"Why is it alright for you to use the power then?" he asked Sebastian who was only a year younger than the wizard. He had turned away to attend to Ashleen once more.
Sebastian stopped and Magnus thought he could see tension in the other man's shoulders. Looking over his shoulder, the mage replied briefly, "I already told you. I can balance out destruction with healing or creation. Unless you can learn a way to achieve that balance, this will only kill you according to Darius.
"And I don't use this power the way I once did anyway. I only use it for emergencies."
The last sounded like a lie to Magnus, but he chose to look at the remainder of Sebastian's comments. The mage's aura was more powerful than it had been. Every time he seemed to see the owl the man appeared to grow in strength, though looking at his aura was misleading. If he didn't know Sebastian so well, Magnus probably wouldn't have noticed; but the fire wizard knew his rival very well.
"You've grown stronger. I don't think you would be confused for a wizard by any means, but maybe when our duties with this war end, I will have to challenge you again to see?"
Sebastian smiled coolly at the man and replied, "You lost the right to challenge me after the last loss. Are you planning to renege on our deal?"
Rolling his silver colored eyes, Magnus shrugged, "Fine, then you should challenge me. Maybe you can teach me something else."
That made the mage laugh and ask, "You're admitting that a battle mage can teach you something?"
Shrugging in response, the fire wizard replied, "Only if it's something good. I can tell that you're onto something. If it can make me stronger then I want to know what it is."
Magnus held out the sword looking at the runed weapon. He was ready to give up the Hollow Sword to its maker though he would miss its power. The sword had been a loan for the battle and he assumed that the owl would worry over him abusing its power again, if Bas truly considered what he had done abusive anyway.
"Keep it for now. This fight isn't over yet, though I don't think they'll bother us again today," Sebastian said looking from the wizard out across the ruined landscape. "They'll regroup and try again soon. If they use their portals, the enemy might bring others to deal with the situation."
Magnus followed the man's gaze and asked, "Are you expecting someone in particular?"
Unwilling to speculate, Sebastian shrugged and moved to kneel beside Ashleen. "I'm going to take Ashleen back home to rest. We'll be back early in the morning. If you don't mind, can you keep the first watch here in case I am wrong?"
Magnus watched as the mage spoke of the war and magic so casually. He remembered the quiet awkwardness of the cadet from just over a year ago and wondered where that boy had gone. It was such a short time, but Sebastian had changed even faster than the situation of the war. Magnus had evolved as well, he hoped, but Sebastian had become the owl mage and even that was a term the wizard felt no longer matched his changes.
"What about the fleet?" Magnus couldn't use portal magic and realized that was yet another bit of magic Sebastian had over him.
"They should be fine, but I'll take Katya and Martina back with Arrimus. Adding Edwar and Iris as well, they should be more than enough to help protect it. There are other wizards trained in light and darkness spells there even without the dragon mages," Sebastian replied before opening a gate. He would have to return for the others, but Ashleen needed food and rest. The Black Smith Inn and Hilda Alamore would be excellent for getting both, the mage thought before picking up the wilder even as she protested the act.
Refusing Ashleen's protests that she would be fine, the two disappeared through a new gate traveling back to Hala once more.
Chapter 35- Unwinding the Lie
Sebastian was beginning to feel spread thin. He returned his sister and the other dragon mages to the fleet as he had said, but only after taking them back to Hala for a meal. Feeling like he had too little time to spend with his sister, it was more of an excuse to take Katya with him than believing the others needed such pampering.
Falconi Martina used the opportunity to check in with Raven Leros, but the side trip didn't delay his intended return of the dragon mages by much. Unfortunately moving people between the fleet, the village and Hala weren't the only places Sebastian had been needed of late.
A handful of men, spies to be more accurate, had been taken to Ensolus, the capitol of the emperor. While Sebastian hadn't really worried over the danger of infiltrating the city by himself, the mage felt responsible for putting these men into danger. They were in the enemy city without any lifelines. He could put them there and set a time to meet with them again, but other than that the mage had no idea how they were faring.
Winter was nearly upon Hala, but at the foot of the mountains of the Dragon's Spine; it already felt like winter had begun to take root once more. The men had to deal with the weather, looking for places to stay without drawing attention, and avoiding being noticed while looking for more information on the emperor's city. While he understood the need to find out more, Sebastian often wished that he had kept the secret of these gates from his superiors. The young man didn't want to be responsible for the risk to their lives, but duty had made him tell of what he had found.
Looking at the rest: guarding the fleet, putting Ashleen and Katya in harm's way in Litsarin and so much more; Sebastian felt the pressure and wondered if he would have gray hairs soon enough himself. Hopefully, Magnus was smart enough to take his word of warning. The white thread of hair should have been enough to ensure that his admonition would be taken seriously by the wizard.
He had left the Hollow Sword with the fire wizard just in case the enemy surprised him by attacking sooner than the mage believed. Magnus would likely use it safely, but there was always the possibility that he would test out the power of the earth in spite of his warning. The wizard fancied himself a hero and was likely to sacrifice himself for the greater good, at least, that was how Sebastian saw the situation.
Magnus had changed a lot in the last year. Most of the young man's pettiness seemed to have been scoured away with the experiences he had been through in that time. Even his opinion of battle mages seemed to have improved tremendously since his days of bullying those with less magic in school.
Maybe it was just how he saw people, Sebastian pondered the idea; but he liked to see the best in people, even if Magnus hadn't shown much goodness to him while training as an apprentice. Giving the wizard the benefit of the doubt, Sebastian rested with Ashleen until she began to fall asleep in her chair.
Nearly carrying the wilder to bed, he helped her change into her sleep wear before climbing into bed with the pretty girl.
Palose had been slightly surprised to find a letter for him when he returned home to the former residence of his master, Atrouseon. Sylvaine had gone to his apartment in one of the spires between the emperor's tower and the cavern opening. Unlike his home tucked away in the human ghetto of Ensolus, the apartment was a place of prestige and the home he chose to make known to the emperor and his people.
While Sylvaine knew to keep a low profile since Princess Acheri was believed to have tried to take her life with a scheme to send her away from him, the girl acted in his stead often without the others of their little coven to protect her. Stasia and Talia might help her with keeping the tower apartment clean, but the other wizards were less inclined to join them. Perhaps they hated cleaning, but Palose thought Wendle and Dorgred were more afraid of being found out by other wizards that lived in the tower.
The dark haired girl was alone in the apartment when he returned from Litsarin. Palose had been sneaking away almost every night since being ordered to help with the taking of western Litsarin. With the power over portals that he had, no one could stop him and, as long as the mage didn't abuse his magic, the emperor wouldn't say anything about it either.
Reading the letter from the emperor, his order to join Kolban made him wonder what might have changed. He didn't leave right away choosing instead to spend
time with Sylvaine in an intimate way. Sex with the dark haired beauty was just one of the benefits of bringing her back from the brink of death. They had been in love before their separation, but now there was nothing standing in the way of their love, at least as long as Acheri was kept blind to it.
Palose made sure to go to the emperor's spire fortress early enough to avoid making his ruler angry, but not so early to have clipped his time spent with Sylvaine too short. As usual, the guards passed the dark mage through. One of the men who served as messengers and guides led him through the halls of the spire castle. Ascending a few flights of stairs, the mage thought that this was a rare visit. Above the first two floors were the living quarters of the emperor and many of his upper echelon of advisors.
Passing servants and guards, who sometimes gave him an appraising look as the mage passed along the halls behind the guide, Palose noticed as the decorations of the halls began to change. The lower hallways were often Spartan. Decorations were reserved for the great halls and meeting rooms to make more of an impact. The difference between the castle of the emperor and those of the lords of Southwall was that it was meant to give a sense of awe and power, while the southern lords attempted to make the stone around them a home.
A dark haired girl awaited him to the man's surprise. Her interference disrupted the guide as well. The servant knew the princess well enough to avoid showing any emotion that might get him killed. Though Palose wasn't among those who lived in the emperor's castle, rumors made it out into the city about the princess's temper. A few who couldn't hide their thoughts when Acheri had interfered or otherwise disrupted their lives had been punished or even killed. Her magic power was so great only Kolban could truly stand up to the girl. She shared in the emperor's original power, but he still held back much from the sister created from the experiments which had extended his life.
"I can take him to the emperor. You are dismissed," the young beauty stated to the guide.
Smart enough to avoid saying something that might get him killed, the guide said nothing and turned back the way he had come.
Acheri's eyes followed the man for only moment before letting a smile cross her features. Her dark blue eyes seemed to glow with that smile as the princess let true happiness light her face since she was alone with the mage for once. The biggest complaint Acheri had for her brother was that he always tried to see Palose without her, but she always managed to find them when the mage came for a visit. She obviously had spies watching out for him, but the princess and emperor never argued about whether she was exceeding her bounds. Kolban seemed to love his sister. She was part of his essence, but a separate being as well. Palose guessed that it would be hard to hate someone that close to you.
The whole concept left him a bit confused. Acheri was Kolban and Lanquer was the cast off brother from the same experiment. Then there was the elder brother, Garosh, a giant made from a different part of the emperor's essence years ago. That experiment had ended with the giant's death at the hands of his younger brother only months ago.
Kolban's power had increased with absorbing his magic from the giant. Whatever similarity in strength to his siblings there had been had become a greater chasm after that; but none of the three had ever seemed to be bothered by the death of Garosh or Kolban's consolidation of his strength. The power had been lent to the other three, but Kolban was the true emperor and the others only lived because he had chosen to give them life.
The whole concept of this strange royal family could barely be understood by the dark mage, though he had witnessed all but Garosh's creation and birth. For Kolban it had been a rebirth, of course, as the emperor had switched bodies to regain his youth and health.
"What are you thinking about, Palose?" Acheri asked searching with those dark, blue eyes again. A bit of a frown touched her lips with thinking that he had less than his full attention on her. She held his right arm hugging him to her side with both hands wrapped around it like a pair of snakes.
"Just thinking how different each of your siblings are," Palose stated with a smile that he hoped didn't look forced. He hated speaking his thoughts, but the man knew better than to resist Acheri's curiosity.
The princess frowned and retorted, "When you are with me, I would hope that my brothers would be far from your thoughts. Am I not attractive enough to keep your interest?"
Again the mage thought of a snake wrapping around him as he made the smile bigger replying, "You are very beautiful. I can't imagine any woman would compare to you, but I am here because the emperor called me to him."
Palose's eyes wandered away with a frown as he added, "Though I am surprised that he thought to send me a message here. He had Lanquer find me on the battlefield to summon me last time. You would think that the emperor would have sent word there again."
"And yet here you are," the girl returned with a devious looking smile.
A sudden thought came to the mage and he found himself asking the princess before thinking his question through. "Can the emperor see the future?"
"You can call him Kolban when you are with me, Palose," Acheri sniffed with annoyance.
Palose never knew what to call Kolban. Most of the time it was best to speak to him as a king or emperor might demand of his subjects. When they were alone, aside from the usual guards, the emperor seemed to prefer speaking with him as an equal. For most, a resurrection man was considered little more than one of the raised dead, like a wraith; but Kolban had always treated him like a close friend even before he had surrendered his old body to make the siblings and place his mind in the new body.
No one had ever said that the emperor had future sight, but there had been a sect known as the Visionaries in the past. For all anyone knew, there still might be seers in that mysterious organization working behind the scenes. They had missed the Cataclysm and the emperor's return to Alus apparently, but maybe some had survived.
The dark mage realized that Acheri had avoided answering the question though she was telling him to be more familiar with the royal family.
"You're thinking again," the princess said with a sigh.
"You have at least some of his memories, don't you? Did the emperor have the sight before changing bodies?" the mage asked again ignoring her attempt to derail his thoughts. He was pushing more than he usually would dare, but if Palose had to deal with the emperor having such great power, he would know how far to push his personal agenda.
While the mage had followed Kolban's wishes when they were made known, Palose had been mostly on his own for finding a path since coming to Ensolus. Even the warlock responsible for bringing him to life and bringing him to the capitol had spent little time trying to force the one called Betrayer into a certain direction.
Acheri's eyes looked troubled a moment, though the look passed quickly as she mused with a smile, "I have his general knowledge, though his specific memories seem to fade more with each day that we are separated. Even on my birth, I couldn't say that I could recall all that had happened in the emperor's previous life. There are some things and components like speech and magic that are as clear as anything."
The girl looked up at the ceiling as they slowly walked to find the emperor's chamber and she contemplated with a softer tone for the mage. "I think Kolban intentionally fed us much of what we needed to know, but he blocked the core of what he is. It wasn't his desire just to make copies of himself."
She grinned freeing a hand to push up at her smallish breasts and added, "It would have been awkward for me to have a male mind, wouldn't it? I am all girl; if you ever wish to check."
Blushing slightly, Palose recalled for the princess, "I was there when you were born and saw you while in the tank as well. I know that you were always physically a girl. When you came out, it was certainly strange to realize that your mind was completely different from the emperor's. You are definitely the sister of Kolban and nothing less."
His words were chosen tactfully and he hoped that they would satisfy Acheri.
&
nbsp; She smiled showing a little wickedness before replying, "Hmm, I forgot that you saw me as a bare child leaving the womb. Of course, I have been a woman from the start, even if this body is not as old as I truly am."
Lifting an eyebrow curiously, he asked, "Were you a part of Kolban's mind before joining with this body? Or have you only been conscious since he placed his power and memories inside of you? If you existed before hand, then how old might you truly be?
"Otherwise, though you look like a teenage girl, you are actually younger than you look."
Acheri frowned at his reply and complained, "I did not say that I existed before I was born, but my mind was fully grown when I..." She let out a little growl and shook her head before going on, "Even I have trouble explaining it. Just know that, if you ever wish to, I am... mature enough for any relationship you might desire."
Trying not to swallow hard at the thinly veiled proposal, Palose wondered if she was right. There were certainly aspects to the princess which seemed mature enough, but she was still often petulant like a toddler wanting to get her own way. Realizing that such a proposition put him in a precarious position that he had no desire to be in, Palose was glad to come to a guarded door.
The orcs in their dress armor noted the mage and the princess trying to avoid making eye contact with the latter. Acheri's power could be felt by those without magic almost as well as those with, so most knew that she was likely the second most powerful being in Ensolus. Trifling with the girl wasn't a good idea, so many avoided being acknowledged at all for their own hoped for safety.
Entering through the doors, Palose's eyes looked around quickly noting the finery inside. Gold and crystal decorations sat on tables or special shelves. Dark stained wood was offset by gold leaf and draperies mostly in rich reds. A sitting room with stuffed couches surprised the mage as Palose noted the first truly lavish room he had ever visited in the emperor's castle.
Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) Page 52