Stranded Mage (7 page)

“Yes,” the elf snarled. “I had it placed in my room. Take it if you wish, but I promise you, that by nightfall I will have every soldier at my command hunt you down and bring your hide back to me to be mounted and stuffed for my den.”

“That gives me little reason to leave you alive,” Thad replied, his voice cold and distant.

“What is going on here?” Thad heard a loud voice shout from behind him. Thad rose to his feet and turned to face the speaker and found that a large number of elves had gathered in the streets and were watching him intently.

“Step away from Lord Reinwood,” a young looking elf wearing elaborately decorated armor said as he brandished a thin long sword.

“Me and the Lord were simply having a discussion about proper manners.” Thad said before turning and walking back toward the hole in the large house.

Thad could hear the soldier command him to stop but he paid little heed. Back inside the house it didn’t take long for him to find the Lord’s bedchamber. Just as Reinwood had said, his sword had been placed on the Lord’s wall, as if it were a trophy. Thad quickly pulled it from its resting place and strapped it back where it belonged. Though he was far from helpless he still felt more secure with a blade on hand. With a little more searching Thad was able to find his other belongings as well. The elf lord had amassed quite a fortune and Thad thought it very nice of him to keep it all within reach.

At first Thad only thought to take what had belonged to him but the elf lord had emptied his pouches and Thad could not remember how many coins and gems his magical pouches had contained. After giving it some thought he decided that to be on the safe side it was best to fill them to the top.

With his belongings reclaimed and his pouches full Thad exited back through the large hole. On the other side waited a large force of elven warriors.

Thad could feel the tingling of magic in the air, and was not surprised when vines sprouted from the ground wrapping themselves around his arms and legs. “You are under arrest for assaulting a lord of the high council,” one of the elves shouted. He was a well-dressed soldier with fierce eyes, and a look of determination etched onto his face.

Now might be a good time to come back to your senses.

“The Lord, as you call him, had taken personal items belonging to me. I was just reclaiming them,” Thad said, his voice returning to its normal light tone.

“Be that as it may, I still need you to accompany me.”

His temper now back under control, Thad understood that the soldier was just trying to do his job. “I don’t want any trouble,” Thad said almost pleadingly. “If you want me to leave then I shall leave but I will not be placed in irons.”

The elven commander nodded his head and two simple dressed soldiers approached Thad with drawn swords. Letting out a heavy sigh, Thad engulfed the vines binding him in flames and drew his own sword which flickered lightly with magical energy.

“Hold your sword Captain Breman,” a high pitched voice shouted from beyond the crowd of soldiers and other onlookers. The captain motioned for his men to stop and Thad relaxed his sword arm. After a brief moment a female elf with bright flowing golden hair pushed her way to the front. She was much shorter than the other elves but still easily stood near his own height if not a bit taller.

“You better have a good reason to sway me from my duty Lady Emeriss.”

The small elf walked right up to the captain and looked him dead in the eye with her hands on her hips. “Don’t forget yourself Captain. I am the head of one of the fifteen high noble families,” the captain visibly shrank back at her reprimand hitting his knee and bowing his head. “This man is clearly a mage and thus we are required by the will of our god to show him the utmost respect. If he did in fact attack the good Lord without provocation he will be punished, but until such is proven no one shall lay a hand on him. Do I make myself clear, Captain?”

“Yes, my Lady,” the captain said, bowing his head even lower.

Emeriss looked Reinwood in the face and narrowed her eyes. “If Lord Reinwood wishes to make formal charges he may do so, though I am sure once he thinks it over he will understand his error.” Once her speech was over Emeriss turned to Thad and gave him a brilliant smile that seemed to warm him in the very depths of his wounded soul. “Noble Mage if you please accompany me, I would be more than happy to be your benefactor during your stay in our fair city.”

Thad was unsure of what was going on but he found himself with little choice, so he followed the petite young elf. Thad had many questions but he found no opportunity to speak as they wound their way through the wide city streets.

The longer they walked the larger and more elaborate the houses became. Thad was relieved when Emeriss finally stopped and entered a large house that could easily have rivaled the royal palace of Farlan.

The inside was far grander than anything Thad had ever seen before. The walls were delicately carved to look like trees. Large paintings hung, each one depicting different elves though he couldn’t tell much of a difference from one elf to another.

Emeriss led Thad to a vast room with a large wooden table that had been polished so well its surface shined like a mirror. “I bet that fool Reinwood wasn’t much of a host. Would you like a bit of food?” Emeriss asked as she took a seat at the head of the table.

Thad’s stomach grumbled at the thought of food. “Some food would be welcomed,” Thad replied as he started to take a seat about half way down the long table.

“I would be pleased if you would choose a seat a bit closer,” Emeriss said with her eyebrow slightly raised. “Or does the thought of sitting close to me upset you?”

Thad moved down the table and took the seat to her right. “Not at all my lady.”

Emeriss picked up a small golden bell and rang it lightly. Thad didn’t have to wonder for long as to why she had done so. Before the bell touched the table a young elf maiden appeared in the room and spoke briefly to Emeriss. Unlike the elves Thad had seen in Reinwood’s estate, the elf maiden didn’t have the hopeless look of oppression stamped on her face.

After the elf maiden left, Emeriss turned to Thad with a glowing smile on her face. “While we wait for our nourishment why don’t we get to know each other? Let us start with the story of how and why you came to Tremeir.”

“I am not sure how I came to be in your fair city,” Thad said earnestly. “I was on a ship headed for Farlan when the Brotherhood attacked us. Me and my friends fought…” Thad’s voice trailed off as he once again thought about Brianna. His hand suddenly went to the ring on his right hand. Thad felt the tears start their trip done his face.

”I see, your journey has not been a pleasant one,” Emeriss said, her voice full of sympathy. “It has been years since our last visitor from outside our shores. I must admit to a fair amount of curiosity, though I do not wish to push you into talking about that which brings you pain.”

“That is much appreciated Lady Emeriss,” Thad said, bowing his head slightly. “While my trip here has been an accident, I would like to use this opportunity to undergo your rite, if it is possible.”

Emeriss laughed, her voice like that of tiny bells ringing in the air. “I figured you would, though I alone do not have the power to give that which you want. The council must convene and decided on all matters such as this.”

“The council?”

“Yes, there are fifteen ruling houses in Tremeir, and the head of each house is also the member of the high council. We like to sit around and talk about things and act as if we are more than we are.”

Thad could easily detect the pain in her voice. She did not agree with the council even though by her own words she was a member. “Could you explain more about the city and the council? There seems to be much more going on than just my unexpected visit,” Thad said, trying to coax more out of the young elf.

Emeriss gave a dejected smile, “I guess there is at that. We elves have extremely long lives. It is not uncommon for an elf to live two or three thousand years. Our near immortality, you would think of as a blessing, but I fear it is a curse. What can keep a mind intrigued over the centuries? There are only so many scrolls to read, only so many things one can do over the countless years. In the past my people used to go on sojourns for long periods of time, but since the Brotherhood has hunted us we have been forced to retreat into isolation. With nothing to keep us occupied we have turned to politics, and vanity.”

Emeriss paused when a group of servants brought them their food. Thad was amazed at the assortment and quality that was set in front of him. It would have been considered a grand feast fit for a small army and seemed extravagantly large given there were only two people. Thad waved his hand over the food. “Vanity, or is it a need to outshine those around you?

Thad’s feared his words would be taken as an insult though he meant them more in jest. “Yes we do love to show off,” Emeriss said, smiling as she began filling her plate with an assortment of meats and cheese “Though my servants don’t seem to mind my extravagance, as they get to eat what is left.”

“Your servants seem much different than those I met in Reinwood’s employ.”

“Reinwood, that blusterous oaf,” Emeriss spat. “Only those of noble house may have what the council considers the mark of a true elf,” Emeriss accented her words by tapping the tip of her fingers against her pointed ears. “Those not belonging to a noble house have their ears clipped at birth. It is a monstrous practice. Separating people based on birth. It is preposterous. Half…More than half of my servants have more brains than most those who sit on the council. Do we take advantage of their gifts? No, but we continue the charade of believing those of noble birth are better and we reduce the others around us to lesser status. Some of the so called nobles treat their fellow elves more like animals than their kin.”

Thad could understand her feelings. The belief that a few were born above others was not a special trait of the elves. The world of men was filled with people who believed such. Her words had stirred a forgotten pain within his own memories. Farlan was not so different, though they did not simply separate by birth but by gender. In Farlan, Men had been degraded to a status of barely human, and had been treated with open contempt for many generations. During his life he had seen a change, but such feelings would not disappear easily or quickly.

“Let us change the subject,” Emeriss said, giving him a bitter smile. “Tomorrow I will take you to the council and we shall see about the rite. I was only a young child the last time we hosted a mage, so it would be nice to see the rite performed again. It might give my kin hope that a new start is ahead of us.”

“There was a mage here when you were a child?” Thad asked, slightly surprised. The elf looked as if she were only slightly older than himself. “I would have thought it would have been centuries since the last mage graced your city.”

Emeriss gave out a joyful laugh. “I will take that as a compliment. You are right however it has been nearly six hundred years since the last time the rite was performed.” Her face suddenly looked downcast and forlorn. “Even then it was a rare occasion for a mage to seek us out. The Brotherhood has done their job well.”

“The Brotherhood will not be around much longer if I have much of a say in the matter,” Thad said, his eyes burning with intense hatred.

“I can understand your hatred of the Brotherhood but don’t let it blind you to the dangers my young friend. From what I have heard the Brotherhood has lost much of its power since the days of the Empire, but that is not to say they are weak. They have many spies and men spread throughout the world.”

“I have learned this, but they have to have a base, some place they receive their orders from. I will find it, and I will destroy it,” Thad replied through gritted teeth.

Emeriss sighed, “I can see that I have little chance of swaying you from your path, though honestly I don’t see why I should. The Brotherhood is a bane to the world, but I would hate to see the first mage that has reached us in such a long time to end up on one of their stakes.” Emeriss stared at him intensely her eyes burrowing into him. “If I cannot sway you from your path. I might at least be able to point you in the right direction. The Brotherhood comes out of the country of Rane.”

“Rane?” Thad asked, his voice revealing his surprise.

“I see you have heard of it, though if you are from Farlan I shouldn’t be surprised. Though we elves do not leave our shores we still watch the outside world, in hopes of one day being able to rejoin it. About four hundred years ago the Brotherhood was quickly losing strength and needed a stronghold. The land was still divided and new countries were rising out of the fallen empire. One of those countries was Rane, though at the time they were weak as they had been the center for much of the succession wars. The Brotherhood offered the new king a deal. They would help secure the Kingdom if he would allow them free rein within its borders. The Brotherhood then set up a merchant network so they could travel to other lands without drawing undue notice. To this day they use the merchant caravans to move their soldiers and to gather information.”

“Thank you for the information,” Thad said weakly. “I am tired. I believe I should retire, that is if you have a room available for me.”

Emeriss picked up the small bell and rang it again. “I understand, we will talk again on the morrow.” Within moments the young elven maid appeared in the room. Emeriss talked briefly to her before turning back to him “Larissa shall escort you to your chambers. If you need anything do not be afraid to request it.”