Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus) (32 page)

“He didn’t say much to my belief, but I think my words may have made him think a little bit,” Sylvaine added feeling a bit proud of
herself for seeing the futility of such minor battles in the war.

Palose peered at her intently and asked once more, “He said nothing or very little after your point?”

“He said something like I had given him something to think about and something about making these minor battles more historic, I think,” she said trying to remember correctly. The words had been a bit strange now that she thought about it. What had she said that could make the battle more historic? Did surrendering to the enemy for no real reason make the giant think that he impressed anyone by quitting?

To her surprise, Palose looked almost as thoughtful. “Had he asked about me and the battle mages of Southwall?”

She nodded thinking that he had lost her by going back to nearly the beginning. Sighing, the girl thought of the early days of their relationship where she had left him guessing while pointing out books to the apprentice sitting on the floor. When had she lost that advantage? Now he was the one she tried to figure out and had begun to chase to find out his secrets.

“Interesting,” was all that the young man would say as he picked up the book he had placed on the table as he sat. Like that was the end of it, Palose left the matter lie as the others exchanged glances in
confusion. Only Holdy returned to his book, but Sylvaine noticed even he looked at the mage over the pages of the book occasionally.

Realizing that Palose would say no more on his thoughts, the rest of the group settled down to reading. The discussion seemed to have left the rest unable to fully concentrate as they looked at the mage from time to time, but pages were often turned forward just to turn back realizing that they hadn’t comprehended a word they had just read.

The afternoon lengthened and the light coming in through the windows on the south side faded as the entry of the cavern blocked the last of the day’s rays. Palose was the first to stand to leave. He had not only read and thought about Sylvaine’s view of the surrender, but considered the task he was contemplating.

Leaving the library, the mage had an obvious shadow leaving right behind him.

“Do you know what Garosh hopes to gain from his surrender? I mean what his plan really is?” Sylvaine called to him making Palose turn to see the dark haired girl in the shadows cast by more spires between them and the cavern mouth. Light could have been seen outside the cave had they been in a place to look at it, but the city’s lamps were already lit along the walkway and the western parts of the Ensolus.

Palose looked at her and at first Sylvaine thought that he wouldn’t answer her. “The battle mage, who destroyed part of the fortress and escaped with his prisoners, was at Windmeer. By surrendering to them, Garosh might be trying to find him or discovering what has changed where he has been. If he were to kill Sebastian, then the mizard wouldn’t be able to learn anymore or affect any changes. 

“He also might be planning to do something like Atrouseon had me try in Windmeer. Bringing down one of the six fortresses manning the North Wall would certainly be more history worthy than a fight out in the middle of the Dimple Mountains over some forsaken land.”

“In other words, what I said may have made him decide to surrender?” Sylvaine gasped in sudden recognition of the timing of it all.

Shrugging, Palose started to turn away.

“I would have waited for you at your house, if I knew where it is instead of going to the library,” the girl stated abruptly sounding almost accusatory for not knowing his secret.

He didn’t look at her as he responded, “If I wanted you waiting there for me, I wouldn’t have worked to keep it secret.”

His words almost seemed to slap her concern away. Feeling hurt by the young man, Sylvaine couldn’t help saying, “I thought you had feelings. Maybe resurrection men can’t understand when someone is concerned about you!”

She wanted to pull her words back and burn them immediately. Never had the girl felt like Palose was anything but a real person, but she had thrown his rebirth back at him as soon as anger made her try and push his buttons. Seeing his back stiffen, Sylvaine quickly tried to apologize, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean that, Palose. Don’t be angry.”

Instead of looking at her, the young man said loud enough to be heard as his feet began to walk away from her, “Don’t worry. Apparently we don’t have feelings.”

Running to catch him by the arm, Sylvaine tried to stop him and make her look at her. “Palose, I said I was sorry. I didn’t mean it like that! You just made me angry and it slipped.”

He pulled away and she knew he was angry, but acting passive aggressive rather than face the girl, who was now hurting those feelings she had implied he no longer had.

Quickly jumping in front of the young man, Sylvaine wrapped her arms around him preventing him from walking through her or pulling away, unless he chose to hurt her physically.

“I don’t know what I can say,” she breathed into his chest and felt her tears on his jacket smearing against her skin. “Any man can seem heartless when he hurts a girl’s feelings, but I know you are as alive as anyone in this city. Most of the warlock’s seem to have no souls and only care about themselves. You’ve helped me, Turless, even Acheri and Lanquer. You even forgave Selvor and Malfaes before taking them in as friends. Dead men don’t do that.”

Feeling his magic gather, she heard Palose mumble a spell before pushing her backward. His hands held onto her shoulders and a rush of wind swept past the girl with a flash of silver light.

Sylvaine took a moment to realize where they were.

“Fireball,” the mage ordered lighting the fireplace on one side before separating from the girl to light the stove.

There were two lanterns that glinted with the light given off by the fire light so Sylvaine used her spells to light them for the mage while he finished with the second fire before closing the protective plate on the stove. The girl knew it would be cold in the room for awhile and kept her coat on as she watched steam coming from each breath. Palose walked to the table as she watched and placed his bag on top.

“Befriending people doesn’t necessarily mean I have to like them,” he stated as his hand brushed back his blond hair from his face. “When I first came here I knew no one, not even Atrouseon really, though he was my creator or master or whatever he should be called. Selvor and Malfaes were redeemable assets, so I let them join me. One day I may need friends for other reasons than socializing. Those two in particular follow me because they know I can kill them. Some men respect and follow those they fear.”

“Turless doesn’t fear you, or Holdy.”

He shrugged. “People join people for different reasons. I like companionship as much as anyone and it isn’t like I don’t care at all. I am not heartless, but my priorities may not always lend to my being nice to everyone. Acheri and Lanquer have the ear of the emperor and I befriend them because they came to me. They are the emperor’s new siblings and only a fool would refuse what they ask. Maybe one day that ‘friendship’ will bear fruit for me as well?”

“Am I just an asset to you? You gave me this touchstone and said you would come for me if I was in trouble,” Sylvaine said pulling the stone setting from where the chain rested between her breasts under her jacket. She had felt strength from having it by her heart when she was at the fortress, now she wondered why he had given it to her at all.

His face remained turned from the girl but he sighed and seemed to talk to the air rather than Sylvaine, “Sometimes I wonder if you listen to anything I say. I said that I still care about people, despite being a resurrection man. You act as if I was someone different before I died, but I think that, if I changed at all, it has simply been to focus my mind on new goals. I have access to more power than I had in my first life. I can strive for more than being just a battle mage following others orders.” He looked over his shoulder at the dark haired girl and added, “It doesn’t mean I can’t be side tracked by other wants and needs or people that I like.”

“I like you too,” she replied hoping that he had meant her. Moving towards him, the girl placed her hands on his arm hugging it to her chest. 

Chapter 17- The Barn

Palose glanced at the wood walls and floor surrounding him. Even in the light of the two lamps and the fire in the fireplace, it felt dark. If he were to live there as a home, the man thought that he would have to paint the room a brighter color. It was an arbitrary thought as the girl beside him held his arm.

Sylvaine was a warm presence in the cool air of the room and not just for her soft, warm body. Sometimes he had to remind himself that he was human and not just something raised by a necromancer to serve him. “I gave you that touchstone, because I care. If you needed help, I would have tried to be there. If you had died, I might even try to bring you back with the resurrection spell.”

Since she wasn’t facing Palose, her expression was missed. First, to cross her face was confusion. Did he mean that he wanted to bring her back from death? Did he want to experiment on her? Both thoughts had different emotions attached and levels of feeling for her. Maybe it was him saying that he would love her beyond death, but Palose had said nothing about love, then again neither had she.

“If me showing how sincere I am meant you killing me and bringing me back, then I guess I would let you kill me,” the girl said with a little shudder. She hardly wanted him to say yes, but Sylvaine did want him to know that she was sincere.

“I don’t need practice that badly,” he chuckled trying to infuse a little humor in a conversation as dark as the room around him. “Now if your apology is through, I need to think about getting ready for tonight.”

Releasing his arm, the apprentice stepped back a moment watching as his mind worked at a problem.
“Ready for what?”

Smiling like a cat that had caught a mouse, Palose replied, “Returning to Southwall to check out a farm east of the castle. I think that some of the army that entered Windmeer may be hiding out there.”

Giving a thoughtful frown, Sylvaine replied, “That was last summer. How could any of our forces have lasted on a Southwaller’s land of all places?”

“That is what I intend to find out,” he chuckled.

Knowing that she was pressing her luck, the girl asked, “Could I come with you?”

Palose shook his head and explained why, “Moving you here at least tripled the difficulty of jumping a mile within the city. Trying to move hundreds of miles together would require a blood sacrifice, I think. I may be stronger than I was, but I am not strong enough to do it otherwise.”

Looking disappointed, Sylvaine asked, “Do you want me to leave? Are you going to blindfold and lead me out of here again?”

“If you were any good at portal magic, you could make a touchstone and join me if I took one with me.”

Wincing at the unintentional slight, the girl replied, “But I can barely make a touchstone and can’t make a portal to save my life.” She finished with a sigh knowing that he hadn’t meant to insult her, and that the deficiency was hers alone to bear.

Palose looked around the room as if seeing something else as he thought aloud, “You could stay here or walk back, but I don’t have any food if it gets much later. All I have is what I have left from my lunch.”

Shrugging, Sylvaine asked, “How long do you think it will take you? I can just sit on the couch and study or something. If it gets too late and I start to get hungry I can leave as long as you don’t mind my knowing where your house is and can tell me which way to go?”

He laughed realizing that she must be thoroughly lost. “We’re at the east wall south of the lake. You can go north and follow the lake back home or west to a tavern in the human district if you’re hungry.”

“The human district, I guess I knew that already,” the girl nodded. “Well, if you are going to try then I guess I should wish you luck. If a farmer has control of a group of Ensolus’s soldiers, he may be more than meets the eye, so be careful.”

Nodding to the curly haired apprentice, Palose called up a portal and stepped through to lightly falling snow.

The mage looked around noting the dark, gray skies even subdued the white of the fresh snowfall. Even so, Palose knew that the lighter gray of the ground could give him away to any eyes looking out of a window.

Fishing in his pocket for a touchstone, he flung the charm as close to the barnyard area as he could. A quick portal jumped the mage to within a few hundred feet of the barn and his target. His hand dug the stone out of the snow and he cast it one more time to step through only a dozen or so feet from the structure.

“Stealth,” he breathed quietly calling on a mainstay spell of the battle mages. His world darkened as light was bent around him, but cut off his sight as well. Using his magically enhanced senses, Palose crept forward through the snow. The patter of snowflakes on the snow pack and wooden buildings nearby nearly drowned out each footstep to his ears, so he knew that few could have heard his approach.

A light came from the few windows on the barn as evening crept over the land far to the south of Ensolus. The dark gray clouds above drowned out whatever remained of the sun’s rays as it faded into the west and night came early. Palose could see more lights from the farmhouse and wondered at what kind of people they might be if they held what he thought rested inside of the barn.