Stranded Mage (11 page)

“And you were worried about the visit,” Thad told his staff as he walked down the street toward the next noble house.

It was not what I had expected, but that does not mean there was opportunity for misadventure was not there.

“If someone truly wants you dead they will try no matter where you are. I will not hide in my room like a scared child just to live a day longer,” Thad replied bitterly.

No you seem bent on rushing around like a pig not knowing it’s headed to slaughter. I would be happy if you simply kept a shield up when you were out, and maybe prepare a few things before we leave the small protection the elves have afforded us.

“You might be right,” Thad agreed.

There is no might be to it, I am right and we both know you know it.

Thad’s face took on a look of hardness as a small invisible shield surrounded him. He wasn’t sure how many friends he had among the elves but he was planning to find out. He needed supplies and a lot of them. He still had a good supply of gems and gold coins in his magical pouch hanging on his side but all of his enchanted items had been left on the ship.

Thad picked up his pace headed to meet the higher nobles houses. On the morrow he had the rite and the day after, if all went according to plan, he would be leaving the island. He had a lot of work to do and his time was running short.

Thad made his way to the largest house he could find and rapped on the door. He waited not knowing who owned the house wondering how his unannounced visit would be received.

The door was opened by a well-dressed elven maiden with long flowing copper hair. Thad’s eyes went straight to her ears and noticed they had not been clipped. “You must be the young human mage who has come to visit our fair city. I have heard much of you from my husband,” She said, her voice light and warming. “Listen to me prattle on. Do come in.”

Thad followed the copper-haired maiden into a large sitting room. “I regret to inform you my husband has already left for the council. If you have the time, I would be more than happy to entertain you, at least for a short while.”

Thad took a seat on a richly decorated divan next to elf. “It would be a great honor.”

“I know you did not come to simply talk, people seldom do. So before we enjoy each other’s company, why don’t we get the tedious part of the meeting over with? Just why have you come to call on the house of Grovewood.”

Thad was by no means world wise but it was impossible to miss what she was offering. He had no real urge to accept her offer but he needed her and her house’s help and for that he would do whatever needed. “I was hoping you and the house of Grovewood could help me. I am in need of materials to work with as well as certain types of people to help me,” Thad replied cryptically.

The woman sighed. “Unlike my husband I do not enjoy mincing words and political maneuvering. Please just say what you need directly so there are fewer chances for misunderstandings.”

Thad nearly laughed at her direct nature. “I need metal, wood, and gems for enchanting, and I need them as quickly as possible. When I leave I will need people of a darker nature, people who know how to hunt and kill if need be.”

The elf maiden rang a small bell much like the one Emeriss used so Thad was not surprised when another elf came running into the room. She spoke shortly with the elf then he quickly disappeared. “I can accommodate your need for the materials easily and maybe more than that. The men will depend on my husband but I will do my best to impress upon him the need to accede to your request.”

The two talked for a great while about all manner of things. The elf maiden was particularly interested in his homeland of Farlan and the fact it was in the sole power of females. After his third cup of tea a large troupe of elves started bringing in all manner of items; large crates of pure ore, gems of all sizes, and objects that Thad had never seen before.

“This should be more than enough metal, gems, and wood for whatever you are planning. The rest are magical items of our household. They sit in a vault to be displayed whenever it is opportune. I doubt any of us including my husband would miss if a few were to be misplaced.”

Thad started looking through the large pile of enchanted items. He found that if he focused, he could get a feel to what they did without having to be told, though it took a considerable about of time on the more complex enchantments. After what seemed like hours Thad picked out five of the items that looked as if they would be the most helpful in his journey.

Thad set the five chosen objects on the table in front of the elven maiden. She looked over them, lightly running her fingertips over the objects. “Very interesting choices; a set of rings that allows the wearers to talk to each other over long distances, a bracelet that increases one’s stamina, a ring that turns into a sword, an earring that makes others more agreeable to the wearer, and finally an earring that lets one hear farther.”

Thad shrugged his shoulders, “I figured they would be the most help in the future.”

Thad was tired when he finally returned to his own chambers. He had visited a few more of the elven lord’s houses but none of them had been as entertaining as his first two, though he was sure they would increase his chances of getting more beneficial aid. Lady Grovewood had his supplies delivered and now they sat in his room awaiting his attention.

Thad walked over to a small package on the desk and opened it to find the enchanted items. He picked up the two silver rings and put one on his right hand and the other in his coin pouch. Thad put the bracelet that had a nicely carved tiger etched into it on his left wrist. The two earrings looked like teardrops though one had a small ruby while the other had an emerald. Thad winced slightly as he pushed the cold metal into his earlobes. Lastly, Thad put on the ring that had a small dagger engraved on its band.

Thad strapped on his sword as well as his midnight cloak and leather armor he had gotten from Sae-Thae. Once everything was in position Thad took up his staff and stood in front of a large mirror that stood in the corner of the room. It had been the first time in a long time since he had seen himself in a mirror and he hardly recognized his reflection. His eyes looked hard and his face had lost its youthful look. Overall, Thad looked like someone who was accustomed to the darker places of the world. In that moment looking at himself Thad realized he was no longer the young boy who had been chained and sent to the slave market.

The day of the rite Thad was woken early by the elf who had been assigned as his personal server at the Emeriss estate. After the previous experiences with meeting gods, Thad decided on a light meal.

Unlike with the dwarves and vathari, the elves threw a large celebration for the event. The fanfare reminded Thad of the Harvest Festival thrown in most villages after the last bushel of wheat was reaped from the ground.

Emeriss had tried to get Thad to wear a gaudy outfit for the event but Thad had refused, opting for his normal outfit. Thad had grown accustomed to the strange cut of the Vathari garment and the weight of his weapons seemed to soothe his mind.

Thad now awaited in a small room near the center of the council building. When he was finally led into the joining room Thad found himself staring at the trunk of the massive tree he had seen from outside on his first trip to the council building.

Thad was led to the center of the trunk where silver and gold runes glowed. As he stepped closer to the tree the runes began to pulse almost as if they had a life of their own. Closing his eyes Thad stepped into and through the tree’s surface.

Opening his eyes Thad found himself in a large open grove filled with trees and flowers of every kind. Resting in the center of the grove on a bed of deep red and green flowers was a man. Like his children the man had long flowing sliver hair but his skin was a light tan, not golden, and his ears were rounded like any other man.

Upon seeing Thad the god simply gave him a wry smile and waved for him to take a seat on the ground next to him. Thad started to speak but he was hushed by the god who then pointed to a small flower a few feet away. Thad watched the silky red flower as a white butterfly landed on it. After a few seconds the butterfly was done with its business and took flight once again fluttering off into the distance.

“Now child, why have you come to my grove?” The god asked in a relaxing tone.

“The same reason any child of man comes to your grove. I have come for your blessing. That is if you see me worthy to receive it,” Thad replied, choosing his words carefully.

The god looked Thad over carefully. “I can see you have a fair amount of talent with the area of nature but it is not great. You must understand my blessings are not withheld by personal views of good or bad but on what the person can handle. The stronger the blessing the more control it takes and if you are not skilled enough it will quickly turn from a blessing into a curse.”

Thad thought over the god’s words, and found more than a hint of truth in them. The other two blessings he received could be deadly if he misused them. “That is why you are a god and I am a man. I will believe in your supreme knowledge in picking what is best.”

The god looked at Thad earnestly then began to laugh. “I may be considered a god but I am far from all knowing. Once I was nothing more than a powerful human who as a child sat beside his mother in a garden not much different than the one we sit in now.” The god’s eyes took on a wistful look as he talked. “If I was truly an all knowing and powerful god I wouldn’t have to watch my children die at the hands of butchers.”

For the first time Thad contemplated what it would truly mean to be immortal. What would it be like to have to live centuries while those you care about wither and die? The elves lived thousands of years but to a god, it must be no more than a blink of an eye.

The god carefully picked one of the flowers and held it in his hand. “I know of your quest, and I wish to help you as much as I can.” The god twirled the flower in his hand and slowly pulled one of its petals. “Many of my children will be going with you, and I know most of them will never see their homeland again.”

Thad watched as the small flower petal took on multicolored look of mother of pearl. “The only blessing that I can think of that will not only suit you and your task is not a grand one.” Thad felt a sharp burning on his chest as the god spoke. The searing pain was not something one could get used to no matter how many times he felt it. “It is really a simple thing. My blessing will allow you to talk to nature.”

Thad pulled at his leather armor as his chest continued to burn. By time the pain subsided Thad had most the straps to his armor off. Pulling at the front of his armor and tunic Thad looked down at his new mark. The mark was much larger than any of his others, covering nearly his entire chest. To Thad it looked like small leaves of a rose bush that seemed to grow from the center of his ribcage.

“There are other things besides a blessing a god may give though even those might be of little help to you, but I still offer this simple gift,” the god said, holding out the flower petal towards him. “If you ever find yourself in need simply bite down on it and it will call to me.”

Thad took the offered petal and placed it gently within his coin pouch. “Thank you My Lord.”

The god smiled wistfully. “As much as I would like to spend more time with you nephew, I cannot keep you too long within my realm. As you go forth remember the eyes of me and my brothers are always upon you.”

“Why don’t you and your brother join in the fight?” Thad asked, the question suddenly popping into his mind.

“Once long ago we walked among men,” The god replied as he ushered Thad toward the exit to his grove. “We learned the longer we stayed on the mortal realm the weaker the veil between your world and ours and in return the weaker the veil to the Abyss. Since that time we have secluded ourselves in our own realm, lest our uncle be released back into the world.”

Thad tried to ask another question but his time was up as the god pushed him through the portal and back into his own realm. Just as his other trips, as soon as he crossed the threshold his body was racked with the feeling of fatigue. Dropping to his knees he scarcely heard the roar of the onlookers at his return. He did however feel the arm of one of the elves as it wrapped around his waist lifting him to his feet.

Thad tried to speak as he was carried to a small waiting carriage outside the council building but his mouth seemed heavy and his mind too weary for words. It wasn’t until he was safely back in his own chambers that something occurred to him. The feeling he got after returning from the realm of the gods was the same as when he pushed himself far beyond his limits when he wielded magic.

Thad stopped and thought about it for a moment. The only answer that Thad could think of was that the god’s realm was saturated with magical energy.

Thad pulled the odd flower petal from his coin pouch and looked at it through the waning sunlight that streamed into his room. Yawning, Thad held the petal close to his chest and drifted off to sleep.

Thad woke early the next morning, the sun only a small orange glow in the distance. Hoping to get started on his voyage as soon as possible he hurried down to the dining room in hopes of talking to lady Emeriss before she left for the council.

Thad found the dining room empty except for a few burning candles that had been positioned to provide just enough light to see by. Knowing Emeriss’s enjoyment of extravagant meals Thad was sure she had not yet made her way to the table.