The Mortal Mage, page 5
part #3 of The Mortal Mage Series
It was also clear that no one left the citadel who had been let in.
There were too many entering for all of them to be staying there. They must be paying to go through the citadel, to something on the other side. Perhaps the land was more fertile there. He figured out his directions based on the sun. It was east through the citadel, toward the sea, no doubt. The climate would be better. So what did that mean for all the people who didn’t have food or money to pay for passage?
Desil walked to the other side of the mountaintop for a glimpse the other way. There was a great frozen lake, with many homes around it, reminding Desil of his home in Kayvol. They probably fished in the lake. Some must have animals they used for milk, eggs, and, when they were desperate, for meat.
There were many other homes all around the land, which meant there were thousands of people living here if all the homes were inhabited, but that seemed unlikely. The winter had probably brought on this temporary weather, otherwise there wouldn’t be so many living in this harsh terrain.
A forest piqued his interest. It lay north, less than ten miles from here. The dense trees might keep out the cold well enough for people to hunt and forage there, perhaps even dwell.
Desil put a hand over his stomach as it rumbled. He wasn’t sure he could be up here much longer without freezing, even if he did have something more than beetles to eat.
He would have to get close enough to the citadel and hope Beatrix and Kirnich could give him some sort of sign as to where they were. It seemed to be the only option of helping them. But he had preparations to make first.
He made his way down the mountain on the side other than the one he’d climbed up and turned north toward the forest. He would have to wait until night to get close to the citadel without risk of being seen, but there was no way he could endure the cold in his current attire.
He ran across the snow plains. It was the only way to find some semblance of warmth, which came in fleeting moments before the wind stole it away. He supposed he could’ve headed toward the frozen lake in hopes of knocking on doors and finding out what he could about the citadel, but it was even farther than the forest, and he had nothing to offer these people to gain their trust. Even if one of them did have an idea where Beatrix and Kirnich might be within the fortress, none would spare a coat that would allow Desil to get there without freezing during the night.
Desil was slow running through the dense snow. It was even worse when he came to patches of ice. By the time he reached the forest, the sun was in descent. It left him very little time to find what he was looking for.
He rushed through the forest, painfully aware that all his energy came from measly febeetles. He started to feel dizzy, wishing he’d taken the time to bring at least a dozen dead ones with him.
Parts of the forest were still green beneath the tallest trees, snow frosting on every outstretched limb. Tracks would be easy to follow. He just needed to find some.
He ignored the paw prints that were as small as his fingertips. A rabbit might feed him decently enough, but he didn’t come here to be fed. If this was indeed Goldram in Greenedge, as he thought, then there should be many animals that would suffice. Even here, during the winter, the animals were as prevalent as they were dangerous. Goldram was known for its large cities, yet less known for the people outside the cities who hunted, fished, and gathered when they weren’t farming.
Desil thought he felt movement behind him. He spun around to stare into the bright blue eyes of a snow leopard no more than a few steps away. Desil barely had time to take out his sword as the spotted leopard jumped at him.
It was fortunate that the deep snow slowed the beast, or the leopard might’ve landed on top of Desil as he fell backward. Instead, it opened its jaws to maim his leg. He got the point of his sword between his flesh and the beast’s maw, making the animal taste steel and blood.
The leopard drew back, only to turn around as if to pounce again. Desil softened the snow beneath the leopard with his mind, turning it to slush. But the quick beast was barely slowed, its feet scampering for purchase and pulling its body out toward Desil as he was just starting to get up. He stuck out his sword for protection.
The beast leapt again. It managed to swipe away Desil’s sword midair. Desil rolled across the snow to avoid being landed on. The snow sprayed up, blocking his view. He swiped strongly through the cloud and felt his blade connect with bone.
As the snow fell, the leopard hit the ground with a thud, Desil’s blade lodged in its head. It was dead.
He felt instant remorse, his eyes stinging with tears that threatened to freeze. He quickly wiped them on the back of his gloves and got to work on the corpse in front of him. There was a lot that needed to be done, and all would be difficult with this hunger and cold.
It took a while for him to make a fire. Without the heat of bastial energy to aid him, it might’ve been impossible. He removed the animal’s thick pelt and cut away the small pieces of flesh that had remained attached to it. He stretched it between sturdy sticks he’d positioned in the ground so the pelt could dry near the fire.
There was more than enough meat on the carcass to fill his stomach today and tomorrow. He cut chunks away and placed them on a stick that he held over the flames. By the time he finished eating, he was filled with new energy. But night had come, so there was little he could do besides sleep. It wasn’t worth going all the way back to the cave for that, so he settled on top of the cold snow. He had no blanket, only the fire to keep him warm. It would be enough, so long as he woke many times to keep it aflame. It was best not to sleep too deeply anyway, for another creature might want to make a meal out of him.
So instead of resting completely, he sent his mind into the other plane. He’d gotten used to the sensation of falling when he tried to go deeper, but he still hadn’t figured out how to keep himself from dropping out of the plane and back into the physical world.
He managed to go a little deeper before falling out each time. He felt things he couldn’t explain, like a sensation of fear but also of wanting something. The strongest sensation was a familiarity with someone, possibly either Fatholl or Leida, but Desil had his doubts that it was either of them. It felt more like a familiar place calling to him, like the feeling of returning home after a long time away. Besides, he figured Fatholl and Leida were too far for him to feel anything from them.
It almost seemed as if something was trying to reach out and grab hold of him before he fell out of the plane. He reached out as well, feeling himself getting closer to latching, closer to staying.
Desil had only spoken to Fatholl once in his life outside this plane. The leader of the Elves had given Desil the impression that Desil had great potential of some kind. He’d invited Desil to go with him and the Elves, abandoning the humans. In exchange, Fatholl would teach Desil how to reach his potential. He’d claimed this was the only way Desil ever would.
But if there really was potential within Desil, he would reach it on his own as he had been doing ever since his father left this world.
He was tired when morning came, but he felt as if he’d made progress in this other plane. Fire had melted the snow on the ground around it as well as dried the inside of the pelt. Without all the supplies and time Desil needed to tan the coat, it might develop rot in some places, and it wouldn’t be as flexible as it could be. Nevertheless, Desil would wear it proudly for now, the warmth immediate. He looked forward to seeing Beatrix and Kirnich’s faces when he saved them in his new coat.
Actually, he looked forward to seeing them again, and not just for their reactions. First he had to find them. Now with enough warmth, he could sneak around the citadel at night.
The akorell should be safe within the walls of the cave, so Desil would now roam the land around the citadel as he waited for night, attempting to figure out as much as he could. But before leaving, he cooked more of the carcass. He cooled the meat with snow, then pocketed it. He would eat it slowly throughout the day. This cold weather drained him quickly. He needed all the energy he could muster.
If he was fortunate enough to find out where Beatrix and Kirnich were in the citadel tonight, it still meant they’d been there for two days. They could both be weak if they weren’t fed well. If Desil encountered bad luck, it might take another day, or even two, for him to break them out. This was all assuming they were prisoners, which was the best he could hope for.
CHAPTER SIX
The battle had ended hours ago, but it already felt like a distant memory to Leida. She was glad Desil, Beatrix, and Kirnich had taken the akorell with them into a portal. Leida’s father had wanted her to jump in after them, but she’d hesitated as the Elves had closed in. She didn’t want to separate from her father to join the others, for she and Desil should be able to communicate through the other plane while apart. There was little point of that if only Basen was elsewhere.
But Leida had since tried to contact Desil without success. She eventually came to the conclusion that he was just too far. It seemed that even the leader of the Elves couldn’t reach him. Leida had felt Fatholl in the other plane with her several times, searching like a dog with a hint of a scent.
Leida’s friend Adriya had stayed behind after the battle with her parents, Cleve and Reela Polken, and the rest of the Wind Knights. There was no doubt in Leida’s mind that Adriya would go back with the Wind Knights to continue fighting the war against Tenred. It was the only option for her, at least for now.
Fatholl had been honest when he’d told everyone that the only way Leida and Basen were leaving Merejic alive was if the akorell was brought to trade for them. Leida didn’t see how it was possible for them to be rescued without it, yet she didn’t want to be traded for it.
So we might never leave.
Merejic was hundreds of miles away. The Elves had come quite far just for a chance for the akorell. It was a surprise that they didn’t opt to stay here and force Basen to tell them where he’d sent Desil and the others with the precious metal.
She whispered to her father while they walked, surrounded by Elves, “Why would they take us all the way back to Merejic?”
“I have no idea. But the more time we can give the three of them with the akorell, the better off we’ll all be. Fatholl might have you pained, Leida.” His voice was dire. “Just remember that he won’t kill you, for he wouldn’t risk going to war against Kyrro.”
“Would there really be a war if he killed me?”
“It might not be anytime soon, but someone with power will want vengeance against the Elves if they kill you or me. You have to believe this, or Fatholl won’t when he questions us with psyche. Say it to me, Leida.”
“There will be war if we die.”
“Good.”
She still wasn’t sure she could believe it, but she would try her best.
Fatholl had turned around ahead of them, staring at them as he waited. The Elf had straight silver hair, glistening as it caught the light of the morning sun. There was no way to know his age. He was clearly past his teen years, yet not an old man, but where he was between those ages she had no idea. His soft features might’ve been described as friendly on someone else’s face, but his rounded nose and chin only spoke of power and anger. It was the sharp stare of his eyes that changed the meaning of the rest of his face.
Leida looked down to avoid the Elf’s gaze, unsure why it frightened her so much. She couldn’t tell if psyche was involved or not. All she could determine was that looking at him might make him speak to her.
“Answer something for me, Basen,” Fatholl said to Leida’s slight relief. “How likely is it that the akorell will be brought to me in exchange for you and your daughter?”
Basen took a moment before answering. Leida knew that although her father had skill in resisting pain from a psychic, he had no way of hiding lies from detection.
“It’s extremely unlikely,” he said. “And even if it were to happen, it would take months. You are not likely to get what you want by keeping us.”
“Yet I definitely won’t get what I want if I release you. I have another question for you to answer honestly. If someone eventually does bring the akorell, and I demand that they carry the akorell within Merejic, then wait outside our territory for you and your daughter, would they agree?”
Basen didn’t reply.
“Father,” Leida urged him, not wanting to test the leader of the Elves.
“It’s a difficult question,” Basen admitted.
Fatholl said, “If this simple question is difficult for you, then everything that is to happen soon will cause many problems. Get stronger and smarter, Headmaster, or either you or your daughter, maybe both of you, will not make it through this.”
Basen spoke quickly, “The answer depends on who brings the akorell. If it’s a group of Wind Knights, then…” He paused. “I believe they’ll need a guarantee that Leida and I will be released, and then they will leave the akorell and wait outside your territory.”
“You lie!”
Leida was startled as Fatholl stepped toward her.
“Wait! It’s not a lie,” Basen insisted.
“Then explain the doubt I feel from you.”
“I just don’t believe the Wind Knights are the ones who would trade the akorell for us, like I said earlier.”
“Then who would bring the akorell to trade for you?”
Leida knew the answer. Desil.
“The three who have the akorell now might be the only ones who would trade it for us.” Her father was silent for a breath. “And my wife, if it ever came into her possession.”
It was the first time he’d sounded forlorn in front of Leida since their capture. She’d had a feeling that his hopefulness was an act, and now she was certain.
“You must realize that you are going to tell me eventually where you sent them,” Fatholl reasoned. “You might as well make it easier for all of us, especially your daughter, and tell me now.”
Basen said nothing. He stared at Fatholl as if the Elf’s eyes didn’t frighten him as much as they did Leida.
“They are not on this continent anymore,” Fatholl said. “I know this for certain. What I don’t understand is what reason you have to delay telling me their location.”
So Desil and the others can get as far from the portal location before Fatholl forces my father to make another portal there, this one for the Elves. I do hope they know to move quickly.
But transport of the heavy akorell would be difficult without horses. It would take Desil and the others twice as long to travel the same distance that they could cover without the akorell.
“Fine,” Fatholl said. “You can keep your secret for now, only because we have enough akorell with us for only one portal, and my Elves are eager to return home. You will give me your akorell bracelets now, though, for charging.”
It was a surprise the leader of the Elves hadn’t taken Basen’s bracelets already. Fatholl held out his hand expectantly. Basen looked over at Leida as if wanting to protect her, then removed his bracelets one by one. There was a large rock on each of them. Inside, the akorell metal slowly absorbed bastial energy until it glowed bright, even through the stone. Both had been used recently, one to get their full party of six out of the Dajrik Mountains, where they had melted akorell and bottled it before being attacked by Marros. Basen’s other akorell stone had been used for an escape portal during the battle against the Elves.
A sudden crack startled Leida. In the midst of the line of hundreds of Elves in front of them appeared a portal. She turned to her father with an inquisitive look. He shook his head.
“Wasn’t me.”
The Elves walked into the portal one by one while Leida stood watching, shocked, beside her father.
“I thought you were the only portal mage,” she told him.
“I always figured there might be others, but I’ve never—”
An Elf shoved Basen toward the portal. Leida jumped forward to stay with her father, but mostly to avoid a push. Fatholl was ahead of them, looking back with a smirk. Leida still couldn’t look into his eyes, gazing down at the grass. It was only when he turned back that she took a good look into the portal.
Merejic, she figured when she recognized the Elven architecture of a few buildings wavering deep within the portal.
An Elven mage stood beside the portal with both hands in the air, his fingers bent awkwardly. Keeping it open seemed to be a great strain given his twisted expression. The edges of the portal vibrated as streaks of white light shot across it, just like when her father opened one.
The Elves hurried within, pushing Leida and her father closer. Fatholl got out of their way.
“You two before me,” he ordered.
Basen waited for Leida, so she jumped in before an Elf decided to shove her.
Vertigo struck her like a rock to the temple as she soared out of the portal. She landed on grass and started to roll. Hands got hold of her arms and pulled her up. Merejic spun around her, but all she could make out was the blue sky, the green grass, and the white walls of buildings.
She let an Elf guide her away from the portal as she heard her father grunt behind her. Everything came into focus.
Leida had never been to Merejic before, but she recognized it from what she’d heard from Adriya. Leida had wanted to come with Adriya when her parents took her here to visit Reela’s Elven brother, Vithos. But Basen was concerned that Fatholl would want to use Leida against her father, so Basen opened a portal to Merejic for the Polken family while he and Leida stayed behind.
They’d heard from Adriya later that Fatholl was upset by Basen opening a portal into Merejic without permission. He ordered that Basen never do it again, but Basen wasn’t there to hear the order. He had already set a plan with the Polken family that he would open another portal in two days’ time for them to return to the Academy in Kyrro. With no way of stopping it, Fatholl had to accept that it would happen. At the time, Leida didn’t see why this should anger the leader of the Elves so much, but now it was clear. Fatholl was not used to being powerless.
