Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11)

by Donald Wigboldy

  Gerid couldn't very well go walking around the city stabbing himself and healing to prove it to everyone.

  Now the young mage stood before the legend he had sought to find with just a few clues and a belief that Gerid might still be alive. Watching the giant king pacing, Sebastian knew that the man wasn't frowning in anger at him exactly, but his suggestion wasn't being taken well either.

  "When you first found me on that island, I asked that you do your best to avoid revealing the truth of the legends of the merfolk. Now you are asking me to go to my people, the tribe of sea folk who helped save my crew when we were imprisoned on that island; and ask them to come forward to join your alliance against the Dark One? Doing so would reveal their existence and bring on untold numbers of hunters looking for their people as oddities to show to the world!"

  Ashleen sat beside the mage appearing tense with worry. Though she hadn't been intended to be on his mission of finding the Grimnal, Ashleen had followed him due to her former lord's belief that the mage was up to something significant. The wizard had been there to swear that she wouldn't reveal the merfolk as well. All of the people manning the two ships crewed by three different nations had agreed to the terms set by Gerid before leaving the formerly hidden island.

  "We can continue to avoid telling the main public, but it isn't a complete secret even now. There are those who know they exist, including the Dark Emperor," Ashleen stated defending Sebastian's request for help. There were too few dragon mages in Southwall, and those weren't truly trained to the point a dragon mage from Mar'kal would be. With so few to help, the merfolk were the second hope of Sebastian's plans to alter the course of Litsarin's war. "At least we could avoid letting people know how they change. Those amulets would wind up being more valuable than a hundred merfolk, since an amulet can be given to anyone to change them into a mermaid."

  Frowning at the little girl, the giant's gray eyes narrowed slightly making the wilder cringe at the look. Sebastian felt the hairs on his arm closest to Ashleen begin to rise with the static caused by her lightning trying to determine if she was in danger. The field of power the wilder couldn't completely control was almost like a separate animal from the girl in that way.

  His hand lifted only to lower gently onto her forearm even as he felt the sting of her electricity.

  "The merfolk have been hiding their race since before I was born. They have even saved sailors' lives, but managed to keep that secret from the rest of the world until now," Gerid stated as he unfolded his arms and his hands began to speak echoing his words with their animation. "I don't think that it is a good idea to risk changing that now."

  "You don't have to answer for them," Sebastian replied calmly. "I just want to have the chance to ask the tribe's leaders. Eventually they will have to decide if they will continue to hide or find a way to work with the rest of the world. This is just a chance to ask if it is time to lower the veil of secrecy."

  Leveling a disapproving glare at the mage, Gerid retorted, "Don't start speaking like a politician around me, Bas. I am too old and have had too many men try to spin a story to convince me of their ideas to start falling for yours.

  "You know and I know that the help given to stop those black ships only occurred because they had family on land that can't use the amulets to escape. They protected their families and friends. It was a single necessary act, but that hardly means that they will want to display themselves to the rest of the world in a war.

  "Besides, Southwall and Sileoth are allies, even Mar'kal is their ally, but my people don't have any such allegiances to you. Maybe they would feel some to you in particular since you helped defend the island and free those of my line trapped by the barrier, but they know nothing of Southwall."

  Sebastian understood and expected that argument from the Grimnal. It was what he would have said and had hinted at to Raven Leros before having this conversation with the immortal king. Still he had to ask. Aside from the dragon mages and a few Southwall wizards and mages that had been with him to fight the black ships, no one had an answer for the power of the warlocks and their wizard hunters.

  Most wizards used elemental magic and would be virtually useless against their night shields and specially made black armor. The emperor had created a force that hadn't been seen for most of the two hundred years of strife with the dark armies. The black ships had been known as elusive marauders for hundreds of years with few vessels surviving even close encounters with them once sighted in the distance, so the stories of their strength had evolved into the mythical.

  "I agree that they have hidden well, but when the Cataclysm was about to occur, the emperor didn't avoid their territories. I saw a vision of one of their sunken temples and the sea orcs capable of fighting them under the waves. They might try to hide from those who would welcome them as allies, but the last black ship disappeared through a portal ending that battle. Once they tell the emperor about your merfolk helping us to destroy their ships, he might send a larger force to destroy all your people, both on the island and in the sea."

  Growling angrily, Gerid took a menacing step towards the young man, "I told you to stop trying to sway me like you are a diplomat, Sebastian. You aren't as good at it as you would need to be to convince me."

  "He isn't trying to convince you to believe him," Ashleen retorted frowning back at the giant. She was easily a foot and a half shorter and likely weighed less than half of the immortal king's weight, but the little blonde's defiance of the much larger man was evident now. While she had been startled for a moment, Ashleen was every bit as brave as any battle mage he knew. "Bas is just asking to have your permission to ask the shamans and other elders of their tribe to help. If they say, 'no', then we move on to the next idea. You can't fault him for wanting to ask them, now can you?"

  His frown deepened for just a moment before his face suddenly broke into a grin. Glancing to Sebastian, Gerid said, "Well, this girl certainly knows how to make her point and isn't about to be pushed around by anyone, including me. Immortality just doesn't get the respect it used to, does it?" he finished with a laugh.

  While the tension in the air lightened, the giant wasn't through and continued speaking. "So saying I give my permission or whatever you want to call it, how will we get to my island?"

  "I can send us there through a portal. Even someone with your resistance to magic should be able to use a gate, so we use it and while you see your family, I will ask the tribe if they will help us," Sebastian stated simply.

  Gerid's face looked thoughtful, even though a frown remained etched into his brow. The giant spoke his mind without anger, "So asking me my opinion or even asking for my permission weren't truly necessary. You could have just gone without asking me at all."

  Shrugging at the big man, Sebastian replied, "When I first discovered that I could track Palose's magic lodestones with a map, I went to your island and closed one that I found there. I used my map recently and it looks Palose slipped a second gate there afterwards. I can destroy this one also; but like I said earlier, your island isn't exactly safe even with the barrier broken."

  "Then using this magic of yours, I can go home to visit my family. Well, I could use a break from Hala again. I lived in this castle for far too long and never did like it much.

  "I guess when my earliest memories consist of fighting the dictator ruling from this castle, the place will always be a bit tarnished for me.

  "So when do you want to head to the island and ask the tribe for help?" Gerid finally asked sounding resigned to the idea. The immortal also had a hint of eagerness in his voice letting Sebastian know that the enticement of returning to his home for most of the last two centuries was more likely the main factor for his change of heart.

  "I sent Kel'lor back to Mar'kal with a couple representatives from Southwall already. If you are amenable, then I just need to let Leros and the others know to arrange a similar group to visit the island."

  Waving dismissal to the younger man, Gerid said, "How ab
out tomorrow morning? The island will see the sun a few hours earlier than Hala, so we might as well head over early as we can."

  With the matter pretty much decided, the talking between the three turned social. Questions of what the mage had been up to filled much of the conversation. When Sebastian and Ashleen finally left the castle, the mage felt good about the results. Unfortunately, like he had said to Gerid, the shaman and elders of the merfolk would be the ones who would be harder to convince. The hard work had just begun, but hopefully the ambassadors of Southwall could do that work.

  Like the Grimnal had said, Sebastian was hardly the statesman needed to negotiate such deals.

  Raven Leros took his report with a quiet nod, but his eyes revealed that he wasn't completely happy about something as well.

  "Is there something wrong, sir?" Sebastian asked unsure if it was his right to question the commander of his entire corps. "I would have thought that having Gerid onboard would be good news."

  "It is good news, but we both know it is just the first hurdle to pass." The raven lapsed into distracted quiet for a moment more before continuing, "I don't claim to understand your portal magic. Hell, I am still trying to catch up to all the magic that you've officially revealed to us."

  "Officially revealed?" Sebastian questioned and realized that he had erred this time. If there was a question as to how much he knew that they did not, the mage realized that Leros and probably others could guess that there were things that he had withheld from his superiors as well. Unfortunately, the owl could hardly claim that there weren't things he had left out of his reports.

  Waving off the question as the gray haired mage stood to walk around his desk before leaning against the dark stained wood, Leros looked to the floor a moment before replying, "Come on, Sebastian, you can hardly expect me to believe that you have told us everything. People have been questioning where you summoned the extra strength to perform the spells you used in Winter's Edge if nothing else. You have never said it, but everyone knows that you did something to alter your magical strength.

  "I suppose if it comes with a price, or I worried that it might, I would withhold such knowledge as well. Then there is the fact that most people who have any talent reading auras can tell that your magic has changed."

  The raven paused once more looking out his window. Glass separated them from the outside air as cooler winds had begun to force all but the heartiest of Hala citizens into wearing jackets and other warm clothing. Winter snows hadn't begun to fall, but it was getting close to the temperature where it was possible.

  "The other ravens and I have given you a fair amount of leeway to learn however much that you can. Even when the white wizards began breathing down my neck wanting closer access to your spells to see if there was something more to you missed in your original 'harvest', I have stood against them making the wizards wait.

  "They receive the same information we do after all, but everyone talks about you when the king calls us together. Everyone wonders what new magic you will discover.

  "You have discovered portal magic, rune magic and the secrets of darkness shields. I lose track of the wizards' spells you have converted for mages as well, but the number of spells doesn't really matter. You have not only begun to change the mage corps, but Southwall's entire army from soldiers to wizards."

  Again Leros paused, "Well, I didn't mean to get into your accolades, but along the lines of what you have done that is secretive, I have to ask you something else."

  Sebastian wanted to ask what it was, but wasn't sure that he wanted to hear the question either.

  "With this ability to find magic and use portals, have you restrained yourself or have you opened a gate into Ensolus even though you were told not to?"

  "Ensolus?" the younger man was forced to ask his superior as Sebastian wondered if he should tell the truth. Since the city's name was hardly known outside of his leaders' circles, the mage acted like it was new to him.

  "Ensolus, the capitol of the emperor, you mentioned wanting to chase Palose through his gate. There were other gates there as well, and based off your map, we know that it is the emperor's city. We have maps of the Dragon Spine Mountains as well. Southwall has sent scouts to the gates of Ensolus and learned enough to know its name and that it is a cave city with strong defenses.

  "You were told not to experiment and sneak into the city, but you know that we have wizards capable of closing portals. We have had special teams around since before the Cataclysm used to close the gates and tears in space. They can track the opening and closing of these portals.

  "There was a reported use of a portal in Hala that opened to Ensolus, Sebastian," the raven stated giving the younger man a look of stone.

  Having no excuses and knowing that he wasn't a good liar, the owl mage replied, "I tried it once."

  "I think you succeeded once," the raven clarified moving to walk to his window. While his leader's gaze seemed focused outside the window, Sebastian had no doubt that he was focused on the mage in his office more than the clouds outside. "What did you find on the other side of the portal?"

  While he didn't truly have anything to hide now that it was revealed that the falcon had been to Ensolus, Sebastian fought the urges to either blurt out all that he had seen or lie about it. Fighting both urges, the mage started simply, "I found the Betrayer's house and a handful of people inside."

  "You can call him Palose, if you wish," the raven said with a wave of his hand. "I am not one of those who believe avoiding saying his name takes away the fact that he was one of ours."

  Nodding, the mage continued, "These were the same people he had with him in New Harbor. We reported that encounter after opening the first gate to Hala.

  "I used light packaged into corrinuts to stun them coming through the gate. If we ever decide to try and storm their portal points, it seemed pretty effective by the way. I put them to sleep with my spell after coming through the doorway.

  "Everyone in the room was blinded, but one girl was behind the wall. She was a wizard, or warlock, or whatever they call themselves. I caught her with a sleep spell even so and without drawing more attention to my arrival.

  "I didn't stay there long, but scouted part of the city. It is huge, however, and I couldn't finish everything, but I did leave lodestones in a handful of places that hopefully won't be noticed. Two gates flank the building they use for their portal chamber.

  "Apparently they have always guarded their doorways like we are starting to now also. If we decide to bring the fight to Ensolus someday, we can bring down their gates with those doorways before they can respond.

  "I could also use these gates to send other spies, if that is what you prefer from now on. I don't need to use Palose's personal portal now that the lodestones are there."

  Leros frowned and asked, "Isn't that a bit dangerous? You left these stones and isn't that how you used your map to find Palose's gates in the first place?"

  Shrugging, Sebastian replied, "Most of my magic is tied to the gates we already have guarded anyway. They would just be stepping into more traps. Palose knows me well enough to know that I won't forget to make sure that following will be detrimental to pursuers."

  His smile at the elder mage received a dour nod of acknowledgement and none of the humor Sebastian felt for what would happen to someone trying to use a gate he had made. Even the one in his inn room was trapped by a spell Darius and his grandson had shown him. Only his magic was safe to use the portal. Any other intruders would be cut up passing through the doorway.

  The raven stepped away from the window and said, "So you have sent messengers to Mar'kal to ask for help from the dragon mages and spoken to Gerid about using a force of soldiers you haven't elaborated on as to their abilities that will help us defend our ships, and you have set up points in Ensolus for our spies.

  "What is next?"

  Letting out a nervous breath, Sebastian answered, "Now I need to risk creating new gates on Litsarin to bring our troops there d
irectly. Hopefully I will find one that is behind their lines that is safe. With gates on Litsarin, we could potentially end the worry over losing ships in the straight that way."

  Eyes opening wide with surprise, Leros questioned, "You hope that it is safe?"

  "That was partly why I went to Ensolus through Palose's gateway. I tried out the light bombs and they work. Now we just need to go to Litsarin where they are fighting a war."

  Chapter 29- View of War

  The sun was descending towards the west as Palose wiped at his forehead. Amazed at the level of heat on Litsarin when Ensolus and the north were already cold with the hint of winter in the winds coming down from the Dragon Spine Mountains, the dark mage stood looking at the army retreating before the black armored forces of the emperor. This was just another battle in the war for an island which was larger than some nations.

  While Palose was hardly an expert on the size of kingdoms since he rarely looked at a map, the young man knew enough to realize that if Sileoth was pushed into the sea, the emperor would own a valuable piece of land. It was one of many new islands in the North Sea thanks to the Cataclysm. Though there was new land in the sea, much of North Continent had sunk or split with the force unleashed on Alus by Emperor Kolban's magical attacks. Many ancient seaside cities had disappeared killing millions, so a little barren land wasn't much comfort to the survivors.

  Over the last two centuries, wizards from Sileoth and warlocks from Ensolus had worked to turn the soil from the sea salt deadened land into workable earth and farms. Miners had come to work the newly raised mountains and many fortunes had been made as well.

  Palose often wondered why Kolban hadn't completely taken the massive island for his own from the first. He had created it and knew of Litsarin early enough to take the east side, but now almost two hundred years later they were here fighting for land again. Of course, the Cataclysm had taken its toll on the emperor as well. Even the people he ruled didn't realize that time and the reckless use of his power to first escape the Silver World, and then force the earthquakes, had weakened him to the point that his magic could no longer hold off the full force of time.