“Why would he want to create gates near Sileoth?” Serrena was the first to ask thinking to punch holes in his hypothesis. “Do you think Sileoth has betrayed Southwall as an ally and is now working with the Dark One?”
Drayden shook his head and put in his opinion, “Sileoth has stood with Southwall since before the Cataclysm. I can’t see why they would suddenly turn on their allies to join with the one who broke their country free of the mainland. More likely, he plans to invade the other towns or perhaps he looks to build new ports to the north.
“Litsarin has a limited population occupying the east and west, but there is plenty of available land to the north and south if he wants to create a new base. Southwall wouldn’t even know of it, since trade tends to be more direct with the established towns or older island nations.”
“He might do both,” Sebastian said with a sigh of resignation. “We can do nothing about these other groups for now. We have to destroy this gate first to prevent others from coming at least through here. Maybe when we return to Hala, King Alain will want to send a larger force to hunt them down.”
Drayden looked thoughtful before adding, “This isn’t his land and Southwall has a pact with Sileoth in particular. If he sends ships to Litsarin, Sileoth might view it as an act of aggression causing another battle front. Perhaps we should visit Tarmand to deliver a word of warning to their king? Sileoth can choose to defend their interests here in Litsarin or call on Southwall for help, if they wish.
“Alain certainly can’t afford to ignore the Dark One seeding towns and cities in Litsarin, but we can facilitate the defense by letting King Qeyless know of the danger now rather than wasting weeks reaching Hala just to have him send a messenger to Tarmand after he decides to warn Sileoth in turn. It would only take a few extra days sailing to the west, which you could use to help the Carnivore move to safer waters and closer to home.”
Waving the man off, Sebastian replied, “Since we’re already going out of our way to close these gates, I don’t think detouring to Tarmand would be a waste of time, but will we be able to get to the king to warn him?”
“We might have to go through other channels to finally gain his ear, but I think movement by the Dark One on Litsarin would get us there.”
Sebastian scrubbed at his face wishing for the old days when he was just a cadet training without the worries of the world unfolding in front of him. “Well, first things first, we need to close this gate and deal with whatever defenders they might have left there.”
As the discussion wound down and the riders spread out a bit more, Yara leaned carefully towards him on her horse and asked, “Do you really think there will be another force to stop us in Parik? You said that you didn’t see any signs of trouble there.”
“It is one thing to use wind magic to find nomads or bandits on the plains north of the wall or to find a black ship sailing on the ocean. You can guess who your enemy is there and prepare, even if you found out they wanted no trouble you can usually see them coming. Parik is a fair size town; add the ability to hide in the mines as well as the buildings, and wind riding will miss much of an army concealed within a town.
“If men are the ones set to fight, I don’t even have the advantage of seeing the skin of an orc or goblin to know they are the enemy until they attack.”
It was Yara’s turn to sigh. “Can’t we just ignore this gate, Bas? If the other groups sent out can build new gates, then this is just a waste of time. We are too few to stop the Dark One if he can keep opening new gates to send more soldiers and warlocks.”
He shook his head. “It isn’t just the gate. If we take it out, and he waits until we have moved on, the emperor will just think that he outplayed us... and that is fine. What I hope to find out is if Parik is already an outpost of the Dark One by going there.
“Like Drayden said, Southwall can’t afford to find itself surrounded by the enemy. Already he has managed to invade Windmeer and placed a fortress in the mountains behind the wall. If he continues to hit us from within and can attack us from all sides, I am not sure how long Southwall will stand. It seems like this is the most determined the Dark One has been at destroying us and our allies in over a century; and I am afraid that, if we don’t do everything we can to slow his progress, Southwall will fall during our lifetime.”
Yara shook her head and chided the mage, “I hardly think it is as dour as all that. Southwall fought the emperor without the wall and we could send him packing again even if the wall is no longer a strong defense.
“As to slowing him down, just remember that doesn’t have to fall on your shoulders alone.”
While he understood Yara’s concern and knew that he was probably just discussing the worst possible direction the future could take, the battle mage knew that he wasn’t wrong either. Whether it was in his power to stop any of it was the bigger question.
Mid afternoon, well after they had stopped to take a lunch, Sebastian placed his faith in someone else as he asked Drayden to ride ahead to scout the town. He was the only one without magic and the least likely to be spotted as a man from Southwall. While Drayden had never officially told him why the king would send a soldier to join his mission, the mage always had a feeling that the captain was likely more knowledgeable than any wizard about how to move in and out of other countries. If he wasn’t an actual spy for the king, the mage would be surprised.
Without seeming concerned, the man rode off at a faster pace. They would be in Parik by late afternoon giving the captain only about an hour to look around. If Sebastian was correct, he would find what an air wizard could not.
Discussion settled into silence as they closed on the mountain town of Parik and his team readied for what they would find.
Chapter 21- Battle of Parik
It wasn’t a complete surprise when Sebastian looked on the town of Parik, set on the side of mountain, and saw the buildings made of brick and stone. There was almost nothing wood to it. Roofs were made of stone tiles, walls were brick and even the smallest houses for the least wealthy appeared to be made almost entirely of the stone brought out from the mines of Parik.
A few thatched roofs here and there reminded him of the towns and villages near the wall, but it looked nothing like the town of Mera closest to the farm which had been his home until the wizards had come to take him away to Whitehall. Farms spread out from the base of the mountain and a few held terraced builds along the slope making use of every bit of land they could to remain near Parik. From the hills below, straw and hay could be found for the woven roofs, but even the farms were mostly built from the bricks and tiles brought down from the mountain.
Looking to the higher slopes of the mountain, Sebastian could see hardy pines and grass growing up proving that life could be found everywhere on Litsarin despite the relatively short life of the island. This wasn’t wood used to build unfortunately, so any wood had to be ferried in from farther away though small forests could be seen in the distance from the height of the town.
“They have a good view at least,” Serrena mused as the woman looked back the way they had come. The road led in a twisting path through the hills and as it bent back on itself several times climbing the steeper rise of the mountain.
Several of the team nodded looking back as well, but Sebastian’s attention remained on the town before them and the surrounding mountain. He doubted trouble lay below them now. Wherever the gate lay, that would be where the enemy would wait for them to come close the portal. The question was whether they would confront them head on or wait for his team to walk into a trap.
Traffic picked up as they entered the edge of the town. Women could be seen working in their gardens, sometimes with their children or husbands. Men carrying packs on their backs, others with carts being drawn by horses, mules or donkeys and others simply going about their daily business roamed the dirt streets. It had been awhile since it had rained, but Sebastian had a feeling those streets would turn to mud clutching at wheels and feet alike. Wit
h all the stone used on the buildings, the mage was a little surprised that Parik hadn’t taken the time to pave the streets to match.
Darterian held the compass and pointed on a bit of an angle to their right. “It is in that direction, but I am getting little phantom markings as well. Like we guessed, there are men or creatures in roughly the same direction.”
“Do you think that you can find those imbued stones here as well?” Sebastian asked slowing his horse to move beside the wizard.
“Removing the main gate will free up the compass to see what has come through or been magically created to anchor the portals. Once the interference of that is gone, it should be child’s play if they’ve left another set here.”
Mecklin noted some of the locals looking at the group moving through the street and commented, “They act like they haven’t seen people ride here.”
Thinking of his home, Bas replied, “In smaller towns and villages, those who rode horses were rich and rarely lived in Mera. Horses pulled carts and plows.”
Yara instinctively shrunk towards him, but he had to steer her horse away from his as the animal tried to nip at his steed.
“Maybe we should think of stabling the horses or have someone stay with them outside of the town?” Serrena questioned as she found her mount trying to escape her control.
Shaking his head, Sebastian ordered, “We’ll dismount and walk the animals from here. I’m not going to thin our numbers or leave the horses behind. If we do walk into a trap, I want to know that we at least have horses to use to escape.”
Almost as one, they began to dismount. Yara, Serrena and Ashleen were all shorter and required help getting down. Sebastian found that he helped both Yara and the wilder, which received a disgruntled look from the healer. Ignoring the women beyond assisting them from their saddles, the battle mage tried to use his senses like that of a wizard.
He felt for magic like the warlocks they had run into in Sardon. If the compass was less accurate while the gate remained, then they needed to rely on skills inherent in their kind.
“Anyone notice anything strange about the look of these people?” Nara asked. The nature wizard had been looking at the people of Parik around them more than just a little intently from the point of entering the town.
Sebastian released his feel for magic to glance at the townsfolk wondering what she meant at first. Then a few children ran past them. A gapped tooth smile of one boy made him smile back, but the mage also noticed what Nara meant. His skin was a strange coloring that was almost like his tanned flesh was tinged green. The face and shoulders of the child were broad, his arms perhaps disproportionately long and his ears were a bit pointed.
Adults and children alike seemed to have unusual looks for humans, but not if they had orcish roots.
Darterian mused, “The tales go that in an effort to create more powerful soldiers, the emperor’s warlocks took elves, gnomes and even dwarves to try and breed them using his dark magic. During the efforts, orcs and goblins of various types were created changing them forever.
“Elves can breed with humans as my grandfather Darius and my grandmother proved. Some of the elven traits were dominant and some remained more human from child to child. Their grandchildren show less of the elf for those who married humans have diluted it to a quarter. Those who married elves appear more elven.”
Sebastian nodded understanding where he was going with the idea and said it for him, “So orcs were here with humans and some bred half and quarter breeds on to however many generations have passed since. It doesn’t guarantee that the emperor owns Parik, but it certainly makes it more likely. We’ll have to be careful here. If we destroy the gate, some might be more affected and angry about it than others or we could have an entire town chasing after us.”
“Great,” Collin breathed behind him walking beside Nara.
Sebastian looked at the stone of the mountain rising high above the back side of Parik. The closest slope was bared of trees directly ahead of them and he noticed several other similar gaps in the brush predominate on the mountain around the town. They passed through several layers of buildings to find a large gap between the town and several large openings in the mountain. Workers moved stone and created stockpiles to be sorted later on the bared rock between the town and the nearest mines. Three shafts entered the mountain from the one directly behind Parik to two others at the outer edges of the town wrapped along the side of the lower mountain.
Paths went up and more miners with their donkey driven carts scaled the dangerous route to more shafts.
“That’s pretty dangerous,” Collin stated as he looked at the openings on different levels of the mountain. “If the lower mines weaken the base too much, the upper shafts could collapse on top of them. Even earth wizards using magic would be hard pressed to sheer up the mines to be safe enough for them to work like that, I would think.”
“You’ve worked around mines?” Frell asked curiously.
“No, but I’ve read up on it from other earth wizards who have. It’s common reading for our guild since we never know where they will send us. There are several mining towns and villages throughout the Dimple Mountains that often request earth wizards to help maintain the safety of the mines to keep their people alive and working,” Collin replied still looking at the honeycomb effect the miners of Parik had created.
“This way,” Darterian stated pointing towards their right and in the direction of the mine there.
Sebastian reminded them, “Keep an eye out for the enemy.”
Taking his own advice, the mage looked for signs of magic knowing that using a proper stealth spell they would be unable to track a wizard, but he had hoped that they would have surprise on their side for timing. The emperor’s forces were often so secure in their strength that they didn’t bother to hide from lesser numbers like Sebastian felt his nine must look like. Drayden had yet to meet up with them, though the mage knew the captain must be somewhere nearby trying to dredge up information.
Though he looked, as did the others, as they followed the edges of the buildings facing the mines, they noticed no signs of the enemy that he felt must be nearby. The emperor wouldn’t have sent out the other groups just to leave this gate to fall to his enemies, would he? It was an interesting thought. Sebastian knew that the Dark One would feint and sacrifice troops if he believed that he could use them to create a greater victory. A replaceable portal point might be an easy sacrifice to make.
They were across from several large piles of stone and the compass was pointing to them before the wizards and battle mages finally gave in to find the dormant gate.
Darterian glanced to Sebastian who gave him the nod. Flanked by Sebastian and Frell, the wizard moved forward, while the others held back with their horses. He heard the scuff of a shoe behind him and noted Ashleen nearly at his heels though he had told the others to wait. It didn’t matter to have an extra pair of eyes, so the mage didn’t order her to return to the others.
As they closed on the large stone piles, his hand rested on the guard of the Hollow Sword feeling that there was no way that the portal wouldn’t be defended. He heard Ashleen begin to chant a spell he hadn’t heard her use before and a moment later, the wizard warned, “I feel the use of magic here.”
“The gate?” Darterian started to ask when they all felt a shift in the air.
The Hollow Sword was in his hand and touching the stone at his feet before he ever saw anything, but he could feel the mass stealth spell cast over those hiding in the stones.
“Fire sword,” he ordered the basic spell of the battle mages as he heard Frell’s sword clear its sheath.
The air seemed to ripple before his vision and the angry roar of more than two dozen orcs and goblins tore the silence as the magic dropped. Lighting leaped over his shoulder tearing into a handful of the black armored creatures while Sebastian lashed out with the sword in an arc. Glowing white hot, the sword magnified by the power of the earth he had drawn with the spell sent
flame in a widespread arc cutting across the creatures in warning.
Black armor cracked and a few of the goblins fell back reeling on the ground clutching at their faces where the armor hadn’t been able to absorb the power and protect them. Those uninjured were still forced to stop in their tracks in surprise at the combined attacks’ power.
“Back to the others,” Sebastian ordered the three closest to him. He and Frell could protect the two wizards, but the enemy had the numbers.
After the initial surprise was over, the black armored creatures started forward once more, though a bit more cautiously. These weren’t an enemy that would give in to the ferocity of their yells and they held powerful magic that seemed capable of even cracking their armor as several orcs fingered new wounds in the outer shell caused by Ashleen’s lightning.
Fireballs arced over the advancing line and Sebastian projected three large blue shields while Frell added her own closer to the retreating foursome. Ashleen was more impressive as she channeled a massive gust of wind blowing away the few that circumvented the blue shields of the mages.
“There are more coming from the nearest buildings behind our friends,” Darterian warned revealing that Sebastian’s fears of a trap were well warranted. The enemy had not only used the gate and magic to entice them into the trap, but made sure that they could not retreat either.
Sebastian took his eyes from the advancing soldiers and warlocks to look towards the remainder of his forces already fighting back with light spells as Mecklin held point with his blue shield and sword.
The earth rumbled as Collin created a pair of stone golems while roots rose from the ground snagging the legs of a force equal to the one coming from the mine. Nara’s use of nature in that way overrode the ability of the armor to absorb the elements. The wood and earth of the golems were solid and capable of harming the soldiers no matter what their armor might absorb.
In that instant, Sebastian watched as Collin seemed to hand off his second golem to the nature wizard. Once animated out of the stone, which was his element, the woman was fully capable of wielding the powerful construct freeing Collin to fight with less stress on his body. Yara and Serrena sent white light streaming past to strike the armored soldiers fracturing their gear creating insecurities even as the soldiers were goaded by their leaders.
Battle Mage: A Hero's Welcome (A Tale of Alus Book 8) Page 29