Warded Mage (Reawakening Saga) (7 page)

Th
e next few days Thad spent all his time with the dark assassins. He had learned how to use his gift though the cold feeling he got when he stepped into the shadows felt as if someone had dipped him into ice. Moving his whole body through the shadows was easy it was learning to allow a blade to pass through him that sent shivers down his spine. He had managed to do it twice but that was out of numerous tries that had left him battered and bruised. His brother assassins had cheered him on saying it could take a dozen years to begin to master the skill of the blessing.

Thad’s time of departure quickly approached until it was only a day away. His last night in Xi’han Thad spent alone in his chambers with the many books he had been researching. It would be hard to leave behind the friends he had made. Sae-Thae was more than a friend but in many ways his real master in the arts of magic. Bahia though distant and cold would always hold a special place in his memory, and finally the dark assassins would always be his brothers for they shared a gift
and a burden that tied them together.

Thad ran his fingers over a specific passage detailing another mage
’s visit to Xi’han. He had shared many of the same feelings and thoughts Thad had, though they weren’t quite the same. Thad wondered if thousands of years from now a mage much like himself would read over his own writings as he tried to settle his mind about what the future might hold. As Thad drifted off to sleep his mind continued to whirl around everything that had happened over the past few years.

Thad once again found himself in the darkness watching Maria. She had grown a lot during their time apart, and even though he knew that it
was only a dream his chest began to hurt as he stared at her. She no longer wore the light dresses of a young princess attending balls. No she was dressed in sturdy battle leather with a golden crown engraved on her chest. Thad wondered why he viewed her in such a light. Maria was a lot of things but a warrior was far removed from how he viewed her. Was his mind trying to tell him something or was there more to it than he understood.

CHAPTER VIII

Thad stood on the outskirts of Xi’han with his escort of dark assassins who swore to get him back into dwarven land without incident. Standing in front of him was Sae-Thae who had come to see him off. In his hands he held a large package which he handed to Thad. “On such short notice I was only able to get a few of the books you wanted copied, I also had the leatherworkers create something nice for you.”

Thad took the package a
nd sat it on the ground and tore it open. Inside were five books that he had been particularly interested in about mages who had talents close to his own. Underneath the books lay a leather battle harness with golden brown strips running down the center of the chest. On one side it had a black star with the symbol of the dark assassins engraved in silver along with a green and red dot that shimmered slightly. On the other side was a silvery star with traces of white running through it that almost seemed to spark with energy along with a golden orb. Without hesitation Thad replaced his own battle harness with the new one. It was light and supple and fit perfectly. Thad could feel magic emanating from it though he was unsure what enchantments were placed on it. “It is a fine gift.”

“I figured you would like it. I had the enchantments made much like the ones you had placed on your own though because of our limitations they are slightly different but they should help keep you safe my brother.”

With one last goodbye, Thad and his brothers headed into the Underearth retracing the footsteps he had taken not so long ago. The trip was made in quiet solitude until they were well gone from the milling people of the city’s outskirts. Once they were in the quiet solitude of the Underearth the games began. The assassins played a version of tag, much like children with the exception for the jumping in and out of shadows. They protested that it was in order to help train their gifts but Thad was sure it had more to do with the amount of fun they had testing themselves against each other. Thad learned that it was impossible to keep your whole body submerged within the darkness, some part of you no matter how small had to be exposed otherwise you risked the darkness ripping you into nothingness. It was a risk they took each time they used their gift, one careless move and you simply disappeared like mist in the morning sun.

Thad played the game along with the others but he was unable to ever get close to the person who was it. It was like
chasing after smoke while moving through water. The second before he jumped through the shadows his opponent was already gone. Though Thad was greatly outmatched he was getting better with each movement. He still didn’t like the cold feeling that passed over his body when he drifted into the dark but he was starting to get used to it.

When they stopped for the night
there were no tents, and no fire, they slept in the open darkness. Unlike most, a fire didn’t stave away enemies, it only became a burden to the dark assassins who lived and breathed the dark like no other. Thad had gotten better at seeing in the dark but his magical eye was no match for the natural abilities of the Vathari. Thad doubted anyone or anything could dare encroach on them especially in the Underearth. Even when they were sitting around joking the dark assassins had an air of death and danger around them.

The journey progressed smoothly and after the second day in the tunnels of the
Underearth Avalanche slowly approached the group. When she was first spotted the Vathari watched her closely as if they expected her to attack but Thad quickly calmed down their nerves and called out to his old friend. Avalanche came close to them, almost so close Thad thought for a moment she would travel with them but he could tell even from the distance that her movements were calculated and as soon as she had a good look at him, she let off a loud rumbling bark and darted back off into the darkness. “Should we go after the creature?” Wu’xun asked Thad.

Thad simple shook his head. He was sure that his brothers would not harm Avalanche but there was always the chance she would leave them little choice. Turning
, Thad walked back to the camp with Wu’xun one of the younger members of the group. He was a nice fellow but deadly in battle with fierceness not easily matched and speed that made his ability to merge with the darkness even more deadly. On the surface Wu’xun would have been one of the highest paid assassins, Thad had no doubt of that.

On their way back to dwarven lands Thad noticed that they passed very few other
Vathari when he asked one of his companions about the lack of other travelers. He was reassured that while the other Vathari were close they were purposely traveling to stay out of sight. It wasn’t for practical reasons it was simply another way for them to test their own skills. Though the Underearth seemed large it was not hard to run into large groups when you entered their territory. The dark assassins were often sent to places where they were asked to get in and out unseen, so whenever they were given the chance they tried to move around unnoticed even by the members of their own village.

From waking
, to sleep, everything the assassins did was in order to train their skills. They led dangerous lives and were often the target of the rival Vathari’s own groups of assassins. When in their own barracks the assassins always wore lead lined clothes. Thad had done the same during his short stay, and while he was used to the weight of battle leathers what the Vathari assassins wore was heavy even eating became a chore. Thad had enjoyed his stay in Xi’han and his travels with his brothers of the dark, as they called themselves, but he knew the life of one of the dark assassins was not one he could live for long.

As he walked along next to his brothers, Thad wondered why the god of the dark granted him such
an ability. It wasn’t that he wasn’t grateful. Thad was sure that it would be a more than usefully ability in the future. Sae-Thae had said the gods always did things for a reason but most of the time mortals could seldom understand their reasons.

Thad
could tell when they grew near to the dwarven lands, as the air in the tunnels felt slightly different. It was almost as if the ground itself was welcoming him back from his travels. It was a warm feeling unlike the cold and hollow one he got from most of the Underearth. Though he felt more at ease, his brothers of the dark movements became tenser. Unlike him they were in enemy territory and might have to draw their weapons at any time. When they entered tunnels that he knew well Thad had his escorts turn back. They were a little reluctant not to deliver him to the steps leading to the surface, but they agreed with only a little coercion that it would be safer for Thad to continue alone than risk a dwarven attack.

Thad sl
owed down his pace and enjoyed the slow walk through the familiar halls. It didn’t take him long to find one of the three paths to the surface. It was still daylight when he made his way up the stone steps though it was fading fast.

Thad had chosen an exit that led to the farmlands of the dwarves. Even though he had only
spent a few fortnights in the Underearth the smell of fresh grass that assaulted his nose felt refreshing to him. As Thad walked back to the small house that had been set aside for him, he thought about the dwarves and V
athari. Growing up, there had been plenty of stories about the dwarves though he had learned that most of them had been far from the truth. On the other hand the only stories he could think of that might have anything to do with the Vathari were the ones told to children at night to scare them. It was odd the Vathari had claimed, at one time, that they had ruled the entire surface world until their drive to battle had broken down their own rule. Why weren’t there more stories about them?

When he reached his temporary home Thad found that it was full of dwarves. Thad wondered why they had all gathered in one place until he heard the rumbling barking of
Avalanche as she bound out the small door toward him, knocking him hard to the ground. As Thad tried to pull himself from under the massive weight of his friend, the dwarves began to gather around him laughing.

“Look, it’s a mage under
a rock. Not something you see every day is it boys?” Crusher said continuing to laugh.

“If you can laugh
, you can help me out here.” Thad said slightly annoyed.

CHAPTER IX

Thad woke late the next morning with the sun already high in the sky assaulting his eyes. With his head pounding he made his way over to the small water basin and washed his face. The dwarves had thrown a large party and Crusher, as he always did, forced strong dwarven ales down his throat until he passed out. Knowing Crusher, he had forced more down his throat even after that.

Most of the night was a blur to him but he remembered Elder Grenlor telling him to visit him as soon as possible. It struck Thad as odd that the old elder was so persistent about it the night before. Knowing that the normally easy going elder must have a reason for his rush
, Thad dressed as quickly as his pounding head and aching muscles would let him.

Thad looked at the leather vest Sae-Thae had given him. As he ran his fingers over the symbols representing his strengths he thought about what he had said about the mages of the past.
They were founded on the principles of peace and abhorred the use of magic for war. He had already killed hundreds directly and indirectly with his magic during the war at Southpass. He was sure some of the mages of long ago had also killed during the Fae War and before. How did they feel when they used their magic in such a way? Thad had been raised since birth to think little of fighting and when his blade or magic pierced an enemy nothing ran through his mind at the time. Sometimes later after the battle had died down he would dream of the faces he had killed in the heat of battle but they seldom bothered him. Was that part of what the dark hid from him?

Putting on the leather jerkin Thad let the thoughts drift from his mind. He knew he didn’t enjoy killing and that was enough for him. There was no use
in tormenting himself over things he couldn’t control or things he had done in the past. The best thing he could do was set his sights on the future and does his best to work toward his own goals. He would reestablish the Mage’s Tower and bring safety to those like himself. No longer would the children of Moriudonius run scared from the Brotherhood of the Fox.

The dwarven village was not overly large
, only housing a little over two thousand dwarves. A large amount of the dwarves live in houses carved from the mountain but most preferred the open ground. Thad’s house was one of the few with a bed, as the dwarves preferred to sleep on large boulders carved like boxes that fit their frame almost perfectly. Thad had tried it once on Crusher’s urging but had found it an uncomfortable experience.

Thad found Grenlor in his stone house sitting by the window his old fingers stretched out as he read through the dwarven tablets. No words were written on the stone but all the information one could want could be found on them. It was magically etched into the very heart of the stone. Thad had once tried to read one but it was more than he could handle and he had only been left with a headache a hangover would envy.

Thad took a seat next to the old dwarf and waited for him to finish. Having tried to read the tomes once he knew the amount of concentration it took to seep into one. When Grenlor finally looked up his face was covered in sweat and his face was pale. “Not as spry as I used ta be. I am glad you have returned from your trip to visit the Vathari. For the look of ya I see ya found what ya were looking fer. I apologize fer not telling ya about the God’s before but there are rules that bind us and only a dwarven mage would be allowed to share the secrets and regrettably, there hasn’t been one of those in centuries. We as a people have moved away from using magic overtly, though there are still dwarf villages that host a great number of mages. Now boyo, I must ask, do ya want ta undergo the dwarven right of pilgrimage? We don’t have a mage to lead ya through it like the Vathari but we have plenty of priests to perform the rite.”

Thad had already anticipated the question. He was strongest in the earth element so going
through the rite wasn’t really the question of if, but when. “I would like to go through the rite as soon as possible. I need to get on my way back to Farlan. I don’t know what it is but something is nagging at me.” Thad replied as the dreams he had of Maria flashed through his mind.

“I will talk to the priests to prepare your ceremony. Normally the rite
fer the coming of age is held in the winter so it will take a few days ta prepare everything. Until then I have translated a few items fer ya ta look through. I couldn’t find much on yer mage’s history but I did find a bit on tha Brotherhood.” The old dwarf said as he pulled a large bundle of parchment from underneath the table and handed them to Thad.

Thad read through the first few papers. It was very detailed information about the Brotherhood. Though it was centuries old Thad was still sure he could find some useful information to help him in his coming struggle. Thad excused himself and headed back to his own house
, the bundle of parchment tucked safely in his arms. Sighing Thad looked down at the large bundle, ever since he had met Sae-Thae he had spent countless hours studying and very little practicing. He could feel the magic around him. It was almost tangible, and he burned to pull it in himself, to mold it into what he desired. Sae-Thae had told him it was the bane of all mages to yearn for the magic. If one did not control oneself then he would let the magic engulf him. He hadn’t touched true magic in almost a fortnight and with every passing day his body craved its touch more and more. He was determined not to let his urges control him, even if it drove him mad.

After reading for almost an hour Thad had only learned a few things new about the Brotherhood. Thad had thought they had been created by the emperor during the Fae Wars but it looked as if they had existed long before the emperor had taken power. That raised as many questions in
his mind that had not been there before. Had the Brotherhood been the true voice behind the war?  The origin of their weapons was also a mystery though the dwarves being master craftsmen had a few ideas. While the different theories differed greatly they all had one thing in common, a god or mage had to be involved in some way.

During the Fae Wars the Brotherhood had been vast with an estimated count of over fifty thousand soldiers at their command, though that was still only a fraction of the emperor’s real force. The whole of the emperor’s force hunted mages but the brotherhood was tasked with especially difficult targets and were seen
as an elite force during the Fae Wars. The basic forces of the Brotherhood each carried a sword that absorbed magic but the commanders also had armor crafted from it making it almost impossible for the mages to touch them without expending huge amounts of magic. Their armor also protected against the magical weapons of the dwarves and elves.

Though there were hints of them being around for thousands of years before the empire was created it was only sparsely mentioned. The dwarves while not extremely long lived were unique in the way they passed down knowledge. The strongest memories were passed down from parents to child at birth. The dwarfs referred to these memories as stone memories. Though there was a limit, memories older than three generations began to fade, only the strongest of memoirs persisted longer than that. That was why the dwarves still kept logs of their history so that nothing was lost
, though only the elders ever read them.

Thad envied the dwarves’ ability to pass down memories
, though Crusher had told him it was as much of a burden as a gift. “When you’re young and have little memories of your own everything you do is influenced by the memories of your parents. It is confusing to be playing in the mines and remember taking your wife there on a romantic getaway.” Crusher had told him. His friend hated how his memories of his ancestors pushed him into being a mere copy of them. That was why he became a blacksmith since every one in his family had been miners. It was his way to fight against the unwanted memories in his head.

Sitting aside the parchments Thad leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. In a few days he would meet with the dwarven god and ask for his blessing. The Vathari god had been scar
y and had racked his mind to the edges of his sanity. What would the dwarven god be like? The Vathari were almost as different from one another as humans, but the dwarves were strikingly similar to each other, with a few exceptions. They were patient, loved to drink, loved a good fight, and most of all loyal. The God of the Dark had asked Thad what dark was, he had not known the answer at the time though now it made perfect sense to him. But what was earth?

The earth was strong yet could be broken. It was made up of everything from dirt to gems. As his mind answered the seemingly simple question over and over, each time
he had a different answer and reason for it and each time his frustration grew. “What is Earth?” Thad yelled as he slammed his fist into the table.

“Is that bothering
ya,” Thad heard a raspy voice say from behind him. “In dwarven earth means hidden secret. And just like it says dwarves love secrets, we love to hide them, keep them, and make them. Every dwarf has many secrets that we hold as dear as our own life. I have more than a few secrets that I hold dear. Moreover, just like things hidden in the earth, secrets yearn to get out, to make themselves known. So as a dwarf we are torn between keeping our secrets to ourselves and hinting about them to those around us. Ya get a load of dwarves together and ya got nothing more than a bunch of people trying to out hint each other about a secret they hold dear. I bet ya have a few secrets ya hold dear as well.”

Crusher was
right, he had more than a few secrets. Though he did not hold most of those secrets because he found them precious, most of them were kept out of respect or the pain they would cause him if exposed.  The secret of his birth name, was one such of those. He had been born Mark Allicar, a son sold to slaver by his very mother. His name had changed when Monique his adopted sister had given him the name Thaddeus, though the details of that meeting were also a secret. Remembering Monique, Thad absent mindedly rubbed the ring on his right hand with the symbol of a rose on it. The fact he was a mage was held a close secret, almost everywhere he went, as to let it be known would cause problems. If the elements one was gifted with guided them, then he understood why earth was his strongest element. “I might have one or two secrets I prefer to keep close.” Thad said teasingly.

Thad was starting to understand
, while the dark hid things not only from others but from the person themselves, the earth held secrets that the person held tightly. They were similar but completely different at the same time. The answer to the question was simple yet nothing like what he thought. It took strength and conviction to hold onto a secret, making the dwarves the perfect host for such a thing. Nowhere in all the realms would you find another creature as stubborn as a dwarf.

“
Yer as bad as a dwarf my friend. One day we shall share a blood secret making us true brothers my friend.” Crusher said confidently.

“Blood secret?”
That asked having never heard the term before though it tended to bring to mind something unpleasant.

“Tis a secret that a small group of people share that are so valuable they would be willing
ta die fer it. Sharing a blood secret is said ta be the true trust of friendship, so those who carry them are called Brothers of Blood.” Crusher said as he pulled a flask from his jerkin and took a quick drink. “The only trouble is that it’s impossible to plan a blood secret they always seem to find you.”

Thad laughed, “What kind of secret is worth a person’s life?”

“I know it might be hard fer ya ta think of one but they exist, and if we’re lucky we might just find one on da road.”

“You sure you want to tag along with me. You know there’s a large chance we’ll end up dead within a score of days.”

“That’s why I’m coming with ya. Ya won’t last a day without me.” Crusher said laughing. “Now that yer back ya got some catching up ta do. I tried ta take it slow but yer a few casks behind in yer drinking quota.”

Thad
paled slightly at the thought of another night of drinking. “Don’t you think that it’s a bit early to start drinking? The sun isn’t even close to sitting yet.”

Crusher grabbed Thad by the back of his jerkin and pulled him out of his chair spilling papers everywhere. “Like I said
ya got some catching up ta do. How are ya supposed ta catch up if ya don’t start a tad early?” Crusher said laughing as he pulled Thad from his house.

Thad tried to pull free of Crushers grasp but it was impossible. “Will you at least let me walk on my own?” Thad bellowed after hitting a large rock with his back side.

Crusher ignored his attempts to escape and continued to pull him along. “Ya can’t be trusted me friend. Ya just want me ta let ya loose so ya can make a run back fer yer house and those dusty books of yerrs. I’ll let ya go after we get a pint or two in ya, until then just sit back and enjoy yer ride.”

Thad continued to struggle but it was impossible. For a brief moment he thought about using magic to stop his friend but that had a chance of backfiring. It was one thing when Crusher was playfully antagonizing him but the dwarf tended to get heated up rather easily when his plans were thwarted and the last thing Thad wanted was the dwarf to sneak in his house while he slept and force a barrel of ail down his throat.

When they finally reached their destination Crusher threw Thad through the doors. “That hurt you rock headed dwarf.” Thad yelled as he started to get up from the ground. Brianna reached out her hand her bright smile taking away a bit of the sting of Crushers treatment.