Acheri didn’t like to mince words and she went straight for his jugular as the girl demanded, “Why did it take you so long to find the island? It has been almost three weeks and it should barely have taken one with bad wind.”
Sighing as if he held the weight of the world, the captain replied, “I was told that I could continue my business and trade even with these people if it is possible. I had a client in Altrab that I had to bring his merchandise to immediately, since that was where we were preparing to go when you placed your request with me. Then we went to Baltu, but I only went to one city there; though I do have other clients in other towns that I need to reach soon. Of course, Talos was on the way and my cargo was in need of selling to the merchants there, but it made us lighter. Well, I did pick up a few things there as well, so maybe we aren’t light as we could be.”
Acheri held up her hand knowing that the man was simply extending his story to annoy her, “Enough. We paid you to come to this island with haste, captain.”
Pointing into the air as he made his countering point, the man stated, “You said to not make it obvious that I was here on a mission for you and continuing my trade should certainly have bored anyone curious enough to think of following the Clipper. Surely I accomplished the covert side of the mission flawlessly.”
Growling inarticulately, the girl reddened looking ready to strangle the man.
Palose turned away with a bit of a smile. Rosleren was the rare man who could frustrate Acheri so completely. While the captain saw a young lady in appearance, she was the contrast of the child born only months before from her birthing chamber and the vast knowledge of an immortal. In this instance, the child she was came out supplanting the immortal’s knowledge, much to Palose’s amusement.
His gaze took in the large island to the southeast as he ignored the conversation and took in his surroundings. Trees and grass started above a sandy beach, but he was surprised that the Clipper hadn’t moved closer. If the captain was intent on trade, he certainly was being cautious in his approach to dealing with the islanders.
“Why are you anchored here? Have you approached the islanders yet?” he asked pulling both the captain’s eyes and Acheri’s to the mage standing beside the rail as he noted the water reacting against a partial ring of stones northeast of the island.
“From this end of the island, there is just the entry from the northwest that is truly safe for the Clipper to use,” Rosleren stated. “I was waiting for the tide to lower and reveal as many of the hidden dangers created by the underwater ring this island seems to have around it.”
Acheri sighed and revealed, “This island formed in the middle of a volcano created during the Cataclysm. The outer rocks that remain are the outer ridge of that volcano. It wasn’t a naturally created release, but the release caused by the pressure warping the ocean floor.”
Looking at the youthful looking girl, already at her full height, but holding the childishness of an early teenager; the captain and the other men listening to her appeared impressed with her knowledge. It belied her looks and only Palose understood why.
“It is dormant now, you think?” the captain asked with a little nervous energy finally revealing itself in the carriage of his body.
“Warlocks came and tamed the land before they made it a prison,” her eyes opened a bit wide realizing that she shouldn’t reveal more. That the prison held the immortal known as the Grimnal was not information for a lowly captain, who was likely to spread the news to every port. “Needless to say, there is no smoke, so there is no fire imminent. Trade as you wish as long as you wish, for all I care.”
She was attempting to play off her near slip as unimportant, but Palose could feel her tension. The pretty, little princess was not the man known as Kolban from before her creation. Every little detail that revealed that Acheri was her own girl made it easier for Palose to understand that she was still feeling her way through the world as her own person.
Walking to the front of the ship, the dark mage examined what was hidden from the left side where they had found the captain. The port side was east and revealed the main island as well as the water hazards closest to it there. The forecastle bobbed up and down with the ocean waves, but Palose’s footing was sure.
“Reflex,” he called his magic up making the task of jumping onto the rail child’s play. “Vision,” the mage added to look closer at the obstacles in the water.
The stones to the east were obvious, but there were also smaller islands to the east and west that he could see. The one to the west was close enough to be obvious to the human eye, but his vision spell let him see the other in the distance. The ring of the volcano had settled below the water significantly to the west of the island, though some of the ring could injure the hull closer to the small island.
His senses noted the lingering traces of magic on the small islands as well, and the mage wondered what had been there. It was a mix of old, dark magic and newer that felt familiar though different at the same time.
If the island had been a prison and the barrier was now destroyed, it became common sense to believe that the Dark One must have used the islands to set up a defense that would contain his prisoner, who he finally had learned was the Grimnal, on the central island. There were too many resources on the island to believe that he couldn’t have escaped before this without a barrier that he could not defeat.
As he looked for the stones, his eyes caught movement. Like sharks in the water, dark forms watched them as well. They were not alone and the dark mage believed that these were not simple animals watching them either. He had heard rumors that the black ships had been attacked not just by Sebastian and whatever help he could find on land; but that the legendary merfolk had surprised the ships destroying one and driving off the other.
Whatever defenses Sebastian’s ship had had, they had not won alone.
The shapes held their positions moving rarely as they watched and Palose became glad that the Clipper hadn’t chosen to make contact with the village said to be on the south end of the island. Stepping down from the rail, the mage released his spells to confer with the princess.
“Merfolk are watching the ship.”
Rosleren looked to the young man in surprise. “We have seen nothing but a few sharks and fish.”
“They are there holding position deep in the water, but they are certainly keeping an eye on the Clipper.”
Acheri raised a brow in question as she asked, “Do we continue with the plan?”
Nodding, Palose stated, “I just have to create a portal out of the line of their sight. They might recognize the magic from the battle of the black ships and chase me down on the island.”
“If they are merfolk, can they walk on land?” the captain mused.
Not wanting to find out his supposition was correct the hard way, he didn’t debate the possibility. Instead, he performed a quick gate locking his vision with the point between the trees that he hoped would be far enough away to avoid the detection of those watching beneath the waves. He hoped the Clipper was enough distraction that they would never think to look at the island.
He had hoped to use a wind spear to send lodestones to seed the place he wished to go. It was more accurate for creating the next gate, but he had made them from line of sight before as well. The door wasn’t large that formed before him. Being just large enough to permit the mage to walk through, the doorway was the most minimal of casting that he could create and still use.
Disappearing in a blink through the portal, Palose stepped onto spongy ground. Trees rose up around him masking the glow of the gateway along with the bright light of the sun. He made sure to move forward feeling his door held open by Acheri. Apparently the girl refused to listen and stay on the ship. It wasn’t the first time that the princess had used her magic to hold one of his gates open.
Two of the three guardsmen went first, and then Acheri followed by the last of the guards.
“I guess you’ve decided to ignore your b
rother’s warning again,” he said before using his vision spell once more. Looking towards the water a moment to verify that the water guardians had missed their travel, Palose began to look to the land.
“My brother wants me to be safe, but I have three guardsmen and you to protect me. If that isn’t good enough, then don’t tell him that I came with you,” the girl said with a smile. Her dark blue eyes seemed to come alive with the sun. Her pale skin revealed that most of her life she had been hidden beneath the sheltering stone of Ensolus and its mountain cave. While she was sheltered, the girl had bonded to Palose and gone with him to other cities in the south, but those trips were fewer than she would like.
Palose ignored her comment. Her power was muted in case there was anyone with magical ability nearby, but he knew her strength. The dark mage hoped that he hid his magic as well. He had been working on the skill since Atrouseon was alive. With his master gone and the dark mage’s magic increased to what it was, he had trained to hide it at all times. He didn’t need the warlocks of the city to realize that he was no longer just a battle mage. With their fears of resurrection men, seeing his power increase would bring enemies quickly.
He felt lesser magic nearby and signaled the others to halt.
“Stealth,” the mage called up his spell disappearing from sight.
With help from his magic, Palose found a pair of guards with strange tattoos walking towards Acheri and the guards. They had yet to discover the three, however, and held no weapons in hand.
Moving behind the first, the assassin’s dagger slit the throat of the first man.
Though surprised, the second guard moved even as he gasped in shock. Power shimmered through the runes on his body and Palose found his blade turned aside as if he wore plate armor.
Long knives appeared in his hands and the guard’s speed seemed to increase with the other magic flowing along his body. “Reflex,” Palose breathed increasing his speed to match the other man. “Shield,” he called up his battle mage shield.
Dodging one of the knives as he leaped to the side, Palose watched as the tattoo on the warrior’s right arm seemed to come alive springing towards the mage. Like some spear attached to a line, the black ink struck his magical shield cracking the spell in one blow.
“Night,” the dark mage uttered a spell releasing it from his left hand passing through his mage shield. The darkness absorbed his shield’s remaining energy and struck the line of the tattoo trying to cut the weapon.
The two spells seemed to fight each other, but where the guardsman seemed held because of the line, Palose moved freely. Closing on the tattoo warrior, the dark mage held his right hand to the man’s head before using a second night spell. This one was like a needle and pierced through his ear destroying the man’s mind in an instant.
Releasing his two night spells, the dark mage watched as the man collapsed to his knees and fell over. His breathing lasted for a few moments more, before his body realized that his mind was destroyed.
A new plan formed quickly in the mage’s mind. Cutting his left hand, Palose quickly drew runes on the second warrior with his blood. He had studied every form of the blood magic and knew its nuances as well as anyone alive. Channeling his energy into the man placing his left hand on the center of his chest while cutting his right to drop blood into the warrior’s mouth, Palose watched as his magic brought the man back.
“Master?” the warrior questioned though they had been enemies only minutes before. This was the power of resurrection magic if performed correctly.
Palose was disappointed, however, as he didn’t feel an increase in his magic. These rune warriors didn’t seem to have magic inside of them. The power had been added by another.
“Wait while I bring your fellow warrior back to life,” he ordered the man.
“Yes, master,” the warrior replied. “What happened to me?”
“You died,” Palose replied as he replicated the process for the second man. While they wouldn’t help with adding to his power, these men could come in handy for many other reasons, so the loss of magic as it spread to his new recruits should still be offset by the promise they held.
The second warrior was resurrected shortly, but before his plan was finished, Acheri’s voice spoke as she exited the outer trees with the guardsmen, “You know how to use resurrection magic and yet you waste it on these men?”
As Palose rose wrapping the cuts with cloth torn from his shirt, he looked at the girl realizing that his secret, if it had been a secret still, was now hers. “If they were found dead, the locals would know someone was here. They will appear as if nothing has happened this way.”
Appreciating his deception, the girl asked, “And what will you do with them now?”
“Get information and leave them to watch the island for my return,” Palose stated giving Acheri nothing more of his plan.
Chapter 25- Managing Words
Sebastian sat cross legged on the deck with his back to the cabin wall watching as the wizards aboard the Sea Dragon stood near the rails chanting and casting their hands towards the air beyond the ship. There were curses often accompanied as each attempt failed to achieve what they were working towards. The mage knew the frustration well.
For almost a week since leaving Sardon, they had all been working with the notes from the two warlocks. They had seen them create a portal using the exact words and gestures the wizards kept trying over and over again, but without success.
Yara moved to sit beside him. Things had been a little estranged since their return to the ship. Perhaps even before that, he had to concede the fact. She was mad at him, but Sebastian wasn’t sure why.
Ever since allowing Ashleen to join them, both on the Sea Dragon and for the mission to Parik, the healer had been giving him the cold shoulder. While the two girls might have feelings for him, they both knew where he stood. He had chosen Yara. Still that fact didn’t seem to carry the weight he thought it did, with either of them.
“No has been able to make even a small portal so far, have they?” Yara asked causing him to shake his head.
“Oster and Ceresh had said that less than ten percent of the warlocks who tried to learn how to cast portals could actually create one on their own. Teams usually make them and they use lodestones and special stone gates to make the spells easier to form. Anyone with magic can assist a portal wizard, but few seem able to use the magic freely,” he said feeling glad that she was willing to chat, even if it was small talk.
“You learned light and dark magic so quickly. Can’t you figure this out as well?” the girl asked looking at the others still struggling with the spells. She had tried it as well, since they were desperate for anyone to figure it out. Even Annalicia and her wizards had given a few hours each day to try their hand at it, though they hadn’t been exposed to the use of the portal magic in person.
“I learn best when I can see a spell repeated, but I think there are spells that I just won’t be able to learn.”
“That would make sense, since few wizards are comfortable with all the schools of spells. Few can heal or use diplomat magic for example,” Yara replied trying to make conversation with him as comfortably as they had been able to do only a week or so ago.
Ashleen paused in her practice by the rail wiping at her forehead as she turned to look at Sebastian, the mage gave her what he thought was an encouraging smile, though they were all frustrated. Feeling Yara tense next to him, he looked at the healer and added, “Do you feel any connection with the magic?”
She knew that he was trying to keep her on topic instead of bringing up the unease that had formed between them. That was the topic that Yara wanted to bring up, but she didn’t know what good it would do. One moment they were close, so close that the girl would blush if she thought about it too hard. At that time, she was wondering if he would propose marriage to her and they could marry when they returned to Southwall; but that was another issue as well.
Battle mages and wizards served the k
ingdom. They were almost treated like weapons owned to use as they were needed. That also meant that they were often being moved from post to post as new needs arrived. Long term relationships were rare in the military and marriages between the corps were pretty much unheard of at all. Even within their schools, few seemed to stay together long.
Shaking her head, Yara confessed, “I think I get the gist of it, but when I try to call the portal there is nothing like the one we watched them create out of the old one.”
He nodded. The feel for this magic seemed to be beyond him certainly at this point, but Palose had learned how to create portals on his own. Surely if the former battle mage could do it, he could. Bas had taught the young mage the spells he had deciphered last summer and Palose hadn’t been a natural learner. His mind didn’t always let him embrace the changes easily. He was one of those that learned through hard work.
Sebastian was the mizard or owl, not Palose, yet the Betrayer made it look easy and natural. Maybe it was the increase in power or maybe it was something else.
“Did you sense Palose’s aura?” he asked as the mage considered one of the possibilities.
The girl shook her head. “I was too busy helping the others stay alive behind you.”
Almost like a verbal slap, Yara seemed to judge his haphazard plan which had sprung the trap. While they had won, she had complained to him that he was being too reckless with not just his life, but theirs as well. It wasn’t the first time that the healer had complained about the impetuous way he sometimes lived his life. There were times that he wanted to protest that she simply was being too cautious and safe. Yara was a healer and had to deal with the consequences of war and reckless behavior both.
Battle Mage: A Hero's Welcome (A Tale of Alus Book 8) Page 35