The Wizard's Council (20 page)

*

Septimus sat down in the chair and began his wait for the food. No doubt Talia would want to talk to him, but he wanted his meal first. If his suspicions proved to be true, she was more than just one of the city folk that decided to side with the Wielders. The Wielders had their secrets, that much the Warlock knew quite well. Talia came and took the seat across the table from him. He nodded to her, but did not speak. His cold stare was enough to let anyone know not to bother him.
She wants to speak
, he thought as he glanced over at Talia. She didn’t have the look of a magic user, but she spoke as one of the Wielders. Septimus found it intriguing that they would send her to talk with him.
Perhaps the Wielders are weaker than I surmised
, he thought as he watched a serving girl approach with his meal. He thanked her and began to eat his food. Talia could wait no more, Septimus was certain of it. He placed the leg of lamb back on his plate and wiped his mouth before addressing her.

“It is finished, if that is what you are wondering,” His tone was harsh.

“Did you kill him?” She asked.

“I had no other choice. Each Warlock may follow his own code, but this is one rule we all have to abide by.”

“That is a harsh rule to live by, couldn’t you have changed it?”

“I didn’t want to, not this time. Malcorn was a weed. He choked out the growth around him. His actions turned me into the fool. This was about righting a wrong.”

“Is that all it was about?” She asked.

“I am by no means an upright man, Talia,” He replied.

“Did his death reverse any of the wrongs he committed?”

“No, but it prevented him from committing any in the future. I gave him that power, that was my mistake. As a result of it, I was forced to end his life. The facts are that simple.”

“Can’t you see that you have accomplished nothing in this?”

“You are still young and attractive, Talia, do not waste your time on a man such as myself. Find yourself a husband, start a family, but do not burden yourself with saving the lost,” His voice was devoid of emotion.

“I will do with my life as I choose and I have chosen to follow you.”

“Why do you do this? Why are you throwing your life away?”

“My reasons are my own, Septimus.”

*

Paul stared at Emily, questioning her logic.
I knew he wouldn’t like the idea
, she thought. Janessa and Emily dared not interfere with Rolin’s plans. Paul, on the other hand, despised the idea of going into hiding. Emily sighed and walked over to the balcony just outside Gloomvale castle’s council chambers. Her predicament was not at all similar to any of the others. Janessa, Rolin, and the others were fighting for their homes. Paul was fighting for some sense of vengeance. Emily’s home had been yanked away from her. Her own father tried to have her killed, and the others seemed to think they had it bad.
None of them understand
, she thought as she leaned against the railing. The realization of it all had sunk in some time ago, but this was the first time that she felt anger toward her own companions. She turned to face the two of them.

“None of you think that I have much stake in this matter, but you are all wrong!” She yelled.

“My home is threatened, Emily. Do you not see that?” Janessa asked, somewhat annoyed with Emily’s outburst.

“They killed my family and slaughtered my village, do you not see that?” Paul asked, just as annoyed as Janessa.

“My own father kicked me out of my home and tried to have me murdered!” Emily grabbed her staff and raised it in the air.

Paul and Janessa stood motionless, trying to assess their next move. Emily lowered her staff and let it drop to the floor. Tears began to well up in her eyes
, and she slowly dropped to her knees. She dug her face into her hands and allowed herself to drop completely onto the floor. Janessa rushed forward to comfort her, and Paul stood in shock. He shook his head and clenched his fists. Emily continued her crying as Janessa did everything she could to comfort her. It all only seemed to aggravate Paul even more. He stepped forward and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. They looked up at him questioningly and waited for him to speak as he took a deep breath. He nodded slowly and then began to speak.

“They have wronged you more than any of us can imagine, Emily. For that
, they will pay. I cannot sit idly by as these beasts rampage throughout the kingdoms. They will be brought to justice. When I find your father, I will stay my hand until he answers to why he has done these things.”

“No, first we help Janessa liberate Gloomvale Isles, then we return to Rolin and the others,” Emily said as she pulled herself together.

“The Gloomvale Isles are strong, and we’ve rooted out the majority of the threat. You two are needed on the mainland,” Janessa’s voice was unwavering.

“Then we move forward with what James and Rolin said. They told me to tell the two of you to put plan B into action. Janessa, we wish you the best in keeping the islands safe,” Paul spoke with enthusiasm.

“Plan B? Are you certain?” Emily asked.

“I am quite certain.”

“Janessa, we’ll need a boat. Preferably a smaller one that we can manage with only a handful of crewmembers,” Emily turned to the Water mage.

“Of course, I can do you one better. You can take one of the
mage craft, they are faster than the average boat. They only work for magic users though,” Janessa replied.

“That won’t be a problem,” Emily said as she hugged Janessa. “You’ve been a most gracious friend. I know not what the times ahead will look like, but I sincerely hope that we will see each other again.”

“May the winds always be at your back. I will have my men prepare food for your crossing. If ever you need anything, the Gloomvale Isles are open to you both!” Janessa said as the two began to exit the room.

“You aren’t going to like plan B, Paul,” Emily said as they exited Gloomvale Castle.

“Why not?” He asked.

“Rolin wants us to go to the Isle of Wizardry and train you into a proper Wizard.”

*

Cormac studied the underground lake as the others went about their work. He had already spent the better part of a week examining the statues of the
minotaurs and the naga. It intrigued him to think of where they could have possibly come from. This question had ultimately steered him toward the lake. If he wanted answers, he would have to explore the lake and perhaps even find the creatures themselves. The gnomes, while not bothered by his presence, refused to give him directions back to the lands of the dwarves. They kept telling him that he’d have to earn their trust before being brought into the society. None of that bothered him as he had become quite preoccupied with the puzzle laid out before him. After trying several different spells, Cormac became resigned to the fact that he would have to cross the lake by boat. The gnomes had long since shut down the dock and were afraid to even go near the water’s edge. One day, Cormac broke down and decided to talk to Theros.

“Is there any way to convince you to allow me to tak
e a boat across the lake?” The dwarven Wizard asked.

“It is far too dangerous to risk letting the
naga get their hands on a boat. I appreciate the thirst for knowledge, but this is not a request that I can grant you. You would have to talk to Aithen, King of the gnomes, to get a boat built,” The gnome replied.

“How might I get an audience with this Aithen?”

“It is against my better judgment, but I will take you to him now.”

Cormac smiled and nodded graciously. The
gnomes were much kinder than he had first envisioned them being. They treated their guest with honor and respect, expecting much of the same in return. Other than that, they requested nothing of him and asked only a few questions. It was comforting for the dwarf to see a trusting society.
I can’t imagine they’d get along well with the dwarves
, he thought as he followed Theros through the winding streets outside of Castle Raislor. The castle itself was one of the more peculiar things that Cormac had ever laid his eyes on. It appeared to him that the gnomes, not wanting to waste time constructing a complete castle, used large portions of the cavern as a foundation for their castle. His estimate was that only a third of the castle had been constructed, and the other two-thirds had been excavated. Due to this, the look of the castle was quite asymmetrical. The excavated portion of the castle was mostly formless, making the other part look out of place.

“His majesty will be glad to see you, even if he doesn’t approve of your request,” Theros said as they wound through the passages toward the throne room.

“For how reclusive you first seemed, your culture is a particularly welcoming one.”

“We’ve little choice on the matter. Our people have not been prospering since we cut off trade with the
minotaurs. Dwarves could be our answer to this lack of trading partner. I sincerely hope that you at least try to see where we are coming from.”

“Like it or not, your viewpoint is influenced by fear. I do not share that same fear. If it will make the rest of you feel safer, I can scuttle the boat as soon as I land on the other shore.”

“What do you seek to accomplish?” Theros asked, stopping before the door to the throne room.

“The d
warven side of me seeks a way home, the Wizard side of me seeks knowledge of these creatures you spoke of. I suppose the melding of the two hopes that I can find an ally for both my people and yours.”

“I understand seeking allies for your people, but why mine?”

“Because then we can seek an alliance with you. The dwarves may not be willing to admit it, but the goblins and orcs have been getting too strong for us to face alone. I know the elf on the Wizard’s council would send assistance at the drop of a hat, but his people and my people have a strained relationship,” Cormac sighed heavily as he thought of his people’s stubbornness.

“It seems we may be able to help each other. Come, let us see the king.”

Theros swung open the throne room doors. Cormac followed him into the room and quickly noticed that it was as much a laboratory as it was a throne room. The King was poring over a set of documents while mumbling to himself. Next to his workbench there were four human sized figures. One of them was made out of iron, another of stone, one of wood, and the last of clay. A fifth figure, also made of iron, was sitting on top of what looked like a drilling machine. Cormac stepped forward to examine them closer, but Theros motioned for him to move toward the center of the room. The dwarf complied and joined him at the center of the room. Theros cleared his throat and waited for the King to turn and face them before speaking.

“Your majesty, this is Cormac, Archwizard and
dwarf. He has been our guest for some time now, and I believe he may be able to help us in our endeavor.”

“I didn’t ask for you to bring him here, Theros. You are proficient at your assigned task, but an Archwizard is far beyond your capabilities. Let us hope that he deals with us fairly,” The
King spoke as if Cormac was not even in the room.

“I cannot speak for the
dwarves, but the Wizards can offer you an alliance. It may not mean much in the near future, but it is something,” Cormac said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

“That is a kind offer. The Wizards are known even to us deep under the ground. If your alliance comes with the ability to bring these figures to life, then we have a deal.”

“What are they lacking?” Cormac asked.

“They need a viable power source. We’ve tried several different approaches, but they all had the same results,” King Aithen replied.

“I’ll take a look at them. If I succeed, can I take one of them to the island of the naga with me?” The dwarf asked as he approached the iron warrior figure.

“If you succeed, you can take several hundred with you. The
naga of history are said to be among the vilest of creatures a gnome has ever met. We would be glad to be rid of them.”

Cormac nodded as he continued to study the iron warrior. The innards were unlike anything he had ever seen before. It had cams, gears, cranks, ratchets, levers, pulleys, and springs. Each piece was built to move a different part of the machine. With its current layout, the iron warrior would have one singular job and nothing more. Cormac could tell that the
gnomes had designed the figure for a specific purpose. However, with a few tweaks, he could easily change the machine into something to be controlled from afar. The dwarf reached inside the machine and rearranged the parts so that each limb was on its own system. He then grabbed a nearby pair of gloves and handed them to the king. Once Aithen had donned the gloves, Cormac raised his staff into the air. He tapped each of the gloves with his staff and then tapped the iron warrior. As the King began to move his finger, the machine came to life. Its moves corresponded with the movements of his fingers.

*

Gareth awoke to a different witch watching him. She was younger, but much more grotesque than the last one. He tried to ignore her, but she continued to inch her chair toward him ever so slowly.
They’re trying to pressure you into their trap
, he thought as he closed his eyes. He sat up in the bed and turned to face the witch. She stopped inching forward and just stared at him. Gareth clenched his fists, holding in his anger as he contemplated his next move. Her frame was thin, but he couldn’t tell how skilled in the magical arts she was. They both sat there silently staring at one another as he weighed his options. He slowly began to stand up so he could test his injured leg. The pain was bearable, but the witch wasn’t about to let him move. She lunged forward and slammed her palm against his chest, knocking him back onto the bed.