Battle Mage: The Lost King (Tales of Alus) (35 page)

“Hmm, well you didn’t exactly knock did you? That was kind of rude. People just don’t seem to have any manners anymore,” the wizard finished with a frown.

“My apologies,” Romonus quickly capitulated. “We did not realize that anyone still lived here. Now that you mention it, I hope that our friends from yesterday didn’t cause too much trouble for you with their visit.”

Again that look crept into the wizard’s eyes. Ashleen crouched as she neared the top of the stairs to avoid being seen from the closest room. She couldn’t see anyone else on the far side, so if there was someone hiding nearby casting the illusion he would have to be on the other side nearest the air wizard.

Though the wizard thought that she saw fear in his eyes, Maldus look changed to that of a pouty child, “Well, they were rude to the neighbors below and look at this place. It is a shambles, though I suppose it wasn’t very clean when they arrived. Still, a guest should know his place. There is no reason for getting so worked up. Perhaps the boy was claustrophobic, but he didn’t have to be so rough with the place.

“Well, after all those questions he didn’t even ask about the cellar,” the wizard finished crossing his arms with a nod of disappointment.

“Cellar?” the lord asked curiously. Ashleen could sense the lord getting greedy. She didn’t know if it was the chance to find treasure or just a chance to discover something that Sebastian had missed.

Pointing to the second door on the wall that held Ashleen’s staircase, the wizard said, “Through that door. He broke the seal, but forgot to go in. It was his loss, but perhaps your gain if you are interested.”

Romonus impetuously strode towards the door and threw it open. A second door on the far wall was the only thing in a closet size room. Pulling Wendle with him, the lord had the apprentice open the room. Light magically turned on from sconces set along the wall of a curving staircase. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, the lord urged the younger man through the doorway and quickly followed.

“My lord, please,” Deiclonus started worriedly, but followed his lord through the doorway.

His curiosity piqued, Dorgred urged Hyren and Fedwin to follow. Both wizard shook their heads though they followed him into the closet room at the head of the stairs. Fedwin said quietly to his friend, “I will remain here. I do not trust this Maldus fellow. Keep an eye on the lord and we will make sure that the way remains open for you, my friend.”

Nodding his head, Dorgred grinned at the idea of an adventure and potential discovery of treasure. Hurrying after the other three, the fire wizard marveled at the magical sconces as he moved down the stairs. The other two wizards remained hidden from the wizard’s sight on the balcony. If he was planning something fishy, they would surprise him with not being where he thought.

Ashleen looked on the whole thing in shock and fear. Fear, that was the look in the wizard’s eyes, but now as she checked on Maldus the girl saw something more smug and confident. A cry from the stair
room brought her eyes to the sight unseen. A sound of a fire spell striking something preceded Fedwin and Hyren’s return.

“Release the barrier spell, wizard,” Hyren demanded looking like some regal knight addressing a villain in one of her children’s books with his golden hair and goatee. His hands were even on his hips which would have made Ashleen laugh if not for the current situation. The wizard had sprung a trap after all.

    “Oops,” Maldus said spreading his hands as his robes turned red laced with black. “I guess that your friend missed that one. I haven’t been to the cellar in over a century. Maybe the barrier never triggered before because no one has been there?”

Fedwin cast a warning fireball at the wizard’s head. The purple glass barrier suddenly rippled to life blocking the flame. It was then that Ashleen realized that Maldus had been casting his illusion against the glass like barrier. In fact, it was like he was using a mirror.

Unruffled, Hyren said again, “Release your barrier or we will come and find you to make you remove it.”

Appearing equally unaffected, Maldus shrugged and replied, “Oh, that isn’t my barrier. The emperor’s warlocks set this curse to hold me here and anyone who dared enter. Your friend was able to defeat these barriers more than one way, however, if you are half as smart I suppose that you will create even more damage to my home.” He looked around sadly, before giving a sudden smile and adding, “Well, good luck. You don’t seem half as smart as that one, but maybe you’ll get lucky.”

The illusion disappeared leaving the men below looking for where the wizard had gone. Ashleen stood and hurried up the last of the stairs and spied the dried out husk of a man. Thin and looking ancient, Maldus’s true self was a mere shadow of what he pretended to be.

“Tell me how Sebastian released the barrier now, Maldus, or you will see my wrath,” she nearly cringed at the drama of her words, but they were close enough and lightning crackling about her form added to the intimidating appearance of the petite wizard.

Like death looking at her, the wizard eyed the wilder as if ready to eat her instead. “My you are a pretty one. His little healer was pretty and that fire wizard, but you are remarkable, little one. Such pretty hair, and that face has so much youth in it still. Maybe you will stay with me for awhile also?”

“Not likely, old man,” she retorted still trying to give an air of danger to her. If her crackling lightning didn’t gather a little respect, then certainly her petite figure had no possibility. “Now tell me how to release them from the barrier.”

Looking bemused, the wizard listed what he had seen on his fingers one at a time, “First, you can cloak yourself with the cursed bones of the undead men that the battle mage crushed beneath his feet. If their curse has lifted, then their touch won’t in turn curse you. Second, he had some ring, but wait that was only strong enough to get him stuck in the barrier. Third, he joined with the healer to shine light on the barrier so bright and strong that it shattered. If you have a healer half as good as that one, perhaps you can risk either one to save the others.

“Now that I have answered your questions, maybe you could come closer and let me see just how soft and young you are?”

Feeling sick to her stomach, Ashleen recoiled as lightning moved to protect the wilder. She had never been able to fully contain her self defense mechanism. The lightning leaped from her in three bolts that caught Maldus fully throwing the ancient wizard back against the far wall.

Boot steps running up the stone stairs preceded Themenor and the others coming to her aid. To Ashleen’s surprise, Maldus was already staggering to his feet. Such a concentration of her lightning magic had killed the emperor’s werewolves, but the dried up wizard had already shrugged it off.

“That wasn’t very nice,” the ancient one stated looking a little uncertain. “If the emperor’s men hadn’t cursed me as well, that spell might have killed me.” His eyes flashed angrily and started to cast his own spell in retaliation. In a blink, more lightning drove him back and a split second later Themenor’s wind blades swept in cutting his arms from his body. Fire from Fedwin struck rotted robes leaving smoking trails in decayed, cursed fabric. Hyren and Zenfar had an aura of suppressed magic letting the decayed wizard know that there was more to come should he resist.

“My arms!” he complained. There was no blood coming from the wounds. It was like all the blood had dried in the ancient wizard’s body long ago. He was simply a dead man that hadn’t realized it yet.

Themenor glared at Maldus and threatened, “Sit still or the next blades remove your legs and head. Maybe without a body, you will learn to shut up.”

“Shut up? Everyone asks Maldus questions and now I am to shut up? Why must everything be so complicated?” the mad wizard asked looking satisfied to remain where he was now that he had literally been disarmed and outnumbered.

“Did he say how to break the barrier?” Themenor asked quickly.

“He said that Bas wrapped himself in the dust from the bones of the dead in the hall. He also said that Sebastian and Yara combined their power to use the spell of light. It must be the one that he learned from the Gray Hall wizards. Have you learned the spell?”

The air wizard shook his head. “After Lord Romonus talked me into coming to Kardor for a visit, I was busy getting ready for the longer trip. I’m not sure any of us can do it? How about you three? You’ve known him longer, even if you are from Kardor. Did he teach you?”

Shaking her head, Ashleen had to admit, “He was nice enough to try coaching me briefly, but my lightning doesn’t transcend to the sun spell. Deiclonus might know it, but he said that it took two of them
uniting to make it work. That means if one of the others with Deiclonus can help it should work, but would Dorgred be able to use it?”

Groaning Themenor shook his head wearily. “I’m not sure, but a fire wizard might know something that will help. Fedwin is here as well. Maybe between the three of them...”

Chuckling from where he sat Maldus spoke as their eyes looked on him warningly, “You may want to hurry. I can feel the emperor’s pull on me. He is sending his warlocks to investigate. I can tell.” An unrestrained cackle broke into a hacking cough as the armless man continued to prove that his mind was addled.

Ashleen pulled the men with her saying, “If he’s right, then we had better hurry and figure this out.”

Shrugging at the idea, Hyren asked, “How can the emperor send his men so quickly that we would need to fear? His empire is thousands of miles away, and land locked as well. This is insane. He’s insane.”

“He’s been truthful for the most part. He may not even have realized that the trap was there,” Ashleen replied descending the steps quickly. “I think that we need to hurry before we find out if he’s telling the truth again.”

Chapter 23- Wizard Catcher

The stone arch rose up for over fifty feet into the air, yet it didn’t make it into the dark of the cavern’s heights. Lake End, as the indoor lake was called, covered the back third of the cave holding Ensolus. It was an odd place to see three warships, Palose thought. Black sails furled and waiting for a wind that could only take them from one end of the lake and back, if not for the mysterious stone archway. Standing in the water only fifty feet from the eastern wall, the arch stood as more than a symbol to the men and beasts serving the emperor. Runes laced each stone making up the archway. Two wide stone bases extended to either side of the arch and held a stone table beside each. A little trough reached from the tables to the thick stone base of the arch.

Palose stood with Atrouseon on one platform uniting their magic with ten others on their side. A matching dozen stood doing the same on the far base, but Palose wasn’t watching them. The very young woman screaming and pulling at the men binding her to the table knew what was coming.

Most likely a virgin, the dark haired woman was laid on the table bare and chained in place. Tired of her screaming, the thirteenth wizard in charge of their circle, placed a spell upon her putting her into a daze. The screaming stopped as a softer, quieter moaning took over. She needed to be awake, but the spell didn’t require her to be in her right mind. Across the way a second sacrifice was placed on the opposing table or altar more accurately.

Magic seemed to hum as the twenty four warlocks and mage brought their part of the spell to fruition. The thirteenth warlock and his counterpart plunged daggers gleaming with runes on the blades just for this ritual into their victims. New screams of pain rose into the air. This time they wouldn’t be silenced. The spirits required blood and screams announced the pain of the sacrifice.

As the blood pooled, it quickly followed the trough as if the stones drank the liquid. The blood met the stones and the runes began to light from the base lifting quickly to the point in the heights. A louder buzzing filled the air over the sounds of warlocks and screaming women. A light began near the center of the archway in midair.

The black ships began to move forward as orcs and trolls pulled at their oars. It was a slow movement while the archway continued to build its power. The crack of a thousand whips heralded the
opening of the portal. From lake to sea, the distance had become as nothing to the portal and the ships increased their speed.

When the prow of the first ship entered the light, it simply pushed through disappearing into the glowing archway. In seconds the entire ship passed through the light and was gone from sight. One after the other, the emperor’s warships moved through the archway and disappeared into the light.

With the ritual over, the warlocks released their power. Their job done, the men went away leaving Palose to wonder where the ships were now. He had been told that someone was interfering with the emperor’s lands far away. They were lands that he had never known existed nor had he known of the emperor’s reach beyond his little empire in the mountains.

Palose didn’t follow Atrouseon back to the suite they shared. He tried to rarely be near the warlock. The man was a remembrance to what he was and what he once had been. While his mind was constantly told to follow and serve his master and his master’s master, the mage’s dead heart seemed to tell him something else.

Finding his way to a building that he knew was the destination for the sacrifices, Palose intercepted the orc in charge of the clean up.