Battle Mage Visions (A Tale of Alus Book 12) Read online

  The two men walked out of the bar without too many eyes on them. It was a bit of a surprise to Sebastian. After such a spectacle, he had feared that everyone would be watching them; but these were orcs so fist fights and arm wrestling were like casual conversations. Albeit a human winning a match was rather rare.

  Their steps took them to the east and north towards the large lake hidden within the mountain. Whether it had always been there or the emperor's warlocks had found a way to create the fresh water source, he didn't know; but it made Ensolus very self sufficient should it ever be besieged. It had never in its history come under attack though. The emperor and his army of monsters had instead attacked the human population after the Cataclysm driving off or killing many. Some thought to grovel at the Dark One's shadowed feet. Such early allegiances had led to men being elevated to the status of lords under the emperor.

  Whether the elves and orcs serving the Dark One cared mattered little. No one questioned the decisions of the emperor publicly for fear of his power. Even rich and powerful men might disappear if they disputed the throne.

  They found a building, a two story house; but instead of walking up the steps to the main floor, they descended a set of steps along the side of the house. It was fairly sheltered from curious eyes and served well for the man and his purposes.

  Opening the door led the two into a basement which was already lit by lanterns. The younger man noticed that none of the lights were close to the door, however, and he assumed it was to conceal the fact that there were other men already hiding in the basement.

  Eyes went to the door as they entered. Weapons were close by or in hand as they looked to see who had stepped into their sanctuary. It was no holy place, but one that let them sleep in relative safety in a city that would kill them all in an instant if they knew the purpose of these people. Spies in any realm were horribly treated if they were caught, he had heard.

  "You're using an abandoned house now?"

  Shrugging in response, Drayden answered, "I wouldn't say it was exactly abandoned. There is someone who owns the place, but not everyone wants to rent a house inside of a cave, especially this deep inside."

  "So you're helping them out by keeping it lived in then?" Sebastian answered jokingly.

  "Exactly!" replied his companion good naturedly.

  Turning to business, the younger man asked, "How has it been going here?"

  "As good as one can hope I suppose, especially considering the type of city we're dealing with here. As humans we can move freely through much of the east side of the cave, even among the orcs, since humans live on both sides of the elite orcs," Drayden answered. It wasn't completely new information to the younger man. He was the one who had brought the others into the city and he was the one who would get them out if need be, but Drayden was in charge of the small network of men and women trying to discover as many of Ensolus' secrets as they could.

  A young woman wearing a heavy cloak pulled over her shoulders moved to join them. She had long brown hair and an attractive face, but still managed to avoid drawing too much attention to herself as she moved. Sebastian also noted a red dress peaking from beneath the dark cloak. A few gold rings glittered from the hand holding the edges of the cloak closed in front of her stomach. She looked cold, but managed to avoid shivering.

  "You've met Jana," Drayden commented with half a wave to the woman. "She's come the closest to getting into the emperor's fortress so far."

  She smirked and said, "Well, some men will overlook a woman as a threat, especially when he believes that she has half a brain. A certain officer has become enamored of me, but the emperor's guards won't let just anyone inside those gates."

  Nodding at her opinion, Drayden added, "If we try sending someone over the wall, we don't know enough of the defenses and guards inside; so it is likely a one way mission. We've tried finding a way in through the various services a place like that needs. Servants don't all sleep in a king's castle usually, but getting through his security has been virtually impossible aside from Jana's officer."

  "What good news do you have?" the young visitor asked as he listened to what they couldn't do.

  "We've mapped out most of the inner city. We know every garrison, place of importance and, we think, enough weaknesses to exploit; but that is if we can bring a strong enough force here.

  "The only problem is the emperor's castle and maybe the emperor himself." The head spy asked Sebastian, "Can you sense him from here? They say that he's probably the most powerful wizard in the world."

  Jana looked to the newcomer and added, "But isn't he just a battle mage?" At their looks, she amended, "I mean isn't it wizards that can read magic strength? I don't have magic, but that is what I have heard."

  The old man laughed at the woman's discomfort and explained, "Calling Bas just a battle mage is like saying that North Wall is just another wall."

  North Wall ran from Hala in the east to Raven Hurst, a run of well over a thousand miles. It was a major feat of building, especially considering it was built while they were at war with the emperor's forces. Countries had been decimated and thrown into turmoil, but the first king of Southwall rose up from Hala to pull the people together to push them back.

  "I didn't mean any insult," Jana tried again blushing with embarrassment. "Battle mages are weaker in magic, so I wasn't certain that skill carried over to him."

  Drayden looked ready to tease the girl once again, but Sebastian answered with a kind smile and said, "He understands what you meant. I know Drayden well enough to know that much at least.

  "I can feel the emperor when he wants to be felt," the young man added as he closed his eyes. He faced towards the castle near the center of the cavern and continued to speak, "He is old and talented enough to know how to mask his power also. I have been here and felt incredible power radiating from the castle, but it doesn't seem to just be one powerful being either. His power is likely the strongest though."

  The older man nodded and said, "We've all heard of the emperor's power, but he does have several warlocks of great power we know of as well. Plus there is word that the emperor has a sister now."

  Waving off the comment as common knowledge, Sebastian replied, "Garosh was considered a brother, or a son maybe more accurately. He's said that the emperor was dying, or at least that was the excuse for some experiment his warlocks whipped up. He told us that the emperor has a new, younger body and split his power between a sister and lesser brother."

  Lifting his hands up over his head, Drayden acted like he was giving up and explained why sounding annoyed, "If this Garosh knows so much, why am I trying to crack this castle? He probably knows all about it from being his brother!"

  Sebastian could appreciate the man's complaint, but gave him a sympathetic smile as he explained, "We can probably get you some sort of floor plan to use, but Garosh was exiled from here roughly a year ago. He escaped south of North Wall and spent much of his time there even before his break from the emperor. That is a lot of time for things to change and a good reason for it too probably.

  "Unfortunately you still need to do your best to figure it out. We need real time, current information; if we ever hope to put together a plan to bring him down."

  The older man replied sarcastically, "Thanks for explaining how to do my job, Bas. I've only been doing it since you were in diapers."

  He finished with a barked laugh and moved on. "So you'll need a few reports to bring back to Southwall like usual, I suppose. I don't know how much they expect."

  Sebastian shrugged. "I'm just the middle man. If I had the time and talent, I would have done it myself and kept everyone safe in Southwall until something was figured out."

  "No need to be that modest, owl mage. If not for you, we'd still be stuck trying to send in spies the old fashioned way, which has only yielded a lot of dead spies. They have a knack for keeping anyone out that they don't trust and seem able to sniff out a spy from Southwall in particular."

  "Did you
know anyone that tried?" the younger man asked as Drayden moved around picking up a few loose papers. Jana stepped back to sit on a stool. Though the basement was sparsely furnished it was more than one might expect for an unoccupied building. The spies had likely scrounged up most of what was here, though Sebastian was unsure how they had done so.

  Glancing at the mage, the spy master replied, "Not for certain. I don't make it a habit to spy on my own people, but I have had associates disappear amid rumors of testing the walls of Ensolus. It is a game for spies and secrets are part of that, Bas.

  "You're too much soldier for this line of work, I bet. Stick to uncovering magical secrets or whatever. I don't think either of us believes that this life is for you."

  Sebastian chuckled lightly, though he found the comment less funny than some of the humor of this man he had known for awhile. "Well, that is probably true. I deal with enough castle intrigues and secrets just being a battle mage on the outskirts of such things."

  A folder that was bound and sealed was handed to the younger man.

  Glancing to the other men and women inside the basement, who were starting to move out for their morning tasks, Sebastian asked, "Does anyone need a ride home?"

  Drayden shook his head. "We need more time, but I'll let you know next time. We can't really afford to be missing from this city too long or there might be questions raised. It is hard enough to blend in the first time without messing with that familiarity."

  The battle mage took the folder and left shortly after. Drayden accompanied him as he moved to a place near the eastern edge of the cave. It was deep in human territory there so they stood out less in that part of the city, but winter meant less travelers when, even huddled inside of a cave, it was bitter cold.

  As the two men readied to part, Sebastian commented, "You know, I am surprised that you use your real name here."

  The older man lifted an eyebrow dubiously and replied, "No one knows me here, so what harm is there in using the same name; but more importantly how do you know that Drayden is even my real name? I could have given you a false name when we met after all?"

  Finishing with a laugh that caused the mage to shake his head, the older man clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Well, have a safe trip."

  They were surrounded on either side by the walls of two buildings which ended in the cave wall. The opening onto the street a few dozen feet away would be the only logical way for someone to try leaving the cave city, but Sebastian turned towards the wall rising up to the ceiling far above them.

  Producing a staff from a glowing mark on his arm, the battle mage placed it on the ground.

  "Door," he commanded and a surge of power rose through the staff to drive his magic. A glowing door formed in front of him.

  Turning to nod at Drayden, the mage added a last goodbye. "I'll be back in a few days. Try to stay out of too much trouble, Drayden."

  The older man replied, "Without you here angering the orcs, I should be alright."

  Laughing the two men parted when the mage stepped through the glowing door. It blinked out of sight only a moment later leaving no trace of the younger man.

  Drayden turned and began to whistle a tune as he walked back towards the heart of the city.

  Chapter 2- Arguing One's Worth

  Stepping through the front door of the Black Smith Inn brought the cold and with it angry glares from several patrons enjoying the warmth inside as Sebastian returned from Castle Grimnal. The head raven of the battle mage order, Leros, had his office in the king's castle. Along with the high wizards and other key lords and officers serving the king, the castle also served as a focus for the government and offices serving the kingdom.

  Though only a falcon in rank officially and only a little over a year with that rank, Sebastian had found running to the king's castle almost routine since he did it so often. Climbing the stairs to the raven's office was quite common as well. After climbing to the old bird's roost, Leros had received his most recent reports from the spies in Ensolus and let the mage return to whatever duties he saw fit.

  It was nearing lunch time in Hala even though the clouds overhead grayed out the sun making it harder to guess the time. Like Ensolus, Hala was very cold. Unlike the cave city, Sebastian had dealt with snow falling as he had walked from the castle to the inn. At least it was located within the inner wall of the city as well making it just a few blocks walk from the castle's outer wall.

  The inn was becoming almost like home for the battle mage after a few months of using the same room. It was more comfortable than the dorm rooms of White Hall, the school for wizards and mages, and he had a greater deal of freedom now as well. Some came from being a falcon as opposed to being a cadet learning how to become a battle mage. More came from Sebastian's rather unique ability to uncover new spells for his fellow mages.

  He was given time to research like a wizard and the smithy behind the inn was one of the places he had used to create new weapons of war.

  A blonde haired girl dressed in a green dress appearing to be satin by the sheen of the cloth sat talking to three others. Two were dressed as mages, a boy and a girl, though the second looked old enough to be referred to as a young woman. The male falcon had boyish looks and often acted like a child, Sebastian thought of his long time friend Elzen.

  Rilena sat beside him. The two had both been his friends first. After he had continued on his personal path, they had bonded both because they knew him and through battle. When you relied on one another to cover your back, friendships were often built between people that might never have associated otherwise.

  A red haired wizard took up the last spot. Serrena had been following him trying to learn magic from a battle mage of all things. The wizard had actually been with him for most of the last year and become one of his closer friends. She was the first one to spot the mage entering the inn and pointed for the others to look.

  While his friends rose to greet him, the blonde haired girl was the one with the warmest smile for the mage, though that might have only been Sebastian's opinion. Ashleen had been with him a long while and that relationship had turned into love, though sparks had been there from the beginning. It was quite literal in the case of the girl who was also a lightning wilder.

  Ashleen reached out a hand to catch his exchanging a static electricity type spark. It was common enough for most people due to the dry, cold air; but with Ashleen it often occurred just from excitement. She couldn't always rein in her power. Tied to the earth, the wilder's power was always on, but most of the time no one else would notice.

  "Welcome back!" the pretty girl greeted him drawing him to the table.

  Joining the others at the table, Ashleen barely skipped a beat as she asked, "So how was Captain Drayden?"

  Sebastian knew that Drayden's mission was a secret from most people, but this was his inner circle. He hadn't been warned to keep it secret that there were spies in Ensolus, but it was probably assumed. Bas wondered if the news would reach the emperor's city anytime soon even if the news were to slip in the wrong company with winter in full bloom. Snow made travel anywhere outside of your home city nearly impossible. North of the wall, the mountains trapped even more snow and seemed to bring colder temperatures besides.

  "Drayden and his people seemed well enough. They've managed to get some work done, but there is still a lot to do," he replied ambiguously. Details had to be left out to keep the mission quiet after all.

  Realizing that they wouldn't get much out of the battle mage on that regard, Elzen changed the subject. "Have you been to White Hall lately?"

  "You know that I haven't been there in over a week, but if you are asking if I have seen my sister. She isn't there right now anyway."

  His face had darkened slightly with the thought and Ashleen stated, "You could have put your foot down and kept her from joining the other dragon mages down south, you know. She might be a very good dragon mage, but she's only thirteen. You could have made her stay at the school, and no o
ne would have questioned it."

  He barked a humorless laugh and replied, "Yeah, right, Katya would have questioned it until my ears bled; but she's remarkably good already."

  Elzen grinned at his friend and added, "She's a prodigy unlike her brother. How many years did it take for you to go to the wall for your first field training anyway?"

  Jumping on the track he had set, Rilena reminded them, "Actually I thought Bas told me that the wizards didn't even discover his magic until he was fifteen; and I believe that puts Katya two years ahead of him, since she is still just thirteen. She really is making you look bad, Bas."

  The humor on his friends' faces at his expense brought a roll of his eyes and a sigh. Sebastian answered the digs saying, "Much of it comes naturally to her, though I've heard from both her instructors and Katya that some of her magic is converted to a battle mage style first. She learned that from me before she got to the school, so if she's a prodigy then some of it must have rubbed off too."

  Elzen wagged his finger and complained, "Don't try taking all the credit now."

  Sebastian knew that he had gained momentum and added, "You know, I found her and sent her to the school instead of the wizards. So that's another win for her brother."

  "And High Wizard Darius had to put a spell on her to prevent her from turning into a diplomacy wilder and blowing everyone's minds away," Serrena commented raising a finger towards the ceiling to make her point.

  "You too, Serrena?" the mage complained to the fire wizard. "I thought at least you would have my back."

  The woman shrugged with a smile proving that she wasn't overly sorry.

  "Anyway, you both have your talents, so I think we can let Sebastian off the hook for starting later than his sister," Ashleen said trying to be diplomatic. "Since we are talking of Katya, will you be returning to the front soon?"