The Tomes Of Magic (13 page)

“You are always welcome here, Paul. They don’t call it the Isle of Wizardry for nothing. We accept all Wizards. In times past, we even accepted all magic users. Hence the actual name, of course.” Kadegar had a way of relieving tension with simple discussion.

“I am afraid that I am needed in other places. The dragon King is getting impatient. I will gladly return as an ally and a guest, but I cannot become a student at this time,” Paul said.

“That will have to be enough, I suppose. Extend my invitation to the others. At the very least, you can use the Isle of Magic as a base of operations. The dragon King would not dare attack us here.”

“I hope that you are correct. The dragon King is much rasher than I had originally realized. I’m afraid that I need a moment to discuss something with Emily.”

Kadegar nodded and turned back toward Argos. Paul watched as the Supreme Wizard walked back to the dragon. He couldn’t help but wonder how the man had risen to power among the Wizards. The Wizards were unlike the other magic using groups. They rarely put their strongest magicians in positions of leadership. It made a lot of sense to Paul, but it also made him wonder how often the stronger Wizards tried to take the positions for themselves. None of the others had given him much of the history behind the group and it was not something that was well-known to outsiders.
Now is not the time to be wondering about that
, he thought as he turned to Emily. She looked a lot sadder than she had before.

“Is something the matter?” He asked.

“The way you came back, I got caught up in my emotions. You will return soon, won’t you?” She asked.

“As soon as I am able. The dragon King is not our only enemy. Things are far more dangerous out there than I could have ever suspected. The Holy Order gets stronger with every day. I need to find the others. We need to stick together and work as a team if we want to win this.”

Emily nodded and took a step back. Paul could see the change on her face. He reached out for her hand, but hesitated a moment.
It would be safer if you let her go
, he told himself. She smiled and shook his hand. As she went to pull hers hand away, he grabbed tighter and pulled her in closer, sliding his free arm around her. He smiled as she threw one of her arms around him and placed the other up to his heart. She pressed her head against his shoulder, which made him want to stand there forever. They held each other for a while before Paul finally pulled back. She sighed and pulled her arm back from around him. He placed a hand on her face and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“I will always come back to you,” He said before kissing her on the cheek.

Argos lunged forward and Emily started to take a step backward. Paul caught hold of her and led her to the dragon. He motioned for her to climb atop the beast, but she shook her head vehemently. Before she could react, his arms were around her and they were moving toward the dragon. She stopped fighting when he let go of her and swung up onto the dragon. His arm reached down and took hold of her, pulling her up onto the dragon. She grabbed hold of his waist as tight as she could manage. Paul laughed as he spurred the dragon into the air. Argos circled around the island at a slow pace. He dipped low and let his claws touch the water. Paul grabbed hold of Emily and then slid down the side of the dragon. He grabbed hold of the rope that held the seat in place and lowered Emily closer to the water. She reached down and touched the water with her fingers, giggling uncontrollably. Argos grunted and Paul quickly scooped up Emily before slipping back up into the seat.

“How did you ever get so good at this?” She asked.

“Your friend is quite the daredevil,” Argos answered for Paul.

“It is quite magical, isn’t it?” Paul asked.

“Oh it is!” Emily replied.

“I have a sister with whom she could mindmeld,” Argos said.

Paul patted the dragon on the neck with a smile.
We will need all the dragon riders we can get
, he thought as he looked out over the sea. Emily laughed as she surveyed her surroundings. The first dragon ride was always something special. Paul pulled on the reins, letting Argos know that it was time to drop off Emily. He wanted more time, as did Emily, but he knew that his mission was more important than a little extra time with her. The dragon swooped down and landed in the courtyard near the Supreme Wizard’s tower. Emily slid off of the dragon and then walked over and patted him on the head. Paul smiled as he watched the two interact. Argos was not one to take to liking humans, but he seemed to like her. She walked back over to Paul and waited for him to dismount. He took in a deep breath, not wanting to leave. She spoke before he got the chance.

“I suppose that is it,” she said.

“For now, yes. Get the Wizards ready for war. It is coming whether they like it or not,” he replied.

“I will do everything I can. If only I could come with you.”

“It would be dangerous for you, even being associated with me is dangerous, but I would never turn you down if you asked. Soon, we will lead together when we can. This is your place for now. Kadegar will see, he must. Not even the Isle of Magic can escape the eyes of the Holy Order. When they do turn their focus on us, we will be ready for them.”

“They would never let me leave, not yet.”

“I will continue to return to you until the day that we can leave together.”

*

Gareth sighed as he exited the council chambers. He had never thought that they would have chosen him as the head of their council. To make matters worse, they also chose him as the leader of their army.
They barely even know me
, he thought as he walked down the street. Leniya caught up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at her and gave her a half-smile. She opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it. The council had chosen her as well, which was something that she was more than happy about. He knew that she wanted to discuss things, but he hardly had the time for it. Part of the being in charge of the army meant that he was also in charge of making sure that army was ready to fight. It was a task that was much more daunting than he had first realized. Sev and Ector had taken a large portion of the army’s veterans to war with them. His hope was that they would return soon and that the dwarves would be accompanying them.

“There is a lot that must be done to solidify the future of our new force. I need people I can count on and you are one of the few that I trust. Would it be too much to ask for your assistance in finding people who are willing to put aside their differences for the betterment of the whole?” Gareth asked.

“I will gladly assist, these people seem much more open to working together. That is not something I am familiar with. It should be much easier convincing these people of your goals. Plus, we have Sev, Ector, Caitlyn, and Solin who we can trust.” Leniya replied.

“Good, I’m not used to convincing people that my plan is sound. Remember that I do want people to feel as though they can discuss the plan with me. This is not a dictatorship, we just need to all be on the same page when we execute the plan.”

“You will make a fine leader, Gareth, There is no need for you to be nervous about it.”

Leniya patted him on the shoulder before heading off for her duties. The army was waiting for him outside the city limits. It was strange to see the different citizens that were a part of the army. Unlike the Holy Order, elves felt that anyone could be a part of the army. There was little distinction among their society between warriors and civilians. Even the nobles and the royal family joined the army at their own discretion. They also gained ranks through their battle skills and not through outside reputation. Gareth was a rarity for not having earned his place of command, but the troops did not seem to hold it against him. They understood that, in times of war, drastic measures sometimes needed to be taken. The bigger surprise came when the former Grand Crusader saw that women were given as much rights as men. He had no doubt that this was true of the elvish society, but he had not known that it spilled over into their military tradition as well.

“Lord Commander,” one of the elves said as he approached.

“Please, call me Gareth,” he replied.

“As you wish.”

“What is your name?”

“I am called Alandir, Kervos and I are the other two Generals.”

Gareth nodded.
Good
, he thought,
they see me as their equal
. It was difficult to tell the ages of the elves, but the bulk of the army seemed to be younger than what Gareth considered ideal. By his estimation, there were nearly ten thousand soldiers in the elven army. They had been divided into three groups, archers, foot soldiers, and cavalry. Gareth frowned when he saw how the groups were divided, but continued his examination of the troops. He further split the groups by their combat experience. The majority of the soldiers were in the category that had faced three or four battles. It was somewhat surprising to their new commander. Alandir and Kervos looked most pleased with their troops, periodically pointing out small instances that they thought were important. Gareth nodded and continued his inspection. Once satisfied that he had seen enough, he returned to the front of the army and addressed them.

“I want each of you to forget the initial groups that were formed. All of us are going to need to learn to be archers, foot soldiers, and cavalry at one point or another. We cannot stand against our enemies if we split our forces like that. I want each of you to be able to ride a horse and shoot a bow while riding that horse. You will each also learn how to use a sword and a spear. Each unit needs to be able to alter weapons to suit the situation. We need to be fast, strong, and versatile. Our enemies outnumber us on every side. Due to this, we must be assured that our army can stand up to the opposition. I want to see all of you working as units. When we find allies to work with us, we will integrate them into our numbers as well. Whatever your specialty is, I want you teaching it to as many of your comrades as possible. Once we have greater numbers, we can focus on specialized task forces. Until that time, I want each of you learning every tactic you can. Alandir, Kervos, and I will be joining you as well. I want everyone from commanders on down to be skilled with whatever weapons we have available.”

His speech was met with a period of silence. The elves had always seen themselves as the top warriors in the land. Gareth’s viewpoint was significantly different. He knew the elves were skilled combatants, but their lack of experience against human enemies would make the coming war much more difficult than they believed. An organized enemy like the Holy Order would exploit their lack of teamwork. As for the dragons, it was nigh impossible to tell how to defeat them. Few living had ever seen one killed. Tactics, numbers, and dragons were the elves’ enemies now. Gareth knew how to combat two of them, but the dragons remained a wild card. He motioned for Alandir and Kervos to follow him as the army began to disperse. They fell in behind him as he moved to a more secluded spot. Their reactions during the speech had been far more telling than those of the rest of the army.

“Out with
it, I will not have my fellow Generals keeping me in the dark,” Gareth said, turning to face the two elves.

“We worry that you may not know how to address the elves. Our people are not like yours. We have traditions that a human could not quite grasp,” Alandir replied.

“Kervos, do you agree with these sentiments?”

“I am afraid so. Through no fault of your own, you do not know what it is like to be an elf,” Kervos replied.

“Neither of you has seen the Holy Order in action. None of us has faced dragons. We are greatly outnumbered. Did you think we could amass our army of ten thousand and leave the cities undefended? Not likely. Even with allies we will be severely outnumbered. We will need to be strategic in how we fight this war. The elves are a force to be reckoned with, but not even your warriors can stand up to the numbers the Holy Order commands,” Gareth placed a hand on each man’s shoulder.

“Perhaps you are right, Gareth. What if we wait for the two armies to destroy each other?”

“The dragons have too small of an army to effectively defeat the Holy Order. Bartholomew would never attack the dragons unless he was sure he could crush them. His alliance with the Barbarians may give him the strength he needs, but I doubt it. My guess is that both sides know they cannot defeat the other. As long as that is true, we have time to gather allies and train. The moment that one side gains the advantage on the other, we will be caught in the middle. That is not a position I want to be in,” the former Grand Crusader replied.

“So we just sit and wait for the inevitable?” Alandir asked.

“No, we prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Gareth replied.

Janessa patted her dragon’s neck as they flew back toward the mainland. She sighed heavily, wondering how such a burden had fallen to her. There were really only two options left for her to choose from. She could take the fight to the dragons or simply wait for them to react to her stopping the tax payments. Each option had its share of upsides and downsides. Attacking the dragons would be a risky move, but it would ensure that no civilians would be caught in the fray. Kimeth seemed to ignore her excessive worrying and focused on the flight itself. The Archwizard could feel the slight tug of the dragon’s mind telling her to relax and take in the surroundings. It was difficult at first, but then Janessa noticed ripples in the water. A single ripple was followed by five or six more. They began to expand and she realized they were not just ripples. A dragon head popped out of the water in front of all the others. It was quickly followed by other sea creatures. Two merfolk, each riding large sea horse-like creatures, three sea drakes, and a turtle-like creature that Janessa had never seen nor heard of before.

“What is that final sea beast?” She asked, looking at the shelled monstrosity.

“To answer that question would require me to recite quite a tale, but I can lessen it if you desire,” Kimeth replied.

“The shorter version will do.”

“That creature was once one of the great turtles that lived in harmony with the water dragons. Merfolk and sea drakes would often go to them for protection from some of the other less favorable sea populace. It is quite a diverse range of cultures down there. According to legend, the great turtles became split in their opinion of the other sea dwellers. One-half of their number wished to rule and the other half wished to serve. This started a great war between them. The younger turtles looked to what your people consider demons. They asked the treacherous beings to grant them the strength to overcome their older brethren. That turtle is the twisted result of the demon’s influence over the majestic beasts.”

“What did they look like before the taint?” Janessa asked.

“Their color ranged from blue to green, both light and dark of each color. They lacked the razor-sharp spines protruding from their shells. You have seen sea turtles before, no doubt. They look like their much smaller cousins. Now, they have been twisted by the sea demons. Many are either red or orange in color. Their mouths are much more beaklike, allowing for a nasty bite. They have arms and legs that are similar to humans with feet and hands. The biggest changes are that they are able to walk on two feet for short periods of time and that they are faster. They are powerful allies and should provide good support when we face the dragons.”

Janessa looked down at the turtle. It looked as though it would be between ten and fifteen feet while standing, a frightening foe to face.
Let us hope that they stay on our side
, the Wizard thought. Kimeth snorted in agreement as she swooped down closer to the sea creatures.  The Archwizard had heard many stories of the merfolk, but had never seen them. It was strange to think that she was riding on a beast that was once considered a legend and had allied herself with a group of sea creatures that were once believed to be made up stories by drunken sailors, strange, but not out of the ordinary for a Wizard. Rolin had taught her at a young age that the world was not always as it seemed. Beings long though extinct did not pop back up at the drop of a hat, but one was better served seeing things with an open mind than a closed one. She raised her staff above her head, hailing the sea creatures. One of the merfolk, a merman, raised his trident in reply.

“You will need to drop me at the castle and then return to these people. We need their assistance as much as we need my army, if not more. I will tell Rodric to take an account of the troops and then I will join you at the Bay of Good Fortune,” Janessa’s voice turned serious as she spoke.

“But you must greet these people as if they were your equals,” the dragon roared back.

“I’m afraid I haven’t the time for that Kimeth. We are at the brink of war and I need to be sure my army is ready to fight. I would not send these seafolk into battle alone. Surely they will see the respect in that.”

The dragon snorted in reply. Janessa recognized when the dragon was annoyed or frustrated with her, but she would not allow anyone to bully her. The dragon King had made the mistake of incurring her wrath and she was not about to let anyone squelch her ability to release that wrath. Her army would be prepared to move whether Rodric had his say or not. Kimeth swooped down toward the land and lowered herself to the ground, allowing her rider easy access to the land. She gave Janessa one final look before turning back to the sea. The Archwizard stared after the dragon for a moment.
You are correct, Kimeth, but I cannot accompany you at this time.
She knew the dragon wouldn’t immediately reply, but she still watched in silence, hoping to see some form of recognition from Kimeth. With a sigh, Janessa turned inland and started her trek toward where the majority of the army was stationed.

*

Sev paced back and forth as the meeting continued. The dwarves had insisted on coming up with a treaty before arriving in elven lands. Their honor required them to have something to offer the elf King in return for his assistance. Every day, at what they figured to be two in the afternoon, they met for three or four hours. This created delays that annoyed the young half-elf. He had been assigned with the security of the entire camp and each moment that they were stopped for the council was an opportune time for their opponents to strike at them. The others felt that their earlier cleansing of the forest and the underground roads would ensure safe travel back. It was sound logic, save for the fact that they were forgetting the deeper roads. Sev had heard few stories on what actually resided in the deeper roads. Some argued it was safer, others that it was far more dangerous. Either way, the ranger did not care to find out.

“Must we stop every day?” Sev asked Ector just as the Archwizard was entering the council tent.

“I am afraid so, my friend. The dwarves are a difficult lot to deal with. One wrong move could destroy the alliance,” Ector replied.

“Even after we saved them?”

Ector nodded before slipping into the tent. Sev thought to follow him, but decided against it. He never liked the slow diplomatic side of things. Even if everyone was in agreement over how to proceed, they still had to negotiate and vote for hours on end. The half-elf much preferred the fast paced battles where decisions were made in seconds. If the Kings, emissaries, and diplomats were necessary, he would ensure they would stay alive to deliver their important decisions. A man did not have to agree with a plan to see it through to fruition. It was something that Sev had learned at a young age through his training to be a soldier. The absolute will of the King absolved his underlings from needing to worry about the morals of their actions. Sev thought that was taking things too far, but as long as he agreed with the ethics of a plan, he would execute it no matter how illogical it seemed.

The half-elf sighed as he resumed his duties of patrolling the camp. Though there were many others that he felt capable, he always took what the others had dubbed the “long watch.” The patrol started when the meeting began and ended when it was over. It lasted far longer than any of the meal time patrols and there was no patrol needed at night. Though few readily admitted it, the purpose of the patrols was to ensure that the camp itself stayed cordial. They posted sentries to watch for attacks during every stop, including the night. Most of the time, patrols were simple, only requiring one or two warnings. Sev desperately hoped that this one would be like the others.  The elves were tiring of having being underground and the dwarves were still upset about needing to be saved. Each day that passed only added more to the tension between the two groups.

“Thelas, how is the morale?” Sev asked as he approached the elves’ main camp.

“Lower than we would like, sir. We thrive in the woods, always have, always will,” the young elf answered.

“Your people, yes, but what of the others?”

“The city elves are unhappy as well. What little is left of the high elf army is in the worst condition. Most of their men died trying to save the dwarves and those festering midgets haven’t even the decency to acknowledge it.”

“Hold your tongue, Thelas. Our people are better than that.”

Sev’s reply shut up the younger elf. Though only a half-elf, the ranger held the respect of nearly all that he served with. He shook his head as he continued on toward the city elves. Even though they were distant relatives, the different elven groups still broke off into their own camps whenever they got the chance. High elves and wood elves were more alike than their city-dwelling cousins. Naturally, each group thought their own way of life was the best. City elves saw the prospect of trading and defensive walls among the more necessary things for living. High elves preferred to be locked away in their towers and libraries studying books and history. They believed that the towers gave them all the advance warning and protection needed to stay safe. Wood elves believed in small camps among the trees. Their constant movement kept them safe from organized raids. In truth, each setting had both good and bad. Sev felt that there was much to learn from each group, including the dwarves with their preferred
subterranean dwellings and massive structures. The city elf portion of camp was bustling with soldiers bartering on the various personal items they had brought or betting on any number of things.

“Kieren, how fare the city-dwellers?” Sev asked as he approached their sentry.

“Our spirits are high today, sir,” she replied.

“Good, the last thing we need is to turn on each other. See to it that the soldiers don’t get too rowdy. Tell them the order came straight from me. I want them prepared for the worst.”

“Something amiss?”

“I can’t shake the feeling that we are being followed.”

A shout went up among the city elf camp, causing Kieren to rush to try to keep them under control. It had been something of a disappointment for Sev to meet so many of his half-kin. Those elves that served with him in the rangers were far closer to the honorable elves of the stories than these ones that had accompanied him to assist the dwarves. The humans and elves of legend were among the most noble in history. To see both groups fall so far from their decent beginnings was quite the shame. It often made Sev wonder if the stories were embellished to make entire people groups as upright as their paragons. The answer, if any, would be found with the high elves. Their camp was far smaller than the other two, but also much cleaner. The high elves were either reading or debating different histories. Though far from being a scholar, Sev enjoyed learning about the history of his people among other things. Their watchman put down his book and stood up as the half-elf approached.

“Hail, Emerich, how fare the high elves?” Sev asked.

“Our people try not to let our heavy losses affect us, but it is a difficult task,” the elf answered.

“I am sure it is. No doubt some of you feel the blame lies with the dwarves.”

“You are correct, as usual. We are fortunate to be led by one as bright as you. Our libraries are always open to our cousins if you ever wish to learn more.”

“One day, I hope to take you up on that offer. In the meantime, deaths are either my responsibility or Ector’s. We both knew that there would be casualties when we agreed to lead these armies to help the dwarves. Your comrade’s blood is on our hands.”

Emerich nodded, the pain behind his eyes spoke volumes to Sev. The high elves knew well the risks of battle and gladly took responsibility for the deaths of those serving under them. That such a young man would have to remind them of that was a sore thing for the high elf. The ranger left their camp with an even greater measure of respect than before. Sev modified his path so that he could consult with one of the outer sentries. They were his best chance of confirming or denying his suspicions of anyone following them. As always, he had posted his own rangers as the outermost sentries. They were the soldiers that he trusted most. Though the majority of the army felt the same way about him, he didn’t feel the same about everyone in the army. The three closest sentries all came toward him as he approached.

“I’m glad that all of you are here. It is my belief that we are being followed,” Sev said as they got near.

“We all agree. They are good at hiding their presence, but all of us are in agreement that someone is out there. By our estimate, there are a lot of them,” one of the rangers replied.

“I will deal with it, but I want the three of you to watch my back.”

*

Rodric was pacing back and forth when Janessa arrived. He started to say something to her, but changed his mind when he saw her expression. She paused to stare at him, unsure of how to deal with his latest actions. While she was away, he made a power grab by replacing several mayors with men and women loyal to him. Most of the old mayors were far from competent, but Rodric’s move sent a bold message to both Janessa and the people of the Gloomvale Isles. He was every bit as ambitious as always, yet something about his actions made her feel that he suspected her ability to lead. Whether true or not, such a perception among the people would undermine her authority. She desperately wanted to reprimand him and show off that authority, but she also knew that it would be a poor way of dealing with him. Rodric had always admired her for her mind. If she wanted to flex her authoritative muscles, she would need to show that she was at least on par with his intellect.