Broken Mage

This book is dedicated to
the men and women of the 1120
^th
asp. Team

U.S. Army

Remember it is the soldier who gives us
the freedom of speech not the writer.

Broken Mage

By D.W. Jackson

Copyright © D.W. Jackson Smashwords
edition

Names, characters, and incidents are
products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual event, organizations, or persons, is entirely
coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

All rights reserved. No part of this
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CHAPTER I

Thad hunched over his small dinner. It
was his first taste of meat since the princess had sent some dried
jerky through the sending box. He wasn’t sure what kind of animal
it was and didn’t want to think about it too much, but he had seen
them many times in the caves. It looked like a mix between a mouse
and a rabbit with short gray fur, long ears, and a thin skinny tail
spotted with hair.

By his reckoning he had been wandering
in the caves for around twenty days based on the number of times he
had been able to use the sending box. Thanks to the princess
sending small amounts of food and water through the sending box
whenever she could he was still alive.

The first few days he had tried to find
an exit close to where he had entered, but the cave-in had cut off
all the upper tunnels, forcing him to search in the deeper levels.
It had been an effort of trial and error. He had spent more time
backtracking than he could measure as most of the tunnels led to
dead ends. More than once he was sure he had taken the same tunnel
multiple times.

Thad had been following his current
path for what he believed was about two days. It had a few
offshoots from what he considered the central corridor, but he
passed them without a second glance, hoping the one he was on would
lead him to either an exit or someplace with food.

He had to move slowly and rest often,
having to relying heavily on his magic to walk since the Ablaians
had cut off his right foot. His magic had also saved his life on
numerous occasions, sometimes it was as simple as casting a light
so he could see where he walked, but every few days he would come
across one of the denizens of the deep tunnels.

He had fought and killed many
terrifying creatures only heard about in stories, stories he had
always believed were only made up to scare children and entertain
audiences. Goblins were the most common so far, vicious and fierce
little creatures, no more than three feet high with skin that
looked light gray under his magical light. The majority of which
carried crude weapons made of stone held in their bulbous and
deformed hands.

So far only two of the groups he had
met had engaged him and he learned that despite their size they
could do a great deal of damage. They melded with the darkness as
if they were born of it, popping out and attacking with speed and
precision in an animalistic fashion.

The best weapon in the darkness was not
his sword but, the light of his staff, illuminating all around him
when invoked. The creatures of the dark despised the light and
would quickly scurry from his path to escape the painful radiance.
The ones who didn’t run were slowed, almost stunned by the light,
and quickly fell to his sword. It wasn’t pleasant or honorable
work, but an easy kill was still an easy kill, and Thad was driven
only by his desire to live.

The only creature that had forced him
to run had been an eyeless stone snake that had nearly killed him.
Thad had fought hard but to his almost fatal surprise, his
magically sharpened sword skipped off the beast’s scales. The foul
creature had chased him for a long time but Thad had finally
escaped when a slower moving meal distracted his
pursuer.

The constant daily walk was wearing,
not only on his body, but on his mind as well. Every time he woke
to the darkness, he fell deeper into a depression and his desperate
hope of finding the surface above seemed that much more
unlikely.

As he hobbled down the dark corridor,
Thad could hear the scuttling of something nearby. It hadn’t
crossed into the light, but the distinct sound of something moving
across the ground set his nerves on edge. Even though the sound was
just barely audible, he knew it didn’t mean the creature making it
was necessarily small or harmless. Lifting his staff up slightly,
he let the diamond on its top flare brightening a much larger
area.

Thad let out a sigh of relief as the
light from his staff revealed the hunched form of a large cave rat.
They could be vicious but unless his light expired they would stay
well away from him. Sometimes the cave rats would follow him hoping
for as easy meal, but they quickly tired of the hunt and would move
off to find easier prey.

Dimming his light to conserve his
strength, Thad continued down the main corridor, down into the
depths of the earth. After what felt like hours of endless walking,
his stomach began to hurt with the pains of mounting hunger. He
checked the sending box hoping that the princess had sent another
one of her care packages, but was disappointed to find it still
empty. He checked the magic levels of the gems and found them to be
strong enough for a sending. He wanted to let the princess know how
he was doing, but had to weigh that want against the two days he
would have to wait before the princess could use the sending box to
send him more supplies. When he didn’t know where his next meal was
coming from, it was simply too big of a risk.

His stomach grumbling and his body
fatigued Thad forced himself forward until he came to a fork in the
cave that led off in two separate paths. Closing his eyes Thad
listened hoping to catch the sound of the outside world or the
smell of grass. When there was nothing except the ever-present
suffocating darkness and dank smell, he decided to take the path
leading to his right.

Thad knew he was tiring fast and needed
to rest but unless he found a concealed place to rest, he might as
well slit his own throat and save himself the terror of being eaten
alive. Thad allowed his staff to dim a little more and weakened the
force being used on his right foot, unbalancing him and causing a
little more pain in his steps. It lengthened his allowable travel
time which was a necessary as time wore on without a suitable
concealed place to rest.

Shuffling along for a little longer, he
finally found a small alcove, just barely big enough for his body.
Thad squeezed in and settled into a somewhat comfortable position.
Pulling a small piece of iron from his pocket, he placed it on the
ground before him. He stretched out his hand letting the magic
course through him naturally, acting on the metal, forcing it to
stretch incredibly thin until it covered the entrance, trapping him
in his small sanctuary.

Thad still marveled at the ease with
which he could perform magic. When he had first learned to wield
the natural forces around him, he had forced the magic to his will.
It was becoming increasingly apparent, that had been using the
wrong approach; and while it worked, it tired him out quickly as
well as stressed his mind. During his capture, he had spent a lot
of time reflecting while trapped within dark recesses of his own
mind. There he had learned that if he merely allowed the magic to
come to him and simply directed it to the desired outcome, it
became so much easier to perform his craft.

With the outside horrors of the dark
held at bay, Thad relaxed and pulled the small sending box into his
lap. It was still empty so he gently placed it back in his bag and
pulled out one of the letters from the princess. He had read all
her letters numerous times but simply having something connected to
another living person helped stave off his loneliness.

Extinguishing his staff Thad activated
one of the light rings the princess had sent to him. It had been
nice of her to send him some of the magical items he had set aside
for Monique, if not entirely needed. The rings did allow him a few
hours to rest his personal reserves of magic without having to do
without the cherished light. She had also sent him one of the
shield rings, though it was not the same strength as the one he had
worn before his capture, but in a pinch it could come in handy. He
wished the princess would send him some raw materials to work with
so he could make some useful items. With nothing better to do, he
had come up with a lot of ideas he wanted to try out.

Opening the letter, Thad smiled as he
stared at the curly feminine writing. He had not seen the princess
in some time, but he missed her cheery face and cutely adolescent
commanding demeanor. Though in truth, he would settle with almost
any human company at the moment.

Dear Thad,

I am glad to hear that you
are doing well. As per your request I sent notification of your
wellbeing to Southpass Fort.

Today we received a missive
from General Foreman. It seems Captain Eloen has crossed into enemy
territory in an attempt to rescue you. At the present time, mother
has no way to reach her and let her know of your safety. If we
receive any word of her, I shall let you know
immediately.

On other news, we were
visited by a man dressed all in black the other day who sent
shivers down my back. He is here for the sole purpose, it seems, to
ask about you. I am not sure why but the mere presence of the man
is distressing and ominous. Mother sent him away quickly and the
look on his face showed he didn’t seem happy about being dismissed
so off-handedly.

Mother has every scholar in
the Royal School scouring books for any information that might be
of use to you in the caves. So far they have only found small
mentions of expedition into the vast underground mazes that seem to
crisscross under the entirety of Kurt.

I must go now. Mother has
another meeting with Duchess Lesara and wants me to be present to
keep her daughter occupied. I shall write again as soon as I am
able. Be well and come home safe, when you are done with your
current adventure.

Thad folded the parchment back up and
carefully placed it back in his pack. He had received that
particular letter some time back. It was hard to remember exactly
when since the passage of time doesn’t mean much down here in the
light-less depths of the earth. He had spent countless hours
worrying about Eloen and her soldiers when he had learned that they
had followed into enemy lands to find him. While he was unsure of
whether he loved her, he did know he cared for a great deal. During
their time on the road and at Southpass Fort, the often- bawdry
Captain had grown as close to him as anyone had ever
been.

Her feelings for him had led her into
great danger, and Thad was at a loss for a way to discover if she
was safe, let alone alive. All he could do was pray to the gods
that she would keep herself and his friends in her unit safe. It
wasn’t a happy thought to end his day. It caused him pain, but it
also reminded him that even though he sat in the darkness alone,
out there somewhere were others who were thinking of
him.

Shutting off his thoughts, Thad settled
into a deep state of meditation. He had never thought of doing so
before, but the magic tome had explained the benefits of
understanding yourself and expressed a need for a mage to commune
with his own mind on a regular basis. He had neglected his
continuous study of the book after his own initial success with
magic. There was no excuse for his neglect other than his own ego
blinding him.

Sinking into the dark void of his mind,
he quickly found the center of his magic. It was glowing a light
green and was surrounded by a nearly imperceptible pink. The color
signified his own magical condition and wellness. The brighter it
was, the stronger it was. Right now it was weak and waning, meaning
he had pushed himself farther than was wise. It would be hours
before he gained enough strength to continue his trek through the
seemingly endless dark.