Red mage, p.1
Red Mage, page 1
RED MAGE
ASCENDING
Tournament of Mages
1
Cleave Bourbon
Table of Contents
Title Page
Red Mage: Ascending (Tournament of Mages, #1)
Tournament of Mages
Tournament of Mages Series:
Red Mage Ascending: Book 1
Prologue: The Rise of Ephaltus
Chapter 1: Origin
Chapter 2: Servants
Chapter 3: Thelee’s Training
Chapter 4: Heart of Fire
Chapter 5: Into the World
Chapter 6: Vestia
Chapter 7: Visitors
Chapter 8: Thessa
Chapter 9: Loss
Chapter 10: In the Dark
Chapter 11: The Song and the Protector
Chapter 12: Nightmares
Chapter 13: RUN!
Chapter 14: The Arena
Chapter 15: Down
Chapter 16: Children of Blood
Chapter 17: Tharen and Gwade
Chapter 18: The Bone Key
Chapter 19: The Gift
Chapter 20: Renewal
Chapter 21: Wanted
Chapter 22: Turnabout
Chapter 23: Tamania
Chapter 24: Ag Caderan
Chapter 25: Equal and Opposite
Chapter 26: Blood Feeders
Chapter 27: The Truest Path
Chapter 28: Journey of the Chosen
Glossary (Careful for Spoilers)
Copyright
Copyright © Cleave Bourbon 2023
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Tournament of Mages
Each anniversary of one hundred years, an individual with remarkable abilities is born in each one of the six kingdoms. The gods create them to be champions. The Red Mage uses blood magic, the Blue Mage is all elemental, the Green Mage has command over nature and can shapeshift, the Black Mage has dominion over death, the Grey Mage is the master of the mind and illusions, and the White Mage can cast spells through song, dance, and pitch of voice. It is the job of the Tourney Master, a wizard who awakens five years before every century, to find and prepare them for the great Tournament of Mages, a contest pitting them all against great obstacles and ultimately each other to decide who will rule the six kingdoms for the next one hundred years. Only, the mages are born at random, have free will from the gods, and are not always so easy to convince to fight in the great Tournament of Mages.
Tournament of Mages Series:
Red Mage: Ascending Book 1
Blue Mage: Equinox Book 2
Black Mage: Cursed Book 3
Green Mage: Metamorphosis Book 4
Grey Mage: Protector Book 5
White Mage: Rhapsody Book 6
Enter the Arena Book 7
Red Mage Ascending: Book 1
The servant girl Hana is a mystery. She doesn’t act like a member of the lower classes. She tries to hide it, but her education is often evident in the way she speaks. Crumpled intricate drawings of animals and people were discovered in her trash bin. Once, in the marketplace, she was overheard giving directions to an elf in perfect High Elvish! There was also the time her employers came home to the most beautiful piano music they had ever heard, but when they opened the front door, Hana quickly pretended she was only dusting the keys. She seems to have magical powers as well. When one of the children came down with a fever, she healed him when the clerics could not. What terrible dark secret is she harboring? She must be a noble in hiding or a member of the clergy, or she might even be one of the destined six mages. After all, the tournament is only a couple years away.
Prologue: The Rise of Ephaltus
A moss-covered tree trunk barred the way to the Earth Chamber, a hollowed-out residence descending deep below the forest floor, unused for one hundred years. Inside, dust coated the shrouds of linen draped over the lavish furnishings and accouterments of the place. One shroud in particular concealed the sleeping body of the one called Ephaltus, Tourney Master of the Tournament of Mages. Ephaltus had become the special emissary of the gods long ago when the six sought to end the warring and bickering between their peoples. Ephaltus belonged to no god and to all gods at the same time. As happened every century, the dryads would resurrect the wizard, and his breathing would become stronger and stronger as each day passed. Soon, he would awaken to perform his duties once again.
As he slept, the child-like dryads removed the shrouds from the furniture and began the cleanup. Everything had to be ready for the wizard upon his rising. Each of the six kingdoms depended on him to find their champions for them once again.
This century was also the marking of the millennium, a time when Ephaltus would be able to train his successor and finally be allowed to live out his life as he chose. As such, his awakening was earlier than the centuries past. His successor had already been chosen by the gods.
Once the dryads finished their work and assembled at the foot of his bed, Ephaltus began to stir. He sat up and glanced around.
“Has my successor arrived yet?” The time he had spent sleeping made his voice broken and scratchy. He cleared his throat loudly.
One of the dryads stepped forward. She was green, as were her sisters, and her hair appeared to be a cascade of leaves. “She has, my lord.”
“She?” Ephaltus repeated. “That is unexpected. I have not heard of a female Tourney Master before.”
“She waits in the antechamber. Shall I show her in?” the dryad asked.
Ephaltus inspected himself and dusted off his robes even though the dryads had already cleaned him too. “May as well.”
He stood from the bed, his legs a bit wobbly. A few moments later, a girl of about seventeen years entered with the dryads. “My lord, I present to you Thelee, the choice of the gods to be your apprentice.
Ephaltus inspected the girl. By his estimate, she stood but a few inches above five feet, with fiery auburn hair and a pleasant face, complete with a smattering of flattering freckles on her rosy cheeks. She genuflected before him.
“Thelee—that’s a Tamanian name, is it not?”
“Yes, Master, very good.”
“Forgive me, child, but it has been a thousand years since my apprenticeship. Remind me, how were you chosen?”
The girl cracked a smile. “I suspect you remember your apprenticeship well, my master. You test me?”
“Well?”
“Very well. I was challenged by the god Andiel. She and her brother god, Asrion, sent me on the task of awakening. I have identified two of the six mages already.”
“You have? Excellent! So, which ones have you discovered?”
“The Red Mage and the Black Mage, Master.”
“Do you understand the task I, and then you for the next millennium, must perform in addition to the identification of the mages?”
“I do.”
“Why don’t you begin by explaining your understanding to me so that I may be certain of you.” He motioned for her to sit in a comfortable oversized chair, and he sat opposite. “Get us some water to drink,” he instructed one of the dryads.
The girl sat in the chair. “We find out which of the mages have which of the magic disciplines.”
“Let me stop you there. I want to hear this from the beginning. Start with the whys and go from there.”
“All right.” She nodded as she accepted the cup of water from the dryad. “The six kingdoms of the six gods constantly warred and conquered each other for centuries until the gods stepped in and proclaimed that they would enact a way for all the kingdoms to have an equal chance at ruling. Every one hundred years, a champion more powerful and noteworthy than any other who could use magic would rise from each kingdom. Each rise to prominence would be unique. It is the job of the Tourney Master to find each mage and bring them to the arena where one will rise to defeat the others and be proclaimed leader of the kingdoms for the next one hundred years until the process begins again.”
Ephaltus nodded. “It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?”
Thelee nodded.
“Well, it isn’t!” he said acidly. “It’s damned hard! Although the Red Mage always uses blood magic, you don’t know if the mage is a girl or a boy, or which kingdom the mage is born in. It’s the same with all six of them. Furthermore, not one of those mages will want to come to the tournament. On top of that, each god will endow their champion with extra abilities, and consequently, that means they, the gods, cheat like crazy! The mages live their own lives until we find them, so many have romances and whatnot, sometimes even families, and you have to convince them to leave them behind. Some of them, if not all of them, will die in the tournament except the winner. Twice in my tenure as Tourney Master, the Black Mage has killed his former rivals for no good reason. Not to mention as soon as the Black Mage begins to show magical talent, he or she will begin to inadvertently unleash horrible, dark creations on the kingdoms to try to slow the development of the other mages. And, the current leader almost always tries to sabotage the tournament because they know they will die when the new winner is declared, and they don’t want to give it all up.”
“Really? Has the current leader ever succeeded?”
“The two hells no! Not o n my watch, anyway, but it won’t stop them from trying. This is a long, difficult job.”
“The Black Mage unleashes dark creatures without knowing what they’re doing?” Thelee didn’t sound convinced.
“Sometimes yes, but sometimes the Black Mage does it as soon as they learn how. Either way, it usually does happen.”
“There’s nothing to stop them?”
“Well, the Red Mage can. I will get into all that when we get around to it. Still think you can do this job?”
“I can do it!”
Ephaltus eyed Thelee with consternation. “Let’s get into the meat of it, then, if you think so highly of yourself. Do you know the magic disciplines you face? Earlier, you said the disciplines appear at random. That isn’t entirely true.”
“Are you asking me why? I thought the mages all developed magical powers that manifested at puberty.”
“That much is true, but each mage follows a pattern. The Red Mage always has blood magic and can do just about anything they set their minds to doing. They can boil your brains right inside your head. The Blue Mage commands the elements of earth, wind, fire, and water. They can freeze you as well as burn you alive at their whim.”
“They can do all that to me?”
“Rhetorical you. Try to keep up! The Grey Mage is all mental and can see the immediate future. Try sneaking up on someone to convince them to join you at the arena when they can see you coming, not to mention they will mess with your head. The Black Mage will make you wish you were dead while they conjure up all sorts of dark creatures, and one of them might very well be your beloved, dearly departed grandmother! The White Mage can manipulate you with the sweetest melodies and lyrics, and if you somehow silence them, they can dance and move their bodies to do even worse things to you. Don’t even ask me what they can do with a musical instrument! And finally, the Green Mage. They use nature magic and shapeshift into any animal, plant, or race on the face of the earth. Anything of nature follows their every command. Try not to let them turn you to stone or trap you within an earthen prison.”
“How do you convince them? How do you do this job if they are so powerful?” Thelee asked.
“Well, most of the time, when I find them, they have yet to reach their full potential. So, we must be quick at finding them. Also, we are not without our own unique protection. I will teach you our own magic.”
“As Tourney Master, are you immune to any of their magic?”
Ephaltus cleared his throat. “I won’t lie to you, yes and no, more yes than no. I’ll get to all that if you make it through training. I can’t hand out all my secrets all at once. Some knowledge and trust you must earn. You say you have found the Red Mage and the Black Mage?”
“Yes, I have, Master.”
“Good. You see, we already have a head start on them. Do you know which one we need to go after first?”
“The Black Mage?”
“The two hells no! The Black Mage will not understand what is happening for quite some time. No one sets out to be dark or evil, and even though the Black Mages are not always evil, they will struggle with their dark magic. It’s rare for a Black Mage to be the kind of person they need to become from the outset. No, the Red Mage is the more urgent of the two. Blood magic is addictive; the more they use it, the more they like it, and the more they like it, the more they use it, and so on and so forth—often using it when they don’t need to.”
“Is blood magic easier to defend against?”
“No, all the magic disciplines are deadly. How they use their gifts depend a lot on their moral upbringing. Some have it and some don’t. The gods try to choose the best of the best for their champion, but there are all sorts of factors involved. The other gods interfere a lot, trying to sabotage the other. You will see.” Ephaltus took a deep breath and slapped his hands on his knees. “That’s enough for right now. I have been asleep for one hundred years. It’s time to eat something.” The dryads scrambled to please him almost as soon as the words came from his mouth.
Ephaltus examined the scrolls and parchment strewn about on the table before him. Awake for only a few months, he had to prepare for the Tournament of Mages set to take place five years hence. He abruptly got up from the table and took up his staff.
“Thelee? Are you following me?” Ephaltus asked his young apprentice.
“I’m here, Master. I almost tripped on one of the stairs. They are quite steep.”
“Hmm? Well, you’ll get used to them. You will be climbing those infernal stairs many times in your thousand-year tenure. This is the way to the Ocularius Magnus. This is how you will be able to observe all the mages without having to flitter around to them in person. Although, if it is your preference to do so, the colored orbs will allow you to travel swiftly.”
“I can see the advantage of the Ocular . . .”
“Ocularius Magnus. Don’t get so caught up in the fancy name. It means big eye or big lens or something like that. I call it the Oculus for short, probably incorrectly, but who really cares what you call the thing. It’s a spy-glass!”
When Thelee topped the stairs, she saw an oval glass lens accented with gold trim. There were two seats attached to it that swiveled along with it as the lens moved. The lens itself was controlled by a series of spinning handles. “Why are there two seats?”
“The extra seat is removable. The dryads attached it specifically for this year. They will remove it when you are here by yourself.”
“How does the Oculus work?”
“If you notice, there are six colored circles around the golden circumference of the lens. You use the two spinning levers to turn the Oculus until the color lines up with the arrow at the top, and it will focus on that color mage. The colors of the mages have many significances, as you will find throughout your training. It’s very convenient. The only catch to using the Oculus is that you must have identified the mage before the blasted thing will show you anything.”
“You sound as if you don’t like the Ocularius Magnus.”
“I don’t. Sometimes it lies.”
“It does?”
“Not literally, no. But, it is easily manipulated by the gods. They like to fool and tinker with it so their champion is displayed in a better light or some other deception. You must constantly and consistently calibrate it magically to guard against their interference. It is easy enough to confirm what you are seeing through the infernal thing is real since the gods are so bad at tampering with the image for the most part. However, sometimes the manipulated image is pretty good. It’s just a pain in your backside to constantly adjust it all the time. Let me warn you again to perform the magical calibration every single time you use it, because the one time you forget to adjust it will be the one time it has been manipulated. That has come back to bite me more than once!” Ephaltus pulled himself onto the seat and patted the other for Thelee to join him. Once she climbed on board, he showed her how to adjust it. He spun one of the levers, and the whole apparatus moved.
“Wee, this is fun!” Thelee said.
“Fun—oh yes, that reminds me. You can’t interfere with anything you see happening to the mage you are watching. Mages can’t be killed by other mages before the tournament, but as you know, humans and magic wielders can kill them, but if they do, they must take their place, so you may see many Blue Mages, for instance, over the course of the five years. The gods try to limit it from happening too often because once the time of the tournament approaches, a newly made mage won’t have time to train properly and therefore would be a poor champion.”
“Now, if you think you have the hang of it, I will leave you to experiment with it as you please while I take care of some pressing business.”
“Shouldn’t I come with you to learn?”
“Not in this case. You can’t possibly learn everything at once. We have five years’ worth of training to get through, but I still have to do my job too.” He stepped off the Oculus. “The Black Mage is out there, but we’ve only confirmed the Red Mage for certain, so start there.”
Thelee spun the handle, and the Oculus moved until the red disk lined up with the arrow. An image began to appear in the center of the lens. Thelee watched intently as it focused.
