Red mage, p.7
Red Mage, page 7
“How did you hear him?” Thessa hesitated. “You know him, don’t you? Is he behind the blood feeders?”
Reluctantly, Thessa nodded.
“You knew! You knew exactly who turned you and the others in your alley.”
“Don’t be mad, Hana. I couldn’t tell you. I was afraid, but then I saw what you can do, and I think I am more afraid of you now.”
“Don’t be scared of me. You are the one who can turn into some kind of killing beast. Speaking of which, what happened to those young men?”
“That was Lord Sarren. He plans something involving you, but he won’t share those plans with us.”
“Well, I’ll not give him the chance to move those plans forward, not with me, at least.”
Thessa stared blankly at Hana before her expression turned to pain. “I’m sorry, Hana. I had to. He didn’t give me a choice. Forgive me.”
“What are you saying?” Hana heard a voice clear behind her. She turned to face Lord Sarren.
“I think it’s time for you and me to have a private and proper talk,” he said. “You have done well, Thessa.”
Hana turned to Thessa. “Why would you do this?” The pained feeling within her was nearly unbearable.
A tear ran down Thessa’s cheek, and then the girl bolted off through the trees.
“This isn’t as bad as you might think. I just want to talk,” Lord Sarren said. “I will not ask you to come with me against your will. This doesn’t have to be difficult.”
“What do you want with me? Did my father send you?”
“Your father? No, I’m afraid I don’t know him. If you would accompany me to my carriage, I will show you everything.”
“I don’t believe I will be going with you.” She turned and scampered for the house. She only got a few steps before she felt a sharp sting in her neck. She reached up and pulled a needle fashioned with a feather from her neck.
“I thought you might run. I picked up these darts from one of the southern kingdoms. They use them for hunting wild animals. They are not fatal, but you will be coming with me before the effects wear off.”
Hana felt woozy. She didn’t know when she fell, but she found herself on the ground right before the darkness came.
WHEN HANA AWOKE, SHE was lying on a cloth sofa. Once her eyes adjusted, she realized she was at home, in the Sephera household. The sunlight pouring in through the windows told her it was still early morning. She got up from the sofa to go to her room before the rest of the family woke up. The hallway was dark, but she could clearly see a dark substance on the floor. She straddled it to get to the kitchen. Mistress Moira would be furious with her if she didn’t get it mopped up by the time the woman rose out of bed. Hana stopped about halfway down the hall. Something was wrong. The last thing she remembered was Lord Sarren dragging her in the woods. She leaned down and touched the sticky, dark substance. The touch of it ignited her senses, which told her it was blood.
Someone was pounding on the front door as she ran down the hall to each of the Sephera children’s rooms. They were not home, and no blood was present in their rooms. The pounding on the door became more forceful as she opened the final door to the master bedroom.
Hana dropped to her knees at the sight of Mistress Moira in a pool of blood at the foot of the bed. Lord Immoran was feeding on one of her arms. He looked at her with fangs bared. She heard the front door begin to break and splinter. Lord Immoran leaped for her. She held up her hands and twisted her wrists. Immoran whimpered as his neck cracked. He landed short of her, still fidgeting.
Chapter 11: The Song and the Protector
“Where are we?” Thelee asked.
“In the middle of nowhere,” Ephaltus replied. “I don’t understand. We should be within walking distance of the Grey Mage.”
“Why would he be in the middle of the desert?”
Ephaltus gazed up at the midday sun. “Frying under this heat, I would suppose.”
“How long are we staying? I can see in every direction, and there’s no one.”
Ephaltus snapped his fingers. “Of course, the Grey Mage can travel instantly through space. He was probably traveling when we homed in on him, bringing us here where he was at that moment in space and time.”
“Huh?” Thelee asked.
“He was moving through space. He can teleport. It’s one of his magical abilities. It has to do with his ability to manipulate the magnetic fields and his magical gravity ability. He was here temporarily as he passed through.”
“If you say so,” Thelee replied.
“Understanding the mechanics of each mage’s magic is part of the job. You will learn as you go, I’m certain.”
“I think I understand enough,” Thelee said. “At least, I think I do. I don’t have to know everything all at once, do I?”
“No, I suppose not. As I said, you will learn.”
“Where is the Grey Mage now? I mean, what do we do now since he’s not here?”
“We use the orb again and go to wherever he landed.”
“Where do you presume that is?”
“I don’t know. Here, go find him.” Ephaltus unceremoniously stuffed the grey orb into Thelee’s hand and waved her away with a flourish. She opened her mouth to protest but was gone in a flash of light before the words came.
“There, I need you out of my hair for a bit,” Ephaltus grumped as he took up his staff and hobbled off alone over the burning sand. “You can’t know everything I do. Not yet!” He wiped the sweat from his brow as he suffered through the heat of the sun. He could feel the beginnings of a sunburn forming on his bare head since it was so exposed. He should have brought a hat, but that would have raised suspicion in Thelee. He thrust his staff upward and let the crystal at the top send a beam of light into the sky. “I’m alone now, you great beast. Show yourself.”
The sand in front of him began to swirl and fall away into the abyss of an underground cavern. Soon, a great, enormous orange-red head appeared. It was the head of a dragon, complete with yellow-and-red cat eyes and a horned cranium. The wyrm’s head was completely above the ground before it spoke. “Wizard, why have you disturbed me?”
“Helious, where is the white mage? I have not seen your champion appear. Are you planning on lying low this year, or do you want your mage to compete?”
The great serpent let his front claws appear from his desert hiding place before he stopped trying to free himself from the sand. “Ephaltus, I should eat you. You have come here in the presence of a god to question me?”
“You can’t eat the Tourney Master.”
“I could try! Has anyone ever tried before?”
“Don’t be ridiculous and answer my question.”
“I could eat your apprentice! I can smell her on the sand.”
“Which is why I sent her away.”
A great puff of fire exited the dragon’s maw. He tilted his head, and his voice changed from menacing to almost whiny. “I don’t want to go through this again. I don’t expect to have an interest in the tournament this time. It takes too much out of me. I would rather lounge around in my hot sand and forget about it. A white mage has not won the throne in centuries, and I am still happy here without being a part of the leadership of the kingdoms. The red mage or the green can rule again. They seem to do a decent job of it.”
“I respect your position, Helious, but you have a white mage out there whether you like it or not. The mages are born at random, you know that. But the white mage, he or she, will fail if you don’t take an interest in them. They will falter and eventually die. They will need your magic. Without it, they will not appear on the roster of the tournament.”
“I need my magic. I have none to spare.”
“Come now, you great lizard, this is not a debate. You must take part. You gods decided on it long ago.”
The wyrm breathed a searing-hot plume of fire on Ephaltus. When the fire and smoke cleared, Ephaltus stood there with his arms crossed and an intent expression across his face. “You are not funny,” he said.
“It was worth a try!” Helious replied.
“Look, your laziness is notorious, but don’t forget that this is my final tournament. Besides, you have to work with your white mage.” Ephaltus leaned against his staff. “Because it’s time to do what we discussed the last time.”
The wyrm perked up. “It is?”
“Yes, the time is nigh. But I need the white mage to be able to pull it off. I need the song.”
“That’s different, then. If you think you can pull this off.”
“I can and will. Once I retire, I will put an end to this Tournament of Mages business once and for all.”
THELEE APPEARED INSIDE a wooden construction. It might have been a shed or an empty dwelling for poor folk judging by the shoddy construction and lack of furniture. There were some shelves, but they were all empty as well. She rubbed her finger over one of them, and it was caked with dust when she pulled it back. The place was a small structure, and the wizard was nowhere to be seen. How will he find me when I have the grey stone? she thought. She opened the door, and it fell to the side due to it being attached with only one hinge. There, squatting in front of a fire, was a person with his back turned to her. She assumed it was a man by his stature, because his hair was blond and quite lengthy.
“Tourney Master, I presume?” His voice was pleasant and friendly.
“No, I am but a mere apprentice.” She winced at her words. She was almost mocking his formal speaking style.
“Ah, well, I knew someone was coming.”
“How? How did you know?” Thelee asked.
The figure stood and turned to face her. He was an elf or half elf, blond and handsome. “I am called Asleth, and from what my village elders have told me, I am the Grey Mage. You have come to check on me so you can write my name onto the roster of the tournament.”
“The Tourney Master isn’t here, and I am not privy to magic. Do you have the sight? Are you a seer?”
“Of sorts. The sight isn’t my best or sharpest ability. I can see things sometimes, but I can never be certain the things I see will come to pass, and I can’t see very far into the future.” He turned back to his fire. Thelee saw he was preparing something over it. “If you will excuse me, I have to finish this potion. There is a very sick person in these woods who needs this medicine.”
“You have seen this sick person?” Thelee asked on a whim. “I mean, you are not a healer normally?”
The Grey Mage chuckled. “What a strange question. Allow me to answer it with another question. Why would you think this person appeared in my sight?”
“That’s also a strange question. We are here talking about you having the sight, and it isn’t that far of a leap to think you might have used it.”
“Ah, I see. Well, yes, this person was in my sight. She has a peculiar illness, and the village elders told me this brew would cure her. I need to complete it and get it to her. The vision is fading on me, and I must get this task done before it fades from my mind. Right now, I can see far enough ahead to know this person is very important to me becoming the Grey Mage.”
“Your visions are fleeting?”
“As I have said, the sight is not my strong suit. I am not very good at it. At this point, I’m not sure if the vision is even true, but I must act upon it just in case it is.” He turned away from the fire to face Thelee. “You may enter my name on the roster. I will compete in the tournament. My patron god and her magic are with me.”
“I will tell Ephaltus,” Thelee said. “He’s the Tourney Master.”
“Good.” Asleth turned back to his work. “I will finish my task here. Thank you and pleasant journey to you.”
Thelee recognized his polite way of saying go away. She backed up into the shed and used the orb to return to the Earth Chamber. She put the orb away, and when she returned to the chamber, Ephaltus was there.
“Well, how did your first time alone go?”
“You could have warned me on what you were about to do!”
“Sometimes it is better to learn to swim by being thrust into the water.”
“And sometimes you drown!”
“Did you drown?”
Thelee frowned. “No, I met the Grey Mage. He said to enter his name on the roster.”
“There, you see. You did fine without me.”
“He is a strange fellow. I think he might be half-elf. He is also a minor seer.”
“He is called the protector,” Ephaltus said. “His limited foresight often draws the others to him. In the tournament, he can see things coming, so those near him feel safe, even protected. That is, until he is one of the final mages. Then his sight becomes dangerous.”
“How did you get back?” Thelee asked.
“I used an orb, of course. I wasn’t about to send you away without a backup for myself.”
“There’s more than one grey orb?”
“No, Apprentice. There is a Tourney Master orb. It doesn’t send you to each mage, though, but it is attuned to the Earth Chamber. It will always bring you home.”
Chapter 12: Nightmares
“Good gods! What is this?” the warden said upon entering the master bedroom. He grabbed Hana by the arm and pulled her from her knees. “What has happened here?”
How was she to explain that Sarren turned Lord Immoran into a blood feeder? “I wasn’t here.”
“What? Speak up!”
“Lord Sarren drugged me last night and killed them. I woke up just now to find this.” She tried to pull away, but the warden held her fast. “The children, I have to find the children!”
“You say Lord Sarren did this?”
“Yes, I ran into him in the woods last night, and he drugged me and I just woke up here.”
“You’re mistaken. Lord Sarren and I were up most of the night making plans. He is on his way here now.”
“What? I have to go. I have to find the children.”
The warden escorted her into the parlor. “Let us do our job. I will send men to look for the children. If they left a trail behind, we will discover it. We need to be calm and discuss what happened here.”
“No, I need to go before Lord Sarren gets here.”
“You’re not going anywhere. You are the only soul in a house of murder.”
Lord Sarren walked into the foyer and turned into the parlor. His brow was furrowed, but his lips contained a slight grin. “So, the boy was right. There was cause for us to come here at once.”
“In the master bedroom,” the warden told him.
Sarren went to the scene of the crime and returned shortly. “I have you now! Arrest her, Warden.”
The warden ignored him and turned to Hana. “Where is it that you come from, Hana, and tell the truth this time.”
“I told you, I come from across the river, from the village of Eil.”
The warden looked at her with disbelief in his eyes. “I talked to both Lord Immoran and Mistress Moira about you, and some of your behavior is suspect.” He got Lord Sarren’s attention. “Is the boy with you?”
“Aye, I told him to wait outside.”
“Go to him and have him fetch the inspector and the other wardens. They need to investigate while the crime is fresh.” Lord Sarren left the room.
“Now, Hana, Mistress Moira told me you were shopping with her and an elvish gentleman was trying to get directions or something to that effect. Mistress Moira couldn’t help him or even understand him, but as soon as you thought she was out of earshot, you conversed with him in flawless High Elven. Is what she told me true? Do you speak High Elven?”
Hana nodded. “I grew up with an elf from Adendalind. It isn’t uncommon for folks of Vestia to learn the language. The two kingdoms share a border.”
“It is for the lower classes, of which you claim to be a member.”
Lord Sarren returned. “The boy is on his way.”
“Mistress Moira also said you cured a fever last winter. She said the healers could not find a cure,” the warden said.
“I used a simple white willow bark tea. The tea relieves pain and reduces fever. I was surprised the healers didn’t know about it. It is quite a common practice in Eil.”
“You lie! Let me take her to the cells, Warden,” Sarren said.
“Ask Lord Sarren about the blood feeders. He is one, or at least, he is their leader. He turned a bunch of poor folk from an alley in one of the cities of Ag Caderan. I can’t remember which. I befriended one of them. I can find her, and she will tell you.”
Lord Sarren chuckled. “She is delusional. Blood feeders?”
“You also cured the youngest Sephera child of a wheezing cough. Is that true?”
“Yes, it was by the inhalation of a plant used by any mother or even by a child with the breathing sickness. It is completely common. These are all just home remedies of my people. The poor folk can’t afford healers, so we have to come up with remedies on our own. It isn’t unusual.”
“But these are remedies unknown to our trained healers, child. Surely you understand that you should not be able to do what they cannot.”
“I didn’t know that they couldn’t. I didn’t wait to see what they would or could do. I saw an opportunity to help and I did. They’re not worth much if they are ignorant of such easy, common methods!”
“You are being jaunty.”
“And you are being ridiculous. I didn’t do any of this. You are wasting time when you should be searching for the children.”
“You are the only person here. A peasant boy passing by this morning heard screaming, and he ventured a look into the windows. He reported a young girl screaming she was going to kill everyone and an older woman pleading for her life. He was so frightened, he ran straight for my office.”
“Oh no! Thessa! The girl must have been her.”
“Who’s Thessa?” the warden asked.
“The girl I befriended. She must have been involved in this at Lord Sarren’s bidding.” She tried to lash out at Sarren, but the warden kept her seated.
