Broken Mage (5 page)

Thad didn’t know how long he had stayed
in his stone sanctuary but being surrounded by the eerie darkness
once again seemed almost new to him. It didn’t take long for him to
miss the safety and comfort he had grown accustomed to. With every
step more doubts crept into his mind. Every noise that echoed in
the dark made him jump. More than once he had to steel his nerves
to keep himself from running back the way he had come. Whenever he
was near his breaking point his staff would nudge him along with
pictures of the underground river that lay ahead.

For the first time he could remember he
was naturally tired well before he had to use his magic. Even when
he lived in the cavern he had relied on his magic to move around
and he usually fatigued far before he needed to sleep. It was a
unique feeling to be genuinely tired for once.

The tunnel was narrow enough that Thad
only needed to use two of his magical walls to create a safe and
comfortable space for him to rest. Laying down his mat Thad
stretched out using a rolled up lizard skin he had brought with him
as a pillow. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world but
it was worlds better than banging his head around on the hard
ground.

After checking to make sure that
nothing had been sent through the sending box Thad penned a quick
note on one of his last remaining pieces of parchment and added it
to the small stack that already resided within the box. With
nothing else to do and while tired Thad wasn’t quite ready to go to
sleep so he closed his eyes and began to meditate.

The elemental flow of the narrow
passage was vastly different than that of the cavern he had been
living in. Instead of being flooded with earth energy it only had a
slow flow of earth magic trickling through the area. It was laced
by a small amount of water but the darkness element held the
primary power in his current area.

Thad had never dealt with dark
elemental magic. He supposed he could use it much the same way he
used the light one to take away light from an area but at the
moment he couldn’t see the immediate use of such knowledge since
the enemies he would face had the advantage in the dark. He knew
that he could use light as a weapon as well if he concentrated it
into a tight enough pattern. He wondered if he could do the same
with the dark element.

Concentrating on the darkness Thad
tried to make a thin beam the same way he would with light. It was
a massive draw even with the high levels of dark elemental energy
around him. He focused the attack on a small rock that stuck
awkwardly from the rock face. With the area completely covered in
darkness it was impossible to tell what was going on.

When Thad canceled the spell the upper
section of the rock was gone. It wasn’t burnt away like it would
have been with a concentrated light spell but it looked as if it
had simply vanished. Thad wasn’t sure how the spell worked but it
was obvious the spell was dangerous and costly. He decided after
that until he could completely study the spell it shouldn’t be
used. He had already had enough of spells backfiring because he
didn’t give them the proper respect.

The next day it was much easier to keep
moving along the tunnel as it began to widen slightly taking away
some of the closed in feeling he was having the day before. With
the widening of the tunnel also came more danger as his light
failed to light up both walls. Thad didn’t really mind the
increased danger. At this point he would almost welcome an attack.
It would get rid of the constant boredom of staring into the
endless darkness as well as giving him a chance to test out some of
his new toys.

Thad placed his hand in one of the
pouches on the side of his pack eagerly rubbing his fingers over
one of the plum sized magical slugs he had made. He had used them
on the slow moving lizards in the caves but that had hardly been a
true test of their ability in battle. His request went unanswered
as his trek through the endless darkness went
unchallenged.

As the day wore on the hope of reaching
the underground river began to dwindle. Beginning to tire but not
wanting to give up if he was getting close, Thad stopped for a
brief moment. It didn’t take long to use his staff to search for
the river which showed up as a massive blue glow to his magical
sight. It was still a few miles away and while above ground that
could be made in under an hour even at a slow pace, underground it
could take three times as long depending on the terrain he would be
forced to cross.

With the uncertainly of reaching the
river soon, Thad decided to stop for the night. Using his three
magical walls he set up a quick room. Safe behind his metal walls
Thad used his staff to search the paths up and down the river. He
had tried before back in his cavern but because of the distance it
had been extremely hard and time consuming for every inch he had
checked. Now that he was close he could easily search about four
miles in either direction with only a minor drain. One way ended
after a few miles but the other seemed to stretch on for far longer
than he could survey even as close as he was.

Thad had hoped that when he reached the
river he would be able to quickly trace its roots to an exit but
that seemed less likely. Now all he could do was either turn back
or follow the only direction left to him and hope it led him to an
exit. The second the idea of turning back shot through his mind it
was quickly followed by a barrage of dissenting images from his
staff.

Looking down at his staff Thad silently
longed for the days when it was just a simple tool for his use. The
staff obviously not enjoying the current thoughts sent a jab of
pain into his head. What Thad figured was its equivalent to a
slap.

Thad couldn’t help himself and laughed
lightly at the object held in his hand. “Who am I kidding? If I
haven’t gone insane yet, I sure would have if I was left alone with
only my own thoughts. While you’re a pain in the ass sometimes at
least you’re something to talk to.”

The staff answered back with a warm
feeling. Even though Thad had gotten used to talking to his staff,
lately it had gotten a little more intense. At first it had only
been able to send him pictures when he opened his mind and started
the communication, now it could do so at will. It had even moved
beyond that lately transferring feelings and emotions as
well.

With little else to do, and not wanting
to turn in just yet Thad pulled the last letter he had received
from the princess. He had read the letter many times, each time
hoping to find the reason to why she had gone silent.

Thad it is good to hear you
are doing well. I hope you will find your way home to us soon.
Things have been a little hectic around the palace since you have
been gone. Mother has got all but two of the nobles in line with
the new laws. Lady Demit, and Lady Spencer are proving to be the
most difficult.

That aside, the black
cloaked man has continued to return and mother’s spies informed her
that a large number of his friends are staying at one of the local
inns. He still refuses to tell us what he wants with the
information. He just demands that mother release all knowledge she
has of you and your current whereabouts.

Mother has played it cool so
far. Telling the man little tidbits of information. She swears that
last she had heard you had fallen in the battle of Southpass and
were now in the hands of the Ablaians. He has taken the information
in stride and as far as I can tell has never been happy or
depressed about it, but he continues to return with more
questions.

Tomorrow is my thirteenth
birthday so I must get ready for the coming party. It will not be
the same without you. I hope you are able to make it back to us
soon.

Your friend
Maria.

Thad folded the note back up and placed
it carefully in his pack. Had something happened at the party? Even
if he knew in what direction the palace was, and he could search
that far all he would be able to see would be the magical array
surrounding the area. It was like looking at a painting through a
broken bottle. You got the general idea of what was going on but
nothing detailed.

It was frustrating to think one of his
friends might be in danger and he was helpless to save them. In his
case it was a fact of life. Right now stuck who knows how far below
the surface of the earth he could barely help himself.

That night as he slept Thad’s dreams
were filled with the princess. Who was chained to a wall much the
same way he had been in his stay in the palace dungeons. She was
crying for him to save her, but as hard as he ran he only drifted
farther away. Then the dream changed and it was Monique who was
trapped in a dirty ally. The dream shifted again and he found
himself staring at Eloen who sat on the ground of a sloping hill
pounding her fist on a freshly dug grave weeping openly.

The visions of the three women who he
had cared for in such pain forced him to wake in a cold sweat.
After a few minutes he was able to stop his shaking body.
Reassuring himself that it was only a dream then laid back down and
fell into a far from peaceful sleep.

CHAPTER IV

Thad reached the underground river
shortly after he began his third day in the lightless tunnels. The
river wasn’t overly large at only five feet across and between five
and six feet deep. The one thing that did catch his attention was
the glowing masses that darted around under the dark
water.

Using his magic Thad lit up a large
area of the water to find glowing fish swimming around in its
depths. They were of all different sizes and shapes. Most of them
looked ugly with bulbous faces and no eyes that Thad could see. How
the fish looked meant little to him, his main concern was if they
were edible and if the water was drinkable. If not he was going to
be in for a very uncomfortable next few days.

His first task would be catching one of
the fish. It seemed an easy enough task. Using one of his rings
Thad sent a stunning blast into the water catching two of the fish
in its blast. The water was moving much faster than he had
anticipated and the fish were quickly swept out of
sight.

On the next try instead of paralyzing
the fish he simply used his own stores of magic to grab ahold of
one and yank it from the moving water. Once the fish was on dry
land he quickly stunned it so that it couldn’t flip itself back
into the water.

The fish looked much like a salmon
though its head was much larger than the rest of its body and its
scales glowed like a candle. Focusing on the fish he studied it
intently with his magic until he was sure that eating it posed no
threat to him. The only thing he dreaded was the first taste. It
might be edible but that didn’t insure it would taste good. He
still remembered the first time he had eaten one of the cave
lizards. While filling, the taste made him think of what his boots
must taste like soaked in sweat after a long days walk.

The water would be drinkable after a
small amount of cleaning. It wasn’t dangerous without it but the
water did hold a small amount of metal dissolved within it. With a
semi-clean supply of water and plenty of fresh meat his day was
looking up. He had skipped breaking his fast so he figured now was
good a time as any to try out his new meat.

It didn’t take long to set up two of
his walls for protection. He thought about setting up all three but
it didn’t seem necessary unless the water was hiding some dangerous
beast. The more he thought about it the more likely it seemed but
it wasn’t as if he was going to sleep.

Thad didn’t have any wood to cook with
but he had learned that he could easily cook the meat using heat
without fire. All he had to do was arrange a few stones as if he
were building a fire. He placed the meat on the stones and then
concentrated on them heating up. Within moments the stones would
start glowing a bright red. Thad was sure it would also work well
for smoking but it was one thing he had been unable to figure out
how to make an enchantment to do for him. And while the magic
involved was not great, having to sit there and concentrate for
hours on end while the meat dried didn’t seem like a good use of
his time. Not to mention the energy used would offset the
benefit.

After his meal was cooked Thad knocked
the still glowing stones into the water. He had learned what a hot
stone could do to an exposed foot and was in no hurry to experience
it again. The fish smelled appetizing and thankfully it’s glowing
ended when it had been descaled. Thad had eaten a lot of
unappetizing things in his life but he didn’t think he could eat
something that glowed in the dark.

He anxiously took his first bite
chewing it slowly. It was a very juicy and tender, its flavor was
odd but not in a bad way. As he ate Thad thought back to his time
at the palace and how the cook often had sent out a rich butter
sauce with the fish.

As he ate Thad watched the fish
swimming and remembered how the mages of the past had made a moss
that filtered smell as well as a small organism that ate waste,
breaking it down into the best fertilizer found in the northern
kingdoms. Had they studied other living things that could produce
the same effect and isolated the beings particular skill? If that
was true Thad might be able to learn how to make something glow
without the constant draw of magic if he studied the unique
fish.