Her strength was greater than his, though his rune wells had bridged the gap slightly. It was a deceptive increase that required time to refill, so it wasn't a true boost the way most wizards would acknowledge.
Still tired, he let Ashleen's magic do most of the work. They found and fixed all of his ribs. Most were at least cracked. Other bones had been partially healed as well making even the mage wonder how he had managed to block out the injuries long enough to escape his jailors. He had barely noticed any pain during the fighting as adrenaline took over blocking it from his mind. Maybe there was also another rune capable of blocking pain that he had yet to discover, the owl thought in the back of his mind.
Once the fighting had concluded, however, it had hit him like a big wave.
In comparison, her healing magic moved through him like a healing river washing away the pain as they healed. It took awhile, but they finished and Ashleen cut the connection sighing as she drifted off exhaustedly next to him.
Sebastian felt tired as well, but quickly washed beside the girl as best he could. He woke her as he started to get out of the tub. His arm remained beneath Ashleen and she awoke to rub her eyes.
Looking at him, the girl said with tears starting to spill onto her cheeks, "You are here. I was beginning to think that it was a dream."
"I'm back and I feel better again thanks to you."
The mage stepped out of the tub dripping onto the floor as he helped her to stand. Nearly his height with the tub beneath her feet, Ashleen couldn't resist putting her arms around his neck to kiss him long and hard once more.
"I missed you," she breathed before he lifted her free of the tub to put her feet on the floor.
"You have no idea how much I missed you too," Sebastian replied handing her a towel to dry off as he took one as well.
Chapter 24- Bells and Signs
A golden doorway opened in a back alley near an abandoned warehouse letting a young couple step through into the sunlight. Sea birds could be heard as well as the sounds of waves not too far away near the docks. Bells of buoys rang in the harbor as Palose listened for danger before his vision completely adjusted to the change in venues.
"New Harbor?" Sylvaine asked noting the building before them and identifying the place without his telling her. "So are you going to look for these Visionaries here without telling Dorgred or are we just here for fun?"
The last words sounded a bit sarcastic on her tongue and the dark mage glanced to the girl a bit perplexed at her subtle tone. "Is there something wrong with New Harbor?"
"It seems like every time we are here something bad happens," the dark haired apprentice said with a sigh.
He looked at the pretty girl with her light weight, red blouse and dark brown skirt that fluttered with the sea breeze. No one would recognize her as a warlock from her outfit and Palose wore a simple green shirt with his brown pants that nearly matched her skirt color. They were dressed like a normal couple from Southwall. Their clothes had been bought in Cadmera, but they would still be rather common looking in the city by the sea.
"I don't know. We've had some nice trips here too," Palose commented thinking of some visits here with the girl, but he knew what she meant. Most of the time, the dark mage had ferried men from Ensolus to continue to stir up the population against King Alain and his reign. It was business too often and he couldn't take Sylvaine then.
The emperor and his sister didn't know about his circle of resurrection men and women as far as he knew. The circle might actually not be in danger if Kolban knew. He might consider them an interesting experiment, just like Palose assumed the emperor thought of him; but if Acheri learned of the girl her jealous nature might be dangerous for Sylvaine.
Of course, Palose had also had a run in with Sebastian and his wizards here. That had been a surprise. The thought made him frown slightly as the dark mage remembered a fight that hadn't gone his way though he had assumed that he would be more powerful than Sebastian by now. His rival continued to evolve and grow stronger. Well, perhaps not truly stronger, since Palose had seen the mage's aura. He hadn't looked more powerful, yet the mizard had put up a fight using spells that rivaled any wizard or warlock.
Guessing that Sebastian somehow knew how to squeeze more out of his core magic than he should, Palose had to give his rival the credit he was due. He had yet to feel like he had defeated the man in any rematch and they had had a few.
"Well, I guess that this is still business also," the mage mused. "We should try to find one of these Visionaries as they used to call them, though if they knew we were looking for them, would they make it easier for us to find them or harder? They can see the future, so why wouldn't they expect us to come searching for them, right?"
Her violet eyes looked at him as if Palose had thrown some nonsensical riddle at her. "If they can see the future and we are supposed to meet, they could choose to make it so. If we aren't, but they've foreseen us looking, I guess that they could make sure that we never do; but I have to say that kind of logic begins to hurt my head trying to think around it."
Chuckling at her point, the young man nodded. "True, we could debate the philosophy of knowing the future, destiny and fate without ever getting anywhere. If they still exist, only they could tell us, I suppose."
As the two walked out of the alleyway, foot traffic began to build and Palose noted other bells besides the buoys. They sounded a little frantic and he didn't know what the alarms signaled.
"I think we'd better check with the locals to see what is going on here," he said to the girl holding his hand. Her grip was tight both from not wanting to let him go as well as perhaps a bit of fear from being in the strange city. There were probably more people in Ensolus, but most of the non-human creatures stuck to their side of the city and the rest were often holed up avoiding the cold, especially during the winter.
Palose led Sylvaine to a different building a couple blocks away. The more he visited, the more the dark mage noticed the age of the city and a certain tarnish to New Harbor. It was supposed to be a rich city and there certainly were massive homes and buildings. Many warehouses and business were wealthy looking, kept up, and busy; but there was also a surprising amount of abandoned buildings to go with those remaining in use. There was a growing distance between the rich and those struggling to keep their heads above water. Nobles and wealthy owners hated giving King Alain his taxes making them surprisingly prone to the rebellious nature of the emperor's words. Those without wealth heard those words equally ready for a change, though it would be the same nobles above them most likely if Count Terris got his way.
A man noticed him coming and gave him a nod before looking at the girl distrustfully.
"Good afternoon, sir," the guard greeted him trying to appear like he didn't know the mage; but Palose was good at remembering faces. This man was from Ensolus and had been brought here by the dark mage like nearly every one of the men from the emperor's city.
"Good afternoon. Are the masters in? I've noticed a surprising amount of excitement in the city today."
The last was an indirect question, but the first two were part of the greeting letting the members of the cell know their friends from possible enemies.
"The masters are out actually," the guard stated glancing in the direction of the count's castle a moment.
That was a surprise to his answer. Palose had expected one of the warlocks leading these men to be available at the very least. Of course, he was here by chance and with no set appointment. They had business of their own, but usually at least one would remain near their headquarters to help keep the men on the same page.
"Any idea what is going on?"
Shaking his head the man replied, "I'm not sure. The bells started a little while ago from the count's castle. I've heard that soldiers and wizards are running around looking for someone, an escaped prisoner maybe?"
Palose had received news of part of the cell being captured by Sebastian and other men sent by Hala. Count Terris and hi
s loyal nobles hadn't kept them long. They had talked with the masters and let their minds be swayed towards rebellion like the common people listening to them in the streets. The masters had been released to continue promoting revolution and throwing off the control of the king.
"Did the masters have anyone there?"
Looking uncomfortable talking of things best left clandestine, the guard nudged open the door behind him.
"Maybe you should ask, Urlic, he might be able to answer things that a simple guard wouldn't know," he said urging the couple inside.
Palose led Sylvaine past the guard into the warehouse where a surprising number had already gathered.
The group of faces turned to the door watching them enter looking a little worried.
"Dark mage, why are you here?" a man asked hurrying towards them. Pretty certain of his identity, even if Palose found the title given a bit distasteful, he moved through those assembled feeling Sylvaine press closer. Some of the faces peering at them appeared to have had hard lives which had made them peer at the new arrivals with distrust.
"I was on a different assignment, but noticed all the warning bells and was trying to find out if there was something to be concerned about here."
It wouldn't be his problem to solve necessarily, but Palose preferred knowing what he was facing. If the city had decided to turn against them, then he might need to alert the emperor. That would gain him favor, though perhaps bringing someone else to be the messenger might be best. It was always best to not be the one bringing bad news.
"Where are the masters? Shouldn't they be leading you now?"
The man he recognized as Urlic, since Palose had made sure to get to know them by face and name should he need to make contact with them individually to avoid being caught off guard, appeared uncertain as he answered. "The masters were called in to help break a prisoner's will to convert him to the cause. They've been talking about it quite a bit actually. I guess they are enjoying it unusually much since he was apparently the man who took them down, you know the one who managed to infiltrate the recruiters to capture them."
"Sebastian is here?" Palose said with eyes wide in shock. The mizard had been captured and made a prisoner here in turn. His prisoners were now the ones in charge of his torture as well. That was a strange turn of events, but the idea also made him sigh.
"Are the masters in the castle now?"
"They went earlier to work him over. For some reason, this man has been unusually resistant to mind magic. Even with three of them trying to break him, he has been resisting them. At least, they get to keep making him hurt. Master Wiler in particular has seemed happy enough to let him resist, if it means that he gets to keep torturing him," the lieutenant answered in an overly talkative, nervous way.
Palose hated men like that; one's who couldn't stop talking and often revealed things that they shouldn't. Even as a cadet, he had believed keeping one's mouth closed more often made him look more intelligent. If he didn't know an answer, Palose would work to solve it himself or keep his fact finding to the teachers of White Hall rather than discussing it with his peers.
"Do you have anyone else that can be sent to the castle to check on them?"
Urlic looked surprised by the question. "You think that something happened to the masters?"
"When it comes to Sebastian, I don't ignore the signs. He seems capable of escaping even the direst circumstances. Ducking death is like something given him by magic as if a spell had been put on him," Palose replied with a frown.
"I'll send someone," the lieutenant answered with a nod. "What will you do?"
Removing a stone similar to the one given Dorgred for communication in a primitive way across vast distances, Palose said, "If they are in trouble or something has happened to them, you can break the stones letting me know to come back here. Meanwhile, I told you that I have my own business here."
Leading Sylvaine back out of the headquarters for the dissidents, Palose turned onto a street which would lead to the markets.
"You think that your Sebastian has caused this confusion in the city?" Sylvaine asked with a bit of worry.
"It wouldn't surprise me."
"But surely they did their best to contain his magic and keep him in chains?"
"With the mizard involved, I can believe almost anything. He always seems able to bring new surprises. If it doesn't have anything to do with him, however, then it is a waste to involve ourselves further.
"I'd rather spend time with you in the beautiful weather in the markets than concern myself with something other than Sebastian," the man said with a smile to the curly haired beauty.
Sylvaine was less ready to drop the matter and said, "You know his aura. Can't you try and track him?"
Stepping into the next alley, Palose thought on her question and said, "Fine, keep watch then."
Using a spell learned in the library of Ensolus, the dark mage cast a spell to reveal any sign of Sebastian's magic. He knew the man's magic well, too well for his taste.
Like dust released into the air from his fingers, sparkles spread out disappearing from sight before anyone could see the spell. His eyes were closed and the dark mage looked in the direction of the count's castle to start. Frowning at the first sign of Sebastian, Palose noted a strange masking of the mage's magic. The strongest source he could find didn't feel like the mizard at all. It did and didn't seem like the mage. It felt like a hollow, emptied out shell; but there was also a burst of Sebastian's magic that felt as wrong as the weakened, empty marks.
The burst felt stronger than the mage should feel. Like Sebastian had grown in strength, the power also felt raw, overcharged with magic. It was like a wilder had released a spell in a confused fit. They were often unable to control their magic and emotions would leave the feeling of uncontrolled power.
Turning his head, scanning the south; Palose felt the connecting piece of magic and realized that he had made a portal to escape. He continued to make a full rotation looking for more, but other than a signal of much older magic there was nothing else nearby.
"It's Sebastian," the dark mage said with a sigh as he opened his eyes to look into her violet eyes. Their color drew him in as did her beautiful face, even as she looked troubled by the news.
"Is he still here?"
"No, I am pretty sure that he broke whatever bonds they put on him. His magic feels all over the place though. I sense a weak version of his power under the castle and a strangely powerful surge as well. The burst of power is echoed a few blocks away from the castle."
Sylvaine thought on the idea, even as the couple held hands once again and followed the path towards one of the city markets. Palm readers and fortune tellers were common enough, though most saw them just as entertainment. He knew people that believed some truly had the gift though and couldn't say whether he agreed or not having avoided using them in the past.
"If they bound his magic, it might feels snuffed out," the girl mused. "Done in a complete, restrictive way, a wilder's power grows and virtually explodes when it grows too powerful to contain. If he was bound up in some way, even a mage might have this power reaction unexpectedly."
Palose understood enough to get the concept and nodded. "Well, it doesn't matter then. He's already left the city as far as I can tell. They can look all that they want. Urlic won't be calling on me for that at least."
"I wonder what happened to the warlocks working on him though," Sylvaine said in a contemplative way. "I also wonder how Dorgred is doing. If he does as you told him and doesn't find a Visionary in Mariport, will he head east and eventually cover the same cities that we are?"
Shrugging, the young man replied, "It was more to keep him busy. Maybe he will find one in Mariport or Siltrene. We can look in the other big cities, but I kind of worry that Kolban has given me this as an impossible task."
"Why would he do that? He usually has you doing important work directly for him. Unless you have done something to break that trust, we can assume that
he believes that you can find one.
"My biggest question is why?"
"I've been worrying about that too," Palose said thoughtfully. "He gave me the task, but I almost think that he knows the answer already. Maybe Kolban has the power to see the future and just wants to find one of these Visionaries to compare notes."
"Maybe he doesn't like what he has seen and hopes for an answer that is better," Sylvaine offered sounding a little worried by the thought. They were tied to Ensolus whether they liked it or not, and Palose to the emperor's family in particular. What would happen if something was going to happen to them or the city in the future?
"Kolban implied that I should be thinking about contingency ideas to keep Acheri safe," the mage finally told her one part of the conversation he had failed to mention to her sooner.
Sylvaine looked a little alarmed and said, "If you keep her safe, will she try to kill me again?"
Giving her an extra squeeze of her hand for comfort, Palose smiled at the girl and said, "If it comes to keeping you safe or her, you know that I will always pick you over Acheri."
With a worried smile, Sylvaine replied, "Maybe you need more than one contingency plan to deal with her?"
He laughed, though the mage didn't totally feel it. "Well, let's try to find this fortune teller or get them to find us depending on what you've decided to believe."
Dorgred walked out of the eleventh so called fortune teller of yet another day and uttered an incomprehensible groan of annoyance.
"Another fake?" Evic questioned with a raised eyebrow.
As the wizard stared at his guide, he was equally annoyed with the boy as he was this quest to find someone who could see the future in a broad way. The man had doubted the legitimacy of the quest that Palose had set him on in the first place, but he had yet to meet someone that he could believe had truly seen any bit of the future. One charlatan after another wasted his time, but Dorgred hadn't spent a coin on these fakes.
Battle Mage Visions (A Tale of Alus Book 12) Page 35