Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus) (44 page)

“You were created?” she asked incredulously.

“Wizards have been looking for the ultimate vessel for him to transfer into to maintain his power. I was one of the experiments and while I was rejected since I could not hold his full power, the emperor took pity on me letting me join his army. Now I serve him as his son or brother, but I am not my own man. I belong to him and the empire because they created me,” the man finished unable to look her in the eye.

Rilena couldn’t help feeling pity for the man, even while she struggled to hold onto her hate. Looking at the side of his face, the falcon wondered if man was truly an accurate word. No one knew what race the emperor derived from and he was uncertain of who or what was used to make him. The only beings she knew that had been created magically were monsters and golems, neither of which the woman could easily refer to as men. Still, what looked like a man, (albeit a large one), talked like a man and thought like a man must certainly be a man.

With a groan, Garosh pushed off from the bench with his right hand to stand. His first step looked a bit off and by his second the giant’s knees were beginning to buckle. Rilena found herself at his side propping up the man almost without thought. Even this enemy in his time of need could make her heart move her to help. She would have cursed her weakness if not for Garosh’s even weaker state.

Propped up by the girl on his wounded left hand side, Garosh grunted at her touch feeling more pain from his ribs and shoulder. Elzen had worked over the bigger man’s entire left side weakening him in the fight as he had set the giant up to fall. While Garosh had conceded the fight before the falcon’s final blows, the damage had been delivered well.

“Those shielded fists hurt more than I even thought at the time,” he mumbled through swollen lips. “I’m seeing stars, but I think I can make it.”

His words slurred and Rilena knew that he was in even worse shape than she had originally believed. If Elzen could do this kind of damage to a powerful creature like Garosh, she knew that she was glad that he was on her side. Being skilled with a sword and magic, like the giant had claimed and appeared to be, Rilena considered the claim of Elzen being a demon was pretty accurate. She motioned to the guards to
come help as his weight seemed to be increasing. “Stay awake, Garosh. I don’t relish trying to carry you to the wizards and leaving you out in the cold won’t help you either.”

Trying to shake off his dizziness, the man looked at the woman attempting to brace him and said in surprise, “You are very kind, aren’t you? Perhaps you need to let go of the hate. Don’t let my past actions ruin your heart.”

She wanted to protest Garosh of all people trying to give her advice about what to do, but in truth Rilena had felt less and less hate for the man. Time made the pain disappear and only the slowly graying memory remained to try and fuel her hate. She was beginning to feel like she was only holding her hate because that was what he deserved, but it had become harder each day.

Other hands and shoulders joined in helping the giant. Two of the male soldiers were much larger than she and took over guiding the injured man back to the castle.

Rilena paused in the commotion watching men and women helping someone they considered an enemy, but when you came to know your enemy, you also sympathized with them. Hating enemies with unseen faces or monstrous visages was much easier than hating someone who just didn’t seem as evil as she believed.

Curiosity made her wonder about the people of Ensolus. How many simply lived their lives working their farms or marketing their wares in the enemy city? Were they just like those in Windmeer and the rest of Southwall, working under an umbrella of war, but never really knowing their enemy?

Shaking her head, Rilena followed the procession to the infirmary. Elzen was already there when they arrived and looked refreshed. His bruises had faded under the wizard healers’ care, but seeing the wounded giant helped into the room he seemed to understand his pain and take it into himself.

Having forgotten that Elzen could also heal, the woman wondered if he was having trouble balancing his ability to wound and kill with his opposite side that healed and saved lives. After a few moments, a frown crossed his face and the giant’s presence drove him from the room.

Rilena hurried to catch him in the hallway. “Stop, Elzen,” she pleaded to the fleeing mage.

He stopped but refused to turn forcing the girl to come around him to see his face. His hands were balled into fists and his forearms were knotted in the strength of their grip.

His green eyes looked from the floor to her face finally and he admitted, “I might have gone too far.”

His voice cracked under the emotion, but his face betrayed little of the frustration the rest of his body revealed. Rilena shrugged and questioned, “Did you fight him for me or for yourself?”

Wincing at the thought of admitting which was the stronger feeling, Elzen seemed unwilling to answer and the girl sighed. “Well, he inflicted pain on me and now you have done a pretty good job of hurting him. You pulled his arm out of the socket and I think he may have a concussion. There might even be some broken ribs and who knows what else.

“He once mentioned that his magic hurt, but at least it left no scars or long term harm on Nereith and me. Now that you have taken out our rage at the man and proved that you can beat a giant, do you find that hate slipping away?”

Her eyes questioned the man and he could see that her anger had cooled as well his own. Nodding, Elzen remained silent though she could tell that his mind was dwelling on the emotions brought out from the fight.

“Good,” Rilena declared and added, “then now we can keep our minds on our jobs. We’ll keep an eye out for treachery and guard him like any foreign dignitary. Agreed?”

Again he nodded and replied, “Agreed.”

After their pact, she watched as his muscles eased and his fists finally opened. They separated to clean up and Rilena wondered how she had become the voice of reason concerning Garosh.

Chapter 23- Breakfast Orders

It was still early in Ensolus as Palose entered the living area of the apartment. Light could be seen coming from the mouth of Ensolus to the south through the large, sliding glass doors leading onto the terrace. When the weather was warmer, the mage had spent a few mornings enjoying the view from Atrouseon’s apartment. While the stone cavern around them could be oppressive, when the light struck correctly on the outer walls guarding the city, it illuminated the southern end and the supporting spires in a way that made him think of another world.

In some ways despite being in Alus, this was another world. The emperor and his creatures had once lived in another dimension, a place with elves, dwarves and gnomes as well as the creatures that served Kolban in both worlds. Serving aesthetic tastes from other races, Ensolus had taken the shape that the craftsmen had chosen to work on the stone. The cave hadn’t been as large when the empire found it, but orcs, goblins and armored viles were excellent stone workers and had cut away the unnecessary rock and opened the space up beyond nature’s design.

The mage was still looking out the glass doors when a knock came from the apartment door. Heralis went to the door to answer it, even though Atrouseon was seated at the table and his apprentice was capable enough as well. At the woman’s gasp, both men turned to look at the door to see a trio of men in the emperor’s guardsman armor.

“We have come with a message for Palose Rosaren,” the central soldier with a gilded collar and shoulders stated between the more reserved armor of his fellows.

Frowning at the apprentice, Atrouseon rose and complained, “What have you done now, boy?”

As if he had done anything to merit the question, Palose thought. He ignored the warlock and stated, “I am Palose Rosaren. What is the message?”

“You are to come with us to the palace to meet with the emperor. You will come immediately,” the soldier stated with no leeway in his orders.

Palose tested the orders even so as he replied, “I haven’t eaten breakfast yet, do we have time to wait?”

“Idiot, the emperor calls us and you dare to make him wait for you to eat?” Atrouseon cried out incredulously and walked over to swat at the younger man’s head. Letting the blow catch him on the back of the head in spite of the mage’s far superior ability to fight, Palose added it to a mental list of things that the warlock had been doing over the last couple of months or so. Ever since the emperor had taken his vessel and the man’s work was over, he had become directionless and irritable as if he had found that he was no longer necessary and valueless to the emperor. He had begun taking his frustration out on others including the mage, but Palose had more restraint as he patiently waited for the day that would come as a final separation of the two.

The soldier shook his head. “The order is just for the boy. You were not in the message nor were we directed to invite you.”

Arrogantly the warlock snarled, “He is my apprentice and I will go with him, if I say I will!”

“I can handle myself there,” Palose stated quietly bringing Atrouseon’s eyes back to him. The man remained annoyed, but as the two looked at each other the master calmed down enough to realize he was defying the emperor as he had just warned his apprentice not to do. “As long as the emperor doesn’t swear me to silence, I will let you know what happened afterward.”

“Bah, just go!” waved off the warlock.

Grabbing a piece of bread with jam to eat along the way, the mage followed the speaker out of the apartment spire on the walk to the north. The palace was actually a handful of the largest stone columns standing from floor to ceiling. Though hollowed out for habitation, they were still strong and helped hold the ceiling high above the city. Around those spires, ran a twenty foot high wall lined with guard towers manned by the emperor’s guards at all times of the day. His power had always been legendary, and most feared the emperor, but his protection was of the utmost importance and these soldiers would give their lives for him.

Palose wondered if Kolban had established the bond, which Acheri had described on their trip to Windmeer, with his guardsmen. Knowing his guards were loyal would make sense to him, but his sister had stated that he seemed to be less worried over his city and his safety since the transfer. She hadn’t said that he wasn’t himself, though Acheri had essentially been born that day, so perhaps her opinion on the changes in the emperor didn’t matter.

When he arrived inside the castle and was led to a small dining room with a table holding covered plates of silver, Palose also found Kolban and Acheri seated beside each other and Lanquer on the other side of his sister. There were no others save guardsmen in the corners and at the doors.

“Good morning, Apprentice Rosaren,” Kolban greeted without standing up. He was the emperor. An emperor didn’t get out of his seat for a lesser man after all.

“Good morning, your majesty,” the mage greeted with the style of bow seen in Ensolus. It wasn’t a comfortable position for a man who had rarely bowed more than his head to anyone, even before a few lords and ladies.

Giving a sigh of exasperation, Acheri called out. “Enough of these formal greetings, come sit by me Palose. Get out of the seat and sit on the other side, Lanquer,” the girl ordered her half brother, who frowned but readily obeyed to sit beside his brother, the emperor.

The men who had brought him to the palace left as the emperor waved them off and Palose took the seat still warm from the displaced guardsman.

“I hope you are hungry,” Kolban said with a smile and the mage wondered if he had been called at the early hour to ensure that Palose wouldn’t have broken his fast yet.

“I was only able to grab a piece of bread with jam before I came,” he stated briefly as Acheri leaned towards him comfortably.

“Well then maybe you will enjoy our table,” Acheri suggested picking up the silver cover by its handle and moving it aside to look at a plate of eggs, fruit, a flaky pastry covered in icing and three slices of ham. It was an unusually large meal for the mage, but the smells made his mouth water and he followed the girl’s lead taking his cover off to find a duplicate of her food on the plate in front of him. The others followed suit using silver utensils to feed them.

A moment of eating came even as Palose watched the emperor for cues. He had surely not just been called for a breakfast with the mightiest being on the continent. Even though he had become surprisingly close to Acheri and even Lanquer, who was more restrained, the mage had never been on the social calendar at the central keep of Ensolus.

When Kolban paused with a piece of fruit on the end of his fork to look at Palose, he said casually, “My sister tells me that you have created a small network of portals inside of Southwall without their or my knowledge.”

If he had been trying to swallow, the piece would surely have stuck in his throat with the surprising change of topic. Though he had always assumed one day the emperor or someone serving him would talk with him of his extra curricular trips outside the empire, it was never in this kind of setting. Acheri had known of his travels officially for over a week and it had always just been a matter of time.

Nodding, Palose replied without trying to hide or gild the facts, “Early on when they started working on the fortress, I made a touchstone and cast it through the gate. From there I began walking east to Windmeer and even sent messengers with a few more of the stones.

“Acheri joined me when I reached the Cadhalla River and the Twin Towers. I should be only a day or two from Blackwall now.”

The emperor, who still looked like a fourteen year old boy superficially, except for his gray eyes which held ageless knowledge and wisdom, sat nodding at each piece of information. How much Acheri had shared, the mage didn’t know and couldn’t tell from the boy’s calm reaction. His first question revealed no concern over the mage’s use of the portal spells for his personal use, instead he asked, “Have you been to the fortress since Garosh surrendered to Southwall and the others returned?”

“No, your majesty, I haven’t been there since before the early reinforcing of the fortress. I only walk for a few hours a day, so most of the time I have just been concentrating on moving forward.”

Looking a little disappointed at the news, Kolban rebounded easily enough as he gave an order that almost sounded like a request to the mage’s ears, “We have lost contact with the fortress since the return of the reinforcements. With the altar broken and no signal from the secondary portal inside of the mountain, we haven’t been able to find out what is happening there.