The Tomes Of Magic (2 page)

“It was a promise, not a threat,” he said before shoving him back against the wall.

“What now?” Talia asked.

“We interrupt this execution,”

*

Thanos struggled against the magic dampening shackles. His appearance on the island had stirred up trouble and it seemed that, in his ignorance, he had underestimated the locals. The nefarious warlords and their pirate allies had long since uprooted any form of magic that they could not control.
Septimus and Talia’s time spent on the island had already put the residents on high alert, but it was Thanos’ appearance that ultimately landed him in trouble. A rival to the ruling warlord had approached him with the proposition of assisting with the overthrowing of the current ruler. The Archwizard refused the offer and nearly killed the man with his spells. This drew the attention of the warlord, who in turn tried to jail Thanos. He fought off the warlord’s men for several minutes before one of them was able to get the magic dampening shackles onto him. After that, things just got worse.

The Archwizard stood at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the gallows. He glanced up at the hangman’s noose, wondering if his body would be able to survive the ordeal. His enemies had never tried to hang him before. It was not a pleasant thought, but the question of his ability to survive was difficult to ignore.
His thought process naturally jumped to whether or not he could even be killed by conventional means. The Holy Order had attempted to burn him at the stake, but Taleveth had come to his rescue. He made a mental note to study the dragon mindmeld process if he survived his adventure on the Valorian Isles. The crowd erupted in cheers as he was forced up the stairs and onto the platform. A large man in executioner’s garb grabbed hold of him and pulled the noose around his neck.

“What greets those that conspire against our beloved
Leoth? The executioner asked.

“DEATH!” The reply from the crowd was
astounding.

Thanos took a deep breath as the executioner continued to rile up the crowd. It seemed that treason was
a common crime in the Valorian Isles. The locals had turned it into a form of entertainment, which Thanos found disgusting. The Archwizard was blindfolded and the executioner turned back to the crowd a final time. He tried one final time to break free from the magic dampening shackles, but it was no use. A loud crack sounded underneath Thanos’ feet, but he didn’t fall. There was a loud commotion and he felt somebody grab his arm. A cold wind whipped around him and was gone as soon as it came. The noose was yanked out from around his neck and the blindfold was taken away. Thanos was standing in a clearing with Septimus and a woman he didn’t recognize. The Warlock looked exhausted as he motioned for the other two to follow him.

“Where are we headed?” Thanos asked as he followed.

“They will be on the lookout for us. I found a cave that we can take cover until things boil over,” Septimus replied.

“Good idea. Who is your friend?”

“I am Talia of Alamor. You must be Thanos,” Talia replied.

“That I am, but we best keep up with Septimus and leave the introductions for later.”

The three magicians headed off into the forest with Septimus at the lead. Thanos, like most citizens of Canai, had never been to the Valorian Isles. He looked down at his wrists, wondering how Septimus had freed him from the shackles. A shiver went down his spine as he remembered what it felt like to wear them. He felt a mixture of fear and anger as he followed the Warlock. His former colleagues would find the information to be quite valuable, but he could no longer seek their assistance.
They’ve made their choice
, he thought. The Archwizards siding with the dragons had more of an effect on Thanos than he was willing to admit. Though he had often felt the black sheep of the group, they had been his family for some time. Septimus motioned for the others to stop as they got closer to the lone mountain on the island. He turned to face both of them and paused for a moment before addressing them.

“The rumors are quite rampant about what we might find in the caverns. I need both of you to be at your best,” the Warlock’s face was like stone as he spoke.

“We must hurry, there is much that needs to be discussed. The past few months have changed many things on Canai,” Thanos grabbed Septimus’ arm as he spoke.

“Understood, we will find a safe place within the caverns and then we will discuss.”

*

Warlord Leoth slammed his fist against the table in a fit of rage. The magic dampening shackles that sat on the table in front of him only furthered the insult of losing the magic user. It was the first time that a magician had successfully escaped from his grasp. The Warlord stood up, his massive frame towering over all those gathered.
He grabbed hold of his oversized hammer and raised it above his head. His grip tightened as he let out a roar and swung the hammer with all his might. It came down directly on the shackles and crashed through the table they rested on. He lifted the hammer above his head a second time as the restraints clattered to the floor. His anger was unquenchable as he delivered blow after blow to the shackles. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and threw his long black hair over his shoulder. As he knelt down to examine the damage, he sighed deeply.

“How does a puny magician escape these?” He asked as he held up the still intact shackles.

“There were two others that assisted him, my dearest,” the warlord’s wife ran her fingers along his muscled back. Her presence brought an immediate calm to the warlord. Though small in comparison to Leoth, Cassandra was tall and strong. She took pride in being strong enough to join her husband in battle when the need arose. Her long black hair matched his in length, though her stern features often made others wish to deal with him instead. Leoth let his hammer drop to the floor as he stood up and turned to face his wife. Those gathered began to slowly creep out of the room, but both Leoth and Cassandra held up a hand to stop them. The warlord took his wife in his arms and lifted her off the ground. He gently placed her on her throne and took his seat next to her. She cleared her throat and waited for the first of the eyewitnesses to step forward.

“Your majesties, I was there for the whole thing. You see, there were three of them, perhaps more. It all happened so fast, you know. One minute
, Executioner Redick was riling up the crowd and the next minute a robed man overpowered him with a single flick of the wrist. The man we caught was strong, no doubt, but his rescuer was something else. There was a power that emanated off the man. My words do not truly do the tale justice,” both Leoth and Cassandra recognized the man speaking. He was one of the few merchants that traveled from the mainland to Valorian Isles.

“It is a start. Does anyone else have something to add?” Cassandra looked out at the others who were gathered in the Hall of the Warlord.

“The robed man was in the crowd one moment and then on the platform the next. His accomplices did not seem to have the same power that he did. It was he who freed the man of his restraints. He is the one you want to look for,” a female mercenary named Kaylin stepped forward and spoke.

“We need to know what they are plotting,” Leoth said as he rose from his chair.

It had been nearly fifty years since a true magician had visited the isles. The majority of the warlords of the Valorian Isles had positive past dealings with magic users. However, the last visit had put them all on edge. The great Wizard, Tyvar, nearly destroyed all of the warlords. His actions led to the banning of most forms of magic within the Valorian Isles. Leoth paced back and forth as he thought of ideas for getting the magicians to assist them.
Even a temporary alliance would be enough to tip the scales of power in my favor
, he thought as he finally sat back down. The warlord looked up at those gathered before him. His eyes narrowed and the guards instinctively knew to escort the others out of the Hall of the Warlord. Cassandra took his hand in hers as they both stood up from their thrones. The once splendorous hall was now collecting dust. Tables and chairs were strewn about as though no one cared. It had been this way for more than a week, but Leoth didn’t want to waste resources on cleaning the area. The bigger problem was that, even in tip-top condition, the hall no longer drew loyalty as it once did.

“Perhaps an alliance would be beneficial,” Leoth said as he glanced around the room.

“You truly think we need it?” Cassandra asked.

“Each day our enemies grow in number. Our ways are no longer
accepted by the populace. The youth grow impatient of our warmongering. It is hard to swallow, but the days of the warlords might be coming to an end.”

“You knew that would be true when we married, my dearest. My experience outside of the Valorian Isles was part of what drew you to me. We shall make a decree, the days of petty fighting are over. No longer shall there be several claims for kingship of the islands. You shall be the first Emperor of the Valorian Isles.”

Cassandra’s willingness to push for more power took Leoth by surprise. He knew that his wife was ambitious, but she had never let her ideas influence his ruling style. Her upbringing on Talrania gave her a better understanding of the intrigue that went along with politics. The warlord thought about it as they walked. If he were to become Emperor, he could choose one of his current rivals as the King and focus on more pressing matters. It seemed to be an excellent idea, but Leoth knew his opponents would not like the idea.
Would they be able to put aside their differences and focus on me?
he wondered as he followed his wife out into the cool night air. These magicians were still out there on his island, that would be his first matter to deal with. The other warlords could be dealt with after he solidified his plan for what to do with the magic users.

*

Talia watched as Septimus and Thanos entered the cave in front of her. The Archwizard raised his hand and a ball of light appeared not far above his head. It hovered a few feet in front of him and moved when he did. Even though it annoyed her that the two thought she needed to be protected while they “scouted ahead”, she did find it comforting to have two powerful magicians on her side. Though the two had rarely worked together, it seemed as if they knew exactly what the other was about to do. Septimus ducked down and thrust his staff forward, shooting a ball of ice out into the darkness. Thanos rushed forward and pulled his glove off his skeletal right hand. The skeletal hand shot forward and grabbed hold of one of the orcs as the ball of ice slammed into another. His hand dug into the orc’s shoulder and began sapping the life out of the foul creature. It screamed in pain and thrashed about as he held his grip. The flesh around the hand began to decay and quickly spread to the rest of the body. Septimus had already moved past Thanos and was launching fireballs at the remaining orcs. The power of the spells not only forced the orcs to retreat, but also caused a small cave in.

“I hope you did that on purpose,” Talia said as she joined them at the end of the cave.

“It was a split-second decision, but ultimately yes,” Septimus replied.

“At least we won’t have to worry about them.”

“Thanos, you have something to tell us?” Septimus asked as he turned to face the Archwizard.

“No doubt you’ve heard the rumors. The dragons have returned and they are more powerful than I had ever thought they would be.
It gets worse, what is left of the Wizard’s Council has sided with the dragons and formed a Dragonwizard Council. The power that they wield is much more than it ever was,” Thanos smashed a rock in his skeletal hand as he spoke.

“As is the power that you wield, my friend. I’ve not seen you in action too often, but I don’t remember you being able to drain life force from an enemy like that.”

“The others are not the only ones who found dragons. Taleveth, the elder dragon, is melded to me. Though, he has seen better days.”

Do not presume to know what I have and have not seen,
the dragon’s thoughts felt like daggers in his brain.

I meant no
offense, Taleveth. You cannot deny that skeletal form is not as powerful as your true form,
Thanos knew well the weaknesses that came with the skeletal form.

“Thanos?” Talia asked as she reached out to touch his arm.

“I misspoke, Taleveth is quite powerful,” he replied as he shied away from her arm.

“I was afraid it might come to this. We must find the tomes. They are the key to ensuring our survival. I had not anticipated the dragons would return in my lifetime, but I had a sinking suspicion that power would corrupt those in charge,” Septimus lit a small fire as he spoke.

“You know the location of the tomes?” Talia asked.

“Not specifics, mind you. The
re are plenty of rumors about how the tomes are littered about the Valorian Isles and possibly beyond. Our antics in town will make it much more difficult to procure the needed information, but I suspect we can find them together. They are a source of great power and the three of us should be drawn to them to some extent. For now, we must sleep.”

Thanos nodded as he chose his spot to sleep.
He purposely kept his mouth shut when they mentioned the tomes. They didn’t have a great number of supplies, but it was enough for the three of them to put together makeshift beds. Septimus set up a small totem that would alert him if anything entered the cave and then retired to his bedroll. Talia, the only one unable to sleep, flipped through one of the few books she had brought from the Wielder’s library. Unlike the books that Septimus had, these books told little of things outside of Canai. The Wielder’s long history had never taken them far from Alamor and many of the populace of Canai didn’t know that the Valorian Isles existed. It was believed that the oceans stretched on infinitely. Septimus and his Warlocks were among the few that had visited the outlying islands, but none had ventured beyond the Valorian Isles in the east, the Gloomvale Isles and the Isle of Magic in the south, the Isles of the Dead in the west, or the treacherous icy waters of the north. There were rumors of islands in some directions, but none of the three could confirm nor deny their validity.