Stranded Mage

by D. W. Jackson

  Bursting from the water’s embrace Thad grabbed onto a large piece of wood that had been blown off one of the ships. With what little remained of his strength Thad pulled Brianna onto the makeshift raft.

  Thad looked up at the two sinking ships that now seemed worlds away. He briefly wondered how Crusher and the others were doing then he turned his attention back to Brianna. She looked so peaceful, as if she were sleeping. Thad brushed her wet hair out of her face. Her skin was cold to the touch. Thad lifted up Brianna’s hand and removed the ring he had given her, placing it on his own hand. He knew she was no longer among the living, and no amount of power would change that but still he couldn’t make himself let go of her icy hand.

  The darkness once again teased at the edge of his vision but this time Thad didn’t fight against it. He was tired, so tired. His overuse of magic had left him weak and the blow from the ballista had left his chest hurting, making breathing a chore. Thad’s head bobbed a few times then he was engulfed by the darkness.

  Thad never felt himself let go of Brianna’s hand, nor fall from the makeshift raft. He couldn’t feel the cold grip of the waters as they pulled him under.

  CHAPTER V

  When Thad opened his eyes he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. Thad raised his right hand and inspected the ring that now adorned his finger. As he looked at the silver twisted vines he was filled with a great sadness as well a torrent of anger.

  Thad had been mad before but this was the first time he felt such a burning within his chest. He could feel the heat rising to his face, and Thad caught himself clenching his fist so tight his nails dug into the palm of his hand. Thad tried to push down his anger but no matter how he tried a small portion of it stayed, burning like a fire in his chest.

  Thad sat up on the large bed and surveyed his surroundings. The room reminded Thad of one of the palaces servant rooms. It was sparse but still had a feel of luxury about it.

  “Finally awake young man?” A light musical voice said from Thad’s right.

  Thad turned to face his visitor, and nearly jumped back in shock. Ever since he had met with the dwarves Thad had researched the other magical races though he had to sift through myth and truth. The dwarves knew much about their brethren but were reluctant to share any information about the other magical races, even to a mage who they considered a friend. Even with his limited knowledge, Thad could easily tell the man in front of him was an elf. Over seven feet tall, bright emerald eyes, flowing sliver hair, and light golden skin, the only thing that was missing was the pointy ears.

  “Where am I?” The question stumbled out of his mouth awkwardly.

  “You are in Tremeir,” the elf said blandly. “Now that you are awake the master has requested an audience with you.” The elf gave Thad no chance to respond, he simply turned and left the room.

  With little choice Thad followed the elf through the winding halls. Along the way Thad noticed a few other elves, they all looked as handsomely elegant as the one he followed but what grabbed Thad’s attention was the way they behaved. Being raised to be a slave Thad could easily recognize servants when he saw them. The lowered head, blank visage, all the sings were there. Just who was the master that they had subjected and degraded the elves to a position of servitude?

  The anger that still burned in Thad’s chest began to rise again. His hand went for where his sword should have been, but he found nothing. Thad didn’t know where his weapon might be and he lamented its loss. Countless fortnights had been spent on crafting the sword. It had served him well, even for the short time it had been in his care.

  Thad reached out with his mind and found that though the connection with his staff was faint it was still there. He knew that should he call his staff would be there no matter how far away it may lay. Even if it now rested on the bottom of the deep sea it would heed his call. That one thought comforted him as he marched blindly to meet with a person he already had a great distaste for.

  Thad was led into a decent sized open chamber that resembled one of the Farlan Palace’s smaller audience rooms meant for the more inauspicious meetings.

  Inside the chamber sitting in an elegant looking chair carved to look like a tree sat an elf. Unlike the others Thad had seen his hair seemed to have more luster, his eyes seemed to shine brighter, and most noticeably his ears came to a slight point.

  “You called for me?” Thad asked, trying his best to keep his voice polite. He hadn’t expected to find an elf as the master of the house, but even that fact did not seem to diminish his anger. He knew that he had little place to condemn how others lived, especially when he knew so very little about them, but rationality seemed to flee from a man who was nursing anger and revenge within his heart.

  “Silence,” the elf shouted, his voice demanding and full of authority. “When and if I wish you to speak I will command it of you human.” The contempt in the elf’s voice made Thad take a step back. “I do not know why the miramer brought you to our shores, and I do not rightly care. We will prepare for you a small ship and tomorrow at first light you shall leave our isle. Now you are dismissed.”

  Thad called for his staff as he began gathering the elemental energy around him, being careful not to overextend his limits again. There was an abundance of nature energy around but Thad also found a large quantity of the other magical energies as well. It was almost as if he was standing in an epicenter of the magical currents that surrounded the world.

  The elf lord’s eyes widened as Thad’s staff appeared in the mage’s hand. Thad watched the elf stand his face contorted in anger. He knew the elf was shouting something but the words never reached his ears. Thad did hear the elf’s scream of terror as a large stream of blue energy streamed from his staff, launching the lithe elf into the air and through the far wall.

  Thad didn’t wait to see if the elf would return, instead he walked up to the hole in the wall and stepped through. Thad found himself standing in the streets of a large city unlike any other he had seen before. Large trees stretched up into the heavens so high that Thad could only guess where their tops may lie. The buildings were so large it was as if small palaces dotted the landscape.

  The elf lord lay crumpled on the stone street clutching the scorch mark on his chest. Thad kicked the elf in the chest and bent down so he could meet his eyes. “Should we try this again,” Thad said, smiling. “Let’s start with something simple. My name is Thad. Who might you be?”

  “Filthy bastard,” the elf spat.

  Thad slammed the end of his staff hard into the elf’s stomach. “Nice to meet you Bastard. Now, when I was brought to you did I happen to have a sword on me?” Instead of answering the elf spat in Thad’s face. “Wrong answer,” Thad replied as he called forth a small flame and pressed it into the elf’s hand.

  Once the elf had finished screaming and his whimpering died down to a light murmur Thad slapped him in the face. “Normally, I would smile and simply do as you asked, but for some reason today I am just not in the mood to stroke your inflated ego. Now, I will ask one more time, did I have a sword on me when I arrived?”

  “Yes,” the elf snarled. “I had it placed in my room. Take it if you wish, but I promise you, that by nightfall I will have every soldier at my command hunt you down and bring your hide back to me to be mounted and stuffed for my den.”

  “That gives me little reason to leave you alive,” Thad replied, his voice cold and distant.

  “What is going on here?” Thad heard a loud voice shout from behind him. Thad rose to his feet and turned to face the speaker and found that a large number of elves had gathered in the streets and were watching him intently.

  “Step away from Lord Reinwood,” a young looking elf wearing elaborately decorated armor said as he brandished a thin long sword.

  “Me and the Lord were simply having a discussion about proper manners.” Thad said before turning and walking back toward the hole in the large house.

  Thad could hear the soldier command him to stop but
he paid little heed. Back inside the house it didn’t take long for him to find the Lord’s bedchamber. Just as Reinwood had said, his sword had been placed on the Lord’s wall, as if it were a trophy. Thad quickly pulled it from its resting place and strapped it back where it belonged. Though he was far from helpless he still felt more secure with a blade on hand. With a little more searching Thad was able to find his other belongings as well. The elf lord had amassed quite a fortune and Thad thought it very nice of him to keep it all within reach.

  At first Thad only thought to take what had belonged to him but the elf lord had emptied his pouches and Thad could not remember how many coins and gems his magical pouches had contained. After giving it some thought he decided that to be on the safe side it was best to fill them to the top.

  With his belongings reclaimed and his pouches full Thad exited back through the large hole. On the other side waited a large force of elven warriors.

  Thad could feel the tingling of magic in the air, and was not surprised when vines sprouted from the ground wrapping themselves around his arms and legs. “You are under arrest for assaulting a lord of the high council,” one of the elves shouted. He was a well-dressed soldier with fierce eyes, and a look of determination etched onto his face.

  Now might be a good time to come back to your senses.

  “The Lord, as you call him, had taken personal items belonging to me. I was just reclaiming them,” Thad said, his voice returning to its normal light tone.

  “Be that as it may, I still need you to accompany me.”

  His temper now back under control, Thad understood that the soldier was just trying to do his job. “I don’t want any trouble,” Thad said almost pleadingly. “If you want me to leave then I shall leave but I will not be placed in irons.”

  The elven commander nodded his head and two simple dressed soldiers approached Thad with drawn swords. Letting out a heavy sigh, Thad engulfed the vines binding him in flames and drew his own sword which flickered lightly with magical energy.

  “Hold your sword Captain Breman,” a high pitched voice shouted from beyond the crowd of soldiers and other onlookers. The captain motioned for his men to stop and Thad relaxed his sword arm. After a brief moment a female elf with bright flowing golden hair pushed her way to the front. She was much shorter than the other elves but still easily stood near his own height if not a bit taller.

  “You better have a good reason to sway me from my duty Lady Emeriss.”

  The small elf walked right up to the captain and looked him dead in the eye with her hands on her hips. “Don’t forget yourself Captain. I am the head of one of the fifteen high noble families,” the captain visibly shrank back at her reprimand hitting his knee and bowing his head. “This man is clearly a mage and thus we are required by the will of our god to show him the utmost respect. If he did in fact attack the good Lord without provocation he will be punished, but until such is proven no one shall lay a hand on him. Do I make myself clear, Captain?”

  “Yes, my Lady,” the captain said, bowing his head even lower.

  Emeriss looked Reinwood in the face and narrowed her eyes. “If Lord Reinwood wishes to make formal charges he may do so, though I am sure once he thinks it over he will understand his error.” Once her speech was over Emeriss turned to Thad and gave him a brilliant smile that seemed to warm him in the very depths of his wounded soul. “Noble Mage if you please accompany me, I would be more than happy to be your benefactor during your stay in our fair city.”

  Thad was unsure of what was going on but he found himself with little choice, so he followed the petite young elf. Thad had many questions but he found no opportunity to speak as they wound their way through the wide city streets.

  The longer they walked the larger and more elaborate the houses became. Thad was relieved when Emeriss finally stopped and entered a large house that could easily have rivaled the royal palace of Farlan.

  The inside was far grander than anything Thad had ever seen before. The walls were delicately carved to look like trees. Large paintings hung, each one depicting different elves though he couldn’t tell much of a difference from one elf to another.

  Emeriss led Thad to a vast room with a large wooden table that had been polished so well its surface shined like a mirror. “I bet that fool Reinwood wasn’t much of a host. Would you like a bit of food?” Emeriss asked as she took a seat at the head of the table.

  Thad’s stomach grumbled at the thought of food. “Some food would be welcomed,” Thad replied as he started to take a seat about half way down the long table.

  “I would be pleased if you would choose a seat a bit closer,” Emeriss said with her eyebrow slightly raised. “Or does the thought of sitting close to me upset you?”

  Thad moved down the table and took the seat to her right. “Not at all my lady.”

  Emeriss picked up a small golden bell and rang it lightly. Thad didn’t have to wonder for long as to why she had done so. Before the bell touched the table a young elf maiden appeared in the room and spoke briefly to Emeriss. Unlike the elves Thad had seen in Reinwood’s estate, the elf maiden didn’t have the hopeless look of oppression stamped on her face.

  After the elf maiden left, Emeriss turned to Thad with a glowing smile on her face. “While we wait for our nourishment why don’t we get to know each other? Let us start with the story of how and why you came to Tremeir.”

  “I am not sure how I came to be in your fair city,” Thad said earnestly. “I was on a ship headed for Farlan when the Brotherhood attacked us. Me and my friends fought…” Thad’s voice trailed off as he once again thought about Brianna. His hand suddenly went to the ring on his right hand. Thad felt the tears start their trip done his face.

  ”I see, your journey has not been a pleasant one,” Emeriss said, her voice full of sympathy. “It has been years since our last visitor from outside our shores. I must admit to a fair amount of curiosity, though I do not wish to push you into talking about that which brings you pain.”

  “That is much appreciated Lady Emeriss,” Thad said, bowing his head slightly. “While my trip here has been an accident, I would like to use this opportunity to undergo your rite, if it is possible.”

  Emeriss laughed, her voice like that of tiny bells ringing in the air. “I figured you would, though I alone do not have the power to give that which you want. The council must convene and decided on all matters such as this.”

  “The council?”

  “Yes, there are fifteen ruling houses in Tremeir, and the head of each house is also the member of the high council. We like to sit around and talk about things and act as if we are more than we are.”

  Thad could easily detect the pain in her voice. She did not agree with the council even though by her own words she was a member. “Could you explain more about the city and the council? There seems to be much more going on than just my unexpected visit,” Thad said, trying to coax more out of the young elf.

  Emeriss gave a dejected smile, “I guess there is at that. We elves have extremely long lives. It is not uncommon for an elf to live two or three thousand years. Our near immortality, you would think of as a blessing, but I fear it is a curse. What can keep a mind intrigued over the centuries? There are only so many scrolls to read, only so many things one can do over the countless years. In the past my people used to go on sojourns for long periods of time, but since the Brotherhood has hunted us we have been forced to retreat into isolation. With nothing to keep us occupied we have turned to politics, and vanity.”

  Emeriss paused when a group of servants brought them their food. Thad was amazed at the assortment and quality that was set in front of him. It would have been considered a grand feast fit for a small army and seemed extravagantly large given there were only two people. Thad waved his hand over the food. “Vanity, or is it a need to outshine those around you?

  Thad’s feared his words would be taken as an insult though he meant them more in jest. “Yes we do love to show off,” Emeriss s
aid, smiling as she began filling her plate with an assortment of meats and cheese “Though my servants don’t seem to mind my extravagance, as they get to eat what is left.”

  “Your servants seem much different than those I met in Reinwood’s employ.”

  “Reinwood, that blusterous oaf,” Emeriss spat. “Only those of noble house may have what the council considers the mark of a true elf,” Emeriss accented her words by tapping the tip of her fingers against her pointed ears. “Those not belonging to a noble house have their ears clipped at birth. It is a monstrous practice. Separating people based on birth. It is preposterous. Half…More than half of my servants have more brains than most those who sit on the council. Do we take advantage of their gifts? No, but we continue the charade of believing those of noble birth are better and we reduce the others around us to lesser status. Some of the so called nobles treat their fellow elves more like animals than their kin.”

  Thad could understand her feelings. The belief that a few were born above others was not a special trait of the elves. The world of men was filled with people who believed such. Her words had stirred a forgotten pain within his own memories. Farlan was not so different, though they did not simply separate by birth but by gender. In Farlan, Men had been degraded to a status of barely human, and had been treated with open contempt for many generations. During his life he had seen a change, but such feelings would not disappear easily or quickly.

  “Let us change the subject,” Emeriss said, giving him a bitter smile. “Tomorrow I will take you to the council and we shall see about the rite. I was only a young child the last time we hosted a mage, so it would be nice to see the rite performed again. It might give my kin hope that a new start is ahead of us.”

  “There was a mage here when you were a child?” Thad asked, slightly surprised. The elf looked as if she were only slightly older than himself. “I would have thought it would have been centuries since the last mage graced your city.”