The Sorcerer's Return (The Sorcerer's Path)

by Brock Deskins

  “Raijaun let the center fail!” a young man shouted from third platoon’s rear rank.

  “You all failed! Why do you cast blame on him? His spells were far more effective than yours.”

  “He wasn’t trying. I saw.”

  “You are telling me you had the luxury to focus on what Raijaun was doing? It sounds to me like you were the one slacking.”

  The young wizard looked at the ground. “I’m just saying we could have done better if our supposedly secret weapon would have tried harder.”

  “It sounds to me like you are trying shift blame on someone else for your failures.”

  The vocal wizard leaned to his left and whispered, “It looks to me like we have a demon too scared to fight and leader who is a crazy bit—”

  He did not whisper quietly enough. A force grabbed him in an invisible grip, lifted him over the heads of his fellows, and crushed him to the ground at Ellyssa’s feet. He stared up helplessly into Ellyssa’s furious face.

  “Do I look crazy to you?” she demanded.

  Unable to draw breath, he swallowed hard and nodded anxiously.

  “You’re right. I suggest you watch your tongue and tread lightly. Crazy people can be very unpredictable.”

  “Ellyssa, enough!” Rusty shouted. “What do you think you are doing?”

  Ellyssa released the frightened mage and shifted her angry gaze to Rusty. “I am instilling discipline. Had he been a martial student, the arms master would have beaten him bloody with a training sword.”

  “These are not martial students!”

  “No, they are not, and it is my job to correct that deficiency.” Ellyssa stepped toward Rusty and raised an invisible sphere around them to prevent anyone else from hearing her words. “Azerick put me in charge with a full understanding of what we all need to do to ensure this lot is ready to fight. If you ever chastise me in front of our war mages again, I will put you down just like I did Ben. Do you understand me?”

  Rusty’s face grew dark and his voice trembled with anger. “Do you think you can—”

  “I know I can, and you had best know I will. Maybe you do not fully believe what Azerick says, or maybe you simply cannot understand it. But I saw what the ravagers did in Bruneford’s Mill, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it does not happen here.” Ellyssa softened her tone. “I know I do not have a fraction of your experience, and it must be hard for you and the others to accept my position. I reacted the same way when Azerick told me he planned on putting me in charge. But what you just saw is exactly why he did it. I am willing to be feared, hated even, if it means some of these people will survive this war.”

  Rusty took several deep breaths before answering. “We will be lucky if they survive this training!” he hissed and stalked away.

  Ellyssa looked to where two of Brother Thomas’s Chosen were treating several wizards who had been injured or overreached themselves. Angela nodded that they were fine, so Ellyssa pulled Raijaun aside as the others dispersed.

  “Ben was right. You were holding back.”

  Raijaun studied the ground at his feet. “I’m sorry. I will try harder next time.”

  “Is everything all right?”

  Raijaun nodded. “I’m fine.”

  Ellyssa knew his answer to be false but let him go. He had been through a lot and probably just needed time to adjust. She walked back to the school once the training grounds were cleared. A voice called to her just as she passed through the small postern gate.

  “Hi, Ellyssa,” Daebian hailed and fell into step next to her.

  “Daebian. I heard you had an accident as I was heading back to the field from lunch.”

  “Nope.”

  “You didn’t fall down the stairs?”

  “It wasn’t an accident.”

  Ellyssa stopped and faced the boy. “I don’t believe Raijaun pushed you. He is too nice a person to have done it no matter what you said or did to him.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that.”

  “Are you saying he isn’t kind?”

  “No, about his being a person. He is too nice, but that is the least important part of that incident. I saw him out there today. He looked pretty pathetic.”

  “He did very well,” Ellyssa defended. “His spells were more effective than anyone else’s.”

  “I guess, but the way Father treats him you would think he could have scoured the field clean all by himself.”

  “He isn’t used to being around people is all. He will come around. You used to be kind as well. What has changed you?”

  “Who says I changed? Anyway, I’m glad you’re back. You were the only person I ever found interesting around here. See you later.”

  Daebian deviated toward the new tower while Ellyssa sought her room in the old. He poked his head in the door and made sure no one was around before jogging up the stairs to his room. He found Raijaun sitting morosely in a chair in his section of the tower landing.

  “Hey, short, dark, and ugly.”

  Raijaun looked up, his displeasure evident in his expression. “How is your arm?”

  Daebian raised his arm, waggled his fingers, and flipped his brother a rude gesture. “Right as rain. Brother Thomas does good work. Are you mad?”

  “You made me look like a monster!”

  “No, your thrice-damned parentage made you look like a monster. I made you look like a jerk.”

  Raijaun looked away. “Yes, I am mad. Wouldn’t you be?”

  Daebian pursed his lips in thought. “I don’t think so. I don’t really know. I’ve never been mad before.”

  “You have never been angry?”

  “Nope.

  “You are a sociopath.”

  Daebian considered his brother’s accusation. “Do you think so? Wouldn’t that be interesting? Can you imagine, being free of social angst no matter what you did? It sounds liberating.”

  “It sounds insane.”

  “This world needs some insanity to combat the rampant stupidity. Like cats to take care of a rat infestation.”

  “What happens when there are no more rats and a city full of cats?”

  “The cats destroy each other until the strongest ones reach some sort of balance of power. That is the beauty of my system, it’s self-correcting.”

  Raijaun shook his head, unable to grasp his brother’s insane ideas. “Why do you hate me?”

  Daebian looked startled at the question. “Hate you? I don’t hate you.”

  “Then why do you act like this? Why would you do what you did if you do not hate me?”

  “Because I don’t like to share. It had nothing to do with you other than the fact Mother is mine. Until you came, she was all I had. She was the only one who didn’t look at me like I was a freak.”

  “I still think you are an ass.”

  “Whoa, potty mouth. That kind of language is unbecoming from someone your age. What are you, six months old? Anyway, it had nothing to do with you, not directly. I suppose I desired some attention from Father, but not at the expense of sharing Mother. My little trip down the stairs satisfied both. It was a total win-win.”

  “You got negative attention from Father. Why not do something good and get positive attention?”

  “You are too young to understand. It’s like in business; you want to reap the greatest reward with smallest investment possible. I don’t really care how I get what I want just as long as I get it.”

  “I still do not see how anyone can act like you do without hating the person they are doing it to.”

  “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you? You are my brother, even if you are as ugly as a troll’s ass. No matter what I do or how horrible I behave, you are my brother. Don’t try to understand it; it will just give you a headache.”

  Raijaun thought about his brother’s words after he left and realized he was right. He would never understand and trying was going to bring nothing but confusion and frustration. Father said to steer clear of him and he would as
best he could, but Daebian said they were brothers and he was fairly certain he meant it. Raijaun also felt their bond, or at least he thought he did. Whether it was the true bond of siblings or just his desperate desire to belong, he could not be sure.

  ***

  Every night, Klaraxis invaded Daebian’s dreams with vivid images. Some showed him the glories of victory, others the pain and humiliation of defeat. Often times, Azerick or Raijaun would save him and remind him how weak he was.

  This night, Daebian sat astride a powerful warhorse surrounded by corpses. Some were allies and many were foes, but that fact was unimportant. The only thing that mattered was he was the one still standing at the end of the battle.

  You like what you see. This can only happen if you let me help you. You have your blade. Why do you not take your father’s blood so I may bring you power?

  Daebian looked down and saw the dagger Ken had made him riding on his hip, the black soul stone prominently affixed to the hilt. “I do not trust you, demon. I do what I want when I wish to do it. Your continual badgering is not going to make me act any sooner. In fact, it will only serve to make me trust you less.”

  As you wish, young master. I only desire to see you where you belong.

  Klaraxis was indeed getting impatient, but Daebian was as intractable as his father, and he knew he could not push the boy. He needed subtlety to influence the boy and create an optimal situation to turn him against his father. Klaraxis reminded himself to remain patient. There would be opportunities to widen the rift between father and son, but if he moved too quickly he could ruin his own plans.

  CHAPTER 10

  Azerick toiled away in his laboratory, prying every bit of knowledge he could out of the Codex Arcana. The Scions pounded mercilessly against the barrier and he had to maintain a constant vigilance to shore up the weaknesses they created.

  His people were putting everything they had into their training. He was certain that within a year, he could pit both martial and magical students against nearly any equal force in the kingdom with a strong likelihood of victory. But that was not enough. His people, all of the people, would soon face an enemy capable of crushing them at their current level of military preparedness.

  Someone cleared their throat near the doorway to the lab. Azerick turned and saw it was one of the former Academy wizards. Mason was young, barely accepted into the ranks of full wizard, but he was very intelligent and creative.

  “Yes, Mason?”

  “Lord Giles, I received a letter from a friend still at The Academy. She told me they have increased their applied magic lessons and combative training but only marginally. It is still short of what the Hall of Inquisition trains for to protect the border,” Mason reported nervously. “The Martial Academy has implemented much of your training doctrine, however. They are focusing far more on large group tactics and defending against swift and powerful assaults from a much larger force.”

  Azerick frowned but nodded as Mason reported the martial students’ training. He had expected much of this. The Martial Academy people were soldiers and recognized the value of what Azerick showed them. They would take advantage of a superior training doctrine regardless of whether or not they believed Azerick’s story. The Magus Academy, on the other hand, was a bunch of bureaucrats set in their ways who looked at any change as a challenge to their authority and general sense of superiority.

  “Thank you, Mason. Please have Ellyssa call her people together. I will be out momentarily to address them after I pen a quick letter to The Academy.”

  Headmaster Florent led the procession of council members and two score wizards down the vast halls of The Academy in preparation for their meeting with Lord Giles. The Headmaster had received the request, actually little more than a notice of his impending arrival, just two days ago.

  “I still do not understand why you agreed to meet with him,” Magus Louis Douglas stated bitterly once again.

  “He informed us of his inevitable arrival, and I do not like the thought of having to replace any doors by refusing him an audience with the council.”

  “You do not think he will attempt a repeat performance, do you? The Hall was unprepared. He would never get away with that here. Not now,” Louis scoffed.

  “Quite frankly, I do not know what he will do, but I would rather not create any more tension than necessary. My reports from his school indicate they are becoming exceptionally militant, and I would prefer to avoid any sort of conflict. I imagine he is here to complain about our not dancing to his tune. It will do no harm to listen to him before showing him the door.”

  Louis snorted. “The man is a renegade. Who knows how he will react to our not bending the knee. As you said, we cannot know what he will do.”

  “If he acts foolishly we will be ready for him,” the Headmaster said confidently. She stopped and looked around quizzically. “Louis, did you feel that?”

  “Feel what?”

  Maureen shook her head. “Nothing. All this talk must be making me agitated.”

  The procession turned down another hall and made their way to the council chambers. The group paused a moment as they stepped into the chamber and saw Azerick already waiting for them. The Headmaster led her fellow council members to their elevated seats while the other wizards formed a half circle around the dangerous sorcerer, keeping as much distance from him as possible.

  “Lord Giles, it is customary for those seeking audience to wait in the antechamber until summoned,” Headmaster Florent informed him.

  “My apologies, but I detest waiting on others and must profess a certain amount of claustrophobia.”

  “I liked you as a boy, Lord Giles. It is a shame your rise to power appears to have equally elevated your arrogance, if not superseded it.”

  Azerick grinned. “If arrogance were oil we could light this entire academy as bright as the sun for all eternity.” Azerick spotted a familiar face among the surrounding wizards. “I see you have recovered, Magus Harvey. I was concerned after you took that nasty fall.”

  “It was no fall, you monster!” Harvey shouted, his voice quavering in indignation and more than a little fear.

  “And my sentiment was more out of politeness than any real concern.” Azerick turned back to face the council. “My only concern here is the fact you have all chosen to ignore my repeated warnings and are not properly preparing to deal with the looming threat to us all. I had hoped the King’s acceptance of my proposal would have spurred you into action.”

  “The King does not dictate to The Academy. I assure you, Lord Giles, this academy is prepared to handle any threat against it and, right now, the only threat we see is you,” the Headmaster said hostilely.

  “I am not the threat to your academy, Headmaster. The real threat is to us all, and you chose to ignore my warning. You think you are prepared? I could bring two score of my students in here and destroy the core of this academy. They would not even need my help because they are prepared and they continue to push themselves to their limits every day.”

  “That is where you are wrong,” Headmaster Florent retorted. “Our wizards have reinforced every ward in the Academy. No one can sneak onto the grounds without our knowing. Anyone attempting such a thing would then face the might of the most powerful establishment in Valeria.”

  “Really?” Azerick smiled devilishly.

  The illusion vanished and the entire enclave of wizards found themselves surrounded by Azerick’s people. The council members, seated upon nothing more than a raised section of earth within the Martial Academy parade grounds, looked around in fright to find daggers and swords pricking against their backs. Sandy hovered over Headmaster Florent, breathing hotly upon her neck and showing off her sharp teeth.

  Wolf aimed an arrow straight at Magus Douglas’ chest with Ghost standing at his hip ready to pounce. Fifty of his students surrounded the Academy Wizards, already prepared to unleash their summoned arcane energy.

  “I can feel several of you reaching for the So
urce. I recommend you not force us to defend ourselves. You have been caught with your proverbial robes down,” Azerick said coldly. “Half a company of students could have just gutted the core of your academy if they had the mind to. Who would be left, your students and a few lower class mages? Prepared? Hardly. You are not prepared to fight a cold.”

  “How did you…?” Headmaster Florent began. “You breached our wards and placed illusions and disorienting spells within the halls to direct us out here. Very clever, Lord Giles, but neither I nor the Academy will bend to your bullying! Strike us down now if you wish. Prove to the world you are nothing more than a petty tyrant who wishes everyone to dance on his strings. We will not! I have had my most learned wizards working with the heads of the Scholars’ Academy, and not one of them has uncovered more than a wives’ tale about these Scions you keep spouting off about. If you wish to send your students off to hunt for bogeymen, so be it. You have shown us we cannot stop you without more bloodshed than we are willing to spill, but we will not play a part in your grand delusions!”

  Azerick shook his head slowly. “Delusions?”

  Azerick held out his hands palms down and the ground near his feet began churning as an object broke through the earth. Azerick laid his hands upon the crystal resting on a plinth of stone before him. The sky and parade grounds vanished and the assembled wizards found themselves gathered near a shimmering screen stretching to both horizons of a grey and barren world. Several astonished gasps and mutterings broke the eerie silence as they looked upon the flying ships and floating crystal castle hovering above an army of creatures whose size was impossible to gauge.

  “Azerick, what is this place?” Headmaster Florent asked, desperately trying to keep the fear from her voice.

  “It is my delusion.”

  The image of five emaciated, faceless figures appeared on the other side of the screen, towering over the group of mages. Despite their lack of facial features, their scorn and disdain for the intruders was felt by all. A wave of loathing and animosity washed over the wizards with such intensity it crushed them to the ground, making them beg for mercy as invisible needles stabbed deep into their brains.