the veil is at a set location and it is more of just a cover that hides a doorway between the two worlds. I have asked Maria to procure me maps of every kingdom, but it will take years for her to find as many as I need. With any luck, I can pinpoint the location of the veil and in time inspect it for myself.

  A doorway to another world, Bren thought to himself. “Thuraman do you know anything about the veil?”

  I was wondering if you were ever going to get around to asking me about it. Yes, I know about the veil. Though honestly, I never understood your father’s fascination with it.

  “Tell me about it,” Bren demanded, having little patience at the moment for the staff’s attitude of superiority.

  I will tell you what I remember, though I doubt it will be much since I didn’t find it very entertaining at the time, nor do I now. The veil is a doorway that links our world to the world of the gods. At least that is what your father believed. He was trying to find out how the veil worked, and if there was a way to strengthen it while still allowing magic to enter into our world.

  “You think my father is on the other side of the veil don’t you?” Bren asked speciously.

  Not on the other side of the veil, but suck within it. The veil is more a wall than a door, and there is an empty space between the two worlds. As I told you, the veil is weakening and I can feel your father, but I can’t hear him.

  Bren sat down the journal and started thinking about what Thuraman had said. If there was a space in-between the two worlds, his father could be there, but how long could he live without food and water? He doubted that he would last more than a fortnight, let alone ten years. There was still hope though. Thuraman was a lot of things, few of them good in Bren’s eyes, but the staff had yet to lie to him for any reason. Even when he didn’t think Bren should know the answers to the questions that were being asked. “Do you think you could find the door?”

  Yes, I would just have to follow the pull of your father. It is weak, but I think I could find it. Why, are you finally ready to go retrieve your father?

  “No, not yet. I don’t know if I ever will be, but it is good to know that you could find the door if needed,” Bren replied, knowing that his answer would infuriate the staff.

  The four continued reading through their respective notes until the sun no longer shone in the small window of Sae-Thae’s office.

  “Did anyone find anything of substance?” Sae-Thae asked, setting down the large black leather-bound book he had been reading through.

  “The whole set of notes I was reading had to do with the Brotherhood swords. Thaddeus believed that they were linked to the space in-between the two worlds. From what I can tell, he was trying to see if he could use them to open a small hole inside the veil,” Phena said, her brow furrowed in thought.

  “That is interesting, but I don’t think we will travel that route,” Sae-Thae said, shaking his head. “Those swords are better left alone. I warned Thaddeus about tampering with them. If only he had listened to me, then he would be here to answer our questions now. Miss Faye was it? Did you find anything of interest?”

  Faye looked up at the Sae-Thae and blushed slightly. “Maybe Phena was right, I didn’t know what to look for,” She said abashedly.

  �
�That is fine, I don’t think any of us really know what we are looking for. Just tell us if you found anything that caught your interest?” Sae-Thae said, his voice light and refreshing.

  “Well it talked a lot about how Thad…I mean Master Torin, thought about Humanius and the other gods. It was interesting because I didn’t even know there were real gods. He even said that it might have been possible that the magical races were created to be warriors against the other world.”

  Sae-Thae’s face turned dark as Faye continued to talk about what she had read. “I see, that is enough….That is very disturbing, if true,” Sae-Thae said after a few moments, making Faye blush again.

  “Sorry,” Faye replied, ducking her head slightly. Bren was more than a little surprised at how Faye was acting. He much preferred when she was headstrong and not demure and apologetic. He wondered why she acted so much differently in front of Sae-Thae than she did him.

  “That is ok dear, you haven’t done anything wrong,” Sae-Thae said with his normal toothy smile. “Bren did you find anything?”

  “From what I have read, I believe that the veil is actually a location or a doorway between the worlds. My father believed that it was far to the north, in an isolated valley surrounded by large mountains. I also talked to Thuraman and he said that he could find it if needed,” Thad said proudly.

  “Isophena, why don’t you take Miss Faye and go get something to eat,” Sae-Thae said, nearly pushing the two girls out of the room.

  “What is the matter Uncle Sae-Thae?”

  Sae-Thae sat down heavily in his chair, running his fingers over the front of his face, stopping them at his forehead. “This is not what I expected to find,” the mage said in a low voice. “I never believed that there could be a veil, but some things that I have read and heard tonight rang too true to be simple lies.”

  “What do you mean?” Bren asked worried, and at the same time intrigued. He had never seen Sae-Thae when the mage was worried. Bren had always thought that even against a horde of warriors, Sae-Thae would have stood and fought without ever once looking worried, even as his head was removed from his body.

  “A long time ago, the vathari took over all of this land. We controlled it, but there was one place our god forcibly refused to let us enter. It was a valley that he called the birthplace of the gods. That alone might have only given me a pause, but our people have refused to wipe out any of the other magical races. We are encouraged to fight them, but only to a point. We are never allowed to slaughter them completely. For most people, this wouldn’t seem related to anything we have read tonight, but I think our god is using us to sharpen the other races.”

  Sae-Thae continued to talk, but Bren was sure that the mage was talking to himself more than he was him. Some of the things that were said didn’t make any sense, others only a little. “I will have to return home and speak to my god!” Sae-Thae declared after more than an hour of talking and arguing with himself.

  “You can just talk with your god?” Bren asked shocked. He had heard rumors and hinting’s about the gods, but most of the master mages and magical races kept them a secret.

  “Bren, I know this is a bad time, but I must leave for a time. In my absence, master Carnear is interim head master. I trust her to keep you safe until I can return.”

  Bren was left standing in the office alone, as master Sae-Thae quickly grabbed a few things, shoving them in a worn travel pack sitting in the corner of his office and left. Bren had never seen the mage so flustered before. It reminded him of his mother when she learned that a high ranking official was coming for a visit and she didn’t have anything prearranged for a reception.

  Left alone, Bren left the office to join his guards who waited patiently outside, and went to get his own food. He had hoped to eat among the other apprentices, but Flynn ordered one of the tower guards to retrieve some known safe food, and return with it to Bren’s quarters.

  As he sat on the corner of his bed, eating dry crackers and some kind of fruit bar, Bren hoped that they would hurry and find the rest of the assassins.

  Laying back on his bed, Bren thought about his father and the veil. If his father truly was alive, and stuck in-between the two worlds, he wondered what it would be like. He imagined that they could see both worlds as if they were overlapping and walk about them, yet couldn’t interact with them. Closing his eyes, he pretended that his father was beside him on the bed, smiling. Bren decided that he would go with that thought until it was disproven, as it would explain the feeling he always had of being watched.

  “Do you think we could go see Cass?” Bren asked Flynn, wishing for any excuse to leave the room that seemed more like a prison than a place of refuge like it had during his first days at the Tower.

  “I don’t think that it would be wise to leave the safety of the room, but I am not your mother. You may go where you wish, just know that any careless actions on your part could cause the death of others,” Flynn said hauntingly.

  Are you really going to continue to stay here, just because it might put others in danger? Thuraman shouted in his mind when Bren didn’t move. People die every day that doesn’t make it your fault. The fault would lie with whoever killed them, and those that ordered them to do it. If you spend every moment worrying about how it will affect every single person, you will never do anything but sit there on that bed. When you do that, those that wish to rob you of your life have won, because they have just succeeded.

  Bren knew that Thuraman’s words were skewed, and were only playing to his own fears, but he still allowed them to move him toward the door. Of course he couldn’t control the lives of others, but that didn’t mean he should increase the risk when obvious danger was afoot. Still though, he wanted to see his friend and make sure that he hadn’t suffered too greatly in the struggle the night before.

  CHAPTER XXI

  Having spent a few days in the medical ward himself not long before, Bren knew that it was an utterly boring place. Everything was white and there were very few things to take your mind off the fact that there was nothing to do.

  They found Cass lying idly in bed, humming an old song. It was a catchy tune that Bren had heard many times, using many different words, most of them not meant for polite company.

  “Are you enjoying you days of rest?” Bren asked jokingly.

  “Honestly, I am finding my time here very pleasant,” Cass said with a wry smile. “Since I was hurt on duty and in an honorable manner, the Weapons Master and my fellow trainees have seen fit to shower me with gifts to help hasten my healing,” Cass added, holding up a bottle of ale that was well over half gone.

  “It is good to see that you are not languishing in torment at the hands of the mages then,” Bren said laughing.

  “Might be a little torment going on, but it’s of a friendlier kind,” Cass said winking. “A few of the ladies around here have come to visit, to thank me for being such a heroic sort.”

  Bren took a seat in one of the chairs in the small room. “Would you care for a sip?” Cass asked, offering him the bottle.

  Bren took the ale from his friend and took a whiff the fumes, making his eyes water. “Dear gods, that could take the rust off of armor that’s been sitting in the ocean,” Bren said, handing it back to his friend.

  “That’s how you know it’s worth drinking,” Cass said laughing. “So, what brings you down here? If it’s to see me, I give you my thanks, but next time you could bring a nice lass with you, so I would have something to look at beside your ugly mug.”

  “I just wanted to make sure you were not wallowing in self-pity,” Bren said with a thin smile. “Next time though, I will make sure that I bring along a female for you to look at. Maybe one of the local farmers will spare a sheep, though I hear it will be hard to find one that you don’t already know.”

  “Ah, a low blow my friend, but you know what they say. It’s all good, if it’s not baaaad,” Cass replied, before breaking out in a fit of laughter.

  Bren and Cass t
alked until he was forced to leave by an older looking mage. Sighing and wishing that Cass would hurry up and return to his post as his guard, Bren made his way back to his room. When he reached the long hallway that lead to his quarters, a loud scream filled the air, causing Flynn and the rest of the guards to grab for their weapons.

  A few moments later, a young girl, only a year or two older than Bren, ran into the hallway and to where the guards stood around Bren. “She’s dead! She’s dead,” The girl said over and over, as tears ran down her face. One of the tower guards went to check the room. Bren quickly followed, before Flynn had a chance to hold him back.

  Inside the small room, an older girl, near the age of eighteen, laid on the ground. Her throat cut so deep, it looked as if only a few flaps of skin held her head to the rest of her body. Before Flynn hauled Bren away, he was able to notice a piece of cloth laying on the girl’s chest with an emblem of a fox on it.

  “There is a limit to how much of a fool you can be,” Flynn berated Bren, as he pulled him to his room. “Next time you pull a stunt like that, I will get permission from the Weapons Master to have you locked in the Tower prison so that you can’t do so again…Am I understood?”

  “Understood,” Bren replied, pulling his arm from Flynn’s grasp.

  It was less than an hour later when the number of guards on his room was reduced from four to one. It wasn’t as if the guards were completely gone, they were just patrolling the rest of the living areas and anywhere else the assassins might find easy to strike.

  Bren wasn’t overly worried though. He might not like Flynn, but he felt safe with the man around. He was skilled, far more so than any two of the normal tower guards put together. Bren should had known that before having to spar with him by the small red badge on the man’s collar, but for some reason it had never occurred to him.

  Skill with a sword is useless against magic. If you could use it as you wished, then no number of fighters could stand against you in combat.