They looked at him curiously, but the apprentice didn't have time to go over it more. Hopefully there would be no more orc attacks anytime soon or other dangers to his family, but the doorway was being held by his magic still and he couldn't hold it open forever after all.
Holdy stepped through knowing the other side of this doorway was an unfamiliar place to him.
It took only a short time for the boy's senses to catch up and he shivered. Turning around, a mountain rose up behind him but to the south the hills gently rolled into the distance. To the west, Holdy thought that he could make out some buildings. Since he hadn't chosen to go very far, there had been some danger to opening this gate.
This was the mountain which held Ensolus inside of it. The opening to the cave city was over a mile away, but the bend of the stone obscured the outer fortifications. To the east, he could make out one of the scout towers. There were several of them, which made what he was considering less than ideal; but if he was going to give the humans inside Ensolus a chance of safety, there wasn't much that he could do about them either.
Sighing, Holdy gathered up his magic and opened a second gate where a line in the snow had been cleared by his arrival. When Torva and Yelon arrived, they were momentarily portal blind; but once their senses cleared both frowned at their surroundings before leveling their gazes at the apprentice.
"This doesn't look like Ensolus," Yelon grumbled.
Pointing with his thumb over his back at the mountain, Holdy replied, "It's right there actually. We're just outside at the moment."
"Why are we here?" Torva questioned with less complaint to his voice than his cousin.
"I am here because I am considering something pertaining to the safety of the people inside. You are here because I will open another gate inside the city for you from here. It is just an extra step, but I am not ready to return to our chosen spot behind the school just yet."
Yelon replied, "Why are you out here doing that? Isn't the whole point of us searching those mountains in Southwall to find a sanctuary already?"
"The wizards and warlocks going there don't care about those left behind. You and I both know that if it gets too dangerous to stay here for the apprentices and wizards, they will use a gate leaving the city to its destruction. Most warlocks don't care about the regular people living there.
"I have family in the human quarter. It's where I was born and lived until the hunters discovered me. If we abandon Ensolus to warlords and generals, or perhaps even to someone like Grand Master Echolus; what happens to them?"
Yelon looked ready to answer that it didn't really matter to him, but Torva mused slowly, "I suppose if the city begins to fight within, there will be casualties both innocent and not so innocent. You propose to save the humans who can't escape because orcs and towers will keep them trapped against the wall?"
Holdy nodded.
"I have been considering the idea of the sanctuary as well," the squad leader informed the boy. "We can't expect a small castle, or whatever Lesolas has planned, to exist on its own with just a few teachers and apprentices to run it. There will have to be other people there. Some may need to learn new fields like farming. I suppose it is something that apprentices could use their magic on to help and train at the same time, but they won't want to spend every hour on it.
"There are also the tasks like making dinner or clothing that will have to be addressed. I can't imagine Lesolas will turn to banditry to keep his sanctuary afloat and it would only draw attention that he won't be ready to have anytime soon.
"Perhaps your family knows others who would choose the unknown of starting a new community in the mountains rather than risking their lives in Ensolus if there are warring factions fighting throughout the city?"
Holdy shrugged immediately and answered, "I can ask them, but we won't be able to take everyone at one time. We both know that much.
I'll return you to the school wall and you two can get your information to the master while I consider this part for a little while longer."
Looking at the mountain, Torva saw through the apprentice and guessed his plan. "You plan to create a tunnel?"
Yelon looked at the boy in surprise, but held his tongue waiting for Holdy to answer.
"I was considering it."
"How will you accomplish it? Are you an earth wizard?"
The assignation of titles for wizards in Ensolus was rarely given. Wizards used the elements only and warlocks tended to use other kinds of spells, beyond that there was no certain designation limiting a magic user. Even necromancers dealing with the dead, like Palose's former master had been, were simply considered warlocks. The title of warlock was broader in scope than even those of wizards. Holdy had been learning everything he could. While he was an apprentice for now, the boy believed that there would be few limits for him. There had been few spells that had eluded him so far, though not every kind of magic was so easily learned, he believed that with time he might conquer them as well.
"I was considering using portal magic actually," he replied after a moment's consideration.
Yelon remarked, "Portal magic, do you plan to hold open a gate for everyone to walk through? You know that you aren't that powerful. I doubt that you can send more than twenty or so without having to rest without help."
It was easier to open multiple little gates that remained open for a short time than to hold a large gate open for multiple minutes to send through a larger group. Even using several small gates repeatedly would eventually use up a wizard's power in a relatively short time. Eating as they continued or having multiple wizards assisting by sharing their magic made extended spells possible when a single wizard couldn't do such things alone. Maybe doing what he planned would require more magic than he could hope to summon alone, he considered, but it was the one idea he had so far.
"That is why I am out here weighing my options," Holdy answered the elven hunter.
Torva drew their conversation from Holdy's controversial plan back to why they had returned. "Well, if you need help feel free to ask. For now we need to get back and start the process for sending word to Lesolas. You'll likely be needed again, though I suppose any gate wizard could use your markers so long as they knew your magic signature. Maybe Megan will want to come along."
"Grand Master Echolus called her to his office with a task that he needed done," Holdy let him know.
"What?" he wanted to shout with worry, but Torva kept his voice fairly calm. A follow up question was directed at the apprentice in front of him, "Did she say anything about it? Was she worried that Echolus knew of our plans?"
"She didn't explain it, but I heard that she wouldn't be teaching our class for awhile and someone saw her leave the school early this morning wearing an unusual dress under her coat."
"Where did she go then?" Torva questioned the air quietly. Looking at the apprentice again, the squad leader asked, "Can you open the portal now, Holdy?"
The apprentice nodded before working the magic in the same spot as the previous two glowing doorways. Yelon moved through the gate immediately as he was ready for their traveling to be over for awhile. Before he left, Torva warned, "Don't stay away too long or someone might question it. Like I said, if you need help feel free to come to me also."
With that, the wizard hunter disappeared through the golden doorway leaving Holdy to his thoughts.
A frameless doorway opened up in Megannah's room letting the petite wizard through it. Letting the magic go, the wizard was surprised to see lamps lit already. Even with a pair of windows, the room in the school was so deep in the cave that it would have been quite dark. Magic lamps tied to spells would help wake her in the morning when Torva wasn't there for the same reason. It was part of why she preferred to sleep later, since the room rarely lit up more than like it was in twilight. Inside the room, sleeping in a comfortable bed, the world stood outside of time.
"You're back?" the girl heard a man's voice and jumped.
Her eyes quickly found
Torva sitting in one of the chairs with a book in his hand. He was slowly stood waiting for her senses to catch up to the change in location, but he had been alerted by the glow of the doorway and so was waiting on her.
"Torva, you startled me!" she exclaimed before hurrying to him for an embrace which led to the girl tilting her face upward to kiss him on the lips affectionately. "You're back early today."
"We've been back for a couple hours already and Holdy wasn't even prompt in opening the gate this time, so we could have been back even sooner."
Megan pulled back to remove her long coat and the squad leader noticed the uniform. With such a short skirt and surprising show of cleavage, the wizard hunter thought the word uniform was being rather generous. It was warm enough that the wizard slipped free of her shoes as well, but that was where it stopped. She could sense his need to ask before Torva said a word.
"Holdy told us that you were doing some work for Echolus," Torva stated with a slight frown on his face.
Nodding at the comment, Megan replied, "Yes, I was worried that he might have found out about our group of likeminded individuals, but it never came up." The wizard avoided saying things about the individuals or why they had met, even in her room since it wasn't impossible for a spell to be used to listen to conversations even in a wizard's room without setting wards. "He wanted to use me to keep an eye on General Amelyer, so I am acting as a servant to do that for now."
"General Amelyer, so Echolus is using you to spy on his rivals; but why you?"
"Fordenna and a couple other women were called in as well. He seemed to think my looks would help to distract the general. Supposedly he has an eye for women, especially ones that appear somewhat elven. I didn't see him today, however, so I am not sure if Echolus is right. The women that care for his rooms are reasonably pretty, but they say that he doesn't act improperly around them.
"I can't say the same for all of his guards," she concluded with a frown thinking of the way the guard touched her as he supposedly looked for a weapon on the girl, when her dress would have been too tight to hide anything like a knife.
"Did you tell Lesolas?" he wondered.
"Not yet, but I don't think we have any trouble in relation to the meeting." There was a short pause and Megan quickly asked, "But enough of that, did you find a place? Is that why you've returned early?"
Torva had thought to place a ward to try and keep unwanted ears from hearing any conversation, but was still surprised that the girl was so close to saying why they needed secrecy. Even with confidence in his spell, the man still lowered his voice and replied, "There were five different sites that held promise, but the last felt right to me. There is enough land to build farms and a small city, if we should bring that kind of number anyway."
"Do you think that we should be thinking so big? It is supposed to remain out of Southwall's sights as well as any from here who might try to find a sanctuary."
"It will need to be self sufficient," he reminded her and watched as Megan glanced down at the uniform that she wore with a slight frown. The girl turned and began to pull the garment off without concern for his watching. Torva was pretty sure that the young woman actually liked having him watch her as she undressed. She was certainly free enough with her body with him and didn't care if he saw her without any clothes. The room could be pitch dark after all, and Megan liked to make love with the lights on even so.
He continued trying to ignore her antics as the dress was removed leaving her standing in a pair of panties. Megan tossed it onto the bed turning back to him as he said, "Even if there is a small city of people, we could make everything we need and raise enough crops to support a small community. It would be good if we can bring some cattle and other animals. I'm not certain how we would do that, however, but it might be a good idea."
"Most of those kinds of animals are kept outside of the city," Megan stated thinking on the problem. "Cows and goats grow fatter on farms outside the cave, though I know there are still many throughout the city for fresh milk. There are chicken farms and other foul also for eggs and meat, pigs too; but again most animals are kept outside the city. Having too many of them would make Ensolus smell horrible, I bet," she finished making a face thinking of the smells associated with farm animals. Megan was a city girl and enjoyed eating the products from them, but it was an entirely different thing dealing with the creatures in person.
Sighing at the thought of their needs, Torva added, "I wonder if Lesolas and the others considered such things? It is winter still and, if they create this sanctuary and choose to leave before the snows end; we will need to consider the provisions we'll need to have before we will have more supplies even growing crops.
"The more people involved, the more we will need besides."
"Magic might help in some ways, but the more we consider it the more daunting the idea becomes," she agreed.
A smile grew on her face and the girl moved closer once more. "We have time before the dinner bell. Do you really want to spend the remainder of the afternoon just discussing this?"
Her fingers were already working at his clothes letting him know, as if he hadn't already, that Megan was interested in making up for the time lost being separated so often of late. He still worried over her mission inside of the emperor's spire and all that might be needed to make this sanctuary survive, but the beautiful woman had her ways of making him forget for a time.
Though Megan disliked the work of cleaning for the general the first day, she returned early in the morning passing through security fairly easily. The woman had been identified to security and had been given an identifying seal set on a ring. She had been warned by Greta to hold onto it dearly. With the emperor's passing, the mark would be the only thing that would let her through until the guards all learned her face. Even then, the ring might be needed if Megan had to pass through other parts of the castle on her own where she wasn't known doing her work.
"Ah, ah, we need to check you for weapons again," the guard known as Velden stated holding out his hand and twirling a finger away from the door implying that the girl turn around towards the wall.
"Is this really necessary?" she asked in annoyance but did as she was told. Her hands flat against the wall, Megan felt his hands touching her with disgust almost as soon as her body was turned from him. As a wizard, she wouldn't have tolerated such behavior from a soldier, even if he served a general; but Megan played at being a regular girl, a servant and without power. Such a normal girl wouldn't fight back against a soldier, even if they were intelligent, maybe even more so because they were.
The men were larger and muscular underneath their armor. Unlike her, they held weapons and they outnumbered her. Even as a wizard, Megan would have to attack them by surprise to disable them all before they could stop her from casting magic. Once the girl's hands were trapped or she was forced to the ground, the soldiers could easily keep her from doing any damage to them since she was slender, light and not built to fight as they were.
"General Amelyer has left it as a standing order. Even Niadene gets checked, not that I mind; but we've known her for years. With everything going on in the castle, you can't be too safe."
Hands reached up between her legs and her instinct was to close them tight, but the man didn't seem to mind as his fingers pushed past the initial defense to press against the parts of her she only shared with Torva. Megan couldn't help blushing and felt tears starting to form in her eyes, though the woman wasn't certain if they came because of her anger or the embarrassment of having to submit to him.
His hand lingered and even slid across her as if to try and stimulate her in some way. If it was meant to make her want his touch, it only caused her to shiver slightly from loathing.
The soldier backed away touching her shoulder letting her know that she could turn back. The smirks on the other soldiers' faces slipped at the look on her face, but she wasn't sure if they were worried or surprised by the anger simmering under the surface of the young woman's
face.
"You aren't my lover. Do not do that again or I will report you to the general," she stated through grit teeth and hurriedly pushed past the man feeling the hard metal bruise her shoulder. The slight pain was better than the humiliation Megan felt.
The doors opened without her asking and closed quickly after she had passed.
"Good morn..." Niadene's happy greeting faltered seeing the upset wizard entering. "What happened?" Her eyes went towards the doors and the other maid frowned. "What did that jerk, Velden, do now?" she asked nailing it in one, Megan thought absently.
"It doesn't matter," she muttered brushing at her eyes to remove the tears puddling behind her lids before they could stain her cheeks.
Niadene did her best to smile the problem away with Megan's permission given. "Well, try to put on a smile, or at least stop looking angry. The general is still here and he won't want to see an upset servant, especially before his morning dose of kaffe or coffale if he is in a particularly bad mood this morning."
The second drink was foreign to the wizard in all but name. Coffale was just kaffe with a dose of alcohol added to the heated liquid for those partial to putting such medication in their drinks. Not all wizards and warlocks remained pure or excluded drinking from their lives, but Megan had never been overly fond of the liquor she had taste tested over the years. She was also a lightweight, so wine was about as much as she could take or, perhaps, a decent beer or ale when she had been to a pub. Her single attempt at drinking vodkey with Torva had soured her on that drink as well, since the wizard could barely get out of bed the next day.
"Why would he be in a worse mood than normal?" the wizard asked trying not to sound too curious as she did.
"He doesn't typically confess what is bothering him to me. That was something he would do with Helene occasionally, but the general doesn't usually bother with servants for that. He is a general after all and has officers to complain to and can order them around easily enough.
"If General Amelyer gets too mean with you, just start to cry by the way. He doesn't know what to do when a pretty girl is crying or upset; and since you are an exceptionally pretty girl, I have a feeling you could even get him to apologize quickly. That would be a trick. He isn't known for saying that he's sorry normally," Niadene finished with a quiet giggle.
Battle Mage Broken Empire Page 24