MageLife (26 page)

When the waves ended, and the council rose to power, they had a decision to make. What to do with the nobles that had torn our land apart. While the council deliberated, the twins visited the head of each noble family. They left with the heads. Detached from the bodies.

They then travelled to Greenlaw, to the wizards now floating city, and presented the heads to Velar, the leader of the council. Grateful that they had saved the wizards having to worry about it, but upset that they had taken it upon themselves. The judgement he gave them was harsh, but ultimately wise.

They were bound by their oath, I didn't really understand what it had meant back when I first heard the story, to serve the council. All this went through my mind as I stood looking at them. Shivering in my boots with fear at what they were empowered to do to me if they chose.

“Tristan Sodden, for disobeying a lawful order given by an empowered being of the council. You are to come with us for judgement,” said the one on the left, his voice was strong but gentle. There was no hint of age in it.

Neither moved, they stood there, blank expressions that could mean anything.

I looked from one to the other, took a deep breath, nodded and stepped towards them. Time to face my fate.

The one that spoke went to the door while the other walked alongside me. He didn't touch me. He actually kept his distance, which surprised me. I nodded to him. I was thankful not to be clapped in irons after all that had gone on before.

He nodded in return a slight upturn to his lips.

I had no idea what to make of that, probably best not to read too much into it.

They led me out the door and through the halls, deeper into the depths of the academy. We walked in silence.

I considered making a break for it, but no I chose this. The least I could do was face it. We went down halls I didn't even know existed deep beneath the building. We ended up in a huge sunken room. Steps cut into the rock led down to an open floor, roughly hewn out of the natural stone the building was built on. As we walked down I could feel the magics of the room. This was the very core of the academy the first thing built. Embedded in the floor were old, old spells that I couldn't begin to decipher. I knew I was distracting myself from the moment, but I just couldn’t help it. Better to be distracted than piss myself in fear. I had been escorted here by two of the most legendary mages even with a reputation for bloodshed. Maybe this is why we never heard of rogue mages. They were led down here like cattle to the slaughterhouse.

I shook myself hard. I took another deep breath and set my face. I wouldn't show my fear. I lifted my eyes to the far side of the room.

My heart froze in my chest. I recognised one of the men. From a dream. He was older now, but not as much I would expect. He looked to be in his early forties, still slim, deep set eyes that blazed with power. A shimmering rainbow trapped within them. I never heard his name, but I saw him pass judgement on a couple then proceed to burn them at the stake. He wasn't alone, but I didn't recognise the other two.

“Thank you for joining me, Mage Sodden, and thank you for bringing him Delec and Kelec. We are here to decide your fate, Tristan. Do you mind if I call you Tristan?” he asked, his friendly voice crossed the room easily.

“No,” I answered. All other answers dried on tongue, unable to be spoken. I stood in the centre of the floor, almost an arena. The sides rose gradually up. The tribunal looked down on me. Just behind me the twins Delec and Kelec. It was intimidating.

“Good, right let’s move right along then, we need to get back to Greenlaw tonight. Shame about the wave, but we have lent a hand where we could while we were here. So Orb gave me the facts while the twins were fetching you. Rysan is livid, but then again, he always was excitable,” he chuckled to himself at that. “Oh, I'm Velar, sorry for being rude. I forgot we haven’t met. I missed your exam. I normally make a point to attend every one. But something came up. I’m sorry,” he waved his arm, dismissing it but looked really sincere. “Anyway you are charged with disobeying a lawful command, which is a direct breach of your indenture,” he looked at me sternly, the humour fading from his face, it left him looking stern and cold, his eyes swirled with colours. He stared at me intently watching my every movement. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” his voice, hard and uncompromising.

I felt something rise in me, I bit it back. I looked down at my feet.

“This is your last chance, do you have anything to say in your defence?”

The memory of those words from his lips, made me forget caution.

“In my defence no. I disobeyed. Just as I should have,” I said anger forced my words. “It could have cost my apprentice her life. I did the right thing. I would do it again. If it costs me my job, my freedom, my life, it’s the least I could do for her,” I shouted.

I looked up at him. The head wizard, the man I had seen burn people alive. “Who the fuck do you think you are, standing in judgement of me? I've seen you in action. That couple, here in this very town. You tied them to a stake. You burnt them alive and made everyone watch. I chose not to blindly follow as you should have done. Do what you will. I will not defend my actions to you or to anyone else,” I spat the last words at him.

I was shaking, my magic was trying to help me, I pushed it back. It couldn't help me here.

Velar stood, he looked like I had slapped him. His mouth opened and closed a few times as he looked down at me.

I felt the twins move up beside me, they grabbed an arm each twisting them behind my back. I was forced to my knees.

I struggled.

“Get off me, you can’t force me to give respect to anyone, it’s earned. I will not bow my knee to him of my own will,” I shouted. My blood was pounding in my ears. My head felt as if it would explode.

“Let him go,” Velar said.

They clearly didn't hear, they seemed intent on breaking my arms. I let my magic rise. I felt a tingle in my head as something shifted. A sigil surfaced behind my eyes, in my mind’s eye maybe. Oddly enough I recognised it. It was my bracer’s concept. I channelled my magic into it.

Power exploded out of me. The twins went flying away as my shield flowed out from my skin in a rush. I stood up, glaring.

Velar looked astonished.

“Who taught you that?” he asked sharply.

“Fuck off, I don't owe you answers. Let the others judge me, not you,” I said harshly. I stared at them.

The other two men up high, started whispering rapidly to each other, I didn't care enough to listen in. But whatever it was there was an argument going on between them about something.

Velar looked between his two colleagues, they each nodded once. Velar looked back to me, a smile on his face. “Tristan despite the irregularities, we accept your defence. In fact we are pleased you chose to do what you did.”

“Huh?” my shield faltered as I tried to work out what he meant.

“We are not the nobles, I don't want you to think we are. We want agents, be they mages like yourself or wizards who can think. We encourage it, but we also want men like you. That will spit in the face of injustice. That will do the right thing, no matter the cost. You have proven that you deserve to hold the power you have,” Velar said.

I looked from face to face all were smiling, except the twins who were still on the floor, groaning.

“I don't understand,” I said softly, confusion and hope warred within me. My anger fled in the face of that.

“Welcome, Mage Tristan Sodden, Welcome to the new order of the world,” he said smiling broadly.

Velar and his colleagues stood and as one they bowed to me, a deep bow.

I just stood staring at the wizards, leaders of the world bowing to me, the son of a farmer from a once unimportant town. Emotion overcame me. The exact emotion I couldn’t name.

I sunk to the floor, and I cried.

Chapter 25

I sat on the hard floor of the arena, racked with sobs, I spend a long moment trying to control my breathing to stop it, there was an odd hiccup as I suppressed it. I wiped my eyes to find Velar standing next to me. Well, over me.

“Come on, there is no need for tears,” Velar said, as he looked down at me. He offered a hand.

I nodded more to myself than anything and stood on my own.

He lowered his hand and his smile slipped a touch. “Can we talk a moment? I understand that you might not be feeling up to it. Jase and Fion mentioned what happened,” he said with what was apparently sincere concern.

“If I'm a mage, then you’re my boss, I kinda have to talk to you,” I agreed reluctantly.

He gestured up the step out of the room.

We fell into step, him to the side of me. The twins had pulled themselves up and followed along behind like dogs.

That really didn't put me at ease, two lethal, legendary mages, that had shown themselves willing to harm me, at my back. I could feel an itch start just between my shoulder blades.

“It doesn't need to be like this Tristan. I’m sorry you feel hard done by, but we have to be sure,” Velar said. His hands moved in large expansive movements as he talked. His voice was gentle but firm. He sounded a bit like my father. That brought me up short.

“Stop it,” I said.  I turned to look at him. The twins hung back, but close enough that if I tried to harm the boss man they would kill me.

“Stop what?” he asked, an expression of guileless innocence on his face.

I wasn't buying it, a powerful man is never innocent.

I thought briefly for a moment. I checked my feelings and thoughts. I almost dismissed it, but something wasn't right. I cocked my head to the side as I looked at him. There was nothing to support my growing suspicion, but I had screamed at the man because of a vision already. I may well be past the need for evidence.

“Stop whatever you are doing to influence me. It’s not necessary. I have to hear you out. You’re the leader of the bloody wizards,” I said slightly bitterly.

His face changed to one of pure surprise.

“You could feel that? I thought that was impossible,” he looked at the twins who looked ready to kill me right now. They seemed equally surprised. “Of course I will stop, I just wanted you to be more comfortable.”

“You think you’re the only being that’s tried to mess with my head? Just say what you want to say and leave me be.”

The familiar friendly tone evaporated, now I was talking to the head wizard. “Fine, Tristan. I want to know several things. One, what is your involvement with Brak?” he left it hanging in the air, waiting expectantly for me to answer.

I resumed walking. I need the time to think.

Brak was the wizard that captured us. With Iason Alerus, Vance and Lessor. The ones from the foundry. Why ask me?

“My involvement with them is nothing, I have none. They on the other hand, seem to go around blowing places up,” I said with a detachment I didn't feel, I was angry again. Dealing with them, with this, more things that kept me from my duty. Which at the moment was the newly awakened child upstairs in her bed.

“Fine I will accept that answer for now. Two, when did you learn sigils and reading? We received a report of a mage developing reading, but we thought it was wrong. Turns out it wasn’t,” he said firmly, but there was something else under it. Something I couldn’t put my finger on.

We walked through the deserted halls of the academy, I didn't really know where I was going, but I soon saw the end of a hall that looked familiar, I aimed in that direction while I considered my answer.

“Reading happened after an encounter with a god, well supposedly a god. Sigils, I don't have a clue what you’re talking about. I don't know sigils,” I said in a rush, anything to get this guy to leave me alone.

“You used one. It sent the twins flying. How can you not know?”

“Look, I’m tired and not in the mood for this, can we move on? I need to see my apprentice," I said.

We were now in a well-travelled part of the academy, my suite of rooms just down the hall.

“Tristan, whatever you may think of me, I suggest you put it behind you. You have a bright future with us. Don't let the past colour your judgement,” Velar said.

I looked over to him, the impression of a jovial uncle, lingered around him, but it was tinged with sadness. His laughter lines, creased deeper than they should be.

“I don't really care about the past, I've done my share of things that I'm not proud of. But how could you do it?” I asked in earnest.

“The noble’s oath was insidious, we had very little choice. Some of us could fight it, others were left little more than shells, puppets. There were horrors, but the worst part is do their bidding or worse would happen. They died so that others could live,” he said

“That is the crap, rationalise it anyway you want, it was wrong,” I said.

“Yes it is. It was wrong, and it’s still wrong. I have to live with that and a great many other things that I wish I didn't. There is a reason there are no nobles now,”

I looked back at the twins, they looked grim.

“Not just them,” Velar said with a chuckle.

“If you will excuse me, I have a little girl to see,” I said as we reached my apartment door.

“One moment, I heard you have made a very special construct.”

I stopped, panic flooded through my hand clenched on the door handle as the breath went out of me.

“I would be interested to see it, Jase says you are very talented. With all the reports about you, I have to agree, but it would be nice to see evidence with my own eyes.”

“Is this just academic interest, or something more?” I asked as I eyed him with suspicion.

“Oh, Calm down,” he said with a laugh, his kindly facade back on. “I’m just curious. I love golems. I don't mind that you ‘may’ have broken a few rules. We aren’t such stick in the muds about little things like that. If you had made a warrior, then I'm sure we would be having words.”  The faintest hint of menace, radiated from him with the last words.

I froze, then tried to cover it.

“Ah, I would rather see to my apprentice right now,” I hedged.