Battle Mage Visions (A Tale of Alus Book 12) (45 page)

"When I warned him that I had heard talk that they were going to give up and probably kill him, he didn't panic. He acted more like it was no more significant than a morning bell telling him to rise for the day.

"Of course, whatever it was that he planned obviously worked. No one followed him from the torturers' room. He didn't tell me what happened there, but when I found him he was carrying a strange black sword and he had broken the control collar around his neck by himself."

"That collar that was still around his neck, you mean?" Serrena asked forgetting her feelings for the pretty redhead in surprise. They had noticed the broken collar, but no one had done anything to remove it until after they returned from New Harbor.

"It is something from before the Cataclysm that robs a wizard or mage of their magic. It is sort of like the ones designed to reduce an initiates' strength to help them gain control, but this robs them of all of their magic not just reducing it."

"Isn't cutting a wizard off from their magic dangerous?" the fire wizard asked thinking to her days as an initiate. She wasn't a wilder, even if some called her a hot head. Her magic had never gone out of control, even if Serrena was pushed to anger.

"No one's died from their use as far as I know," she replied with a shrug.

"There are more of those collars?!"

Nodding, Zeria stated, "There were a lot of wizards in that dungeon wearing them already."

Elzen looked unusually sober for the generally joking boyish falcon. "They turned on their people like that?"

"They locked up anyone who seemed like trouble. Torture and diplomacy magic is being used to make them serve without their own will," Zeria said shivering with the thought more than the cold.

Silence reined over the three for a time before Serrena sighed, "Do you need a jacket? I have a spare. It's red if you can live with it."

Giving the fire wizard a warm smile, Zeria replied, "I would appreciate it, but I am warm enough inside at the moment."

The pretty red head made a bit of a disgusted face and lifted her right foot to her knee. Not the most ladylike position in a dress or wizard's robes, but it allowed Zeria to pull off her short boot. Rubbing skin starting to wrinkle from the wet, she quickly pulled off the other before pulling her feet onto the chair beneath her under the folds of her robe.

"Sorry, I probably need boots as desperately as I do other winter gear. I've never served this far north, not that I had time to pack anything anyway."

Elzen took the woman's boots to place them before the fire and went to talk with Hilda a moment. When he returned, the mage said, "If you can live for an evening without them, Madame Hilda said that there are shoe sellers that keep various sizes in stock nearby. We can probably find you something in the morning."

Smiling at the mage, Zeria answered, "With new friends like you and Serrena, I think I can make it."

Sebastian felt exhausted as he went down the hall carrying some clean clothes. A bag from Red Hall had already been retrieved by Ashleen in the hopes that he would return. Clothing that was best hung remained hung neatly and those needing folding were equally pristine. The mage almost thought that his wardrobe looked better than he had left it.

It was likely that Ashleen had straightened them in the need to still feel a part of him with her. She was a bit quiet upon their return. Her hands had held his, however, and the grip was tight as if he might try to disappear once again.

She moved to run the water filling the tub by the time Sebastian shuffled down the hall to the baths.

"Thank you, Ashleen, I can't wait to relax in a warm bath after all that time in the dungeon," he said releasing a breath in a sigh of expectation. Steam rose in the cool air letting the mage know that it should ease some of the ache from his bones with its warmth.

It was a somewhat assumed dismissal from the mage. Ashleen stepped towards the door and surprised him by locking it instead of leaving him to soak by himself.

"What are you doing?" he asked more amused than truly confused.

The girl took his clothing from his hands and placed it on a shelf designed for such things. There were towels on other shelves kept clean and neatly folded for the guests. While not as exclusive as some inns within the inner circle of the city, the Black Smith did have indoor plumbing with heated water that could be drawn to any bath where there were pipes. It was civilized though not completely convenient when there were too many guests of a same mind.

Moving closer to Sebastian, Ashleen started helping him remove the tunic. A partially healed set of ribs caused him pain as he lifted his arms for her help. His grunt made her let go with a small gasp.

"I'm sorry. You're still injured!" the girl said sounding upset.

Finishing removing the tunic, Sebastian heard her gasp again at the sight of all the bruising and new scars left behind by torturers and healers in turn. Kept from dying, he had been left the pain intentionally. Every movement seemed have some pain left to remind him of their care.

"I'll be all right after a visit to the healer's hall," he said with a gentle smile for the pretty blonde who had recoiled back to the door in her fear of hurting him further.

"Maybe we should go right now. I can't imagine how much pain you must still be in, if your skin still looks that black and blue, Sebastian," she offered still looking unsure if she should touch him.

"I can wait. It isn't as bad as it actually looks," he lied seeing the same discoloration and knowing that most were still quite painful when he moved the wrong way. Of course, there were few right ways to move at the moment, so it became that much harder and painful.

"I knew that you would be too tired to dance tonight and probably turn in right away, but this looks very bad."

Sitting to pull off his boots first made him grunt in pain before letting the foot fall to the floor without succeeding in the attempt.

Her eyes narrowed and Ashleen said, "You can barely move at all. If you aren't going to let me take you to a healer, then I guess I will have to try it myself."

Sighing at the mage, the blonde haired wizard turned abruptly sending a spray of golden hair in her wake. She unlocked the door disappearing down the hall without bothering to close the door behind her.

Sebastian wanted to get up and close the door, but felt the exhaustion brought on by the last couple weeks. Another couple left their room to look at the open door and the steam exiting into the hall. The mage could only wave as they disappeared down the stairs.

He supposed that he should feel annoyed that they didn't ask if the man sitting on the tub's edge was in trouble or some form of need, but then again Sebastian appreciated not having to try to explain. Luckily, it wasn't long before Ashleen returned with a plate of food and a pitcher of drink. He couldn't tell what was in the pitcher, but guessed that it was more than just water.

Before he could open his mouth to try and tell her that what she was doing wasn't necessary, Ashleen locked the door after setting the food down on the remaining space on the shelf. The girl knelt on the floor to pull his boots free.

"These don't even fit right," she stated taking the second boot as Sebastian held on trying not to flip into the tub.

"I didn't have a lot of choices in the matter when I tried to leave," he said in a dead pan voice wanting to roll his eyes, but Ashleen wasn't looking at his face anyway.

"What did you have to do to escape?" she asked. "This wizard helped you?"

"Not in the final escape, but Zeria did what she could to protect me even so."

Ashleen helped him stand before helping him off with his pants. Feeling an invalid, he knew that there had been other times when the girl had pulled his pants off when they were readying for bed and she grew impatient. That had been foreplay, but the mage felt useless and quickly realized how bad his injuries still were.

Helping him into the water so he didn't fall hurting himself even more, Ashleen stood back to untie the belt holding her robes closed. A Kardorian style robe, Sebastian had never figured out if what she wore was typical of female wizards from her country or they were something more unique to the wilder. She was the daughter of a nobleman, a very notable one he had learned, and he had treated his daughter well, even after Ashleen had been forced to leave to train under a master wizard.

There was no stigma or bad feelings between them; and Sebastian had a feeling that Ashleen could still return to her family and assume the family line, if it became necessary in the future.

Her underclothing came off next to be folded neatly and laid upon her robes on one of the remaining shelves. They were crowded now, since few patrons used the tubs in tandem or brought food into the fair size cubicle.

Ashleen poured some of the drink from the pitcher into a cup and passed it to Sebastian. Enjoying his view of the naked woman as she tended to him, the mage took his drink before she moved to pour one of her own. The wilder drank a full cup before eating cheese between crackers. She offered him the food as well before slipping into the tub.

Kneeling in the water, Ashleen leaned forward placing her hands on the tub's edge to move close enough to kiss him on the lips. Sebastian placed his hands on her hips feeling the soft skin and knew that his time away had made him appreciate her even more than he had before. He had thought that had been all he could, since he had fully loved Ashleen; but she had been a source of his hope and drive to survive all the torture they could think of to give.

"Ah, ah, there'll be more time for that later," she breathed on him as the girl pulled back to sit back on his legs so lightly that it was more of a touch.

Ashleen moved to slide in next to him. It was a tight fit even though the girl lay against his side on her hip and partially rested on his chest. Managing to avoid any of the cracked ribs in the process, the woman let him put his arm around her even while her right leg slid over his. Placing her right hand in the center of his chest, the wilder closed her eyes and said, "Heal."

He could feel the cool touch of her mind entering his body, but Ashleen wasn't a strong healer. Her magic was best at destruction and only long hours of practice with Sebastian had given her any ability at all to heal.

"Heal," the mage said closing his eyes as he linked his magic with hers.

Ashleen let out a breath as she shivered feeling his mind enter her. It was something he had discovered with his first love, a healer. Their minds created a loop of sensations as they could feel each other and their bodies at the same time. Truly feeling like they were one, it was a sensation beyond anything she had ever felt.

Her mind felt the broken ribs and she tried to knit them while also attempting to block any pain involved. Sebastian guided her magic with his own. While a wizard or mage couldn't actually perform healing on their bodies, it was possible to help Ashleen in a way most healers would have trouble using. Finding someone to trust that could also heal would make such a thing rare, but it helped them now.

Her strength was greater than his, though his rune wells had bridged the gap slightly. It was a deceptive increase that required time to refill, so it wasn't a true boost the way most wizards would acknowledge.

Still tired, he let Ashleen's magic do most of the work. They found and fixed all of his ribs. Most were at least cracked. Other bones had been partially healed as well making even the mage wonder how he had managed to block out the injuries long enough to escape his jailors. He had barely noticed any pain during the fighting as adrenaline took over blocking it from his mind. Maybe there was also another rune capable of blocking pain that he had yet to discover, the owl thought in the back of his mind.

Once the fighting had concluded, however, it had hit him like a big wave.

In comparison, her healing magic moved through him like a healing river washing away the pain as they healed. It took awhile, but they finished and Ashleen cut the connection sighing as she drifted off exhaustedly next to him.

Sebastian felt tired as well, but quickly washed beside the girl as best he could. He woke her as he started to get out of the tub. His arm remained beneath Ashleen and she awoke to rub her eyes.

Looking at him, the girl said with tears starting to spill onto her cheeks, "You are here. I was beginning to think that it was a dream."

"I'm back and I feel better again thanks to you."

The mage stepped out of the tub dripping onto the floor as he helped her to stand. Nearly his height with the tub beneath her feet, Ashleen couldn't resist putting her arms around his neck to kiss him long and hard once more.

"I missed you," she breathed before he lifted her free of the tub to put her feet on the floor.

"You have no idea how much I missed you too," Sebastian replied handing her a towel to dry off as he took one as well.

Chapter 24- Bells and Signs

A golden doorway opened in a back alley near an abandoned warehouse letting a young couple step through into the sunlight. Sea birds could be heard as well as the sounds of waves not too far away near the docks. Bells of buoys rang in the harbor as Palose listened for danger before his vision completely adjusted to the change in venues.

"New Harbor?" Sylvaine asked noting the building before them and identifying the place without his telling her. "So are you going to look for these Visionaries here without telling Dorgred or are we just here for fun?"

The last words sounded a bit sarcastic on her tongue and the dark mage glanced to the girl a bit perplexed at her subtle tone. "Is there something wrong with New Harbor?"

"It seems like every time we are here something bad happens," the dark haired apprentice said with a sigh.

He looked at the pretty girl with her light weight, red blouse and dark brown skirt that fluttered with the sea breeze. No one would recognize her as a warlock from her outfit and Palose wore a simple green shirt with his brown pants that nearly matched her skirt color. They were dressed like a normal couple from Southwall. Their clothes had been bought in Cadmera, but they would still be rather common looking in the city by the sea.

"I don't know. We've had some nice trips here too," Palose commented thinking of some visits here with the girl, but he knew what she meant. Most of the time, the dark mage had ferried men from Ensolus to continue to stir up the population against King Alain and his reign. It was business too often and he couldn't take Sylvaine then.

The emperor and his sister didn't know about his circle of resurrection men and women as far as he knew. The circle might actually not be in danger if Kolban knew. He might consider them an interesting experiment, just like Palose assumed the emperor thought of him; but if Acheri learned of the girl her jealous nature might be dangerous for Sylvaine.

Of course, Palose had also had a run in with Sebastian and his wizards here. That had been a surprise. The thought made him frown slightly as the dark mage remembered a fight that hadn't gone his way though he had assumed that he would be more powerful than Sebastian by now. His rival continued to evolve and grow stronger. Well, perhaps not truly stronger, since Palose had seen the mage's aura. He hadn't looked more powerful, yet the mizard had put up a fight using spells that rivaled any wizard or warlock.

Guessing that Sebastian somehow knew how to squeeze more out of his core magic than he should, Palose had to give his rival the credit he was due. He had yet to feel like he had defeated the man in any rematch and they had had a few.

"Well, I guess that this is still business also," the mage mused. "We should try to find one of these Visionaries as they used to call them, though if they knew we were looking for them, would they make it easier for us to find them or harder? They can see the future, so why wouldn't they expect us to come searching for them, right?"

Her violet eyes looked at him as if Palose had thrown some nonsensical riddle at her. "If they can see the future and we are supposed to meet, they could choose to make it so. If we aren't, but they've foreseen us looking, I guess that they could make sure that we never do; but I have to say that kind of logic begins to hurt my head trying to think around it."

Chuckling at her point, the young man nodded. "True, we could debate the philosophy of knowing the future, destiny and fate without ever getting anywhere. If they still exist, only they could tell us, I suppose."

As the two walked out of the alleyway, foot traffic began to build and Palose noted other bells besides the buoys. They sounded a little frantic and he didn't know what the alarms signaled.

"I think we'd better check with the locals to see what is going on here," he said to the girl holding his hand. Her grip was tight both from not wanting to let him go as well as perhaps a bit of fear from being in the strange city. There were probably more people in Ensolus, but most of the non-human creatures stuck to their side of the city and the rest were often holed up avoiding the cold, especially during the winter.

Palose led Sylvaine to a different building a couple blocks away. The more he visited, the more the dark mage noticed the age of the city and a certain tarnish to New Harbor. It was supposed to be a rich city and there certainly were massive homes and buildings. Many warehouses and business were wealthy looking, kept up, and busy; but there was also a surprising amount of abandoned buildings to go with those remaining in use. There was a growing distance between the rich and those struggling to keep their heads above water. Nobles and wealthy owners hated giving King Alain his taxes making them surprisingly prone to the rebellious nature of the emperor's words. Those without wealth heard those words equally ready for a change, though it would be the same nobles above them most likely if Count Terris got his way.

A man noticed him coming and gave him a nod before looking at the girl distrustfully.

"Good afternoon, sir," the guard greeted him trying to appear like he didn't know the mage; but Palose was good at remembering faces. This man was from Ensolus and had been brought here by the dark mage like nearly every one of the men from the emperor's city.

"Good afternoon. Are the masters in? I've noticed a surprising amount of excitement in the city today."

The last was an indirect question, but the first two were part of the greeting letting the members of the cell know their friends from possible enemies.

"The masters are out actually," the guard stated glancing in the direction of the count's castle a moment.

That was a surprise to his answer. Palose had expected one of the warlocks leading these men to be available at the very least. Of course, he was here by chance and with no set appointment. They had business of their own, but usually at least one would remain near their headquarters to help keep the men on the same page.

"Any idea what is going on?"

Shaking his head the man replied, "I'm not sure. The bells started a little while ago from the count's castle. I've heard that soldiers and wizards are running around looking for someone, an escaped prisoner maybe?"

Palose had received news of part of the cell being captured by Sebastian and other men sent by Hala. Count Terris and his loyal nobles hadn't kept them long. They had talked with the masters and let their minds be swayed towards rebellion like the common people listening to them in the streets. The masters had been released to continue promoting revolution and throwing off the control of the king.

"Did the masters have anyone there?"

Looking uncomfortable talking of things best left clandestine, the guard nudged open the door behind him.

"Maybe you should ask, Urlic, he might be able to answer things that a simple guard wouldn't know," he said urging the couple inside.

Palose led Sylvaine past the guard into the warehouse where a surprising number had already gathered.

The group of faces turned to the door watching them enter looking a little worried.

"Dark mage, why are you here?" a man asked hurrying towards them. Pretty certain of his identity, even if Palose found the title given a bit distasteful, he moved through those assembled feeling Sylvaine press closer. Some of the faces peering at them appeared to have had hard lives which had made them peer at the new arrivals with distrust.

"I was on a different assignment, but noticed all the warning bells and was trying to find out if there was something to be concerned about here."

It wouldn't be his problem to solve necessarily, but Palose preferred knowing what he was facing. If the city had decided to turn against them, then he might need to alert the emperor. That would gain him favor, though perhaps bringing someone else to be the messenger might be best. It was always best to not be the one bringing bad news.

"Where are the masters? Shouldn't they be leading you now?"

The man he recognized as Urlic, since Palose had made sure to get to know them by face and name should he need to make contact with them individually to avoid being caught off guard, appeared uncertain as he answered. "The masters were called in to help break a prisoner's will to convert him to the cause. They've been talking about it quite a bit actually. I guess they are enjoying it unusually much since he was apparently the man who took them down, you know the one who managed to infiltrate the recruiters to capture them."

"Sebastian is here?" Palose said with eyes wide in shock. The mizard had been captured and made a prisoner here in turn. His prisoners were now the ones in charge of his torture as well. That was a strange turn of events, but the idea also made him sigh.

"Are the masters in the castle now?"

"They went earlier to work him over. For some reason, this man has been unusually resistant to mind magic. Even with three of them trying to break him, he has been resisting them. At least, they get to keep making him hurt. Master Wiler in particular has seemed happy enough to let him resist, if it means that he gets to keep torturing him," the lieutenant answered in an overly talkative, nervous way.

Palose hated men like that; one's who couldn't stop talking and often revealed things that they shouldn't. Even as a cadet, he had believed keeping one's mouth closed more often made him look more intelligent. If he didn't know an answer, Palose would work to solve it himself or keep his fact finding to the teachers of White Hall rather than discussing it with his peers.

"Do you have anyone else that can be sent to the castle to check on them?"

Urlic looked surprised by the question. "You think that something happened to the masters?"

"When it comes to Sebastian, I don't ignore the signs. He seems capable of escaping even the direst circumstances. Ducking death is like something given him by magic as if a spell had been put on him," Palose replied with a frown.

"I'll send someone," the lieutenant answered with a nod. "What will you do?"

Removing a stone similar to the one given Dorgred for communication in a primitive way across vast distances, Palose said, "If they are in trouble or something has happened to them, you can break the stones letting me know to come back here. Meanwhile, I told you that I have my own business here."

Leading Sylvaine back out of the headquarters for the dissidents, Palose turned onto a street which would lead to the markets.

"You think that your Sebastian has caused this confusion in the city?" Sylvaine asked with a bit of worry.

"It wouldn't surprise me."

"But surely they did their best to contain his magic and keep him in chains?"

"With the mizard involved, I can believe almost anything. He always seems able to bring new surprises. If it doesn't have anything to do with him, however, then it is a waste to involve ourselves further.

"I'd rather spend time with you in the beautiful weather in the markets than concern myself with something other than Sebastian," the man said with a smile to the curly haired beauty.

Sylvaine was less ready to drop the matter and said, "You know his aura. Can't you try and track him?"

Stepping into the next alley, Palose thought on her question and said, "Fine, keep watch then."

Using a spell learned in the library of Ensolus, the dark mage cast a spell to reveal any sign of Sebastian's magic. He knew the man's magic well, too well for his taste.

Like dust released into the air from his fingers, sparkles spread out disappearing from sight before anyone could see the spell. His eyes were closed and the dark mage looked in the direction of the count's castle to start. Frowning at the first sign of Sebastian, Palose noted a strange masking of the mage's magic. The strongest source he could find didn't feel like the mizard at all. It did and didn't seem like the mage. It felt like a hollow, emptied out shell; but there was also a burst of Sebastian's magic that felt as wrong as the weakened, empty marks.

The burst felt stronger than the mage should feel. Like Sebastian had grown in strength, the power also felt raw, overcharged with magic. It was like a wilder had released a spell in a confused fit. They were often unable to control their magic and emotions would leave the feeling of uncontrolled power.

Turning his head, scanning the south; Palose felt the connecting piece of magic and realized that he had made a portal to escape. He continued to make a full rotation looking for more, but other than a signal of much older magic there was nothing else nearby.

"It's Sebastian," the dark mage said with a sigh as he opened his eyes to look into her violet eyes. Their color drew him in as did her beautiful face, even as she looked troubled by the news.

"Is he still here?"

"No, I am pretty sure that he broke whatever bonds they put on him. His magic feels all over the place though. I sense a weak version of his power under the castle and a strangely powerful surge as well. The burst of power is echoed a few blocks away from the castle."

Sylvaine thought on the idea, even as the couple held hands once again and followed the path towards one of the city markets. Palm readers and fortune tellers were common enough, though most saw them just as entertainment. He knew people that believed some truly had the gift though and couldn't say whether he agreed or not having avoided using them in the past.