“The library? Why?”
“We can’t have you sleeping the Earth Chamber with an old man.”
“Who would know?”
“I would. Good night, apprentice.”
“Good night, master.”
Thelee followed a dryad out to the arsenal where the library was located. She suspected that the real reason Ephaltus didn’t want her around is that he selfishly wanted the chamber to himself. It was no matter. The root she slipped into his wine would keep him happily sleeping anyway.
As soon as the dryads tucked her and into bed and exited the chamber, Thelee got up and headed directly for the arsenal. The door was locked tight and she didn’t have Ephaltus’ ring to open it. She held her finger out and a green mist flowed around her finger and solidified into the semblance of the ring. She inserted it into the door and it clicked once before opening.
She looked behind her to make certain she was still alone and then she rushed into the room, letting the door close behind her. The room as pitch black. She raised her hand and a green glow rose from her palm in a well-lit ball of green flame. She rushed to the rear of the arsenal to the door where the orbs were kept. She placed her conjured ring to the door but nothing happened. Then she remembered this lock was different. She whispered a few words and the green mist snaked around her finger and caused a spine to protrude from the ring. She inserted it into the hole and turned. It took her a few tries before she heard the lock click since she didn’t know the exact shape of the spine, but she did it.
She held up the glowing green flame to the shelf with the orbs, and with her free hand, she took the green orb down. There was a brief glow within it when she touched it.
“Take me there!” she said to the orb and the green bubble encircled her and in a flash, she was gone.
The forest of Craessa was just south of the arena and stretched all the way down to the narrow strip of grasslands before the southernmost coast. Thelee appeared just outside of the village of Emlestra, a village of woodland elves. She took the green orb and pointed it at the village and it guided her toward the one who would be the green mage. She carefully opened the rounded wooden door to the house the orb indicated and entered. She made her way to the bedchamber where she knew the green mage was sleeping.
“Who’s there?” A sweet voice penetrated the darkness. Thelee let the green ball of flame illuminate once more. “Who are you?” The voice sounded even more concerned now.
“Oh, forgive me,” Thelee said. I am still wearing the illusion. She smiled and her blonde hair turned dark brown while her green eyes turned brown. Her ears also returned to the pointed tip of her birthright.
“Teoni, is that you?” the elf girl asked.
“Yes, I am here.” She held up the green orb and it glowed strong. “You were right, you are the green mage.”
“Did you find out how to change that?”
“I did.” She put the orb away and produced a dagger.
“What are you doing?”
“What must be done. You are too weak to fight. I have seen some of the other mages and they will end you.” She moved with lightning speed to bury the dagger in the elf girl’s chest, but the girl was fast too and moved out of the way. “Don’t resist, Marlee, it’s better this way.”
“Better for you!” Marlee found her magic within herself and cast a cascade of thorns at Teoni, but her attacker avoided them with a shield of tree branches.
“I thought you wanted to be the tourney master, what happened?”
Teoni gripped the dagger, “I was never going to be the tourney master.” She flipped over the bed and slid to Marlee who was now pinned under the bed.
“Don’t do this, Teoni. Can’t I just give you my powers?”
“Yes, you can.” She plunged the dagger into Marlee’s chest. A green mist engulfed the elf girl and then traveled to Teoni. Tears appeared on her face. “I’m sorry sister. I truly am.” She rushed out of the room, took out the green orb and disappeared in a bright light.
The door to Marlee’s house creaked open. Ephaltus stepped into the house and made his way to where Marlee lay still with a dagger protruding from her chest. Ephaltus gripped the dagger’s handle and pulled it free, tossing it aside. It disintegrated into thin air as it fell. He placed his hand onto the elf girl’s chest and concentrated. The girl suddenly took in a deep breath and scrambled away from him.
“There, there, you weren’t so dead after all.”
“Teoni, where is she?”
“Back at the arsenal trying to cover up her thievery I would imagine.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Ephaltus, tourney master of the tournament of mages. I have come for you, Marlee.”
“I don’t understand?”
“Thelee, well, Teoni, as it turns out, doesn’t know everything. Like, I am immune to all sleeping and control potions. She also doesn’t know I am alerted to any break in within the Arsenal of the Way or any of the buildings and trappings of the arena. I can also track anything removed from the arena without my permission such as the orbs of the mages.”
“What do you want with me?”
“As it turns out, I also happen to know who will be chosen as my successor. It is still the millennium and I will still have to train someone to take my place.” He held out his hand for Marlee and she took it. He pulled her to her feet. “As luck would have it, you are the one.”
“You knew this all along? According to the orb, I was to be the green mage, right?”
“Well, nothing is as it seems. Now, Teoni will be the green mage and you will be the new tourney master.”
“Was I dead?”
“Barely dead. Lucky I came along when I did.”
“What if I don’t want to be the new tourney master?”
“Then I would suggest you choose a gravesite in the shade of a tree. Ready to go?”
She followed his gesture to the door. “What about Teoni? Won’t she be a problem?”
“Probably, but she cannot kill you twice.”
“What?”
“The secret to all of the tourney masters from the beginning of the tournament is that we were all killed and resurrected. It’s the only way to defend against the black mage’s power. I knew Thelee wasn’t who she said she was because she had no protection against the black mage. A tourney master must be immune to all the mage’s magic to truly be unbiased. So, you see, you are my successor. Now, shall we go deal with Teoni?”
End of Short One
Short Two: Interlude, will pick up with Part Eight: Betrayal
It will introduce the readers to the Grey Mage and the Green Mage and therefore should be read after reading the Blue Mage Novel.
Copyright
Copyright © 2017, Cleave Bourbon(1968—)
Cover illustration by Splitting Headache Publishing with Shadesilver Publishing
First Splitting Headache Publishing electronic publication: February, 2017.
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via internet or by any other means, electronic or print, without the author/publisher’s permission.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictionally and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Published in the United States by Splitting Headache Publishing 2017
n Archive.
Tournament of Mages: Commencement: Tournament of Mages 1st Series Short (Tournament of Mages Series Shorts) Page 4