Battle Mage: The Lost King (Tales of Alus) (38 page)

Looking back the way they had come from Maldus’ Island, the man pointed with a frown, “The second comes from the southeast and is a stronger light so I fear that it may come from the island we left yesterday.”

Sebastian nodded and it was as he feared, “Then we need to hurry and be ready for a fight just in case. Something may have warned them that we are following the Grimnal’s trail.”

“Which would mean that either he is alive or they have a reason for not wanting anyone to find him,” Darterian nodded grimly. “Well, at least it sounds like we aren’t wasting time chasing a legend. Grandfather will be glad to know that at least.”

“That will be easier to tell if we aren’t caught by whatever force he has sent after us anyway.”

“True. We can assume that the Dark One will have sent enough force to account for a ship, maybe even two,” Darterian confirmed Sebastian’s thoughts as he handed the compass back to the mage.

A new thought crossed his mind and he voiced it to the man, “I wonder if Maldus called them somehow?”

“I didn’t meet the wizard, but you mentioned that he had been trapped within the curse. He wouldn’t have any real reason to want to call the emperor’s attention back on himself, but if they visit him I am sure he will be more than forthcoming about your visit to his castle.”

“It might even be a way to get back into the emperor’s good graces, at least in his mind. Even without that pushing him, I doubt that the wizard would stand up to anyone they sent for long. He owes us nothing. Maldus seemed fearful to leave his prison, perhaps this is why?” Sebastian mused and was glad that they had said nothing of their direction near the wizard. He did know that they were interested in Gerid Aramathea, and that may turn into the worst part of the information he could give.

Maldus had said that the Grimnal had been captured. If that were the case, then those following them might simply skip ahead to where the man was being kept. Frowning at the unfortunate turn of events, the mage excused himself to think on what possible plans could be formed to contend with this latest news.

“Maldus!” the voice echoed throughout the decrepit castle brooking no hesitation.

Moving to the head of the stairs, the dried out wizard bowed as best he could and answered, “Lord Devolus, it’s been a long time.”

The wizard’s eyes betrayed fear that only seemed to strengthen the disgust the black armored leader had for the long dismissed prisoner. “What happened here, Maldus? I left this castle with guards and cells formed of magic. Now I see broken bones and the prison falling apart.”

“It’s not my fault, my lord,” the wizard said quickly beginning to grovel. His life had been reduced to an undying boredom, but he feared what new torture would be given if he was found guilty of this disaster. “Some wizards came and they destroyed the guard dogs you left to guard the castle. They even destroyed more than a dozen cursed soldiers. I tried to distract them, but my power is only illusion from within the cell.

“Their leader didn’t seem that powerful, but he used the broken bones to slip into the far cell. He did manage to get himself stuck while playing around in there, but a young woman helped him and they proceeded to destroy most of the enchantments on the castle. They even went so far as to break my prison, my lord. Their power was much too great for the likes of me to stop them.”

Eyes black as night looked past the brim of his black helmet piercing the wizard. His dark beard left little of the wizard hunter’s tanned skin visible and against all the black he looked pale. The lord’s power had not paled in two hundred years, however, Maldus could tell.

“And what of this lot? If you talk of someone who can break the curse and shields of this castle, then what are these doing here?”

Maldus shrunk within himself fearing the pain that those black eyes held for him. “They asked about the first group and what they were after. Apparently, they knew the first group had an important mission and thought to gain from the others’ work.

“It’s a shame that they were fooled so easily into trapping more of their number in the cellar.”

The man in black was flanked by more of his warlocks. He gestured for a few of them to go inspect the cellar and see what Maldus had caught for him. His eyes returned to the wizard as he asked, “And what were the others after or did they not say?”

Frowning with worry, the wizard managed to still will the words from his mouth though he feared that Devolus would not be happy with his information. “They seek after the giant that brought you to my door last time, my lord. They called him Grimnal, I think it was.”

A calmness remained over the lord as he heard the words. “Then they pose a threat to the emperor’s interests. This lot had no idea of what the others pursued?”

“Not that I could tell. They asked me what they had found and wanted as well.”

Maldus thought that he saw the slightest nod, though it could have been anything from the minimal gesture. A black gauntlet pointed at the wizard before Lord Devolus ordered, “If you have nothing more useful, then go back to your room, wizard. Once I have dealt with these Southwall wizards, I will consider returning to free you. Your sentence was eternity, but perhaps a couple hundred years has served to teach you a lesson. Go now before I change my mind.”

Scurrying away, the wizard disappeared back into his three walled room waiting for the lord’s judgment.

A moment later, his men returned dragging four men behind them. “We found these, my lord,” his lieutenant said with a raspy voice. A scar on his neck revealed that damage had once been done to his throat causing the warlock’s current sound.

“A Southwall fire wizard and Kardorians if I had to guess,” Devolus stated more than asked. He had dealt with both countries enough to know the look of their people. “Have your two countries joined forces against us again?”

Romonus smiled and tried to use what charm he had as he refuted carefully, “I hired these wizards to join me in Kardor, yes, but we were simply exploring when we came upon this fortress. We didn’t know anyone lived here or that it was his prison. If you let us go, we’ll get out of your hair immediately.”

“A man with no power leads a team of wizards. Men without power can not truly understand what it is to live with magic or to understand those who use it. With no creativity leading you, it is no wonder that you all live on the brink of defeat,” the warlock stated with contempt.

Dorgred bristled despite having his hands bound behind his back with magic. His energy was also low after trying to break free of their trap. “Southwall is closer to defeating you than the other way around, norther,” the wizard used the insult held for men that had gone over to the emperor to live north of the wall. “We’ve defeated you in battle after battle for more than a century. You’re the ones with no creativity serving some demon master.”

The lord moved like a mage using a reflex spell. His speed made him blur as he struck the fire wizard in the stomach with his armored fist before back handing him across the face with his left hand. Blood started to drip from a cut on the wizard’s cheek almost immediately as he sagged to his knees before the warlock. “I didn’t ask your opinion, fire dog. Your masters are weak and they make you weak. Your end is near and your people don’t even see it.”

Gesturing to his men, he added, “Take them all to the ship. We might find one or two of them useful with the right training. I’ll deal with them after we catch this other group. They have real promise, unlike these wizards.”

Knowing that disputing the man further at this time could prove fatal, the others remained silent as they were led away.

Devolus looked at the broken guardians that had once guarded the castle and began to cast a new spell. Two golems made from the bones of men and wolves soon stood before the warlock. The curse in their bones restored, he sent them to the side room. Anyone else careless enough to enter the castle would find them waiting and, after he joined his strength with four of his men, the traps were reset including the barrier across Maldus’s cell.

The prison and its traps restored, the warlocks in their armor returned to their ships ready to find their next prey.

  Sebastian looked on the city of Trillian surprised at the unimpressive look of the island’s only major city. Calling it a city felt inaccurate to the mage who had been to a few large cities of stone in Southwall. Hala’s inner city would have dwarfed the collection of single story homes beyond a small collection of warehouses that served the two large piers extending into the island’s only major harbor.

Once a hub for pirates; Trillian had reformed after many had moved to the countries that had made up Southwall in an agreement between their ancestors and the man who would become the Grimnal. It was still rumored to harbor a few pirates and privateers, though none were known to the island’s allies on the mainland. The main city was now known for shipping fish and diamonds from a mine developed near the center of the island. Thanks to the major changes to the land during the Cataclysm, Trillian had become a rare exporter for the diamonds suddenly risen up in the stone making up the expanded island. Trillian and many of the islands were larger or completely new. The people had weathered the storms and shifting land to make cities like these where they could.

Gulls, peregions and other sea birds with the range to reach the island swarmed fishing boats as the fishermen guarded new hauls from the sea. Only two other large merchant vessels were in port when the Sea Dragon arrived. Birds could be seen perched on rails, masts and anywhere else that they could find a place that wouldn’t cause the men working on the ships to disturb them. Seeing the birds and people working around the warehouses from the ship, gave the mage a feeling of being returned to normalcy even if it wasn’t a city on the mainland. Even so, he knew that there was something to find on the island aside from getting supplies.

Joined by just Collin, Mecklin and Yara; Sebastian hoped by moving in a smaller group that they would attract less attention. Yara even avoided her normal yellow wearing a light blue sundress. A healer’s yellow was important when finding a healer on a battle field, but trying to fit in wearing the bright color was a much harder thing to accomplish.

Having to use the compass, made Sebastian feel wary as well, but it was a necessity for finding what had drawn them there. He received a few glances from workmen that weren’t as busy and continued trying to ignore the looks. Working around buildings as he navigated the haphazardly winding streets, the mage eventually found a building that drew the point no matter how they circled it.

The town hall, as they discovered, was one of the few two story buildings beyond the taller warehouses near the dock. Unlocked, the hub of the city was open to those who had business with their mayor or one of his assistants. White walls inside the building mirrored the outer paint and a series of desks in a great hall size room were laden with paper and scrolls.

As they entered a breeze followed them inside stirring the papers on the nearest desk causing an older woman to look their way with a frown. With her hair pulled back into a bun and wearing a plain brown dress with a high collar of white, she raised an eyebrow in query before asking the question, “Can I help you people with something?”

Four other men were in the room and paused in their work. Dressed similarly in basic brown pants and white shirts, some wore brown vests as well. Whether it was uniform or not, the mage couldn’t be sure, but their fashion seemed archaic or perhaps just rural compared to the government workers and officials that he had come across in Southwall. Uniform or not, the men looked less like administrators and more like dock workers including squared jaws and strong looking shoulders and arms.

Unsure of exactly how to answer that question, but knowing that saying he was there to find artifacts of the Grimnal was unlikely the right reply, Sebastian tried a different tact, “I am from Southwall on business. Is the mayor available?”

It was vague, but official sounding, the young mage thought. The eyes that squinted at him appearing less impressed led him to think otherwise. “The mayor, Lord Sumpterhall, is a very busy man. Just because you come from Southwall as you say, doesn’t mean that it gives you a right to bother the man without an appointment,” the woman stated seeming to pinch her face tight in some way that Sebastian couldn’t decipher.

“Could you see if he would be willing to give us a few minutes of his time? We are here on business for the king,” he held up a sealed note, one of a half dozen given to him to deal with any of the island rulers he might come into contact with on his journey. King Alain and his council had tried to prepare him for any eventuality that he would run into at sea and this was just one more tool he had.

The woman apparently had enough knowledge of seals to know that it was likely to be real. Not looking too happy about giving in to his request, she walked across the room to a door in the center of the wall. Two doors along each side wall were ignored and the woman disappeared barely opening one of the dual doors there to slip inside after a quick knock.

Feeling the eyes of the men surreptitiously looking at them while they pretended to read their documents, Sebastian and the others waited quietly where they had been left. It only took a few moments for the woman to return, staring at them sternly, she stated, “If you are the leader, then you and one other may see him now. The mayor’s office isn’t large enough for a big group, but he is willing to see you to find out your reason for being here.”