Max studied this new Mage. He must be about as old as Elderon and easily as tough, but Max didn’t like the way Gorgoron looked at him. He smiled at Max, but his eyes didn’t smile. His eyes were mean and looked at Max the same way a cat looks at a mouse.
>
>
> Name: Gorgoron Redfist
>
> Class: Battle Mage
>
> Level: 15
>
> Health: Full
>
> Strength: 14
>
> Stamina: 14
>
> Agility: 12
>
> Intelligence: 17
>
> Wisdom: 14
>
> Charisma: 12
>
> Abilities: Unknown
>
>
Max could see this Mage had very similar stats to Elderon with a few points extra for Strength but lacking a few on Intelligence and Charisma. But most worryingly of all was that Elderon appeared to trust Gorgoron. And just like Elderon, his natural abilities were a mystery. Maybe when Max was a higher level, he would be able to read these hidden stats.
“Have you come from Essillt?” Elderon said. “I contacted the council on the Mage Stone on the Breamor and Faregent border. I could not wait for the council’s ruling though. Do you come with their response?”
“No, brother,” Gorgoron said. “I, like you, have been traveling the lands of Eveirea for the last many years. I traveled across the Kraken Sea to Scarfel, and then I attempted the eastern crossing from the Scarfel continent to the western shore of Ragewind on the continent of Awen.”
Max thought Elderon looked impressed, possibly a little stunned. “The eastern crossing is impossible!” Elderon said.
“Yes, so it would seem, but I wanted to at least try it for myself.” Gorgoron squinted shrewdly at Max. “Many people will say a thing cannot be done, but only if you try it for yourself can you know for sure if it is, or is not, possible.”
Max felt uncomfortable the way Gorgoron kept staring at him. It made his stomach churn, but this Mage was right at least about one thing. Many people had told Max it was impossible for him to leave his old life, but here he was, further from that old life than he could have believed.
Gorgoron turned back to Elderon. “The northern currents east of the Kranic Empire are very slack every thirteenth winter, and I hoped to beat my way across, but after weeks of battling headwinds at sea, and with the loss of half our little expeditionary flotilla to a Kraken, we abandoned the attempt and returned to the eastern shores of Scarfel. I landed in Bight Bay on Scarfel before returning to Awen.”
“And you say you are looking for my young Mage apprentice,” Elderon said.
“Yes,” Gorgoron replied. “The young Mage is a traveler like you and I, brother, but I sense he has come much further than either you or I will ever travel.”
Gorgoron laid a friendly arm over Elderon’s shoulder and turned him away. “Can we talk, brother? Alone.” Gorgoron led Elderon away a step before a dark, shimmering sphere grew rapidly around them.
“What’s that?” Max said as the sphere surrounded the pair of Mages. “He has trapped Elderon!”
Anita sat down on the soft grass. “It’s a Mage Sphere of Secrecy. They use them to discuss council business.”
Jahrod sat down too. He pulled out the roasted bird from his pack and picked away the straw he had wrapped it in.
Max wrinkled his nose. The meat was days old, and the bird was starting to stink. Max could smell it from here. Jahrod took a sniff and looked disappointed.
“It’s not good, is it?” Max said.
“No,” Jahrod said sadly. “It needs at least another few days, maybe a week, to get it really ripe.” Jahrod shrugged. “But when you’re hungry, you’ll eat anything.” He rammed the whole bird into his mouth and started crunching it down with his powerful crushing teeth.
Max gulped, nauseated. Jahrod looked up at him.
“Sorry, little buddy, did you want some?”
Max shook his head, swallowing hard to keep from vomiting.
“Here, take this.” Anita offered Max a hunk of dry heavy bread.
Max took it with grateful thanks, knowing it would help to settle his stomach He chewed some and watched Elderon and Gorgoron in the shimmering sphere.
“You’ll be discussing Mage business with them in one of those spheres once you’ve gained your levels,” Anita said.
Max wandered off, chewing on the bread. He studied the sphere that looked kind of like an oil slick on water but round, standing eight feet tall at its center. The shimmering walls touched the ground, and Max was sure it went through the earth to complete the sphere underground. The images of Elderon and Gorgoron flickered and shimmered inside. He tried to read their lips, but the shimmering sphere distorted their images and prevented that. And no sound came out. It was a very secure sphere, keeping whatever they said secret.
Max couldn’t see Elderon any better than if he had been looking at a reflection in the surface of a rippling pond. But he did see quite clearly when Elderon pulled a sheet of parchment out of his robes and showed it to Elderon. Max spotted the image on the parchment, a charcoal drawing. The image was too unclear for him to see who exactly was in the portrait, but the parchment size and color was just like the one the assassin in the White Raven tavern had held.
Then Gorgoron pulled out an identical sheet, and each of two Mages looked at the portrait the other had. Max really needed to know what they were talking about. He tried to whisper to Janet.
“Janet, can you hear me?”
She appeared next to him right away, a tiny white glowing image in a dense darkness.
“Yes. I can hear you. I feel, somehow, we are bound by the dark portal. I can hear and see everything you do, but all at once. The portal is very strange.”
Max pointed at the sphere. “Can you hear what they are saying?”
Janet nodded. “Do you want to hear?”
Max nodded that he did.
Then Max could hear every word clearly. How Janet was doing this, he was not sure, but he listened intently to their conversation. They mentioned the Mage Council, travels, the darkness creeping across Eveirea. And then his ears pricked up when he heard his name.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Max is more important than you realize,” Gorgoron said. “He is the one who can harness the power. There has not been a new power in Eveirea in ages. And we can help him channel it so the Mages will be powerful again. Think about it: the elves don’t respect us any longer, and the empires of Scarfel have all but eliminated the Mage Council from their lands, turning Mages into servants of the emperors. It’s a shame and a disgrace, but your young apprentice can help us restore the Mage Council to the primacy.”
“How do you know all this?” Elderon said. “The Mage Council didn’t say anything to me when I left Essillt to investigate the darkness.”
“It is truth, Elderon. Search the facts, and you will know it is true.”
“I know the darkness is bringing fear and disorder. Soon chaos will reign, and I am sure he is the key to ending it.” Elderon looked down at the portrait in his hands. “He knows this as well. He is an intelligent young Mage who will be difficult to control.”
“And you are an intelligent Master Mage, brother,” Gorgoron said, “but you are not seeing the truth of the matter. You must let me take charge of Max. You know you are too good for what must be done. You will never let any harm come to him, and you know that Max faces grave dangers, and no one can guarantee his safety.”
“No one’s safety is guaranteed, brother,” Elderon said.
“But you know that Max will be consumed by the darkness if you make him close the portal.”
Elderon shook his head. “That is not clear.”
“You know that if he enters the dark portal, he will be destroyed.”
Elderon shook his head. “Not clear,” he mumbled, staring at the portrait and then back at Gorgoron. “It may appear to be so, but I have not given up hope that it is not so. He is developing fast. He will be a great Mage, and he might yet help me solve the problem of the darkness without sacrificing himself.”
“But why close it at all,” Gorgoron said. “Chaos is powerful and a great ally if you use it wisely. Eveirea was once in chaos, and the Mages ruled. We are the only ones who can control the chaos. We can harness the power.”
“A dark power, brother,” Elderon said.
“All power is dark if used incorrectly,” Gorgoron pointed out. “You are always so hopeful, brother, but you know what needs to be done. The council will not let you destroy the boy. Let me take charge of him. I can show him how to control the power and channel the dark portal to Essillt where the Mages can use it with all Wisdom and Intelligence for the good of Eveirea.”
Max whispered to Janet. “If I find the dark portal, will I be destroyed by it?” He faced Janet. “And what would that mean for you?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I am working on it. I have nothing to do here but puzzle out this problem. Maybe if you find your end of the portal, I will be able to complete my transit and arrive at your location. The portal may then close. Maybe if you enter the portal, you will travel back to the lab, and we will both emerge at that location. I will have to work on this some more. If only I had my tablet computer . . . a pencil and paper would be something.”
“Where is this dark portal?” Max asked. “Can you see it?”
“The exit points of the transport portal experiments were always erratic and unstable. Any object we sent through the portal would appear in a slightly different location in relation to the terminus point. We thought maybe the emergence point shifted slightly as the mass and energy levels shifted when the transported item was delivered back to normal space.”
Max shook his head. “Janet, I was never any good at science class; you are losing me. Can you put it in more basic terms?”
“Who are you talking to?”
Max jolted to see Jahrod at his side, wiping his mouth with a handful of straw that had until a few moments ago been wrapped around the festering roasted bird.
Max looked all around, but Janet had vanished.
“It’s . . . a friend,”
“Hmm. An invisible, tiny friend,” Jahrod said, rolling the idea around.
Max was sure Jahrod was mocking him.
“It must be nice,” Jahrod said, nodding at Max.. “To have a guardian to watch over you, to aid you—you’re lucky. Many Mages, Druids and Clerics, too, have familiars or spirit guides. I always thought it would be a great help. You chose your profession well.”
“Did you ever think you’d like to be a Mage?” Max said, but he was still watching Elderon and Gorgoron talking. He couldn’t hear them now that Janet had vanished back into the dark portal, lost all alone, trapped between worlds.
“Me, a Mage? Oh gods, no. I am a born Warrior. But maybe I would have been a chef if my father hadn’t put me off the idea. He told me there is more gold in dungeon crawling and adventuring. He convinced me to leave the mines and the kitchen and explore. Good thing I did too. I’m a high-level fighter now, so I am confident I can save my little cousin from the evil that infests King Glynn’s halls.”
At that moment, the sphere surrounding Elderon and Gorgoron flickered away.
“We have made a decision,” Elderon said. “Gorgoron will travel with us.”
“Yes, we will travel to Essillt where the Mage Council is eager to meet our newest Mage,” Gorgoron said with a smile that made Max shiver.
Max hesitated. He felt sure this was a bad idea. “But . . .” he said.
“But what?” Anita said as she walked over. “It will be good to have another Master Mage in the party.” “I will join you on the road to Essillt, and maybe the Mage Council can help us Druids understand this darkness too.”
“But,” Max said, “what about Jahrod?” He patted Jahrod heavily on the back. “Did we not make a commitment to aid this adventurer? And Jahrod has been distracted from his cause many times to aid us. And now we would abandon him and let him complete his quest all alone? I am not so selfish as to take all that Jahrod has offered us in aid and not return the favor and complete the task we promised we would aid him with. Are we not better than this?”
Max looked at Elderon and then Anita. They were clearly swayed by his argument. Then he caught Gorgoron’s eyes, his evil dark eyes—before a smile burst over Gorgoron’s face.
“Max is a good and just Mage. The council will be pleased to hear of his diligence to his duty to all people of Eveirea. But a Warrior dwarf, no matter how deserving, cannot interfere with Mage business. Sorry, Master Dwarf, but we must take our leave of you.”
Anita stepped up and stood between Max and Jahrod. “Max is correct, and how selfish of us to even think of altering course after all Jahrod has done. Of course, we must accompany Jahrod to the city of Ralynn and free his cousin. Then we can travel north to Essillt.”
Anita wrapped an arm around Max’s shoulder, and Max felt comfort from knowing Anita was at his side. She was good and true, but Max did not have the same feelings for this Gorgoron. He was not sure what Gorgoron wanted from, him but he had a feeling the Mage would use him like he would a scroll, get what he wanted, and leave Max turned to dust and blown away on the wind.
Elderon looked between Gorgoron and Max. He relented and nodded.
“Max is right, brother. We must complete our commitments to Jahrod here. The darkness that pervades the world of Eveirea will only be strengthened and widened if good adventurers turn our backs on our allies. We will go directly to Ralynn City and help you free your cousin.”
Jahrod bowed his head to Max. “Thank you, young Mage. You are showing great Wisdom with this decision.”
But Max felt terrible because he knew he was being selfish, only insisting on helping Jahrod to buy time to understand what these Mages really wanted from him. Elderon had been good to him so far, but did his mentor simply want to throw him into the dark portal to save the world? And was Gorgoron any better, seeking to use him as a means to gather power? Max hoped the slight delay would give him a chance to understand what he wanted, maybe escape Gorgoron, and possibly escape Elderon too. He would find the dark portal himself. And whatever was to be done about it affecting the world of Eveirea, he would take Janet’s advice on how to proceed, not this Gorgoron, a Mage that Max did not trust and did not like.
“Very well,” Gorgoron said. “You aid your fellow adventurer, and I will travel to the nearest Mage Stone and inform the council we will be traveling there next, as soon as you have fulfilled your commitments to your dwarven friend.” Gorgoron smiled.
Max disliked that smile.
Elderon was bidding his Mage brother farewell when Max saw that Anita was suddenly alert. She moved off a few paces and summoned a bird from the sky, a small songbird that landed on her finger. It sat there for a moment before she sent it back up into the sky. As it flew away, Anita stood there, eyes closed, swaying slightly. Then she opened her green almond eyes, looking at Max. How he loved those wonderful eyes.
“Danger, Max,” Anita said.
Elderon turned to Anita. “What is it?”
Jahrod swung up his axe. “Same as always.” He grinned.
Gorgoron was already casting a spell. Max was suddenly fearful that the Mage was about to attack them. But the spell emerging was a high-level Protection spell that surrounded the party.
>
>
> Gorgoron casts Enhance Party.
>
> Party gains attack bonus and defense bonus.
>
>
Elderon was also casting a spell.
>
>
> Party gains Protection from Ranged Weapons.
>
>
“Here they come,” Jahrod said, walking forward a few paces. “Warriors to the front.”
And racing toward them came a group of Skarak Warriors, together with a group of human fighters.
Max checked their stats.
>
>
> Name: Skarak Warriors
>
> Status: Hostile
>
> Attack: Sword, Crossbow
>
> Threat level: Aggressive
>
>
>
> Name: Ralynn Guard
>
> Status: Hostile
>
> Attack: Spear, Longbow
>
> Threat level: Aggressive
>
>
“The city guards are teaming up with the Skarak. Is that normal?” Max said with some alarm.
“No, it is not,” Elderon said. “There is an evil at work here for sure.” He frowned at Max. “It is the darkness.”
The Skarak Warriors with swords came rushing over the meadow, the blades of long grass swishing against their furry legs. The Ralynn Guards with spears were amongst the Skarak. The crossbow Skarak and the longbow Ralynn Guards stopped, and they all aimed their bows.