Interlude 2

In greenlaw, the floating city of the wizards council, it was early afternoon, not that it was apparent. The weather was bleak, storms raged all around the high towers. The dark clouds were broken by flashes of lightning that struck the thin, magically supported spires.

Velar was seated behind his desk, in most ways he was unremarkable. But the thing that was different about him were his eyes, they were pools of rainbow light.

Random flashes of light from the highly set window illuminated the room, it was circular, with dark wooden panelling, nowhere near as ostentatious as most would assume for the high wizard’s office.  A glowing map was on his desk.

He found his gaze being drawn again and again to one point marked on the map. Far, far on the edge, out of his territory.

“Sir, they are waiting for you.” A voice from his desk said.

Velar stood and walked around his desk, his long robes flowed out behind him revealing the tight leather clothes of an active mage beneath.

In the hall outside, the twins waited in their deeply hooded black robes. They flanked his door.

“Let’s get this over with,” Velar said with a deep air of resignation.

They moved quickly down the hall to the stone disc that hovered in the centre of a tube.

As the disc descended the twins looked at each other, something in their look signalled that something wasn’t as normal.

“What is it?” Velar asked. His shoulder slumped, there was no respite from his cares not even here in this, the most private place he had with his most loyal servants, but not friends, never friends.

The twins looked at each other again, neither wanted to be the bearer of bad news.

“Spit it out,” Velar said in a tone that would have been angry if he could summon the energy.

“The merchants are pushing for expansion, the lower council want higher taxes and increased trade. They want Westhaven restored. The roads aren’t enough. They want it to be the nexus that Haven was,” Delec said, the twin on the right of Velar.

“Haven was a city. I’ve just got back from West Haven. They have maybe five thousand people at most. It can’t support that level of development.”

The stone disc stopped as did the conversation.

They walked quickly down the short corridor, through the small door at the end and into the council chambers.

The sounds of argument hit them like being plunged in deep water. The air of conflict filled the room.

Velar sent his power out in a soothing wave, silencing the room. He continued to walk to his seat just in front of the door they had used. He looked down the table on the members of the council.

“Before I release you, I want you all to remember: we are united. We are not enemies. Debate, discuss, do not argue here. We have enough problems without fractures forming.” he called out in a loud but tired voice. He waved his hand and released his power over them.

“Sir, that is unacceptable you can’t use your power on us, you are first among equals. You are not special. We do you honour by allowing you an exalted position, the least you can do is grant us honour in return” A small wizened old wizard said, his hair was long and stringy grey, his eyes had the wizard rainbow effect.

“Shut up, you were stupid enough to go unprotected. I’m sick of these meetings, all everyone here does is argue, and for no reason. No matter what I tell you every time. Nothing gets decided. You all hide here in Greenlaw making laws and passing motions. It’s all very….. masturbatory,” Velar said after a moments fumbling for a word.

“Velar, that is no way to talk to us. I call for a vote to remove Archwizard Velar from his position.”

“Sit down, Estus. No one wants to replace him. Would you want his job? He has always been direct. That’s why he is Archwizard and you are barely welcome in this room.” The wizard Merrick jeered, from the far end of the table.

“Thank you Merrick, although I would be happy to be replaced. These meetings bore me.” Velar looked around to see if anyone seconded the vote.

No one raised a hand. Of the twenty-two people in the room only Estus was standing. The rest looked as if they would do anything to be anywhere else when the Archwizards gaze passed over them.

“Right, what’s on the agenda today?”

“The waves and Nelar. We also want to discuss the road works and the project.” A small younger man said from next to Velar.

“Nelar? What the fuck are you lot cooking up? You know that place is a wasteland. Did anyone attempt to convince the town to leave?” Velar rose to his feet, shouting his words at the assembled wizards.

They flinched as a collective.

“None of you,” Velar stated with a flat tone.

“Sir, you know we can’t go near it. The warping is too much.” Estus said. He wrung his hands, fingers twining and untwining around each other.

“Estus, say one more spineless thing, here in this room to me and I will challenge you to a duel. Then your house will need a replacement. Do you have any promising mages we can raise to wizard?” Velar said in a conversational voice, the stark contrast between his earlier anger and his pleasant threat, warned the council that he meant every word. They knew it was the calm in the eye of the storm.

Estus gulped loudly, the sound travelled to every corner of the room in the hushed silence

“Now tell me the truth about Nelar” Velar said. He retook his seat.

“We need to get past the warping, we are surrounded by it, as long as we are contained here we can’t expand, we are sterile, lifeless.” Merrick said.

“That is your argument? You had better have something better than that, because that is weak as shit. We aren’t the nobles. We don’t do things because it pleases us. We do them because they must be done for the good of all.”

Merrick flushed with anger, his nostrils flared as he suddenly exhaled, “and what do you know of the nobles? I spent my life as a wizard bound to Flenec Yanre, you were free. the Solen’s hunting dog. I was trapped, doing his will!” Tears leaked from his eyes as he screamed his anger, his pain, at Velar.

Merrick didn’t even notice the trails of wetness on his face.

“Then you know what I know of them, they are gone now. We did what we had to. Now we might have to expand but we don’t need to breach the warping. It’s beyond us. For now. Take a moment to compose your self. We have time. The heart grants us that.”

Merrick nodded before fleeing from the room.

“Let’s move on, shall we?” Velar asked.

“Sir, we need to deal with it,” one of the members at the far end of the table called out.

“Stand up man I can’t see you very well.

The wizard stood, a large man white in hair and pale skinned. His rainbow eyes were dull.

“Vincent, good to see you here. Why do we need to deal with it right now? We have a great many things that would do more immediate good. all I suggest is sending someone to help the inhabitants relocate. That is all we can do while our resources are so stretched”

“Velar we have been friends a long time, you know I wouldn’t push for it if I didn’t think it needed doing.”

“Vincent I do know that, but I need reasons for all we do, I can’t justify it otherwise.”

“It’s a feeling, it needs doing and its right. We wounded the land. We have to set it right. It’s what we stand for, isn’t it?” Vincent stated with a passion that showed no where else, his body didn’t move.

“Yes we do stand for doing the right thing, well, I like to think we do, but the needs of the many… The warping isn’t harming us. It doesn’t cost us.

“Sir, I really do feel that it needs doing.”

“Tell me why. I can’t just order it done. It will cost lives when we can least spare them. Waves hit Westhaven.”

There were gasp as the news hit the room.

“We had one in Kelan.”

“We had one in Vilate.”

“Have they struck everywhere?” Velar asked looking around at the gathered members, these men were the most powerful in the world and yet they were trembling in fear.

“We don’t know, the orb network was disrupted. We don’t know the sources of the disruption,” Estus replied. “We can’t figure it out while its ongoing, we would need to summon all seniors again to get their reports.”

“Let’s not go down that route. The last time didn’t work so well. We now handle things amongst ourselves. You each have a few trusted seniors that you can speak to, but don’t reveal much. The Brak incident has left doubts in some minds.”

“Has he shown himself?”

“I don’t want to get into it in open council. We have other things to worry about right now. I want a progress report on the roads.

“I have three teams of golems clearing the rubble, a mage following being laying the bases. Master Enchanter Fion is working on the enchantment.”

“I spoke to him when I was in Westhaven, he is working on it. But he needs more details before he can do much more than the basics. He said something about how he can handle the self-repair but the protections depend on the materials used in the roads. He also wanted to know if you know what it needs imbuing into. I will let you get in touch with him about it. How much has been completed?”

“About ten miles on each road. North, south and east. We need Fion to figure out the permanent lifts to the city too.”

“We are wizards, surely someone here can do it, stop trying to hand it off to someone else.”

“But sir, he is a genius in his field.”

“He is also a nightmare to work with. You know who his master was. There are reasons, I just don’t want to put too much strain on someone that fragile.

That man is tough, he can take it.

Its not a matter of he can take it. its an issue of over reliance. What are we going to do if he dies? Or if he breaks again? Brak damaged him.”

“Sir, I feel now might be the time to discuss Brak,” Merrick said as he reentered the room.

“He has shown himself. We don’t know what his goals are, but he was working with a rebel faction in Westhaven. They destroyed the foundry, and its surrounding district, Senior Rysan still doesn’t have a complete body count. but the costs are in the millions of gold wizards range, just in damages. The harm caused by the loss of production we won’t know until we have restored the area. As most of you who keep up to date should know: the stone guild have been contracted to clear the area and restore as much as possible as quickly as they can. We need it functional.”

“So Brak was in Westhaven. what could his plan be?”

“I don’t know. He spoke to Fion briefly in another event not long after.It involved Tristan Sodden.

“Tristan? Is he that young Westhaven Mage?”

“Don’t play that game with me, you were the one that advised raising him. It has worked out so far, he passed the test. We now have a new member. During the wave a small group were attacks by gnomes. I have a few covert agents looking into it, but our forces are spread thin, it’s becoming an issue of what we can afford to do.”

“Raise taxes then” someone down the table called. The suggestion was met was many nods and agreements.

“That is an option but money isn’t the real problem. We don’t have the forces the men and women needed to do the work. We need more hands and minds.”

“Then we continue with the expansion slowly, but not beyond the warping, we need to consolidate our hold on what we have before we overextend” velar conceded

“I will send out a message to the seniors.”

“What else were we supposed to discuss today?”

“Just the project sir,” The young man reminded him.

“Alright to we have any further developments regarding the project?” Velar addressed the table again.

“A few. Greenlaw is almost fully converted. Participation in the training of various skills is on the rise. We have a huge number of intakes to the mage program, so much so that in a few years we will nearly triple our number of actives, if all goes well. Enchantments are becoming more commonplace. We have some more product lines coming along well, but we are suffering a shortage in both skilled workers and pure enough bases. We are missing a great many of the more homely items, we lack experience in those aspects.

“Can we not call in some advisors?”

“We don’t know where to get some from. This is a problem we are running into again and again. None of us know much about the more common usages possible, a lot of them got wiped out. We are having to start from scratch. The bigger usages, things like farming and construction aren’t a huge problem, we know enough and can call in people who are professionals.”

“Go regional. Each area has different needs. Send someone, a mage that is well balanced, in to see what people want, what they need.”

Nods went round the table again.

“Thank you sir. I will set up a research team.”

“Are we done here?” Velar called out, looking around at the wizards council. No one raised another issue. “Good, then I have some business to attend to.”

Velar stood and walked out.

The twins followed behind him.

“Find Brak, I don’t care what you have to do but bring him back. We can’t have wizards going rogue, I had hoped that the seniors would be able to report his whereabouts before he caused trouble but that seems a lost cause. Keep it quiet, we don’t need to alarm the people. But that’s the same reason we can’t put out a kill strike on him. I hope he has good reasons for all this.”

“He has done this before. You tasked him with the things that we can’t be seen to be doing.”

“I know, but this? He blew up a large chunk of one of our towns. He has been agitating for change for years. I trust him. I do, but this is too far without talking to us.

“He could be anywhere sir, he can make portals.”

He won’t do that as much as you fear, they have … costs.” Velar said hesitantly.

“We will search for him. Do you have any ideas where to start?”

“Check his chambers. Don’t use magic, he can tell. If he feels he is being hunted, the harm he could cause would be devastating.”

The twins nodded as one, in that disturbing way they had.

It left Velar feeling cold every time they were around, but they were trustworthy in a way few else would ever submit to.

They left him alone for the first time in years. Off to complete the mission he had tasked them with

Velar continued on to his office alone. He looked at his desk with the glowing map, but didn’t approach it. He stalked over to stand under the window, he looked up at the early moon its cold light shining down on him.

“Brak, where are you? I can’t lead without you. I never wanted this. This was your idea,” he whispered fervently as if in prayer into the deep silence of his office.

There was no answer.

Velar didn’t expect one, but he hoped.

Mage Life Chapter 26

“Trisan get up!” Came Airis’ rocky voice.

I blinked and moaned as I rolled over. I was still dressed. I smelt and felt disgusting. My chest was sticking to my clothes, my wrist hurt and I couldnt remember why.

I was in my room. How did I get here? I asked myself. My sleep fogged mind refused to give me the answer. I wiggled to the edge of the bed and sat up. I blinked my bleary eyes, then remembered what had woken me.

“What is it?” I called, after a moment of croaking. I looked down at my wrist, a nasty looking gash along it. It stung when I poked at it, the sticky feel of the blood as I pulled my sleeve off it.

“There are some people here,” Airis called back.

Shit, it all came back to me. The cell, Vance, Jase’s son. Sophia and my choice.

I stood far faster than was probably good for me the blood rushing from my head. I felt dizzy and sick. I wobbled, but didn’t fall. I racked my brain for a moment, where is my bracer? Where did I last see it. I know I didn’t take it to the woods. It would have been useful there.

I took a deep breath, the worst of the sickness faded. I looked around my room, I must have left it in here somewhere.

“Tristan!” Airis shouted. I trusted him to keep Sophia safe. I just needed a moment.

“I’m coming,” I called as I couldn’t seem to find my bracer anywhere. Another thing lost. Maybe someone had been in here while I was away.

I walked slowly to the door, this is it. My only thought.

I wasn’t angry, I was scared. So scared, that my knees felt weak and I thought I might throw up.

I opened the door.

Airis was on the other side of the hall outside Sophia’s door. He was looking toward the main room, that I still didn’t know what to call, there were a couple of figures there.

“How is she? I asked stopping briefly.

“She’s still not woken, but she’s moving and talking in her sleep,” Airis said his voice pitched low.

I smiled, a small gentle smile.

“Thank you. Stay with her please,” I said and patted him on his rough stone hand.

He nodded and looked at me strangely. It’s hard to read a helmet for emotion, normally it doesn’t come up, but my life is just full of strange.

I stood taller,lifted my head high, set my shoulders and walked to my fate proudly.

I chose this. If this is the price, I gladly pay it, for her.

I didn’t rush, they could wait, but I wasn’t slow.

I walked into the room.

Two very old, but strong looking men were waiting. Black cloaks with the hoods up. I couldn’t see their hair, but each had one blue and one orange glowing eye set in heavily wrinkled faces. They were stocky and about average height. On their wrists were bright silver bracers crawling with glyphs.

I won’t deny, I felt a shiver down my spine as I realise who they were.

The council’s executioners. These were the two men that had passed judgment on the nobles after the waves. Their names escaped me, but their descriptions were everywhere,as was their legend.

Twins that had been born back when our lands were whole, before the nobles turned against each other. The throne has been empty a long time now. The line of the mage king died out about a century ago, but the nobles had waited maybe ten years till they started the wars to see who would become the next king.

The twins had turned ten the year before, the first crown war as it became known. They lived on one of the borders between nobles. Their village was turned into one of the largest battle grounds. The twins had gotten separated, they awakened at the same time. Fire. They tore the battle field apart in a firestorm, trying to get back to each other, they failed. They were some of the first children conscripted by the nobles. Each sworn to an enemy. They faced each other many times. But never fought. They refused. Each battle they would walk off to the side and watch together. They were a legend before the new legend.

When the waves ended and the council rose to power, they had a decision to make. What to do with the nobles that had torn our land apart. While the council deliberated, the twins visited the head of each noble family. They left with the heads. Detached from the bodies.

They then traveled to Greenlaw, to the wizards now floating city, and presented the heads to Velar, the leader of the council. Grateful that they had saved the wizards having to worry about it, but upset that they had taken it upon themselves. The judgement he gave them was harsh, but ultimately wise.

They were bound by their oath, I didn’t really understand what it had meant back when I first heard the story,  to serve the council. All this went through my mind as I stood looking at them. Shivering in my boots with fear at what they were empowered to do to me if they chose.

“Tristan Sodden, for disobeying a lawful order given by an empowered being of the council. You are to come with us for judgement,” said the one on the left, his voice was strong but gentle. There was no hint of age in it.

Neither moved, they stood there, blank expressions that could mean anything.

I looked from one to the other, took a deep breath, nodded and stepped towards them. Time to face my fate.

The one that spoke went to the door while the other walked along side me.

He didn’t touch me. He actually kept his distance, which surprised me.

I nodded to him. I was thankful not to be clapped in irons after all that had gone on before.

He nodded in return a slight upturn to his lips.

I had no idea what to make of that, probably best not to read to much into it.

They led me out the door and through the halls, deeper into the depths of the academy. We walked in silence.

I considered making a break for it, but no I chose this. The least I could do was face it. We went down halls I didn’t even know existed deep beneath the building. We ended up in a huge sunken room. Steps cut into the rock led down to an open floor, roughly hewn out of the natural stone the building was built on. As we walked down I could feel the magics of the room. This was the very core of the academy, the first thing built. Embedded in the floor were old, old spells that I couldn’t begin to decipher. I knew I was distracting myself from the moment, but I just couldn’t help it. Better to be distracted than piss myself in fear. I had been escorted here by two of the most legendary mages even with a reputation for bloodshed. Maybe this is why we never heard of rogue mages. They were led down here like cattle to the slaughterhouse.

I shook myself hard. I took another deep breath and set my face. I wouldn’t show my fear. I lifted my eyes to the far side of the room.

My heart froze in my chest. I recognised one of the men. From a dream. He was older now, but not as much I would expect. He looked to be in his early forties, still slim, deep set eyes that blazed with power. A shimmering rainbow trapped within them. I never heard his name, but I saw him pass judgement on a couple then proceed to burn them at the stake. He wasn’t alone, but I didn’t recognise the other two.

“Thank you for joining me, Mage Sodden, and thank you for bringing him Delec and Kelec. We are here to decide your fate, Tristan. Do you mind if I call you Tristan?” he asked, his friendly voice crossed the room easily.

“No,” I answered. All other answers dried on tongue, unable to be spoken. I stood in the center of the floor, almost an arena. The sides rose gradually up. The tribunal looked down on me. Just behind me the twins Delec and Kelec. It was intimidating.

“Good, right let’s move right along then, we need to get back to Greenlaw tonight. Shame about the wave, but we have lent a hand where we could while we were here. So, Orb, gave me the facts while the twins were fetching you. Rysan is livid, but then again, he always was excitable,” he chuckled to himself at that. “Oh, I’m Velar, sorry for being rude. I forgot we haven’t met. I missed your exam. I normally make a point to attend every one. But something came up. I’m sorry,” he waved his arm, dismissing it but looked really sincere. “Anyway you are charged with disobeying a lawful command, which is a direct breach of your indenture,” he looked at me sternly, the humor fading from his face, it left him looking stern and cold, his eyes swirled with colours. He stared at me intently watching my every movement. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?” his voice, hard and uncompromising.

I felt something rise in me, I bit it back. I looked down at my feet.

“This is your last chance, do you have anything to say in your defence?”

The memory of those words from his lips, made me forget caution.

“In my defence no. I disobeyed. Just as I should have,” I said anger forced my words. “It could have cost my apprentice her life. I did the right thing. I would do it again. If it costs me my job, my freedom, my life, it’s the least I could do for her,” I shouted.

I looked up at him. The head wizard, the man I had seen burn people alive. “Who the fuck do you think you are, standing in judgment of me? I’ve seen you in action. That couple, here in this very town. You tied them to a stake. You burnt them alive and made everyone watch. I chose not to blindly follow, as you should have done. Do what you will. I will not defend my actions to you or to anyone else,” I spat the last words at him.

I was shaking, my magic was trying to help me, I pushed it back. it couldn’t help me here.

Velar stood, he looked like I had slapped him. his mouth opened and closed a few times as he looked down at me.

I felt the twins move up beside me, they grabbed an arm each twisting them behind my back. I was forced to my knees.

I struggled.

“Get off me, you can’t force me to give respect to anyone, it’s earned. I will not bow my knee to him of my own will,” I shouted. My blood was pounding in my ears. My head felt as if it would explode.

“Let him go,”Velar said.

They clearly didn’t hear, they seemed intent on breaking my arms. I let my magic rise. I felt a tingle in my head as something shifted. A sigil surfaced behind my eyes, in my minds eye maybe. Oddly enough I recognised it. It was my bracer’s concept. I channeled my magic into it.

Power exploded out of me. The twins went flying away, as my shield flowed out from my skin in a rush. I stood up, glaring.

Velar looked astonished.

“Who taught you that?” he asked sharply.

“Fuck off, I don’t owe you answers. Let the others judge me, not you,” I said harshly. I stared at them.

The other two men up high, started whispering rapidly to each other, I didn’t care enough to listen in. But whatever it was there was an argument going on between them about something.

Velar looked between his two colleagues, they each nodded once. Velar looked back to me, a smile on his face. “Tristan despite the irregularities, we accept your defence. in fact we are pleased you chose to do what you did.

“Huh?” My shield faltered as I tried to work out what he meant.

“We are not the nobles, I don’t want you to think we are. We want agents, be they Mages like yourself or Wizards who can think. We encourage it, but we also want men like you. That will spit in the face of injustice. That will do the right thing, no matter the cost. You have proven that you deserve to hold the power you have,” Velar said.

I looked from face to face all were smiling, except the twins who were still on the floor, groaning.

“I don’t understand,” I said softly, confusion and hope warred within me. My anger fled in the face of that.

“Welcome, Mage Tristan Sodden, Welcome to the new order of the world,” he said smiling broadly.

Velar and his colleagues stood and as one they bowed to me, a deep bow.

I just stood staring at the wizards, leaders of the world bowing to me, the son of a farmer from a once unimportant town. Emotion overcame me. The exact emotion I couldn’t name.

I sunk to the floor and I cried.

 

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