Warded Mage (Reawakening Saga) (4 page)

CHAPTER IV

Bahia refused to stay hidden long and soon they were back on the road to Xi’han. They moved slowly in an effort not to attract undue attention in case enemies were nearby. Their days were filled with silence only broken by faint echoes that rang out in the darkness. At night the two would talk and gradually the hostile demeanor of Bahia disappeared though she was never what Thad would call overly affectionate. She was a warrior through and through, everything she did was like an act of conquest. Thad tried not to focus too much on what the future might bring instead he tried to follow Bahia’s example and live for the moment but it was hard for him as memories of the past echoed in his mind.

“It won’t be long now and we shall be back in my village. The first thing I shall do is enjoy a nice day in the sulfur springs near my home.” Bahia said with the closest thing to a smile Thad had seen her show.

“That is good to know, you were beginning to get a bit ripe,” Thad replied jokingly getting a sharp glare from Bahia. “You can enjoy your spring; I can’t wait to meet with Sae-Thae. I have many questions…” Thad begun to say when he was interrupted by a loud sound of rocks falling that reverberated on the other side of his shielded wall.

“”What are you doing?” Bahia asked frantically as Thad moved over to the metal barrier and opened a small hole at its bottom.

Thad gave her a knowing smile, “Just letting in an old friend.”

Avalanche bounded through the small doorway and right on top of Thad. “Good girl, was wondering when you would decide to join me.” Thad said trying his best to wiggle out from underneath the heavy beast.

Bahia moved over to where the two wrestled on the floor her movements slow and precise. “I had heard stories of your pet, but I didn’t honestly believe you had tamed a creature with a heartstone. She is beautiful, have you given her a proper name?

As soon as Bahia was close enough to touch her, Avalanche turned her head and bared her teeth at the
Vathari priestess as a deep rumbling growl echoed in the small chamber. Thad slapped Avalanche hard on the side of the head. “Avalanche she is a friend,” Thad said as he pulled back his now throbbing hand. It was all too easy to forget that Avalanche was not flesh and blood sometimes, Thad thought to himself as he tried to rub feeling back into his hand.

Avalanche moved off Thad and walked around Bahia who remained perfectly still. When she was satisfied the Vathari posed no threat the rock like dog moved to the corner of the small room and plopped down with a heavy thud. “Don’t take it
personally, she tends to get jealous easily.” Thad said half-jokingly.

“She is a marvelous creature. I have never seen a carrier of a heartstone be so easily controlled before. There are a few mages I have heard of who forced them to do their bidding but never before have I witnessed it.” Bahia said her voice filled with awe.

“Controlled,” Thad laughed. “If anyone here is the master it is her,” Thad said waving his hand at Avalanche. “I have little if any real control over the creature. She does as she pleases and right now she has decided to grace us with her presence. If I truly controlled her she would have stayed with me when I approached your men, instead she decided to wander off for some unknown reason.” Thad said looking at the creature accusingly. Avalanche raised her head a bit and huffed in his direction. “See what I mean?”

Bahia laughed. It was a musical sound, one that Thad had not heard from her before. “Well I must say
, I have heard of mages forcing creatures of the heartstone under their control but never a creature of the heartstone doing the controlling.”

“Laugh all you want, give it a few days and Avalanche will have you eating out of her hand, or better yet tricking you into thinking she is eating out of yours. Don’t let her fool you; she is far smarter than she acts.” Thad said pointedly.

“I will take your word for it master mage.” Bahia said laughing lightly as she walked over and planted a light kiss on Thad’s lips. Avalanche raised her head and huffed again and Thad could have swore he knew what she was thinking, and it wasn’t very nice.

Thad was glad to have Avalanche back around she was a bit of added security but the days of quiet travel were gone. As much as the creature tried there was no way for a creature made of rock to walk silently. Bahia continued to fawn over Avalanche as if she was the mother of a newborn babe. Thad enjoyed the show but he had to admit to feeling a slight bit jealous over the attention Avalanche was getting. Avalanche ignored the
Vathari priestess, as if she were no more than a pestering fly.

The first sight of Xi’han came from a ledge with nearly a hundred foot drop. It was more of a massive city
, not a simple village as Thad has expected. The cavern that it was in stretched so wide Thad couldn’t see its edges in sight. It was as if the ground had simply opened up into another world. Lights sparkled in the distance as large buildings stretched from the floor of the cavern to the ceiling. Bahia let him stare in wonder enjoying the sense of awe the mage got from seeing her home. “Beautiful isn’t it. Xi’han is one of the jewels of the Underearth.” Bahia said as she made her way down a narrow path leading to the cavern floor.

Though he could see the city Thad could tell it was still a good ways away. As they drew nearer to the city, the ground beneath them grew soft as the hard rock was replaced by dirt. To Thad’s right he could see a large underground lake filled with many of the glowing fish he had once dined on d
uring his previous trip to the Underearth. On the left were large fields of mushrooms and other growing plants, as well as a few trees whose wood was as black as the deepest night. Thad had seen the wood itself before but it was the first time he had seen the tree it came from. It was massive easily thirty feet tall and so wide around, it would take ten men arm in arm to circle it. Its leaves were a red and seemed to glow faintly in the darkness.

More and more V
athari came into view. They were slightly larger than the average warrior he had seen but they were nowhere near as bulky. He watched as they worked the fields gathering crops and filling buckets with water. As far as he could tell Xi’han was much like a human city where everyone had a role to play. The only true difference he could see so far was that one was on the surface and the other was deep within the Underearth.

Bahia changed their path slightly and led Thad through one of the fields in the direction of a small hovel. Thad didn’t know what was going through the Vathari’s mind but he figured it wasn’t worth arguing over. He had waited seasons to meet with Sae-Thae a few moments more would matter little in the great scheme of things. He had been told time and time again by the teachers at the academy that impatience was the key to disaster. Thad continued to wait as Bahia knocked on the hovel door which was quickly opened by another
Vathari, who unlike the others he had seen looked like he had spent more time eating than working. As soon as the heavy Vathari’s eyes caught a glimpse of Bahia he hit his knees. “What can I do you for mistress of the dark?”

“I want a sack of your ripest tortmars, and make it quick I do not wish to stand in this dusty hell for a moment longer than I must.” Bahia said in the commanding tone she had used when he had first met her.

“Yes my lady.” The Vathari said as he scampered out the door disappearing into a large shed close by.

As Thad watched the farmer scurry off
, something struck him as odd. “How did I understand what he was saying?” Thad asked Bahia slightly confused. He was sure there was little chance a simple farmer would know common tongue. There would be no need for it and even in the chance he had known it he didn’t think Bahia would start the conversation with his tongue. While she had a nice side to her, considerate was not something he would use to describe her.

Bahia laughed at him then gave him a devilishly seducing look accented with a wink. “I hope you don’t mind. I simply used a little of my power to help you understand the language. I hope you appreciate it as well my little mage
, it is not an easy thing to do. I had to spend hours playing around in that little mind of yousr for it to work. We often use it more to find information from our enemies but it has many uses including inserting knowledge as well as taking it out.” Bahia said as she ran her finger in circles on Thad’s chest.

So
, she had been playing in his mind when he wasn’t paying attention. While slightly annoyed she would dare do such a thing he was curious as to how it had been done. He doubted she would tell him, while she had been more than forthcoming about most things whenever her skills, powers, or her god came up she became more stubborn than a dwarven mule. “I don’t think I like the idea of you fiddling around in my head.”

“But it was so much fun, though I will say it wasn’t easy. You have a strong will, I tried to make you want to stay with me but sadly it didn’t take. The language was easier because on some level you wanted to learn it, though it still took me many nights to finish it. It’s not perfect you will still have to learn to use the knowledge I have implanted on a conscious level. I have been talking to you in our language for the past two days but you still answer me in your own. You should really work on that it will make your stay here that much easier.” She replied kindly putting Thad a little on edge.

Thad remained quiet and dived into himself looking for any sign of the Vathari language inside his own mind much the same way he would look for a memory that evaded him. He could see traces of it lingering around like flashes of a dream that lingered after waking. He was forced from his contemplations when the farmer returned carrying a small cloth bag. “I have brought what you requested my lady.” The farmer said with his head bowed and arms outstretched presenting the bag to Bahia.

“Thank you… I am sure they are of the finest…
Quality.” Thad said slowly in Vathari.

Bahia quietly giggled a faintly cute sound that sent shivers down Thad’s spin. It was eerie as if hearing a dog talk, it just didn’t belong. “You would make such a fine pet.” She said giving him one of her longing stares, as if he were sort of prize she wanted to display. “Here, try one of these. They are beyond compare to your surface grown fruit.” Bahia said tossing him one of the fruits from the bag.

The fruit was dark purple and felt slightly off as if it were a plum with hair on it. Closing his eyes Thad took a timid bite from the offered fruit. Juice spilled down his chin as the sweet tangy flavor washed over his tongue. It was delicious and true to Bahia’s words he could think of nothing he had eaten before that had tasted so good. The look on his face must have gave his thoughts away as Bahia let out a humph of triumph. Everything was the same with her, a contest to be won, a battle to be fought. There seemed to be nothing she took pleasure in just for the sake of it. Thad wasn’t sure if he should envy or pity her. The way she seemed to view the world had its merits but it seemed cold to him lacking true connections with others around her.

Thad continued to nibble on another one of the fruits as Bahia led him through the streets of the Xi’han. The city was laid out like many of the others he had seen. The resident district was at the outlying parts of the city
, the closer you move in the nicer the buildings became, and then there was the market with small stalls staggered around and large buildings with displays showing their wares. At the center there was no castle but a series of large and imposing buildings. Bahia led him to one of the massive buildings, one that was shaped like a massive pillar. Two huge doors loomed in front of him, looking as if they had been made for giants. Bahia placed her hand on a small circle on one of the doors and it swung in without effort on her part.  Slightly amazed at the wonders around him Thad watched silently as he followed his caretaker into the large building.

Inside the building reminded him of the Royal Academy
, though it had far more decoration and magic about. The magic was so thick Thad could feel his skin tingling as he followed closely behind Bahia as she led him to a large spiraling staircase. They walked up countless steps, far more than Thad would have ever guessed could have been inside the tower. “How far are we going?”

“You wanted to see Sae-Thae the Paramount of the mages, which means we have to make the trip to the top of the tower.” Bahia said
, her voice showing her annoyance at his question. Thad continued to follow Bahia though he remained quiet until they reached a rather normal looking door at the top of the staircase. With everything else Thad had seen he had expected something grand awaiting him at the end. A door that talked, or maybe one that was made of a mystical metal that gleamed in the darkness, but instead he was greeted by plain wood that almost seemed out of place in a wizard’s tower.

CHAPTER V

Thad and Bahia were escorted into a small waiting room, by what Thad believed to be a young apprentice mage; though Thad was honestly having trouble telling the difference in the ages of the Vathari. He had not seen anyone who looked extremely young nor old; all the Vathari he had seen looked to be the same age. The question nagged at him but one look at Bahia and he knew that his asking any question right now would not be well received. Bahia looked far more uneasy than he had ever seen her before. Seeing her in such a state, Thad’s mind began to worry. She always seemed fearless and in control so whatever must be awaiting them left her out of sorts.

When Sae-Thae entered the room wearing a long colorful
robe, the tension in Thad’s body and mind melted away. Standing before him wasn’t an enemy but someone he was more than willing to call a friend. Sae-Thae walked straight over to Thad and bowed to him. “It is good to finally met you in the flesh Thaddeus Torren.” Before Thad could return the greeting Sae-Thae turned to Bahia. “Mistress of the night, you have done your job, you are dismissed.”

Thad was amazed at the dismissive tone Sae-Thae used on Bahia and he readied himself for her sharp retort
, hoping that it didn’t lead to a fight. He didn’t know if he considered Bahia a friend but he knew he didn’t want to see either of the two in the room come to injury. To his surprise Bahia bowed to the mage and dismissed herself without a word. As the door shut behind the Vathari priestess, Thad felt slightly saddened at the parting, he would miss her to some degree but other more important things now loomed ahead of him.

Sae-Thae took a seat across from Thad a
nd smiled brightly, a look that seemed out of place on the face of a Vathari. “I am glad you decided to visit Thaddeus. I wish I had been looking for you but I must admit that I honestly didn’t believe you would ever come in search of me. Did you happen to bring your pet with you?”

“Please call me Thad
. Thaddeus seems to be too formal between friends,” Thad said retuning the Vathari’s smile. “My pet, do you mean the dwarf or Avalanche? The dwarf is still back at his home and Avalanche wandered off before we reached Xi’han she didn’t seem to keen on entering your village. It saddens me but she doesn’t seem to look at the Vathari kindly.”

Sae-Thae laughed and shook his head. “Thad it is then. Honestly I didn’t expect the Heartstone creature would come with you. She is animalistic in nature so she would sense the open confrontational air that my people give off. That aside might I inquire as to why you have decided to visit
, though I am sure I know the answer.”

“I wish to learn,” Thad replied shrugging his shoulders. ”The dwarves while excellent hosts couldn’t truly teach me magecraft
, I was hoping you could.”

“Yes the dwarves are subtle in everything they do. I believe we can help you, after the Fae Wars we hosted many human who lived among us for protection for a time. Thanks to that we have the ability to help you in all your areas of magecraft and not just in darkness though that is our strongest area.”

“You have Vathari who can use elements other than darkness?” Thad asked slightly confused.

“Yes, and that brings me to a very important point.” Sae-Thae said
, his face looking slightly worried. “We expect you to mate with our females while you are visiting.” Sae-Thae said, then quickly held out his hand forestalling any remark Thad might have made. “A full blooded Vathari cannot use anything other than magic containing the darkness element that is true. To help strengthen our ability to use magic in the past we required visiting mages to mate with our women. That is the only requirement though a few of our warriors may request a sparring match with you considering that news of your powers in battle have reached all the notable warriors within Xi’han. As for the women you can chose your own if you wish but I will also be selecting some with high potential to send your way.” Sae-Thae paused for a moment and looked Thad directly in the eyes. “If you do this I will help you in your study of magic, with your pilgrimage, and I will tell you everything I know of the Brotherhood.”

Thad sat quietly for a time considering everything Sae-Thae had said. He should have known that knowledge came with a price, and for prices it was one that wasn’t too steep. “I will agree to your terms, but if possible I would like Bahia to be among those chose
n for me.” If he had to bed Vathari women he might as well continue with one he already knew.

“A maiden of the night, you are an odd one.” Sae-Thae said amazement lingering at the edges of his voice. “I cannot guarantee that but I will send a missive to her Paramount requesting such a bonding. Unlike most females the Priestess have a bit more power in refusing such a request but few would. It is seen as an honor to carry the offspring of a child of Moriudonius.”

“What or who is a child of Moriudonius? I have been called that numerous times and I’m starting to feel left out.” Thad said slightly frustrated.

Sae-Thae folded his hands in his lap and crossed his legs. “That is a long story and what used to be the major reason for mages to go on their pilgrimage. For most
,it is one of our biggest taboo’s to tell a child o
f
Moriudonius anything about the meaning of the name, but as luck would have it I am one of the few who have the pleasure of not being bound by such a taboo.” Sae-Thae said causing Thad to lean forward in anticipation.

“It started long ago when only the twin beings we would call gods roamed the land, Humanius and Belaroan. Though twins created by the eternal god they were completely different. Belaroan was a peaceful creature who simply enjoyed watching the world around him
, content with simply watching the grass grow, as the saying goes. Humanius on the other hand was restless and quickly grew bored, so he created humans in his own image, so that he would have servants to command and obey his every whim. After a time he showed his creation to his sister who took a great interest in them and condemned her brother for using them as slaves.”

“Over time the humans grew tired of Humanius iron grip on their lives and rebelled. The leader of the rebellion
Albairas, sought the aid of Belaroan, who created a land where any human who wanted to be free could live. The story goes that Albairas and Belaroan fell in love and had nine children. Humanius, who saw humans as below them, was outraged that his sister would dare mix her blood with theirs, and started destroying humans in an attempt to wipe them off the face of the land. Against Belaroan’s blessing Albairas rode out to fight Humanius and was slain on the battlefield. Belaroan knew that her brother would not stop until every last creature carrying human blood was slain including her children. To protect them she gave the eight oldest control over a single element and the gift of eternal life. The last child, Moriudonius she pulled aside and gave him control over a portion of all eight elements, but she refused him eternal life and sent him out to watch over the rest of his kind. Her other children were told to scatter and protect the balance of the world as well as to watch over their brother and his children that would come after him. Crying as she watched her children leave Belaroan went to face her brother who she dragged down to the center of the abyss to hold prisoner until the end of days.” With his story finished Sae-Thae let out a heavy sigh. “That is the story of our world. Humans were the first and in a sense the father to all other races. Each of the new eight gods created Creatures but as they only had control over one element their creations were rooted in that element.”

Thad was amazed at the story. If it were true then all the races with the exception of the humans had a god watching over them. “Why haven’t I heard this before, not even the Brotherhood could e
rase every trace of such a story from the minds of men.”

Sae-Thae let out a short laugh. “You are right the Brotherhood had nothing to do with keeping this a secret, it has been kept a secret since Moriudonius entered the world of humans. He didn’t want everyone to treat him as a god so he named himself a mage. At his request his brothers and sisters also kept his secret only revealing it to those of his
lineage who made the trip to their children’s homeland. The humans didn’t know there were gods because the gods didn’t want them to. You must also keep this secret, one day the gods may wish to reveal themselves to the humans but until that time it is our job to obey their wishes.”

It was a lot for Thad to take in, but he had no reason to doubt Sae-Thae’s word. “Then the pilgrimage is about learning the truth?” Thad asked in subdued tones.

“Yes and no. Mages used to travel to us and the other god children not just to learn the truth but in hopes of receiving the other god’s blessings. As you know, while all mages can call upon the different elements not all of them can use them well. It has to do with who they are, and how they think. The mages would normally seek out the gods that most reflected their own talents, but sometimes they would seek out the others as well. My own people even seek out our god’s blessing though it is done on the twenty year after birth, and I will tell you not all of them receive such a blessing.”

“From what I see you all look like you are barely over the age of twenty.” Thad said jokingly.

“Yes I can see why you might think that. Believe it or not we live for about the same length as a human but we do not age the same. Shortly after we reach adulthood we stop aging. As we grow older we tend to sleep more and then one day we no longer rise from our beds.”

“So what should I do first?” Thad asked unsure of
himself.

“First we need to test you, follow me.” Sae-Thae said as he stood and walked out of the room. Thad quickly followed behind Sae-Thae who led him down the steps to the floor below and into a large room. As soon as he stepped into the room it was as if everything around him had gone cold
, as his the flow of magical energy was cut off. In the center of the room sat a series of eight globes sitting on a long table. “The test is simple each one of the globes contains energy of a particular element. You simply need to place your hand on the globe and try to draw in magic. How much magical energy is collected tells us your strength with that element.”

As Thad thought over the test he found it ingenious. The magic was completely isolated and he was forced to only draw on one of them at a time, making it much easier to measure his ability with that particular element. Walking over to the first orb Thad placed his hand on it and focused his mind trying his hardest to pull in the magic. The globe started to glow as its insides were filled with a dark swirling mist. The second one was much harder and only the faintest swirling of white could be seen inside. Thad continued on to each globe until he was finished
, while the test had seemed easy, it left him somewhat mentally drained, as the all too familiar feelings of fatigue started to set in.

Sae-Thae clapped his hands his face betraying his elation as Thad slumped down into the nearest chair. “Excellent most
of the time students have to take a short breather after only two or three of the globes. You’re very strong in the earth, light, dark, and energy elements. Not too bad in the fire and nature either though you seem to be lacking in wind and water. Honestly it is very rare even during the mage’s best days you would have ranked among the top. Even though wind and water are your weakest elements I will still rank you in the third tier class for their use.”

“What?” Thad asked slightly confused.

“Right you don’t know about the different ratings. Had you been born a couple thousand years ago you would have taken this same test in the tower of mages and they would have ranked you in a tier of one to ten in each element. Water and wind you would have been tier three which is not bad, the largest majority of mages only reached tier six on their best elements. Fire, you would have been ranked at tier five, nature tier six which is like I said the common ranking for most mages. Light, and energy, would have been a tier eight, enough alone to get you some recognition among your peers. Then you add in a tier nine in dark and tier ten in earth, you would have been destined for the high council in your own due time. Honestly you are a very rare find.” Sae-Thae said, his face still beaming.

“You talk of the tower of mages back before the Fae War. I would like to know more about them, and how they worked.” Thad said gasping as breath flowed only with
a forced effort into his tired chest.

“Yes
, I thought you would. As a young student I took much interest into human mages, as I was one of the few still born with the ability to wield more than one element. They were an odd group if I must say so myself. They controlled everything magical in nature and when a mage went rogue, they dealt with it harshly. The mages were focused on peace and helping out those weaker than themselves, and were against being used as a simple tool for war. When a mage reached maturity, much as you have, they would be tested and given their robes. On the chest of their robes for any elements of tiers five through seven, they were given an orb that glowed brightly to represent their skills. For tiers eight and nine they were given a glowing star in the color of the element, and for any tier ten skills their robes would be outlined in that color. If you like I could have a similar robe made for you?”

Thad thought about his offer. Robes were always what the mages in storybooks wore
, but he preferred to fight with a sword as well and long robes tended to get in the way of his footwork. “It’s a generous offer but I much prefer fighting leathers over something that could get tangled on the battlefield.”