“Technically it is just my reflexes, but I am able to use it to speed my legs to a point also. Much farther than this distance and you would see an attack coming. If you ever run across a team of battle mages without orcs and goblins between you, either gain distance or run. A wizard can’t fight us in close,” he cautioned and felt a bit of genuine worry. The young mage was beginning to like the girl more each time he saw her and didn’t want to see her hurt or killed by his former countrymen.
Noting her skin beginning to glisten as drops formed on her forehead, Palose realized that the girl had been using a lot more energy to fight him than he was. While he was still fairly fresh, Sylvaine looked a little winded and certainly very warm considering the mild temperature within the cavern city. Humidity from the lake might add to someone feeling a little warmer, but it wasn’t enough for him to have broken a sweat yet.
The girl turned to step towards the tables and he followed her. Turless rose without a word and joined them.
“Did you discover anything?” Palose asked Sylvaine, though Turless could have answered as easily walking beside the mage.
Patting her forehead with a towel before starting to rub the moisture from her shoulders and upper chest, which managed to seductively draw Palose’s eyes with each movement, Sylvaine responded with a dubious shake of her head. “It is basic, but so fast that if I could learn at least some of them; I might be able to defend myself in a closer fight at least.”
The battle mage shook his head. “Just knowing spells wouldn’t keep you from being hurt or killed in that kind of fight. Have you had any sword or hand to hand training to defend yourself? Battle mage spells are used to add to our combat strength. We don’t rely on just a set of spells to win a fight.”
A moment’s pause as Sylvaine’s lip slid out in a pouty way, preceded a shake of the head stirring her long hair that had been pulled back in a tail from her face while she trained. Stray locks flipped with the movement and he noted her curls had tightened a bit with the humidity she was giving off from her body. “We’re training to be wizards. Our magic will defend us.”
With as much intelligence and wisdom as the girl had shown him the last few weeks he had known her, Palose thought that was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. Hadn’t he proved over and over to these apprentices that there were serious deficiencies in their skills?
Turless spoke up and surprised Palose by adding, “The wizard hunters are said to train like him, Sylvaine. They use combat magic like darkness shields to take down wizards who can’t fight with swords. It’s exactly what they use against them.”
Frowning at the interrupting boy as well the extra information, she asked, “How do you know what wizard hunters do?”
Shrugging he replied, “They’ve been at the school and discussed it with some of the apprentices who are older. They are closer to being finished with their basic magic skills and those who show proficiency with weapons are often drafted to become wizard hunters.
“I have heard that they have even developed armor in one of the armories that can absorb magic like the night shields. A wizard’s magic is useless against them, while orcs and trolls can wear the armor using weapons to close with magic users with no fear of spells harming them.”
“The armor will absorb the elements?” Palose questioned realizing such armor in great numbers could help turn the war to Ensolus’ favor easily. If Southwall’s most commonly used spells like fireballs couldn’t harm even a common soldier, they would become helpless in battle.
Turless nodded while Sylvaine looked thoughtful. She was the one to speak as the girl added, “Could you teach me how to fight, Palose?”
“Me too!” the other apprentice quickly echoed since he had been trying to get such help from the mage for weeks.
Palose contemplated such efforts and wondered if his need to finally have some form of companionship had led his steps to the school’s courtyard today. While he had always been somewhat stand offish while training at White Hall, he did still have a few friends or at least good acquaintances over the years. In a world where people left to go to the wall often enough to make most relationships temporary at best, the young man had never let his attachment become too close to someone since they were likely to leave him at the drop of a hat.
Now he was alone in a foreign city, a former enemy to him besides; and for the first time Palose had a chance to start making friends. If his ambitions were to be satisfied at all, perhaps making these contacts was in his best interest and Sylvaine was attractive also, of course, giving him another reason to be interested in the girl.
“We would probably need to go to the soldiers’ training fields or courtyards. We’ll need weapons to practice with unless you have wood swords and other gear to use here.”
Turless looked ecstatic as he answered for the two, “We could do that. There aren’t any swords or shields here.”
Nodding, Sylvaine agreed. “Unless someone could go borrow them to bring back here, then we will have to go there.”
The girl’s words already sounded like she assumed this was now their plan. “How soon?” she asked.
Realizing that he had managed to paint himself into a corner, Palose tried to think if he could afford to take time away from his studying. Maybe he could get these apprentices to teach him their spells and the ones that he was trying to understand in payment for his helping them? “Two days from today,” the mage stated and added, “We can meet here after noon lunch to find a place to train.”
With that, Palose was now a combat trainer for two apprentice wizards and wondered where this would take him.
Chapter 6- Exchange of Views
The glowing portal stood between Palose and a warlock as both extended their hands to touch the outer edges. They were serving as the anchors to another exodus of goblins and orcs to the waypoint set by the two warlocks that he had helped bring behind the wall.
From what he knew, miners under the supervision of Garosh and his men were delving beneath one of the Dimple Mountains creating a warren of tunnels and rooms to form a fortress. The first outpost built within Southwall’s area of influence in almost one hundred fifty years, Palose knew that being able to establish a base using open portals could lead to Ensolus being able to attack the castles defending the wall from behind. A war on two fronts would render North Wall useless and Southwall would be forced to commit everything to destroying the cancer within while the enemy could work to destroy the protective wall from both sides.
When the emperor took his new body, he wondered just how savage the Dark One would become in dealing with his enemies.
“Palose, pay attention!” Atrouseon snapped as the young mage’s mind had begun to wander. The portal wavered slightly before his magic strengthened his part of the spell. “Haven’t you researched portal magic like I told you to from day one?”
Keeping his attention focused on the glow in front of him, Palose replied easily, “I have. Knowing the magic and doing it are two different things. This is the first time I have been allowed to create a portal since bringing you to Windmeer. I just need more practice at longer spells. I was a battle mage before you found me after all.”
Atrouseon sniffed the air unconvinced. “If you think performing this spell more often will help then, by all means I will make sure to inform the others that you should work on them more frequently. What other magic do you need more practice with that I should know about then?”
Palose did his best to hold his side of the portal spell, but it fluctuated a moment while his master seemed to be intentionally trying to distract him with questions. The slight was ignored and he answered, “I was at the wizard’s school practice grounds and may be able to train with some of them there on the elemental spells that differ from a battle mage. There was discussion of night shields and other magic of the night. How would I go about trying the spells for necromancy though?”
It was the other warlock holding his side of the portal who lost focus hearing of
Palose’s interests. As Sylvaine had said, few warlocks researched the dark arts and fewer still could understand the magic enough to ever become a necromancer. He wondered if raising the dead was a skill like healing. Few wizards could heal in Southwall so perhaps necromancy was like the polar opposite in that it dealt with death.
Atrouseon noted the second man’s slip, but said nothing. He was a veteran of the portal team and not his apprentice. Making sure that Palose was shaping up properly was his duty thanks to being his maker. In other words, Atrouseon worried over the one he had to and no others unless they got in his way.
“Start with animating bones or placing your magic into a small animal. Both the animation and the use of your core magic are two sides of these spells. Learn them and the rest of the spells will come easily. If you can’t master them, you will never become a necromancer.”
The last of the carts going through the portal blocked Palose from the others’ sight and he reached into his pocket with one hand while the other maintained contact with the glowing gateway. Drawing out what looked like an acorn, the mage cast it through the glow watching it disappear. A tether of his magic could be felt through the portal and echoed as if simultaneously coming from far to the south. It was a piece of magic created by the early portal engineers. A touchstone formed of a corrinut seed drilled out to insert a piece of stone imbued with his personal magic, was said to give a warlock a way to travel to other lands and worlds to the exact spot that it was left. Some books applauded their use as being effective. Others said they could not use them reliably.
It mattered little to the mage. This was just a back up plan that he had thought of along the way. If Ensolus proved to be more troublesome and unable to further his ambition, then having a possible escape clause in play was best for him. A quick escape for a single man was possible with the strength that he shared with Atrouseon now.
That was another piece of the puzzle. Looking at the warlock across from the last travelers passing into Southwall through the portal, Palose could feel and even see the man’s magic raised along his body. His eyes had been noticing auras easier everyday and he could even see the gathering points. Glowing energy centered around the warlock’s eyes and forehead as well as the heart and abdomen. The third point or points was the hands and forearms as he focused his power on the portal before him.
Strangely, Palose couldn’t see his own magic gathered around his hands and had never seen his aura even using a mirror as a test. His perception of others sometimes even made him think that he could see the pulse of magic when it wasn’t in use when he passed certain warlocks. The more power one possessed the harder it was to avoid noticing and it was a point that wasn’t covered in ‘Resurrection’ or any of the other books on a raised man’s powers. It was becoming obvious that he had evolved into something greater than he had been before as new strengths continued to show.
His attention was pulled away from the sight of the warlock and his thoughts to a set of shadows building in the glow of the portal. This was no fluctuation in their focus of power. There was something coming through from the other side.
“We have visitors coming,” he spoke aloud drawing the eyes of Atrouseon and a half dozen other warlocks there to monitor the portal team. Rumors of portals drawing other creatures through them had always seemed more like a joke perpetuated by warlocks to instill fear and caution in apprentices attempting to learn the spells.
When Garosh and half a dozen figures stepped through in place of the dozens sent to Southwall, Palose felt a little relief.
“Clear,” the giant stated after looking behind him at his strange guards.
The wraith Carianic was joined by a second and four rough looking men who appeared almost feral compared to normal men. One of those sniffed the air before turning his head to look at Palose beside him. His face appeared disgusted as if he had smelled something that he didn’t like. A nudge from the man to his comrade next to him brought a nod as the second noted the mage holding the gate. Neither looked overly fond of him, though Palose had no idea what they could be seeing or smelling that would cause such a reaction.
“Portal team, release the gate,” Atrouseon ordered as the leader in charge of today’s team of wizards.
The gate flickered and began to ripple before collapsing in on itself. Winking to nothing, the room darkened as only the glow of lanterns prevented darkness from taking over the large, windowless chamber.
Palose forced his shoulders back feeling a crackle in his spine as his bones realigned. Shaking out his arms returning the blood flow from holding them in place so long, the mage turned to see Atrouseon nod at the giant, and heard him greet the man, “Lord Garosh, welcome back. I hope everything is going well beyond the wall.”
Grunting noncommittally, the man kept his feet moving forward while he spoke, “It goes as well as it can while the goblins do what they do best, dig. Wizards work to help make the tunnels stronger and higher than the little beasts could do on their own, but it is hardly worth keeping an eye on for most of us. They will dig and form what the engineers tell them to or adjust to stone too strong if they can’t. We just rein in their enthusiasm and come home when we can.”
Joining the exodus from the room, Atrouseon walked with the giant looking more comfortable with the extension of the emperor’s power than Palose would have believed. Garosh’s physical strength would have been enough to cow most men, but his magic was beyond normal men thanks to being a vessel for the Dark One’s power.
It was Garosh’s turn to ask, “How are the blanks coming?”
The word had been a popular one when speaking of the vessels, Palose had noted. Most people would have no idea what a blank was as they spoke of the project to ensure the emperor’s continued existence.
“In three months, the guard will be released from stasis to be imprinted. A matter of weeks later, the other two will be ready to be of service,” the warlock replied before looking thoughtful. “Will you be ready to return the power?”
Shrugging, the giant replied, “I will do as the emperor tells me.”
The answer was far from a ringing endorsement and Palose wondered if he could easily surrender his new power should he be told to give the extra magic back gained by his tie to Atrouseon. It had become a part of him since he had returned to life. Garosh had been holding part of the emperor’s power for decades and must feel like it was his by now.
Atrouseon must have felt the same, but the wizard knew better than to challenge the titan and continued the conversation in another vein, “Spring comes soon enough. Our lord will have a lot of work ahead of him. There have been fractures that he will have to decide on how to mend.”
Garosh’s hand rose between them to silence the man as he halted the group to look at the warlock. “Have you lost discretion while having success? Such talk breeds rumors and we can not have anyone speaking ill of the empire, Atrouseon. Be silent and never speak of this in public again.
“The emperor knows what he has to do and will run the empire as he sees fit. You will do as you’re told or he will replace you before you can receive your reward.”
Backing off warily in the face of the threat, the man brushed his dark hair back nervously and nodded silently. The giant and his men continued on leaving Palose to stand nearby his master in the hall leading out of the assembly chamber. With the remainder of the portal warlocks leaving them behind, the two men waited in silence.
“We may not be able to speak of it in public, but his power has been on the wane for a century. Other men who served have slunk away and defied the empire.” Looking at his apprentice, who was beyond a novice student and more knowledgeable of the world; Atrouseon asked, “What is your feeling about Garosh?”
Surprised to be asked such a question, Palose considered what he knew and had heard. “You worry that Garosh might betray the emperor. He holds the Dark One’s power and leaves Ensolus for weeks at a time. While he is a trusted general of the emperor, you worry that betrayal might
be in his heart.”
He paused as both awaited his judgment, “I do not know much of him, but his power makes everyone fearful save the emperor. Does the Dark Lord hold a similar power over Garosh as you do over me?”
The question caused Atrouseon to start in surprise at such an idea. Musing for a moment as he composed himself, the warlock revealed, “When I brought you back I used blood runes and my very blood to bring you back. The runes sealed my hold on you, but I have always been amazed that you have remained so loyal.
“When Garosh was created, he was imprinted by the emperor to make him serve him and Garosh holds part of his memory as well. It’s a completely different style of magic and bond. He has always served like a son, but each time he leaves it seems like he grows more arrogant and independent.”
Palose packed away both the comments on Garosh and his own enslavement to Atrouseon’s will. He had been commanded to obedience and knew that didn’t mean he couldn’t be free of the warlock. At the moment, he still needed his master and could obey when asked. There might come a time where such roles would need to change, but not now.
Turning his thoughts to Garosh and his allegiance to the Dark Emperor, the mage thought that it was as Atrouseon surmised. Mulling what he knew with what he had just been told, Palose replied, “While I think that he follows the emperor, if he is away too long, there may be a problem. As long as he returns to see the emperor to renew their bond, I think he will obey and follow the emperor’s demands.”
His answer seemed to have no affect on his master’s mood, however, and Atrouseon contemplated their shared words, “Without some form of control over him, I fear Garosh may turn from the emperor, but I hope that you are right.”
Walking forward through the hallway, the warlock and his apprentice said no more on the matter. It was a dangerous topic to be speaking in public, Palose thought, but wasn’t worried in the least. He had already died once. What more did he have to lose?
Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus) Page 9