《The Lightbearer's Gift》


 Book 1: Chapter 1: The Awakening

    Waking up from sleep was a slow process for me. The first thing I felt was a cold wind flowing over my body and the uncomfortable feeling of tall grass digging into my back. It battered my sides as the wind caused the blades to flutter about. A feeling of wrongness welled up in me in the midst of my half-asleep musings, and with a force of will, I snapped myself out of my stupor. I quickly sat up and glanced around to view my surroundings.


    I was in a large circular clearing of grass, surrounded by tall trees, all gently swaying in the wind. A particularly strong gust picked up and blew my hair into my face. This caused an even greater concern as the wind whipped up long, pure white hair around me.


    The white hair felt alien to me. Why did I think that?


    "Wait," I said aloud.


    "Who am I?"


    Those words seemed to echo across the clearing as I tried to piece together anything that could be called an identity. But I could remember nothing, not my name, age, where I lived, my parents, siblings, or where I grew up. It was as if anything that could even remotely give me an idea of who I was, had been cleaved from my mind. The harder I tried to find something that I could use to define myself, the greater my despair.


    I sat there for several minutes in utter panic as I tried to get a grasp on what was happening to me. Why am I in the middle of a forest naked? Why was my hair such an unnatural color of white? Why did I even consider my hair color unnatural? These questions tumbled over one another in my mind with no answers to be found.


    "No, let''s focus on the situation in front of me," I said, to break my spiraling thoughts.


    "First things first, I need to get control of this situation and perhaps find some clothing.".


    That gave me some calm and a simple goal to work towards as there was nothing else to focus on.


    Taking a stand, I examined the rest of myself. I was not a very tall man, I thought, though I had no frame of reference for what my height should be. My skin was as pale as snow, with not an ounce of muscle. I didn''t look malnourished by any means, but being this slender in the middle of a forest with who knows what lurking around was not improving my mood.


    I reached a small, almost delicate hand to my face to move the hair away and once again found something strange.


    "My ears are pointy," I said in shock.


    Again, like when I noticed my hair color, the feeling of alienness welled up in me. They were at least a hand and a half long by my estimation. It was as if this body wasn''t mine. I had no memory of anything else, so why did it feel so wrong? In my mind there was a basic understanding of what a natural humanoid form should be, and the ears and hair were direct contradictions to this. As there were no answers coming to me as to why my form seemed so alien, I tried once more to focus on my original objective.


    Not knowing where to go, I looked around for some sort of reference point. There was a particularly large tree near the edge of the clearing.


    "Pine?" I said to myself as I started to walk towards it. Once I was close, I began to realize how truly large the tree was.


    I knew pine trees could be massive, but the image I had in my mind couldn''t compare to this monstrosity. It towered over all the other trees.


    "Okay," I resolved.


    ¡®I''ll keep this to my back and just keep moving forward. The sun is on my exact right, so as long as I keep it there, I should be going in the same direction.


    ''Hopefully, I''ll find a river or something.¡¯ I thought to myself.


    I started walking and hoped I wasn''t doing something stupid. Common logic dictates that I should stay where I was until help arrived, but nothing in this moment made me feel as if common sense would apply to my situation.


    I set off at a moderate pace, but there was hardly a change in my environment, even after an hour of walking. The sun''s position changed slightly as it was now slightly higher in the sky, other than that there was still a seemingly endless expanse of trees.


    The exhaustion started to set in, and my feet started to hurt as my body, clearly, was not used to walking barefoot along the forest floor. The sun was still coming from my right, so I was at least going straight. The pain in my feet became even more intense and despite the morning chill sweat was running down my face and back. Deciding to take a break, I rested against a nearby tree. I took deep breaths trying to calm my racing heart.


    This traveling was more exhausting than I had predicted as navigating the dense thicket of the forest floor and uneven terrain pushed me to exhaustion. While walking I tried to glean more into whatever knowledge I had. The information available to me was at times random. For example, the squawk of some unseen bird would bring images rushing into my mind.


    Eagles, hawks, crows, along with a random spattering of information along with it. The same thing happened with most every sight and sound that I encountered in the forest. It was as if whatever fog that surrounded my memories was slowly being lifted as more and more information presented itself to me. But try as I might, details of my own identity and history remained elusive.


    ''I''m going to need water soon before the headache and fatigue set in.'' I thought to myself. Dehydration might kill me before exposure will.


    "Wait, what?" I said in bewilderment.


    Unlike the random spattering of information that usually accompanied my revelations, my mind was filled with intensely detailed information on the subject of dehydration.


    ¡°Dry mouth, delirium, low blood pressure. Water containing electrolytes is necessary to recover. If the patient is unable to drink, IV hydration may be required.¡±


    I recited this diagnosis aloud in a practiced fashion and silently marveled at the detail and clarity of the information.


    ¡°Blood pressure? electrolytes?¡± As I questioned those terms even more knowledge began to reveal itself.


    For the next several minutes while I rested, my mind constantly churned with information on various aspects of biology. The dizzying complexities of anatomy and medicine was a fascinating subject. I could have spent hours pondering the information locked in my mind until the snapping of a twig brought me out of my musings. It was so slight that I wouldn''t have noticed if not for it being such a clear change from the constant wind and rustling leaves. A small part of me realized, my ears twitched in response to the sound.


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    It was definitely from where I had just come from. I was unsure if I was just being paranoid, but my instinctive reaction of my body to the sound prompted me to behave with caution. I moved as stealthily as I could into a particularly dense set of bushes, careful not to make the same mistake that my possible pursuer did.


    Getting as low as possible to the ground, I waited for something to happen. About a minute passed and I was beginning to think I was just being paranoid when another crack, quickly followed by two more, rang out much closer than before. The wind, which had been my almost constant companion in the forest, had died down at this point, and I could hear the footsteps approaching.


    A strange humanoid creature walked out of the bush. It was a truly grotesque thing, with skin almost as green as the grass. It had clawed hands, beady yellow eyes, and a too-large mouth on its head. It was wearing nothing but a small leather cloth around its waist and carried a crude-looking pack across its back. While the creature was half my height, it had defined muscles on its arms and chest, but the weapon it carried was the most concerning. It was nothing more than a stick with three jagged rocks sticking out of one end. However, the way the light glinted off the rocks made me realize that it was far more dangerous.


    ''Obsidian,'' I thought to myself.


    There were jagged obsidian rocks embedded near the end of the stick. A cold chill ran up my spine at the thought of what kind of damage that could do to me. The creature stopped by the tree where I was resting and sniffed the air. Its large pimpled nose twitched as it tried to catch my scent. A feeling of dread came over me as I realized I never thought of the creature tracking me through my scent. I hoped that it would wander off after not finding me where it expected. Suddenly, the wind picked up again, and once more blew some of my hair into my face. Almost immediately, the creature locked onto where I was. With a screech, the creature ran towards where I was hiding.


    I did what only made sense to me at this point and ran. The small green monster, hearing me running away, screeched even louder as it gave chase. I sprinted as fast as I could, dodging trees, leaves, and stray branches that littered the forest floor, but the creature remained behind me.


    Sparing a glance behind, I could see that I was at least 60 feet in front of him.


    ''Okay, I''m faster,'' I thought to myself.


    After around two minutes of running, I realized that those small legs were unlikely to keep up with me. That small amount of reassurance that I was faster than the monster quickly ran out as I started to tire. This body of mine was clearly not used to extended running and I could hear the creature getting closer as I slowed. Panicking, I realized I had to do something before the creature caught up to me. Noticing a clearing in the forest ahead I decided to run towards it with the creature hot on my tail.


    There was a small fallen tree in the center with many broken and mangled branches littered around it. I was likely only a few seconds ahead of the creature so once I reached the tree I frantically searched for something to defend myself with. Looking around near the base of the fallen tree, I spotted a broken branch a little longer and slightly thicker than my arm. The moment I ducked down to pick it up, something flew over my head and the sound of it burying itself in the fallen tree rang out. I looked up to notice that it was the creature''s ax. At the same time, it sprinted into the clearing, claws bared, heading right for me.


    I didn''t have time to dislodge the creature''s ax, and there was no way I could sustain much more running.


    ''It has to be now,'' I thought to myself.


    I could try to kill it while it was unarmed, but those claws and the wiry muscular arms gave me some pause. It was only 10 feet away now as I shifted my branch in both arms. The creature closed the distance and leaped for a swipe to disembowel me. At the same time, I swung my improvised weapon as strongly as I could. In a horizontal arc, I met the creature mid-air. I clocked it on the side of the head. That didn''t arrest its motion though, as it barreled into my chest. We fell to the ground, the creature landing on top of me. However, it seemed it was too stunned to remember that it planned to tear me to pieces. Immediately, I shoved it off of me and scrambled to my feet. The little monster was still alive and groggily rising to its feet. My grip on the branch was broken so I quickly picked it back up again and closed the distance for another attack.


    The little monster apparently had the wherewithal to dodge my swing and scampered back a few steps keeping a single eye on me. Apparently, my blow had hit him right above his left eye and opened up a wound that was slowly trickling dark green blood that was obscuring its vision. It tried to wipe the blood away, but a fresh drop would soon replace it. Seizing its distraction, I opted to close the gap between us and went in for another swing. I brought my weapon in another horizontal arc aiming for its right eye. However, the creature nimbly dodged out of the way. I attacked twice more, each a wild swing to its body. It dodged the first and blocked the second with a forearm.


    The branch I was using shattered, and my forward momentum caused me to lose my balance. I caught myself before I could fall, but this gave my opponent enough time to pounce once more. Without thinking I reached my hand out to stop it from getting to my vital areas and caught it by the throat. His momentum when he tried his second lunge caused me to tumble backward and fall to the ground with him on top of me. Fortunately, my fully extended arms were longer than his, and he could not reach my throat. Realizing this, the creature decided to take its frustrations out on my arms.


    It dug its claws into my biceps, and I screamed in agony as the creature tried to get a bite at me. The only thing keeping me from being killed at this point was that my right arm was around its throat and on its head. I could feel its legs kicking and clawing at me; however, its toenails seemed not to be sharp enough to pierce the skin.


    There was no escaping the monster''s strong grip as its claws were hooked into my flesh. The harder it fought to get to my throat, the more it ravaged my arms. While on the ground, I noticed that we had fallen close to its ax. We were right next to the spot where it had embedded itself in the tree. If I could get him off of me, I could grab the ax and end him, at least that is what I hoped. Using the hand that was holding its head, I dug my thumb into its eye as hard as I could.


    This, however, made him even more angry; even with my finger locked in its eye, it seemed like it wouldn''t let go. Feeling my arms weakening and despair setting in, I tried for one last attempt to throw him off of me.


    I screamed at the top of my lungs, "GET OFF OF ME," and with every ounce of my strength, attempted to shove the creature off my chest.


    What happened, however, was completely unexpected.

 Book 1: Chapter 2: The Light: Part 1

    A brilliant white light burst forth from my left palm, so intense that for an instant, I could see the outline of the creature''s skull as the light refracted underneath its skin. A bitter chill traveled through my entire body. It howled in agony and fell backwards off of me, writhing on the ground and clutching its face. It was then that I noticed where my hand was; instead of flesh, there was a charred ruin. The entire left side of its face looked as if it had suffered a third-degree burn. I could see the burnt muscle and fat beneath its cracked, charred flesh. Its right eye was completely destroyed, and at this point, my opponent could do nothing but writhe on the ground in agony.


    Immediately, I looked at my hand, worried that I was also burned, but the skin was perfectly normal.


    "What was that?" I asked no one.


    "Magic? Is that what it was?" I immediately thought of blasting the creature again, but the pain in my arms calmed my thoughts for the moment.


    ''I need to get the hell out of here,'' I thought.


    I didn''t know what or who could have heard that fight, but I needed to end this quickly and get as far away from here as possible. Glancing at its axe embedded in the tree, a small smirk appeared on my face. I walked over to it and with a pain-filled grunt, pulled it free.


    My opponent was still on the ground, writhing in pain. He managed to move a few feet away from me during his squirming. I walked over to him, axe in hand, ready to end it.


    Apparently hearing my approach, it shouted "Grah an gulag,"


    ''Oh my, the creature speaks'', I thought to myself.


    What did it say, I wonder as it repeated the same phrase? I raised the axe above my head.


    "Grah an gulag," it said once more in an even more desperate tone.


    Perhaps it was begging for mercy; either way, I didn''t care. With one eye destroyed and another swollen shut, I was not going to allow him to recover or gather more of his kind to hunt me down for revenge or something.


    "Grah an gul."


    I brought the axe down into its chest; the obsidian teeth of the weapon bit deep and I must have hit something important because after only a few seconds of struggling, the creature died.


    Dragging the axe from its chest, I stood there for a few moments looking at its face in hatred. To think this disgusting thing almost killed me. I noticed the small pack strapped against its back and removed it. Walking away from the creature, I peered inside and examined the items one by one. A leather-wrapped knife, perhaps as long as my hand, the handle looked to be made of bone, and testing it against some grass, I found it was reasonably sharp. There was some kind of dried meat, and a smaller leather pouch filled with random nuts. The last item was some kind of water skin; it was little more than a leather bag with a wooden stop on one end tied together so as not to allow whatever liquid inside to escape.


    ''I''ll figure that out later,'' I thought and packed everything back into the bag.


    Taking in my surroundings once more, I noted the angle of the sun and headed where I thought to be south. With my new pack, I walked at a slow pace as I looked at my arms. There were many long rents in my flesh, and blood flowed from a few that were particularly deep. Knowing the creature''s claws were likely filthy, I feared infection setting in.


    But I had no way of cleaning or dressing the wound, and the only cloth the creature had was a loincloth. I wondered if staying and fighting was perhaps the wrong idea; perhaps I could have kept outrunning it. I could have lasted at least a few more minutes at that speed. But what if it tracked me all the way from where I woke up? Maybe it was just wandering and stumbled upon me? There was no point in thinking about it. What''s done is done. I need to take stock of what I have and come up with a plan.


    There was nothing I could do about my arms at the moment, so if I ran into another one of those things, I would have to take my chances with running, though with my arms slowly dripping blood, I''m probably leaving a perfect trail to follow. The light then, I have to learn how to summon it again. Placing my palm out again, I tried to see if I could summon the light.


    Nothing happened, unfortunately. I stopped walking and tried again, pointing my palm at a tree.


    "Damn it," I whispered.


    This was apparently not something that can be learned easily. I began walking again, thinking of how I could summon the light.


    "When it was on top of me, I felt a chill in my entire body." I recalled the memory.


    "Then the light burst out of my hand." The chill, what was that, I wonder?


    It felt almost as if my entire body temperature dropped for a moment. Then, an instant later, blinding light. Assuming that chill is a precursor to summoning the light, I would need to focus on that for now. Thinking back, I wanted more than anything to get the creature off of me; it was do or die at the time. Well, I certainly can''t wait for another near-death experience to use this power. So, there must be something about that moment that was enough of a trigger to use it. Thinking about the power was enough to distract me from the constant aching in my arms. I need to figure this out before nightfall; it might be the only thing that can save me in a desperate situation.


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    Over two hours had passed, and I still hadn''t made any progress. Left hand, right hand, standing still, even a 2-minute meditation to clear my mind, and so far, I had nothing. The slow progress of the sun was causing me to become increasingly worried. Though the bleeding in my arms had slowed considerably, the pain had only gotten worse, and I feared that infection would start to set in.


    ''Dammit,'' I whispered.


    Even if I learned how to use it, my arms are the bigger problem. How long do I have, I thought? Sepsis can take anything from 12 hours to days to kill. I don''t have a gut wound, so let''s say I have a few days. The meat, nuts, and the waterskin should help, so my only chance is to keep myself alive long enough to reach civilization. So, I have to figure this out before nightfall, and hopefully, with the axe and the light, I can survive an attack with minimal injury.


    I looked around for a secluded area. After a while, I spotted three trees closely clumped together with plenty of bushes around the base. I walked over and sat in the middle of the trees. It wasn''t perfect, but if I sat down, the bushes would at least obscure me from vision.


    I removed my pack and took a drink from the waterskin; the water tasted slightly brackish, but I was too thirsty to care. I ate at least half the dried strips of meat, remarking that they tasted almost like pork. Ignoring that tidbit of information, I then ate the entire bag of nuts.


    "Okay," I said to myself, "do or die time." I sat down with my palm facing forward determined to figure this out.


    I thought back to my fight with the creature and the moments leading up to the light. First, I resolved to shove the creature off of me. My will was absolute. I didn''t question whether I could do it, simply that it must be done.


    Then there was the chill, as if my body temperature instantly dropped several degrees. Then I pushed with all my might and boom! burning light erupted from my hands. Focusing on the first part, my resolve, I ignored any distraction from the forest and the ever-falling sun.


    ''I will do this,'' I whispered to myself. It must be done; failure means death and I will not die in this forest.


    It was over an hour of this, constantly replaying the memory of that moment, trying to bring forth those feelings. Those same emotions compelled me to act without regard for pain or safety. I remembered its ugly face, its stinking breath, as it scratched and clawed at me. The feeling of revulsion crawled up my spine as I imagined what would have happened if my arms failed.


    Then the heat started to leave my body.


    "Holy shit." I said aloud.


    As soon as my focus broke, so did the chill. I had summoned it again! It wasn''t close to the depth of cold I felt when facing the monster, but it was something. I immediately calmed myself down and tried to summon it again.


    Another ten minutes passed before I felt the chill again, this time I retained my focus. I felt my limbs go cold as heat was sapped from them. A few seconds passed as I maintained this state. Soon enough I felt as cold as I did on the ground with the creature. I thought of pushing my arm forward and seeing if I could summon the light. However, I discarded that idea immediately. I needed to focus on the coldness. I almost felt like I was summoning heat from my body as energy. Eventually I felt a small amount of heat in my chest. It was getting warmer by the second.


    ''Is that the unspent energy?''. I wondered. I released my grip on the power.


    As expected, the heat dissipated, and my body''s warmth returned.


    ''Ok, so I wasn''t summoning cold, but gathering my body''s energy into a single point.¡¯ I mused.


    My chest grows warmer as the energy concentrates. The more I thought about it the more it made sense to me.


    ''I''ll keep going until I figure it out.'' I resolved to myself.


    I had gotten it down to around two minutes to begin gathering energy from my body. Again, it pooled in my chest growing hotter as my extremities became colder. I repeated this process dozens of times. And after an hour of this I had gotten my gathering time to around 15 seconds. Nowhere near a fraction of a second it took me with the creature. But I didn''t have the luxury of certain death to spur me on.


    Now to move the energy to my hand. After a short delay I began to gather energy once again. Instead of simply allowing it to pool in my chest, I tried to will it to my left hand. I could feel the heat move from my chest, down my shoulders, then into my left palm.


    ''Focus.¡¯ I thought, resolving myself once more.


    Instead of trying to fire light. I allowed the energy to dissipate. I repeated the process once again. 15 seconds for the energy to gather, another 5 to move it to my hand. This, I repeated for at least another hour, for what had to be over a hundred times. I managed to get the gathering time to ten seconds, but moving the energy to my hand still took the same amount of time. However, I did find that I could move the energy to my right arm without any change in difficulty. So, I opted to alternate during my practice.


    I spent another two hours practicing and now it was the moment of truth. I sat with my left palm facing forward and gathered the energy as usual. This time I pooled as much energy as I could in my chest, to the point that my extremities went from cold to numb. Then I moved this mass of energy to my left hand. I thought back to that moment when I first used the light. The claws digging into my arm, it''s putrid breath in my nostril¡¯s, the revulsion and hate rose in me. That disgusting creature could have killed me, and it had the gall to beg for mercy in the end. I remembered myself hiding in the bushes, hoping that the creature wouldn''t find me, then running away out of fear. It was insulting to think I would flee from such vermin.


    "Next time will be different" I said then thrust my palm forward.

 Book 1: Chapter 3: The Light: Part 2

    A blindingly bright beam of light burst forth. For a fraction of a second, it looked as if I held the sun in the palm of my hand. I immediately closed my eyes. This was far brighter than the one I used on the creature.


    Eventually I opened my eyes and examined the tree which was my actual target. A grin spread across my face at what I saw. A circular palm sized hole was burned clean through the bark, and I could see small glowing embers inside, a testament to how hot the light was.


    I wanted to get a closer look. In trying to get up, I realized my limbs were numb to the point of paralysis.


    "Ok I went a bit overboard with that one", I admonished myself, though I didn''t mean it as I was incredibly pleased.


    It took a few minutes before feeling returned and another 10 for warmth. A groan from my stomach informed me how hungry I was. I wonder if doing magic like this burns a lot of calories.


    ''Calories?'' I thought to myself.


    The term, like many others have been floating around in my mind for some time, but I decided to ignore them. These insights into biology, while interesting, were largely useless to me. Perhaps in the future they will come in handy.


    After that I felt close to normal. I started to build energy again to perform that spell. I wonder if I should name it? thinking for a few seconds I decided to just call it what it reminds me of.


    "Daylight." I said aloud.


    I was embarrassed by how dramatic it sounded, but there was no one around to judge me, so I decided to keep the name. I cast daylight once more. This time with significantly less energy, aiming at the same tree.


    As I expected, instead of a cylindrical hole, there was only burnt bark. That should be enough to completely incapacitate any creature that would attack me. Since they would have to deal with a palm size circle of singed flesh. There was only a moderate drop in my body heat, so I decided to cast another daylight with my right hand at the same energy level. There was no noticeable difference, though I felt more comfortable casting with my left.


    "Now for some tests." I said excitedly.


    It isn''t enough to have a weapon. I would need to know how to use it, along with its limits. I paced out nearly 100 feet from a nearby tree and cast daylight at it. Jogging over I noticed that there was barely any singed bark. I paced out 110 feet and fired again. This time the bark was completely unharmed. So, my effective limit was a hundred feet at a moderate level of power. I paced out 50, 25 and 10 feet, each time casting the spell. I noted that below 10 feet there didn''t seem to be any increase in damage from daylight. At 25, I guessed, would be the max range to incapacitate a target. If I hit its face at 50, it would probably cause a second-degree burn. At 100 feet, actually hitting the target would likely be a greater problem.


    Next, I decided to test how many times in quick succession I could cast daylight, before I became immobile. Standing and taking aim at my test tree I fired as fast as I could. At around 11 is when I decided to stop, as I began to lose feeling in my arms and legs. Anymore and I would likely tumble over. Next, I tested how long it would take for my energy to recover fully once I fire a moderate daylight.


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    After about 10 tries, I discovered that it was around 3 minutes before I felt normal again. So, in summary, 15 seconds to cast and 3 minutes to recover and roughly 11 shots before I''m exhausted. Now I had something to work with.


    At this point, the sun was now hidden behind the trees and cloud cover started to set in. I hoped that it wouldn''t rain through the night. Since dozens of bright flashing lights didn''t seem to attract anything to my location, I decided to stay within the cluster of trees for the night. I took another gulp of water, ate the rest of the dried meat, then sat down in the clearing. I watched the forest slowly get darker.


    ''True darkness is a terrifying thing.'' I thought. It was so dark I couldn''t even see my hand in front of my face. With the heavy cloud cover I didn''t even have the moon to offer some light.


    So, I sat there in the center of my clearing, hands wrapped around my legs in an attempt to preserve some warmth. The lack of clothing was really starting to get to me, as my only option was to brace my back against a tree and drape my waist length hair around myself. That didn''t really do anything to help, but it did offer some comfort.


    The darkness was maddening; there was nothing to accompany me but the wind, the sounds of insects and the stray cry of some animal. I was unsure if I could ever fall asleep like this, so I decided to do more practice. Summoning, moving, and dispersing the energy within myself. This went on for hours until at some point I fell asleep.


    I jolted awake after a particularly loud squawk of an unseen bird. Somehow, I was able to sleep to the early hours of the morning. Fortunately, nothing attacked during the night.


    I moved to stand up from my sitting position and groaned in pain as my entire body felt like a giant bruise. My muscles were sore from overuse, and my joints popped as I stretched, trying to get some blood flowing into my limbs. In the middle of my stretching, I noticed that I didn''t feel any significant pain in my arms. Checking both I was shocked at what I saw.


    My wounds were considerably healed, granted it didn''t look good, since they were scabbed over. Poking at the scabs I noted that there was no puss or redness. It was hard instead of the soft moist scabs that would occur from infection.


    ''This looks like days of healing. Not half''.


    I looked at my stomach, where the creature scratched me with its toes. There were still long red lines from its toenails. I wasn''t concerned about it since it was relatively minor damage to my skin when compared to my arms. But if my arms looked as if they had days of healing and my stomach didn''t, what was the difference?


    pondering for a second the only thing I could think of was me constantly concentrating energy in my arms.


    ''Could the concentrated energy heal?'' I wondered.


    I picked up my pack and hefted the axe in my right hand. To test my hypothesis, as I traveled, I would exclusively practice gathering and moving the energy, with my left arm. If the constant concentration of energy in that arm somehow contributed to healing, then my left arm would be considerably more healed than my right by the end of the day. With more confidence in my ability to defend myself, I headed forward in the same direction, keeping the rising sun to my right.

 Book 1: Chapter 4: The Mongrel

    Hours of monotonous walking passed with little change to my scenery. There was nothing but an endless array of trees as far as I could see. Fortunately, the sun was out, and the temperature was only slightly chilly instead of freezing like the night before.


    The constant practicing of my magic was enough to keep my mind distracted from the boredom of constant walking. But even after hours of practice, I couldn''t increase the speed at which the energy gathered. Around 10 seconds was my limit. I would occasionally fire off daylight for no other reason than to alleviate my boredom.


    I idly wondered what someone else would think of the randomly burned holes in trees, stretching for miles. While I was pondering, I noticed a new sound.


    "Water." I whispered.


    It was faint, but to my left there was definitely water flowing somewhere. If there was, that means my survival could be extended by weeks, even If I couldn''t find food. Following the sound for several minutes, I eventually ended up finding a small stream, probably 5 feet across, flowing slowly. Getting closer I examined the water.


    Though it was clear, it was probably best if I boiled it before drinking, but I had no way of doing so. Sighing, as I had no other choice, I knelt next to the stream and drank several handfuls.


    It tasted better than what was in my waterskin.


    "This was probably better than what''s in there anyways." I said.


    I dumped out the brackish water and refilled the waterskin. With a desire to clean myself, I took a tentative step and entered the stream. Not wanting to deal with wet hair, I gathered it all up and wrapped it around my throat like a strange scarf. Looking down at myself in the river I saw my face for the first time.


    Distorted as it was from the constantly shifting water, it was clear to see that it was beautiful. If not for obvious appendages one would think they were looking at a woman. What was most distracting however were my eyes. They were a bright purple and far larger than what a human should have.


    I knew my features would be alien to me, but the sheer strangeness was enthralling. None of the unending information about anatomy and physiology could explain what exactly I am. The way my large irises contracted. The constant twitch of my ears in response to some sound off in the distance, with a little effort I could consciously move them. All of it was alien.


    Watching my expressions of confusion on a stranger¡¯s face was too much to deal with at the moment.


    I cleared away much of the dirt and grime of the previous day. The water was cold but, compared to the icy chill from last night, it was bearable. Once I was relatively clean, I sat on the bank of the stream until I dried.


    I examined my left arm, and with that my suspicions were confirmed. Earlier in the morning the scabs were tender, but pretty hard and firm. Now I could see that some of them were starting to fall off and new skin could be seen underneath. My right arm, however, was largely the same. Thinking back to how deep some of these gashes were I realized that this was more like weeks of healing. A bit of hope started to rise in me as my chances of survival increased.


    Now that I knew that the magic could somehow heal me, or at the very least accelerate my healing.


    I decided to distribute the concentration of energy to more than one part of my body. The power kept concentrating until discomfort became pain. Once this occurred, I would release the energy and start the process again. Sometime later I was completely dry, and with one last glance of my reflection in the river I started heading downstream.


    Following the stream''s path was as exhausting as walking in the forest. It twisted and turned in random directions, however I figured that following it would be my highest chance and finding civilization. The sun was high in the sky at this point and the area around the stream widened into more walkable terrain.


    After hours of walking, I finally spotted an animal. A few hundred feet in front of me was a four-legged creature. I couldn''t make out much other than it had gray fur, and it was rather large. Quickly noting the wind was blowing into my face, I tried to be as stealthy as I could.


    I moved into the dense forest brush and carefully wrapped around behind the creature. This might be dangerous, but if I could take down the animal, its meat could last me for days. I slowly moved towards the creature. Hiding behind a bush not much taller than my waist I got a better look at the animal.


    It was a wolf, likely as tall as I was. That gave me some apprehension at my chances. But from the outline of its ribs and hip bones in its fur, I presumed that it was starving. Its coat looked rough and lacked any sheen. It might be an old wolf that didn''t have the strength to hunt prey anymore. In other words, the perfect target.


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    Though it was quite large, I had the confidence that I could take it down. I just had to lure it in my direction and fire a daylight into its face. Channeling double the energy into my chest, I walked out beyond the trees, daylight in my left hand and axe in the other. I noticed a small rock on the ground and gave it a kick.


    The noise was just loud enough to get the wolf''s attention. It Immediately turned around and locked its gaze on me. A low growl escaped its throat as it sized up its new target. It was only 50 feet away from me, but I wanted it to get to at least 20 before I released a blast into its face. The wolf instead stood there watching me as its growl became louder and lower. These few seconds felt like an eternity as the wolf prepared to charge.


    Then there was a sudden burst of motion, and the wolf sprinted towards me. Its large gate meant that it took only a few strides to reach me. As soon as it got within 25 feet, I released daylight, aiming for its eyes. Within the same instant I dove to the right.


    As soon as I landed, I glanced behind me. I saw the wolf tumble end over end, as the right side of its face was turned into a burnt ruin. I quickly got to my feet as the wolf slid to a halt, a little behind where I was just standing. Before it could recover from the blast, I hefted my axe in both arms and brought it down on the creature''s neck. It jolted to the sudden attack and stood up faster than I expected.


    The sudden movement of the large wolf ripped the axe from my hand. It took a wild bite in my direction that didn''t really come anywhere close to me, as it was likely flash blinded. It was then I noticed that I didn''t actually hit its eyes, my attack instead charred most of the right side of its mussel. I backed away and started to charge another attack even stronger than the last. But before I could fire, the wolf, in its mad thrashing, dislodged the axe and sprinted into the forest.


    Grabbing the fallen axe off the ground, I dissipated the energy and immediately gave chase. My energy levels had dropped significantly from that first overcharged daylight, but I should have seven or eight more in the tank. I followed the trail of destroyed brush and blood for several minutes, until I could hear loud panting. I found the wolf lying next to a tree.


    It was most likely dying as a large pool of blood was gathering around its body. I apparently hit an artery, and dislodging the axe only made its death quicker. Unlike my first monster, I felt no pleasure at its suffering and resolved to end its life quickly. It tried weakly to defend itself, but it could do little more than twitch its head in my general direction. I brought the axe down once more and with a final whine the wolf died.


    I stood there, next to the dead wolf, wondering how I would cook and eat it. The beast was probably over 250 lbs., so dragging it back to the river was out of the picture. I figured I could cut off one of its legs for now and try to make a fire by the river.


    Using the small knife, I found on the creature, I cut through the skin on the shoulder joint. As soon as I broke the skin a pungent stink began emitting from the wound. Gagging at the smell I took a closer look at the cut I made.


    Inside the hand length cut, I could just make out a writhing mass of worms that seemed to be burrowing out of the wound. Completely disgusted by the sight, I jumped back from the creature.


    It was infested with some kind of parasitic worm. Immediately information flooded into my mind warning me of the dangers of a parasitic infestation.


    Depending on the parasite, the meat could be safe to eat so long as it was cooked at a high enough temperature. But I was far too revolted at the sight of it to consider eating it.


    "Dammit." I said in frustration.


    Hours of walking and the only animal I ran into was an infested wolf. My hunger was becoming worse, and I was fairly sure using my power was accelerating the process. If I am to survive, I''ll have to minimize its use. I headed back to the river and washed the blood off of my axe and knife. With nothing else to do I continued following the river. Dark thoughts started to enter my mind, casting doubt on my ability to survive.


    Was there any actual civilization in this world? Even if there was, how long would it take me to reach it? Weeks? Months? These doubts kept spiraling in my mind for the next several hours until the sun started to dip below the horizon. I thought about trying to build a fire to give me light through the night. But I didn''t trust that other creatures wouldn''t come to investigate. Sighing, I spotted some dense bush to hide under and curled up into a ball to preserve warmth. Perhaps tomorrow will be more fruitful.

 Book 1: Chapter 5: The Company Part 1

    3 Days of exhausting travel passed. As I walked along the river my stomach growled loudly, and hunger pain ripped through me. It felt as if my stomach was eating through my spine.


    I was so fatigued that I didn''t even bother to practice my magic anymore. It was becoming more difficult to drag myself out of whatever bush I decided to sleep under. Try as I might, I could find no sources of food. No animals, no fish in the stream and I was too hesitant to eat the random berries I saw.


    There was no way I could verify if they were safe to eat, but I''ll have to resort to risking it if I become truly desperate. Since my battle with the wolf the days have constantly been overcast. And of course, this made my nights a combination of freezing cold and pitchback darkness. Fortunately, today there wasn''t a cloud in the sky so I might have some light from the moon to accompany me.


    The stream had eventually widened into a larger river, around 20 feet across. The banks were mostly a flat expanse of gravel, much easier to walk along than the dense thicket of the forest.


    What kind of accursed forest must this have been to have so little animal life. I found the occasional pile of dung close to the river but never ran into animals to speak of.


    Unsure of whether or not that was a blessing, I took stock of the sun. It would be at least an hour before sunset. Since there were no clouds, I figured I could make a few more miles before I set down to rest.


    When the last of the sun dipped below the horizon I could see the moon for the first time. It was unexpectedly large in the sky and the light it produced was enough to give the forest a soft white glow. The moon was surrounded by an ocean of stars which made for a beautiful sight. I stood there for long moments admiring the view. A small smile came to my lips for the first time in days.


    There weren''t any convenient places to bed down for the night. Since the light of the moon was enough for me to navigate without tripping, I opted to travel a bit further along the river for a better location to rest. After about 10 minutes of walking by moonlight I spotted something in the corner of my eye.


    In the distance across the river, I could see a small orange light that looked like it could be a fire. Hope swelled in my chest if there was fire that could mean people. Resolving to cross the river I took a step in. It was waist deep at this point and it chilled me to my bones. Once I crossed, I made my way towards the light. It was much further than I thought it was, but after 10 minutes I could finally see the source.


    Around 200 feet away, was a small clearing. I could just make out people idling around a fire. Carefully closing the distance to around 100 feet, I hid behind some brushes. This allowed me a better view of the camp''s inhabitants.


    There were about 10 people, each focusing on some specific task. There were 7 men and 4 women. What looked to be bedrolls along with several large packs, were scattered around the fire. One man was tending to a pot that hung above it. Others were either tending to the random assortments of weapons or armor they wore. Some had swords, others had hammers. One of the human women was wielding a spear and was practicing stabbing.


    Another was sitting on her bed roll and reading a book. She was dressed in dark red leather and covered herself with a cloak an even darker red. She had bright blonde hair tied into a bun.


    The last two women however were the strangest among them. One looked to be a brown-haired woman with large ears who wore more form fitting armor. It was of a higher quality than the other humans, with the exception of the woman in red and a man in full plate.


    The final woman was the strangest. She was large, taller even than the man in plate armor. Her skin was a pale green and her black hair was short cropped around her shoulders. While the woman reading, and the long-eared woman could be called beautiful. The green skinned woman would charitably be called handsome. Her arms were massive and covered in scars, that I could see even at this distance. Everyone wore some full body protection, so I found it strange that she would leave her arms bare and wear a chain mail vest.


    These people were clearly dangerous. I was puzzling over how to verify If it was safe to reveal myself, when the long-eared woman who was seemingly scanning the forest lingered on my location for a moment. I was beginning to get worried that she saw me, until she continued her scan.


    She walked over to the heavily armored man and had a short conversation. He nodded then she returned to her scan. Relieved that I wasn''t detected. I continued to monitor the others in the camp, still unsure of what I should do. I realized I couldn''t see the long-eared woman anymore. Looking around the camp and the nearby area, I couldn''t find her, it was as if she had vanished.


    Surely, she couldn''t have walked off without me noticing. Deciding that it probably wasn''t for the best if I approached them in the dead of night. I resolved to sneak away a small distance and see if I could approach them in the morning.


    "Don''t move a muscle." A stern female voice behind me said.


    I felt a blade press against the back of my neck. I was so startled that I dropped my axe.


    "Stand up and turn around slowly. And keep your hands up." she ordered.


    Part of me realized that she was speaking a different language and I responded in the same language as if I had spoken it all my life.


    ''Something to think about later", I thought.


    "Ok" I replied. I slowly stood up and turned around wondering how she could have snuck up behind me so easily. These big ears were quite sensitive to sound after all.


    Finally, our eyes met. She looked almost as startled as I must have. "Su Venan?" she seemed to ask.


    "What?" I responded.


    "Von no cri Elvaian?". She seemed to ask another question, but as before I had no idea what she was saying.


    "I, I don''t understand", I said, far more focused on the blade pointed and my throat.


    Strangely, she started to look me over, checking my neck, ankles, and wrists. I was quite unsure what she was looking for, but just in case she decided that I needed to die, I decided to prepare daylight. I figured I could just blast her in the face with it and run away. Hopefully, I will be able to lose the rest of her group in the forest.


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    I began to gather power. Instantly she grabbed my head, and I could feel the blade pressed against my throat almost drawing blood. She was so fast I couldn''t even see her move. In my shock I lost concentration, and the power dissipated.


    "You try to cast something again and you die, am I clear", she said with barely contained fury.


    "Crystal.¡± I meekly responded.


    I was confused; There were no outward signs when I gathered power, but somehow, she was able to instantly detect when I did. Can anyone do that or is it some kind of skill? I had no idea. I can''t afford to make mistakes like this. Fortunately, she decided not to kill me at that moment.


    Removing the blade from my neck she asked, "Why are you walking around nude in this forest?" she asked.


    "I don''t know, I just woke up in some random clearing and wondered for a few days until I stumbled onto your camp." I tried to sound as sincere as possible.


    "Ok then." She sounded dubious.


    "Who are you? Are you from Braken? And how did you learn to shape the Ether." Each question was more confusing than the last. Again, I responded to each of her questions with sincerity.


    "Well first off I don''t know who I am, as I have no memories."


    "I don''t know what or where Barken is, and I''m not entirely sure what you mean by shaping the ether or what the ether even is. I think you''re referring to the power I tried to use, but I just stumbled upon that by accident a few days ago". I Responded to each of her questions in quick succession.


    None of these answers seemed to please her, but fortunately she seemed to not be getting angrier. She took a piercing look into my eyes, and I could see my own face reflected in her own green orbs. Up close I noticed she didn''t have eyes quite as oversized as mine.


    "You don''t seem to be lying?" she released a sigh.


    "I''ll have Sten deal with you. Turn around and head towards the camp." she ordered.


    "Can I at least cover my privates?" I asked. She looked down for a moment then said "Fine".


    We walked towards the camp with me taking the lead. She no doubt had a blade pointed at the back of my head. As we got closer a few people started to notice our approach.


    "STEN", She shouted "I caught our trespasser".


    The large man in plate armor came over to us with an amused expression. He was at least a head taller than me, with a neat trim to his graying beard.


    At one time he might have been a handsome man, but age and what was likely a hard life made its stamp on his face.


    "Honestly Lilian, when you said someone was spying on us, this is not what I expected." Sten said.


    "Nor did I." Lilian replied.


    At this point we were in the middle of camp, and I was becoming a bit self-conscious with so many eyes looking at me in the nude.


    "So, tell me, what¡¯s an elf doing wandering around naked in the middle of the highlands." Sten asked.


    So, the long-eared woman was Lilian, and I was apparently an elf.


    "As I told Lilian, I woke up in the middle of a clearing like this with no clothes and no memories of who I am. Not even my name." I replied.


    "Hmmmm."he mused.


    Lilian walked over, handed him my axe, and spent a few moments whispering to him.


    "Why are you carrying around gear made by gobbs." The entire camp had gathered around to listen to my interrogation.


    "By gobbs, are you referring to the small green creatures roughly half my height."


    "Yes", he confirmed.


    "Well, I stumbled into one after I woke up. After a fight, I managed to kill it. Since I had nothing else on me, I took its belongings."


    Sten was about to ask another question, but the spear wielding woman spoke up before him.


    "I don''t see how a chicken bone thing like you could kill a gobb. let alone naked and unarmed" she said suspiciously.


    Sten gave me a look and said "Well?"


    "Long story short, when I ran into it, it started chasing me, so I ran. Eventually it threw that axe at me and missed. I decided to stand my ground at that moment."


    Everyone seemed to be interested in that point. "I got a good swing in with a stick and opened up its eye. Eventually it got on top of me and in a panic, I accidentally summoned light hot enough to burn its face. That gave me enough time to grab the axe and kill it.".


    "Lilian referred to that power as shaping the Ether. Though I don''t know what the Ether is, or what exactly it means to shape it ".


    Lilian seemed to have already figured out that I had abilities so hiding that fact was of no use to me. Besides, I needed these people to trust me.


    "So, you''re a mage then?" he said to himself while rubbing his chin.


    Some of the men bristled at his statement. Was being a mage a bad thing? I wondered.


    "Perhaps¡­ Does the mere fact that I can cast light mean that I am a mage?".


    "No". The woman in dark red leathers said. She barely reacted to anything I said, but for some reason this caused her to speak up.


    Sten looked over at the woman and she continued. "He''s just able to shape the Ether. You don''t get the title of mage until you''re certified by the institute".


    "I''ve explained this to you before." she said with exasperation.


    Sten rolled his eyes. "Yeah, next you''re going to say that Lilian isn''t a mage, your order''s titles make no sense."


    She rolled her eyes in annoyance "Regardless of what you think, he''s not a mage, people shaping the Ether while in distress is not uncommon.".


    Lilian, who was quite up to this point, said. "He can do it on command Sarah".


    "What?" She said in surprise.


    "No, that¡¯s impossible...¡­unless ". She trailed off.


    I was a bit shocked by the strange direction that my interrogation was going but I answered.


    "Yes, I can". I said, but Sarah looked doubtful.


    Sten, who was watching the exchange, had an amused look on his face. He turned to Sarah and said, "How about we let him prove himself, that should clear up any doubts".


    "Very well," Sarah tersely replied.


    "Before we do that" I piped up." Could someone please spare me a pair of trousers?"


    Sten looked at me with a small chuckle and said. "Sure, since Lilian was the one that brought the stray home, I''m sure she can loan you a set of clothes.". Lilian did not look pleased but headed for what I assumed to be her pack.

 Book 1: Chapter 6: The Company Part 2

    Lilian pulled a pair of brown linen trousers, along with a cream-colored shirt out of her pack and tossed them at me. I awkwardly turned around and put them on. After a few seconds of tightening the string of the trousers I breathed a sigh of relief as I finally had on clothes.


    I turned around to face my audience and not forgetting my manners, gave Lilian a sincere nod and said, ¡°Thank you Lilian.¡±


    She might have held a knife to my throat and threatened to kill me. But the feeling of clothes on my skin made it worth it. The only response Lilian gave me was a short exhale from her nose and a look of contempt.


    Sten looked over to her and said, ¡°I''ll add it to your pay.¡±


    ¡°Now that you''re dressed, be so kind as to demonstrate your supposed ability to shape the Ether.¡± Sarah said. I didn''t much care for her tone but for the moment there was nothing I could do about it.


    ¡°Very well, I''ll just fire some light at that tree.¡± I said pointing to a random tree near the clearing.


    I walked over to it and once I reached within 10 feet, I gathered my energy, or was it gathering Ether? Regardless, my energy pooled to a moderate charge.


    I turned around to look at the others in the camp. Everyone, even the large green woman, was staring at me in rapt attention. Sarah looked as if she was trying to peer into my soul.


    ¡°It''s extremely bright so prepare yourself.¡± I warned and then fired.


    While I thought the name daylight was a bit melodramatic, at that moment it felt perfectly accurate. Blinding white light lit up the forest for an instant. A small palm sized circle was scorched into the tree. Since it was dark out, I could see small red embers from the intensity of the heat.


    The reaction from my audience was a bit underwhelming. Most were idly rubbing their eyes from the bright flash of light. Only Sarah seemed to have the level of shock I was expecting, but as soon as I noticed, she schooled her expression into a neutral mask. Lilian didn''t seem surprised at all.


    ¡°Ha,¡± Sten said in a jolly voice, ¡°Now that was something. Well Sarah, what do you think? that was light magic wasn''t it?¡±


    ¡°No, he simply projected light attenuated ether from his palm; the ability to do that without any training is¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­an accomplishment.¡± Sarah seemed to force that last part out.


    I had a million questions piling up in my mind at that point, But I would have to shelf those for now until I could guarantee my safety.


    ¡°I can do that perhaps 6 times before I become exhausted. 7 if I don''t mind being immobile.¡± I didn''t want them to know the extent of my abilities, so I opted to lie. Best to keep my cards close to my chest if possible. I''ll also keep the enhanced healing to myself as long as possible.


    ¡°So Sarah, now that you''ve seen his abilities, should we be concerned?¡± Sten asked, this time his jovial expression was gone.


    ¡°I can end him 5 times over before he can perform that projection.¡± Sarah said confidently.


    ¡°Lilian?¡± Sten asked.


    ¡°He doesn''t have the ability to conceal his actions in the Ether. That much was clear when I caught him in the forest.¡± Lilian paused for a second then continued.


    ¡°Also, he has no martial or stealth training of any kind, so he poses little challenge to anyone without the Ether.¡± At that proclamation, the rest of the group seemed to relax.


    ¡°Alright people back to your posts.¡± Sten ordered. Everyone immediately went back to whatever task they were doing.


    Lilian gave me a strange look before she went back to scanning the forest. She had given me that look several times and for the life of me I couldn''t decipher what it meant.


    ¡°Come sit with me by the fire.¡± Sten said, immediately walking toward the fire.


    ¡®He gives commands with the expectation of them being followed¡¯ I thought to myself. It was surprising Sarah and Lilian followed his orders so quickly.


    Once we were both seated by the fire he said, ¡°Your story is quite strange, but for some reason I find myself believing it. However, before I can be certain I need to know everything.¡±


    ¡°Everything?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Everything you heard, smelled, everything you thought, when you encountered things in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Those wounds on your arms for example. I''m guessing the gobbs claws did it, however you said that it occurred only a few days ago.¡± I was just now starting to realize that there was a proper mind under that jovial expression.


    He continued. ¡°I¡¯ve seen these wounds on others, and the survivors would usually show corruption after a few days. Yet here you are, nearly fully healed.¡±


    I assumed that by corruption he meant infection. If I were to give him what he wanted, that would mean telling him about my anatomical knowledge and if I showed him that, he would likely be suspicious that I didn''t notice the rapid healing of my arms.


    ¡°Alright then Sten, I''ll tell you everything leading up to Lilian capturing me.¡± It was over an hour of grueling interrogation. That was sometimes not linear.


    I''ll be in the middle of regaling him with one tale and he would interrupt me to ask me about something else. or he would ask me something innocuous like the color of the wolf''s fur or how many times I hit the goblin before he pounced on me. When I''m informing him about a completely different topic like my cutting open the wolf, he would suddenly ask something I already talked about 30 minutes ago.


    It was clear that he was trying to catch me in a contradiction. The only thing I hid was the actual point at which I reached exhaustion while shaping Ether and some of the more technical insight I had into biology. I doubted a society that used swords and shields would understand microbiology or genetics.


    He eventually brought up my medical knowledge. ¡°So, all your medicant knowledge is based on humans? That certainly is strange considering you''re an elf. How extensive is it?¡± He asked. I decided to act as if I knew I was already an elf instead of voicing my suspicions that this was probably a recent change. Adding more confusion to my situation was not something I wanted to do.


    ¡°I have knowledge of many ailments, their symptoms, and treatments. Everything from diseases, lacerations, broken bones.¡± I answered.


    ¡°I assume you know your numbers.¡± He asked.


    I wasn''t sure why that was relevant, but I answered him anyway.


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    Then came another conversation about numbers and mathematics. Fortunately, they use a base 10 number system, so it was simple to perform the few calculations he asked me to. Then he grilled me on some of my medical knowledge.


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    But it mostly pertained to treating common illnesses or battle related injuries. It almost felt like I was being interviewed for employment. It was clear he had some training, but what I knew was orders of magnitude greater than what he did.


    Pressing further on the subject he asked. ¡°Why do you think your knowledge only pertains to humans?¡±


    I didn''t want to say that I suspected I was a human to begin with. So, I came up with what I thought was a convenient lie. ¡°I can only assume I was raised by them, and all of my education was done using humans as a reference.¡±


    ¡°As to how an elf ended up in that situation is beyond me.¡±


    Deciding to add more context. ¡°That might also explain why I can speak your language; but not whatever language Lilian tried to use before switching to this language. What is it called by the way?¡±


    ¡°Standard Imperial Common or just common for most people.¡± Sten answered. He had relaxed considerably and now it felt like we were having a casual conversation instead of an interrogation.


    ¡°You speak Common well.¡± He idly remarked. ¡°Is that the only language you know.¡± I was curious to know if he could understand my native tongue.


    So, I answered truthfully ¡°I know one other, it''s called ¡®English¡¯¡±.


    I actually knew more, but again I don¡¯t want to complicate things.


    ¡°Anglesh.¡± Sten repeated, the word clearly unknown to him. ¡°Let me hear some of it.¡±


    ¡°Can you understand any of these words?¡± I said to him in English.


    Sten seemed to think for a moment and said ¡°I''ve certainly never heard that language. doesn''t sound imperial either.¡±


    ¡°Unless we find someone that can speak your language it''s unlikely that we''ll find where you''re from. It''s a large world after all.¡± He trailed off.


    By this point most of the group was done with whatever task they were assigned and joined us by the fire. Throughout our conversation, members of the group would inch closer, trying to hear more information about me.


    Sten didn''t seem to mind the eavesdropping, so I wasn''t going to make something out of nothing. While I had a million questions I decided to focus on my immediate situation. I needed to know more about my hosts and if I could rely on them to get me to civilization.


    So, I started. ¡°Sten, if I may ask. what kind of group is this? You seem quite well armed.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I suppose you would be as curious as we are.¡± Sten remarked then continued. ¡°Were known as the Bronze Spears. One of the best mercenary companies in the Vernon Barony.¡±


    Filing away the name Vernon Barony for now I asked. ¡°Are you currently on some kind of contract or simply traveling?¡±


    ¡°Contract actually,¡± he said, as he reached into a satchel tied around his waist and pulled out a rolled piece of parchment.


    ¡°Here, see for yourself.¡± He said while handing me the parchment.


    I''m sure he just wanted to see if I could read. Otherwise, why wouldn''t he just tell me what was in his contract? Opening the parchment, I wasn''t particularly surprised that I could read the text. I read it aloud.


    ¡°By the order of Baron Hardwin Vernon. The Bronze Spears have been hereby commissioned to eliminate the Goblin infestation plaguing the highlands.¡± The rest of the document contained detailed information on the location, times of the attacks and the possible numbers.


    ¡°Between 50 and 100.¡± I said surprised.


    Assuming gobbs were just shorthand for goblins, the 11 mercenaries were going to attempt to eliminate a force possibly 10 times their size. But thinking about it for a moment, Sten could probably take 10 on his own, especially with his armor. And I have no clue what Sarah can do in a fight.


    The rest of the parchment simply contained payment and completion time expectations. Sten looked incredibly pleased when I finished reading, which was quite disconcerting. He definitely has some aspirations for me.


    I suppose the only thing now is to wait until he decides to ask me for what he wants; while pretending I don¡¯t notice it. If he wants something from me so badly, he''ll have to keep me alive to get it after all.


    ¡°As you can see, we''ll be heading into combat soon since the site of the last attack is only a few days travel.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°The way I see it you have two choices. I can give you some rations and you can head to Miscle.¡±


    Noticing my confusion, he continued. ¡°It¡¯s the closest Village to us; around two weeks travel if you follow the river.¡±


    I didn''t actually know how these people kept time, so I asked, ¡°how does the empire define a week?¡± Sten replied simply. ¡°8 days''''.


    I could think of easier ways to get myself killed.  ¡°What¡¯s my other option?¡±


    I knew what he was going to say before he said it, but I''ll allow him to play his game for now.


    With a smirk he said. ¡°You come with us on this contract and help out around the camp to earn your keep. I don''t offer free protection.¡± There was never any choice here, I suppose he wanted to at least give me the illusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure my medical knowledge can be of use ¡°I said.


    With a slightly predatory smile Sten asked, ¡°Should I take that as a yes?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Wonderful, I''ll have Braela get you situated¡±. He said and then glanced at the sky, ¡°Dual moons truly are a sign of good luck.¡±


    His statement was so absurd that I had to verify it, and indeed there were two moons. Another moon about half the size was peeking out from behind the larger. It could be that it was simply farther away. Either Way this confirms my suspicion. I am not of this world.


    Whatever force brought me here attempted to remove any vestige of personal memories, not my academic knowledge. I had some Information on the moon, among these including the lunar phases, tides, and orbital period. Most importantly there was most certainly only one moon.


    I stared at the moon open mouthed for over a minute before Sten started snapping his fingers.


    ¡°Hello, are you there?¡± Realizing that I was getting some stares I quickly composed myself.


    ¡°You think you have never seen the moons before?¡± Sten said jokingly.


    ¡°It was simply mesmerizing, and I lost myself for a moment.¡± I replied.


    ¡°That I understand.¡± Sten remarked. ¡°You only get to see a dual moon a few times per year.¡±


    As if struck by sudden enlightenment he clapped his hands and said, ¡°That''s what we will call you.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± was my only response.


    ¡°Moon.¡± He clarified. ¡°We can call you Moon since you seem so enamored with it.¡±


    ¡°And besides, they match your coloring; White hair and pale skin. Seems almost like destiny.¡± I couldn''t come up with any meaningful objections for the name.


    ¡°Very well.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Call me Moon.¡± Moon was as good a name as any I suppose.


    With a smile he stood in front me, reached out a hand and said,


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you my name is Sten Barlow.¡± I reached out and grasped his wrist and replied.


    ¡°The pleasure is mine, Sten Barlow, my name is Moon.¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 7: The Rations

    After our official greeting Sten called Breala over. The large green woman walked over, standing next to us, I noticed that she was at least a foot and a half taller than me and nearly a head taller than Sten.


    Sten looked to be around 6 Feet so she must be pushing close to 7. And those arms. One could only imagine what kind of damage she could do. The numerous scars showed that she had seen plenty of battle.


    ¡°You have need of me?¡± she said. She had a voice much lower than what would be expected of a woman.


    ¡°Moon, this is Braela, my second in command.¡± Breala looked over to me and gave me a short nod and said. ¡°Greetings.¡± In a monotone voice.


    ¡°Hello, Breala.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Moon here has decided to accompany us for the duration of our contract. And since I don''t believe in free rides, he needs to help out to earn his keep. So, what needs doing?¡±


    Breala looked to me, then to my arms and said, ¡°Preparations for tonight''s rest has been completed, and we will begin distributing rations shortly.¡±


    ¡°As for Moon, he can carry some of our supplies tomorrow with the help of Sarah.¡± Breala stopped, thought for a moment, then continued in her monotone voice. ¡°That light he demonstrated could be useful in assaulting the goblins nest and his medical skills could be invaluable after the battle.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Sten said, then looked at me.¡± Sounds good to you?¡± I had no real interest in either fighting or working as a pack mule, but I''ll have to go along with them, as I didn''t have any alternative available to me.


    ¡°That is acceptable. ¡°I said.


    He looked down at my feet and made a small humming sound. Glancing around the camp for a bit he focused on the spear woman.


    ¡°Hey Tanner, you have an extra pair of boots?¡± Tanner, who was sitting by the fire, didn¡¯t appear to like the direction this was going.


    ¡°Gonna give it to the elf?¡±


    With a disarming smile Sten said. ¡°Just until we get back to town.¡±


    Tanner huffed, went over to her pack, and pulled out a pair of what looked like well-worn brown boots and tossed them at me.


    She looked at me and said, ¡°Don''t you go ruining my boots elf.¡±


    They already looked to be years old at this point, but I wasn''t going to complain. ¡°I''m guessing we''re sharing dinner with the elf as well.''''


    One balding man with a large beard said. ¡°I ain''t going hungry cause you decided to pick up another knife ear.¡±


    The entire mood of the camp fell off a cliff as people stiffened.


    Lilian with a deadly edge to her voice said. ¡°Watch your tongue human.¡±


    By the Way Lilian reacted I guessed that ¡°knife ear¡¯ was perhaps a slur. The words meant nothing to me, but Lilian, however, looked ready to draw blades. Sten with his jovial expression stood up. In the same moment so did the bearded man.


    Inches from each other, their locked eyes, Sten with ferocity in his voice said. ¡°Do you have a problem with how I run this outfit, Caan.¡±


    ¡°I don''t appreciate you givin our stuff to this¡­¡­. Elf. What''s next our pay?¡±


    It seemed that he was going to say knife ear again, but the quick glance he gave to Lilian probably changed his mind. The entire camp was watching the confrontation. Some did have concerned expressions when he mentioned pay.


    ¡°If you don''t like how I lead then you¡¯re free to leave after this contract. I assure you your cut, down to the nearest copper will be included in your pay.¡±


    Sten continued. ¡°We have enough rations to last twice the length of this contract, paid out from my own pocket. So, we can spare a few meals.¡±


    Sten seemed to be giving this speech for the benefit of the rest of the group. I figured it was obvious why he was being so generous with supplies, but I suppose some people could not take the hint.


    ¡°Now, how about you apologize for such cruel words then sit down and eat your rations.¡± Sten said as if speaking to a child. This served to anger Caan even more as he started to reach for his sword. Faster than thought, Sten''s sword was at Caans throat before he could draw.


    A few others reached for weapons, but did not draw them. Sarah pulled out a short ornate staff, a little shorter than her forearm with a red glowing gem at the tip.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to repeat myself.¡± Caan seemed to look to the rest of the group for help, but all he got was cold stares.


    Seeming to realize his situation, he looked at me and practically spat out, ¡°Apologies for my choice of words.¡±


    Sten gave Caan a long look before Caan turned his gaze to the ground. Seemingly satisfied that Caan was cowed, Sten said. ¡°Good, it seems you seem to have some sense. Now either you sit down or lay down.¡±


    Caan removed his hands from his weapon then finally sat down. The rest of the camp finally calmed down and sheathed their weapons. I watched as Sarah put the staff into her long cloak.


    With one last warning look Sten sheathed his weapon and returned to his seat. A young brown-haired man not much taller than I went over to the pot and idly started stirring. During the awkward silence I strapped on the boots. They were large and ill-fitting with a slight odor of feet that I tried not to turn my nose up to.


    ¡°Thank you, Tanner.¡± I said, pouring as much sincerity as I could into the statement. Tanner gave me a small smile as bowls were being passed out. Lilian was busy staring daggers at Caan.


    Deciding to hopefully break the silence I asked, ¡°Sten, I don¡¯t think I have been properly introduced to everyone.¡± Hoping to drag everyone away from that bit of drama, though I did make a mental note to keep an eye on Caan for the rest of our travels.


    With one last exasperated glance at Caan, Sten put his trademark smile back on and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re right, where are my manners?¡±


    He pointed at the first man to his left, ¡°That''s Brandon, our resident marksman.¡± Brandon was a handsome man with thick blonde hair. He gave me a nod.


    Then Sten then pointed to the cook. ¡°That¡¯s John, decent swordsman, shite cook.¡± John rolled his eyes at the statement and continued stirring.


    ¡°Next, we have Tanner, our spearman. Don''t play cards with her if you want to keep your coin.¡± Tanner grinned at me.


    ¡°Bast, a man of few words, but I''ll trust him to watch my back in any fight,¡± he said, pointing to a bald man with a wicked scar across his cheek. He didn¡¯t even look up from polishing his sword.


    He then pointed at Sarah, ¡°Next up is Sarah Newman, our lovely adept fire mage, as a warning don¡¯t be on the business end of her amplifier.¡±


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    So, Sarah was a fire mage. I''m not sure what that means, other than assuming she specializes in fire magic. And amplifiers? Could that be her staff and what exactly does it amplify? She and Sten are the only ones with family names so far.


    Not sure that means anything.


    ¡°Breala, my second in command and the second-best warrior in our little group.¡± The large woman actually snorted at that comment. That was probably the most emotion she''s shown at this point.


    ¡°Mark, my oldest war buddy.¡± He nodded to a brown-haired man that looked roughly the same age as Sten.


    ¡°Last, but certainly not least, is Mikah. Don''t let that innocent face fool you, he''s the only one of us crazy enough to use dual swords.¡± He said pointing at a young brown-haired man. He made a small wave. No one seemed concerned that he skipped over Caan.


    John handed me a bowl filled with some kind of steaming stew, with a wooden spoon already sitting in the bowl. ¡°Thank you for the meal, John.¡± I said.


    ¡°You''re welcome. Moon, was it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±


    Everyone started digging into their meal, polishing away the stew as if it wasn''t steaming hot. Only Sarah and Lilian had some hesitation when eating. Sarah actually used a metal spoon and seemed to be forcing the stew down. Lilian just ate mechanically, not even tasting the food. I brought a spoon up to my face, blew off some steam and took a bite.


    It was not a good stew; It was thick, with tiny bits of meat and strange tasting vegetables, accompanied by an unpleasant layer of fat sitting on the surface. What I did enjoy however was the pleasant warmth it sent through my body. Each steaming hot spoon seemed to chase away the constant biting cold. Before I knew it the bowl was empty.


    A few of the group started to strike up conversation with each other, speaking about the upcoming conflict with the goblins, weather, and some brewing conflict with Vernon and another baron named Suncrest. Sten walked over to Breala and started a conversation with her, by the occasional glances they sent my way, I assumed it was about me.


    Mikah, the young man finished his stew and set the bowl next to the empty cooking pot.


    He walked over to me and plopped down, ¡°So, you really don''t remember anything.¡± He asked.


    ¡°Not a thing, well mostly nothing.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Right, right. You''re a healer but not a magic one.¡± He took an inquisitive look at me and spoke. ¡°You plannin on learnin?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Magical healing?¡± I asked in response.


    ¡°O¡¯course, everyone with light magic can heal, even the shite ones. Everyone knows that.¡±


    Then he looked at me again and said, ¡°Well I guess you wouldn''t, no memories and all that.¡±


    So light magic can be used for healing beyond myself. I wonder how it works exactly, seeing an opportunity to gain more information I asked. ¡°How does it work?¡± He shrugged and spoke. ¡°No clue, Alls I know is, they patch you up, shine some green light, and a couple minutes later. Good as new.¡±


    He pulled up his shirt and spoke. ¡°Look it.¡±


    There was a scar about 8 inches long that ran from his left floating rib towards his navel. ¡°Got that on my first contract with Sten. It was a hell of a bleeder, but he brought me to a light mage and half an hour later I was as good as new.¡±


    He seemed to be proud of the scar but of more importance was what he said after they patched up. They shined light on the wound for some minutes and it simply healed rapidly. ¡°No pain or redness around the wound? did the scar change over time?¡±


    He pursed his lips, likely thinking back to that day. ¡°No there weren''t any pain. And the scar¡¯s a little bit faded, but looks bout the same as back then.¡±


    So, weeks of healing compressed into the span of a few minutes via the light. I''ll have to approach Sten, Sarah, or Lilian on this topic to get more details. I couldn''t even imagine how that could be done. I suppose I could try projecting a weak light and see if that did something.


    I now understood completely what Sten wanted. The same mage tended to his wounds and healed him with the light. So, one would assume medical knowledge would be a necessary skill for a light mage. Furthermore, if even an incompetent light mage can heal, what could a powerful light mage accomplish?


    Sarah''s begrudging acknowledgement likely means that my ability is quite strong. How valuable would that kind of person be, especially if that person has no other allegiances?


    Putting Mikah out of my mind, I looked over at Sten, still talking with Breala and thought to myself. ¡®So that is what you want, hmm; your own personal light mage.¡¯


    Maybe I was being a bit pessimistic, and he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart. Thinking back on his predatory smile, when I agreed not to take certain death and join him on his contract, killed that stupid idea before it could even form. How would he guarantee me not simply leaving when we reach civilization. Or if someone else takes note of my talent and offers me more than what he could. How would I even be trained? Sarah maybe? Can a fire mage train a light mage? There were too many unknowns at this point.


    For now, I¡¯ll continue to act blissfully unaware of Sten¡¯s aspirations and try to learn as much as possible without rocking the boat. We chatted a bit more, but it mostly consisted of him asking me more about my journey here.


    I tried to ask Mikah more about magic, but he knew next to nothing. With a yawn I said, ¡°I think I''ll rest for the night; travel starts early. Have a good night''s sleep Mikah.¡±


    ¡°You know you talk like a noble, but you''re a lot nicer than most I''ve met. G¡¯night Moon.¡± I idly wondered if this peasant had met many nobles in his life. He walked away and unrolled a bedroll strapped from a random pack. Looking away from I him noticed others were doing the same.


    Sten came back over to me and spoke. ¡°Don''t have any extra bedrolls so you''ll have to hoof it for tonight.¡±


    ¡°It''s alright. Sten, you have been more accommodating than I thought someone would be to a stranger. You have my thanks. I hope to repay you and your company for this kindness someday.¡± As expected, he looked quite pleased. I must be a better actor than I thought. In reality if I could find better accommodations than this, I would take it without a second thought.


    ¡°I suggest you sleep close to the fire. You''ll get to skip the watch rotation for today, so have a good rest and we''ll have a lot to discuss tomorrow.¡± He handed me a large dark green hooded cloak. ¡°This should keep the chill off for the night.¡±


    ¡°My thanks.¡± I said, taking it from him and trying it on.


    It was much too large for me to use practically. It should help for the night. Sten headed off to his own bedroll and the camp quieted down for the night. Bast stood at the edge with his sword sheathed and shield in one hand, taking the first watch.


    I always set my back against a tree to sleep, so it took me a few moments to figure out how to sleep without my ears getting in the way. Laying on my back was uncomfortable. So, I switched to my side using, a forearm as a pillow. It raised my head just enough to give my ears clearance. I drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

 Book 1: Chapter 8: The Days Travel

    Someone was shaking my shoulder, trying to wake me from my sleep. Sleeping with clothing and the cloak to keep me warm, as well as the relief of having 11 people between me and danger had enabled me to have a relatively restful sleep. Opening my eyes, I noticed it was Lilian, as soon as she noticed I was awake she walked away; She didn¡¯t even offer a good morning.


    Everyone else was either awake or in the process of getting up. Sten and Breala were talking to each other. I went over to them hoping to find out what their plans were.


    ¡°Ah Moon, did you get a good night¡¯s rest.¡±


    ¡°That I did, you mentioned helping out around camp.¡± I asked.


    He handed me a large satchel that he had strapped over his shoulder and said.


    ¡°Here, these are most of our medical supplies, look over them and tell me what you think.¡± Another test I suppose.


    I pulled out items one by one. There was a spool of surprisingly well-made catgut and proper suturing needles inside a cylindrical glass container. There was another bottle that contained a clear liquid. Taking a sniff, I noted it was particularly strong alcohol. The final items were several spools of clean cloth and an opaque brown jar containing a strange green paste, taking a sniff of the contents reminded me of various herbs.


    There were various kinds of herbs that were used in more primitive forms of medicine to prevent infection, so I guessed it was some kind of primitive ointment. Finally, there was a primitive looking tourniquet, made of leather with a rod attached to it. Twisting the rod would tighten the leather strap attached to it thus restricting blood flow. All the items were familiar, and I intrinsically knew how to use them. ¡°The green paste. Is it used to prevent corruption and promote healing?¡± I asked.


    Sten confirmed. ¡°Yes, its yarrow root paste. A lot of healers use it.¡± I had no clue what yarrow was, but Sten did mention that Mark was an old war buddy, and a man that has been to war would likely have the sense to use proper topical ointment on a wound. For now, I would assume that this yarrow root would suffice for that, so as to not risk insulting his intelligence.


    ¡°If a wound needs tending these tools will suffice. I can easily use these to treat your injuries.¡± I said it with confidence. I meant it too. While I couldn¡¯t use a sword worth a damn, I knew in my bones that I could repair and treat simple lacerations.


    Sten seemed pleased by this proclamation.


    ¡°After talking with Breala, I figured this would be better than you lugging random supplies.¡±


    I did wonder what he meant by Sarah helping me, but it seemed I would have to find out later.


    ¡°While we¡¯re traveling would you lend me an ear, I have many questions?¡±


    Sten, apparently expecting this said. ¡°Of course, of course. Once were on the march we can have a proper conversation.¡±


    Pleased that I would be able to have some of my questions answered, I handed him his cloak and asked. ¡°Is there anything else that needed to be done.¡±


    He shook his head and answered, ¡°No. We should be on the march in a quarter hour, Here.¡±


    He handed me a small canvas sack and a quick sniff informed me that there was likely smoked meat inside.


    ¡°We have a long day¡¯s march, and we¡¯ll need to keep our energy levels up.¡± I nodded in thanks.


    He wandered off while shouting orders, leaving me with Breala. I looked up at her and she spoke. ¡°It will be a hard march. You will have to sustain it or be left behind.¡±


    She sounded dead serious.


    ¡°There will be no problems.¡±


    She looked me up and down, giving me an expression that clearly showed her doubts. ¡°Wait here for marching orders.¡± She walked off without another word.


    So, there I stood waiting for the camp to pack their belongings. I didn¡¯t notice the night before, but their packs were rather large. If I curled up in a ball, they could probably carry 2 of me inside. Looking over at Sarah, Lilian and Mikah, their packs were no smaller. I could see how Breala, Tanner and the rest of the larger men could march with this weight on their backs, but I find it hard to believe that those three had the strength to. But I¡¯m not of this world so maybe people were just naturally stronger than what I expected.


    I watched Sarah stare at her pack and reached out a palm towards it. In that moment I felt a ripple that seemed to emanate from her location. Then in the air, in front of her palm a series of small faintly glowing blue circles, roughly a foot in diameter started to appear. Then symbols and shapes, some of which I could identify as numbers, started to fill each ring. Lines flowed from each ring connecting the symbols to lower forming a hexagon. Then with another ripple, the entire thing flashed a slightly brighter blue and disappeared. The entire process lasted only a few seconds.


    I had no idea what I had just seen, until Sarah hefted the pack onto her back as if it weighed only a few pounds. I couldn¡¯t even begin to guess how such a thing works. This has to be real spell craft, I realized. What I did was primitive in comparison and took far longer. My curiosity was even greater now having seen what actual magic was.


    I watched as she went to each already filled pack and repeated the same process. It took her a little over two seconds for each one. Everything was packed and the fire stamped out.


    Sten in a booming voice said. ¡°Alright everyone, it will take a day and a half before we reach the site of the last reported ambush. From there Lilian with track down where the gobbs have decided to nest. They don¡¯t travel for more than a day from their nest to hunt, so we can expect it to take half that to find them.¡± Sten nodded to Breala.


    Breala started to give orders. ¡°Lilian, start scouting ahead.¡±


    Lilian immediately walked off into the forest.


    ¡°Move out everyone.¡±


    We set out following in the direction that Lilian went to scout. Breala, Tanner, Caan and Mark were in the front. John, Brandon, Bast and Mikah were bringing up the rear leaving me Sarah and Sten in the middle. For some minutes we walked in silence until the occasional conversation started between each member. Seeing this as permission to talk, I decided to ask Sten more about what we are potentially going to face.


    ¡°Sten, what are your plans to deal with the goblins.¡±


    ¡°The basic plan is a frontal assault on whatever cave they have decided to nest in. This usually drives the goblins out to attack us on mass.¡± That seemed like an effective way to get overrun by sheer numbers, but I decided to hold my judgment until I heard the entire plan since I have infinitely less experience than him.


    ¡°At that point Sarah will soften the initial rush with fire magic.¡± Glancing over at Sarah, I wondered how impressive her fire magic must be if he¡¯s relying on only her to not get overrun by up to 100 goblins.


    ¡°That should kill around 20 or 30. After that the melee crush begins and we use superior weaponry and armor to cull their numbers.¡± Sten said with a smile on his face as if anticipating the upcoming slaughter.


    ¡°Kill enough and they will retreat to the caves. That is where you come in.¡± I wondered how I would be affected in fighting in the dark, the light maybe.


    ¡°You mention the wolf became flash blinded, I figure we can use this. When in caves, the goblins like staging ambushed hoping to kill one or two and retreat. If we time your ability with an ambush all we have to do is block our eyes from the light and we¡¯ll have a bunch of blinded goblins we can easily take care of.¡±


    I could see how that would work if we timed it correctly. A simple codeword should be sufficient to keep everyone from getting blinded. However, there was a slight problem. ¡°I can¡¯t keep that projection ready in perpetuity. I after a few minutes I have to dissipate or expel it.¡±


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    ¡°Well, that¡¯s why we have Lilian, she can alert us to any ambush. How long do you need to get one ready and how long can you hold it.¡± Since my life was on the line in this situation, I decided to be truthful.


    ¡°15 seconds to get it ready and I can hold it for about 3 minutes.¡±. Sarah snorted and shook her head.


    Ignoring her dismissal, I continued on. Wanting to ensure that my lie about my magic stamina wouldn¡¯t affect our odds of success I asked him. ¡°How many times do you think they will ambush us?¡± Sten seemed to ponder for a moment and spoke. ¡°2 or 3 depending on how many we kill in the first battle. After that they¡¯ll likely hold out for a last stand to defend the matriarch¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a matriarch?¡±


    ¡°There''s usually only about 1 female for every 50 goblins. They¡¯re much larger and they lead the clan. Since female births are so rare, the males will defend her to the death. They will fall back to her chambers for a final stand.¡± I idly wondered how goblins actually kept genetic diversity but decided it wasn¡¯t a pressing topic.


    ¡°Once she is dead the stragglers will follow in a few years. We collect all the ears, and her head, then bring that back as proof we completed the contract.¡±


    After that was cleared up, I wanted to know more. ¡°What can you tell me about this country, I don¡¯t even know its name.,¡± Sten began to explain.


    ¡°This continent is split into 4 independent countries. We are in the Vendalian empire. To the south of us is Bracken. We¡¯re only a week¡¯s travels from the border.¡± He pointed south. I noted that south was the same direction that I expected it to be based on the sun.


    ¡°Up north we have The Elven Coalition, though they call themselves something else in their native tongue. They live in the Great Isran forest. And in the farthest northeastern area of the continent, beneath the Giskar mountains is the Dwarven Sovereignty. They are the oldest country on this continent.¡± For now, I wanted to focus on Vendalia. ¡°Tell me more about Vendalia¡¯s Aristocracy.¡±


    He went on to explain more about how the aristocracy of the Vendalian Empire was organized. There were 6 Dukes who were under direct vassalage to the emperor. Under those dukes were either Barons or counts depending on land size.


    Titles would usually change during war, so wars of prestige caused by one Noble taking slight at some passing insult were common. This will be taken to their direct ruler in the hierarchy, once rewarded with a Casus Belli, they would then declare war. Losing usually means the relinquishing of land and wealth. Depending on the amount of land, titles could change.


    After Sten finished his explanation, I said. ¡°That situation seems ripe for constant conflict.¡±


    ¡°It gets Less common the higher you are in the peerage, there hasn¡¯t been a battle between dukes in years.¡±


    ¡°What can you tell me about the Local Baron? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Well for one thing he¡¯s rich from all the trade with Braken. But that¡¯s mostly from his father¡¯s deals and now since Vernon the elder is dead his son spends most of his time drinking and whoring.¡± He said with some resentment.


    ¡°While he¡¯s not the best of barons, I¡¯ve never heard of him not honoring a contract.¡±


    ¡°How are his men and forces, for that matter how would people react to me being an elf.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how common Caan¡¯s response to me would be, but I wanted to at least be prepared for the occurrence.


    He seemed to consider it for a moment and said, ¡°Depends on the village, mostly they¡¯ll just stare since elves don¡¯t come this far south. Breala is far more likely to get treatment like the one you got from Caan.¡±


    I was curious as to why that was. ¡°Why her more than me.¡± He seemed to hesitate at the answer then finally blurted it out. ¡°You¡¯re not as threatening.¡±


    I don¡¯t know why he seemed to think I would be offended by that. The woman was massive after all. Regardless I just nodded.


    ¡°Sometimes an orc clan would wander past the border hunting, doing banditry or sometimes slaving. When that happens there¡¯s always the threat of war. Even if Breala¡¯s only a half orc, a lot of people have inherent distrust.¡± Sten explained.


    So Breala was a half orc; I immediately asked. ¡°What¡¯s the other half.¡±


    ¡°Human of course.¡± Sten said.


    Breala didn¡¯t look much different than a standard human except for the green skin and size.


    ¡°Pure blood orcs are bigger?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The males are larger than the females with larger tusks. The females have them too but not as big. In regard to their size the females are only slightly larger than Breala and greener.¡±


    Thinking back on his mention of war I asked. ¡°Why threaten war for the actions of an orc clan?¡± Sten mentioned that Braken was a human kingdom so I don¡¯t see how they would be blamed.


    ¡°They used to employ orc clans to go slaving for them. After they lost the great war. Braken lost most of their land and had to surrender their slaves and abolish it completely.¡±


    ¡°The more powerful Braken nobles still practice it by skirting around the definition of slave.¡± Sten said.


    I suppose stumbling into The Bronze Spears was more of a boon than I thought. We talked for some time explaining the details of a war that spanned the entire continent over 200 years ago where a Braken king known as Argon the Defiler tried to conquer the entire continent using necromancy. Eventually the various races band together to destroy him and his kingdom, reducing the Braken to a shell of its former self.


    ¡°Grudges can last generations and there are still many elves and dwarfs alive who fought in that war. ¡°Sten said, finishing the story.


    ¡°How long do elves and dwarves live? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Around 150 to 200 years for dwarves; for elves I¡¯m not sure; I do know some of them get really old, maybe four or five centuries; that something you¡¯re going to have to ask Lilian.¡± He looked at me as if asking her was a fool¡¯s task.


    Dropping that topic, I asked. ¡°What can you tell me about Ether.¡±


    Sten gave me a chagrined look and spoke. ¡°Mages don¡¯t like talking about it to non-mages so anything I might tell you would probably cause some confusion. Try asking Sarah about that.¡±


    Lilian would occasionally return to either Breala or Sten, whispering something, then disappear into the woods. My conversation with Sten petered off after a while so I opted to approach Sarah. She seemed to not be paying attention to our conversation. I was hoping she would join in at some point so I could segway into a discussion on magic, but that didn¡¯t happen now I have to get past her taciturn nature to learn something.


    ¡°Sarah that spell you did earlier with the packs was quite miraculous. What was it?¡± Sarah looked over to me and spoke. ¡°A simple lighten spell.¡± I expected her to continue but to my disappointment she didn¡¯t. I wanted to pry more on exactly what magic and the ether was.


    ¡°Did the spell reverse gravity or is it somehow applying a force that acts in opposition to gravity?¡± I asked.


    She seemed to think for a moment and said, ¡°The latter I suppose; It is a rather simple use of primal Ether.¡±


    I finally decided to ask the question that had been plaguing my mind. I wanted to have the explanation to come from an actual practitioner.


    ¡°What is the Ether?¡± Her expression went from bored to annoyed.


    ¡°Moon I¡¯m contracted as magical support and artillery, not teacher.¡±


    Her was attitude was grating on my nerves, but I desperately wanted an answer so I said with as much sincerity as I could muster, ¡°Sten plans to make use of my light in the hive to counter ambushes, any amount of insight into what I¡¯m actually doing could prevent the loss of life.¡±


    I projected my voice a bit louder than needed, so the others could hear. As expected, Sarah got some dirty looks from some of the others, especially Tanner. Sten mentioned that was likely the most dangerous part of the contract, so naturally someone who wasn¡¯t doing their best to prevent potential losses would bear some resentment.


    She gave me a suspicious look, but I kept the same deeply concerned expression on my face. ¡°The Ether is an energy that permeates everything. There are 6 commonly accepted attenuations, Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Shadow, and Light, primal Ether has no attenuation. All mages have an affinity. The stronger the affinity for an attenuation the weaker others become. ¡°


    ¡°You have a strong affinity for light; For me, its fire. It takes years to the learn natural philosophy and magical theory required to cast proper spells, so there is nothing I can do to improve your effectiveness. simply perform as instructed.¡±


    She finally finished and gave me a look that said. ¡®This conversation is over.¡¯


    ¡°That was insightful Sarah, you have my thanks.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure what she meant by natural philosophy, but I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll figure it out in the future. We continued along on our journey before we stopped for the night.

 Book 1: Chapter 9: The Extermination

    After a long day¡¯s march, there was little desire for conversation. When we set down for the night, dinner was limited to rations. According to Sten, we were potentially within the goblin¡¯s territory, so there was to be no campfire that night. Sarah did, however, perform a spell that created a small floating orb of light. It was interesting that the spell sigils flashed white this time. Perhaps different attenuations cause this. She seemed even more irritated by the long day''s travel, so I had no interest in asking her about it. I presumed that it must have been a light-based spell since what I felt when that pulse of power washed over me was so familiar.


    We bedded down for the night and a gentle shaking from Breala woke me up. Unlike yesterday, we woke before sunrise. Once everyone was awake and gathered around, Sten began to speak in a soft voice. ¡°All right everyone. We will likely face the gobbs today. Lilian will track down the caravan. Their hive should be at most, half a day''s march from the sight of their last attack.¡±


    After some final discussions on the marching formation, we headed out into the night with nothing but the moon and a softly glowing ball of light, that Sarah held in the palm of her hand, for guidance.


    After the skill Lilian displayed when she caught me in the night, I banished any doubt that she could track people in the dark. Eventually we came upon a clearing in the forest. And as we began to get closer, I could recognize the wooden structures. In the middle of the clearing were several carriages. Some were enclosed and well-made and others looked old and in various states of disrepair. Lilian started investigating the scene and everyone else was taking up guard positions.


    The carriages were ransacked and occasionally I could see dark patches in the grass where someone was likely killed. There were, however, no bodies. Eventually Lilian went over to Sten and Breala. After a brief discussion, she pointed in a specific direction. Sten nodded and came over to the rest of us.


    Sten announced.¡± Lilian has their trail, standard formations everyone, let¡¯s move out.¡±


    Having discussed where I would be in this formation before, I took my place next to Sarah in the center, with Lilian taking the lead. Constant marching through the forest was beginning to take a toll on me and as time passed it became increasingly difficult to keep up the brutal pace. Lilian would occasionally disappear for a bit, then return and lead us in another direction until we started marching towards a small cliff a few miles away.


    Once we were about half a mile from the cliff, the sun started to peak above the horizon. Sten held up his fist, a sign, that I had learned meant halt. ¡°Let''s drop our packs here. Load up on water and rations. We will be heading into battle soon.¡±


    As a group, all packs were dropped, weapons were drawn, and armor was adjusted. I was most interested in what Sarah pulled out of her coat. Sten called it an amplifier earlier and while I wasn¡¯t pleased to enter another possible near-death experience, I was eager in seeing what that amplifier actually does.


    In a tight formation we slowly marched towards what was likely the nest itself. Sten had said that once they knew they were being attacked they would simply try to overwhelm us with numbers. My task in the first part of the battle would be to flash-blind the goblins with my ability before the melee crunch began. During our march we decided that Sten would shout the word ¡°flash.¡± This would be timed to account for the time it takes for me to actually produce said flash.


    It still seemed ridiculous to me that we were simply inviting them to swarm and overwhelm us, but there was no turning back at this point. Half an hour of walking later the sun was slightly higher in the sky, and we no longer needed Sarah to provide a source of light. As we got closer to the entrance to their cave, I could make out about a dozen green figures loitering around an opening roughly 10 feet wide and 15 feet tall. One of the goblins noticed our approach and let out a yell that alerted the rest. Once we got within Brandons range he knocked and loosed an arrow.


    We watched as the arrow sailed through the air and from almost 800 feet away, accurately buried itself into the chest of one of the goblins. I didn¡¯t know much about archery but that had to be an incredible shot. Their shouts of alarm became even more frantic, and goblins started to stream out and gather on mass.


    As soon as they started to gather, we retreated back another couple hundred feet with Brandon occasionally lobbing an arrow at them. In the space of a few minutes 12 goblins became 30, then 50, eventually reaching almost a hundred. Giving up on counting, I glanced at a few of my compatriots.


    Their faces didn¡¯t show any kind of fear or apprehension at the number of goblins. Sarah showed the same quiet destain she usually wore towards everything else. Mikah looked a little nervous, or perhaps he was just eager. With an ear-piercing shriek, the goblins charged. At the same moment Sarah stepped forward and gripping her amplifier in both hands started to cast another spell. Its construct was far larger, almost two feet across and took almost 3 seconds to form.


    My eyes darted back and forth between the goblins and Sarah. One part of me was concerned about being overrun by their number, the other part fascinated by the sheer power of the spell. Once the construction was completed the gem in her staff started to glow even brighter and the interconnecting circles of sigils and numbers started to glow a bright yellow orange color. The brightness kept growing far beyond what the lighten spell and light spells did. Eventually orange sparks started to leap off of the spell construct. I could feel the incredible power ripple through the ether. Where her other spells created tiny ripples around me, this felt like someone dropped a boulder into a calm lake.


    With one last large ripple the spell was released. From the center of the spell structure a sphere of brightly glowing plasma emerged and rocketed in an ark towards the horde of goblins. I watched in fascination as it moved through the air. Once it reached the center of the horde it detonated. A massive 50-foot ball of fire exploded in the center of their ranks. The ball of fire lit up the area and at least a quarter of the goblins were instantly incinerated. Many more were flung about as the concussive force of the shock wave knocked them off their feet. My ears started to ring with the sound of the explosion. The ball of fire rose into the air forming a mushroom shape until it slowly started dissipating. Magical artillery, she called herself. The name truly was appropriate.


    ¡®I want that power,¡¯ I thought to myself. I refocused back on the battlefield before getting too lost in my aspirations.


    Impressively, though their number was substantially reduced, the few dozen or so that could continue the charge bounded over their dead, dying or otherwise incapacitated comrades. After witnessing that devastation my opinion on our chances were substantially increased. I imagined that her abilities would be impressive, but this was far beyond my expectations.


    I stared at her in open awe. Since I was too shocked to hide my expression in time, she gave me a smirk. Clearly, she was pleased with herself. Taking a closer look at her as she moved back into formation. I noted that she was pale with a sheen of sweat across her brow. I imagined that that spell took a lot out of her. I wonder if she felt the same chills I did when I overexerted myself.


    ¡°FLASH,¡± Sten shouted.


    Immediately, regaining my wits, I charged the daylight spell. Perhaps it was my need to be useful or simply it was my wounded pride after Sarah''s display pushing me. I charged the projection faster than I usually did, since I had a few more seconds, I overcharged it to 3 times its strength. Taking aim, I fired it into the group of goblins. Everyone knew to convert their eyes after a few seconds, so the light did not blind them. The charging goblins around 10 paces or so in front of us devolved into disarray as flash blinded goblins either tumbled over each other or just ran headfirst into the small wall of shields that was in front of us. I ignored the beginning of the chill that gripped my limbs.


    Without the need for prompting Caan, John, Bast and Sten started hacking away at the goblins that made it to their front line. All they had to do was stab over their shield as goblin after goblin came rushing towards them. The goblins tried to make their way around them only to be run through with tanner''s spear or bisected by Breala¡¯s great sword. Sarah''s fireball and my light had pushed them into disarray, so their numbers meant nothing against our superior armor and weaponry.


    I watched in fascination as Breala, who was bringing up our left flank, killed goblin after goblin, her massive sword cutting them down as if they were blades of grass. Sarah and I largely had nothing to do as none of the goblins even got close to us. 10 minutes later the area was littered with dozens of green bodies either dead or dying. The last 20 or so goblins that survived the slaughter retreated into the cave.


    Seeing this, Sten shouted. ¡°Form up. Time to get the matriarch any injuries?¡±


    With no injuries reported, everyone gathered themselves up into formation and started towards the cave. As we walked, I scanned the battlefield. The bronze spears managed to kill at least 70 of them, more than half of that being Sarah''s opening attack. The area where the fireball landed was little more than charred earth with a spattering of horrifically burnt bodies, the stink of burning flesh and the general horrid smell of the goblins bodies made me cover my nose on reflex.


    I idly wondered what kind of devastation a hundred adepts could do, for that matter what kind of devastation could the most powerful practitioners of fire magic create. As we passed the threshold of the cave, I banished my pondering for the moment and focused on the path ahead.


    Sarah created another soft glowing light in her palm. It was the only source of light as we walked through the cave system. Lilian once again took the lead and disappeared into the cave ahead of us. No more than 30 seconds later, she reappeared out of nowhere and whispered something into Sten¡¯s ear. Once more he raised his fist, and we halted. There was likely an ambush ahead. Then he whispered just loud enough so everyone in our tight formation could hear.


    ¡°Flash.¡±


    Like the last time, I charged daylight and fired. I could hear the cries as goblins were blinded by the light. Sarah instantly made the light in her palm significantly brighter, and the company rushed forward. Not all were blinded but the 20 or so that tried to wait in ambush were quickly cut down in less than a few minutes. It was fascinating to watch how Lilian would seem to disappear from sight, then reappear, her daggers buried in the neck or chest of some goblin, then to immediately disappear once more. It wasn''t invisibility I realized, it was just incredibly difficult to keep my focus on her, even the slightest lapse in attention and I would lose track of her. It had to be some kind of magic, but I felt no ripples as she did this.


    ¡°Damn bastard.¡± Caan bellowed. Sounds like one of them managed to actually injure him. I couldn''t see what the injury was, but it didn''t seem to be too serious as he was currently taking his frustrations out on said goblin by stomping its head in. Sarah simply lobbed significantly smaller bolts of fire at any goblin that wasn''t occupied in a fight; the bolts seem to burn the goblins something fierce, as they typically fell to the ground in agony, making it easy for someone to finish them off. After a few minutes, the fight was over. I felt slightly ashamed that I had such difficulty killing the lone goblin that came after me.


    Sten called out ¡°Caan, what¡¯s your condition?¡±


    Sounding embarrassed, Caan reapplied. ¡°One of the bastards got me on the arm.¡±


    Sten looked over to me and nodded. I didn''t care much for Caan, but It was still necessary to perform my role.


    ¡°Give me some light Sarah ''''. She came over and held the glowing ball of light close enough so I could see his injury. Caan pulled back his sleeve. There was a 4 inch long cut across the back of his wrist. Fortunately, it was a pretty clean cut and didn''t seem to be bleeding significantly. Just goes to show how sharp those obsidian axes can be. Using some of our drinking water I washed away the blood and tried the best I could to wash my hands. I then used some alcohol to disinfect the area around the wound and took the catgut from the glass tube. In the space of a few minutes, I stitched the wound closed. It was as if I had done this a million times before. I applied the yarrow root paste and a few layers of dressing and bandaged the wound. Hopefully, his stitches wouldn''t tear too much in any of the upcoming fighting.


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    ¡°Try not to use that hand too much.¡± I said then walked away. There was some hesitation when I began to suture the wound. But he eventually calmed down as it was clear I knew what I was doing. Sten looked incredibly pleased by my work and once his armor and gloves were back in place, we re-entered formation.


    ¡°Caan, bring up the rear, Mikah come up front.¡± Caan did not look pleased that he was relegated to the rear, but that injury on his sword arm would affect his fighting abilities. With our new formation we continued deeper into the nest.


    We were ambushed 3 more times, but Lilian¡¯s stealth skills were something to behold, as we were never surprised. The goblins were noticing the fact that we were using light to blind them and knew to wait for a bright flash before attacking. Still superior armor, weaponry, and the fact that they never got the element of surprise, meant they had no real chance of doing any significant damage. There were a few cuts and lacerations in areas where hard leather and plate that members of the company wore had gaps, but few needed serious attention except for one particularly deep cut on Breala¡¯s arm. At this point, the cave had narrowed to the point that we stood only 4 abreast. And we began to find small alcoves within the nest where groups of goblins appeared to either use for building their crude tools or areas for sleep. One particularly foul-smelling room had to be where they relieved themselves.


    We currently rested near the entrance of the only room so far that had any light. It appeared to be a large area for butchery. Lilian had scouted into the room earlier and given an all-clear signal. We entered to drink some water and eat some rations. On one side of the room there was a large table with piles of meat in various states of butchery. Since there were no bodies at the scene of the attack this was likely what was left of the caravan.


    In a pile at the opposite side of the room was a loose pile of clothes, shoes and other accessories of both men and women. Next to that pile was a large empty cage. The dark stains on the floor along with the smell of waste were enough to inform me of what it was for.


    ¡°The gobbs try to capture anyone alive if they can, but since they''re not that strong the only ones they can capture without significant injury are the elderly and children.¡± Breala said. I was too distracted by the macabre sight and didn''t hear her approach. I looked up at her as she stared at the cage with disgust on her face.


    ¡°I see.¡± Was the only response I could come up with. We moved to exit the room, and I glanced at the table with the pile of meat once more with even more disgust than before. It was then I noticed that at the end of the table the meat was being cut into strips. That ticked a memory and brought to mind the meat in the goblins pack that I thought tasted like pork.


    I immediately emptied my stomach on the floor disgusted by the idea that I had more than likely consumed human meat. Breala patted my back. Once my stomach was empty of the meager rations, I started to dry heave. Lilian came over and handed me her waterskin. Using some of the water to wash out my mouth I slowly began to drink. By this point she had managed to escort me to the entrance of the butchery.


    ¡± The fucking vermin.¡± I raged in English.


    ¡°Now you see why a gobb nest necessitates immediate extermination. They see any creature other than themselves as little more than meat." Lilian said, with actual sympathy in her voice.


    Realizing that I was making something of a spectacle of myself, I slowed my breathing and stifled the rage that was growing within me. She seemed to think that it was the death or the cruel butchery that turned my stomach, not that I had eaten some of that meat to survive. I had no intention of sharing that detail so once I got myself under control, I plastered on the pleasant smile I always wore and spoke.


    ¡°They are indeed worthy of extermination. Thank you for the water.¡± I handed the waterskin back to her. She took it with a nod and disappeared deeper into the nest. I began to methodically eat some rations to replace what was thrown up onto the floor.


    Breala, who was close by, said. ¡°We will follow Lilian in a few minutes. Will you be ready?¡±


    Her tone was softer than usual, perhaps due to some kind of empathy. Glancing at her and a few who were looking at me from the entrance. I noted that there was no judgment in their eyes and even some notes of sympathy. Caan only had a neutral look on his face instead of his usual destain. I wondered if my reaction was expected to some degree.


    I despised the idea that I lost control over myself in front of everyone. The fact that they didn''t seem to judge me for it made me feel all the more ashamed of my performance. With an iron will, I banished any of my lingering hesitation, swallowed the rest of the dried meat, gathered myself together and replied.


    ¡°I''m ready to leave now.¡± With the first smile I saw from her she nodded. She then glanced at Sten and gave him a nod. ¡°Let¡¯s move out, time to finish this contract.¡± There were some affirmations in that proclamation. We reformed our formation and continued in the direction Lilian went. Eventually we met up with her once more about 20 feet back from where the tunnel we were following made a sharp right.


    Once we were in earshot, she said in a whisper to Sten ¡°the Matriarch and roughly 30 warriors ahead. Some of them are using equipment looted from the caravan.¡± He nodded then turned to Sarah and me.


    ¡°Will make our way towards the bend. Moon, I want you to make a flash as bright as you can around that corner. Sarah, as soon as he finishes, I want you to open them up with a fire spell, just make sure it doesn¡¯t consume all the breathable air.¡±


    ¡°I can reduce the amount of fire in the explosion.¡± Sarah said. ¡°Everyone else as soon as Sarah releases her spell we rush and finish them off. Remember they got their hands on some proper weapons so watch out for that Caan, I want you manning the entrance; make sure none escapes past you and Moon.¡± Caan nodded in affirmative.


    We came up slowly towards the sharp right turn that would lead into the matriarch''s chamber. While we were trying to be stealthy, the clang of Stens armor and the patter of boots more than likely alerted the final defenders that they were going to be attacked. We eventually started to hear the faint muttering of their language as we approached. Sarah and I moved in front of the group. She quickly created another spell and in the space of a few seconds it started to glow a faint orange. She looked at me expectedly and I began to charge the flash. As quickly as I could, once it was about 4 times its normal power, I turned the corner and unleashed the projection.


    The goblins screamed as they were being blinded. Ignoring the chills in my limbs I rushed back into formation then Sarah rounded and unleashed her spell. There was only a momentary flash of fire then a large concussive wave of force emanated from the entrance and an even louder shriek from the goblins proved that her spell was effective. ¡°Now¡± Sten yelled. The entire company rushed forward and rounded the corner. Of the 30 goblins that Lilian had stated were there only about 20 were standing. Some were writhing on the floor, others were mangled and broken. In the center was a significantly larger Gobb, perhaps twice as tall as the rest.


    The matriarch was even more repulsive. Her face was roughly the same as the males, she was, however, enormously obese. Surrounding her were 6 males wielding steel swords and one wielding a proper hand axe. The bronze spears with the exception of Caan Sarah and I charged forwards killing everything between them and the matriarch. The goblins fought furiously, screaming, and cursing in their archaic tongue, but this fierceness meant little as one after another they were bisected by a sword or ran through with a spear. I watched as Mikah, who usually held the back line danced out of reach of one goblin and in an overly dramatic pirouette, lopped its arm off. Some tried to flee, but a small blast of fire from Sarah, or a swift strike from Caan, stopped them in their tracks.


    Once most of the goblins were dead, John the cook darted past the 3 remaining defenders and buried his sword into the matriarch''s chest and likely into her heart. The rest of the bronze spears finished off the remaining defenders. There were cheers as the last goblin fell. ¡°Form up everyone, any injured head over to Moon the rest start taking ears. Sarah, burn the nursery.¡± His orders were immediately followed.


    Tanner, Mikah, Breala and Brandon made their way over to me. The rest started to cut the ears off of every goblin in the room. Sten proceeded to take the head off of the matriarch and stuff it into a sack. The injuries were not profoundly serious, a few scrapes from claws or cuts from where the goblins were able to get weapons through gaps in their armor. They needed to be little more than disinfected and bandaged. The only one that needed any stitching was Breala, as she for whatever reason wore no protection on her arms. She had one long cut across her bicep, fortunately it wasn''t very deep. After repairing the wound while wrapping the dressing around her arm I had to appreciate how truly massive her arms were. A loud whoosh sound distracted me from my appreciation. I turned to see what it was, and watched as Sarah unleashed a stream of fire into a little alcove behind where the matriarch was. By the high-pitched shrill cries, which had to be the nursery. Everyone wore grim expressions for the few moments it took for the cries to stop.


    ¡°Try not to use that arm too much. Wouldn''t want you to tear those stitches.¡± I said to Breala. After dressing the rest of her minor cuts.


    Everyone but Sarah methodically removed the ears of the Gobbs and stuffed them into another sack Mikah held. I opted to help them in the gathering. Sten and Breala were going over the pile of loot that the goblins had hoarded in one corner of the room. There were various kinds of jewelry, a few ingots of what looked to be copper and iron. along with a small pile of silver coins and the decent weapons the gobbs wielded.


    Sten stood there looking over each of the 11 rings that were among the jewelry. He pocketed two of them. I was under the impression that loot would be shared amongst the group but perhaps he got first pickings. Noticing me watching him Sten said.


    ¡°Signet rings. only nobles or incredibly wealthy merchants would have them on their person. They would have records of who they belonged to, so we can''t just claim it for ourselves as loot.¡±


    That made more sense to me than him simply being greedy.


    ¡°Those families would pay a much higher price for its return than we would ever get from melting it down and selling the raw material. ¡°He said with an almost lecherous grin.


    It seems he is as money hungry as I thought. At the very least he had some sense in him. Mikah came over with another rugged sack and started loading it with all the loot. Slinging it over one shoulder Sten ordered us to move out and in a much less strict formation began to leave. As we went back towards the exit Sarah burned every goblin corpse we had left behind as well as the butchery. Once we came to the exit Sten ordered once more that the ears of the dead goblins outside were collected.


    The bodies were gathered in one large pile lined with logs and kindling and I watched in morbid fascination as Sarah once again grasped her amplifier and unleashed a massive torrent of flame in a constant stream over the 8-foot-high mound of corpses. We stayed for over an hour as the bodies burned. I don''t think I''ll ever forget that smell, an odd combination of burning grease, meat, and hair.


    We returned where we had left our packs and spent the next few hours traveling away from the goblins¡¯ nest to avoid having to deal with scavengers. When we found a good spot to rest for the night, fires were lit, and John started cooking for the group. Before the fatty stew slightly repulsed me but now, I hungrily stuffed it down my throat ignoring the slight burn I probably had on my gums. Even Sarah and Lilian, who were considerably more reserved in their eating, paid little mind to their manners at the moment. Once our meal was finished, the watch was chosen. I was to keep watch with Breala tonight and be the one to wake everyone up at sunrise. With the watch sorted I finally got to rest for the night. I was practically asleep before my head hit the ground.

 Book 1: Chapter 10: The Nights Watch

    John woke me up after what felt to me like a few minutes of sleep. Looking up at the sky, I noticed it was still in the dead of night. With a sigh, I stifled a pain fill grunt and got to my feet. My body felt like a single large bruise; muscles were sore, joints ached, and my feet hurt. I thought about channeling power through my body and hoping that it would aid me. But I was too tired to bother building the focus needed to do it consistently. Once it was clear that I was awake, John didn¡¯t spare me a second glance as he went to his own sleeping bag.


    I looked over and saw Tanner waking Breala. She nodded towards the forest once she saw me approaching her. Going in the direction she indicated, I waited at the edge of the camp for her to finish strapping on her weapons. She came over to me and softly said. ¡°We''ll patrol around the perimeter until the sun rises.¡±


    I had no idea what the proper way to perform a watch was, so I followed her lead. After moving about 30 feet away from the camp we began to walk in a loose circle keeping the camp to our left. After a few minutes of silence, she said. ¡°You did well today.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, though emptying my stomach in the butchery was not one of my finer moments.¡± I joked.


    With a small chuckle she said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be concerned about it. That¡¯s the reaction expected from most people who¡¯ve never seen such violence.¡±


    ¡°Without memories, I expect it will be my first time seeing many things.¡±


    ¡°Yet you can clean, and stitch as wound as if you have done it all your life.¡± She said looking at her still bandaged arms.


    That reminded me of something I was curious about. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wear armor on your arms?¡±


    She gave me a curious look then replied. ¡°What do you think when you see my arms?¡±


    Unsure where this is going simply replied. ¡°You have survived many battles.¡±


    ¡°That is in essence why orcs do this. It shows our strength, resiliency and will to live; though males choose to fight shirtless.¡± Breala explained.


    ¡°Are orcs that resilient? It seems to me that particular custom would simply lead to unnecessary fatalities.¡±


    ¡°We are, and it does.¡± Breala paused then continued.


    ¡°Wounds that would normally incapacitate a human or elf, an orc can simply ignore. Our wounds don''t corrupt as easily, and we heal 3 or 4 times as fast as humans.¡±


    Lifting up her arm she continued. ¡°Even the wounds you treated would heal without corruption so long as they had even the most minimal of care. Treating my wounds as well as you have would be seen as a weakness.¡±


    ¡°Sten mentioned you were only a half orc, would this affect your ability to heal?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, my healing is lesser than a true orc.¡± She answered. Sounding both envious and ashamed.


    Sensing that questions that refer to her half-blood nature is a sensitive topic I decided to change the subject.


    ¡°Any idea what plans Sten has for me?¡± She flinched at the abrupt change in topic but answered anyway.


    ¡°He means to recruit you, I think. That much I''m sure you''ve realized.¡± She seemed to think for a second then continued. ¡°I do not know much about light mages, but I know they are expensive to retain.¡±


    ¡°How expensive when compared with Sarah. And how does one retain the services of a mage.¡± I asked.


    ¡°We are all officially registered members of the bronze spears, meaning we all get a portion of the price of any contract. Those without magical ability get a smaller proportion of that contract price.¡± She spoke.


    Recalling the details, I read from the contract with the baron. ¡°20 gold plus two silvers for each pair of goblin ears; head of matriarch or matriarchs required for confirmation of contract completion.¡±. After reciting the information, I asked.


    ¡°How is that divided?¡±


    ¡°Almost a third of it goes to Sarah, which includes the gold and silver for the ears. Any loot that is not hard currency is split evenly or divided by drawing lots.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is fine with this arrangement?¡± A single person getting a third of the contract price seemed extreme.


    ¡°We would not have gotten the contract without her. Contractors are picky, the baron wanted the Goblins gone quickly and we had the ability to complete it so Sten could negotiate up the price.¡±


    ¡°Without Sarah we couldn''t guarantee success in a short time frame so either we would have to sell ourselves cheaper or the baron would have to muster his own forces and subjugate the goblins himself.¡± With the knowledge of how much more expensive a magic user can be. I had to ask.


    ¡°How much more leverage for negotiation would Sten have if he has a powerful Light mage under contract.¡±


    Eyeing me she said ¡°Depending on the contract, if we were hired to escort some nobleman or rich merchant then a lot. You would be expected to provide healing services not only for the contractor but whomever they specify within the contract.¡± She explained.


    ¡°Any Healing outside of the contract is an extra cost and there''s always work for a healer, not to mention the other things I''ve seen light mages do, add that all together and the price can be quite high.¡±


    ¡°Do light mages often do mercenary work?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, it''s far more profitable to set up a clinic and have the sick and injured come to you for healing.¡± She answered then continued.


    ¡°Most lords will happily cover the cost of setting up a clinic in their domain. Even an untalented light mage can find great profits if they go to the right village. Nobles often have their own personal light mages and there is never enough of them to go around; this makes retaining the services of one incredibly expensive.¡±


    We walked for a few minutes in silence as I absorbed that information. Sten¡¯s aspirations were getting increasingly clear to me.


    ¡°Moon?¡± she said as if prompting me to look at her. She then asked. ¡°Do you really not remember anything about yourself?¡±


    ¡°No. Nothing that would give me a clue about who I am. I know the treatments to a thousand diseases, most Standard imperial doesn¡¯t have a name for, yet something as simple as my birth name eludes me.¡±


    With a curious look she replied.¡± That seems on purpose. Perhaps you are under some kind of spell or curse?¡±


    It''s best to assume curses are an actual thing in a world with magic. looking up at the two moons I said. ¡°Why only my personal history, why leave me naked in the middle of a forest. It was pure luck that I ran into you, and Lilian didn¡¯t slit my throat.¡± Apparently, I let a little frustration into my voice.


    ¡°I can''t imagine what that must be like, maybe a light mage can cure you of it someday.¡± she said in an almost apologetic tone.


    She paused then continued. ¡°As for Lilian, you were probably never in any danger.¡±


    Raising an eyebrow I asked. ¡°And why do you think that?¡± She seemed plenty hostile in that moment and her attitude towards me afterwards would best be described as chilly.


    ¡°Elves are almost always merciless when it comes to dealing with those of the ''lesser races''.¡± the last bit she said with sarcasm.


    ¡°Lesser races?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Anything that isn''t an elf, that''s at least how most people view it.¡± she paused for a bit as if trying to find the right words.


    ¡°It¡¯s like they simply believe they''re better than everyone, but don''t blame us for it because it¡¯s not our fault we weren¡¯t born elves.¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Thinking back to my interactions with Lilian I can¡¯t say I got that feeling, other than our introduction she was almost always cold to me. ¡°I suppose she does have a rather cold personality but it¡¯s not that different from Sarah.¡±


    In an almost conspiratory tone. ¡°You do not see how she watches you.¡±


    Stopping in my tracks I had to ask. ¡°How does she watch me?¡±


    Other than a few curious stares I haven¡¯t noticed anything particularly different in her behavior.


    ¡°After each fight she always does a quick scan over to you, probably checking if you were injured and then there was the butchery, she has never shown any concern for our wellbeing other than what is necessary for a contract.¡±


    ¡°It was a surprise when she offered you assistance in the butchery. with anyone else I doubted she would have cared.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it is because I''m an elf.¡± I guessed.


    ¡°Maybe, but I saw her watching you sleep once. That look she was giving you was strange. ¡°She paused, then continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what it could mean. She looked angry, concerned, and pitying all at the same time.¡± Breala said.


    ¡°One thing is clear though; she is concerned for your safety.¡± She said, finishing her thought.


    Then she said in an amused voice. ¡°Or she could just want to bed you, you are quite pretty after all.¡±


    That snapped me out of whatever contemplations I was having regards to Lilians intention towards me. She had a smirk and her face, so I knew she was mostly joking.


    It felt strange being called pretty. ¡°Do I look that much like a female?¡± From my reflection in the water, I could see that I had a very feminine face but surely it wasn''t that bad.


    She then looked at me as if I said something stupid. ¡°Moon, you''re prettier than either Sarah or Lilian, Hells if I didn''t catch a glimpse while you were dressing, I would have just thought you were an elven maiden who was unlucky enough not to have any chest or hips.¡±


    ¡°Is that common for elves?¡± I asked, chagrined.


    ¡°From what I have heard only elves can easily tell the males and females apart.¡± she answered.


    ¡°In regard to Lilians actual intentions, your guess is as good as mine.¡± Breala added.


    I suppose that is something else I will have to keep track of, but so long as she doesn¡¯t mean harm, I¡¯ll be content to ignore her frosty demeanor.


    ¡°It is nice to have some answers for once; Breala, Thank you.¡± I said with a smile. She gave me a formal nod in return and replied. ¡°You are most welcome.¡±


    I don''t know how I didn''t realize this before, but she was incredibly well spoken. Though perhaps I am judging her based on her people.


    Deciding to indulge more of my curiosity I asked. ¡°You are quite well spoken at least compared to Mikah and Tanner, is that common among orcs.¡±


    She seemed displeased by that question, but the shadow that came over her face quickly faded, and she answered. ¡°My father taught me.¡± Her voice and gone back to than near emotionless tone she wore for the first time I heard her speak,


    ¡°I see.¡± Was all I replied.


    It was clear she did not want to talk about her father, and I didn¡¯t want to pry. We spent the next hour or so until the son rose in companionable silence.


    Eventually the sun started to rise above the horizon, which was our signal to wake everyone for the day''s travel. Returning to camp, I noticed that Lilian was already awake and was arranging her equipment. We went around gently urging everyone awake. There were grunts and groans similar to when I was awoken, but soon enough the entire camp was up and packing away their equipment for travel.


    Once that was done, everyone was giving Sten impatient glances, and he finally said. ¡°Alright, alright time to divvy up the loot.¡±


    Eager faces watched as Sten started to methodically arrange items on the ground. Among them were 6 swords, two of them were sheathed with one attached to some kind of waist strap with multiple buckles, the hand ax and a handful of random silver necklaces, rings, and bracelets.


    Brandon came over and handed Sten a bundle of sticks. ¡°Since Moon here helped so much with this contract, its only proper he gets a share of the spoils, any objections.¡± Nobody, not even Caan, seemed poised to voice any opposition. So, one after another we stepped forward and drew a random stick from Sten¡¯s hand leaving the last for himself. Then he explained how it would work, probably for my benefit. The one with the longest stick would get to choose an item and it would continue in a round robin fashion until all the items were gone.


    After everyone revealed their sticks, it appeared that I had the third longest one. Mark drew the longest stick and immediately picked up the rather ornate looking hand ax. Then Bast stepped forward and picked up a well-polished silver ring with small designs that I couldn¡¯t make out. Next, I stepped forward. I had no use for the jewelry or the ingots. So, I opted to pick up one of the swords sheathed in the waist strap. Then Tanner picked up a shiny chain necklace. This continued until all the members had a turn and were gone and it was back to me. All that was left was a rough unpolished ring and one of the poorer quality swords. Taking the ring I slipped it onto my left thumb as it would fit no other finger.


    Breala noticed I was having trouble with the waist strap for the sword and came over.


    ¡°Here let me help you.¡±


    Giving up on doing it myself, I raised my hands in defeat. She adjusted the belt straps slightly higher on my waist and tightened it. Wiggling around a bit I noted that it was much more secure, and the sword stopped hitting my leg while I walked. ¡°Thank you, as you can tell I¡¯ve never held a sword before.¡±


    ¡°That much is obvious, your hands are as soft as a babe¡¯s. We¡¯re planning to break our fast on some proper food, how about I show you how to not hurt yourself with that thing in the meantime.¡± She said jokingly.


    In the half hour it took for john to make his stew, Breala showed me the basics of swordsmanship. Once it was clear that I truly had no familiarity with swords, the short lesson consisted of how to not harm myself while holding or drawing it, along with a stern warning to run away from any fight instead of trying to match swords with anyone.


    Some of the other members came to pass jokes at my ineptitude, but I didn''t detect any malice in their words, only genuine good humor. Lilian watched from the forest at my poor attempts to copy the basic sword forms with a displeased expression on her face. I wasn¡¯t sure what her problems were, but until she actually came to me and spoke her mind, I decided to simply ignore her.


    John called us over to break our fast and to my surprise the fatty stew actually tasted palatable.


    Sten stood up and started to speak. ¡°Everyone, we did excellent work yesterday. We''ll be setting a fast pace back to Mistle for our pay. Then head back to Vernon, rest for a week or two and hopefully pick up another contract.¡± There were some cheers at that proclamation, and we finished our meal.


    As usual we got into the travel formation, though this time it was much looser, and we could see Lilian scouting a little farther ahead, not attempting to hide her presence as she usually does. Sten came over to me and spoke. ¡°Come up front with me. I want to exchange a few words with you while we travel.¡± Seems I will finally get to hear his proposition.

 Book 1: Chapter 11: The Tavern

    Taking a place next to Sten in the formation, we started on our hike through the forest back to Mistle. As soon as we started walking, Sten wasted no time getting down to business.


    He started by asking. ¡°So, what do you think of the Bronze Spears?¡± Unsure of what approach I should take, I opted for something approaching the truth.


    ¡°They are quite impressive; everyone seems to know their business. Lilian¡¯s stealth skills and Sarah¡¯s magic are quite impressive. Though John''s cooking can use some work.¡± I said.


    He barked out a laugh at that statement. ¡°As shocking as it might seem, this is much better than what he uses to serve.¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    I might not have any memories, but Johns¡¯ food could at best be called edible, imagining it being worse seems an impossible task.


    ¡°Think you can see yourself doing mercenary work. ¡°He asked.


    Spending my time facing death, eating what barely passes as food and relieving myself in the woods, is not how I would like to spend my life. But I needed him to think I wanted to do this work, so I opted to lie.


    ¡°I could, but I have no skill with swords and though my magic is useful, if we were to ever face something or someone, I can''t flash blind, I''ll be mostly a burden.¡± I replied.


    ¡°See, that was my thought exactly. Just so happens, there is one light mage I know of who might be able to teach you. And if my estimation of your intelligence is correct it should take you months, not years, to learn light magic.¡± he said.


    I know he is baiting me, but the possibility that I could learn proper magic was too tempting an offer to refuse. ¡°How would you convince him to teach me?¡± During one of our conversations, he stated that receiving training in magic from a proper institution would require oaths of allegiance, as well as the requirement that I submit to conscription. I may be desperate to learn, but I was not going to fight for some country I don¡¯t care about.


    He whispered conspiratorially, ¡°There is a light mage that lives in a village a few leagues east of Vernon. He owes me a debt.¡±


    ¡°Breala tells me light mages don''t often do mercenary work, but I''m not the type to sit still, so If he can teach me, I would be more than willing to sign a contract.¡± So long as the contract wasn¡¯t too extraneous and not indefinite, I would be willing to continue working with them. He produced a slip of paper. It was filled with text, here and there, lines were crossed out and rewritten.


    It seemed like a standard contract, modified for my unique circumstance. It specified that I would receive a flat proportion of each contract price that varied depending on the type of contract. 8 were listed. Depending on if the contract was extermination, guarding, escorting, or even fighting in wars the portion would increase, but it seems to be anywhere between half and a quarter of the price.


    If healing work outside of the confines of the contract is asked for by the contractor, then a tenth of the profits will go to the company and a quarter to Sten as repayment for the debt incurred to him, the rest to me directly. I noted that there was no coin price on the debt; it simply said debt incurred. This likely means that he would receive that quarter so long as I was under contract. The rest of the page was filled with details of my role and expectations on joining the company. Healing, magical support, watch duty, as well as the statement that any coin in rest periods between contracts were solely mine.


    So, depending on the contract Sten stood to make a significant amount of coin if my services are required outside of its confines. There is also the part that stipulated the contract length of 3 years. It wasn¡¯t the time that perturbed me, it was how it defined 3 years as contracted work not 3 years from the date the contract was signed. Depending on the frequency of contracted work it would take more than 3 years to fulfill my contract with Sten.


    ¡°The part about the contract length you define 3 years as contracted time. Make it 3 years from the sign date the rest is tolerable.¡± I said.


    Sten seemed to not like that and said, ¡°The debt I¡¯m giving up on Garrett is significant. I need to get my money¡¯s worth.¡± Apparently, the mage¡¯s name was Garrett.


    ¡°How much does he owe you?¡± I needed to know how much he truly was giving up.


    ¡°It¡¯s not coin. Simply a solemn dept between two men, one that is worth teaching you light magic under the table and going against the Light Magic Institute policies.¡± Seeing that I would not get an answer I moved on from that line of query.


    It seems that Sten¡¯s sole motivation for this contract is whatever profit he can gain from my training. Appealing to his greed I said. ¡°How about this, instead of the 25% you can get 35 the company will of course keep their 10%¡±.


    He seemed more pleased by this and with a sly smile said. ¡°Make it 40 and you have a deal.¡±. Almost half of my profits would be gone. In truth I have no basis for which to judge how much of a terrible deal this was. But what choice do I have? In the end I cannot let this opportunity pass.


    ¡°40 it is.¡± I said knowing he was screwing me over.


    3 years seemed like a long time, however the little I know of this world shows that those without power are liable to be killed or exploited. Even though I was resentful of being corralled into a deal before I could explore any other opportunities, I was excited by the idea of learning magic.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Sten said, looking far too pleased with himself.


    The next several hours passed with me and Sten in quiet discussion about the particulars of working as a contracted mercenary. Apparently, each member of the company had their own contract tailored to their specific skills. Some had stipulations on their contract such as Sarah¡¯s requirement that she cannot take contracts that fall outside of the Vendalian Empire''s borders. It detailed everything to travel expectations, lodging, expectation that Sten will take contracts within the group¡¯s skill level.


    We even went over how contracts were enforced. Apparently, breaking a contract is a serious crime and those who were guilty of this were hunted down and forced to pay whatever value was agreed in the breakage clause. This could be anything from paying a fine, to indentured servitude. We would have to go to a place called the House of Law in Vernon to get the contract officially signed and recognized.


    After bedding down for the night, I spent some time contemplating what I wanted to do with my life. One singular goal I had was finding a way to regain my memories. If Garette cannot cure me of my amnesia, if it even was at all curable through magic. I would have to find those with more power and experience. A significant amount of traveling would have to be done. I have to assume that there will be dangers for a lone elf in the world. I needed the power to ensure my security as well as a steady source of income. Connections will have to be forged with those in power. I doubt I can simply walk up to the greatest healers and magicians of the world and simply ask for a cure. The path before me seemed daunting, however I am determined to follow it, even if I have to begin by crawling.


    Eventually Caan woke me with a shove, it was my turn to watch for tonight with Lilian. She was already awake, and I just caught a glimpse of her disappearing into the forest. Following Breala¡¯s lead from the night before, I started circling the camp far enough so my steps would not wake anyone.


    ¡°So, you intend to learn magic from the humans.¡± I almost yelped as she suddenly appeared next to me. 10 minutes of walking in the forest with only the wind, leaves and my footsteps for company did not prepare me for that.


    Calming my racing heart I said. ¡°What little I have seen is impressive and I seem to have a talent for it.¡± she scoffed at my answer. Abandoning any politeness I said.


    ¡°If you have an opinion, by all means share it.¡± I said.


    ¡°The human¡¯s system of magic is primitive; they bend the Ether to their will instead of guiding it.¡± I don¡¯t see why I should care how human magic uses the ether.


    ¡°What does it matter, so long as it is effective?¡±


    ¡°What humans do with sigils and formulas we do with will alone.¡± she said, and in the same moment she vanished from my sight. No sigils, no pulse in the Ether, one moment she was simply there, and the next, gone.


    ¡°As impressive as that is, it''s probably impossible for me to learn,¡± I said to the air.


    She appeared and said, ¡°It would be best if you learn from your own kind instead of selling yourself to these humans.¡± Once again, she said humans in a derisive tone.


    ¡°From what I have learned the elven lands are months away, or do you, like Sten, have a convenient light mage tucked away somewhere.¡± She was about to respond when I cut her off.


    ¡°Either way it doesn¡¯t matter, I know Sten¡¯s intentions. He wants to profit from my abilities. I don''t know the intentions of elves a thousand leagues away.¡± I still had a lot to learn about human laws, customs, and politics but unless she can give me some solid reasons to not learn human magic, whatever her real intentions are doesn¡¯t matter.


    She bit her lips, clearly trying to find some reason to turn me from my current path. ¡°Moon, no elf would lower themselves to using human magic.¡± I couldn''t believe she was trying to appeal to my nonexistent elven pride. With a laugh I said. ¡°Ha, what part of no memories do you not understand?¡±


    ¡°Would you not prefer to learn with those who could teach you about yourself?¡± Did she actually know something about me or was this some kind of bait?


    ¡°And what could you possibly tell me about myself?¡± I stopped to stare at her intently.


    ¡°Your hair and eyes, do you know what they mean?¡± That was certainly not the direction I thought she would go.


    ¡°No, what could they possibly mean.¡±


    ¡°You are most likely a pure blood royal elf, one of the only two living.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m some kind of prince?¡± Lilian, whose eyes started to become fanatical.


    ¡°Wood elf, snow elf, desert elf. We all inherit traits from the Ether that permeate our home. After the rebellion from the royals, most were dead, the surviving queen was dethroned and forced to live in a distant corner of our lands. With the loss of the royals, we lost our unity and our strength. And then the humans came, and we lost most of the land to them. My clan serves the last queen. If you returned with me, it would change everything. You could take a place at her side, or she could adopt you. There is even fertility magic that could........¡± She started to ramble, her words not being able to keep up with her thoughts. I figured I should stop her in her tracks.


    ¡°Fertility magic? What would you need that for.¡± my mind locked on to that for some reason.


    ¡°The former queen is centuries old, so reproduction is difficult. If you would agree to have children with her, the rewards would be plentiful.¡±


    ¡°How would a few royal children change anything for the elves or your clan.¡± I asked in a neutral tone.


    ¡°Royal elves have some of the most powerful magic in the known world; they would not have fallen if not for the betrayal. If we returned that might back to the elves.¡± I nodded along as if I was beginning to accept her idea. I interrupted her speech and interjected my own thoughts.


    ¡°Others would flock to your banner and unify under the royals once more and of course since your clan serves the former queen you would reap the most rewards.¡± I don¡¯t know enough about elven society to gauge if such a thing would happen, but Lilian seems to believe so.


    ¡°The clans bicker, argue, and scheme against each other like humans and their nobility.¡± She really didn¡¯t like humans, though that begs the question, why is she here working for a human mercenary.


    ¡°What kind of rewards would be given to me?¡± I was curious what she would promise.


    ¡°We have some of the greatest light mages, powerful amplifiers and you would be mated to one of the most beautiful elves to ever live.¡± she gave me a pleading look and asked. ¡°Will you come with me?¡±


    ¡°NO.¡± I said firmly.


    ¡°Wh, what¡± she said surprised.


    ¡°I do not care about elven histories, or my supposed royal blood and I am not willing to become some tool that you and the former queen can use to advance yourselves.¡± She did not seem pleased by my response, but I would not be deterred. ¡°If this queen is so important to you, why are you here instead of your homeland.¡± This stopped whatever she was about to say.


    She hesitated to answer and then said, ¡°That is not your concern.¡±


    Digging a bit more I asked. ¡°Can you even return to your homeland?¡±


    The fact that she didn''t answer was proof enough she couldn''t. ¡°But you could return with me, is that it? Is a pure blood royal such a prize?¡± She couldn''t look at me, but it was clear. I was the key to her being able to return home.


    She said nothing in response. ¡°Don¡¯t pin your hopes of returning home on me Lilian. I serve myself and only myself.¡± I spun on my heels and walked away, leaving her in the night. Her inane dreams of an elven renaissance felt like a waste of time and effort to me, regardless of the supposed rewards.


    I spent the next hour contemplating what had occurred between us. Perhaps I could have handled the situation better. Maybe show some sympathy for her situation, but in all honesty, I couldn¡¯t care less about some long-lost elven glory or the reasons why she couldn¡¯t return home. If I ever gain the power to guarantee I could get what I want from the elves, then maybe I would reconsider. I didn¡¯t see Lilian until our watch was over and she had to wake Mark while I woke Bast.


    It took 5 more days to reach Mistle, during that time I began to get to know the company more as the forest cleared into grasses planes. We started to travel on a dirt road. Tall pines gave way to small rolling hills. In the morning before dinner, Breala would teach me swordsmanship. After 5 days I made little progress, it didn¡¯t help my pride that it became a source of entertainment for the camp, even Caan sat down to watch as Breala taught me. I still had no talent for it, but I reason it was better to have almost no skill with something that zero. She even indulged my curiosity about hybrid children. It was interesting to know that hybrid offspring was an exceedingly rare occurrence due to distinct species being incompatible. Though the fact that they could produce hybrid children does suggest a common ancestor. Something to think about later.


    I tried to avoid Lilian as much as possible. It became easy as she didn¡¯t seem to enjoy being around the members of the company. I suggested to Sten to pair me with Breala during the watch, since she¡¯s the one I have gotten closest to over the last week. Sten certainly wanted to give me more reasons to be comfortable, so he was happy to oblige me. As we got closer to civilization, we began to pass farms of all sizes, growing what looked to be some kind of grain. I saw fields of cattle and other livestock grazing. We even passed a large cart being pulled by what vaguely looked like oxen, with a single large horn jutting out of its forehead.


    In the distance I could see what had to be Mistle. It wasn¡¯t particularly large, the village consisted of a few dozen buildings of varying sizes. Some were homes with thatched roofs, others seemed larger and more ornate, they had no walls or fortifications to speak of. As we approached the main road I saw. two men dressed in red brigandines and a metal helmet, both sported a shield and sword. They drew their weapons at our approach.


    ¡°Ho their boys, calm down you¡¯re not being raided.¡± Seeming to recognize Sten¡¯s voice, both of the men sheathed their swords and came over, ¡°Sten your back sooner than I thought. those Gobbs dead?¡± The younger one on the left asked.


    ¡°Dead to the last.¡± Sten nodded to Mikah carrying the sack containing the rotting parts of goblins. ¡°Good work, the headman is going to be happy. He''s been chafin not being able to send out shipments south.¡± The rest of the group, with the exception of Mark and Mikah who were carrying the goblin parts, began to enter the main square of the village. The guards were enraptured as Sten began to regale them with tales of the battle. Not knowing what else to do. I followed the rest of the group. They eventually entered one of the larger buildings.


    It was a two storied structure with a large two door entrance from which I could hear conversation. Inside there were around 20 tables scattered around the room. Some people either ate or drank. The smell of the food was intoxicating, Sarah immediately headed to the bartender and after a short conversation headed up to the second story. One by one the members of the bronze spears took a seat at the bar. The bartender, a large, muscled man with a bald head who was busy polishing a glass said. ¡°What are the lot of you having?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    They started to order food and beer. Before it was my turn to order, Breala said, ¡°I''ll cover you until you get your cut. Sten will probably be here within the hour.¡±


    I nodded to her in thanks. The bartender gave me a curious look and spoke. ¡°And how did Sten get his hands on another she-elf.¡± I suppose this is going to be a common occurrence with humans from now on.


    ¡°That one¡¯s a male.¡± Tanner said with a hint of laughter in her voice.


    He looked at me dubiously and said, ¡°Uh huh¡± clearly not believing her. Tanner who was in the middle of downing her drink slammed it down on the counter and spoke.


    ¡°Saw him stark naked I did, ain''t much room for doubt.¡± The bartender took Tanner¡¯s tankard and refilled it. ¡°This story, I have to hear.¡±


    Intoxicated as she was, she was blessedly sparse with details about my circumstance, particularly my loss of memories. Once she got to the battle, I was largely forgotten about, until she got to the point where I emptied my stomach on the floor. This brought laughter to everyone¡¯s lips.


    Eventually platters were brought out and in front of each person a meal was given. 3 extra platters with metal lids were placed at the end of the table. My platter had a large bowl of stew with thick cuts of some kind of meat and vegetables along with what I assume are potatoes. There was a hand sized loaf of bread that smelled of butter and honey and several pork sausages that smelled smoked. As soon as the platter was placed the group started to dive in. Conversation halted as we practically inhaled the fantastic food. From the corner of my eye, I could see a woman bringing a platter up to the second¡¯s story.


    I forced down the last bite of sausage, surprisingly I managed to eat the entire meal. The same woman from earlier, a brown-haired woman in a stained white apron came from the kitchen behind the bar and started to collect the platters. Each member placed a silver on the counter, looking pleased at the sight, the bartender snatched up the coin and started refilling tankards with even more beer. I struck up some idle conversation with Breala for a while and a few minutes later Sten, Mikah and Mark walked in all wearing pleased expressions. One by one Sten Gave each person a leather pouch. He gave one to me as well, opening it I saw that it had two Gelding and 20 Sterling. Based on a few whistles and broad smiles this was a good pay day.


    I offered Berala a silver for the meal, but she refused. The meal itself couldn¡¯t have cost more than a few copper shillings. One of the conversations I had with Mikah explained the relative value of currency and their names. A shilling is a standard copper coin, around an inch across stamped with the emblem of the Vendalian empire and one side and the likeness of the ruling monarch on the other. Sterlings were silver pieces and geldings were gold all bearing the same stamp. All had the same emblem; however, the likeness of the ruling monarch was different meaning that they were pressed at different times.


    The emblem was a two-headed snake with its body wrapped around some kind of bird it was about to consume. There was another form of currency, iron bits, that only the poor used. These were small rectangular pieces of iron that were traded by weight. 2 or 3 copper can buy you a meal at an inn. 10 or so can buy you a room for a night. One sterling was worth 20 copper and one gelding was worth 80 sterling. A farmer with a year of work could earn around 15 to 20 sterling a year. Which would be 380 days and 14 months of work each month having between 3 to 5 weeks.


    That means within the leather pouch Sten handed me I had 8 years¡¯ worth of pay for a standard laborer. Nobody seemed keen to share how many coins they had but the fact that all slapped down another silver on the counter probably meant that they were well paid. I had no interest in drinking anymore so after I emptied my tankard, I rejected another refill. Sarah eventually returned and from the looks of her she must have had a bath. Her hair was cleaned and styled with elaborate braids. This time she wore a dark green cloak over stylish leather armor, dyed such a dark green it looked to be black. Unlike before she had jewelry on her fingers, ears, and neck. A few of the men gave her appreciative glances but a sharp look from her and they straightened up. She sat at the far end of the counter. The barman came over and handed her a silver chalice that proceeded to fill with some wine.


    I was curious why a woman who was clearly nobility was working as a mercenary, but I didn¡¯t want to bother myself by approaching her. Even though it was still morning, the company began downing stout after stout, the only ones who were not participating were Sarah, Breala and I.


    A sudden thought struck me, and I asked Breala ¡°How long are they going to be celebrating?¡± She looked at me quizzically and spoke. ¡°They¡¯ll probably be at it well into the night. Why do you ask¡±?


    ¡°I was thinking of getting a bath. How much would something like that go for.¡± She thought for a bit and spoke.


    ¡°Water bucket and some cloth, a few shillings maybe. If you want soap oils and an attendant, probably a sterling or two.¡±


    ¡°How about a shirt, pants, socks and new boots.¡± I continued to question.


    ¡°Maybe another five or six if you want something well made.¡± smirking, I took out 12 sterling out of my pouch and pocketed it and gave the pouch to Brela. ¡°Do you mind watching this for me¡± with a shrug she said ¡°sure. enjoy your bath.¡±


    I approached the woman who I saw going up and down the stairs.


    ¡°Pardon me madam.¡± I said to her.


    She gave me a once over then said, ¡°what can I do for yuh sweetling.¡±


    ¡°Would you happen to have a bath available?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course, do you want something basic or something deluxe?¡± She asked.


    ¡°How much is the deluxe?¡± I asked.


    ¡°2 sterling¡±. After she said that I immediately gave her 3. She instantly vanished them somewhere behind her apron and then asked her.


    ¡°Are there any tailors in town that can make good clothing and perhaps some boots to go along with that? As you can see, I¡¯m a bit of a mess at the moment.¡± She gave my clothing a once over then nodded in sympathy.


    ¡°I know just the people for the job. How''s about this? I get them over. You get measured for clothing, you take a bath and hopefully they have something in your size. If not, I''m sure they can tailor something for you for tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great if it¡¯s decent quality. I''m willing to spend at least seven or six silver.¡± her eyebrow raised, then her smile got even wider, and she said, ¡°Don¡¯t you worry bout a thing deary, I¡¯ll take care of everything. DENA.¡± She shouted a girl''s name. A redheaded woman perhaps in her early twenties, with green eyes and a freckled face came running down the stairs.


    ¡°He wants a deluxe bath, take him up and make sure to treat him well and get the good towels.¡±


    Dena looked at me then said with a smile. ¡°Ok then come with me.¡±


    I followed her upstairs and she opened a door at the end of the hall then we entered. In the middle of the room was a copper bathtub in a slightly raised area. There were gaps in the floorboards where water would leak out. Towels were lined in a rack to one corner and glass bottles filled with various liquids were lining a shelf on my left. Behind the tub was a paper screen likely to retain modesty while undressing. I wondered where the water would go since we were on the second story of the tavern.


    Dena started to say, ¡°You can change behind there. We will bring as many buckets of water as you need to get clean. Then you can rest in the tub for a while and if you wish I can help you with your hair. Don¡¯t worry about your clothes, we can get them cleaned for you.¡± Shrugging I went behind the barrier and started undressing. As I removed my clothes and belted sword, I handed them to Dena who stood at an angle where she couldn¡¯t see me nude. There was a metal chair behind the screen, taking a seat, she handed me a clean cloth and a bar of soap that smelled like oranges. Eventually another person carrying water came in and left them within reach.


    I was 13 buckets in, my skin was a bright pink, and my hair had returned to its pale white color. When I finally felt like I was clean enough a said to Dena. ¡°Alright I think I¡¯m ready to soak.¡± I announced.


    I came out from the barrier and noted that Dena was standing with her back to me. There seemed to be flower petals floating on the surface of the water and the steam that rose off the surface smelled like lavender. I couldn¡¯t stop a moan of pleasure from escaping my mouth as I sunk into the copper tub. ¡°Would you like me to take care of your hair? Dena asked.


    ¡°Please.¡± I said, giving her permission. She came up behind me and lifted my hair over the edge of the tub. She used 4 towels to dry my hair then proceeded to rub a sweet oil that smelled like honey into my hair and scalp. She then spent a quarter hour working out tangles until the comb could glide through my hair smoothly. ¡°You have such beautiful hair. And the color! I¡¯ve never seen hair so white¡± she said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡±


    Her soft hummin was the only noise in the room as she ran a comb through my hair. After she was finished with it, she said. ¡°How about I do your hands and feet next.¡±


    She fetched me another towel and I carefully exited the tub, so I didn¡¯t get my hair wet again. I dried myself and she handed me a white robe to wear. She led me over to a reclined chair and asked.¡± How do you want your hair styled?¡±


    I thought for a moment then said. ¡°I was thinking of cutting it, because it gets in the way very often.¡±


    With despair in her voice, she said. ¡°What? No. You can''t cut it. This must have taken years to grow.¡±


    I simply shrugged then said. ¡°What do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°How''s about I braid it for you, so it doesn''t get in the way.¡± She said with hope in her voice.


    She had been so diligent with her work I was willing to indulge her.


    ¡°Sure¡±


    I allowed her to do her work. We talked about trivial things over the time it took to do my hair, everything from the weather to the state of the roads. She seemed particularly interested in the goblin raid. So, I regaled her with a shortened version of the battles. 30 Minutes later she finished her work and brought over a mirror, which was really a polished piece of circular metal.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    She had separated my hair into large braids that ran from my temple to the back of my head. These combined into a singular large braid that was long enough to reach my lower back. The end of the braid was tied with a piece of blue cloth, probably to preventing it from unraveling.


    I suppose it looked nice, if a bit too feminine, but at this point there is little I could do to look less like a woman. ¡°It looks great and well done.¡± I said.


    She seemed pleased, then there was a knock at the door. She skipped over to answer and turned to me then said. ¡°It¡¯s the tailor and cobbler you asked for.¡±


    I nodded at her to let them in, a large woman and short bald man, walked in carrying tools I didn¡¯t recognize. I was wearing a robe, so I had no need to cover myself. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you a sweet thing.¡± She said, all smiles. ¡°Tell me what clothes you are looking for.¡± The man didn''t say anything at all.


    ¡°Something sturdy and comfortable that can handle long travel and a lot of walking.¡± She nudged the man forward and he went to measure my feet using a sliding tool. ¡°Colors? What style?¡± I didn''t care what the colors were so long as they were well-made.


    ¡°Nothing to garish, black or blues maybe. As for style, anything that matches the current style in the region.¡± I said with a shrug.


    She took several measurements along my arms, legs, and chest, then she and the bald man bargained with me for some time on the price of the outfit. She assured me that the clothing she makes was well worth the 7 sterling she asked for. I agreed to the price then gave her 3 sterling as a downpayment. They left the room after going over some details about delivery time. We agreed on tomorrow morning.


    Dena spent another half an hour idly messaging my arms and legs. I lightly dozed for a while until one of Dena¡¯s hands brushed across the tip of one ear. It twitched in response, and she let out a small giggle. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize they moved.¡± I wiggled them back and for her. She lit out another giggle and then asked, ¡°Can I touch them.¡±


    Not seeing a problem with it I said. ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡± I felt tingles down my spine as she gently stroked my large ears, I found the feeling somewhat enjoyable. This continued for a few minutes. I opened my eyes to see that she had been staring at my face. We locked eyes for a moment. ¡°You have the most beautiful eyes," she said in a whisper.


    Her hand that was caressing an ear slowly moved down tracing a line from my jaw to my chin. Tilting my chin up I invited her to caress more of my face.


    ¡°DENA. Where are you girl.¡± The barwoman¡¯s voice bellowed from down the hall. Dena flinched and the intimate moment we were having shattered. ¡°Oh, drats I¡¯ve been with you for too long. Looks like I¡¯m needed, I¡¯ll have someone bring you your laundered clothes.¡± she hastily said. Before she could leave, I took a sterling out of the pocket of my robes and pressed it into her palm. ¡°Thank you, Dena, you were wonderful.¡± She smiled brightly then curtsied and spoke. ¡°Thank you, feel free to ask for me if you need anything.¡± She then rushed out of the room, her brown dress flowing behind her. Some point a young girl, maybe 9 years old, brought my clothes along with my sword back to the bath.


    She barely gave me a second glance before she dropped them on a bench then rushed off to do something else. The clothes looked clean, and the boots polished. Dressing, I exited the washroom and went downstairs to rejoin my companions. It was at least 2 hours later, and the room was much livelier. There were at least two people at each table. Servers brought people steaming bowls for food and tankards of beer, back and forth from the bar and kitchens. Seeing the rest of the company, with the exception of Lilian and Sarah at a larger table, I joined them.


    Mikah who at this point was slurring his words said. ¡°Moon where u been this whole time.¡± Taking an empty seat I said. ¡°The bath.¡±


    ¡°For two hours?¡± He sounded incredulous. It didn''t feel like two hours, but I suppose I fell asleep for some of it.


    ¡°I might have fallen asleep at one point.¡±


    With a grin Mikah said. ¡°Tired you out did she, ah, but she is a cute one.¡± He said staring off into the distance. Following his eyes, I saw that he spotted Dena carrying a tray of food to a table.


    ¡°So how was she?¡± Catching the implication I said.


    ¡°Oh, we didn''t bed each other, she just gave me a massage and did my hair.¡± He squinted at my hair as if just now noticing the change. Mikah with disappointment in his voice said. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. pretty. Really you didn¡¯t do anything.¡± I thought back to those last moments before we were interrupted but that was hardly worth considering. ¡°No, she really just did her job.¡±


    With a sigh he said, ¡°Moon you are a disappointment to us all.¡± There were some chuckles at that statement.


    Then Sten looked at me, he on the other hand was clearly sober then asked. ¡°Would you have?¡±


    ¡°Would I have lain with her?¡± I asked myself aloud. She was a lovely girl, her red hair and many freckles only added to her beauty. I suppose if our moment got any further something might have happened.


    With a shrug I said. ¡°Sure, she''s quite attractive.¡±


    Sten gave me a searching look then said. ¡°Interesting.¡± I was about to ask what was so interesting about that but another serving girl came with a platter filled with tankards.


    The group attacked their drinks as if it was their last night on earth. I drank only one cup throughout their revelry. Even Breala seemed to be enjoying herself, laughing and joking with the others, livelier than I have ever seen her, the alcohol taking away her inhibitions. Someone strummed on what sounded like either a guitar or a harp and the tavern drifted into a song that I had never heard. Dissonant voices bellowing in unison about a soldier''s lost love and his fight to retrieve it.


    A livelier tune was started, and people started dancing. People skipped and hopped their arms flailing as the flow of alcohol removed any inhibitions, they had about how ridiculous they looked. As the party raged onward members of the company dragged me into their revelry shoving drink after drink into my hand. Dena came over to me and dragged me into a dance. She laughed at my awkward shuffling. While she twirled and skipped hypnotically to the beat. She took me by the hand and led me towards the stairs. With a look back I saw no one noticing I had left so I followed her. Using a key, she opened a room door and we both went inside. She pulled me into a soft kiss and after a small amount of hesitation I reciprocated. Eventually the clothes were removed, and our bodies were intertwined on a small bed in the room. So, I spent the rest of the night and eventually falling asleep in Dena¡¯s embrace.

 Book 1: Chapter 12: The Capital of Vernon

    Movement woke me up as Dena tried to detangle our limbs. The small bed could barely fit two people, so Dena had to sleep with half her body draped over mine. As enjoyable as it was to have a naked woman draped over me, my right arm had fallen asleep, and the weight of her body made it difficult to breathe.


    She realized my eyes were open and said with a smile. ¡°Good morning, Moon.¡± She gave a small peck on the cheek. Giving her side a squeeze I said, ¡°It certainly is.¡± I pulled her closer hoping to have some fun. With a giggle she rolled on top of me. Glancing through the windows, a look of dread end disappointment came over her.


    With a panicked voice she said. ¡°Oh, dear I¡¯ve overslept.¡±


    She hopped out of bed and rapidly started dressing.


    ¡°Nanette is going to throw a fit if she catches me in the middle of it and not working.¡±


    I gave her appreciative glances as she dressed. She had a smirk on her face when she caught me watching, she didn''t seem to mind so I just kept staring. ¡°There¡¯s always another time." I said.


    ¡°When will you leave?¡± She had a small amount of hope in her voice.


    ¡°Today most likely.¡± I said as I stretched.


    ¡°Ah I see.¡± She sounded even more dejected. I sincerely hope she wasn''t starting to develop feelings for me. That was certainly something I didn''t want to deal with. She put on a braver face then said. ¡°Well, if I don¡¯t happen to catch you before you leave.¡± She sauntered over to the bed and planted a forceful kiss on my face while massaging an ear. ¡°Thank you for last night.¡± She turned to leave as I said, ¡°It was my pleasure.¡± She gave me a small smile before closing the door.


    I started wondering where we actually slept for the night, getting up, I looked about the room. The room was sparse, there was a small writing desk, a chest of clothes and a bed. Here and there loose articles of clothing were thrown about the place, they all looked like women¡¯s working clothes. I had to assume that this was probably where Dena lived. I dressed and covertly tried to exit the room. Glancing up and down the hall I could see no one, so I made my way to the stairs. I had a small smile on my face as I reminisced on the night I spent with Dena, and how enjoyable it was not having a hangover from all that drinking.


    ¡°Enjoy your time with the human.¡± Lilian said with disgust. I was beginning to tire of her appearing out of nowhere.


    ¡°If you''re going to start complaining about me bedding humans, then feel free keep to it to yourself.¡± Is said testily.


    It was disappointing that the only other elf I know has become such an irritant. I did want to know about elven magic and culture. But if she doesn''t stop this elven glory nonsense, then I wasn''t willing to bother engaging her in conversation.


    ¡°Do you even know how other elves will view your actions?¡± I was mildly curious.


    ¡°Oh, please inform me.¡± I said sarcastically.


    With a quieter voice she said, ¡°First you lower yourself to learning human magic, now you are bedding them. If you were a member of a clan this would be grounds for exile.¡±


    ¡°Who I take to bed is none of your concern, let me make this clear.¡± I said, holding her gaze firmly.


    ¡°I do not care about your opinion or the opinions of elves a thousand leagues away. Do not speak to me unless it has to do with my obligations to the bronze spears.¡± I immediately started walking away. I would probably have to deal with the elves someday and these actions will probably work against me. But if I had enough magical power then they would bend to my desires anyway. Regardless, going celibate on the off chance, I would offend the elves seemed ridiculous to me.


    ¡°Moon wait.¡± She said in an almost apologetic tone. I didn''t glance back at her.


    After I came down the stairs the barwoman who I assumed was named Nanette came over to me and said.¡± Ah! Moon. Glad I caught you. Your clothes are ready just head over to the tailors and they¡¯ll get you sorted.¡±


    With a quick glance I noted that none of the bronze spears were present. I wondered where they slept for the night but not enough to try to figure it out, I¡¯m sure they would turn up.


    ¡°Where are the tailors?¡±


    She took me over to the door of the tavern and pointed to a single-story building with faded blue paint a few houses down from the tavern. There was a sign outside that said Stitch and Sew in standard imperial. With a nod of thanks to her I walked towards the building. There was some commotion at the entrance to the village as a large train of carriages was waiting. The two guardsmen were talking to a man in full plate armor, polished to a mirror shine. I appreciated his armor for a second and went into the Stitch and Sew. The pale blue door was attached to a bell that rang as I entered.


    The room was filled with tables, some containing spools of thread of all assorted colors. On the wall to my left were large sheets of cloth, arranged from pale white to yellow, blues, greens and ending in a dark red. In the center of the room was a sewing station. Near the back of the room surprisingly was a large glass mirror.


    ¡°Moon my dear. I just finished up your order.¡± I didn¡¯t even get to say hello as she dragged me over to the mirror and pulled out some clothes that were hanging in a closet at the back of the room. The same bald man from last time came out from a door leading further into the house and left a pair of dark boots on the floor. Then walked away without sparing a second glance. ¡°Oh, don''t, mind him my dear husband isn''t much of a talker.¡± She said in a cheerful voice.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± she said. She brought over a paper barrier like the one I used in the bath, to give me some privacy. I changed into the clothes then looked in the mirror.


    She had done an excellent job. She handed me a pair of white underwear and a pair of black socks long enough to reach my knees. She gave me a long sleeved dark blue shirt that while cut close was quite comfortable and didn¡¯t impair my movement. The material was thick and felt well made. The pants were dark gray and made of thick cotton. Instead of string to hold them up there were loops for a deep brown belt that she gave me. Tucking my pants into the boots as I have seen most people around town do, I gave myself a once over. These clothes were of far superior quality than what I¡¯ve seen of most of the village¡¯s wear. The boots would need some breaking in, but they fit and were just snug enough that I could see myself walking in them for some time.


    The woman had a grin on her face as she watched me giving myself appreciative glances. Reaching in the pockets of my old pants. I gave her the 4 sterling I owed her. ¡°Your work is exceptional.¡± She brought out a pair of deep brown leather gloves. putting them on I realized that they fit nicely.


    ¡°The gloves are on the house. I had them made for a client that never picked them up, so I figured you could use them.¡± While the rest of the clothes were freshly tailored the gloves were showing signs of age. I was still appreciative of the gesture.


    Now with new clothes, I bundled Tanners and Lilians borrowed clothing in my hands and returned to the tavern. By this point the large caravan dominated the central street and villagers were going about their day carving a wide path around the armored knights. Upon close inspection I noticed that adorning their breast plate was the emblem of the empire. Each of the 12 armored knights wore a cape that also had the empire¡¯s symbol embroidered in gold thread. A few of the passersby gave me curious glances and children pointed at me in curiosity. But for the most part, people were more concerned with the caravan in the street. Once I entered the tavern, I noticed most of the bronze spears were sitting at a table. While another man in armor talked to Sten by the counter. He had that same serious expression he wore every time he was negotiating. Sarah and Lilian were nowhere to be seen, but I was sure they would turn up at some point.


    I took a seat between Mark and Breala. All of our equipment lined the floor around them including the goblins sack that held most of my meager belongings. Breala handed me my pouch which still contained two Geldings and a couple sterling. I gave the borrowed boots back to tanner and stuffed the clothes in the goblins sack to give to Lilian Later.


    ¡°What¡¯s Sten up to?¡± I asked mark.


    ¡°Sniffing for coins, I think. Some noble¡¯s passing through to Vernon. They like taking on mercenaries as meat shields. Seems like they know about the bronze spears so we might be getting some easy pay.¡± Mark explained.


    Several serving girls brought over steaming bowls of more stew and set them in front of each person including myself. The rest of the company dug into their food and had a small conversation about who the noble inside of the largest carriage could be. I saw Dena carrying some drinks to a table with a few men sitting and bustling back into the kitchen. She gave me a smile and a wave that I returned.


    ¡°Moon you dog.¡± Mikah said excitedly. ¡°Is that where you disappeared to.¡±


    I choked on a piece of meat as Mikah said this, all but admitting that he was right. ¡°What ever could you mean?¡± I asked a bit too quickly.


    ¡°Oh, come on now I know that look on anyone.¡± The entire group was staring at me at this point. And I just shrugged smugly.


    ¡°Ha! I knew you liked her, so tell me how your first taste of human was.¡±


    Downing the last of my stew is said. ¡°It was delicious.¡± There was some joyous laughter at that. They asked for more details, which I refused to give.


    ¡°Elves almost never bed the other races.¡± Breala said with a searching look on her face.


    Thinking back to Lilian I said. ¡°Their loss I suppose.¡±


    Sten returned at the same moment and announced. ¡°Alright people were doing guard duty to Vernon. 10 sterling a man, it''s not much, but there is no chance we''ll be attacked; we leave within the hour.¡± A few of the members seem excited about the easy money.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the noble?¡± Bast said. The scarred man barely talked, his voice had a sharp edge to it that spoke of danger.


    ¡°Baroness Ruben, she may be visiting her daughter or something. The Etheric knight, Richter, over there wouldn''t say." Sten pointed to the man in the shiny plate.


    I had to ask. ¡°What¡¯s an Etheric knight?¡±


    ¡°Their knights that use Ether to enhance their strength and reflexes. They''re not mages but they''re damn dangerous in a fight. ¡°Sten replied. Bast grunted at that statement.


    I wanted to know more but I didn''t want to derail the conversation.


    A brief discussion on traveling accommodations, was made then we began to prepare.


    It was only a day¡¯s travel by horse and carriage, but the baroness¡¯s dislike of bumpy travel made it 3. During the night we will aid the guarding and defending the Baroness on the off chance there is an attack. There was no mention of defending the servants or anyone else in her retinue. I certainly wasn¡¯t willing to die for some random servant, so I said nothing.


    We assembled outside with the rest of the large carriage train, half of us at the head of the carriage. The rest of us, taking up the rear. The heavily armored knights were close to the large carriage, elaborately decorated in blue, red, and gold. No doubt it was where the Baroness was residing. I couldn¡¯t see anyone inside since the curtains for the windows were pulled closed.


    The rest of the carriages were far more utilitarian, and the farther back in the line, the cheaper they became. I counted 18 in total. There were 12 men and women in the last carriage, all packed in like sardines. There was little space for their feet as the floor of the carriage was covered with bags. They all wore servant uniforms similar to what the tavern workers wore. Except the colors, which were reds and blues. I had to assume that they were the baroness¡¯s colors.


    I carried up the rear with Tanner, Mikah, Bast and Brandon. Sten and Mark were near the Carriage the baroness was in and were in the middle of a conversation with one of the Etheric knights. The rest of the mercenaries were taking up the front. Soon enough the train of 18 carriages started moving. I glanced at the door of the tavern once more. I was slightly disappointed that I didn¡¯t get to see Dena again. As we left the Village of Mistle behind I focused on our path ahead and put her out of my mind.


    After a few minutes of walking, I struck up a conversation with the rest that were behind me. ¡°So, what do guys know about Etheric Knights?¡± Both Tanner and Brandon looked to Bast.


    ¡°Like Sten said, they use some kind of magic to enhance their body. Nobody knows how they were made, but combine beyond human strength with enchanted armor and weapons you have a deadly enemy.¡± He spoke as if he had faced them in combat.


    ¡°How are they able to use Ether if they are not mages? ¡°I asked. Bast looked like he was about to answer then Tanner butted in.


    ¡°Better off asking Sarah, mages don''t like sharing stuff like that with us lesser folks.¡± Tanner said. I guess that''s something I''ll have to figure out later.


    ¡°Speaking of Sarah, what is her deal? She''s a noble but why is she working in a mercenary Company?¡± I asked.


    Tanner seemed happy to answer. ¡°Oh, it was a big thing a year ago. The Newmans are some minor nobles whose names are barely worth shite, but when Sarah over there became a mage lots of noble men wanted her as a wife. Her father sold her off to the highest bidder and she refused; he ended up disowning her for that.¡±


    ¡°Who ended up trying to purchase her hand? ¡°I asked.


    Mikah piped up eager to get in the middle of some gossip. ¡°Denerif Mason.¡± he said as if that was supposed to sound impressive.


    ¡°Is he someone important?¡± I asked.


    Tanner let out a small chuckle and said., ¡°They say his family shits gold and pisses wine. He¡¯s the heir to Vendalia¡¯s Central Bank.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like some man. If he¡¯s so rich as to own a bank why did Sarah refuse.¡± I asked.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t just own a bank; he owns all the banks in the empire. Everyone with any amount of coin stores their money in the bank. Hells he has a 40 strong force of Etheric knights, 10 mages and a small army to protect his businesses.¡± Mikah said.


    ¡°Surely someone who''s that powerful would be the ideal husband to a noble woman.¡° I still didn¡¯t really understand why she wouldn''t accept but I¡¯m a stranger to this world and its customs.


    ¡°No one really knows, some say it¡¯s that he¡¯s 10 years older or that he¡¯s not a noble, either way she said no, and her father disowned her.¡±. Mikah said with a shrug.


    I asked some follow up questions on the banking system. Apparently, most baronies have a branch of the bank in their capital city. Clients are only accepted through recommendation, and they are given an identity card that was magically enchanted to be unique. Using this, coins can be deposited, withdrawn, or transferred to another with a card. One could even take out loans. Fraud of any kind was met with either death by the sword or if they were a noble, they would be excommunicated from the banking system. That would be an economical death sentence for any noble man or wealthy merchant. As they would have to rely on transporting their coin which was fraught with danger and much slower. The emperor who was named Margrave Vandalia the V was their biggest client and benefactor of all the taxes.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    This gave the Mason family near complete autonomy to do their business. However, there were very few mages born to the Masons. Other imperial families have been selectively breeding the best mages for generations. Coin only goes so far to buy influence. Cross the wrong noble mage family and not even all the coins in the world can stop their wrath.


    We traveled at an easy pace throughout the day. Tanner and Mikah shared stories of their meetings with Sarah Sten and the others. It seemed everyone at some point in time ran into Sten by coincidence.


    Being the opportunist, he recognized the potential of the individual and brought them into the mercenary company. Sten and Mark originally started the company. Since Sten was from a family influential enough to have a last name, he had more education than most mercenaries and built a reputation for properly fulfilling a contract and never breaching it. He pays the company well for their time and never took a contract that was outside the bounds of their skill.


    Tanner and Mikah spoke of Sten with some admiration. They did note that he was very particular with contracts and quite coin hungry. But in the 3 years Tanner was contracted she had never felt that she wasn''t getting paid her worth. Bast had even gone on to say his contract was due to be up in several months and he fully intended to re-sign under Sten. Even Breala was under a second contract since her first expired last year.


    This conversation alleviated some of my worry about signing a contract with someone I¡¯ve only known for a little over a week. I wouldn¡¯t actually sign the contract until I had actually been trained. So, at the end of my training with Garrett I could simply refuse to sign and go about my way. Sten had not shown himself to be acting in bad faith at any point in time and no fishing I did with Tanner, Bast, Brandon or Mikah gave me anything to worry about.


    Eventually the day started to wane, and it was time to camp. Since the area we traveled was mostly grassland there was plenty of room for the carriages to exit the road and create a circle in a large clearing. The servants in the carriage kept mostly to themselves and when we finally stopped, they hopped out. Over 40 men and women got to work assembling a large tent no doubt for the Baroness and of course the colors were red and blue. It took over an hour to assemble. I stood from a hundred feet away and watched as a male servant in finer reds and blues opened the baroness¡¯s carriage.


    A man walked out, his hair was a deep brown and slick back. His gray eyes scanned the area like a hawk. At his arrival the servants stiffened and bowed even from this distance, I could tell the man was a mage. He radiated a power that I couldn''t really describe. Similar to how I felt around Sarah, it wasn¡¯t the Ether, just his very presence spoke of power. On his left hand was what had to be an amplifier. It was a gauntleted glove with a softly glowing red gem smaller than the one on Sarah''s staff embedded into the plate on the back of his hand. This stone, however, glowed brighter than Sarah¡¯s did.


    A woman then came out with her red hair tied into a bun. Her presence was far less threatening than the man¡¯s. She also had an amplifier in her left hand. This one was embedded with a clear crystal that glowed white. Was this a light mage I wondered? Were the amplifiers only for a specific attenuation for ether?


    They both wore red and blue uniforms embroidered with gold. Each wore a cape that showed the symbol of the empire with the exception that behind the man''s emblem there was a fire on and a sun behind the woman¡¯s. My assumption must be correct then.


    A striking, tall black-haired woman in a stunning blue and red dress with a waterfall of diamonds around her neck stepped out of the carriage. She had small streaks of silver in her ink black hair that only added to her elegance. Her knights, ever attentive, ushered her into the tent. Followed closely behind by the two mages. It was curious that the servants seemed to bow lower to the mages than the baroness.


    The rest of us, including the lower servants huddled around campfires to chase off the chill of the night air. 3 days of slow traveling passed without issue. Until we could see a high wall just cresting over the horizon. As we traveled closer to the wall, dirt became cobbled roads and slowly the number of people we began to pass increased. Eventually the road became wide enough that two of our largest carriages could travel abreast. Further down the road there seems to be a system where travelers heading towards the city would travel on the left and those leaving would travel on the right. Our carriage train, however, simply barreled forward. People were being forced to move their own carts and carriages out of the way.


    No one voiced any complaints. I imagined the heavily armed guards were a warning enough not to be foolish. There was a line of people waiting to enter the city. The entrance was guarded on both sides of the river. On our side there was a fort with two guard towers and a portcullis that was currently open guarding the entrance to the bridge. The bridge itself seemed to be lowered by large iron chains as thick around as my thighs. I couldn¡¯t imagine how heavy it must be to need such large chains. There were guards with bows monitoring the travelers, looking down as people were checked by even more guards. From the back of the chain of carriages I could see a guard speaking with Sten and the One Etheric knight he seemed to be friendly with. In less than a minute we were waved to enter. The wooden bridge didn''t so much as creak as the baroness¡¯s carriage that was by far the largest, rolled over it into the city.


    The city itself was massive, the 30-foot-wide paved roast was lined with building after building. On the sides of the street people shouted, trying to sell whatever wares they were offering. There was everything from books, paper, meat on sticks, fresh baked pastries. I watched in fascination as one old man was blowing glass. A particularly large group of people gathered around a person who was spitting fire. The sight of so many people in one place was jarring when compared to the quiet emptiness of the forest.


    At every hundred feet or so the main street branched off to our left and right. Down those streets I could see even more shops and stalls. After at least half an hour we reached another wall even taller than the last. There were significantly less people entering this section. Unlike the guards at the bridge. These guards were dressed in pristine plates polished to shine in the sun. At our approach there was another conversation with the same Etheric Knight Richter. Richter gave Sten a pouch of coin then both men saluted each other by crossing the arms across their chest then they parted ways.


    It was clear that we were not going to enter that part of the city, perhaps it was for the upper class. We stepped off to the side of the road after the last carriage went through the entrance. Before the portcullis could be lowered down, I could see even farther down the paved road another wall blocking another section of the city. Sten began giving out 10 sterling to each member of the company and significantly more to Sarah.


    Once everyone was paid, he announced. ¡°Ok people, here''s the plan for the next job. According to Richter the baroness is going to be heading to the imperial capital in the next fortnight. So, you have that long until we''ll be heading off to another job. The price is 2 Gelding for the trip to the capitol and another 1 and a half to escort her back to Ruben all agreed?¡±.


    The entire company announced ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Good now it¡¯s through some bad lands so there might be encounters with bandits and even some beasts here and there but with her personal mages and the Etheric knights there''s not likely to be anything we can''t handle. Call it two and a half months before you get home so make your arrangements. ¡°Sten announced.


    Sten only announced how much a standard member of the company would make after subtracting the price of keeping Sarah on contract. Assuming she makes a third of the entire price that is over 17 Geldings of this one journey. Though escort contracts might be significantly less since there is a much lower chance of combat.


    ¡°Two weeks! That''s barely enough time for my darlings.¡± Brandon announced.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure the whores at Gardenia¡¯s miss you.¡± Tanner said, with some bitterness in her voice. The rest of the company chuckled. Apparently, Tanner had something of a crush on the handsome archer, so this was apparently a common occurrence.


    ¡°The 18th of Loria we meet at the grassy grove at high hour. Everyone dismissed you¡¯re officially on leave.¡± I didn''t know the names of the months, so I made a mental note to ask for some explanation.


    The company started to disband, some heading back the way we came, Caan, Brandon and Mikah waved their goodbye as they headed down a side street. Breala and Lilian after some hesitation looked at me and headed back in the direction we came. Sarah went to the Gate and after a short conversation with the guard gave him a pouch of coin. He led her into a small metal door on the side of the entrance.


    Once everyone left Sten said to me. ¡°Come. I bought a room at a decent inn a while back. And they won¡¯t have a problem with you being an elf.¡± I nodded to him, and we went down a street to our right. I was fascinated by the sights and sounds of the city. I could probably spend months browsing all of the shops and stalls. Eventually we made our way to a larger building.


    We entered a building that was clearly an inn. Near the entrance sitting at a desk was an elderly woman with hair almost as white as mine. As soon as she saw Sten she said, ¡°Sten my dear! Back from another contract. I hope you''re all in one piece.¡± She said with a smile.


    Sten returned the smile then said, ¡°All is fine Aunt Nettie. My room is still here?¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. Who is that you have with you.¡± She said squinting at me.


    ¡°Just a new recruit. They''ll be needing a room for the night.¡± Sten said, urging me forward. As I got closer, she said. ¡°Oh, are you a pretty thing? Sten what are you doing bringing such a sweet elf into combat. She shouldn¡¯t be rolling around in the muck with you and Mark." I withheld a sigh and said.


    ¡°He is perfectly fine with rolling around in the muck.¡± I said putting emphasis on ¡®he.¡¯ ¡°What are your prices?¡±


    ¡°Ahh.¡± she said. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like anyone can tell you elves apart anyway. And with my eyes it¡¯s even worse.¡± She said completely unapologetic.


    I suppose she does have a point. ¡°The prices.¡± I said, reminding her.


    ¡±15 shillings for the night, 5 for a bath and laundry, 5 for dinner and breakfast, 20 if you want something from Darren''s cuisine¡±. She said as if she had repeated this speech a thousand times.


    ¡°You''ll want to get your food from Darrens,¡± Sten said.


    Shrugging, I put down 3 sterling on the counter. She vanished them away then gave me a key with a number 3 sewn into a white cloth attached to it and said. ¡°The bath will be in your room after you have dinner. Just leave the buckets outside your door and someone will take them away. Breakfast will be brought to you an hour after sunrise. Leave any clothes you want laundered in the basket.¡±


    ¡°What will you be having to eat then?¡± Nettie asked.


    I glanced at Sten.


    ¡°Just get the usual for both of us Aunt Nettie.¡±


    He gave her a few coins then started towards the main area, where only a handful of people were sitting, eating, and drinking.


    Before he could enter fully, Aunt Nettie asked. ¡°Have you gone to see the girls?¡± Sten stopped in his tracks and without looking at her said in a soft voice. ¡°No.¡±


    Nettie looked disappointed then said. ¡°It''s been years since then Sten, you should see them.¡± With an even softer voice, just barely a whisper, so Aunt Nettie could hear what he said. ¡°No Aunt Nettie, it''s for the best.¡± He continued walking and I followed leaving Aunt Nettie to only sigh and stare at Sten''s back.


    He started towards a table in the far corner, and we took a seat. It was mildly awkward as the mention of whoever these girls were had brought a cloud over him. I wasn¡¯t going to ask him any questions unless he brought it up. We sat for a few minutes then with a large sigh he said.


    ¡°Here is what I¡¯m thinking: if you''re as smart as I think you are, Garrett can teach you the basic light magic spells, healing, barriers and whatever else I can bribe him into teaching you.¡± Sten said, getting back to his normal self.


    ¡°Are you so sure he will? From what little I¡¯ve learned; the magical institutes don¡¯t like people outside of their control learning magic. ¡°I said.


    ¡°They don''t like it, but it''s not a crime. You might have some friction with them in the capital if you decide to get a noble patron or try to enroll.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Garrett isn''t concerned about any friction? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Not likely, he hasn''t been to the Capitol in years and he''s not likely to return.¡± He said with confidence.


    We went over some more contract details with Sten taking notes. He plans to visit the House of law for a written contract after he drops me off at Garrett¡¯s tomorrow. This is the part where he would have to trust that I would sign it after my training. Once my abilities are verified, we will return to the city and officially sign the contract where an official copy is made. My name and likeness will be taken down and sent to every other house of law in the empire. The process takes months but if I ever wish to make another contract with someone enforceable by the empire¡¯s laws, a visit to the house of law is required; contract breakers are not welcome for 15 years if they ever maliciously break the terms of a contract.


    At this point our food came. A young boy, perhaps 13 years old, came balancing a large platter on each hand. He set them down staring openly at me, likely being the first time he¡¯d ever seen an elf. It was something that happened often, particularly with the children I saw. Both Sten and I gave him a few shillings, he bowed and left. On the platter was half a roasted chicken, a bowl of soup that smelled of cream and mushrooms, a small tart, and an assortment of roasted vegetables. There was proper silverware, Sten raised an eyebrow as I used the silverware as properly as he did. I didn¡¯t really care why that was something to note, as I enjoyed the roasted chicken, the mushroom soup, and vegetables.


    After our dinner Sten said, ¡°Ahhhh now that was a proper meal.¡± We both sat with challises containing wine another servant had brought during our meal. It was slightly sweet and spicy. I had no clue of its quality or value but what I know is that it was delicious. We said our goodnights and went to our rooms. Sten said he intends to rent a carriage to make the journey to the village tomorrow so as to not waste any time. I cleaned myself with the two buckets of water that was in my room and dropped my clothes in the basket to be laundered then changed into Lilian''s old clothes. She didn''t want then back and there was no point in throwing them away. They were inferior quality, but they were clean. The room contained a bed, writing desk and a chest for belongings. The only thing I had was my goblin pack and the sword. After putting them away I fell into the large bed and immediately fell asleep.

 Book 1: Chapter 13: The Light Mage

    A knock at my door woke me up, after giving the servant approval to enter, the young servant brought breakfast along with my laundered clothes. It was a hardy meal with bread and cheese along with a thick stew filled with meat. I put my clothes on, equipped with my sword and went downstairs. Sten was already sitting in the main room, wiping the last of his stew with a piece of bread. The large man wasn¡¯t wearing armor this time instead choosing to sport a well-tailored brown shirt and red trousers.


    ¡°Moon come join me.¡± he said while swallowing the least of his bread. Taking a seat next to him he continued.


    ¡°Will be heading to Vendel. It''s only a few hours travel by carriage, I figure, we can just rent one for the day.¡±


    ¡°How are the roads to Vendel?¡± I asked.


    It must have been safe since he wasn¡¯t wearing any armor except for his sword.


    ¡°Oh, the Baron loves hanging bandits and highwaymen. There hasn¡¯t been an attack in years.¡± Sten has shown himself to be a man of sense, so I put my faith in him.


    After he finished eating, we exited the Inn and made our way back to the main road. It was early morning, so stalls were just being set up for the day. We made our way back to the main gate and entered what looked to be another Inn that was near the exit to the city. The entrance was manned by a fat man with a balding head and a red mustache. As soon as he saw Sten he said, ¡°Hoy there Sten what brings you to my tavern?¡±


    ¡°Just came to rent a cart for a day in Macon. No need to call the others out?¡± Sten gave him the same salute he gave Richter. He looked at me then said. ¡°What¡¯s this now another one? I swear I don¡¯t know if you run a mercenary company or a Circus.¡±


    ¡°What matters so long as the coin is good. ¡°Sten said nonplussed.


    ¡°The cart? ¡°Sten said, apparently not wanting to be dragged into another conversation.


    ¡°Sure, 2 Sterling for the day?¡± Macon replied in a questioning tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s highway robbery¡± Sten said though he had a smile on his face. He gave him the silver anyways.


    ¡°You should come by more often. It''s been years since we¡¯ve had a proper row, ¡°Macon said as he accepted the coin.


    ¡°GREN¡± he yelled a young brown-haired boy who came running in from the main room. As soon as he came in Macon said.


    ¡°Saddle up Bella, Sten here is renting a cart.¡± Macon ordered, his tone vaguely reminding me of Sten when he gave orders.


    The boy hopped to his task Sten moved to leave and before he could exit Macon said. ¡°First rounds on me when you come back.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Macon I¡¯ll have a pint for old times¡¯ sake.¡± With a wave he left the building. The boy was just bringing around a small cart pulled by a single back mare.


    He hopped off the driver¡¯s seat then said.¡± Here you are, Mi lord Bella¡¯s a gentle girl, so you¡¯ll have a good ride. ¡°He said. Sten gave the boy a few shillings.


    Bowing in thanks the boy pocketed the coin and made his way back into the Inn, then we mounted the cart. There was a large number of carts waiting to exit the city and there was a loud creak as the portcullis was raised and the bridge began to be lowered. Once the way was clear the guards began to signal people to exit. Men and women began streaming out of the city driving carts filled with everything from tools, strips of cloth, clothing, weapons. Merchants traveled in groups who were being guarded by armed and armored mercenaries. Outside after crossing the bridge a long train of carts and carriages waited to enter.


    We traveled along the main road for roughly half an hour until the road branched off to the east. Sten set a quick pace as we headed to Vendel. After an hour, the flat grassland began to turn into forest. During the trip I brought Sten into a conversation. I wanted to know a little more about Garett before meeting him.


    I asked Sten, ¡°What kind of man is Garrett?¡±


    Sten thought for a moment then replied, ¡°He¡¯s a decent sort. A hard man to be sure but he¡¯ll never turn away the sick or poor if he can heal them.¡±


    ¡°Me being an elf won¡¯t be a problem?¡± I wondered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Imperial mages are more ¡®enlightened¡¯ than most so you being an elf will hardly matter. ¡°Sten continued with a smirk.


    ¡°He does have a little girl though she might be more excited about meeting an elf than he is.¡±


    ¡°No wife in the picture.¡± I asked.


    ¡°She died a few years back¡± Sten said he signed then continued. ¡°Some things even light mages can''t heal.¡±


    ¡°Is that why he lives out here, so far from the imperial capital.¡±


    Sten said. ¡°That and¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­other reasons.¡±


    I assumed that this was probably something to do with his debt. He closed the door on that conversation before, so I had no interest in trying to open it again. I changed the subject.


    ¡°Did you even find out why Baroness Ruben was visiting Baron Vernon.¡± It didn¡¯t really matter to me, but I assumed it would be good to know the political climate of where I reside.


    ¡°I can only guess. The Baron was some war hero a while back and he got injured then was forced to retire. Vernon ended up marrying Baroness Ruben¡¯s daughter. The town''s gossip is that he spends more time in bed with whores than his own wife and mostly ignores his son. ¡°Sten summarized but that didn¡¯t really explain why the Baroness would visit.


    ¡°What does that have to do with Baroness Ruben?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s no secret she hates him, and they constantly argue. So, I¡¯m guessing that the baroness is here to mediate matters. It¡¯s quite disrespectful that he takes many whores to bed. That and his drinking likely makes it a difficult marriage.¡± Difficult might be putting it mildly.


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    Staying in a city with such a man ruling it would not be in my best interest. I wouldn''t want to be there if instability began to break out. The city seemed prosperous, at least the little of it that saw a man so eager to satisfy his base desires in such a manner is not likely to be an effective leader. So, I had to ask.


    ¡°Is there a chance he would put the barony in jeopardy?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Sten said firmly, which was surprising. ¡°He¡¯s a drunkard, glutton, and a whoremonger. But he also has a good mind for leadership and business. Most of the guards are from his army days and he pays them well enough so you can¡¯t bribe them easily.¡± Sten said approval seeping into his voice.


    ¡°He likes the city nice, stable, and profitable all the better to enjoy himself. Anyone who tries to rock his boat gets the headsman¡¯s ax, noble or peasant, and he won¡¯t hesitate. They don¡¯t call him the ax for nothing.¡± He seemed quite certain of the Barony¡¯s stability.


    ¡°What do the people think of him? ¡°I wondered.


    ¡°Most fear him but very few hate him. His roads are safe. His guards don¡¯t rob everyone that tries to enter and there is rule of law. There''s endless tales of noblemen who treat the citizens like little more than tools. So, most think they¡¯re better off with him.¡± He explained.


    I thought about the baron for some time. He was something of a paradox, a drunkard and whoremonger that rules a prospering city on the outer edges of the kingdom. This city apparently owes its stability to his stern nature and smart business sense. I suppose in the end that¡¯s all that matters. Stability, safety, and protection from law so long as they had what they needed, the morality of the one providing it likely matters little.


    Hours passed and Sten taught me more about the neighboring kingdoms and villages. Vendal was about 3 times the size of Mistle with a wooden wall surrounding it. There were men at the gate in some poorly made leather armor. They drew swords as soon as we approached one of the men shouted, ¡°Ho there travelers what do you want in Vendel.¡±


    ¡°Just passing through to see a friend.¡± Sten replied in a jovial tone.


    The same man looked at me then said. ¡°What about the elf.¡± he said, pointing his sword at me.


    ¡°He¡¯s a friend as well.¡±


    ¡°Who are you here to see? ¡°The man asked.


    ¡°Garett. He still lives near here. ¡°Sten asked.


    ¡°Aye he does what you want with our only light mage?¡± asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Why healing of course¡± Sten said. I really didn¡¯t care for this idiot, but I suppose it was just my impatience coming though.


    ¡°Alright then no funny business or I¡¯ll see to you and your pet elf personally. ¡°The guards gave us suspicious looks then let us pass. It seems like they just wanted to throw their weight around.


    We quickly passed through the village and exited from the other side. This was also guarded but the lone man and the guard did seem to care either way. We traveled for another quarter before Sten stopped. There was a 3-foot-wide dirt path leading into the forest.


    Sten said. ¡°He lives just up this path.¡± Sten said. My anticipation was rising at each passing moment.


    Eventually we reached a small cottage with a chimney emitting smoke. It was quiet and unassuming, nothing like what I would expect from a mage¡¯s dwelling. It barely looked big enough for two rooms. Movement by the window caught my eye then the door opened. A man who I assumed to be Garret Stepped out.


    He was an older man perhaps in his forties by the graying of his brown hair and the lines in his eyes. He had a hawkish nose, and his hair was cut short. In his youth he was probably a very handsome man. He wore a plain brown shirt and pants barely better than what any peasant would. As soon as he saw Sten''s face, he frowned.


    Sten with an overly friendly tone said. ¡°Garett my friend how are you today.¡± Garett¡¯s frown deepened as he said. ¡°Sten what do I owe the pleasure.¡± He said gruffly.


    He gave me a curious glance and then looked back at sten. Sten abandoned his jovial tone then said in frank seriousness ¡°I¡¯m here to settle our debt.¡±


    There was a slight twitch in Garretts expression. ¡°Well out with it then, I¡¯m assuming it has something to do with this elf.¡±


    Sten¡¯s voice returned to his jovial tone. ¡°Indeed, tell me. How long does it take to train a light mage?¡±


    Garrett clearly didn¡¯t like this question but answered anyway. ¡°Years. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well to make a long story short Moon here, has potential for light magic and has shown the aptitude for mercenary work, he has no memories and is looking for a way to support himself.¡±


    Garrett''s expression turned quizzical. ¡°No memories, elf is this true.¡±


    I disliked being referred to as ¡®elf,¡¯ so I said a bit testily. ¡°My name is Moon and yes, he is correct. Anything you would consider personal memories have been stripped from me.¡±


    Garrett looked at Sten and said. ¡°And you expect me to spend the next several years training him. My debt to you is significant but not so much as that.¡±


    Sten had a sly grin then said. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think it will take years, a few months at best. He knows practically everything but medicine, mathematics, natural philosophy. Check for yourself.¡±


    Garrett looked at me then said. ¡°Compute the volume of a hollow sphere whose diameter is 5 paces and thickness is 1 pace¡±. Quickly as I could I did the difference of the larger sphere to the inner sphere and approximated pi to 3.14. Half a minute later I said. ¡°51.3 paces cubed.¡± He seemed surprised at my response and asked another question. ¡°If each ¡®cubed pace¡¯ as you put it weighs 5 pounds then how heavy is a sphere 4 times its size.¡± I did some more mental math using the square cube law I then said. ¡°Assuming all the dimensions including thickness increased by a factor of 4, 16420 pounds.¡± He kept asking me even more questions attempting to find somewhere where I would fumble. I did not.


    What was likely advanced mathematics and physics to him was elementary to me. any confusion was quickly cleared up as nomenclature and symbolism for mathematics were different. Math being a universal language made it easy to clear up any misunderstanding. When we reached differentiation is when I started to reach the edge of my mathematical knowledge. Fortunately, he didn¡¯t go past asking me to find the derivative of a few polynomials. Eventually Garett¡¯s questioning moved on to my medical knowledge. This being my area of expertise, I passed with ease and a feeling of nostalgia came over me as I was grilled relentlessly on what medical procedure to perform on different kinds of wounds. To categorize different diseases. Sten was almost forgotten as he tried to find some chink that was the armor of my knowledge. Unfortunately, he did find them. These chiefly being in this world''s herbology and medical ointments.


    Half an hour later his grilling was finished. ¡°Hm, no memories. How about this? What is Ether?¡± He asked if I still didn¡¯t really understand what it was, so I just said. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°How do you expect to learn Magic without even the most basic understanding of Ether?¡± He said apparently still digging for reasons to not agree to Sten¡¯s request.


    ¡°Because my affinity for light attenuated Ether is simply that great.¡± He looked doubtful then said. ¡°Oh, how do you know that?¡±


    With a smirk I said. ¡°This is how.¡± I walked towards a tree and placed my palm outward concentrating; I gathered the Ether. Garrett looked like he was about to say something then with blinding light I burned a roughly palm sized hole into the tree. I knew at this point that was impressive for someone untrained. ¡°I see. How did you learn to do that.¡± His voice was completely devoid of emotion.


    ¡°A goblin tried to kill me. I did it by accident at first then I practiced until I could do it on command.¡± I said.


    Garrett Stood in silence staring at me in contemplation. Then he looked at Sten and said. ¡°I teach him and my debt with you is satisfied?¡±


    Sten said with a serious expression. ¡°By my word and heart if you teach him to the best of your ability your debt to me is repaid. never be spoken of again.¡± He said, placing a fist on his heart.


    Garred placed a fist on his heart and said. ¡°By my word and heart, I will teach Moon light magic to the best of my ability and when he is trained my debt to you is repaid. never to be spoken of again.¡±


    They concluded their odd oath and with a sigh Garett said, ¡°You might as well join Lori and I for dinner. We don¡¯t have much company out here. And you Moon will tell me all about how you met Sten.¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 14: The Ether

    Garrett brought us into his small cottage as soon as we stepped in, a little girl who couldn''t be more than 6 years old hopped down from a chair in front of the window. Her brown pigtails bounced as she ran over to meet us.


    ¡°Papa is that an elf. Oh, wow she¡¯s so pretty, her hair''s so white like it''s glowing.¡± the girl said. She ran around me in circles, examining me as if I was the strangest thing she had ever seen.


    Garrett with a smile said. ¡°It''s a boy elf Lori now introduce yourself properly, we''re having guests for supper.¡±


    Lori did a small curtsy and said, ¡°My name is Lory Braton it is my honor to have you for dinner.¡±


    She stumbled over her words a bit, but it was quite endearing to see the little girl play at gracious host. ¡°My thanks for having us, Miss Lory, my name is Moon,¡± I said, giving her a bow.


    Garrett said, ¡°Good job, how about you and Moon finish setting the table? I want to talk to Sten for a bit.¡±


    I guess Garette would have more questions about me. Sten gave me a nod; Lori hopped in excitement and grabbed my arm pulling me into another room. I glanced back for a moment as Sten and Garrett sat down on a small bench by the door, the two starting a quiet conversation.


    She led me into a small kitchen. On the cookfire in their hearth there was a pot and from the smell there was some stew boiling. There was a table with 4 seats in one corner of the room which was half set with utensils.


    ¡°Moon are all elf¡¯s pretty like you? Why are they so far from home? Are you going to stay long if we don''t get many visitors?¡± The girl blurted out question after question. With a smile I said.


    ¡°All elves look similar to me, that''s why it''s so hard to tell the boys from the girls.¡± The girl completely forgot her other questions then said. ¡°That''s so weird. How can you tell your mama from your papa.¡± Other than the lack of obvious features I wasn¡¯t so sure what the difference was, so I said. ¡°Elves just learn to tell the differences. It¡¯s hard for humans but if my friend Lilian visits maybe, you can figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Is she pretty too?¡± Lori asked.


    ¡°Yes, she is.¡± I answered.


    ¡°I hope I can get so pretty when I grow up, the village boys always make fun of me.¡± she said. With a frown on her face. Children can often be mean to each other for no reason.


    ¡°Well, I think you''re plenty pretty and those boys are idiots.¡± she smiled at that.


    Lori seemed to have a million questions about elves, but my lack of knowledge was a problem. I just made up a story about being raised by humans to appease her. Lori showed me where the various utensils were, and I set the table according to her instruction. It was odd that this little girl in the middle of the forest seemed to show more knowledge about etiquette than most of the peasants I have seen eating.


    After about 10 minutes Sten and Garett returned and joined us at the table. Garret whet by the pot on the book fire and started ladling out a thick stew in each bowl. Sten and Garrett chatted for some time about his upcoming contract to help in the escort of the Baroness to the capitol.


    ¡°Are you going to work for Uncle Sten Moon,¡± Lori asked.


    ¡°Yes, in the next two months or so ¡°I said.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re Staying.¡± Lori asked excitedly. I imagine the girl must not have many sources of entertainment living in the forest.


    ¡°Aye I¡¯m going to teach him magic.¡± Garrett Said.


    Lori practically jumped out of her seat and asked. ¡°Can I watch?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re a good girl and don¡¯t interrupt you can watch ¡°Garett said.


    ¡°Yay.¡± Lori said as she started clapping her hands. Garett had a warm smile on his face as he stared at his daughter happily clapping. A small amount of sadness came across his face. After supper Garrett showed me my accommodations for the remainder of my stay. There were 3 bedrooms in the house. Garrett had the largest but in reality, it was barely larger than Dena¡¯s. By the size of the bed, it is likely that his feet would hang off the end. Mine and loris were about half the size and the beds were even smaller. For the first time I was grateful for my small stature as the room was barely longer than I was tall. Lori had small wooden toys from dolls to horses thrown about the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s small but you''re not exactly large.¡± Garret said as I examined my room.


    ¡°It belonged to my daughter, but she lives near the capitol now, so no one¡¯s been using it.¡± I laid my meager belongings down and went to shake his hand. ¡°I know Sten called on a debt to get you to teach me but regardless. Thank you for doing this.¡±


    With a small smile he said. ¡°You''re most welcome in truth I would have trained you regardless, but I would have limited it to healing.¡±


    ¡°Even that would have been useful,¡± I said.


    ¡°True enough there are not that many of us to go around but our agreement was to train you to the best of my ability, so I''ll teach you all I know. It''s fortunate we can skip most of that.¡±


    Garett ushered Sten to the door and before he could leave Sten said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you in two months or so. Hopefully, Garett here isn¡¯t going to slack on the training.¡±


    Garrett scoffed at that then said. ¡°If Moon is even half as intelligent as assume he is, success essentially guaranteed.¡±


    Sten turned to leave, and Lori shouted. ¡°By Uncle Sten.¡±


    ¡°Bye Lori you take care of those two now you hear.¡± Sten replied.


    She puffed her chest out and said. ¡°Of course, papa wouldn¡¯t get anything done without me.¡± With one last nod to me, Sten returned back towards where we left the cart.


    ¡°Come Moon, let''s have a real talk in my study. I want to know how much you actually need to learn.¡± Garret said. There was a door next to his room that we didn¡¯t enter. Interestingly enough it was the largest. Both the left and right walls were lined with books. In the center near a window was his desk with all manner of books and papers cluttering it. A smaller table that must have been Lori¡¯s had toys and paper covered in childish drawings.


    We spent the rest of the day going into more detail on what I actually knew as we went through everything from Newtonian physics which he calls natural philosophy to thermodynamics and medicine. My knowledge of anything besides medicine and biology was not as thorough but there were very few questions, I didn¡¯t have at least some understanding of. Where I drew a blank it was usually with anything that has to do with Ether and spellcraft. What I was able to glean were little more than guesses that were mostly incorrect.


    After over three hours Garrett said. ¡°Ok I think I have your measure now.¡± glancing at a sheet of paper covered in notes. ¡°Etheric theory, Spell Structure, Sigildry, Herblore and an introduction on Standard medicant tools.¡± he said rubbing his chin.


    ¡°This could either take the two months that Sten guessed or two years you must fully dedicate yourself to learning.¡± Garrett said.


    ¡°I intend to by the way do you have any idea what could have caused my memory loss?¡± I said.


    Garret Responded, ¡°I¡¯m sure you have summarized as much that it is not due to injury it¡¯s too deliberate there is one thing I could try, hold still.¡±


    He got up from his chair, his gaze became piercing, as he raised a hand. The gaze went away then he started casting a spell. Slowly sigils began to form and glow a soft white with the same pulse I was used to. The spell was cast. Nothing seemed to happen.


    ¡°As I expected that didn¡¯t work, either the spell used to remove your memories is powerful enough to be both undetectable in the Ether and resistant to Curse dispelling or it isn¡¯t even a curse but something else. There are more powerful and invasive methods of removing curses, but they lie in the capitol.¡± I was slightly disappointed but unsurprised. I imagine if Garrett believed that it would work, he would have already tried it.


    Garrett gazed out of the window behind his desk the sun was almost completely behind the horizon at this point ¡°Perhaps we should get some rest and start fresh in the morning.¡±


    Before he could turn in for the night I went into my pouch and pulled out a Gelding. ¡°For the remainder of my stay.¡± I would be using up space and eating their food so it would be imprudent for me to not contribute. The Gelding should be sufficient compensation for any resources I use in the next few months.


    ¡°Sten gave me Gelding gold for this but I assume you will want a properly stocked medicant kit so this should cover it.¡± Garett said.


    ¡°I have much to thank Sten for. ¡°I said disliking how much he has offered me.


    Garret laughed and said. ¡°Ha, Sten¡¯s a decent enough sort but don¡¯t think too highly of his kindness. Once word gets around that he has an elven light mage in his company he¡¯ll be able to dictate the price of almost any contract. Hells, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised he can charge double what he charges now even counting how much a premium having a mage in a company causes. You don¡¯t yet realize how valuable we are.¡±


    I assumed that this was his angle, perhaps my lack of experience made me underestimate how valuable having me in his company would be. I said my goodnight to him and Lori and bedded down on the small bed. My anticipation for tomorrow¡¯s lesson was building and it was difficult to fall asleep but eventually I did.


    I woke up early in the morning just as the sun was starting to rise above the horizon. From the sound of movement and the high pitch voice coming from the kitchen It seems Lori and Garett were awake.


    I headed into the kitchen which served as a dining area. I walked in and saw Garrett Stirring a pot above the cookfire and Lori setting 3 places at the table. ¡°Good morning, Moon.¡± She said,


    ¡°Good morning, Lori, Garrett how do you do? ¡°I said in greetings. He grunted, still hunched over the cookpot. Seems he wasn¡¯t a morning person.


    Lori ran over excitedly and dragged me towards the table where there were 3 bowls with loaves of bread. Lori took her seat. She was slightly too short for the table so there was some cloth rolled up under her that she sat on. Garett ladled out generous portions of stew in each bowl. It seemed today there was no meat to be had but the stew at least was salted. At some point I¡¯m going to have to learn how to cook. Garrett seemed to return to life after he started eating.


    ¡°So, I figure today we go over Etheric theory, cover some sigils and since you have already touched the ether it should be relatively easy for you to learn to see it¡± he said polishing off the last of his stew with a piece of bread.


    ¡°See the ether?¡± I asked. This was something of which I have never heard.


    ¡°Hmmm yes it¡¯s one of the most basic skills any mage has to learn.¡± As he said that his eyes took on that familiar laser focus. I immediately flashed to Sarah¡¯s piercing gaze when she asked me to show her my abilities. That''s what she must have been doing.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°What is that like?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough,¡± he said. Then his expression got firm.


    ¡°Now Lori, I want you to practice your numbers today?¡± Lori seemed dejected then she said.


    ¡°But I wanted to see magic. You never show me.¡±


    ¡°Today is mostly study work for Moon so you¡¯ll have to be patient.¡± Garret said. Lori nodded a frown still on her face.


    ¡°Come Moon, join me in my study. It''s time for you to learn how to be a proper mage.¡±


    In his study Garett grabbed a book off of one the shelves then placed it in my lap. The cover was ¡°An introduction to Etheric theory and Sigildry.¡± I read out lows.


    Garrett in a voice that seemed meant for lecturing said. ¡°What is Ether? This is a concept that many archmagi have attempted to answer. The most commonly accepted answer is that Ether is all, and all is Ether.¡± That didn¡¯t really explain anything, but he seemed primed to keep going.


    ¡°Ether is a field of energy that permeates all of creation. Every grain of sand, every drop of water, every creature from the smallest worm to the greatest of dragons have ether permeating their very existence.¡± Sten brought our hoot a chalkboard then erased a few scribbles and basic math that was probably Lori¡¯s.


    ¡°There are 6 commonly accepted attenuations of Ether Light, Fire Air Water Earth and shadow.¡± As he said this drew out a symbol that represents each Attenuation. For light he drew the sun, for air he drew a swirling shape that reminded me of wind. Earth, he drew a crystal. For fire, a flame and for shadow a crescent moon, For water, a wave.


    ¡°What do you mean by affinity ¡°I asked.


    ¡°When you gather the Ether, you use your body as a medium. Primal ether gets absorbed and transformed into these six attenuations. The proportion of each is directly correlated to the person¡¯s affinity with light affinity. Almost 75% of the primal ether is transformed into light Ether around 15% to fire and air. Another 5% for water and earth and less than 1% for shadow. These differences become more pronounced the greater your affinity for light.¡±


    ¡°How does that affect spell casting?¡± I asked.


    In response to this Sten cast the same light spell I saw Sara use. There was the same process: the blue sigils and symbols along with some math in a circular pattern. Then it shifted white, a pulse, then a floating light was created. ¡°The first part of a spell is to create what we call a spell circuit made of primal ether. Then we begin to channel power into the circuit. This process is what affinity most affects. For a shadow mage if only 1% of the Ether being converted is light.


    I finished his thought ¡°Then channeling enough ether to cast even the simplest light spell would be exhausting.¡± Garett nodded.


    ¡°Indeed, furthermore affinity affects the stability of the spell circuit while channeling too little power and the spell will fail. The chill you feel when you push yourself is a warning that you have reached your limits. Constantly pushing yourself to your limit is how to gain stamina, push too far and you risk death.¡± He finished.


    So, it was almost like a muscle. ¡°Is there even a point in learning spells who¡¯s attenuation is completely opposite of mine.¡± I asked.


    ¡°In most cases no, however there are some shadow spells that can aid you. There is one that paralyzes the body and another that numbs all feelings including pain.¡± I nodded along as I realized the potential for something like that in medicine.


    ¡°Regardless I don¡¯t know any earth, water, or shadow spells. I know mostly light and a handful of fire, air, and primal spells all I will teach you in time.¡± my hands started to sweat in anticipation.


    ¡°Primal spells? like the lightning spell.¡± I asked, remembering the spell Sarah used to lighten the weight of our packs.


    ¡°Indeed. Technically we all share the same affinity for primal Ether¡± as the drew a six-pointed star in the center of the six representations of Ether.


    ¡°Shaping the ether into a spell circuit is one thing but channeling said primal ether into the same circuit without it entering your body is quite difficult. These spells are typically limited in their application; they are usually used to apply some kind of force to an object, the lightning spell is one of the most common, the chief use of primal ether is for conjuration spells¡± he said.


    ¡°Conjuration¡±? I asked.


    ¡°There are typically 3 forms of spells. Conjuration which uses primal ether to create a temporary physical construct containing a spell that light for one is a conjuration spell¡± he said pointing to the still floating light.


    ¡°Emission typically means projecting energy closely related to the attenuation.¡± As he said this, he cast a spell that emitted a cone of light. Instead of disappearing immediately the circuit remained, and he waved it around the room. I could hear Lori giggling as he shone it directly at her.


    ¡°Then there is enchantment that involves casting a spell onto a body or physical object. I¡¯ll give you an example. Sit still and don¡¯t fight the ether that floods your body¡± he said he walked over to me then created a two-foot-wide spell circuit in front of my face. He charged the spell and released it. The entire process took around ten seconds. As soon as he did foreign Ether began to flood my body. Immediately I began to fight it as I instinctively started to reject it. Remembering his words from earlier a relaxed ant let it flow into me.


    Immediately any lingering lethargy from sleep immediately left me and my body felt filled with energy.


    ¡°Wow what was that? ¡°I asked in amazement.


    ¡°A light magic spell called Invigorate. It essentially banishes any semblance of lethargy and energizes the body. Cast this on a warrior once a day and they can fight at full effectiveness for hours. Cast it on a mage and they can continue channeling well past their natural stamina. However repeated use without any proper rest in between will cause the body to crash, often falling into a coma.¡± he explained.


    I clenched and unclenched my fist and it felt slightly strange to feel so energized.


    ¡°The effect will slowly fade throughout the day; overuse of this spell can create dependency so it must be used when necessary. The common adage is one use a day and two days of recovery¡± he explained.


    ¡°A circuit is composed of three parts first is the outer ring¡± he said casting the conical light spell again this time the process was slow 12 Sigils appeared within the outer ring.


    ¡°Next is defining and creating the structure of the spell effect whether it is a conjuration emission or enchantment. More complex spellings are a combination of these types. ¡°A second ring appeared containing even more sigils.


    ¡°The final part of a spell is the underlying mathematics that the spell requires to function. A fire spell for example, requires some calculations on heat and heat transfer depending on the spell. In this case the only thing this defines is the angle of emission and regulation of the luminosity.¡±


    As he said that more symbols appeared these were distinctly different as I could recognize numbers, I still however didn¡¯t fully understand his symbology as yet.


    ¡°Then we connect the three rings to each other then finally the spell circuit is fully formed. We can now charge it with ether.¡± As he said this the blue floating spell circuit started to glow a soft white. It then got brighter until sparks began to leap off of it.


    ¡°This is called overcharging a circuit. This typically magnifies the spell effect; you can overcharge a spell from about 2 to 5 times the ether required before the circuit becomes unstable and explodes.¡± He replaced the light spell before. First It was just a bright light, now the entire room shone like the sun itself was in the palm of his hand, He cut off the spell a moment later.


    ¡°Conjuration and Enhancement spells typically just produce a more powerful effect; emission spells are sustained spells so they can be overcharged even after casting.


    Depending on the spell it can drain you of all your stamina in seconds since the amount of energy needed to overcharge a spell is exponential not linear. This is also where amplifiers become useful since they can multiply the amount of ether you can output.¡± He said finishing his explanation of spell work.


    With excitement I asked ¡°When can I learn to cast my first spell¡±


    ¡°Before I walk you through your first spill you must memorize all 186 different Sigils along with their meaning both literal and abstract. Then you must learn our mathematical symbology as our spell work relies on it; this should be too hard for you. Once you have done this then we can try to get you to build a spell circuit.¡± As he said that he pointed to the book.


    ¡°That book contains all 186 runes along with their meaning. So, reading it will be your assignment for today and tomorrow. Before that however you should learn to see into the ether.¡± he said.


    He intently faced me then said. ¡°I want you to gather the ether into yourself like you did yesterday¡± I nodded then started following his instruction.


    ¡°Good now I want you to start dissipating it at the same rate as your gathering. The large concentration of ether in your chest acts like a magnet to the ether around it.¡± he said.


    Usually, I would either project it or dissipate it entirely. It took a few tries before I could do it at the same time to maintain a stable amount of ether.


    ¡°Excellent, now I want you to reduce the amount of ether in your chest by about 80%¡±. I followed his instruction once more carefully balancing the change of the ether flowing into me and matching the dissipation rate.


    ¡°Now I want you to split that ether into two. Controlling the ether is as much a science as it is art. When doing this your intention must be clear and your will absolute. Never doubt yourself when controlling the ether, hesitation and fear will only lead to disaster.¡± I took his words to heart and after a quarter hour I separated them into two.


    It was an incredibly arduous process maintaining both concentrations of ether and dissipating them at a rate, so they didn¡¯t grow, or shrink was more difficult than I expected. Small fluctuations in my own will caused me to fail a few times but now I had two concentrations of ether in my chest.


    ¡°Good, good. Remember your will must be absolute. Now move both concentrations of ether to the connection of the optic nerve to the retina.¡±


    I was actually starting to sweat from the effort as my entire body was clenched from how much concentration I had to put in. This took over 20 attempts and another hour passed. Garrett, being a dutiful teacher, simply gave me advice each time I failed. Eventually I managed to succeed.


    The concentration of Ether couldn''t be more than a centimeter across and centering it on my optic nerve required me to keep my eyes as still as possible. Now I know why they had such a piercing stare. In one moment, my vision was normal then in the next the world changed. It was such a dramatic shift that I immediately lost concentration and made an embarrassing yelp.


    Garret and Lori laughed at the sound I made as it was a bit too high pitched for my taste. ¡°That never fails to be funny,¡± Garett said with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good lesson though it¡¯s incredibly difficult to maintain it even the greatest of mages still have trouble with it. Now do it again¡± he ordered.


    It took another few minutes to see into the ether again. It was still distracting how my vision instantly switched as I saw the Ether for the first time. It was strange, everything lost all color and texture, every object from Garrett to the shelves were made of a semitransparent blue smoke in a container. I watched as the ghostly representation of Garett began to cast a spell. From all around him the Ether rushed towards him and formed into a spell circuit. Then ether rushed into his body as if he was a vacuum and out of his palm. The Ether, a slightly different blue, began to fill the spell then there was a pulse almost like a shockwave within the ether emitted from the spell circuit. After he cast the spell there were strands of ether flowing into various parts of the spell. As he changed the flow the intensity of the light would change. Another strand controlled the shape of the cone of light.


    ¡°Why blue?¡± I asked for some reason. I assumed the different attenuations in the ether would have distinct colors. But as he cast different spells from within the ether it all just looked like different shades of blue.


    ¡°No one knows really. The best theory is that our minds simply aren¡¯t built to view the ether and our brains instinctively convert the information into something we can understand. There was once a mage who was born blind, and he described the ether in terms of texture on his skin like wind, water, air, and silk sheets. How do you describe to a blind man what is blue? How do you describe someone who can¡¯t feel heat and cold?¡± He explained.


    ¡°Does everyone see blue?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, in the same way almost everyone sees the morning sky or the ocean as blue.¡±


    I gazed into the Ether again examining various objects, eventually focusing on my hand.


    ¡°There are exceptions to every rule, however. There are some mages we call unique. They have unique attenuations. Agron the Defiler is what comes to mind to most mages he could see death within the Ether. Using this he can control the dead and draw on them to empower his shadow spells, He was recorded saying it was a dark purple almost black.¡±


    ¡°Is this Death Ether an attenuation or something else?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Something else more like a higher form of an attenuation. The emperor¡¯s oldest daughter Princess Morianne is also a unique mage. She¡¯s an air mage, when she first learned to see the Ether, she said she sees a soft beige color all around her in the air. Using this she can control lightning without spells. She simply wills lightning into existence. It goes without saying that she¡¯s currently the most powerful air mage in the empire and it''s arguable she is the most powerful in terms of destructive ability.¡± His eyes had a far-off look as if he was gazing into the past.


    ¡°She can decimate entire armies. There had been no less than two wars fought amongst the dukes for her hand in marriage. Before she was even born her hand was promised to one of the emperor¡¯s closest allies¡¯ eldest son. When she refused, he threatened war, which was the first time in two centuries the world saw the power of a unique mage.¡±


    ¡°Is she really so powerful as to defy her father, the emperor? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing Moon, power is self-justifying, self-actualizing, why bend to the will of another when they lack the power to temper yours. It is fortunate she doesn¡¯t care about the throne. I doubt her brothers would live long otherwise.¡± Garett said.


    ¡°Enough talk now you have Sigils to memorize that book will take the rest of the day and tomorrow to get through.¡± he said signaling that this was the end of the lecture. I left Garett and Lori in the study.


    It was early in the evening, and I decided to take the book into my small room. I sat on the bed not yet able to bring myself to read as I glanced into the Ether. Everything was as I expected, however when looking at my hand within its ghostly representation in the ether I could see bright White Ether sourcing through me. The same light I saw within both Garrett and Lori. I wasn¡¯t sure how safe it was to reveal this on the chance that I was a unique mage. For now, I will focus my studies and explore this in privacy.

 Book 1: Chapter 15: The Casting of Spells

    It took over six days to completely memorize all 186 sigils. The book Garrett gave me to read had detailed explanations of what each sigil meant. The Sigil, ¡°Rhan¡± whose literal translation is flame could also be translated as heat, burn, or even anger. Each page contained a detailed explanation of both its uses and its meaning in both the literal and abstract; the combination of these sigils are what comprises the first two rings of a spell construct. Finding a proper combination of Sigils to achieve the desired effect is one of the most difficult parts of spell creation. A mage with the requisite skill would likely go through hundreds if not thousands of different combinations until they find the right one.


    I would often have questions for Garett on sigils that had vague meanings. Another sigil ¡°Brax¡± for example translates to both love and hate depending on its combination with other sigils. These sigils as Garett described were the remnants of some long dead civilizations of humanoids called Aphos. Noone knows what they actually look like but these sigils and ancient ruins are all that was left of them.


    Garrett over the last few days took time to teach me their mathematical symbology. It was an odd format that wrote equations in the form of a circle. More complex equations require larger circles and more rings. The answer would lead back to the beginning of the circle.


    Yesterday I was able to both draw and explain the meaning behind each sigil. After I proved my knowledge of Sigils and the fundamentals of Ether we moved onto mathematics, fortunately this process only took a few days as most of our work was finding the parallels between my knowledge of mathematics and symbology to the empires.


    Much of our days were spent in Garretts study. My face plugged into a book, Lori, by her small desk either working on her numbers or letters. Garrett went to the village a few times to pick up supplies leaving me and Lori alone. It was likely a testament to the friendship we have cultivated over the last week that he was comfortable leaving me alone in the house with his child.


    After we finished our short discussion on light refraction and reflection he announced. ¡°I think it''s time for you to cast a spell.¡±


    ¡°Lori, want to see Moon try to do magic,¡± he said playfully.


    The little girl hopped out of her small chair immediately abandoning her letters. ¡°Yeah papa.¡± she replied excitedly.


    Garett grabbed a book out of a drawer in his desk. Then the three of us headed into his backyard. Garrett actually had a small chicken coup and a garden behind his house. Lori and I would often collect chicken eggs in the morning for use in breakfast. Lori plopped down onto a bench by the back door and while Garett and I stood in a small open area between his Garden and chicken coop.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be teaching you the orb of light spell¡± he said.


    In the same moment he cast the spell. The glowing orb of light floating in front of him. Turning to a page in his book, he brought it to me. The page had the full representation of the spell circuit I would have to copy. The spell essentially worked by concentrating light ether into a conjured sphere of primal ether. The spell worked in two parts. The first was the creation of the orb, then the other was to fill it with light Ether as well as a small amount of primal magic that bound the spell to my hand. If that part of the spell was released. The circuit will dissipate and after a few hours the orb of light will fade.


    ¡°Translate the sigils,¡± he said pointing to the 12 sigils that comprised the outer ring.


    ¡°Summon forth the Ether of light containing it with ether most primal.¡± The translation was more an interpretation of what the 12 sigils would mean combined together rather than a literal translation of each sigil, making this my best guess.


    ¡°Good your translation at least comprises the essence of the spell now how about the math in the center¡±. There were primarily 3 mathematical equations represented in the center. One which contained the equation for the surface area of a sphere and another, its density. The value of the diameter was linked to the sigil for ¡°feed¡± The density of the sphere was also linked to another sigil for ¡®feed¡¯. A fourth equation defined the attraction between the nearest surface, in this case my palm. If this part of the spell was not fed the circuit would dissipate and the attraction would fail. So, I could either have a light that floated in my hand or floated in space.


    ¡°Now construct the circuit don¡¯t bother peering the ether while doing this only the greatest mages in the known world have the skill to do both.¡± He was likely right even though I have practiced seeing into the ether extensively and had gotten better at it. Even the slightest lapse in concentration would cause me to fail.


    Recalling some of my lessons, I began constructing the spell circuit. This process requires me to enforce my will on the surrounding Ether and concentrate it in the shape of the circuit. The ability to shape the ether is the primary difference between mages and non-mages.


    Garrett took only a few seconds to cast the spell. In half an hour I was barely able to get the first ring completed. The 30th attempt ended in failure. At this point Lori had gotten bored and was chasing a chicken around. ¡°That was better this part is a hurdle most mages struggle to cross but you¡¯re making good progress. There is no real special trick to this but to simply try and try again.¡±


    ¡°I underestimated how difficult it would be?¡± I said wiping sweat from my brow.


    ¡°This spell is more complex than the emissive light spell but since it combines elements of both emission and conjugation, I think it would be best for you to learn. Now keep going, this is probably going to take most of the day.¡±


    By the second hour I had finally gotten the first and second rings completed. The glowing blue uncompleted circuit wavered but didn¡¯t dissipate. I tried for the third then it immediately fell apart.


    My frustration increased as my attempts continued to end in failure. Garrett, the exceptional teacher he was, simply gave me advice every time I found a particular part of the circuit difficult to create. By hour 5 I had finally completed the circuit. ¡°Good it¡¯s not stable but it''s actually complete.¡± His eyes had the piercing glare that told me he was looking into the ether.


    ¡°Dissipate it and start over. We don''t move on until it is stable.¡± We continued for the rest of the day until the sun started to dip below the horizon. I didn¡¯t actually manage to complete stabilization, but the wavering within the ether was significantly reduced. Sten gave me some reading for the night that gave me some advice on how to stabilize my spelling circuit. As well as some reading on spell theory to go over.


    An odd thing I noted about elven physiology is the lack of requirement for sleep. I could stay up for days and not actually feel the need to sleep however if I allowed myself to do that then when I finally allowed myself to sleep I could sleep for the entire day. Then Garrett or Lori would have to wake me. Garett didn''t know much about elven physiology but the few elves that visited the capitol were seen to go over a week without actually sleeping. Instead they did some kind of meditation for about an hour then simply continued their day. To make things simple I tried to match their sleep schedule. It was difficult to fall asleep most nights so I usually spent them reading.


    Thinking back to Lilian I did see her sitting once with her legs crossed but she definitely slept each night And I certainly felt the need to sleep after each day. So perhaps this is only true if we don''t have a significant amount of physical exertion to recover from.


    On the next day in the backyard, again Lori sat over by a patch of grass playing with some of her toys, a wooden horse, and a straw doll.


    I held the completed spell circuit in my hand Garett was close by peering into ether and said. ¡°Just a little more stability, remember your will is most important here. Don¡¯t beg Ether to do what you want, do not hope the circuit stabilizes. Will it stabilize.¡±


    Taking his advice to heart, I closed my eyes, I stopped focusing on the glowing blue spell circuit and tried to calm my mind. Taking a few deep breaths dissipated the circuit and began again before, I kept a laser focus on the circuit taking form and hoping it wouldn''t fail. This was my problem. I hoped it would work instead of simply believing that it would work. My will must be absolute with no wavering. So instead of assembling each part of the circuit one by one I tried to assemble the entire thing at the same time as Garett did.


    It was much harder than doing it step by step, but I was resolved. The easy way was doubting my abilities, and I had no room for doubt. Over and over assembled the circuit and over and over it failed to stabilize. I abandoned any idea of going the easier path and resolved to not move from my spot until I had the circuit stable. My mind went back to the forest when I had summoned the ether for the first time, and I slipped into that almost trance-like state of focus.


    Eventually I had nothing to tell how time passed other than a small pulse from the circuit breaking every 10 seconds or so when I dissipated after a failure.


    4 hours later Garett said excitedly, ¡°There you have it.¡±


    At some point I was so zoned out that I forgot about him. But there, in my hand, I held the fully formed spell circuit stable with no fluctuations in the ether.


    ¡°Now charge the feed sigils with Ether.¡± I began to absorb and push my ether into the sigils at the same time I channeled primal ether from my surroundings into the conjured barrier.


    I see why learning to see the ether was so important now that I understood that ether was all around me and in me it was easier to visualize shaping it to my desire. Slowly the circuit began to change color and then once the circuit had reached optimal charge there was a pulse in the ether. Then I released the two feed runes.


    Immediately a glowing orb formed in the palm of my hand. The spell circuit still glowed a soft white as the binding rune still anchored it to my hand. I waved the light, it¡¯s a round as a massive smile formed on my face.


    Garrett clapping said, ¡°Excellent work Moon. you are currently the 9th fastest mage in history?¡±.


    Replacing the binding sigil the orb of light floated in the air no longer bound to my palm if floated in place not affected by the soft wind.


    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The time between seeing the ether and successfully casting a spell, 9 days. If you were in the capital nobles and professors would be fighting each other to sponsor your education, Not sure how the elves would react to this though.¡± he explained. I didn''t actually care what they thought and had made this clear in a past conversation with him.


    ¡°Who was the fastest? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Princess Morianne. It took her 4 days, and she was only 11.¡± he said.


    She had to be some kind of genius for a child that young to perform magic. Perhaps he mentioned that to humble me, but I was too pleased with myself to care that a child was a faster learner than me.


    ¡°Your next task is to get the casting time of that spell under 3 seconds. Once you have accomplished this, I will begin teaching new spells a basic focus healing I think would be best.¡± he said.


    ¡°Focused healing? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°It projects light that when in contact with organic bodies accelerates the healing process. There are spells for poison, diseases, a spell that focuses on bone repair and of course invigorate. Then there are the defensive and offensive spells you need to learn. Fortunately, you¡¯re over the first hurdle. Now begin, you need to turn 8 seconds into 3.¡±


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    For the 6 hours until the sun dipped below the horizon, I repeated the spell over and over again. The backyard was filled with hundreds of balls of light. Lori was having a grand time running around as I continually made the floating lights. The spell became easier and easier. I didn¡¯t keep count of how long it took as Garrett told me he would inform me when I had reached my goal.


    The spell didn¡¯t require a significant amount of energy. Not even a twentieth of what daylight did so my stamina recovered almost as fast as I used it. But hours of constant casting eventually started to tire me out. The chill seeping into my limbs was a warning that I was reaching my limits.


    Remembering Garrett¡¯s warning about overextending myself I announced. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough for today, what¡¯s my time¡±. I was disappointed that I didn¡¯t meet the goal, but I knew I was at least close.


    ¡°A little over 2 seconds that is quite impressive,¡± he said with some wonder is his voice.


    Ok it seems I passed my goal. I wondered why he didn¡¯t tell me, so I asked.


    ¡°Why didn''t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°That focus you have. The ability to turn off the world and dedicate your entire being to shaping the ether. It is a trait all great mages have; if I had interrupted you then we couldn¡¯t see how low you could get the cast time. ¡°He said.


    I didn¡¯t really have a response to that, so I shrugged. He said. ¡°Come let''s have supper, we can go over the spells I''ll teach you tomorrow.¡±


    It has been six weeks since I cast my first spell. Sten was due to arrive in approximately two weeks or so. In that time, I had learned over 14 spells; if I was part of a magical institute, it would classify me as being a Disciple Light mage.


    Garett¡¯s advice, on focusing on the orb of light spell, was proven to be wise. As spells became more and more complex the foundational skills I had learned with that light orb was invaluable.


    He taught me the fire bolt spell I saw Sarah use in the goblin nest as well as a spell that could emit a stream of fire. He even taught me a spell called radiant bold similar to fire bolt that lobs a conjuration of concentrated light ether that can burn on contact but doesn¡¯t cause fires.


    Spells that were not my prime affinity were particularly draining since it took roughly 5 times the effort to cast them. He also taught me the lighten spell. Interestingly, it couldn''t be cast onto living creatures since even the smallest of creatures would shrug off the enchantment. From the air attenuation he taught me a spell that produced a constant stream of wind that operated in the same way as the conical light spell. I could scale the strength of the wind but the drain on my stamina became too much when generating wind with enough force to do something. It had very little use to me other than helping dry myself when I bathed by a stream quarter hour walk from the house.


    While I was passable with most non-light magic. Light spells came to me as if it was instinctual.


    He taught me the directed healing spell.


    This demonstrated one aspect of magic I failed to put significant value in. This being the fundamental understanding of what spelling was doing. Mages of this world likely didn¡¯t understand cell theory. So, the complexities of cell division and repair was unknown to them since I did my light magic and was significantly more effective at healing. At the very least it demonstrated itself with the chickens I tested on. When I projected the healing light onto the wound my will and my intrinsic understanding of the biological process of healing significantly increased its effectiveness. To the point of surpassing Garett¡¯s own abilities, he was still far more experienced but the amount of healing relative to the power used was something that shocked him.


    Garett cutting himself was the only time I had the chance to test it on a human. I had a morbid fascination about how fast the wound healed when bathed with the soft green light of healing magic. In the end it was only accelerated healing and could go beyond what a normal organic healing could accomplish.


    A significantly powerful healer could save someone with a severed carotid artery. But can never regenerate a limb or cure a disease the body¡¯s immune system couldn''t fight off. Spells for disease treatment couldn''t cure something like cancer or dementia, only alleviate its symptoms for a time.


    I did want to test it on humans, but Garett didn¡¯t want it tracking back to him that he was teaching me magic so whenever he went into the village to do some healing work I would be left behind. He wasn¡¯t overly worried about it but if he could avoid conflict if he ever returned to the capitol, then he would.


    Apparently, he told everyone that I was working as a servant since keeping Lori quiet about the elf living in her house was an impossibility. Today was the day he would teach me a barrier spell. This was actually a spell that would grant me the adept rank in the capitols ranking system. The only ones above that were journeyman, master, and grandmaster below that were disciple and initiate.


    It was by far the largest spell circuit I have seen so far spanning almost 2 and a half feet across with over 50 Sigils in the outer ring. It was now that I understood why he asked me to determine the volume of a hollow sphere. When light ether is compressed within a thin barrier it can act as a shield deflecting objects and even foreign ether. That also meant that you couldn¡¯t fire projectiles or ether out of it either. The size and strength of the barrier was entirely dependent on the caster as the spell had controls for both using these formulas.


    ¡°The most important thing is not about the Light Shield is properly scaling the strength of the barrier for the appropriate use.¡± Garett said as he summoned a mostly transparent bubble around himself that glowed with a slight yellow light its center was the spell construct itself which floated on his palm.


    The shield can actually be cast to only block objects moving at a certain speed. So, it was entirely possible to walk through one or move the shield. I watched in fascination as the barrier which was only 5 feet across expanded until the entirety of the backyard was engulfed. There was a weird tingling sensation on my skin as it passed over me. Interestingly enough it intersected with the ground without any visible change.


    While looking into the ether examined in fascination the large amount of ether that needed to be channeled to maintain it.


    ¡°This barrier would be strong enough to block an overcharged fireball however I can only maintain this for 30 seconds.¡± He shrunk it until it was just large enough to encompass himself, the soft glow of the shield also dimming. ¡°This I can maintain for several minutes. It could block arrows swords and hields.¡±


    The formula for the barriers strength was controlled by the density formula and the size with the volume formula by changing the flow to the feed sigils the shield size and strength can be changed.


    The amount of ether it takes to maintain the barrier actually scaled with the square cube law it wasn¡¯t a perfect approximation, but it was a good way to gauge how much power would be needed when overcharging a spell circuit.


    ¡°Now pay close attention to the Spell circuit and copy it.¡± This was a process I was used to at this point, and I copied it nearly perfectly. I wasted a few seconds stabilizing it but that could be solved with practice.


    Slowly the bubble formed in my palm then expanded outward until it engulfed the entirety of my body. Then I pumped ether into the strength tune and the mostly transparent sphere began to glow a brighter yellow color. Garett smiled as I successfully cast the spell in a single try. The rest of the day was spent practicing until I was able to get the cast time to under 3 seconds. We tried varying sizes and strength levels Garrett even threw a few radiant bolts which scattered off the barrier. Then he performed a spell I¡¯ve never seen him do before.


    A bright white laser, its diameter no larger than a gelding exploded out of the spell circuit. In half a second my shield was destroyed and a hole that was burned into the tree behind me.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked in excitement. He had lobbed at least a dozen fire bolts at the shield, even a few overcharged ones but other than a small drop in its strength that easily refilled my, shield held firm. The sheer power of that spell destroyed it completely.


    ¡°That was a radiant lance. It''s another one of the few offensive spells light mages can use; it''s actually a journeyman level spell due to how dangerous it can be. This will be your final spell to learn and your training with me will be officially finished; my debt would be repaid.¡± Garrett said some relief came into his voice.


    ¡°Was your debt really so large?¡± I asked. Few of our conversations were about his life in the capitol as he didn¡¯t seem interested in sharing it and I wasn¡¯t interested in asking.


    ¡°Indeed, but such things are not for discussion.¡± He said closing the door on that point of inquiry.


    He had done this several times and the only thing I was able to learn about him was that he was some up-and-coming light mage full of potential. He then fell in love and some tragedy happened, his wife died, and something happened to his daughter. I still haven¡¯t learned what exactly happened or why she lives in the capitol and not with him, but my time is ending here, and I would rather leave on good terms than come off as nosey.


    I reformed the barrier and strengthened it even further, deciding to see just how powerful I could make it. As I overcharged the spell until white lightning began emitting from the spell circuit signaling that it was becoming unstable. I made the barrier 10 feet across, and it glowed never ever brighter yellow any brighter and it would become hard to see.


    ¡°Hit me again.¡± I challenged.


    With a smirk Garett fired another lance by the pulse I felt from him it was even more powerful than the last. This time the shield held firm and the bounced off in a random direction. Though it required so much power that maintaining it while it was being bombarded was rabidly eating away at my stamina.


    ¡°Excellent work Moon now I want you to try something. Dial back the strength to the minimum needed to maintain the spell.¡± doing as he said I reduced the flow of Ether until the shield was barely glowing.


    ¡°Now I want you to cast Light orb while maintaining that spell.¡± casting and maintaining one spell was difficult enough that I didn''t even bother considering doing two at a time. But following his instruction I began to form the orb spell with my left hand.


    Instantly the shield failed, and the beginning of the orb¡¯s spell construct fell apart.


    ¡°Go on, try to cast them at the same time.¡± Garrett said with a tone that I have come to recognize as him giving me a task he knows I would fail. I tried again and again and the two spells simply fell apart. As I kept failing Garett simply told me to keep going. I tried with simpler spells and was barely able to accomplish much more.


    ¡°This seems impossible. ¡°I said, finally admitting defeat.


    ¡°Dual casting is one of the most difficult skills. One of the test for master certification is dual casting two journeyman spells.¡± As he said this, he conjured both the shield and the light orb at the same time. I examined them in the Ether. All of Garett¡¯s casting before this was practically perfect but the light spell looked barely stable. While the shield lacked his perfect efficiency and showed some ether leaking from the circuit.


    ¡°That looks difficult.¡± I said.


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s something I only achieved a year ago and it¡¯s still not perfect. ¡°He said.


    ¡°Should I focus on that after I leave. ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Maybe in your spare time. Dual casting is incredibly useful, but you would be better served perfecting your current spell work.¡± Garret said in his lecturing voice.


    There was still some Ether leakage in my circuit when creating and channeling. So as much as I would love to dive into learning dual casing, his constant reminding of the importance of fundamentals calmed my ambitions, for now.


    8 days later I was alone in the forest as I practiced the radiant lance spell. All around me there were smoking holes through trees. On my final casting, I sustained the spell until I burned completely through the trunk of a tree. It slowly fell over with a loud crash. A smile came over my face as I had finally mastered the spell. At that and I headed back to Garrett¡¯s. It has been 4 days since I have completed training with him. Most of that time was spent refining my spellwork. Sten was due to arrive any day now and I couldn¡¯t wait to see how he and the others would react to my power.


    I came back to Garett¡¯s cottage. It was to be chicken for supper tonight and one of the chickens hasn¡¯t laid an egg in over a week so that means she was up for dinner. I grinned as I finally was able to test a theory I have been developing for the white ether. When viewing objects from within the ether living creatures like chickens for example had white ether flowing within them.


    I had been waiting for a chance to test if I could copy Argon the Defiler¡¯s tactic of pulling energy from the dead by instead using living creatures since that is the only place I can see the white ether. Garett and Lori headed into the village since a merchant was set to arrive today. So, this was a perfect opportunity.


    The pulse I felt when using ether is something elves are uniquely sensitive to. Human mages can feel it too only if the source of magic is large enough. I didn¡¯t want to risk him learning that I was a unique mage. Though I trusted him, there was no point in offering this information to Garrett without any benefit nor did I know if he would feel it in the ether if tried using it.


    Heading over to the coop I grabbed up said chicken. I turned my gaze into the ether looking at the struggling chicken as I held by the neck. I could see the white ether flowing inside of the creature. With excitement I focused on the white ether and tried to pull it into myself. There was little resistance at first but the hen¡¯s pitiful will was nowhere strong enough to resist me.


    In the space of a second, I ripped the very life from the creature. As the ether flowed into me it felt euphoric as I consumed its life. And almost as soon as it started its life was spent and the euphoria ended. The chicken hung limp in my hand completely dead. I looked at the other chickens tempted to try ripping more Life Ether, as I have taken to calling it, from them. However, a cooler head won out and I decided not to. I thought back to Garett. The Life Ether flowing through him was orders of magnitude greater than the chickens. How would that feel and how hard would it be to take it from him.


    Shaking my head I banished those thoughts. Looking at the other 8 chickens pecking at the ground another idea struck me. What if I gave it Life Ether instead of taking it. Excited, I grabbed up the first chicken I could get my hands on, noting the odd bald patch under its belly I turned my vision to the ether again. This time I focused on my own Life Ether and tried to force it into the creature. It took several tries as I instinctively didn¡¯t want to do it. This was probably because it was harmful to me. Instantly my mind was pummeled with information on the chicken¡¯s body. I could see its heart beating, its lungs taking in air, blood flowing through its veins, the egg being formed, it looked as if it was close to laying.


    I could actually see the Life Ether I provided slowly flowing through the creature and combining with the creature''s own. Eventually I started to get resistance as the Life Ether within it glowed even stronger. I was tempted to push through but if something happened to the chicken Garett would likely notice so for now, I decided to calm my need to experiment. As I dropped the chicken to the ground, it did an odd wiggle ruffling its feathers and began to peck at the ground as if nothing had happened. Taking the dead chicken, I had in my other hand I began to pluck its feathers preparing it for the cookpot. The entire time I kept my eyes focused on the chicken. Taking the Life Ether kills, so what exactly would giving it do?

 Book 1: Chapter 16: The Company Returns

    I watched the chicken for some time and other than being a bit more energetic than the others, there didn''t seem to be any significant changes. After I finished plucking the hen¡¯s feathers, I butchered it and tossed its entrails with the exception of its liver and heart into a pile of compost.


    I was about to give another chicken some more life Ether to see if I would notice any changes when a few words being carried by the wind along with the sounds of footsteps caught my attention. My ears twitched in response as I tried to determine how far they were.


    Guessing that they would be here in a few minutes, I washed my hands and tied my hair with a strip of cloth. I had undone the braids that Dena had made, and my hair was largely left to do what it wanted. Grabbing my sword, I strapped it around my waist. I have largely neglected my training with it, but it was better to have it, I assumed.


    Standing by the same window Lori peeped through, I watched as a group of people approached by the sound of a loud laugh, immediately I knew who they were. Eventually Sten, Garett, Sarah, and the rest of the company made their way towards the cottage. Lori was on Mikah''s shoulders and looked to be having fun pulling his hair. Bast the scared man was the only one that seemed significantly injured. His left arm was cradled in a sling. Looking at them closely I could see a number of them were in rough shape. Almost everyone had cuts, bruises, and damage to their armor. It must have been some fight; I went outside to greet them.


    ¡°Hoi Moon, aren''t you a sight for sore eyes.¡± Sten jubilantly shouted as soon as he saw me. He and the rest of the company came over to greet me and I shook hands and exchanged greetings with most.


    ¡°Gods you''re still as delicate as a flower. Garett, couldn''t you at least put some muscle on him. What are we going to do with him? ¡°Tanner said jokingly.


    It was actually incredibly difficult for elves to gain significant muscle mass. I could train for years with little change. At least that''s according to Garett.


    ¡°Oh, with his power, I''m sure you would find plenty of use for him. Bast let him heal you, this is as good a test as any.¡± Garett said.


    ¡°Hopefully, he''s as good as you say.¡± Bast said. He came over and slowly started removing the sling grunting from the pain.


    Bringing his arm over to me I gently removed his bandage from his bicep revealing a deep cut. It was probably deep enough that there was damage to the muscle. There was poorly done suture work and fortunately there didn''t seem to be any kind of infection.


    As soon as I began to cast the directed healing Sarah eyes became piercing clearly looking into the ether. Wanting to ensure that I impressed, I poured significant power into the healing. The soft green light glowed brightly as I began.


    The wound went through months of healing in the space of a few minutes the angry red wound completely healed, closed, and scarred over. I kept the light up longer than necessary to ensure that the damage to the muscle would also be healed. The entire company had come over to watch at this point.


    ¡°That should do it.¡± I said as I cut off the spell.


    Bast gave his arm a hesitant flex, then realizing that there was no pain, did an experimental air punch.


    ¡°Damn, magical healing is something else, my thanks¡± he said with a bow.


    ¡°As you can see, he''s quite adept.¡± Garett said to Sten, who had a giddy expression.


    ¡°Moon, could you look at this¡± Brandon said he had a small cut in his leg. It was so minor that it healed without a scar. Eventually, one after another, members of the company came over to get healing. Breala of course had cuts on her arms that looked mostly healed already.


    ¡°Healin¡¯s nice and all but I thought you''d actually teach him something impressive¡± Tanner said again.


    ¡°Well perhaps a demonstration is in order, what do you say Moon ¡°Garett said smugly.


    ¡°It would be proper to show my comrades what they¡¯re working with¡± I replied.


    We made our way into the forest until we reached a small clearing within the trees. I realized that Lilian was nowhere to be seen. I peered into the Ether and looked around. There was an odd void in the shape of a person that followed us. Smirking, I realized I could find Lilian any time I wished.


    ¡°What is the extent of his training?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Everything you can expect from an Adept light mage.¡± Garret answered.


    ¡°So much in a brief time. It seems your estimations were correct, Sten.¡± Sarah answered though she had a bit of doubt in her voice.


    ¡°How about we start off with the Shield spell? I doubt anything you try could get through it.¡± Garett said with an odd amount of competitiveness coming into his voice.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Sarah said.


    This was as good a test as any, so we stepped into the middle of the clearing with me standing in the center and Sarah close to the edge. The crest of the company stayed within the trees keeping a close watch.


    ¡°Summon up your shield Moon and we will see the extent of your abilities.¡± She said it with an air of dismissiveness. I knew the extent of my power so I had full confidence I could block anything she threw at me.


    ¡°As you wish Sarah. Don''t disappoint me.''


    I cast the shield spell with at least twice the power needed to block an overcharged fireball. There were some oohh''s and aahh''s as the 30-foot-wide shield sprang into life. It wasn''t necessary to make it so large, but I wanted the company to imagine themselves being protected by it.


    Sarah brought out her amplifier. I hoped I would get one for myself someday, but they were incredibly rare and purchasing one like Sarah¡¯s which apparently wasn''t even significantly powerful would cost thousands of gold. Even if I could afford that, finding someone to sell it to me is next to impossible without having the right connections.


    Sarah cast an overcharged firebolt at my shield; that was easily deflected. She then tried the same steam of fire spell I knew. It blasted out a code of flame so wide that it engulfed the entirety of the 30-foot shield. While I did feel a slight strain on the shield spell it was nowhere close to breaking. As the flame dissipated the ground around me was scorched with the exception of a 30-foot ring around me.


    ¡°Come now Sarah, I thought an adept fire mage would have more power than this.'' I teased.


    She smirked and began to charge the fireball. Garett had assured me several times that I would easily be able to block an overcharged fireball with this level of power in my shield. But a slightly paranoid part of myself prompted me to empower my shield even more. Anticipation built within me as her spell circuit glowed and angry red and lightning began to crackle off of it. I noticed that some of the other members of the company started to back away further into the forest.


    Then she fired.


    The massive pulse as she unleashed the spell was unmistakable. The ball of fire flew across the clearing and detonated as soon as it made contact with my shield. I was nearly brought to my knees by the massive amount of power that was drained from my shield due to the concussive force of the blast. For a few seconds, the only thing I could see was fire. Eventually the air started to clear, and I could finally see outside my shield. All around me was little more than blackened earth except for a 30-foot-wide circle of untouched grass.


    There were some shouts of approval as I was clearly unharmed by the explosion.


    ¡°Garett my friend you have done excellent work. Sarah, what do you think?¡± Sten said.


    ¡°His power is acceptable,¡± she said. That was likely as close to a compliment. As she would ever get.


    ¡°What about attack magic? The shields are nice and all but blowing stuff up is nicer.¡± Mikah said.


    Sarah responded before I could. ¡°Light mages are limited in their offensive ability; I assume you taught him basic offensive magic at least¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Of course, and a little bit more.¡± Garett said. He looked even more smug as he said this. There was definitely some competitiveness going on here. Is this some kind of common occurrence between different types of mages?


    ¡°Moon how about you demonstrate?¡± Garett asked, without breaking eye contact with Sarah.


    One after the other I went through the offensive spells I knew compared to Sarah''s they were not very impressive.


    Since Garett seemed to be having some competition with her, I put significant effort into Radiant Lance. I overcharged the spell to the point where the circuit almost became unstable. And then starting from my left I fired a blinding white ray of light into the forest. There was a loud roar of disintegrating bark as I walked the laser from left to right. As I moved my arm, hundreds of trees fell as the laser cut cleanly through bark as if cutting through butter. I finished the ark and stared in appreciation at my spell.


    My limbs were on the verge of becoming completely numb and could barely keep myself upright. Such was the level of power needed for that spell. I could only imagine what it would do to humans even if they were heavily armored, they would be little more than grass waiting to be trimmed when faced with that spell. I couldn''t stop a massive smile from forming on my face appreciating the devastation.


    I turned around to see their reactions. Before most were watching with fascination as if they were enjoying a good play. Now they looked at me with fear. Only Sarah Sten and Garett hid their expressions well, but I could still see it in their eyes. I wasn''t going to lie to myself. I thoroughly enjoyed their fear.


    Turning to the tanner I said. ¡°Well Tanner, what do you think? "


    I did my best to hide how truly exhausted I felt. I was tempted to force an invigorate on myself but abandoned that idea when I thought about the crash. The crash after the spell wore off was something I didn''t want to deal with.


    ¡°Ummm. That''s good¡­. Good job.¡± as her eyes didn''t look away from the devastation behind me.


    ¡°Well Sten, what do you have to say?¡± Garett said with an expectant look on his face. Sten put a fist on his heart then said.


    ¡°Your debt to me has been repaid now and forever.¡± Sten replied.


    A look of relief came over his face as whatever burdens the debt had on him was released. Garett came over to me and handed me a large brown leather satchel with a single buckle that held it closed.


    ¡°That contains all the essential medical supplies you would likely need for some time.¡±


    I Peered into the medical satchel there was more yarrow paste, bandages and other dressings, a few different ointments, salves, a splint as well as some suturing equipment.


    ¡°And take this¡± he said as he handed me an envelope sealed with wax.


    ¡°It''s a letter of recommendation if you ever decide to go to the Institute of Light Magic. Once you demonstrate your power and the fact that you''re an elf will likely have them begging you to join.¡± I placed the envelope in one of the many pockets that were inside the satchel.


    ¡°Thank you for teaching me debt or no debt, you have my gratitude.¡± I said, offering him a hand.


    Lori, who was standing close by, had a sad look on her face. ¡°Are you leaving Moon?¡± she asked, her large brown eyes somehow appearing even bigger.


    ¡°Yes, though I will miss you.¡± she actually gave me a hug that I returned.


    ¡°What are your plans for the future Sten? ¡°Garett aske.


    ¡°Hmmmm not sure yet there are a few contracts floating about that I¡¯m thinking about taking.¡± Sten said while rubbing his chin.


    ¡°With how much you taught Moon hells he might be the strongest light mage in the barony, this needs some consideration.¡±


    His estimation of my power while correct was more likely a result of their being so few mages, especially light mages, this far south in the empire. Sten was likely thinking of the best way to profit off of me.


    After some final goodbyes, the entire company headed back to the main road. Interestingly they were traveling in a large open carriage pulled by two horses. The entire company took a seat as we headed back to the Vernon Capitol. As we rolled along the road back to the capitol bypassing Vendel, I asked Breala.


    ¡°So, what happened you all looked like fresh hell.¡±


    ¡°The trip to the capitol went smoothly, but on our way back to Ruben with the baroness, we were attacked by a hoard of Luguar¡± she said.


    ¡°What in the world is a Luguar?¡± I asked.


    Mikah, who was sitting near the front of the carriage said.


    ¡°Weird scaly monsters, stands half again as tall as a man. damn dangerous.¡±


    Breala continued ¡°They live in the swamp¡¯s northeast of Ruben. The baroness wanted to get home faster, so we moved through their territory. In the night we were attacked and several of the servants were killed. Thanks to a warning from Lilian of the imminent attack we avoided many casualties.¡±


    ¡°What about the Baroness ¡°I asked.


    Breala sniffed in disgust. ¡°Her light mage put up a shield and her knights killed any that got close. Her fire mage didn''t even need to do anything. They just left us to fight them off. She didn¡¯t even leave her tent and the bodies of the dead were left behind.¡±


    ¡°How was the payment?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It was acceptable,¡± she said. She seemed to dislike the fact that the baroness¡¯s guards did little to safeguard the lives of their servants.


    Changing the subject she asked. ¡°How was your training with Garett? Is magic everything you thought it would be.¡±


    ¡°It was. I proved to be quite adept at magic and learned all he could teach me. Having such power at my fingertips is¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­strange.¡± I said that I cast the light orb spell and held it in my hand.


    The fact that I could likely kill most of the company with a single spell was an amusing thought. Armor, weapons, years of training dedicated to their swords, axes and spears would mean little. Only Sarah and Lilian would likely cause any problems for me. But it''s best that I don''t become too arrogant. I still need people to guard me when I sleep or defend me when exhausted.


    ¡°You will grow accustomed to it and most peasants will never be comfortable with the idea of a single person with the power to cause so much destruction.¡± Sarah said her gaze on the horizon. She, unlike the rest of the company, didn''t look like they were just fighting a war.


    ¡°They will simper, bow and cajole in the hopes that they will not raise your ire.¡±


    She did have a point, as terse as someone like Caan was. I''ve never seen him show so much as the smallest disrespect towards Sarah. The fear of immolation was likely enough to keep him docile.


    ¡°How does magic work? Sarah never answers our questions.¡± Tanner asked, butting into the conversation.


    Explaining magic to a normal person was almost like explaining color to a blind man. At least this is how Garett explained it. There was some truth to this since without seeing and touching the ether much of the explanation would fall on deaf ears.


    ¡°Ether is everywhere you just tell it what to do with spells¡± I explained simply. While casting an incredibly weak stream of fire. Tanner watched in fascination.


    ¡°Should ¡®a known id get the runaround. Why¡¯d I even ask? ¡°Tanner said mostly to herself.


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    ¡°Was it hard to learn?¡± Mikah asked.


    ¡°It was simultaneously more difficult and easier than I expected, ¡°I said.


    ¡°Moon, you turn into mage and suddenly stop make¡¯n sense,¡± Mikah said in much the same tone as Tanner.


    Explaining the intricacies of magic to individuals, half of which couldn''t even read, seemed like a waste of time to me.


    I shrugged then said. ¡°That¡¯s just how it is.¡±


    ¡°Still though that light you did was as impressive as Sarah fireball. I wonder which of you is stronger.¡± Mikah teased. While looking at Sarah.


    ¡°It''s called Radian Lance. Hopefully, we¡¯ll never have to find out. ¡°I said.


    ¡°Your shielding and healing was also impressive; I¡¯m sure Sten will want you contracted as soon as possible.¡± Breala added.


    Signing the contract with Sten at the Vernon capitol was a certainty at this point. According to Garett the terms Sten proposed in the contract was something most light mages would never agree to. Light mages can earn coins simply by working for some notable or some rich merchant; it was something he would personally never agree to.


    But my circumstances were unique, and he even admitted that training in magic is often priceless. His suggestion was just to spend those 3 years honing my skills and earning coin so in the future I can pursue my own path. Sten wasn''t a fool, and he wouldn''t want the contract to end on bad terms or with me dead.


    ¡°Do you intend to stay with us? You know you could leave and there would be nothing to stop you.¡± Breala asked.


    A few members of the company turned concerned glances my way. Apparently, they didn''t realize that I hadn¡¯t been contracted so I technically had no obligations to stay with them. I have long since made up my mind on the subject, so I said.


    ¡°Of course. Sten and I are going to head to the House of Law sometime soon.¡± A look of relief came over them and Breala had a soft smile on her face.


    ¡°Well let me be the first to say it.¡± Brandon said, as he stretched across the small gap between us and shook my hand.


    ¡°Welcome to the Bronze Spears.¡± he said with a large smile.


    ¡°Happy to be here,¡± I said, returning his smile.


    It took a few more hours until we reached the entrance to the city. The sun was still quite high in the sky and the streets were packed with stalls and people trying to sell their wares. Like last time one after the other the company dispersed after an agreement to meet at Grassy Grove in a few weeks. I didn¡¯t know where that was but I¡¯m sure I will find out eventually. Before we left Brandon came over to me and whispered.


    ¡°Hey Moon, you know that Invigorate spell, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± I said with suspicion in my voice.


    ¡°Could you cast it on me,¡± he asked.


    Remembering where he went the last time, we entered the city I said.


    ¡°Need a little boost for your ¡®Darlings¡¯,¡± Putting emphasis on darlings.


    ¡°See Moon, at least you understand me. Come on now, help a friend out.¡± I shrugged and cast the spell on him. A few of the passers-by jumped as the spell circuit popped into existence but since there was no violence being done, opted to give us a wide berth.


    ¡°Haaaaa '''' he said, shivering as his body was energized. It would last most of the day and he¡¯d crash in the morning.


    ¡°Hell¡¯s that is fantastic, I owe you one.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure you know about the crash after it wears off.¡± I warned him.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, it¡¯s not like I plan to do much tomorrow. You know, maybe you should come with me. I''m sure the girls would love you.¡± he said.


    ¡°Maybe some other time I will have some business with Sten.¡±


    ¡°You''re loss then. I''ll see you in a few weeks.¡± he left at the same moment, practically skipping towards Gardenia¡¯s.


    Everyone else cleared out and Sten and I headed towards the same inn as last time. As we walked, I asked him.


    ¡°Tell me Sten, do you know of any healing work I could do in the city While you all are on leave?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, you could help with the temples. They mostly help the poor so not much coin to be earned there. I know a tavern where plenty of mercenaries drink. They always need healing. Good coin there.¡±


    I didn''t want to waste time on the poor if there was no coin to be had, nor did I want to involve myself with more mercenaries.


    ¡°What about the guards around the city? I''m sure they wouldn''t mind having a light mage at their disposal.¡± I asked.


    ¡°That''s not a bad idea actually. They would have to pay out of their own pocket though. It costs a lot of coin for a light mage to heal them. There''s only two other light mages that I know of in the city, and they charge a hefty price.¡± he said.


    The price on healing is usually set according to the type of ailment. Cuts and lacerations would cost a few sterling. Wounds that needed constant healing over a period of hours or days required gold. Setting up a clinic that offers these services was one of the many ways light mages could earn coin.


    ¡°How about this, I offer them a discount for my services regardless of the type of healing. Something like half the going rate at a clinic. I''m sure they would come running, maybe stress that I''m some powerful elven light mage in your employ. That would do wonders for your reputation.¡± I said.


    A grin spread across his face as the idea began to take root. I presumed that having friends among the guard force of the city would be a boon to both of us. And combined with the potential for profit I was sure Sten would jump at the idea. Since this wasn''t contracted work all the coins would go to me.


    ¡°I have few friends amongst the guards. I know exactly how we should spin this.¡± he chuckled a little then said.


    ¡°Once it gets around that you''re as good as a court mage, your prices are low and you''re under my employ. The contracts will come rolling in; they''ll practically beg me to take them.¡± he said as that coin crazed expression I have come to know spread across his face. He looked at me then said.


    ¡°I think we will work well together, Moon.¡±


    Of that I had no doubt.


    The next morning Sten and I headed to the House of Law. It was a large stone building a few streets down from the inn. While we broke our fast Sten went over the details of the contract and produced a copy for me to go over.


    I read it thrice and found nothing that was not a pre-established agreement between us. We headed up the steps leading to the entrance. All around me were men and women dressed in fine clothing. Sten even bothered to wear a dark blue doublet and black pants.


    I felt slightly self-conscious of my own clothes. It''s been over two months since I had purchased them, and it was a testament to the tailors¡¯ skills that they still held together. However, the color was beginning to fade and here and there the fabric was fraying.


    We waited in a line to enter the building when we finally reached it. The armored man, who was checking each person entering, turned his attention to us and said.


    ¡°State your business.¡± By their voice, the armored man was actually a woman.


    Sten took the lead then said. ¡°Contract Ratification between Sten Barlow and Moon here.¡±


    ¡°An elf hm.¡± then she asked.


    ¡°What are you doing this far from Elven lands?¡±


    This was something Sten said would happen and we went over what I should say.


    ¡°I''m a Light Mage and I''ve been spending time seeing the empire. I''ve realized that I need some coin Sten here offered me a position in his mercenary company. I found his terms acceptable.¡±


    The moment I said that I was a light mage. her stormy demeanor softened a bit. ¡°Very well then proceed.¡±


    She lets us pass without another word. A small chuckle came from Sten then he said. ¡°Reminds me of when I brought Sarah here.¡±


    ¡°Just a mention of being a mage is enough to open doors?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That Radiant Lance. Imagine what kind of destruction you could cause within the city.¡± I thought back to the damage I had done in the forest.


    ¡°I could kill hundreds in moments.¡± I said, looking at my hands.


    ¡°Exactly that''s what most people think of mages. There has been many tales of a mage being angered by someone. It usually ends with a large amount of death and destruction.¡±


    ¡°What if someone pretends to be a mage to get their way. ¡°I asked.


    This time Sten barked out a laugh ¡°That¡¯s a good way to end up dead the mages like their power and hate sharing.¡±


    Inside there was a line of people all waiting to speak to a woman sitting behind a desk all around the large chamber, there were people sitting and waiting. Occasionally someone would come out of a side room and call out a number and head off into said room. Sten and I eventually reached the front of the line.


    ¡°Business?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°Contract ratification for Sten Barlow and Moon.¡± Sten repeated.


    She quickly wrote down a note and a younger girl came and took it. She handed us a slip of paper with the number 37 on it. We sat down and half an hour later an older man shouted.


    ¡±37¡±


    We got up and without a word we followed him into a room. From wall to wall there were books and he sat down behind a large desk.


    ¡°Hand me the contract,¡± he asked. He spent several minutes reading over the contract.


    ¡°Do all parties agree to the contract''s contents?¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Both Sten and I said. He then spent the next several minutes copying the contract word for word. His quill moved at incredible speed without a single mistake.


    ¡°Moon, stand there for a moment,¡± he said.


    Following his instructions I stood in the center of the room. Occasionally he would glance at me and write down something most likely taking down my description. He apparently didn''t need to do one for Sten. He then stamped Both copies and sealed it in a large envelope with wax.


    ¡°Your contract is officially ratified. The Moon the elven light mage is now officially contracted under the Mercenary company Bronze Spears owned by Sten Barlow of Vernon. Standard rule of contract breakage applies.¡± He sat down and signaled us to leave.


    ¡°That was fast¡± I said as we exited the building.


    ¡°They try to get people in and out as fast as possible. If a contract can be ratified on the spot they try not to waste time,¡± Sten said.


    ¡°Let''s head over to guard barracks. ¡°He said.


    We walked towards the main gate. Apparently, the large building close to the gate was actually the guard barracks. Sten and I munched on some skewed meat on sticks as we walked towards the main gate.


    ¡°Hoy Laron, lend me your ear.¡± As soon as Sten shouted this one of the guards who was giving a group of peasants the stink eye as they passed through the gate looked at us and shouted back.


    ¡°What do you want, Sten and what''s with the elf?¡± Laron asked as we approached him.


    We stood off to the side of the gate while he watched travelers enter the city.


    ¡°The elf here is Moon and he''s a light mage, a powerful one at that.¡± as soon as he said that Sten got Laron¡¯s full attention.


    ¡°And?¡± Laron asked.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s looking for work while my company is on leave. I''m sure there are many a guardsman who could use his help, ¡°Sten answered.


    ¡°What are his prices?¡± Laron askes suspiciously.


    ¡°Half the Standard rate at a clinic regardless of time spent healing,¡± Sten said.


    Laron looked incredulous. ¡°What''s the catch?¡± Before Sten could answer he looked at me and said.


    ¡°I want to hear it from you,¡± he said, locking eyes with me.


    ¡°I want to practice my skills on humans as I have recently contracted with the bronze Spears. Sten can attest to my abilities and if you wish to verify it for yourself, I will perform the first healing for no charge.¡± I said.


    He considered that for a moment then said. ¡°I''m off shift in an hour. Let''s meet at that tavern. I''ll see what the captain says.¡± he pointed to a tavern next to the guard¡¯s barracks.


    Sten and I went inside and sat by the bar. We both ordered a drink throwing down a few shillings as we each received a tankard. I got some odd glances from many of the off-duty guardsmen and women. But they seemed content to not bother with me. Laron returned over an hour later with a man dressed in pristine armor. Everyone who was calmly lounging sprang to their feet and saluted, crossing their hands across their chest. In a commanding voice he said.


    ¡°At ease¡±


    Everyone calmed down and went back to their drinks. He came over to us and said, ¡°Laron here says you are willing to offer your services for reasonable prices.¡±


    He completely ignored Sten and had his full focus on me.


    ¡°Yes, I''m sure your man has explained my terms. ¡°I stated.


    ¡°That he has if you would come with me, I will take you to our sick bay so your abilities can be verified. You said you will do this for no cost, correct.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is there any limitation on your healing ability,¡± he asked.


    ¡°So long as it is a physical ailment, healing them would be no problem.¡± I answered with confidence.


    ¡°Very well come with us, Sten your presence will not be required.¡± Sten looked like he didn''t want to leave but it''s not like I was defenseless.


    ¡°It''s fine to show me to your sick bay captain¡± I said.


    ¡°Captain Rodrick Heith, you may follow¡± the captain turned on his heel and started to leave.


    ¡°I''ll meet you at the inn later¡± I said to Sten, he gave me a nod and downed the rest of his drink.


    I followed the captain to the large stone barracks as we walked through the building. Men and a few women would stand in salute as the captain walked by eventually, we exited behind the building and entered a smaller wooden building behind the barracks. A woman greeted us outside the captain and said. ¡°Ho Captain Heith, what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°This elf here is a light mage. He has offered his services to us, and we wish to test his abilities, how is Derek¡± The captain said.


    ¡°He''s a bad way our medicant says he''s not much longer for the world.¡± the woman said a note of sadness appeared on her face.


    ¡°Perhaps I should take a look at him, ¡°I said.


    ¡°Can you save him, Sir mage.¡± The woman asked with hope in her voice.


    I needed these people to trust me and saving Derek will get me well on the way to that end.


    ¡°Rest assured there is nothing I cannot heal.¡± I said with confidence. While internally hoping I could heal whatever ails the man.


    ¡°Very well. Take us to Derek''''. The captain ordered.


    Inside the building there were rows upon rows of beds, a third of them occupied by someone. Some were awake and watched with fascination as the captain walked towards the back of the room with me in tow. We finally reached the end of the room. There was one bed closed off with a curtain. The woman drew back the curtain and my nose was assailed with a sickly-sweet stench along with the smell of ammonia and yarrow root.


    ¡°Examine him and give me your opinion.¡± The captain ordered.


    I went over to the brown-haired man. He was incredibly pale and looked to be shivering. There was a bead of sweat along his brow. He was bare chest with the exception of a bandaged wound. Since I was sure that there were no mages around, I put a finger on his forehead and channeled some life ether into him. Like with the chicken my mind was assailed with information about his body. From what I could tell he was stabbed the wound slightly punctured his stomach. A small amount of its contents leaked into his abdominal cavity and was causing an infection. There seems to be a drug in his system that keeps him unconscious since otherwise he would be in terrible pain. Sleep Shade is the only drug I knew of that medicants used for this.


    I gently removed the bandage to confirm what I saw in my mind''s eye. The stench of his infected wound was even worse.


    ¡°He was stabbed in the stomach. The wound was deep enough that it pierced his stomach lining. Its contents began to empty into his abdominal cavity and caused an infection. I imagine he must have been in terrible pain before you gave him the Sleep Shade. Your mendicant was right he does not have much longer to live as corruption has spread to his blood¡± I said in a matter-of-fact tone.


    At some point an old woman in a white uniform was watching me examine him.


    ¡°Morah is he correct?¡± The captain said to the woman.


    ¡°Yes, correct on all counts. Who are you.¡± she asked.


    ¡°If you would allow me captain, I will begin healing him and as I said I will not ask a price for this.¡± I said ignoring Morah¡¯s question.


    ¡°You may begin Morah, Quina monitor Derek¡¯s condition closely.¡±


    The 3 gave me some space when I began casting. First, I had to stamp out the infection in his blood, so I began casting the anti-corruption spell taught to me by Garrett. It had apparently been used for centuries and was a requirement to learn before becoming a Disciple light mage.


    I wanted to guarantee that it would work so I overcharged it to the maximum effectiveness my skill and affinity allowed. While my audience couldn''t feel the pulses in the ether there were nonetheless some sounds of surprise as the spell construct popped into existence and started to crackle with lightning.


    This level of power was likely not required for this, but I wanted to take no risks. A bright orange light bathed his entire body as I released the spell. For several minutes I kept it at that power. Slowly color started to return to his face and the swelling and the redness around the wound began to decrease significantly. I cut off the spell and placed a hand on his head. I examined his body with the light ether. The infection was almost entirely gone at this point, so I moved on to repairing the wound.


    I bathed him with an overcharged focused healing and the rest watched as slowly his wound began to heal, eventually closing completely and after a few minutes scarred over. I kept the light going long after his skin had scarred over so that his stomach had a chance to close the small wound. Examining him again I nodded in satisfaction as he was completely healed though he had lost a small amount of fat and muscle.


    ¡°He¡¯s healed; he was going to need some rest and a proper meal soon.¡± I turned around but everyone''s eyes were locked on the man that, only a few minutes before, was on the verge of death. Now he slept peacefully as the color returned to his face.


    ¡°Exceptional work, Moon I see Sten did not overestimate your abilities.¡± He reached into a pouch, pulled out a gelding and placed it in my hand.


    ¡°Magic sure is something.¡± the old woman said as she began removing the rest of Derek''s bandages. The lights and magic didn''t go unnoticed as some of the patients and most of the staff were watching.


    ¡°I did agree not to charge for this healing.¡± I said, looking at the coin.


    ¡°How much would they charge him at the clinic for this healing?¡± the captain asked.


    Given the massive amount of magic used it would likely be several golds. ¡°A few geldings perhaps.¡±


    ¡°A few Geldings? That''s robbery¡± Quina said in disgust.


    ¡°Matt, come over here.¡± one of the young men came. Over he had a bandage wrapped around his upper arm.


    ¡°How much would it cost to heal him?¡± I examined the wound then said,


    ¡°A 3 or 4 silver it¡¯s not very deep so it wouldn''t require much power.¡± As I said, I healed his wound, the process took only a few seconds.


    Matt flexed his arm and examined the thin scar left behind. ¡°Wow that is amazing thank you, How¡¯s Derek. he looked like fresh hell before.¡±


    Morah said. ¡°He looks good. better than good I think it safe to send him home as soon as he wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Take this as a down payment for everyone in this room. I want them in top shape. Morah, I want you to keep track of any of the staff Moon heals so we pay him fairly. He''s offering half priced healing with no overcharge for time spent so keep this in the books.¡± The captain said.


    ¡°For that matter I¡¯m willing to heal anyone so feel free to bring friends or family as long as that¡¯s ok with you captain.¡± The captain looked at me then said.


    ¡°My guardsmen get priority other than that. I''m fine with it, however it comes out of their own pockets.¡± With that the captain took his leave.


    Turning to Quina and Morah I pocketed the gelding then said, ¡°Well then, let''s begin.¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 17: The Next Contract

    Hours later Quina, Morah and I sat at the front desk of the sick bay eating a meal of thick stew with some hard bread. We had spent most of the day healing everyone in the sick bay. Once word got around that there was a talented Light Mage available at low cost, it didn¡¯t take long for people to come streaming in to get healed on a near constant basis.


    Eventually they started bringing in friends and families as per my recommendation. Anytime that happened, whoever brought them usually paid out of their own pocket for the healing or chose to have their pay docked. I had probably seen over a hundred people today, two thirds of them weren''t even guards.


    There were many tearful expressions of gratitude from guardsmen who brought their spouses or children to me to be healed. I never charged more than a few sterlings even with the more severe cases that required a lot of power. I was quite exhausted after an entire day casting.


    ¡°Can''t believe the sick bay is almost empty.¡± Quina said. While downing another spoon of her stew.


    ¡°It is really such a rare thing.¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s been years, there¡¯s always someone who needs our help and with our shoestring budget we can''t afford to get a mage too often¡± Morah answered.


    ¡°Well, I''m happy for the experience.¡±


    ¡°Are you not planning on staying on? I''m sure the captain would give you a permanent position. ¡°Quina asked.


    ¡°No, I''m on contract with a mercenary company. We''re on leave so I decided to spend the time healing.¡±


    ¡°That''s unfortunate, how much longer do you have on the contract? ¡±Morah asked.


    ¡°3 years, I signed it yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Well, if that isn''t unlucky, if the captain knew that there was a light mage who actually has reasonable prices he would have snatched you right up,¡± Morah said.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± Morah handed me a gelding and 20 sterling.


    ¡°Not bad for a day''s work¡± I said as I added it to my pouch.


    Morah had a smirk on her face as she said. ¡°I''m sure you could have earned 10 times that if you pushed.¡±


    ¡°The practice was far more valuable to me, besides you seem like decent people I couldn''t in good conscience gouge the prices¡±


    I wanted these people to consider me a friend. The more it spread through the city that Moon the Light Mage is a trusted friend and ally the better it would be for my plans. That was worth far more than the financial loss.


    A groan from down the hall grabbed our attention. It seemed the young man Derek had finally awoken. He got up stretched and made his way towards us occasionally giving confused glances at the empty beds.


    ¡°Welcome back to the land of the living Guardsman Derek.¡± Morah said when he finally reached us.


    ¡°Thanks. I''m a bit surprised that I''m not dead. Gut wounds don''t usually heal.¡± he said while rubbing the scar on his chest.


    ¡°And who is this lovely creature.¡± he said looking at me.


    ¡°That''s Moon, the light mage that saved your life, ¡°Quina said.


    ¡°An elven light mage this far south. That is strange. Regardless¡± he came over and stood in front of me and held out a hand.


    I stood up to shake it and to my surprise he turned my hand over and laid a gentle kiss on the back of it. The move was so unexpected I didn''t even have time to react.


    ¡°Madam Moon, thank you for the gift of life.¡± Derek said as soon as.


    This entire occurrence was unpleasant. I didn''t want to make a scene, so I tried to play off my revolution to his actions.


    ¡°You''re welcome, however I''m a male.¡± I said flatly.


    Quina burst out laughing at the instant drop in Derek¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Really?¡­¡­¡­¡­. I''ve heard that elves¡­¡­¡­. My apologies sir.¡± Derek scrambled for words.


    Mistaking me for a woman has been happening almost nonstop for the entire time I was here so Derek''s actions didn''t raise my heckels as much as it usually does.


    ¡°It''s fine, let''s just pretend like this never happened. ¡°I said not wanting to deal with this anymore.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Derek said.


    ¡°How did the captain afford this, by the way? I know healing me had to cost gold.¡± he said looking at Quina.


    ¡°Your healing was free. Moon here offered to heal you as proof of his abilities.¡± Morah said


    ¡°It seems I owe you thrice. Please, how can I repay this debt?¡±


    I was about to say leaving my presence would be a fantastic gift, but I had a better idea.


    ¡°I¡¯m in need of armor, something light that can deflect a blow and good for long travel. Do you know any reputable armors in the city?¡±


    ¡°Yes actually, I can make sure he gives you a proper discount. Will you be here tomorrow?¡± he said eagerly.


    ¡°I''ll be here every day for the next two or three weeks. How much does a set of good quality leather armor cost.¡±


    ¡°2 or 3 gelding, maybe 4 if you want the leather dyed and other decorations done.¡± I couldn''t care less about the decoration and dying.


    ¡°Dying and decorations are unnecessary. What I want is quality. How long would this order take?¡±


    He thought about it for a moment and said ¡°No more than a week and I assure you his work is exceptional. Just leave it to me, I¡¯ll arrange everything¡± he turned to leave then said.


    ¡°Thank you again for saving my life if you ever need anything feel free to call on me.¡± I nodded then he marched off.


    I sighed and went back to my food. ¡°That has to be annoying,¡± Quina said.


    ¡°It is but once it spreads that I¡¯m a male hopefully that will stop happening. I was close to immolating him.¡±


    Quina chucked then said. ¡°At least he didn''t propose marriage. Now that was funny.¡±


    The door for the back of the barracks opened and the captain walked out followed by 4 of his men. Two of which I healed earlier. Morah and Quina sat up and saluted the captain, I remained seated.


    ¡°You have done excellent work Moon, will you be available tomorrow?¡± he asked as soon as he approached us.


    ¡°If you would have me, yes, I was actually hoping I could do all my healing work from your sickbay. Your guardsmen would of course always have priority.¡± I said.


    ¡°Hmmm that is acceptable, but would you not prefer to have your own establishment.¡± The captain countered.


    ¡°You see, I''m under a contract with Sten and the bronze Spears so I can only spend time healing when we are on leave. I do not know the city nor the people I should and should not associate with. Your guards seem like good men and women so they could act as a filter for any¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­undesirables.¡±


    In reality I wanted to give the guards the power to control who would have access to my healing. I''m sure by now it''s spreading through the city that there is a light mage among the guards who performs healing for a fraction of the cost.


    I intend to create a symbiotic relationship between us. They would have the power to choose who gets healed. I would both earn coin, practice my magic and no doubt make myself an invaluable ally to the guards. Getting access to proper armor is only the beginning. Since I''m not under contract with them I''m sure they would do much to keep me on their side.


    If the captain is a man of any sense he can use me to his advantage in any number of ways. He nodded as no doubt that idea began to take root.


    ¡°This arrangement I believe could work and you have no problem with leaving the selection of people to be healed to us,¡± the captain asked.


    ¡°Certainly, as I said before my intention was largely to practice my healing and earn a little coin, who I heal matters little.¡± I said.


    ¡°Very well report back here tomorrow I''ll have clients for you.¡± He stepped in front of me and with the first smile I''ve seen on him then he said.


    ¡°Let us do good work together.¡±


    We shook hands in agreement.


    Over two weeks had passed since the first time I started working with the guards. Since then, I have earned over 8 Gelding. There was an initial boom of people coming to the guard. At first it was mostly guardsmen with their friends and families then the clients became random. An occasional street urchin. A man with more scars than Breala and one woman who was somehow haughtier than Sarah. I didn''t care enough to ask who they were so long as they paid.


    Once I made it clear to all my clients that I would under no circumstances reveal the details of their condition to anyone without their consent. I began to get more embarrassing and bizarre cases. These range from various STIs among the guards and one woman who apparently took some poorly made abortive potion and was having an allergic reaction. None of my healing could do anything for her so I just pumped a large amount of life ether into her and over the next few days she recovered. I felt tired and sluggish for hours afterwards but eventually my strength returned.


    Since I was earning more coin than expected I purchased a set of well-made leather armor. I wore a chainmail vest under the leather chest piece. I had bracers for both my arms and legs as well as a brand-new pair of hard leather boots.


    Feeling a bit of vain I decided to have the armorer dye the armor a dark purple. The dye itself cost an entire gelding since purple dye was rare. I paid a salon to braid my hair much in the same way Dena did. It would still make sense to cut it but a vain part of myself refused to.


    I had Sten come by the barracks to verify the armor''s quality before I finalized the purchase. He started to get friendly with some of the guardsmen, no doubt sniffing for coin. I also decided to pay for the room in the Inn in advance for the entire year. Now in full armor and with the medical satchel strapped over my shoulder. I headed to Grassy Grove where the rest of the company is set to meet today.


    Stan had finally chosen a contract and he was going to brief us on what our goal was. I walked into the tavern for the first time and as expected an elf in dark purple armor with white hair drew a lot of attention if there is one thing I¡¯ve learned is that simply walking into a place with confidence uncaring of the attention that I drew is enough for most people to decide its best to not bother me.


    A small table by the back seated most of the company. They were also fully armed and armored so most of the regular patrons stayed as far from them as possible.


    Tanner whistled at my approach. ¡°Well, don''t you look impressive,¡± she said as I took her seat. Lilian who was sitting at the far end of the table gave me a piercing stare that made me slightly uncomfortable.


    ¡°That''s damn fine armor, where did you get the coin for that?¡± Brandon asked.


    ¡°Oh, you haven''t heard, Moon here¡¯s been healin for the guards there''s a constant line to go see him¡± Tanner said amused.


    ¡°It''s been quite profitable, if a bit boring.¡± I said and signaled a bar maid to come over to order a drink.


    ¡°The color seems a bit much,¡± Mikah. Said.


    ¡°I''m a mage. I need to have a certain amount of gravitas. Besides it is not any more garish than Sarah¡¯s ¡±I countered.


    She wore the same dark red armor I saw on her the first time we met. At the same time Sten and Breala walked in. Sten stood at the head of the table then announced ¡°Good you''re all here. Now for the contract,¡± He brought out a piece of paper.


    ¡°There''s a group of bandits raiding shipments going North to the Suncrest barony.¡± Sten explained.


    Before he continued Caan said. ¡°Why is Vernon paying for this contract?¡±


    ¡°I was just getting to that. The attacks that have been within Vernon Borders so technically it''s the Barons problem.¡± He paused for a moment then continued.


    ¡°His shipments are always well guarded. How have they managed to get away with their lives? ¡°Sarah asked.


    That was a good question if there''s one thing I learned from the baron''s reputation is that he doesn¡¯t play around when it comes to coin.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°He sent 25 of his personal knights in full kit to guard his last shipment; 4 survived. They report that there was an earth mage among them¡± he said, dead serious.


    There were murmurs of concern as soon as he mentioned there was an earth mage among the bandits.


    ¡°How powerful is this image?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Based on the reports from the surviving guards the Baron and his advisors assume he''s at least journeyman ranked. They''re still trying to determine his identity.¡±


    That brought even more alarmed whispers at the man''s skill level. Sarah and I locked eyes for a moment, realizing that our success would mostly come down to us.


    ¡°The price is 15 Gelding a head.¡± Everyone stopped complaining at that announcement.


    ¡°15 Gelding?¡± Mikash said out loud, drawing some looks.


    That was likely enough gold to set someone up for life. Sarah and I would of course be getting more than 3 or 4 times that.


    ¡°Damn Sten, how did you negotiate that?¡± John asked.


    ¡°Everyone already knows that Sarah¡¯s a part of the company with Moon¡¯s reputation as a powerful Light Mage spreading, we could offer guarantees most companies couldn''t.¡± At the announcement that there was a significant amount of coin to be had their grumbling about the difficulty of the contract subsided.


    ¡°A carriage has been arranged to take us Crowsreach, from their it¡¯s a two day march to the location of the attacks.¡±


    Sten brought out a map showing the path we would travel. He pointed to the road leading north from Vernon until Crowsreach then there was a long road between two hills which was the fastest route to Suncrest Territory and the location of the attacks.


    It wasn''t as well traveled, so lacked consistent patrols to clear out bandits. There were many hills and steep cliffs that could be used for ambushes.


    After final discussions on travel arrangements, we packed our bags with supplies and made our way to the main gate. As soon as the guards spotted us, they cleared the path of any peasants.


    Laron, who was on duty, rushed over to me.


    ¡°Sir Mage.¡± he said, grabbing my attention.


    ¡°Laron, how do you do?¡±


    ¡°No complaints, the captain wanted to find out how long your contract would be.¡±


    It was 6 days of travel by carriage and another two by foot, so I said. ¡°Around 3 weeks, call it a month if we have any delays.¡±


    ¡°Ok Sir, if I¡¯m not on duty when you return, be sure to head over to the barracks. The captain wants to have a conversation with you. Good Hunting.¡±


    I gave him a wave and quickly got back into position.


    ¡°Do you know what the Guard Captain wants?¡± Breala asked.


    ¡°Hhmm Not sure, probably some more healing, I¡¯ll find out when I get back.¡±


    Outside there was a carriage waiting for us. A man I didn¡¯t recognize handed the reins to Sten and headed back into the city. We Headed down a road that wrapped around the city eventually leading north. As usual we set up camp to rest for the night Sten, who was familiar with horses fed and watered them. We had no watch rotation since these roads were exceptionally safe.


    I didn''t feel like sleeping so I walked around 50 feet away from the camp and started practicing some spells. Whenever I got the chance to try dual casting, I still haven''t been able to simultaneously cast two spells at the same time, but I was confident I would eventually master it. I sat cross legged on the grass enjoying the cool wind. I probably failed dozens of times at this point and was taking a moment to gather myself.


    I heard steps approaching from behind me and I turned around to see Lilian coming towards me. It was surprising she wasn''t using any stealth abilities. She sat down in front of me crossing her legs in much the same fashion I was sitting.


    We have had little communication, barring the few words necessary to carry out any tasks we were assigned. But now that we were alone, and the rest of the company was sleeping she seemed to want to talk.


    ¡°You have been practicing that for some time. What are you doing?¡± she said.


    With a sigh I said. ¡°I''m attempting to cast two spells simultaneously; it is quite difficult. Is there something you need from me? This requires focus.¡±


    She bit her lower lip then said. ¡°It would seem that my actions have caused you discomfort and this has given you reason to avoid me.¡±


    ¡°I simply have no interest in another lecture on how my actions are shameful for an elf. Do you intend to give me another.¡±


    ¡°No, I see that my words will have no effect on you.¡±


    ¡°Since you understand that, what did you want to talk to me about then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Your name is spreading Moon, there is talk among the city of a beautiful white hair and purple eyed elven man, with healing as powerful as a court mage. What you are doing is dangerous, ¡°she said.


    ¡°Oh, and what exactly am I doing? ¡°I was curious if I understood my end game.


    ¡°You are building influence among the humans using your power as leverage. I see how the guards show you deference. Some may think it is simply a result of your kindness and honor, but I can see that it is on purpose.¡± she said as she locked her green eyes with mine as if daring me to deny it.


    ¡°And what of it? I¡¯m a lone elf in the world, magical power alone isn''t enough to ensure my safety.¡± Said in response.


    ¡°The other elves will learn of you eventually; it could take months or years but they will.¡± she said in warning.


    ¡°Would they come so far from elven lands just for a royal elf?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Queen Sianna, as limited as her powerbase is, still has plenty of influence. If she were to start reproducing, the threat of her reigniting the royal line is something many elves will work to prevent. Other matriarchs will want you for themselves to add your strength to their bloodline.so yes they might¡± She explained.


    ¡°Among humans, magical power is not determined by birth; it is almost entirely random except amongst the oldest mage families; this is untrue for elves.¡± I wondered if it was something like that since Garett wasn''t entirely sure about it.


    ¡°The most powerful clans owe their magical power to small amounts of royal blood within their line. We do not have marriages like humans, we choose a mate for life and mates are usually chosen based on their power. Any elf that sees you can feel the command you have over the Ether. They would be desperate to add your blood to their line¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°Well, that does not bode well for my health since I have no interest in children.¡± I said.


    ¡°You do not wish to continue your line.¡± she asked as if that was the strangest thing she had ever heard.


    ¡°No, I genuinely don''t care about having any progeny. "I said.


    ¡°You are the strangest elf I¡¯ve ever met,¡± she said with bewilderment.


    ¡°You say the royal elves are the most powerful mages, how powerful is the queen compared to me.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps if there were 50 of you there would be a chance to beat her in magical combat. Queen Sienna''s control over the Ether is legendary. Though you have grown significantly for someone so young.¡± she added that last bit in some attempt to mollify me.


    ¡°How old do you think I am?¡± I wonder what age I would be relative to a human.


    ¡°Perhaps 30 summers your young but still very much an adult to our people if just barely.¡±


    It seems I have a significant amount of growing to do. At least I had some measure of how much power I would need to equal the greatest elf mages. The only question was how I could achieve this power. I doubt they would leave me alone. I had to gain enough power to dictate my own terms with them. I had no interest in becoming some breeding tool for some powerful elven woman. I shivered at that thought.


    ¡°Is there truly nothing I could offer you to return with me to the Queen?¡± she said, shaking me out of my thoughts.


    ¡°If ever see your queen it will be at a time of my choosing, under my terms. Now if you would be so kind as to leave me to my work.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Moon¡±


    She got up and left. I redoubled my training, determined to finally learn this skill.


    A few days later we finally reached Crowsreach. I wasn''t in the best mood since I continually failed in my pursuit to master dual casting. The plan was to stop for supplies and continue on to where the bandits were likely to be stationed.


    This place could barely be called a village; there were perhaps 2 dozen buildings. There wasn''t even a moron in their father¡¯s armor guarding the entrance. The villagers who were milling about scattered as our heavily armed company rolled into the main road.


    ¡°It''s not much of a village¡± I said, underwhelmed by what I saw. The people were dressed in what could barely be called homespun clothing. A rotund man in far better clothing approached us cautiously. Sten taking the lead said.


    ¡°Greetings, I presume you''re the headman.¡±


    The man said. ¡±Ahh yes, muh name¡¯s Granon, welcome to Crowspearch. I hope you''re not looking for trouble. ¡°he said meekly.


    ¡°Nooo my good man we¡¯re simply traveling though and hoped to take some supplies off your hand and leave our horses and carriage at a safe place for a few days¡±. Sten said in a disarming tone.


    At the mention of that the headman looked remarkably more excited.


    ¡°Well, that''s great we would be happy to have you. I might ask who you are.¡±


    ¡°My name is Sten, and this is my company, we have in our number a fire and light mage as well as 10 of the best warriors and trackers this side of the Yugar pass.¡±


    At the mention of mages he turned a touch paler. Glancing at the rest of us in the cart he then turned his attention to Sten. ¡°Please, it would be my pleasure to stable your horses while you have some rest and repast.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Sten said.


    We made a short trip to the center of the village where there stood a two-story house. It seems many of the villagers subsisted on farming and agriculture since behind most houses were animals and crops growing. The large carriage had to be left outside while a young man unsaddled the horses with Sten¡¯s permission.


    ¡°So, Sten, you said there was a light mage among you?¡± The headman asked him.


    The rest of the company began to unload packs and moved them into the small front yard.


    ¡°Yes, that would be the Moon there.¡± Sten said, pointing at me as I cast lighten on the packs to make it easier for the company to unload them.


    ¡°Well, you see my wife recently gave birth and has had a rough time recovering so I was curious if.¡± Sten cut him off then said. Sten gave me a look as if asking me permission, so I gave him a nod in return.


    ¡°Healing cost coin my good man and I''m sure you know a light mage''s work is not cheap. Perhaps we barter for a week''s worth of supplies and Moon here will see your wife.¡±


    While under contract I was essentially under Stens command the limits of this were defined in the contract so asking me to heal this woman was well within our agreements.


    ¡°What kind of supplies would you need?¡± the headman asked nervously.


    ¡°Some dried meat, grain for the horses, and hardtack for the road. I''ll take some dried soup if you have it.¡±


    We have enough supplies to last us longer than the estimated length of the contract. But at least we can indulge a bit instead of rationing our food.


    His face scrunched up as Sten listed all the supplies he wanted. Either this man was an exceptional miser, or this village was that poor. The headman finally said.


    ¡°It''s a deal.¡± Sten and Granon shook hands.


    Granon had a servant load the supplies onto the carriage and after that I was escorted by another servant into the house.


    Eventually he brought us to a room with a large 4 post bed in the corner. I drew back the curtains to see a brown-haired young woman sleeping soundly. Next to the bed was a well-made wooden crib with an infant wrapped in white blankets sleeping inside.


    Another young woman still stood beside me as I watched the girl sleep.


    And that''s what she was, a girl. There were laws within the empire prohibiting marriages this young. Apparently, some empress had the common sense to realize that girls that marry after their first bleeding have a higher chance of dying in childbirth.


    So, the minimum age for marriage was 16 summers. Though there weren''t any significant consequences so long as the girl didn''t die in childbirth in that case there might be a death sentence. This girl looked barely 13 or 14 and that was being generous. People living so far from any real law tended to not feel the need to follow them.


    ¡°Leave us.¡± I said to the servant.


    ¡°But sir mage the Headman said.¡±


    I just stared at her with a dead expression. This had worked many times in the past so barely a few seconds later she did a hasty curtsy and exited the room.


    I could hear her feet running down the hall likely to inform the Headman. I examined the girl with a little life ether. She was as I expected of someone giving birth so young she had significant injuries. She had significant damage to her uterine wall, a perineal tear and she was still losing blood. Focusing intently on repairing those injuries, I started to heal her.


    10 minutes later she woke up ¡°what¡­. Magic?¡±. She said I suppose anyone would be confused waking up to a spell circuit shining green light on them. I cut off the spell.


    ¡°Yes magic. How are you feeling?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ummm ok¡± she touched her lower abdomen.


    ¡°There''s almost no pain.¡±


    ¡°Good, that means I''m close to finishing.¡±


    ¡°What''s an elven mage doing this far south?¡± That was somehow a more pressing issue than what I was doing in her room.


    ¡°I''m a mercenary, my company is passing through then the headman bartered for my healing.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, what did that oaf end up trading away¡± she said as she sat up.


    ¡°A week''s supply of food for 12 people¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess that''s not so bad.¡±


    I''m not sure how I expected a young girl who just went through what seemed to be a difficult birth, to act but this certainly wasn''t it.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be done soon so stay still as I work. '''' As I said this a few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Both the girl and I said ¡°Enter.¡± at the same time.


    The servant from before and the headman walked in. ¡°Ah Sten said your work is exceptional, it was my error to doubt.¡±


    He walked towards us ¡°How are you feeling my dear, need anything more pillows perhaps a meal.¡±


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± she said with annoyance in her voice as he fussed over her. Since her healing was largely complete, I elected to leave the room. Not wanting to deal with this.


    The rest of the company sat in a circle in their yard eating what looked to be some stew. Honestly it seems as if all these people eat is stew. I was hungry so I decided to join them. There was a bowl covered with a white cloth that I assumed was for me.


    ¡°So how''s his wife?¡± Sten asked.


    ¡°I''ve healed her, she had a difficult birth so there was some tearing. For one so young, birth is not a thing to take likely."I said.


    ¡°For one so young? How old is she? " Tanner asked.


    ¡°13 or 14 summers maybe.¡±


    Tanner sniffed in disgust at that.


    ¡°These outer villages are always so barbaric¡± Tanner said, stuffing down another bride of the stew.


    I found the idea of bedding someone so young quite repulsive but there was little to be done about it. So far from the capitol there was little justice to be found except for the one you make for yourself. As much as I was repulsed by the marriage between a man in his late twenties and what was by any definition a child. I wasn¡¯t inclined to do anything about it, this contract was far more important.


    We left some time later; Sten was determined to make up for the time lost by stopping here. Before we left, I couldn''t help but notice the look of hate that came across Sarah¡¯s face as the Headman and Sten shook hands.


    We were a day into our journey, and I was able to get a few hours of sleep the night before. There was still at least another day and half of traveling before we would reach the sight of the latest attack. Sten being the experienced soldier that he was made sure we were constantly on guard.


    We passed through a canyon carved through the valley by some long dried up river. It was probably 30 feet wide and 50 deep. The sheer cliffs on each side were quite imposing. We walked along the river bed , our eyes trained on the sides of the canyon. Conversations were kept minimal.


    Since we were on a strict time schedule, we chose this route instead of the safer route that would add several days to our journey.


    The sun beat down constantly and occasionally one of the company would take a drink of their water as we marched. I was a bit disappointed we left our carriage behind, but the wheels would have long been destroyed in this rocky terrain.


    A pulse in the ether brought me out of my musing. At the same moment Lilian twitched and spun around to face me. There was only one thing that could be and since neither Sarah nor I were casting I screamed. ¡°SHIELD COVER.¡±. And as fast as I could I cast a shield around all of us.

 Book 1: Chapter 18: The Earth Mage

    My shield popped into existence an instant before a boulder the size of a carriage smashed into it with enough force that I almost lost control of the spell. The boulder practically disintegrated as its momentum was reduced to zero.


    While my mind was focused on controlling the spell Sten shouted.


    ¡°Ambush, Moon keep that shield up, Sarah, Brandon start taking pot shots at the ridge line the boulder came. Everyone, make for the exit of the Canyon¡±.


    Everyone burst into action heading for the exit of the canyon, careful to stay inside the shield.


    I couldn''t sustain much more than a slow jog as I focused on keeping the shield up. As we ran more and more boulders smashed into it. I glanced up to see the man casting the spell before ducking back into cover as Sarah and Brandon returned fire.


    Other than his bright red hair and black armor I couldn''t make out much. He cast another spell, this time a bolder rose from the ground next to him and splintered into hundreds of smaller rocks. Instantly the rocks were fired forward sounding as if a thousand whips were cracked at the same time. One part of my mind realized they had to have broken the sound barrier.


    The rocks smashed into my shield and the surrounding area, kicking up a large amount of dust as they destroyed the ground around us. The hundreds of supersonic rocks hitting my shield was enough to drive me to my knees from the strain of sustaining it.


    ¡°Come on, Moon, we''re almost to the exit. You can do it.¡± Breala said as she helped me back to my feet. Her normally stoic tone betrayed the fear she was feeling, since the only thing keeping us from certain death was my shield.


    The ridge line slowly sloped down eventually leveling out with the riverbed. While this was happening Brandon would poke his upper torso outside the shield for a second and fire. Hitting a target from low ground while moving and firing through a cloud of dust was enough to make the normally expert marksman constantly miss.


    Sarah would occasionally cast low powered fireballs up at the mage but being on the low ground made it difficult to aim. It was impossible to move a spell construct through the shield so she had to completely exit to fire up at the mage. As we neared the end of the canyon the bombardment finally ceased.


    ¡°Formations, keep a close and watch for the enemy¡±. Sten ordered. We immediately turned around and headed to where the mage and his group were but there was no one to be seen. They had likely rushed back into the hills since their ambush had failed.


    ¡°Lilian anything? ¡°Sten asked.


    Her eyes were trained on the surrounding woods as we approached the sight of the ambush. Her ears twitched as she tried to detect any sound.


    ¡°No, they''re gone. ¡°Lilian confirmed.


    ¡°Can I drop this shield now?¡± I asked.


    Sten nodded and I canceled the shield. I let out a long sigh and started to repeatedly clench my fists as the chill was starting to creep in.


    ¡°Good work on the Shield Moon. ¡° Sarah said, sounding sincere.


    ¡°Lilian, I want you to start tracking these bastards down, so we don''t get surprised again,¡± Sten ordered.


    He turned his attention to me. ¡°Moon, how much of your strength have you used up.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps two thirds I''ll need around 10 minutes to recover. ¡°I said.


    ¡°Alright everyone drop your packs, down some water and rations we move out in 10. Lilian, I want you to scout the area to make sure that we aren''t surprised. report back in 10.¡± She nodded in affirmation and dashed into the forest using her stealth abilities to disappear.


    ¡°Hells, I didn''t think they would come even further south.¡± Sten said, chastising himself.


    ¡°Don''t worry about it too much Sten, we all assumed they would be days away, but we survived.¡± John said.


    ¡°Thanks to Moon here, we didn''t all become paste. ¡°Tanner said as she slapped my back.


    ¡°Ain''t that the truth, if we don¡¯t die on this contract the first round¡¯s on me.¡± Mikah said, looking down at the devastation we escaped. Dozens of boulders littered the ground all the way to the exit.


    ¡°I for one will die old and fat not on this gods forsaken hill. When this is over Moon, I''m taking you to Gardenia¡¯s to celebrate, my treat. ¡°Brandon said.


    ¡°As long as you''re paying, ¡°I said. Sharing a smile with him.


    Lilian came back a few minutes later and started to give her report.


    ¡°They retreated a few leagues further into the forest. I put their number around 30.They are probably wearing the plate looted from the Baron''s last group since their impressions in the dirt were so deep. Their trial is easy to follow.¡±


    Sten brought out a map that showed the local area.


    ¡°So they likely headed in this direction¡± he said, using a finger to draw a path perpendicular to the canyon.


    ¡°There is a significant increase in incline a few minutes walk in, yet they maintained their pace. More than likely they are preparing a secondary ambush at the very least they are falling back to a position of Strength.¡± Sten said, rubbing his chin.


    ¡°Lilian, I want you to discover where they¡¯re setting up. Make sure you''re not detected. We will move into the forest and slowly follow their trail since they didn''t bother to mask their path.¡±


    ¡°It will be done.¡± Then she sprinted off into the forest masking her presence once again.


    ¡°Weapons out, keep your eyes and ears peeled Moon. I want your shield up at the slightest hint that someone is about to attack us.¡±


    We walked slowly following the obvious trail of stomped grass and broken leaves. Tensions were high as heads were on a constant swivel twitching at every animal cry or call of a bird. Our paranoia at being ambushed rose as if every tree would have a waiting enemy. 20 minutes of this and I was almost hoping we would be attacked since the tension was somehow more stressful than being bombarded by boulders. We followed the trail up the hill as the incline increased gradually to at least 30 degrees.


    Eventually there was a sound of Lilian clicking her tongue, meaning she was closed and wanted to stop for a report. She came out of nowhere and we all crouched around close to hear her report.


    ¡°They are a few minutes¡¯ walk ahead if we continue. The mage has walled off the area around a small plateau so we can¡¯t approach from the front. Since he has an excellent view, he can throw rocks down at us from his elevation. He has men standing on top of his fortifications likely looking out for us.¡±


    As she was talking, she was drawing out a crude dirt representation of the small plateau up ahead. The hill was quite tall so there had to be a break in the steep slope. If we were to approach from behind we would have to navigate up the hill then down a steep slope and somehow get past the fortification.


    ¡°How strong are the conjured stone walls?¡± Sten asked.


    ¡°They''re crude but they''re at least 5 paces across and 10 tall. It''s around 20 in the rear and thicker. ¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°Could you get through it with a fireball?¡± Sten asked Sarah.


    ¡°Yes but the power required would leave me effectively useless for the rest of the fight¡­..unless¡±. She said as she glanced at me.


    ¡°Unless I cast invigorate on you after you use it. Then you will completely crash when the spell wears off.¡±


    The crash afterwards would be severe. Using invigorate so soon after magical exhaustion would make her effectively useless for the next few days.


    ¡°Can you find us a path behind them since approaching from the front is certain death? ¡°Sten asked.


    ¡°I could,¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°Ok here''s the plan Sarah I want the single most powerful fireball you can muster hold nothing back when destroying that wall. Moon as soon as she fires the spell. I want you to cast invigorate on her.¡±


    Sten erased part of the wall then drew an arrow to the opening in the wall.


    ¡°Once we approach, Moon I want you to use your radiant lance to take out the people on the upper wall including the mage if you can. Then I want you to invigorate yourself and flash the opening. Assume the earth mage will try to respond so I want an immediate shield.¡±


    He then drew another arrow entering the opening. ¡°Since most of the men are within the wall, I want us to remain close to Moon so we can defend against the earth mage. With Sarah as fire support inside the shield we can quickly kill off the defenders.¡±


    ¡°Sarah and Brandon Once we have finished them off it''s going to be your job to take out the mage standing on the wall. It isn''t very tall so a massive cone of fire or an expert shot should take him out. ¡±.¡±All agreed?¡± Sten asked the entire company.


    ¡°Agreed¡± everyone said.


    Lilian led us around the makeshift stone fortification at a far enough distance to where we couldn''t be seen. We were higher up the hill to the point we were looking down at it. The small plateau couldn¡¯t be any more than a hundred feet across. We could spot figures upon the wall.


    We were well outside Sarah¡¯s range, so we had to slowly ascend the hill towards the taller back wall. Once we were within Sarah''s range of around 400 feet. Sten nodded to her.


    Using her amplifier she began to cast. Her spell circuit grew more and more saturated with Ether to the point where it began to crackle with red lightning. It grew even stronger still to the point where any further would likely lead to spell circuit destabilizing.


    Then she fired. The pulse in the ether felt almost physical as the unleashed the spell. The 20-foot wall was obliterated as it expanded into a hundred-foot ball of fire. Instantly I cast invigorate on Sarah.


    She went from pure exhaustion to brimming with energy in an instant.


    We sprinted down the hill to the base of the destroyed fortification. I charged my radiant lance and walked the beam along the top of the walls when I was in range. I hit the 4 that weren''t blown away in Sarah¡¯s blast, their bodies completely cut in half by the beam. Even that was a significant amount of power. At the opposite end of the circular wall the earth mage finally got his wits about him and began to launch boulders at us.


    There was still a lot of fire and dust from Sarah¡¯s blast, so he was firing blind.


    ¡°Secure the breach, don''t let them inside.¡± a man shouted.


    Once we reached the base of the wall, I spent a few seconds casting invigorate on myself. ¡°And overcharged the flash spell.¡±


    I immediately yelled ¡°FLASH¡± the company knew to close their eyes when I said this.


    There were some screams as the spell went off.


    I immediately summoned my shield as we crossed through the breach in the fortification. My shield was a much better target so the Earth mage on the wall started raining down boulders. It wasn''t enough to break my shield, so the rest of the company moved in. Only a few of the bandits were stunned. There were about 30 of them vs our twelve.


    We rushed in and the ones who weren''t blind immediately went on the attack. 20 men sprinted towards us. My shield allowed slow moving objects, so they passed through it and went into combat with the company.


    Sten took up the front line and with Breala and Caan to his left and right and started carving away at the bandits number. Tanner and John were in the rear to guard me. Sarah was close by expertly lobbying firebolts over the heads of our allies, peppering the enemies with fire and incinerating anyone who tried to flank us. Her ability to fire lob those in an ark was impressive. So I made a mental note to ask her if she can teach me.


    ¡°Kill the light mage you fools.¡± the earth mage on the wall shouted. He had a few archers next to him, but arrows would do little good against my shield.


    One after another the bandits started to fall. Their greater numbers meant little with Sarah as support. Whenever one tried to run around the front line they were hit by fire or pierced with an arrow. I put all my strength into maintaining the barrier as the earth mage pummeled it with spells. Men and women yelled and cursed as sword and spear met flesh and bone. Slowly we began to turn the tide.


    ¡°Aaaaahhhh¡±. John yelled next to me. To my horror a sword pierced directly though his breast plate and came out the back. No normal sword could ever do that, so it had to be enchanted.


    ¡°Enchanted blade¡± Sarah yelled as smothered the man in a cone of fire. Caan fell to the ground, the blade still buried in his chest. But none of us could spare him the time since we were still outnumbered by 3. The mage seeing this yelled in frustration ¡°Damn worthless fools.¡±


    A cold chill of fear ran down my spine as I watched him pull out an amplifier from a satchel. No one else seemed to notice him doing this so I yelled.


    ¡°Brandon Sarah, he has an amplifier. If my shield breaks you have to take him out or we''re all dead.¡±I practically screamed.


    A look of dread came over her face as she looked up at the mage. He was in the middle of casting a spell. My dread was rising as the power started to surpass even Sarah''s fireball. I didn¡¯t know what he was going to do but I knew it would be massive.


    Deciding to throw caution to the wind I poured every ounce of Ether I had into the shield. It glowed so bright that it was getting difficult to see outside. An instant later a spike of stone rocketed out from the ground at a low angle. The sound it made when it contacted my shield sounded like an oddly metallic explosion and caused my ears to ring. The spiked tip broke against my shield,but the sheer power of the spell nearly caused me to lose control.


    The rest of the company was still furiously battling with the remaining bandits. It was commendable that they were able to maintain focus on the fight while the mage hammered the shield. Another spike erupted from the ground striking the shield again. I reeled from the strike and still his spell didn''t end.


    ¡°Another strike like that and my shield is done for. When it goes down you two have to end him. ¡°Sarah and Brondon Nodded.


    A third spike rose from the ground and struck with even greater force than the first two. My shield shattered; I simply had nowhere near enough power to block the final spike.


    The spike went over our heads and pierced the partially destroyed wall behind us. The spell still wasn''t done. however, the mage in his overconfidence had left himself wide open and Brandon loosed an arrow.


    It struck true and managed to catch him in the upper chest in an exposed portion of his armor. It was enough to break his concentration. Seizing the opportunity Sarah instantly reacted and fired a spike of earth that erupted from the ground. Her aim was true as it had enough force to bury itself in the mage¡¯s chest.


    Stolen story; please report.


    The mage fell backwards while clutching the spike of earth. This was actually the first time I''ve ever seen Sarah use earth magic. The rest of the company fought furiously to finish off the rest of the bandits.


    Sarah and I threw small bolts of fire or light to help finish them off. Breala buried a sword into the chest of the final man and as soon as the fight finished, we rushed over to John.


    Immediately I placed a hand on his head and examined him. I knew instantly that there was no chance he would live. The sword pierced through his liver partially into his diagram. At some point the sword was pulled out and he was lying in a puddle of blood. Maybe if I was at full strength, I could heal him but I had barely 5% of my stamina left.


    I could see in the ether that his life was fading away. ¡°I can''t heal him, it pierced his liver and he''s lost too much blood.¡±.


    ¡°What no you can''t just give up on him like that I''ve seen you heal worse.¡± Sten said, his voice full of concern. He was partially correct. Sten did see me heal a guard who had a blade buried in his chest. But I pushed myself to near complete exhaustion and had to use invigorate to complete the healing.


    ¡°I just don''t have the stamina Sten, ¡°I said.


    John was barely clinging to life at this point and was gasping for air.


    ¡°What about invigorate? You can use that to get your stamina back.¡± Tanner pleaded. She had a nasty cut across her forehead that was bleeding into her eye. It looked as if she was crying blood.


    ¡°It loses effectiveness with repeated use. I would probably get half of it back and be unconscious for the next day or two. It still wouldn''t be anywhere close to enough to heal him. I''m sorry but there is nothing I can do. "I said, unwilling to meet her eyes.


    I was lying though, there was one thing I could do. In their rush to get to John some of the bandits were still clinging to life. I could rip the life from them to recover some of my stamina or even give that life to John. Unlike invigorate, this didn''t have any side effects.


    But to do this I would have to explain what I was doing and one look in the ether would be enough to tell him that I was not healing him the usual way. This would lead to questions that I did not want to answer.


    The fact that I was a unique mage would be known since I was using ether no one could see. How would Lilian react, or Sarah. Can I trust them to keep it a secret from those who would wish to exploit me. I couldn''t know. I took a deep breath as I resolved to let John die so I could keep my secret.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Tanner, save the Moon¡¯s healing for yourselves. ¡°John gasped out.


    ¡°Sten¡± he gasped out, ¡°You take care of Bennet and the boys you hear me.¡± he forced out through the pain.


    ¡°Of course, I''ll make sure of it,¡± Sten said, his voice full of grief.


    ¡°It was a hell of a fight¡± John said as his eyes started to lose focus.


    ¡°I''ll see you in the next life, my brother,¡± said. Sten.


    Mark, John, Mikah, Caan, Tanner, Breala , Brandon and even Sarah and Lilian repeated it.


    I kept silent.


    No one seemed to notice.


    ¡°I''ll-see you¡­¡­.¡± He tried to force it out but there was no strength left in him.


    I watched within the ether as his life faded into nothing. The white glow within him dimmed then flickered and then finally snuffed out like a candle.


    There was about a minute of silence before Sten said.


    ¡°Moon see to everyone¡¯s injuries. Those who don''t need it start looting, pick everything you can off that mage and bring his body. It''s Part of the contract.¡± Sten said, his eyes still locked on John.


    One by one I stitched bandaged and healed wounds. I didn''t have the power to heal them fully so I used just enough so that they wouldn''t get infected. Cann seemed to get lucky as his armor prevented the blade from peircing deep enough to hit anything important.


    30 minutes later the mage¡¯s body, the sword and everything else of value was brought into a small pile. Curiously, I picked up the amplifier. There was small staff similar to Sarah¡¯s if a bit more ostentatious. The gold and diamonds were a bit much for my taste. The bronze colored gem at the top glowed much brighter, likely meaning that it was far more powerful.


    I brought it over to Sarah who was taking a seat on a random boulder. ¡°What is something like this worth?¡±


    She took it and cast the same earth spell she used to kill the mage with the amplifier.


    ¡°It''s a 3 to 4 times amplifier, it''s worth thousands of golds¡± she said with wonder in her voice.


    ¡°There''s an empire seal on the bottom so this had to be issued by the Earth Magic Institute. This is a bad sign. What¡¯s some random earth mage doing so far south with such a treasure?¡± she said looking at the corpse said mage.


    ¡°That is the million-coin question. What do we even do with it and the blade? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Enchanted blades are worth their weight in gold, this seems to be made of Mithrite so it''s even more valuable.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°It would be best to turn them over to the Baron for a bounty. Trying to keep either of them would be a great way to end up dead. These belong to someone, and they are usually someone with power and influence. It''s best to keep your head down.¡± she said.


    I would be tempted if it was a light amplifier but I didn''t even know any earth spells so it was a shame we couldn''t even sell it.


    ¡°How did you get your amplifier since they''re so regulated?¡± said, taking a seat next to her.


    Either she was simply too tired to act her usual haughty self or the near-death experience was enough to get her to open up.


    ¡°It belonged to my great-great grandmother from my mother¡¯s line. It was passed down to the eldest daughter as a tradition until I received it. Fortune smiled on me since I turned out to be a fire mage¡± she said.


    ¡°Can I try it?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she said, sounding slightly indignant.


    ¡°The amplifier I was curious about how it works.¡± She looked hesitant and just sighed and handed it to me.


    ¡°Fine look at the base through the Ether instead of channeling directly into the spell circuit , channel it into that Mithrite Sigil. Then channel the output from the gem into your circuit.¡±


    Mithrite was a metal that conducts Ether, so I started to channel ether into the Mithrite. The Ether flowed through a complex web of Mithrite inside of the staff and then Fire attenuated Ether poured out of another Mithril sigil near the top. I could see that the gem was slowly losing power. I knew that these types of gems would slowly regain lost power.


    Immediately a stronger stream of Ether began to flow from another sigil made of Mithrite. If I had to guess it was about 75% stronger than what I supplied. Dismissing the Ether vision I tried casting the flame spell. It took a few tries to get a hang of it but I quickly understood it.


    The amplifier has a multiplicative effect on the ether up until it reaches a certain energy level. At that point it can no longer amplify and will simply act as a gate for the ether. Stronger Etheric Gems can have higher multipliers and higher maximum energy levels. For the earth mage¡¯s amplifier to be between 3 and 4. It is a wonder we didn''t die in the fight.


    ¡°I suppose the mage wanted to keep it a secret that he had the amplifier.¡± I said as I handed it back to her.


    ¡°That was my thought as well. If it gets out that he had it there would be a massive manhunt to find him, His sentence would be death along with anyone who helped him in acquiring the amplifier.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°I''m sure right now you''re imagining what you could do with an amplifier as powerful as this.¡± Sarah teased, she had a smile on her face as she said this.


    ¡°Was I being that obvious? ¡°I said, chagrined.


    She gave a slight chuckle and said ¡°No, your face rarely betrays your true feelings. I''m sure you only show us what you want us to see.¡±


    I suppose if there were anyone who could see through my mask it would be her.


    ¡°That''s what every mage thinks when they get close to a powerful amplifier, ¡®what could I do with that kind of power?¡¯ ¡±


    ¡°Damn Raichon to all the hells.¡± Sten said. As he read a scroll.


    ¡°What is it, Sten¡± Mark said as he came over to read the scroll.


    ¡°Oh that is bad,¡± Mark said.


    ¡°Well don''t leave us all in suspense,¡± Bast said.


    ¡°He was hired by the Baron of Suncrest to attack this trade route for what reason I''m not sure, but this could mean war.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°Why would he have something so incriminating on him¡± I asked,


    ¡°Insurance, that they don''t betray each other, those men were far too skilled for ordinary bandits. I''m guessing that they are the Suncrest¡¯s men. There''s been tension between them since Baron Veron married the Baroness. There are rumors that he stole her hand away from him.¡± Sten explained.


    ¡°Well shit. What did we get ourselves into?¡± Tanner said.


    ¡°Nothing, we get our coin rest for a few weeks then we wait and see, ¡°Sten said.


    Lilian who left to scout the area earlier returned then said. ¡°I¡¯ve found their camp on the far side of the hill. There are 10 horses and a two-horse carriage; it''s only a 20-minute walk.¡±


    Sten brought out his map then Lilian pointed out its approximate location. ¡°So, we could make for their camp and take their horses. We would be able to reach Crowsrest before nightfall.¡±


    ¡°Everyone you heard the plan Breala take the mages body I¡¯ll carry John everyone else gather up the loot we make for camp double pace.¡±


    It didn''t take long to find their camp nestled in a small clearing in the thick forest at the base of the hill. As Lilian said, there were horses that members of the company started to mount. The carriage was loaded with all the loot from various pieces of armor, weapons, some gold and silver pieces as well as John''s body. Most importantly the amplifier and the enchanted blade.


    We arrived at Crowsreach long enough to saddle our previous carriage and we headed to the Capitol. By that time the invigorate Sarah and I had worn off and we began to crash. Only the two of us sat in the second carriage driven by mark. We were largely boneless from the exhaustion. My limbs felt like lead and my mind was in a haze. Glazing over to Sarah I saw that she was in the same state that I was.


    It was slightly amusing watching a woman, who normally maintains strict etiquette in all things, sprawled out on the bench, limbs spread out as if she was a drunken sailor sleeping off a bender.


    Eventually we fell asleep. I almost snapped at Breala for waking me up to bed for the night. I forced down some dried meat and water and collapsed into my bed roll. This continued for two more days until we arrived at the city gate Sten ran the horses ragged as we tried to make for the capitol as fast as possible.


    We had barely 4 hours of sleep a night. I understood his reasoning and even agreed with them. But each time I awoke from sleep my mind went to violence.


    We finally reached the city gate, the guard who was checking travelers spotted us and ushered us forward.


    ¡°Sir mage I was told to look out for you. The captain said he wished to speak to you.¡± said a man I''ve never seen before.


    I genuinely considered killing the man. I spent much of the final day, dreaming about a good meal and my bed. I was so excited by that idea that I had completely forgotten about the captain and his request for a meeting. It must have shown on my mace since the man started to back away in fear.


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡­¡­I could tell the captain that your contract was rough and needed rest.¡± the guards practically pleaded.


    I hopped off the carriage and went over to Sten and whispered. ¡°If the captain asks about the contract, what should I leave out?¡±


    Sten considered this then said. ¡°Just leave out the connection with Suncrest; everything else will come out with time. You shouldn''t miss a meeting with the captain, I''ll get your coin sorted out.¡±


    With that assurance I approached the guardsman. ¡°It''s fine, guardsman take to your Captain.¡±


    He signaled to another guard, and they carved a path through the crowd to the barracks.


    We went up several flights of stairs until we reached a large office. The captain sat behind the large desk in his full armor.


    ¡°Ah Moon, good to see you have completed your contact, A journeyman mage is nothing to scoff at, please sit¡±. He said.


    ¡°Indeed. it became quite a fight when he started using an amplifier.¡±


    ¡°Really? It must have been some battle¡± he said with genuine surprise in his voice.


    ¡°It was a 3- or 4-times amplifier. With an imperial seal¡± I said his surprise turned into concern.


    ¡°How does a bandit get access to such an item and where is it?¡±.


    ¡°We''re not sure how he got his hands on one and we planned on turning the amplifier and the enchanted Mithrite sword to the Baron. We also brought the mage''s body.¡± I said slumping in my chair.


    ¡°Hmmmm. '''' she seemed to digest the information. As if noticing my exhausted state for the first time, he said


    ¡°Are you well you''re somehow paler than usual.¡±


    ¡°Invigorate along with not enough sleep to properly recover¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah I see well I thank you for making the time, ¡±he said


    ¡°I can be brief with my request. I want you to move your healing works to an outward facing clinic sponsored by the guards. This will be for more mundane healing and not magical Morah and Quina mentioned to me your medicant knowledge is sometimes as impressive as your magic. I have some recruits and staff I would like you help to train.¡±


    ¡°Setting up a clinic and staffing it is not cheap. Can the guard even afford that?¡±


    ¡°We''ve come into some sponsorship from people who value the guards force of late¡± he said. It had to be from him to leverage my healing.


    ¡°No need to be coy Captain, I fully expected you to profit.¡± I said a bit of humor in my voice.


    ¡°Well thank you for being economical. Now do get some rest Moon, we can discuss the specifics in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Captain¡± I said as I went to leave.


    I walked through the door to the inn and said to the young man waiting at the front desk.


    ¡°Get me food with a lot of meat as well as a bath, is Sten here?¡±


    ¡°No Sir mage, Sten is not here. Ummmmm what would you like to eat.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care, simply bring it to my room. Get someone to clean this armor¡± I tossed some silvers on the desk and headed to my room.


    I went to my room unarmored and had a bath. After a large meal of roasted pork and a fantastic pastry stuffed with meat and cheese, I was full to the point of bursting. As soon as I finished, I went to sleep in nothing but my small clothes. I managed to sleep for an entire day and only nature''s call was able to motivate me to leave the bed.


    Sten came by at some point during the night and left a pouch filled with 87 Gelding. I was largely insensate, so I just thanked him and threw it into the nightstand. I still wasn¡¯t sure what he did with John''s body, the rest of the loot and the horses but I¡¯m sure I would figure that out and at some point.


    It was late in the evening, and I wasn''t going to see the guard captain until tomorrow, so I had nothing to do. I considered practicing some magic but had little motivation at the moment.


    I am not sure why I feel so melancholy. I had, sitting on my nightstand, what most people would consider a fortune. I have considerable magical power that is growing each day. Yet I felt so unsatisfied.


    The fight with the mage had brought to light how easily I could have died. And the idea of dying without finding out any of the mysteries of my own existence was infuriating. It was largely luck that Brandon was able to stop the mage¡¯s spell and even more luck that Sarah managed to finish him off before he could recover and attack again. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to rely on luck if I ever get into that situation again.


    That means I have to significantly increase my power. I had little chance of finding an amplifier .Day by day I have come closer to successfully dual casting but that is not as much of a significant increase in my power as I would like. I wasn''t going to join a magical institute or go to the elves so that leaves my life Ether.


    I''ve only ever absorbed the life of small creatures whose life Ether did little more than give me a slightly energized feeling. I need creatures with significant life ether to consume. That would have to be some kind of sentient being. But I couldn''t just start randomly consuming life, people would surely notice. I need to find people whose disappearances wouldn''t matter.


    Bandits, almost no one would care if they disappeared, I just need to find an area that¡¯s riddled with them. The outskirts of Vernon should probably suffice; perhaps some of the guards or Sten would have an idea. I''ve only given people a small trickle of Ether with the exception of the woman who was having the reaction to the abortive. She just seemed quite healthy afterwards.


    What would happen to me if I consumed several lives? Did I like the chicken, have a limit? What would happen if I forced more of it into myself than I could hold?


    My thoughts eventually drifted to John. I wasn''t close to the man, and I wasn''t exactly grieving for him. But part of me wonders what the company would have thought if they knew there was a chance I could have saved him but decided my secrets were more important than his life.


    They already consider me an invaluable ally to have. I doubt that sentiment would last if they ever found out about my other abilities. Would Tanner still joke and tease me? Will Sten still look out for me? Would Lilian try even harder to get me to return to elven lands?


    I thought of the lives that I have taken, The men severed in half by my radiant lance. Should I feel something at their deaths? The rest of the company were as businesslike in their killing and looting as they were with the goblins, so I suppose I¡¯m not unusual in that respect.


    The honorable thing to do was to sacrifice my secret to save his life. The idea of sacrificing myself for others was repulsive. Yet why do I feel regret?


    ¡°Enough¡± I said into the empty room stomping down on my feelings. It was pathetic that I was like this after only one contract.


    The Bronze Spears were only ever a stepping stone for me. In the end my life is the only one that should matter.


    I will learn dual casting, explore Life Ether and move on once my contract ends. My first and only priority should be gaining power. Power so great that most wouldn''t dare to challenge me.


    Power that kings and queens would beg and barter and cajole to have on their side. Indulging in the inane act of caring for others above myself will only lead me to failure. As far as I¡¯m concerned, honor only means something to dead men.


    Motivation returned to me, so I spent the rest of the evening practicing dual casting. At this point I had the two spell circuits fully formed but not as of yet stabilized but any progress is progress.


    A knock at my door caught my attention.


    ¡°Enter,¡± I yelled.


    A young female servant opened the doors and said.


    ¡°Mi lord there''s a Brandon here to see you he said that he''s here to fulfill a promise.¡±


    Brandon did say he would treat me to a night at Gardenia¡¯s. That would be a welcome distraction after hours of practice.


    ¡°Tell him I¡¯ll be down in a moment.¡±


    The girl closed the door, and I dressed in a rather stylish purple tunic and trousers.


    I had ordered several well-made suits of clothing during my time with the guards. I dressed, prepared myself to go out and wondered what exactly a brothel was like.

 Book 1: Chapter 19: The Madam

    Brandon and I walked along what was famously called the red district within the lower city. Since most vices were banned within the upper city, where most of the wealthy merchants and nobility lived, if wealthy men and women wanted to participate in gambling, prostitution, or any other shameful act that the temples would disapprove of they would have to come to the red district.


    The baron didn¡¯t care what anyone but himself thought about things so it would not be uncommon for him to send for several whores for his personal entertainment. Apparently, any time his people came to pick up some women there would be some competition to see who can go see the Baron. He is a man that loves to spend coin as much as loves making them. So, there was plenty of profit to be made.


    Brandon relayed these salacious rumors to me as we walked towards Gardenia¡¯s. We passed gambling houses and groups of people betting on street fights. Women in scantily clad clothing and heavy makeup stood outside of whore houses tempting passersby to enter. Eventually we stopped in front of the most ostentatious building I''ve seen so far in the red district.


    There were no women outside offering their services as I expected. Standing guard in front of the large door were two of the largest men I''ve ever seen, even taller than Breala who stood over a head taller than me.


    ¡°Nor, Ven how are you on this fine evening.¡± Brandon said as he approached them with a broad smile.


    The two men seemed to recognize Brandon but didn''t seem to care much for his arrival; their faces grew even more grim.


    ¡°You better have the coin on you this time else you''re not gettin in.¡± he said in a deep voice.


    Brandon grinned showing his straight white teeth and sapped his coin purse. It jingled clearly heavy with coin.


    He took two sterling out and handed one to each man. They pocketed it and said ¡°Alright you''re free to go in.¡±


    They turned their gazes to me and looked me up and down as if searching for something to make a fuss about.


    ¡°What some elven lady doing this far south hmm. Come to work for Madam Gardenia.¡± he said with mockery in his voice.


    ¡°I knew I''d like to have a round.¡± The man on the right said.


    They took a step closer perhaps in some attempt at intimidation. This at least I knew to be largely false on their side. Brandon mentioned that the guards outside would do this to anyone they didn''t recognize trying to enter.


    This ensured that they behaved themselves and had to coin to pay for the services inside. His advice was to weather the storm and simply hand them a sterling after that they would be as docile as lambs.


    I held my palm forward at them and began to cast a fire spell. As soon as the circuit popped into existence they jumped back in fear. I overcharged it to the point it neared being unstable. That was enough to garner the attention of many passersby.


    The two guards looked as white as sheets and backed away from the spell circuit in fear.


    ¡°My apologies sir mage were just making sure that you''re not going to cause trouble and had the coin. Weren''t nothing going to be done to yuh swear on Richon.¡± he said as his back met the door.


    ¡°Yeah true true this is just a job¡± the other man said.


    I had zero intention to actually kill them but far too many people were giving me looks as I walked along the streets, so this was as much of an excuse as any to show off a bit of power. Hopefully that spreads and I don''t have to deal with any idiots.


    ¡°Very well.¡± I said as I dismissed the spell.


    The look of relief that came over them was palpable. I pulled out 4 silvers and handed two to each man. They accepted them with as deep a bow as their armor allowed. It had to be more than 90 degrees.


    ¡°Have a good time at Gardenia¡¯s.¡± they both said.


    ¡°For a moment I thought you were actually going to kill them, ¡°Brandon said as the guards let us inside.


    ¡°They smartened up in the end.¡±


    The room was by far the most opulent place I have been to thus far. All around men in fine clothing were being tended to by scantily clad women whose outfits left nothing to the imagination.


    Serving girls brought drinks and women on their arms or laps would laugh as they filled their cups with wine. Every man from young and baby faced to men to old and graying seemed to be wearing their best. There was a musician playing what looked like a harp in a simple tune that added to the atmosphere.


    The men gave up their coins as if possessed. Occasionally one of the women would escort a man upstairs no doubt to extract more coin from him.


    ¡°Ah Brandon, so nice of you to come and visit us and who is this sweet thing.¡± A woman with brown hair and green eyes depressed as scantily as the rest came over to greet us and lead us to a private booth. There were dozens of them and there was even a curtain that could be pulled for privacy.


    ¡°He¡¯s Moon, the newest member of the Bronze Spears.¡± Brandon said.


    ¡°He¡¯s a light mage.¡± he whispered conspiratorially but I''m sure half the tavern heard him.


    ¡°Oh, how exciting an elven light mage I¡¯m sure the girls will be dying to get a crack at him.¡± She


    said.


    We took a seat on the lush red padded benches and she said. ¡°What will you boys be drinking?¡±


    ¡°A bottle of Thesian Red for us.¡± Brandon said as he dropped 10 silvers on the table.


    ¡°Excellent choice should I fetch Elen for you. She''s not occupied at the moment.¡±


    A grin spread over his face as he said. ¡°Oh, please yes I¡¯ve been dying to see her.¡±


    ¡°And what about you Moon any girl caught your eye.¡± she said this in a sultry tone that I was sure meant as an invitation. She leaned over the table to pick up Brandon¡¯s coin. I couldn''t stop my eyes from dropping. Her assets were quite lovely.


    I was about to ask her to join us at the table when a voice from behind her interrupted my thoughts.


    ¡°Come now Tina at least give the other girls a chance.¡± as two blonde-haired women stood behind her. At first glance I thought they were twins but upon closer inspection I realized that they simply looked similar. The fact that they were of similar builds and wore the same green dress helped the illusion. Regardless, I was interested in both.


    ¡°Mind if we join you, we''ve never seen an elf before.¡± The one on the left asked.


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    The two women joined us and the woman who was advertising her assets to me saw that I was distracted by the pretend twins left in a huff to get our drinks. After shuffling around they sat on my left and right.


    ¡°So, what are your names? ¡°I asked them.


    ¡°Ruby,¡± The one on the left said.


    ¡°Sapphire¡± said the one on the right.


    I almost rolled my eyes at how ridiculous the names were.


    ¡°And yours mi lord¡± Ruby said if I didn''t know that she was a prostitute I might have been fooled by that innocent expression. Regardless, I was here to have a good time, so I played along.


    ¡°Moon.¡± I said.


    ¡°Moon¡± she said as if savoring the name on her tongue.


    ¡°I suppose it fits. I''ve never seen anyone like you before¡± she said as she started caressing my hair.


    ¡°There is no one like me,¡± I said.


    ¡°That I believe I mean look at his eyes. I could get lost in them,¡± Sapphire said.


    This went back and forth for some time. Constant touches and caresses complimenting my hair, skin, eyes, fingers,mouth the flattery seemed unending. I eventually started to cast magic for them, their hands clapping giddily as I performed simple magic for them. That drew the attention of some of the other customers as there were several floating balls of light illuminating our table. But those with


    ¡°Elen my love.¡± Brandon said as a woman in a dark red dress approached.


    She was all curves, and her hair was such a light shade of red she looked as if her head was on fire. She joined us at the table and gave Brandon a kiss on the cheek.


    ¡°Brandon darling you have been gone too long I¡¯ve missed you.¡± Elen said.


    She glanced over at ruby and sapphire and said. ¡°Figured you two would try to take the elf for yourselves.¡±


    The 5 of us spent the next hour or so talking and drinking. It was a slightly strange experience. I both understood the game the girls were playing with me and did care that it was working on me. They would listen to Brandons tales of our battles in rapped attention, eyes glittering at every detail. They would ask for more demonstrations of magic giggling excitedly as I released a small cone of flame into the air.


    Some of their questions, however, were beginning to raise my suspicion. Some were too pointed, like asking me about how fast I could cast or how many attenuations I could use, what clan I belong to.


    No normal peasant would use the word attenuation or understand elven society. According to them they have never even met an elf before. Being 3 in bottles certainly didn''t help my mental faculties so perhaps I was being paranoid.


    Eventually the girls invited her to their bed for the night. They had been teasing me constantly, so I jumped at the opportunity. Apparently the going rate for them was 40 sterling for the night Garret tossed me a Gelding and wished me luck. That price seemed ridiculous but at this point I was so inebriated that anything they said I took as gospel. They finally managed to drag me upstairs after I handed a woman in a formal black gown the gelding.


    Ruby and Sapphire were certainly worth every coin.


    I woke up a few hours later, limbs tangled with the two women and clothes were thrown about the room. The sun had just barely started to rise, and the thick sheets were uncomfortably hot when sharing it with 3 bodies.


    There were certainly some grumbles as I disturbed their sleep but they didn''t seem keen to rise. I was slightly jealous of their ability to sleep for an entire night. We were in a large room with nothing but an opulent bed and some decorative furniture. I gathered my clothes and dressed. I admired their nude forms for a moment and then turned to leave.


    I did have enough wit in my head to give them a quick examination to ensure that I wasn''t going to catch anything. At the very least I would have to worry about siring any bastard children since the chance of them getting pregnant is so low. I''m sure working girls probably had a solution to that. There were many forms of contraceptives sold at an apothecary and some of them actually worked.


    I headed downstairs still marveling at the fact that I did have any kind of hangover from last night¡¯s drinking. It probably has something to do with elven physiology, but I had no real way of figuring out how that mechanism worked. The main room is almost empty. A stark contrast from last night where each chair and booth was filled. There were a few women in uniforms sweeping floors and wiping down tables. I decided to leave before a voice stopped me.


    ¡°Moon if you would spare me a moment.¡± A husky voice from behind me said. I turned around to see a tall woman in a deep brown dress. Her lovely face and the thin sliver of gray in her hair jolted my memory. She was the woman I paid for Ruby and Sapphire''s company. I had a sneaking suspicion who this was.


    ¡°Madam Gardenia, I take it ¡°I said.


    ¡°The one and only If you would join me in my office.¡±


    I would rather have washed the scent of sex and alcohol off me, but I wouldn¡¯t want to miss the opportunity of making a friend like her.


    She took me to her small office and took a seat behind the desk. I sat in a chair in front of her.


    ¡°I''m surprised you¡¯re up and about so early most of Ruby and Sapphire clients can barely walk the next morning. Perhaps they are out of practice.¡±


    ¡°I assure you they earned every sterling. Elves just don¡¯t need as much sleep as humans.¡±


    ¡°Really¡± she said, sounding genuinely interested.


    ¡°I can actually go almost a week without sleep. However, I enjoy taking a few hours out of the day to rest.¡±


    ¡°That does sound useful¡± she sounded almost jealous.


    ¡°What did you want to speak to me about?¡± I said, cutting through the pleasantries.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°I simply wish to know the elf behind so much gossip.¡± she said innocently.


    ¡°And what have you and your girls learned about me so far? I very much doubt Brandon has been as closed-mouthed as I would like him to be.¡± I said this almost accusingly.


    ¡°Ah Brandon he did reveal much about you to Lena though I¡¯m sure not many people know you have no personal memories except for your medicant skills. And the fact that your skill in magic is a recent occurrence I don''t know who trained you but I¡¯m sure it has something to do with Sten. Information is my business as much as flesh.¡±


    She was certainly laying everything out straight. Most people assume that my ignorance of certain things is simply due to me being an elf and not used to human society. Having such a weakness widely known is not something I want.


    ¡°And what do you plan to do with this information?¡± I said this pleasantly but in reality, if she dared to try to blackmail me, sold this information for profit or tried to leverage it to use me for her own purposes she wouldn''t live long enough to regret her decision.


    ¡°You have made friends with many amongst the guards, your name is spreading. I''ve even had a few of the guards come to my establishment singing your praises. Soon enough those in power will start to want you in their corner. Mages are rare, Elven light mages are unheard of. That performance you did for my guards did not go unnoticed. I propose we become allies.¡± she said.


    So, she wants to get into my good graces before more people take note of me. I suppose I couldn''t blame her for taking this opportunity; And besides she was being quite forward with what she knew.


    What information would a Madam be able to offer me and what did she want in return would be what determines if I move forward with her. How many secrets would a man spill to a woman when he has a belly full of wine?


    ¡°I see you are considering my offer.¡± she said with a smirk.


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡± I was careful not to show any reaction to her words. I even made sure to keep my breathing steady. Yet she could read me so easily.


    ¡°As a gesture of good faith, I''ll share something about yourself you probably haven''t realized.¡± she said as she pulled out a small hand mirror.


    She turned it around so I could see myself. It wasn''t anything unexpected. A pretty feminine face, Large purple eyes, and ears, with white hair. Strange that I have grown more comfortable seeing that reflection.


    ¡°I don''t understand.¡± I said, glancing back at her.


    ¡°Your eyes dilate. A few seconds ago, I could barely see any purple, just a large pool of black then they returned to their natural state after explaining my intentions. Tell me what you were thinking at that moment.¡±


    Deciding to be truthful to her to see her reaction I simply said.


    ¡°I was considering killing you but decided against it after I understood your intentions.¡± To my satisfaction she twitched at my frank answer.


    ¡°Hearing that from one of the loveliest creatures I''ve ever seen is certainly strange.¡± she said with amusement.


    I would have to ask Lilian about that little detail about my eyes when I get the chance. I can¡¯t have a quirk of my biology giving away my thoughts so easily.


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment. Now tell me what exactly you would want from me and what do you have to offer. At best what I know about me is of minor inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°It''s rather simple really, your healing services of course. There''s also a gang who¡¯s been muscling their way into the red district. They have taken over some of the smaller brothels and no doubt they have their eyes on my business. I have fighting men and that''s enough to get them to back off but that won''t last forever. We generate a significant amount of coin and greed will push them to attack eventually regardless of the danger.¡±


    Would I want to tie my name to Gardenia?


    Even the idea that she has a mage as a friend and ally would be enough to tip whatever conflict she has with this gang in her favor.


    ¡°So I incinerate a few gang members for you and heal your sick and injured. What do I get in return?¡± I said.


    ¡°I would also add that you would accompany me on a few negotiations and I''m sure your friendship with the guards would be quite useful. A free screw here and there from one of my girls isn''t enough to buy loyalty from them, but to save a child, spouse or a sibling from certain death I''m sure there''s little you could do that would result in your arrest.¡±


    So she wants some magical muscle and me being her outward friend. If my popularity and power kept growing so too would the value of my friendship. This is a massive opportunity for her.


    She better offer me something more valuable than coin or sex.


    ¡°You ask for a lot, but will you pay for it? I must warn you I charge a lot more than 40 sterling.¡±


    ¡°What would you like in return dear Moon.¡± she said seductively.


    ¡°I want what any mage wants, more power, your coin means little to me.¡± I said.


    She raised a well-trimmed eyebrow and thought for a moment then said,


    ¡°Two months from now there will be an auction in the upper city. They sell everything from enchanted weapons and armor to etheric gems and spell books. One of my wealthier clients offered to take me there as his date. I can bring only one person with me for protection. This is an invitation only event. He loves to spoil me so he would be more than willing to purchase anything I want or anything you want.¡±


    No doubt walking into high society with an elven mage as your guard would do wonders for her reputation.


    ¡°I certainly am interested but there''s no guarantee there would be anything I want.¡±


    I was going to refuse her but changed my mind. At the very least the upper crust of the city will start to learn my name and I can take their measure. But I damn sure wasn''t going to work with her for two months on only the possibility of a reward.


    ¡°Very well I will attend this auction with you. Until then I''ll settle for coin for my services. When is this negotiation of yours?¡±


    ¡°Two days from now I¡¯ll be meeting with one of the gang leaders who took over Dryad''s Grace. They apparently wanted to negotiate with me. Meaning they want to threaten me into handing over a portion of my business and free use of the girls.¡±


    For the first time she showed visible anger as she talked about the gang''s intentions.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say they haven''t been treating the women at Dryad''s Grace kindly since they took over. I will not let it happen to us.¡± She said this firmly.


    I suppose that is her weak point. How could I use this situation to my advantage? I''m sure the guards wouldn''t approve of me working with her to fight against gangs. Or would they?


    ¡°Why stop there.¡± I said as I threw out the bait.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She said, clearly interested.


    ¡°Why not take Dryad¡¯s Grove for yourself? With me You would have more than enough fire power and if the guards have a problem. Then I''m sure I can spin it as me saving desperate women from men that abuse them.¡±


    I tapped my chin as I thought. ¡°Who would be at the negotiation?¡±


    ¡°The gang leader Lars and some of his top men.¡± She said, though she had a faraway look as if in her mind was somewhere else.


    ¡°And if he and his men were to die, who would miss him, who would avenge him, I''m sure those girls'' lives would be far better if you took control over the red district or at the very least control the brothels. You would just have to set it up so that you wouldn''t need my constant presence to maintain power.¡±


    From what I knew about the red district there was minimal guard presence and most of the elicit businesses were run by gangs who constantly fought to maintain control. It certainly seemed possible to me that she could take over. But I didn''t know much about the city''s underbelly and its complexities. For that matter I didn''t even know if Gardenia had the ruthlessness needed to be a gang boss.


    ¡°I will need to think on this¡± she said still with that far away gaze.


    I stood up and said to her, ¡°We will discuss my payment when you make your decision. What time is your meeting with Lars?¡±


    ¡°Noon in a warehouse on East End.¡± she said.


    ¡°I''ll be back in two days then. If you want, I can be your magical muscle to deter Lars from any aggression towards you.¡±


    I locked her eyes with mine then continued with a malicious smile.


    ¡°Or I could slaughter him and anyone else he brings.¡±


    I left her alone with her thoughts on what to do. Honestly if I didn''t notice that she had some sympathy for Dryad¡¯s Grace girls I wouldn''t have even suggested that she take out Lars so she could control the Red District. The details of establishing her own power base would have to be left up to her. I knew next to nothing about it. Though this interaction with her does give me some ideas for the future.


    As I walked back to the inn to prepare for the day, I had to contemplate exactly how many things I had to balance. There was my job with the guards, whatever relationship I would establish with Gardenia, My obligation to Sten and finally the Life Ether. I had to plan an excursion to the edges of the barony to consume some lives. I considered for some time if I should slow down and focus on one task at a time. It would certainly be less dangerous, however those who take the greatest risks earn the greatest rewards. In my contemplation I realized I had no clue what happened to Brandon. I shrugged realizing I didn¡¯t care.


    Two days later I stepped into Gardenia¡¯s in full leather armor. It had been cleaned thoroughly and the leather had a nice sheen that made the dark purple color quite eye-catching. The guards at the entrance practically jumped out of my way as soon as I approached. The same woman from yesterday greeted me at the door. It was almost midday so there wasn¡¯t a large amount of people.


    She took me by one arm then said. ¡°Madam Gardenia is expecting you please come with me.¡± She led me to the same office from yesterday. Before I entered the office she said, ¡°Once you are done with your business, I have a special treat for you free of charge. So do come back later, ok?¡±


    ¡°I do love treats so I¡¯ll make sure to find you.¡±


    She pulled me into a deep kiss and pressed her body into mine. Then took the chance to stroke my ear, just when I was getting into the mood she stopped.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later,¡± she whispered.


    I watched her behind as she strutted down the hall. I had to wonder how much the Madam actually told them about what I was doing here. I suppose that was one way to keep me on their hook. It¡¯s best to have them believe they have that power over me for now.


    I entered the Madam¡¯s office without knocking, the woman was dressed in a practical brown tunic. She looked out a window down to the street, seeming to be in deep thought. When the door opened, she looked at me and a small amount of relief came over her.


    ¡°So, what is your decision?¡± I said as I sat down. She gave me a once over and then said.


    ¡°Some of my contacts say he''s planning on ambushing me during the negotiations, the agreement was 10 men each. There''s no honor in that man.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and responded. ¡°Honor is only useful to the dead Gardenia. Again I ask, What is your decision?¡±


    She seemed to struggle with this choice. I couldn''t really blame her. I escalated what was to be a negotiation to a takeover. There had to be many considerations to be considered. As intelligent as Gardenia seemed to be, she was still just a Madam.But wanted someone with more influence as an ally.


    ¡°I assume Brandon is not exaggerating about your battle with the earth mage.¡± she said.


    ¡°No, he isn''t,¡± I said, smiling.


    ¡°If I am to take control of the brothels, I would need more men than I have now and Lars and his gang will have to be eliminated. I have 15 men and I know he has over 60. I''m sure he would rather have me serve him than die since I have many noble clients.¡± she locked eyes with me then said.


    ¡°What would your price be if I wanted you to kill him and all his members that attend the negotiation,¡± she said. In the same moment her hesitation and doubt seemed to disappear and her will seemed to be made of iron.


    ¡°A Gelding for every head and 5 for Lars.¡± I said. She flinched at how much it would cost but didn''t seem surprised.


    ¡°When I give you the signal, end them all.¡±


    A Quarter hour later Gardenia, I and 4 of her most trusted men walked along the streets towards East End. This seemed to be a portion of the city dedicated to smithing and leather working. The air was thick with the smell of coal. There were many men and even some women working forges hammering away at some bright red bar of metal shaping them into some kind of tool or weapons. Eventually we came upon a large wooden warehouse with a single man standing out front.


    I had a heavy cloak that covered me from head to toe so none of my armor showed. It was quite uncomfortable having my ears bend so it went over my head but I decided to tolerate it for now. I kept my head bowed so that none would get a glimpse of my eyes.


    The man in front of the warehouse signaled for us to enter. Inside was largely empty except for a table and where a large man with brown hair and a scar across his temple sat. All around there were at least a dozen men standing around. Though Gardenia wore a more practical outfit than her usual gown it was clear she was a well-built woman. Some of the men standing around gave her appreciative glances.


    ¡°Ah, Gardenia, so nice of you to join us.¡± The man who I assumed to be Lars said.


    ¡°Lars, well I am here, what do you want?¡±


    Lars glancing at her meager guard smiled.


    ¡°As I said in my message I want your brothel, of course you would still run the joint and I would take a cut as protection.¡± he said confidently.


    ¡°I have my own men; your protection isn''t necessary.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but that''s where you''re wrong, I''ve got a lot of dogs and those dogs need food and a bitch to keep them warm or they go feral.¡± As he said this a malicious grin spread across his face.


    ¡°I''m sure you would want that now would you, be practical.¡± He leaned back in his chair seemingly confident in his situation for that matter why wouldn''t he be. She was just one woman with 5 guards after all.


    ¡°Now did you bring my coin? Or are we going to have problems.¡±


    ¡°It''s nice to see you''re still human garbage, Lars.¡± Gardenia said derisively.


    ¡°Ha just because you wear nice dresses and bed nobles don''t make you no better than no one. You''re still just a whore¡± a visible amount of anger came over her face at that moment.


    ¡°And you''re still just a two-shilling thief whose own father thought he would be a failure.¡± she said.


    That seemed to hit him where it hurt since he got to his feet in anger. He knocked twice on the table and suddenly more men appeared on the rafters. Now it looked to be 30 to our 5.


    ¡°I wanted your brothel intact but maybe it''s best I just take it. Maybe me and some of my men should go visit after we have a bit of fun with your first.¡±


    It was clear to all what he meant.


    ¡°I suppose this was always how it would end.¡± Gardenia said, sounding almost resigned.


    ¡°What do you think would happen walking in here with not even 10 men?¡± Lars said it as if Gardenia was an idiot.


    ¡°This conversation is over.¡± She said, sending the signal.


    I had been quite entertained by their back and forth. It was like watching a play. But she had given me the signal, so I started charging a radiant lance. It only took a few seconds to charge it to full power. Seconds they wasted in their shock.


    ¡°What is¡­..¡±


    That¡¯s the only thing that he was able to get out before a laser severed his head from his body. I walked the beam all around the room as men started to scatter. This did them little good as it took me barely a flick of the wrist to bisect a man. In the space of 10 seconds, I had slaughtered every man in the room. The sound of the door behind me opening caught my attention so I whipped the beam around and bisected the 5 men that came in.


    The drain of using that ability set in, I dismissed the spell and observed my work in satisfaction. Most of the men in the room were either dead or dying; some clutched at severed limbs; one man who was severed at the knees was screaming in agony as he desperately tried to crawl away.


    I glance at the rest of my company. They knew to hit the ground as soon as I started casting. They slowly stood up and glanced about the room examining the one-sided slaughter. They couldn''t hide the fear that was on their faces. I couldn''t help Sarah''s words from popping up in my head.


    ¡°Most peasants will never be comfortable with the idea of a single person with the power to cause so much destruction.¡±


    There was a loud creak and the sound of wood cracking.


    ¡°Everyone outside I said¡±. I said, realizing that my spell probably compromised the building''s integrity. We ran out of the building as cracking turned into violent snapping as the building''s supports gave out. A few seconds later the building collapsed unto itself. My spell probably cut through the building as well as the members of the gang.


    Gardenia finally gathered her wits and started to give orders to her men. My part of this was largely completed. The rest was up to her and her men to secure the power vacuum left by Lars which probably meant a lot of fighting over territory and businesses. Already the rest of her men have likely taken over Dryad¡¯s grace. She planned on making a move on the few other brothels in the red district. My role in this was to simply enjoy my time at her brothel and heal anyone that she sends to me.


    She handed me a pouch filled with gelding and said,


    ¡°I didn''t count how many you killed but I''m sure this will cover it.'''' By its heft it had to be a significant amount. I doubt she would be stupid enough to shorten my coin after that demonstration so I pocketed the pouch without counting. She still seemed rattled by how quickly the men died to my spell. I for one largely felt nothing. All I did was eradicate some worthless garbage. Though glancing at gardenia who was focused on the collapsed building I wondered if perhaps there was something wrong with how I viewed killing.

 Book 1: Chapter 20: The Evolution

    I spent the rest of the day enjoying Clarissa¡¯s company. I''ve never seen a woman so flexible before, so it certainly made our time together entertaining. Every hour or so several of Gardenia¡¯s men would be brought into the Brothel for me to heal. It varied from slashes and stabs to one man who almost died from a slit throat. It wasn''t deep enough to sever the carotid, so he got off lucky. I ended up having to cast invigorate on half the men. Apparently, Gardenia was running them ragged. I had no need to conserve energy, so I opted to heal them to full health each time someone was brought in for treatment.


    The severity mattered little as long as they were brought to me before death. That made them even more zealous in their pursuit of the takeover. After the 3rd round with Clarissa I decided to have supper. There was a decent restaurant close by and the girls were more than willing to fetch me food.


    So, I sat down in front of one of the tables enjoying a meal of a fine roasted duck and some kind of herbal salad. The door to the room opened and Gardenia walked through it. She looked like she had a rough day. Her hair was in disarray and there was a small amount of blood on her brown tunic. Her state was expected; she''s been at this for hours after all.


    ¡°So how goes the hunt?¡± I said between mouthfuls of meat. I didn''t bother to dress and Clarissa was still lying on the bed waiting until I finished eating. But a woman who was in the business of flesh as long as Gardenia wouldn''t even flinch at our nakedness.


    ¡°Well, enough, we have been fighting them for most of the day, once it got around that Lars and most of his men were dead. The rest folded just as quickly.¡±


    ¡°How many brothels did you end up taking control of?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Every brothel in the Red District.¡± I expected a few but not all. That had to be over a dozen.


    ¡°With only 15 men?¡± I asked slightly incredulously.


    ¡°15 well armored and well-paid men who didn''t fear death.¡± she said as she took a seat on an unoccupied chair.


    ¡°Half of them simply gave over ownership, the rest were stupid enough to fight. Each time I would just send the injured back here and continue on to the next brothel at full strength. It certainly does wonders for morale when someone can be stabbed with a blade and return to the fight 10 minutes later.¡± Gardenia wasn''t a fighting woman so that begs the question.


    ¡°How do you keep them in line?¡±


    They seemed to have no small amount of devotion to Gardenia. I doubt you could buy that with coin or sex.


    ¡°You look at them and see brutes who fight for coin. I see fathers, brothers, and sons. They all have someone in their lives that they love. I provide them with arms and armor along with a generous salary. They provide for their families. Apprenticeships, clothing, food, shelter, it all costs coin. So long as they are loyal and follow my rules their families will always have a good income.¡±


    So, the carrot is preferable to the stick? She guarantees their loyalty not through fear but through their heart. I filed her words away for later contemplation.


    ¡°However, I do not tolerate disloyalty in any capacity if there''s one betrayal, likely there''s a hundred. Betrayers are dealt with permanently.¡±That final bit had a note of warning.


    ¡°What of the guards? I''m sure they probably know about what''s happening.¡±


    She brushed off my concerns with a wave of her hand. ¡°So long as no innocence dies, and it doesn''t spill into the trade or residential district we have little to worry about.¡±


    ¡°And my involvement?¡± This was the final concern for me.


    ¡°Rumors going around that a mage destroyed the warehouse on East End but since you haven''t been seen in any of the fighting most assume it''s unrelated. I''m sure more information will come out in the coming weeks, but a few coins to the right people and they will spin whatever story we tell them.¡±


    Sounded confident, but we¡¯ll have to see if what she says comes to pass. She seemed to not care that Clarissa was hearing all of this information. That basically confirmed that she had full knowledge of her plans.


    I wondered how much of our interaction was planned. It could have been from the moment Brandon decided to invite me here. Did she get Lena to plant the idea in his head or did he do it on a whim and she simply seized the opportunity?


    In the end it didn¡¯t really matter to me. They were free to play their games of seduction to get me to assist them. So long as the payment was sufficient, I didn¡¯t really care what their end goal was. I had made over 10 gold sitting here doing nothing but bedding Clarissa and healing Gardenia¡¯s men. That¡¯s not even counting the 40 she gave me for killing Lars.


    ¡°Are you done with him Madam Gardenia? He still has work to do¡± Clarissa said.


    Gardenia rolled her eyes and continued on as if she didn¡¯t hear her.


    ¡°It will take a few weeks for me to solidify my control over the brothels. What are your plans for during this time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be working with the guard captain to set up a sponsored clinic. Then I plan on an excursion west for some leisure travel. I¡¯m sure by the time I get back Sten will have a contract lined up ¡°


    I abandoned the rest of my meal and rejoined Clarissa in bed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be needing your abilities during that time. Can you make yourself available after your work with the guards.¡±


    ¡°Mmmhmmm¡± I mumbled as my lips were occupied with Clarissa¡¯s.


    There was a sigh of exasperation as Gardenia left the door closing behind her.


    Two weeks later I rode atop a horse heading towards the exit of the gate. The story of how Madam Gardenia took control of all the brothels was the talk of the city. The going story is that Lars threatened her with death and a timely save from a light mage kept her alive.


    The guard captain, the clever man he was, took the opportunity to increase guard presence since Gardenia¡¯s people were far less violent. The two had settled on a mutually beneficial relationship.


    He did have some questions about my involvement and of course I pretended as if I was just caught up in a situation where I was forced to protect a defenseless woman. I doubted he believed me, but he let the subject drop since he and the guard stood to benefit.


    I spent almost two weeks with the guards using some of my more modern knowledge of medical practices to aid in the construction of their clinic. Quina and Morah certainly knew their business, but I had certain contributions to add here and there that we all agreed would be useful. During that time, I opted to learn to ride a horse. There were plenty of decent horsemen among the guards. But Derek, the man I saved from the gut wound, insisted that he be the one to train me.


    After two weeks I wasn''t a particularly good horseman, but I had enough skill to direct the horse where I wished it to go. I rented the large brown mare from the guards for 3 weeks for a few sterling. The captain thought my wanderlust was a waste of time, but he had no ability to order me to stop. So, he at the very least made sure I had a proper horse to carry me.


    He also advised me about provinces and villages that I should definitely avoid if I didn''t want trouble. Both for me being an elf and the fact that I elected to have the armorsmith replace all the metal studs and buckles in my armor with gold.


    I looked beyond ostentatious in the purple armor, but my goal was to bait idiots into attacking me. Most people would assume I either had enough power to defend my obvious wealth or was too struck by greed and avarice to realize how much of a mistake they were making. Sten had no plans for a contract in the coming weeks, so this was an opportune time to go hunting. My plan was to head east to a village called Farrow and from there continue to the coast. The violent storms were unfit for trade, so it had a low population and a high amount of banditry.


    As soon as the guards saw me approach the gate, they escorted me though and wished me luck on my journey. I took out my map of the barony and doubly checked my directions then started my journey. Giving the horse a jolt I sped off down the road east.


    A week had passed since I left Vernon . The journey so far was rather underwhelming as the population decreased and so too did the quality of the roads.


    I sat cross legged near my campfire with nothing but the grass, wind, and stars for company. I had decided to devote the time I took to rest for practice. In the city I had so many responsibilities and obligations that taking time out to practice was a rarity. The light orb spell fizzled out as I lost control, but my shield held firm. This was a sign of significant progress since both spells would usually fail but constant practice has gotten me closer and closer to success.


    I practiced for hours well into the night until the sun began to peak above the horizon. Again, I managed to slip into that near meditative state of focus. Long hours of practice finally paid off as I held both the shield spell and light spell active at the same time. I wondered how Garett would react if he saw my accomplishment. It was slightly disappointing that I had no one around to share this moment of triumph.


    I cast several different light spells in combination and found some interesting utility in both. I could cast both shield spells and have a second layer of defense. Or I would use the shield as cover while charging the radiant lance. I would still have to dismiss the shield in order to fire it. This wasn''t much of a drawback, however, since I could fire it the instant my shield was dismissed. I doubt many people had the reaction to either block or dodge it.


    My sense of accomplishment was somewhat underwhelming. Dual casting was a skill that took mages years to accomplish, even with years of practice without the requisite affinity succeeding at it was impossible. Yet in a little over a month, I have achieved this feat. My affinity for light had to be among the greatest of mages.


    Perhaps I am simply ungrateful for the gifts I have been given. If I was placed in this world for a purpose by some omnipotent being, it is likely my ability came from that being. However, from what I have seen there is no great evil within this world to conquer. So, my existence serves no purpose.


    The only person who would come close is argon the defiler, but he was long dead. I laid down staring at the fading stars again wondering why exactly I was here. Sometimes I feel as if my pursuit of power was just a distraction from the dread I felt when asking that question.


    I was certainly a human in my past life so that begs the question why transform me into an elf? Why light ether instead of fire, air, or any other attenuation? I do hope that I can find answers to these questions at some point. All creatures need something to give meaning to their existence. Friends, family ,some righteous cause that is worth dying for, yet I have found no purpose for my existence beyond sating my desire for power.


    3 days later I rode into a small village so destitute that it made Crowsreach look wealthy. I had seen over a dozen villages at this point, but this was by far the worst. It wasn''t even on the map. The buildings were ill kept and looked as if a strong wind would bowl them over. The people had suspicious eyes and every man and woman looked to be carrying some kind of weapon from clubs to swords. There were no shops or stalls to speak of, no one seemed keen to approach, though they stared openly as they rode into the village center. Seeing what looked like a tavern I tied down my horse on a post and entered.


    Inside the rundown building was as bad as the outside. There was only one man at the bar. Patrons sat in small groups drinking and talking amongst themselves. All eyes were on me as I entered, they went to my hair ears then stuck to my armor. Anyone with a brain could tell it was expensive. I had the armorsmith replace the steel studs with gold so I''m sure I looked like a walking payday. Every patron watched me as I walked towards the bar.


    The bar man eyed me up and down cautiously.


    I said in my haughtiest voice. ¡°Human, I require sustenance.¡±


    The grizzled man who looked at me certainly didn''t like my tone, but an abundance of caution seemed to keep him from reacting.


    ¡°What¡¯ll you have?¡± the man said slowly.


    ¡°Do you at least have decent beer to warm me up? There has been quite a chill this morning.¡±


    ¡°5 shilling.¡± That was certainly overpriced, but I didn''t care. I took out my coin purse. There was at least 20 Gelding and 50 Stirling inside. The rest was hidden in my room at the Inn. By its heft and sound, it was clear I had a lot of coins on me. I took it out and dropped it on the counter to add to the effect. By now the barman¡¯s eyes were locked on it. I didn''t turn around to look but I''m sure most of the room was.


    I took out a sterling and laid it on the counter.


    ¡°Will this suffice?¡± said, acting as if I didn''t quite understand money.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, taking the coin.


    The barman started to pour me some beer from a keg behind him. While he poured, he asked.


    ¡°What''s an elven maiden doing so far from home.¡± He asked,


    ¡°I simply wanted to see the human lands. So far, I have been underwhelmed. Is there some reason you all live in filth?¡± I said with clear disgust in my voice.


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    ¡°Gods if I were a mage I would simply burn it all down and start over.¡±


    The man''s back stiffened as I insulted their home as well as their species. The man slammed down the cup in front of me. His patience is clearly coming close to an end. Yet he held himself back.


    I took a drink and immediately spit it out across the counter while making a sound of disgust. It was certainly poor-quality beer, but it wasn¡¯t so bad as to be spat out.


    ¡°What is this filth? Ugh I should have known you humans wouldn''t know proper drink this isn''t good enough for my horse.¡± There was some rustling behind me as everyone reacted to that. Still, no one seemed keen to do anything.


    Spitting out a drink that was offered was a significant amount of disrespect that would have been met with blows, but the barman seemed to remain in control of himself if barely.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like the drink knife ear.¡± A tall gruff man in poorly made armor stood up and walked over to me, two other men joined him.


    I looked him up and down as if he was the lowest of insects.


    ¡°You human dogs do like to bark, it''s not as if your minds are good enough for anything else.¡± I said, trying to bait him into more anger. They looked angry enough to draw blades.


    The barman finally spoke up ¡°Elf if you do not want our services then you are free to leave. Mallon enough I¡¯ll deal with the elf and go to your wife. Same thing for the rest of you¡±


    I have been acting like a belligerent ass so their anger at me was certainly justified.


    ¡°But Den this elf just walks in here disrespects you and¡­...¡±


    Den interrupted. ¡°Enough Mallon I¡¯m the one that¡¯s insulted to take a walk and go cool off.¡±


    ¡°You humans¡± I said with a sigh as if I was speaking about particularly stupid children.


    I opened my coin purse in front of the three men giving them an excellent view inside. Their eyes widened as they viewed its contents.


    I pretended not to notice.


    I took out a gelding and flicked it at the barman. He swiped it out of the air and pocketed it in an instant. ¡°I''m sure that will satisfy the Barman¡¯s feelings.¡±


    I closed the coin purse. Their eyes never leaving it.


    ¡°It''s fine Mallon just headed home.¡± the barman said.


    Mallon still looked ready to draw blades but acquiesced to Den''s wishes. After they left, I turned back to the barman.


    ¡°I''ll never understand you obsession with this metal. Do you have anything worth drinking?¡± I said in a slightly less haughty tone.


    I didn''t enjoy this performance, but I have been traveling for over 2 weeks with no bandits seeming willing to take the bait of attacking me. If I had to force the issue by being a belligerent ass, then so be it.


    Den brought out a bottle of wine from the back and poured a generous amount in the tankard. It actually tasted fine, and I sipped it in enjoyment.


    ¡°It''s best you head out on your way elf.¡± he warned.


    ¡°You seem more civilized than the other humans,¡± I said. Remarking on his impressive self-restraint I''ve seen people kill each other for less disrespect than what I''ve shown him.


    ¡°I''m the only one in this village who knows how dangerous elves can be.¡± he said without elaborating.


    ¡°You have been around my people? That seems unlikely.¡±


    ¡°No but I''ve heard the stories and most say your kind is not to be trifled with.¡±he said it with some humor.


    ¡°Hm well at least some of you humans have sense.¡±


    I bid that barman a goodbye after finishing my drink. I did feel slightly bad due to my behavior but he had an entire gelding for his troubles so I doubt he would complain much about it. The villagers who before, looked at me with suspicion now looked at me with open contempt.


    That was not unexpected, fortunately no one decided to do anything. I mounted the horse and trotted out of the village heading further east. I didn¡¯t see the three men amongst the villagers.


    But I was hopeful that them thinking I wasn¡¯t a mage, along with the fortune I carried, was enough for them to try to rob me.


    I got off the horse and led it by the reins in the hope that I would be an even more tempting target. After an hour I doubted that my plan had worked. A rustle in the shrubbery caught my attention. The sound of wind rustling the leaves and the sounds of the horse¡¯s hooves on the packed dirt was the only thing I could hear until that noise.


    Another rustle, slightly faster, drifted in on the wind. There was certainly something hiding within the forest watching me. I strained my hearing so and could just pick out the sound of soft whispers. I resisted the urge to raise my shield and pretended as if I couldn''t hear anything.


    ¡°Stop right there knife ear.¡± Mallon shouted. As he and 4 other men exited the forest. They all had weapons drawn from swords to axes and one man wielding a spear. They were perhaps 20 feet ahead of me.


    Deciding to keep up the illusion that I wasn''t a mage, I drew my sword.


    ¡°Human. You dare.'' I said, brandishing my sword at him.


    ¡°I do. You came to our village disrespecting our people, did you think there wouldn''t be consequences?¡± They slowly got closer.


    ¡°Give us your coin elf and you can go on your way.¡± another gruff sounding man said.


    ¡°As if I could trust the word of a human.¡± I said, backing away pulling the horse with me.


    Mallon smirked as he seemed to believe I was threatened by them.


    ¡°Be smart elf, it''s 5 to 1 just give us the coin and you won''t come to harm¡± he said gently.


    ¡°I know what you bandits do to human women you find I¡¯ll not trust a word¡± I said backing up even faster.


    ¡°Just take it off the knife ear so we can move on Mallon.¡± said a young brown-haired man with a beard that seemed to just be growing. He looked like he didn''t want to be here.


    ¡°Let me deal with this Cal¡± Mallon said. Shouting at the young man


    ¡°How bout this, just toss us the coin purse and you can hop on your horse and ride off to wherever you came from. '''' he said. He seemed to mean it as well.


    I looked at the rest of the men. They were wearing the same homespun clothing as the rest of the village. Their weapons looked old and most looked to be in disrepair. They didn''t seem like regular bandits. Den even said that Mallon had a wife.


    So perhaps Mallon really did mean what he said. Deciding to end the charade. I created a spell circuit for radiant lance.


    ¡°What?¡± Mallon said as he stared at the spell circuit in shock.


    ¡°Yes, I am a mage. Surprise.¡± I said, mocking him.


    ¡°Look, look we don''t want nothin to do with mages.¡± Mallon said with fear in his voice.


    ¡°Dammit Mallon, I thought you said she wasn''t a mage,¡± Another man said.


    As he started backing up getting ready to run. I fired the laser to my right and bisected a dozen trees. Their expressions went from horror to despair at the loud crashing sounds as the trees fell over.


    ¡°I lied now. Anyone who moves dies, drop your weapons.¡± I said calmly. They did as they were told.


    ¡°Listen, we¡¯re sorry we was just following Mallon¡¯s plan. There weren''t no harm going to be done to yuh swear on Raickon '''' The young man said.


    ¡°Yeah, you can just go on your way, no need for anymore violence.¡± another man said.


    I kissed my teeth then said. ¡°And what guarantees you don''t follow and attack me in the night it''s best you all die.¡± As I said that I started over charging the spell the lightning started to crackle from the spell circuit.


    ¡°Please there has to be something we can do. We, we all have families, please mercy.¡± Mallon said, getting on his hands and knees. I actually started to feel guilt creeping up my spine at the men''s genuine pleading. The rest of the men followed his example, seeming to abandon any pride they had left.


    ¡°There is something I suppose.¡± With my left hand I reached into my satchel and pulled out a vial of Sleep Shade.


    ¡°Do any of you know what Sleep Shade is?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Uuuhhh medicants use it to make you sleep right.¡± an older graying man said. It was good that someone knew what it was.


    ¡°Yes, I don''t want to be followed so this way I can guarantee that I''ll be long gone on my horse. Or you die, you have 10 seconds to make your choice.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll drink it, we''ll drink it, ¡°several of the men said.


    I tossed the vial at their feet. ¡°A few drops on your tongue and you''ll sleep for most of the day. Maybe some of your families will find you on the road before you wake up. Either way I will be long gone¡± I said trying to reassure them


    They seemed to hesitate at drinking the strange purple liquid when I summoned another spell circuit in my left hand and began to overcharge that as well as they began to drink. One by one each man downed a few drops of the Sleep shade.


    ¡°Sit over there it''s best you don''t get run over by some passing caravan.¡± After a few minutes, the sleep shade started to take effect and one by one the men started to stagger on their feet and then fell into a deep sleep. I gave it a few more minutes nervously looking up and down the road and went over to the men. I opened each eyelid to confirm that they were fast asleep.


    Then taking some rope from a pack on my hours I tied their legs together, attached it to a loop on my saddle and had the horse drag them deeper into the forest. The 5 men were laid side by side. My anticipation building, I put a hand to Mallon¡¯s head ready to drain the life from him but hesitated.


    This felt wrong, before I had killed mostly from self-defense, goblins, gang members who were most likely rapists and bandits. But this felt different; it felt more like murder.


    Certainly, they weren''t innocent, they were trying to rob me. But on the other hand, I walked into their home, insulted their entire species, and spat their drink across the counter. I would have probably done far worse if the roles were switched. Regardless they threatened my life and brandished weapons at me another mage would have simply incinerated them as if they were insects.


    Forcing down the guilt that didn''t seem to want to go away I placed my hand on Mallon¡¯s head. Looking into the Ether I could see the life ether flowing though his body bright and strong. Several orders of magnitude larger than a chicken.


    I pulled at his life Ether even though the man was unconscious. It still instinctively resisted me. I pulled with all my might trying to force his life ether into myself.


    At first there was a slow trickle, then a stream then a great flood of power flowed into me.


    I moaned loudly in ecstasy as the power rippled through me. It was better food, better than alcohol, better than sex.


    I craved more as time went on, my hunger driving me to rip Mallon¡¯s life from him even faster. Soon enough I drank every drop. My body, rippling in a level of satisfaction I''ve never experienced.


    I went over to the next man. Whatever moral hangups I had disappeared in a haze of ecstasy. I was neither human nor elf, only a beast that hungered. After the third man I started to feel resistance, but I was too drunk on power to care about what would happen if I consumed too much.


    I ripped the life from the young man, and it became increasingly difficult to consume. At this point I was full to bursting. I staggered and tripped over myself as I crawled over to the last man, all dignity abandoned. Laughing madly the entire time.


    This time when drinking his life, I pushed strongly against the barrier. I cared little for anything else than satisfying the hunger. I pushed and pushed, determined to consume more. Finally, something tore inside, and I consumed more ether.


    It was as if my soul itself, if such a thing even existed, was stretched beyond capacity eventually tearing. I sat back straddling the man¡¯s chest as I savored the last vestiges of his life. Now all the men are dead.


    Soon enough the ecstasy began to fade, and warmth started to flow throughout my chest. It got warmer, still becoming uncomfortable, eventually reaching the point that I felt on fire. It slowly spread through the rest of my body until my very bones felt on fire.


    I screamed in agony and thrashed around on the ground. As every cell in my boody seemed to be on fire. In my desperation I begged any god or demon to stop the pain.


    The pain kept increasing and I couldn¡¯t even move or think. I didn¡¯t even have the luxury of falling unconscious. I started bleeding from my eyes, ears, and nose. I vomited blood near constantly.


    My muscles felt as if they were tearing themselves apart.


    After an hour I could do little more than twitch helplessly on the ground begging for death, the pain had grown so intense I couldn¡¯t even find the will to scream.


    I didn¡¯t know how long it lasted; it could have been hours or days. Eventually the pain started to lessen, mind melting agony, slowly just became agony. Then slowly after some more time reduced to a dull ache only then did I fall unconscious.


    I woke up several hours later, my body sore and my skin a bright shade of pink. Based on the position of the sun I had been lying there next to the dead bodies for over a day. I immediately felt the urge to relieve myself. I relieved myself against a tree for far longer than normal. The smell was ghastly, and I nearly gagged. As soon as I finished, I talked over to the pack on my horse devouring every morsel of food I could find. In the space of 10 minutes, I ate at least a week''s worth of provisions.


    So consumed I was by hunger that I didn''t even bother cleaning the dried blood off of my face and hands. Once I was stuffed with food and water, I examined the dead bodies. They were still lying unmoved, but their pale faces showed that they were dead.


    The pain was largely gone. I don''t know what kind of damage I had done to my body, but it seemed I recovered. Hesitantly I began to cast a light spell. With barely any effort the spell circuit popped into existence. I formed it in under a second. I stared at my hand in fascination. I then cast the fire bolt. This took almost 3 seconds as expected.


    Testing the maximum cast time of every spell I knew I realized that every light spell was significantly easier to cast. Even dual casting took barely more effort than usual. The light attenuated ether practically begged me to wield it. Testing further I cast radiant lance overcharging it to its maximum power. Still the circuit remained relatively stable. I pushed it even further beyond what I could achieve before and released the spell.


    I cut down hundreds of trees as I walked the beam from left to right. I kept that spell up for over 30 seconds before any chill began to enter my limbs. I laughed at the sheer amount of power I could wield. It was as if my affinity for light ether had increased 3 or 4-fold.


    Gazing into the Ether I was immediately bombarded with far too much information to the point where I instantly lost focus. Trying again ready for the effect, I looked into the ether again.


    I could see into myself far beyond what I could have seen before when examining a person. The thousands of biological processes that kept a living being alive were revealed to me in agonizing detail. I must have sat on the floor for over an hour examining the process going on in my arm. I could see the muscle beneath healing on a cellular level becoming stronger. As life ether nurtured it. My bones, skin, blood vessels, tendons, organs, everything was being improved, changing in hundreds of subtle ways.


    I could focus on a singular part of myself and focus on the process happening in great detail. I watched as my body slowly grew fingernails in fascination. On a whim I tried to make the process become faster and just like that my body consumed a small amount of life ether and my nails grew by several inches.


    My experiments were unending. I could change almost anything about myself so long as it was a biological process. I could heal the small thin scars I had gotten from my arm from the first goblin that attacked me. I couldn''t create fresh from nothing however and if I pushed the effects too far my body will begin to repurpose surrounding tissue to effect the change instead of using resources provided by digestion. Testing on the horse I realized I could modify any living creature so long as I understood the underlying biology.


    My personal life ether glowed several times brighter than any creature I had ever seen. Everything seemed heightened, my hearing, smell, and taste. Is this the effect of pushing past that barrier?


    If it was then could I do this to other people? What would a mage like Sarah become if I did this to her? What kind of warrior would Breala be? It felt as if I had at least 3 or 4 times the power.


    A fear began to crawl up my spine at the realization. No one could know I could do this. For the lives of a few peasants, I had likely increased my power by a factor that would take decades. If this ever got out the entire world would be after me seeking power.


    I burned the bodies to ash and resolved to return to the city. I avoided the village whose inhabitants I had consumed. My mind is focusing on what would happen to me if I pushed past that barrier again.

 Book 1: Chapter 21: The Father

    On the road back to Vernon I spent most of my time exploring my new found strength and abilities. My natural elven traits seem to be exasperated by my increase in life Ether. Before, I could go days without sleep and not feel any ill effects. Though I could do this, I still enjoyed the pleasure of a few hours of rest if I was unoccupied. Now it was almost impossible for me to find any sleep. For a few days after my transformation, I rested rather easily. But after I recovered, sleep remained elusive.


    It''s been 5 days since I deemed myself fully recovered yet I haven''t felt the slightest need for sleep. I couldn''t even fall asleep after a day of intensive practice. As convenient as it was to be able to spend days at a time at full awareness. I would still like the embrace of sleep from time to time. I examined my brain using my abilities and found nothing out of the ordinary, its proportions slightly different than a human but still had the same recognizable parts. I would have to approach Lilian when next I see her to teach me about elven meditation.


    Finally, I reached the city of Vernon. I had a few people to catch up with, firstly being the guard captain. I had one of the guards take me to him in his office. Upon seeing me he smiled brightly and said.


    ¡°Ah Moon, good to see you back from your trip.¡± He sounded oddly jovial today.


    ¡°Good to be back. What¡¯s new in the city?.¡± I said it matching his mood.


    ¡°Nothing of note, the city is calm, trade is good, and the clinic is doing wonders. Ah I figure I should tell you this now.¡± A note of caution crept into the captain''s voice.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Your name is being brought up amongst the nobility. No doubt there will be some offers made to you in the coming weeks. It will do you well to approach this with no small amount of caution.¡±


    ¡°Any names I should be aware of.¡±


    ¡°None as yet, it is simply in the air.¡±


    ¡°Well, if I get any offers, I''ll be sure to run their names by you for approval.¡±


    I wouldn''t want my relationship with the guards to deteriorate after all. The captain seemed pleased by this response.


    I continued to speak. ¡°Regardless of their offer, I am under contract for the next 2 years and 9 months.¡±


    ¡°Every contract has a coin price in the breaking clause. I''m sure an opportune nobleman or woman would be more than willing to pay it.¡± He countered.


    ¡°In a few months I could pay the breakage clause myself. However, Sten had been fair and generous in his dealings with me. I am not inclined to insult him in such a way.¡±


    The breakage clause was actually 400 Gelding payable to Sten if I broke the contract without any justification.


    ¡°Just so just so Moon; too many are willing to leap at the chance of quick coin at the expense of their honor.¡±


    In reality he probably didn''t want me far from his reach or influence. Deciding to change the topic I asked.


    ¡°How are things in the Red District after Gardenia¡¯s takeover?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes Gardenia, she has taken quite a deft hand at controlling the brothels. Far better it be in the hands of her than that brute Lars. She controls her men and violence is at a minimum she has even aided in our efforts with her information. Many scoundrels have either found themselves behind bars or hung by a noose.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you two have things well in hand. And the clinic?¡±


    ¡°Also doing well there are a few patients I would have you see later if you are not weary from your travels.¡±


    ¡°I shall. the roads were easy.¡±


    The horse I had rented was returned and I entered the clinic. It was a building about the size of an inn. There were average citizens and guards streaming in to get their wounds healed. Most were sitting in the waiting area; their ailments are likely not severe enough to be treated immediately. Quina was sitting at the front desk. She brightened at my approach.


    ¡°Good day to you Quinna, The Captain said you could use my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Ah Moon, so good to see you back.¡± She said with some warmth.


    She went around the desks and wrapped me up in a hug. This was unexpected so I awkwardly returned it with only a single arm. She apparently noticed my unease, so she did a small back.


    ¡°My apologies, it''s been rather hectic here and the patients have been piling up almost non-stop.¡±


    ¡°The captain said there were only a few people that needed my healing.¡±


    ¡°The captain thinks that your healing is only necessary when near death. Speeding up recovery and emptying beds is my priority. Do you see how many people are waiting?¡±


    There were probably 30 people waiting.


    ¡°No beds are available?¡±


    ¡°Very few. And I''m sure that some of them are just here for the free food, Morah¡¯s heart is too soft at times.¡±


    ¡°Are you losing coin with people using up beds?¡±


    ¡°No, a good number of merchants and noblemen have taken up the task of offsetting the cost. Any who can''t pay usually just donate their time to us. Cleaning, sweeping, emptying bedpans we offer meals twice a day so some would rather pretend to be too ill to leave and wait for the food.¡±


    That would decrease the throughput of the clinic.


    ¡°¡®How about this, get me one of the nurses and I''ll make my rounds to all the beds.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you would say that,¡± She said with a large smile.


    A young man in a white uniform brought me to each bed in order. She was right, there were at least 10 people whose condition wasn''t severe enough to warrant a bed. Regardless I did some healing on everyone since I had enough power to spare. So most left in full health. There were a few conditions that needed my life Ether to heal. Like one woman with a torn ACL. That wasn''t why she was here since the injury was years old. It took some doing but it was simple enough to regrow and properly tension the ligament so she could walk properly.


    ¡°Go ahead, try to take a step, ¡°I said.


    The guardswoman took a hesitant step with her right leg. Realized there was no pain and did a small hop.


    ¡°Oh, my It''s like new. ¡°She said with astonishment.


    She was a woman of perhaps 30 with short brown hair and a strong build that told me she had been an active woman for most of her life. Light magic could heal many things, but it was limited in what the body could do on its own. Life ether could push beyond that and give me the ability to perform healing no light mage in the world could do regardless of their power. It was pretty easy to mask what I was really doing by casting a healing spell on the wound with one hand and channeling life ether into them with another.


    I saw this as an excellent opportunity to increase my value to the guards even more.


    ¡°Thank you so much Moon, I had forgotten what it was like to walk without pain.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it, be sure to tell anyone with similar injuries that I can also heal them.¡±


    She gave me a formal bow expressing deep gratitude.


    For hours guard after guard came to the clinic desiring my healing for any number of things. I began to wonder if there were any among them that were actually healthy. Quina of course kept track of everything and the healing that didn''t affect their performance as a guard we decided to charge a premium to reduce the influx of people.


    Still, most of the day was spent healing guardsmen and their families of old injuries that my light magic could heal beyond natural healing. I''m sure I had a good stipend of gold coming from all this work. Finally, the clinic closed with only a skeleton staff for the few patients that needed bed rest.


    The Life Ether wasn''t like normal Ether. Unlike normal Ether the source was myself and not the primal Ether all around me. It was my very life. What I did today did not amount to a significant loss, but I noticed that I didn''t actually recover back to my maximum. I could of course consume living creatures to refresh myself, but it was good to understand this limitation.


    Deciding to catch up with Sten I headed back to the inn. It was dark out by now, so the streets were sparse, and many shops and stalls were closed for the day. I walked in and saw Aunt Nettie manning the front desk.


    ¡°Good evening, Aunt Nettie is Sten in.¡± The kindly old woman gave me a smile as she saw me approach.


    ¡°Ah yes he''s busy at the moment, would you like some food in the meantime.¡±


    She always took the opportunity to offer me food. Since according to her I was much too thin for a young man. Never mind that I was an elf.


    ¡°Yes, I''ll take the usual in the dining area.¡± I gave her a little silver and entered the said area.


    Sten was sitting with a woman I didn''t recognize. Her hair was as dark as ink, and she wore a lovely green dress with gold embroidery. She seemed to be a noble woman, but her hands, neck and fingers bore no jewelry. It wasn''t the woman''s mature beauty that caught my attention but Sten. I''ve never seen the man look so meek. He poked his food with his fork, seeming to not be interested in eating it. The two sat in a corner away from prying ears. So even with my impressive hearing I couldn''t make out what they were staying over the chatter of the rest of the people dining.


    I didn''t want to eavesdrop, so I sat in an empty seat far away from them. The conversation continued for some time until the woman got up to leave. She placed a hand on Sten¡¯s shoulder almost as lovingly and muttered a few words to him. As she turned to leave, I noticed a thin scar no more than an inch long on her cheek. That slight imperfection on her skin somehow added to her charms.


    Sten sat in silence for some time, his food entirely forgotten, Staring into nothingness. He eventually noticed me and gave me a small wave of acknowledgement. Shrugging, I decided to join him.


    I took the same seat the woman left behind and said. ¡°That looked like some conversation. Who was that.¡±


    ¡°My¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­wife.¡± Sten said as if the word ¡®wife¡¯ caused him pain.


    That did not seem like a regular conversation with a man and wife. Even more so why did Sten live here and not with his wife. My confusion must have shown on my face.


    ¡°We haven''t spoken to each other in years.¡±


    ¡°Why the separation?¡±


    Sten didn''t seem to want to answer. If he didn''t want to, I would have no interest in prying, so I said.


    ¡°It''s fine if you don''t want to talk about it.¡± I said with a shrug.


    Sten took a deep breath and let it out, seeming to contemplate then started.


    ¡°Noria, is the eldest daughter of a wealthy merchant family. She was in line to inherit her father¡¯s fortune until she decide to marry a man, she didn''t approve of namely me.¡±


    ¡°Why not you?¡±


    ¡°I am barely a member of the Nobility. But I knew her from when she was a girl, and I won her heart. She chose me over her family¡¯s wealth.¡±


    ¡°What about your family?¡±


    ¡°I have some cousin running around but my mother died, rest her soul and my father is dead, curse his soul.¡± He nearly spat that last bit out.


    ¡°No love lost for your father is see.¡±


    ¡°No, he was a drunkard who took out his frustrations on my mother, I still remember the cuts and bruises on her face. I count the day he died as a blessing¡± Sten said looking off into nothing, probably looking into the past.


    ¡°Noria and I were friends, we grew up together and when we were adults, I asked her to marry me. Those were good years. We had two girls, Breanne, and Ella. They were gifts from Rickon himself.¡±


    Sten took a drink from his glass that looked to have water instead of wine.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°I was conscripted into the army for some stupid war between dukes. It was bloody and took over 3 years to end. By that time, I returned home and I was a changed man.¡±


    He looked at his hands as if imagining still saw his hands stained with blood.


    ¡°It''s like part of me died when I took my first life, and something foul took its place. I took to drinking to drown the memories away. I returned home and I kept the habit.¡±


    ¡°Noria begged me to stop drinking but I refused. This went on for years and they suffered for it. I wasted coin, forgot name days and anniversaries. If I remember correctly, I usually show up drunk and stinking of alcohol.¡±


    ¡°One day I stumbled home drunk, and I found Noria packing. She had had enough and was going to live with her brother. We argued for over an hour then she told me I was becoming my father¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±


    Sten paused as if he couldn''t utter what came next.


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. stuck her.¡± he seemed to force it out.


    ¡°The girls were apparently peeking through the bedroom door at our argument and screamed when I hit her.¡±


    Sten sat in silence for over a minute before he continued.


    ¡°It was fear in my girl''s eyes. My precious girls. I tried to reach down to help Noria, but she shielded her face as if to shield herself from any more blows that would land. That''s when I saw the small stream of blood. My armor opened up a cut.¡±


    ¡°I remembered how I used to cower when my father hit my mother. She would tell me to stay in my room so that she would bear the brunt of his wrath. Now I have become the man I had hated for so long.¡±


    ¡°I left, too horrified by what I had done, what I had become. She still has a scar a form that strike.¡±


    This just started to pour out of Sten as if there was some great dam of pain and guilt within himself that had finally burst open.


    ¡°My beloved Noria, why didn¡¯t I listen? Why didn''t I put down the bottle?¡± he said to himself in barely a whisper.


    ¡°The next day I sobered up and returned to the house, but they were gone. I went to Noria¡¯s brother¡¯s house and found the girls playing in the yard. As soon as I approached Ella, the youngest one ran away from me. When I tried to call out to them, they ran into the house. That''s when Noria came out with her brother and his guards. I saw the dressing on her cheek and her black eye. I tried to apologize but my words meant little. She only uttered one word ¡®Leave¡¯.¡±


    ¡°I saw my girls hiding behind their mother and her brothers'' guards looked ready to draw on me. It was then that I realized that I had lost them. Noria¡¯s eyes showed no love and my girls only showed fear. I would only cause them more pain if I stayed so left. That was 15 years ago.¡±


    ¡°Not once in 15 years you have tried to reach out. ¡°I asked.


    ¡°I send letters, but whether they read them or burn them I didn''t know I''ve never gotten a response. I did see them once when they were leaving the city. My girls have grown into such beautiful women as proud, regal, and intelligent as their mother. The few friends I have tell me about them. Much of my coin I send to them only recently have they started using it.¡±


    ¡°Why did she come to see you now?¡±


    ¡°Our battle with the earth mage was the talk of the city and the amplifier the mage used was a large scandal. Our names have been brought up in court often. Often in regard to how lucky we were to survive battle with an earth mage that used an amplifier. Anyone with any sense knows that fighting a mage with an amplifier is suicide.¡±


    ¡°They apparently asked their mother if they could see me. Maybe they were worried I might die sometime soon. Noria wouldn''t say.¡±


    ¡°When do you meet them?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow at a restaurant in the upper city.¡±


    ¡°Have you thought of what to say when you see them?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know Moon. What can I say? What apologies could I ever make? No words will ever wipe away my sins. No words will ever make me worthy of forgiveness. No words will erase the pain I''ve caused.¡± He almost sounded argumentative.


    ¡°I suppose it''s up to them if you are worthy of forgiveness.¡±


    I certainly wouldn''t say what he should say. I have no memories or experiences that could help the man. Is a man who bloodies his wife in front of his children worthy of forgiveness from those same people? Perhaps not. I leave that answer to someone who actually has loved ones.


    Sten finally seemed to calm down. ¡°Maybe you''re right, Moon.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can only hope, Noria doesn¡¯t seem to hate me anymore. Cold certainly but the hate is gone from her eyes. But enough of my drama Moon how was your excursion.¡±


    Sten seemed to want to change the subject. I suppose there was only so much soul bearing a man could do in a day, so I opted to drop it.


    ¡°It was fruitful, and I saw a good amount of the barony, but it was largely boring. ¡°I shrugged hoping he didn''t start asking any questions.


    ¡°Well good to hear.¡± Sten said.


    It didn''t seem like he was actually paying attention. I couldn''t really blame him for not caring about what he likely thinks is a boring trip.


    ¡°Any plans for another contract?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, actually their word of a White drake carrying off livestock out west there''s been a few sightings and it''s only a matter of time before it goes after people.¡±


    ¡°What can you tell me about the White Drake?¡±


    ¡°Their basically tiny, less dangerous dragons though some can grow as large as a carriage.¡±


    ¡°How large can a dragon grow?¡±


    ¡°You could probably fit all of the Mistle under one wing.¡±


    ¡°What Mistle was at least 1000 paces across are you telling me a dragon''s wingspan is over 2000 paces across. ¡®I said incredulously how could a creature that size exist let alone fly. But then I remembered that can literally shoot lasers out of my palm so impossible is mostly a relative term.


    ¡°An average dragon''s wingspan is 2000 paces and doesn''t stop growing. But fortunately, no one has seen a dragon in centuries.¡±


    ¡°They all died or something.¡±


    I''ve seen paintings of dragons, and many businesses often use images to make the room seem more dynamic. They always had the same physiology: two wings, 4 legs and a long tail. I couldn''t even begin to understand how a hexapod could evolve but again magic tends to not make sense.


    ¡°No one knows, regardless a white drake is a dragon-like creature that uses air magic. It doesn''t even have to be white. Its skin scales, bones and organs can fetch quite the price.¡±


    ¡°Have you decided to take it on?¡±


    ¡°Not yet a few companies are fighting for it. The drake has been seen as far west as Ruben. If a few companies die in the pursuit, I''m sure they would ask us personally to take care of it and we can dictate our price.¡±


    Sten had a small smile on his face likely imagining how much coin he could earn. The man sure did have an unending lust for coins. Though I supposed I understand where some of that zeal comes from.


    ¡°Do you know where Lilian lives?¡±


    Sten seemed to be rather surprised by that and asked.


    ¡°Why do you want to know? I thought you two didn''t like each other.¡±


    ¡°Our relationship is complicated but there are a few things about elves I wanted to ask her about.¡±


    Sten shrugged and said.


    ¡°She lives on the west end in an inn called Griffin''s Rest. It''s not hard to find.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll call on her in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Ha good luck with that.¡±


    Sten and I said our goodnights and bedded down for the night.


    Three days later I made my way towards the west end. It was a more remote residential area of the city. It was neither wealthy nor poor but being so far from the hub of trade and commerce of the city made for a lower population. In the 3 days since I had my meeting with Sten, I had been splitting my time between the clinic and gardenia¡¯s brothel. I didn''t even have to pay for it anymore.


    But no matter how much I exhausted myself through magical practice or physical exertion I couldn''t quite fall asleep. For 8 days I have been awake and though I didn''t notice any ill effects, I would love more than anything to rest my mind for a few hours. Garrett had told me that elves often meditate instead of sleeping. So, I came here in the hope that I could get Lilian to teach me this.


    I stepped inside the inn. It was average in cleanliness and well maintained. A woman perhaps in her 40¡¯s manned the front desk.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this now another one? ¡°She seemed excited. I guess that more than confirmed that this was where Lilian lived.


    ¡°Pardon me madam, is there an elf here by the name of Lilian?¡±


    ¡°Yes, what do you want with her?¡±


    ¡°I am her comrade in the bronze spears, and I wish to speak to her.¡±


    ¡°Ah your Moon then. I¡¯ve heard you''re some powerful light mage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m indeed Moon. Is Lilian in?¡±


    ¡°Right, BELLA¡± she yelled. A young woman came running out of a corner room and made a double take at me.


    ¡°Tell Lilian she has a gentleman caller?¡± She looked at me when she said gentleman as if to make sure of what I was.


    I gave her a nod.


    ¡°Ok¡± the woman said, and she ran off.


    Lilian came out a few minutes later. For the first time I saw her without armor. She wore a short green robe with intricate patterning that hugged her form quite well and green knee length pants bearing the same pattern. It was certainly not normal human clothing.


    ¡°Moon what are you doing here?¡± she asked full of confusion.


    ¡°I wished to speak to you about a few things.¡± I twitched my eyes towards the two women watching. She realized I would rather talk alone, she said.


    ¡°Come we will speak in my rooms.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°Come now, Lilian, you have to at least make him work for it. I don''t care how pretty he is,¡± The insinuation was clear. Surprisingly, Lilian didn''t seem to mind. Usually, she couldn''t stand humans.


    ¡°He is not my mate Clara, ¡°she corrected.


    ¡°Perhaps it''s time to make a move before another elf snatches him up then, ¡°Bella said.


    Both women seemed to be having fun at Lilians expense. But still, she didn''t seem angered by it. Lilina sighed then said.


    ¡°Do not mind them.¡±


    We entered Lilians room. The first thing I noticed was that there were plants everywhere. It was almost as if every surface that could hold a potted plant had one. It was certainly strange, but I only had humans to base normalcy on. There was no place to sit other than her small bed. So, with a gesture we both sat on the edge.


    ¡°What did you wish to speak to me about? ¡°She said. Her eyes were unreadable.


    ¡°I have been having trouble sleeping of late. Garett mentioned that some elves meditate instead of sleep.¡±


    ¡°How long have you gone without sleep?¡±


    ¡°Only 4 days I can usually catch a few hours a day but now I find it difficult.¡± I lied about how long I had actually been awake, unsure if I told her, it had been a week she would find cause for suspicion.


    ¡°It is usually taught to children as soon as they learn to speak. How could you have such vast knowledge and lack something as simple as this.¡±


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine Lilian. I ask again,Can you teach this to me?¡±


    She gave me an inscrutable look and then said,


    ¡°Yes, I will teach you.¡±


    ¡°Take off your boots and sit as I do.¡±


    Lilian removed her sandals, and I removed my boots. We sat cross legged on the bed facing each other. Lilian loosed her robe grabbed my hand and placed it on her heart. Could feel the steady beating of heart and the warmth of her skin.


    ¡°May I?¡± she said.


    I gave her a nod and she unbuttons a few of my buttons and placed her hand on my own heart. It was an oddly intimate gesture, but she seemed to do this without so much as a second thought. Another elven quirk is supposed.


    ¡°We meditate by cycling ether through our body, synchronizing with our breathing.¡±


    She took a deep slow breath, and I followed her example.


    ¡°Continue to cycle the ether in and out and lose yourself to the process.¡± for several minutes I continued to do as she said slowly her heartbeat began to drop. Slowing to the point that it only beats once every few seconds. Her breathing slowed as well, and I could barely perceive the movement of her chest. I would have loved to examine what was happening in her body to achieve this, but I didn''t want to risk her detecting it.


    10 minutes later her heart began to increase, and she opened her eyes. It was almost as if she went into a state of torpor.


    ¡°Not you try.¡± It seemed like it took several minutes for her to recover from the conduction.


    For at least 20 minutes I sat in almost perfect silence with Lilian, hand in each other''s hearts. I tried matching her breathing and flow of ether exactly. And eventually began to lose myself in the process. In and out over and over I cycled to Ether. Eventually the process became unconscious. My hand fell from her chest. A small part of my mind was vaguely aware of her arranging my hand in my lap.


    I sank deeper into this process and the world started to fade away. I had only the slightest awareness of myself. It was as if I was in that area between wake and sleep. Where with just the smallest push you could simply decide to wake up. My mind was largely in a haze. Thoughts were slippery and it was far too much effort to focus on them.


    I decided to let them fall away. As I embraced this completely, I emptied my mind. It was bliss, no thoughts, no worries, no plans, no existential crisis of my own existence to bother me. Only my breathing and the Ether. Some far part of my mind could tell that Lilian was examining me. She even flicked my ear as if to break me from this state. Not caring in the least about what she was doing, I ignored her examination. She eventually settled down and returned to her own meditation.


    We must have sat there for hours in silence simply sitting. I was content to stay in that state forever, so I was happy to have some peace, but a gentle rusting of my arm made me realize that Lilian had finished her meditation. Wishing myself to wake up, it took around 15 minutes before my mind cleared and I regained control of my limbs. I glanced around the room to notice it was almost night. It must have been at least 6 hours.


    ¡°Ahhh that was wonderful. "I said as I stretched. I actually felt like I had a night''s sleep. Lilian had an almost sad smile as she said.


    ¡°It is quite relaxing but do be careful. It is a far deeper state than sleeping. Stay for too long and you will lose yourself. To the point that not even a stab wound could wake you.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. It didn''t even feel like so much time had passed.¡± I said, glancing out of the window.


    ¡°It helps when you are doing it with friends and family. When in close proximity the ether will flow from me to you and you to me rhythmically enhancing the depth of the meditation.¡±


    I got up and started to lace my boots. ¡°I must thank you; this means more to me than you could know. Well good day Lilian I suppose I''ll see you at our next Company meeting.¡±


    She looked like she wanted to ask me something before I left then stopped herself. I did wonder what she wanted to say but dropped it. I''m sure I wouldn''t have gotten an answer. After I finished preparing to leave, I reflected on how relaxing it was. On a whim I asked.


    ¡°Would you be willing to do this again? Perhaps you can teach me some more things about elves.¡±


    She practically beamed, showing most of her teeth before she quickly regained control of herself.


    ¡°Yes, I would be willing, ¡°she said in a neutral tone.


    I left a short time later after arranging dates to meditate together. She seemed oddly excited about it. Perhaps meditating with other elves is a large part of their culture and failed to realize the significance. I still don''t know why she can''t return home but depending on how long she has been gone she probably hasn''t done this with another elf in a while.


    ¡°Didn''t know elves go at so long it¡¯s been most of the day.¡± The same woman was manning the front desk said.


    ¡°Nothing of the sort happened, just a long conversation, ¡°I said, not wanting to explain that we were meditating.


    With I sigh the woman said. ¡°That girl really is hopeless. Don''t worry dear, I''ll talk to her.¡±


    I gave her a wave as I left not wanting to continue this conversation. Lilian was certainly attractive, and her elven traits were certainly something I wound mind exploring but I knew little about elven culture. And unlike with humans there is a real risk I could get her pregnant. Something tells me that Lilian wouldn''t take preventative measures if she decided she wanted to sleep with me. For now, I would have to keep that door closed.

 Book 1: Chapter 22: The Noblewoman

    A few days had passed after my first session of meditation with Lilian. Since then, I have been making time to see her. She, fortunately, didn¡¯t make any overtures to get me to return with her to the elven lands. Instead, we spent most of our time meditating or discussing elven society.


    It was a margely matriarchal society separated into clans whose bloodlines spanned centuries. The clan head is usually the eldest daughter of the previous clan head. If there were no daughters available or the daughters were found incompetent a male would be chosen instead. These 14 clan heads decided the laws and ran elven society. Elves cannot reproduce as fast as humans, so children are often seen as precious. Elven pregnancies can last about 3 years and only in the final year would the elven woman actually start showing.


    Since even the weakest elf demonstrated some control over the Ether magical power is incredibly cherished in their society. Below the clan matriarchs the most powerful and influential elves are often those with the most magical power. The matriarchs themselves, as expected, boasted impressive magical abilities. They would only choose the most powerful males to mate with. This sometimes could lead to serious conflict as rival clan matriarchs would sometimes seek the same male.


    There was no difference in magical power between male and female elves so a male with enough power couldn¡¯t be forced to agree. This would lead to a long session of courting that could last years or even decades. If the male decides to agree then the two will have a ceremony in which they would be mated for life.


    It was certainly an odd culture, but I saw it from a more human perspective. To Lilian this was simply the way of the world. Their application of magic though was significantly more interesting. They used no form of sigils or spell circuits. They impose their will upon the ether directly. This made it so that their approach to spell work was largely clan dependent. Unlike with human magic where most mages, depending on their skill, would use the same spells.


    Elves used their spells in much the same way I created daylight. Theoretically I could practice daylight for centuries slowly improving it until it was just as if not more effective than Radiant Lance. Over thousands of years elves have mastered this form of casting and the structured and controlled nature of human magic was limiting. Elves could modify a spell mid-cast any number of ways making it practically impossible to predict what a spell would do.


    It would be assumed that they would dominate the continent because of their superior magical power but humans simply bred far faster than elves. A significantly higher population meant that they could win through a pure numerical advantage.


    That problem of a slow birth rate made the elves prioritize having children. Once an elven woman finds a male that they wish to reproduce with, the lengths that they would go to capture his interest and that of his family were sometimes extreme.


    This only served to make me even more resolved to never go anywhere near elven lands until I had enough power to make it a hopeless matter to try to strong arm me into anything.


    Today the company was set to meet at Grassy Grove tavern. to discuss the contract for the drake. I had a meeting with captain Heith before this, so I was running a few minutes late. I walked into the tavern to see everyone including Sten sitting at their usual table. Mikah noticed me and gave me a small signal to come over.


    ¡°Nice of you to finally join us.¡± Caan said as I approached. He certainly had calmed down around me most likely because I could end him with hardly a thought.


    I ignored him and took a seat next to Bast. Sten gave me a nod and jumped back into whatever he was saying to the rest of the company.


    ¡°It¡¯s been spotted within Ruben borders and has already killed two companies, one that actually had an air mage in their number.¡±


    ¡°Should we really take this contract then if it is so dangerous.¡± Bast said, ever the voice of reason.


    ¡°According to his steward the baron requested us personally. Which means he really requested Sarah and Moon.¡±


    ¡°What are the consequences of refusing the contract? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Largely nothing if you don¡¯t mind being labeled a coward. A personal request from a Baron is not something to reject.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Still there is nothing that can force him to make us take the contract. So, before I sent my response, I wanted to hear all of your opinions.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a question for the folks who can shoot fire out their hands.¡± Tanner said as she looked at Sarah and me.


    ¡°A White drake is no small matter; the largest problem is actually getting in range to attack it. They have been known to create wind powerful enough to tear down fortifications and fly far faster and higher than would be physically possible. Even with Moon and I¡¯m not sure if we could bring it down. Range is one of the problems.¡± Sarah said and gave me a look as if to ask my opinion on the topic.


    ¡°Indeed, my shields will be enough to protect us from the wind. The matter of getting the creature into our range is the problem. Is there any way to bait it into attacking us directly.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Drakes only hunt this much when they are preparing to clutch. If we find its nesting site then it will certainly try to kill us up close instead of risking its eggs.¡± Breala said.


    Everyone looked at her quizzically since it sounded as if she had experience hunting these creatures.


    ¡°Felling a great creature is how many young orcs prove themselves; most die in the attempt.¡± She finished.


    ¡°How sure can we be that it is indeed female, and it has clutched,¡± Brandon said.


    ¡°Unsure, but the most likely reason a White drake would come down from the mountains and hunt with such frequency.¡± Breala said.


    Brandon shrugged, seeming to drop the matter. Breala was too straight forward with her answers to broker any argument to her reasoning.


    ¡°Moon, Sarah what do you think? Can you bring it down with your abilities if we can bait it into your range? I know creatures like this are resistant to magic.¡± Sten asked.


    Sarah and I shared another look and spent a few moments contemplating how our abilities would fare against the creature.


    Regardless of the resilience of the creature to magic, I sincerely doubted that it could withstand a beam of light that likely burned hotter than the surface of the sun. Assuming it comes down and strikes at us directly my shield should withstand it and I could instantly counter with a radiant lance to kill or at least seriously injure it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve recently mastered dual casting. It is a simple enough matter to block any physical strike with my shield and counter with a radiant lance.¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve mastered it already?¡± Sarah said, showing clear astonishment in her voice. Normally I would have enjoyed seeing the normally uptight woman gawk in amazement at my abilities but for some reason it felt hollow.


    I created two light orbs to demonstrate the ease at which I could dual cast. It was slightly harder to do it with non-light magic, but it was still doable. Sarah gave me a penetrating glare that melted away into neutrality after a few seconds.


    ¡°I suppose it would be possible.¡± Sarah said as she kept staring at the two orbs.


    ¡°Ok everyone. Are we agreed on the acceptance of this contract?¡± Sten said.


    There were some slightly worried glances as each member likely gauged whether or not the no doubt substantial contract price would be worth facing the white drake. But as expected greed won out in the end.


    ¡°Aye,¡± Caan said. Then one after another the entire company agreed to the contract.


    ¡°Very well then, I¡¯ll arrange everything. We''re set to leave in two days.¡± Sten said.


    After going over a few details on our travel accommodations all members began to leave. I had already taken care of all preparations for the upcoming trip so I have little to do today. Lilian started to approach me but Sarah quickly beat her to it.


    ¡°Moon we should practice coordinating our abilities. Are you available for a few hours? ¡° Sarah said.


    ¡°Sure but where would we practice?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I have a large practice area within my manor. Now if you would join me in my carriage.¡±


    She turned around and proceeded towards the exit. I checked where Lilian was to see if there was anything she wanted to talk to me about, but she had already disappeared. Shrugging exited the building and joined Sarah in her well-appointed carriage.


    The upper city was strictly for the upper class. Nobles, rich merchants and visiting dignitaries are the only ones allowed within its confines. As such the area was largely residential and the majority of the businesses catered to the wealthy. As our carriage rode up to the gate the guardsman called us to a halt.


    The woman who peaked her head in to see the occupants was someone I recognized.


    ¡°Ah. hello sir mage¡± The guardswoman said. She was covered head to toe in armor, but her voice was familiar.


    ¡°How¡¯s your leg?¡± I said as I remembered where I had heard the woman¡¯s voice before.


    ¡°It''s great, hells I almost want you to look at the other one.¡±


    ¡°Stop by the clinic tomorrow I¡¯ll be sure to take a look at it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to it¡± She recognized Sarah then said.¡°Good day Miss Newban.¡± and closed the curtain. From inside the carriage I could hear her yell.


    ¡°Gren, these are fine, let them through.¡±


    She let us through without any complaints. It was the first time I had been within the upper city since entrance was restricted without the proper identification. I had no residence or business within the upper city to get that identification.


    As we passed through the gates, I pulled back the curtain and admired the clean largely empty streets and the opulently decorated buildings. Almost no one walked instead choosing to travel by carriage. The few I could see on foot wore incredibly opulent clothing with a large number of jewels adorning their wrists, fingers, ears. This was true for both men and women.


    By comparison the only jewelry I wore was the tarnished ring I got from the goblins den. I felt woefully underdressed. Even Sarah wore jewelry on her hands and ears. I resolved to acquire some jewels to adorn myself with. Since I intend to walk among these people at some point.


    ¡°First time within the upper city¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Yes, it is quite eye-catching. ¡°I said.


    ¡°Indeed, it''s far better than living among the peasants, if a bit costly.¡±


    ¡°Do you own your own property?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was another thing that my mother passed down to me. I''ve made some improvements to it over the years.¡±


    We arrived at a large manner three or four times the size of any inn I¡¯ve seen with a path towards an expertly decorated entrance. We passed through the main gate after our driver had a short conversation with the guardsman.


    We arrived at the front steps of the home and the driver opened the door to the carriage. Sarah stepped out first and a servant, a young man in a dark blue uniform approached, bowed then said.


    ¡°Good day Lady Newnan, your supper is almost prepared. Would you and your guest care for some tea in the garden before dinner.¡±


    Sarah gave me a look as if asking me if I did want tea. I wouldn¡¯t mind some tea, so I gave her a subtle nod.


    ¡°That is acceptable.¡±


    ¡°At once Lady Newman.¡±


    She took off her gloves and cloak and handed them to the young man who bowed and left.


    As we walked through the house servants and bowed as we passed there wasn¡¯t even the usually amazed stare at my appearance. Either they didn¡¯t care that I was an elf, or they were simply that well trained. Sarah decorated the maror lavishly everywhere there was gold leaf furniture. Every wall had a painting depicting some epic acne of battle or humans. I couldn''t recognize there was a painting of a woman who looked eerily similar to Sarah.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    The yard behind her manor was even more impressively decorated, there were statues of people and creatures I couldn¡¯t give a name to. The grass was meticulously maintained and everywhere flowers were in full bloom. It was a beautiful sight. At the far end of her yard was a gazebo. We took opposite seats at the small table.


    ¡°Your manor is lovely.¡± I said appreciating the aesthetic view of the garden.


    ¡°Thank you it took some doing to restore it to a presentable state.¡±


    ¡°How much would it cost to purchase something this size? It¡¯s one of the largest manors I¡¯ve seen in the area.¡±


    ¡°Somewhere in the thousands of gelding depending on the state of the property.¡± As she said that a servant, the same you man, brought a tray of fine porcelain. Placing a cup and saucer in front of both of us the servant moved to pour; however with a single signal from Sarah he bowed and left. She instead poured both our cups.


    I knew enough that Sarah pouring my drink instead of a servant was an act that is usually done with close friends. We certainly were not close friends in any capacity, but I¡¯ll play along to see what her intentions really were. I took a sip and appreciated the earthy and fruity notes. Typically, tea isn¡¯t drunk with sugar or milk and most consider it an insult to the tea¡¯s quality if you ask for it.


    ¡°This is excellent.¡± I said.


    ¡°It was imported all the way from the Imperial Capital where the best growers reside. A single pound costs approximately 5 gelding.¡±


    I chuckled and said. ¡°Ha the wonders of wealth¡±


    Wanting to be done with the pleasantries and asked. ¡°Why do you play mercenary? As much as it is profitable, I doubt it covers the upkeep of this property.¡±


    She took a few seconds to answer then said.


    ¡°Most of my coin is tied up in investments. This helps offset the price and allows me to maintain my lifestyle.¡±


    ¡°Would it not be more cost efficient to simply sell the manor and purchase something smaller.¡± I glanced over and noticed an old man methodically clipping a hedge. ¡°With less staff.¡±


    She scoffed at the idea ¡°I may be a fallen noble, but I will not debase myself to lesser accommodations.¡±


    ¡°Fallen noble? ¡°I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have heard the tale, most have.¡±


    ¡°You were disowned after refusing to marry Denerif Mason.¡± I recalled what Tanner told me.


    ¡°Yes, father was not pleased, but I was already an accomplished mage and my mother already gave me my inheritance; there was little he could do to force the issue.¡±


    ¡°What of your mother?¡±


    ¡°Dead, for over 10 years now.¡± She said her voice, betraying a small amount of sadness.


    ¡°Sorry to hear that.¡±


    She waved away my comment clearly not wanting any sympathy.


    ¡°What of you Moon? Any answers to the mysteries of your existence.¡±


    ¡°None, though I have been learning more about elf culture from Lilian.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow then said. ¡°I thought you two hated each other.¡±


    ¡°We have come to a mutual understanding.¡±


    The same servant from earlier returned with a plate of cheese, crackers and cured meat. As well as strange fruits I couldn¡¯t recognize. I followed her lead packing a small plate using silver tongs with the things I desire to eat.


    ¡°So, tell me what did you want to practice?¡± I said as I ate a small cube of foul-smelling cheese with a piece of cracker.


    ¡°One of the problems with your shield is the inability to cast spells through it. Since you''re able to dual cast this allows us to perform a technique called shield stacking.¡±


    Seeing my confusion she continued.


    ¡°If you cast a shield around us and simply construct and charge the spell circuit for another without activating the spell.¡±


    I realized it as she said it and interrupted her.


    ¡°I could drop the first shield, you would release a spell and I would instantly raise the second.¡±


    That would give our enemy barely a fraction of a second to attack since I could expand the second shield incredibly fast. It was so simple I felt stupid that I didn¡¯t take note of it sooner. I was actually eager to see this technique of shield stacking in practice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Sarah led us to a large building near the rear of her manor. It had a high ceiling, most of the building was made of stone, inside the building was largely empty and the floor was entirely made of smooth stone tiles. Here and there were scorch marks likely from where Sarah practiced her fire magic.


    Taking places within the center with my left hand I cast a shield just large enough to cover both of us. In my right hand I constructed the spell circuit for another shield and charged it but did not release the spell. Once we were enclosed Sarah began casing a fire bolt towards some stone pillars that acted as targets. Once it was fully charged, I dropped the shield and instantly raised the second.


    ¡°What do you think is right ? A third of a second. ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Just about, I think. we could try a signal word perhaps that could better coordinate our efforts. ¡°Sarah said.


    ¡°Hmmm it would be faster to time it with the pulse from your spell.¡±


    She looked quizzical then understanding came over her features.


    ¡°Yes, I see. Elves do have a significant sensitivity to fluctuations with the ether.¡±


    We spent a few hours practicing coordinating her spells to my shield. The delay between her releasing a spell and me raising a new shield was roughly a fifth of a second. I doubt any mage could possibly respond during that delay.


    Deciding we had achieved what we set out to do. Sarah and I rested on a bench in a far corner of the room.


    The same servant that brought us the cheese platter came over with a tray that held two silver tankards. We took the drinks and the servant left with a bow. There was a familiar jingle inside the tankard.


    ¡°Ice cubes?¡± I said in confusion. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for an inn to have a crude icebox, but these cubes were an anachronism.


    ¡°Have you never seen an enchanted icebox before?¡± She sounded amused.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve never even heard of one,¡± I said.


    I took a drink of the yellow-orange drink. It was quite sweet and had a citrusy aftertaste. It sent a delicious chill down my spine.


    ¡°I have to see it.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow well and shrugged as if it was no small matter. Enchanted items were something of a rarity so I wanted to see them as often as I could. Sarah Took me through the house into the kitchens. Servants were perturbed to see her there, but they bowed as we entered.


    ¡°Well, there it is.¡± she said nonchalantly.


    It was a metal box roughly similar to as safe as tall as my waist. It was held closed by two heavy metal clasps. Inside there were some meats and metal trays that held even more ice cubes. Looking into the ether I could see veins of ether flowing around the box. Most likely Mithrite since it¡¯s the only metal I know of that can conduct ether. I couldn¡¯t really tell what it was doing but there was an incredibly weak Etheric Jem powering the entire enchantment. At best I could guess that I was somehow transferring the heat from one side of the box to another.


    ¡°Fascinating. Is it costly?¡± I asked.


    ¡°This is an older model so perhaps 80 gelding.¡±


    Enchanting was something that I was interested in pursuing. But from what I have learned It would take years to learn. Sarah showed me several different enchanted items like knives that never dulled to an ever-burning lantern. Each item cost gold depending on the enchantment. We sat down for supper, each taking an end of a far too long table for only two people.


    ¡°What are your intentions for the future Moon?¡± she asked casually but that was a question I have heard in many forms at this point.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. That¡¯s something I will have to consider after I complete my contract with Sten.¡±


    ¡°Why not just buy yourself out of the contract. I¡¯m sure you will have enough gold before the year is out.¡±


    I shrugged and said. ¡°Sten has shown himself to be quite honorable in his dealings. I wouldn''t want to simply abandon him.¡±


    ¡°No plans hm,¡±


    After a pause she continued.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m sure Madame Gardenia¡¯s takeover of the red district and the increasing influence of the guard force were simple coincidences.¡±


    ¡°Of course, what would a lone elf like me have to gain?¡±


    ¡°Hm be coy if you must, but your intentions are clear. Has anyone approached you yet, your name has been on the lips of many Nobles.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°None actually, so you are the first. Though I do wonder; Why exactly did you invite me here? Our practice could have been done on the road.¡±


    ¡°I have a few acquaintances among the nobility who wish to meet with the light mage everyone has been talking about.¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Who are these nobles?¡± I certainly wasn¡¯t going to agree to any meeting before I found out who they were. My first introduction into noble society would decide who my allegiance was with.


    ¡°The Stelworths, both husband and wife as well as Leanor Gravits. I could arrange a luncheon tomorrow before we leave for the contract with Sten.¡±


    This proposal seemed innocent, but I couldn¡¯t believe that she didn¡¯t have ulterior motives. No doubt she and her cohorts were attempting to have me on their side before another snatched the opportunity. It mattered little that I didn¡¯t even have a last name, my power alone was enough that they didn¡¯t want to risk it falling into another¡¯s hands. If we successfully felled a white drake how many would begin to clamor for my allegiance? What would they be willing to offer? I couldn¡¯t close that door just yet by allying with Sarah and her group.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m busy tomorrow. I have a meeting with the guard captain quite early and meditation with Lilian in the Evening. Not to mention the remaining healing work I need to perform in the clinic.¡± I put on my most innocent expression since I was blatantly lying.


    Her eyes tightened minutely as this information was not what she wanted to hear. Whether she saw through my lies or not she didn¡¯t press the issue.


    ¡°Some other time then. I do hope you would not insult me by refusing my hospitality; it is rather late after all.¡±


    I glanced out the rather large window and the setting sun. By the time I made it back to the inn it would be the dead of night. Refusing hospitality for no reason is considered insulting in noble society.


    ¡°Of course not, however I have no spare clothing to change into.¡± I said.


    ¡°All will be arranged rest assured.¡± she said confidently.


    Sarah had spared no expense with our meals it seemed. It has 10 courses of exotic dishes that I have never heard of. Exotic meats, rare fruits, expensive wine, I wasn¡¯t sure if Sarah was trying to impress me or if nobles actually ate like this regularly. I lounged in the seat sipping a cup of tea as the last dish was brought away.


    ¡°I must say that was the best meal I have ever eaten.¡± I said honestly.


    ¡°You¡¯re most welcome.¡± Sarah rang a bell and a servant walked in. I almost did a double take as the woman looked incredibly familiar. Red hair, freckles, green eyes, she was practically Dena¡¯s clone.


    ¡°Yes, my lady.¡± The woman said as she approached Sarah.


    ¡°Moon here will be staying the night. See to it that he has proper accommodations.¡± Sarah said. then turned her attention to me.


    ¡°Lira will see to your needs and arrange your clothing for the morrow, as I am in need of rest I will retire for the day. I will see you off in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Very well Sarah, Thank you again for the meal and the pleasure of your company.¡±


    She gave me a deep nod and exited the room leaving me with Lira.


    ¡°If you would follow me M¡¯lord I have a bath and a change of clothes prepared.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    The Lira led me through the large manor house to a luxurious bath. The floors were polished marble and in the center of the room was a copper bath large enough four people.


    ¡°Would you like my assistance M¡¯lord?¡± Lira said with a sweet smile that disconcerted me.


    Perhaps I was being paranoid and her resemblance to Dena was a coincidence but there was one thing commonly known about nobles was their predilection for scheming.


    ¡°No thank you dear Lina, I would like some time alone with my thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Of course, M''Lord, simply ring for me if you need anything.¡± She pointed to a gold leafed table which held toiletry along with a single silver bell.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to.¡± I said, taking my leave.


    In any other situation I wouldn¡¯t have minded having someone to wash my back and hair. But I couldn¡¯t trust that Lina wasn¡¯t another form of manipulation created by Sarah. Throughout the day she had been the picture of hospitality but that was even more cause for concern than her usual apathy.


    I enjoyed the bath for over an hour since the water never got cold. It wasn¡¯t a surprise when I checked and realized it was enchanted. I dressed in the fine night clothes provided to me. It was a deep purple shirt and pants that were made of a cloth material so soft I barely felt it on my skin. Lina led me to my rooms for the night and as expected it was richly appointed. The bed alone was larger than my room at the inn. Before I closed the door Lina asked in a sultry tone.


    ¡°Is there anything else I can do for you M¡¯lord.¡±


    It was glaringly obvious what she was suggesting, normally I wouldn¡¯t hesitate. The luxury, the food and finally Lina, everything was to my taste. Hells, I almost didn¡¯t want to return to the lower city. But that was the problem. It was too perfect, too enjoyable if I remained, I would become Sarah¡¯s creature without seeing any other prospects. Sarah likely wanted to use me as a stepping stone for her own advancement within the peerage.


    ¡°No thank you Lina I must rest for the night for I have a busy day tomorrow.¡± I said casually.


    ¡°Of Course, rest well, M''Lord.¡±


    I closed the door and threw myself into the bed. I found that I quite like being called my lord. I settled down in bed for the night crossing my legs to prepare for meditation since I couldn¡¯t fall asleep normally.


    A knock at the door finally caught so I decided to bring myself out mediation after a few minutes I was fully awake.


    ¡°Enter.¡± I said loudly.


    A different servant, an older woman with graying hair entered with my clothes neatly folded in her arms.


    ¡°My Lord, your clothes have been laundered. I regret to inform you that the lady of the house has left on urgent business so will not be able to break her fast with you. My apologies for any offense.¡±


    ¡°No offense taken. Has transportation been arranged?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord, a carriage is available at your convenience.¡±


    ¡°In that case I¡¯ll leave immediately.¡±


    ¡°As you wish my Lord.¡±


    She handed me my clothes and I dressed. They had a wonderful citrus scent from the laundering. The servant led me through the house until the main courtyard where a carriage was waiting. I boarded it and returned to the inn.


    Inside the dining area I found Sten sitting at a table meticulously going over maps. He noticed my entrance and signaled me to come over. As soon as I came within earshot he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take at least a week by carriage to reach the Drakes hunting grounds. Latest report says she¡¯s settled somewhere around here.¡±


    Sten pointed to a series of hills that ran parallel to the border of Vernon and Ruben.


    ¡°How was your practice with Sarah?¡± Sten asked.


    ¡°Fruitful, I think. She showed me a clever way to use the shield with dual casting. I should be quite effective at allowing us to return fire to the enemy without losing defense.¡± I said.


    ¡°Sounds interesting. You and Sarah will have to demonstrate while we¡¯re on the road. Have you broken your fast yet?¡±


    ¡°No actually.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re free to join me if you wish.¡±


    ¡°Much obliged.¡±


    Aunt Nettie eventually came over and as expected offered us food. There was a stew going as always and neither of us felt particularly picky about what to eat. In no time each of us had a steaming bowl of stew. In the middle of our meal, I remembered Sten had some meeting with his daughters. I was far too busy to catch up with him. So, I asked.


    ¡°How was that meeting with your daughters?¡±


    He slightly pursed his lips then said.


    ¡°It was¡­.............better than I had feared.¡±


    He saw my quizzical expression then elaborated.


    ¡°They were mostly cold and angry. What I did was something that they won¡¯t forget especially since their mother still has the scar.¡±


    He paused for a moment in some contemplation then said.


    ¡°It was over an hour of them venting. Can¡¯t really blame them for being angry. Though after we finished eating. They said they¡¯re willing to have lunch with me again.¡±


    ¡°What did you say to them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Some more apologies but I just let them do the talking. Who knows, maybe in a few years they might even start calling me father.¡±


    ¡°No hope of becoming a family again.¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, the best I can probably hope for is simply being a part of their lives. Maybe¡­¡­¡­¡­. just maybe. I could hold my grandchild someday or attend their weddings. Either way if that never happens, I can content myself with having a meal with them from time to time. It''s less than what I want but more than I deserve.¡±


    ¡°Something is better than nothing I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Better than nothing.¡± Sten whispered to himself.


    Our conversation eventually tumbled into an awkward silence. With neither of us sure what else to talk about.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in two days then. Is there any special preparation I should do.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hmmm none that I can think of just be sure to be ready for a real fight.¡±


    I gave him some farewells not wanting to deal with the awkward situation anymore. I didn¡¯t actually have any plans. My armor and weapons were in pristine condition, and I had plenty of medical supplies to last the entire trip. I shrugged and decided to spend the day at Gardenia¡¯s, at the very least there would be something or someone interesting to do.

 Book 1: Chapter 23: The Drake

    We were 3 days into our contract, and we just passed the border to Ruben. The drake had started hunting even farther east, according to the final report we got before leaving Vernon. We finally left the flatlands and started across wide rolling hills. In the distance we could see significantly taller hills. Mountains would be more accurate. It stretched so high that it started to pierce the clouds. Somewhere in those rolling hills and mountains lived a drake that we must kill. As our 4-horse carriage rolled along, I noticed very little fauna other than some birds and small deer looking creatures.


    The lack of large game was probably why the drake opted to attack caravans and livestock. A caravan was attacked along the same road we are currently traveling. Most were killed so everyone in the company kept their eyes to the sky with orders to shout shield cover if they even suspected that the drake was nearby.


    ¡°What do you think our chances are of being attacked, Breala?¡± Sten asked. She was the only one with any knowledge of hunting drakes, so the company deferred to her.


    Breala analyzed the clouds then said.


    ¡°It is good weather for it, but it¡¯s hard to say you usually don¡¯t know you¡¯re being attacked before it happens.¡±


    ¡°Where do you think it is nesting?¡±


    ¡°Most likely the tallest mountain. If we find oddly broken bodies that look like they died from a fall. Then we should be close.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s hope we find the beast soon. I don''t care for these hills.¡± Brandon said with definite irritation in his voice. We had only been traveling along these hills for a day and the constant chilly dry wind was an irritant. Some in the company even asked me to heal their cracked lips.


    ¡°So, we pick the tallest mountain and hope to find bodies? Any other ideas? Lilian?¡± I asked if I was in much the same disposition as Brandon since these winds were irritating my ears.


    ¡°I have no experience hunting drakes.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a plan then. Everyone, we''re heading for that peak.¡± Sten announced.


    He gave the reins a jolt and the carriage picked up pace. The dreary travel continued for hours incline slowly increasing. The sky was overcast, and I could smell rain in the air. I almost wanted to meditate so I could pass the time but couldn¡¯t indulge myself since I would be needed if the drake suddenly attacked.


    Suddenly a loud screech washed over us the hilly landscape made the sound echo in a way as to make it difficult to determine the direction.


    The entire company was on full alert, eyes to the sky, ears peeled. Both Sarah and I had spell circuits prepared for her with a fire spell and with me a shield. A minute passed, then two loud screeches slowly became quieter until it faded into nothing.


    ¡°Direction?¡± Breala asked, her eyes twitching from Lilian and me. I looked into her green eyes for a moment then we both pointed.


    ¡°Wonderful.¡± Brandon complained as we pointed towards the peak of the tallest hill.


    ¡°We know our direction. Everyone keep your eyes to the sky. Moon ready with that shield.¡±


    Sten looked towards the direction of the highest peak where the drake no doubt nested.


    ¡°I have a feeling things are about to get interesting.¡±


    We had to abandon the horses and carriage, tying them off so they wouldn¡¯t wonder. The crude roads didn¡¯t continue towards the peak of the mountain, so we had to continue on by foot carefully navigating an increasing incline. Lilian took point skillfully carving a path towards the peak that we could follow. This continued on for another half an hour before Lilian signaled for us to halt.


    ¡°Dead body.¡± She said,


    The entire company approached examining the dead horse. It was at least a week old, and its body was horrifically mangled. It looked as if it fell several hundred feet.


    ¡°A victim of the drake?¡± I asked Breala.


    ¡°Most likely. We''re going to see more bodies the closer we get to its nest.¡± Breala said.


    It was as Breala said. The higher we climbed the greater the wind and we occasionally found more bodies. Humans¡¯ horses'' remains of livestock were strewn across the hillside partially eaten.


    Suddenly a screech far louder than we had heard before echoed across the hillside. Not willing to risk the company¡¯s safety I immediately cast a shield. Above the cloud cover a vague form could be seen coming towards us. There was a rush of Ether as the shadow approached. The wind that before was strong yet tolerable significantly increased in strength.


    We watched in awe as the hillside was torn apart by the ferocity of the wind. It whipped up into hurricane forces. Ripping trees out of the ground by the roots tossing boulders with a deafening howl. My shield was firm enough to stand against it. After a few minutes, the wind slowed down.


    ¡°That seemed on purpose.¡± I said as the wind reduced to the point that I could be heard without shouting.


    ¡°Yes, without proper protection we would have succumbed to the wind. That is how it hurts.¡± Breala said.


    ¡°Hells it¡¯s like the world was ending for a minute there,¡± Tanner said as she examined the destroyed ground outside the edge of my shield.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t that the truth, I¡¯m starting to wonder why I¡¯m even here.¡± Mikah said.


    The young man did have a point there wasn¡¯t much they could do against the drake while it was in the sky. I would essentially have to babysit them until we can bring it down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will all have plenty of fun when Moon and Sarah bring it down. For now, just sit pretty behind the shield.¡± Mark said, sounding far more relaxed than the other two.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue going towards the peak. Moon, get ready with that shield if you suspect that the drake is close.¡±


    I ended the spell while I could sustain the shield for much longer than before it made sense to keep myself at maximum stamina.


    ¡°Very well. Sarah, if it gets close enough, I''ll drop the shield. You will only have a fraction of a second to respond before I bring it back up.¡± I said.


    ¡°Our practice was thorough. Rest assured that I will not miss the opportunity.¡± Sarah said, full of confidence.


    ¡°Lilian took the point that everyone else''s eyes to the sky were not getting blown off this mountain.¡± Sten said with steel in his voice.


    This was more mountain than hill. The incline increased even further. At this point we were going up a 30-degree slope. Those with inexperience with this terrain slipped and fell constantly as footholds that we thought were firm rock gave way. Lilian, who seemed to be born for this easily navigated the rough terrain.


    Though the higher altitude was much colder I was still soaked in sweat. The drake attacked 3 more times, the wind getting more vicious as we ascended. We still haven¡¯t actually gotten a clear sight. Based on the shadow it cast upon the clouds it had to be at least 50 feet from head to tail. The idea that a dragon could grow well over 10 times that size was mind boggling. I wasn¡¯t sure how Drake¡¯s magic worked but I could easily feel the ripples in the ether as it started to whip up the wind.


    It took most of the day before we started to pass beyond the low clouds. It was the dark of night on the mountain side and it had been a few hours since we had been attacked. Since we were above the cloud line, I could see the endless expanse of the sky. Billions of stars lit up the night sky, and a single moon lit up the mountainside providing just enough light to see. The entire company took a moment to appreciate the view, even Caan took a few moments in quiet contemplation.


    ¡°We should rest and pick up at sunrise.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°It¡¯s best for you all to get as much rest as possible. I''ll keep watch for the night.¡± I said.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Tanner said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need any sleep and if the drake attacks us in the night, I need to be able to raise the shield at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°I said reassuringly.


    ¡°It¡¯s all right Tanner elves are just different from humans. We can put our faith in him.¡± Sten said.


    Lilian led us to a reasonably flat area, and everyone bedded down. It had to be dried meat and nuts for supper as no one wanted to risk a fire drawing the drake¡¯s attention while they rested. I could not afford the luxury of meditation, so I thought back to my time among the trees when I first arrived in this world.


    I gathered, moved, and dispersed the ether throughout my body. I¡¯ve learned enough magic to know that this was not a particularly useful exercise, but it kept my mind focused and alert in case of attack. Only Lilian had remained awake though due to an abundance of caution and an unwillingness to wake the others we sat in silence. The night seemed to drag on for far longer than usual. Again, I lamented the loss of sleep since I would have loved an excuse to lay my head down for the night.


    As soon as the sun began to crest above the horizon Lilian, and I woke everyone. And so, our path towards the peak continued. For another several hours our luck of getting attacked during the night finally ran out.


    In the distance I could see a small shape approaching our position. I didn¡¯t have to guess what it was as the drake began to ascend higher and higher. I could at this distance just make out its gray scales, eventually I began to feel a pulse within the Ether.


    It was nothing like Spell casting; it was far more subtle. I cast a shield as soon as I felt it Moments later with wind whipped up into hurricane forces. Sarah had a spell ready if the drake ever decided to physically attack us. But if it remained high in the sky constantly circling every few seconds there would be a ripple in the ether punctuated by an increase in the wind¡¯s ferocity.


    ¡°Damn she¡¯s really laying the hammer down¡± Mark shouted over the sound of the wind. The force of the wind started to rip apart the earth around us. To the point where I started to fear that we could be caught in a landslide.


    ¡°How¡¯re you holding up the Moon?¡± Sten asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine the wind is powerful but not enough to get through my shield and I have stamina to spare.¡± I said.


    It was quite the sight as the foliage around us was ripped from the earth and carried off into the wind while we stood within the calm bubble. The ripples increased in the Ether as the drake released another roar. This one sounded almost frustrated. The wind died down and to our surprise the drake began to dive. It was thousands of feet above us so we had a few moments before it would make an impact.


    ¡°READY?¡± I shouted to Sarah as I began to charge a second shield spell. She understood me and pulled out her amplifier and immediately started charging a fire spell, the circuit rippling with lightning as she overcharged it with Ether. As it came closer, I could see the slight metallic sheen on its scales, its silver horns, and the ocean blue eyes. Its 4 legs are all tipped with metallic claws.


    Just as it was about to enter Saras range the large creature made a physics defying course correction rotating almost 180 degrees in the opposite direction flying away from us. No creature that size should have been able to make that sharp a turn without the g forces tearing its wings off. A ripple in the ether informed me that magic was involved.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Can it detect Ether?¡± I asked Breala.


    ¡°I do not know, there are no orc mages.¡± Breala said.


    ¡°It stands to reason that it can. We will have to find its nest then¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Yes, for it to risk a direct attack we must be close.¡± Breala said.


    The drake was still circling above monitoring our movements. Assuming the creature can in fact sense magic in the same way I do. It would have to make a decision at some point. Either it risked a physical attack at my shield or risked its nest being found at which point we would kill its offspring.


    Eventually the rough ground started to flatten as we reached the peak of the mountain. The terrain was rough with plenty of jagged rock and bare earth to traverse. Drake became increasingly frustrated as no amount of wind would bring down my shield.


    With a loud roar it started to dive again, this time a massive amount of ether was rippling off of the creature but there was no wind to be seen. Unsure of what was about to happen I warned.


    ¡°Everyone get ready, it''s about to do something new.¡± It was clearly about to use a significantly larger amount of Ether for this attack. So, in response I hardened my shield to its maximum strength. I shook my head like Sarah, and I made eye contact. Realizing my motive she dismissed her spell.


    As the diving drake closed the distance the ripples in the ether increased. I haven¡¯t felt something this strong since the earth mage started using the amplifier. When it was barely a hundred feet between us, I made a mighty flap in its wings and its momentum instantly stopped.


    A massive ripple in the ether was released as the flap of its wings released a gust of wind so powerful that it completely destroyed the earth around us. I was brought to my knees under the strain of maintaining the shield. The gust continued as the creature kept flapping its large batlike wings.


    This was actually the best view I have had of the creature since it started attacking. I could see that all four legs were tipped with silver claws that matched its horns underneath its stomach. It was a lighter gray, almost becoming white.


    The sheer power of the wind was enough to throw boulders off the mountain as if it were made of paper. The stream of wind acted almost like a jackhammer as it gouged out a massive crater around us. After nearly a minute of this the strain on my shield began to decrease.


    Sarah caught my eyes, and I started casting a second shield. ¡®Get ready.¡¯ I mouthed to her since it was impossible to hear anything over the sound of the wind. She gave me a nod and started to cast a fire spell with her amplifier.


    Though my shield held firm against the wind, the earth around us didn''t. We were practically hammered into the earth by the wind. The crater became ever wider and deeper as the drake continued to pummel us into the ground. The rest of the company wore panicked expressions and Mikah seemed to be screaming something to Brandon. Caan and the rest just stared at the beast in fascination and horror.


    Another minute passed and pressure on my shield started to decrease significantly. Sarah knew that the moment my shield dropped that she should fire at the creature, so I waited for the perfect moment. I watched the earth around us to gauge how strong the wind was and if it would blow anyone away before I could raise the second shield.


    Soon enough the strength of the wind decreased to the point where only fist sized rocks were being tossed around. Trusting Sarah to deliver, I dropped the shield. Sarah proved to be as adept as I expected and through the hurricane force winds, she fired her spell. Barely a third of a second later I raised the second¡¯s shield.


    She didn¡¯t actually hit the creature head on, but she had the skill to detonate the fireball close to the creature, so a direct hit wasn¡¯t necessary.


    The spell was charged with enough Ether that the creature was completely engulfed in fire for an instant. With a high pitch squeal of agony, the Drake clumsily flew out of the hundred-foot ball of expanding fire and started to flee. I made sure to take note of the direction it headed. Sten¡¯s assertion that the drake would be resistant to magic was correct since it was able to maintain flight. Though I could make quite severe burns all over its body.


    Everyone was sprawled out on the ground since they were unprepared for the momentary drop in the shield. I watched as the drake flew towards the peak of the mountain.


    ¡°An animal in distress will flee to familiar ground so it''s likely heading back to its nest.¡± Breala said.


    ¡°On to the peak then double time people we don¡¯t want it to recover its strength. ¡°Sten said.


    We continued towards the peak of the mountain until the ground actually flattened into a plateau of short grass and rocks.


    The plateau was thousands of feet across with an excellent view of the surrounding landscape though the overcast day meant all we could see were clouds. Near the center of the plateau was a clustering of large human sized boulders. There were dozens of them that seemed to be arranged in a circle.


    ¡°5 Sterling, that''s the nest.¡± Brandons said as we started to approach.


    ¡°It is. The drake is likely nearby.¡± Breala said. As soon as she uttered those words the drake crested the mounted side. I had my shield up in an instant as it dove towards us. It performed the same maneuver stopping in front of us and releasing a powerful blast of wind. It, however, paled in comparison to what it did before.


    Sarah had a spell ready so as soon as the wind started to decrease in strength, I dropped the shield allowing her to fire at the drake. Another blast of fire detonated on target, and it knocked the creature out of the air. It tumbled on the ground sliding to a halt.


    Drakes were apparently hardy creatures as it managed to spring back to their feet and came at us again.


    ¡°To the nest it won¡¯t risk its eggs with wind.¡± Breala Shouted.


    We ran towards the nest while I kept up the shield. The creature released a roar of frustration and clawed at the barrier trying to kill us.


    Each strike released sparks and destroyed the ground around us with blasts of air. It drained a significant amount of stamina to maintain it. The closer we got to the nest the greater its frustration.


    ¡°This can¡¯t last forever; we need to counterattack.¡± I said. It was much too close for a fireball since we would be caught in the blast, I had roughly a third of my stamina left.


    ¡°Moon, I want you to hit it with a radiant lance as powerful as you can make it. Everyone else scatters. On your mark moon.¡±


    ¡°Watch for the shield dropping to scatter.¡± I said. I charged the radiant lance to the fullest potential I was capable of, not wanting to risk the drake''s natural resistance to magic. Everyone moved away from me as the spell circuit started violently emitting lightning as it was overcharged beyond what any normal mage could achieve. My stamina fell precipitously as the ether left my body. I waited until the creature reeled from another failed attempt to break through the shield.


    ¡°NOW.¡± I shouted; I dropped the shield and released the radiant lance. The beam of light glowed almost and bright as the sun as it was released. I wasn¡¯t prepared for the kickback from the spell, so I missed its body and completely severed a wing. As if by reflex the creature released a blast of wind in all directions knocking everyone off their feet. It writhed on the ground releasing a roar so loud it rang my ears.


    The creature was unexpectedly persistent as it immediately got to its feet and began to go after the closest person, which was Caan. it was down a wing that was releasing a small amount of blood so perhaps the man thought he had a chance.


    He brandished his sword, but the creature just made a wild strike at him, sending him flying. Brandon was losing arrows as he sprinted away. They bounced off the drake¡¯s scales without leaving much of a mark. Though he seemed to be aiming for the eyes.


    Breala sprinted towards the creature going for a strike with her great sword aiming to pierce its underbelly. Her sword barely got a foot in before the drake bent its serpentine nick towards her and managed to bite down on her torso. It lifted her into the air and threw her over 30 feet away and she landed in a heap.


    This gave Sarah the opportunity to unleash the fireball she was charging and once again the drake was caught in a massive explosion. The force of the explosion knocked it over and singed the membrane of its other wing.


    It seemed dazed from the strike as it staggered back to its feet. I began charging a radian lance hoping to end the fight. The drake sensed the ether in my attack and began to charge me.


    ¡°Flash¡± I yelled. I unleashed the flash spell practically point blank to its face as I dodged with my eyes close to the side. It tumbled end over end over end as it was blinded by the light.


    Once it skidded to a stop Mikah came out of nowhere and buried a sword into its right eye. The creature got up instantly and thrashed around wildly swinging its long tail hoping to hit someone.


    Mikah took it directly to his chest and went flying. That, however, was where the fight began to turn. With one wing completely severed and the loss of its right eye the drake couldn¡¯t put up much of a fight. Sarah and I peppered it with spells as the rest of the company opened up wound after wound on its body. I had to reserve the rest of my strength to heal the company, so I elected to use low powered spells. Lilian danced and flipped as the creature tried in vain to land a hit, her blades, opening up small wounds.


    . With dozens of cuts, burns and blood loss from the severed wing and the drake finally collapsed.


    Breala took her great sword and speared it directly into its other eye, deep enough to reach its brain. The creature twitched erratically for a moment then died.


    ¡°Ahh it''s finally dead.¡± Brandon shouted in relief. He dropped to his knees in exhaustion; at some point he abandoned his bow and was wielding a sword.


    Mark picked himself up off the ground, walked over to the drake and kicked its head.


    ¡°Aye it is. Sten, I don¡¯t care who asks the next contract better to be easy.¡± Mark said jokingly but it was a sentiment we all agreed with.


    ¡°Injuries? ¡°Sten said.


    Almost everyone, with the exception of Sarah and Lilian, were injured. Cracked ribs and fractured bones were the most common. Breala had it the worst since the drake¡¯s teeth were powerful enough to pierce her armor and flesh. It was a wonder she could still fight with such ferocity but she wasn''t full human so that was to be expected. I had enough power to spare however so I healed all the puncture wounds from the teeth. An hour later the company was close to full health.


    ¡°Moon, get some rest. Everyone, start carving we''re sitting on a gold mine here.¡± Sten ordered.


    The drakes skin scales teeth and claws were worth a significant amount of coin. Its bones were worth coins as well but dragging such large bones across the half the barony was not something we were willing to do. The head, however, remained untouched. Sten had me use the radiant lance to cleanly sever it. Though the teeth were worth a coin having a drake head about half my height is a prize most noblemen would like mounted somewhere.


    As the company hacked the drake apart, I went to examine the nest. There were 4 eggs that almost came up to my waist. The ground was stomped flat. And all round the nest there were remains, some animal, some humanoid.


    Since everyone, with the exception of Sarah, was busy I examined the eggs using ether. I could see the developing drake inside its wings and limbs were not fully formed so it was closer in resemblance to a tadpole. The eggs themselves were dark gray and if not for the smooth surface would easily be mistaken as rocks.


    The eggs could also fetch some coins but carrying the large things down the mountain would be difficult. So, it was best to simply destroy them guaranteeing that they wouldn¡¯t hatch and become an even greater problem.


    ¡°Sten, should I destroy the eggs.¡± I shouted so he could hear me.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡­not like I can carry things down.¡± He said with a grunt.


    Noticing that no one was paying attention I ripped the life form one of the eggs and felt very little of the euphoria I expected. From within the ether the eggs had as much life as a human. I guessed that it had to do with my own increase in life ether.


    I would need to consume a creature with a large life ether or simply a large amount of sentient beings to feel the ecstasy again. I was both relieved and dismayed at that realization. At least there was little reason to absorb life beyond the increase in my energy. I fired radiant bolts at each egg destroying the shell and killing the small creatures inside.


    Hours later a large amount of the drake¡¯s skin was removed along with as many scales as we could fit in our packs. The skin was cut into wide strips that could be rolled up like a carpet. It was quite the sight as the large creature was butchered and peeled as if it was to be served for supper. I arrived when Mikah had just finished cutting open the drake¡¯s stomach.


    Apparently, it wasn¡¯t uncommon to find rare stones inside of the gastrointestinal tract of magical creatures.


    Several dozens of smooth stones fell and Mikah with a sick expression picked out the ones that looked like they would be worth coin. That¡¯s when my eye caught the telltale soft glow of an etheric gem.


    It was a light blue uncut gem about the size of a sterling. I went over, snatched it up and examined it in the ether. Examining the amount of ether contained in the stone I had to guess that it was slightly more powerful that Sarah¡¯s. Without it being enchanted into an amplifier the gem was largely useless. Though it would certainly fetch a lot of coins, perhaps a few hundred on the open market.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of those magic gems isn¡¯t it.¡± Mikah said.


    ¡°Yes, it contains air attenuated ether.¡± I said.


    Sarah came over and looked at it within the Ether for a moment then said.


    ¡°Good find. I should fetch an excellent price.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Mikah asked.


    ¡°2 maybe 3 hundred gelding, it¡¯s not particularly strong and without an amplifier it¡¯s basically a pretty bauble.¡±


    ¡°Why not keep it for ourselves?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Perhaps that would make sense if you were an air mage and had access to an enchanter that can create an amplifier. However, you are not and there are none within the barony.¡± Sarah explained.


    Her words made sense. What I would do with it even if I kept it. I shrugged and tossed it into a pile with the other gems. Even if I could find someone to create an amplifier, a doubling of my air magic abilities would still mean little. I only knew one spell after all.


    It took over an hour before Drake was stripped of anything that could increase our pay. Everyone, with the exception of Sarah and I, carried a long rolled up strip of Drake skin and Breala carried the head. Our packs were stuffed with scales and various spikes that were along its body. The only part of the drake that was untouched was the head. It took most of the day to bring the parts all the way down the mountain.


    We counted it as exceptionally good luck that the cart was where we left it and none of the horses wandered away. On our journey back many villagers watched in awe as we rolled through village after village with the large drake head sitting on top of the rest of its pieces. We were not willing to risk the parts rotting before they could be sold so we made the journey as fast as possible.


    We finally reached the city walls. Most people were keen to jump out of the way of a group of people that were powerful enough to fell a drake.


    One of the guards who were apparently waiting for us ran over and started speaking to Sten. He wore fine armor much like the upper city guards. Sten returned to us and said,


    ¡°Apparently the Baron wishes to see the drake head and us in person. So, we will be heading into the central keep where he will greet us personally. Now¡±


    There were a range of reactions to Sten¡¯s announcement. Some looked equal parts worried and excited. Sarah pulled out a hand mirror and started adjusting her hair. Sten and Mark started adjusting their armor.


    I¡¯ve heard many tales of the baron both flattering and disparaging. It will certainly be interesting to finally put a face to all the stories.

 Book 1: Chapter 24: The Baron

    A dozen more well armored guards escorted us through the lower city. We caused quite the excitement as people pointed at the large drake head sitting prominently atop the rest of its remains. The crowd followed us all the way to the entrance of the upper city where we passed through with no delay.


    Even the noblemen and women who lived in the upper city couldn¡¯t help but stare at both our odd appearance, since the two of us were elves and another a half orc, and the severed drake head. Fortunately, the chilly air slowed down decomposition, so it was only mildly smelly. Nobles would pull back the curtains to their luxurious carriages to see what required such a significant escort then stared wide eyed at the drake.


    ¡°Damn, is this how rich live Sarah?¡± Tanner said mockingly.


    It wasn¡¯t uncommon for a person to live their entire life in Vernon¡¯s capitol and never enter the upper city. Sarah ignored her, she seemed displeased by the situation.


    I walked over to her and asked in a low voice ¡°What has you troubled?¡±


    ¡°We are going to see the most powerful man in the city bloodstained and smelling of horses.¡± Sarah said testily.


    We had rushed back to Vernon in hopes that we could sell off the loot before it rotted so there was no time to rest and refresh ourselves at a village. I wasn¡¯t as concerned as she was, from the stories I have heard the baron was a man of action in his youth and would likely be more receptive to our current state. That likely didn¡¯t matter to Sarah since she seemed to loath being unclean.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, she''s a prissy noble. I heard when the baron was young, he used to walk in bloodstained from the battlefield and hold court as if he was dressed in the finest of clothing.¡± Mikah said.


    ¡°Perhaps it is acceptable for a man to behave as such, it is not so for a lady of the peerage.¡± Sarah said, turning her nose up at Mikah.


    ¡°But you¡¯re not a lady of the peerage, not anymore at least.¡± Tanner said.


    This visibly angered Sarah as the loss of her noble status was a sore spot to her. She took a step towards Tanner.


    ¡°Tanner, Sarah, enough you¡¯re behaving like children.¡± Sten ordered, there was definite tension between those two for some reason. But while we were on contract Sten¡¯s orders were to be followed so the two backed down.


    We reached another gate, our escort dispersed and another group even more finely armored took up position. We were instructed to leave our weapons with the gate guards and continued on. Each man had the emblem of the baron stamped into his breastplate. They were polished to a mirror shine; each wore a blood red cape with the same emblem stitched in gold thread. They were certainly impressive looking.


    Sten straightened up as we passed through the even larger gate. Within the final ring of the city was the baron¡¯s keep. It was a massive structure of reddish-brown stone hundreds of feet tall. There was a massive court entrance with well-manicured grass lawns and clean cobbled pathways. There were statues of stone depicting creatures I¡¯ve never seen before or scenes of battle. The stone path leading to the massive doors could fit 3 carriages a breast and still have room. There were servants running around everywhere maintaining flowers clipping hedges and otherwise busying themselves with maintaining the opulent accommodations. We could occasionally see nobles walking about, but I could see no carriages except for ours.


    The guards opened the massive steel doors and we let were into a greeting room filled with gilded furniture and art from statues to paintings. Then we were led to another set of large doors the guards swung it open


    ¡°Presenting the Bronze Spears and their Commander Sten Barlow.¡± one of the guards shouted.


    The room was massive, with well over a hundred members of the nobility all talking amongst themselves in small groups. As soon as the proclamation was finished the entire court turned to look at our entrance. We were escorted forward by the guards, carving a path through the large room towards the baron¡¯s throne.


    The baron himself was a large man probably over 6 feet tall. In his youth he was probably strikingly handsome. However, his blond hair was balding, and he had a prominent stomach from years of improper eating and drinking. He sat atop a large ornate throne covered in gold and jewels. On his left was a younger woman sitting in a less ornate and smaller throne.


    She was a stunning woman with black hair and amber eyes. Wearing the single most opulent clothing of any woman I have seen. Her hands, neck and ears were adorned with a waterfall of diamonds. Her dark purple dress was embroidered with gold. She wore a small circlet atop her head also made of gold and diamond. This must be the baroness.


    To his right were 3 people who I suspected were advisors based on their clothing. They had to be mages. They had the same color-coded uniforms I saw on baroness Ruben¡¯s escort. Only one had an amplifier. A young woman with soft brown hair and girlish features had a softly glowing red gem embedded in a gauntlet on her right hand.


    Another fire mage then, she certainly wore the colors for it. by the strength of the glow, it had to be a powerful amplifier. The other two were a water mage, a young man in blue who looked rather similar to the woman, and a light mage. He was a much older man with graying hair wearing white. He was by far the tallest man I have ever seen.


    As we reached the front of the dais everyone took a knee; I followed suit.


    ¡°Rise¡± the barons said in a strong baritone.


    ¡°My guard tells me you fell the drake is this indeed true?¡±


    Sten stood up and announced, ¡°Yes the beast has fallen my Lord Baron.¡±


    The baron smiled showing straight white teeth.


    ¡°Tell me you have brought proof of your deed.¡± The baron said. This seemed more like a performance than genuine doubt that we didn¡¯t complete the contract.


    ¡°Indeed, lord baron we have brought you, its head. It should make a fine centerpiece.¡±


    ¡°Did you now? Bring it in then I wish to see the beast that bested 2 mercenary companies.¡±


    Two of his guards left, while this was happening, I examined the rest of the court¡¯s reactions. There was constant whispering and glances from me to Sarah to Sten. I didn¡¯t know how significant an event like inviting a mercenary company to court was so I could only speculate what the constant whispers meant.


    As the two guards brought the drake¡¯s head to the baron¡¯s, dais the nobles watching grew in excitement. The barons grinned like a child receiving his long awaited nameday present.


    He started chuckling and clapping as his guards rested the severed head at the foot of his deus.


    ¡°Denerim that¡¯s fully grown isn¡¯t it¡± the barons asked.


    The light mage responded in a neutral tone ¡°yes my lord it¡¯s likely a few centuries old.¡±


    The baron got up from his seat and one of his guards handed him a gilded walking cane. He took the cane from him and made his way down from his dais, careful not to put too much weight on his left leg. His guards as well as the 3 mages accompanied him.


    ¡°Sten, my good man, first the earth mage, now a fully grown drake your company continues to impress. Hells look at the size of it must have been a battle for the ages.¡± He stood in front of the creature and ran a gloved hand across his snout.


    ¡°It was my lord. I''ve never seen wind as ferocious as that creature could produce. Thrice the drake attacked us, and its winds powerful enough to throw carriage size boulders as if they were made of parchment. Thrice Moon¡¯s shield proved to be unbreakable. And his excellent coordination with lady Newban allowed us to triumph.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°Indeed? Tell me Denerim how powerful would a light mage have to be to withstand the full force of an elder drake¡¯s power.¡± The baron had a pleased expression on his face.


    ¡°Hmmm¡± he rubbed his beard then continued


    ¡°In terms of power over the ether? Considering he does not use an amplifier; somewhere between a journeyman and master mage.¡±


    A ripple went over the crowd at Denerim''s proclamation.


    ¡°His feats certainly sound impressive enough.¡± the baron said. He took note of the cut that severed its head.


    ¡°This cut was done with a radiant lance spell was it not?¡± The baron said.


    ¡°Yes, lord baron,¡± Denerim answered.


    ¡°Quite impressive. ¡°The baron said.


    Tanner chucked under her breath at that statement.


    ¡°Do tell girl, what you find so funny.¡± Denerim said.


    Tanner looked like a deer caught by surprise and said meekly.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that the lance he used to cut the head off was a trickle compared with the one he used to cut off the wing¡­¡­¡­. Milord.¡± Tanner said, remembering to address him properly.


    It was curious that they were talking around me as if I wasn¡¯t here. No doubt the baron was waiting for the perfect moment to pull me into the conversation. Until then I would remain silent and let him play his game.


    ¡°His power is impressive, I do wonder however, why would an elf want to learn human magic since so many of them look down upon it? I¡¯m sure the matriarchs would not approve of such things.¡± Denerim said.


    Another ripple of whispers went through the audience.


    ¡°Well Moon what do you say to this?¡± the baron asked.


    The entire court was so silent you could hear a feather drop. I took a second to formulate my response in a way that would align with what I could perceive the baron''s intentions to be.


    He spent a considerable amount of effort building up my magical power in front of his court. If he means to recruit or make me an ally, then dispelling the idea that I have loyalty to the elven clans would be necessary. I will have to repeat what I did with the guards with the baron.


    ¡°I for one consider all knowledge, magical or otherwise, to be of value. It is arrogance and ignorance that deludes the individual into thinking that their way is the only way.¡± I said.


    I let the room digest that for a moment then continued.


    ¡°The opinions of elves thousands of leagues away means nothing to me. I am my own person and have no interest in clinging to the bygone dreams of some golden age that I was never alive to see.¡± I said.


    I watched as the baron practically forced down a smile at my response.


    ¡°Well said Moon, truly you are Somnus the Wise reborn.¡± The barons said. I had no clue who that was, but it sounded like a compliment.


    By the look on Lilian¡¯s face, she was not pleased with my response. She could do little in the situation, however.


    The rest of the company seemed keen to stay quiet, likely from the discomfort of having the sole attention of some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the city. I couldn¡¯t really blame them, but I had the luxury of not being a human and had power enough that most would hesitate to insult my lack of noble bearing.


    ¡°Lira, what do you think? Does he match up to the rumors?¡± the baron said to the young woman.


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    Lira had the cocky expression of someone who knew they were the most powerful person in the room and wouldn¡¯t hesitate to prove it. With the strength of her amplifier, she might actually be.


    She looked me up and down with a frankness that I don¡¯t often see in Noble women then said.


    ¡°Powerful? Certainly, I wouldn¡¯t mind testing those shields myself.¡±


    ¡°Maybe some other time Lira I¡¯m sure the bronze spears are weary from their travels. ¡°The baron said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told your healing is equally impressive maybe. I heard you charge barely a pittance for it, you even helped set up a clinic in the lower city.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I desired to practice healing magic on humans to better aid my comrades. Captain Heith has been most gracious in accommodating me in this endeavor. Thus, I found it prudent to not overcharge him for this boon. He is a man of honor who I consider a friend¡± I said.


    It wouldn''t hurt to heap some glory onto one of my allies while I''m here.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve had reports confirming as much, perhaps I''ll have you take a look at this leg. It''s been a bother for years.¡± The barons as he tapped his cane against his bad leg.


    The baroness whose expression ranged from cold to displeased, finally spoke.


    ¡°It would be imprudent for an elf with so little training on humans to see to the needs of a baron.¡± There were some grumblings of agreement within the court.


    She had a lovely melodious voice, from what had to be years of vocal training to both project in the large room and still maintain her noble decorum. By the way she said ¡®elf¡¯ it didn¡¯t sound like she particularly cared for my kind. She seemed to break whatever spell the baron had over his audience in regard to me.


    ¡°True enough my love I couldn¡¯t possibly trust someone with so little training on humans to attend to me. What say you to this Moon?¡± He said with agreement.


    He was quick to agree with her but based on the baron¡¯s reputation he was not one to give up easily. Was he giving me the chance to oppose her openly? If he was, I could easily set a trap for her.


    ¡°It is true I only have experience healing humans using magic for only a few months. However, my knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is without peer. I could list every bone, every organ, every muscle in the body along with the locations and function. I could detail hundreds of illnesses and their treatments, many whose name does not exist in standard imperial common.¡± Denerim raised an eyebrow as I boasted about my knowledge.


    ¡°Your knowledge matters little; you simply lack the experience expected of a court mage.¡± She said, with even more grumblings of agreement. The tide was turning against me it seemed. Fortunately, most people really didn''t understand how magic worked.


    ¡°Ah I see, apologies baroness.¡± I said as if I had a sudden realization. Everyone turned their attention back to me at what caused my outburst.


    ¡°It seems I incorrectly presumed you understood how spells work.¡± Some more grumbling washed through the room.


    This was dangerously close to open disrespect the higher one was in the peerage the less they were willing to tolerate anything that could be perceived as an insult or dishonor.


    ¡°I understand well enough.¡± The baroness said almost sounding insulted by me questioning her knowledge.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I slipped a small amount of sarcasm into my voice. The room was quite silent as if I had just insulted the Baroness¡¯s honor.


    ¡°Tell me then Moon what has my beloved wife misunderstood?¡± The baron said. His voice sounded stern and his face grim. But his eyes gave it away there was humor in them. He was enjoying this.


    ¡°The effectiveness of an individual¡¯s magical abilities largely lies in their understanding of the effect they are trying to produce. Once a spell has been mastered the only thing that increases effectiveness is the mages fundamental understanding of the effect being produced. Therefore a mage with a hundred years of experience casting with poor understanding will never equal the power of a mage with perfect understanding if they have limited experience.¡±


    Denerim unconsciously nodded along as I explained a universal truth shared by all mages. Spells have a limit that mages realize when they master a spell. Even overcharging has its limits based on that individual¡¯s affinity and stamina, the former of which doesn¡¯t change, in most cases at least.


    So, the only way to increase the effectiveness of the spell is greater fundamental understanding of the spell effect. This is why I was able to outclass Garret''s healing power once I mastered the spell, even though he had more experience.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­...Denerim is this true?¡± the baron asked.


    ¡°Yes, if he has half the knowledge, he claims then he would be more than qualified to be a court mage.¡± Denerim seemed largely uninterested in the entire conversation. But I had to wonder how much they actually knew about me. I tried to be circumspect about my lack of origins, but I couldn¡¯t say the same from the rest of the company.


    Hopefully that would be enough to dispel any doubt about my ability to both the baron and the rest of the nobility.


    ¡°Still, a mage with the power to sever an elder drake¡¯s wing with a single radiant lance is impressive enough by any measure. It seems the tales of elven skill with magic are correct.¡± Lira said. She gave me an innocent smile that seemed to be etched with danger. Then looked me in the eye and said.


    ¡°Would you be willing to join my brother and I for some practice?¡± She asked innocently, I guess the young man next to her was her brother then. It was certainly a stroke of luck to have two mages in the same family. He hasn¡¯t said so much as a single word the entire time.


    I suppose this would be the moment when the entire court would decide where my allegiance lay. This was my goal in the end, we will just have to see how much I could gain from the baron and how much he would want in return.


    I¡¯m sure that he will ask me too to look at his wounds, and I will graciously heal them. I would slowly heal his injuries and feed him life either. Day by day will make him stronger and healthier, so I can nurture his dependency on my abilities. I would reap the profits growing ever wealthier and with his influence, get my hands on more spells and maybe even an amplifier.


    ¡°I would very much enjoy that. If you would have me, lord baron?¡± I said, giving him a small bow.


    ¡°Indeed, I would say three weeks to this day. I have some traveling to do in the coming days and many preparations will have to be made.¡± The barons seemed content with how the situation turned out.


    She glanced at Sarah as she said. ¡°That sounds like a perfect plan, lord baron. It''s about time we had another skilled mage in the upper city.¡± The barest twitch of Sarah¡¯s face showed me that the insult was directed at her.


    In their culture people would duel to satisfy an insult made to their honor. I knew enough about mages to know that Sarah was skilled for her age. So, was this woman really superior or is she simply confident because she serves the baron and had an amplifier?


    I looked at the other members of the company. They all looked varying levels of concern. It wasn¡¯t lost to me that none of the nobility seemed interested in Sarah¡¯s accomplishments with the drake or earth mage. Perhaps there was more stigma to her fallen noble status that I had first assumed.


    ¡°Very good. Now I think it¡¯s time for the bronze Spears to get some rest and repast. I''m sure you are all exhausted from your adventure.¡± The baron announced.


    He returned to his seat of power and clapped twice. An old man came out of a side room and handed Sten a large silk pouch of a deep red color. Clearly filled with coin.


    Sten bowed again and spoke. ¡°My deepest Gratitude my lord.¡±


    ¡°Think nothing of it, I pay well for excellent service¡± he looked directly at me when he said this. I gave him a minute nod of acknowledgement.


    ¡°You may depart.¡±


    We all followed suit bowing as we turned to leave. A few guards picked up the drake¡¯s head and carried it off to another room. Sten stopped in place for a moment as he stared at a woman who was standing in the crowd. It was his wife along with two other young women who I didn¡¯t recognize. Given the similarity in looks I guess they are his daughters. One of them gave him a small wave and a smile. While the other looked mostly cold.


    He gave them a nod in return and continued on, his steps a bit more confident. The guards returned our weapons and escorted us as far as the exit to the lower city Sarah left after receiving her cut, seeming to be in a bad mood. Somehow, we all came to the same conclusion to not speak as we were being escorted since these men would likely inform the baron of anything we say. As soon as we were clear of them Mikah said.


    ¡°Gods above that were worse than the drake.¡± Mikah said in exasperation.


    Bast sniffed then said disdainfully, ¡°Nobles are always up to something. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m not the only one who caught on to what he was doing.¡±


    ¡°Aye he was practically laying claim to Moon in front of everyone.¡± Mark said.


    ¡°Ha if Moon was a she-elf the baron would probably be trying to bed him, I never thought he would be so generous with flattery.¡± Tanner said.


    ¡°It is his power. Notice how we were practically invisible.¡± Caan said in a deep rumble.


    ¡°What? cause he¡¯s a mage?¡± Mikah asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, drawing their attention.


    ¡°I am likely the strongest light mage in the barony depending on Denerim¡¯s strength. I am also completely unattached to the established aristocracy and have no loyalty to the elven clans.¡± I explained.


    ¡°In other words, the perfect tool.¡± Lilian finished with a note of destain in her voice.


    I certainly didn¡¯t like how she stated it, but she was, in essence, correct.


    ¡°You play a dangerous game, Moon. Be careful every time a noble offers you their hand the other is always holding a dagger.¡± Sten warned.


    ¡°Why then did he not offer the same to Sarah?¡± Breala asked.


    ¡°Oh, the baron did, a few years ago, but Sarah is a pretty woman so of course he wanted more. She rejected him harshly and publicly so since then anyone aligned with the baron gives her the cold shoulder and the rest don''t want to tempt his anger.¡± Brandon said.


    Caan chucked at that, seeming to enjoy Sarah¡¯s misfortune.


    ¡°In that case he will try to poach Moon before his contract ends.¡± Breala said. No one seems keen to respond to that.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure plenty of nobles will come knocking at your door in the coming weeks. I suggest you make yourself hard to find until the baron returns. This is probably another test to see how you react to their attempts to sway you.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°Ha, I''ll make myself scarce then.¡±


    I began to head off towards the inn not interested in the bartering that Sten would do in the merchant district to sell off the skin, scales, and spikes. Before I took 10 steps, Sten said. ¡°Moon.¡± I turned around to look at him and the rest of the company, then he tossed something at me.


    I snatched it out of the air and realized it was the Etheric Gem; I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You wanted it didn¡¯t you?¡± Sten said.


    ¡°I thought we agreed to sell it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that, I''ll just dock your cut of the drake parts. Anyone opposed to this plan?¡± Sten asked the group. No one said anything though Caan looked upset about it.


    ¡°My thanks,¡± I said as I stashed the gem in my pocket.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you all at the grassy grove for our next meeting. The next contract better be an easy one Sten.¡± Waved as I left them behind, my cut for the contract price already in my coin purse.


    This gem would probably sell for a higher price than all of the drake parts combined, so on the surface it was a kindness. I wasn¡¯t naive enough to think that Sten¡¯s gesture was simple kindness though. He may only barely be a noble, but he was a noble all the same.


    I spent my time walking towards the inn in contemplation about what the future might hold. I completely ignored Aunt Nettie when she asked me if I wanted a meal. I grabbed the rest of my coin that I had stowed away under a loose floorboard and a few changes of clothes.


    Clarissa spotted me as I walked into Gardenia¡¯s and immediately abandoned the man with whom she was drinking. He looked upset but immediately turned his attention elsewhere when we met eyes. I nodded towards Gardenia¡¯s office as a signal that I was here for business and not pleasure¡­¡­. not yet at least.


    ¡°Ah Moon I trust your contract went well.¡± Gardenia said as Clarissa locked the door giving the three of us privacy. She was in a stunning black dress as usual, she adorned herself with jewels and gold, looking more noblewoman than madam.


    ¡°Yes, though perhaps too well.¡± She raised an eyebrow as I said that. There was very little gossip that she didn¡¯t know so perhaps it hasn¡¯t managed to spread yet.


    ¡°It¡¯s best to hear it from the source I suppose ¡°I said as Gardenia gestured to a seat which I took, Clarissa poured me a glass of fine brandy. I took a deep drink enjoying the burn as it went down my throat.


    An hour later I told her everything that happened. Leaving a few details out like the etheric gem in my pocket. Clarissa stood behind me massaging my neck and ears. It sent strong tingles down my spine as she ran her fingers along its length. I was mildly addicted to the sensation. She was Gardenia¡¯s right-hand woman and knew almost everything that happened in regard to her businesses. So, her being here wasn¡¯t uncommon.


    ¡°You have certainly been thrown into the deep end of the lake Moon.¡± Gardenia said, slightly amused.


    ¡°Ha the baron practically tattooed his sigil on you¡± Clarissa said.


    ¡°Hm you should have heard the court gasps and grumbles. It was like a mummers play¡±


    I took a deep breath and said. ¡°So many paths I could take with so many unknowns. It''s rather exhausting to think about. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I have very few allies I can depend on.¡± I said, melting into Clarissa¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°And so, I can hide you away from any nobles that want to trap you into a brunch or the like.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sarah already tried, though I¡¯m not sure if extending our relationship beyond the Bronze Spears would benefit me.¡±


    ¡°Likely not she is not well liked within most noble circles.¡±


    ¡°Any recommendations?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The Baroness, at least, is a definite no.¡± Clarissa said firmly.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± both Gardenia and I said.


    ¡°Lord Renner is the noble who invited me to the auction, perhaps it would be better for you to attend as his guest instead of my guard. He is rich and has many connections.¡±


    ¡°Where does his allegiance lie?¡±


    Gardenia smirked as she said. ¡°With the baron, they have similar interests, so they became fast friends after the baron took his seat, no doubt he was there when you arrived at court. After what happened, he would be eager to have you attend as a second guest.¡±


    I still had my apprehensions about Gardenia but it¡¯s about time I start making moves. The only way I could figure out if I could trust her is to put my trust in her and see what happens.


    ¡°What should I wear?¡±


    Gardenia wore a smile that practically split her face in two. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about a thing Moon. Clarissa, and I will take care of everything.¡± she sounded a bit too eager.


    I glanced at Carissa and noticed she had the same eager look on her face. A small amount of worry crawled up my spine.


    After a short discussion on my accommodations was done, Clarissa led me to a room that had a bath prepared. She helped me out of my armor, and I sunk into the hot water. I moaned as I dipped myself neck deep.


    Clarissa put on a show as she slowly undressed herself, seeming to enjoy my rapt attention. I drank in her naked form as she joined me in the bath. She straddled ME and started to run kisses along my ears. Her soft caress melting away all of my worries of the future.

 Book 1: Chapter 25: The Auction

    Over the next two weeks I was the talk of the city before I was mostly a curiosity, now I had to dodge constant offers for clandestine meetings. When I arrived at the guard house to perform my usual healing. There was a literal line of well-dressed messengers waiting to hand me invitations for breakfast, dinner, or brunch. I accepted none of course.


    During this time, my relationship with gardenia became well known. There was a general mixed perception of that since she was a well-known madam who ran most of the brothels and gambling in the lower city. It helped more that it hurt my reputation since many noblemen frequent her brothel, so it was of course assumed that she shares that information with me.


    The death of Lars and his gang were also well known. Apparently, the story was that he threatened her with rape and death, and I gallantly rushed to her defense when I headed the details of his plan. No one could or would question the events since both she and the guard captain corroborated it.


    Speaking of the captain, apparently the baron himself visited him before leaving the capitol and heaped praise and compliments on him for his excellent handling of the lower city¡¯s security. He received some commendation and a generous increase in his salary and funding. Now everyone was in a rat race to get this up-and-coming elf on their side. Gardenia and I decided to let it slip that I would be attending the auction so now anyone who was anyone would be attending.


    Gardenia, Clarissa, and Nalia, one of the better dressmakers in the city, had large smiles on their faces as I examined myself in the large mirror. Since the auction was a gathering of mainly nobles and wealthy merchants it would be appropriate for me to dress to match current fashions. Gardenia said as much but she and Clarissa took far too much enjoyment from my discomfort. Nalia, a young dressmaker who had only recently started to make a name for herself took this on as a personal challenge.


    I certainly wasn¡¯t going to wear a dress, but what she lacked in experience male clothing she made up for in talent. We had finally settled on a design I found tolerable. The shirt and pants were a pale white with plenty of gold and purple embroidery in elaborate patterns. The overcoat was a similar pale white with a high collar and long coat tails. It was all cut extremely close to the point that the material pressed against my skin. Yet somehow it was comfortable and didn¡¯t hamper my mobility.


    Every button clasp and buckle was made of gold. I even elected to pierce my ears and I wore some gold earrings with large expertly cut amethyst. My waist length hair was washed, combed, and hung loose except for two gold pins on either side of my head that kept it out of my face. I was certainly beautiful in an oddly ethereal sense.


    I doubt I could convince any human I was male without dropping trousers while wearing this this outfit, but it was about time I got over that. It was on Gardenia¡¯s advice that I leaned into the ambiguity of my gender since most human males would find me exceptionally beautiful. It would be to my advantage to use that attraction against them. I didn¡¯t like the idea but could come up with nothing substantial to justify throwing away an advantage beyond my pride.


    The entire ensemble cost over 25 geldings, but according to Gardenia it was well worth it. This would be my official entrance into noble society so it would be prudent to dress my best. Of course, when I inevitably get asked who my tailor was, I would direct them to Nilia.


    ¡°Tell me Gardenia, am I not a genius. He will be a sensation.¡± Nalia said as she watched me turn and to get a better angle of myself from the rear.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gardenia said as she eyed me as one would a priced horse.


    ¡°You know Moon. There are a few noblemen in the city who would pay mountains of gold to spend a night with a man such as yourself.¡±


    I spun around to look at her and instantly realized she was just teasing me. I dropped the snippy response I was about to give her.


    ¡°Sorry to disappoint you, Gardenia. I only go in for women.¡± I said.


    ¡°That much is obvious to anyone who knows you.¡± Clarissa said, also giving me appreciative glances.


    I had spent most of the last two weeks with her as company. She seemed content to share my bed during the night and watch me practice magic for most of the day. She was endlessly fascinated by my odd elven quirks like my ability to go days without any rest beyond an hour of meditation. The way my ears twitched to random sounds and how my eyes dilated when I had a change in mood. Apparently, they dilate rather wildly during sex.


    I didn¡¯t have to pay for any of it either. I doubted she had any actual feelings for me beyond friendship and some gratitude to me for helping Gardenia. But anytime I was in the mood she was eager to join me. With the exception of a few days where she was on her ¡®moon flow¡¯ as women call it.


    There was an opening reception before the auction that was due to start in an hour. Lord Renner would send a carriage to take us to the upper city where an entire concert hall was rented to host the auction.


    Gardenia of course was wearing a black dress with gold embroidery with a plunging neckline that bordered on scandalous. Her fingers, neck and ears were decorated in gold jewelry. She had that striking beauty that was a combination of dangerous and seductive that I found enthralling. Unfortunately, I¡¯m fairly sure she had no physical attraction to me.


    ¡°Well then Moon are you ready to enter a different form of combat?¡± Gardenia asked.


    ¡°Yes. Though I¡¯m sure that the drake would be far less dangerous.¡±


    Gardenia and I rented a modest carriage to carry us back to her house. It was a decent abode in one of the residential areas of the lower city. No one really knew where she lived so it made an excellent place to lie low until my debut. She actually owned over a dozen houses all over the city where her employees lived. The only person who lived with her was Clarissa.


    We were sitting in her greeting room going over a few things until a knock at the door cut off the conversation.


    ¡°That must be Lord Renner. I¡¯ll answer it.¡± Gardenia said as she opened the door.


    A tall well-built man in an expensive green suit stepped in. He had salt and pepper hair and a well-trimmed beard.


    He did a short bow to gardenia and said. ¡°My Dear Gardenia, you look as beautiful as the sunrise, words cannot describe how I have missed you. I hope you¡¯re not upset that I took so long to see you after my trip.¡± Gardenia gave him her right hand and he placed an almost reverent kiss on the back of her hand.


    ¡°I understand you¡¯re a busy man Martin, but I have been lonely. You will have to make it up to me later.¡± Gardenia said, giving a clear suggestion of what she meant.


    ¡°Ah I¡¯m being impolite to your guest please. Introduce us¡± Lord Renner said.


    ¡°Of course, Martin, this is Moon, a good friend of mine.¡± Gardenia said as she brought Lord Renner over. I shook his hand in greeting.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Lord Renner.¡± I said.


    ¡°The pleasure is mine Moon and please call me Martin all my friends do.¡±


    If he wanted us to be friends so quickly it was fine by me.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the first we have met though I was in court when you arrived. I have to say it was quite the show. ¡°Martin said.


    ¡°It was quite a shock when we returned to the city and the keep guards said we were to meet the baron.¡± I said.


    ¡°I can imagine, but you handled yourself well enough. Excellent work with the baroness most normal people never understand how magic works you played her well.¡± He said.


    ¡°Well then men shall we go or will you two spend all day gossiping?¡± Gardenia asked with a warm smile on her face.


    We headed outside to an exceptionally well-appointed carriage. In the same colors as Renner¡¯s clothing, they must be his house colors or something. The driver opened the door for us, and we stepped in. The inside was luxurious as expected with soft cushioned seats. We were of course late but that was in fashion if we were to arrive last, even better.


    ¡°Anyone of note attending tonight''s auction?¡± Gardenia asked as the carriage started moving.


    ¡°Practically anyone with sense is attending tonight. It¡¯s already spread that you and Moon will be attending as my guests. Lord and Lady Barian, Viscount Emmersmith, and Lambert Hengast. Will be in attendance so bidding will be ferocious.¡± Martin said.


    ¡°Who are these people?¡± I asked.


    ¡°In short, The Barians have the grain trade completely cornered, Emmersmith made his wealth with silver trade and Lambert controls the largest mining company in the southern provinces. They make up 3 of the 5 wealthiest families in Vernon.¡±


    ¡°Who are the other two?¡±


    He had a cocky smile on his face as he said. ¡°Baron Vernon himself and me.¡±


    ¡°Our problem is that they have allied themselves with the baroness. None of this is in the open however it¡¯s all nighttime clandestine meetings and secret messages.¡±


    ¡°Why choose to ally with her if it''s not as if she is in control of the barony?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s best you don¡¯t reveal this to anyone, the baron''s not in the best of health, some say his drinking will catch up to him. If he dies, then she rains as regent until her son comes of age. Many of the nobility chafe under the baron¡¯s rule since he cares little for their petty grievances and has worked to erode the privileges they enjoyed under his father.¡±


    ¡°Why do you support him then, would not those same policies affect you?¡±


    ¡°It does. So, I have had to make changes to maintain profits. The barony was a mess of banditry and corruption before the baron¡¯s rule. I''ll take the security over a small decrease in profits any day. Executing 3 nobles for embezzlement does not win him much support.¡±


    ¡°What does the Baroness want?¡±


    ¡°Power. She¡¯s a third daughter unlikely to inherit anything from either her mother or father. She was practically sold off as soon as they got a good enough price for her hand.¡±


    ¡°If the baron knows of this then why has he not put a stop to it?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s done nothing, it''s simply in the air. Everyone is picking sides knowing that the situation will eventually crack. But unsure of when or what will cause it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm quite the powder keg. So that¡¯s why he was so eager to claim me. I¡¯m another piece he can add to his board.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, he has the army, the guard force, and 3 mages on his side. Whereas the baroness has the more nobility and coin on hers¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t simply lock her up in a tower somewhere, She¡¯s a Ruben after all. Their family line goes all the way back to the founding of the empire. The nobility the baron could handle, but Rubens can carry grudges for generations constantly waiting for the opportunity to get revenge. They are not an enemy most would want to have.¡±


    The political climate of the city was far more volatile than I expected. I do wonder if perhaps I¡¯m out of my depth here, magic and medicine were my skills not political scheming. This is the path I had chosen however, so I only had to hope it did''nt end in disaster.


    The carriage grinded to a halt and the driver opened the door for the three of us. He led us inside the concert hall where an announcer was declared.


    ¡± Lady Gardenia; Lord Renner; Sir Moon.¡±


    Inside the greeting area of the concert hall there were over a hundred members of the nobility. Servants walked around with silver trays carrying classes of wine and small finger food. The gathering area was richly decorated with ornate furniture. Most of the nobility were gathered in small groups in quiet discussion. Many turned their heads to our arrival.


    As soon as we walked in a man and a woman who I didn¡¯t know came over to us.


    ¡°Lord Renner, I was beginning to wonder if you would actually skip this one. Might I say you have arrived in excellent fashion with such lovely company.¡± The man said as he eyed both Gardenia and me.


    ¡°Come now you know me always with a flair for the dramatic.¡± He said to the man as they clasped hands. He turned his attention to the darked haired woman wearing a dark blue dress.


    ¡°Lady Daria, Lord Tren, pleasure to make your acquaintance this is your first time is it not.¡± Martin said.


    ¡°Yes, but please introduce us to your guests.¡± Lady Daria said as Martin placed a kiss on the back of her hand.


    ¡°May I present Lady Gardenia and Sir Moon¡± he said.


    ¡°A pleasure to finally meet the elf that¡¯s on the lips of every gossip monger,¡± Lady Daria said.


    ¡°The pleasure is mine my Lady, I do hope I live up to your expectations.¡±


    ¡°Of that I have no doubt.¡± she said almost flirtatiously.


    ¡°Tell me Lady Gardenia, have you been the one hiding him away?¡± Lord Tren asked. Eyeing me in a way that I found uncomfortable.


    ¡°Oh yes, we¡¯re good friends so I had no trouble sheltering him from the vultures.¡± Gardenia said with a pleasant smile.


    ¡°If you wanted to avoid the vultures then this is not the place for it.¡± Lady Daria said to me.


    ¡°I have to show myself at some point so might it well be at a time of my choosing. ¡°I said.


    ¡°Well then let me introduce you to the who¡¯s who of Veron.¡±


    Lady Daria took my arm and led me further into the gathering. Men and women were dressed in the highest quality clothing, wearing jewels that had to cost in the hundreds of geldings to purchase.


    I shook hand after hand as Lady Daria introduced me to every noble she was acquainted with. These were all nobles who had allegiance to the baron instead of the baroness. Plastering a fake smile on my face for every noble that seemed to want something from me was unpleasant. Barely half an hour later I was already tired of the pageantry of it all.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Lady Sarah Newban, Lord and Lady, Stelworth. Lady Gravits.¡± The announcer shouted.


    I had assumed we were the last to arrive until that announcement. I glanced at the entrance as Sarah walked in wearing a lovely blue dress with gold embroidery. She looked every bit the noble woman. The man and woman who I assumed to be Lord and Lady Stelworth wore matching green. Lady Gravits looked like she was barely out of her teenage years. Yet carried herself with as much grace as any other noble woman.


    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the black sheep of the Newbans.¡±


    I stood in a small group with Gardenia, Lady Daria, Martin, Lord Tren, and a few of their acquaintances.


    Countess Raina was the one who spoke up as soon as they finished announcing. She was a visiting noblewoman from another barony who was interested in the auction. She and Martin had some friendship in the past.


    ¡°What do you know of Sarah?¡± I asked her, genuinely curious.


    ¡°Not much but I know her family. They¡¯re a falling noble house from what I¡¯ve seen.¡± She said as she took a small sip from her glass.


    ¡°Is that why her refusal of the marriage was met with her being disowned. ¡°I asked.


    ¡°Essentially yes, their investments failed, and the mines have run dry. Little in the Newban lands can provide profit. So, a marriage to Denerif Mason would have provided much needed windfall. Foolish girl, now I hear she¡¯s run away to play mercenary.¡± The countess said.


    I watched as Sarah and her company made their way towards a group of nobles. Nobles who I have been told were firmly in alliance with the Baroness.


    ¡°Well now it looks like she¡¯s fallen in with the Baroness. They must have hurried to make alliances after your appearance at court. I wondered what they offered her?¡± Lady Daria said.


    Gardenia gave me a look and said. ¡°This might make things awkward for you.¡±


    ¡°Why would that concern the Moon?¡± The countess asked.


    Gardenia answered. ¡°Ah I forgot you only recently arrived. Moon here, and Sarah are contracted to the same mercenary company, The Bronze Spears.¡±


    The countess raised an eyebrow and said to me, ¡°Really now? It might be time to abandon them for better pastures.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you have a point. Our political ties might become a point of contention within the group.¡± I said. as I began to wonder how exactly this could affect the group dynamic.


    A smartly dressed man entered the main area of the gathering and shouted, ¡°Lords and Ladies the auction will begin in a quarter hour.¡±


    ¡°Come Moon, we have a private box prepared. Countess, it was a delight to meet you.¡± Martin said.


    ¡°Likewise, Lord Renner. Moon if you ever visit my lands, you would be received warmly.¡± She offered me her hand and I touched my lips to the back of it.


    ¡°Perhaps I will. It is a delight to meet you.¡± I said as she turned to leave. A few impeccably dressed servants who were standing to the side quickly took up positions around her.


    ¡°She might be too much for you to handle.¡± Martin said as he watched her walk away.


    She was a stunning beauty and came from a family known for having powerful mages.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right, besides I have enough on my plate to deal with.¡±


    Martin, Gardenia, and I exited the gathering area and went up a few flights of stairs until entered a private viewing box that looked down at the large stage. One of the chairs there was a small sign that had the number 08 painted on it. I suppose that is how they knew who was bidding. Gardenia sat in the middle between me and Martin. Before Martin¡¯s arrival she instructed me to simply tap her leg if there is something I wanted. So long as the price didn¡¯t pass a thousand gold, he would be willing to bid for it. I didn¡¯t doubt that Martin likely knew or would immediately find out that she would give me the items. Either way I didn¡¯t care. I doubt he would want to muddy the waters of our burgeoning friendship.


    A well-dressed man came on stage and started to announce.


    ¡°Ladies and Lords, we of the Grason and Charles Trading company offer our greatest gratitude for having decided to spend the evening with us. I assure you we have the most interesting curios on offer tonight and one final item that everyone here will want. For now, let us begin.¡±


    The man bowed and exited the stage.


    ¡°What do you think the last item might be?¡± Gardenia asked no one in particular.


    ¡°Hmmm it depends, it could be some ancient lost treasure from the Ansur, a powerful amplifier. The last time I attended one of these was in the Imperial Capitol. It was a full set of enchanted Mithrite plate armor with both sword and shield.¡±


    Mithrite was worth at least 10 times as much as gold so couldn¡¯t even imagine how much it sold for. Gardenia ended up asking for me.


    ¡°How much did the winner pay?¡±


    ¡°76,800 Gelding.¡± He said with a smirk on his face.


    Both Gardenia and I looked at him as if he grew a second head. The scant 200 gelding stored away would be considered a great fortune in the eyes of most peasants. To the wealthy it would be barely above poverty.


    But 76,800 gelding on a suit of armor and weapons? The wealth behind the winner must have been enormous.


    Martin let us stew in that for a moment then continued, ¡°I¡¯m wealthy by most standards but when Crown Princess Morianne and Denerif Mason get into a bidding war. Things can quickly spiral out of control.¡±


    I was curious whether the crown treasury or the bank won in the end, so I asked.


    ¡°Who won?¡±


    ¡°The princess of course. Though that was due to the increasing price being seen as a challenge to the imperial family. Even the auctioneer was giving Denerif the eye to stop bidding.¡±


    ¡°What happened to the armor in the end?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She had it reforged to fit her frame. I saw her once in her full suit. It was a sight to see.¡±


    Mithrite itself was slightly blue and had an almost imperceptible glow. Having an entire armor set made of it must have looked rather impressive.


    ¡°Look, it''s starting.¡± Gardenia said excitedly.


    Two men brought out a pedestal and another placed what looked to be a birdcage covered by red silk cloth.


    Once they were finished setting up. The Announcer walked over and pulled off the red cloth.


    Inside was a bird as white as snow with solid blue eyes. He flicked the cage with a finger and the bird shrieked and then the entire cage was encased with a layer of frost. The entire audience gasped as they realized that the animal was magical. I immediately glanced within the ether to examine the creature.


    It was in actuality sapping the heat from air around it, reducing it to below freezing. The frost started to creep along the pedestal, finally stopping as the bird calmed down.


    ¡°Here we have an arctic quail captured from the far reaches of the Yagura mountains.¡± The auctioneer went on about its age and sex, but I stopped caring as I focused on how the ether moved around the bird.


    ¡°Fascinating¡± I said. I wasn¡¯t interested in the bird but I¡¯m sure there were many nobles that would love to have exotic curiosities in their houses. The more unusual and exotic the better.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start the bidding at 50 Gelding.¡± The announcer stated.


    ¡°What do you find so interesting about the bird moon?¡± Gardenia asked.


    ¡°Other than the drake I¡¯ve never seen another animal that could use the ether. How it moves is fascinating.¡±


    Gardenia shrugged as I explained. What I didn¡¯t say is that how the ether moved was rather similar to when Lilian used her shadow magic.


    ¡°Sold for 180 gelding.¡± The bidding finally ended.


    This process repeated several more times but none of the objects had any real interest from me other than being curiosities. A set of 5 ever burning enchanted lamps, a set of elven daggers similar to the ones Lilian wielded except that they were inlaid with gold, Mithrite earrings that went all the way up to 500 gelding before it was sold. Gardenia and Martin talked about every object that was brought out along with gossiping about their buyers. Finally, there was an item in which I was interested.


    ¡°These were one of our recent acquisitions. Two grimoires whose content has been verified as being spell complete.¡±


    The books looked old and tattered and didn¡¯t seem to garner much excitement. But I could barely keep myself from standing to get a better look as I recognized the Sigils for Air on one book and Light on the other. I wonder why he didn¡¯t announce what spells were in the books. Perhaps he didn¡¯t want to risk a prospective mage ignoring them if they already knew the spells inside.


    Grimoires were an instructional manual on a specific spell. Complete with the sigils and mathematics required for the spelling circuit. Along with a complete explanation of the spells underlying philosophy and Etheric theory. Any mage with a good enough mind and magical skill can learn spells from them. This made them heavily restricted and illegal to reproduce. The auction was known to obtain all their items legally so they must have bought it from some down on their luck mage.


    I tapped Gardenia on her leg as giving her the signal. I didn¡¯t care much for the farce of pretending that Gardenia is the one that wanted the Books. Since I¡¯m sure Martin realized that he seemed fine with playing along.


    Gardenia whispered something in his ear and with a melodramatic sigh he said. ¡°Anything for you my dear¡±


    ¡°Moon since you are the only mage here would you do me the honors of winning this for my dear gardenia.¡± I took the sign.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go over 600. As much as I love my dear gardenia, I have to reserve some coin for the final item.¡±


    The message was clear, it took the sign from him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start the bidding at 20 Gelding. Do I hear 25¡± The announcer said.


    I held up my sign.


    ¡°25 do I hear 30.¡±


    ¡°50¡± A woman from another box said. I glanced to see Sarah holding up a sign and standing at the edge of her box so the entire auditorium could see her. She was looking me in the eye as she held her sign. Taking the challenge for what it was, I walked to the edge of my box so everyone could see me. This caused some whispers to ripple through the audience.


    ¡°80¡± I said aloud as a counter to her offer. I noted that she was alone in her box, so it was likely that she was using only her own funds.


    ¡°100¡± Sarah said.


    The announcer had a wide smile on his face as he said. ¡°Lords and Ladies, it would seem we have a battle between mages who will win, I wonder Light or Fire.¡±


    ¡°120¡± I was more excited than I had expected I would be.


    200, 300, 400 the coin kept increasing steadily as the entire auditorium watched us. Their eyes flicked back and forth to see who would flinch first.


    Deciding to see how she would react if I increased the price by saying.


    ¡°500¡±


    That caused a ripple across the audience. Finally, she flinched unlike her. I wasn''t actually bidding my own coin. So, I couldn¡¯t care less how high it went through after this bid. I have to move into my own funds since Martin set a cap on how much I could bid. I still had around 200 to my name and the etheric Jem in my breast pocket would fetch another 2 or 3 hundred.


    ¡°520¡± she said after a few seconds. That could only mean she was getting close to how much she was willing to spend.


    ¡°600¡± I said with a pleasant smile on my face. As if 600 was of no consequence to me. Even more hesitation. I have no doubt she had far more coin to her name but by her own admission much of it was tangled up in investments. She hesitated for a few seconds and looked ready to bid. I immediately beat her to the punch and said.


    ¡°700¡± a wave of gasps went through the hall as I not only decided to bid another hundred but breach bidding etiquette.


    The announcer said. ¡°May I remind the gentlemen that he can only place a bid after another place theirs¡± his voice sounded reproachful, but his face still had a broad smile at all the coin he was earning.


    ¡°My apologies.¡± I said.


    Everyone waited for a bid from Sarah, her eyes flicked to Martin and Gardenia behind me. Sarah sniffed as she realized that she couldn¡¯t match me and simply said.


    ¡°650¡±


    Then sat back down. Seems she had wanted me to lose as much coin as possible before she admitted defeat.


    ¡°700¡± I said as I returned to my seat.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t allow Madam Gardenia to lose out on her prize, so I¡¯ll be more than willing to add my own coin to your limit. ¡°I said.


    ¡°It''s fine, but I must say that it was a well fought battle.¡± Martin said.


    ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t allow a fire mage the victory.¡± I said playing into the rivalry different mages had between each other.


    I relaxed into the chair not really caring about the rest of the auction. There were more jewels, weapons, exotic animals, and enchanted items. Even Martin started to bid as the items became more interesting and stranger. Finally, we were at the end of the auction and the last item was to be revealed.


    ¡°This Lords and Ladies is an item procured all the way from dwarven lands. A weapon whose craftsmanship would endow anyone Mage or no with the power of lightning.¡±


    A beautiful woman in a red dress came out from the side of the stage carrying a sheathed sword.


    It was as expected ornately decorated with gold and gems all along the sheath. The blades hilt had a large air attenuated Etheric gem embedded in the center of the mithril hilt. He gently pulled the sword from the sheath.


    With a twirl the blade caught the light. It was an arming sword similar in size to what most of the guards and mercenaries used. The blade itself was such a dark blue it was almost black. I could see swirls of gold within the metal. Then he pulled on the base of the hilt, it slightly separated then he rotated it counterclockwise. Then he locked it back together and rotated it the rest of the way. As soon as he finished, I felt a pulse in the ether as if someone was casting a spell.


    I got up to my feet and stared at the sword from within the ether. Strangely the ether began to swirl around the blade in odd counter rotating currents. Nothing happened for a few seconds until a spark leapt from the blade to the floor. Then another the frequency increasing until it practically rained lightning all around him curiously enough none came close to the man.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only ever heard of Morianne summoning lightning?¡± Gardenia said.


    ¡°Yes, it does call into question how it works since that is supposed to be unique magic. What do you think Moon?¡± Martin asked.


    I flicked my vision back and forth from the ether to the real world and formulated my best guess. ¡°Static Electricity perhaps?¡±


    They both looked at me puzzled until I realized I spoke in English. They didn¡¯t have the equivalent word in standard imperial common, so I explained.


    ¡°When you have your socks on and rub your feet on the carpet sometimes you can shock people.¡±


    Understanding blossomed on their faces.


    ¡°So, the sword is enchanted to repeat the same phenomenon just many thousands of times more powerful.¡± Martin said.


    ¡°How would you even go about doing something like that?¡± Gardenias said, looking at me as if I had the answers to all magical questions.


    ¡°I have no idea. Enchantment is not one of my skills.¡± I said honestly. Anything I could think of would likely be little more than fanciful guesses.


    Another man brought out a straw dummy wearing plate armor. As soon as the man got within a few feet the charge from the blade leapt toward the straw dummy with the sound ringing my ears as thunder echoed off the auditorium walls. There was an intense flash of light, and the straw dummy was left in smoldering pieces. Bits of armor were flung randomly about the stage and several pieces were glowing a red from the heat.


    There was a deafening silence as the announcer calmly twisted the hilt to stop another charge from building and sheathed the sword.


    ¡°I want it,¡± Martin said to us. though I¡¯m sure the entire auditorium heard it.


    As if that was a spark the entire auditorium erupted in ferocious bidding, all attempting to get their hands on the sword. It was rather amusing as nobles who usually made every attempt to appear as distinguished as possible yelled above each other like peasants at a farmers¡¯ market.


    Martin, Gardenia, and I rode in his carriage back to her brothel. The plan was to drop me off there and they would continue on their way to Gardenia¡¯s home. After the auction, a servant came to our box with all of their winnings. I sat in the carriage examining the sword that Martin spent 3,561 Gelding on. The matrix of Mithrite running through the blade and hilt then into the Etheric gem was dizzyingly complex and even after 10 minutes I couldn¡¯t decipher how enchanting works.


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± Martin asked. Seemingly impatient for me to give him a report.


    ¡°There is an incredibly complex network of Mithrite flowing though the blade and hilt all connecting to the gem. It¡¯s likely this network can mimic spell work as to how it''s doing this, I¡¯m not sure. But I¡¯m fairly confident that it is generating the lightning through Static electricity.¡±


    Martin hummed, seemingly dissatisfied with my analysis. He shrugged as I handed him the sword.


    While it wouldn¡¯t be of much use to defend yourself against a mage due to the long time it takes to build up a charge. a normal person would probably flee as soon as the swords started to emit lightning. For a non-mage something like that must be quite valuable.


    The two grimoires were wrapped in a dark blue silk cloth and currently sat on my lap, with the pretense that I would store them away for Gardenia. When we arrived, I disembarked before the coachman could open the door. Martin called out to me and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have brunch sometime this week. We have much to discuss.¡±


    ¡°I might be busy so send a runner to confirm if I¡¯m not occupied. I might be here, the guard¡¯s clinic or the inn. ¡°I said.


    ¡°You really should look into lodgings in the upper city. There are quite a few apartments that might suit your needs. And don¡¯t worry about the 100 gelding, nothing is too expensive for my dear Gardenia.¡±


    That limit was probably there just to take my measure. I wasn¡¯t going to part with 100 gelding if I didn¡¯t have to, so I shrugged. He¡¯s a damn fool if he thinks that 700 gelding is enough to buy any obligations from me.


    ¡°My thanks. Perhaps that lodging is something we can discuss as well. Until then I bid you two a good eve.¡±


    ¡°Until Tomorrow Moon.¡± Gardenia said.


    Martin gave me a nod as I closed the carriage door, and it sped off to Gardenia¡¯s home.


    As soon as I walked through the door Clarissa came scampering over wrapping me up in her arms as if she was welcoming her loving husband home. While in any other situation the lovely brown hard golden eyed woman would be the object of my attention the books in my hand took precedence.


    ¡°Gardenia¡¯s office.¡± I said.


    She kissed her teeth and said. ¡°I thought we would at least have some fun first.¡±


    ¡°There is going to be plenty of time for that but for now I need to do some reading.¡±


    She sighed and said, ¡°Very well.¡±


    She led me over to the gardenias office and opened the door with a pair of keys she had hidden away in her bosom.


    ¡°Now what did you get from the auction?¡± Sounding curius.


    I was slowly beginning to tell when she was simply curious and when she wanted information to report back to Gardenia. She had stopped taking any other clients and made sure that she was always ready for me if I arrived. She pretended as if it was affection and appreciation for me, but I felt the lies in her words as she said them. Beyond the pleasures of the flesh, we shared there was little in her eyes that suggested any kind of deep affection.


    ¡°Two Grimoires¡± I said I signaled her to get me a drink. I sat on Gardenia¡¯s chair and opened the first book.


    ¡°Radiant Carapace¡± I muttered to myself. I began reading the description of the spell and its functions, my face splitting into an almost maniacal smile. It was at least a master level spell using over 200 sigils to create.


    It projected an invisible shield roughly 1 millimeter above the skin completely encapsulating the entire body. Even better was that it only needed to be cast once and would persist the entire day so long as it wasn¡¯t broken. It wasn¡¯t nearly as strong as my radiant shield since it would break from even a weak fireball. But things like arrows and swords wouldn¡¯t have a hope of breaking it. Overcharging the spell only made the shield stronger. But without a doubt the best part of the spell is that I could cast magic through it. I could even cast it on other people.


    I could in theory maintain 3 shields at the same time. Though I wouldn¡¯t want to meet the person that would require that much defense. Putting down the book for now, I opened the second one.


    ¡°Concentrated air blast¡± I muttered. It was a spell similar to fireball except it worked by concentrating air into a small space. The resulting shockwave could destroy the surrounding area. Interestingly there were controls to change the shape allowing for a conical discharge in front of the caster instead of throwing. I had to wonder what kind of damage a wall of expanding super compressed air could do to a body.


    I took a drink of the whisky and savored the burning sensation as I prepared myself for an entire night of study and practice.

 Book 1: Chapter 26: The War Part 1

    Chapter 26 The War Part 1


    I sat on a luxurious chair in the room Clarissa and I used for the night. It was three days later, and I had just completed the spell circuit. Clarissa smoked a pipe while lounging nude on the bed, watching me cast.


    I had tried it once, but I didn''t really enjoy it. The sweet-smelling smoke that wafted about the room was pleasant, so I didn''t tell her to stop. I charged the circuit and cast the spell, targeting myself. There was a flash of warmth all over my body as the radiant carapace took form, then quickly faded. It took me around 15 seconds to cast so I wasn¡¯t near mastery. Fortunately, I really only needed to cast it once a day. Since I didn''t need to maintain a spell for the shield to remain active, I glanced at it within the ether.


    While it was usually invisible, from within the ether, I could see the thin blue barrier floating above my skin. I was fascinated as it moved and warped as I moved.


    ¡°Fascinating.¡± I said aloud.


    ¡°Did you, do it?¡± She asked. She was watching me for hours at this point and looked rather bored. If we weren''t having sex or discussing the business, Clarissa and I had little in common.


    ¡°Yes, the casting was successful.¡± Looking at the remains of our supper from the night and noted the knife then said.


    ¡°Throw that knife at me.¡±


    I stood up and walked to the edge of the bed so she would have a better target. She had a skill with throwing, so this would be an excellent test.


    She looked dubious and asked, ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Granted I was standing at the edge of the bed with no clothes on, so her doubt was expected.


    ¡°Yes, you can''t harm me.¡± she smirked and took it as a challenge.


    She picked up the small paring knife and aimed for a leg. There was a loud ping as the blade made contact with the shield and a slight ripple traveled out from the point of contact.


    The faint push I felt on my left confirmed one thing. I didn''t absorb the kinetic energy from an attack. It instead distributed it over my body. That would mean if I got hit by something powerful that didn''t break the shield I would be flung from my feet. Something like a fireball or the concentrated air blast would be rather unpleasant but survivable if I overcast the spell to strengthen the shield.


    ¡°Wow that seems incredibly useful¡± she got off the bed and walked around me attempting to see the barrier. Then she slowly poked a finger through and made contact with skin. With a bit of confusion on her face.


    ¡°Has to be slightly permeable otherwise I couldn''t breathe. Would you like me to cast it on you? It will last most of the day.¡±


    She hesitated for a moment then said ¡°Ok.¡±


    I created the spell circuit, gave it a slight overcharge, and cast the shield on her. It snapped into existence with a slight gold ripple then disappeared. She flinched and started looking over her arms and legs as if she would notice something.


    ¡°Ready?¡± I said as I picked up the same knife.


    ¡°I¡¯m always ready for you Moon.¡± she said with a seductive smile.


    I grinned and flicked the knife at her. I didn¡¯t actually hit her with the blade, but the knife bounced away just the same.


    Clarissa grinned with excitement and asked.


    ¡°Can it block magic?¡±


    ¡°There is only one way to find out.¡± I said, matching her smile as I began casting a radiant bolt and took aim at her chest. I made it as weak as possible to not scare her.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready.¡± She said with the faintest tremble in her voice.


    That was to be expected. She was standing in front of me completely nude so even the weakest radiant bolt would still leave severe burns. I released the spell. It flew across the room and connected with the shield. It was blocked and the energy of the spell dissipated into the surrounding air.


    Clarissa had closed her eyes and after realizing she was unharmed opened them.


    ¡°Magic really is something. You said it would last most of the day?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡± I cast another one at her that also splattered off the shield.


    She jumped and with a laugh in her voice said. ¡°That was mean.¡±


    I chuckled and said. ¡°My apologies.¡±


    She got on the bed and said in a low voice. ¡°How about you come over here and make it up to me.¡±


    I grinned and was about to join her, then a knock at the door interrupted. I threw on a robe and Clarissa covered herself in sheets then I shouted.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    One of the working girls came in and handed me an envelope.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s from the Baron Sir Mage.¡± I gave her a nod and motioned for her to leave.


    I sat down back on the chair and examined the elope. It was a dark blue with a wax holding it closed. It was stamped with the baron¡¯s seal. I broke the seal and began reading the letter inside.


    ¡°


    Sir Moon,


    I cordially invite you to brunch and high hour. In attendance will be myself Baron Carles Vernon III along with Sir Denerim, Lady Lira, and Lord Renner. Simply present this letter to my Gate Guards as they have been instructed to escort you to my keep so as not to cause you any unneeded delay. Sten Barlow, your mercenary captain has been invited to attend as well.


    Sincerely,


    Baron Carles Vernon III


    ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s in 3 hours.¡± Clarissa said as she read the letter from over my shoulder.


    ¡°Best I start preparing. tell Lian to gather a bath for me.¡± I said I looked at the books sitting on the chair. Clarissa poked her head out the door and started to shout orders to someone.


    I had memorized the entirety of their contents at this point, so they were of little use to me. I don¡¯t know if Denerim knew either of those spells but if he didn¡¯t, I¡¯m sure he would pay good coin for them.


    As soon as that thought entered my mind. I picked up both books and tossed them into the fireplace. It wasn¡¯t currently lit so I cast a stream of fire on them until they were little more than ashes.


    ¡°Did those not cost 700 gelding?¡± Clarissa said in horror as I cut off the spell.


    ¡°I have them memorized the only use they have would be the coin I could get from selling them.¡±


    ¡°Why not sell them then even half price is good coin.¡± Clarissa said as if I made no sense.


    ¡°There are only 2 other light mages in the city Denerim and the man who works the temples. As far as I¡¯m concerned, they¡¯re competitors.¡±


    She gave me a curious look and glanced at her hands and the knife lying on the floor.


    ¡°Ahh, I see it wouldn¡¯t do to empower your rivals. Could the baron not command you to teach Denerim.¡± She said,


    ¡°He could try, and I would refuse. I doubt he would force the issue.¡±


    ¡°What if he does? Would keeping the magic be worth risking your life or whatever position you could get out of it?¡±


    ¡°If I bend to his will once then he will try again and again. If he wants something like that from me then the cost would likely be something he couldn¡¯t afford.¡±


    ¡°I see, come then let''s make you presentable.¡± She said,


    I walked to the gate of the upper city before leaving, I massively overcharged the radiant carapace to the point where I¡¯m sure it could block a fully charged fireball. I was quite confident that nothing would be able to harm me. The guardsmen immediately recognized me and called me over.


    ¡°Sir mage I have a carriage waiting for you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even ask to see the letter, but it wasn¡¯t as if there were any other elves of my description within the city. A luxurious carriage was sitting to the side of the gate and a well-dressed servant opened the door to allow me inside.


    I had dressed in a new close fitting, white shirt, and pants, with an overcoat lined with purple. It looked expensive enough for any noble but was less ostentatious than the outfit I wore to the auction. Though I kept the jewelry and hair style.


    We were halfway through the upper city when I looked up at the sun. I was likely going to arrive a few minutes late. We passed through the gate to the barons'' keep without any delay. The carriage drew to a halt and the door opened. A well-dressed servant in the Barons livery and colors, a combination of reds and blues, opened the door to the carriage. I exited, and the servant said,


    ¡°My lord, if you would follow me to the gardens the Barons and his guests are waiting for your arrival.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way¡± I said.


    We passed through the well decorated keep, and I admired the ornate arms and armor that adored the halls. A few wandering nobles gave me curious glances as I passed but did not seem interested in stopping me.


    We eventually exited a side door to a garden so opulent it made Sarah¡¯s look miserly by comparison. There were fountains and trees, a massive sculpture of a woman in hilariously impractical armor. We followed a stone path to the center; there was a large gazebo where a round table large enough to seat 12 people, stocked with enough food for 20. The Baron and everyone else was at the table in conversation as I arrived.


    ¡°My I present Sir Moon¡± The Servant announced. All eyes turned to see me.


    ¡°I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to arrive Moon.¡± The baron said as he stood to greet me. I walked over and shook his hand.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of its Lord Baron. Your message came when I was indisposed. ¡°I said.


    ¡°No need to placate me Moon, I know how lovely Gardenia¡¯s girls are.¡±


    ¡°Come have a seat, enjoy the food and drink, we were just getting into the real conversation.¡± He said as he sat back in his seat. The plate in front of him was piled high with food. I nodded to Sten, Lord Renner, and the Baron¡¯s 3 personal mages Denerim, Lira, and her brother.


    I sat down next between Sten and Martin. The baron to a bite of a roasted chicken leg, completely devoid of any kind of noble decorum.


    ¡°As I was saying, Archduke Halloway has ruled in my favor and has agreed that Baron Suncrest¡¯s actions are indeed worthy of a Casus Belli. He has given me permission to openly declare war. Notices have been sent to all my vassals to begin levying their troops and gathering conscripts. I intend to take his barony for myself.¡±


    The baron downed the rest of the wine in his glass and a servant quickly moved to refill it. Everyone was stunned silent as the baron let that sink in for a moment. That begged the question as to why we were here and not his generals or commanders.


    ¡°How is Suncrest reacting to this?¡± Martin asked.


    ¡°He was incensed, while he could muster a larger army, he lacked both magical power and a component command structure.¡±


    Sten, who was quite up to this point, said. ¡°May I speak lord baron.¡±


    The baron scoffed and said. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it Sten I don¡¯t care to stand in ceremony.¡±


    Sten nodded and asked. ¡°What are his projected troop numbers?¡±


    ¡°Between 10,000 and 12,000 we are somewhere between 9,000 and 10,000.¡± The baron explained. As soon as he finished Martin added.


    ¡°So, at best it''s an even fight, at worst we''re outnumbered by 3000.¡±


    Lira Scoffed and said, ¡°Just put me on the left flank and a few thousand extra conscripts would mean little.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear Lira.¡± The Baron said with a smile.


    ¡°It will be two or three months before we can fully assemble. Conscripts need to be trained and soldiers fully equipped with battle-ready armor. Supply lines need to be established. Everything is already underway.¡±


    The baron said as he tore the thigh of a whole roasted chicken and took a bite.


    ¡°Why would you need Moon and I here Lord Baron.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°I am in need of competent commanders. I¡¯ve seen the effectiveness of your company even before Moon and I know of your military history. I wish for you to take a company of soldiers under your command and train them to proper standards then lead them in battle.¡±


    Sten was about to say something, but the Baron held up a hand to stop the rebuttal.


    ¡°I do not intend to simply reward you with coin. When I conquer Suncrest I will need new Lords to hold these lands. I will name you Lord Barlow with your own lands and vassals. These lands will be inherited by your daughters and their children.¡±


    Sten looked stunned at the offer. The mention of becoming a lord of his own lands and his daughters inheriting these lands had to be planned. If there was one way to get to Sten, that was it. A small smirk came over the baron¡¯s face as Sten settled into contemplation.


    ¡°Moon, I hear your healing abilities far surpasses that of a normal light mage. Repairing joints, torn ligaments and tendons to full health are within your skills, yes.¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes, there is very little I cannot heal. I would have to examine your injuries to determine a specific time period.¡±


    ¡°What would you want for both this service and your service in the war.¡± The baron asked. As much as I don¡¯t care for fighting in a war, outright refusing the baron in his seat of power would be foolish.


    ¡°What specific services would you require during the preparation and during the war.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Along with my healing, I would require you to heal a number of my top lieutenants, some have serious injuries, and I want them back on the field. During the war, your responsibilities will largely be healing and defense. Using your shield to block enemy artillery on important positions and supporting any sorties we launch with magical power. As much as I want to leverage our mages magic, a single arrow could mean death without support.¡±


    I locked on to that last statement, which would have to mean that Denerim doesn¡¯t know the radiant carapace spell. It would eventually get out that I knew it anyway so best to do it here where I can leverage it. Keeping it a secret until the battle started would likely just irritate the baron since he couldn¡¯t factor it into his plans.


    ¡°A stray arrow is something none of the mages would have to worry about.¡± I said.


    ¡°What do you mean? ¡°The baron asked.


    ¡°A spell called Radiant Carapace it creates an invisible shield above the skin not anywhere near as strong or efficient as a static shield but arrows or any low powered projectile magic doesn¡¯t have a hope of breaking it.¡± I let that sink for a second and Denerim sat up in his chair for the first time interested in the conversation.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I have it casted on myself right now. I would be willing to demonstrate.¡± Every mage was looking at me within the ether, likely confirming my words. The baron looked over to Denerim and he gave him an almost imperceptible nod.


    ¡°I would be more than happy to see such a demonstration. ERIC COME OVER HERE FOR A MOMENT¡± a guard carrying a crossbow sprinted across the grass at the baron¡¯s summons.


    ¡°Yes, My Lord, it¡¯s time to put your skills to use.¡±


    While he was talking, I got up from my seat and stood about 10 feet away.


    ¡°Just loose the bolt him My Lord? What if I hurt him My Lord?¡± Eric said.


    ¡°Not to worry, he¡¯s agreed to it.¡±


    He looked at me then at the baron then took aim and fired a bolt at my leg. There was a loud ping as the bolt bounced and fell to the ground. I felt a slight push in my thigh.


    ¡°Come now I thought you would have a better aim than that.¡± I said.


    He looked stunned as he stared at the bolt. Cocked another and fired at my chest each bolt simply ricocheted off landing in the grass. Lira cast a firebolt at me and it splattered off my shield with no difficulty.


    ¡°Well that confirms your words, Moon. This is going to require much contemplation.¡± The baron said.


    ¡°How did you come upon such a spell?¡± Denerim asked as I retook my seat.


    ¡°I won a grimoire at the auction. It only took me two days to learn the spell.¡± I said smugly.


    ¡°And the grimoire?¡± Denerim asked, finally showing some emotion.


    ¡°The darndest thing happened. I accidentally dropped it into a fireplace.¡± I said. Lina chucked and Denerim sniffed and my obvious lie.


    The baron looked amused if anything. I wanted it to be clear that I wouldn¡¯t be sharing that spell with anyone else.


    ¡°Mages¡± the baron said to himself with an exasperated sigh and continued to speak.


    ¡°Very good. Onto your requests. What would you like as a payment for the preparation phase of the war? I would offer you lands but most humans would not like being ruled by an Elf. Perhaps property within the upper city and a healthy daily commission.¡±


    I thought about it for a moment thinking carefully on what I should request. He was asking for a lot of work on my part. The house was nice, but I don¡¯t intend to stay in Vernon forever. I would need something that would always be useful anywhere I go. Then the thought struck me.


    ¡°The Mason¡¯s Bank. I would like your recommendation so I can establish an account. As of payment I will accept. 40 gold per day until preparations are finished. After your army has been assembled contract negotiations with Sten and the bronze Spears will of course take precedence. For this I will ensure that every Lieutenant, every Commander, every Officer, or anyone of significance you require is in peak physical condition for the upcoming battles. And as for your personal healing I will guarantee that by the end of these 3 months you will be able to fight like a man 10 years your junior.¡±


    The baron sat down, and a serious expression came over his features. At the end of these 3 months, I would have 3260 gelding to my name assuming we agreed. And an account with the bank would ensure that I am able to keep track of it.


    ¡°You say you can guarantee I can fight as if I was a young man again?¡± He seemed to not even care about the coin or the recommendation.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said. fully confident in my ability to deliver.


    ¡°And how exactly can you perform this healing using human magic? I do not care how powerful you are, it simply cannot be done.¡± Denerim said, sounding agitated.


    ¡°It¡¯s rather simple. I use a combination of human and elven magic. Human magic to power the healing and elven magic to guide it.¡± I said fully expecting that I would be called out on this at some point.


    ¡°And how can an elf who¡¯s memories span a few months use such magic.¡± Sten stiffened as Denerim announced this.


    It was fortunate that so few people understood elven magic so coming up with a lie wasn¡¯t difficult. ¡°It¡¯s because elven magic is more instinctual than human magic.¡± He squinted at me not believing my explanation.


    ¡°We guide the ether to do what we want instead of commanding it with spell circuits.¡± I said.


    ¡°And you simply remembered how to do this?¡± he sounded incredulous.


    ¡°A master of the sword loses all of his memories and after a few weeks he stumbles upon a blade lying in the grass. Out of a bush comes a bandit rushing to kill him. Who will win?¡± I said.


    ¡°The bandit wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.¡± The baron said. I purposely chose something to which he could relate.


    ¡°Indeed Lord Baron. As soon as I touched the ether my skills slowly returned, skills that I had clearly mastered at some point in my life.¡± I lied shamelessly.


    Denerim didn¡¯t seem convinced but what could he say to refute my claim? It is not as if he knew how elven healing worked and the only other elf in the city certainly wouldn¡¯t humor his inquiries.


    ¡°Well, Denerim?¡± the baron asked. He said nothing in response so that pretty much ended whatever he was trying to do.


    ¡°Very well Moon, I¡¯ll recommend you to the bank. I''m sure they wouldn¡¯t turn down a mage of your strength. Let us call it 3,600 payable to your account. We will split your efforts 4 hours a day spent healing my injuries and another 4 healing those of the upper command as well as anyone else I bring to you. I will arrange a room for you within the guest wing of my keep so you will not have to waste time traveling from the lower city. A servant will be assigned to you for anything you need during this time. Agreed?¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± I said.


    ¡°Very good, I would like you to get started immediately.¡± He turned his attention to Eric and said.


    ¡°Bring Moon to Captain Ambrose for a demonstration of his healing ability. I¡¯m sure once he experiences it, he will know what to do. Make sure to inform him it is under my command.¡±


    Eric saluted, crossing his fist across his chest, and said. ¡°Yes Lord Baron.¡±


    He came over to me and said, ¡°Please follow me Sir Mage.¡±


    ¡°We will sort out the rest by the end of the day.¡± The baron said to me,


    ¡°Very well Lord Baron. Good day to you all.¡± I said as I turned to leave.


    I followed Eric through the halls of the keep to an office. Eric knocked on the large iron door and a man inside shouted ¡°Enter.¡±


    The office was entirely utilitarian. No decorations adorned the walls, the spines on each book on his shelves were cracked showing he actually read them. He didn¡¯t even look up from his writing.


    ¡°Captain by the Lord Baron¡¯s Orders you are instructed to have Sir Moon perform healing on you to verify his abilities. You have his discretion on how to properly utilize his abilities for the upcoming war effort. I believe he wants to prioritize the upper command first.¡± Eric announced in a single breath.


    The captain finally stopped writing and looked up and met my eyes.


    ¡°And what kind of healing can you provide that any other mage can¡¯t.¡± He stared at me intently.


    He was a large bald man in a suit of armor polished to a mirror shine. He had an impeccably trimmed brown beard and piercing blue eyes. As soon as I entered the room, I noticed the crutches leaning against the wall on one side of the room. So, this is what I had to heal. This was likely a test from the baron to see if I could actually do what I said.


    ¡°The type of healing that will get you back on your feet.¡± I said.


    ¡°You say this is under the Baron¡¯s Orders Eric.¡± Ambrose asked.


    ¡°Yes, Captain. He specifically said that I should let you know this is an order.¡±


    ¡°Very well Guardsman Eric you are dismissed I will speak to the elf privately.¡±


    Eric saluted and turned on his heels and exited to the room, closing the large metal door behind him.


    ¡°My name is Moon, not elf.¡± I said.


    ¡°Moon it is then how will the healing proceed.¡±


    ¡°That depends on what your injury is.¡±


    ¡°3 years ago, I was thrown from my horse from an air mage attack. I landed badly on my back and since then I have lost most of my motor function from the waist down. I have seen several Light mages, but none have been able to completely heal it.¡±


    I gave it some contemplation. I would have to see the injury and that would involve him disrobing.


    ¡°To heal it I would have to see the location of the injury, meaning I need to see your back.¡± I Expected him to have some kind of reaction. surprise, offense or embarrassment but the man showed as much emotion as a brick wall. He stared at me for a few seconds and said,


    ¡°Very well we will perform the healing here.¡± With remarkable efficiency he removed his breastplate gambeson and undershirt without any assistance or hesitation. This man must take the orders from the baron quite seriously.


    He looked at me completely uncaring that he was bare chested and said. ¡°How do we proceed?¡±


    I shrugged and decided to just get this awkward affair over with.


    Half an hour later the captain was laid down on his chest across his desk. I finally finished the repairs to the thoracic, lumbar, and sacral segments of his spine. It was quite a challenge to use the life ether to repair the damage to the bone and rebuild the nerves to reestablish connection to his legs. But I was finally finished and as far as I could tell he had a perfectly healthy spine. There was some muscular atrophy in his legs but that was his job to reverse.


    ¡°The healing is complete.¡± I announced.


    He got up and sat at the end of the table wiggling his toes in clear disbelief. He carefully put weight on each foot and slowly stood on his own two feet for the first time in 3 years. He took a few unsure steps around the room. Eventually he gained confidence as he realized he had perfect control of his lower body. He then performed a stiff march that I had seen many guards do along the walls from one end of the room to another.


    ¡°The muscles are a bit sore.¡± He whispered to himself.


    ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t properly used them in years, it''s up to you to build them back up.¡± I said.


    He dressed replacing his armor boots and breastplate. He then stood in front of me and performed a salute and a deep bow.


    ¡°Apologies for doubting your ability and my gratitude for returning the use of my legs to me.¡± There was a faintest tremble in his voice. It was enough to show that the stern man was in fact grateful.


    ¡°Doubt is expected Captain, now that you have seen my skill firsthand, I will trust that you will direct its use in an effective manner.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there are quite a few men and women who could both benefit from your abilities and would therefore benefit the war effort. But first we must gather the commanders and inform them of this I will do the honors of introducing you.¡± He sat back behind his desk and bellowed.


    ¡°CARLSON.¡± A young man rushed into the room and performed a stiff salute.


    ¡°Captain,¡± he responded.


    ¡°Gather the entire upper command structure in the training yard that is an order. Anyone who is not there within the hour will have latrine duty for a month, am I clear.¡±


    ¡°Crystal Captain¡± he turned and left to perform his duty.


    ¡°While they are gathering, we should discuss my plans to utilize your healing.¡±


    An hour later the captain walked out a door leading to the training yard. It was a large dirt covered area with plenty of stay dummies to proactive on. There was a wooden platform 6 feet high that looked over the entire training area. Over a hundred men and women were idly loitering about in small discussions.


    They stared dumbly at the guard captain as he entered the training area. The captain himself marched towards the platform, his head held high in stiff marching form, not glancing at any of them. His moves are so precise and well timed that he might as well have been an automaton. It must have taken years of constant repetition to walk like that. No doubt his legs were in pain, but I doubt he would have cared.


    He reached the center of the platform, performed a 90 degree turn and faced the gathering.


    ¡°WHAT IS THIS POOR EXCUSE FOR A FORMATION ARE YOU SOLDIER OR FRESH RECRUITS.¡±


    That seemed to snap them out of their surprise at seeing their captain, who an hour and a half earlier needed crutches to get around, march as if he was a man reborn. They sprang into action and in less than 10 seconds, were standing in perfect formation. Head high hand clasped behind their backs in even rows.


    ¡°Good I see you haven¡¯t forgotten yourself. Now unto the announcements as some of you know Baron Veron has declared open war with Suncrest and intends to take the entire barony as his own. As such we have begun preparations for the coming conflict. As you no doubt have noticed I have full function of my limbs this is due to the healing ability of Sir Moon the elven light mage.¡±


    At this point I climbed a few steps and stood next to him. Eyes flicked to me for barely an instant before refocusing back on the captain.


    ¡°The baron has commissioned his abilities for the duration of the preparation. He has been assigned the task of getting the entirety of the baron¡¯s force to top fighting condition.¡±


    The captain started to pace back and as he continued his speech the entire group locked onto him as if he was a great prophet.


    ¡°You have grown soft, and your skills have begun to rust during this period of peace. You must be broken down, melted, and beaten within an inch of your life and with Moon''s assistance you will be reforged into proper warriors. Doesn¡¯t that sound life fun?¡±


    ¡°YES CAPTAIN¡±


    ¡°Good, those who need mending to the sick bay. The rest I want you to gather all your men at arms and begin training. I want to see them marching in formation until their legs give out. I want them to practice sword forms until their arms fall off. If this field isn¡¯t covered in blood by mid-day, then you have proven to be an utter disgrace to your oath and that armor you wear AM I UNDERSTOOD.¡±


    ¡°YES CAPTAIN¡±


    ¡°GOOD MOVE OUT¡± they saluted in unison and ran off in random directions around 20 of them headed to the sick bay. Most of them had smiles on their faces as if relishing the idea of the torturous training that we intended to put them through.


    The captain took a deep breath, and a small smile came over his features as he watched the men and women run off to carry out their tasks.


    ¡°That was quite a speech. I¡¯ll see to the sick bay. If you have anyone that needs mending, simply send them there.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes. I have a few in mind¡± as he returned to his stern expression. I turned to leave, and he caught my attention once more and said.


    ¡°I bares repeating. Thank you, Sir Mage.¡± he said.


    ¡°You are most welcome Captain.¡± I said as I walked away. The captain didn¡¯t move from his spot or break his stance as the yard emptied. Was he that dedicated? Or did he just enjoy standing like that? I shrugged and left him to whatever bliss he seemed to find himself in.


    As the Captain had stated by mid-day the training yard was filled with people furiously training. And I spent most of the time as the injured was brought to the sick bay. I repaired damaged muscles ligaments, poorly healed bone and any other number of injuries that kept them performing at peak condition. As the roughly thousand people in the yards trained and marched in formation I healed any injuries a that occurred of which there were many, though very few needed life ether too heal. No one was as severely injured as the captain.


    A well-dressed male servant in the baron¡¯s livery entered the sickbay as another young bowed in thanks and rushed out to return to training after healed a cracked rib. That did call into question Denerim wasn¡¯t doing this.


    The servant bowed and stated, ¡°My Lord, I am Grant, have been assigned to see to your needs on behalf of the baron.¡±


    ¡°What is the extent of your duties?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I will see to your meals, transportation, clothing, and anything else you would require during your stay. If you need something, simply ask. I will see it done.¡± Grant said in a professional manner.


    ¡°The baron has been in consultation with his generals for most of the day and has invited you to join him in his smoking room for an evening meal and shared celestine. I have also been told to inform you that your meeting with the bank''s staff regarding the baron¡¯s recommendation will occur tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Very good then, follow me.¡± I said I got up to leave the empty sick bay. The captain watched over the training for the entire day, his voice not once cracking as he shouted down orders.


    ¡°I think I should rest for the day. Using magic for so long is tiring.¡±


    The captain glanced at the setting sun. ¡°Very well sir mage I¡¯ll keep the training to a minimum until we start again tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Until then captain.¡±


    ¡°Take me to the Baron¡± I said to the servant.


    We traveled once again through the keep until we entered the barons smoking room. There was a thick fog in the air as the door opened. The baron was seated at a small table eating a meal large enough for two people. There was a setting made for me that was just as large. To the side there are luxurious couches. The walls were of course opulently decorated with art and weapons. And a fireplace was lit and was softly crackling.


    ¡°Ah Moon.¡± the baron said through a mouthful of food ¡°come join me.¡±


    I sat down and without ceremony started to fill my plate. I was rather hungry from using magic for the last several hours.


    ¡°How goes your work with the captain?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve fixed his damaged spine and he¡¯s taken to training the soldiers. Most of my time was spent healing them of injuries sustained from training. That man inspires a fanatical amount of motivation.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm yes, that¡¯s why I wanted him in top condition first. That man was born to train and lead soldiers. During my campaign they practically worshiped him. Now that he¡¯s back to his former self I¡¯m sure he would light a fire in the hearts of the men.¡±


    Based on the near fanatical focus they had while training he more than accomplished that. We spoke of inconsequential things until he asked me to join him smoking some celestine. It was a silver herb that was incredibly expensive to procure. We went over to the couch.


    The baron offered me a pipe and opened a red sick bag filled with some of the herb. He added it to his pipe, lit it on fire with a wick and deeply inhaled. I followed his example, my eyes widened as the smoke filled my lungs. There was a rush of euphoria that flowed through my body that was slowly dissipating.


    The baron chucked and said, ¡°First time I see, try to hold it in, last longer that way.¡±


    I did as instructed and held it in for longer that warm euphoric feeling once again spread through my body. I sunk back into the chair as I slowly released my breath.


    I took another deep inhale and enjoyed the feeling then asked. ¡°How goes the war planning?¡±


    ¡°Progressing smoothly, we¡¯re estimating 2 months and 1 week before we can march.¡±


    ¡°Chances of victory?¡±


    ¡°Practically guaranteed, it¡¯s mostly just a question of how many lives it will cost for us to win in the end. Will he surrender when he realizes that he can¡¯t win or will I have to grind him and his barony to dust and rebuild from the remains.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a war before but from what I¡¯ve heard. It¡¯s quite a terrible affair.¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly boring travel with a few hours of actual combat, I recommend traveling with a camp woman to pass the time. It¡¯s mostly the enemy peasants and women who suffer. Particularly if a commander fails to control his men.¡±


    The baron shrugged and said. ¡°In absence of clear victory sometimes a leader have to find¡­¡­¡­.other ways to keep the men motivated.¡±


    Is he speaking on his own actions? I could only imagine the brutality men would commit if the situation became desperate. I banished those thoughts, not wanting them to cloud my judgments.


    ¡°Camp woman?¡± I said in confusion.


    ¡°Just some whore to pop your cork while you¡¯re on the road. I usually travel with three.¡± The baron said, taking a deep inhale.


    That certainly would make the largely boring travel more tolerable. Perhaps one of gardenia¡¯s girls would do?


    No, that wouldn¡¯t work. I would have to keep her safe from other men from both our side and the enemy. That would take too much effort on my part.


    Shame.


    ¡°When do you want to begin healing, I could do some initial healing now and continue in the morning.¡± I said.


    ¡°That sounds perfectly good. Please, proceed how you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me, I''ll have to put my hands on you.¡±


    He shrugged as if it was no big deal. I examined his body within the ether, and it was truly a mess. Years of injuries have been done to his muscles and joints. Not to mention the damage to his organs from his incessant drinking. Both his ACLs were torn, and he had a bad case of gout in his left foot. I spent some time repairing both ACLs and rebuilding the damaged ligament as well as reversing the gout in his feet. That should be sufficient to get him walking without significant pain. I could do more but it¡¯s best to pace out his healing. The baron was largely zoned out focusing on his pipe.


    ¡°That should be enough that you won¡¯t require the cane. It will take at least a month to get you in top form.¡± I said.


    The baron stood up without any pain looking at his feet in wonderment. He took some steps around the room and did a hesitant squat. With his bulk that would have caused his previously damaged knees to give out. The man was at least 300 pounds.


    ¡°Still a bit tender but, hells moon I would have paid you double for just this.¡± the Barons said.


    ¡°Consider it a gift,¡± I said.


    The baron and I relaxed in comfortable silence for some time smoking away the celestine.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy myself tonight.¡± The baron said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been able to really get into it.¡±


    I suppose those injuries would cause some complications.


    ¡°How does one go about procuring that in the upper city?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah just speak to Grant he¡¯ll arrange everything.¡±


    ¡°Very well until tomorrow baron¡± I said.


    ¡°Mmmm.¡± he mumbled lost in his daydreams.


    ¡°My Lord¡± Grant said as I exited.


    ¡°I require a bath and some entertainment for tonight.¡± I said.


    ¡°Do you have a preferred establishment or shall I choose one for you.¡±


    ¡°Gardenia¡¯s. Tell them to send Clarissa make sure they know I¡¯m the one requesting.¡±


    ¡°If you would follow me a bath has been prepared in advance for you and clothes have been chosen.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at that and followed him. He led me to my rooms that looked fit for a king. A massive 4 posted bed was in the center and there was gilded furniture decorating the room.


    ¡°Off to the side is a servant¡¯s bedroom for any personal attendants you have. Through there, is your private baths that have been prepared. Simply ring the bell if you require anything.¡±


    ¡°Very good. I¡¯ll go now. If Clarissa arrives while I¡¯m in the bath, tell her to join me.¡± I said.


    In the center of the room was a large circular bath built into the floor and on a table next to it was all kinds of soaps, oils and sponges I could use. I disrobed and sunk myself into the steaming water. It was as deep as my chest and wider than I was tall. I floated bonelessly on the surface of the hot water for some time. half an hour later and a knock at the door brought me out of my stupor.


    ¡°Enter I said.¡±


    Clarissa walked into the bath and said. ¡°My haven¡¯t you moved up in the world.¡±


    ¡°That man works fast and didn''t think you would arrive so soon.¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he is used to dealing with impatient nobles.¡± Clarissa said.


    ¡°Well, are you just going to stand there enjoying the view or are you going to join me?¡±


    She smirked and disrobed in that slow fashion I enjoyed and joined me in the large bath. We played in the tub until our skin started to prune then we moved to the large bed. I made sure to spend the time filling her with all the information I wanted Gardenia to know.

 Book 1: Chapter 27: The War Part 2

    The Baron, myself and his entourage of servants and guards, walked into the branch of the Mason¡¯s bank within the upper city. It was a large heavily guarded gray stone building. At the sight of us many of the wealthy merchants and nobles bowed and allowed us to pass. The baron walked without his cane. Yesterday¡¯s healing and the work done this morning was enough to allow him to walk without much pain. There was far more wrong with the man that I could fix easily but it''s best to heal him slowly so he can notice a small change every day. That should keep him hungry for my abilities.


    A well-dressed man came over to us as soon as we walked in. ¡°Lord Baron it is a pleasure to have you bank with us today. If you would follow me, I will guide you to a room worthy of your station.¡± In an odd accent not quite pleasant sounding and not quite noble.


    Inside there were 15 tellers seated behind barred windows, where lines of well-dressed people waited. It would seem that being a baron had its perks. We entered a sitting room, where a brown haired dark eyed woman in the same black and gray uniform was waiting for us. The baron was eyeing her up as soon as we walked in.


    ¡°How may I serve you lord Baron?¡± The woman asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to make a nomination for Moon,The Elven Light Mage.¡±


    Her eyes widened and flicked over to me. Only those of good standing could actually refer someone to the bank as the new clients, furthermore those referrals were only considered for clients who had at least 50,000 gelding in assets.


    ¡°If you wish I can have another employee perform the interview and I can complete any transactions you require, Lord Baron.¡± The woman said.


    ¡°I have only a few transactions to perform, the first of which is 3600 Gelding from my personal account to Moon.¡±


    ¡°Ah I see, One moment then.¡±


    She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a brown-haired young man in the same uniform.


    ¡°If you would follow me sir mage.¡± The young man said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you back at the training yards in a few hours.¡± The baron said dismissing me.


    I nodded and left with the young man. I followed him through a few halls to a private office.


    I was joined by an old man carrying sheets of paper and what looked to be paint brushes. I couldn¡¯t for the life of me guess what he was for.


    ¡°If you would please sit my Lord, so your likeness can be taken.¡± I shrugged and sat in the chair at the center of the room. The young man sat behind the oak desk and brought out a large stack of paper.


    ¡°Now my lord we shall begin with preliminary questions?¡±


    An hour later I walked out of the bank with my new identification card. It was a thin four by two inch piece of metal that had my name and general information stamped into it. Details such as my sex, species, age, hair color, eye color height, and my magical attenuation, were all stamped in neat rows and inlaid with Mithrite. By the time the questions were finished the old man had completed my likeness. I almost wanted to commission him to do more work since it was an impressively accurate reproduction of my face. This information would then be sent to every other bank in the empire.


    I could even send intermediaries with my card to perform deposits, withdrawals, or transfers, on my behalf. They would simply have to answer a series of security questions I helped create and provide the right 24-digit identification number. The bank¡¯s reputation of being absolutely merciless to anyone who tries to defraud them, deterred most from trying to force someone to give out their information.


    If that occurs I need only to give them a specific false ID number. The funds would be released as if they gave the correct one to hopefully guarantee my safety. Once my safety was accounted for or if I turned up dead. They would launch a manhunt for the perpetrators, hunting down and killing anyone who had even the smallest hand in the extortion. It doesn¡¯t matter how far or how long they ran; the bank would collect what they are owed.


    It took a few weeks before all the banks had up to date information. I didn¡¯t really understand how they managed their books but so long as I could access my coin from anywhere, I didn¡¯t care.


    I left the upper city for the tavern to meet with the bronze spears. Sten managed to get a message to me for a meeting with everyone. I was late as usual so everyone else arrived, minus two people.


    ¡°Ah Moon, come join us.¡± Sten said as soon as he saw me.


    I walked over to sit with the company at a table.


    Tanner sniffed, eyed me up and down then said.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you pretty today, Moon? Enjoying the noble life, are you?¡± in a slightly derisive tone that lacked the usual underpinning of humor when she teased me.


    I was wearing an outfit chosen for me by Grant. I¡¯m not sure how he knew my measurements or my tastes, but I couldn''t deny his accuracy. He chose something only slightly less ostentatious than my auction ensemble, of the same white with purple and gold accents. I still wore the gold and amethyst jewelry on my neck, ears, and fingers.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with dressing well Tanner. I think he looks¡­¡­¡­¡­..nice.¡± Brandon said. He seemed to change his mind on whatever he was really thinking.


    ¡°There are men who like that kind of thing; didn¡¯t think the baron was one of them.¡± Caan said as he glanced at me. ¡°I guess that¡¯s one way to climb the ladder.¡±he said under his breath.


    Tanner and Mark actually chucked Mikah and Brandon were trying to hide a smile. Only Breala, Sten, and Bast remained stone-faced.


    A joke I can tolerate, But to suggest all that I have accomplished was earned on my back or knees was open mockery.


    It demanded correction.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, my voice devoid of any emotion.


    ¡°It was nothing Moon.¡± Mark said, quickly realizing that I had taken offense at the assertion. I wouldn¡¯t let it drop though.


    ¡°No, I want Caan to explain to me what he meant.¡± Instead of taking the only open seat I stood in front of Caan. All smiles were gone now as everyone realized that things were getting heated. Caan stood up looking down at me.


    ¡°Caan don¡¯t. Moon calm down it was a poor of words.¡± Sten tried to de-escalate it.


    There was a small part of my mind that was questioning why I became angry so easily. But it was drowned out by my desire to end the man.


    Tanner, who had started the joking, stood up and said quickly. ¡°Look we was just jokin moon no offense meant. Let¡¯s just¡­¡­¡±


    I caught her eyes and said. ¡°Silence¡± cutting off her words.


    ¡°I want to hear from Caan.¡± I locked eyes with him. By this point the entire tavern was looking at us. Whispering among themselves, no doubt rumors were going to be spread about this confrontation.


    ¡°Go ahead, explain yourself.¡± His eyes flicked from me to the rest of the company. Debating what he should do. Slowly his hand reached for his sword.


    If he drew it, I would kill him; if said what he meant out loud I would kill him. There''s not a single guard in the city that would arrest me. I was above him, in terms of the law, wealth and power, and I wanted him to know that.


    ¡°Draw the weapon, Caan. See what happens.¡± Seconds passed the entire tavern stared at Caan , anxious to see if he would get himself killed. Caan sat back down with rage across his face he took a few deep breaths and said. ¡°My apologies¡±


    As if that would work again.


    Perhaps I should just kill him. I wouldn''t even have to lie to the baron Caan accusing him of being a ¡®boy lover¡¯, as some men would derisively say, would be enough to justify my actions.


    Caan whispered. ¡°Knife ear¡± under his breath so low I doubt anyone heard it, but my ears weren¡¯t this large for the aesthetics.


    I moved to raise my right hand to end the man. The spell circuit for the radiant lance half formed before someone grabbed it. I looked down and saw a large pale green hand grabbing my own.


    The entire tavern had hopped from their seats ready to bolt as anyone with sense knew that an angered mage is something you didn¡¯t want to be in the close vicinity of. Caan had fallen from his seat in shock, staring at the half formed circuit. I suppose he didn¡¯t expect that I would actually try to kill him.


    ¡°You would deny me satisfaction?¡± I asked Breala as I stared up into her dark brown eyes.


    ¡°Please, I beg you to spare him. I do not wish to see death today.¡± It sounded like a genuine request.


    I couldn¡¯t for the life of me figure out why she would want me to spare Caan. But her genuine request was enough to temper my desire to kill him. It wouldn''t take much effort to simply raise my other hand and kill him. I sighed and dissolved the spell circuit. I didn¡¯t spare Caan a second glance and took my seat.


    ¡°Where is Lilian and Sarah?¡± I asked as if nothing had happened.


    There was an awkward pause as everyone got back into their own seats, their eyes flicking to me with nervous glances as if I would turn my ire onto them. Sten¡¯s eyes flicked back and forth between me and Caan for a moment. Everyone at the table settled down and slowly the tavern patrons went back to their own conversations.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Sarah and Lilian have broken their contracts and are no longer a part of the company. They both paid the breakage price Sarah, yesterday and Lilian 3 days ago.¡±


    Everyone was shocked at that announcement.


    ¡°Why and where are they now?¡± Bast asked.


    ¡°Sarah, well she¡¯s getting chummy with the Baroness, so she has no use for us anymore and Lilian, no clue, the only thing I know is that she left the city.¡±


    Tanner kissed teeth and said. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we needed them that much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we can still get good contracts.¡± Mikah said, the young brown-haired man always did have a positive disposition.


    Sten had a guilty expression on his face, Mark, being a longtime friend of his, picked up on it.


    ¡°What is it, Sten? There¡¯s something you¡¯re not telling us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you all know by now the barons at war. He offered to make me a lord of my own lands.¡± That was quite a bomb shell for the rest of the company and there was general fuss as they realized what that meant.


    ¡°What bout us? The company?¡± Tanner asked.


    ¡°After the war I¡¯ll annul the contracts. You will all get a severance pay and so it won¡¯t reflect badly if you want to sign with another company.¡± Sten couldn¡¯t meet the eyes of anyone in the company.


    ¡°Was the offer that good.¡± Mark asked.


    ¡°My Girls would inherit it after my death.¡± Sten said as if that explained everything.


    ¡°5 years,¡± Mark said disbelievingly, ¡°5 Years we built this company, and one offer is all it took.¡±


    ¡°So, what are we supposed to do after the war, Sten? Just find another company you know how most of them are.¡± Brandon said.


    Poor pay and an incompetent leadership is the norm for many companies.


    ¡°It¡¯s 60 gold per head for severance and a position in my house after the war if you want it. As a lord I would have the authority to grant you knighthood. I¡¯ve already spoken to the baron about which part of Suncrest I would govern.¡± Sten said.


    It wasn¡¯t a bad deal as far as I could see. A hefty severance pay and the promise of a position in the house of a man you already trusted.


    ¡°I will accept the severance after the war but decline your offer of knighthood.¡± Breala said in a neutral tone.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m done. We can head to the house of law today so I can get my coin. I ain¡¯t callin you no Lord.¡± Tanner looked at the rest of the group, seeming to expect them to take a stance similar to hers.


    ¡°Most of us are citizens of Vernon so it will be conscription for us. I¡¯ll take Sten over some random commander. You¡¯re a woman so you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Bast said.


    The rest seemed to agree with that sentiment. Only men and mages were typically conscripted during war. Brandon didn¡¯t want to say anything while Tanner was giving him a glare. Knowing him he was thinking about accepting the knighthood.


    ¡°What about you Moon?¡± Brandon asked me. trying to deflect attention.


    ¡°I¡¯m using my magic to get the Baron and his men in top fighting condition. I¡¯m likely going to work as magical support for most of the war. This seems to me a fair parting.¡± I said. Honestly, I was considering breaking the contract anyway, so this works out for me. The only reason I hadn¡¯t was because I didn¡¯t want that on my contract record. That could sour deals in the future.


    ¡°No doubt the barons downing you with gold for this.¡± Brandon said.


    I shrugged, not denying it.


    ¡°Those of you who are willing to serve in my battle group report to the upper city barracks they are instructed to let you in. The rest, we can head to the House of law today to annul your contracts.¡±


    This will probably be the last day for the Bronze Spears. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a small amount of remorse. But I immediately stamped it down, as now was not the time for it.


    Caan, Tanner, and I were the only ones to annul the contract early. Caan was first and as soon as it was finished, he ran off to who knows where.


    Shame I don¡¯t have the time to track him down.


    Sten and I would be seeing much of each other over the coming weeks due to my work, so it wasn¡¯t really much of a goodbye. He left quickly to perform whatever duties the baron was piling on him.


    Now I was technically free of any legal binding, and I had no intention of signing anything with the baron. I was about to head to the lower city guardhouse when I saw Tanner sitting on the step of the house of law.


    ¡°Tanner? What are you still doing here?¡± I asked as I approached.


    ¡°Ah Moon¡­¡­¡­¡­..I¡¯m not sure what to do with myself, maybe I was a bit hasty with quitting an all.¡± She said, staring into nothing.


    ¡°Perhaps, but what¡¯s done is done, the only thing left to do is move on.¡± I said. The woman did have a rather lost expression on her face. I didn¡¯t know much about her, so I had no idea if she had a family.


    ¡°Sorry bout what happened with Caan.¡± Perhaps she blames herself to some extent or maybe she didn¡¯t want me holding a grudge. Regardless, I didn''t care that much about her attitude.


    ¡°Apology accepted. Now as for what to do; try to find other work?¡± I said, pondering the question.


    ¡°Not many companies want to take on a spearwoman, some want to take me on too much.¡± I¡¯ve never really considered her being a female warrior in a world of men. I suppose that comes with its own share of complications.


    ¡°I suppose I could introduce you to Madam Gardenia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing bed work¡±, She looked offended at the suggestion.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. She often needs muscle and from what I¡¯ve seen takes care of her people. It¡¯s just a suggestion.¡± I shrugged, not really caring what she did in the end. For some reason I thought I owed her a small debt for the shirt and pants.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± she said.


    ¡°Good day then. And good luck with whatever you decide to do in the future.¡± I said.


    I still had a visit to the lower city Guards Barracks and Gardenia to make some arrangements. An hour later I walked into Gardenia¡¯s office Clarissa as usual hot on my heels and full of erotic suggestions about what I should do to her.


    ¡°Moon, nobility looks good on you.¡± Gardenia said as I walked in.


    ¡°Always a pleasure Gardenia.¡± I said as I took my usual seat. I didn¡¯t even have to motion for alcohol before Clarissa popped a glass into my hand. She also handed me a stack of paper. There were names and information on all the influential nobility, merchants and generals. There were at least 50 people in the pile. It was impressive she managed to assemble this in less than a day.


    ¡°I now have an account with Mason''s bank, and I want my coin to work for me. I know little of the businesses and investment opportunities in the city, so I was hoping for your assistance.¡±


    She raised a well-manicured eyebrow. ¡°Referrals are extremely limited. How did you convince the baron to use his.¡±


    ¡°What does a lifelong warrior who walks with a cane desire most?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I see,¡± she said.


    ¡°I suppose my reputation guaranteed it being accepted. The limit is 2000 to invest. trading companies, artists, mercenary outfits it doesn¡¯t matter so long as I profit. I want names, amounts, expected return on investment.¡±


    ¡°All that can be arranged.¡± Gardenia said.


    ¡°Is there anything you need on my part?¡±


    ¡°Not at this moment, but I plan on moving to gambling houses in a few days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make time.¡± I got up and prepared to leave. Before I left, I remembered something


    ¡°Did a spear woman named Tanner come to you for work?¡± I asked Gardenia.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a former member of the bronze spears, quite skilled as far as I can tell you would do well with her.¡± I said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out for her, you don¡¯t usually go out of your way for people.¡± Gardenia said.


    ¡°I was naked when the Bronze Spears found me. As far as I can remember, which isn¡¯t very far, the boots she gave were the first I have ever worn. Maybe I still feel like I owe her some small debt.¡± I said. Gardenia had an odd look on her face as I explained.


    I left Gardenia sometime later, declining Clarissa¡¯s offer of company. For some reason I didn¡¯t feel in the mood, which was unusual for me. I thought I would feel liberated when freed from my contract with Sten. Instead, I felt a small amount of remorse. I had only known them a few months and barely bothered to learn anything about them. Maybe that was a mistake, I suppose it doesn¡¯t matter in the end anyway I had chosen this path after all.


    Two months passed and the baron¡¯s vassals, mayors, knights and various landed nobility arrived in the capitol. Their troops mustered outside the gates, my mornings were spent repairing his various injuries. At this point he was strong enough to ride and fight with most of the men. My evenings were spent with Captain Ambrose and his men assisting in their accelerated training program. Their diet and general health were managed by me, and Ambrose saw to their training routine.


    Now the 520 men and 16 women that made up the barons personal fighting force were at peak physical condition. This level of overtraining would usually cause permanent injury, but both light and life healing was able to negate the effects. This way weeks of hypertrophy and physical conditioning could be accomplished in days. It was fascinating how I could accelerate their training.


    Most nights I was in the baron¡¯s personal library. I doubted the man ever really used it since every desk in the room was covered with dirt. It could usually finish at least two books per night. I read all I could on the various kingdoms and continents of the world. There were histories of the various wars fought across the empire.


    The rise and fall of Bracken the seemingly eternal war going on with the empire''s western colonies across the sea.


    There were even a few books in the library on Etheric Theory. It didn¡¯t prove to be of any use other than interesting reading.


    Denerim and Lira spent most of their time with the baron planning for the upcoming battles. Guessing where the engagements were likely to happen and what to do in case Baron Suncrest didn¡¯t surrender in the field. I saw much of Sten since he was working with the barons personal guards.


    Were in the fields outside the city where the entirety of the barons liege levies were performing practice battles.


    The Baron, Denerim, Lira, myself, Captain Ambrose and all of the baron¡¯s top commanders were inside a large tent looking over a map of the area discussing traveling routes and battle plans.


    ¡°These hills are much too steep, and the sun would be a the enemy''s back. We would charge in blind. What have our scouts found out?.¡± The baron said, pointing to a hill that bordered both the territory. The same hill we fought the earth mage on


    ¡°He was still mustering his troops so we would be able to cross into islands with little to stop us¡± Martin said.


    ¡°The battle would most likely happen here.¡± Ambrose pointed to a flat area that slowly sloped downward towards into a vast plane.


    ¡°We should remain on the slope and use Denerim to stop any flanks to our left, Moon will remain in the center with our best men providing shield cover for Lira and stopping magical bombardment.¡± The baron said.


    Martin continued. ¡°Ben will be on the right providing support with water magic. It should be enough that it shouldn¡¯t fall apart. Well, lose a lot of conscripts but it would be worth it. Moon''s radiant carapace should prevent any stray arrows from harming Lira so we can move her closer to the front line without worry, giving us superior range.¡±


    Another man General Hargrave started to say.¡± What of their own magical forces?¡±


    Lira answered. ¡°5 mages all adepts. The two earth, one fire, one light and one air. The only problem is the enemy air mage has an amplifier, a powerful one.¡±


    The baron hummed for a moment and said. ¡°Moon, how large can you make your shield?¡±


    It was a complicated question, so I said. ¡°Any size really is a matter of strength, power and time. A shield hundreds of feet across strong enough to block an overcharged air blast I can sustain for maybe a minute.¡±


    I have never made a shield much larger, 20 feet across and the amount of ether it takes as the size increases is exponential.


    ¡°Very well then reserve your shield for my company and only resort to a shield that large if the enemy air mage is performing some grand attack that could wipe out a large portion of my army.¡±


    Sarah at some point had sworn into the service of the baroness and was considered a part of her personal guard. A personal guard force that couldn¡¯t be conscripted was one of the Baroness¡¯s marriage conditions. This meant that the baron couldn¡¯t order her to fight. That seemed suspicious when I heard it first, but I had been far too busy the last 2 months to really look into it.


    ¡°He has at least 3000 more conscripts than we do. What is our response if they decide to flood our center to drain our strength and follow up with a proper attack.¡± A third general asked.


    The baron answered. ¡°That¡¯s where Moon will come into play with his radiant lance we can stall any charge. Hundreds will be cut down in an instant and we wouldn¡¯t have to worry about them having mage support. Once their proper force engages, we can rely on Lira for artillery and switch Moon back to cover and support.¡±


    Most of the day was spent discussing various battle tactics. Where to establish supply routes and what villages and towns to raid for resources. We would be pushing fast into his Suncrest territory so much hunting and raiding would have to be done throughout the surrounding area to sustain the army, which currently numbered roughly 10000. According to scout reports we would be facing a force between 12500 and 13000. This was partially due to Suncrest having a larger number of conscripts.


    The barons for some stupid reason wanted to fight on the front line with the men so I would have to remain close to keep him alive and refresh the radiant carapace if it breaks. That would also mean I would be in range of enemy artillery. How fun.


    A week later the entire army was assembled, and we began to march towards Suncrest.

 Book 1: Chapter 28: The War Part 3

    The 10,000 strong force marched across the plains leading into Suncrest¡¯s territory. The Baron, most of the noble commanders and officers were dressed in overly ostentatious armor. Lira interestingly enough was the first woman who I have seen wear armor with overtly feminine features. She was wearing a combination of plate and leather. The breastplate was shaped with the clear suggestion of a bust. I wasn¡¯t sure if it would affect the effectiveness of the armor but it¡¯s not as if she would ever be in melee combat.


    The barons sent a forward force that would secure the marching route, scavenge for supplies and provide advance warning for any kind of ambush. It took well over a week before we passed into their lands and another two days before we reached an enemy village.


    Myself, the baron, his mages and a few guards rode our horses into the main square of the village. I have been attached to the baron for most of the travel. Every morning, I would apply the radiant carapace to him in the evenings he would go over reports with his generals and decide on marching orders. It was a strange situation as I seemed to be largely ignored by the older and more experienced commanders. It was only after a few days that I realized I was little more than an odd curiosity at times. It was largely the same for the other mages unless knowledge or action of a magical nature was required. It was expected that we would not make many comments in the meeting. I chafed at the begrudging respect they threw at me because of my power and usefulness.


    ¡°Any problems?¡± The baron asked one of the scouts.


    There were a few dark red circles of pooled blood on the ground, but no bodies to be seen.


    ¡°Most of the Villagers fled but there were a few¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­stragglers that caused trouble¡­¡­..M¡¯Lord¡± he added at the end. He seemed to be slightly lying but the baron either didn¡¯t notice or didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Very good then any supplies?¡± the baron asked.


    ¡°A few dozen bushels of hay, flour, barley, a dozen pigs, 4 goats, two cows and even a few sacks of rice¡± the scout said as he read off a list.


    ¡°Continue on. It will take some time for our supply train to catch up and I don¡¯t want to reduce speed.¡±


    The 20 men saluted, got on their horses, and left to continue scouting forward. The baron had been running them ragged the last few weeks, but from what I knew they were paid well. There was still a few more hours of traveling to be done so we continued on leaving the looted village behind. I glanced at the drying pools of blood for a moment and wondered what actually happened to the citizens. This continued for weeks as we passed village after village the baron¡¯s forces, consuming every scrap of food we could gather from the villages and surrounding land.


    The day was finally ending, and the baron¡¯s entire army was resting for the night. Hundreds of tents were being erected in concentric rings with the barons and his top commanders in the center. Cookfires, lanterns and torches provided just enough light for me to navigate through the maze of tents. I, of course, walked around with a glowing ball of light in my hand.


    What was left of the bronze spears and 40 other men were corralled around a set of cookfires. A few looked up as I approached since my light orb was far brighter than any torch.


    Sten could have bedded down in the innermost ring where there was better food and greater safety, but he wasn¡¯t the type of man to enjoy luxuries his men didn¡¯t. There were suspicious glances as I entered their small encampment, but the magical light was enough to tell them that I was a mage and not to be trifled with.


    ¡°Moon.¡± Sten said as I approached, lacking the jovial tone he usually had.


    ¡°Hello Sten, how are you?¡± I asked. I was a bit starved for conversation since the baron¡¯s men, while cordial and respectful, didn''t seem to want to be around me. I didn¡¯t know if it was because I was an elf or if I was a mage.


    Even his mages seemed to be distant, usually too occupied with some tasks to have an extended conversation with me. My work was almost unending, constantly healing the men as they practiced hard and organizing a medical force to efficiently evacuate injured soldiers from the battlefield. I was earning thousands of gelding from the work since the baron and I had a second agreement for the upcoming battle .


    ¡°Good enough. The travel has been hard, but we have scavenged quite a bit of food from the land.¡± He said.


    The cookpots seemed to have some kind of stew going and knowing the culinary skill of the typical soldier I decided not to partake in it.


    ¡°The pace is impressive. Apparently, there is to be a battle either tomorrow or the day after.¡± I said.


    Sten gestured towards an empty place on the grass, and I took a seat.


    ¡°Surprised to see you down here with the rest of us. Tired of the nobles already?¡± Bast said, giving me an inscrutable stare.


    ¡°They make for poor conversation.¡± I said.


    ¡°Their endless flattery ran out rather quickly didn¡¯t it.¡± Brandons said. I glanced over at him observing the lines of exhaustion that framed his usually handsome face. I didn¡¯t answer but in reality, that was what it felt like.


    ¡°What are your plans after the war?¡± I asked everyone.


    ¡°I¡¯m opening a tavern and got more than enough coin for it.¡± Mikah said excitedly.


    ¡°You already know my plans.¡± Sten said. starting to eat from a bowl sitting next to him.


    No one else said anything for a few minutes either unwilling to share or just unwilling to share with me. Why is that? Even Mikah looked around with curious glances as no one responded. I suppose they wanted their plans to remain a secret then. None met my gaze and no one seemed interested in conversation with me.


    ¡°Very well then have a good rest.¡± I said.


    If I wasn¡¯t wanted around, then I would leave. I got up and turned away, deciding to leave the entire area for some time alone with my thoughts. As I cleared the last ring of tents I noticed heavy footfalls behind me. I turned around to see Breala following me.


    ¡°Hello Breala.¡± I said.


    ¡°Moon¡± she said in acknowledgement. It only took a few strides for her to catch up to me.


    ¡°Why are you following me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I wished to speak. It has been some time since we have exchanged words.¡± I thought back to the last time I had actually sat down and had a conversation with her. It was only after the drake which was months ago.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t upset with me like the rest of the company?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They are not upset but I believe they blame you for the company disbanding.¡± Breala said. I had to raise an eyebrow at that. How in the world was I to blame?


    ¡°Explain.¡± I asked.


    ¡°They believed that without you the baron would have never taken notice of us, and we could have continued on as a company for much longer. The swiftness with which you chose to serve the baron soured their opinion of you.¡± Breala explained.


    ¡°Do you share this opinion?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, though I hold no contempt for you within my heart. You made a choice to increase your strength and position. The pursuit of greater strength is always preferable to stagnation.¡±


    Perhaps her orcish upbringing is why her opinion differed.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to know someone understands.¡± I said.


    We left the encirclement and made our way to the edge of a nearby forest. The wandering scouts came over but left as soon as they saw my face. Most people in the army knew who I was at this point. We sat down at the base of a tree enjoying the cool wind for a moment until I spoke again.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question, what will you do after the war.¡±


    Breala thought for a moment and said. ¡°I will return to my clan.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The orc clans near the border feud constantly. We do nothing but war against each other for scraps of land and coin. It is my dream to unite my people.¡±


    ¡°Would the clans unite under a half orc?¡± I asked. In most spaces half-bloods are usually looked down upon. In elven society they are downright hated.


    ¡°We are not like humans or elves, the only thing that really matters is strength, the weak die and the strong live.¡± Breala said.


    I was for a moment considering hiring her as a personal guard or something but based on the faraway look she had when talking about her dreams of uniting the clans. I doubt she would accept.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Breala asked.


    ¡°I do not know. Serving the baron has been underwhelming and I have more coin than I know what to do with. My magical ability has been growing but has plateaued.¡±


    ¡°It seems you lack direction.¡± She said,


    ¡°Without memories I have no real goal beyond continued survival.¡±


    ¡°Have you no hope of returning your memories?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the problem is how, the greatest healers are in the imperial capital, and I have no means of introduction. The elven clans have healing techniques that might work. but according to Lilian the elven matriarchs would view me as little more than a tool to breed with or a threat to their power..¡±


    ¡°Why? Your beauty and power?¡± she asked.


    I¡¯ve never actually mentioned me being a royal elf to anyone and all the humans I had met at this point had no clue what my coloring meant.


    ¡°Essentially yes.¡±


    I paused for a moment as one of the sentries who were one watch rode past us.


    ¡°I¡¯m barely an adult by elven standards and my current strength is no match for them.¡±


    ¡°I see the problem.¡±


    She paused for a moment and then continued.


    ¡°Why not try to heal yourself of whatever binds your memories?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already tried but I lack the power to even detect what¡¯s wrong with me. So, I¡¯m stuck with the eternal question of what to do?¡±


    She looked at me as if the answer was obvious.


    ¡°What would human nobles be willing to sacrifice to have your power?¡±


    ¡°Much.¡± I said thinking of the thousands of gold I would earn from this war.


    ¡°How much could you force out of them?¡±


    If I forced the issue with the baron how much could I have earned double? triple? If my unique ability to grant power to people was known, what would they pay for even the smallest taste?


    ¡°Much more. But therein lies the problem. I am only one elf, and I don¡¯t have the power to repel every attack from a noble if they don''t want to pay my price. They have armies and I do not.¡±


    ¡°Then you need to be able to kill armies. Or build an army of your own¡± Breala said, again as if the answer was obvious.


    She continued ¡°You wish to walk among them and gain access to power and influence. But you are an elf not a human, they will never tolerate your rise. So, you must kick down the door, not wait for someone to open it for you.¡±


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I thought about her words for a moment. They were simplistic but there was some resonance with my own feelings as of late.


    ¡°You have given me something to think about.¡±


    Even if I had the power to kill armies I still needed to rest and at that point I would be vulnerable. Against someone like Lilian I fear I would be at a major disadvantage. I would need to find allies.


    Allies that I could mold in a way that suited my needs. They couldn¡¯t just be tools, however. Their loyalty would have to be real and deeper than mutual benefit.


    Thinking about the drastic increase in magical ability that happened after my overexposure to Life Ether and large amount of physiological enhancements that occurred over the proceeding weeks; That gift is likely priceless.


    How do I even go about finding someone trustworthy enough to receive it? None of my current allies have any real loyalty to me, just what I can offer them.


    We sat in silence for a few minutes. It was a nice companionable silence that didn¡¯t require conversation. Looking up at the sky I realized it was night now. I didn''t really need any kind of rest at the moment, but it would be prudent to meditate for a few hours so I¡¯m fresh in the morning.


    ¡°We¡¯ll likely see battle tomorrow. If any of the company needs healing afterwards, be sure to send someone to find me.¡±


    I got up, strapped my useless sword to my waist as she taught me, and prepared to return to my tent.


    ¡°Moon,¡± Breala said, grabbing my attention.


    ¡°Would you be willing to share a tent with me tonight?¡± She asked with a tone so casual that it took me a second to realize what she meant.


    ¡°I would, though I never thought you had any interest.¡± I said as she got to her feet.


    ¡°You are a bit too pretty for my tastes but if I should die tomorrow or in the coming weeks, I would like to have at least one less regret.¡±


    ¡°That is a sentiment I can understand.¡± I said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Your tent then?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    We returned to the encampment where Breala had a tent to herself. Most of the cookfires were out at this point and only a few stragglers were still sitting about or bedding down for the night. Breala and I got some curious glances as we entered the same tent. It was only tall enough that she could stand crouched. She closed the flap and immediately started undressing, I followed suit.


    Hours later I rose from my meditation. Breala had one arm and a leg draped over me as I ended up staying the rest of the night in her tent. It was a strange experience sleeping with a woman so much larger than me. I didn¡¯t know what I expected but she was rather gentle during the entire process given the massive strength difference. It was much different from my time with Clarissa, there was no foreplay nor any heated teasing.


    The sex was almost mechanical as she desired release before the upcoming battle, as much as I did. She was clear about what she wanted and had no issue in asking me to speed up or slow down. She even seemed excited when I asked her to ride me. The only thing that was odd was her desire for constant eye contact, especially when she peaked. That was certainly a sight I won¡¯t soon forget.


    Now I was playing the little spoon with her body pressed against my back. The heat of her skin was higher than a human, so I was comfortably warm. With her body draped over me and her laying on my hair I would have to wake her up to leave.


    ¡°Breala¡± I said as I tapped her arm.


    She grumbled as she began to wake from her sleep. She sat up unstrapping my hair and rubbed at her face.


    ¡°Is it Morning?¡± She said as she glanced through a crack in the tent¡¯s opening. It wasn¡¯t but we were marching early, and the baron wanted me to attend another early morning strategy meeting.


    ¡°No, but I have some duties to perform for the baron.¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah ok.¡± She said, sounding disappointed.


    I awkwardly dressed with Breala watching me the entire time.


    ¡°I will be leaving as soon as the war has ended.¡± She said,


    ¡°I suppose there is a chance we will not see each other again or we may die. If that¡¯s the case it has been a pleasure knowing you.¡± I said.


    ¡°It has been a pleasure Moon.¡± She said as she held out a green hand for me to shake. That seemed a little formal after all we did from last night. I knelt down, so I was the same height as her sitting position. She raised an eyebrow as I started to move my face towards her.


    She leaned into the kiss; it only lasted a few seconds before we moved apart. Oddly enough she was blushing, the cheeks of her face a slightly darker green. That was rather strange considering all we did last night. With one last appreciative look at her still nude body, I left the tent so I wouldn¡¯t be late for the barons meeting.


    Only a few miles out from the capital of Suncrest, we were on a hill with a slight incline, the sun to our left. Suncrest¡¯s forces were a little over a thousand feet in front of us. 14,000 enemy soldiers were in neat rows as they started to get into position. I was in the front line with the baron, He, Lira, and I had the most powerful radiant carapace I could muster to protect us from any arrows, spells or blades. Her job for this battle was to decimate their left flank while we maintained the center.


    Slowly the two armies started approaching each other, commanders were barking at their soldiers to maintain formation. As we closed the distance, I could see that the commander¡¯s prediction that they would try to soften up our middle by using conscripts was correct.


    Their armor was of a far lower quality, eventually both armies stopped marching and soldiers began to assume formations. For a few moments there was an early silence. Then there was the sound of a loud horn and the armies charged.


    I was on the front line with the baron, but it wouldn¡¯t be for long. At a signal from one of the commanders, the front line halted. And I with 30 men to guard me continued for another 30 feet. The enemy army seeing us slow down apparently took that as weakness, it spurred them on even faster.


    Once they were roughly 100 feet in front of me, I held my arms out to my side and dual casted radiant lances. Two 300-foot beams of light extended out from my hands.


    I hesitated for a second as I truly realized I was about to kill hundreds. But at this point I couldn¡¯t stop the oceans of men coming towards me. Then I brought my hands together.


    In a massive arch the two beams cut men to pieces. I couldn¡¯t hear their screams of terror as the lance made its way towards them, but the great rush of bodies made it impossible to retreat. So, I ended up killing even more than I had initially expected.


    I crossed one hand over the other and brought them back to my sides. The entire process took no more than 15 seconds but, in that time, the field was littered with severed bodies. One of the guards to the left of me muttered ¡°hells¡± as he saw the field of corpses.


    The rest of the charge managed to stop and as soon as I dissipated the beams. Our army continued their charge. Stepping over the mostly dead bodies once the baron caught up, I continued along behind the frontline. Projecting a 50-foot shield over the baron and his personal soldiers. Once the two lines started to clash both outside and inside my shield, I realized we were finally in range of their mages and archers. Arrows bounce off the shield easily and occasionally a large spike of earth or a ball of fire would collide with the shield. After about a dozen, someone realized that trying to bring it down was pointless. And they decided to aim for the edges instead.


    A large pulse from the left flank alerted me to a magic. A massive bloom of fire erupted in the distance. No doubt that was one of Lira¡¯s fire spells. All around me men screamed and cursed as they fought to the death. Since my shield was safe from the constant rain of spells and arrows many started to crowd around it hoping for safety.


    Since I was near the front it partially intersected with the enemy line. Resulting in a strange safe zone where the baron could fight to his heart¡¯s content, killing peasant after peasant with his mithrite sword. Their pathetic armor and weapons could do almost nothing to him.The combination of the radiant carapace and his plate armor made him practically invulnerable.


    20 minutes later after we had pushed considerably deep into the enemy line. I shouted so that the baron could hear me.


    ¡°TIME¡±


    It was a signal to the baron that I could only maintain the shield for 5 more minutes. I had at least 10 more minutes left in me, but I didn¡¯t want to risk the baron becoming overzealous and completely depleting my strength. The baron looked back at me and nodded and shouted.


    ¡°BACK TO OUR LINES¡± the baron shouted.


    We had pushed deep into the enemy¡¯s lines and were starting to take heavy losses from the constant arrows and spells though those were now relatively few since their mages were no doubt depleted.


    As the two lines broke apart it was apparent that we had taken losses. Horns sounded coded alarms across the army to retreat back to our lines. As we returned the Suncrest¡¯s forces followed trying to kill any stragglers. It wasn¡¯t until they were in range of our own archers that they stopped. It took almost an hour for the two armies to properly break apart.


    The baron, the generals, commanders and I were currently in a large tent discussing the reports from the last battle.


    Martin Announced, ¡°Lira¡¯s attack was devastating to their right flank. We estimate enemy casualties to be 800 and 1000 we lost about 300 in the melee.¡±


    Brennon, a large stoneface man who didn¡¯t seem to like me said. ¡°We were essentially even in terms of losses on the left. Their additional mage caused problems; the casualties were between 400 and 500 on either side.¡±


    The Baron nodded. ¡°That much we expected to do a good job keeping the bleeding to a minimum.¡± He had a deep drink of wine and continued.


    ¡°We have wiped out most of their conscript horde. Almost a thousand died to Moon¡¯s spell, the rest fell to our blades. According to reports we only lost 300 in fighting where they lost over 2000 conscripts.¡±


    The men cheered at that number since the armies were at relatively even strength.


    Martin said. ¡°According to reports they plan to move the mages closer to the front so Moon can¡¯t repeat what he did. Their main center force has also not seen combat so they will be fresh.¡± That slightly soured the mood.


    They argued back and forth on how to handle the next battle reports constantly streamed in about troop movements. But in truth I cared little about what was happening, my mind was focused on my kill count.


    ¡®Almost a thousand?¡¯ I thought to myself. I wasn¡¯t sure how I should feel about it but there was to be a second battle today, so I¡¯ll have to save soul searching for later.


    I was assigned to the left flank with Lira. I was replaced with Denerim to keep the baron safe. My task now was making Lira do as much damage as possible, exhausting her stamina. Then use an overcharged energize to restore her. This should be enough firepower to turn their flank, allowing us to surround their force.


    The charge was sounded, and the second battle of the day began. There were a few rows of people between Lira and I so she started casting. I casted a shield just large enough to encompass myself and our guards.


    The power of the spell she was about to cast was immense as she continued to feed power into the spell circuit. Over a minute passed before she was complete. During this our position was bombarded with spells trying to stop whatever she was casting. The power was so immense that I was sure even normal humans could feel the ripples in the Ether.


    ¡°Ready¡± she shouted.


    I dropped the shield and instantly raised a second one. A large orb of fire about 5 feet across rose out of her hands and rocketed straight upwards. It continued for at least 2000 feet before stopping. It was so bright it was almost as if there were two suns in the sky. I immediately cast energize on Lira since I knew this spell had to be casted in two parts. Her back arched as she was spiked with energy. Then she began casting the second part of the spell. The orb of fire grew in size until it was at least 100 feet across and rocketed down towards the enemy army.


    It fell leaving a trail of fire behind, detonating in the backline of the enemy. The shockwave was enough that all around me men were knocked from their feet. The blast kicked up a massive amount of dirt and debris as well as producing a large bang that rang my ears. In the distance I could see the mushroom cloud of fire hundreds of feet across slowly rising. There was a pregnant pause as we watched the effect of her spell. Now I truly understood why it was called ¡®meteor.¡¯


    Their left flank was completely destroyed, and some panicky sounding horns signaled a retreat. That could do little for the ones who remained engaged with us since they had an expanding ball of fire to their back and an energized Lira at their front. She gleefully tossed fireballs and fireblasts into the enemy line arcing it over our soldiers. I found the joy she took in killing rather distasteful.


    Most of the army retreated as we proceeded to kill the remainder of their right flack to the last. Many surrendered but the baron had no interest in keeping prisoners. There were standing orders to simply kill and move on.


    When the fire cleared our forces began to encircle the enemy force. If this continued then their entire force would be routed in a single day. The enemy sounded a retreat before we could complete the encirclement. The baron, not wanting to lose out on a chance at swift victory, ordered us to chase the army back to their lines.


    Once we chased the army all the way back to our lines when we faced a problem. They had a significant amount of defensive fortifications that made our advancement slow. I could see that Lira was starting to feel the effects of the energize spell as her output significantly decreased. I was still close to maximum strength, but I had to conserve it for the healing efforts. I settled on throwing the occasional radiant bold or air blast over our lines to help Lira destroy some fortifications.


    There were hundreds of outward face spikes and rows upon rows of trenches that slowed our advance. These were definitely prepared in advance so we would have difficulty. While we struggled with the terrain this gave their archers and mages excellent targets. Fortunately, we finally heard the horns that signaled our retreat to our own lines.


    I was among the sick tents healing soldier after soldier. Our charge into the enemy¡¯s fortification to secure victory was costly and my assistance to heal the wounded was needed. Lira would be out of commission for at least 2 days. Her attack was estimated to have killed most of their right flank, which was over 1800 men. These were not simple conscripts. They were well armored and armed soldiers, but such was the power of a mage. She was in a private tent of her own with 20 soldiers and her brother guarding her while she rested. We had taken heavy losses but that was nothing compared to the enemy army.


    If finished with the last soldier and walked into the commander''s tent just as Martin announced.


    ¡°Reports state that Baron Suncrest has managed to flee with much of his force. Apparently, they prepared for the possibility that we were able to turn their flank. They had incredibly well-prepared lines of retreat that we couldn¡¯t follow without significant losses.¡±


    The baron in an angry tone said. ¡°Damn coward, now we will have to siege him down.¡± That brought sour expressions on everyone¡¯s face as no one wanted to spend months sieging a well defended city.


    ¡°A message my Lord.¡± One of the guards outside the command tent shouted. He brought in a letter with Suncrest¡¯s seal. The baron ripped it open and began reading. His face reddened in anger as he finished.


    ¡°The fool thinks coin and a few tracks of useless land will save him from what is coming.¡± The baron said.


    ¡°He offered terms?¡± Martin asked. He has an amused expression on his face.


    ¡°Yes. 100,000 Gelding and some land barely worth shite in return for the end of hostilities. If we don¡¯t accept he is willing to fight to the end regardless of the cost in lives.¡± The baron had a furious expression on his face. Though there was a small amount of eagerness that I didn¡¯t expect. I couldn¡¯t imagine how much time and effort it would take to siege the city.


    ¡°So it will be a siege then?¡± I asked. Since this would change how much the baron would owe me. He only paid for two months of my time in advance after we left the city in a few weeks we would have to renegotiate.


    ¡°Of course there will be a siege.¡± He said as if I was an idiot.


    He locked eyes with me, his fury meeting my cold gaze. He calmed himself down with a force of will and broke eye contact with me.Doubt began to creep into me that he would honor an extension of my price.If that occurred, I would abandon him in a moment if he didn¡¯t pay me what I¡¯m owed. He turned his attention back to the map on the table and said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why the fool decided to pick a fight, but I will end it even if I have to burn that city to the ground.¡±


    I could barely hold back a groan as I imagined how much effor this was going to take.

 Book 1: Chapter 29: The War Part 4

    Chapter 29 The War Part 4


    It had been 2 months since we started the siege on Suncrest''s Capital city. The entire city was surrounded, cutting off any kind of supply or reinforcement. The baron was too impatient a man to simply starve them out. He wanted victory before the year ended.


    During this short reprieve I worked to heal as many of the baron¡¯s forces, back to fighting condition, as possible. Even with my considerable efforts there were still over 1000 men dead due to the previous battle. Morale was low and in the last meeting one of the baron¡¯s commanders made the mistake of suggesting the baron take the coin and land offered for the end of hostilities.


    The price had increased to 150,000 geldings and over a third of Suncrest¡¯s territory would become the barons. The baron threatened the commander with treason for even suggesting accepting Suncrest''s terms. That was enough coin to nearly bankrupt Suncrest, but the baron wasn''t satisfied with simple bankruptcy. He wanted conquest.


    I sat crossed legged in my tent in a shallow meditation, due to my abilities most of the baron¡¯s force were at least in fighting condition. I had much more luxury than most. Unlike most soldiers I stayed in a large 4 post tent with an actual bed and writing desk. Meals were delivered to me by one of the baron¡¯s many servants. The rest of the army, however, were not as well off. We had decent supply lines but thousands of people living in close proximity did not make for comfortable or sanitary living. I haven''t managed to have a bath in two months.


    ¡°My Lord, Baron Vernon is requesting your presence for this morning''s strategy meeting.¡± A male servant in a surprisingly clean uniform announced.


    I gave him a nod and signaled him to leave. My wonderful purple leather armor didn''t have the pristine sheen and deep color anymore. Dirt and the sun served to strip any splendor from it. Resources even for the nobility had to be rationed, so I couldn¡¯t exactly have it cleaned or oiled.


    It was early in the morning and servants were running around in haste preparing the morning meal. Our large force even started to attract merchants from neighboring baronies. They sold goods at an enormously inflated price. I paid over 30 gelding on a terrible bottle of wine, dried meat and a pouch of hard sweets that tasted like ginger, honey, and cinnamon.


    I popped one into my mouth, strapped on my sword and made my way towards the baron¡¯s command tent. My agreement with the baron was only for 2 months and we would need to discuss further payment. At this point I was working for free. My tolerable accommodations and access to better food than most of the army was enough for me to wait for an opportune time since the baron was constantly busy.


    I entered the tent just in time to see a commander pointing to the city on the map and announcing.


    ¡°A frontal assault would be costly; they have high, well defended walls and as strong as¡­¡­.¡±


    He paused for a moment and looked at me. I gave him a cold stare, daring him to refer to me as ¡®elf¡¯ again.


    He continued ¡°Moon¡¯s shield is, we can¡¯t counterattack without exposing him and our mages to danger. Since they would be fired down upon from a position of advantage¡±


    Martin started to add his own report, even his normally handsome features were showing signs of stress and exhaustion.


    ¡°Our tunnelers are still a week out from the wall and the engineers still need time to finish the siege tower.¡±


    The tower was a large wooden structure as tall as the walls. It was a multi-story construct that allowed soldiers to travel up a flight of stairs and exit through the top via an extendable bridge. The engineers have been working around the clock to complete it.


    ¡°It will be little more than kindling for their mages¡± another commander said.


    The Baron said full of confidence. ¡°That''s where Moon comes in. I doubt they can get through his shield. If we place him in the center of the tower, he would be able to conjure a shield that covers the entire thing, and once we start swarming the walls we can take the outer city.¡±


    This was news to me, and I won''t risk my life for something like this without a substantial price. I locked eyes with the baron hoping he would see my displeasure at volunteering me for this task. Even in the thick of the fighting I was relatively safe with both my shields, but if even one fireball got through, I would be trapped inside of a burning tower.


    ¡°Can you do this Moon?¡± He asked. Everyone in the tent looked to me for my answer.


    Maintaining a shield that could withstand the bombardment of 5 mages, which was large enough to encompass the entire siege tower was not a small task. But I could if I pushed myself.


    ¡°Yes, it is possible, however It would be best to deplete their strength or at the very least divide their attention so I can conserve as much power as possible.¡±


    ¡°Very good then. Everyone return to your duties and get those engineers finishing that tower.¡± The baron said.


    Everyone saluted and left the baron and I alone.


    ¡°You seem displeased?¡± the baron asked.


    ¡°I don''t like being volunteered for things without warning. Regardless, that is not the cause of my displeasure.¡±


    ¡°Out with it then,¡± he said.


    ¡°Our agreement was for two months that ended a week ago.¡± I said, not bothering to show any kind of deference.


    He sneered clearly displeased by my impudence, but I didn''t care. His stupid war was an annoyance.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t happen to have a convenient bank nearby for transfer of coin and I''m not dipping into the pay chests.¡±


    I couldn''t care less if some peasants didn''t get paid, but I had little need or interest in coin at the moment.


    ¡°If I don''t get paid, I don''t work. So, we need to come to an agreement.¡± I said.


    ¡°Very well the same price then, 3600 for the next 2 months once we take the city, we can use Suncrest¡¯s branch to transfer a payment, or would you prefer that I send a rider to Vernon?¡±


    He seemed casual about parting with that much gold, so I said.


    ¡°Not enough. What you ask that I do is dangerous, so I need more than just gold and for the last week I practically worked for free.¡±


    The baron gave me a dangerous glare as I continued to be belligerent. But I was not one of his soldiers that would march to my death on his command.


    ¡°You think yourself so valuable that you can demand any price from me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Do you think for a moment Denerim can sustain a shield of that power and size? I am your only chance to get that tower to the wall. Even now there are grumblings that you should have accepted Suncrest¡¯s terms.¡±


    He planted a fist on the table and stood up. From his greater height, he sneered down at me.


    ¡°What. Price. Then.¡± he said with a threat in his voice.


    For a normal person the baron would have been an intimidating man. But to me, he was just a normal human that I could end with a flick of my wrist.


    I had to marvel how easily he had forgotten that I am the only reason he can stand so proudly.


    ¡°5000 for the next two months I want first picking for any and all magical items, grimoires, gems, Mithrite, enchanted tools and weapons. I especially want unrestricted access to the lead mage''s quarters. Every item inside will belong to me until I no longer have any use for them, let''s say for a period of 2 months after the city has been conquered.¡±


    Loot like that are usually doled out to his most trusted advisors and commanders. His mages would likely be exceedingly angry that I would get first choice for all the loot. It was beyond impudent and if I was being honest and dangerous. But I am tired of taking orders from these humans.


    The rage in his eyes was palpable. But who was he going to ask to shield the tower? Without me any victory would be a pyrrhic or he would have to spend over a year or more starving the city out.


    Still my request was beyond what most would be willing to pay. The baron realized that he had no choice but to agree for the moment. Whether he would follow through in the end remains to be seen.


    ¡°So long as it isn''t an imperially assigned item.¡± he paused then continued


    ¡°You will not get a single coin nor non-magical items from the treasury, do what you will with the things in the mage''s quarters. Now leave and prepare yourself for the upcoming battle.¡±


    I wonder if I just burned a bridge. Regardless, I have grown tired of taking orders from this man.


    Over the next few weeks, the engineers finished building the siege tower. The baron had been launching sorties to lob fireballs over the walls of the city to hopefully cause damage and sow confusion. I opted to rest as much as possible, limiting my healing to only serious injuries. I was no longer invited to the strategy meetings, probably due to the baron¡¯s displeasure but in reality, I didn''t care.


    The day before we were set to attack the wall in mass I ate as much food as possible and sank into the deepest meditation I could sustain. For over 16 hours I rested until a voice on the edge of my consciousness woke me.


    ¡°Sir mage It is time,¡± one of the baron''s servants said.


    ¡°Very well, now leave.¡± the servant rushed away at my terse tone.


    As I made my way to the staging point, I examined the baron''s army. They were decently rested though there was significant apprehension at the prospect of directly seizing the wall. I haven''t seen anything of the bronze spears so could only hope they lived. The siege tower was a tall 100-foot structure made of wood with large wheels to roll it along the grassy plane. A guardsman saluted as I entered and walked up 3 flights of stairs halfway to the top of the tower.


    This was something we had tested before and most of the men knew to not bother me. I was cross legged against a wall as soldiers ran up and down the tower going through their preparations. Eventually the baron, his command staff as well as his mages walked past me. Dressed in their best armor, most did not spare me a second glance.


    It seems that as soon as the baron found displeasure with me, they all followed suit. A quarter hour later the structure began rolling. We were a considerable distance from the city but fortunately the terrain was rather flat, and the city had no moat to protect it. An hour later I could hear screams and shouts outside the tower.


    ¡°Shield¡± A soldier yelled.


    At that signal I cast the radiant shield expanding it until it was large enough to encompass the entire tower. It took a large amount of energy to cast and maintain such a large shield, but I had energy to spare. I could feel spells starting to impact the shield draining me of a small amount of stamina. I sat down, closed my eyes, and focused entirely on the shield. Drowning out the sounds of explosions and death that happened all around me.


    After what felt like an eternity there was a loud thud as the entire tower jostled to a halt. I was to maintain this position as the army flooded the walls. Hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers rushed past me to swarm the walls. Careful not to disturb the large glowing spell circuit that I held in front of me. 15 minutes later There was a loud ripple within the Ether which was no doubt a spell from Lira. There was a shout of victory that I assumed was Lira successfully destroying the main gate.


    Eventually the numbers slowed to a trickle, and I stopped feeling anything strike my shield. I cut off the spell and ran up the stairs to the top of the tower. I crossed the wooden bridge and set foot on the city walls. There were a few of the barons¡¯ soldiers milling about but most were below in the city fighting.


    The city itself was similar to Vernon, a large main street that branched off into side streets. There were only two sections, and the only inner wall surrounded the Keep for Suncrest. The men on the street fought viciously as the streets were soaked with blood.


    I wasn''t sure if Baron Suncrest overestimated his defenses or chose to reserve most of his army for his own protection, but his defenders barely numbered 5000, and months of starvation only served to weaken them further. I could see where Lira was launching spell after spell into the enemy defenders. The enemy light mage tried to raise a shield to block it, but it was quickly destroyed by an explosion of fire killing them and everyone around them.


    From my vantage point atop the walls, I watched as the baron''s forces decimated the defenders. Whether it was simple cruelty or to instill fear the now surrendering soldiers were killed, so many fled towards the main keep or deeper into the city. The half-starved force they left to guard the main gate was eventually killed to the last.


    For over 3 hours I stood there atop the wall watching the violence and death. There were screams of victory across the army as they had successfully captured the city. I could see the baron standing on top of a wooden platform waving his sword around rallying his troops. They all screamed and cheered fanatically at whatever he was saying.


    Honestly, I was slightly relieved that the fighting was over for the day. I''m colder than most but witnessing so much death in a short period of time made me feel uneasy. Eventually the baron finished his speech and there was another rousing cry from his army. They all began to scatter into the surrounding streets.


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    That was strange since I expected them to start preparing to breach the keep. I watched the men scatter for a few minutes until a cold chill ran up my spine as the baron''s words echoed through my thoughts.


    ¡°In absence of clear victory sometimes a leader has to find other ways to keep the men motivated.¡±


    From this distance I watched as the army began dragging citizens into the street. Those that fought back were killed. Men rushed into homes and places of business looting anything that was of value.


    Sometimes the men would drag a woman out of a house kicking and screaming as they tore her clothes off. They laughed and jeered as they took turns on them in the streets. Some that fought too much were killed. Husbands, brothers, or sons regardless of age that tried to stop what was happening were cut down, some of the especially cruel groups of soldiers forced them to watch.


    There was so much excessive rape and violence happening that I was stuck with indecision. Part of me was furious at the unnecessary cruelty and desired to use my ability to stop what was happening.


    But how could I stop such violence on such a mass scale? The only thing that would happen is to make myself an enemy of the army. Part of me wanted to rush down the walls and slaughter every soldier I came across; damn the consequences. But all this effort would have been meaningless as I eventually would run out of energy and fall into an enemy blade or spell.


    In shame I turned away from the violence looking out to the field looking at the bodies of at least two thousand of the baron''s men. Men that he sacrificed for a swift victory. I shoved the shame, guilt, and rage I felt at my inaction and my contribution to this victory into a deep part of my mind.


    Deep enough that I could no longer feel it.


    Deep enough so it wouldn''t cloud my judgment.


    Hours later the violence had calmed down and the baron started to reign in his troops. There was general milling about as they gathered in the square.


    a soldier caught my attention. ¡°Sir mage the baron requests your presence.¡±


    I turned to look at him. He practically jolted as I locked eyes with him. No doubt my irises were dilated; most humans tend to find it unnerving.


    ¡°I''ll be there in a moment.¡±


    I made my way towards the wooden platform, while over the past few hours the violence had simmered down. I could occasionally hear a scream in the distance. Screams that would likely stay with me forever.


    The baron was atop the platform with a few of his commanders and a mage I''ve never seen before. A water mage by the color of her armor. She was a sweet looking girl of perhaps 16 with dark hair and blue eyes that matched will with her blue armor. While her armor was dirty for the most part it seemed that she was not assaulted. She gave me a curious glance as I stepped up the platform.


    ¡°Glad of you to finally join us. I thought you were going to spend the entire day on that wall.¡± Baron said.


    ¡°The shield was draining, and I don''t care for city fighting. What is it you want?¡± I replied, not caring about propriety at the moment.


    ¡°Well, it looks like this is about to be over.¡± The Baron replied nodding to the young mage.


    ¡°This is Colette Suncrest Daughter of Baron Suncrest. She is here as an official representative of the Baron. I''ve already verified her identity.¡±


    ¡°What are his terms?¡± I asked.


    The baron looked at the girl and she stated, ¡°In return for full surrender Baron Suncrest requests that there is to be complete cessation in aggression, the lives of the Baron¡¯s family will be guaranteed and be allowed to flee to his father¡¯s lands to retire. If the Light Mage Moon can fully heal his eldest son Finnian Suncrest from his burns, he sustained in battle Baron Suncrest will formally sign a transfer of all titles and oaths of vassalage to Baron Vernon.¡±


    I was far more relieved that there was to be an end to the hostilities that I had expected. Healing a man of his burns isn''t going to be much of a problem regardless of the severity.


    ¡°It can be done but healing like that is expensive. Proper payment is required.¡± I said. She gave me a curious look then glanced at the baron as if he would simply order me to do it. But I didn''t want to be his creature anymore.


    In this situation if he responded it would seem as if he wasn''t in control. The baron gave me a frustrated glance that I ignored. The girl seemed to be quick minded, so she said.


    ¡°What price do you ask for such a task?¡±


    ¡°I have expensive taste dear Colette and I know nothing of the treasures you keep so you would have to find something to match taste.¡±


    I hope she got my hint. I''m sure a surrendering lord would secret away his most prized and powerful possessions. I didn''t want to miss out on something.


    Her eyes tightened for a second then brightened as an idea seemed to pop into her head.


    ¡°I know exactly what would suit your needs sir mage.¡±


    She signaled to a man standing off to the side surrounded by guards. He was an exceptionally well-dressed nobleman in bright blues and purples.


    ¡°My lord this is my stepbrother Everic Suncrest and current Heir. He will see to the details of the surrender. If it is acceptable to you, Lord Baron, I will escort Sir Moon to see Finnian as he is in critical condition and both of our light mages are dead.¡±


    The baron barely hid a sneer as he looked at me then said. ¡°How long would the healing take?¡±


    ¡°I would have to see him to know, ¡°I said.


    ¡°Damn mages never give a straight answer. Fine then at least get him stable before the day is out. Everic will remain here as a hostage now go.¡±


    She bowed to the baron. ¡°My thanks lord baron. If you would come with me Sir Mage.¡± The baron didn¡¯t even offer to send me with a guard. It''s not as if I needed one anyway. But that made it clear where I stood in his eyes.


    ¡°One moment.¡± I cast Radiant carapace on myself to refresh the spell. I made sure to overcharge it to its limits so everyone could see how much power I could put into a spell. Most of the Suncrest guards who accompanied the children of the baron had sack jawed expressions that turned to confusion as the drama of the spell was over in a few seconds.


    ¡°Let''s go.¡±


    I left with Colette and her guards leaving Everic to continue the formalities of surrendering.


    ¡°I must say I''ve heard of elven prowess with magic but to see it is something else.¡± Colette said as we walked towards the keep.


    ¡°That''s just how elves are, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°All that power and you decide to serve a man like Vernon?¡± she said.


    Usually, I wouldn¡¯t care about such comments but after what I¡¯ve seen it gave me some pause. I would have to save my misgivings about my choice of employers for later.


    ¡°He pays well. How did your brother end up getting burned." I asked. Changing the subject


    ¡°Lira, she caught him and his guards in a ball of fire, that''s how we ended up losing both light mages.¡± Colette said.


    ¡°He survived but the burns were severe. We all thought that it was the height of stupidity to construct a siege tower against mages.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you never accounted for a light mage of my strength.¡± I said.


    ¡°Why is an elf working for a human and using human magic? Is this a question many of us are trying to answer?¡±


    ¡°Some things will remain a mystery.¡±


    We passed through the gates of the richer parts of the city, the guards let us pass without any pause. They all bowed as soon as they saw Colette; most of the nobles in the city were residing in this area, unlike with Vernon the central keep for Suncrest did not have a wall to protect itself. Though it was a similar size with gray stone instead of the dark reddish brown. We passed through the large doors of the entrance to the audience chamber where the Baron Suncrest sat upon a deus.


    He was a man of perhaps 40 with streaks of gray in his hair. Where the baron Vernon looked wild and dangerous, the Suncrest looked far more distinguished. He was in a suit of armor and a red and brown cape as he sat upon his throne. To his left sitting in a smaller throne was an average looking woman around the same age; she instead wore a dress of a dark red and brown. All around him were guards and nobles who were probably advisors.


    As we approached his dais Colette bowed and said. ¡°Lord Father, I bring you the Light mage Moon. Everic has begun negotiations for the end of hostilities.¡±


    There was a rush as tension was released from the room. I knew enough from Baron¡¯s libraries that an official surrender is something taken seriously. The safety of nobles in an official surrender is guaranteed by Imperial Law. As hungry as the baron was for victory, I doubt even he would risk a visit from the imperial overseer.


    Baron Suncrest started speaking ¡°I have heard many tales of your healing ability, I''m sure you have been informed of my request.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is best that I get started immediately. Time is of the essence with these things.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Colette take him to Finnian.¡±


    ¡°I''ll see to your payment for the task¡± Colette whispered to me.


    Colette bowed and I simply turned and left.


    After Colette had escorted me out of the audience chamber and we had some privacy I asked her. ¡°So, what do you intend to give me as payment? And why didn''t you mention it in court?¡±


    ¡°You were with the company that recovered the amplifier, yes?¡± She said,


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°That wasn''t the only less than legal item in our possession¡± she led me into a well-appointed room fit for a noble man. The guards bowed as we entered then closed the door behind us. On the bed was a young man wrapped from head to toe in bandages. By the smell in the air, they drugged him to keep asleep. The blood soaking through the bandages was a sign that the burns were severe indeed.


    ¡°Our Medicants guess that he has days to live. Rumors of your skill state that there is nothing you cannot heal. The baron fighting at full strength is proof of that. Tell me, can you restore him back to full health?¡±


    ¡°Most likely I can, I will begin the examination, you can go fetch whatever reward you think is worth your brother''s life.¡± She nodded and left. she chafed at my disrespectful attitude. It must have hurt her noble pride or something, but I couldn''t care less what this child felt.


    I sanitized my hands with alcohol from my medicant satchel and began the slow process of removing his bandages, careful not to cause further damage to the flesh underneath. All across his body were 3rd degree burns, severe enough that I could see fat and muscle. I cast healing light and Disease Repulsion spells to hopefully prevent infection. I pushed massive amounts of ether and focused intently on the best way to heal. Slowly he stopped bleeding, and his flesh began to heal and scar over. 30 minutes later Colette entered, and I cut off the spells.


    The young man still looked horrendous but wouldn¡¯t die in the next few minutes. I looked at Colette as she carried a book in her hand. It was not a regular book, however, as the cover was elegantly decorated with gold writing on the cover was a symbol for primal Ether with a diamond embedded in it.


    ¡°Oh, what''s this now? A grimoire?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a primal ether spell only developed in the past year. My teacher was a journeyman mage and not even he was able to master it in the few months we had the book. We intended to flee with it. Do be careful simply possessing this is a crime¡± She finished as she handed me the book.


    On the back was an imperial seal. It was heavy, likely from the large amount of gold decoration. It was at least 200 pages long. I opened the book and read the name of the spell.


    ¡°Telekinesis.¡± Underneath it was an estimation of its difficulty.


    ¡°Grand-Master¡±


    I smiled and added the book to my satchel. In my distraction Colette went over to her brother brushing an errant lock of hair, from his mostly bald head, from his face. She had a clear look of grief and sadness on her face as she examined her brother. ¡°You look a little better,¡± she said in a voice so soft that no normal human would have heard it.


    ¡°It is best I return to my work, Colette. I need privacy so make sure no one interrupts me. Have the kitchens bring me food and drink in a few hours. This will take time.¡±


    She bowed and left. I looked at the door for a moment, a small amount of sadness welling up in me. I realized that there isn''t anyone in this world that cared that much for me.


    As the days passed, I healed most of his wounds and used life ether to slowly regenerate the skin and tissue to repair the scars. I strictly forbid anyone from watching me work but once they realized that I truly had the ability to restore his health I could ask for practically anything. I woke from another meditation. I was in a room next to Finnian and I have been slowly administering sleep shade to keep him asleep. At times he would wake up in pain and I would force him to consume some broth made with tiny strips of meat.


    From what I knew negotiations were still ongoing. I made sure to mention to Colette what I specifically wanted. She seemed pleased to use that against the baron in the negotiation. They were still going to lose everything but having some of it go to me was somehow a small victory.


    During the night I would read through the book in secret. It was an impressive spell that allowed for spatial manipulation of any nonliving object. The amount of energy needed to lift and move it scaled linearly with its weight. There are essential 6 axes of movement. Up and down relative to gravity left and right in an orbital path around me as well as forwards and backwards directly towards or away from me. Along with pitch yaw and roll controls.


    The spell circuit was monstrously complex with over a hundred sigils. It would take some time, that I did not currently have, to master. A knock interrupted my studies.


    ¡°Sir mage Baron Vernon wishes to see you.¡± a servant said.


    ¡®Finally,¡¯ I thought to myself.


    He had been in the keep for a few days completing the transfer of title and vassalage paperwork. Apparently, nobles warred amongst each other so often the process became standardized and only took a week or two.


    The family planned to leave in the coming week based on how long healing their son would take. Baron Vernon sat on his new throne, while Suncrest stood off to one side.


    ¡°About time you got here come with me to the treasury so we can sort this out. I¡¯ve made arrangements with the head mage to give you his office and personal possessions for the next two months.¡±


    The Suncrest family were in the chamber as well but with the transfer of titles that had no power by law anymore. I followed the baron through the halls into a room that had a metal door that was guarded by his men, since all of Suncrest¡¯s forces were dispersed. They saluted and as the baron approached, they opened the vault door.


    The room was about 50 feet deep and 10 high. There were at least 60 of the chests filled with gold coins. On pedestals around the room were expensive diamond and gold jewelry. There had to be at least 100,000 gold in those chests alone. As much as the massive amount of wealth was wonderful to see, I had no real need for it. I switched my vision into the ether and a few items near the back caught my attention.


    On a white pedestal about chest high were two etheric gems. Water and earth, they both were no larger than a gelding. They seemed to be quite powerful, so I pocketed both of them where I kept the drakes air gem. There was a smaller chest that seemed to have strange fluctuations within the ether.


    It was least a footlong and six inches wide. Flipping open the lid I saw 10 small ingots of pure Mithrite. They were roughly three inches by five inches wide and 2 inches thick. Picking one up they felt light in my hand almost like aluminum. I pocketed 4. The baron grumbled but said nothing. Taking a glance at the sound of the room. I spotted a few other items. Mostly enchanted nicknacks that nobles would buy to show off. There was an enchanted Mithrite sword similar to the barons but an imperial seal on the hilt caused me to ignore it. Taking one last glance around the groom I spotted a small Mithrite ring with a purple diamond and stuck it on my left index finger.


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± I said as I turned to leave.


    ¡°Here¡± the baron said as he tossed me a key.


    ¡°It''s for the lead court mage''s quarters.¡± I caught it and left, not bothering to show any politeness. No doubt the baron had his own mages go through it already. But a little message from Colette in gratitude for healing her brother let me know of a secret hiding place where they kept all the grimoires, they used for studying. I returned to Finnian to finish his healing.


    ¡°My sweet boy.¡± the baroness said. She and Colette had joined me in the room as I informed them the healing was complete. There were large bald patches, but the hair would grow eventually. I wanted knowledge of my skills to spread so I made sure that he would have full functionality when he regained all his lost muscle mass.


    The baroness wrapped him up in a hug smothering him with her bosom. ¡°M, Mother?¡±


    She finally let him go. So, he could breathe. ¡°We thought you wouldn''t make it,¡± she said with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°What happened? Last thing I remember was fire¡±. He was on heavy drugs for the last week so it''s not surprising that his memory was foggy.


    ¡°You were caught in a fire spell Moon here healed you?¡± Colette said.


    ¡°Sister, it''s good to see you''re safe¡± he turned his attention to me, noticing me for the first time.


    ¡°I thought you were a dream. How bad was it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Most of your body was a burned ruin. You have lost a significant amount of mass. Fortunately, with a proper diet and exercise it can be regained. Your hair will regrow as well.¡± I said.


    He looked at his arm. It was a bright pink and hairless but that would fade in time.


    ¡°There aren''t even scars. How can I repay you?¡±


    ¡°Do not fret about the price that has already been paid.¡±


    The door opened and the former Baron of Suncrest walked in.


    ¡°Father I''m¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. sorry¡± the young mad said, unable to meet his father¡¯s gaze.


    He walked over and put a hand on his son''s shoulder.


    ¡°It''s alright Finnian. It''s good to see you in good health. Everything has been prepared. We leave for Rosendal in a few hours.¡± The family shared a few smiles between each other, and Colette went over to hug her brother.


    Not wanting to intrude on the family anymore, I made my way to the exit. Why would this seeming loving family bother sparking a war with Vernon to begin with? It''s not as if they lacked for coin. Perhaps it''s time I start asking these types of questions.


    ¡°Sir mage.¡± The baron said before I left.


    I turned to look at him.


    ¡°You have my deepest gratitude. If you ever find yourself Rosendal I will ensure my family greets you warmly.¡±


    I nodded and said. ¡°My thanks, I wish you good fortune.¡±


    Unlike with most people I actually meant it.


    I made my way to the head mage''s quarters and used the key to enter. It was as large as a nobleman''s room, but every wall was decorated with bookshelves. There was an unlit fireplace. I immediately went over and started to remove the kindling grate and logs. Unsheathing my sword, I dug around the bricks until one popped loose, I eventually got all of them out to reveal a metal chest. I took it out and flipped it open. As Colette said inside there were 23 Grimoires a smile came over my face in anticipation of the secrets they held.


    It was almost worth all the suffering I had seen.


    Almost.

 Book 1: Chapter 30: The Departure

    Of 23 the grimoires 13 were useless to me since I already knew the spells. Of those only 1 of them I was incapable of actually casting. It was a shadow spell called umbra. The amount of stamina it took to charge the spell circuit was ridiculous. It was disappointing that I couldn''t cast the spell, but I wasn''t surprised. The stronger one''s affinity was for one attenuation of ether the weaker its opposite became. It was a simple spell that created a cylinder of blackness that prevented light from escaping.


    For water I learned a spell that could rip the moisture from the air and create a stream. Another that could launch a spike of ice. Ane that, if there was a large enough body of water, could create a wave. Each of the spells could of course be overcharged for increased effects. The stream of water could become a great torrent, and the ice spike could grow as large as a carriage and fire as fast as a ballista. There were similar spells for earth: spikes, earth walls and spells to just throw rocks. I also learned that devastating spell that broke apart the earth into small fist size rocks that could be accelerated to the speed of sound. These spells actually had the greatest range since they threw physical objects not constructs of Ether.


    As powerful as the spells were, the amount of stamina I used to cast them was far too expensive, again due to my poor affinity.


    I learned fireball, as well as an interesting air barrier spell that surrounded the caster with a twisting maelstrom of wind that could block projectiles. It was far too loud and kicked up a massive amount of debris. It was inferior to my radiant shield so was completely useless to me.


    Though, knowledge is knowledge The last air spell I learned was essentially the opposite of air stream as it creates suction of air towards me. I couldn''t really imagine how that would be useful, but I learned it anyway.


    I was in a field far away from the city wall as I practiced these spells. The baron was quite angry as he assumed the Suncrests fled with all their grimoires. Each time I learned a spell I burned the grimoire to ash not interested in selling them or sharing them with the baron. If I want, I could always recreate them from memory.


    The telekinesis spell was almost everything I wished it was. As a primal spell the only thing that governed my ability was the amount of magical stamina I had, which was plenty. It was also by far the most detailed and well documented grimoire I had seen at this point. There were plenty of warnings and diagrams showing how the spell worked. And how to avoid injury. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t use it to fly or simply lift an object beneath me. The controls for the spell would become unstable. Since I had to use the spell circuit as a reference point for movement, being close to the same x and y position caused strange behavior that could cause injury.


    Still so long as it was an inorganic object and I had the stamina. I could lift and rotate it with perfect precision so long as it was within 300 feet of me. It couldn''t move the object above 20 feet per second so I couldn''t throw anything with great force. It pained me to destroy the book since it was so beautiful. But this item was dangerous so after taking out the diamond I burned it to ash and pocketed the small slags of gold left behind.


    I rode back to the city on a borrowed horse. The bodies outside were cleared but the main gate was still destroyed. The large siege tower was there; that would serve as an excellent test. I cast telekinesis on it. I estimated the weight to be about 20 to 30 tons since most of the protective metal plating was removed. It took a massive amount of power but eventually the tower began to float in the air.


    I guessed that I could do this for at best a minute. The guards milling around the gate had slack jawed expressions as the 100-foot-tall tower was slowly moved 300 feet into the air and gently lowered back to the ground. I let out a deep sigh feeling the chill crawl up my extremities from the exertion. I had to grin at the amazing possibilities this spell offered. Though the cost of getting it soured my mood as my thoughts turned to the baron.


    The relationship between me and baron Vernon at this point had become icy if not hostile. The sense of entitlement he and most nobles had clashed with my irreverence. Much of my disrespect was due to the actions he allowed troops to commit. Sometimes he looked ready to strike me, but I couldn''t bring myself to show respect or deference. Whatever connection I intended to build with him was withering to nothingness. After transferring 5000 gold to my account with the bank he wanted little to do with me, nor did he want me involved with his troops. As far as I''m concerned it was a blessing. Not all participated in the atrocities but enough did to permanently sour my opinion on the men in the baron¡¯s army.


    I couldn''t care less about the details of maintaining a conquered barony, the only thing I cared about was when we would return to Vernon. Through some contemplation I decided that it was best for me to leave. No doubt his discontent will spread to the people I consider allies. My connection with both guard captains, most of the guard force and possibly Gardenia given her connections with Martin, would probably also suffer.


    It stung to throw away all the connections I worked hard to forge but there was no force in this world that would get me to work with the baron again.


    ¡°Impressive trick Moon. where did you pick that up.¡± Sten said to me as he exited the gate. He was accompanied by. Bast, Mark, Mikah and Brandon, everyone else I assumed had moved on. He looked to be in high spirits. Since Breala wasn¡¯t around I assumed she had been true to her word and left for her clan.


    ¡°Just found it lying around. How have the bronze spears fared?¡± I asked as I dismounted my horse.


    ¡°All survived. Breala moved on. Now, it''s just us.¡±


    ¡°You look to be in high spirits. Something good happened?¡± I asked.


    Brandon answered before Sten did. ¡°You are currently looking at Viscount Sten Barlow of Timbershore. The Baron anointed him this morning.¡±


    ¡°Timbershore?¡± I asked.


    Mark answered. ¡°A city of a few thousand people near the border between Suncrest and Vernon.¡±


    ¡°Well then congratulations on your promotion. I assume you all will follow him.¡±


    Brandon pushed out his chest as he said, ¡°Yes I was made a landed knight so were we all.¡±


    ¡°You a knight Bast?¡± I asked the scared bald man he was one I didn''t expect to actually decide to keep following Sten.


    ¡°I''m tired of fighting, it seems like a good time to retire,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna move my family there and build a tavern,¡± Mikah said.


    ¡°What are your plans, Moon?¡± Sten asked.


    ¡°Not sure I''m still deciding.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ever find yourself in my lands, be sure to look me up.¡± Sten said, a proud smile coming across his face. He seemed to relish the idea of having his own lands or maybe it was the idea of having something to pass on to his daughters.


    ¡°We have certainly come a long way Sten. Has it even been a year since you all found me in that forest.¡± I asked.


    Sten glanced at the siege tower and said. ¡°In a few weeks it will be, from naked and afraid to one of the powerful mages in the barony. Not bad for a year''s work.¡±


    ¡°Any updates on your memories?¡± Mark asked.


    ¡°None, I''m afraid.¡±


    ¡°That''s a shame. That''s one thing I would love to learn before I die. Why were you in that damned forest?¡± Sten said jokingly.


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine, what of your daughters any progress with them?¡±


    ¡°It''s been going well. They seemed excited about me becoming a Viscount and my oldest was especially pleased that she will become a Viscountess in the future.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I wish you all luck in the future. I have some things to attend to in the keep.¡± I said.


    Sten held out a hand which I took.


    ¡°I intend to take my seat as a viscount after the victory celebrations in Vernon. If I don''t see you before then I have to say it has been a pleasure knowing you.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°Same here,¡± Brandon said.


    Mark and bast gave me nods but they were men of few words and that was their equivalent of a fond farewell.


    With one last nod I mounted my horse and said ¡°It has been a pleasure. I''m glad it''s the Bronze Spears I ran into in the forest.¡± I rode away with a small amount of grief in my heart at the end of this chapter in my life.


    It took well over a month before we made it back to the Vernon Capitol. The streets were lined with people all cheering as the baron returned with victory. There was a grand procession with the baron at the head riding atop his white horse in pristine armor. Men, women, and children cheered as the baron passed, the rest of the soldiers preened as women would run up to them and offer them a flower. There seemed to be some competition over who would get the most.


    None came in my direction until a girl of perhaps 10 years ran up to me offering me a half wilted purple flower. I took it from her before her mother rushed forward to scoop her up in her arms. I could barely get a word in before she bowed and dashed away back into the crowd, muttering apologies. Sometimes I can never predict how humans would act towards me.


    After we reached the street that would take me towards Gardenia¡¯s I abandoned the procession, not interested in taking part in the coming festivities.


    ¡°MOON.¡± Clarissa shouted as I entered the brothel. She wrapped me in a hug that I didn''t return.


    ¡°It''s good to see you in good health.¡± she said.


    ¡°It''s always a pleasure to see you Clarissa, Is Gardenia in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, do you want to see her now?¡± she said, fluttering her eyes at me.


    ¡°Yes, business before pleasure as you humans say.¡±


    I entered Gardenia¡¯s office. She seemed to be busy as he was rapidly writing something down on a piece of paper. Without looking up she said.


    ¡°Clarissa, I said no interruptions.¡±


    ¡°Come now Gardenia, surely you can spare some time for me.¡± I said.


    Her head snapped up at the sound of my voice.


    ¡°Ah Moon, I didn''t expect you here until after the celebrations.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care enough to participate.¡±


    I took a seat in the chair in front of her desk. Clarissa poured me a glass of the whisky I enjoyed. I took a deep drink enjoying the burn.


    ¡°What can I do for you Moon?¡± Gardenia asked.


    ¡°How are my investments, and how is the state of the city?¡±


    ¡°It will take a few more months to start generating profit. As for the state of the city. It''s relatively stable though the baroness seems to be making some moves of her own of late.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow prompting her to continue.


    ¡°She managed to get her hands on another mage, an air mage named Koren from what I hear he is quite skilled, she''s also made several investments into enchanted items and mithrite mining.¡±


    ¡°Is she trying to build up a magical adrenal?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That''s what some say. Word of the considerable number of losses has created some discontent among the nobles. Banditry has been on the rise, so the Baroness has been sending out her personal mages to take care of it. This has won her a lot of good will.¡±


    ¡°I see, the baron lost almost 4000 men¡± I downed the last of my drink and placed the glass on her desk.


    I cast telekinesis on the whisky bottle and filled my glass again. Clarissa gawked in amazement and Gardenia raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Interesting trick.¡±


    ¡°How fast can you liquidate all my investments?¡± I asked.


    She looked incredibly confused but answered anyways,¡± A few weeks and you will lose at least a third of your coin.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Do it.¡± I said.


    ¡°Why? In a year you could double your investment.¡±


    ¡°My reasons are my own, take a 100 gelding for yourself as an apology for wasting your time.¡±


    She sighed and resigned herself to doing as I said.


    ¡°Very well I will see it done. Is there anything else you require of me?¡±


    ¡°Not at this moment Clarissa be dear and fetch me a bath. I''ve been on the road for over a month.¡±


    ¡°Of course, darling, what else do you want? Some company maybe?¡±


    I rubbed my hairless chin for a moment then said.


    ¡°Send Ruby and Sapphire to join me.¡± It had been some time since I had the chance to relax and entertain myself.


    I spent the next two weeks doing nothing but enjoying the girls at Gardenia¡¯s, eating wonderful food and preparing to leave in secret. She asked me to attend some negotiations with some of the gambling hall owners and as soon as they saw who I was they folded to Gardenia¡¯s desire rather quickly. The repairs on my armor were due today. I even had the man construct pockets inside the chest piece that would house the mithrite and etheric gems. They were too rare a find to ever leave my sight. During that time, I resolved to leave Vernon and eventually head to the imperial capital, but I had to prepare before then. Acquiring a mount of my own would be necessary.


    There was a horse trader within the city that I intended to visit. He had an excellent reputation since even the baron''s horses came from him. His building was large and had a stable attached. It was early in the morning so there were very few people around. I entered the large wooden building. A man of perhaps 35 was sitting at a desk carving something out of wood. He raised an eyebrow as I walked in.


    ¡°Well, hello there, what can I do for you.¡± He had a jovial tone and a broad smile that reached his eyes.


    ¡°I''m here to purchase a mount. I hear you have excellent horse flesh.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Finest in the barony come I¡¯ll show you what we have on offer. The Name¡¯s Dent¡±


    ¡°Moon.¡± I said.


    I shook his hand, and I followed him through the building into the stables where there were at least two dozen horses.


    ¡°What are you looking for in a horse?¡± he asked.


    ¡°One that can travel a long distance. Easy to lead and maintain.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡± he said, rubbing his short goatee.


    ¡°I have a few that might be just right for you.¡±


    He led me to the end of the stables and pointed out 2 horses, A black stallion and a gray mare.


    ¡°These two are the easiest to handle I¡¯ve seen¡± he handed me a few slices of carrots.


    ¡°Go on, see if they like you.¡± I walked up to the gray mare and offered her the carrots. Her hairy lips ticked my hand as she fished them out. I looked into her deep brown eyes for a moment and smiled as she finished the rest of the carrots.


    ¡°OH, she definitely likes you. I can see it in her eyes. Her name is Rain, only 3 and a half years old and comes from a long line of draft horses. You don¡¯t look like you weigh much of anything, so she''ll carry all you need without trouble. How''s about you ride her around the paddock?¡±


    He saddled Rain and led her out the paddock. She was a massive horse whose head towered over me. From her leg to her shoulders, she was almost 6 feet tall. That gave me some apprehension but when he handed me the bridal to walk her around the paddock, she followed my commands easily. It took some effort to mount her since she was so much taller than me but, navigating her around the paddock was again, as easy as breathing. She took everything at an easy pace, and it took some prompting to get her to pick up speed.


    I wouldn''t be doing any fast traveling, so she was perfect. I didn¡¯t even want to bother looking at the other one. Rain just felt right.


    ¡°I''ll take her, can you get me a fitted saddle with saddle gags, fresh shoes and be sure to add everything I would need to maintain her while on the road.?" I said as I rode her back towards the stable.


    ¡°Sure, let''s take your measurements and you can come pick her up in 3 days and I''ll have the paperwork ready. For the saddle with bags and everything else let''s say 30 gelding. After that it would be good to ride her around the area for a few weeks to get to know each other¡±


    I brushed a hand through her gray mane before I dismounted. It was expensive but he was known to have exceptional horses. I gave him the coin and rubbed her front legs feeling the strong muscle beneath. I even probed her with ether to examine her. She seemed healthy but I had no experience with horse anatomy. She tried to nuzzle my hand as if searching for more food. I was actually feeling rather excited at the prospect of leaving.


    My next stop was the bank in the upper city carrying around hundreds of gold gelding in a satchel was a pain, so I intended to deposit it. Gardenia was still in the middle of liquidating everything I had told her to invest. I didn''t really care that much about the potential losses. Usually when I entered the upper city the guards would hop to open the gate for me. Now I was being signaled to stop.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked the guards who came over to me.


    ¡°Ummm my lord¡­¡­¡­..¡± the guard seemed to choke on his words as he saw my annoyed expression.


    ¡°Out with it. I have business to attend to.¡± I said impatiently. I was used to the fear of being a mage inspired but I had many plans for the day and didn''t want to delay.


    ¡°You are not to be allowed within the upper city.¡± he forced out almost as a single word.


    Has the baron¡¯s displeasure with me caused this? It had to be. What other reason could there be for denying my access?


    ¡°On whose authority?¡± I asked.


    The two other guardsmen seemed not to want anything to do with what was happening. He hesitated again.


    ¡°Answer me human.¡± I said, raising my voice a bit.


    ¡°The. Baron¡¯s¡± the guard to the left answered.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°We don''t know we were just ordered to prevent you from entering.¡±


    ¡°Ah so that''s how it is.¡± I said almost to myself.


    ¡°So, tell me, how do you plan on stopping me from entering?¡±


    A look of fear came over his face as he realized that there was literally nothing he could do if I decided to enter anyway.


    ¡°My deepest apologies sir mage, but please, I am just performing my duties.¡± the man said it with such genuine solemnity that it managed to cool my irritation at not having access to my accounts.


    I turned around and walked away not interested in dealing with this anymore. I suppose this was about what I expected; you don''t openly feud with and disrespect a baron without consequences.


    But I regret nothing. In the end this was a relatively small barony on the southern end of the empire. There was far more to gain if I headed north from what I remember countess Raina¡¯s lands were only a few days travel north from Suncrest. I''m sure she would welcome me with open arms. Even Suncrest suggested I visit his father¡¯s lands. What I could gain from Vernon has ripened on the vine and now I must move on. It''s not as if there is anyone here I truly cared about.


    An hour later I was in Gardenia¡¯s office rather annoyed at the news she had just given me.


    ¡°How exactly has 2000 worth of investment evaporated into almost nothing?¡± I asked. The loss of so much coin was significant.


    I still had over 12,000 gelding in the bank, but the problem was I couldn''t get a single shilling without access to the upper city. Now Gardenia is telling me that her brokers informed her that all the new businesses and companies she invested in have gone under and she could only get 352 gold back from my initial investment. Not even close to the two thirds that she promised.


    ¡°Your conflict with the baron has caused problems. Anything associated with you has come under attack from his loyalists.¡± Gardenia said irritatedly.


    I suppose that is why the guard captain was conspicuously busy when I inquired about a meeting. Regardless, if the baron''s intent is to drive me out by making any deal, I have difficult, I am happy to allow him to succeed. I''m more than willing to wash my hands of this place. Given Gardenia¡¯s irritation that the baron''s ire must be affecting her, I couldn''t care less. She got what she wanted from me, and I got what I wanted. I''m sure she can worm her way out of it. After the next week or so of preparation, she, and everyone else within the barony wouldn''t matter anymore.


    ¡°Can you not correct this?¡± Gardenia asked.


    What in the world could she mean?


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°When nobles do this, they usually can be placated with some outward show of deference.¡±


    She can''t be serious.


    ¡°Are you saying I would prostrate myself to get back into his good graces?¡±


    Honestly, I thought the woman knew me at this point. Once I set my mind to something there was no changing it.


    ¡°It wouldn''t hurt. Even I have even started to incur losses. At this point you have become more trouble than you''re worth.¡± she said impetuously.


    That almost sounded like a threat. I started at her getting into that cold mind space that I knew now caused my eyes to dilate wildly. As soon as she noticed her breath caught. No doubt realizing she had overstepped with me.


    ¡°Listen to me, human. That vermin you call Baron will get no deference from me.¡± I said with a clear threat in my voice. I silently cursed at myself for letting my anger out. But the disdain I felt for the man was unending. I have been having problem after problem in the last few days.


    ¡°Apologies. I spoke out of turn.¡± Gardenia said diplomatically. She had a sweet smile on her face and adopted a submissive posture. The same I have seen many of the nobility do with their superiors so their fragile egos can be placated.


    I suppose this is what I get. I wanted tools to use and leveraged my power to keep them in line. Gardenia wasn''t an ally or an enemy, she was whatever she needed to be with me so she could better position herself. I am becoming a liability now that the most powerful man in the city is discontent with me. I can''t even blame her that much, as I would probably do the same. Regardless, she or anyone who works for her will become an enemy given enough time.


    I calmed down, and silently cursed at myself for that display of emotion. Every mention of the baron brought back the events of the battle. Much of their barbarity was covered up, victory is often told by the victors and as far as anyone was considered the baron was a conquering hero and his soldiers brave knights.


    I gave her one last withering look before I grabbed the sack of coin off her desk and turned to leave. ¡°I have business to attend to; we will speak another time.¡± I got up and left her office.


    ¡°Moon wait¡± she said as I closed the door.


    Some of the working girls tried to grab my attention but I had no interest in them at the moment. I had more planning to do.


    5 days later I was in a small room in an inn on the far side of the city going over a map. Rain was stabled downstairs, and I was prepared to leave tomorrow. Her saddle bags were filled with provisions. My armor was in pristine condition, and I had enough rations to last at least a month. From my calculations it would take me roughly 2 months to reach the capitol. I had to traverse through two duchies to get to the capital city which resided on the northern shore of a lake in the middle of the continent. The lake was massive in size, over 400 miles across.


    A knock at my door jolted me out of my deliberations. I purposely told the staff to ignore any visitors.


    ¡°I said I did not want to be bothered¡± I shouted so the servant outside could hear me.


    ¡°Milord, there is a Lady Sarah Newban, here for you and she has well-armed guards.¡± the girls said with fear in her voice.


    Sarah? She is the last person I would expect to call on me. It wasn''t too surprising that those in power were keeping track of where I was in the city. I threw on a heavy black cloak and headed downstairs. The serving girl hopped out of their way as I rushed past her.


    Downstairs, sitting at a table in the small eating area of the inn sat Sarah, surrounded by some well armored guards, clearly from the baroness. Everyone had likely cleared out not wanting anything to get involved with what was going on.


    ¡°Sarah, what a pleasure.¡± I said sarcastically.


    ¡°Moon,¡± she said, sounding annoyed that she had to be where.


    ¡°What do you want, Sarah? And be quick I don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    ¡°I''m here with an offer from the baroness. She has heard of your problems entering the upper city, she offers a chance to regain that privilege in exchange for a small service.¡± The hells would freeze over before I would accept but there was no point in not hearing her out. I have no more interest in the games of politics.


    ¡°And what is this small service?¡± I said feigning interest.


    ¡°There are rumors that you have collected quite a few spells as of late. The grimoires of Suncrest¡¯s in the Magical Library were never found. Most assumed they fled with them. But there is no doubt in my mind you got your hands on them, learned all the spells, and burned the evidence to ash.¡± She said,


    She was right but what did the baroness actually want?


    ¡°I said be quick.¡±


    ¡°She wants you to recreate them, in exchange you will be granted access to the upper city and your bank account as well as a healthy amount of coin delivered upon completion. 500 gelding per spell.¡± I knew 29 spells in total. Which would mean 14500 gelding, but it was madness to do that. Distributing copied grimoires is a crime. While I don¡¯t care that much about human laws, I have no interest in making myself a target.


    ¡°Hmmm¡± I said, pretending to consider it.


    ¡°Can you give me a few days to think about it?¡±


    ¡°The baroness would rather an immediate answer. Or do you intend to continue to wallow in this hovel?¡± Sarah said, displeased with my apparent indecision.


    ¡°The baroness will not get one. Return in 3 days and you will have an answer.¡± I said, meeting her blue eyes. Did she think I was some peasant that she could toss coin at to get what she wanted from me?


    ¡°Very well.¡± she forced out.


    ¡°Now if you don''t mind, I will return to my supper. Good day." I said as I turned to return to my room.


    She sniffed at my attitude. ¡°For all your intelligence you haven''t learned how to act around your betters. Little wonder you have lost all you have worked for.¡±


    That stung. I stopped in my tracks about to respond, then abandoned my retort. I was leaving her and the entire barony behind, what would it matter in the end. In 3 days'' time all she will find is an empty room. I''ve tried to keep my leaving a secret, but time will tell if I was successful. But if I had to be honest, I doubted it. Too many eyes were watching me.


    I left early that morning determined to put as many miles between me and Vernon as possible. Rain proved to be as reliable a horse as Dent had stated. She was easy to handle on the road. I wore a heavy black cloak as I left Vernon hoping that none of the guards took note of me. Rain crunched mile after mile with little complaint. Since I could simply summon up water from the air, I had no need to stay close to streams or rivers to make sure she had water.


    As the days passed, I started to feel affection for the horse. I found that feeding her a small trickle of life Ether is an excellent way to increase our bond. Her large body drank in the ether happily. Eventually she started to associate the pleasant sensation with me and would stick close to me constantly. I didn''t even bother tieing her off since she never wandered far and would come running at the sound of my voice.


    Rain was my constant companion, her large brown eyes following me wherever I went. I wonder what an overexposure to Life Ether would do to the animal.


    Deep in my meditation I felt a nibbling at the tip of an ear. She would often do this to get my attention, usually some brushing and a trickle of life ether was enough to get her to stop bothering me.


    We were camping on top of an exceptionally tall and flat ridgeline that extended for about 30 miles along the northeastern border of Vernon. From the edge of the ridgeline to the ground below was at least a thousand-foot drop. The top of the ridge was largely flat grassy terrain that was technically Ruben territory. If I followed the ridgeline until it leveled out, I would be in the Duchy of Lavardin.


    I opened my eyes and of course Rain was there, her large lips nibbling at me to wake up.


    ¡°Alright Alright I¡¯m up.¡± I said as she started to nudge me with her nose.


    There was plenty of grass to graze on, so I knew she wasn''t hungry. I went over to her saddle bag and took out half a carrot that she gladly chomped down. Then I got to brushing her and with my other hand I fed her a slow trickle of life ether. As usual she did a strange hopping dance for a moment then settled down.


    After she was groomed, I resaddled my belongings and cast radiant carapace on myself to refresh the spell. I tried the spell on her but each time it would fail, the sigils not designed to work with non-bipedal creatures.


    I opened my map and ran a hand finger along the ridgeline to the next barony. It was at least 3 more days of travel before I would reach a village where I could restock my supplies. Maybe I could even have a decent meal and a proper bath. I mounted and nudged her into motion, pointing her north.


    Not a minute later something slammed into my right side with enough force to knock me off the horse. While my radiant carapace protected me from damage the kinetic energy was enough to send me tumbling end over end until I slid to a stop. I was slightly dazed and bruised but still had the forethought to bring up my radiant shield, not even bothering to get up. It was fortunate, because almost an instant later a literal rain of large man-sized spikes of earth began to rain down all around me. From my prone position I could see Rain running towards me before a spike impaled her through the neck, nearly severing her head. She slid to a stop just a few feet in front me completely dead, her large brown eyes becoming dim as life left her.


    I got to my feet, my keen eyes searching until I saw five masked figures in black armor a few hundred feet away from me to the south. Dread crawled up my spine as 4 of them started casting spells, the circuits lighting up distinct colors for each attenuation.

 Book 1: Chapter 31: The Assassination

    I barely got a good look at my would-be attackers before I was blinded by a cacophony of spells. Fire balls, air blasts, spires of earth and ice all collided with my shield. The drain in Ether was so large that it brought me to my knees.


    Still my shield held.


    While I was being bombarded, I refreshed the radiant carapace and considered my options. My mind raced through every spell I knew. Only a handful had the range to counterattack, but continual bombardment made it impossible. The five attackers were at least 500 feet away, so I needed a spell powerful enough and with sufficient range.


    After a handful of seconds, the bombardment lessened as the attackers seemed to be moving away from me. Their fire and air spells did not have the range to strike my shield.


    Were they out of stamina?


    I had to take out at least a few of them with a single spell so Earth Barrage it is. From the safety of my shield the ground broke apart around me and compressed into a single boulder about 4 feet wide. Then it broke apart into hundreds of smaller fist sized rocks. Draining at least half of my stamina in the process. I had little time to carefully consider any other options.


    I waited for the faintest break in the earth and ice spires that constantly collided with my shield. I would have to trust in the carapace to hold if one got through.


    Finally, there was a break, and I could see the five of them clearly. Only one looked to be casting a spell if I had to guess it had to be a radiant shield. I dropped the shield and fired the spell almost at the same instant hoping that the speed of the attack was faster than their casting. It was deafening as all around me the rocks accelerated to the speed of sound and , with the sound of a hundred whips cracking, rocketed towards my attackers.


    With my off hand I started to recast the radiant shield. In the same instant there was a pulse from my right I turned my head just in time to see a figure standing not 100 feet away, releasing a fireball. We were fighting on a flat grassy plane. There was no chance I would not have noticed them. I wasn''t fast enough, and the spell detonated not two feet in front of me.


    The world went white as my vision was consumed with fire. The concussive force of the spell sent me flying a dozen feet through the air. The heat burned my armor and exposed my skin. As I fell to the earth; I tasted blood in my mouth. Forcing myself through the haze of pain and no doubt cracked ribs I recast my radiant shield as the rest of the mages restarted the bombardment.


    The carapace was destroyed in the explosion, but it lasted just enough to keep me from dying. They renewed their efforts determined to bring down my shield. I laid there on my back gasping for air and wrangling my panicking thoughts to focus on a solution. This amount of magic was not normal for a mage. Either they were masters, or they were using amplifiers.


    The volume of spells did not decrease so it is likely that the light mage managed to raise a shield in time. So, that momentary break was likely on purpose, baiting me into the illusion that I had a chance to counterattack, allowing the concealed fire mage to surprise me. Without my radiant carapace that blast would have killed me.


    I had to admit it. I was out of my depth here even as I struggled to my feet, they bombarded my shield. Through the haze of spells, I could see the 5 of them had widened their formation into an arc around me with roughly 30 feet between them. That begged the question as to how that fire mage snuck up on me. Shadow magic maybe? I knew they could perform illusions so that had to be it.


    With them spread apart like this even if I managed to take one out the rest would seize the opportunity and kill me. They remained outside of the range of the radiant lance. No doubt they would simply move backward if I tried to close the distance. It was the perfect way to deal with a mage like me.


    This attack was not random.


    I tried to think how exactly I could escape. I was on a flat plane with my back to the cliffs. I couldn''t run and if this conflict lasted until I was forced to use Invigorate then all they had to do was wait until the spell ran its course as I would be a sitting duck.


    Winning is impossible. They were far too prepared to fight me. I had to assume that killing mages was their specialty. And if they were using amplifiers and had a light mage that knew invigorate, I couldn''t beat them in a contest of stamina.


    There was a massive pulse in the ether as the rest stopped casting and a singular earth mage charged a circuit. I was desperate to conserve my stamina, so I reduced my shield until it was just large enough to protect me. I poured ether to make it as strong as possible. He released the spell and a massive pillar of earth erupted from the ground, the same spell the earth mage used that nearly ended our company used. I was more powerful now so I had the confidence I could defend against it.


    To my utter bewilderment the spire passed right through my shield and for an instant I thought I was going to die. Then the spire vanished as if it never existed. More shadow magic?


    I didn''t even know a thing like this was possible.


    But then what was that pulse in the ether?


    I got my answer as the wind around me started to spiral, its speed increasing until it felt like I was in the middle of a tornado. But this force didn''t compare to the drake. My confidence that I could withstand the spell evaporated as the fire mage started casting. The mage was feeding fire in a great stream into the swirling air until it created a literal flaming tornado with me at the center. The grass around me burned and turned to ash. I had no other choice but to make my shield airtight.


    How in the world can I counter a tornado of fire? The heat kept increasing until the ground around my shield started to glow a soft orange. Either I ran out of oxygen, or I would be cooked inside the twister. That''s probably why they feinted with the illusion first. They knew I would try to conserve stamina and reduce the size of the shield. Now it was a contest to see if they could sustain the spell before I ran out of air.


    Combining different attenuations of ether with each other to create new spell effects, I knew it would work in theory. But it was dangerous unless the two casters had a perfect understanding of each other¡¯s abilities. This was again made to counter me. Now I couldn¡¯t even counterattack. The instant I dropped my shield I would be swept away by the wind and incinerated.


    I began to feel despair crawl up my spine. I wracked my brain to see if there was some spell that I could use to get out of this but could find none. Any spell I could think of using, I could also think of a way they could counter. Their demonstration thus far was enough to tell me they were professionals. I was clearly outclassed. Despair started to set in until I got an idea. It was desperate, stupid and would likely result in my death. But these mages were far too skilled in magical combat. So, with victory not being an option. I had to do something even they couldn¡¯t predict.


    First, I had to disrupt the tornado without dropping my shield. I couldn''t come up with anything else other than making the shield so massive that it disrupted the air currents. But if I did that, I couldn''t keep the shield airtight, as I would create a vacuum. So, I had to allow air to get in and therefore heat.


    This is going to hurt.


    It required a large amount of ether to block out the heat, so I had no choice but to cast Invigorate. I spiked myself with energy, held my breath, covered my eyes with my other hand and the shield began expanding. Immediately, it felt like I was inside an oven.


    My skin burned and I could feel the tips of my ears singe. It was agony, but I remained resolute. Tears fell from my eyes and evaporated and fought through the pain. 100 feet across 200, 300 how large did they make the tornado? 400, 500, 600 then the spell broke apart and within a few moments the twister of fire dissipated. As soon as the drain from the shield fell off due to the broken spell, I opened my eyes, turned around and made a beeline for the edge of the cliff.


    The pain at the sudden movement was so intense I lost focus on the circuit and the shield fell. I barely got a second shield up before more spells started to fire at me. Their mages seemed to have endless reserves. I made my way to the edge of the ridgeline. Time seemed to slow as I admired the vast forest beneath.


    The terrain was too rough for horse travel, so I crossed the ridge to avoid it. I looked down, took note of the thick thicket of trees, and leapt. I had considered using air spells to give me some kind of thrust to halt my fall, but they all had safety features built into the circuit to prevent the spells from applying force to my body. Without an anchor to anything the radiant shied destabilsed and vanished.


    I lacked the knowledge or experience to modify the sigils to remove the safety features. For 900 feet I fell through the air in freefall before I breached the canopy. Then I slammed into branch after branch feeling bones break as the tall trees slowed my fall. I broke through the rest of the canopy before falling another few feet to the ground, landing on my back.


    I didn''t even have the will to groan in pain. My vision was blurred as I reeled from the impacts. I slowly began to lose consciousness until a loud crash and fresh agony from my right arm jolted me awake. I looked at its horror as it was crushed by a boulder, realizing what was happening, I cast a radiant shield. I barely expanded it larger than my torso before hundreds more started to fall. Another boulder a few feet across landed on my left knee. I got my shield up before hundreds more damage could be done. There were thunderous booms as the boulders destroyed the forests around me. This continued for the next few minutes the earth mage firing blindly until it finally ended.


    There was eerie silence as I laid there on the ground, shield activated staring up at the thick canopy expecting more spells. I hoped beyond hope that they didn¡¯t have some kind of magic to follow me down or were not crazy enought to jump.10 minutes later I dropped the shield. And breathed a sigh of relief. That reminded me of the agony I was in. With a small amount of hesitation, I used the life ether to examine my body.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    I had a mass of broken bones. My left lung was punctured and 4 of my ribs were cracked. From what I could see my left leg and right arm were mostly destroyed. Their bones were crushed practically to dust and damage to the tissue was so severe that trying to heal it was pointless. My left hand was horribly burnt with cracked black skin. The amount of healing I would need would take weeks if not months. It was a wonder I was still alive, probably another benefit of my overexposure to life Ether.


    It would take weeks to repair my destroyed limbs to the point that they would be functional. But the exhaustion that will occur from the invigoration spell would leave me too weak to prevent infection. I took a deep painful breath before I was led to the conclusion that amputation would be necessary. I tried to think of another solution to my problem but there was none. I had to repair myself as much as possible before the exhaustion and these two limbs would be a liability.


    I raised my left hand and charged a radiant lance. Pointed at my right arm. I screamed it cleanly cut through my arm, a few inches below the shoulder joint. I poured a large amount of ether into the healing spell, repairing the wound enough so the blood flow ended, and skin grew over sealing it closed. Next was the left leg.


    I sat upright and cast a radiant lance one more time. The pain seemed to be worse, and the smell of charred flesh made me want to vomit. But just like the arm it was cleanly cut through about mid thigh. 5 minutes later the wound was healed just enough that I was sure there would be no infection. For the next hour I moved on to my ribs and lung and the open burn wounds on my other hand and face.


    I laid back down on the ground sure that at the very least I wouldn''t die from infection. Looked at the boulders that trapped my severed limbs with numbness. My left hand was terribly scared but mostly functional. Looking around I found a random branch and used the radiant lance to cut it so that I could use it as a walking stick. I brought the map up in my mind. The shortest path to get to my location would have them heading back south and heading to the forest. Thats a 60-mile trip. I had to get as far as possible from this location and somehow find somewhere I could lay low for a few months while I repaired my body. Awkwardly I hopped on my right leg and balanced myself with the stick. Then I headed north.


    I continued the clumsy travel for hours every few minutes I would fall. Having only one leg and a single arm in this rough terrain is difficult. Every time some animal made a sound, or a tree would creak in the wind, I imagined it was my assassins catching up to me. Slowly the invigorate began to wear off and the exhaustion began to set in. I fell again, my face hitting the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fucking die in this forest.¡±I said in frustration. They were the first English words I had spoken in almost a year. Just when I was getting excited at my new start in life everything came crashing down.I got up again and continued


    ¡°Who the hell were they? And who sent them?¡± I asked myself images of people who could have sent them flashed in my mind. The Baron? Elves? The Baroness? Suncrest?Caan?


    The baron seemed the most likely, but would he really invest in sending an entire company of mages to kill me. The cost must have been enormous and he¡¯s in the middle of stabilizing Suncrest and rebuilding his army.


    I don''t doubt he would kill me, but the timeline seems too quick. For that matter, how did they find me? I tried to wear a cloak every time I went into a village. But if someone talked to Dent, they would know the color of my horse and the fact that I planned to travel a far distance. Referencing that with the villages I traveled through, and you could get a rough estimate that I was traveling north. So, it was possible to track me.


    Either way it was speculation and I have no interest in running into those mages again. I began to pick up the sound of rushing water. Thinking back to the map would mean that I had traveled 5 miles north from my location and nearing Grey Rock River. A quarter hour later I saw said river. It was a large fast flowing river that flowed east and eventually turned north. I stood at the bank to get a drink of water from the river. It was then that I saw my face.


    Gone was the delicate beauty that I was used to. My skin was tight and scarred, making my face asymmetrical. The tips of my ears were burnt horribly and after healing they were an angry red and misshapen. Much of my lovely white hair was burned off and I had no eyebrows.


    ¡°Now that is a face only a mother would love.¡± I said as I looked down at myself.


    I didn''t consider myself a vain man until I seriously considered spending hours fixing my face. I started laughing. It was loud and slightly crazed. I''m not even sure what I found funny, but for a few minutes I couldn''t stop.


    I clumsily stood up and considered how to cross the river. Then another stupid idea popped into my head. I needed to put as much distance between my pursuers as possible. How far would it take me? I''m pretty sure I knew how to swim. If they were in fact assassins sent just for me then confirming the kill would be appropriate. So, I dove into the deep river.


    I was swept along in its strong current. It was a constant battle to keep my head above the water but oddly enough the icy chill eased the pain I felt in my limbs. I continued struggling for over an hour. Thankfully the river slowed down as it started to widen. Taking this opportunity, I struggled to the bank and dragged myself out of the water. I slowly recovered, breathing heavily, and shaking from the cold.


    There were no convenient sticks, so I began to crawl in what my addled brain guessed to be north. I barely made it half an hour before the invigorate spell ran its course and I collapsed from exhaustion. I managed to drag myself to a tree before the lethargy began to take over. My thoughts began to slow, and my limbs struggled to respond to me.


    Slowly my mind began to drift, my eyes closed and for the first time in months I fell asleep. My dreams were a twisting nightmare of death and violence. I was caught in the middle of a war, each side numbered in the hundreds of thousands there I stood in the center of it all. Raining down spell after spell killing thousands every passing moment. I cackled madly, enjoying the slaughter. Every time my reserves began to dwindle, I grabbed one of my own men by the throat and ripped the life from him. Savoring the delicious death before I continued on with my mindless slaughter.


    I jolted awake and looked around my surroundings. It was a night with no moon, so the forest was pitch black. At some point it started raining. I still sat with my back to a tree. Hypothermia and the effects of the invigorate spell sapped all the strength from me. My thoughts were slippery as I bounced in and out of consciousness. In my delirium I started to hear voices. But looking around there was no one to be seen. Sometimes I would see soldiers storming through the tree towards me. In desperation I would throw a spell at them wasting precious energy before they would disappear. Other times I could hear the Bronze Spears laughing and talking around the campfire. There was a rather strange hallucination of a brown haired man in a strange white coat running towards me. After seeing Clarissa seductively asking me to join her in bed then darted behind a tree. I resolved to ignore my hallucinations.


    As the night wore on I couldn''t muster the focus to cast spells and in the heavy torrent I could not make a fire. I knew the dangers of falling unconscious while in this state, so I forced myself to stay awake. After a few more minutes I managed to muster my will and continued crawling along the forest floor. In what I hoped was north. By my estimation I would be able to reach a village in a day or two.


    ¡°Poor child¡± a voice said next to my right.


    I had fallen asleep on my face. For how long I didn''t know but at least the rain had stopped. I got up and managed to lay my back against a tree. I kept my breathing steady and tried to stop the incessant shaking, while I examined the latest hallucination. It was a strange experience; my mind was betraying me and while I was perfectly aware of it, I could do nothing to stop it.


    Not a few feet away from me sitting in a cross-legged position on the ground was what I assumed to be a royal elf. She was practically a mirror of me, white hair, purple eyes, and a face so delicately beautiful that it felt alien. Though there were a few differences like her ears being larger and her eyes having a less pronounced tilt. She wore simple white robes that hid most of her figure but for whatever reason I instinctively knew she was female. She was unquestionably the most stunning creature I had ever seen. The attraction I felt towards her came on strong, too strong for my liking. I fought away from the feelings and tried to refocus my mind.


    ¡°Well, this is new.¡± I said in a hoarse voice.


    ¡°It has been difficult to reach you, since you do not sleep nor embrace the ether.¡±


    This hallucination seemed more vivid than the rest. Even more strange was that it was responding to me. But her clothing was perfectly white even though she sat on the forest floor and the wind didn''t move her hair. I tried to guess who I was hallucinating before I remembered what elf Queen Lilian talked about.


    ¡°Assuming you aren''t a hallucination you must be Queen Sianna, yes?¡±


    ¡°The same.¡±


    ¡°How are you speaking to me? Some kind of elven magic I assume. Since you aren''t actually here.¡±


    ¡°You assume correctly. I wished to see you for myself. I did not expect that when my thoughts found you. You would be in this state.¡± Her eyes gave me a once over. I knew I looked rather horrid at the moment. Not exactly the best state to meet a queen.


    ¡°Well then. Now that you have seen me, what do you want now?¡± I said impetuously, disliking the almost clinical way her eyes examined me.


    ¡°You are as spirited as she says. My motives are my own young one, but perhaps when you are ready you will learn them.¡± he had a small amount of amusement in her voice.


    ¡°By she I assume you mean Lilian. Are elves to blame for my current predicament?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡±


    So, at the very least it was a possibility. On the off chance that this was the actual queen then perhaps she has some ideas about me.


    ¡°What has Lilian told you about me?¡±


    ¡°Everything there is to know. Including the veil over your mind.¡±


    ¡°Can the elves actually cure it?¡± I asked but for some reason I wanted the answer to be no.


    ¡°It is possible, but you have not asked yourself the difficult questions.¡± she said with a bit of sympathy in her voice.


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°What if there is no veil on your mind and there is simply nothing to recover?¡±


    I hadn''t considered that. If that was the case, then what do I do with my life? Her eyes got a far-off look then refocused on me.


    ¡°My time is ending; continue north your pursuers have not yet given up the chase.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I have more questions.¡± I said.


    ¡°When you are ready, come and find me. You will have your answers.¡±


    I jolted awake, my dreams slowly drifting away in a haze of forgetfulness.


    ¡°What a strange dream.¡± I said as I looked around. The sun had started to rise so at the very least I knew where the north was. My mind was at least functional, so I took the opportunity to do some more healing on myself. I was nowhere near healthy, but I had to ensure I stayed ahead of any damage I caused to myself while traveling. I couldn''t just conjure flesh from nothingness, so I needed nutrition to rebuild what I had lost.


    My stomach grumbled incessantly as the only thing I had eaten in over 30 hours were a few sticks of dried meat. At the very least I didn''t need to worry about water. My magic could see to that. It was a wonder I was still functional. But my body was far more resilient than a normal human or for that matter. Still as the hours passed my strength was waning and it became harder and harder to pick myself up when I fell.


    My limbs were as numb as when I overused the ether. My mind was consumed with exhaustion too severe to do any kind of magic. The only thing that kept me focused was the mostly faded memory of a dream. A voice that told me to keep going north. I fell again not from being clumsy or tripping on a root. I was at the end of my strength.


    I willed my body to move but it did not respond. I tried to call the Ether, but it did not come. Was this death? I was so tired that I welcomed it. I don¡¯t know how long I laid there as I kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Sometime later I got the distinct feeling of someone rolling me over. They looked at me for a few seconds before walking away. After minutes later they returned and threw me over their shoulders like a sack of potatoes. Hopefully this person had good intentions.

 Book 1: Chapter 32: The Peasant Girl

    I was slowly waking from my dreamless sleep. At the edge of my consciousness, I could hear the crackle of fire, smell old wood and cloth. A door opened and I could hear someone shuffling about. I snapped back to full consciousness and readied a radiant lance in an instant aiming it directly at the individual.


    A young woman, a girl really, probably no older than 15 with long frizzy brown hair, green eyes and a freckled face dropped the bundle she was holding and fell backward on her butt.


    ¡°Oh, gods yer a mage¡± she shrieked in fear. She scooted backward until she hit a wall on the far side of the room. Realizing that this must have been the person that carried me from the forest I dismissed the spell. I looked around at the house. It was a single room with two beds on one side and a hearth and kitchen on the other. There was only a single door which likely led outside. There were a few old and mostly degraded pieces of furniture around as well as a small table with three chairs in the kitchen.


    ¡°Apologies¡± I said as I examined the girl. She was dressed in ragged homespun clothing, so likely not as an assassin.


    ¡°I have been through quite a bit the last few days and I reacted out of instinct.¡±


    The girl''s breathing slowed as she calmed down. ¡°Ummm it''s alright, ye looked quite the mess when I found ye.¡± She got up and came over to me.


    She sounded every bit the peasant she was. I had no clue where I was at this point.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Bout a mile north o Floxum.¡± she said as she took a seat on the other bed. Of all the villages and towns on my map I could not remember seeing a village called Floxum.


    ¡°Floxum? I''ve never heard of it.¡± I said.


    ¡°Not surprisn barely a hundred people live ere, not even on most maps. What happened to ye?¡± she said.


    ¡°I was attacked and barely survived.¡± I looked down at myself. And realized I was nude under the threadbare blanket.


    ¡°Where is my armor?¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, right over ere¡± it was laying spread out in front of the hearth. She went over, picked it up and brought it over to me. The purple armor was completely blackened and some of the gold decoration was partially melted. I could smell the burnt leather.


    ¡°Looks right, costly.¡±


    ¡°It was over 30 gelding for the full set. It was right of you to get it off me.¡±


    ¡°30 gelding¡± she whispered in astonishment. It was probably an unimaginable sum for someone living in a village so remote that it wasn''t even on most maps.


    I awkwardly searched the chest piece and found the 3 gems, bank card and the 4 ingots of Mithrite. I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn''t end up losing them. The 40 or so gelding stashed throughout the armor was still there so she probably didn''t search through it.


    ¡°You have done me a kindness¡­¡­¡±I paused realizing I didn''t know her name.


    ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Benny Sir mage.¡± the girl said.


    ¡°No need for all that, just call me Moon.¡±


    ¡°Ok¡­¡­¡­..Moon¡± she said.


    Noticing the room had two beds, one which I occupied at the moment I asked. ¡°Is there another who lives here?¡±


    ¡°No just, me ma and pa died a while back.¡±


    So, a single girl a mile away from a village that wasn''t even on a map. This was a perfect place to recover provided I could convince her to assist me.


    ¡°I will take time to restore myself to full health and with missing limbs moving around will be difficult. Can I ask for your assistance until I am healed? In return I can offer a substantial amount of gold¡±


    She looked at me doubtfully. ¡°You can fix all that.¡± she said, nodding to my missing limbs.


    ¡°Yes, but I need time and food to do it.¡±


    ¡°How much gold?¡± she asked.


    Thinking of the gelding in my armor.


    ¡°3 gelding a week for two months and if you wish we can travel to whatever barony we are in where I can reward you with 500 gelding for your timely rescue. If you do not wish to travel with me I can offer this as a reward¡±


    Her eyes widened into saucers at the mention of so much wealth. I pulled out a single ingot of Mithrite.


    ¡°What''s that?¡± she asked numbly.


    I tossed it to her and she caught it.


    ¡°It is called Mithrite, a metal that conducts ether that ingot alone would fetch hundreds of gelding but finding the right buyer is a problem.¡±


    She looked dumbstruck, her eyes fixed on the blue metal. I imagine she couldn''t even fathom what to do with so much coin. She handed it back to me as if the metal was dangerous.


    ¡°I guess I''ll take the gold.¡± she said numbly.


    ¡°Agreed then how about¡­..¡±


    She interrupted me as she released something.


    ¡°Am I in danger keeping ye here?¡±


    I was going to lie but I decided against it. While I doubted my attackers could track me to wherever I was, it was not impossible. Perhaps honesty would ingratiate her more to me.


    ¡°It''s rather unlikely but not impossible. So long as it doesn''t spread that there is an elf in the village, I doubt there is any danger to you.¡±


    ¡°So, I just keep ye cooped up here for a few months and get ye food?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Essentially yes, and plenty of meat if possible.¡±


    ¡°I can only hunt so much, and meat is costly.¡±


    I pulled out 10 gelding out of a pocket in my armor and her eyes practically locked on to the coin.


    ¡°Would this be enough for 2 months?¡±


    ¡°That should do,¡± she said in a high-pitched voice. I handed her the coin and she slid them into a pocket of her brown trousers with solemnity.


    ¡°So what''s ye story, don''t elves live up north.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but my origins are rather unique. If I do tell you my tale you would have to swear to never share it with anyone without my permission.¡±


    She put a fist to her heart and in the same manner Garred and Sten did and said.


    ¡°I swear to never mention ye tale to anyone without ye permission.¡±


    ¡°How about this get me some dinner and I¡¯ll tell you my tale¡±


    An hour later we were sitting at the small table finishing a bowl of rabbit stew. She gave me a linen shirt and some old trousers. When she helped me to the table, I realized she was even shorter than I was probably 5-2 to my 5-4. It was bland but I was so hungry that I regarded it as the nectar of the gods. I told her an abridged version of my story, embellishing a few details here and there to make it more entertaining. She was enraptured by the tale, asking very few questions. She seemed particularly entertained anytime magic was mentioned.


    ¡°I can''t believe ye survived all that, I mean cutting yer own limbs off is crazy.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is. Whoever wants to be dead paid for quality assassins.¡±


    ¡°My coins on the baron seemed like a right tosser,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaning more elf.¡±


    She was rather easy to talk to. She was just a peasant girl, so I didn''t really have to care about guarding my words or maintaining any kind of pageantry.


    ¡°Ye should have bedded Lilian when ye had the chance. But instead, you go for the orc woman. I''m surprised she didn''t turn yer hips to dust.¡± Strange how not bedding Lilian was somehow a contentious point for her.


    ¡°Half orc actually, regardless I didn''t want to risk Lilian catching a child, so I didn''t try.¡±


    ¡°Still fer only a year ye¡¯ve lived an amazin life.¡±


    We talked about ourselves for most of the meal, so I asked her. ¡°So, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± she asked in confusion.


    ¡°Yes, I''ve told you my story. I''m curious to know how you came to live here on your own.¡±


    She seemed embarrassed for some reason but answered anyway.


    ¡°Well, my granda built it and passed it onto my pa ummm then he married my ma and had me. We hunted and had a small farm out back. Ma died to the flux and pa died hunting a year ago. So, it''s just me now. I don''t really have a good story. I hunt and sell meat or skins in the village.¡±


    Her eyes darted about the room as if looking for something. I suppose compared to the craziness of my own life a normal peasant wouldn¡¯t have much in the way of story. Deciding to change the subject I said.


    ¡°Would you like to see some magic?¡± her eyes practically popped out of her head with how wide her eyes opened. I figured she would be receptive to this since every time magic was brought up in my tale, she was laser focused.


    She nodded eagerly.


    I created a ball of light in front of her and she stared wide eyed at it as it floated in the air. Then I cast levitate on a spoon and had it fly around the room. She started laughing and then grabbed it out of the air. On an object so small the ether surrounding her body was enough to break the spell. Then I cast a radiant carapace on myself.


    ¡°Go ahead, throw it at me¡± I said pointing at the knife on the table. I had told her about the spell. She had a mischievous grin on her face as she picked it up and threw it at my shoulder. It bounced off and fell to the floor.


    ¡°Amazin,¡± She said with a wide smile.


    ¡°Indeed, once I cast my first spell it was as if an entire world was open to me, and all I had but to reach out and grasp it. It felt¡­¡­¡± I paused looking for the right word.


    ¡°Freeing.¡±


    ¡°How hard is it to learn?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Quite hard, but I had the luxury of prior knowledge and being an elf made it even easier. Months of study could be compressed into days¡± I was already feeling a bit tired so I decided to do some healing and meditate.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Thank you for the meal and conversation. But I need some rest. Perhaps when I''m mobile I can show you some real magic.¡±


    ¡°Oh ok have a good rest, I¡¯ll head into the village and get some supplies.¡±


    She bit her lip almost as if she wanted to ask me something. Then she changed her mind and left through the door. She couldn''t hide her expressions if she tried. As simple as she was, it was a blessing that I didn''t have to constantly keep myself on guard while talking to her. Hopefully she proved to be as trustworthy as she seemed. I laid back down in the small bet. The rabbit stew was rather filling so this was an excellent time to get some healing done.


    While I had more pressing things to heal, I really couldn''t deal with my face in the state that it was. Call me vain but I used most of the time rebuilding the flesh, muscle, and skin that I had lost. I regret the hair follicles and prompt my hair and eyelashes to grow back so I had no bald spots. It took hours of work, but I was finally finished.


    I peeled off the last bit of old skin and I spotted a small metal plate that was polished enough for me to see myself if a bit blurry. I smiled as I saw my lovely face again. Next was regrowing my ears so they were back to their regular size and symmetrical. By the time that was finished I was hungry again.


    Benny walked in as I admired my reflection and said.


    ¡°Oh my¡± she said as I looked up at her.


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± I asked as I gave her a smile.


    ¡°I''ve heard that elves are pretty, but this is ridiculous.¡± she said as she laid down a canvas sack that she was carrying.


    ¡°Ah so you approve.¡± I said, feeling pleased.


    ¡°I guess now there''s one more reason ye shouldn¡¯t show yer face in the village.¡± she said.


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°Those idiot boys have never seen a thing like ye. They¡¯d propose marriage half of them wouldn''t care about your bits¡± we shared a laugh and then I asked.


    ¡°What do you have there?¡±


    ¡°Put yer coin to use I did, some bread, 3 a hams, sausages, bread , even some salt and herbs.¡± she mischievously added at the end.


    ¡°And some wine. We¡¯re eating tonight. I''ll go fetch some water for the sew.¡± She was about to run off.


    Before she left I said, ¡°Oh don''t worry about that, where do you want the water?¡±


    She raised eyebrows as she pointed to the pot over the hearth. I hopped over and said.


    ¡°Tell me when to stop.¡± I cast a water stream. She stared dumbly as I seemed to summon water out of nowhere. She got her wits back and said.


    ¡°Ok that''s enough.¡±


    I dismissed the spell.


    ¡°Of all yer magic that''s the best.¡±


    We had a feast for dinner. She wasn''t an amazing cook but with the salt and herbs it was decent. I laid nearly comatose on the bed as I had stuffed myself to bursting. She was in much the same state as I was. We only ended up eating half to stew so the rest would be for breakfast. It was almost night, so she threw herself into the other bed and seemed to pass out instantly.


    I closed my eyes and focused on healing. Slowly I started to repair my body. Rebuilding lost scarred tissue, fixing bones that were not properly healed. This process went on for hours using a combination of light magic and life Ether. Eventually I decided to call it a night. I sunk into a deep meditation to rest and recover for tomorrow.


    A voice at the edge of my consciousness prompted me to wake up.


    ¡°Moon ye in there¡± Benny said.


    I blinked as daylight filled the room.


    ¡°Ah yer ok, you were barely breathing.¡± she looked genuinely worried.


    ¡°I was meditation, elves don''t really need sleep the same way humans do, we meditate instead.¡±


    ¡°Ah is that what it is? thought you were dead for a moment. We can break our fast now. Honestly, I''ve never eaten this much meat before.¡± she said as she excitedly started to ladle out more of the stew from last night. She did look a bit skinny then again peasants being undernourished was common. She was apparently 16 years old, so I guess she had more room to grow. With the coin I would give her she could eat like this for the rest of her life.


    After breakfast I took some time to examine my armor. Benny left to do some hunting. She was apparently a decent shot though she would often get a tense expression on her face as if she wanted to ask me something then abandoned it. I figured she would get to asking me eventually.


    I spent much of the time either healing or examining my armor. It was in ruin; the leather was charred and many of the straps that held the pieces together were falling apart. I scavenged the gold buttons and buckles but removed the pockets to act as makeshift pouches for the gems and ingots. I''ll have to order a new set if I get the chance.


    Things continued like for two weeks and every few days she would head into town. Returned with a sack of produce and cooked. I slowly grew my leg and arm back inch by inch. It was a difficult process that pushed my understanding of anatomy and physiology but fortunately I had a reference. Most of my scarring was gone and with some help from Benny much of the burnt and damaged hair on my head was cut off. Now it was only a few inches long. I mourned the loss of it almost as much as my legs, but it would grow back in time. I could even help it if I wished.


    Benny and I sat around the table, Drinking some cheap wine from some wooden cups. We sat in companionable silence before she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking better and better,¡± Benny said.


    I smiled and said. ¡°Indeed, I don''t even think it will take two months as I thought at most I assume a month and two weeks. I can''t wait to get on the road.¡±


    I figured if my assassins were still chasing me they would have found me by now so I figured I Was in there clear.


    ¡°Mmmmhm¡± she mumbled.


    There''s that look again. She''s been doing it constantly the last few days. I had to assume that she wanted to accompany me or something. From what I could tell, life in the village was rather dull. Honestly, I wouldn''t mind it''s been rather nice talking with someone with little or no ulterior motives.


    The problem was that she was effectively defenseless. I suppose she could learn the sword, but I didn''t know a damn thing about sword fighting. That stupid sword from the goblin camp I still carried. Honestly it was surprising that it didn''t detach from my waist in all the fighting. Now it sat uselessly in the corner of the room. The hilt and scabbard were damaged, but it was still a proper sword.


    I sighed and decided to press the issue, not wanting to wait on her to make her decision.


    ¡°What is Benny?¡±


    She looked at me shocked.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Just come out and say it, something has been on your mind.¡±


    She bit her lips and her eyes started to dart around the room. It was a habit she had every time she was nervous.


    ¡°What do you plan on doing after you leave?¡±


    I shrugged and answered. ¡°Head north I think, probably to the imperial capital, maybe take a few employment opportunities in the baronies. Between here and there¡± she nodded along


    ¡°You said you would give me 500 gelding for helping you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, with that amount of coin you could live the rest of your life in comfort¡± I asked, did she want more?


    ¡°Would you prefer a thousand?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What? No¡± she sounded shocked.


    She took a deep breath and said. ¡°I don''t want coin. I want to learn magic.¡±


    Well, that was unexpected.


    I said with some sympathy ¡°Look Benny the ability to control ether is something you''re born with it''s not something that can be taught.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever demonstrated that you can control the ether?¡± I asked genuinely curious if she could.


    ¡°Da was a drunk he beat on ma sometimes when he got too deep in his cups. Once when I got angry and knocked him over?¡± she said. Her eyes were looking at a spot on the floor.


    ¡°Are you sure he didn''t just fall over? Did your mother see it happen? Remember you said he was drunk.¡±


    She shook her head and said. ¡°I knocked over some plates in the kitchen too.¡±


    ¡°How old were you?¡±.


    ¡°5 summers.¡±


    I considered that for a moment. It wasn''t uncommon for children with magical ability to project ether in a moment of stress. But this could easily be the delusion of a child.


    ¡°Everyone said that I was making it even mi mum, but I swear Moon I''m not lying.¡± She met my eyes and there was no wavering gaze. At the very least she believed it. I suppose this is why she was so interested in magic. Maybe she created a small gust of wind with air attenuation. I would have to test it.


    ¡°Sit there,¡± I said, pointing at the floor in the center of the room.


    ¡°Ok?¡± she said in confusion. I joined her sitting directly in front of her.


    ¡°One skill every mage must learn is how to see into the ether. If you have the ability to control it, then I will see fluctuations under the right conditions.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know how to control it?¡± she said.


    ¡°If you did in fact, use the ether as a child then we would have to recreate that same emotion. My fear and rage during the fight with the goblin is what I used. Close your eyes and think back to that day.¡±


    She followed my instructions.


    ¡°Think back to the moments leading up to him falling. Remember how you felt. Describe it to me.¡±


    I shifted my vision to the ether.


    ¡°He was drunk, the last bit of coin we had for food he spent on drink. Ma was upset, she threatened to leave with me. He got angry and hit her. She fell then he kept hitting. He kept calling her names ¡®worthless¡¯ ¡®trash¡¯ ¡®whore¡¯. I tried to stop him but I was so small and weak. I started screaming for him to stop hurting ma then he just fell over and some of the pots and pans above the hearth fell. I felt colder than in winter I fell asleep after.¡±


    While she was telling the story I could see it. The faintest flicker in the ether as her emotions took hold of her. It seems she was right; she could become a mage. This kind of fluctuation would never happen with a normal human regardless of their emotional state.


    I flicked my vision back to the real world to see her eyes were slightly red, but she forced down the tears with a will that I had to respect.


    ¡°Yes, you are right, you can become a mage?¡± Her expression brightened but before she became too excited I asked.


    ¡°Why do you want to become a mage?¡± I didn''t know where I was going with this, but I wanted to ask it.


    ¡°Ummmm¡± her eyes started to dart around again.


    ¡°Don''t think just answer honestly.¡± I didn''t really have a preference for her answer, but I wanted to understand her a bit more.


    She thought for a few moments then she pointed towards her backyard. ¡°Not 5 minutes¡¯ walk my ma and pa are buried. 10 minutes grandma and grandpa.¡±


    She said she thought for another few seconds and said. ¡°I don''t want to die in this forest,


    I don''t want to marry some village idiot and pop out children.¡±


    The words started to pour out almost unthinkingly. ¡°I want to see the capitol, meet people, fight in battles. I want to go places without fear and choose what to eat and wear. I want¡­¡­i want¡± she can''t seem to find the exact words for it.


    ¡°A sense of Agency¡± I said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that mean?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The feeling that you can control your life. That you can make decisions and control your own destiny. The belief that you have the ability to achieve anything.¡± I said , understanding how she felt. While my tale isn''t as tragic, I can understand the desire to control your one life.


    ¡°Yes, I want that. I''m just a peasant girl livin at the edge of a forest. With magic I can be more.¡±


    It was as good a reason as any to become a mage. Honestly any reason would have been ok as long as she didn''t say something like ¡®helping those who can¡¯t help themselves¡¯ or any other altruistic nonsense. While I''m not above helping others, I''m not going to sacrifice myself. Number one always comes first, perhaps she could be my number two?


    I decided to explore more.


    ¡°Decent reason but I will be honest with you and treat you as an adult and not as a child.¡± She nodded so I continued.


    ¡°I am not a good person, I''m selfish, power hungry, but my heart is not made of stone. I will not sacrifice my own health and safety for another without good reason. Honor or righteousness will never factor into it. I told you of the baron''s actions while I would never swerve the man again. Still, if I could do it again, I would make the same choices.¡±


    ¡°But you didn''t do any rapin and murderin right?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I did not. Call me a hypocrite if you must but some cruelties are beyond me. Either way I did not try to stop it. I had too much to lose. Remember I have killed over a thousand humans and will do it again for the right price. Training you will take years if you are unwilling to kill, either in defense of myself or yourself then you cannot travel with me.¡±


    I laid it out as plainly as I could for her. I don''t want her to have any false presumptions about my character or intentions. I gave her some time to digest that before I continued. If she truly wanted to be my apprentice, then she needed to choose me over any other options.


    ¡°You have done me a great service by helping me the past few weeks and I will repay you. If you wish, you may travel with me to the imperial capital where I can give you enough gold to live in luxury for the rest of your life. Entrance to a magical academy according to my own master is roughly 200 gelding. I can easily give you 1200 gelding when we reach any bank. You could live in safety and luxury in the capital, learn magic around people your age and maybe someday get an excellent position as a court mage. They make between 20 to 30 gelding a week just doing nothing. Remember the condition you found me in. My life will be dangerous and I don''t intend on settling down.¡±


    She sat there staring off into the distance contemplating what I said. I tried to make as enticing an option as possible to refuse me. I wasn''t lying, I would do all I said and take her to the capitol.


    ¡°I''m going for a walk up to the creak. Think about your options and come find me when you have made a decision.¡± She said nothing clearly deep in thought. It''s good that she is thinking about it. I would have doubts about her if she answered too quickly.


    I hopped over to my walking stick and left. There was a small creak about a half an hour walk from the house where she collected water. With my abilities she didn''t need to go there anymore. I sat on the bank doing some more healing work on my arm. At this point I had rebuilt everything above my elbow. And for my leg I finished my knee yesterday. It was slow mostly due to the complexity but all I needed was time. Over two hours later I heard steps approaching. I was anxious to learn what her voice was.


    She stopped behind me and said, ¡°I know why ye offer to take me to the capitol.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked curiously.


    ¡°Ye can''t trust someone who will jump ship for calmer waters.¡± She was correct. I said nothing as she continued.


    ¡°Ye wants loyalty, the kind you won¡¯t need to question.¡±


    Right again.


    She walked in front of me and met my eyes. Her green orbs locked onto mine completely unwavering.


    ¡°Can ye swear the same?¡± she said.


    That was surprising but fair on her part. Loyalty was a two-way street after all. If I want her loyalty, I must offer mine in return. This is acceptable, preferable even. We would have to see how things would progress, but I felt she was genuine. I thought of the etheric gems in my possession: air, earth, water. I thought about the Mithrite I had, and a plan began to take shape.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said simply.


    She placed a fist over her heart. ¡°I swear to you Moon that I will never betray yer trust. I swear I will take life for our defense. I swear I will follow yer lead, commands and wisdom as my master¡­¡­.. And friend¡±


    It''s lilting and clearly practiced but she looked as if she meant every word of it. I stood up and with some help from my walking stick. Placed a fist on my heart and said.


    ¡°I swear to you Benny, that I will never betray the loyalty you have offered. I swear to never endanger you recklessly. I swear that I will teach you to the fullest of my ability. I swear as my power grows so will yours. I swear that you will forever have my loyalty as your master¡­¡­¡­.. And friend " I added the same way she did.


    I sat back down, and she stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do though she had a broad smile across her face.


    ¡°What now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Come have a seat my apprentice.¡± she beamed and sat to my right, where my missing hand was. We looked out at the small creak and the setting sun.


    ¡°Let us begin with the question all mages ask themselves.¡±


    ¡±What is the Ether? ¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 33: The Apprentice

    It''s been 3 months since I started teaching Benny and only now, I appreciated how fortunate I was to have most of the fundamental understanding of natural philosophy, required to cast spells. Benny could not read, I discovered, and only had the slimmest understanding of numbers. So, the first 3 weeks of tutoring was reserved for correcting this. Once that was finished, we moved on to mathematics, sciences, and Etheric theory. 12 hours of each day was dedicated to study. The first 4 would be a combination of mathematics and the sciences. The next 4 would be Etheric theory. And the last would be spent on practicing control of the ether.


    For 68 days straight Benny studied diligently. Even when I suggested one day off a week, she rejected it. It was fortunate that I could bring up the texts I¡¯ve read, and the lessons taught to me by Garrett so clearly. We have yet to begin actual casting, but she was getting close. The last 4 hours of training was spent with her in the middle of the room and with my eyes shifted to the ether. I would monitor the progress she made gathering the ether and offer advice. She knew that once she could see into the ether the next step was spell casting.


    The hunger to learn drove her on, in order to minimize time wastage, I took up the job of cooking. She still was the only one to go into the village but every meal we prepared was by me. I wasn¡¯t a good cook by any means, but food was food. It was late in the evening, and she was in the center of the room once more practicing. I watched as she compressed the ether into a single sphere. Then I watched as she began to separate it into two. Then the ether fell apart as she lost her grip on it.


    ¡°Enough, time for practice has ended.¡± I said. She has been going for over 4 hours at this point and I refused to allow her to overextend herself. Dedication was good but overwork would affect her mental performance in the morning.


    ¡°But I¡¯m so close. Just a few more minutes.¡± Benny said, it was the same thing she said the last 3 times.


    ¡°No apprentice, you still have to practice more trigonometry in the morning, and I won¡¯t have you half asleep.¡±


    She knew that when I referred to her as an apprentice that I was being serious, and it brokered no arguments.


    She was slightly deflated, but she acquiesced.


    ¡°Yes master, so what¡¯s for dinner?¡±


    I have progressed my cooking skills from making slightly edible stew to edible stew.


    ¡°Stew and I reheated some bread. Come let''s go over a few things while we eat.¡±


    We sat down at the opposite ends of the small table where I ladled out healthy portions filled with meat. Now that she was eating so well, Benny managed to lose that slightly gaunt look that peasants tended to have. I made sure that she bought a variety of fruits and vegetables, so she had something close to a balanced diet.


    ¡°I''ve finished preparing the spell I want you to study.¡±


    I drew out the spell circuit along with all the supplemental information about the spell such as its underlying Etheric theory and Mathematics. It should be thorough enough for her to study and cast the spell herself.


    ¡°What spell?¡± she asked, through a mouth full of stew.


    ¡°Air Blast.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you have shown me that one.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t, when you can see into the either I''ll teach you this spell.¡±


    I resolved to not leave Floxum until she had at least one spell she could use to defend herself with. By the rate of her progress, I estimate she should be able to cast air spells in a few weeks¡¯ time. I decided to focus her mathematical learning on the aspects that would aid in her air spells. Once she had a few spells under her belt that she could use in offense or defense. I would work to fill in the gaps in her knowledge, so she can learn spells on her own.


    Though weeks of constant book learning had to be tiresome for someone so young so it¡¯s best that she get some excitement.


    ¡°How about I give you a demonstration tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°Yes Master,¡± she said, practically bouncing in her seat.


    The next morning, we broke our fast early and headed an hour into the forest. We found a reasonably clear area for a demonstration.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting closer and closer to finally learning casting so it''s time you see the true extent of a mage''s power. Power that you can wield sometime soon.¡±


    She stood next to me as I began casting. I created the spell circuit for air blast and overcharged it to the highest extent possible. The circuit began to emit white lightning as it began to approach instability. Benny had a mad smile on her face as she no doubt started to feel the ripples in the ether that came off the circuit.


    While Benny was studying to learn her spells the last few months I focused on speed. Now practically every spell I could cast and over charge in under a second. with the exception of the single shadow spell. I''ve also begun attempting to add a third spell circuit but that was slow in progress. I knew the human limit was four, I couldn''t even imagine the mental strain that would take.


    I released the blast. It flew a few hundred feet into the forest and detonated. A massive shockwave emanated from the center of the blast. There was a sonic boom as the pressure wave obliterated the earth and surrounding trees leaving nothing standing. The blast was so great that our radiant carapaces deflected the degrees even though I detonated the spell at its maximum range.


    ¡°Gods.¡± Benny said as she stared at the devastation.


    ¡°That Benny is true power, power that you will soon wield. All you have to do is see into the Ether.¡±


    I spent some more time showing her different ways that the spell could be used. Such as only releasing the blast in a semi-circle centered on the palm instead of an explosion. She was ecstatic as I sent a boulder flying hundreds of feet through the air with the spell.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back, I need to study.¡± She said her eyes glowed with determination.


    Before she was determined, now she was a girl possessed. Her hunger to learn that spell pushed her efforts to greater limits. Two weeks later while we were sitting on the floor of her home in the middle of another session of trying to see into the ether she got it. she gasped as her vision changed and lost focus.


    I started laughing and clapping remembering my first time seeing the ether.


    ¡°Excellent work my apprentice. You are one step closer.¡± I said, genuinely pleased with her results. She beamed with pride.


    ¡°It was so strange everything was blue.¡± She said,


    ¡°Indeed, that is how most see it.¡±


    She ignored me as she looked around the room observing things in the ether.


    ¡°Wow, you¡¯re so bright.¡± She said,


    ¡°Yes, creatures with higher potential for magic glow brighter. So do objects, now look on my bed.¡±


    She focused on my bed and her eyes locked on the pouch that contained my etheric gems.


    ¡°Bring it over.¡± She got up, picked up the pouch and gave it to me.


    ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡± she asked.


    I dropped the 3 gems into my hand. They all glowed a soft hue corresponding to its attenuation. Air a soft white, water a deep blue, and earth a golden brown.


    ¡°Are those etheric gems?¡± she asked,


    ¡°Ah, so you have been paying attention to my lectures.¡± She blushed since at times she would doze off in the middle of it.


    ¡°Yes, they are incredibly rare, the air I got from the drake and the other two were from Suncrest.¡±


    ¡°This and Mithrite are the key to making amplifiers. I intend to go to the capital and find someone who can make them¡± I said.


    I put them back into the sack, her eyes following them as I put them on the bed. I wanted to plant the idea in her head that if I made them all into amplifiers no doubt, she would receive the air amplifier as my apprentice. And that¡¯s what I would do, the more she proved her loyalty to me the more I would reward her.


    ¡°Now get to reading.¡± I said as I dropped the crude grimoire on her lap.


    Day after day Benny tried to assemble the circuit. So determined was she that she managed to convince me to allow her to focus solely on casting. She didn¡¯t take to controlling the ether as easily as I did. But hard work served as an excellent replacer for natural talent. Her greatest problem was the same problem I faced. Doubt. Her latest failure to stabilize the circuit drew some curses from her mouth.


    ¡°Take rest¡± I said. She kept opening and closing her fist, a clear sign that she was pushing herself.


    ¡°I know the sigils I know the math, but it just won¡¯t stabilize. How do I fix it? "She asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, you need to will it to stabilize.¡± I said.


    She looked confused as expected.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the things you need to understand. The most important part of spellcasting is your will. Do not ask the ether to stabilize, do not hope that it stabilizes, do not worry that it will fail. Doubt your abilities and control of the ether will forever be elusive.¡±


    She sighed and said. ¡°This is the hardest thing I have ever done, even seeing the ether was easier than this.¡±


    ¡°Until your confidence in your abilities is absolute you will never be a true mage. I know you can do it. It¡¯s about time you started to believe it. My best advice is to keep practicing. Repeat the process over and over until you lose yourself. Until there is nothing else but you and the ether, let the world fall away.¡±


    I sat down on the cold hard ground of the forest keeping a close eye on her circuit. She was close but had difficulty passing that final hurdle.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    A week later Benny stabilized the circuit.


    It took 93 days studying almost 12 hours per day to reach this point. Benny charged the circuit and there was a telltale pulse in the ether of the circuit stabilizing. She didn¡¯t even realize she did it. For hours every day for almost 3 weeks she was mindlessly creating spell circuits and dismissing them.


    ¡°You have it,¡± I said.


    Her eyes popped open in shock as she examined the circuit floating in the air.


    ¡°I did it¡± she said as if she didn¡¯t even believe it.


    I hopped to my feet in excitement and told her ¡°Now take aim and release.¡±


    Benny pointed the circuit at a random tree in the forest and released the spell. There was a pulse and the compressed ball of air collided with a tree a hundred feet away. It detonated, ripping a massive chunk out of its trunk sending debris flying everywhere. Slowly with the sound of splintering wood the tree fell over, crashing to the ground.


    Benny looked at the fallen tree in astonishment, as if she couldn¡¯t believe she was the one who had done it.


    I started clapping with a broad smile on my face and said. ¡°Congratulations apprentice Benny, you are now a mage.¡±


    She beamed at the praise then suddenly she rushed over to me and wrapped me up in a hug. Squeezing so tight that she lifted me an inch off the ground. I returned it awkwardly and patted her head.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She whispered as she released me.


    ¡°You¡¯re most welcome Benny, now start practicing you need to get that to under two seconds.¡±


    Three days later we packed everything needed for traveling, our plan was to get some traveling supplies from Fluxom and move on to Wigmore, the barony closest to Fluxom, Then Hearthaven, a small barony on the southern edge of Great Stormveil Sea which is what humans called the massive lake in the middle of the continent. From there we could charter a ship that could ferry us to the imperial capital.


    Benny and I stood outside her house, everything of value was packed into sacks that we intended to replace with proper bags in the village. Benny had a strange look on her face as she stared at her former home.


    ¡°I always hated this house. I¡¯m glad to be leaving it¡± she said. Her grammar was getting better though she still had that peasant lilt to her voice.


    ¡°Well considering you¡¯re never going to live here again you could always just¡­...¡± I gesticulated blowing up the house.


    A grin spread across her face as she agreed with the sentiment. It took three air blasts for her to level the entire house.


    ¡°I¡¯m nowhere near your strength, you could have blown that away without even overcharging.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where experience and practice comes in. Still can you imagine any human surviving even one of your blasts?¡±


    ¡°No, I imagine they would just die.¡± A small smile started to crawl across her face.


    ¡°Come let¡¯s head to the village, it¡¯s about time I saw Floxum¡±.


    It was a relatively small village of no more than 20 buildings all clustered together. It was too small for a tavern or inn and there seemed to be only one general store.


    ¡°Well, this is something.¡± I said, most of the humans were dressed in homespun clothing and had the gaunt half-starved look that the poorest of peasants had.


    ¡°Yes, it''s shite. Come on, I¡¯ll show you to the general store.¡± Benny said.


    The humans stared dumbly at me as we walked through the dirt street. They would give us a wide berth throwing questioning glances at Benny the entire time. I followed her to a wooden building with a sign so faded I couldn¡¯t even read it.


    An obese man of about 40 with a balding head and large bushy beard greeted us as we walked in. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t my best customer, what can I do for¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±


    He paused as he locked eyes with me. I was used to this, so I ignored him and began perusing the items on offer. It was sparse at best, composed of common things a household would need. Everything from kitchen utensils, seasoning, nails, clothing for both men and women, lined the shelves of his shop. As my apprentice it was her job to take care of things I couldn¡¯t be bothered with.


    ¡°We need clothes, good boots and food for the road and any cloaks you have.¡± Benny announced as if this was something she did often.


    ¡°Is that an elf?¡± The large man whispered to Benny, but these ears heard everything.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m his apprentice.¡± She said proudly,


    ¡°Apprentice what?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Mage,¡± she said.


    At this the man started barking out in laughter and this continued on for half a minute before he stopped. Clearly, he thought she was being ridiculous.


    ¡°Yer still on that Benny?¡± Benny grinned and summoned a spell circuit. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.


    The man¡¯s face drained of color he looked at Benny as if she was a dragon that suddenly walked into his store.


    ¡°Now about those boots.¡± Benny said grinning maliciously. I said nothing and let her have her fun.


    Half an hour later we walked out of town with more supplies that we actually needed. Benny practically robbed the man with how much of a discount she forced from him. Apparently, he was the one supplying us for the last few months and overcharged her with the pretext that he wouldn¡¯t let It spread that she had a source of coin.


    Benny had a satisfied smile on her face for the last hour after we left the town.


    ¡°Had fun, did you?¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah yes, he was a right prick to me for a long time. You¡¯re not upset are ye¡± she said.


    ¡°No, I couldn¡¯t care less what you do to some random peasant. I would have done the same.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a peasant too, you know.¡± She said,


    ¡°No, you are a mage and my apprentice. Do not demean yourself or feel bad about using your power to get what you want.¡± I said.


    ¡°So, because I have power, I should do what I want?¡± she asked, as if it left a bad taste on her tongue.


    ¡°Essentially, yes. The only ones who can stop you are those with more power. Why do you think nobles get away with so much.¡± I said.


    ¡°So power is the only thing that matters?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Knowing how and when to use your power is most important. If killing your enemy is more beneficial than showing them mercy, then kill them. The reverse is also true. Lie or tell the truth. Threaten or cajole. Purchase or steal. They are valid options. You must choose the right one and know how to manage the consequences.¡±


    She seemed to be contemplating my words as we walked along the dirt tail towards a main road that would lead us to Wigmore. The sun was high, and it was thankfully mild weather.


    ¡°Have you ever lied to me to get what you want?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve omitted things I¡¯m not sure you¡¯re ready to learn, perhaps in time you will, but everything I have told you has been true. I¡¯ve lied to everyone I have called an ally because I couldn¡¯t trust them. They had loyalties to people other than me. Gardenia, Sten, Breala, Sarah, they used me as much as I used them.¡±


    ¡°So, what made me different?¡± She asked.


    ¡°You have no one else in the world and neither do I. So, I can put my trust in you without fear of betrayal.¡±


    ¡°But you said that if something benefits you like stealing or lying you should do it. What¡¯s to stop you from throwing me away if a better apprentice comes along.¡± She asked.


    ¡°Loyalty would stop the thought from even entering my mind. I am honest with you because I want true loyalty to bloom between us. One that can stand the test of time. One that can endure through the hardships we may face. That is something beyond priceless.¡±


    She stopped walking. I turned to look at her curious as to why she decided to stop. She had an inscrutable expression on her face as I locked eyes with her. Then her expression turned into a smile, and she said, ¡°Ok master I understand now. There¡¯s us and then there is everyone else.¡±


    Then she kept walking leaving me slightly confused about what went through her mind. I shrugged and followed, at least she understood my intentions.


    A few days later we reached the gate of Wigmore. Over the course of travel Benny managed to learn all 4 air spells that I knew. Air Stream, Air Blast, Air Wall, and Air suction. Even she thought that Suction was useless. Now we were working on learning the primal and water spells since she didn''t know all the sigils.


    Wigmore seemed to be a poorer barony as the road leading to the gates were ill kept and there were no guard patrols. I didn¡¯t know anything of the ruler¡¯s reputation and Benny didn¡¯t even know if they were a man or a woman.


    The amount of humans increased the closer we got to the city. Many carried crude weapons and had suspicious eyes as we walked along the road. We waited in line at the gate for over half an hour before we got a chance to enter. The guards were dressed in ill kept armor, and they seemed to be taking tolls to enter.


    ¡°Look what we ere boys a knife ear.¡± One of the guards who were taking tolls said. I was considering how to handle the man before Benny blasted him with an air stream. He flew at least 30 feet through the air before landing hard on the cobblestone. By the way he was screaming in agony, no doubt he broke some bones.


    Everyone drew weapons after a momentary stupor, and some even drew crossbows. 15 guards surrounded us. Benny had another spell ready, seeming eager to blast someone else. It was amusing that most were pointing at her. With the radiant carapace on her they didn¡¯t have a hope of actually causing her harm. The peasants who were close by ran away as soon as they realized someone had angered a mage.


    ¡°If you Idiots don¡¯t want to die today, I suggest you fetch your guard captain.¡± I said.


    A few ran no doubt to fetch said captain. Benny seemed to be enjoying scaring them as they would shrink back every time she pointed at them. A few minutes later a woman in marginally better armor surrounded by the same guards that ran off approached us.


    She was a tall red-haired woman with angry gray eyes and what seemed to be a poorly healed broken nose.


    ¡°What all this mess.¡± She said angrily as she approached us.


    ¡°Captain Fennec this mage just attacked Carn.¡± One of the men said. At this point a few humans were attending to said man.


    The captain looked beyond angry then she turned her attention to us. She stomped forward until she was a few feet away from me ignoring Benny and her spell circuit. She was clearly braver than most.


    ¡°Why is my guardsman injured?¡± She asked me. She was all fire and fury with her words, but it did little to sway me.


    ¡°My apprentice blasted him with air, gravity did the rest¡± I said calmly. My nonchalant tone angered her more.


    ¡°Can you not control your apprentice?¡± she said.


    ¡°Your guardsman insulted me; she acted exactly as expected. It¡¯s not her fault the man was too much of an idiot to realize who he was insulting.¡± I said completely unapologetically. She looked ready to strike me. I just maintained my bored and unconcerned expression even as she breathed angrily.


    ¡°Now can we get on with our business Guard Captain my patience grows short.¡± She flinched at that statement. It was a threat that if she tested me, I would have to follow through with. She visibly got control of herself before realizing the situation she was in.


    ¡°How long will you be in the city?¡± she asked.


    ¡°2 maybe 3 weeks.¡± I said.


    ¡°You have one month if you¡¯re not gone by then I¡¯ll throw you out myself.¡± She said,


    ¡°And don¡¯t cause any more problems,¡± she added.


    ¡°So long as no one is stupid enough to call me knife ear the city will remain intact.¡±


    She flinched at the threat.


    ¡°Guard Captain, is there a bank within the city?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Of course, there is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be visiting so do make sure that we have access.¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer, just kissed her teeth, and walked away while shouting. ¡°Let them through.¡± A few guards followed behind her.


    ¡°You¡± I said looking at a random guard.


    ¡°Y-Yes Lady Mage¡±


    Benny sniggered, and I just rolled my eyes.


    ¡°Where is the bank and the best inn in the city?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh the bank is only a quarter hour walk up the road and the best inn is Drake''s Nest in the noble quarter.¡±


    The Bank wasn¡¯t in the noble quarter? That was strange. I shrugged and entered leaving the guards behind. Most of the cobbles that made the streets were cracked and needed repair, so were the buildings. Where the streets of Vernon were lively with vendors and merchants. Wigmore was tame as most merchants had burly guards giving people the stink eye. Beggars lined the streets seeking coin many of them being children and the elderly. The city was clearly an indication of a barony in decline.


    Since most people gave us a wide berth, I decided to ask Benny why she attacked the guard.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t approve of your attack on the guard.¡± I said to benny.


    ¡°But he insulted you?¡± she asked, clearly confused.


    ¡°What If I didn¡¯t want him attacked or I was planning to use him in another way what would you have to say to me then.¡±


    She paused considering my words.


    ¡°I have no problem with you putting idiots in their place, I would have done the same if not worse. But look to me first before you act, I¡¯ll give you a nod if I approve.¡±


    ¡°Oh, ok master I¡¯m sorry¡± Benny said.


    ¡°It''s a minor thing but do keep it in mind. ¡°I said.


    ¡°What if you¡¯re not around and someone insults either of us.¡± She asked.


    ¡°By all means do what you wish. Just make sure not too many people die in the process.¡± I said.


    Her eyebrows raised at my answer, seeming surprised. I didn¡¯t really want her to be paralyzed with indecision if I wasn¡¯t around to give her guidance. We walked up to the bank. It was the same stone building as both Suncrest and Vernon. But for whatever reason it wasn¡¯t built in the noble quarter. 30 minutes later we walked out with 500 geldings hidden in a crude leather satchel. Now I have a little over 11,000 in the account. Benny carried it like a mother with a newborn babe.


    ¡°So, what are we buying?¡± she asked excitedly.


    ¡°Some proper clothing and armor, I intend to enjoy a good week of luxury. Then I will look for a bounty or partner with another mercenary company for a single contract.¡± I said.


    ¡°Why? you already have so much coin?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple, really we need to get you some practice and you are going to take your first life.¡± I said.


    She played a bit as we kept walking.


    ¡°But before that we need to pamper ourselves, visit a salon or a spa and eat some fine food.¡±


    She perked up at the sound of that.


    ¡°Can I pick out my own armor?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Of course, as a mage we have an obligation to dress in overly ostentatious armor.


    How else would people know we are mages?¡±


    We walked towards the noble quarter and the guards at the gate let us through without even stopping to ask who we were. Soon enough I found Drake''s Rest. It was a large well-appointed building. As we walked up to the entrance a guard stopped us.


    ¡°Oi, we don¡¯t take no peasants here, go squat somewhere else.¡± granted our clothes were rather poor. Since I didn¡¯t know where a good dressmaker was, I decided to head here first.


    Benny looked at me, I smiled and nodded.

 Book 1: Chapter 34: The Raid

    The rapid knocks at my door was enough to know that it was Benny. Every time she had reached a new milestone in her abilities or had some pressing questions about magic I would hear those rapid knocks. Fortunately, she learned her lesson about barging into my room after catching me in the middle of the act with one of the serving girls.


    ¡°Enter Benny.¡± I said since I was already awake, she entered in a rush and had a broad smile on her face.


    After her display at the doors of the inn, the owner was more than accommodating and now Benny and I occupied two of the best rooms. It has been over a week since we have taken up residence here. In that time, we got proper clothes and were introduced to an armorer that could outfit us appropriately. I didn¡¯t really want to spend too much time here so making a set of armor from the ground up wasn¡¯t an option. So, we opted to have the already made sets modified to fit our frames.


    We both got fitted for a standard set of leather armor of decent quality, but the armorer lacked the resources to make it truly ostentatious enough to be called mage armor. After that most of my time was spent relaxing and teaching Benny magic. Benny enjoyed the amenities more than I expected. Now the girl walking over to me holding one of my crudely made grimoires in her hand was almost unrecognizable.


    Her hair was styled with many braids similar to noble women and she wore a well-tailored white satin shirt and dark blue pants. Benny pointedly ignored the naked woman sleeping next to me and said.


    ¡°Master, I have the water steam spell mostly figured out, but I don¡¯t understand exactly where the water comes from.¡±


    I suppose simply writing condensation was a mistake on my part. Sometimes I assumed she knew things that she in reality couldn¡¯t, but teaching was a learning process for me.


    ¡°All around us in the air is an uncountable number of water droplets too small to see. The air you breathe isn¡¯t made of one substance; it has many components. Focus on gathering those infinitely small droplets of water into one point. Think of clouds and rain, the dew on leaves and grass in the morning. All that water has to come from the air.¡±


    Benny spent a moment staring into nothing as she thought about the concept. At this point the serving girl whose name I never bothered to learn was waking. I motioned for her to exit quietly since I didn¡¯t want to interrupt Benny¡¯s thought process.


    ¡°Like the water outside a chilled glass?¡± She said after about a minute.


    ¡°Precisely, this process is condensation.¡± I nodded in pleasure as she seemed to be understanding the concept.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think on it, master.¡± She bowed and rushed out the door. ¡®Think on it¡¯ really means practice until she either collapses from exhaustion or successfully casts the spell. I¡¯m not sure when the bowing started but I wasn¡¯t going to turn away deference. I got dressed in my own fine white clothing with enough gold adorning my own fingers, neck and ears to make it quite obvious that was no peasant.


    I informed Benny the night before what my plans were for the day, so I left the inn on my own after breaking my fast.


    I headed to the gate for the noble quarter and the first guard I spotted I called over.


    ¡°Guardsman Come here for a moment.¡± His head twitched around like a startled deer and then he ran over to me.


    ¡°Yes, Sir mage.¡± He said promptly, I¡¯ve never met this man before so it¡¯s likely that word spread about me and my apprentice.


    ¡°Tell me, is there any mercenary work in the city?¡±


    ¡°Ummmm¡± his eyes twitched back and forth as the other guards seemed to shrink away from him.


    ¡°Maybe........I know the captain was hiring for some mission.¡±


    ¡°Very good, then escort me to your captain.¡± I said, the man looked around to his fellow guards for help. Apparently, he didn¡¯t want to abandon his post.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you, sir mage¡± another guard said. By the voice this one was a woman.


    I didn''t really care who escorted me. ¡°Fine, lead the way.¡±


    She started walking me down the streets back to the main road, I made sure to memorize the route.


    ¡°So, you plannin in joinin the raid?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Raid?¡±


    ¡°Some bandit gang¡¯s been cookin up trouble out east. Captain¡¯s plenty furious bout it. Putting together a raid on their camp she is.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. ¡°I said.


    This was an excellent first exercise for Benny.


    The guardswoman led us to the guard barracks and without delay the guards let us in to see that captain. Apparently, the local baron couldn¡¯t even afford to have a mage on staff, so Benny and I were the only mages in the city, which made us virtually untouchable. The guardswoman knocked at a door and a stern female voice I remembered yelled entered angrily.


    ¡°Enter.¡±


    She looked up at who had bothered her in the middle of paperwork and frowned as she saw me.


    ¡°What is now?¡±


    The guardswoman who escorted me here disappeared as soon as the door opened.


    ¡°I hear you are planning a raid on a bandit camp that has taken up residence in your barony. I desire to assist you.¡± I said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford a mage.¡± She said dismissively, not even bothering to consider the idea.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need coin. What I do need is some practice for my dear apprentice. Slaying a few bandits seems a good enough first assignment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s at between 50 and 80 men and women; most are deserters. I hired two mercenary companies to take part even then we¡¯re still half their number. Can you and your apprentice handle that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly going to be my apprentice functioning as magical artillery. I¡¯m a light mage so I can guarantee none of your guardsmen will die.¡±


    She looked skeptical. ¡°Healing I can understand but how are you going to stop them from dying from a slit throat mid battle.¡±


    That was when I smiled. On her wall was a crossbow so that would serve as an excellent demonstration.


    ¡°Is that functional?¡± I pointed to said crossbow.


    ¡°Yes¡± she said, her eyes suspicious.


    ¡°Fire a bolt at me.¡±


    She looked aghast.


    ¡°Explain¡± she said, seeming to not care for my theatrics.


    I sighed and answered. ¡°I have a spell cast on me that creates an invisible shield. Things like blades, arrows, and low powered spells can¡¯t pass through it.¡±


    Fennic didn¡¯t seem convinced but went over to grab the crossbow anyway. I raised a palm, and she seated a bolt and took aim.


    ¡°Are you sure of this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now please fire.¡±


    She fired the bolt, and it bounced off the shield surrounding my hand. I felt the ripple of force across my body as the kinetic energy was transferred to me. It fell to the ground and Fennic stared in shock.


    ¡°How many people do you intend to take on the raid on the bandit camp?¡±


    She recovered quickly and returned to her constant frowning. ¡°40 in total, two mercenary companies and some of my best guards.¡±


    ¡°I can cast this spell on every member of the attack force. With my healing and defensive abilities, your success is guaranteed all at no cost to you?¡± While I don¡¯t like working for free, the poor state of the barony was enough for me not to want to bother forcing her to pay me.


    ¡°You can cast that on anyone, and it can block magic?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Prove it then; cast it on me and show me that it can block magic.¡±


    Well, she certainly had more bravery than most normal people when it came to magic. I shrugged and cast the spell on her. She flinched as the barrier flickered to life with a golden flash then turned invisible. She examined her arm as if expecting to see it, however humans lack the sensitivity to feel the barrier around them.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± I asked, in the same moment I summoned a radiant bolt and aimed it at her.


    ¡°Proceed.¡± she said through thinly veiled nervousness.


    I fired and as expected the bolt connected with the shield and dissipated. The captain watched wide eyed as I fired five more each time the spell was deflected and dissipated.


    ¡°Are you satisfied?¡± I asked.


    She took a deep breath as if she was surprised, she was unharmed. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I do not care for this charity; however, while I no doubt cannot afford your prices, is there another service I can offer in exchange.¡±


    I rubbed my hairless chin considering. We intended to move north towards the Hearthaven barony, which was about a week¡¯s travel.


    ¡°I plan on traveling north to Hearthaven resources for traveling such as maps and provisions would be needed, do you know of any caravans heading north that accepts travelers.¡± I asked.


    She considered the idea for a few moments, occasionally nodding her head.


    ¡°Yes, one travels through bringing luxuries for the nobility from up north, I will see that you have the provisions needed. Return here in 3 days at high hour. The mercenary companies will be here by then and we will need to have a strategy meeting to go over particulars.¡±


    ¡°Very good then captain.¡± I turned to leave pleased with the outcome. I would not profit from this, but Benny needed the practice and that made it worth it.


    Before I left, I remembered my damaged sword and asked.


    ¡°Can you recommend a weaponsmith that can repair a sword?¡± I asked.


    She raised her eyebrow in confusion but shrugged and said. ¡°Yes, we have a smith among the guards.¡±


    Benny and I were dressed in our leather armor, they were both dark brown and brand new. The armorer did an excellent job modifying the set to fit our measurements. This set was not up to the standards of a mage and with the exception of their clear newness, they lacked the air of drama for proper mage armor. So, I opted to purchase some gold jewelry in the city to offset the plainness of the armor.


    ¡°Were the earrings necessary?¡± she said as we walked towards the guard barracks. Yesterday I found a lovely pair of gold teardrop shaped earrings that had small emeralds almost the same color as her eyes. Benny didn¡¯t have her ears pierced and found the process rather unpleasant. Even though she complained I would occasionally catch her admiring her own reflection. Now she looked like a young noblewoman who for whatever reason decided to take up mercenary work.


    ¡°You need to look the part, Benny. You may not care about such things, but others will. How you present yourself to the world is how the world will see you.¡±


    ¡°I thought power was the only thing that mattered?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, but power comes in many forms. Beauty, physical strength, prestige, wealth, magic, they all have their own purpose.¡±


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Benny pursed her lips and looked at me suspiciously. Usually, she would take my words as sage advice.


    She squinted at me, huffed then said. ¡°I think you just like being pretty.¡±


    I didn¡¯t respond.


    Sometime later we walked into the practice area behind the barracks where the guard captain was meeting with the two mercenary companies. The captain and two others, likely the leaders of the two companies, stood atop a wooden platform talking to each other all while around 40 men and women practiced swordsmanship and archery. Either sparring with each other, or with straw dummies.


    Heads started to turn as we entered the sparring area, the captain noticed the entrance and signaled for us to join her on the wooden platform. I ignored the stares as usual and climbed the few steps with Benny in tow. As we approached Captain Fennic said.


    ¡°This is the mage and his apprentice I was telling you about.¡±


    The other two were a large, bald man with a leather eyepatch across his left eye and a hard eyed brown-haired woman with streaks of gray in her hair. They both wore a similar mismatched combination of plate and leather armor with a sword and shield belted at their waists.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t say he was an elf?¡± The woman said.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± I answered.


    ¡°So long as our price doesn¡¯t change it doesn¡¯t.¡± the man said.


    Captain Fennic spoke up and said. ¡°Moon, this is Jorum captain of the Heavy Lancers and Evira captain of the Silver Rapiers.¡±


    I nodded to both.


    Evira spoke up as the introduction was finished. ¡°We have been briefed on your contribution to this raid.¡±


    She spoke in a respectful tone I found surprising. By the dubious glances from Fennic and Jorum this was surprising. Perhaps she has some more experience with mages than the other two.


    Both Mercenary captains looked at Benny quizzically, the man Jorum Laughed and said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of elven skill with magic, but you mean to tell me this slip of a girl is going to be our magical artillery?¡± He looked Benny up and down, his doubt clear.


    Benny stepped forward. she was twitching as she contemplated whether she should put the man in his place. Before anything else happened Evira spoke up.


    ¡°Sir mage to relieve any doubts about your accompanying us would you and your apprentice be willing to give a small demonstration of your abilities.¡±


    ¡°Very well. ¡°I glanced at the small area.


    ¡°I expect a good performance apprentice.¡± I said looking at Benny she nodded.


    A frown started to grow across Benny¡¯s face Benny stared daggers at the man and said, ¡°Let¡¯s do it out in the fields, less collateral damage that way.¡±


    While we headed out to the field outside the city for practice Captain Fennic briefed me on the plan. It would only take a day and a half to reach where her scouts managed to find the bandit camp. With magical support breaking through their meager defenses would be an easy matter. Though some members of the two mercenary companies had reservations about allowing me to cast spells on them. Hopefully these matters can be cleared up once we have finished these demonstrations.


    An hour later we were all assembled outside the city, Captain Fennic, Evira, Benny, Jorum, and I were standing apart from the rest of the small battle group.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s see it then.¡± The man said undeterred by Benny¡¯s constant glare. Usually, I wouldn¡¯t tolerate such behavior, but I wanted to see how Benny would handle him without any intervention from me. I half expected her to simply maim the man with a spell, but she was being reserved with her magic.


    Benny started casting an air blast pointing it towards a grouping of trees a few hundred feet away. She overcharged it producing a small crackle of lightning across the circuit. Then to everyone¡¯s surprise she pointed the spell at Jorum. She looked to me for approval which I gave in the form of a small nod. I didn¡¯t really care if the man lived or died. I could easily pick up the slack if half the company left.


    The man stared at the circuit stone faced seemingly undeterred, but I could detect the tension in his jaw and the small bead of sweat running down his brow. Then as the circuit began to approach instability, she pointed it a way and released the blast at the small grouping of trees. The concussing force of the expanding ball of hair made a deafening boom as the pressure wave tore trees from their roots and destroyed the surrounding earth. Debris rained down around us bouncing off our carapace.


    ¡°Well, what do you have to say, peasant.¡± Benny said, so haughtily she almost sounded like she was a born noble.


    The man¡¯s eyes were locked on the destroyed terrain then he flicked to Benny and nodded. ¡°I see my doubts were unfounded. Apologies my Lady but I needed to see if I could place the life of my men in your hands.¡±


    She huffed and walked away, though could see a blush rising on her face. She still wasn¡¯t used to people calling her my lady.


    ¡°Young but powerful, I would love to know how you two met.¡± Jorum said, much of his previous derisive tone was gone. Perhaps it was all just a ruse to see if Benny¡¯s abilities could be relied upon.


    ¡°Perhaps you can ask her?¡± I said.


    With a chuckle in his voice, he responded ¡°No, I¡¯ve nested my luck enough for today.¡±


    ¡°I assume you¡¯re satisfied then.¡± Evira said, sounding displeased at his antics.


    ¡°Yes, now let¡¯s discuss our approach, I want to get this done by the weeks end.¡± Jorum responded,


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get Benny; she should be here for this.¡± I said.


    I walked over to Benny who was standing in the crater her spell made. I guess she was comparing how much her abilities have grown.


    At my approach she looked up at me, seeming to be satisfied with the 15-foot-wide crater.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t end the man.¡± I said as I stood near the edge.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t really be worth the effort besides they will make excellent shields while I practice my spells in combat.¡± She said with a grin.


    I smiled back at her pleased with her response; that¡¯s exactly what I would have done.


    For the rest of the day the small army practiced drills on how to incorporate our magical power into the plan of attack. They took the shape of an elongated arrow Benny, I and 8 other archers made up the center rear of the arrow. Benny was closer to the font to allow her to have the most range. After a final day of rest, we began traveling towards where the bandits were encamped.


    According to Fennic¡¯s scouts they were encamped on the ruins of some ancient half collapsed watch tower. Their only cover was a ring of wooden spiked that surrounded the encampment as a makeshift fortification. I was mostly taking a backseat in this raid unless something really went wrong.


    A day later we were deep in the forest, the sun was high in the sky. It was a humid day, and I was drenched in sweat. It was endlessly useful that I could simply summon water whenever I was thirsty. After hours of marching in formation we finally could see the tower in the distance. It was only a hundred feet high and looked as if a spell destroyed the top third of the structure. As we got close, we could see the wooden spikes that surrounded the tower. There were hundreds of them likely made from the surrounding forest.


    Someone inside the tower must have spotted our approach and yelled an alarm.


    ¡°We have been spotted, get ready ¡°I said loudly.


    From only a few hundred feet away arrows started to rain down. There were a large number of them, but every member of the group had a radiant carapace cast on them. It took a large amount of ether, but this made the force largely impervious to arrows. It took another few minutes to reach the spike wall. The men kept laughing as the arrows bounced off the shield doing no harm.


    ¡°Now Benny¡± I said.


    She nodded and began casting and went up close to the front line. She had a shield as strong as mine so there was no need to worry about her safety.


    ¡°Make way idiots.¡± she said as walked up to the front.


    They cleared a space and for her she unleashed an air blast but changed the spell from a projectile to a concussive force that expanded out from her hand. The pressure wave blew apart the wall of spikes sending shrapnel towards the bandits inside the camp. From the screams no doubt many were injured. Then she retreated back as the rest of the group rushed in through the gap in their defenses.


    Inside there were at least 30 tents and almost a hundred people. Then the melee fight began and our front line met the bandit force. Battle raged ferociously as the largely unprepared bandit force fell to our better armed and armored force. With the radiant carapace cast on their bodies, attacks from the opposing force that would normally be fatal blows were deflected. There was cursing and shouts as the bandit realized there was magic afoot.


    Benny from behind our lines was caught up in the thrill of battle hurling ice spikes and air blast over the heads of our allies, blowing gaps into their formation and impaling archers or anyone who seemed to be trying to flank our force. Eventually some shields started to fade, and we started to get injured.


    The ones not in direct combat would pull them to me to be healed. I had no need to conserve energy, so I overcharged the healing light, so it took barely a handful of seconds before they were back to full health with a fresh shield. One man who had his throat slit simply stayed on the ground, seeming to not realize he wasn¡¯t dead after I healed him.


    I watched largely bored as the two forces fought for their lives. Men and women screamed and cursed as their blades bit into flesh. Benny seemed to be having the time of her life, she laughed as she blew apart another clustered formation of bandits. Mangled bodies flew in random directions as her spells detonated amongst them. I had assumed she would be hesitant or have trouble killing. I had speeches prepared in case she had an emotional breakdown, but there she was laying waste to the enemy force without so much as a second¡¯s thought.


    Perhaps I need to re-evaluate my understanding of teenage girls.


    When about half of the bandits were dead there were calls to flee into the forest. I wouldn¡¯t allow that, so I cast a shield large enough to encompass the entire area including the tower. The massive 500 foot wide was then strengthened to the point where nothing could escape. They still tried, however.


    There was some laughter from the two companies as they ran face first into the shield. Once they realized that there was no escape, swords and other weapons started to drop in surrender of the roughly 100 strong force; only 30 were left. Benny ran over to me with a broad smile on her face.


    ¡°Did I do good?¡± she asked with the same childlike enthusiasm she always did. Put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair.


    ¡°You were excellent.¡±


    she practically beamed at my praise.


    ¡°We should do more things like this. ¡°She said, seeming to be still hungry for more. By the way she was clenching and unclenching her hand she was getting close to her limit.


    ¡°If they have a good enough price we will, for now I just wanted to get your feet wet.¡±


    I glanced at the tower once again, now that I was closer, I noted that it didn¡¯t seem to match any design I¡¯ve seen. It must have been extraordinarily old. The entire structure looked as if it was carved out of a solid block of gray stone. It was at least 30 feet across at the base. The entrance to the tower was blocked by the rest of the collapsed structure. It would take some time for our group to organize both the loot from the bandits and get every prisoner moving so I decided to investigate the tower to satisfy my curiosity.


    ¡°Captain.¡± I shouted.


    Three heads turned to look at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to investigate the tower.¡±


    ¡°Very well but how are you going to get inside.¡± Fennic said, and the other two looked confused.


    I used the telekinesis spell to start moving the large piece of broken tower out of the way of the entrance.


    ¡°Ah I see, good hunting then¡± she said.


    Took well over half an hour of work before it was clear.


    ¡°I have to learn that spell soon.¡± Benny said as I finished.


    ¡°Not until you master all the water spells.¡± I said as I entered the tower. Benny followed close behind.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± she said as we entered.


    Inside was a completely barren circular room with stairs leading further up. I cast light so we could get a better view. Even inside the walls and floors were perfectly smooth gray stone. Magic had to be used to create this building. Near the back of the room behind the base of the spiral stairs was a metal door on the floor. I met Benny¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°We have to.¡± She said,


    I shrugged and used a radiant lace to burn the hinges. Then used telekinesis to float the door away. We proceed down the spiral staircase. Until we found another large metal door once again with a combination of radiant lance and telekinesis I opened the door.


    Behind there was a room about 80 feet deep and 10 feet wide. Along the sides were rows upon rows of armor on stands. By the sleek design and small form factor they had to be elven. Decades or even centuries have caused them to degrade and rust. Some racks contained weapons slightly similar to Lilians daggers but like the armor they were rusted and practically worthless.


    ¡°Some kind of armory?¡± Benny asked.


    ¡°I suppose, I do know that elves ruled this continent before humans arrived, so this is probably some remnant of their long dead kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Elven Kingdom? I thought elves didn¡¯t have kings or queens.¡± Benny asked.


    I suppose I have no reason to hide my being a royal elf from her.


    ¡°They were ruled by what were called royal elves, they were said to have the most powerful magic though their small number and betrayal lead to them being overthrown. Most died during said betrayal and the ensuing war. Only one royal elf, their last queen Sianna, remains within elven lands.¡±


    Benny squinted at me then said. ¡°And the last male is standing right next to me.¡±


    Then something clicked in their head.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you think they were the ones to try to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, some hunger for the return of their past glory, others would kill to keep things as they are. At least that¡¯s what Lilian said to me.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to rebuild the elven kingdom? I would help you if you wanted.¡± she said.


    ¡°No, the past is dead and gone. I care nothing for the elves and their aspirations. But that won¡¯t stop the matriarchs in power from either seeing me as a threat or a tool to breed with.¡±


    That thought still sent chills up my spine. Benny wrapped one of my arms in a hug and dragged me to the back of the room.


    ¡°Not to worry, master, I''ll protect your chastity.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at the ridiculousness of the statement. Though it is likely at some point I will rely on this child to do just that. What a strange turn my short life has taken.


    At the back of the room was armor that was clearly for someone important. It was more elaborate in its design but like the rest it was rusted and degraded, the leather straps barely holding it together on the stand.


    ¡°Well, it looks like that¡¯s it.¡± Benny said.


    Since there was nothing left to see I turned my vision to the ether. And scanned the room. There was nothing to be seen until I looked back at the armor. In the wall behind it there was something there. Tossing the rusted armor to the side to examine the wall.


    ¡°There is something there, move to the side a little.¡±


    Benny got out of the way as I examined the wall.


    I could see nothing but smooth stone. I used telekinesis on the metal door and slammed it into where I thought the object was. It took several tries before the wall cracked and fell in on itself.


    Behind the wall was a small room, more closet really, sitting on a pedestal was the most beautiful sword I have ever seen. Its sheath was decorated with a combination of white, silver and purple creating complex elegant patterns. The hilt was also made of silver and had dozens of purple gems embedded in the cross guard and pommel. The scabbard was attached to an elegant-looking sword belt made from white leather. It bore no signs of degradation or rusting which meant it had to be enchanted.


    I detached my old sword and immediately belted it on. I struggled with the strange buckles but finally tightened my waist and unsheathed the sword. The blade was a shocking purple and refracted the light making beautiful patterns about arm length. From the ether it simply looked like Mithrite, so I suppose some kind of treatment changed its color. Why is this here? To whom did this blade belong? What is its significance to elven society? Many questions echoed in my mind.


    As I admired the ancient enchanted elven blade. I had to imagine how stunning I would look if I had on my auction attire. As I settled on that mental image I had one prevailing question on my mind. Perhaps the most important question of all.


    ¡°Benny, how well does this match my eyes?¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 35: The Gift

    It¡¯s been a few days since the raid against the bandit camp. The captured bandits were tied with ropes and led to the guard¡¯s dungeons. Most were slated to be hanged for their crimes while others had bounties to collect. The loot was mostly in the form of coin and jewelry. The bandits seemed to be at it for a long time since our raiding party scavenged over 300 gelding and many jewels. In appreciation for our contribution and the fact that no one died or suffered any long-lasting injury they agreed to split the loot.


    I had no interest in the coin or jewels, but Benny decided to take as many rings as she could fit on her fingers. Now all 10 of her fingers were adorned with at least 1 ring, some had two or three depending on the ring¡¯s size.


    Today we sat in a field barely a few minutes¡¯ walk from the city, enjoying a picnic to pass the time until the trading caravan was to arrive, which was in two weeks. On a large blanket sat wines and cheeses, dried meats and an assortment of fruits and pastries. Benny, after stuffing her face, continued practicing her water magic which was still a bit lacking. One would think a child who''s life didn¡¯t extend beyond a small village and a cabin in the woods would have some issues with killing.


    But from all I could see Benny had not changed in the slightest. Surely someone of her age would show some outward change after slaying at least 30 humans. I would even listen in on her during the night to see if she had any nightmares. I was slightly disappointed that none of the speeches I prepared for an eventual emotional breakdown was used. Benny, I assume, was simply different from most normal humans. However, killing in the middle of combat was one thing. I had to wonder how she would react to my latest idea, since it was what most humans would consider murder.


    "Master, what is it?" Benny asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.


    "Hm?¡± said intelligently.


    "You''ve been staring at me for over 10 minutes, you only stare like that when you¡¯re agonizing over some decision.¡±


    Did I really? I¡¯ll have to keep that in mind; regardless, my current problem is whether she is ready for that evolution. Did I trust her enough to keep my unique status a secret? and what would she do once she had enough power to rival a journeyman or even a master mage. She still had a lot to learn but in terms of affinity and stamina she would be in a class of her own at least compared to other humans.


    Once she had this power, would she remain loyal and stay by my side? Or would she consider leaving once she had enough power to forge whatever destiny she wanted? I couldn¡¯t know with 100% certainty so now I am plagued with indecision. Time, however, is not in my favor. As the days pass, I will eventually reach the capitol. I could of course choose to live in obscurity, but I refused to spend my life living in fear. So, I don¡¯t have the luxury of years to build perfect trust. The elves and whoever else had bad intentions for me would not wait for me to get over these feelings. I took a deep sigh, fully knowing the enormous risk I put myself in revealing this to her.


    No more hesitation, I will move forward and deal with the consequences as they come.


    Benny seemed to be getting bored of my extended silence since I didn¡¯t answer her question. she sighed loudly then said.


    "I¡¯ll get back to practicing if you don¡¯t want to tell me now." I stopped her before she got up.


    "Tell me Benny, what would you sacrifice for power?" I asked.


    She sat down in front me, her green eyes locked with mine.


    "Anything." she furrowed her brow as if that answer didn¡¯t satisfy her.


    "Well almost anything." she corrected.


    "What exactly wouldn¡¯t you sacrifice?" I was genuinely curious.


    "Ummmmmm." she seemed embarrassed to say but after a few moments.


    "Well, I wouldn¡¯t sacrifice you or our relationship for more power.¡± She said, now she looked sure of her words.


    "Do you really mean that or is that what you think I want to hear?" My eyes were trained on her to see if there were any falsehoods. While I¡¯m not a great reader of humans, Benny was rather open with her emotions. Her eyes twitched back and forth as nervousness set in.


    "There is no right, or wrong answer, simply answer truthfully and clearly so I cannot misunderstand." I said to ease her nervousness.


    She calmed down, thought for a moment then she settled on an answer.


    "It¡¯s both, I know you want me to be loyal to only you and I truly don¡¯t really care about other people, and I¡¯ve never been happier and it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve ever felt like I have a fa-friend."


    From what I could see there was no deception. I¡¯ll just have to roll the dice and see how she reacts.


    "I believe you. So, know that what I¡¯m about to tell you is of the highest secrecy. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the threat it would pose if this became common knowledge."


    "I swear Moon, you can always trust me." She said it with such solemnity and conviction that I believed it, or she was perhaps an incredible actress.


    "I am a Unique mage." I said.


    She looked slightly disappointed. I continued before she could ask any questions.


    "I can see what I call life ether, to me it looks white, using it and my medicant knowledge I can heal almost anything without even casting a spell. "


    To ram the point home, I took one of the small paring knives we were using for fruit and stabbed my hand clean through. She was jolted in shock, but I raised a hand to forestall anything she would say.


    "A light mage could heal this injury, but the wound would scar and there would be permanent damage to underlying tissue. But with life ether I can rebuild the flesh and heal the wound perfectly"


    As I explained I healed and closed the wound with a small amount of life ether. Then I wiped away the blood to reveal perfect flesh beneath.


    "I can also alter the flesh of living creatures and command it to change and grow as a see fit."


    As I did it my hair grew by 6 inches. At this point it was well below my waist and needed trimming.


    "But the last and likely most dangerous power I have is the ability to take life from others and use it to strengthen myself. Take in too much and the body has to rebuild itself to accommodate the influx of power or die. I did it once and after that my magical abilities increased 3 or 4-fold. Before I was powerful but after. Light magic was as easy to use as breathing and my stamina increased to the point where I would be considered a master by human standards and it¡¯s still growing as I push myself to greater limits. This gift, I can also offer to you for the price of 3 or 4 human lives."


    Benny had her jaw hung open as I finished explaining it took another two minutes before she responded.


    "That''s why loyalty is so important to you, if this ever gets out. I couldn¡¯t even imagine the consequences. Wars could be fought over you and elven matriarchs.............." she trailed off as she considered the consequences.


    "Now you understand for the price of a few human lives I could turn any mage from average to a world class talent. If you were transformed by my power in time, you might even be a match for princess Morianne."


    As an air mage Benny wanted to know as much about her as possible. The stories I¡¯ve either read or heard about her were more ridiculous than the last. But all had the same message. She was powerful beyond all imagination.


    "Why haven¡¯t you done it again to get more powerful? Does it only work once?" she asked.


    "The amount of lives needed to create the transformation increases. The drake eggs had as much life as a human but after absorbing the Ether from them I didn¡¯t feel myself reaching that barrier. I¡¯m guessing I would need 30 or 40 lives to increase my base power by another level and it needs to be done all at once."


    "So, you just squeeze them like a ripe fruit, give their life ether to me and I get 3 or 4 times stronger?" she said.


    "Essentially yes, though you will experience more pain and suffering during the process than you can imagine. You saw me after my battle with the assassins. That pain was barely a pinprick compared to what I felt during my evolution."


    ¡°Can we do it today?¡± she asked, her eyes practically glowing with enthusiasm.


    Well, she certainly accepted it easily.


    ¡°We would need to find some humans to sacrifice for the process.¡±


    Benny responded quickly as if human sacrifice for power was a small matter.


    ¡°We can just grab a couple of peasants. They¡¯re plenty of homeless in the city.¡± She said as if the answer was obvious.


    There is something wrong with this child.


    Honestly, I wasn¡¯t really comfortable with the idea of kidnapping innocence and ripping their life from them to feed my hunger for power.


    ¡°I have a better idea and it''s best that it doesn¡¯t spread around the city that I¡¯m kidnapping humans off the streets. I¡¯m sure the guard captain and I can come to some kind of arrangement.¡±


    Benny and I walked into the captain¡¯s office after being escorted by one of her guards. Assistance with the raid was enough to buy some popularity amongst the guards.


    The captain, however, didn¡¯t seem excited to see us. The guardsman who escorted us left as soon as we entered.


    ¡°What can I do for you Moon.¡± Fennic said. She seemed primed to be annoyed by whatever I was about to say.


    ¡°You see, Captain, I intend to teach my apprentice healing magic soon and as such we would need humans to practice on.¡± I had a charming smile on as I spoke. But that seemed to do little to curb her suspicion.


    ¡°And?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Well, I know you have quite a few prisoners on your hands. I would like to test them. This would involve harming them then having my apprentice heal them. So, expect a significant amount of screaming or accidental death. 10 of them should do.¡±


    ¡°What? You will do no such thing.¡± She refused vehemently.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a matter of coin I¡¯m willing to pay say 20 gelding a head?¡± I asked.


    She stood up and slammed her palms flat on the table utterly offended at my suggestion.


    ¡°The answer is no¡± she sounded final.


    ¡°Would you prefer I practice on the citizenry. I¡¯m more than willing to grab some peasants off the streets.¡± I said, while I don¡¯t care for it, the lives of some random peasants were worth less than my safety.


    ¡°I will not allow it. Take your butchery someplace else.¡± She said,


    I sighed, very well then threats it was.


    I gave her a dead stare as I said. ¡°It¡¯s simple captain. My apprentice will get her practice. If you do not give me what I want I will take it. If you or anyone tries to stop me then you will all die, and I will get what I want anyways.¡±


    Rage billowed behind her eyes as I, in her seat of power, threatened the lives of both the citizenry and her guards. Unfortunately for her she had no ability to do anything against me and she knew it. She was just a human in the end. Her eyes lowered as she voicelessly acknowledged my superiority.


    ¡°At least 10 Young and healthy. If guilt plagues you choose ones that are slated for hanging. Have a carriage ready with their limbs firmly tied so there is no chance of escape. Best to not do this within the city. The screaming might become a problem. You can spin this however you wish to save face. ¡±


    She sat quietly, her hand clenching and unclenching; the woman really had some self-control.


    ¡°I want you and your apprentice gone when the caravan leaves.¡± she said firmly.


    ¡°Of course, captain. You have 3 days to arrange things.¡±


    I turned on my heels and left with Benny following behind.


    Once we left the guard barracks and returned to my room and Drake¡¯s rest we sat down at one of the desks in the room sharing a glass of some sweet wine.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s going to happen.¡± She said, staring into the dark liquid.


    ¡°Most likely, unless the captain decides to do something foolish.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she will?¡± she asked.


    I thought back to the guard captain¡¯s personality. She was a generally angry woman, but I¡¯ve never seen her let her anger take charge of her personal judgment.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely but not impossible, humans are foolish creatures who would rather break than bend.¡±


    Benny sniffed, and with mock offense said. ¡°Hey I¡¯m a human.¡±


    ¡°Most humans are foolish.¡± I corrected it.


    ¡°Besides, in a few days you will be as much more than a human.¡±


    ¡°What will it be like after I change?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than just an increase in power, you will be stronger, your senses sharper. Your mind is clearer. You will need very little sleep. That¡¯s what I assume at least based on what happened to me.¡±


    I downed the rest of my glass half wishing that I had a bottle of Gardenia¡¯s fine bourbon. I wonder how things are going in Vernon.


    ¡°While I¡¯m not sure about this, I assume you will also live far longer than most humans. Perhaps a few centuries.¡±


    That seemed to surprise her as she raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Really? Centuries.¡± she asked, sounding both confused and excited.


    ¡°Most likely yes, there will be no other human like you in the world.¡± I thought about all that I have seen of her both during and after the raid on the bandits.


    ¡°Though even without the gift that I will give you and your magic. I doubt there are many like you in the world.¡±


    Coughed, slightly choking on the wine she drank. She reached for a cloth to wipe her face.


    ¡°Do you really mean that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡± I said while refilling my glass.


    I doubt there were many her age who would kill with such ease. Noting Benny¡¯s silence, I looked up at her. She was using said cloth to hide her blushing face. Why is beyond me. I wonder what part of what I said embarrassed her. I shrugged, resolving that I will never truly understand the heart of a girl her age.


    A day later, a knock in the middle of the night broke me from my meditation. It was rather unusual for someone to bother me this time of night since the sun hasn¡¯t risen. Double checking that I had a radiant carapace on myself. I got out of bed and went to the door.


    Opening the door, I realized it was captain Fennic herself, looking angry as usual.


    ¡°Captain, what can I do for you? ¡°I asked.


    In a quiet voice she said. ¡°I have seen to your request, and it is best you leave with your test subjects under the cover of darkness.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow; it was rather fast and by the look of contempt in her eyes she did not like what I forced her to do.


    ¡°Very good, then I¡¯ll fetch my apprentice and get ready.¡±


    All lethargy rushed from me as anticipation built. I was more excited about absorbing more life ether than I expected. While Benny was certainly one of the motivating factors, I was mostly excited about feeling that rush of power again.


    Benny and I were dressed in our armor, and she carried a pack with food supplies for the next few days. She practically skipped in anticipation. Captain Fennic said nothing as she led us through the street to the gates of the city. Sitting on one side of the gate was a covered carriage. Gazing into the Ether I could see pass the covering to the tied and seemingly docile humans inside.


    ¡°Sleep shade?¡± I asked the captain.


    She looked confused for a moment then said. ¡°Yes, they should sleep for a few more hours. Dealing with them when they wake is your problem. Return the carriage when you return. The trading caravan will be here in 6 days. I expect you to be gone. If you are not gone you will be removed from the city. Damn the consequences.¡±


    The captain held my cold gaze, surprisingly I believed her. I suppose that some humans had a limit that once reached they would dig their heels in regardless of the consequences. I had no interest in decimating her guard force nor branding myself a criminal. I took out the 200 gelding I promised her she looked at the coin with disgust and spat on the pavement. I suppose that meant she didn¡¯t want the coin.


    ¡°Most of the guards believe that you''re collecting their bounties out east so stick with that story.¡±


    She walked away without another word signaling her guards men.


    ¡°She seemed angry.¡± Benny said.


    ¡°Indeed, come, let''s be on our way the sooner we start the better.¡± I said. watching the captain¡¯s back. Her reaction to the coin sitting in my mind. Was it so wrong to take coin for this? They were criminals and were going to be hung anyway. Is there really any difference between taking my coin or the states? Shrugging I put it out of my mind.


    We took the reins of the carriage and drove it through the gate. I decided that the old elven watchtower was the perfect place for this. When we were a few hours from the wall I stopped the cart. Looking around and stretching out my senses I couldn¡¯t detect anyone around us.


    ¡°What is it, master?¡± Benny asked.


    ¡°I suppose I should simply consume their lives now. No point in keeping them alive for the entire journey.¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah ok¡± she said awkwardly.


    ¡°Come, you should see the process for yourself.¡±


    I parked the carriage on the side of the street, and we climbed into the back moving the converting so we could see the occupants. As requested, 10 humans were sleeping strewn half-hazard on the floor of the carriage. There were 8 men and 2 women all seemed to be in their 20s.


    Before I started, I asked benny.


    ¡°Are you truly ready for this?¡±


    Benny looked at the defenseless humans, hesitation showing in her face.


    ¡°Not as simple as combat, is it? Make no mistake, Benny by most human law this is murder.¡± I needed her to know and accept the crime we were about to commit.


    Benny''s eyes darted about the carriage nervousness and hesitation taking root. Then she took deep breaths as she settled down. Her eyes slowed and turned cold then until her green orbs settled on me.


    ¡°But I won¡¯t be a regular human anymore so what do their laws matter?¡± She said, devoid of emotion.


    How can a child do that? In moments she went from nervous and hesitant to cold and calculating. I could almost, in her eyes, see the moment when these humans went from people with mothers and fathers¡¯ histories, hopes and dreams to walking bags of meat. Who¡¯s only use was to increase her power.


    Those eyes seemed so familiar.


    ¡°Start with that one, he was their leader I think.¡± She pointed to a young man, with brown hair and a well-trimmed beard.


    ¡°Very well my apprentice.¡± once more marveling at how ruthless this child could be. I suppose I''m not a very good influence.


    Once by one I rippled the life from their bodies. The ecstasy growing after each extraction by the time the 10th human, a pretty young blonde-haired woman died, I felt like a god. So much power was rippling inside me, still I wanted more. I took deep breaths to calm the growing hunger. Once I had myself under control I said to benny. ¡°We can burn the bodies once we get to the watch tower.¡±


    Benny simply stared at the 10 dead humans seeming to be looking into the ether.


    ¡°Do we do this here or¡­.¡± She trailed off.


    ¡°No, when we get to the watch tower, the little that bleeds off is negligible.¡±


    With the carriage it took less than 18 hours to reach the tower and another two to get all 10 bodies lined up to be burned. I gazed down at the now cold corpses. I thought I would feel some form of remorse for this, but I mostly just felt Regret. Not for taking the lives of the defenseless or forcing the captain to take part in it.


    It was regrettable that I didn¡¯t ask for more humans. I should have bargained harder.


    I released a stream of fire over the corpses, overcharging the spell until they burned to ash. The magical flames burned far hotter than normal fire and the massive plume made the process quicker than what was expected. I turned to my apprentice who was watching the process.


    ¡°Well apprentice, are you ready?¡± I asked benny.


    ¡°Yes Master.¡± She said her eyes filled with anticipation.


    ¡°Very well let''s go to the armory.¡± I took her by the hand and led her to the broken watch tower.


    We walked down the steps to the armory; I cast a few light orbs to fill the area with light. Once that was done, we sat in the middle of the room facing each other. I reached a hand out to her.


    ¡°Once you take my hand you will become something different, you will live a life most people would never understand or dream of. Are you ready, my apprentice?¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Master.¡± Benny said as she grabbed my hand.


    I started to push life ether into her in a great stream. Immediately her back arched her eyes bulged as the massive torrent of life ether rushed into her. The sheer ecstasy of the process was something beyond simple pleasure. Her body shook and moans escaped her lips as she absorbed enough life ether for a single person. Then I started to reach the barrier about halfway through the second life. Her face was currently drowned with ecstasy then she started to show worry. She probably felt it as I got closer and closer to the breaking point. It got more difficult to force more life ether into her. Then the barrier broke at almost two lives absorbed.


    I channeled more into her then cut off the flow.


    ¡°That was. Something¡± she said. she struggled to catch her breath and was twitching oddly.


    ¡°Now comes the pain. prepare yourself.¡± I said seriously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop the process, not even if I beg you for death. Ok master.¡± she said.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Her breathing slowed; her brow furrowed. No doubt she was starting to feel the burn. She groaned as the pain started to spread. I moved her to a wall since her mind was far too focused on the growing pain inside her. I sat behind her with my back to the wall and her back to my chest. Then I trapped her arms with mine in a hug and she rested the back of her head on my shoulder. Then I use life ether to examine the process.


    So many changes were happening inside her it was uncountable. Her muscles began twitching violently as if she was having a seizure. Then they began to tear. This ripped a scream from her throat that rang my ears. All over her body tissues were being destroyed and rebuilt Benny remained conscious for the entirety of it. I did have ideas about rendering her unconscious through the process, but I didn¡¯t want to introduce variables like drugs. I wanted to replicate the conditions I was under as close as possible.


    She started thrashing to get out of my grasp, but my grip was iron. Her screams of agony echoed in the large room as even her bones started to fracture and repair themselves. After over an hour of this I could feel the tears running down her face.


    ¡°No more¡± she gasped out.


    ¡°Please master no more,¡± she begged. A fresh spike of pain as several joints were dislocated and snapped back into their sockets, ripped any cohesive thought from her and the screams redoubled. I knew the suffering would be great, but this was something else to watch. Eventually the intensity of the pain grew to the point where even screaming required too much thought. blood ran from her eyes, nose and ears. At this point she could do little more than twitch.


    I actually started to feel regret, but I couldn¡¯t stop the process. I took a deep sigh as I smelled urine and from where I was sitting, I could feel it pool on the floor. This wasn¡¯t unexpected so I put it out of my mind. For right now I had to be there for Benny since she was in the final and longest stretch of the process.


    16 hours by my guess and the changes within her started to decrease. Fortunately, she fell unconscious but only after 10 hours of suffering. Still, I sat there holding her, refusing to leave for even a single moment. Slowly but surely her body settled down and her breathing became lighter. I looked at her blood and tear-stained face with sadness.


    I arranged her on the floor and began the process of removing her clothes. I cleaned her body with cloth and water, no point in her waking up to soiled clothes. I took her up to the main floor of the tower where I dressed her in clean clothes. Her skin was a bright pink like that of a newborn baby. Even now there were still changes but they were far deeper than I could understand. Once she was wrapped up in a bed roll by a small campfire, I began cleaning myself then started cooking our dinner. She would have some maddening hunger and thirst when she awoke.


    It took almost an entire day before she started to stir. I had been checking on her constantly. And from what I could see her transformation was similar to mine. We would have to see how her magic would improve. I still had most of the remaining life ether within myself. Though the pool of power that resided in me was comforting but its use was minimal.


    Benny jolted awake sitting up straight.


    ¡°Ahhh¡± she shouted as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of daytime. She blinked rapidly and started rubbing her ears, no doubt being bombarded by the signals from her heightened senses.


    I brought over some water.


    ¡°You will get used to it.¡± I said.


    Her eyes widened at the water skin, grabbed it from my hand and started drinking. After she finished, she said,


    ¡°That was worse than I could have imagined.¡± Her voice sounded hoarse, likely from all the screaming, but that too would pass.


    ¡°I know, how do you feel? ¡°I asked as I sat next to her.


    She took a moment to think, looking at her hands then her clothes. She looked at me, blushed as she realized I had changed her clothing. With a small shake of her head, she pulled back her sleeve.


    ¡°Different.¡± She took a deep breath smelling the air.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing. I¡¯ve never felt so powerful before¡± she said. she kept clenching and unclenching her hands. That¡¯s when I noticed how clear her skin was, all the damage over the years from years from sunlight, marks from scars were completely gone.


    ¡°Should I try magic?¡± She said, I¡¯m surprised that wasn¡¯t the first thing she did but it¡¯s best if she gets some food in her stomach.


    ¡°Not yet for now eat as much as you can and rest. Your change still isn¡¯t finished.¡±


    I prepared a bowl of stew for her. 3 bowls later she was finally satisfied. She looked barely aware of her surroundings.


    ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± I said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be here when I wake up?¡± she asked, her eyes already drooping.


    ¡°Always.¡±


    The next day Benny and I were walking through the woods deeper into the forest until we found a decently clear area. Benny walked with her head constantly twitching random directions as she picked up a sound or a smell.


    ¡°How do you do this every day, with ears like yours I bet it¡¯s even worse.¡± she said as the cry of some bird in the distance caught her attention.


    ¡°You learn to tune it out but yes my hearing is incredibly acute.¡± I said.


    ¡°Still, I feel amazing. I can''t wait to try some spells.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t wait to see the results. Finally, we reached the edge of the forest. It was a beautiful day with not a cloud in the sky. I admired the endless expanse of grassy terrain and the cool weather before the inevitable violence of Benny''s spells disrupted it.


    ¡°Start off small, get a feel for it.¡± I said.


    Benny nodded and started to cast an airstream. As expected, she cast it easily and from her palm a cone of air blasted out whipping up a frenzy. Then she stopped.


    ¡°I¡¯m barely even trying?¡± she whispered in confusion.


    She tried an ice spike, the shard of ice coolest from the air and rocketed off into the distance. She went through every spell she knew, constantly remarking on how easy it was. I had no doubt what spell she wanted to save for last.


    ¡°Push it to the very limit of your abilities. No more holding back.¡± I said I really wanted to see what she could do.


    ¡°Yes, master,¡± she said. a massive grin on her face.


    Then she started to cast an air blast. The spell circuit glowed brightly as she fueled it with ether. Then it started to overcharge, white lightning began to arc off as the ether started to concentrate. Still, she continued the circuit becoming even more violent as she reached then surpassed the extent of my abilities with air magic. 2, then 3 then 4 times my own maximum output. Then she released. The compressed ball of air flew almost 1000 feet, at least 3 times my own max range and detonated.


    The blast was as terrifying as Lira¡¯s Meteor. The massive pressure wave expanded at the speed of sound destroying everything in the surrounding area. Even a thousand feet from the center of the blast we were knocked from our feet as the significantly diminished wall of air reached us.


    I sat upright looking over to Benny who was shivering. I suppose that used most her stamina. The chill must have been severe. I thought back to that spell and wondered how many times in succession if I could charge that spell to the same level of power. maybe 10 if I put a number on it.


    But for all my monstrous magic stamina, air was not my main affinity so my spells would never match the extent of her abilities. I helped her to her feet, and we observed the devastation. For hundreds of feet the calm and grassy terrain was reduced to bare earth. The center of the crater I had to assume was at least 50 feet deep.It took a few minutes for debris to stop raining down. I could only imagine the death toll if that was released in a city. I glanced at Benny as she observed the amount of destruction she caused.


    Benny had a massive smile on her face as she admired the devastation. Then she turned to me, her almost glowing green orbs capturing my attention. I could see it, her desire to test her power, the hunger for more. The anticipation of seeing the heights she could reach. Only now did I finally understand why her eyes seemed so familiar to me on the carriage.


    Those were the same eyes I saw when I looked in a mirror.

 Book 1: Chapter 36: The Arlette

    I stood in front of the large mirror in my room examining my armor. The brown set of leather armor to my displeasure clashed horribly with the elven sword. The leather and iron buckles didn¡¯t match the purple, silver and white of the sheath. At least my hair was in proper condition, one of my first priorities once we reached Hearthaven would be getting another set of armor. Hopefully, whatever armor inside the city can man make me a set entirely in white set accented with purple and silver to match the sword belt and sheath. It would be a pain to keep it clean, but the price would be worth it. Regardless of how plain the armor was I still cut an impressive figure that screamed mage.


    A knock at my door brought me out of self-admiration. I had sent Benny into the city to get a few items for the road so no doubt that was her return. She took over an hour longer than I expected but it¡¯s not as If I was in a rush. The trading Caravan would stay for a few days and return north back to Hearthaven.


    ¡°Come in Benny,¡± I said loudly.


    My wonderful apprentice entered looking radiant as ever. The two weeks since she had gone through her transformation had had a marked effect on her appearance. Her skin was completely clear of blemishes, and I could feel the aura of power that surrounded her. Health being a large factor, her beauty had given her no small amount of pride that bordered on arrogance.


    Initially I had feared that once she had gained a significant amount of power, she would then question my leadership or disobey me. In the end those fears were unwarranted.


    Before she was loyal but now it borders on fanatical. Any behavior from those that didn¡¯t show me absolute respect was usually met with violence and she even killed a man who called me a knife ear. Granted the idiot was drunk, but that made no difference to Benny. The guard captain was rather upset at that but what was she going to do, arrest me? Now half the city feared her.


    Usually, I would try a more subtle approach but lately I found myself encouraging the behavior. Now most simper and bow to me to avoid her displeasure. I assumed this was sparked by the inevitable question that entered their minds. If the apprentice was such a monster, then what of the master that commands her. That lingering question was enough to cow most everyone I met. I won¡¯t lie, I have been enjoying it immensely and exploiting it ruthlessly.


    ¡°Master the trading caravan arrived earlier.¡± She said as she stood next to me in front of the mirror. By the looks of her she just came from a Salon. Her hairstyle seemed similar to mine.


    ¡°At least we look appropriate for the occasion.¡± Well-prepared armor and expensive jewelry were the two most important parts of the mage¡¯s ensemble in my opinion.


    ¡°Come let''s go see if there¡¯s anything interesting worth buying.¡±


    We headed out to the main street where the caravan was likely stationed. By the growing ocean of humanity that was flowing towards the entrance of the city the location of the caravan was obvious. Our names have spread through the city so anyone with sense gave us a wide berth. In the main square, taking up much of the roads, were at least 50 carriages, packed heavily with goods. Everyone from nobles to peasants milled around waiting until the merchants and tradesmen finished unpacking their goods and set up stalls.


    ¡°Here, go get something for yourself. Meet me back at the inn for supper if you can¡¯t find me later.¡± I handed her a pouch containing at least 50 geldings. She grinned and said.


    ¡°Thanks master.¡± She grabbed the pouch and skipped off towards the one of the stalls that were selling swords. She currently had my old sword belted at her waist while I wore the elven blade.


    Soon enough the main square was whipped into a frenzy. A long line formed in front of every merchant or transman, each had burly guards that gave peasants the stink eye if they got too handsy with the goods.


    These range from everyday items like pots and pans, to luxury items like jewelry, books, art sweets, one man even sold pets. Many of the creatures I couldn¡¯t give names other than bird or cat, their specific species were too odd. There was one gray bird that seemed to be an odd mixture between an eagle and an owl. It was at least two and a half tall with gray feathers and a pitch-black beak, its legs were as thick as my wrist. I skipped in front of everyone in line to get a closer look at the bird. Its eyes were such a deep brown they looked black.


    ¡°She caught your fancy sir mage?¡± the large red haired bearded man who was just finishing setting up his display of animals called out to me as I examined the bird.


    ¡°Yes, tell me what she is.¡± I met the owl-eagle creature¡¯s eyes as she tracked my movement.


    ¡°It¡¯s an Arlette only a year old with room to grow.¡± He said, the man pulled a strip of meat out of nowhere and the Arlette gulped it down whole. The feathers around its face morphed and she lost her owlish shape. I¡¯ve been wanting to test my abilities on animals and this Arlette was such an impressive looking creature that I had to have it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± I said as I reached for my own coin purse.


    The man seemed surprised but recovered quickly.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be¡­¡­¡­10 gelding Milord.¡± I assume he was overcharging me, but I didn¡¯t care.


    I took out said gelding without comment and handed it to the man.


    ¡°Does she have a name?¡±


    ¡°Ahh no, sir¡± he said as he began searching though his large carriage. Pulled out a sack containing strips of dried meat and handed it to me.


    ¡°This is enough feed for a few days.¡±


    After a brief discussion about how to care for the bird, I made my way to a lone bench in the middle of the square. The large cage was cumbersome, and the bird squawked indignantly as I jostled her about during the trip.


    ¡°Well, what shall I name you.¡± I tried to think of a few names.


    ¡°Cloud for the feathers. Not too predictable.¡± I gazed into her near pitch-black eyes and a word came to mind.


    ¡°Noire. That shall be your name¡± I liked the way it felt on my tongue.


    I stuck a hand through the cage, and she pecked at it. It took a few moments for her to calm down and let me touch her, finally, I had steady contact with a leg. Then I began channeling life ether into the bird. She stiffened, shook rapidly, her feathers puffing out then calmed down. It took almost no time to meet the familiar barrier. It took so little life ether that I suspected if I blew past it now the bird would die. As I pulled my hand away, she pecked at me gently.


    ¡°A bird master?¡± Benny said from behind me.


    I was so focused on her that I didn¡¯t notice Benny¡¯s approach.


    ¡°Yes, I wanted to run some tests on how my abilities worked with animals.¡± I explained.


    Looking at her I didn¡¯t see anything obvious that she bought. But I didn¡¯t really care.


    ¡°Did you do what we discussed yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yes master, the head guard for the caravan said that they would leave in 4 days. We have to either pay for room on the traveling carriages or provide our own¡± Benny gave me a mischievous grin as she continued.


    ¡°I gave him 10 geldings for him to arrange a private covered carriage for us. I made sure to show a little magic, so he knows not to screw us over.¡±


    I smiled; it was fortunate that I didn¡¯t have to bother myself with such mundane things.


    ¡°Excellent, we have just enough time for me to test a few things. Did you end up buying anything?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a few toiletries, a lovely necklace and some caramel sweets.¡± As she spoke, she pulled said items out of her bag. I shrugged, not really caring either way. I tried one of the sweets. It was an enjoyable combination but sweet, salty, and buttery.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head out of the city for a bit. I want to test a few things with Noire.¡±


    ¡°The bird?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, It an Arlette apparently¡±


    ¡°Strange name.¡± Benny said as we headed out.


    As we walked outside the city limits, Noir constantly pecked at the cage trying to get my attention. It was similar to how my horse acted. After some of the ether dissipated in the eagle¡¯s body I push past her barrier even if she dies it would be an interesting experiment. When we were an hour''s walk into the forest I began my test.


    Reaching my hand through the bars of the cage I came into contact with the large bird. She ran her head along my hand no doubt waiting for me to put more energy into her, and so, I did.


    I pushed past that barrier with little effort and pulled away. Within a few minutes the familiar process started. The bird staggered as if drunk and then released such an ear-piercing shriek that in reflex I covered my ears. Noir thrashed in the cage in abject agony. I did feel sorry for the poor creature but not enough to stop the process. After only a few hours the screeching stopped and the bird slumped awkwardly in the cage, seemingly unconscious.


    I opened the latch of the cage and took out the limp bird. I thought it was dead until I checked it with my abilities. Bird anatomy was unknown to me, but I could see the similar changes I observed within Benny happening with the bird.


    ¡°Well, that was unpleasant. What do you think will happen to it? " Benny asked.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t the foggiest, but I suppose it will just be a stronger bird.¡± I said as I put the bird back into the cage.


    ¡°Come, let''s head back, and prepare to leave.¡±


    The next day the bird awoke and as expected was ferociously hungry it ate through most of the dried meat that the merchant gave me. I resolved to just have the servants in the inn bring a freshly killed chicken. One thing I noticed from the bird is how it stared at me. As I walked through the room her dark eyes tracked me near constantly.


    Curious to see what she would do, I opened the door, and she stepped out. We locked eyes, her head twisted to the left and right like a dog. Unsure of what I should do I stared at her for over a minute. Shrugging I held out an arm and said.


    ¡°Come Noir.¡±


    With a single flap of her wings, she flew across the room and landed on my forearm. Her powerful talons used it as a perch. I had the distinct feeling that if she wanted, she could crush bone. Within the ether she was much brighter. Her head twitched to the door and her face feathers puffed out making her look like an owl. I could faintly hear boots that got louder as they reached my door, Benny walked in.


    Noir took an aggressive stance before I said.


    ¡°None of that now, Benny is a friend.¡± Noir¡¯s head twitched to me then she calmed down. It¡¯s almost like she understood me. As soon as she did, I poured some life ether into her. Her talons clenched for a second, then loosed.


    ¡°She could definitely crush bone.¡± I said to myself.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to train a bird, but I was interested to see how my power would affect her over the coming weeks. I gazed into her eyes again, and I swear there was some intelligence in them that didn¡¯t exist two days earlier.


    How strange.


    ¡°Well at least she is better now, I¡¯ve been overhearing some of the staff complaining about how many chickens she ate.¡±


    She had eaten at least 10.


    I didn''t care about the staff¡¯s complaints.


    ¡°How¡¯s the preparation for our coming?¡± I asked Benny since the caravan was slated to leave today.


    ¡°We depart in 2 hours, master.¡± Benny said.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Good, let''s head out to the caravan and see to our carriage.¡±


    As soon as we exited the building, with Noire still on my arm, she flew off into the air. She did a loud screech as she took to the sky. She flew off into the distance until she left the city. I had no real interest in owning a bird or carrying around a cage so this would be for the better. I had learned all I really wanted to over the last few days. I had simply just made a stronger bird, there were no noticeable fluctuations within the ether like with magical creatures such as the drake or the arctic quail from the auction.


    ¡°Hopefully she lives a good life.¡± Benny said.


    I shrugged, not really caring either way.


    We made our way towards where the caravan was stationed and gone were the large crowds. Most were in the final stages of packing up their goods or dealing with some last-minute shoppers. Benny led me to the middle of the caravan where a single guard stood in front of a covered two horse carriage. He nodded to Benny as we approached.


    ¡°My lady, my lord, I will be your driver,¡± He said and bowed as we approached.


    I didn¡¯t bother saying anything to the man and entered the carriage. It was decently sized accommodations with plush seats and the windows had curtains if I wanted privacy. Benny had a short conversation with the man before she entered and closed the door.


    ¡°We should be leaving in a quarter hour, Master.¡± She said,


    ¡°Very good here, I have a gift¡± I said as I passed on a newly made grimoire, I had completed the night before. It was for the telekinesis spell. Benny grinned and grabbed it out of my hand.


    ¡°Oh, thank you master, I''ve been dying to learn this spell.¡±


    I smiled approving of her eagerness to learn.


    ¡°That should be a good way to pass the time, don''t you think?¡± She nodded though I¡¯m not sure if she even heard me. The train of over 50 carriages slowly made its way out of the city. We travel at an easy pace only slightly above walking. While traveling alone would be faster this offered more safety. Over an hour into the journey the sun was just reaching its zenith, Benny and I sat in companionable silence as she studied the telekinesis spell and I read a book on the history of Hearthaven that I purchased from a merchant. A familiar loud screech interrupted the constant sound of horse¡¯s hooves, carriage wheels on paved roads, and distant conversation.


    Benny and I looked at each other as we both had the same thought. Pulling back the curtains for the caravan window I looked into the sky and after a few minutes I spotted her. Noire flew high in the sky seeming to be circling the carriage. After a few minutes she flew off and once again I lost sight of her.


    ¡°I guess she is following us?¡± Benny said.


    ¡°I suppose so, how she is tracking us is not sure, but my abilities could have done any number of things to her.¡± I whispered back.


    It continued like this for most of the day. We would hear a cry. She would circle for a few minutes then fly off. Finally, the sun started to set, and travel ended for the day. The caravan was led to a clear field, and all-around humans began to prepare for the night. Our driver prepared everything for us, so in the space of an hour we had a tent prepared for us to sleep in. After a small meal Benny, who was tired from constant practice, went to sleep.


    It seems that even though she needed less sleep than a normal human it was still necessary for her. I needed almost none at this point and resolved to practice magic through the entire night. It still proved to be difficult integrating a third spell circuit, and progress was slow. I assumed it would take me most of the year to finish. In the middle of the night a shriek sounded outside my tent. It didn¡¯t sound like it was from the air. I opened the flap and in walked Noir her beak and feathers were stained with a small amount of dried blood. I reached out my hand, she flapped and landed looking at me almost expectedly.


    Shrugging I channeled some more ether into her since I had plenty to spare. After a few minutes I stopped the flow and sat her down in a corner of the tent. I looked at her curiously as she prepared to sleep.


    Has she grown bigger?


    The cycle continued for over 10 days, most of the caravan stayed clear of the large bird that would perch itself on my carriage while traveling. Oftentimes when we stopped to rest, she would fly off and return with a kill. I watched as she devoured a vaguely deer looking creature that was as large as she was. Before I estimated that Noire was roughly 15 pounds but now she had grown to at least 35. She now stood 4-foot-tall and seemed to have an endless stomach. As she kills at least 3 times per day.


    ¡°I wonder how big she will get?¡± Benny asked.


    ¡°Not sure, from what the merchant said she would grow to about 3 feet tall in a few years. Now she is far bigger than that.¡± I said as she finished off the creature. The peasantry gave the bird a wide berth as they ran around doing whatever it is peasants do.


    ¡°Well, she is scary looking, I mean those claws.¡± Benny said.


    Before they were the size of a man¡¯s fist, now they looked like they could crush a man¡¯s skull. One peasant who got too close drew an ear-piercing screech from her that caused them to run off in fear. With one flap she took off into the air likely in search of another kill. Noire had an almost 10-foot wingspan.


    ¡°How is your training? ¡°I asked.


    She had been having some difficulty with the 6 axis controls, but it was mostly a matter of practice.


    ¡°Alright I suppose, I didn¡¯t think it would be so straining.¡± Benny said, while she practiced the telekinesis on her sword. It twirled through the air jittering in odd directions as Benny tried to regulate the controls.


    I spent some time giving her advice on what was the most optimal way to regulate the control system when I heard something in the distance. Tilting an ear, I could hear a faint rumble. While I would usually ignore strange sounds my ears picked up, the odd rumbling in the forest was oddly familiar. Most of the carriages were parked in a loose circle in the large field. Tilting my head I could tell that it was coming from the forest, the edge of which was around 500 feet away.


    ¡°Master is something amiss? Benny asked.


    I didn¡¯t respond as my mind finally realized why the rumbling sounded so familiar. Boots on the ground, hundreds of them running towards us. What is this an ambush? The sound grew in volume as the group got closer. I looked around and realized no one else had noted the sound. I gauged the distance. And cast a radiant shield on the entire group. Sounds of alarm sounded as all 50 carriages were covered with the shield.


    ¡°Benny inform the guard captain that there will be an attack. Hundreds of people are storming towards our location from the forest. We have a few minutes before they arrive.¡±


    Worry, eagerness, anticipation, a myriad of expressions ran across her face before she sprinted off. Not a minute later the guard captain and 20 men came running towards me, while all around civilians were being gathered and carts were being moved to provide cover. The guard captain was a middle-aged man who just started graying. I¡¯ve never interacted with the man, since I left all things like that to Benny.


    ¡°Sir mage are you sure?¡± the man said in a deep baritone.


    ¡°I assure you guardsman; these ears are large for a reason.¡±


    He looked up at the large shield that covered the entire group. Since he seemed to be out of his depth, so I said.


    ¡°My apprentice and I will kill them as they exit the forest. Have hour guards pick off any stragglers that get past us. Once I confirm that there isn¡¯t an enemy mage, I can finish off most easily. Have the rest of the humans gather behind and inside the carriages for cover.¡±


    He nodded, for the next 30 seconds there was a frantic rush as peasants guards and merchants scrambled to get to cover. By their haste they no doubt started to hear the sound of boots. Then there was the telltale pulse in the ether as a spell was released. There was a great cry of terror as shards of ice began to rain down from the sky. they crashed against my shield with a loud slightly metallic sounding bang.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold the shield against the mage, once the soldiers exit the forest get ready to counterattack like we practiced.¡± I said to benny. She nodded with a grin spreading across her face, her anticipation clear.


    Turning my gaze to the captain, I ordered.


    ¡°My apprentice and I will handle the majority of the attackers. Prioritize defending the humans from any that may slip past our notice.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, sir mage.¡± The man said and saluted me. He started barking orders and the rest of the 30 men got into formations spread out to cover our flanks.


    Then hundreds of armored soldiers exited the forest accompanied by another rain of ice that my shield head strongly against. Instead of the few dozen from before there were hundreds. There were great cries of terror from the peasants as they watched in fear as the man-sized spikes of ice exploded against the shield. The noncombatants held children close as they hid under the carriages. I could hear faint prayers.


    Now that the rain ended, I dropped the shield and instantly Benny responded. The space of 3 seconds she released 2 air blasts that detonated in the middle of the rush of men. The explosions instantly killed over 50 men and many more flying. Almost in the same instant that her spells were released I began raising the second shield. As a massive spire of ice erupted from inside the forest crossing the over 500-foot distance and colliding with the shield. This was a far stronger spell than before draining a significant amount of stamina from me. As strong as it was, they would need dozens to drain my stamina.


    ¡°Target their location with higher strength this time.¡± I ordered Benny.


    Once more I dropped the shield as she responded. I gave her an extra second to overcharge the spell and she released it. Again, as we practiced, I raised the second shield. The rush of bodies didn''t stop though and a 20 or so managed to get within the barrier a radiant lance and getting and a well-placed arrow by one of the guardsmen ended all attackers.


    Benny¡¯s spell detonated near the location where we saw the spire of ice originate. This detonation was at least twice as large and killed even more soldiers than her initial attack. This blast was enough to break them and soon enough there were calls to retreat. There was no response from the mage, but I held the shield until my ears informed me that they completely retreated from the area.


    The fight barely lasted two minutes, there was an early silence only punctuated by the heavy breathing of the peasants behind us. The massive spire of ice from the mages last spell cracked and broke apart under gravity. That was enough to break the tense silence that had fallen over our group.


    ¡°That was random.¡± Benny said.


    I strained my ears but could hear nothing in the distance.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re gone.¡± I said and dropped the shield at the same moment. The captain walked over to us and said.


    ¡°My thanks, I have never seen magical combat before, but it was as terrifying as the stores suggest.¡± He said as he glanced at the massive shards of broken ice that littered the area where my shield held.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s usually quick and violent. It is fortunate that we were here. Who knows what would have happened to you all otherwise.¡±


    Eventually the terrified people exited their carriages and crawled out from their hiding places staring slack jawed at the large amount of ice that littered the area.


    ¡°My apprentice and I will examine the forest to ensure that there are no ambushes. Prepare the rest of the carriage for travel. It is best that we head to Hearthaven with maximum haste. If you can grab any survivors as prisoners no doubt whoever is in charge would want to know what happened here.¡± I ordered, once more the man saluted me and ran off to just that.


    Benny and I walked towards the battlefield largely ignoring the dozens of dead and mangled bodies. Once we were far enough that we wouldn¡¯t be overheard, Benny asked.


    ¡°Why are we checking the bodies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m mostly searching for the mage, hopefully you managed to catch him in that blast.¡± I said. from the cover of the tree lined I couldn¡¯t see them.


    ¡°Oh right¡± she said, realizing my intention.


    Occasionally, we would come across dying men picking out one that seemed unconscious but reasonably healthy. I gave him a quick heal so he wouldn''t die. I signaled to the guard captain to take this one as a prisoner. The rest I ripped their lives away while pretending I was checking for a pulse. Eventually we reached the location of Benny¡¯s second blast. I looked around but none of the bodies we found had the ostentatious armor common with mages. So, I had to assume he or she had escaped. Glancing around at the broken bodies I noted that they were not armored with the random assortment of leather and scavenged plates that most bandits wore. Instead, their armor seemed standardized like that of an army.


    ¡°Well Benny, it looks like we just stumbled in the middle of some conflict.¡± I asked as I examined the emblem of one of the soldiers, it looked like a two headed drake.


    Benny walked over and examined the same emblem. ¡°I¡¯ve no clue who it belongs to.¡±


    I smiled as a thought occurred to me.


    ¡°I know that smile, what are you thinking?¡± Benny asked.


    ¡°If there is one thing, we know about Hearthaven is that they are wealthy. Originally, I saved these human¡¯s lives as an excellent way to introduce ourselves to the city.¡± I said.


    Benny finished my thought. ¡°If there¡¯s some war coming no doubt whoever is in charge would want our services. How much do you plan to change?¡±


    I considered for a moment how much coin I would want to have in the bank before I reached the capital.


    ¡°15 thousand a month and any magical items of our choosing. No doubt whoever is in charge has many magical items in their treasury.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you charge the baron 5000 a month? Do you think they will go for triple that price?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible that they will refuse, in that case I will simply move on to another barony, maybe to their enemies.¡± I got up and brushed off some dirt from my armor.


    I breathed in the cool spring air excited at the profits that will come to me. hearing a groan, I noticed a young woman in armor she seemed to have badly broken legs from Benny¡¯s attack. She was splayed on the ground staring up at the canopy above. She had pitch black hair and eyes so brown they looked black. Behind the mask of dirt and pain she clearly had a lovely face.


    ¡°Please help me.¡± she begged. Benny and I walked over and stared down at the woman.


    Benny looked at me and asked. ¡°What do we do with her?¡±


    I considered interrogating her for information about the attack but that was a lot of work that I couldn¡¯t be bothered with. No doubt I would find out all I needed to know once we reached the city.


    I gave her my most charming smile, kneeled down and laid a hand on her cheek. She seemed almost enthralled by my eyes.


    she asked once more through the pain. ¡°Get me to a medicant please.¡±


    Without another thought ripped the life from her. Her body thrashed madly as it tried to fight the flow but in a few moments she was dead. Her once lively black eyes were dim and empty.


    I looked over to Benny,


    ¡°How about a quick refresher.¡± I said as I extended my arm.


    Benny grinned understanding my meaning,


    ¡°Yes master.¡± I cupped her face much in the same way as the woman. I gave her half the life ether that I collected from the injured soldiers. A cry above brought my attention to Noire who preached on a branch and was watching the entire process. I didn''t even hear her land.


    ¡°Ahhh I¡¯ll never get tired of that,¡± Benny said.


    Once I was done with Benny, I said to Noire.


    ¡°Fine, come on then.¡± She leapt down and landed on my forearm. She has gotten heavier now. I had to guess she was about 35 pounds. As I funneled life ether into her and at around 2 lives worth of I reached the second barrier. Reaching that barrier for either Benny or I would take dozens of lives so I might as well see what would happen to Noire if I pushed past it a second time.


    ¡°Go somewhere safe before the pain sets in¡± I said to noir. One thing I noticed was that she somehow understood my commands. So, she took off into the air, her flight lacking the powerful grace she usually had.


    Benny and I watched as she flew away almost drunkenly.


    ¡°What do you think will happen to her?¡± Benny asked.


    I wasn¡¯t sure but at the very least I could extrapolate what would happen to me or Benny when that happened.


    Finding that many people to fuel the transformation would be a problem. A thought came unbidden to me. In wars there would be many prisoners I considered deeply if I should add that to my price. I igonored any moral implications of such an action and settled on my decision.


    I shrugged they were just humans anyways.

 Book 1: Chapter 37: The Baroness

    We were only a few days out from the Hearthaven capital. Once we started to pass constant guard patrols it became less of a worry that we were going to be attacked. This led to our pace slowing down, not that I minded, riding in a carriage on rough terrain was rather uncomfortable.


    The reactions from most of the caravan were as expected, a combination of fear and appreciation for our actions. My cold personality didn¡¯t invite people to thank me in person, so Benny was used as a mediator. Even though she killed far more than I did, her sunny disposition was far more approachable. I didn¡¯t mind, but it was a pain dealing with a carriage littered with gifts of gratitude.


    While I didn¡¯t care about their gratitude and found it a mostly annoying chore, Benny was having the time of her life. She had what I can only describe as a fan club of young women her age and younger that followed her around and attended to her every wish. I had to assume that it was the parents of the travelers and merchants that prompted them to approach her with friendship, Benny¡¯s charm did the rest.


    She shamelessly showed off her abilities to them and that made them even more fanatical in their worship. I suppose having someone of your own age and sex be so powerful must be endlessly fascinating for them, since even the guards and older men bowed to Benny. In a patriarchal society such deference was not shown to women of common birth, but Benny was no commoner anymore and her power and position as my apprentice demanded respect. She was falling behind on her practice, but she had earned a few days of relaxation, so I didn¡¯t bring it up.


    I was left mostly alone, a fact which I was grateful for. Most of my interactions were with the wealthier merchants and the guard captain. I watched in mild amusement as Benny entertained her gaggle of young women by levitating a carriage 10 feet off the ground. The girls clapped and begged her to show them even more magic.


    From the corner of my eye, I spotted Anor Debray approaching me. He was the owner of at least two thirds of all the carriages in the caravan. Anor was an obese with a man of average height with blonde hair that ended at his neck. His beard and mustache, which were usually clean shaven, were just starting to grow in. If not for his weight he would have been a rather handsome human man. Over the years Anor grew his trading business with Wigmore, catering to the nobility by transporting expensive goods. The rest of the carriages, not owned by him, had to pay a percentage of their profits to him or travel alone, since all the guards worked for him.


    A ruthless businessman he may be, but he was one of the few people amongst the caravan that I had any interest in conversing with.


    ¡°Anor, how do you do?¡± I said as he approached.


    I was sitting in front of my carriage enjoying a bottle of wine that was one of the many gifts of gratitude. Anor, who didn¡¯t seem to care about dirtying his clearly expensive clothing sat next to me on the grass.


    ¡°Fair enough my guardsman say we will reach Hearthaven within two days.¡± He said.


    ¡°Good, I grow tired of traveling. Any idea what Baroness Hearthaven will do once she gets word of the attack?¡±


    From the few left alive after their failed attack, we learned that there were actually two other baronies involved. One was Cedwain to the east and Blackhall to the west. Baroness Hearthaven controls most of the southern coast of the Great Stormveil Sea. So, she effectively had a stranglehold on the over lake trade routes, which was far safer and faster than traveling over land. The two other baronies were technically in vassalage to her. But it seems that they have grown weary of her significant taxes on imports. Her stifling of trade is one of the reasons that Wigmore was so poor in comparison.


    ¡°It might be a war on 3 fronts, while the Baroness is enormously wealthy from her taxes, she doesn¡¯t have the army to fight off such an invasion.¡± He said.


    ¡°Do you think Wigmore will throw their lot in with others?¡± I asked, with her being the largest contributor to their decline. it''s likely that they would.


    ¡°Hm, I think so,¡± he spat to one side.


    Then continued. ¡°It¡¯s disgraceful, they break their oaths for no reason other than envy and greed.¡±


    I doubted that he was so noble. One thing I learned from the other merchants is that her heavy taxation on trade only applies to those she either dislikes or doesn¡¯t control. By the Mithrite and diamond encrusted earrings and rings Anor wore, no doubt he is one who benefits significantly. His jewelry alone would have been valued in the thousands, so his caravan would be a prime target for capture for an army in need of coin.


    ¡°What do you think of her chances of victory?¡± I asked.


    This was the first time I saw concern come across his face.


    ¡°We could hold out in a siege but what¡¯s to stop them from cutting off trade. Even worse we would be facing 6 mages. Where the baroness has only two, herself and a young man barely older than your apprentice while the baroness is powerful the young man is¡­¡­¡­.underwhelming.¡±


    Then with a curious expression on his face as if the thought just now occurred to him. He turned to me and said,


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be willing to do mercenary work, would you?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, however, the price is what most humans cannot afford.¡± I said baiting the question.


    ¡°What would be your price? I assure you the baroness has more coin than most.¡± He said.


    It''s ¡°15,000 Gelding per month with the initial month paid in advance to my account with the Bank.¡±


    His eyes widened at the price, I continued.


    ¡°I would be willing to lower my price to 10,000. In exchange for magical items.¡±


    ¡°What kind of magical items?¡±


    ¡°Grimoires, Etheric Gems amplifiers or other magic items that are interesting. Coin is good but I have no great need for it.¡±


    Anor rubbed the shadow of hair on his chin considering. Then after a few moments he responded.


    ¡°I have some connections with the upper nobility, if I mention your names and your abilities no doubt, she would be willing to meet your price. Hells, she might even summon you to her keep within the day.¡± He seemed to be in good spirits about the idea.


    ¡°If the baroness desires my services, then she must come to me, I will not be summoned.¡± I said.


    I had no interest in catering to human nobility and now that only the most powerful of mages could match our power, I could ignore her summons without much worry.


    ¡°Sir mage she is of the peerage it would be unseemly for her to come to you.¡± He said reproachfully.


    So, he views the baroness as being above me. I suppose this is expected thinking for a human. Regardless, this needs correction.


    I gave him a dead stare to drive home my point.


    ¡°Listen to me Anor, I care nothing for the human aristocracy nor its customs. I am not one of her subjects to be ordered or summoned. You would do well to never forget this.¡± I finished with a threat. To make sure he understood that I was displeased that he decided to place the baroness above me in his mind.


    ¡°I see, Apologies.¡± He said.


    I continued on as if he didn¡¯t insult me.


    ¡°I can be practical Anor. So long as I am paid handsomely, I can pretend to defer to her in public, so she does not lose face. But that is only after I am paid.¡± I said.


    I had to give some leeway for them to at least maintain public appearances. But only after I have been drowned in gold and magical artifacts.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure she understands your character. If this isn¡¯t managed properly it could end in devastation, could it not.¡± Anor said.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± I responded.


    ¡°In that case you will have to have proper lodgings to receive her.¡± I raised an eyebrow and nodded for him to continue.


    ¡°The Dawnflower is the best inn in the city. There is also a restaurant that many of the nobility attend, including the baroness, though rarely. Tables are usually booked months in advance. If she decides to come see you, perhaps you could converse there.¡± He said hopefully.


    I smirked as the man tried to navigate the arrogance of two mages. I suppose I could extend the olive branch.


    ¡°I have significant business to attend to. You would have to make sure that it doesn¡¯t conflict. So long as I am free a meeting would be acceptable.¡± I said.


    Anor licked his lips excited that I finally agreed to something. No doubt he intends to use this as a means of raising himself up. Afterall he is the only connection I would have in the city. Well, if he wanted to use me then so be it, so long as he doesn¡¯t cause me problems I¡¯m willing to look the other way. A thought occurred to me; Anor might as well be useful to me.


    ¡°Anor my apprentice and I need new armor, clothing, and a few luxuries here and there. We would need someone to show us around and I am severely lacking friends within the city. Do you have any suggestions on who to go and who to stay clear of.?¡±


    Being seen as a friend to a powerful mage would no doubt bring him some prestige. It''s a tossup if me being an elf would help or hurt. Regardless, the momentary confusion gave way to a sly grin as he understood the meaning of my words.


    ¡°Leave everything to me Sir mage, I have many connections in the merchant circles. There¡¯s even an enchanter within the city I could introduce you to.¡± Anor said.


    Now that was an interesting prospect perhaps I could see enchantment work in person for the first time. Maybe he could even create amplifiers for me.


    I reached out a hand to Anor.


    ¡°I think we will be good friends Anor¡± he reached out a hand and we shook.


    ¡°And please call me Moon. Tell me about the Baroness, first thing first, what kind of mage is she?¡±


    Two days later we finally entered the city. Unlike Wigmore, Hearthaven was beautiful. The streets were packed with people all lively going about their business. There were merchants a plenty, selling everything the heart could desire. The streets were clean and from what I could see there was a constant guard patrol.


    ¡°Now this is a city.¡± Benny said as she and I looked outside the carriage window.


    ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s even more lively than Vernon.¡± I said. In the distance I could see the large keep of the baroness. It was behind high walls so I could only see the top of the buildings. Deeper still and we would reach the docks and wharfs which I intended to visit at some point. Honestly if there wasn¡¯t some impending conflict, I would have simply enjoyed my time exploring the city.


    I sat back down and enjoyed the leisurely pace as we made our way through the city. Benny had her eyes glued to the passing scenery. I hoped I could get all I wanted done before whatever conflict would occur. I at least wanted a week of leisure before going to business.


    The carriage eventually broke off from the rest of the caravan and continued further into the city no doubt to the noble quarter where the Dawnflower was. Eventually it stopped and the door opened. I was greeted by Anor¡¯s smiling face. Behind him was the inn, to say I was impressed was an understatement. The building was massive and took up almost the entire street. It was made of white stone and was over 3 stories tall. I didn¡¯t manage to hide my admiration of the beautiful building.


    ¡°So will this be suitable?¡± Anor asked.


    I glanced at Benny; she was eagerly nodding at me.


    ¡°Yes, I think it will do just fine.¡±


    One Week Later


    I walked into Etheric Sundries, a shop within the noble quarter that was run by the local enchanter. Unfortunately, he wouldn''t be able to have him make an amplifier for me. According to Anor he was a washout from the Imperial Academy of Enchantment, so his skills were subpar. He made his living enchanting weapons and utensils for the nobility. He couldn¡¯t do much more than make them magically sharp and durable. Still at the very least I would be able to see it in person. This is why I carried Benny''s sword with me.


    Benny was busy practicing magic, so I was on my own for this. A bell rang as the door opened. Inside the small shop there were shelves lined with every kind of tool imaginable. Hammers axes, kitchen utensils, if it can be magically hardened or sharpened it was on a shelf. Of course this included weapons. A young man, probably around 20, sat behind a counter. It was rather early in the morning so there was no one else in his store. He perked up as he saw me walk in.


    I had gotten a dressmaker to make me proper clothing of white and silver with hints of purple to match the sword. I replaced all my jewelry with silver and amethyst to properly fit the color scheme. In my full ensemble I cut quite an impressive figure. I still followed Gardenia''s advice to dress in a way that made my gender ambiguous to those who didn¡¯t know me. I had long since stopped caring about humans being confused.


    ¡°Ah good day, Not often do I have one of the elven grace my humble store.¡± The young man said politely.


    He stood up and made a small bow. Under his worker¡¯s apron he wore a brown tunic, and his brown hair was tied in a loose ponytail.


    ¡°Greetings.¡± I said as I approached.


    He eyed me up and down with a frankness that would have been impolite.


    ¡°Good day Sir mage I am Tahn would you¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± he broke off introductions as his eyes locked on my sword.


    ¡°My word, what is that?¡± he said pointing at the elven blade.


    ¡°An enchanted elven blade, I Stumbled ON it, is some ruin in the south.¡± As I said that, I drew the blade. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he saw the purple Mithrite.


    ¡°How?¡± was all he managed to say.


    I¡¯ve never actually drawn the blade in front of anyone other than Benny. So, I was interested to see how an enchanter would react to it.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t a clue I¡¯m a light mage not an enchanter.¡± I said as I sheathed the blade.


    ¡°Still a blade like that could fetch a fortune, I¡¯ve Never even heard of purple Mithrite, what kind of chemical process could have altered its color. Perhaps it''s an alloy? The Enchanters association would kill for something like that.¡±


    He looked at me as if I had answers, but I just shrugged.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Ah my apologies, I assume you¡¯re here to purchase something or seek my services.¡± He asked though his eyes never left the sword at my belt.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve come to have this blade enchanted. If it is acceptable I would like to watch the process. I¡¯ve never seen it done before.¡±


    The young man¡¯s eyes flicked to the sword I was carrying.


    ¡°That''s no problem, Standard Hardening and Edge Protection as well as Anti-rust and Anti-tarnishing?¡± He asked.


    ¡°That will do.¡± I said.


    ¡°Very Good, the price will be 400 gelding, 150 if you can provide your own Mithrite.¡± He said.


    Quite the price but I wasn''t going to lower myself to haggling. Reaching into a hidden pocket in my overcoat I pulled out a single ingot of Mithrite.


    ¡°Would this be enough?¡± I asked.


    He looked at me as if I had two heads.


    ¡°I could do 10 swords with that much Mithrite. Where did you get your hands on so much?¡±


    ¡°It was payment for services rendered.¡± I said simply.


    He gave me a curious glance and said, ¡°You are the strangest individual I''ve ever had walk into my store.¡±


    He breathed out a sigh and continued.


    ¡°Come. Let''s go around back to my workshop.¡±


    I shrugged, rather confused that he was so willing to show me the process. One would assume that such things would be kept in secrecy. He led me to a room filled with strange instruments that I couldn¡¯t name. In the center was a crucible. One side of the room was an area for sharpening and cleaning knives or other metal tools. The other had, what I had to assume, was an enchanting station. Lined along the wall were hundreds of small metallic stamps that had groves on each side they could lock together. Each letter was lest that a quarter inch in size.


    ¡°May I?¡±


    He followed my glaze to the wall of tiny stamps.


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll start on the Mithrite and prepping the blade for enchantment. It needs to be cleaned and treated first.¡± I handed him the Mithrite and the blade. Again, he showed no hesitation with me examining the objects.


    Going over to the wall I removed one of the stamps and examined the letters. It was the Etheric Sigil for compression. I examined one after the other, noting that some of them were mathematical symbols, numbers, but most I couldn¡¯t recognize. Half an hour later after I had examined every stamp, utterly bewildered by how it would work.


    ¡°Alright I''m ready.¡± Tahn said.


    ¡°Could you explain the process?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Certainly.¡±


    He started by pointing to the wall of stamps.


    ¡°All enchantment is made by bonding Mithrite to the object being enchanted. Like Spell circuits, once it is charged with Ether it can produce an effect. Every enchantment is unique to the object. Its mass, weight, density, chemical composition all has to be accounted for. In sequences of 8 I will bond the mithrite laced symbols to the blade while charging it with ether. The hardening aspect, for example, takes 40 stamps to create. Using a combination of Etheric symbols mathematics and ether manipulation in an art called sigil weaving we create spell scripts that loops back unto itself recursively.¡±


    He placed the Mithrite ingot in the crucible and with a pulse within the ether, I watched as it started to melt. I suppose this is why enchanters were most often mages with affinity too poor to create spell circuits.


    ¡°This recursion absorbs a small amount of ambient ether, essentially making the enchantments self-powered and permanent, so long as the spellscript isn¡¯t damaged.¡±


    So, at a theoretical level it was similar to enhancement spells like lighten but making it self-powered and permanent. I was curious to learn the process but from what I knew it would take months if not years.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost like a second language. There are many different forms of Sigilweaving. Essence-Focused is the most common and what I am currently using.¡±


    Then he poured the molten Mithrite into a small mold, Tahn assembled 8 stamps locking them together. Then Placed them into a strange looking hammer. He dipped the tips off all eight stamps into molten Mithrite. He poured ether into the strange looking hammer and the Mithrite on the tips of the stamps bonded with the blade of the sword as soon as the hammer made contact.


    ¡°There we go, Now I only need to do that around 20 more times.¡±


    I watched for almost 2 hours Tahn silently as he worked. By then there were over 200 individual stamps of mithrite along the blade in strange patterns. There was also a strange line of mithrite that connected clusters of spellscript to others. Without a complete understanding of how these unfamiliar symbols worked deciphering what it''s actually doing would be impossible. Now I understand why he didn¡¯t care about me watching the process. It would be like hiding spell circuits from an average human.


    ¡°There we go, and it''s done.¡± Than said. With a final pulse of ether, the enchantment was charged.


    From within the ether the entire blade glowed proving that he did in fact enchant it. I gave him the 150 gelding he asked for and he returned the smaller ingot of Mithrite to me. I examined the blade and compared it to my elven one. From within the ether, it was clear that they were both enchanted, but the elven blade was significantly brighter. Probably due to being made entirely of Mithrite. Though I had to wonder how elves enchant items since there was nothing similar to spellscript to be seen anywhere on the blade or handle.


    Tahn stared at the blade hungrily then said.


    ¡°Best to keep that blade away from other enchanters. They will hound you constantly for its secrets. Enchanted elven artifacts are worth their weight in diamond.¡±


    I had no interest in selling the blade but still it was nice to know it was so valuable.


    ¡°Tell me Tahn how would one procure an amplifier, and what would it cost?¡±


    ¡°You would have to be a part of a magical institute in good standing and apply for one with the Imperial Overseer¡¯s office. It requires a Master Enchanter¡¯s skill. As for price anywhere from 3000 to 10000 gelding depending on if you already have the materials.¡±


    ¡°Are there any less official channels?¡± I asked in a whisper.


    Tahn licked his lips and hesitated.


    ¡°There are some in the underworld with the skill to make them, however they¡¯re incredibly illegal, since the Empire likes to control what mages have them. As to how you get in contact with them I haven¡¯t the foggiest idea.¡±


    ¡°What is the sentence for having one?¡±


    With some humor in his voice, he said.


    ¡°Death¡­¡­¡­.. For the enchanter at least. As for the mage with an amplifier it gets complicated. How exactly do you arrest an amplified mage without major casualties.¡±


    ¡°I see your point.¡±


    I sheathed Benny¡¯s sword and tucked the Mithrite ingot away. I gave him another 20 geldings for services rendered.


    ¡°It''s best I get going. I have several more appointments for the day.¡±


    I turned to leave; before I made a single step he said.


    ¡°If you ever find yourself in the Capitol There''s a brothel called Cassie¡¯s Cavern in the peasant quarter, rumors are that many in the underworld visit there.¡±


    Well, at least I had somewhere to start.


    ¡°My thanks.¡± I said as I left his store.


    I had to consider if getting an amplifier is worth the potential trouble. Spotting a cozy caf¨¦, I decided to sit down for a small lunch and tea to consider my options. For some reason, the closer I traveled north the more tense I got. Now I plan on traveling to the seat of power for the Vendalian empire. Only a single gigantic lake stood between me and whatever destiny awaited me there. There were definitely elves within the city and it''s not as if I could ever be inconspicuous with my looks.


    What would their reaction be? coercion? Execution? I couldn''t know with any certainty and who actually tried to have me killed in the end. There are still aspects to my abilities I need to explore. I had hoped that Noire would turn up at some point, but it had been over a week since then. It''s entirely possible that she died from the change or simply wandered off, I couldn''t say for sure.


    Then there was the baroness, the more I learned about her the more concerned I was about how much leverage I really had. Apparently 6 years ago she was officially recognized as a journeyman Earth mage, so there was no telling what her current abilities were. Assuming she kept up her training she could be well on her way to being a master. Then for some reason or another she decided to get married and had a son Who had just turned 5. Her husband died of some unknown disease, so she returned to her home barony where her father named her as primary heir. That story seemed far too suspicious for my taste.


    There were Too many unknowns, too many guesses to be made. Then there was her city, it was clean and well secured, every guard was dressed in exceptional armor, even the ones who guarded the lower quarters. Things were not lining up.


    I finished the rest of my tea, ignored the remaining pastry, and made my way to the armorer to finalize the designs for my and Benny¡¯s armor. For whatever reasons she wanted Her to be as close to mine as possible with the exception of a metal breastplate. It only covered the upper part of her torso and had a literal breast, minus the nipples, modeled into the plate. She also opted to get shoulder, arm and waist guards that were more decorative than functional.


    Her final design was certainly stylish and eye-catching, but its practicality is questionable. In the end it didn¡¯t matter. If an enemy got close enough to actually need armor for defense, then the layers of leather and chainmail along with a radiant carapace would be more than enough. The white leather would be a pain to keep clean but that was a sacrifice I was willing to make to satisfy my vanity.


    Hours later I lounged on a large plush couch nursing a glass of strong bourbon in my room. Benny and I shared a room meant for visiting nobility. Apparently, most nobles couples didn¡¯t sleep in the same bed so the suite was divided into two sections. It was of course beautifully appointed with gilded furniture and lovely servants that waited on our very wish.


    Anor made as much effort as possible to be seen in public with Benny and me. While his tactics were obvious, he was a gracious host that I found to be decent company. As for Benny, she acted as if she had been a noble her entire life and ordered around servants as if she was born to do it. Once she realized I approved she took up the task of dealing with servants for me. The fear she inspired was quite amusing to see. Though her domineering did not extend to the young women on staff.


    I was nearly half asleep when Benny walked into the room.


    ¡°Anor is at the door. Should I bring him in?¡± Benny asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said downing the last of my drink.


    Soon enough Benny brought the rotund man to the smoking room.


    ¡°Ah Moon, good to see you''re available.¡±


    ¡°What is it Anor?¡±


    ¡°The Baroness had agreed to dine with you at sunset to discuss business, are you willing?¡± he asked though his eyes were pleading with me to accept.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Wonderful, she wishes to dine with you alone, though your apprentice may attend as well if you feel it necessary.¡±


    Was that a test?


    ¡°Will she have company?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, the Baroness will attend alone so her guards will remain outside the restaurant. It will be only you, her, and the gods for witness.¡±


    In that case bringing Benny would not be ideal.


    ¡°Very will Anor I will prepare to dine with her. You may leave¡± I said.


    As soon as he left the room Benny said. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not coming.¡±


    It''s good that she caught on quickly.


    ¡°No, it would just make me look weak. For now, you¡¯ll be my escort so dress in your full armor, while I''m with the baroness I want you to get a measure of her guards. Remember to reveal nothing, not even the tiniest of details.¡± I said to her,


    ¡°Yes master.¡± She said looking excited.


    Probably because she got to wear her armor for the first time.


    I dressed in an outfit similar to my auction ensemble layers white and purple with an overcoat cinched at the waist, except this time I wore no gold jewelry only silver and amethyst. The only thing that is neither silver white or purple was the single mithrite ring that I wore. It was a short walk to the restaurant, barely a few minutes, so no need for a carriage.


    Benny looked less like a mage and more like some warrior princess from some fantastical story. She drew almost as much attention as I did.


    As Benny and I approached there were at least a dozen armed and armored guards. One young man Anor told me about was a mage in dark red armor.


    An older gentleman approached us. He bowed to Benny, and I then said. ¡°Good day Sir Mage the Baroness has been waiting for your arrival if you would follow me.¡±


    Benny was eyeing the rest of the Baroness¡¯s entourage. I gave her a nod as I allowed the man to lead me inside.


    There were no other customers around and as I entered the large main dining area, I noted that there was only one table with two chairs.


    And there sat the Baroness.


    A bit of anxiousness crawled up my spine as I got a closer look at her. It wasn''t her lovely face, or her steel gray eyes that gave me pause. Nor was it her Golden hair or the lovely red evening gown that hugged her figure. It wasn''t even the thousands of gelding worth of jewelry that adorned her hair, ears, and hands.


    Around her neck was the single most powerful etheric gem I had ever seen. It took me a few seconds to realize that it was an Earth amplifier. The staff one the earth mage was at least a 3- or 4-times amplifier. This gem was at least twice as strong. How exactly in all the information given to me about the Baroness was this not mentioned? I immediately revaluated how much leverage to bargain I actually had.


    ¡°Greetings Moon Please sit.¡± she said gesturing at the seat across from her.


    Dammit she took advantage of my hesitation to get the upper hand. Now I technically followed her orders and sat down.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure Baroness¡± I said as I sat down,


    With a charming smile she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to finally meet the elf behind so many rumors. I must say you are even more comely than they suggested.¡± with a small signal from the baroness. A servant brought over a bottle of wine and filled two glasses. As soon as she left, I said.


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment. What else do the rumors say?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Most talk about the strength of your magic and healing. I assure you it is all flattering, though I¡¯m sure the late Baron Vernon would say otherwise.¡±


    So, she knew about my displeasure with the baron. Wait? Late Baron Vernon? Does she mean what I think she meant?


    ¡°Is the baron dead?¡± I said in confusion.


    ¡°Indeed, it was quite the drama. It seems his drinking and whoring finally got the better of him.¡±


    The baron was the picture of health when I last checked even if he spent the last several months in a drunken stupor. I pumped enough life ether into him for it not to matter.


    ¡°You doubt?¡± she said. then continued before I could answer.


    ¡°You¡¯re the first who didn''t take that news at face value, tell me what is it about your healing that makes his death so unbelievable to you.¡±


    She was walking me into a trap. If I said the wrong thing, she could figure out that I¡¯m a unique mage. But strange healing alone wouldn¡¯t be enough for someone to figure that out with any certainty. I had to deflect it with the only defense I had.


    I need to guard my expressions more.


    ¡°My skills far surpass that of most humans, though your magic has its uses it¡¯s a bit primitive.¡± I said, trying to mimic how Lilian would approach this conversation.


    ¡°So, its elven magic? is it odd that an amnesiac can retain such skill, but I can¡¯t say I¡¯m familiar with your kind¡¯s abilities, tell me the moment you woke up in that forest has a single word out of your mouth been true.¡±


    Well then it seems she knows a lot about me, was information gathering the cause of her delay?


    Don¡¯t let it faze you, Moon. This is a good way to steer her away from the truth. She is clearly searching for some hidden truths. I might as well give her a victory to sate her appetite.


    I sighed pretending as if she caught me in a lie and was unburdening myself from it.


    ¡°Oh, I really do have memories missing but I did embellish the details quite a bit. With my looks and power, exploiting human greed was an easy way to get all I wanted.¡±


    For the first time she showed any outward change of expression as a small smile came to her lips. I had to add one more thing to satisfy her.


    ¡°You damned humans would hunt me halfway across the world if you knew about my abilities.¡± I said in English.


    The baroness of course looked confused hearing a tongue unknown to her. But she didn¡¯t take the bait and pretended as if she didn''t hear it.


    ¡°Well then royal one, tell me are you planning on retaking your throne, I¡¯m sure Queen Sianna would be eager to restart her line though the other matriarchs would have a problem with that. The rebirth of the Alarian Dominion, an empire four centuries¡¯ dead, is quite a problem for those currently in power.¡±


    Alarian? Was that Sianna¡¯s surname? I thought elves didn¡¯t have them; it probably means something else. It¡¯s unlikely that elves followed the same tradition of humans in naming the dominions that they rule after their own surnames. Still, this was more information I knew about elves. Why was Lilian so sparing with the details of the empire?


    ¡®Calm down moon don¡¯t let her see your ignorance. She assumes I know more that I let on, might as well play into her theory¡¯


    She landed another excellent blow.


    So, the baroness was a powerful mage wielding the most powerful amplifier I¡¯ve ever seen, intelligent and resourceful enough to gather all this information on me in the space of a week.


    I reexamined everything I knew about her, her over taxation on imports and trade to the other baroness. There is no chance that she wouldn¡¯t have predicted hostility. And what did she do with the enormous wealth she had gained.


    Then it hit me.


    She would simply rebuild the other barnies after her victory. It would cost hundreds of thousands to go gelding but yes, she could do it. Once she removed the previous leadership all she had to do was improve the lives of the citizenry, full stomachs, safe roads, and employment will erode any resentment given time. And if she had three Baronies under vassalage then she would have a case to change her title to Dutchess. All the incongruencies with the situation finally made sense and I relaxed. While I would prefer to have a desperate, power hungry and foolhardy woman to deal with. I can still make this work.


    ¡°I have no interest in Sianna and the matriarchs, nor do I cling to the edifice of my decadent past. I¡¯m a simple elf, Baroness titles, bloodlines and aristocracies mean nothing to me. I simply enjoy learning magic. To do that I need coin and wars amongst nobles are profitable. All you have to Baroness is pay me well and I have no problem in helping you change your title to Dutchess.¡±


    I add ¡®my decadent past¡¯ to intentionally sow confusion. No doubt she would have picked up on that. Hopefully, that sends her on a goose chase, far from the actual truth.


    There was a faint twitch in her brow as I mentioned the title change. That was enough to confirm my guess was correct. This was all a long conspiracy planned by her to place herself as a Duchess. Without a valid Casus Belli, she couldn¡¯t invade them but now she had cause.


    The baroness smiled a beautiful smile, that on any other woman would have been fit for a painting but on her it just looked dangerous.


    ¡°Well then since we understand each other shall we discuss terms.¡± she said in a sweet voice.


    She locked eyes with me, her gaze so intense I almost didn¡¯t register the waiter approaching with menus. He stopped and glanced awkwardly at the intense stare between us.


    I had to admit she was a stunning woman and the danger she posed only added to my attraction.

 Book 1: Chapter 38: The Etheric Beast

    The meal of roasted fish, fresh caught from the lake with a pairing of white wine was fantastic. Again, the Baroness seemed surprised that I ate politely and seemed to have training in etiquette. It didn''t quite match the Vendalian nobility, but it was enough that I didn''t eat like some country bumpkin. I would have asked her why that was surprising since Sten had the same reaction, but I despised admitting ignorance to her.


    ¡°15,000 gelding for two mages, that¡¯s more than 10 times what I pay Derek.¡± The Baroness said. She ate with an almost mechanical grace that could have only come from years of constant repetition.


    ¡°I would have asked for more, but I felt like being charitable. And besides Benny could crush that boy with hardly any effort.¡± I said, then took a bite of the honeyed bread that accompanied our meal.


    ¡°Well, you certainly don''t lack confidence.¡± the Baroness said playfully.


    ¡°Please, Baroness, modesty is for the weak.¡±


    ¡°So it is.¡± She took a drink cleansing her throat then continued


    ¡°Anor tells me you would be willing to reduce your price in exchange for magical items?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, coin is good, but it only goes so far.¡± I said then I glanced down at the amplifier around her neck.


    ¡°Amplifiers are out of the question; however I am willing to share the grimoires in my treasury, you may not leave with them, so it will be up to your own ability to learn all you can while you are here.¡±


    The amplifiers are understandable since they are issued by the imperial overseer¡¯s office. She would be in deep water if she simply sold one that was in her possession.


    ¡°A few grimoires isn''t enough to drop my price by any significant margin. After all, you are paying for both Benny and me. And I¡¯m sure you can sense how powerful she is¡± Unless she guaranteed there would be spells of journeyman to master levels in power, I wouldn¡¯t be interested in dropping my price.


    ¡°Indeed, how a child with such potential managed to not be discovered is beyond me.¡±


    She gave me a piercing glare, her suspicions clear, but without proper information she couldn¡¯t deduce with any certainty that I made Benny that way.


    ¡°I¡¯m just lucky I suppose, I¡¯ll be forward with you Baroness, don¡¯t care about who wins this war, all I really want is to walk away from this with something of use, coin doesn¡¯t really matter to me. If you are unwilling to give me anything of use, I will simply look elsewhere.¡± her eyes twitched for a moment as she noticed the implied threat.


    If she didn''t give me something of use, I would have no problem taking it from her enemies. Of course this was dangerous for me as well. But would she be willing to risk killing me, it¡¯s unlikely she would jeopardize all her preparation since there was a chance that she would fail. So, I was confident the threat would work on her.


    ¡°Let it be 12,000 geldings and I can guarantee two master level spells, one for air and another for light, 4 journeyman spells providing you don''t already know them and 2 Etheric gems of your choice. Do what you will with the acolyte and adept spells. You may peruse my collection of enchanted items and you and your apprentice may take one each.¡±


    Now that was a proper offer, I almost never used low level spells like fire bolt so I can see why she wouldn¡¯t care about spells like that. But I intend to learn everything I can. I rejected asking for prisoners to use to fuel my power. She simply wasn¡¯t desperate enough and her being a mage made deflecting my actual purpose difficult. As much as I want to evolve again, I¡¯ll have to hold off for now.


    ¡°That''s acceptable, what do you want in return?¡±


    Her smile, almost predatorial.


    ¡°You will aid me in the efforts for the war as you see fit, not as a servant or vassal but as an alliance between equals. You will accompany me to strategy meetings and give input if you so desire. You will answer to no one and be under no authority. But as allies you must act as such showing deference where applicable. Is this acceptable?¡±


    Well, that was an unexpected response, most nobility would demand subservience for such a high price, yet she wants friendship? And what exactly did she mean by I would answer to no one? If I take her literally then how much I assist would be dependent on my own will. I could, under her own terms, sit around and do almost nothing and only contribute when the armies come knocking. Once more this woman bewilders me.


    ¡°That is acceptable.¡± I said.


    ¡°Excellent, would you and your apprentice be willing to spend these short months with my keep, as a guest of honor. I assure you my hospitality is without peer.¡± she said.


    So long as it was comfortable and free I had no complaints.


    ¡°Very good, we can have your belongings moved within the day.¡±


    No doubt they would be searched, but Benny and I carried everything of value on our persons. And the grimoire she was studying for the Telekinesis spell was long burned before we arrived.


    ¡°What master spells were you willing to offer?¡±


    She gave me a sly grin and said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will see them later, why spoil the surprise?¡±


    ¡°Well, since I have come to an agreement of sorts, let''s move on to how my abilities can aid your victory. I know precious little about the state of your army or plans for victory.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s discuss this when I can guarantee privacy. For now, let¡¯s talk about¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡±


    The Baroness was interrupted by the loudest screech I have ever heard. I practically felt it in my bones. Then there was the sound of beating wings that reminded me of the drake. There was something familiar about the sound and it took me a moment to realize what it was.


    The baroness seemed equally perturbed by the sound as screaming from the entrance started. A pulse of ether alerted me that a spell was cast. We both shot to our feet and headed to the entrance. Outside was a mess, Benny and the Baroness¡¯s mage were in some kind of standoff, both having overcharged circuits pointed at each other. Benny¡¯s was dangerously close to being destabilized. Which only served to instill more fear into the fire mage. The rest of the baroness¡¯s guards were all lying around groaning, recovering from being blaster off their feet.


    The biggest problem however was Noire, Emphasis on big. She was monstrously large with a wingspan of almost 60 feet from wingtip to wingtip. She was currently lifting the baroness¡¯s entire carriage in the air. Her massive wings created strong gusts of wind to keep her hovering. From what I could tell, Benny seemed to be standing between the baroness¡¯s guards and Noire to keep them from attacking her. The baroness herself looked to be completely bewildered by the strange sight.


    ¡°Noire put that down and land. The rest of you calm down, it''s my bird she won¡¯t hurt you.¡± I ordered.


    Noire gave me an indigent screech and dropped the carriage it fell 60 feet through the air and was smashed to pieces on impact with the ground. Then she landed in an open area of the ground. Her massive talons gouged the cobblestone as she walked towards me. She was at least 15 feet tall and towered over me. She bent her head down and gently nudged me; her massive head nearly took me off my feet. Realizing what she wanted I channeled some life ether into her as the Baroness attended to her men. All the while throwing glances at the monstrous bird. After the two mages dismissed their spell. Benny rushed over to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry master, they were going to try to kill Noire.¡± She said,


    ¡°Ah so you were the one who knocked them over. Don''t worry about it, if anything the fact that you trounced them so easily will only help us." I said.


    ¡°What in the hells happened to her?¡± Benny whispered to me.


    ¡°I don''t know, I didn''t expect that she would grow so large in such a short time.¡± I said.


    I stopped the flow of ether and said to Noire, ¡°Stay close to Benny and don''t cause any trouble, I¡¯ll go take care of your mess.¡±


    She squawked again almost guiltily. I examined her in the ether and realized what had happened. She had somehow turned into an etheric beast. That would also explain why I felt such weird fluctuations in the Ether every time she flapped her wings. Noire did as I commanded, and I made my way over to the baroness and her soldiers.


    ¡°Any injuries?¡± I asked the baroness.


    ¡°Nothing serious, it''s good that Benny held back.¡± she said.


    Then she looked at Noire clearly glancing into the ether.


    ¡°An Etheric beast.¡± she whispered to herself in fascination.


    ¡°And you seem to have it tamed?¡± she asked with a questioning tone.


    I did not have an explanation prepared so I asked.


    ¡°Is that strange?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is commonly accepted to be impossible; many have tried but the beasts cannot be broken like other animals. Yet there it is obeying your commands.¡± she said.


    She looked at me expecting an answer, but I decided not to provide one and simply said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cover the cost of replacing the carriage.¡± I said.


    Realizing that I wasn''t going to answer the question she sniffed.


    ¡°We will move your belongings to the keep after you have dealt with¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.that.¡± she said pointing at Noire.


    ¡°How about we continue our discussion tomorrow?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she turned and walked away, her guards taking formation around her. Though I¡¯m sure the fire mage was giving Benny the stink eye. I¡¯ll leave her to handle that however she sees fit.


    ¡°Now what do I do with you?¡± I said looking at Noire, her facial feathers puffed out making her look like an owl. With her large she was rather terrifying. Then I glanced at the destroyed carriage. How heavy was it 1000?1500? pounds.


    A small grin came to my face as an idea started to form. If she could lift that carriage so easily then carrying me wouldn''t be a problem.


    One day Later


    ¡°My lord, I make saddles for horses. I wouldn''t even know how to begin with a bird,¡± he said, glancing up nervously at Noire. We were standing in a small field within the upper city where one of the best in the barony horse masters plied his trade.


    ¡°Well, you can be the first, simply name your price. It needs to be light enough to not affect her flight and shaped, so it doesn''t restrict her movement but strong enough that it won¡¯t fall off when I¡¯m strapped to it during flight.¡±


    The man looked at me like I was crazy and said, ¡°It could take a lot of time to create a design, then I would have to prototype it with smaller birds then I would scale up¡­¡­¡­.¡± he trailed off as he considered the idea. Then he looked at Noire again, eyeing her up and down considering.


    ¡°150 geldings and I''ll see to it.¡± he said excitedly.


    ¡°I''ll give you 300 in advance.¡± I said. Handing over the coin to him. It could have been a thousand and I wouldn''t have cared. The prospect of flying was too exciting. The man''s eyes bulged as he accepted the coin.


    ¡°Give me a few days to prototype a design and then it¡¯ll move on to designing one to fit¡­¡­¡­.Noire you said?¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°I will have to measure her eventually,¡± he certainly didn''t look excited by the prospect.


    ¡°Not to worry so long as I¡¯m here she will cause you no harm. Good day then horse master¡± I said taking my leave.


    ¡°Now what to do with you¡± I said as I walked toward Noire. If there was one thing, I learned was that she would obey my commands so long as they were simple. She didn''t actually listen to anyone else since I tested with Benny. I had a million guesses as to why that was, but I couldn''t be sure of any of them. My chief theory was that some kind of bond was formed between us due to my ability and somehow that allowed her to understand intentions but I felt nothing within ether when I commanded her so I was stumped.


    I stopped and tried to simply think commands at her.


    ¡®Come to me¡¯ I commanded in my mind.


    Her head twitched to me and with a single flap of her massive wings she crossed the distance and landed in front of me. Her head twisted left and right, her feathers puffing out as if waiting for more commands.


    Well, that confirms that. I gave her a little life ether as a reward for listening to me and thought to her again.


    ¡®Go and hunt for some food, return to the keep when you''re sated, don''t hunt any humans.¡¯ I tried to picture the things I wanted her to do while I commanded her. With one last nudge from her head, she flew off into the distance, scaring the horses with her loud shriek as she left.


    I made my way to the Baroness¡¯s keep, ignoring the constant stares from the nobility as I walked by. No doubt that little drama with Noire has spread throughout the city at this point. Our things were moved this morning, and I was told that there would be a servant to meet me at the gates to escort me to our rooms. Benny was sent ahead to take care of everything while I attended Noire.


    As much as I was excited about the possibilities that riding her posed. I was a bit annoyed that she chose this instant to turn up. Now the baroness no doubt had even more questions about my origins and what my true abilities were. Soon enough she will discover that I had actually bought Noire from a merchant in Anor¡¯s caravan. How in the world do I explain how she turned into an Etheric beast without it being an obvious lie?


    Instead of the guardsman I expected it was Benny who met me at the gate.


    ¡°Master, you take care of everything?¡± she asked. She had taken to wearing her armor, often taking the role of my personal guard.


    ¡°Yes, we''ll see if the horse master can create a saddle for me to ride her.¡± I said with mirth.


    ¡°That''s a sight I can''t wait to see. The Baroness said she wants to meet us in the garden for lunch then we will go over the grimoire and gems you want.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°I don''t actually know where it is.¡±


    A lovely young red-haired woman wearing the baroness¡¯s colors came over to us curtsied and said.


    ¡°My Lord, My Lady. My name is Niara. I have been assigned to see to all your needs if you will. Follow me I can escort you to the Gardens where the baroness has arranged a fine meal.¡±


    I gave her figure an appreciative glance then responded. ¡°Very well then Niara. Lead the way.¡±


    We traveled through the large keep, nobles and guardsmen all gave respectful bows as we passed. It was certainly strange since even after I was hired by the baron. Vernon¡¯s nobility never showed such deference.


    Eventually we were led to a large and beautifully appointed garden with fountains and hedge mazes and sculptures of magical creatures I¡¯ve never seen before. The sound of water accompanied by the faint birdsong in the wind made the large area feel almost magical. In a large gazebo sat the Baroness and a few people I¡¯ve never seen before. One was an older man of around 70 wearing an expensive set of plate mail; another was a younger woman of around Benny¡¯s age that looked eerily similar to the Baroness down to wearing the same deep blue gown. Finally, there was a young boy who no doubt was her son. He had chestnut brown hair, a trait probably inherited from his father and the steel gray eyes of his mother.


    Opposite to her sat the elderly man and to the baroness¡¯s left sat the young woman and next to her the young boy. To her right both seats were empty, the table was just large enough to fit six chairs. Following what I knew of etiquette I nodded to everyone and sat next to the Baroness, right, the place of honor. I tried to not roll my eyes when Benny pulled out my seat for me before taking hers. There were other servants around, but they stood around 10 feet behind whomever they served. Niara did the same.


    ¡°Greeting all, My thanks for the invitation, Baroness.¡±


    ¡°It is my pleasure, I hope you have taken care of your pet?¡± she said, unsure of what Noire is to me.


    ¡°It''s been taken care of, though she might land in your garden since I don''t really know where else to put her.¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, if anything it will be an improvement, I don¡¯t think anyone has ever had an etheric beast in their gardens that were not chained or caged, and you¡¯re sure she won¡¯t eat humans.¡± the baroness asked.


    ¡°She will defend herself if attacked but other than that no she will not harm anyone.¡± I said with more confidence than I felt.


    ¡°Very good then, May I introduce Lord Feyrun, my head general and most trusted advisor.¡±


    The grizzled man nodded to me.


    ¡°My niece Briannah Velcor, the daughter of my oldest sister and my current foster.¡± she said.


    She also nodded to me, but more delicately and with a beautiful smile.


    ¡°Finally, My son and heir Jorum Hearthaven¡±


    The boy seemed more interested in the pastries that sat in the middle of the table. An unconscious smile came across her face before she mastered herself.


    ¡°If you would,¡± the baroness asked.


    ¡°Greetings, I am Moon, a light mage. To my right is my Apprentice Benny of Wigmore, an air mage.¡±


    Benny nodded awkwardly, clearly not used to such formality.


    The young woman spoke first, her voice delicate and practiced. ¡°Hello, Sir mage forgive me if I stare, but you are the first elf I have ever seen. I could not help but notice that you did not say where you were from.¡±


    ¡°I would have told you if I knew but it is just one of the mysteries of my life.¡± I said.


    ¡°Ah so the rumors were true.¡± she said almost to herself. It seems the Baroness decided not to inform them of the details of her conversation with me. I wonder why?


    Lord Feyrun spoke his voice deep and gravely. ¡°Forgive me Baroness, Sir mage, for desiring to get to businesses but time is short and precious.¡±


    ¡°It is no problem, Lord Feyrun, Moon, we desire to have conversation on the best use of your abilities.¡± she signaled the two servants behind Lord Feyrun to step forward. They were dressed in the same armor as he was. They bowed and remained silent.


    ¡°If you would, Sir mage, can you give an explanation of your abilities and an approximation of your relative strength.¡± Feyrun asked.


    I was expecting this at some point.


    ¡°I likely outclass almost all humans in terms of magical stamina, though I have not met any grandmaster mages I assume my magical stamina could be roughly similar if not higher.¡±


    ¡°In terms of my healing ability I am without peer I can say with full confidence that I am above even the grandmasters, my barriers are strong enough to withstand the power of a fully grown white drake and the constant bombardment of five journeyman mages without difficulty. I have knowledge of all basic healing spells and enhancement as well as the master level spell radiant carapace.¡±


    I was sparse with the non-light spells I knew since I didn¡¯t like giving out information so easily.


    ¡°As for my apprentice, though she has only been practicing magic for less than a year, what she lacks in experience she makes up for in raw destructive power. I can say that with confidence that she is like the most talented air mage the empire has ever seen with the exception of Princess Morianne.¡±


    That was certainly a hell of a claim to make and even Benny looked at me surprised as I said that.


    ¡°Truely?¡± he asked, surprise breaking through his stern exterior.


    ¡°I am willing to demonstrate.¡± I said a little annoyance seeping into my voice.


    ¡°We will not insult you by asking for a demonstration.¡± Briannah said with a sweet smile.


    Did she notice my annoyance at being questioned?


    I gave her a smile and a nod then said.


    ¡°Finally, there is telekinesis, a spell that I stumbled upon some time ago. I have the stamina to lift an entire siege tower 300 feet into the air for several minutes.¡±


    ¡°This will take some consideration,¡± he said, rubbing his gray beard.


    He looked at the baroness, seeming to be in a better mood then said to her.


    ¡°I believe this can work my lady.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± she clapped twice and out of nowhere dozens of servants came streaming out of the keep carrying trays of food. Fine wine, delicate salads, every kind of exotic fruit and meat imaginable.


    After the lunch was assembled and the servants left Brianna said


    ¡°Sir mage, would you please tell us how you came to be here? I''ve only ever heard rumors.¡± she asked. Batting her eyelashes at me. A lesser man would have been smitten by such a smile, but I could see the manipulation behind it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start from the beginning as all good stories should, and please call me Moon. Lady Velcor¡±


    ¡°In that case I insist you call me Briannah. Moon.¡±


    ¡°My thanks Briannah, Now let''s begin where it all started in the field I woke without clothes or memories.¡±


    My story was going to come out eventually. It''s best that the lies about me should at least be the ones I tell.


    I was circumspect with the details, weaving a story that while reasonably truthful lacked any real substance, I made sure to omit names and locations of people that I didn¡¯t want investigated, like Garrett and Lori. While I hold very few things sacred, I still felt gratitude for his tutelage. Briannah played the role of excitable maiden. Gasping at the details of every fight and laughing at every joke I made. As well asking questions about events too pointed to be coincidence. But she was not her aunt, and it was clear to me what the intention behind each question was. This made dodging them a simple task. Finally, I ended my first meeting with the Baroness.


    ¡°And that''s my story really, not so dramatic.¡± I said as I finished.


    ¡°Don''t be coy Moon, you have lived more in the past 20 months than most do in their entire lives.¡±


    It was almost entirely a conversation between us while the Baroness and Feyrun remained quiet. likely examining the story and cross-referencing what I said and what they managed to learn about me. Benny mostly focused on the food since she had shared this story with her before and with far greater detail. I¡¯m fairly sure I managed to dodge every trap question, but you could never be sure about these things.


    ¡°Ah look at us Briannah we have almost forgotten there are other people here.¡± I said, glancing at the Baroness.


    ¡°Oh, don''t worry, I was rather entertained by the story. However, Lord Feyrun, I believe you have duties to attend to. I would not wish to keep you longer. And Briannah, I believe you have more fencing lessons today and singing in the morrow. take Jorum to the nurse maid he seems to be barely awake.¡± The baroness said.


    She looked like she didn''t want to leave but a stern glance from the baroness killed any rebuttal.


    ¡°Yes Baroness,¡±


    Then she turned to me with a brilliant smile then said.


    ¡°It was a pleasure, Moon. I would be willing to have lunch with you again, you need but ask.¡±


    ¡°I will certainly make time to see you, but you will have to sing for me.¡± I said playfully.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she curtsied beautifully and with a bow from Feyrun they both left, their servants following behind them. Her son who was nodding off was carried away by Briannah.


    The baroness¡¯s eyes flicked to Benny and then to me. Did she want to be alone with me? Very well then.


    I signaled Niara the same way I was the baroness summoning her own servants. She came over and said. ¡°Do you need something my lord?¡±


    ¡°Are our rooms prepared?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Yes, My Lord,¡± she said.


    ¡°Benny, could you be a dear and check on that for me Niara, show her the way and make sure to take care of her every need.¡± I said.


    As Benny met my eyes I tapped the edge of my mouth discreetly. She recognized the signal and nodded.


    ¡®Watch your words and reveal nothing¡¯ the signal said.


    ¡°Ok master I¡¯ll make sure it''s up to your standards.¡± she said. Benny bowed and left with Niara.


    When we were alone the baroness said. ¡°Tell me Moon, how did Briannah do?¡±


    Realizing what she meant, I said. ¡°Well, Baroness, she was good but a bit too forward with her flirting. It needs more subtlety, then there were her questions, a bit too pointed. They were not innocent enough to keep me off guard.¡±


    The baroness sighed and said ¡°Well she is young, not even 18 but she has time to learn, and please when we are alone call me Allyssia¡± she said.


    She said that a bit loud, no doubt the servants would hear that. I¡¯m sure the entire keep will learn that gossip in a few hours. I wonder what prompted that. Very well, I''ll take the other step.


    ¡°Very well, Allyssia.¡± I said letting my posture degrade so I sat more comfortably. She followed suit.


    ¡°Do you really intend to mount Noire?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Indeed, can you imagine what it would be like to fly amongst the clouds, to see the world as an Arlette does. It¡¯s worth the risk.¡±


    ¡°I imagine it is, though my thoughts run more towards its combat use, imagine a hundred mages mounted atop such creatures raining down fire on armies, it would make standing fortifications useless.¡± she said.


    Oh.


    Why didn¡¯t I think of that? It would be the single most powerful fighting force in the world. I could imagine them in formation dropping blasts of air and fire, raining down ice spikes and flying away before the enemy could counterattack.


    ¡°That is a terrifying thought. That force would have complete air superiority.¡± I said, recognizing the enormity of what I had just created.


    I keep stumbling into these things.


    ¡°Yes, not even the emperor¡¯s dragon ships could fight against the speed and maneuverability of an etheric beast¡± she said.


    ¡°Dragon ship?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah that¡¯s right most haven¡¯t seen them outside the imperial capital. Their massive air ships that are held aloft by an inflatable bladder. It can carry well over 500 crew and thousands of pounds of goods and supplies. It''s quite the feat of enchanting and engineering.¡±


    ¡°I would love to see it one day.¡± I said.


    ¡°Perhaps you can accompany me to the capital after this has ended, I would need to petition the emperor for a change of titles.¡± she said.


    A servant came over to her and whispered into her ear, she nodded and said.


    ¡°The scouts are reporting the first sightings of the main force. It will be at least a month before they manage to get here.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a plan, when they try to restrict your access to reinforcements by lake?¡±


    She smiled maliciously ¡°Oh I have quite the surprise in store don¡¯t you worry.¡±


    We talked for another hour, mostly about trivial things, magic, and her history. We also went over what etheric gems I wanted as well as the spells she had in inventory. All of which were going to be delivered to my room. The advance payment will be made at the bank within the day. My reputation for never breaking my word seems to give her some assurance that I would not simply flee in the night. She was quite pleasant company and conversation with her was enjoyable.


    An hour passed without me noticing.


    ¡°Ah look how much time has passed I must be going now.¡± she said as she glanced at the setting sun.


    ¡°Will you break your fast with me tomorrow?¡± she asked in the same moment she placed a delicate hand on mine. Damn the woman was using every trick in the book on me.


    ¡°Of course,¡± I said. I knew full well what she was doing but I really didn''t care.


    Then she stood up ¡°Until tomorrow, Moon.¡±


    Then she walked away. I admired her womanly figure as she left. I was definitely attracted to her, and she knew it. If that is how she wanted to do it I¡¯ll just have to play hard to get.


    Niara came to find me a few minutes later. Apparently, Benny had decided to take a bath as soon as she saw our accommodations and sent her back to me. She led me to our rooms and to say I was impressed was an understatement. It looked fit for an emperor. The bed was at least 20 feet across and with more pillows that I could count. On the bed were the 15 Grimoires that were agreed upon as well as a silk pouch that contained the etheric gems. Fire and light. Unfortunately, shadow gems were by far the rarest with only 3 ever discovered.


    I don''t doubt she had far more in her collection, but I didn''t have the leverage to simply demand everything she had.


    As for the enchanted items, we would peruse her collection at a later date since Benny was still in the bath with a few attendants.


    I sent Niara to fetch me a light wine and began reading the master level Light spell.


    ¡°Radiant Orb of Restoration¡±


    How interesting.

 Book 1: Chapter 39: The Sky

    ¡°Master, are you sure you shouldn¡¯t test it more?¡± Benny said worriedly as I mounted Noire.


    The design of the harness and saddle took several weeks to finalize. It first began with testing the basic strap and layout for the saddle on smaller birds with weights attached to their backs proportional to mine to see if they can fly without any difficulty.


    Next was measuring and scaling the design to fit Noire. The straps wrapped around her breastbone in crossing patterns to avoid her wings and flight heathers then anchored to her legs. Then I instructed her to fly out of the city and bring back an animal while wearing the saddle. Half an hour later she returned carrying a large buffalo-like creature and devoured it in front of us. It was quite a gruesome sight as she crushed the body with her powerful talons to the point where bones were poking out through the skin.


    Then she proceeded to tear large chunks out of the creature, swallowing them whole. Once it was confirmed that she could fly and hunt without much difficulty with the saddle attached, next was my personal harness. The harness that she wore had special straps that would attach to a harness I wore over my own armor. It is attached to points 4 on a belt that looped around my shoulders and legs, similar to climbing equipment. Once the horse master Umber demonstrated that each strap could hold well over 300 pounds, I was confident that 4 of them would be more than enough to keep me attached to her, even under the most strenuous maneuvers. Now I was strapped onto all four mounting points with Benny and Umber as an audience for my first test flight.


    I had to admit I was nervous, but I was determined to become the first individual to ride an etheric beast. I sat on her upper back and there were two handholds attached to the Noire¡¯s harness that I could use to stabilize myself. I sat on the saddle, a small one designed to be as aerodynamic as possible while also allowing me to sit comfortably upright at low speeds and tuck myself close to her body in a dive.


    ¡°Benny, sometimes you have to fly before you can walk,¡± I said.


    ¡°That is the exact opposite of what you usually say.¡± she complained.


    I locked in the final clasp, and I was fully attached to Noire¡¯s harness.


    ¡°Alright Noire stand up¡± she raised herself from her brooding position. She wiggled a bit as she got used to my added weight. There was no bridle or reins so I would have to navigate using my will alone.


    I took a deep breath then shouted.


    ¡°FLY¡± I said in English.


    In one motion she unfurled her massive wings and took to the air. I held on for dear life as I was jostled around on the saddle. Her rapid wing beat whipped up the air around us. We went higher and higher. I began to get nervous as the ground fell away from us. After a handful of seconds, the flapping became less violent as she slowly started to climb in a large circle.


    I watched as the city below grew smaller and smaller. The wind whipped through my hair as Noire picked up speed as she climbed. A massive grin spread across my face as I basked in the sun with my arms spread wide. It was the ultimate form of freedom. Nothing matters anymore, not my past, not my future nor any ambition. Is this peace? Is this true happiness?


    ¡°Good girl,¡± I thought to Noire. She did a small wiggle and continued in her ascent. Soon enough we started to reach clouds, and, in a few minutes, we broke through. All around me was the endless expanse of the sky. I could even see the two Moons. Noire leveled out and stopped ascending. A combination of the massive size of her wings and some kind of instinctual magic made it so that she barely needed to flap to maintain our altitude. As she flew, I poured some life ether into her as a reward for carrying me. For the first time I truly felt grateful that I was brought to this world.


    We had to be at least 8000 feet in the air. To my left I could see the endless expanse of the Great Stormveil Sea, to my right was the Hearthaven capital little more than a smear on the landscape.. I glanced down, debating with myself if I should do what I had planned. I felt a slight amount of vertigo as I gauged how far of a drop that was. It stupid and it shouldn¡¯t risk it but like it told Benny, sometimes you have to fly before you can walk.


    ¡°DIVE¡± I yelled.


    In the same instant I pulled myself close to her back as possible. Noire tucked her wings in, and we dropped like a brick. We raced towards the ground straps holding me to her pulling taught. The wind buffeted loudly as we accelerated. I couldn¡¯t even keep track of how fast we were falling since the wind was so strong. The sound of the wind racing by was frankly terrifying as it increased to hurricane forces. We hit some low floating clouds and excited. I took that as a good enough signal.


    ¡°Pull up¡± I mentally ordered.


    It felt like we were hitting terminal velocity. I was practically slammed into the saddle as she opened her wings fully. The G-forces were so great that I didn¡¯t have the strength to push myself up. The straps pulled taut once more as we decelerated at such a speed that would tear the wings of any other creature that wasn¡¯t magical. Finally, she leveled out again.


    I breathed heavily, my heart racing as I recovered from the fall. Noire let out a loud cry seeming to be ready to go again.


    ¡°No no no take it easy¡± I said rapidly.


    I looked around and noted that we had drifted a quarter mile from the city. As my heart slowed, we flew in a lazy circle, lying just outside the city walls. After I had fully recovered. I decided to run a few tests.


    ¡®let¡¯s see how fast you are.¡± I thought to myself.


    I commanded her to fly back towards the city. At a casual pace. We were roughly a thousand feet into the air and as soon as I passed the gate I began counting. We glided gracefully through the air as we passed the lower quarters then the noble quarter,eventually flying over the Baroness¡¯s keep. Until finally we reached the docks, and the great storm veiled the sea. It¡¯s hard to imagine the massive expanse of blue water was actually a lake. The city was roughly two miles in length, and it took around 70 seconds to cross. Which means that her casual flight speed is around 100 miles an hour.


    We banked around as I commanded her,


    ¡°Ok now Noire show me what you got¡± with a loud scream she beat her massive wings and I began counting again. I could feel the ether flowing off her wings as she pushed herself to her maximum speed in less than a minute, we blew past the gate.


    ¡°Alright take it easy.¡±


    She calmed down and we slowed back to a leisurely pace. 40 seconds so roughly 180 miles an hour.


    ¡®Let¡¯s head back¡¯ I commanded her and intuitively knowing where to go she banked and headed back to the stables. Noire came down fast and at the last moment spread her wings and landed gently. A bit of a crowd had gathered as word spread. Many of them were among the nobility because. I removed all 4 straps that kept me in place and dismounted, went around to her large head, and ruffled her feathers.


    ¡®Have a rest girl, I¡¯ll have them bring a cow for you later.¡¯


    She screeched and I gave her a little life ether.


    Benny and Umber rushed over to me.


    ¡°Master, that was amazing, we all saw your dive, Noire was so fast, you¡¯re going to take me up soon right.¡± she said, slightly rambling.


    ¡°Of course, we just need to make a few adjustments.¡±


    Umber rushed over.


    ¡°Umber my good man you are truly a master.'''' I said, giving him a respectful bow.


    ¡°My thanks my lord I dear say I¡¯ll have more customers that I know what to do with after this stunt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to remind everyone who the designer was, come let''s discuss some modifications I think would help.¡±


    I looked over to Benny and said,


    ¡°Let''s get your measurements for a harness. I guarantee this is an experience you will remember for the rest of your life.¡±


    She grinned as she followed us into Umbers workshop. I ignored the stares from the crowd, no doubt that the entire city would hear about this. And there would be many questions directed to those I am close to as to how I achieved this.


    An hour later both Benny and I were strapped into the saddle. She had to sit behind me since over the last few months she grew by about an inch and was taller than me. During the measurements I had a cow brought to Noire. She simply crushed it with a single talon and tore it into 3 pieces. It was quite a terrifying sight since one could easily imagine what she could do to a human. Instead of the few dozen who watched us land there were hundreds. Some street vendors took the opportunity to sell food to the onlookers.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± I said.


    ¡°Sure¡± she responded, not sounding confident whether it was from flying or the hundreds of eyes on us wasn''t sure not sure.


    I grinned and shouted once more. ¡°FLY¡±


    And Noire took off once more. The crowd roared in excitement. Benny screamed the entire time ignoring the handles meant for her and simply squeezed me. We climbed higher and higher. Noire¡¯s violent flapping jostled us up and down as she clawed through the air to gain height. Once we were a thousand feet up, I commanded her to maintain height and she flew through the air gracefully.


    Once we had reached a stable cruising speed Benny finally calmed down.


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± I said, turning around and looking back at Benny. She apparently had her eyes closed. And then she finally opened them.


    ¡°Gods¡± she said as she observed the scenery. She still clung to me, but it was growing less tight by the minute.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± she said. Slowly she removed one hand from me and then the other, she realized the straps were more than enough to keep her seated. Fear turned into excitement as she did the same thing as I did. She stretched out her arms wide like a bird and began laughing.


    ¡°I¡¯m flying, I¡¯m actually flying,¡± she said, Barely able to believe what she was saying. She had to talk loudly over the sound of the wind. Then she hugged me again, not out of fear of heights this time.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad I found you that day.¡± She said, almost low enough that I didn¡¯t pick it up.


    ¡°Me too Benny.¡±


    I commanded Noire to go lower only a few hundred feet above the city and we cruised along the walls. I made a few low passes by the stables to give our audience some entertainment. On our final pass I tossed a ball of fire into the air. That drove them wild. Then we traveled to other areas of the city. We flew along the wall only a hundred or soo feet in the air. Benny and I waved at the guardsmen as they realized who was riding the giant bird.


    ¡°Alright Benny ready for some speed.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes master¡± she shouted back.


    ¡®Head for the lake at max speed, my apprentice is here so you better not embarrass me.¡¯ I thought to Noire.


    With an ear-piercing cry Noire did a rapid turn and rocketed towards the lake. She flapped with all her might to increase her speed. Benny clung to me as we pressed our bodies lower to the saddle as ether started to flow off Noire¡¯s wings pushing her speed even higher. In no time at all we left the docks behind and flew into the endless expanse of the lake.


    I commanded her to slow down to cruise and Benny and I slowly sat upright.


    ¡°Hell¡¯s she¡¯s fast.¡± Benny said.


    I commanded Noire to increase in height and slowly in a massive spiral we increased altitude to almost 10,000 feet. At this height, the air was becoming thinner, but I didn¡¯t feel any signs of hypoxia. We could see hundreds of miles into the distance. Out on the lake it was rather clear So, the height was rather disconcerting. But Noire¡¯s steady flying made the anxiousness fady away quickly.


    We flew for at least another half an hour, not in any particular direction, just enjoying the freedom of it all. From this height we could even see migratory birds traveling in a loose ¡®V¡¯ formation. Hearthaven was little more than a thumb print on the landscape below.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°I could stay up here forever,¡± I said.


    ¡°We''re going to have to do this every day.¡± She said,


    I chuckled.


    That I had to agree with.


    ¡°Come let''s scout the location of the enemy army, last report was that they were in the southwest.¡±


    With a command I pointed Noire south she simply glided in the direction to preserve energy, our elevation slowly reducing. Over 3 hours later at around 4000 feet in the air we could see the enemy army below they were currently marching. They numbered around 20,000 strong, almost 4 times the Baroness''s own army. If I had to guess we were around 350 miles from the city. Up this high it was rather cold so that something else we would have to factor in on our next flight.


    ¡°Big army,¡± Benny said as she looked down. There weren''t any clouds in the sky so we could see directly down at them with any difficulty. The Baroness had a plan for when they reached the city, so I wasn¡¯t really worried about how outnumbered we were. With the addition of my abilities, it made a sure victory, almost guaranteed.


    ¡°Almost half of them are conscripts so it¡¯s going to be quite bloody.¡± Benny shrugged, seeming to not care.


    With a command I pointed Noire back in the direction of the city and at a slightly slower pace we headed back. With one last gratuitous fly around the city, we made a lazy spiraling descent. And eventually landed in the field outside the headmaster''s stables. After nearly 8 hours of flying, I could start to sense the fatigue coming from Noire. I could of course extend it with my abilities, but it was a good idea just how much distance she could travel in a day.


    The maiden flight was in the early morning and now it ended in the evening. As we came in for a landing I could see the baroness, her Niece and some of her advisors watching the spectacle. There was quite the excitement as we dismounted.


    ¡°We should do this again tomorrow¡± Benny said as she trotted over to Briannah, they had become friends over the last few weeks. I wasn¡¯t really sure if it was genuine on Briannah''s part, but I just told Benny to keep her wits about her anytime they conversed. I trusted her enough not to reveal anything of importance.


    I rubbed Noire¡¯s head while feeding her life ether. ¡°That''s a good girl, I¡¯ll make sure they bring you 3 cows.¡±


    I left her to rest and made my way towards the baroness who was smirking at me.


    ¡°You realize this will spread throughout the empire within weeks.¡± she said with humor in her voice.


    ¡°Oh, I know. I just don''t care, I managed to find the army. They are about 3 weeks out before they reach the city walls. The initial scouting was correct; they are currently 20,000 strong.¡± I said.


    She glanced at Noire, ¡°Yes, I suppose she would be excellent for scouting. Can anyone else ride her?¡± she asked?


    ¡°No, she only listens to me.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yet another mystery, regardless it is good information,¡± her eyes flicked over to Benny and Briannah. Benny seemed to be excitedly telling her about being in the air and Briannah listened in rapt attention.


    ¡°They have become fast friends.¡± Allyssia said.


    ¡°Yes, Benny does have that way about her. Let them have their fun. I wanted to discuss some ideas I had about using the regeneration orb during the siege.¡±


    Allyssia nodded to Feyrun, and he joined us. ¡°My Lord, may I congratulate you on your maiden flight. This will be a story told for generations.¡± he said, bowing respectfully.


    ¡°My thanks Lord Feyrun,¡± I nodded in return.


    ¡°According to Moon the army is three weeks out and their numbers exactly match our initial estimation and scouting reports.¡± The Baroness said.


    ¡°Good, I will inform the command staff, Sir Mage, Baroness.¡± he Bowed and left his attendants following him.


    Allyssia looked at Noire once more, her expression guarded, but I knew what she was thinking.


    ¡°I could take you up, Allyssia, you need but ask.¡± I whispered.


    With one last look at Noire she said. ¡°Another time, let us have supper. We have some more to discuss.¡±


    As proud as she was there was no chance, she wouldn¡¯t be curious about what it was like to fly in the sky.


    Come to think of it would only take less than half a day to reach Vernon at Noire casual flying speed. Perhaps I should drop by after the end of hostilities? I could only imagine the reaction. I was rather curious about how the Baron actually died. Apparently most believe it was a stroke or a heart attack, his reputation as a glutton and drunkard certainly made the story believable. There was even a certain redheaded barmaid I wouldn''t mind seeing again. So many options.


    Two weeks later.


    Of all the spells I have learned from the grimoires Radian Orb or Restorations seemed to be the most underwhelming. However, when I accounted for my absurdly large magical stamina it became something beyond useful.


    The spell conjured an orb of healing light in combination with emitting slightly orange light that increased the recovery rate for fatigue. I could of course extend the range and intensity by overcharging the spell. It was a strange combination of spells with elements of light orb healing light and invigorate. Since the healing light being produced was not directly connected to my will it was significantly less effective at healing. My tests show that it was around 5 to 10 percent of my lowest powered directed healing spell. But what it lacked in healing power it made up for in sheer scale.


    A single orb could emit a light in a roughly fifty-foot sphere. Meaning that everyone within its light would receive both the healing and restorative benefits. With my absurdly high stamina I could create around fifteen of them without tiring myself out. With some coordination with the generals and commanders I created healing orbs all around the training and drilling area, each could fit around a hundred soldiers.


    This allowed the generals to drill the soldiers longer and harder than normal without suffering the effects of over training. After the training ends, I would simply cast the orbs in the barracks. For them to absorb its energy during the night since I can make it last for over 12 hours. It only took a few days to see its effects. I decided to track the physical progress of two soldiers, one man and one woman. Both were commoners, one was a conscript and the other volunteered.


    I walked into the barracks for my routine of casting the healing orbs. Their cots were rearranged to cram as many soldiers within its light as possible. I was accompanied by General Feyrun and a few of his advisors. As soon as we entered the soldiers who were mostly slacking off after over 12 hours of constant training snapped to attention and saluted us.


    ¡°Vanya, Sefen Forward ''''Feyrun said.


    The two young humans hopped out of their cots and presented themselves. On the left was Vanya, a brown-haired woman who at the beginning was rather skinny. And next to her was Sefen, a red-haired young man who was almost as thin as Vanya. This made them perfect candidates for testing how this training routine affected the body over time.


    ¡°Come. It''s checkup time.¡± I said they both sighed and said, ¡°yes sir.¡±


    We went to the sick bay where I could examine them in privacy.


    ¡°You know the drill Vanya.¡± I said as I closed the curtains.


    The first time I did this she was rather perturbed but once she realized my intention as purely academic she lost all her reservations. Vanya stripped down to her small clothes and stood in a loose ¡®A¡¯ stance with her arms and legs spread apart. I would touch a limb and she would flex the muscle beneath. And I would measure and compare it the week before. I would also examine the limb in detail with my abilities. To ensure that there was no permanent damage being done.


    In the space of 2 weeks, she managed to and one inch to her arms and two inches to her thighs and calves. It was an insane level of growth in such a brief time. She was at least 20 pounds heavier with most of that being muscle and some fat, as thin as she was both were good for her. I even managed the army''s diet. It comprised 4 high protein meals daily with plenty of carbohydrates to fuel their training. The Baroness had to triple her budget for soldiers'' rations to support this. Once all her commanders reported noticeable increases in their performance, she adopted the idea fully.


    ¡°How are you feeling lately?¡±


    ¡°Good Milord that healing orb magic really helps out.¡± she said as he flexed a calf for me. In the space of 3 weeks, she went from scrawny peasant to actually showing muscle. I just wish I had a greater time period to see how far I could push her physical training. However, I managed to compress months of physical training into weeks. I could only imagine how her body would progress after a year. Alyssia would have one of the best non-magical fighting forces in terms of physical fitness at least..


    ¡°Keep up the good work Vanya. Send Stefen in after you leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± she said and left with a salute.


    Two weeks later


    I sat atop Noire watching the army¡¯s progress, they were close enough that it took me less than an hour to reach their location. While it would be easy to rain spells down on them as they traveled, the baroness wanted them to have full confidence in their victory. Then over time she would wear them down slowly draining their resources.


    After my report the week before she sent hundreds of caravans to her outlying villages and towns to transport citizens to the safety of the capital, making sure to bring every scrap of food with them and destroying anything that would be of use to the incoming army. Anor¡¯s trading company proved to be quite useful, and he was of course paid handsomely for his work. The city¡¯s population increased by almost 15,000. But this is also something the Baroness accounted for since she was hoarding food for months.


    Their numbers managed to increase by another thousand as they seemed to be hiring mercenary companies as they traveled. This no doubt was draining their coffers significantly but the belief in their victory seemed to spur them on. I headed back to the city to report my findings.


    I entered the war room within the keep. On the center of a table was a map of the surrounding area; figures representing each army were present, their colors representing the group sizes. The baroness and the rest of her advisor noddeds to me as I entered.


    ¡°Good day Sir Mage, how is your scouting going?¡± Lord Feyrun asked.


    ¡°Roughly a week out, they managed to increase their numbers by an additional thousand putting their number at roughly 21,000. Almost exactly 4 times our own.¡± I announced.


    ¡°Not unexpected, and the waters?¡± Allyssia asked


    ¡°No ships to be seen though I only traveled around 100 miles before turning around.¡± I said.


    Searching the lake for their ships would be too much of a task so I limited my time to simply spotting their approach though I have had no luck so far.


    ¡°General Byron, how is the preparation of the army going?¡± the baroness asked.


    ¡°Ahead of schedule most are combat ready, With Sir Moon''s contributions we can drill them for over 12 hours and with that magical orb of his they''ll be right as rain the next day¡±.


    ¡°Excellent, General Krate the wall''s defense?¡± the baroness asked.


    ¡°We have practiced with Sir Moon''s idea to Stagger the healing orbs along the walls one orb per 300 feet divided among 10 companies. I¡¯ve seen the extent of the healing myself, and while it pales in comparison to his directed healing the wide range more than suffices. It should reduce our losses significantly.¡± He ended his report.


    ¡°Moon, what of your radiant carapace have you verified that can be applied on a mass scale?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not quite, it is rather expensive to cast even at lower levels so it would be best to limit it to light infantry and the archer regiment. It lasts roughly a day and on such a mass scale I have to dial back its power. A few dozen arrows and blows from a sword is all we can expect it to block. I also have to cast all the radian orbs so proper timing would have to be done to ensure that I am at full stamina for the main defense.¡±


    She gave me a smile and said, ¡°Thank you, that is more than acceptable.¡± She held my eyes for a few moments then continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time I inform you of my plan for the inevitable blockade.¡± She took up 4 brown ships each representing four war galleys.


    ¡°I¡¯ve commissioned, in secret, 16 war galleys that were completed a few weeks ago. They are currently stationed a few miles outside of Velcor. I need but send a messenger and they can break through any blockade allowing us to receive shipments and reinforcements.¡±


    Ahh so that¡¯s why she wasn¡¯t concerned about the waters being blockaded.


    ¡°I see,¡± Lord Feyrun, who¡¯s mind seemed to be faster than his old age would suggest, quickly accounted for the Baroness¡¯s secret war galleys in his plans for defense.


    He continued ¡°It is a contest of how much we can make them bleed before they realize the fight is unwinnable.¡±


    The baroness said. ¡°Essentially yes, we need them to believe that they have a chance at breaking through the walls, 21,000 men require a large amount of food and coin to sustain, no doubt they are bleeding their coffers dry. Where we have months of preparation and the ability to break through any blockade they try to enforce.¡±


    And so, the extent of her planning becomes clear. While we will be under siege directly, they will be under siege indirectly. A significantly larger army will mean truly little if they can¡¯t breach the walls. At that moment I had another idea.


    ¡°While riding Noire it would be rather easy to spot shipments of enemy reinforcements and supplies. It is a simple enough process to destroy the shipment and leave before anyone sees.¡± I suggested.


    The Baroness looked at me considering, it seems that a flying mage isn¡¯t something people normally consider when making battle plans.


    ¡°Give it a few weeks for them to entrench themselves outside my walls, I don''t want starvation amongst the troops to set in too soon.¡± She said,


    I nodded.


    And that¡¯s how it was with most of my contribution, I came up with an idea, presented it. It would be considered and modified to fit in with their plans. I was almost never asked to do anything even when it was clear that there was something I could do to aid. It was certainly odd, but I was fine with it, Since I could be creative with the applications of my abilities.


    ¡°Excellent work everyone, return to your duties.¡± The armored men saluted and walked out of the room leaving the two of us alone.


    ¡°Your plans were extensive, I can with confidence that you would have achieved victory without my assistance.¡± I leaned against the table gazing out the window. Allyssia stood next to me then led again to the table watching the city outside the window.


    ¡°Indeed, this has been planned for some time. Now with your assistance it is guaranteed to succeed.¡±


    I looked down at the bustling city even though the citizens knew that they were going to be under a siege, their confidence in the baroness never wavered. Apparently, the addition of myself, Benny and Noire added. According to her spies among the city, the baroness and I were close friends though there was another rumor that we were something more. Attending restaurants, plays, and political dinners with her certainly added to the rumors.


    ¡°Why did you want to become a Duchess anyway?¡± I asked. That was one thing I couldn¡¯t figure out.


    ¡°The same reason why you keep trying to grow more powerful¡± I raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You disagree? I¡¯m sure you tell yourself it is for survival, safety, or some other lofty goal. But in the end, we mortals want power for power¡¯s sake. I could tell you that my family used to be archdukes and decades of poor leadership caused us to fall from grace. In truth I want the power and the title,just to have it.¡±


    She stepped forward and stood in front of the window I was gazing out of. Making me meet her gray eyes.


    ¡°What was the goal that drove you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°My memories, I don¡¯t even know my true name, Sten just gave one to me on a whim when I was looking at the moons one night.¡± I said.


    Her words had some truth to them. As months passed, I thought less and less about my true origins and my purpose in this world. I kept gaining power purely because I enjoyed it. Safety and security were both factors but, in the end, I loved being powerful.


    She stepped forward, closing the distance between us, she reached down taking my hand in hers and started running her thumb across my knuckles.


    ¡°What does your past really matter in the end? If you learn the truth of your origins what will change¡±


    ¡°Nothing?Everything? Who knows?¡± I said.


    I gently pulled her toward me, we had been dancing around this for weeks, the constant work involved in preparing for a siege made it difficult to have any real time alone. So, any intimate contact between us was limited to soft touches and momentary caresses. We began to close the distance until a knock at the door interrupted us. We separated and I made my way to open the door. A man in armor walked in and saluted.


    ¡°My lady, I have the latest scouting report.¡±


    I gave her a wave as I left, and he gave me a nod of acknowledgement. I have to get that woman alone at some point.

 Book 1: Chapter 40: The Siege

    The Baroness, her commanders, and the fire mage whose name I never bothered to learn stood atop the wall above the main gate, watching the encroaching army. It was a rather surreal experience being on the other side of a siege. 10 Regeneration orbs were spread out along the walls, glowing brightly. These would serve as refuges for injured soldiers.


    Everyone in our main group had the strongest radiant carapace I could conjure. My skills had progressed to the point where the carapace was so charged with ether that it couldn¡¯t become completely invisible. So, there was an almost imperceptible golden glow about them. Every archer also had a barrier placed on them, but it was orders of magnitude weaker than ours. With some testing we determined that it could block around 10 arrows before it broke. It wasn¡¯t very impressive, but it was better than nothing. It took almost 12 hours to set everything up.


    I still had not managed to learn every spell within the grimoires since I spent much of the time preparing for the siege. So, I decided to learn spells that could be used in defense and save the rest for later. Of those I learned Ice Barrier, which summon a literal wall of ice whose size and thickness I could alter as I desired. This would be useful for closing gaps in the city wall. As well as ice storm which summoned a rain of ice shards over a large area.


    The final spells I learned were the second master level spell, Tornado, and air scythe. It does as the spell suggested it creates a tornado whose size and power I could alter. While it was certainly impressive, I had no interest in inflicting large scale destruction on the army. That brought the number of spells I knew to 34. Having so many spells to use only increased decision fatigue so it would be best if I simply stuck to a small number of core combat spells. Benny spent the entire time learning air scythe, the final journeyman spell. It summoned a crescent shaped column of air that could slice through flesh, if overcharged it could slice through stone.


    Benny didn¡¯t have the absurd learning rate I did so it is little wonder she only managed to learn one spell in the weeks spent in preparation.


    I was rather disappointed that I couldn¡¯t see an effective way to get another increase in my power. It wasn¡¯t until she was going over strategies for the end of the war that I began to see an opportunity. My idea for attacking shipments of supplies or reinforcements from the sky was taken wholeheartedly. Benny would be needed for defense so it would be a solo mission. That¡¯s when the thought occurred to me. They would be perfect targets, small, isolated groups of people carrying supplies. They were ripe for the picking. No one would be around to see it happening and all I would need to do is turn the area into a molten ruin after I was done.


    Noone would question why everyone in the supply chain was killed or why they were attacked. The answer was always going to be, ¡®they were in a war.¡¯ It would be quite an awkward affair since I had to lay my hands on each person to drain their life but regardless this was a chance.


    ¡°The Towers, let them reach close to the walls before disabling them.¡± the baroness said.


    She was talking about the 4 massive siege towers that were being rolled along the plain towards the wall. The task for the battle was simple, but complex in execution. We had to use our superior defense to drain as much as we could from the enemy, but not so quickly as to make them lose hope.


    ¡°Perhaps we should let one get close enough to start delivering troops atop the wall.¡± I suggested.


    She considered the idea and glanced at the 4 towers.


    ¡°General Feyrun.¡± She said,


    The man stepped forward and saluted. ¡°Have your best guard against an influx of troops from that tower.¡±


    She pointed at the one furthest to the left.


    ¡°Take Barian with you as artillery only destroy the tower if there is a chance you could be overrun.¡± She ordered.


    My role in this battle would be to shield the main gate against magic and protect the Baroness if she ever has to move position to repair a breach in the wall.


    Benny was to my left; her task was to bombard mages that were firing on the wall or defending the towers. She specifically had to reign in her destructive tendencies to minimize casualties. The wall was 25 feet thick so there was plenty of room to maneuver. We had roughly 2 or 3 hours before they would be in range of our archers and mages.


    Their army was split into 4 battalions each assigned to a siege tower. It seems that their strategy was to overwhelm the defenses with numbers. 3000 defenders stood waiting, eerily silent as the over 25,000 strong army marched towards the wall.


    ¡°Archers Loose.¡± General Feyrun shouted.


    Over 2000 archers loosed their arrows in the same instant. From our elevated position their longbows had a range of over a thousand feet. Arrows rained down on the incoming force. Archers would loose and knock an arrow every 5 seconds. Runners would quickly replenish their depleted quivers with more arrows as soon as they ran out. The enemy force raised their shields in response, blocking most arrows, but occasionally one would make it through, and they began to take losses.


    The Baroness turned to me ¡°Please have your Apprentice see to the other tower.¡±


    I nodded.


    I turned to Benny and said ¡°Benny, remember to cripple the tower, not destroy and watch out for enemy mages.¡±


    Benny saluted and shouted. ¡°YES MASTER¡± then ran off.


    She had been spending too much time with the soldiers.


    The Baroness said to me, ¡°I¡¯ll see to the last two towers. I''ll trust you to defend the main gate.¡±


    ¡°I see to it,¡± I said, waving her off.


    She left with most of her guards leaving me with Vanya and Stefen, they had been assigned as a personal guard, a role that they seem to take pride in.


    ¡°You two ready?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, sir mage¡± they answered in unison.


    The enemy commanders decided to space out the towers along the wall to divide the force. When the mages were in range, I began to see an exchange of spells. Mages, who seemed to be taking cover behind the siege tower popped out of the rear and released balls of fire, spires of ice, air blasts or boulders, they seemed to have at least one mage per tower. That begs the question where the other two were.


    Benny returned fire dialing back power to give the illusion that she wasn¡¯t as strong as she actually was. While I was going along with the Baroness¡¯s plan, I had standing orders for Benny that if she ever felt she was in even the smallest amount of danger then she should unleash her full power. Her air blasts blew away dozens of soldiers every time one landed in their line. Mages would return fire, but she would simply duck behind the fortifications to avoid getting injured. Her constant bombardment was enough to stall the progress of the siege tower. She could of course destroy it with a single overcharged air blast but that was for later.


    As I was observing Benny''s battle with the air mage I felt a large pulse of ether near my position. Not even bothering to check if I was actually being attacked. I cast a massive shield just large enough to encompass the entire main gate. Just as it finished expanding a massive ball of fire exploded against the shield. Around a hundred feet in front of the gate. At least I knew where the rest of the mages were.


    We were not without losses, however occasionally a well-placed spell would detonate along the battlements. Sending archers flying, as they were trained to do, the soldiers would drag the injured to the regeneration orbs and reinforcement would fill their position. While under the orb medicants would see to their wounds.


    A massive pulse of Ether came from my left and I watched as a spire of earth erupt from below one of the siege towers the baroness was handling and exited out the top. So much for holding back, I guess. I shrugged, not really caring either way. There was another spell cast at the main gate that I easily shielded. From the battlements I could just make out the position of the mage. I shrugged and released an air blast close to their location.


    To my right I watched as large spires of ice began to rain down on the soldiers along the battements. It only took me a second to realize that was most likely the same mage that attacked the caravan. Barian returned fire, his retort left me unimpressed, though it was enough to end the rain of ice.


    After blocking over a dozen spells aimed at the gate, I began to feel rather bored. Things didn¡¯t get really exciting until the enemy force began to raise ladders. They were just tall enough to reach the crenelations. Now it was time to begin the second stage of the defense.


    ¡°Stage two¡± someone shouted. That call echoed along the walls until it reached my ears.


    Benny, who was trading spells with the enemy mages upon hearing this, redoubled her efforts and started overcharging. Now instead of dozens dying every time she unleashed a spell there were hundreds. I followed suit.


    Standing near the edge of the crenelations I dual cast fireball. Then released the spell on my left then right. The spell detonated in the enemy lines killing dozens and setting many humans on fire. With my high casting speed and dual casting, I could release a fireball every half a second.


    I would take aim at a large cluster of soldiers, release the spell and repeat. This completely destroyed the enemy formation. I finally spotted the enemy mage in the middle of casting a spell. Aiming a few around 20 feet to their right I released an air blast much faster that he could cast. It detonated, interrupting the spell, and sending them flying. They probably would survive that.


    The tower Barian was defending however managed to reach the wall. It was only a few hundred feet away but even from this distance I could see the bridge lowering and soldiers beginning to stream out. This was also expected so they immediately met heavy infantry and were cut down almost as fast as they exited.


    It wouldn¡¯t be long before retreat sounded, and the battle would be over for the day. With the death or maiming of the mage no one else was firing spells at the main gate. So, the only thing I did was fire a blast to destroy any grouping of people attempting to raise a ladder. Glancing over to Benny I could see that she was a bit overzealous with her spells. Almost 800 laid dead so much loss in life led to that battalion retreating.


    Screams from the battle with the one Tower that made it to the wall caught my attention. 4 knights were decimating soldiers along the wall. Their blades cleaving through leather armor and plate like butter. One knight made a gravity defying leap over the defenders and brought their sword down on Barian. There was a large flash of light as a considerable amount of the energy in the radiant carapace was depleted. They both fell to the ground, Barian landing on his back. The knight deftly landed in a roll and hopped back onto their feet.


    An Etheric knight? It had to be.


    Barian countered with a stream of fire after he realized he wasn¡¯t dead. The fire engulfed the knight completely, even ally soldiers were caught in the inferno. An instant before the wall of fire hit a radiant barrier popped into existence around the knight. Curiously there was no spell circuit or pulse of Ether. It was a rather crude implementation of the spell, but it was good enough to block the fire. After the spell ended, they sprinted forward shield first, bowling the mage over and ran towards me. They were only a few hundred feet away at this point. A line of soldiers formed to block their path and the knight pointed their sword at them.


    An air blast emerged from the tip and sent the line of soldiers flying. I could have stopped the knight earlier, but I wanted to see more. Then the knight with formidable speed sprinted towards me. Unfortunately for them they were in range of my radiant lance. Pointing a finger forward, I summoned a spell circuit, overcharged, and took aim. I can always examine their corpse.


    ¡°Die¡± I whispered. Then fired.


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    An instant before I fired the knight changed course, throwing off my aim. Instead of hitting center mass I only caught an arm severing it completely. Then with another supernatural burst of speed they leapt off the crenelations. I dismissed the spell and rushed over to watch the fall. And to my surprise they landed in a roll and sprinted off leaving their arm and shield behind.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Vanya asked.


    ¡°An etheric knight, I¡¯ve never seen one in action before today. I¡¯m impressed.¡± I said.


    ¡°Glad you took care of him.¡± Stefen said.


    The rest of the knights followed suit and leapt off of the wall following their comrade. With this windfall the rest of the troops along with Barian were able to push back the stream of enemy soldiers. While others were dragging the injured into the range of the regeneration orb. Ignoring the fight occurring about 500 feet away from me I went over to the severed arm and shield. I examined it in the ether.


    The metal kite shield had lines of mithrite one the back shaped into spell circuits. At the center of each spell circuit was a pathetically weak etheric gem. Radiant shield, invigorate, air wall, and a fourth I couldn¡¯t recognize. I knew it was a light magic spell and the sigils making it up seem to suggest that it temporarily strengthens muscle and bone.


    I couldn¡¯t cast it properly without knowing exactly what it did but if I had to guess this is where the superhuman strength and speed came from. I kept the shield with me resolving to memorize the circuit regardless and toy with it in my free time. Maybe I could figure it out with trial and error. Turning my gaze to the arm I could see that the plate was enchanted. After removing the severed arm from the armor, I noted the intricate tattoos that adorned it. It was black ink though I could see a small shimmer of blue. Switching my gaze to the ether I realized it was Mithrite. They were tattooed with mithrite lased ink. Why? I could only guess.


    The battle went on for another two hours but at this point their mages were drained and the route to the wall from the only siege tower was little more than a death trap. The ground around the area was soaked in blood and hundreds of bodies littered the walls, mostly enemy but there were some who either were not able to be brought to the regeneration orbs in time or suffered injuries that lead to quick deaths.


    Horns sounded in the distance in a repeating pattern signaling retreat. Soldiers started to cheer as the entire enemy force was routed. If I had to put a number on it, there would be almost 3500 dead. Most being outside the walls. Without a proper way of defending against magic it was little more than one-sided slaughter. Standing orders were to cease all hostilities once they started to retreat.


    The baroness came running over. She looked rather brilliant in her plate armor; Hers was actually practical though it did have some embellishment to make everyone know it was a woman underneath.


    ¡°Gather up the wounded, both allies and enemies. Bring them to the orbs¡± she ordered her soldiers. The command was spread through the army.


    I knew what she was doing even without explaining it. After all, she would be ruling over these people in the near future. Why not make a good first impression?


    ¡°How was the defense of the gate?¡± she asked while giving the severed arm and shield I was holding a curious glance.


    ¡°Simple enough though I believe they hired a group of etheric knights.¡± I said.


    ¡°Really now? That must have cost a significant amount of coin.¡± She said,


    ¡°General Feyrun can likely tell you more.¡±


    The man arrived not a moment later with Barian.


    ¡°Sir moon is correct, Baroness, the had Etheric knights, I thank you for the Carapace¡± Barian said bowing to me.


    ¡°I will second that sentiment, it seems our enemy was gambling that they could eliminate the mages on the wall¡± Feyrun said.


    ¡°It is fortunate that they have failed. For now, see to the injured, they are unlikely to attack again today though keep the scouts on alert. Let¡¯s retreat to our command tent and discuss strategy.¡±


    A week later.


    Over eight days of constant fighting ensued with repeated failure from the enemy. Their casualties were mounting and beyond a large amount of cosmetic damage to the wall, they had not gotten any closer to breaching. Even their surprise sorties to destroy a part of the walls failed since it wasn¡¯t really difficult to close the breach. Now we were at the tail end of another failed push to breach the wall.


    The baroness stood next to me on top of the gate watching the fighting. They lacked the vigor they showed the first say so I had to assume it was time.


    I turned to the baroness. ¡°Perhaps it time we destroy their hope.¡±


    She gave a searching glance at the troops below there were still almost 17,000 men below. In truth the fighting was rather boring.


    ¡°Yes, it is time, I¡¯ll take the left flank. Do what you wish with the center.¡± She said and walked off.


    I shouted over to Benny who, unlike me, was having fun. ¡°TIME TO GIVE THEM A DEMONSTRATION.¡±


    ¡°FINALLY.¡± she shouted back. And immediately started overcharging a circuit. She and Barian were dealing with the right flank.


    I started casting tornado, it was an incredibly complex spell that took me almost 10 seconds. Aiming down in a large cluster of enemies I released. Nothing happened at first but slowly where I designated the air started spiraling, increasing in speed until a 100-foot tornado formed. Enemies started to be thrown around as they were sucked into the tornado then tossed hundreds of feet into the air. Then I began to overcharge the circuit giving the tornado more fuel. It grew 4 times larger, towering over the wall. The wind was so violent that it took some effort for me to stand upright. I had to brace myself against the crenelation to not get dragged towards the twister.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not done yet¡± I whispered to myself.


    Raising my left arm, I cast a fire stream as powerful as I could make it. I shamelessly copied my assassins. What it lacked in practicality it made up for in sheer spectacle. The massive cone of fire collided with the tornado and began to be sucked in. It swirled around as both my magic and the upwards convection of air acted as fuel to the fire. This made the tornado grow even larger at around 500 feet tall. The massive flaming tornado caught the attention of most of the soldiers along the wall. They stared dumbly; others seemed to be thanking whatever god they prayed to that I were on their side.


    A massive pulse of ether brought me to the baroness who was using her amplifier to cast a spell. She had kept it hidden for all of the fighting until now. She channeled a rather terrifying amount of magic into the spell circuit and released it. For hundreds of feet under the enemy the earth simply shattered and exploded. Thousands of boulders were launched into the air and then faster than faster than gravity would have allowed rocketed towards the earth. It repeated 4 more times until the spell ended. The ground shook as if there was an earthquake. Before there was grass, thousands of soldiers, and enemy equipment, now there was simply brown earth and rocks.


    Benny released and dropped to her knees almost immediately. Her overcharged air blast detonated, turning the hundreds of humans near the center to mist, and sending hundreds more flying through the air. Soldiers on the wall had to duck as some came flying towards them and landed within the city. I ended my spell soon after. As the flame tornado ended, I could hear the panicky sounding of horn retreat. After the wind and flame dissipated little more than charred and blackened earth was left. I had to guess the deathroll in the space of a few minutes to be almost 5000. Hopefully, this was enough to crush their spirits and I could go hunting.


    Over the week of fighting, we lost close to 800 soldiers where the enemy lost well over 10000. It just goes to show how futile it was to siege a fortified city. Due to the use of the regeneration orbs and my abilities most injured soldiers were in full health by the time morning came. And the more enemy soldiers died the more confident the men of Hearthaven became. Now we stood upon the wall on the ninth day of the siege and from what we could see there was no attack incoming.


    They had finally decided to starve us out.


    ¡°Is It time then.¡± I asked the baroness. as I looked through the looking glass.


    ¡°Yes, they have entrenched themselves against counterattack.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯ll begin the operation before sunrise.¡±


    The baroness chuckled at my enthusiasm and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t seem the type to enjoy war.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care much for it, but what I do enjoy is flying,¡± I said.


    It was a simple operation really. I would fly out in the early hours of the morning and search along their supply lines for any transport. Then I would simply dive bomb them from the air and fly away before anyone would notice. I even negotiated a hefty bonus since this was far beyond what I had originally offered. I would return to the city every few days for supplies but from now until they surrendered or died from starvation, this would be my plan.


    Of course I had ulterior motives. I had no intention to simply kill then fly away. This was a perfect opportunity. The accepted truth would be that these people died in an attack on the supply line, a common tactic in war. It was the perfect cover for my actual intention which was to rip the life from everyone in the supply train until I broke through my second barrier. They were isolated from the main army and with Noire I could fly away without anyone the wiser.


    ¡°Well, we have most of the rest of the day before then¡± the baroness said. glancing at the sky I presumed we had a few more hours of sunlight. With the strategy of food distribution during this period put in place long before I arrived, she didn¡¯t need to give much direction to her men.


    ¡°Whatever will we do with that time?¡± I asked suggestively.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time you take me flying.¡± She said,


    An hour later the Baroness and I were strapped to Noires harness. She sat behind me since being the same height she would obstruct my view.


    ¡°How do you actually direct her without a bridle and reins.¡± She asked.


    ¡°I just tell her where to go.¡±


    She looked dubiously at me and said, ¡°More mysteries I see, well, let us be off then.¡±


    Her commanders and advisors had enthusiastically advised against flying but one look from her was enough to end their complaints.


    ¡°Fly,¡± I said to Noire.


    Noire flapped violently and launched us into the air. The baroness who had changed from her plate into leather armor clung to me tightly through the violence that was Noire¡¯s takeoff. It took less than a minute for her to get to proper speed and soon enough we were gracefully soaring through the city skies. Having a beautiful woman cling to you for dear life was an enjoyable process. Soon enough she calmed down and observed the city below.


    She was largely silent as I flew Noire in a loose spiral upward eventually leveling out around 5000 feet.


    ¡°This is beautiful.¡± She finally said.


    The sun was just starting to set, and the sky was turning from blue to orange to purple. It was a stunningly beautiful sight. One I tried to see as often as possible.


    ¡°There is truly nothing like it.¡± I said caught up in the sight, even though I have seen it a dozen times already.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do some actual scouting.¡± I pointed Noir to the lake and had her pickup speed.


    Allyssia wrapped her arms around me and rested her chin on my left shoulder.


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± she said playfully.


    Around 50 miles towards the sea we could see the blockade. It was a stretch of around 30 ships of varying sizes that floated in the lake. Only 2 of them were actual war galleys. From this height they were little more than specs.


    ¡°Take us down closer.¡± Descending to around 1000 feet she examined the ships.


    ¡°Pirates, one trading company, and only to war galleys¡± she said as we flew past.


    Pirates on a lake, how amusing.


    ¡°Will this give your War Galleys any problems?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, they will go through the blockade with ease, on the small chance that it fails you can step in easily enough.¡± She said,


    ¡°For a price¡± I added.


    She was paying for me and Benny after all. Noire wasn¡¯t included in our agreement. She sniffed then said.


    ¡°We will have to renegotiate our agreement.¡± She said,


    ¡°Call on me anytime you feel like, I¡¯m always ready.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± she asked.


    She shifted behind me and with a gentle hand tilted my head to the side, realizing what she was doing, I had to partially turn around in my seat to meet her lips. It only lasted a handful full of seconds before we separated.


    ¡°Perhaps we should renegotiate tonight?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Be sure to bring the full measure of your wits. I can be quite demanding.¡± she said huskily.


    With a grin I pointed Noire towards the Keep.


    Three hours later


    I sat nude on the windowsill staring out on the city below. The Baronesses chambers were located within the highest point in the tallest tower in the keep. That afforded a spectacular view of the city below. The moons were out and casting a soft light over the entire city, the streets were lit with lanterns and windows glowed a soft yellow from candles and fireplaces within. Allyssia and I certainly had some fun but not even sex was enough to distract me from the growing anticipation.


    Tomorrow was the day.


    ¡°I know elves require less sleep but surely a few hours wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± Allyssia said.


    She walked over to me as naked as the day she was born and joined me, sitting on the opposite side of the sill. The stone of the sill was padded with a wood and a leather covering for sitting just like this.


    ¡°Sleep is largely a human limitation. I could go for weeks with only a few hours of meditation¡± I said.


    ¡°That sounds incredibly useful.¡±


    ¡°It Is.¡±


    A servant knocked at the door and Alyssia got up to answer, throwing a sheet over herself. Then she returned with a tray, holding two servings of tea. She set it between us on the sill and I reached for the cup closest to me.


    ¡°My thanks¡± I said and took a sip.


    ¡°So, what plagues your mind, that you cannot even meditate for a few hours.¡± She asked.


    ¡°Nothing of note, though I was wondering about one thing. How would someone hire a group of mages to assassinate another lone mage.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow, surprised at what I had asked then her impressive mind figured out what I was actually referring to.


    ¡°Your attack, I did wonder how a mage of your abilities was so grievously injured. It was not random then.¡±


    I was rather circumspect with the details of my journey, so it was unsurprising.


    ¡°5 mages, at least journeyman ranked, matching dark clothing, masks, and more importantly, they knew the tornado spell. Unless they were some of the greatest masters, they also had to be using amplifiers.¡± I listed everything I could remember about them.


    She furrowed her brow thinking about my description.


    ¡°There are some mercenary groups within the capitol made up of entirely mages, but none so well-equipped as to have master level spells and amplifiers. So, it must be a group from within the underworld.¡±


    ¡°How much would such a thing cost?¡± I asked.


    ¡°More than I¡¯m paying you.¡± she said with mirth.


    Allysia continued. ¡°The price is likely the only way you could track them down. I had to assume it was at least 100,000 gelding for the assassination. That amount of coin leaves a trail and there is one man guaranteed to have access to such information.¡±


    ¡°Denerif Mason?¡± I guessed.


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°And how exactly would I get into contact with the wealthiest man in the empire?¡± I said knowing it was a foolish question.


    ¡°Therein lies the problem: the man is famously mercurial and only the royal family or the most powerful dukes could command his attention, even that is tenuous.¡±


    ¡°But you have more problems, would your assassins not simply try again or at the very least try a more subtle approach¡± She asked.


    I sniffed arrogantly. ¡°Poisoning or knives in the dark won¡¯t kill me, and I have been preparing if I ever see that group again.¡±


    If the next few days go as planned. In terms of magical power, I would be in a class all my own. I smiled, my anticipation palpable.


    ¡°That vicious smile does not sit well on your comely face. Whatever is going on in that mind of yours.¡± She asked.


    Her question sounded innocent, but nothing was ever an ¡®innocent question¡¯ when it came to her. She seemed to be always questing for hidden truths.


    ¡°I¡¯m simply excited for tomorrow.¡± I lied shamelessly.


    She rolled her eyes and continued to drink her tea. Glancing out the window I looked to the horizon, the hunger starting to grow in me.

 Book 1: Chapter 41: The Sea

    I was riding Noire in the early hours of the morning. The sun was just about to peek above the horizon, and I was only a few hours in my search for transports. I was flying over the wide stretches of grassland that comprises most of the Baronesses territory and followed the supply routes noted by the Baronesses scouts. Against the sky Noire¡¯s Grey feathers were practically invisible so I only flew about 1000 feet in the air.


    This was much more enjoyable than sitting around waiting to respond to an attack. The baroness was certainly generous with her payments. Thinking of her brought back memories of our night together. It was quite enjoyable, but now with distance between us, I could clearly see the game she was playing with me.


    It was manipulation without any real manipulation. Her generals, noble vassals, servants and command staff all treated me with the utmost respect. It was enjoyable, and that was the problem. I despised the idea that she understood my personality enough to maneuver me so easily. I had nothing to complain about, and this led me to feel like I owe her my best effort. Then finally when her total victory was assured, she gave me her body. Child or no she was still a lovely woman, and with such accommodations as I had been given, what man wouldn¡¯t fall for her charms.


    I shook my head and chuckled, as the idea of making my alliance with her deeper didn¡¯t raise my hackles as usual.


    ¡°Far too smart,¡± I said to myself.


    I couldn¡¯t really blame her, it¡¯s not like I did anything different with Benny. I wanted a tool to use and gave her what she desired most to buy her loyalty and devotion.


    While the magical spells and tens of thousands of coin in my account were useful, one boon I never realized I would gain is the chance to observe how the Baroness ruled. Vernon ruled with a combination of arrogance, fear and bravado. His boisterous nature engendered loyalty and devotion from his men. The willingness to spill blood inspired fear, which he used to maintain control of his lands and before his probable assassination he was successful.


    The Baroness ruled differently, she was cold and distant. She would not drink or eat with any below her station and maintained the strictest poise and grace in all things. The difference was that she was constantly present, in all aspects of ruling her lands. Taxes, trade, commerce, war, noble intrigue, it seems that she took all with the seriousness it deserved. There was no plot within her capital that she didn¡¯t know about and from what I could tell had eyes everywhere.


    This inspired a different kind of fear that made even the nobility stay in line. They didn¡¯t squabble about and scheme as the nobility in Vernon does. All this I watched over the last few weeks. I took it as a lesson in ruling that maybe one day I could use.


    I found a decent enough cave with no signs of predators on the side of a small hill to use as a safe place where I could transform without anyone coming to check on the screams.


    In the middle of my musing, I finally spotted what I was looking for. A train of 15 loaded horse drawn carriages were clearly heading in the direction of the occupying army. No doubt it was a supply train and from the size of the carriages it was a considerable amount. I could see from this distance the 30 or so guards that were walking alongside the train on the compacted dirt road. I was too high to see if they were simple mercenaries or actual members of the army.


    I dove down towards the first carriage at incredible speed. Shouts of alarm went up as they noticed the gigantic bird diving towards them. Noire pulled up, halting her dive and landing in front of the first caravan terrifying the horses. Soldiers streamed forward circling around us but keeping their distance.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± one man in full plate shouted as he stepped forward, brandishing his sword and shield.


    Ignoring him, dismounted to Noire and stepped a few feet forward looking unimpressed at the 32 guards surrounding me.


    ¡°Elf if you refuse to answer you will be cut down.¡± He said impatiently while throwing worried glances at Noire.


    Counting the soldiers and drivers of the carriages it was 47 humans, a decent amount to start. I cast a massive shield covering the entire area making sure that no one would escape. They stared up in shock as the shield expanded to over 500 feet locking them in with me.


    ¡°Archers,¡± the man shouted.


    10 of the soldiers knocked arrows and prepared to fire. I looked at the guard considering how to go about this then I chucked as I thought of a spell, I had never considered would be useful.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± the man said with fear in his voice.


    I used my other hand to cast suction. It took a large amount of ether to produce enough suction to pull a person towards me, but one thing I had in abundance was stamina. The man flew through the air towards me and landed in a heap, dazed. Before he could recover from the spell, I planted a hand on his face and began ripping the life from him. He couldn¡¯t hope to match my power, so the process only took a few seconds. I savored the delicious rush of power that coursed through me.


    The rest stared dumbfounded as from the outside it looked like I simply touched the man and he died.


    ¡°Well then who is next?¡± I asked.


    This prompted them to charge me in masse; I sighed. It was going to be an annoying process.


    20 minutes later.


    ¡°Please sir mage I have a family, a wife and child don¡¯t¡­¡­..¡± his words cut off as I drained the life of the last man. 11 humans ended up dying before I could drain their lives. This last person was one of the drivers, some average looking peasant. The only distinguishing feature was him being massively obese. Doing this while being attacked was an annoyance and I barely felt half full. One of the horses made a noise. I shrugged, deciding to drain the lives of the horses as well.


    Noire started to tear the armor off one of the dead soldiers. She mangled the body horribly before getting it off. It was rather dexterous of her given her size. I was wondering what she was doing before she swallowed the man whole. Then she moved on to another soldier.


    ¡°Noire no. I need these bodies to be found later.¡± I said.


    She looked at me guiltily since I had told her multiple times not to eat humans. Seeing the massive creature look so guilty almost made me feel bad. She sidled over and gave me a soft nudge with her giant head. I sighed and gave her some life ether. She was a good girl almost all the time, so I suppose she did deserve a reward.


    ¡°Fine, you can have this one. But no more, you¡¯re getting too big¡± I said pointing at the fat man.


    She hadn¡¯t actually gotten any bigger the life ether I was constantly feeding her seemed to make other changes. It mostly seemed to just be making her stronger and faster over time. She giddily ripped the man in two pieces and swallowed the mangled parts whole.


    When did she get a taste for humans?


    I checked each carriage. They mostly carried food, and little else of interest. I did take a few luxury goods like wine and cheeses that were no doubt meant for the nobility who were in the army. I also found a small chest with a few hundred gelding that I put in one of the Noire¡¯s saddle bags. Taking flight, I carpet bombed the area with over 30 fireballs to make sure no one could tell what really happened and sped off into the air in search of other victims.


    In my hours in the air, I could feel the energy bleeding off into me slowly. It nourished my tissues, no doubt improving them but at a certain point the improvement stopped as I reached the highest potential of my body. At least that is what I had noticed over the first few months after my first transformation.


    It took another day before I found a second transport. This one seemed to be for military equipment. Carriages were piled high with swords and shields, pieces of armor and tools like hammers and nails. Devouring everyone was an easy enough process, and I was getting better at dialing back my power to reduce fatalities when they decided to attack in mass. I looked over the latest carnage bodies lying on the ground in macabre poses. Noire was sneakily trying to eat a soldier. I ignored her and focused on my internal senses.


    I was 65 lives in and at this point I was teeming with more energy than ever. While I felt godlike, I could already feel the power slowly bleeding away, I was close though. Just one more and I could break through.


    ¡°Noire come.¡± She swallowed the man whole and with a single flap landed in front of me. My determination was absolute. The mad hunger dominated my mind, and the promise of sweet ecstasy and power culled any hesitation from draining so many.


    ¡®More, more, more¡¯ thought as we took off. I just needed a few more to break through. Finally, I spotted another group actually leaving. They were all on foot and from their armor and weapons they were soldiers of one of the 3 barons. There were 18 men and 2 women. Deserters possibly.


    I landed a few dozen feet and hopped off Noire. Stumbling the entire time. I was practically bursting with energy. The group started asking questions as they drew swords. None of it really made it to my mind. They were little more than food. I started consuming again with little care for the begging that came from those that realized there was nothing they could do to stop me. At some point in the slaughter, I started laughing.


    Finally, after the tenth man I broke through. I rapidly drained the lives of the rest and blew up the entire area. I drunkenly stumbled over to Noire barely managing to get myself strapped in.


    ¡®To the Cave quickly.¡¯ I commanded. I glanced at my hand; it looked as if there was a bright light glowing under my skin. I sat there mesmerized at the red hew that my flesh and blood created. I was getting myself ready for the pain to start but nothing came. Just that glowing light under my skin.


    Noire landed in the cave around half an hour later. My worry seemed to spur her on, so she flew at top speed the entire time. The entirety of my body glowed as if my bones were made of pure light. I unstrapped myself and dismounted. Noire looked at me worriedly, but I just stood there watching my hands. Glancing inside my leather breastplate I could see that I was glowing inside as well.


    I glanced into the ether and was nearly blinded by the intensity of the life ether.


    There was no pain, for some reason that scared me. I didn¡¯t know what to do at this point so I just sat in the corner of the cave and let whatever would happen. I didn¡¯t truly start to worry until a crack opened up on the back of my palm and light burst forth.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°What?¡± I shouted as I bolted to my feet. Then another crack opened up and more light. Then I began to smell burning flesh. The light from inside me started cooking my flesh from the inside out. The skin on my arms cracked faster and faster. A massively bright white light bursts forth from every crack. I could tell it was moving up my arm. And slowly I could see the brighter light being emitted from my neck.


    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± I shouted then I realized there was light being emitted from my mouth. I tried to use my abilities to repair the damage. But I couldn''t do anything with the ether. I couldn¡¯t even cast the simplest spell. Then the light in my hands died down and faded into nothing leaving charred flesh. I had lost all feeling in my hands. They had turned from black to gray. I watched in horror as half of a pinky broke away and fell to the floor. Then my arms from the elbow down simply broke off like spent charcoals and fell to the ground making a soft pile of ash.


    The sleeves of my armor hung loosely. I tried to move then I tripped and fell. My ankles went out like my arms, and I simply broke and fell to the ground. Through all this there wasn¡¯t even a hint of pain. Or any feeling at all. Dread came over me as I realized I was dying; I could see the lights from my cracked face since I fell face first. One of my ears fell off and disintegrated into ash. I lost all feeling in my body. If it progresses like this, I could have little more than a few minutes to live.


    Think moon. Think. How do I save myself? My lower jaw fell off as I attempted to scream. Everything I could think of was useless since I could even cast or use life ether. As the seconds ticked down to my eventual death. I thought of my short life in this world. I had done nothing in the end, nothing to be remembered for. Was I really brought here just to fail like this, what a perfectly insignificant life. I lost vision in my left eye then my right.


    In those final moments leading up to my death I felt strangely at peace. It was for some reason a familiar comfort. Finally, there was nothing, not even a thought. There was only the great abyss that was death.


    I floated in eternal darkness for what could well have been a few seconds or an eternity. Then I snapped awake.


    I looked around my surroundings trying to get my bearings. The first thing I noticed was the sky; vast and blue with not a single cloud. Below me was a strangely calm ocean, which I stood atop. What was odd was that there didn¡¯t seem to be a traditional horizon. It simply stretched on infinitely. Looking down at the surface of the water I saw my reflection or lack thereof. Where I expected to see a royal elf, I saw instead a vaguely humanoid shape of white energy. I didn¡¯t breathe nor did I even have eyes. I tried to clasp my hands, but they simply passed through each other.


    I looked around in utter confusion at my situation. Out of sheer curiosity I tried to use magic but as expected nothing happened. The ether was as dead to me as with the moment of my death. I shrugged not really sure what to do. I tried to speak, and sound came out, I didn¡¯t have a voice box or a mouth but for whatever reason I could speak. I shrugged and simply chose a direction to walk in and started off. My steps didn¡¯t make any kind of ripple on the water¡¯s surface.


    I walked for hours, my mind flitting from one topic to the other. In this state it was rather hard to keep my mind on one topic. One moment I was in existential dread and the next moment a calmness would take over and nothing fazed me. My scenery didn¡¯t change, the world remained an endless expanse of water and sky. There wasn¡¯t even a sun to navigate by.


    Hours streamed into days I never felt tired or even bored, the concerns of my life were starting to fade.


    ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡± a voice from behind me said.


    I spun around to see another amorphous blob of energy stepping out of the water below. Instead of the white that I was composed of, this creature was a mass of rippling blacks and purples. Each step it made toward me caused that inky blackness to seep into the water. I don¡¯t know why but something told me to not let it touch me.


    ¡°We hadn¡¯t had a guest in some time, please let us talk¡±, its voice was changing pitch after each syllable ranging from a small child to a grown man.


    ¡°What are you?¡± I asked.


    It clapped and hopped in place reminding me of Lori when she got excited.


    Did it say we?


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t know,¡± another voice from behind me said.


    Turning around I saw another emerging from the water. Then hundreds and thousands started to emerge.


    ¡°NO. I FOUND IT FIRST¡± the first one shouted.


    ¡°There is nothing wrong with sharing, we are so hungry just give us a bite.¡± another said.


    Then the creatures began to argue. I had no clue what I should do in this situation, there were endless thousands of them surrounding me and they were slowly inching closer.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s mine, I''ll have it,¡± another shouted.


    ¡°You had the last one, it''s our turn, look at it, so plump and juicy.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we could talk before eating.¡± I said.


    ¡°No. No talk only feed¡± it said.


    Suddenly there was a burst of movement and a few started sprinting towards me. That seemed to prompt the rest to act. Before the first creature could make contact, a bright white barrier popped up around me, similar to a radiant shield but without the gold tint. The creatures clawed against it trying to get in. I could do little more than watch in horrified fascination as the barrier held them back. A bright light from above me caught my attention. It was a being similar to the creatures trying to eat me, but it was made of white and gold energy.


    ¡°Begone beasts¡± it said its voice unnaturally loud. A massive pulse of energy burst forth from the being and the creatures disintegrated into nothing. Once more the area was clear and the barrier around me disappeared.


    My savoir finally landed in front of me floating about a foot above the surface of the water. Interestingly enough it had no reflection.


    ¡°My thanks?¡± I said, confused at the situation.


    ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± I couldn¡¯t really tell if it was male or female; its voice was as impermanent as the creatures.


    ¡°It is fortunate that I arrived in time, your soul would have been consumed and death would follow. It is impossible to use mortal magic within this place.¡±


    So, souls existed. I had a million questions but one was at the forefront of my mind.


    ¡°I watched myself disintegrate. Yet you speak as if I¡¯m not already dead.¡±


    Its head tilted to the left considering. Then it said,


    ¡°Ah yes, you have the same misconception most mortals do. Your body was destroyed so you presume death. But you are not a body. You are a soul; you have a body.¡±


    I suppose that answers that.


    ¡°As interesting as that revelation is, nothing really changes. I¡¯m still as good as dead.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, you absorbed too much living ether.¡±


    ¡°Living ether? Do you mean that literally?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, living ether is the very essence of a soul.¡± It said,


    So, I was feeding on people¡¯s souls?


    ¡°You seem to know much about my abilities. What are you.¡± I asked.


    It simply said nothing, I waited for a few more moments and the silence stretched until it became awkward.


    ¡°Ok then, you said I absorbed too much living ether, what actually happens when I do that.¡±


    ¡°The body anchors the soul to the material plane, your absorption of living Ether strengthens the soul, in order to maintain the bond, the body must grow in power as well.¡±


    ¡°So, when I absorb living ether from others¡­.¡±


    It continued for me. ¡°The soul weakens and eventually it can no longer anchor itself to the body. Without a soul the body dies, and the soul moves on to oblivion or reincarnation.¡±.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t move on for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Your soul was too powerful to simply fade when disconnected from your body thus you ended up here. You absorbed so much living ether in such a small amount of time, that your body couldn¡¯t change fast enough to contain your power. Which led to its destruction.¡±


    This creature had some detailed insight into my abilities, which only served to raise my suspicion.


    ¡°And tell me why do you know so much about my abilities? Have you been watching me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not always.¡± It said,


    What no long-winded explanation this time. Either way I had to ask it, just to clear my suspicions.


    ¡°Are you some kind of god?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes and no. To a human peasant without magic, would you not also be considered a god¡± it said.


    Is this creature suggesting the difference between me and it was the difference between defenseless human peasants and myself. I had more questions on my mind but there was one more thing I needed to know.


    ¡°Did you bring me to this world?¡± I asked.


    There was a ripple across its body. Then it answered.


    ¡°Yes,¡± it said.


    I had no heart to race but even then, I felt like it was about to burst.


    ¡°Why?¡± I asked.


    I needed to know the reason beyond everything else I needed to know why I was brought to this world. It said nothing, just floating there.


    ¡°Can you lie?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No,¡± it said.


    ¡°Why¡±


    No answer.


    So, it can¡¯t lie instead It chooses to remain silent.


    ¡°What are those creatures?¡± I said, pointing at the waters below.


    ¡°Corrupted souls.¡± It said,


    I was beginning to understand the creature now. Its answers were usually short when I was getting close to information it didn¡¯t want me to know.


    ¡°If I break through again, will I return here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Possibly.¡± It said,


    ¡°Will you be here?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely, the corrupted has your scent and will devour you long before I can find you, this sea stretches to infinity. I am one and they number in the millions.¡±


    Well, that was a problem if I ever tried to get anyone to pass the second barrier. I wonder why Noire could but then again, she was a bird not a sentient being.


    ¡°Where did I come from?¡± I asked.


    It said nothing.


    ¡°What is my true name?¡±


    Nothing


    ¡°Did you give me these abilities?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What is your name?¡±


    Nothing.


    ¡°How old am I?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do not know.¡± It said,


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you know.¡± I asked, getting frustrated.


    Nothing.


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you answer some of my questions?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Your mind could not handle the burden of the truth.¡±


    The being considered for a moment then continued. ¡°It would break.¡±


    The creature looked to the sky for a moment then returned its attention to me.


    ¡°Time is short, you must return to the material plane. Spend too long within the sea of souls and you can become lost.¡± I said.


    ¡°How exactly? My body is destroyed.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Simple, you must rebuild it.¡± it said.


    ¡°Ok? How.¡±


    ¡°The greatest factor in magic is will. You must imagine your body, and will it into existence, imagine your bone, muscle, tendons, skin. You know how an organism should function, hold the dizzying complexity that is life within your mind. I will use your power to reconstruct your destroyed body on the material plane.¡±


    It even knew about my medical knowledge that also begged the question.


    ¡°Did you take my memories?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No¡±


    ¡°Can they be recovered?¡±


    ¡°No¡±


    ¡°But you know both my true name and my past?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes¡±


    ¡°Telling me would break me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, no more questions we must begin before you begin to lose yourself to this plane.¡± I wanted to argue but I had little desire to stay here. And if I wasn¡¯t actually dead so much the better.


    ¡°Very well. One last question. Is this how I ended up in that forest?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The process was similar.¡± it said, actually sounding annoyed.


    So, it wasn¡¯t the first time I had gone through this process. I still wanted to ask more but thinking back to how I wondered for seemingly days with no care for how much time passed halted me. I would have to wait, but I would see this creature again if it¡¯s the last thing I do.


    I pictured my elven body, trying to hold in my mind the image of all its organ systems together as a whole organism. My mind focused on that as much as I could, ridding myself of anything other thought. Cells tissue, bone even ethic strength I tried to visualize in the ether I needed a body strong enough to anchor my soul. I focused as much as I could on the concept. Then I started to feel living ether, leaving my body.


    I had to assume that was the creature using my own abilities to rebuild me. I held the image in my mind for what felt like hours. Trying to refine my concept as much as possible. Finally, the flow stopped, and it said.


    ¡°It is finished, you will soon feel your body begin to pull on you as the bond is forged. Do not fight it, let it guide you.¡± It said, sounding relieved.


    ¡°My thanks I suppose.¡± As soon as I said that I could feel myself being pulled. It wasn¡¯t a direction, just something pulling on me.


    ¡°I feel it.¡± I said.


    ¡°Why did you help me?¡± I asked.


    Nothing.


    ¡°Will I ever learn what the real reason I am here is?¡± I asked.


    ¡°In time provided you have the will. There is more to magic than the simple drop you have learned.¡±


    ¡°It is time your body calls to you.¡± It almost sounded sad.


    ¡°I suppose this is goodbye until I see you again.¡± The pull was quite strong now and I barely had enough strength to keep myself here.


    ¡°Goodbye, Betrayer¡± it said.


    What?


    I bolted upright, angry that it decided to say that before I left. I looked at my surroundings and nothing had changed. I was naked and a few feet away from me was my armor lying in a pile of ash. It didn¡¯t even seem that much time had passed.


    I checked my body, while I certainly felt good there wasn¡¯t that great rush of power that I was expecting. Noire glanced at me and my charred remains confused and I just shrugged at her.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as if I know what¡¯s going on either.¡± I said.


    I got up and walked over to my clothes, I reached down getting ready to clean it of my remains. Until I felt warmth in my chest, then it started to progress burning.


    ¡°Well shit¡± I said looking at my chest there was no light glowing under my skin, so it had to be what I expected.


    I was actually glad I was in pain; it meant all those souls didn¡¯t die for no reason. Then I started screaming and thrashing as the pain skyrocketed beyond normal agony. As my mind slowly lost focus on reality, the one prevailing thought that kept looping over and over what the creature said before I left.


    Betrayer, he called me. What did he mean and who did I betray? Why did he say that the instant before I left, just to taunt me? Then the creature¡¯s advice popped into my mind. There is more to magic than just the drop I had learned. I suppose after my business in the capitol it would be time to see the elves.


    The last thought I had before I lost my mind completely to the pain was, ¡®Damn, why didn''t I make myself taller.¡¯

 Book 1: Chapter 42: The Plan

    Corrupted souls, Living Ether, The Sea of Souls, Oblivion, Reincarnation and finally that creature. So much I didn¡¯t know.


    I sat along the banks of a river only a few miles from the cave which I transformed, contemplating my future. It had been a few days since my second breakthrough and most of that time was split between destroying transports and testing the extent of my newfound power.


    The first change I noticed was how easy it was to dual cast. Before it took considerable concentration to maintain two circuits but now, I could maintain 4 easily enough and 5 if I really wanted to push the limits of my control. As far as I knew the human limit was 4 simultaneous circuits.


    Next was the actual act of casting. It was common practice to use your hands as both a medium to transfer ether to the circuit and a reference point for aiming a spell. But with my level of control, I didn''t even have to use my hands anymore. I simply willed the circuit to change orientation to aim a spell.


    The means could summon a spell in any orientation I chose. In front, above, directly below, behind me. The only limitation to how I could summon circuits was distance. The farther I summoned the spell circuit from me the greater inefficiency. At around 10 feet in front of me even light spells which I could use without thought cost as much stamina as an earth spell.


    This allowed me to develop a completely unique way of fighting. With 5 circuits at my command and a casting speed so fast it was practically instant. I could maintain a near perfect defense while being able to return fire. This was done by doing shield stacking on myself. Two of my circuits will be used to maintain a constant cycle of radiant shields. Dismissing and resummoning to give myself a way to counterattack and raise a defense faster that any human could react.


    Even if I was being bombarded by dozens of spells and one was able to get through, the microscopic drop in defense, my radiant carapace would be sufficient. With my transformation came a greater affinity for light ether. While using light magic I could overcharge a circuit almost infinitely. The only limitation was my stamina, which at this point was monstrously large. My radiant carapace became so powerful that it would take well over a dozen fireballs to get through it.


    The only drawback from my transformation was my affinity for every other attenuation.


    It wasn''t a problem for fire and air, though those spells cost nearly 5 times as much stamina. Earth and water spells, however, cost nearly 15 to 20 times as much stamina and that was just at a base level. Overcharging would make it exponentially worse.


    I do recall Sarah saying that the greater one''s affinity for one attenuation the worse the others became, but I never expected it to be this bad. It seems for all my power some rules are simply set in stone. Regardless, I can confidently say that I am likely the most powerful light mage in the world at least compared to humans.


    I considered hiding the extent of my power but now with the confidence that almost no mage would be able to best me in combat. I decided it was time to be bolder, the baroness paid me a small fortune for all my effort in the war close to 80,000 gelding.


    I tumbled the idea over and over in my head on whether it was foolish to invest in her. In truth it was likely her loyalty could not be guaranteed. If it became public knowledge, I could grant power to anyone with just a touch. Two things were likely to occur.


    One: People would beggar themselves to be sure that that kind of power was on their side.


    Two: Others would try to prevent them from acquiring that power. Attempted assassination was practically guaranteed.


    I stood up and cast a shield nearly a mile across and then dismissed the spell. Then I created a radiant shield around 10 feet across, so dense with ether that it started to block out light. That was barely even a drop from the ocean that was my stamina. I dismissed it and sat back down, considering.


    I remembered the creature¡¯s words. ''What I know of magic is barely a drop''.


    It wasn''t a question of power at this point. In terms of light attenuation, I''m sure I was without peer. I needed to learn more, enchanting, elven magic, secret spells that simple bargaining won''t buy. I was only one elf.


    I switched my vision to the ether; another benefit I found after my change was the ability to see into the ether while casting. While I would be limited to 3 spell circuits, it was a worthy sacrifice when dealing with shadow mages. I switched back and continued to think, really trying to determine the best way to go forward.


    The greatest of human mages had entire countries backing their power, my wealth couldn''t compare to the imperial family. What kind of magical artifacts and enchanted equipment would they have at their disposal? I didn''t know. How would I compare with a fully equipped grandmaster mage?


    A good gauge would be a comparison to Princess Morianne herself, the only other unique mage I know of. I likely had more raw stamina, but such a difference can be made up by enchanted equipment. Who knows what kind of enchantments she would have on a full set of Mithrite armor. Not to mention any companions she has or amplifiers for that matter.


    That''s the difference, isn¡¯t it? I was one elf where she had an entire nation and generations of mages and enchanters all funneling their collective knowledge into a single person.


    My heart started to beat faster.


    Is that the path? My mind stuck on that idea.


    My own nation, the blood and sweat of tens of thousands all being concentrated into a single mage. Noire made a loud cry as she landed carrying a cow. She had to have stolen that from a farm somewhere. That gave me another idea.


    I could make a hundred Noire¡¯s easily and I¡¯m sure I could figure out a way for them to take commands from people other than me.


    100 people on flying mounts all enhanced my abilities, questing across this world with one mission. To bring back magic knowledge to me, their king. The more I thought about it the more I liked the idea.


    My own kingdom, my own lands, one nation under me.


    I''ve never tested what my abilities would do to livestock, plants, and non-mages. I could build a kingdom like no other. Couldn¡¯t I? How many blind, deaf, deformed, diseased or crippled wretches are there in the world? Would they not offer their very souls to me for health, beauty, riches, and power.


    Benny wasn''t a particularly talented mage, just more driven than most. With a hundred of her all on the backs of etheric beasts under my command. Who in this world would dare challenge that kind of power? I''m sure some idiot would but with no mages in the sky but mine, well even the Entire Vendalian empire would be little more than lambs to slaughter.


    I shifted my glance to the ether and watched Noire and I noticed something new. There was an almost imperceptible line of living ether flowing from me to her. It was so slight that it was almost invisible. Without my change I likely would never have noticed it. If I truly focused, I could even see living ether in the air.


    I examined my body using the living ether. Before I could easily see the complex organization of tissues that made up bodily function. Now it was more. I could literally see into my cells, the organelles going through chemical processes so complex my mind had a hard time deciphering it. I pushed further into the nuclei, to my very DNA. Billions of pairs of DNA began to unfurl, their meaning revealing themselves to me. It was too much information, too fast my mind could barely keep up. A stab of pain began to split my brain, and I cut off the vision.


    I fell back on the ground panting as the migraine slowly faded. But even then, a small smile began to form on my face. Could I morph DNA as easily as I morphed flesh? I couldn¡¯t even begin to consider what I could do with that ability. I needed time to think and really study. I also need test subjects. I took a few minutes to recover and moved on.


    ¡°Noire come here¡± I commanded.


    She swallowed the cow and sidled over to me. She towered over me, her head twisted back and forth waiting for a command.


    ¡°Do a quick fly over¡± I commanded again. Trying to picture what I wanted her to do.


    Yes, I see it now. Every time I commanded her there was a ripple in the connection as if the true essence of my intention was transferred through it. This is why she won''t take commands from others. And likely how she can track me so easily. As she flew into the air the connection became longer and longer. But regardless of how high she flew, the connection remained tethering us to each other. I would have to experiment on how to create this connection with others.


    There was one problem however, where would I establish such a kingdom? Not Braken since they were largely too set in their ways to change. Not the elves since I refuse to share power with the Sianna. I know little about the eastern continent but what I do know is that it was split into dozens of countries that didn''t get along with each other. There perhaps?


    I stood and stretched; my mind was made up. This was my path: I would make myself a king and build a nation of my own. First, however, I would need a last name.


    I commanded Noire to land, then I mounted her and continued along with my task. Though my mind was far away.


    One week later


    I landed in the Baroness¡¯s gardens. Apparently, she had someone watching out for my arrival and just as I was finishing removing the saddle bags from Noire, she, Benny and her command staff exited a side entrance and came over to me.


    ¡°Master, you took longer than I thought,¡± she said. though I could see from her eyes she was eager to get me alone. I did tell her about my true purpose, and she likely wanted to know how it went.


    ¡°Baroness¡± I said as she gave me a nod. Briannah and the rest of her command staff gave me a bow.


    ¡°Moon It''s good to see you, may I presume that things went well.¡± the baroness said.


    ¡°It was as expected, though I do need some refreshment.¡± I said.


    I turned to Benny and asked, ¡°How is your training?¡±


    ¡°Good master, look¡± she said, and she cast radiant Barrier. I gave it a once over examining it from within the ether. It was wavering but at least she had it stable, after she mastered this spell, I would move on the healing.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Excellent, we can begin with healing spells in a few weeks.¡± I said.


    ¡°Come let''s discuss our plans for the end of the war.¡± The baroness said.


    We were in the war room once again going over the map of the area.


    The Baroness started. ¡°From our spies in their army, we know now that they are starting to feel the effects of Moon¡¯s attack on their supply lines. Starvation is starting to set in, and we have reports of desertion.¡±


    I added. ¡°I have noticed groups of soldiers fleeing the army, I decided to leave them unharmed.¡±


    She nodded and said. ¡°All we have to do now is keep up the pressure, they know now that we have a flying mage on our side, no doubt they are unwilling to risk their mages in a surprise attack by Moon. So, they have been kept close.¡±


    Feyrun said ¡°Perhaps it is time to break through the blockade. The additional prisoners have been draining our supply of food faster than original projections.¡±


    ¡°How many prisoners are there?¡± Briannah asked.


    ¡°Between 2000 and 2300.¡± Feyrun announced.


    Another general who was the baroness¡¯s cousin said. ¡°They have been fed well and if you would Sir Mage your light orb could be of use to keep them placated. While we are still assembling their identities. Most are willing to forswear any allegiance to their previous lord so long as the lives of their families are assured. Every noble prisoner has already renounced their loyalties as well.¡±


    I gave him a small nod agreeing to his proposal.


    The baroness said. ¡°Good. Everything is proceeding as planned, how long until we have to begin rationing.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks,¡± Anor said.


    He had apparently been promoted to chief resource officer for the army.


    ¡°We will wait until then to break the blockade. Until then, Moon, can you continue your efforts on their supply line.¡± the baroness asked.


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s a simple enough task. Though I¡¯m going to rest for a few days.¡± I said.


    ¡°That is acceptable, preparations have been made for your return¡± she said.


    It¡¯s not as if she had any choice. The meeting went on for another half hour. I didn¡¯t really care about the details of their plan, but I might as well learn as much as I could about war while I was here.


    Over an hour later I returned to my room where I could finally relax. Benny left with Briannah to do whatever girls their age did with their free time, and I entered my room and disrobed and with Niara¡¯s assistance prepared for a proper bath,


    ¡°The baroness ensured that everything would be prepared when you arrived.¡± Niara said.


    ¡°Ok,¡± I said, not really listening to her.


    Entering the luxurious bathing room I now realized what she meant by preparation. There were 3 women waiting inside dressed in revealing clothing that showed off their bodies. All 3 bowed as I entered. I smiled; I could certainly use the distraction.


    ¡°Send the Baroness my thanks, now leave me to my bath.¡± I instructed Niara


    ¡°Yes, my lord¡± she bowed and closed the door.


    Two hours later I was lounging in a thick comfortable robe on one of the plush couches in my room. I was nursing a glass of wine, feeling quite content and pleasantly empty.


    A knock sounded at my door.


    ¡°Enter.¡± I said.


    Benny walked, came over to me and to a seat on the ottoman in front of my couch. She looked excited; no doubt anxious about the news.


    ¡°Did you do it?¡± She asked.


    I finished my glass.


    ¡°Indeed, however there were a few complications.¡± I said.


    ¡°What kind of complications?¡± She asked.


    Before I started explaining I cast a radiant shield to encompass the entire area around us. I thickened the barrier until not even sound would pass through. She jolted as it simply popped into existence without me moving a muscle. Then I began to explain starting from when I broke through.


    Half an hour later.


    ¡°That is a problem,¡± she said.


    I kept much of the story a secret, like my suspicion that I was never an elf to begin with or the fact that I was probably a soul from another plane existence that was dragged here against my will. I didn¡¯t even bother explaining how deep my ability to alter bodies went or could go in the future. Nor did I mention the connection between Noire and me and the possibility of recreating the process with her. That last bit was mostly because she probably wouldn¡¯t stop badgering me until I figured it out. All will come in time.


    ¡°Indeed, I don¡¯t know enough about my abilities to gauge when it would be safe for you.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said, sounding disappointed. ¡°I¡¯d rather not turn to ash.¡±


    ¡°Still, it¡¯s good that you survived, though I¡¯m not sure about the creatures you met in the Sea of souls?¡± she asked, checking if she got the name right. I nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m as confused as you are, I need more information before I make any decisions.¡± I said.


    ¡°How is your progress on dual casting?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not quite there, I should be able to get it by year''s end. I can''t believe you can do 4 at the same time¡± she said, sounding astonished.


    ¡°It is certainly something. That reminds me, when is your name day?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, in a few months.¡± She said, though she seemed to have forgotten about it.


    ¡°Perhaps we should do something, a night in the town maybe. You could even invite Briannah; I noticed you two have become friends.¡± I said, wondering what kind of gift she would like.


    ¡°Best if it¡¯s just us. Briannah and I aren¡¯t that close.¡± She said,


    It certainly looked like they were close. Though they barely glanced at each other during the war meeting. Was something going on there?


    I shrugged, not really caring. ¡°Very well then, just us it is.¡±


    Getting another glass from the bar I poured her a cup.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s enjoy the rest of the day. Our part in this war is coming to an end.¡± I said.


    ¡°Then we move on to the capitol¡± she said. Then we clicked glasses.


    Benny took a deep drink of the slightly smokey, spiced wine. She gave me a conspiratorial glance and said, ¡°So, you and the baroness.¡±


    I chuckled.


    Three weeks later


    It was largely a boring time in the Hearthaven; my sorties to destroy any shipment of food to the enemy force were becoming infrequent. According to a scouting report starvation was becoming rampant and there were even rumors that the enemy force was considering surrendering. With the breaking of the blockade there was now a constant shipment of food to the city. By sheer attrition, the enemy force was slowly destroying themselves. Now even some of the captured nobles were openly working with the baroness since everyone realized the enemy force had no chance to starve out the city.


    It was only a matter of time until they sued for peace with the baroness, however, The Baroness didn¡¯t want the war to end on their terms. So, after inviting me to her room and showing me a good time, she proposed a new stratagem to me.


    ¡°So can you do it,¡± she asked.


    We sat on the windowsill in the dead of night staring out at the city. We sipped tea, it had become something of a ritual between us. The entire staff knew about our time together, but the baroness didn¡¯t care. It''s not as if any would question her honor since a swift death would be their only reward. I don¡¯t know what the baroness told her staff, but most seemed too petrified of me to hold much of a conversation.


    Her latest plan however was something quite different. She wanted me to fly into the center of the enemy encampment and drop the most powerful spell I could muster right in the center. This would kill or injure many of the nobility and command staff. No doubt at this point they had mages on constant lookout for me so it would be dangerous. So that meant she had to pay me.


    20,000 gelding she offered me for this one task. But this would effectively end the war in a single stroke. And from her previous plans she already had many second and third cousins to fill the positions left by the dead. Since they were at war it wouldn¡¯t even be classified as murder.


    ¡°Very well, though I want something more than coin.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that? Haven¡¯t I given you enough? most men would be satisfied at this point.¡± she asked, chuckling.


    ¡°I am not most men.¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°What then?¡± she asked, slightly more serious.


    ¡°Enchantment, I want to learn how humans do it. It is illegal to teach someone not sworn to imperial loyalty. Though I¡¯m sure someone with your connections would be able to find someone.¡± I asked.


    From everything I researched about enchantment the process was incredibly difficult in some ways, even more difficult than spellcraft. But in the end, all it required was a good enough mind and control of the ether. That is why enchanters were usually mages with poor affinity for all attenuations. At first, I thought it was strange that teaching magic was less regulated than teaching enchantment. It wasn¡¯t until I met other mages that I realized why that was.


    All mages will reach a limit to their abilities, stamina, affinity or simply running out of spells to learn. That''s why nobles hoard grimoires and why all the magical schools and enhancement academies are in the capitol. A mage would be forever limited in their potential until they gave in and swore themselves to imperial rule. Every mage with an amplifier, even the baroness was sworn to imperial loyalty. Though I did want to learn I wasn¡¯t inflexible, this was more of a test for the baroness. I wanted to see how she would react if I asked her to put herself in a situation where she could be compromised.


    ¡°That would require you getting in touch with the underground enchanters. The moment it was found out you and your apprentice were trying to forge such a connection. You would be labeled enemies of the state¡± she said, seeming to not be enthused by the idea.


    ¡°The best I can do is introduce you to a few people with those kinds of contacts. If you find yourself in opposition to the state, then you are on your own. I will nor risk myself in such a way.¡± She said her voice was clear and firm. She was dead serious; she would leave me out to dry.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it for 40,000 gelding.¡± I said. I had no interest in begrudged half enthused help. I couldn¡¯t blame her for her stance. In her position I would do the same. Why risk so much when you already have your ambition in your hands?


    Her eyes twitched, realizing that this was a test she no doubt failed. If she had instead offered me something else of equal value or attempted to steer me away from my course because of the inherent danger to us. I would reconsider our alliance to be something deeper.


    But no, she would steer me towards an end she likely thought would end in failure and made it clear I would be on my own in this pursuit. A perfectly logical and reasonable stance. Unfortunately, it was a stance that made it clear to me that I was still, in her mind, a tool to be used, not an invaluable ally. Therefore, her loyalty cannot be relied upon.


    ¡°When would you like to have it done?¡± I said.


    She recovered quickly. ¡°Three days from now, my spies report rumors of surrender, but I want total victory.¡±


    ¡°As you wish Baroness.¡± I said with a charming smile.


    Her eyes tightened, in private I never called her baroness.


    I looked at the night sky. The moons were not out, but the stars were, and it was a beautiful sight. I sent out a command to Noire to fly past the window. Less than a minute later her large form rocketed by, then returned to whatever she was doing.


    ¡°Come¡± she said, full of charm. ¡°Let us return to bed.¡± She pulled me along, dropping her robes in the process. I shamelessly admired the view.


    ¡°Of course, Allyssia,¡± I said.


    We continued our activities for the rest of the night. It¡¯s better that she believes this is a viable path of manipulation than trying anything unexpected.


    Three days later


    I rode atop of Noire at over around 5000 feet in the air, high enough that no one would be able to tell the difference between Noire¡¯s gray feathers and the night sky. I could see the army below concentric rings of tents and standing fortifications. Hundreds of lanterns and torches made it easy to pick out the center of the camp. All useless against someone who commands the sky.


    ¡®Dive¡¯ I commanded Noire.


    Aiming at the center of the encampment we dove her speed enhanced by both gravity and a small amount of ether.


    5000 feet.


    4000 feet.


    3000, 2000. I overcharged an air blast to the highest extent of my abilities. There were bright flashes of lightning in the sky as the spell rippled with power. From this steep a dive angle all I needed to do was aim forward. I released. Noire pulled up in the same instant, turning the downward momentum forward. This slammed me into the seat as we pulled enough G¡¯s to tear her wings off. I spotted a few spells flying at us before we rocked off into the distance. At our insane speed and with the camouflage of the night sky hitting us was almost impossible. An instant later my spell detonated.


    I turned around in the saddle to see the pressure wave expanding sending everything flying.


    ¡®This story will spread.¡¯ I presumed.


    In one night, I had likely changed the face of war. With Noire, standing fortifications and city walls were useless. What was to stop me from simply flying over them and turning their cities into a molten ruin?


    I had certainly become a threat to those in power, now we would have to see. Will they beggar themselves to have me on their side? or will they think me too powerful and try to eliminate me. Either way I don¡¯t care. No one, not even Benny, really understood the extent of my power and ambitions. By the time they learned it would be far too late.

 Book 1: Chapter 43: The Offer

    One week Later


    My attack killed most of the nobility within the army, destroying any kind of leadership. This crushed any chance the enemy had of mounting a counter offensive. So demoralized was the enemy that the next morning the remaining nobility surrendered to her as soon as the sun rose. Every member of Wigmore¡¯s ruling family, which were 3 sons, and 1 daughter, was caught in the blast. With a full relinquishment of titles to the baroness¡¯s niece Briannah by the wife of Lord Wigmore gave the baroness complete rule of all her surrounding baronies.


    The last son of Cedwain restored his oath to the baroness with the requirement that he marry a woman of her choosing. The child from that marriage will foster with her until he or she reaches a majority. With all the reigning nobility of Blackhall getting caught in the blast we were waiting within her throne room for the remaining heir.


    A young woman by the name of Karliah would come and swear her oaths. She expressed that she had disagreed with her father and brothers in going to war and was more than willing to transfer complete rule of the barony to the baroness. To the point of forswearing her own right. Stating so publicly pleased the baroness, so she offered the girl the same deal Cedwain did. To marry a man of her choosing and have the child foster with her until his or her majority.


    That means for the first 16 years of their lives they would be under the baroness¡¯s influence, effectively guaranteeing that she would have loyal retainers once they took their seats. The dead lords, viscounts and landed gentry were replaced by her people. Many second and third cousins all got seats to rule.


    While I wasn¡¯t needed for this process I decided to watch, I mostly sat to the right of the baroness within her throne room. It didn¡¯t leave my notice that that was the position of a spouse. But I cared little about the stares I got every time some noble came to swear oaths and sign transfer of vassalage paperwork. If I am to rule my own lands someday these will be things I need to know. None could meet my eye; the baroness was using the fear that I inspired to bully everyone into agreeing to her demands.


    With an official surrender she couldn¡¯t just have them killed, not even she was above imperial law. Anytime someone gave her problems I just commanded Noire to screech at her loudest volume. That sound could be heard for miles. That was enough to remind them who had the most power on their side and they would fall in line.


    I was of course being paid handsomely to basically just sit here and look intimidating. When to threaten, cajole and bully in these kinds of situations were lessons that I was careful to take in.


    ¡°Announcing Lady Karliah Blackhall¡± one of the guards at the door said. A woman in a black mourning dress walked in. With the death of her father and brothers she was technically the reigning baroness. However, the guards were specifically instructed to call them by incorrect titles until oaths were sworn and papers signed.


    She was a lovely woman with bright reddish-brown hair and brown eyes. She somehow maintained both a proud and greaves-stricken expression as she walked. She passed the group of onlookers to kneel at the baroness¡¯s dais.


    ¡°Karliah it is good to see you in health. We were grieved to hear about the loss of your brothers.¡± The baroness said.


    Karliah responded in practiced fashion, though her eyes kept flicking to me. ¡°My eternal thanks for your concern, Baroness. May I also thank you for the shipment of food and supplies to our city. It has been trying times in this war. We of Blackwall are most pleased to see it end and are fully prepared to swear all oaths and sign all transfers of vassalage at your pleasure My Lady Baroness.¡±


    It was certainly odd, watching this woman humble herself before both the killer of her father and brothers and the woman who instigated them to declare war to begin with. So masterful was her performance I couldn¡¯t even tell if it was genuine. Only the constant flicker of her eyes in my direction gave me insight into her true feelings. Though I couldn¡¯t tell if it was hate or curiosity.


    ¡°We are pleased to hear your wish to rejoin your de jure lords. Due to your honorable display, we would be willing to allow you to retain your seat. To solidify this union, I propose a marriage between you, the reigning Baroness, and my cousin Lord Demark Feyrun.¡±


    It was rather uncouth to force a marriage proposal this early in negotiations of surrender. But it¡¯s not as if Kariah had any real choice in the matter. With her barony in shambles this was the only way to maintain her lands.


    Karliah did a bow so deep and full of respect one would think that she was bowing to the emperor himself.


    ¡°On behalf of Blackhall we are more than willing to accept such a generous offer. Lord Renner¡¯s honor and skill in battle are known through the land and I am grateful that you choose to honor me in this way.¡± Kariah said.


    Lord Renner was the oldest son of General Feyrun, a decently handsome man in his mid-30¡¯s. His wife had died some time ago in childbirth and he was in need of another. The only thing I knew about him was that he was indeed skilled with the blade and his loyalty to his father and by proxy the Baroness was absolute.


    The same man stepped out of the crowd dressed in full military regalia. He gave Karliah a formal bow. He was probably 10 years her senior, but such things were common.


    ¡°Very good, let us adjourn for the day, please Kariah enjoy our hospitality. I know the journey here had to have been made in haste.¡±


    ¡°My thanks Baroness.¡± Karliah said.


    An hour later


    I was in the baroness¡¯s gardens giving Noire a once over. She unfortunately started to grow again and the straps connecting the saddle to the harness across her body needed adjustment. Fortunately, the horse master had this thought in mind, and I only needed to loosen a few buckles. Many of the visiting nobility were watching me in hushed conversations. Noire and I had been the talk of the city for most of the week.


    It was strange that none had approached me with some conversation. More than likely this was the baroness¡¯s doing.


    I heard footsteps approaching. Turning around to see who I was, I was surprised to see that it was Karliah.


    ¡°Hello¡± I said as I continued my work.


    ¡°Greeting My lord¡± she said.


    With a final buckle I finished adjusting the harness.


    ¡°What can I do for you, my lady?¡±


    ¡°I simply wanted to see the creature most of the city seemed to be enamored with.¡± She said,


    Noire puffed out her feathers as if showing off. In reality it only made her look more terrifying.


    ¡°Noire certainly has been drawing quite a large amount of attention lately.¡± I said innocently.


    ¡°How did you tame an etheric beast; my mages claim that it is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Your human mages claim such a thing is impossible.¡± I said.


    ¡°They also say you only practice human magic so yes it''s impossible.¡± she said. There was none of the grieving daughter and sister performance here.


    ¡°Surely your human mages would understand how an elf does magic more than the elf in front of you.¡± I said reproachfully.


    ¡°My apologies I meant no offense.¡± She said, then continued. ¡°What I really wanted to know was is Noire a unique creature?¡± It was an innocent question.


    But no doubt every mage and noble worth their salt wanted to know the same thing. How do I get my own flying mount? If the process of taming an etheric beast can be repeated. Then the entire world would be after such knowledge.


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not¡± I said is a began mounting her.


    After I was fully secured on the saddle I continued. ¡°Maybe one day such a creature can be bought.¡±


    I commanded Noire to take off. Leaving Kariah to contemplate my words. In truth I would never offer such power to someone not under my direct control. No amount of coin in the world would compel me to do so. But there was no point in having them think coin couldn¡¯t get them the impossible. In truth I wanted to attract the attention of a certain man and starting that rumor would be the best way for him to come to me.


    One month later.


    The baroness and I were coming in for a landing on a specially built platform. We were in Blackhall, the last part of her tour of her new lands. It was largely a propaganda campaign for the citizenry. She would send massive shipments of food to the cities to put her name on the lips of every citizen. Then a speech would be held in the city square. She would give a rousing speech condemning the old regime and extolling the virtues of her new rule. It would always begin with me flying her onto the platform, which sent the crowd into a frenzy since Noire had become famous at this point. Then she would give a speech which usually ended with her hosting a massive feast.


    I typically wouldn¡¯t have bothered participating but I wanted to learn how people rule. Her speeches were cleverly manufactured with criers in the crowd to get them cheering when she wanted. All this I was watching with rapt attention since if I wanted to fulfill my ambitions I would need to learn. She never failed to get them into a screaming frenzy which usually ended with them cursing the past leadership and praising her kindness and honor. The added drama of Noire and I was only fuel to the fire that became their near sycophantic praise of the baroness.


    We landed gently on the platform, and it groaned as Noire¡¯s weight settled. I dismounted first and helped her down, so she maintained her grace. Then her speech began after the cheering audience calmed down.


    I watched the baroness, carefully observing her mannerisms, the words she used. When to pause and have the audience calm down and when to whip them into a frenzy. The area was overcast and Blackwall, being the most powerful of their vassals, had to go well to permanently cement the baroness¡¯s rule in the minds of the citizens. The baroness, her generals, Karliah, Benny and all the surviving mages in the barony were on the platform.


    I felt a small drop of rain then a few more. The baroness¡¯s eyes flicked a worried glance at the sky in the middle of her speech. Taking the momentary pause, I cast a massive shield covering the tens of thousands of people who were in the audience. As I finished the rain started to pour but not a drop made it through the shield. The baroness halted her speech so the crowd could stare at the shield in wonder.


    The other mages stared at me with dumb expressions since they knew it took a stupid amount of power to make a shield this large. I gave her a respectful nod and she continued her speech even as the rain outside the shield became heavier and heavier. I made sure to pretend I needed to use my hand when casting in front of anyone other than Benny. No need to give away an advantage if I didn¡¯t have to.


    Finally, the speech ended and since the rain stopped, I reduced the power in the shield until it faded into nothing.


    ¡°They will talk about this speech for generations.¡± Kariah said as gave the baroness a respectful bow in front of the entire citizenry.


    ¡°Indeed, such a bold display of power will not soon be forgotten¡± The baroness responded.


    I looked out towards the raving masses all shouting the baroness¡¯s name. I couldn¡¯t help myself from imagining what it would be like if they were chanting mine instead.


    It took another week before things were finally beginning to settle down, trade was back up and slowly wartime was ending. Other than aiding in her propaganda campaign. I spent most of my time finishing up my studies. I had learned 9 more spells but in truth I really didn¡¯t care that much about any of them.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Two spells that could boil and freeze a body of water respectfully. An earthen spell that could create a sinkhole, another that could compact the earth. An interesting water spell that could summon a cloud a few hundred feet in the air and make rain. Two more shadow spells that I couldn¡¯t use. One that could obscure objects, it didn¡¯t make them invisible just simply caused the object to be ignored easier. Another more interesting one was actual invisibility. But again, I couldn¡¯t use it, besides casting or fast movement would break the spell. An advanced version of the candle spell that could summon a flame as large as a bonfire that could last hours. The only truly useful spell is the one I named strengthen.


    It was the earth spell on the shield, the etheric knight wore. It took me weeks to figure out what it does, but I finally succeeded. It didn¡¯t actually give someone supernatural strength. It removed the unconscious limitations the body places on muscles to prevent damage. The shield had an imperial seal, so I surrendered it to the baroness for a price.


    One benefit was there was no limitation on what I could cast it on. So long as it was an organic creature. As to how it was embedded in the shield and how a non-mage could activate it was beyond me. Either way with this spell active I could sprint faster and jump higher than someone of my strength level could ever achieve. It only lasted a few minutes at a time, but I could simply repair any damage and recast it. As an earth spell it was inefficient, but it was interesting to know regardless.


    Benny and I were in my room going over a map of the southern baronies. I was planning to visit a few acquaintances before we headed to the capitol, so I was charting a rough path and estimating the travel time. The baroness planned to leave for the imperial capitol in a few weeks, so I had more than enough time.


    A knock at the door interrupted our planning.


    ¡°Enter,¡± Benny said for me.


    Niara walked in with a servant I was sure was one of the baroness¡¯s.


    ¡°My lord the baroness has invited you for a private dinner at your leisure.¡± He said.


    Benny and I raised an eyebrow.


    She had invited me several times to dine with her or spend the night in her quarters. All of which I declined. In truth I was already relegating her as a temporary ally that, after I finished my business in the capitol, would be left permanently in the past. As enjoyable as her company was, if I couldn¡¯t see her as a long-term ally there was no point in me giving her my time since the war had ended.


    Last I checked I had 110,513 gelding in my account at the bank. A paltry sum compared to the great fortunes of the most powerful families. They are rumored to be in the tens of millions. Either way I was pleased with what I had earned. 14 new spells with two of them being master level, a flying mount, my name on the lips of everyone in the empire and surprisingly the lessons in ruling that I observed in the baroness.


    I had been in constant attendance in her court often at her side or in the gallery.


    I had commissioned a map of the world from a map maker within the city. From there I would plan where to go after my business with the elves. I just had to find the right country with an unstable enough government.


    But now the baroness was calling on me again before Benny and I went on our small vacation.


    ¡°Might as well see what she wants.¡± Benny said.


    I shrugged and agreed. Benny was anxious to leave. Whatever friendship she had with Briannah had broken down. It seemed that Briannah was spending more time with her new betrothed than with Benny. I suppose this was a valuable lesson for her to learn about the nobility. You only had their attention when you were of use.


    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll see her tonight.¡± I said and signaled them to leave.


    ¡°Come, help me pick out something to wear.¡± I said to benny.


    Sometime later I walked into her private dining room, the baroness was already seated and there was no one else but a servant standing off to the side. It was a richly decorated space with a fireplace.


    ¡°Baroness, my thanks for the invitation. ¡°I said.


    The old man bowed and left the room after I took my seat.


    We sat at the opposite end of the table. The baroness was wearing a lovely red dress with many pieces of gold jewelry that complemented her face. I was wearing my usual white and purple closely cut doublet and overcoat. Of course I had my sword equipped, it was one of the most important pieces to my ensemble.


    ¡°I almost expected that you would say no. Thrice you have rejected my company.¡± She said,


    From almost nowhere a servant came and filled a glass of wine for each of us then exited. I took a sip. It was the slightly smoky spiced wine that I had been enjoying throughout my stay here. It was strange that that bottle just kept getting replaced without me asking.


    ¡°I have been busy teaching my apprentice healing magic, learning the rest of the spells, in the Grimoires. Amongst other things.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure,¡± she said, not sounding to buy the obvious deflection.


    The first course was brought out by a small army of servants that efficiently set each dish down and left a few minutes later. It was a beautifully decorated plate of roasted fish with a side of some delicate salad.


    ¡°So, with the war at an end and our agreement ending in a week, what is next for you?¡± she asked, taking a delicate bite of her fish.


    ¡°I intend to travel to the capitol of course. See the sights perhaps. Maybe I will have a chance to see an airship.¡± I said all was true but that had nothing to do with my real intent.


    She replied ¡°There is a decent enough chance, but what will you when elves come calling, your name is spreading faster than the plague. Every noble will either want your power on their side or have you eliminated.¡±


    I cleared my palate with some lemon water and tried the salad. It was fresh and was an excellent pairing with the strong flavors of roasted fish.


    ¡°I¡¯m not concerned, if they want my power they will have to pay, and gold will no longer be enough for me.¡± I said with confidence bordering on arrogance.


    ¡°Well, you do not lack confidence. But are you really ready to face the most powerful mages in the empire? To stand against the most powerful men and women. I have been getting nonstop inquiries about you and your loyalties.¡± She said,


    ¡°And now I am too much of a valuable asset you can simply let leave without assurances. Just how many are desperate for my attention? And how many are you blocking from reaching me. It must be quite a bit of pressure.¡±


    There was a twitch in her eyes that was enough to tell me that I was close to the mark. This was largely expected as soon as people realized the potential of Noire and the extent of my abilities this was bound to happen. I decided to change the course of the conversation.


    ¡°Tell me Baroness, what have you managed to learn about me? I¡¯m sure you have managed to piece together the truth behind the endless speculation.¡±


    I had to know if she had figured out that I am a unique mage. If I thought back to all I had done that would be the conclusion I would have made. While I could have certainly handled certain situations better, I don¡¯t regret anything. The past was the past and I had to move on.


    ¡°I have spent quite a bit of coin piecing together who and what you are. Using that information as well as my own intuition I have deduced that you are a unique mage. The exact nature of your abilities are still unknown but. I can assume three things with a reasonable amount of confidence.¡± She said,


    ¡°And those are.¡±


    ¡°One: your lack of memory is genuine, two: Your advanced healing ability comes from your unique nature. Three: Benny¡¯s magical prowess as well as turning a regular Arlette into an etheric beast are also a result of your unique abilities.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t unexpected that she would figure out the healing and that Noire was created by me. But how did she deduce I enhanced Benny.


    ¡°Why would you assume Benny is simply not extremely talented.¡± I asked.


    ¡°That is why I believe your lack of memory is largely genuine. A mage with the raw power Benny has at her age would have been causing constant accidents every time she had a burst of emotion until she learned to control it. Yet according to Briannah, she had only one as a child. Anyone who saw a child with high etheric potential would know this. This is true for humans as well as elves. So, your childhood would also be filled with accidents. Knowing this, telling Benny to lie about her frequency of accidents would have been your first prerogative.¡± She finished with a satisfied smile on her face.


    Thinking back to myself the first time I had strong emotion, I projected light from my hands. If I had a normal childhood in this world, it would be filled with things like that. None of the books I read on mages ever mentioned this. Though I should have guessed as much. It was a simple deduction to make. My ignorance about the world led me to leave such an obvious thing in the open.


    ¡°And how exactly do I do this miracle?¡± I asked. I wanted to know if she knew the price.


    ¡°That¡¯s where we are unsure. Perhaps you simply transfer power to them at a touch the same way you do healing. Though this is just a guess, all things have a price and we have yet to figure out what that is.¡± She said,


    She had a self-satisfied expression that I didn¡¯t like, but I had to admit she did an excellent job at finding out the truth from such little information. In the end I wasn¡¯t too concerned that I had a slip up with Benny. With the power I now wielded there was nothing anyone could do to threaten me. There was one thing that interested me about her explanation.


    ¡°Who is ¡®we¡¯?¡± I asked.


    She smiled as she expected the question then she answered. ¡°Myself, Denerif Mason, Archduke Halloway and Dutchess Shorecast.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that''s where the pressure comes from.¡± I said.


    She gave me a warm smile, an unvoiced admittance.


    Thinking back to the war we had just finished. The massive amount of coin, resources, and planning that went into ensuring victory. My mind flicked back to the southern baronies. Archduke Halloway controlled much of the south, including Vernon, Suncrest, Ruben and a few others. Shorecast was a small Dutchy but what it lacked in size it made up for with being the trading point for most goods that came from Silia, the eastern continent. Then there was Denerif Mason the wealthiest man in the kingdom and the man who owns the very bank my fortune was held in.


    Now this alliance would control the entire southern provinces of the empire, trade with Braken and the east and now trade across the lake. Wait a moment, baron Vernon wouldn¡¯t fall in line so easily. He guards his trade routes jealousy, hell he probably would rather burn down his own barony than be a puppet to this alliance.


    Allyssia didn¡¯t seem to care that he was more than likely assassinated. In fact, she seemed pleased that no one suspected foul play. None but me. Few really knew the extent of my healing abilities so why would anyone suspect foul play? The man was famous for his drinking and eating. Then there was the mysterious meeting with Baroness Rubens daughter the first time I arrived in Vernon. Is it possible that everything including the war with Suncrest was something of a plan?


    ¡°Does Archduke Halloway have a connection with Baroness Ruben.¡± I asked.


    The baroness smiled; it was vicious.


    ¡°She is his eldest niece.¡±


    I voiced my thoughts. ¡°And now the entirety of the southern Baronies are now under the firm rule of the Rubens. Everything was planned, wasn¡¯t it? the war with Vernon and Suncrest. The Baronesses surprise visit. Baron Vernon¡¯s death it was odd that no one seemed to suspect that his death was due to foul play, no one except me. The elf who kept the extent of my healing abilities a secret.¡±


    That is why no one believed it. Reversed much of internal damage caused by excessive drinking and a poor diet but who else other than me would know that. The question now was why she is revealing this to me.


    ¡°Indeed, it was quite the task in the end. But now we control everything south of the Great Stormveil sea.¡±


    ¡°Why have you decided to reveal this information to me? I would have likely gone on my way in a few weeks never knowing the extent of your machinations.¡± I said, testing the waters. It was obvious why this cabal was revealing it to me. I just wanted to hear her say it.


    ¡°Come now Moon, everyone is wondering if Noire is a one off. Only we know she isn¡¯t. You want magic Ruben and Halloway has one of the largest collections of Grimoires on the continent. You want to learn enchanting. Dutchess Shorecast has no less than 8 family members in prominent positions within the enchantment academy. Your admittance there regardless of you being an elf would be a simple process. Finally, there is your unique abilities, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve only scratched the surface of what you can actually do but Denerif Mason could provide the resources needed to explore your abilities to the fullest. Many would see you as a threat Moon, and you will need more than coin and magical power to defend against it.¡±


    She finished, the entire time I had an expression of rapt attention as if her words were music to my ears. Inside I was seething.


    ¡°And what would you ask in exchange for such a generous offer?¡± I said feigning that I was open to the idea.


    ¡°It is a simple thing really. Once you determine a method of creating more creatures like Noire that others can ride. It would remain exclusive to us. And your ability to increase the power of mages would remain hidden only to be used to strengthen mages among our alliance. In return you would have a seat at our table and the protection of some of the most powerful people in the empire.¡±


    ¡®What fucking hubris she has.¡¯ I thought to myself.


    They would dictate where and how my abilities would be used. They would determine who I strengthen with my abilities. THEY would choose who was able to receive flying mounts. No, I would never offer such power to others. It would be in command, me, and me alone, no one else would have a say in the matter. They don¡¯t want an alliance with me; they want control. Oh, she played me quite the fool. Never expected she actually knew Denerif Mason. Hell, she probably knows more about my assassination. From the beginning.


    Is that why she was so recalcitrant with information? To gauge how much I would be willing to bargain. My sudden decision to simply abandon the pursuit of alliance must have spurred this group into action. Oh, it sounded like a good deal on the surface, but I heard the threat beneath her honeyed words.


    ¡®You would need more than coin and magical power to defend yourself.¡¯ Defend myself from who? this group or others likely both.


    ¡°In return you would have a seat at our table and the protection of some of the most powerful people in the empire.¡± Please. As if she understood the extent of my abilities.


    No, I won¡¯t burst their bubble just yet. Let them delude themselves into thinking I need them. Let them play their game. I will take what I want from them. And when they are no longer of use to me. I will throw them away like a piece of garbage.


    ¡°Well, that is certainly a generous offer. But I would need to meet these people face to face and determine if this alliance can truly work for me.¡± I said, pretending to truly consider the idea.


    ¡°Oh, all can be arranged in a few months. Princess Morianne is returning from the east for her name day celebration. Everyone who is anyone will be attending. There is even a rumor that she will finally choose a husband.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t care less but there was one final question I wanted to know.


    ¡°Since you are much closer to Denerif Mason than you originally led me to believe. You have to have learned something about my attempted assassination by now.¡± I asked.


    She smiled and said. ¡°Oh yes, we know at least two elven matriarchs are involved though their identities remain unknown. There is also an unnamed noble involved whose identity is even more unknown.¡±


    ¡°Not Vernon¡¯s wife then?¡± I presumed.


    ¡°No, she was quite happy that you simply abandoned the barony. It made taking control easier. Why assassinate when you already left of your own accord, it would just be a waste of coin.¡±


    That made sense I suppose. Though it doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯s true. I would determine for myself in time. And when I do who really tried to kill me, I would leave nothing but ashes.


    The next course was brought out. It was some kind of pasta with thick noodles in a creamy sauce. The baroness had a satisfied expression on her face. As if she had been victorious.


    Let her believe her ploy had worked. That my smiles were genuine. That my words were true. Let her bask in the glow of victory and the bright future she sees for herself. Let her believe that all her cards are in order then watch her lose them all.

 Book 1: Chapter 44: The Vacation

    Benny and I flew over 8000 feet in the air enjoying the sunrise. We set out in the late hours of the night, and we were almost halfway to our destination. Noire¡¯s speed was impressive since the travel from Hearthaven to the village of Vendel would be almost a month by horse. On Noire it would take us a little over 12 hours. The baroness tried to convince me to remain for a more detailed examination of my future with their little cabal. But she, as well as anyone else, who had aspirations of allying with me, would have to know that when I wanted to do something I would. They would have no say.


    In the weeks since the baroness¡¯s offer, nobles were beginning to become bolder in approaching me. Servants would send messages with offers to join them for meals, plays, and the opera. Hilariously enough there was even an offer of marriage. Benny and I had a good laugh at that one. The plan for the vacation was rather simple. I would like to go see Garett and Lori. Hopefully, they still lived in that small cottage outside Vendel.


    Next, I would head to Vernon and see Gardenia, maybe even have some fun with a few of the working girls. After that, I would head to the location where I woke up in that forest. I doubt there would be anything there, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. We passed over hills and valleys, grassy terrain, and rocky outcroppings. We watched massive herds of deer bound across the land grazing and great flocks of migrating birds.


    After 12 hours of flying, we reached Vendel at midday. The sun was high in the sky and there was little cloud cover. It took barely a minute before I spotted the cottage nestled within a clump of trees. Scanning the area, I spotted the crescent shaped patch of fallen trees from the first time I truly let loose with the radiant lance. It was almost two years since then but for some reason it felt like far longer.


    We took Noire for a landing since she was far too big to land anywhere near the house. Benny and I unhooked and dismounted, making sure to take one of the saddle bags since we had gifts inside.


    After we readied ourselves, we made our way to the house. Benny said, ¡°Is it strange that I am nervous?¡±


    ¡°Not really, you are about to meet your master¡¯s master, So it¡¯s perfectly reasonable.¡± I said with a smile in my voice. I don¡¯t know why I was so excited.


    Benny and I were dressed in our armor, the very spitting image of wealthy and powerful mages. Benny in her half plate and bust armor and me in my white leathers and elven sword. We walked towards the house while Noire took off to go hunting. Her appetite of late had been voracious to say the least. A few minutes later we finally reached the cottage. We walked around the front and knocked at the door. The curtains pulled back, and a familiar young face peeked out. There was an excited scream and the door burst open.


    Lori ran out, pigtails flowing behind her as she enveloped me in a hug. Chuckling, I returned it.


    ¡°Moon, I thought we¡¯d never see you again¡± she said.


    She had gotten slightly taller, but she was still largely the same as the last time I saw her. Then she turned her attention to benny and gasped.


    ¡°Oh, my who¡¯s she, your daughter?¡± she asked.


    Before I could answer Garett stepped out.


    ¡°Well, well if it isn¡¯t my old apprentice.¡± he said as he stepped out of the house.


    He was much the same as when I last saw him except for a few more gray streaks in his hair and a few more lines on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you Master.¡± I said jokingly.


    ¡°Please Moon we¡¯re well past that now.¡± He said with a laugh.


    ¡°Look Moon has a daughter.¡± Lori said she replaced me from her death grip and went over to examine Benny¡¯s armor.


    ¡°Apprentice actually.¡± Benny said, looking embarrassed.


    ¡°Well please come in, we have a modest meal prepared. And company is rare¡± he said.


    ¡°So, your Moon¡¯s apprentice? Are you a light mage too¡± Lori asked Benny.


    We headed inside the house; it was practically the same as I remembered it. Down to the scuffs on the floor and small kitchen and table. We sat around while Garett stirred a cookpot. Lori was excitedly asking Benny questions about magic, her armor, and our adventures. It was something of a common occurrence for young women and girls to be enthralled with Benny since women warriors were a rarity and mages were even rarer.


    Garett finished his mixing and sat down, then asked. ¡°So how did you two end up meeting?¡±


    Both Benny and I laughed, and I said, ¡°Well she found me in a forest, suffering the effects of two invigorates as well as severe burns and a missing arm and leg.¡±


    Garette gave me one over noting that I was in perfect health. He held up a hand to stop, went over to a cupboard and brought out a bottle of wine. It looked rather expensive, he fetched 3 wooden cups and poured each of us a healthy amount.


    ¡°There we go. Now you¡¯re going to have to start from the beginning. Because this sounds like an exciting tale.¡± He said as he took his first sip.


    ¡°Can I have some?¡± Lori said.


    Garett gave her a stony expression and said. ¡°No¡±


    ¡°Before we start, we have gifts.¡± I said.


    Lori clapped excitedly, Benny brought the saddlebag over to me and I pulled out the first item.


    ¡°For the most beautiful maiden in all the lands I present this humble offering.¡± I said pulling out a gold necklace. It was of fine make, but it was really the pendant that stole the show. There was an earth attenuated etheric gem in the shape of a teardrop in a gold setting. It was far too weak to be of use in an amplifier, but the soft brown glow made it an excellent match for Lori¡¯s brown eyes.


    Garrett raised an eyebrow as he noted the etheric gem. Lori looked at her father and he gave her a soft nod.


    She skipped over to me, and I put it on her.


    ¡°How do I look, papa?¡± She said her face beaming as she fingered the etheric gem.


    Garett gave her a soft smile. and said, ¡°Beautiful my sweet.¡±


    Benny took this opportunity to bring out her gift. ¡°Here see for yourself, this is from me.¡±


    She pulled out a circular mirror. It was a true glass mirror with an almost perfect surface. It was incredibly expensive, costing almost as much as the necklace. It was about 8 inches in diameter on an adjustable stand. Lori gasped as she saw herself clearly. Admiring the necklace. It was rather an amusing sight as Lori wore a piece of jewelry worth almost a thousand geldings on top of her pain brown dress. Once she grew into full womanhood the necklace would fit her better.


    Then she gave both of us a firm hug and a thank you. Garett looked happy just to see his daughter happy. But of course, we brought him gifts as well. Lori was too enamored with her own reflection to pay attention to anything else. So rare were these mirrors that most could go their entire lives without seeing one.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn Garette¡± I nodded to Benny.


    ¡°From me,¡± she said. She brought out an enchanted lantern. The baroness had many interesting, enchanting items but nothing that could be carried easily. This caught the attention of Lori as she pulled out the silver lantern and began to turn a nob. The enchantment activated and a softly glowing white light began to be emitted. The farther she turned the dial the brighter it became. It used a weak etheric gem as the power source so it could glow as long as the enchantment does get damaged.


    ¡°Oh, my how did you get your hands on this. My thanks my dear. Unfortunately, I have nothing to offer in return for such a gift.¡± Garette said as he hung the lantern in the middle of the kitchen.


    ¡°Think nothing of it Master Garett you taught my master that is more than enough thanks.¡± Garette gave her a respectful bow. And brought it up no further.


    ¡°I brought you a book I¡¯m sure you would be interested in reading.¡±


    I brought out said book. I paid good coin to have the covers hewn from oak and the entire book bound. It looked more like a novel than a grimoire. I made sure to watch the entire book making process to make sure that the merchant never saw what was inside.


    Garret raised an eyebrow and opened the book. He flipped a few pages and started reading.


    ¡®Radiant, Carapace¡¯ his lips said.


    His eyes widened as he realized what he had been given. And then closed in quickly.


    ¡°I recommend burning it after you¡¯re done.¡±


    It was a grimoire of course, hand crafted by me. I made it as meticulously detailed as possible including every nuance of the spell from my own experience with casting it. Any mage with even a drop of skill could learn the spell using that grimoire. He went over to a cupboard and placed the book inside. As far as I knew he didn¡¯t know any master level spells, so I picked it because of the safety it offered both him and Lori. Regardless of that, he was a mage in the end and all mages wanted to learn new spells.


    ¡°My thanks Moon¡± he said sincerely,


    ¡°Would you do me the honor of sharing a meal? That is all I can offer at the moment.¡± Garette said.


    Over an hour after the story Garett and I were sitting in the backyard on a small bench. Benny was out front with Lori showing off her magic.


    ¡°You have lived the lives of 10 men, Moon, are you sure this is the path you want to walk? It is dangerous for both you and your apprentice.¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am sure. It is dangerous, but my desire drives me inexorably down this path. But worry not. I made sure to never mention any of your names and no one other than me, Sten and the rest of the company knows you live here.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is certainly comforting. Where is this Noire, I have never seen an etheric beast in person.¡±


    I commanded her to do a fly over. her massive size blocked out the sun for a moment and Garrett looked up in astonishment at her size.


    ¡°To think I had a unique mage under my own roof for months. I assume you realized as soon as you saw the ether. Ha I should have known when you asked me if everyone saw the same colors.¡± Garett said.


    ¡°Yes, I did, it took me some time to learn how to use it.¡±


    ¡°And use it you have. Noire is a magnificent creature. But you know the entire world is going to want that power. The imperial family has dragon ships but creatures like Noire is true air power.¡± He said.


    I couldn¡¯t describe how nice it was to not have my guard constantly up when talking to Garette. No searching for double meanings or trying to figure out what was behind his words.


    ¡°Would you like to see what it¡¯s like being up that high?¡± I asked.


    Garette sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to regret it if I don¡¯t say yes.¡±


    Lori and I landed in the small clearing behind the forest, her father and Benny were watching the flight. I took it easy; only after Garett saw how perfect my control of Noire was on his own flight.as Well was as well as how secure the harness was, did he allow Lori to fly. The girl showed not an ounce of fear the entire time.


    I unlatched myself first and then handed Lori¡¯s. She was the only passenger I had that sat in front of me.


    ¡°Papa, did you see me flying?¡± she said excitedly. As she ran over.


    ¡°That I did my sweet,¡± he said, picking her up.


    The sun was in midafternoon now and there were only a few more hours of sunlight. I only planned to visit for a few hours before I made my way to Vernon.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time we were on our way¡± I said. I didn¡¯t want to overstay my welcome nor draw attention to them.


    ¡°No. You just got here.¡± Lori said.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Lori, they have a busy schedule to keep.¡± Garette said.


    Lory harrumphed and crossed her arms. Then she gave Benny and I the largest, most heart-rending puppy dog eyes I had ever seen. ¡°You¡¯ll visit again, right?¡± she asked.


    I glanced over to Garett. He gave me an imperceptible nod.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll see you again someday.¡± I said.


    ¡°Goodbye for now Garett and Lori if you¡¯re a good girl I¡¯ll get you any gift you want in the capitol.¡±


    She pursed her lips and said.


    ¡°I want a sword.¡± She said,


    ¡°Very well, a sword it is,¡± I said.


    ¡°Bye Benny, I¡¯ll miss you.¡± Lori said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too¡± Benny walked over to her and gave her a peck on the cheek.


    We mounted Noire and with a final wave we took off. Heading towards the Vernon capitol. At this speed it would take us less than an hour. More than enough time to find lodgings and check up on things. Slowly the genuine happiness I felt, visiting Garett and Lori, faded away. And the pleasant smile I had on my face for most of the flight melted as I approached Vernon. It was time to get my game face on.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Eventually we started seeing Vernon in the distance. It was a familiar sight, the long-cobbled road leading up to the large gate and the ever-present line of merchants and travelers heading in or out of the city. An evil smile came over my face as I steered Noire towards the south. Then we turned around so that we were directly following the road to the gate.


    We settled only a few hundred feet above the ground flying over the long line of travelers. People dove, screamed, and ran in all directions as Noire flew over. Her massive wings created a large shadow. We flew over the wall. The guards were either screaming, ducking for cover, or readying arrows. But we were moving far too fast for anyone to really get a shot in.


    With a silent command I ordered Noire to screech. It was a deafening cry that rang my ears painfully Benny abandoned her handholds and plugged her ears. We passed the central square and flew over the wall to the upper city. Then passed the walls of the keep. Each time Noire screeched. I did a few circles around the keep making sure that the guards saw us in the sky. and headed back towards the main gate.


    We landed outside off to one side in the grass. As we landed dozens of guards rushed out to meet us. It wasn¡¯t until they realized someone was riding the beast that they calmed down. If only slightly.


    ¡°Moon?¡± one of the guards said. It was a familiar voice. Derek, the young man I saved from a gut wound.


    ¡°Derek, nice to see you in good health.¡± I said Benny, and I dismounted. He gave us a once over, though his eyes lingered on Benny longer than would be appropriate.


    ¡°Stand down, Moon is an ally,¡± he said.


    With a silent command I told Noire to go do whatever she wanted and not to eat any humans. With a screen she took to the sky off to hunt probably.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the tales but it¡¯s another thing to see it in person.¡± He said.


    ¡°Ah so tales about me have spread?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh yes, who hasn¡¯t heard of the Lightbearer. They say you command the very sun to strike your enemies from the sky.¡± He said.


    Really? Lightbearer? That¡¯s what they decided to name me? I shrugged. I suppose it could be worse.


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind escorting us to the noble quarter, I wouldn¡¯t mind a delicious meal and a bath. By the way, how is Captain Heith?¡± I asked. said.


    ¡°Good enough Moon, My Lord.¡± Derek switched his tone to formal as soon as the surprise of seeing me again left him.


    ¡°I¡¯m in need of some rest and refreshment and is Gardenia still at her usual place.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah she moved her place of business to the noble quarter My lord.¡± He said.


    It seemed she moved up in the world.


    ¡°Very good then escort me.¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t know if you are allowed in?¡± he said.


    I gave him a dead stare, not a single ounce of me cared about the consequences of simply barging in.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asking.¡± I said.


    ¡°Of course, My Lord.¡± he said with a nervous smile.


    We entered the noble quarter now half an hour later.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as nice as Hearthaven.¡± Benny said.


    ¡°It¡¯s decent enough, well-guarded, low crime and a good place for business. The former Baron may be a whoring, drunk, but he knew how to keep the coin flowing.¡± I said.


    A few of the guards bristled at my insult to the former baron. But they weren¡¯t foolish enough to actually say anything about it.


    We got endless stares from both the citizenry and the nobles as we walked along the cobbled streets of Vernon¡¯s noble quarter. It was a decent enough day, looking at the setting sun I had at best an hour of sunlight remaining.


    Finally, we reached the new location, instead of it being a brothel. It was more similar to an upper-class inn. The large fine thatched, two story, deep blue building had two guards out front. The same two burly men that guarded gardenia¡¯s old location.


    ¡°Oh hells,¡± one whispered as we approached.


    ¡°Good to see you again sir.¡± The one on the left said, as he opened the door for me. He gave curious glances to benny. Benny was giving him that cold stare that read. ¡®I will kill you without hesitation or remorse if needed.¡¯


    She was practicing it for some time and was getting better at pulling it off. It took a surprising amount of control to really deaden the face muscles to give off that expression. It was rather useful that I never had to resort to threats when I had her staring death at people most of the time.


    ¡°Is Gardenia or Clarissa in?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ah. No Sir mage, they should be back soon though.¡± HE said nervously.


    ¡°Very well I¡¯ll wait in her office.¡±


    ¡°You¡± I said pointing to the one on the left. ¡°Take me.¡±


    ¡°But she doesn¡¯t allow anyone¡­¡­.¡± he said. Immediately Benny cut him with a spell circuit glowing in his face.


    ¡°My master said take him to the office.¡± She repeated.


    ¡°Right away Milord.¡±


    We entered the building with the guard leading the way. It was a rather strange combination of upper-class inn and the carnal delights of a brothel. Everywhere I could see there were noble men sitting at tables being accompanied by prostitutes. We got curious glances as we walked by, but none decided to stop us. Eventually we were led to an office locked door.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a key.¡± He said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, run along.¡± I said.


    The man practically bolted, probably running to tell Gardenia about this situation.


    ¡°That was fun.¡± Benny said.


    I destroyed the door handle with a radiant lace and entered the large office. IT was exceptionally well appointed. With an overly large desk. To the left was a small sitting area and to the right was a bar. Spotting my favorite bottle of brandy. I made my way over to her desk, sat in her red satin chair and with a triple cast of telekinesis brought over the bottle and two glasses.


    ¡°Ah I have missed this; it¡¯s been a real shame that I could find a bottle of this in Hearthaven.¡± I poured myself and Benny a glass. I lounged lazily at the desk and kicked my feet up. Benny stood to my left and took a sip. A sour expression came on her face as she tasted the strong brandy.


    ¡°Too strong for me.¡± Then she put the glass down.


    ¡°More for me then¡± I said, taking her glass and pouring it into my cup.


    I savored the delicious burning as I took sip after sip.


    ¡°So why are we acting like such tossers. It¡¯s fun and all but this isn¡¯t how you usually do things¡± Benny asked.


    ¡°I want information and Gardenia needs to know that I have all the power here. So, I walked into the place of authority and took her seat. She¡¯s smart enough to realize what I¡¯m doing so no doubt she will simply give me all I want. I Imagine I¡¯m the talk of the entire city after my stunt with Noire earlier.¡± I said.


    ¡°I guess I see it, but you could just threaten to kill her.¡± She said,


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have you. ¡°I said.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m the constant threat of death and you get to play whatever games you like?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Indeed, I want people to think that at any moment I could give you the command to kill and you will end them without hesitation.¡± I said.


    ¡°But you''re far more powerful than I am, so why bother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, I simply enjoy the game.¡± I lied.


    In truth I was testing how to best approach negotiations from a position of power. Do I crush their spirit entirely or give them the illusion that they still retain some small amount of agency, so long as I don¡¯t get pushed to violence? I was aiming for the latter if there was one thing I have seen with Fennic is that if you push someone far enough. They would rather break than bend. If I am to fulfill my ambition I would need to understand such nuances. I heard hurried steps of heeled boots approaching the office.


    ¡°Here they are though it sounds like more than Gardenia and Clarissa.¡± I said.


    ¡°Your hearing is something else master.¡± Benny said, then switched back into her cold mask. I examined her face for a few moments. Still not quite there but I think it was mostly due to her being young and pretty. It was good enough for my purposes.


    The boots stopped at the door, no doubt examining the destroyed lock. Then they entered. In walked Sarah, Tanner, Gardenia, and Clarissa. Gardenia was in her usual black dress with a plunging neckline, a strange combination of elegant and sensual. Sarah was in a full mage regalia. Amplifier at her hip with red armor. Tanner was dressed in a slightly newer looking combination of plate and chainmail. And Clarissa was dressed in a slightly less modest green dress that complimented her complexion and her brown hair.


    Gardenia¡¯s eyes locked on my boots on her desk. Then Benny, standing off to one side and finally rested on me.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you all a sight for sore eyes.¡± I said, taking a sip from my brandy.


    Pointed to the chairs in front of me.


    ¡°Sit.¡± I commanded.


    They all seemed stunned, but Gardenia caught herself the quickest.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to see you again, Moon.¡± She said as made her way to the seat in front of me. She sat demurely with not a hint of resentment at my kicking my boots up on her desk and acting as if I owned the place. The woman was a chameleon.


    Tanner, who never really cared for propriety kissed her teeth and said. ¡°Really moon. You get a little power now yer actin your like the king of the world don¡¯t make me laugh.¡±


    Benny stepped in immediately, her voice soft but clear. ¡°Speak to my Master with such disrespect again and I will kill you.¡±


    ¡®Perfect Delivery¡¯ I thought to myself.


    No emotion, slightly aloof, with no outward bravado, just a simple statement of facts. As if ending their lives were as simple as swatting a fly or stepping on an ant. For intelligent people, this kind of threat was most effective. It wasn¡¯t just enough to be able to kill. You had to be willing to kill.


    The room went icy as the treat settled on the women. Gardenia¡¯s eyes tightened as she looked at Benny in a new light. Clarissa looked to be about to run for the exit. Tanner looked angry but Benny¡¯s cold glare was enough to stay her tongue. If she didn¡¯t change her tone, then she would have to die.


    ¡°WE have heard tale of your exploits of late and Baroness Vernon has sent here me to determine truth from fiction. Along with an invitation; She desires a meeting within the keep gardens for mid-day tomorrow.¡± Sarah said neutrally. She took a deep breath and continued.


    ¡°I have traveled far, and I require relaxation. If your baroness wants to meet, she comes to me at my leisure. Don¡¯t make that mistake again.¡± I said.


    Sarah bristled but she was of noble birth and knew that it was not a winning move to challenge me at the moment.


    ¡°What can I do for you, My Lord?¡± Gardenia said sweetly.


    My word, her adaptability was impressive already. She was already shaping her speech pattern to what I wanted from her.


    ¡°I wanted to find out about Baron Vernon¡¯s death as I had worked on him personally, I have a vested interest in learning how I failed.¡± I said.


    ¡°If we can have a bit of privacy My Lord,¡± Gardenia said.


    I nodded.


    ¡°Tanner go to 5<sup>th</sup> street and look into a replacement door. Clarissa see to this evening¡¯s earnings.¡± she commanded.


    ¡°Clarissia.¡± I said before she turned to leave.


    ¡°Yes Moon, My Lord.¡± She said,


    ¡°Please Clarissa, no need for all that, I¡¯m always Moon for you. Can you spare some time for me later? I''ve missed you quite a bit.¡± I said, putting as much charm as I could into my words.


    I wasn¡¯t exactly a master of seduction, but a pretty face did make up for my shortcomings. Her face looked a little scared when I had first called her name; then it morphed into confusion. Her eyes flicked to Gardenia, probably confused why I didn¡¯t offer her or Sarah the same courtesy. Slowly a smile came across her face and the seductive act which I was used to from her returned.


    ¡°Of Course, Moon. All you have to do is call on me and I will make sure to take care of you.¡± She said,


    ¡°Tonight?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Then she walked out, hips swaying. Everyone needs a weakness, a little vice that people believe can be a path to control or manipulate me. I often found that people who endlessly strove for constant moral perfection and present themselves as having no weaknesses to be the least trustworthy. I would always question what kind of darkness they had hidden beneath the surface.


    That¡¯s probably why after the baroness admitted to me that she wanted power, for power¡¯s sake, I began to trust her more. Let them think that my love of women can be used against me. I will enjoy watching them fail, in more ways than one.


    Tanner was watching the entire time with a combination of confusion and bewilderment. After Clarissa left my jovial act melted away and my neutral mask returned.


    ¡°You changed My Lord.¡± Tanner said, though she seemed to force out the ¡®My Lord¡¯.


    I smiled, though it didn¡¯t convey any happiness. ¡°That¡¯s just it Tanner, I Haven¡¯t changed a bit since we met that day in the forest.¡±


    With one last searching glance at me she shook her head and left.


    ¡°Now that we''re all alone would either of you two like to tell me how he died.¡± I said, staring daggers at them.


    Gardenia was about to speak but I cut her off. ¡°Do not insult my intelligence. I know it wasn¡¯t natural, now proceed.¡±


    She glanced at Sarah, some unspoken communication happened and with a tiny nod Gardenia began to speak. ¡°He did in fact die of a heart attack.¡±


    ¡°What was used?¡± I asked. Determined to find out what had actually induced the heart attack.


    Gardenia didn¡¯t seem to know then glanced at Sarah.


    ¡°Melocybin extract.¡± She said.


    Thinking back to my herblore, Melocybin was an herb used to manage bleeding. I suppose if the chemical was extracted in a high enough dose the vasoconstriction could have caused a heart attack.


    ¡°Interesting, I would have never thought of using it like that.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I blame the baroness though. The man was human garbage in my eyes. Now that we are all reacquainted, do tell me how things have been in Vernon since I absconded.¡±


    It took nearly half an hour to explain the details of the baron¡¯s sudden death and the enormous amount of work to win over the baron¡¯s remaining supporters. She had been carefully eroding his support since the start of the marriage. It was amusing that even Gardenia and Sarah didn¡¯t know about the little cabal that orchestrated the entire thing behind the scenes. That also means that there is little else the baroness would be able to add. As far as I knew she was little more than a cog in the plans of more powerful people. In truth I had no real interest in meeting the baroness; she, like the rest, was just another opportunist that wasn¡¯t worth my time.


    ¡°Well things certainly have been interesting.¡± I said finishing my third glass.


    ¡°It has taken significant effort to stabilize things after you left.¡± Gardenia said almost sounding reproachful.


    ¡°If something isn¡¯t difficult it¡¯s not worth having no, and besides you have done quite well for yourself¡± I said appreciating the opulence of her office.


    ¡°How long will you remain in the city?¡± Gardenia asked.


    ¡°Ah don¡¯t worry your head over it; I intend to leave in a few days, I¡¯m on vacation you see.¡±


    I looked to Benny, ¡°Find the best inn in the Noble quarter and arrange the best rooms. Use any means necessary.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I could use a rest.¡± She said,


    With one last piercing glare at Sarah, Benny left the room. Leaving me with Sarah and Gardenia.


    ¡°Quite the potent apprentice you have, the stories of her power over air isn¡¯t exaggerated? How did you stumble upon her?¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°She stumbled upon me actually, it was quite the shock when I realized her potential.¡± I said, not really answering her question/


    ¡°I¡¯m sure and the gigantic Arlette is just another coincidence?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Perhaps. perhaps not.¡±


    I got up and began walking towards the door. Both women¡¯s eyes followed me.


    ¡°I have a date to attend to.¡± I said as I left.


    As soon as I walked out the door, I heard Sarah say. ¡°It seems the rumors are true. He possesses unique magic.¡±


    I found Clarissa waiting for me in the main drinking area. As soon as she saw me, she hopped over and wrapped me in her arms.


    ¡°I have something special planned for you.¡± She whispered to me.


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to show you in my room.¡± She said and started dragging me.


    She led me upstairs into a room at the far end of the building. Opening the door I saw the surprise.


    Ruby and sapphire were sprawled naked on the bed. Then Clarissa locked the door behind me


    ¡°You have much time to make up for, my lord,¡± she said, full of desire. Then she started stripping herself.


    ¡°Well then it¡¯s a good thing I have no other plans today.¡±


    The next day


    I set off early in the morning on Noire. Those three women kept me awake for most of the night and I left them with hundreds of gelding for the wonderful time. The next morning, I decided to go one last place before I decided to return to Hearthaven. I considered visiting Sten but abandoned the idea. I was able to learn that he moved to some small holding with his wife and children and was reasonably content.


    I decided to head south on my own, leaving Benny to deal with whatever noble requests that would be sent my way, and eventually ignored. My mind was focused on the forest of my origin. After only an hour of flying I passed over Mistle. I considered stopping and seeing Dena again but abandoned the idea. It¡¯s time I rid myself of any connection to the south. I passed over the dense forest eventually finding the river I had crossed before first meeting the company. It took some time to find the clearing but eventually I spotted the hundred-foot-wide circular clearing and the overly large pine that I used to mark my location.


    I brought Noire in for a soft landing and hopped off, examining the area. There was nothing to be seen, just dense grass surrounded by overly tall trees in every direction. There was nothing to be seen in the ether beyond what I expected. Flicking back to my first memories in this world I found roughly the exact location that I awoke. I laid down staring up at the cloudless sky.


    The wind was steady and caused only a small chill. There were only a few clouds in the sky. I laid there enjoying the silence only interrupted by the occasional sound of wind or Noire shuffling about in the grass. If I was capable of sleeping, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking a nap.


    What awaited me in the future I wondered? I thought about all the decisions I have made, the successes, the failures, friends made, and friends betrayed. I thought of John dying of a wound I could have treated. I thought of choosing to side with Vernon over the Baroness. Or even me leaving. What would have happened If I had stayed? I would have probably been a part of Baroness Vernon¡¯s faction.


    Which elven matriarchs tried to kill me? and why? Beyond the obvious of course. What human noble participated? I didn¡¯t believe that Denerif Mason and the rest didn¡¯t know who they were. So, the question I had to ask was why hide their identities from me?


    Finally, the most important question of all, why did that creature call me ¡®betrayer¡¯? Of all my questions about my own existence, that one was the most confusing. Did it simply want to taunt me with some crimes of a past life or was there something more to it? If so, what betrayal did I commit? I had to move forward, learn more magic, and increase my power. I would see that creature again and it better have answers for me next time.


    None of this I told Benny, as useful as she was. It wasn''t necessary for her to know such information. I would work with this cabal I resolved. But they would have to pay me not in coin but with knowledge. All this time I was thinking about how to get someone to make me an amplifier. Now I realized that it¡¯s best if I make one myself.


    There were two main things I wanted, one was the knowledge of a master enchanter and two the knowledge of how to create Etheric knights. I could evolve a dozen mages without using living ether from anyone else. Such was the increase in my power. But they didn¡¯t know that did they?


    The most common assumption would be that here had to be some great price. Little did they know that over a hundred souls already paid it in advance. I''m sure that they would argue against teaching me their secrets, but would they risk this power falling into another¡¯s hand? Most likely not. In the end I will get what I want and if I must make myself an enemy of the empire so be it.

 Book 1: Chapter 45: The Ship

    Three weeks later


    I had a small balcony attached to my room within Hearthaven¡¯s keep. It afforded me a decent view of most of the city. On said balcony were pea plants, each in various stages of experimentation. Each plant was in a clay pot around a gallon in volume. The first pea plant was simply planted there without any influence of my abilities. It was a few inches in height and seemed to be growing well. The next was a pea plant that had a small amount of living ether injected into its seed. It was about twice as tall and sprouted many more leaves. The third was a pea plant with continual application of living ether. Each day I would inject a small amount of living ether to aid its growth. It was a delicate process, since if I gave it even a little too much the plant would start to burn and die.


    This plant was over a foot tall and was just about to start sprouting peas. The final however was my first foray into genetic manipulation. It was an insanely arduous process since isolating specific genomes and manipulating them on a mass scale was an incredibly complex process. I started to develop migraines after only a half an hour of work. I also applied a small amount of living ether to the plant every day. It was roughly the same height as plant three, however its flowers were a bright blue instead of the white that was natural.


    It was only a test to see if I could affect change within an organism. I wouldn¡¯t dare test on humans or any other sentient creature without more research. Feeling satisfied with the future application of my abilities, I ripped the living ether from each plant, killing it, then with a small fire spell I burned them to ash. Satisfied with the test I entered my rooms.


    Benny sat at my study reading a book on medicine I found in the baroness¡¯s libraries. It was lacking in certain areas but things like microbiology and cell theory were not necessary to use healing spells. I could easily cover anything the book missed or didn¡¯t explain well. She was nowhere close to practical use of healing magic, but she was progressing steadily. I opted to leave her to her reading and continue on to my private quarters. In my room were two cages. In each was a single rat I had been practicing forging what I called an etheric connection, similar to the one that connected me to Noire.


    I had learned that the bond was forged with the first evolution and became stronger with the second. The problem however was that I couldn¡¯t manipulate the bond in any way. The ether only flowed in one direction at a time. From me to it or reverse.


    Wait, is that the key? Instead of pulling the living ether into myself; I transfer from one rat to the other directly. I took out both rats and pressed their bodies together and tried to force the ether from the one on the right to the one on the left. It was more difficult but, in the end, I accomplished it. The creature wriggled in my hand, but my grip was tight. I stopped so that it didn¡¯t die and just as I expected. The rat on the left slowly incorporated the extra living ether into its own body, strengthening it, as if it were my own.


    That confirms that I could forge the bond between beings other than myself. Thinking back to Noire¡¯s second evolution it would take more than one sentient life¡¯s worth of living ether to break through. So, the source of the living ether would have to be an enhanced being with at least a single evolution under their belt since the ether had to be transferred all at once. Smiling as I finally solved the puzzle, I rippled the life from both rats and set them back in the cage. I¡¯ll have Niara take care of their bodies later.


    The baroness knew I was testing my abilities and no doubt she had spies a plenty watching me. However, I took no notes and discussed little with Benny. She knew enough that there were eyes and ears everywhere and simply waited for the results. We were leaving for the capitol tomorrow; I decided to travel with the baroness on her luxury ship. Mostly because I wanted the experience and it¡¯s not as if I knew anyone. On the same day as our arrival, we would meet the rest of their little cabal and negotiations would begin. At least that''s what the baroness thought; I had other plans.


    Most of our supplies were packed and were being brought to her ship for transport. I didn¡¯t have much of significance in those trunks, other than clothes. Everything of value was on my person. Including the mithrite, my bank card and the etheric gems. I fingered the tarnished silver ring on my thumb as I walked to the gardens to check up on Noire. She has been becoming a bit of a problem for the baroness¡¯s gardeners recently. My constant feeding of living ether was certainly not helping the situation.


    She started growing again and now her wingspan was over 130 feet wide and she stood nearly 25 feet tall. Due to this change I had to have the horse master design an entirely new harness and saddle. I even helped him design schematics so that anyone with skill could reuse it to design another harness and saddle. It would seem that every time I got close to her third barrier, she would grow a little each time. As far as I was concerned, the bigger the better, at this size nothing would ever challenge her in the sky. And with a wingspan that could encompass an entire village in its shadow, the fear she created was worth it in my eyes.


    The only thing that was a problem was her shriek. It grew loud enough to burst my eardrums, so I had to create a shield to cover myself if I ever commanded her. She didn¡¯t even tear cows into pieces anymore, she just swallowed them whole. I saw her in her large clearing, near the gardens, in the middle of swallowing what looked to be a bison. As soon as she spotted me, she walked over and nuzzled me with her beak. I still marveled at how she could be so gentle given her absurd size.


    ¡°So, are you ready to see the capitol?¡± I asked.


    She gave me a quiet shriek in response.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure there is going to be quite a bit of drama when they see you. Be sure to make an impression when we get there.¡±


    The stomps of boots from behind me caught my attention. Turning around I saw the baroness and her entourage approaching.


    ¡°Good day baroness.¡± I said.


    ¡°Good day Moon, is everything prepared for our journey.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°And Noire?¡± she asked, staring up at the creature that was currently eyeing her in a way that made everyone uncomfortable.


    ¡°She will follow along, if I can¡¯t find somewhere to keep her in the capitol, she can live off the surrounding area.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be quite a few master mages that would want her for themselves. Are you prepared for this?¡±


    I was in the middle of climbing up Noire¡¯s harness for a final flight before tomorrow. It took some effort due to her massive size.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not worried, if someone tries to steal her, they will have a rather short life. Until tomorrow, Baroness.¡± I said before taking to the sky. I had to be careful how I directed her since the wind generated by her wings could damage buildings and send people flying.


    With her massive size came a much more stable flight. I could barely feel the effect of crosswind when in the air. As she grew larger, so did her range. I wasn¡¯t actually sure how far she could fly. One day I spent a little over 16 hours in the sky and still didn¡¯t feel much fatigue from her. Noire¡¯s species was a forest hunting bird not designed for long distance flight. But the effects of the constant strengthening from my abilities caused strange changes that I still haven¡¯t fully understood. But all things will come in time.


    I pointed her towards the docks. There were dozens of ships; everything from small fishing ships to large war galleons. The largest however was the baroness¡¯s personal ship. It was a 4 masted monstrosity over 350 feet long. It had a crew of over 200, it could fit more but the baroness didn¡¯t want crowding. Besides with 3 mages, Noire and 2 fully equipped war galleys for escort there was little to fear. I decided to test how high Noire can really go if I commanded her to climb as high as she could.


    At around 15,000 feet by my guess, I started to feel the effects of low oxygen and the cold was becoming a problem. My breathing became heavy, so I commanded her to stop climbing before I passed out. While it wasn¡¯t comfortable being this high, the view was amazing. The city below was a little more than a speck and I could see for hundreds of miles in all directions. We cruised at the height for over an hour simply enjoying the freedom. Then with a grin on my face I shouted.


    ¡°Dive¡±


    We boarded the ship early the next morning. It would take only 4 days to reach the capitol, which was a distance of over 500 miles across the lake. Noire would have to travel from the sky since she weighed at least two tons. If she wasn¡¯t an etheric beast there is no chance, she would be able to sustain flight. Both Benny and I had a room to ourselves. While they were small the space was well appointed. The 8 foot by 10-foot room had a small writing desk and a chest by the front of the bed for storage. Benny¡¯s room was smaller but had the same amnesties.


    Benny walked in as I finished packing the last of my belongings in the chest.


    ¡°You sure we can¡¯t just fly to the capitol?¡± she asked.


    I chucked knowing exactly why she was suggesting this.


    ¡°Not a fan of the lodgings?¡± I said, trying to hold back a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, much better than the crew quarters, that''s for sure. It¡¯s just¡­¡­¡± she trailed off trying to find the words.


    ¡°Not as good as you used to.¡± I finished for her.


    It is amazing how it took so little time for someone to go from a desperate peasant to looking down their nose at better accommodations that they would have ever had in their lives. I didn¡¯t disapprove however she was no peasant and as my apprentice she should expect the best. This, however, was the best other than the baroness¡¯s own quarters, which wasn¡¯t much of an improvement over mine.


    Benny looked slightly ashamed as she seemed to have the same thoughts.


    ¡°Oh dear, I¡¯ve become a noble haven¡¯t I.¡± she said with a small amount of despair.


    ¡°That you have, but don¡¯t be ashamed, I approve. Always expect the best and never settle. If you ever feel like you''re becoming too arrogant just think back to that little cottage in the forest.¡± I said.


    She nodded sagely, looking at her now it was impossible to think she was anything but a born noblewoman. Her hair was styled in the latest fashion, a complex network of braids that flowed behind her. She had traded her armor for a more fashion forward doublet and overcoat. Similar to mine but cut in a fashion to emphasize her figure. She was starting to blossom into womanhood and while she didn¡¯t present herself with the same femininity that most women her age, she didn¡¯t want to be seen as a man either.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    So long as she looked the part of a wealthy mage, I cared little about how she styled herself.


    ¡°Come let''s head up top. I want to see how they launch a ship this size.¡±


    We made our way to the deck of the ship dodging seamen as they attended to tasks, I understood little of. On the deck the sails were being opened and a set of men were untying massive ropes that anchored the ship to the harbor. The captain was at the helm shouting orders. Young men and a few women ran around preparing the ship. Then slowly the ship began to leave the harbor behind.


    It was a slow process but was interesting enough that I was never bored while watching. The crew respectfully ignored us, a fact with which I was happy.


    After over an hour we were in open waters with no land in sight. It took some time to get used to the movements of the ship but with calm waters there was little turbulence.


    The baroness finally came up from below deck in her full noble regalia. While she looked stunning, the elaborate red and dark blue dress had to be uncomfortable with the sun blazing down. We were standing on the port side of the ship looking out to the calm waters. She came over to us with Briannah in tow. Benny¡¯s face tightened as she saw her approach. Though in a few moments she mastered herself.


    As she approached the baroness asked. ¡°What do you think of The Seraph?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impressive, of all the ships I¡¯ve seen docked at your shore this is by far the largest. How much does such a thing cost?¡±


    ¡°A little over 100,000 Gelding¡± she said, as if so much coin was not a big deal.


    I suppose to someone of her wealth, it wasn¡¯t. Though looking back at my gilded furniture and silk sheets no doubt much of the price was from the luxury. A few of the crew had wide-eyed expressions as they likely couldn¡¯t even begin to understand that amount of wealth.


    Looking around at the massive ship and the exceptional state of its upkeep I had to say.


    ¡°Well, the coin is certainly well spent. I wouldn¡¯t mind having one for myself.¡±


    Breanna was wearing a blue dress in almost the same fashion as the baroness though she seemed to be having an even harder time with the heat and her clothing.


    ¡°How do you do Briannah? Is it your first time in the capitol.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, my lord and as for the capital, I went once as a child though I remember little of it. So, it might as well be my first time.¡±


    ¡°Moon, I wish to have a discussion with you if you are not preoccupied.¡± She glanced over to Benny then back to me.


    ¡°For the next few days all I have is time, so I would love to join you.¡±


    Benny noticed the fact that the baroness wanted a private conversation and said. ¡°I¡¯ll head to my quarters and finish my reading master.¡±


    Then she bowed and left. Briannah looked about to say something, but she was already heading below deck. The baroness gave Briannah a disapproving glare. Then with a smile said to me.


    ¡°If you would join me.¡±


    I took the offered arm and followed her to her quarters.


    ¡°Denerif Mason has offered to host us for the duration of our stay in the capitol.¡± Allyssia said as she took a sip of her wine.


    We sat at a small table inside quarters. It was larger than mine with a more extravagant bed and a small dining area.


    ¡°He desires to have people see me as his creature so soon?¡± I asked, while I was deciding to ally with these people for now, I wanted my options to remain open. At the very least it would keep them constantly on their toes.


    ¡°You would find no better accommodations save for the imperial palace. And besides, being seen as an ally of the wealthiest man in the empire is not undesirable.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I would rather stay at an inn. Which one is the best in the city.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Lira¡¯s Embrace, it''s rather famous for its hospitality though it would call into question who you''re allied with not counting the lack of security compared to Denerif¡¯s Manor.¡±


    If they want me to be open allies, then it must be earned.


    ¡°Lira¡¯s embrace hm, I¡¯ll be sure to get a room for myself.¡± I said, completely ignoring her advice.


    She took another deep drink of her wine and said. ¡°It can be arranged.¡±


    ¡°See to it, so what can I expect when I reach the Capitol. Is being an elf a problem and if so, what can I expect?¡±


    ¡°Your kind has an embassy within the noble quarter so most know to not disrespect a wandering elf. As you surely know, word about you has spread across the land and I have received countless missives inquiring about you and your loyalties.¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not unexpected though, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. though be prepared to have constant requests from everyone from nobles to master mages.¡±


    Thinking of my unique status I asked. ¡°And what about me being a unique mage, how far has that spread.¡±


    ¡°The highest ranked nobles know and most of the powerful mages probably know as well. So, without a clear acknowledgement of your loyalties it will be a free for all.¡±


    That much was clear, but I don¡¯t want them to feel secure about my loyalties not until they guarantee what I want.


    Allyssia interrupted my musings. ¡°That begs the question, what price can solidify our alliance.¡±


    While the meeting was to be scheduled for soon after we arrived, I fully intend to ignore that and relax for a few days so others can approach me. Once they realize that I can at any time accept other offers then and only then would I give them an ultimatum.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet¡± I lied. ¡°So, it''s best that when I get to the capitol, I take a few days to relax and consider my options.¡±


    She knew what I was doing, but I didn¡¯t care. They had to know that I had options and if someone else came along with a better offer I would abandon them in an instant. My only true loyalty was to myself.


    ¡°And you tell me this while we are at sea with no method of communication and no way to arrange for it in advance.¡± she said reproachfully.


    I was shameless I know, but there was no chance I was going to meet with them on their time and at their convenience. For whom does she take me?


    ¡°You should know by now Allyssia I am quite capricious.¡± I said with a charming smile.


    She sighed, finished her glass of wine, and glanced at the bed. I followed her eyes.


    ¡°Might as well join me for the evening meal, there is precious little to do to pass the time.¡±


    ¡°You know me, I¡¯m always willing.¡±


    Three days later.


    I stood on the port side of the ship watching the waters pass. I was beyond bored; the baroness was right. There was precious little to do but read and practice magic. We bedded each other for no other reason but to alleviate boredom. We were to arrive in the capitol today and I couldn¡¯t wait any longer. I had my armor and harness on since I intended to take a flight over the capitol.


    Hours passed, watching the waves, and migrating birds. Then I caught sight of something in the sky. It had to be a little over two thousand feet up and, by my guess, it was rather large. And quite oval shaped with a lot of metal. I couldn''t for the life of me figure out what it was, though I had a guess.


    I went over to the baroness who was near the helm talking to the captain. The graying man saw me approach and bowed. The baroness cut off whatever she was saying and looked at me curiously.


    Pointing at the object I asked. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡±


    She looked in the direction of my finger and her blue eyes widened into saucers as she noticed it.


    ¡°Yes, it''s an imperial dragon ship. The princess must be returning from her campaigns east though why she took this route I do not know.¡±


    I looked at the large craft from this distance. I couldn''t make out anything, just a vaguely metallic blob.


    ¡°So, you mean to tell me that Princess Morianne is most likely on that ship?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Possibly though it might not be her personal flagship, perhaps another member of the imperial family had use for one.¡±


    ¡°How many ships do the imperial family have?¡±


    ¡°Only five, they are enormously expensive.¡±


    Looking at the deck of the ship and gauging Noire¡¯s size I wondered. Then I shrugged and went to the bow of the ship. The baroness followed, curious about what I was doing.


    I had practiced Noire picking me up a few times in case of emergency so I¡¯m sure she could pluck me from there.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take a closer look,¡± I said.


    Her eyes flicked to Noire who was now heading toward us at a steep dive. ¡°Perhaps that is not the best idea, you could be fired upon if you get too close.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t get too close.¡±


    ¡°Moon wait don¡¯t.¡±


    I sent a command to Noire to pick me up from the bow of the ship. It only took a few minutes to find me and with a stern warning not to damage the ship she came in at a steep angle from the starboard side and did a sharp turn at the last seconds to angle her massive wings away from the mast plucking me from the ship in the process.


    Even though she tried to be gentle it was still rather painful. Then she loosened her grip on me allowing me to climb up her legs to her back and finally latching myself to her harness.


    ¡°Very good Noire.¡± I said, while giving her some living ether.


    Excited to finally get some flying, I commanded her to fly towards the dragonship with more speed that was necessary. It only took a few minutes before I was able to get a better look. It was far more massive than I had expected. The massive red bladder was at least 800 feet long with an outer metal frame that gave it structure. Beneath the bladder was the actual ship attached to the frame.


    It was a large multi-story structure made of a combination of wood and metal. Each level had an outer deck where I could see people walking around. At the front of the ship was a bridge with a massive glass window.


    It was as impressive as I had imagined it to be. Accounting for the size, there had to be at least 800 people manning the airship. I switched my vision to the Ether and was shocked beyond all measure. The entire structure was enchanted, everything from the bladder to the metal framed enchantments. The shield that surrounded the entire thing was the most impressive.


    Either was a powerful light mage projecting the invisible shield or they had some enchanted item of incredible power sustaining it. I was only a few hundred feet away from the left side of the airship. And some of the crew were starting to point at me. Then someone in ceremonial armor came out of a side entrance with a looking glass. No doubt trying to get a better view of the creature.


    Noire was easily keeping up with the airship''s speed. Not wanting to be seen as a threat I waved at the man and saluted the way most soldiers did. More people came out, each more impressive looking than the last. They all started pointing and conversed with each other. Hoping I had made a memorable impression, commanded Noire to screech. This made most of the watchers cover their ears, but a quick cast of my shield was enough to block out the sound.


    In the distance I believe I could see the capitol. If there was one word to describe it was massive. Not monstrous was a better word; while I could only see its vague outline in the distance, I could only guess the population to be in the millions. Only magic could explain how a city its size could be constructed.


    I pointed Noire away and headed back to The Seraph before I lost sight of it. It took some effort to unclip myself and climb down to Noire¡¯s talons. But I had enough practice with this maneuver that it didn¡¯t cause me significant worry that she would drop me. In a repeat performance Noire Dropped me onto the bow of the ship where I stumbled and fell on my side, but I was unharmed. Benny, the Baroness and Briannah came running over to me.


    Benny looked upset, probably because I didn''t take her with me.


    ¡°Well how was the ship?¡± Benny asked.


    ¡°It was amazing. How exactly such a massive thing could be enchanted is beyond me.¡± I responded. Then I looked at the baroness.


    ¡°How does one get a tour of such a thing?¡±


    She looked rather displeased that I decided to fly up there and make myself known.


    ¡°You can¡¯t unless the member of the imperial family which commands it gives permission.¡±


    ¡°Shame, I would have liked to see how such a large radiant shield is generated.¡±


    She scoffed. ¡°Even asking such a question could get you in trouble. The carrying capacity of those ships are one of the greatest advantages the empire has against the Easter Federation.¡±


    As far as I knew there was a century long conflict going on with the empire and the many kings and queens of the east. I had little interest in participating, but seeing what wonders are on Silia is another thing on my bucket list. Though unlike the empire some of the eastern kingdoms still practiced slavery in some form. I might be more morally compromised than most, but slavery was something in which I wouldn¡¯t participate. Though if I could purchase someone with magical skill, have them teach me and free them later I would.


    Though from what I have read most slaves either are used for labor or pleasure. Enslaving a mage is likely impossible.


    ¡°Still wouldn¡¯t mind having one for myself.¡± I said.


    ¡°You still need to practice your landing.¡± Benny said.


    ¡°Indeed, one thing though I could see the Capitol from the sky, so we were likely only a few hours out.¡±


    Benny, Briannah, and the Baroness signed in relief at that news. As luxurious as the accommodation on the ship here, it was far too cramped and the constant sun on the deck was unpleasant. I thought I would be equally relieved but all I felt was anxiousness. Elves, powerful mages, my potential assassins, magical academies. And finally, the imperial family. So many potential enemies as well as allies, it was likely far more dangerous than any war in which I had participated.

 Book 1: Chapter 46: The Capitol of Vendalia

    It took another few hours before we started to see the capitol from the ship. As we got closer, we noticed other vessels approaching the city. Everything from small dinghies to massive luxury ships were streaming into the docks. Surrounding the city was a massive wall extending for dozens of miles. Usually, the walls would end at the waterline, but in this case the walls of the Vendalian Capitol extended into the water, completely encircling the entire city. We had to pass through the single largest portcullis I had even seen. So massive was the gate that it had to be constructed using magic. The wall itself was over 300 feet high even from the water. There were guards on top of the wall and several massive war galleys guarding the entrance. Currently it was open to allow ships through.


    The baroness, Benny, Briannah, and I were standing at the bow of the ship watching as we passed through the gates. After passing the wall I openly gasped at the sight of the city. My view from the air didn¡¯t give it justice to how massive it was. Similar to most cities, it was separated by massive fortifications between each quarter. Each section was higher than the last. As if the city was simply dropped onto a large hill. At the center was the imperial castle. To say it was stunning was an understatement.


    It dwarfed any holding I had seen before, the massive towers pierced the sky, reaching hundreds of feet in the air. What was most impressive was that the entire castle was made of smooth white stone. It was far more elegant than most castles I had seen. Where most castles were built to be strong and imposing this seemed to be purpose built to be beautiful.


    Glancing over to the baroness I asked, ¡°What is the population?¡±


    She seemed as entranced by the sight of the massive city as I was but answered regardless.


    ¡°Between two and three million.¡±


    ¡°Gods, how do you even feed that many people?¡± Benny asked.


    Briannah answered. ¡°The surrounding towns, villages, and baronies all funnel food into the city. They also grow food within, this however is reserved for the imperial family and nobility. It is said that anyone with the will can make their fortune in the Capitol. Though it had another name before humans came here.¡±


    ¡°And what was that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Arlathan,¡± she said, and the baroness gave her a warning look. Curious about what that was about I pushed further.


    ¡°What is the significance of the name? I''ve never heard it used before.¡±


    The baroness sighed and said. ¡°It was once the capitol of the elven empire, before they were pushed to the Great Isran Forest by humans.¡±


    ¡°The only thing that remained was the castle.¡±


    I gave the castle another glance, considering. I suppose she did have a point; the surrounding architecture was more utilitarian than the castle itself.


    ¡°So, if I have my timeline right, the royal elves fell and then humans arrived on the continent. The division amongst the Elven Coalition and the rapid population increase lead to their eventual defeat and thus fleeing to Isran.¡± I said.


    ¡°Essentially yes, with the royal line ended and matriarchs taking power there wasn¡¯t a singular voice anymore. We, humans I mean, simply breed too fast and without unity your people fell to our greater numbers.¡±


    As she explained, the baroness had a keen eye on my reaction. Anyone with sense could see the writing on the wall here.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± I responded.


    I was being truthful, while the history was fascinating, I couldn¡¯t care less about the elves and their failure to secure their own empire.


    The baroness seemed surprised by my simple response, then she said with a bit of astonishment. ¡°You really don¡¯t care do you?¡±


    ¡°Not in the least, why in all the world would I care for a bunch of failures. Honestly, I thought you understood me by now.¡± I was already filling away what I had learned with other information that I categorized as, Interesting but largely useless.


    She chuckled and said with amusement in her voice. ¡°I suppose I should have expected as much. A word of warning though, I know that you have no interest in the throne, but others will see you as a threat. Both human and elf so be sure to guard yourself.¡±


    I nodded, taking her advice seriously.


    The captain expertly navigated the ship to the docks. And with a flurry of movement the disembarking process began. Some people busily rushed over to the baroness and were having a hushed conversation with her. I was mostly fascinated watching the hundreds of ships that were docked.


    What was most interesting however were the people. From the ship I could see many humans but occasionally I could spot an orc, and while I have never met one before I was sure the short man with arms as wide around as my waist was dwarven. I thought I caught the sight of an elf once or twice but each time they would disappear before I could focus on them. No doubt there were some spies.


    I saw one strange group of tall bipedal lizard looking humanoids disembarking from a ship carrying crates. Most people gave them a wide berth, but they were fascinating to watch. They had digitigrade legs and wore mostly thick leathers. They had short horns that varied in size and shape, most were tipped with gold.


    ¡°What are those?¡± Benny said, pointing.


    ¡°The Luguar, they usually live in the swamps near Ruben, but some come north to trade or higher themselves out as mercenaries.¡±


    Thinking back to the bronze spears I realized those were likely of the same species that attacked Baroness Ruben¡¯s Transport.


    ¡°They are certainly interesting.¡± I said watching the group walk by, heading deeper into the city. The streets were wide and had a slight upward slope that reached the noble quarter. They went on for miles in all directions disappearing into the horizon. I watched the bustling docks for some time. Ships arrived and departed near constantly. There were actually several different sections of the docks separated by class and wealth. Some would have large luxury ships meant for nobility or wealthy merchants while others had worn down wooden docks for peasant fishermen. There was a large walled section most likely meant for the navy.


    The baroness who finished talking to the man and signaled me over. I gave Benny a nod to come with me.


    ¡°Your rooms will be arranged within the hour and would you be willing to meet within the next 3 days.¡±


    I considered the idea. That should be enough time for others to approach me. She was being quite considerate to my desires so that likely meant that she was under a lot of pressure from the other members of their organization to ensure my loyalty.


    If someone else didn¡¯t approach me before then. It would be their loss. I¡¯m sure they would plan to have roadblocks in place to stop others from approaching me but if other potential parties couldn¡¯t get past that then they weren¡¯t worth my time.


    ¡°That is acceptable¡± then I glanced up at the sky noting Noire circling above. ¡°What about Noire, any possibility of finding accommodations for her.¡±


    ¡°There are many horse merchants who would be willing to house her for a price provided she does not eat their stock. I¡¯ve already sent word and we should know within the day.¡± She said,


    I turned to Benny and said. ¡°Perhaps we should take a gander at the city from the air.¡±


    The baroness interjected before Benny could answer. ¡°Try to not fly past the castle walls, you could be perceived as a threat; the mages on guard could possibly try to strike you down.¡±


    I shrugged and nodded, deciding to follow her advice. With a mental command Noire began spiraling down towards us.


    ¡°Best we clear the docks so she can land properly.¡±


    The docks were made of hard stone and could easily take the weight of Noire. With a few shouts from the baroness the area was cleared and a few minutes later Noire landed. The screams of terror on her arrival were always entertaining. She landed gracefully and immediately sat in a brood position for me to climb aboard. She seemed eager to fly with me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back within the hour¡± I said to the baroness then Benny and I mounted.


    ¡°Very well everything will be arranged by the time you arrive.¡± The baroness said.


    ¡°Fly¡± I commanded.


    With an ear-piercing cry Noire launched herself into the air. Her massive wings generated winds powerful enough to knock people over. We climbed high into the air taking in the majesty of the city. After we reached nearly 1000 feet into the air we began to follow the outer wall. From this height I could truly appreciate the sheer size of the city. Thousands upon thousands of buildings made up the lower quarter where most of the peasants and tradesmen lived or plied their trade. So large was the city that it needed eight entrances. One was massive enough that the noire could fly through with her wings fully extended.


    Outside the city was largely barren grassland but, in the distance, I could see more towns a few miles away,


    ¡°Honestly how could someone build a city so large.¡± Benny said as we flew along the walls.


    ¡°Time and magic, I think. These walls are much too high. I¡¯m guessing they have about 30 or 40 miles of walls over 300 feet high. Without magic this would likely be a logistical nightmare in terms of cost and manpower.¡± I said I altered Noires trajectory to the noble quarter.


    Unlike the heavily packed streets of the lower quarter this had large manor houses. One walled off section I noted had to be the Magical Academies. The empire seems to have a preference for color coordination since the buildings were painted in different colors for each attenuation. Finally, we got close enough to get a good view of the castle.


    And what a sight it was.


    Taller and more grandiose than any building in the city, it dominated the landscape. The white stone glowed beautifully in the evening sun. 5 Tall towers connected to a central keep that probably served as the home for the imperial family.


    ¡°Arlathan The baroness called it, are you sure you don¡¯t want it back? I''m sure some would argue that you have a right to it.¡± Benny said. I was curious about its contents, and I wouldn¡¯t mind living in a structure like that but in the end, I had no interest. I wasn¡¯t even a true royal elf, so the history meant nothing to me.


    ¡°No, the past is dead and gone and besides I¡¯m too young to have seen it happen.¡± I said.


    ¡°Wait, I thought you didn¡¯t know when you were born?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t but Lilian said that I look around 28 summers, which by my guess is around your age in Elven Culture.¡± I said recalling that conversation with her. I wonder what she was up to now and how she returned after her exile.


    ¡°Really, you seem much older than that.¡± Benny said, breaking me from my thoughts.


    I laughed. Considering that I had lived two lives she was completely correct in her guess. With one last glance at the structure, I decided to return to the docks.


    Three hours later.


    ¡°Now this is a room,¡± Benny said as she flopped onto the bed.


    Were in a royal sweet as baroness called it. It took up an entire floor of the inn. Private bathes, multiple dining areas, a smoking lounge and every other amenity I could wish for was provided.


    ¡°It certainly is. And all at no cost to us.¡± I beamed.


    Apparently, it was a gesture of kindness from one Denerif Mason. A few servants were standing off to one side. They were all beautiful of course and would be our personal attendants for the duration of our stay.


    The ride to the city was interesting though the baroness conveniently rented a covered carriage to conceal our identities. I doubted it worked much but at least I was out of the sun. I never actually got sunburned since my skin healed itself faster than damage could accumulate. But I don¡¯t enjoy sweating.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to the baths.¡± I said to one of the maids.


    ¡°Yes, my lord, everything is already prepared.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Benny added.


    ¡°I will escort you, My Lady¡± another one said.


    There were multiple baths in our suite since most noble couples seemed to live separate lives beyond societal expectations and to produce an heir.


    ¡°Let¡¯s have a meal in a few hours.¡± I said to Benny, allowing the servant to lead me away.


    Two hours later after soaking myself until I began to prune, I went to my personal room for some private time. There was a bar that I made liberal use of, and I was halfway through a bottle of spiced wine. It was rather difficult for me to get drunk after my second transformation, but it was still enjoyable. I lounged on a large comfortable couch simply enjoying my time. I wore nothing but a thin white robe made of silk. The servants were busy in the other room getting my clothes prepared.


    Everything of value including the bank card, etheric gems and elven sword were tucked away in a trunk near my bed. I didn¡¯t trust any security in the slightest, so I won¡¯t leave them alone until my clothes are prepared and I am fully dressed. The sun had set an hour ago so there was little light in the room beyond a few enchanted metal candles. I could of course produce my own light, but I found the flicker of the warm orange glow of the candles to be enjoyable. From my position I could see out to the balcony. The moons were out, so some light streamed in from the balcony windows.


    I closed my eyes while I couldn¡¯t physically sleep, I considered slipping into a meditation. Then there was a shift in the ether. Almost imperceptible, but it was there. I had a radiant carapace on myself at all times, so I had little worry about magical attacks. I calmly shifted my vision into the ether.


    To my right sitting on top of a dresser was someone cloaked with magic. I tried not to directly look at them but from the size and build it had to be an elf. An assassin? Possibly. But why sit there?


    Refilling my glass, I got even more comfortable in my chair and said. ¡°Might as well come out. I know you''re there.¡±


    Then my eyes locked onto the void within the ether. It was exactly like how Lilian looked when she stealthed. Unlike the invisibility spell, fast movement never seemed to break her invisibility.


    One moment, there was an empty dresser and the next there was an elven woman sitting there. She had red hair that flowed freely. Dark green eyes that for some reason made me think she was much older than Lilian. She wore dark blue form fitting armor with no decorations, it was clearly built for stealth. She didn¡¯t have typical shoes. It was little more than a leather sock with padded soles.


    ¡°Impressive. I have heard tales of your strength, but it is quite a treat to see it in person.¡± She said, not moving from her position. Her voice was slightly deeper than a typical elven woman or human for that matter. Hell, it was actually deeper than mine. It almost reminded me of breala.


    ¡°And to what I owe the pleasure of your company tonight, usually intruders to my rooms are met with death but curiosity stays the hand at the moment.¡±


    Her head twisted to the left considering me. Her dark green eyes contracted then relaxed. Was she looking into the ether? If so, it would be easy to see how powerful I was.


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    ¡°I am Matriarch Endali of Clan Noct¡¯hrum. Lilian was of our clan. As for my intention, I am here to take your measure and see if, Moon the Lightbearer, as the humans have come to call you, is worth Queen Sianna¡¯s time.¡± She looked at me as if I was no import.


    ¡°And you assume she is worth my time? I have heard many tales about the elven dominion, and I can¡¯t say I care enough to meet her. My royal elven heritage means little to me.¡± I was even more relaxed now that I know she most likely wasn¡¯t here to kill me.


    ¡°One would think you would have more deference for someone who helped save your life.¡± She said,


    My eyes narrowed trying to think of a time when Sianna helped me. But try as I might I could find none.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    She smirked, ¡°Ahh I see you do not remember, when you were crawling along the forest floor missing an arm and a leg who came to you, who told you to keep pushing forward.¡±


    As if a veil had been lifted from my mind, I remembered the dream with Sianna. Her instructions to keep moving, that I wasn¡¯t out of danger. That thought did help me to keep moving through the exhaustion and pain. But if she thinks that¡¯s enough to get anything from me, they are sadly mistaken.


    ¡°So that was actually her, I care little for being monitored.¡±


    ¡°She can only do that if you are in deep enough meditation or asleep so worry not for your privacy.¡± She said with an almost motherly smile, I intrinsically disliked it.


    With a little more aggravation than I intended I said, ¡°You are sadly mistaken if you think that little assistance, she offered me is enough to sway me in any way I am sure you¡¯re here with an offer or something of the sort.¡±


    ¡°You think rather highly of yourself, young one. I am merely here to observe and report.¡±


    ¡°Then why this performance?¡± I gestured to her.


    ¡°It is not enough to watch a person. I need to know your personality beyond rumor and spy reports. I must say I am underwhelmed.¡±


    I didn¡¯t believe that for a moment. Call it arrogance but there is no chance anyone with enough intel about me wouldn¡¯t understand the potential of my abilities.


    ¡°Oh really? What exactly about me do you find underwhelming? Is it my arrogance? Who I take to bed? Or perhaps my willingness to take coin from humans? I assure you I couldn¡¯t possibly care less about your opinion.¡±


    She gave me a searching stare.


    ¡°Yes, there is the Moon from Lilian¡¯s report. As arrogant and self-serving as a human with no regard for heritage, honor, or decency.¡± She said as if she was reading from a paper in her mind.


    ¡°Not flattering certainly, but I can¡¯t argue with her accuracy. I am all of those things and more¡± I said with a grin.


    She simply looked disappointed, and I couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°Now that it is known you are a unique mage no doubt the humans will intend to ingratiate themselves to you and you seem to care little for how the elven clans will view it.¡± Oddly enough, she didn¡¯t sound repulsed by that as much as I had thought she would. How odd?


    ¡°Also correct. Speaking of elven clans, my associates implicate two matriarchs in my attempted assassination now you¡¯re going to have to convince me why you aren¡¯t one of them.¡± I was dead serious. If she didn¡¯t give me a satisfying answer, I would probably have to kill her.


    She raised a delicate eyebrow and my serious tone.


    ¡°It is not yet known who tried to have you killed; the investigation is still ongoing.¡± She said,


    ¡°Lies.¡± I said frustrated.


    ¡°You are a woman of enough skill to sneak into my room undetected and if not for my significant sensitivity to ether I wouldn¡¯t have noticed you. Now you tell me in the months since my assassination you have learned nothing. It sounds to me like you are either protecting them or you¡¯re one of them.¡±


    I really had no way to know if both or either was true, but what I did know is that there would be no trust between us.


    ¡°Believe what you wish, there has been precious little in terms of a trail to follow.¡± She said confidently, almost convincingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you have suspects. Give me their names and the names of their clan.¡± I demanded.


    If she doesn¡¯t there will be consequences.


    ¡°Suspicion does not equal guilt. To exact justice; certainty of guilt must be ascertained.¡±


    Ah, an honorable sort I see. But I couldn¡¯t give any less of a damn about her honor, I wanted names and if she protected them from my wrath, she is an enemy. This entire conversation could be a farse for all I knew. But if she was from the same clan as Lilian that meant she served the Queen and no doubt the queen doesn¡¯t want me dead which means she couldn¡¯t touch me.


    Her perfect control over the course of the conversation was irritating. There was one thing that always made people break from their control and that is violence. Let us hope she is skilled enough to survive it.


    ¡°So, you won¡¯t give me what I want and will hide the suspicious matriarchs from me. How am I to ensure that they don¡¯t try again? And there is you Endali, you sneak into my rooms, disrespecting my privacy. Did you think there will not be consequences to this.¡±


    ¡°Patience is the necessary approach in this situation. And as for me if I wanted you dead you would be.¡± She sounded like she was lecturing a child. I suppose I am in her eyes.


    Well then, I¡¯m sure she will have a wonderful time explaining to Sianna why she failed so spectacularly in her first meeting with me. She made the mistake of thinking she would be dealing with an elf. Were the stories about me not enough to convince her that that is a poor approach.


    ¡°See the thing is I¡¯m not a patient elf. And as far as I see I have a one in fourteen chance to kill one of my assassins. It could even be the queen herself for all I know.¡± I didn¡¯t believe any of what I was saying. But I dislike threats and they must learn that I will not hesitate to maim and murder if the situation calls for it. Let the entire capitol learn about this for all I care.


    She sniffed at my words. ¡°You are a fool if you believe that the last living royal elf would wish you harm.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but I know not her intentions. And you have provided me little in this conversation.¡±


    ¡°Time will reveal all truths, child. If it is your safety, you are worried about. We can assure it easily. You need but listen and obey the commands of those you know better.¡±


    I was mildly flabbergasted by how she chose to speak to me. Am I really just a child in her eyes? Her tone was beyond patronizing. I would not tolerate such disrespect. I sighed; this conversation was over. Hopefully she learns not to take such a tone with me again.


    I raised my hand as fast as I could and released an air blast directly at her. In the same instant there was a shift in the ether, and she disappeared into nothing. The blast, however, destroyed the room, sending furniture flying and blowing out the wall to the balcony. I cared nothing for subtle manipulation or intrigue, I wanted answers and as far as I was concerned hiding the suspicious from me was a crime all its own. I didn¡¯t want her dead but if she lacked the skill to survive that blast, she probably wasn¡¯t a matriarch to begin with.


    What did she really think would happen, sneaking in here in the dead of night and speaking in such a manner? Is there something I am fundamentally not understanding about elven society.?


    I refilled my glass, admiring the spectacular view the now destroyed wall gave me to the rest of the noble quarter.


    Benny rushed in moments later, spell circuit charged and ready to attack. She looked at me, noticing I was calmly sipping wine and then to the destroyed wall.


    ¡°What happened?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Just an uninvited guest. Come, sit, this is spectacular wine.¡±


    Benny was still in her nightclothes, she sighed and shrugged then took the glass. ¡°Again, what happened?¡±


    An hour later.


    I was speaking to the captain of the guard, a large fellow in an impressive suit of plate armor. We sat in the same destroyed room while he took a statement from me. Magic in self-defense was perfectly legal so he had nothing to charge me with. Though it¡¯s not as If I would ever allow myself to be arrested. He, as well as most non-mages knew that people like me were mostly untouchable.


    ¡°So can you tell me the name of this elf?¡± he said, sounding annoyed.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t say. She simply broke in and I reacted out of instinct.¡± I said innocently.


    ¡°Can you at least give me a description?¡±


    Tapping my lips in contemplation I said. ¡°Red hair, green eyes, and blue leather armor. It was dark so not much more than that was clear to me.¡±


    ¡°Fine then it would be in the interest of the city if you would refrain from large scale magic in cases of self-defense. A full investigation and a search for the culprit will be made.¡± He said as if he had repeated it hundreds of times.


    ¡°Very good then. Now I need some rest. This night has been exhausting.¡±


    We were given an apology from the staff of the inn. The royal sweet had more rooms I could sleep in so there was little problem. The captain left, leaving me alone with Benny, Grumbling about mages under his breath. I ignored it.


    Before the guards arrived to examine the scene, I had given Benny a quick rundown of the events.


    ¡°So why did you try to kill her?¡± Benny asked once we were alone.


    ¡°She was withholding information from me. I cared little for her reasons. While I do think she was being truthful about her identity I still couldn¡¯t trust it. Then her final mistake was suggesting she could kill me anytime she wanted.¡±


    Benny considered it and pressed further. ¡°If you wanted her dead, you would have used a radiant lance so why?¡±


    I smiled as correctly deduced I didn¡¯t want her to die. ¡°It¡¯s less that I wanted her dead, more that I wanted to hammer home the message that I was perfectly willing to kill her. I have no great skill in subterfuge and games of manipulation. But what I have is power and that means nothing without the will to use it. Now they know that attempts to play games with me will end in violence.¡±


    Benny spent a few more moments thinking about what I said then asked. ¡°So why is it better that they know you''re dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Elven society is more female dominated. From what I have gleaned from Lilian. Males are more demure than our human counterparts, I suppose. Endali never took me as any real threat, some unconscious bias due to my gender and age, I think. Now she does and therefore now does the queen. If I guessed correctly this would be seen as Endali¡¯s failure. There is no chance the queens want my death. In the end I need them to take me seriously. I will not tolerate disrespect.¡±


    ¡°We will have to wait and see how everything turns out.¡± Benny said.


    Three days later.


    Nothing of note had happened leading up to my meeting with the rest of Allyssia¡¯s allies. Sure, there were some requests here and there, delivered by disguised servants but none of the names were of any interest to me. Either I wasn¡¯t as well-known as I thought or that little cabal was doing an excellent job of rebuffing anyone who wanted to meet me.


    I sent Benny into the city most days to explore the markets and purchase any magical items of note while I enjoyed the amenities of the inn, including its staff. She seemed perfectly happy to explore and being a powerful mage was enough to give her confidence that none could hurt her. The absurdly powerful radiant carapace I cast on her probably helped.


    I didn¡¯t need her for defense; she instead served as an excellent bulwark towards advances. It seemed approaching a powerful mage through their apprentice is a common introduction method. So, she had been constantly getting letters of introduction from one mage or another from the magical academies. None of the invitations, whether to brunches or balls, came from master mages, so I had no interest in agreeing.


    During the two days leading up to the meeting I got only one invitation that I found to be of interest. That was an invitation from the ambassador of the elves for a lunch meeting. It was to take place today at a famous caf¨¦ in the noble quarter. Usually, I wouldn¡¯t trust a single invitation from an elf. Bur trying to assassinate me in the heart of the empire where security was so high most of the guard force were either etheric knights or mages, seemed like a plan doomed to fail.


    I rode along in my luxurious carriage; it was so opulently decorated that I¡¯m sure some outside thought I was royalty. We arrived at said caf¨¦ and the guardsman opened the door. I was dressed my best of course. My fine purple and white clothing in combination with the elven sword made for an impressive appearance.


    Two elves were waiting out front, males by my guess. One had black hair and brown eyes, and the other was a bright red with gray eyes. They wore similar close-fitting tunics of fine cloth with the complex and elegant pattern expected of elven clothing. Most of the nobility, either entering or exiting, paid them no mind. They were comely as expected of elves, both gave me a surprised look as if they were not expecting me.


    No, it wasn¡¯t me, it was the sword they were looking at.


    How odd?


    They came over, their movements tight and controlled, something that only came from years of reinforced etiquette training. When they stopped in front of me, they bowed elegantly and the brown-haired one to the left spoke.


    ¡°Greeting Moon, we were informed of your possible arrival and are pleased that you have chosen to speak with our lady wife.¡± He said it with consummate respect and propriety.


    ¡®Our lady wife?¡¯ I thought to myself.


    A female elf having multiple husbands was not something Lilian ever mentioned, but I suppose it would be likely given the structure of their society. I know some human nobles had multiple wives. Noble marriages were a serious thing and it required approval from one¡¯s own liege lord for a man to wed multiple women. As far as I knew the reverse didn¡¯t exist for women.


    ¡°It is my pleasure; I am intrigued to meet Kerelia¡± I said. Though in truth I just wanted to sate my curiosity for what other elves look like.


    ¡°If you would follow us, we would be glad to escort you.¡± the brown-haired one said.


    They led me through the caf¨¦ to a private room where someone could dine without interruption. I had little fear of anything untoward happening since there were so many nobles being tended to. It was a decent sized room with a dining table in the center. There was a large window at the far end that offered an excellent view of the street. Everything from the furniture to the painting on the walls were of course, the finest quality.


    The table was circular, just large enough to fit all fours of us. Kerelia was sitting at the opposite end facing the door. She was beautiful with long black hair and blue eyes. Her tunic was similar to the males. With the exception of a slight swell on the chest and hips, denoting her sex.


    The red-haired elf pulled my seat for me and all 3 of us sat before anyone spoke. Like the elven males Kerelia seemed to be enthralled by the sword at my hip. Then she focused on me.


    ¡°I have to say I was surprised to see you arrive. After your display a few nights ago, most were not inclined to see you in person.¡± She said as I sat. The two males had moved their seats closer to her, sitting at either side.


    ¡°There was a pest in my room, and if a bit of magic is enough to cause people to hesitate then they were not worth my time.¡± I said, while giving the males side glances.


    It was rather odd to see them sit demurely by their wife the way human women do.


    Different cultures I suppose.


    ¡°Indeed, Endali¡¯s failure to capture you has been a point of some amusement.¡± she said with a charming smile on her face.


    ¡°Capture? If that was her goal she didn¡¯t try that hard. Is it so widely known that it was her?¡±


    It was strange that someone with such skill with stealth could be a topic of laughter.


    ¡°Only clan Noct¡¯hrum breeds shadow mages of such skill; the lack of evidence and your description, was enough proof that it was her. Many eyes are watching you.¡± She said with a bit more warning in her voice.


    Breed shadow mages? From what I know human affinity is random, perhaps it is different for elves.


    ¡°I presumed as much, though subtly and subterfuge are not one of my skills, so I¡¯ve noticed little. That also begs the question why did you want this meeting and what exactly do you mean by capture?¡±


    She giggled, a pretty sound that reminded me of bells ringing. ¡°Oh, not capture in the literal sense. Most can¡¯t decide if they want you as a mate or as a corpse. Endali, we assumed, would try to take you as her own. Her failure has now emboldened others to try.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at that statement and asked. ¡°Are you one of them?¡±


    It was quite a bold thing to say in front of her two husbands.


    ¡°No, you are far too¡­..¡± She tried to find a word for a few moments.


    ¡°¡­..Human for my tastes. Besides there are other more powerful elves that have started to stake claims.¡±


    I glanced at the two males. They were the very picture of demure elegance, shoulder squared, back straight, a posture clearly practiced. While I was sitting comfortably and slightly slouching. But I cared little about whatever impropriety I showed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m interested, since I have no interest in settling down.¡±


    I mostly just abhorred the idea of sharing a woman with another individual.


    ¡°Are there any among the matriarchs that are staunchly against such action.¡± I asked. But she saw through the question immediately.


    ¡°You wish to know who ordered your death. I can give you six names, worry not for my own matriarch, Lady Xalia, since she desires you the most. That is also why this meeting happened. You do not have a mother she can approach.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t care less about the rest. Reducing my suspects from fourteen to six was what I was concerned about.


    ¡°What are their names?¡± I Practically demanded it.


    ¡°Hellia, of Cres¡¯tiln, Mellie of Thron¡¯vax, Boriel of Lum¡¯nar, Namoila of Aelv¡¯oth Vinium of Fost¡¯Krin and Claier of Sham¡¯ir¡±


    The elven names sounded strange to my ears. While it was interesting that I finally started getting names I still couldn¡¯t trust any of it.


    ¡°Interesting, who among those do you most suspect?¡±


    ¡°Mellie and Boriel are the most likely culprits. But they lack the connections to fund such an act. Namoila hates Queen Sianna the most and has the coin so that is also a possibility. The rest are just exceptionally anxious about what it would mean if you and Sianna were mated.¡±


    She seemed rather uninterested in the entire thing.


    ¡°And you¡¯re not?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. From all the information I have learned about you even if you meet Sianna and she proposes such a thing. You would refuse.¡± She sounded almost arrogant.


    ¡°What gives you such confidence?¡± I was genuinely curious.


    ¡°My spies report you have bedded at least four servants in the inn and two prostitutes who were pretending to be servants in the last two days. There is also a rumor you bedded a half orc. An elf with your¡­¡­'''' again she paused trying to find a word that wouldn''t offend me.


    ¡°....tastes you would never be a proper mate. It is mostly your power and the potential power of your offspring that have the matriarchs excited.¡±


    If the two statues are what a proper mate is then count me out. Said elves looked at me sideways as if the idea that I bedded a half orc was abhorrent.


    ¡°Her name was Breala. Regardless, this information was useful.¡±


    A servant knocked, walked in, and started to plate the dishes. In a few minutes, the table was filled with small finger food meant to accompany tea. I was rather hungry and not remotely caring about propriety I started filling my plate.


    She chuckled as I started to eat. ¡°It¡¯s strange, so much power in one so young. You¡¯re not even 30 are you.¡± She said,


    Her eyes had a slightly piercing glare as she no doubt was looking at me from within the ether.


    ¡°No clue as you likely already know. Though I was told that I¡¯m certainly an adult.¡±


    ¡°Such is the mystery of your existence: the last royal elven male and the last female. What will happen when they meet, is it the return of the elven dominion? or will something new be forged.¡± She said almost talking to herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that question was enough of a reason to have me killed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Essentially.¡± She said though she seemed to be looking at my sword below the table through the ether.


    ¡°What is the significance of the sword? You all seem to be enamored by it.¡±


    ¡°Is the Mithrite Purple?¡± The brown-haired male on the left asked. The other two elves gave him warning glances. He immediately straightened and returned to his demure posture.


    If I could learn more I would. The sword has been little more than a fashion piece since I found it.


    I removed it from my waist and raised it above the table. Then I unsheathed it, there was a collective gasp as they saw the blade.


    ¡°Now tell me why this blade is so shocking to you.¡± I asked.


    She collected herself and responded. ¡°It is a Shaeilin Blade. They were typically wielded by the most powerful royal elves in combat. No blade is as sharp or light. It is said that it can cut the very fabric of reality. Only three are known to still exist the rest are lost to time. Siannah has a pair of daggers and Namoila has a spear. Noone knows how they are made since the knowledge died with the royal elves.¡±


    She looked upon the blade with deference.


    I laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been using it to cut bread.¡±


    Now they all looked at me as if I had grown a second head. Kerelia Recovered first. ¡°I recommend you not draw that sword around others; they would be desperate to have it. Where did you find it?¡±


    While this conversation was interesting, I really wanted to get to the real reason I was here. ¡°In the walls of some random tower regardless, what does your matriarch want with me?¡±


    She looked like she wanted more information, but moved on.


    ¡°She is interested in Noire and you. I am mostly here to take your measure and relay my thoughts back to her. While I cannot speak for her it is likely she will desire your presence, if not your body when you enter elven lands. She is not like most Elven women so your tastes will not disturb her as it would most others.¡±


    I finished the last small sandwich on my plate. Satisfied for now. I took what she said with a grain of salt of course but now I had names to go by.


    ¡°Since I have you here, tell me all about the matriarchs. Perhaps I can come to some kind of deal with Xalia and both your clan, and I can benefit. I¡¯m sure having a beast like Noire under your command is far more valuable than a pretty blade.¡±


    I would never give a beast like that to another person but let them believe that such a thing can be bought. She had a smile on her face at that statement.


    ¡°Very well then let¡¯s begin.¡± she said, her smile turning predatory.

 Book 1: Chapter 47: The Cabal

    ¡°My Lord the carriage is ready.¡± The serving girl said. I gave her a nod of acknowledgement and signaled her to leave. I suppose the time had come for me to meet this little cabal. It was a closed-door meeting under the guise that I would be attending a private lunch with Denerif Mason and a few of his acquaintances. I was dressed my best of course and Benny would be attending in her full suit of armor. Though once the meeting started, she would have to remain outside the doors as with all other personal guards. I learned very little about Denerif, beyond his dislike of the Imperial family. The man was richer than most dukes and wielded considerable power, but his lack of noble birth was always something that the imperial family held against him. So long as I got what I wanted I cared little about the birth of the one who provides it.


    Benny and I entered a carriage sometime later. It was rather plain compared to most of the ones I rode in, but that was probably to obscure my identity. It took almost an hour to navigate the complex streets of the city to his Manor. I had to admire the Denerif¡¯s massive home. If not for the splendor of the imperial castle it would be the most impressive manor in the city. It was a singular large manor house at least five stories tall, painted a cream so light it was almost white. The entire manse was surrounded by a 10-foot wall and the main gate was large enough for 3 carriages to enter abreast.


    We waited outside for a few moments before the gate was opened, and we crossed the long path leading up to the entrance. Benny glanced out the window staring at the large sculptures that decorated the gardens along with the small army of gardeners that maintained it.


    ¡°I know Denerif was rich, but damn, this place is a bit much.¡± Benny said as she gawked at a sculpture of a naked man drawing a bow. Interestingly enough the entire thing was either made of gold or plated in gold.


    ¡°The man sure knows how to show off his wealth at least.¡± I said.


    Perhaps it was spending the last few days in absolute luxury. But I wasn¡¯t as moved by the overwhelming displays of wealth as most people would be. We rolled along the long entrance for almost a minute before the carriage stopped and the door opened. Standing there was Denerif. He was, as the descriptions have stated, tall thin with gray thinning hair. He had a hawkish nose and bright blue eyes that seemed to track me as I walked forward. He wore fine clothes that, while plain, were clearly made of the finest cloth.


    ¡°So, you are the one they call Lightbearer.¡± He said giving me a once over.


    ¡°Indeed, though I know my reputation has grown I¡¯m surprised you decided to greet me personally.¡± I said.


    It was normal protocol to simply have a servant take care of such matters as greetings. But from what I know of Denerif he was not one to stand on propriety.


    He chucked though no humor reached his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll leave such pageantry to those who do not value their time. Please come.¡± He asked.


    He didn¡¯t even so much as glance over to Benny which was odd. She was dressed quite impressively, every bit the mage. Though it¡¯s not as if he was unfamiliar with mages since I knew he had an entire force of his own. We walked side by side through his mansion. I made sure not to admire the impressive furniture or any other impressive looking decorations, outwardly.


    ¡°The others have arrived?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Indeed, they have, they are waiting in my wine room to begin discussions.¡±


    They must be wondering what price I would ask and what the true extent of my abilities are.


    ¡°I imagine the speculation has been endless.¡± I joked.


    ¡°Not so much as you would think. To be frank we have compiled everything there is to know about you and we have a rough estimation of the value of your abilities.¡±


    Did they now? Well, we will have to see how much of an understanding they really have and whether they value it as much as I think they do.


    ¡°I am excited to see the extent of your information gathering skills.¡± I said.


    ¡°All will be revealed in due time.¡± Denerif responded.


    From out of nowhere a smartly dressed servant began leading us to his wine room as he called it. Roughly a minute later we stopped at a door and the servant opened.


    Denerif turned to me and said. ¡°This is where I would ask that your apprentice remain outside. There is a room across the hall where food and drink are offered to the servants of all our guests for the eve.¡±


    Benny looked like she didn¡¯t want to leave me alone but it¡¯s not as if I was in any real danger here. With her abilities and her radiant carapace there was no chance anyone could really hurt her. We had long had this conversation. So, to make sure that we were seen as a single unified force by the others, I gave her a single nod and the butler led her into the room. I gave her simple orders.


    Tolerate no disrespect, guard all information and if there is even the slightest hint of danger to herself or myself hold nothing back.


    Before the door closed behind Benny, I could see liveried servants and other mages eating and drinking inside a recreational room. There was even the sound of music and I even overheard the familiar voice of Briannah calling Benny over.


    ¡°Well then Moon shall we begin?¡± Denerif asked.


    Inside the wine room was as luxuriously decorated as I had expected. In the center was a circular table with tall, backed chairs. Each was embossed with gold and had deep red cushions. There was a fireplace to the right and the sun streamed through the massive window near the back of the room providing light. To the left were hundreds of wine bottles lining each shelf. Sitting around the table were Baroness Hearthaven, dressed in beautiful green, an older woman of about 70 with white hair, who was probably Dutchess Shorecast. Finally, there was a man of around 50 in purple and gold clothing so opulent it almost gave me pause. Archduke Halloway I presume.


    There were 5 seats around the large table and each occupant had a wine glass. I met each of their eyes as I made my way to a seat. Part of me was amused that in only the span of two years I had made my way from urchin in a forest to drinking wine with some of the most powerful humans in Vendalia.


    After Denerif and I took our seats and introductions began. To my left was the Baroness and to her left respectively were Archduke Halloway, Denerif Mason and Dutchess Shorecast.


    Dutchess Shorecast started first. ¡°So, this is the Lightbearer, it is surprising that one with such an innocent face is the cause of such an upheaval among the nobility.¡±


    The strength of her voice and the clear focus in her green eyes were almost anachronistic to her wrinkled face and white hair.


    I responded, ¡°I find most humans tend to underestimate danger when met with a sweet face, it has served me well.¡±


    Halloway glanced at the baroness and said with some humor in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure it has served you in many ways.¡±


    Baroness Hearthaven rolled eyes. Clearly our intimacy was known by the rest of the group. I wonder if that was also a ploy.


    It probably was.


    There was clearly some friction between those two. Denerif sighed and took control of the conversation.


    ¡°Regardless, we are here to discuss your contribution to our group. I''m sure by now you have surmised that we have use for your abilities. Both the proficiency of your healing, the creation of mountable etheric beasts, and of course the ability to enhance the power of mages.¡±


    Dutchess Shorecast continued. ¡°Yes, Even the royal family has begun to ask questions. It took no small amount of effort to keep the scavengers from circling. I am most concerned with the price.¡±


    I cut the baroness of whatever she was about to say. ¡°What specifically do you want from me? your answer will determine my price.¡±


    I mostly wanted to see how much they knew about my abilities. What they wanted from me will determine how much they truly understood.


    Archduke Halloway who maintained a largely neutral expression said. ¡°Etheric beasts for our own forces, magical enhancement for our mages and the use of your magical abilities with training and maintenance of our armies.¡±


    The baroness continued on as if this was already discussed. ¡°We want you to repeat on a larger scale what you did with my army. The Radiant orb of Regeneration is an incredibly difficult spell to cast on a large scale and very few in the empire have the skill or raw power to cast a single one even with an amplifier. The training regimen you designed is far more efficient than any in the empire. Months of physical conditioning in the matter of weeks with no side effects from overtraining. Many generals are interested in the concept. They simply lack a light mage to perform it on a large scale.¡±


    She then looked to Denerif, and he continued her through in greater detail. ¡°Next is the enhancement of a mage¡¯s strength. It is still unknown what price you pay to perform this but from everyone I have spoken to it must be heavy. From even the cursory glance of your apprentice we can see the effects of your abilities. How many mages we enhance would of course depend on your abilities, but even one very few months will be more than adequate.¡±


    Dutchess Shorecast continued on with the etheric beasts.


    ¡°Every mage under my command is asking for their own flying mounts. Having a force of aerial mages is enough to render all standing fortifications useless. Even the empire¡¯s dragon ships would be useless when compared to the speed and maneuverability of your mount. How you ended the war in Hearthaven was enough proof of the effectiveness of such a force.¡±


    I sat back in my chair relaxing as I absorbed their ideas. It was largely what I had expected, however there was one problem here.


    Why?


    Why were these dukes in alliance? What is their end game? Do they really think that the rest of the empire will sit idly by while they reap the benefits of my abilities? I truly dedicated myself to the effort, I could have a dozen mages in the air within a month. I could Enhance at least 30 people if I was gauging the amount of living ether I carried correctly. For that matter, the beasts I enhance don¡¯t even have to be birds. There were many strange flying creatures in this world, many much more dangerous than an Arlette.


    ¡°How will the other Dukes or the imperial family for that matter respond? While I''m confident in my abilities, I''m not interested in fighting Princess Morianne.¡±


    Denerif sniffed at that. ¡°I assume you wonder why this cabal even exists. It''s rather simple: the empire is fracturing.¡±


    Now that was a bombshell.


    ¡°Explain,¡± I said.


    ¡°The imperial family is largely withdrawn from ruling anything that is not the imperial city, and the dukedoms are practically countries of their own. At some point it will break, and a civil war will break out. The north vs the south. No one is saying anything, but it is in the air. Everyone feels the cracks forming within the empire. The northern dutchies have the largest armies and the imperial army is roughly 100,000 men strong. Though it¡¯s unlikely to happen soon. Five to ten years by my guess¡± Denerif finished and allowed the information to digest.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    If a civil war is about to occur with the largest civilization in the world, then I have no interest in participating. All the magical knowledge in the world wasn¡¯t enough to make me want to participate. They were asking for a lot and the price would have to be dire. There was one caveat, however. I was never going to offer them flying mounts. It was far too much power to be under anyone¡¯s control but mine.


    Enhancing mages however, I would be fine with. There were 4 members of the cabal not including myself so I would offer them 4 enhancements.


    ¡°The mounts I still haven¡¯t fully determined how to repeat so that will have to be on the table for now. I can easily reproduce my training regimen on a mass scale even easier with a decent amplifier. As you no doubt have guessed, enhancing mages is costly to me so I can offer you 4 enhancements.¡±


    Some didn¡¯t look pleased by my response, but I was baiting them since they didn¡¯t fully understand what my abilities did.


    Denerif was stone faced but didn¡¯t seem keen on pushing. ¡°We can shelve the issue of flying mounts for our mages for now. But I must ask, what is your price?¡±


    That was the issue, wasn¡¯t it? What do I want from some of the most powerful people in the empire? Power, wealth, I could probably ask for a million gold, my own barony, and lands. If they truly understood what I could do there is no price they wouldn¡¯t pay. But material possessions were temporary, kingdoms fell, and power could be taken away. What I want is knowledge. Knowledge was power. I smiled and decided what I wanted to ask.


    ¡°For the training and enhancement of 4 individuals of your choice. Along with the possibility of a flying mount in the future. I want only two things.¡±


    I looked at the Baroness and said. ¡°The knowledge of a master enchanter and every grimoire in your collection.¡±


    They all stiffened as I finished the sentence. Absolutely no master enchanters operated outside the imperial capital. And teaching the skill outside of official imperial channels was a death sentence. But that was my price.


    Everything from etheric knights, amplifier creation, armor enchantment and a whole host of other kinds of enchantments, Were well within the skill of a master enchanter. My magical abilities have ripened on the vine and now it was time for me to expand.


    ¡°That is a lot to ask. Admittance to the enchantment academy for a non-empirical let alone an elf is a problem.¡± Dutchess Shorecast said.


    ¡°I have no interest in attending a magical academy, private tutelage will do.¡±


    I pulled out an etheric gem and an ingot of mithrite from a pocket in my overcoat. And dropped them on the table.


    ¡°Etheric knights, Enchanted weapons, armor and of course amplifiers. I want all that knowledge.¡± They all stared at the glowing light attenuated gem and mithrite. It wasn¡¯t the value of the object that moved them, but likely the difficulty in getting what I want.


    ¡°Impossible¡± Dutchess Shorecast said. then looked to Denerif and continued. ¡°The potential risk of discovery is too much; he does not even guarantee the etheric beasts.¡±


    Denerif focused on me, his gaze unwavering ¡°Is there no room for negotiation?¡±


    ¡°No, however you are all too focused on the etheric beasts and fail to see what I am offering you.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes focused on me at this proclamation.


    ¡°There is more to your abilities?¡± Allyssia asked.


    ¡°There is more to enhancement than just a boost in power for that matter it¡¯s not limited to mages.¡± Then her eyes brightened with understanding.


    ¡°Benny and Noire, you did the same thing to both of them. How it manifests depends on the individual.¡± She said.


    The rest of them started to catch on to the next obvious conclusion.


    ¡°Correct Allyssia. But there is even more to it. How my abilities manifest is dependent on the creature I try to enhance. An average mage becomes a world class talent, a simple bird becomes an Etheric beast. So, what would happen if I enhanced a regular human. Simple, they would grow stronger and healthier in every capacity. Tell me Denerif would you not like the health and vitality of your youth returned to you. In fact, if you allowed my enhancement, you would be more vigorous now that you ever were at 20. The change would be more than internal. You would literally age in reverse what could a man like you accomplish with another half century of youth. That is the gift I offer for the low low price of the abilities of a master enchanter and access to grimoires.¡±


    That proclamation gave them pause. I had to hold back a smile as everyone in the room contemplated what such a thing could mean for themselves. It was my hope that their selfishness in the end would win out. Even if they didn¡¯t all agree Denerif, Shorecast and Hallow had to have been feeling the effects of age.


    Allyssia was still a young woman so aging is not as big of a concern to her as the rest. However, she is a mage and there is not a single mage alive who doesn¡¯t want more power. Their eyes flicked from between each other in silent conversation. I suppose other than Allyssia they never considered enhancing themselves. In truth I can ask for more, but I wanted them to be proactive in keeping my loyalty. If this ever got out to the royal family well, I¡¯m sure the emperor would have some words. Greed or safety: which one will win out in the end?


    Finally, Shorecast, the eldest member, said, ¡°Can you guarantee such a thing? Give me my youth back.¡± she asked, her voice betraying the brittleness I expected of someone of her age.


    ¡°With my ability it will be more than just youth. But yes, you will have your youth and beauty returned. How you¡¯re going to explain how a woman of your years suddenly looks like she is in her mid-20s is your problem to deal with.¡±


    This was largely the perfect outcome; Allyssia was about to be a Duchess, and the rest were regular humans. They aren''t stupid enough to allow this opportunity to pass them by or have someone else snatch this chance. So, I was confident that they would agree.


    ¡°I will be first.¡± Allyssia said.


    As a competent earth mage, she stood the most to benefit from this. I had little to worry about from her since she had a duchy to occupy her time.


    ¡°May I assume you all agree to my terms.¡± I asked, looking around the room.


    There was one final shifting glance between them then subtle nods started.


    ¡°Agreed¡± they said in unison.


    A smile came across my face as I stated. ¡°Good as soon as my enchanting ability progresses to the point I can create my own amplifier. I will Enhance one of you or someone of your choice. Everyone else will have their own enhancements as my enchanting skill increases. As much as I understand your eagerness Allyssia, I recommend I start with Dutchess Shorecast as proof of my abilities.¡±


    She was the one with the most connections to the enchanting academies after all. Besides, she could drop dead before my enchanting ability reached where I wanted it to be.


    ¡°That is acceptable.¡± Denerif said.


    Halloway, while he maintained the stony expression, not even he could hide his anticipation of what my abilities could do. He looked at Shorecast and said. ¡°We will proceed accordingly. I¡¯m sure you can have someone to teach him under the table. Your cousin could do it.¡±


    Shorecast bit her lip and then nodded. ¡°Very well I¡¯ll make the proper arrangements.¡± She then turned her attention to me. ¡°Is the rumor that it took you only a month to use magic true?¡±


    I answered a bit arrogantly. ¡°It took me seven days between seeing the ether and casting my first spell. Magic was relatively easy to learn after that point.¡±


    Shorecast nodded then said. ¡°In that case it should only take you a few months to reach the point where you can create an amplifier. Perhaps a year before you could move on to something as complex as creating etheric knights and their equipment.¡±


    It was rather amusing that they were so casually discussing what was technically treason. But I didn¡¯t care how dangerous it was to them. Knowledge was knowledge and it served my ambition. Part of why I was so willing to perform an evolution on the old woman was partially my curiosity on what my abilities would do to her and to foster the jealousy or even greed in her compatriots. With her willingness to take such a risk I can only assume she was starting to feel the call of the grave.


    They will no doubt try to bargain for more things from me. Perhaps for a spouse or child or simply more for themselves. Either way I intended to collect.


    ¡°A bit of warning though to gain The Lightbearer¡¯s Gift comes at a cost. One that is completely unavoidable.¡±


    Denerif, who seemed to be colder than usual, asked. ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°During your enhancement you will endure more pain and suffering that you can ever imagine. Nothing will come close I assure you. In the space of a few minutes I was set on fire, threw myself off of a cliff and severed my own arm and leg. That pain was barely a pin prick in comparison. But that is for later, for now let¡¯s move on to a less morose topic. Do you have any information on my would-be assassins? I have been anxious to learn.¡±


    They seemed to recover from that proclamation. Denerif answered in a precise tone. ¡°I have been able to confirm one matriarch beyond a shadow of a doubt. One Boriel of Lum''nar, a few connections in the underworld informed me that one of her clan was seeking information about mage companies. A few weeks before your assassination the same elf picked up coin from one of my branches, a sum of 56,000 gelding.¡±


    ¡°Can you confirm this with certainty? And what account provided that sum of coin.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, I have the records of the transaction. Reports from within the elven coalition itself as well as personal eyewitnesses from sources I trust with my own life. The elf was without a doubt from clan Lum¡¯nar and a plan such as this would have to have been sanctioned by the Matriarch. As your fame grows more and more people are asking questions and slowly the guilty are coming to light.¡±


    I smiled. I will settle the score with her soon enough, but I can wait. I have much more to do in the meantime.


    Denerif continued, ¡°One problem with the source of the fund, however. The coin came from what are called white accounts. They are completely anonymous by design and cost 100,000 gelding to set up. You get a special card and a single account number with no insurance. So technically anyone can walk in and withdraw or deposit coin from the account with no need for two party verification. The accounts are heavily taxed for each transaction. Many of the most powerful nobility in the country use these accounts for backroom dealing.¡±


    ¡°Why would the emperor even allow such a thing to exist?¡± I asked incredulously.


    ¡°Those kinds of deals will happen regardless; he figures he might as well tax the dealings. Everything is done through intermediaries, so the two parties remain anonymous. That¡¯s the fundamental problem with tracking the coin. Our suspect pool is too large. However, if we can find a noble with a connection to clan Lum¡¯nar we will have our suspect.¡±


    I nodded along absorbing the information.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to see your evidence to verify it for myself¡± I said to Denerif.


    He nodded back at me.


    I continued ¡°There is the matter of the rest of the coin, it had to come from somewhere and if not from your bank, then from someone in the elven coalition. It¡¯s estimated that the cost would have to be over 100,000 gelding, Hellia, of Cres¡¯tiln, Mellie of Thron¡¯vax, Namoila of Aelv¡¯oth Vinium of Fost¡¯Krin and Claier of Sham¡¯ir are possible culprits as well.¡±


    Allyssia was giving me a searching stare then finally asked. ¡°What will you do when you have the names of every culprit?¡±


    I smiled without humor, ¡°I will kill them and anyone who stands with them.¡±


    Halloway chucked and said. ¡°Even the smallest clan number in the thousands. Do you think they will just allow you to walk up to their matriarch and take her head.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing I can fly.¡±


    ¡°You seem to care little about the lives of your own people.¡± Denerif said though I couldn¡¯t tell if he was being reproachful or just stating an observation.


    ¡°As I have said before I couldn¡¯t care less about the elves and my royal blood.¡±


    I glanced over to Allyssia with an expression that said. ¡®Is this not obvious to everyone.¡¯


    She shrugged, perhaps he simply wanted to hear me say it.


    Shorecast didn¡¯t seem to care what I did with the information and asked. ¡°The enhancement, how long will it take?¡±


    I rubbed my hairless chin and considered. ¡°I¡¯ll need 3 days. One to manually reverse much of the damage that comes from aging. Damage to joints, skin, muscle, tendons, organs all have to be reversed. Another two days for the change to take place, which is the point where it will be painful. But I assure you it is worth it. Over the next few weeks your body will stabilize. It¡¯s up to you to arrange things.¡±


    It would be easier to just dump living ether into her let the change happen, but she was a perfect test subject for my abilities. Old, frail and a non-mage to what extent I can reverse aging was a curiosity I wanted to satisfy. I didn¡¯t dare try something like repairing genetic damage or even regrowing telomeres, but the possibility was there I just needed practice. From what I could see when examining Benny, I simply slowed her aging, her telomeres would take decades to show any significant degradation.


    Shorecast took a moment to consider and spoke to everyone in the room. ¡°How about this, Moon can live in my manse as an honored guest. During that time Trent can begin his tutelage. I have restricted areas built where sound can¡¯t escape, and my age will be a sufficient excuse to recuse myself for a few days. Once he reaches a level of skill that can be described as master, another one of us can then undergo the enhancement.¡±


    Shorecast had a smile while talking the entire time no doubt in great anticipation of what I can offer. It was endlessly amusing as the rest became uncomfortable with the idea. One of them trying to monopolize my abilities is something I expected. Usually, I would be against someone simply deciding things for me, but I held my tongue. I am perfectly content to let them compete with each other. I mean the Duchess was already giving me what I wanted, why would I even bother treating with the rest. They will have to come up with something on their own.


    ¡°That is acceptable, would you have room to store my mount.¡± I said.


    Allyssia¡¯s eyes tightened, no doubt realizing what I was doing.


    ¡°Certainly, my manse is as large as Denerif''s,¡± she said confidently.


    Denerif remained poised but Halloway was giving Shorecast suspicious glances.


    Denerif, before words would be exchanged between the two, said. ¡°This is acceptable. We will be able to observe the effects of Moon''s abilities and hide the extent of it from others. Dutchess, I would be willing to provide the funds for the materials for Moon''s tutelage in enchantment. Duke Halloway, Baroness Hearthaven, I know you have good connections with several mining companies can you discretely arrange the purchases.¡±


    Allyssia and Halloway looked at each other and nodded.


    I had to appreciate Denerif¡¯s cleverness. Shorecast couldn¡¯t deny the assistance without it being an insult. And he did it in such a way that she couldn¡¯t monopolize my abilities by arguing she alone paid for it. I maintained my poise of course. But this is exactly what I wanted. I can''t wait to see what they will offer once my work with Shorecast is complete.


    I glanced at the shelves behind Allyssia and spotted a bottle of spiced wine with which I was familiar.


    She followed my eyes and smiled and said. ¡°Perhaps we should drink to our newly formed alliance. If my guess is right, we can accomplish much together. By the end of the year, we will have half the empire under our control.¡±


    Everyone smiled at that proclamation, I couldn¡¯t care less. I was going to get what I wanted, for now I would observe and learn. Let them believe the trickle of power I offer them was a great ocean. Once my enchanting abilities are sufficient and I have proper gear I will finally begin hunting.

 Book 1: Chapter 48: The Gifts

    Five days later


    The conversation with the cabal went on for some time.It consisted of us solidifying timelines for certain deliverables. Duchess Shorecast insisted that she needed a few days to convince her cousin, Trent Shorecast, to teach me enchanting under the table. During that time, I moved my belongings into the duchess¡¯s private home. It was as luxurious as the inn; however, the staff were petrified of me. I had to assume that they were severely warned not to offend me in any capacity. My first lesson with Trent was scheduled for later this evening and every evening for the next several months with the exception of the last day of the week.


    Surprisingly Benny had no interest in learning enchanting, so she opted to focus on mastering dual casting. A feat which remained elusive to her. The Duchess actually had a sub-level to her house that served as both a place for secret meetings and a dungeon if it suited her. I sat in my rooms going over a few of the new grimoires that were provided to me. I had 7 sitting on a desk in my room. Provided by a combination of the baroness, Shorecast, Denerif and Halloway. Many of them were interesting but most were either too novel to use in combat or for attenuations that I had poor affinity for.


    I was going over the meteor spell, an exceptionally powerful spell that took an enormous amount of ether to cast. However most large-scale spells were useful against armies, not direct combat with another mage. In those cases, speed was usually what won the day. The rest were Earth destruction, the spell the baroness used during the siege. Hurricane which did essentially what is expected. Increase weight, which was the opposite of the lighten spell. Gale which could alter the direction of wind. And a master spell is called Sun. It was a light spell that summoned a ball of light so intense the heat would burn everything in a massive area to dust.


    One would think that the existence of these kinds of spells would cause untold destruction. But the time required to master them along with the stamina and control needed to cast them were a rarity in the empire. If I wasn¡¯t a freak of nature in terms of magical ability, I would never be able to cast most of these spells. The master water and earth spells I would probably never use since they were so inefficient.


    Another problem I ran into was spell variety. There were only so many spells to learn and most mages are secretive about any new spells they develop. it would take a few weeks to memorize all of the spells. But in the end, I would have over 50 spells at my disposal. An impressive number to be sure but at most only 10 or so would be of any use in combat with a mage. But that is not why I wanted to learn them to begin with.


    A knock at my door interrupted my contemplation. ¡°Enter.¡± I said


    In walked one of the servants assigned to me. She was a lovely brown-haired woman that was one of my personal attendants.


    ¡°Master Trent has arrived and is awaiting you.¡± She said,


    I signaled for her to leave and prepared to head down to the basements where my instruction would begin. I walked into a singular room, it was little more than a small office, probably around 8 feet by 12 feet with a desk at the center and several chairs. Sitting at said desk was an older man probably around the age of the Duchess. He was bald with a long gray beard and wearing simple brown robes. He raised an eyebrow as I walked in.


    ¡°Greetings, I must say I was surprised when my dear cousin asked me to instruct a royal elf on the ways of enchantment.¡± He said his voice was hoarse as if he spent much of his life shouting. He didn¡¯t seem perturbed or offended, speaking as if this entire situation was humorous.


    I reciprocated his good humor. ¡°I have a fascination with learning.¡±


    ¡°Ha, I¡¯m sure you do. But are you willing to follow my instructions to the letter? If I am to properly instruct you then I must be the master and you the pupil. From my experience most elves would find this arrangement intolerable.¡± He looked into my eyes as if trying to find any deception.


    I chuckled and said. ¡°You will find that I am not like most elves. So long as I am your student, I have no problem calling you master.¡±


    So long as he properly instructed me, I had no issues with giving him the respect he was owed. He looked into my eyes for a moment then nodded, seeming to find the answer he was looking for.


    ¡°Very good, I have been told that the introductory courses of mathematics, physics and sciences are not necessary with you since you already have the skill of a master mage. So let us begin with an explanation of Sigilweaving specifically essence-focused Sigilweaving.¡±


    He pointed to the seat in front of him and I sat down.


    ¡°As you know spell circuits and spell scripts are similar in concept however spell scripts can be self-charged and last as long as the spell script is undamaged. We will begin by defining each rune and its function, along with different formulations and etheric flow patterns.¡±


    He gave me one last piercing stare and asked. ¡°This will be a fast instruction, be sure to pay attention.¡±


    I gave him a respectful bow from my seated position and said. ¡°Yes Master.¡±


    Seven hours later the lesson ended, and we parted ways until tomorrow. He left several books for me to read along with samples of enchanting tools for me to familiarize myself with. I was smarter than most, but enchantment was another beast entirely. Still, I was determined to learn.


    To do that, I would have to abandon any other pursuits and dedicate myself purely to enchanting. However, I still had another appointment with Dutchess Shorecast today. Fortunately, it was to be in an hour, and it was only a few doors down from the office that I used for instruction.


    An hour later the Duchess and I were sitting in a small room, there was little else but a small bed in the center and a few chairs. Laying on said bed was the Duchess in a modest robe. In truth it was surprising that she was so willing to have me work on her. But I suppose when death is close at hand humans tend to grasp unto any hope.


    ¡°Alright this is going to take several hours. It will be painless though you might feel small discomfort occasionally.¡± I said, trying to reassure her.


    ¡°It is fine if I can walk up a flight of stairs without feeling like my heart is about to give out then I will be willing to call you a genius.¡± She joked.


    ¡°Oh, you will be able to do that at least. Did you follow my eating instructions.¡± I asked.


    I asked her to eat as much food as possible without making herself sick. Mostly because I wanted to use as little of her own tissue as possible.


    ¡°Yes, and I still feel sick.¡±


    Fortunately she was a plump woman so there was plenty of extra fat I could reuse to generate new tissue.


    ¡°Very good, now lay back and relax.¡±


    She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to relax.


    I placed a hand on her chest directly on her skin and began to funnel power into her. There was a lot to repair. Her joints were in a horrid state, her muscles were atrophied, she had partial liver failure, and her kidneys were only functioning at 30% capacity. Then there were her bones. She had lost a significant amount of bone mass and had severe osteoporosis in her hands.


    I took a deep breath and began to work. I repaired and revitalized the organs with living ether, some parts I had to partially regrow. Livers, kidneys and intestines all had to be repaired. Then I moved on to her muscles. I stimulated hypertrophy to slowly rebuild them. Her ligaments and bone had to be strengthened to support the muscle.


    With a fine-toothed comb, I went over every joint, every tendon, every major muscle group and performed repairs or regeneration as needed. Then I moved on to her skin. I stimulated the production of collagen and tightened the skin while clearing away liver spots and discoloration. Restoring the healthy glow of youth. I restored hair follicles in her head and regrew her hair. It was interesting to see that she actually had red hair.


    After nearly six hours of work, I was finally at a place where I believed that she would survive the transformation. I flooded her body with living ether so she would absorb it throughout the night.


    I removed my hand from her chest and observed my work. Before I was a woman of around 70 or 80. Now she looks around 40. There was only so much cosmetic work I could do in such a short time most of the real work was done internally.


    ¡°I think we are at a good place¡± I said as I handed her a mirror that I had brought with me.


    ¡°It was not so unpleasant, a bit strange mostly. It was almost like a ma¡­¡­.¡± Then she saw her reflection. Her eyes widened into saucers as she saw herself. She was lost for words as she caressed her face.


    ¡°Gods above.¡± Was her only response.


    ¡°Try standing.¡± She looked at me then marveled at her legs and hands. Gone were the swollen misshapen joints and varicose veins. Now she simply had healthy limbs. She stood and with a groan of pleasure. Her joints popped as she twisted and stretched marveling at the mobility and lack of pain.


    ¡°This is¡­.¡± She said as he pulled up the sleeves of her robe and clenched and flexed her hand.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even been enhanced yet. For now, it¡¯s best your body settles for the night and let the changes set in. we can perform the transformation tomorrow.¡± I said but she didn¡¯t seem to be listening.


    Instead, she seemed to be doing squats. After around 20 she stopped and looked at me.


    ¡°You realize I would have paid almost anything for even this much.¡± She said with a charming smile on her face.


    ¡°What can I say? I sell myself rather cheaply. I¡¯m sure you can think of ways to right such a wrong.¡±


    She chuckled, ¡°Well in that case I¡¯ll have to find something worth more than what I¡¯m paying. I think I might have an idea. I just have to gather the funds.¡±


    ¡°Feel free to surprise me. If there is one thing I appreciate, it''s being paid fairly for my work.¡±


    We headed back to the dining area for supper since the process was quite taxing on her body. The servants, particularly the older ones, stared at their mistress as if she was a ghost. Hardly being able to comprehend the change in her appearance. Their eyes constantly flicked to me, likely assuming that I am the one responsible.


    The next day after a second round of tutelage that consisted of learning the 230 runes that Essence-Focused spell scripting used I made my way to the same room with the Dutchess. The servants were under strict orders not to disturb her for the entirety of the day.


    I was excited to see how my abilities would affect her. Within the rooms were a bucket, cloth and a change of clothes in case she soiled herself during the process.


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    ¡°Is it strange that I have reservations?¡± She asked.


    ¡°It would be strange if you didn¡¯t. But you must if you want to regain what you lost. The repairs I have done to your body are not permanent. You are still technically the same age and in a few years your body will rapidly age.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°My servants already can barely recognize me. Though I have informed them your abilities enable you to perform cosmetic changes to people. I¡¯ve already taken a few trips around town and extolled your skills.¡±


    ¡°Hm, I suppose it could be a great source of coins. I mean how many women out there would pay a good coin for a larger chest.¡± I said.


    ¡°I can give you referrals.¡± She joked.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time I start.¡± I said while smiling.


    She sighed deeply and said. ¡°Very well might as well see this to the end.¡±


    She lay back down on the bed, and I began to strap her to it. Once her arms and legs were bound, I placed a hand on her head chest and began to channel living ether. I opened the flow wide and flooded her body until I began to meet a resistance. She groaned as she started to feel it. I pushed until finally it broke. Then I cut off the flow.


    ¡°Ready yourself.¡± I said.


    I wanted to try to dull her sense of pain, but her body was undergoing too many changes too quickly for my power to take hold across her entire body. Soon enough her groans got louder and louder, her skin flushed. And she began to scream. Fortunately the entire room was soundproof.


    I sat on a chair and prepared myself to watch the process. Screams turned into tortured wails. And soon enough she started begging for death. Hours passed as the unending pain ripped through her. until finally she lost consciousness.


    It was a fascinating process.


    Two days later I sat under a large umbrella sipping a fruity drink as I watched a beautiful red-haired woman ride a horse at full gallop. She looked ecstatic as her hair flowed through the wind, laughing as she pushed the gray mare to her top speed. The baroness actually had a private horse track on her property. Just one of the many excesses the rich had.


    While the Duchess looked like a woman of around 25 and had the strength and vitality of one. Biologically she wasn¡¯t. If one looked at her DNA it was simple enough to see the extent of her aging. The massive influx of living ether revitalizing and enhancing her tissues would likely sustain her youth for decades. While she was stronger and faster than an average woman of her height and build it wasn¡¯t as extreme a change as I had expected. This was due to much of the evolution correcting her aged body. This meant that evolving someone in their prime would be the most efficient.


    Regardless, she was an excellent test for what my abilities could do to the old. Other than looking at her DNA it was impossible to tell her true age. She was still, however, infertile due to being postmenopausal. I could figure out how to reverse this in time, but I had no interest in spending the effort. The duchess never had any children or interest in child rearing, so she figured not having her moon blood was a blessing in disguise.


    After a final lap around the course, she eased her mare to a slow trot and headed towards me. I was watching her ride from the sidelines of the field. She approached, dismounted and agilely hooped over the small fence that surrounded the track. She was wearing tight white riding leathers; I couldn¡¯t stop myself from appreciating my work.


    As she approached, I smiled and said. ¡°Well, what do you think of my work?¡±.


    My work meant her body, once she realized that I could effect cosmetic changes easily she had asked for some adjustments. Usually in the chest and hips


    ¡°Excellent in every capacity.¡± She took the seat next to me and poured her own drink from a pitcher of juice that was sitting on the table between us.


    After drinking the entirety of her drink, she continued. ¡°The rest of our group is going to be fighting for their own enhancements once we finish our next meeting.¡±


    She signaled to one of her servants that were standing off to the side waiting for orders.


    ¡°I finally managed to get my hands on that gift I mentioned.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow and glanced over to the approaching servant noting he was carrying an ornate black pox. The servant approached, bowed and handed the box to the duchess.


    ¡°Since you intend on creating your own amplifier at some point it might as well be a powerful one. The gem you showed earlier is a bit underwhelming for someone of our power.¡±


    She handed the box to me andI opened it. As expected there was a fist sized light attenuated etheric gem inside. It glowed brightly and one glance into the ether was enough for me to gauge its power. It was vaguely in the shape of a teardrop. It had to be the single most powerful gem I had ever seen. At least twice as powerful as Allyssia¡¯s. Her¡¯s, I estimated to be around a 5 times amplifier. This is much too large to fit on a gauntlet or a pendant.


    So, I would have to resort to using it in a staff. The gem glowed so brightly that I could use it as a source of light at night. A gem of this quality is beyond rare, hell an amplifier with such a large gem would fetch hundreds of thousands of gelding. I smiled as I admired the gem. If people were going to call me Lightbearer I might as well carry an amplifier impressive enough to match the name.


    ¡°Well Duchess this is certainly a worthy gift.¡± I gave her a genuine smile and closed the box.


    ¡°Just be sure that I¡¯m the first when you solve the issue of flying mounts.¡± She said,


    That was never going to happen but she was free to believe that. Either way I considered my work with her a smashing success.Perhapse I was in the end selling myself rather cheaply. I shrugged and took another glance at the duchess enjoying the steady wind that blew through her hair. I can''t wait for the meeting later tonight. Their reactions will be entertaining.


    A few hours later.


    The Duchess and were just pulling up to Denerif¡¯s manor. We passed the gate and finally stopped at the entrance of his mansion. The duchess was wearing a dark blue dress that showed off her figure. I had largely been hiding in her mansion studying enchanting while the city went wild with speculation about my abilities. Even Benny couldn¡¯t leave the manse without being hounded by mages and nobles that wanted access to my abilities.


    There was a nameday celebration planned for Princess Morianne that I would be attending. So, at the Duchess''s advice I remained inaccessible until my debut as it were. I didn¡¯t really care regardless, my study in enchanting took up much of my time so I didn¡¯t mind.


    Every member of the cabal was standing outside waiting. I exited first and helped the duchess down the two steps. The collective gasp as she exited the carriage was pleasing to my ears. Gone was the elderly woman now, stood a young and beautiful Duchess Shorecast.


    As we approached, I examined their faces. Denerif maintained his poise, Allyssia looked jealous and Halloway couldn¡¯t stop himself from staring at her chest.


    ¡°I must say I underestimated your abilities, Moon. Your work is exceptional.¡± Halloway said shamelessly eyeing Shorecast¡¯s assets.


    ¡°Eyes up here Halloway.¡± Shorecast teased.


    ¡°How long before you can perform this again?¡± Allyssia asked.


    ¡°A few months; it was a taxing process.¡± I lied.


    Now that I had enough power to defend myself, I could be more open with my abilities without fear they would try to force the issue.But it was best to keep them hungry


    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s continue the discussion in private.¡± Denerif said.


    We entered the house in the main greeting room where there were over a dozen people. All guards, advisors and mages are in service to one of our group. Benny stayed behind to continue dual casting since she was convinced she was close.


    Everyone eyed me as I passed, the cabal wanted to keep me isolated from others that would seek my gifts. This made my interactions with others limited, they had no way of actually stopping me if I wanted to. But absolute luxury and access to everything I could need either for my studies or entertainment, including women, were provided. I had nothing to complain about and so long I got what I wanted I was content with letting them play their game.


    We entered the wine room and took our seats as usual.


    Allyssia started. ¡°The entire city is ablaze with questions about you. Even the Royal family is starting to push for answers.¡±


    I have received very little in terms of request, so I guess they were handling it.


    ¡°What is your strategy to deflect the inquiries?¡± I asked.


    Denerif answered, ¡°Controlling information mostly. The belief is that you¡¯re a unique mage with the ability to directly manipulate tissue. While it can heal more than a typical light spell. It is exhausting and largely best for cosmetic enhancement. That still is enough to set the nobility a flame but not enough to make people believe that your abilities will completely uplift the balance of power.¡±


    Halloway continued after Denerif paused to wet this throat with a light wine. ¡°As for Noire, after much effort on your part to recreate it has proven to be unsuccessful. And control of the beasts cannot be transferred. It is surmised that it would take years to replicate and longer to transfer control. Duchess Shorecast, is enhancement everything Moon has promised?¡±


    ¡°The pain was unimaginable but worth it. As he said I am as strong as I was at 20 and I¡¯m growing stronger by the day. It should stabilize in a few weeks, by that point I will be far beyond what I was at that age. Every ache, pain, blemish and fragility due to my age has largely disappeared. I can¡¯t imagine what would happen to a mage.¡± As she spoke, she removed one of her silk gloves. Extended and arm and flexed. You could see the strong muscles beneath perfect skin.


    Halloway breathed in and exhaled in a rush. He looked at her flexed arm as if he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    Allyssia, who was quite up to this point, said. ¡°This is dangerous, absolute secrecy of the enhancement must be kept.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, it is best that there is an official story as to why I¡¯m working with you and not anyone else.¡± I said.


    Denerif responded. ¡°That much is simple, we will use your greed as an excuse. It is well known you will work for coin, so I¡¯ve made a modest donation to your account to support the idea. Few can match my wealth so that is one avenue that can keep blockaded.¡±


    Allyssia¡¯s eyes flicked over to Denerif, suspicious of the word donation. For a man as rich as him that probably meant a great fortune. Allyssia bit her lip in frustration. As the youngest and arguably least powerful member of the cabal she was losing ground. With Shorecast being the throughput for trade to the east she had access to many rare items that simple coin couldn¡¯t get you.


    Halloway has the largest population and the wealthiest mines. So rare material needed to learn and practice enchanting will come from him.


    Halloway seemed satisfied with the situation asked. ¡°We have one problem however, the imperial family. What if they start to make demands¡±


    That brought concerned glances from everyone.


    I chuckled and said. ¡°Well, there is an easy answer here, I¡¯m a royal elf and the emperor currently rules from my ancestor¡¯s throne. It would be an insult to me to serve their conquerors would it not.¡±


    Denerif rubbed his chin. ¡°I suppose that could work. We just have made sure to present it in a way that implies that you have no interest in taking the throne for yourself but are still insulted by the idea of serving those that stole it from you.¡±


    Allyssia added. ¡°Then there is the matter of the elves. How will we handle their requests?¡±


    ¡°It is fortunate that two matriarchs have already tried to assassinate. I''ll just deflect their inquiries under the guise that I cannot guarantee safety.¡± I said.


    ¡°How will we approach the Princesses nameday celebration? Every baron duke and viscount worth their salt will be attending. We can¡¯t be too obvious with our alliance, and neither can we leave Moon too open.¡± Halloway said.


    Allyssia smiled and said, ¡°It''s simple really, tell me Denerif, how far has the rumor of Moon and I¡¯s dalliances spread.¡±


    Denerif gave her a curious glance and said. ¡°As far as to be discussed in the imperial palace. No one will try to dishonor you since you are a powerful mage and soon to be duchess. Even more so if Moon decided to defend your honor of his own accord.¡±


    As he spoke the entire table started to understand where she was going.


    Shorecast smiled and said, ¡°You two will attend as an item, with your past dalliances being known it wouldn¡¯t be too surprising. Though human elven relationships aren¡¯t seen in the best of light in the empire.¡±


    Denerif continued by saying, ¡°In this case it would be in her favor. Moon is the last royal elven male, and in terms of raw power outclasses even princess Morianne. Now everyone is learning he is a unique mage, and rides an etheric beast, a feat which has never been done before. Even more so he is unattached and openly hostile to other elves.¡±


    Halloway started to chuckle, ¡°Someone with such power having eyes for a human woman would certainly be interesting. The royal family would be pleased his loyalties will remain with humanity. No one wants to consider what would happen if he reunited with Queen Sianna. If he recreates the etheric beasts on a large-scale, humanity wouldn¡¯t stand much of a chance against it. It would be the rebirth of the Elven Dominion.¡±


    He went from chuckling to openly laughing as another thought struck him. ¡°There has never been an officially recognized elf and human marriage. I bet keeping Moon in Allyssia¡¯s bed and out of Sianna¡¯s is enough of a reason to make an exception. He¡¯s far too powerful to kill without massive repercussions so taming him the more traditional way would be preferred.¡±


    Now that was an amusing statement. I would never marry, mostly because I have no interest. But convincing the nobility that I have some world wind romance with Allyssia as a shield was an amusing idea.


    Shorecast Smirked at me and asked, ¡°What do you say Moon?Is this plan acceptable?¡±


    I glanced over to Allyssia who was currently wearing a lovely black dress with gold embroidery and said. ¡°Sure. We will have to make it convincing though. Perhaps we should go on a date.¡±


    Allyssia seemed satisfied with her role in all this. Perhaps it is for the best that she believes she has an invaluable role in the cabal. Either way I was getting what I wanted. My mind focused on that etheric gem Duchess Shorecast gave me. I couldn¡¯t wait until I mastered enchantment. I would make an amplifier that will pass into legend. And I will finally see the princess I heard so much about. I wonder if she is more or less than what the stories claim?

 Book 1: Chapter 49: The Celebration

    Three weeks later,


    Trent stood over my shoulder as I placed the final set of eight runes and charged the spell script with ether, completing the lighten enchantment. The four by eight-inch piece of steel was branded with the eighty runes that comprise said enchantment.


    ¡°Ha. success my pupil, you have performed your first enchantment.¡± Sten said excitedly, as he picked up the slab of steel. He held it between his thumb and index finger as if it weighed nothing which it technically did. I had to inscribe the material, its density and weight relative to gravity into the spell script to successfully complete the enchantment.


    He handed it to me, and I marveled at the lack of weight. It was barely a few ounces even though a sheet of metal this thick would weigh over ten pounds. Archduke Halloway discreetly purchased the finest set of enchanting tools available. What was even better is that they were portable. Instead of having 230 individual hammer like stamps. I had eight, the tips were interchangeable, and each were made of enchanted steel. I also had an enchanted crucible that I could use to melt the Mithrite. It was no larger than a standard mug which made it portable.


    The rune tips however were organized in a trunk. These were a quarter the size of normal runic stamps. They were harder to work with but used considerably less space than normal runes. They were barely a sixteenth of an inch in size, this meant I could cram more enchantments into smaller objects.


    The room itself was littered with hundreds of pieces of metal that had failed enchantments. Unlike magic I didn¡¯t take to enchantment with the same supernatural ability. What I had was time and resources. Unlike the enchanters in the school who were forced to ration the amount of Mithrite used to practice enchanting. Halloway provided dozens of ingots of mithrite to practice with. It would take time to melt down the failed enchantments and extract the Mithrite. Something that most students would have to do. I can just waste tens of thousands of gold worth of mithrite each day greatly accelerating how fast I learned.


    This is what I could attribute to my timely success. Now that I got the hang of placing and charging a spell script, I can move on to learning more complex enchantments. It was well into the night, and most were asleep at this point, so we decided to end the lessons for now. I had plans tomorrow with Allyssia since we were pretending to be an item. Being wined and dined at some of the best restaurants in the empire was hardly what I would call inconvenient.


    ¡°I thank you master, what are your plans for tomorrow? Anything I should read up on?¡± I asked while offering him a bow.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start with the standard enchantments for weapons and armor. There are 15 to Learn. They are rather simple things that shouldn¡¯t pose much of a challenge for one with your control. Next is incorporating etheric gems and etheric capacitors for more complex enchantments like flame blade. That should take you another few weeks. At that point it would be prudent to move on to amplifier creation.¡±


    He sighed and said. ¡°It¡¯s a shame. You¡¯re one of my best pupils yet I can''t show you off.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°I suppose there is the little problem of execution to deal with. ¡±


    ¡°Yes, I may be old, but I don¡¯t want my life to end prematurely. Though I suppose that¡¯s something Carla doesn¡¯t have to worry about for some time.¡± He said, giving me a suspicious glance.


    ¡°I suppose not, how did she convince you to teach me anyways?¡±


    ¡°She runs her family with an iron fist, my children would suffer her displeasure if I refused. In some ways I fear her more than the hangman¡¯s noose.¡±


    Interestingly enough that¡¯s the opposite of my experience, ¡°Truly? She has been a gracious host to me in every conceivable way.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡± he barked with laughter and said, ¡°That just proves her ruthless pragmatism all the more. She cannot threaten or bully you, so she resorts to cajolement. I assure you if she could threaten you she would.¡±


    I shrugged; I would probably do the same in her place.


    ¡°I suppose her newfound vim and vigor has made things complicated. I imagine some where anxiously waiting for her passing.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, it¡¯s quite an awkward affair now. But that is my problem to deal with. I dare not even attempt to garner your abilities for myself. Lest I find that one of my granddaughters has been sold off to some backwater lord.¡± he said that with a bit more anger that he probably intended. How ruthless was this woman?


    As long as she provided me with what I want I couldn¡¯t care less about how she runs her family. At the very least it is good to know what kind of person the Duchess was.


    One week later


    Benny and I were coming in for a landing in a clear grassy area around fifty miles outside of the city. Honestly the constant hustle and bustle was annoying, and I needed to clear my mind. So, Benny and I decided to have a nice evening picnic to refresh ourselves.


    Noire landed gracefully and we promptly dismounted.


    As soon as we landed Benny stretched and said, ¡°Ah gods I miss the quiet. I was going to lose my mind if another idiot asked me for marriage.¡±


    It was amusing how many offers she had. After some time, I finally realized Benny didn¡¯t actually like men. I really didn¡¯t know how I managed to miss that and that likely also explained why her friendship with Briannah deteriorated since she was betrothed. Unless she decided to bring up it to me, I wasn¡¯t going to ask. If I was correct, then I''ll leave it to her to realize her own truth.


    ¡°I understand how you feel. I somewhat miss the days where it was just open roads and slow travel.¡±


    I took a deep breath, tasting the sweet spring air. It was an idyllic day, partially overcast, not too warm but not chilly either. No sounds but wind and the shuffling of grass.


    ¡°How goes the enchanting?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Progressing well, most of the armor and weapon enchantments were easy enough to learn. Now I¡¯m just dipping my toes into more complex enchanting. I should probably do your armor at some point.¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°I suppose more protection isn¡¯t a bad thing. How long before you can make amplifiers?¡±


    ¡°Probably another month, it is very complex but oddly straight forward. Unlike spells, it¡¯s purely based on technical skill. My innate abilities offer very little. With a good mind, deft fingers and even the most pathetic mage can create incredible enchantments.¡±


    ¡°All I know is that it¡¯s incredibly boring. Maybe when I get old and blowing things up loses its appeal, I¡¯ll take up enchanting.¡±


    I looked at her as if she was mad. ¡°Blowing things up is never going to lose appeal.¡±


    We both laughed at that.


    We set up the blanket and the food. Wines, cheeses, sandwiches and cuts of meat. We also bought plenty of pastries and sweets. It''s a good thing I don¡¯t have to worry about tooth decay.


    After stuffing my face with seven different types of cheeses and cured meat I asked. ¡°So have you decided on a mount yet?¡±


    I still wanted to keep it a secret that I could create mounts as I pleased. I was waiting until my deal with the cabal was completed before then. At the very least I wanted her to have an idea what kind of flying mount she wanted.


    ¡°Not sure, I suppose I could get an Arlette like Noire, but I want something more dramatic.¡±


    Noire who was sitting off to the side turned her head towards us at the sound of her name. I swear she looked offended.


    ¡°Not that you¡¯re not amazing Noire.¡± Benny corrected.


    Noire looked away.


    ¡°I found some odd flying lizard creatures called wyverns. They fold their wings like bats and have long tails. Just imagine a drake with 4 limbs and a longer serpentine body but they only grow as large as dogs. Some of them even spit fire. Can you imagine flying something like that?¡±


    I pictured the creature in my mind and agreed.


    ¡°It would be fearsome especially if that fire breathing ability became exponentially more powerful as they increased in size.¡±


    I was curious about how her attempts at dual casting were going. Benny was the best litmus test for how much my abilities can accelerate magical training.


    ¡°How goes your training?¡± I asked.


    She grinned and dual cast the light orb spell. I clapped in genuine pleasure.


    ¡°I figured it out a few days ago.¡± she said proudly.


    ¡°I think you might just be the youngest mage to ever dual cast. Though I don¡¯t know when Morianne gained that skill.¡±


    ¡°Well, we''re going to see her soon so we could ask.¡± She said,


    Yes, her name day celebration will be in a few days. Before that time, I would enhance Allyssia, I¡¯m not sure how she convinced the others to make her be next, but I didn¡¯t really care what order they chose.


    ¡°Yes, and I¡¯ll enhance Allyssia before then.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard the rumors about you two? They get more ridiculous as time goes on.¡± Benny said with humor in her voice.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t remind me. The last one I heard was that I killed her husband so I could have her for myself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the one where her son is actually yours.¡± Benny said while laughing.


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°It serves its purpose. Somehow many of the nobility convinced themselves that the best way to get to me is through her. As far as I¡¯m concerned that was a blessing. The coin from all the augmentations I¡¯ve made from her referrals is quite substantial. And serves as an excellent distraction from my real abilities.¡±


    Benny swallowed her cheese and crackers and asked. ¡°How much coin do you have now?¡±


    Thinking back to the last time I checked my account and how much I charged for cosmetic augmentations as well as Denerif¡¯s ¡®donation¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s probably somewhere around half a million gelding.¡±


    She paused in her chewing swallowing again and said. ¡°You realize that¡¯s an insane amount of coin. what will you even spend it on?¡±


    It was a strange problem to have.


    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know, the cabal provides everything I need, and I have no interest in purchasing land or an estate. It¡¯s just sitting there gathering dust.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°You could probably buy your own country.¡± Benny said.


    Yes, I suppose it could. It¡¯s something to consider in the future.


    Later that night.


    Allyssia was strapped to the same bed I used for Duchess Shorecast. Denerif, Halloway and Shorecast herself were watching. Allyssia wanted it to be private, but viewing the process was a stipulation for her going next.


    ¡°Are you ready Allyssia?¡± I asked, looking down at her.


    ¡°Yes, I have been ready for over a month.¡± She said sounding impatient,


    She was in a similar loose robe that Shorecast wore for her own transformation. After almost a month the changes were mostly complete, and she was looking positively radiant. I think that was what drove Allyssia to demand her own transformation. Perhaps I was more receptive to her due to her generosity in bed.


    ¡°Alright everyone get ready.¡± I warned.


    I placed a hand on her chest and started funneling ether into her. Allyssia was looking into the ether during the process but only I could see living ether, so she likely only noticed minor changes through her sight.


    She groaned as I pushed against the barrier. ¡°What is that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re about to break through.¡± I said.


    I pushed harder and like Benny and Shorecast, I broke through.


    ¡°Now it begins.¡± I said


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad¡± Allyssia said, sounding almost disappointed.


    ¡°Oh, just wait, you''re about to get to the fun part.¡± Shorecast said with humor in her voice.


    Slowly I could see the pain start to take hold; it started with a groan. She held back her screams for a few minutes until the tearing muscles started to rip them out of her. Screams of pain, then wailing, then begging. Everyone with the exception of Shorecast watched with horror as she started to bleed from her eyes, ears, nose and mouth. You could actually see the muscles tearing and repairing themselves through her skin. The acrid scent of urine started to fill the room. For hours we stood until standing became too much and they took seats. All the while the screaming never stopped.


    Eventually she lost consciousness and there was blessed silence.


    ¡°Gods, that was¡­¡­.¡± Halloway couldn¡¯t seem to find the words.


    ¡°Yes, that is the price of power.¡± I said.


    Denerif looked at Shorecast and asked. ¡°And you say it was worth it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would do it again without hesitation.¡±


    I pretended to be drained and said. ¡°It''s best if I get to work. A Noblewoman shouldn¡¯t be seen in such a state. Perhaps we can have supper in the morrow and discuss who is next¡±


    Neither man looked excited.


    It took over twelve hours before Allyssia awoke, of course she was hungry enough to eat a horse. After a day and three massive meals she was near full health. Denerif had a training area in the back of his manse where mages could practice magic. It was cleared for her to practice magic privately. I was in attendance because I had an academic interest in how my abilities affected people.


    Allyssia closed her eyes and began casting an earth spell. A massive boulder rose from the ground and rocketed off into the distance. Then she dual cast the spell. Marveling at the ease at which she could cast.


    ¡°Amazing! Dual casting is usually so difficult. But now it¡¯s as easy as breathing¡± she said.


    In a fast sequence she cast earth barrage, earth destruction and earth spike. Then she moved on to fire spells casting as fast as she could, pushing her magical abilities to the limit. It was an impressive display of wanton destruction.


    She breathed out and flexed her hand likely from the chill, ¡°It¡¯s like my stamina tripled. I¡¯ve never felt so powerful¡±


    A vicious smile came across her face. ¡°I bet with my amplifier I could match Morianne.¡±


    She controlled herself, then sighed and said. ¡°Unless she starts using her lightning abilities.¡±


    ¡°In a few weeks your power will settle, I guess it will be around a 4 times increase in stamina by the end. Along with the many physical benefits.¡±


    A slight shift in the ether caught my attention but it was gone in an instant.


    At my sudden change in mood Allyssia asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    I shifted my vision to the ether and examined the area but found nothing. They probably left.


    ¡°We were being watched; I think. Elves most likely¡± I said.


    ¡°Really? I felt nothing.¡±


    ¡°I have incredibly high sensitivity to shifts in the ether. Someone was concealing themselves. Your casting was enough to provide cover for them, so I didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    Allyssia got a concerned look on her face. ¡°That is a problem, if they can get that close without notice then who knows how much they have discovered in secret.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to constantly check rooms for voids in the ether in the future. It¡¯s been almost a month since my last interaction with the elves, so I had grown lax. I will make sure to correct that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll inform the others.¡± Allyssia said


    Denerif has had his people scouring for leads on my second assassin as well as what human noble was involved, but none has turned up as of yet. I can only hope that information turns up soon since information gathering is not one of my strong suits. With my looks subtlety is impossible. I could of course change my white hair and purple eyes to something less conspicuous. But I found the idea horrid. Call it pride, arrogance or stupidity. But I¡¯ve grown accustomed to the elf I see in the mirror; I refuse to alter perfection.


    ¡°I got word that even the elves will be in attendance; at least a dozen along with a clan matriarch had arrived yesterday.¡± Allyssia said.


    ¡°Really now? is there anyone I should be concerned about?¡±


    ¡°Matriarch Xalia and a few of her attendants and husbands. It¡¯s been over a hundred years since a matriarch entered human lands. I¡¯m sure you know the reason.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± I responded.


    That wasn''t actually correct, since Endali visited me. But I doubted she would be involved with my attempted assassination so there was point in correcting her.


    Allyssia sighed and said. ¡°Well, that is for us to deal with tomorrow.¡±


    She gave me a flirtatious stare and said. ¡°We should retire for the day. There are more things I want to explore about my new body.¡±


    Allyssia had stretch marks from her pregnancy along with around ten pounds of fat that she had trouble losing. After her transformation every scar disappeared and with my abilities and at her wish, I redistributed the fat in a way she found more pleasing and built muscle in other areas to enhance her figure.


    She wanted to look perfect, and I had no reason to deny her. It cost me little and it was her body after all. I don''t know why but I was more attracted to her before her change. The scars, blemishes and asymmetry that she found so displeasing also made her unique.


    I shrugged, banishing the thoughts. I was going to bed with a beautiful woman. I''ll just be content with that, it¡¯s not as if I had any real feelings for her in the end. She has been an enormous help in navigating the nobility. Learning all their names and who to trust and who to ignore.


    The next day


    Benny, Allyssia and I were riding in a luxurious carriage heading to the imperial castle. The Baroness was wearing a dress of gold and green. With her figure she looked stunning to the point she was approaching that uncanny beauty that we elves had. Benny was in a brand-new set of armor. It was more decorative than practical since the polished metal plates seemed to be sculpted for her body. The plates of metal including the breast, arm and leg pieces were all enchanted.


    I really put my all into them so now they were supernaturally strong and weighed almost nothing. Along with resistance to heat, cold, corrosion, acid and rust. You could bash on the armor for hours and the mirror shine would not have a single scratch. Under her armor was drake scale, bleached white along with some accented purple to match my color scheme. She seemed to enjoy the warrior princess look.


    My outfit was designed by Allyssia''s personal tailor. It was a white and purple accented doublet, and pants made of the finest silk. It was cut so close it was almost uncomfortable. Over that I wore a high collared overcoat of pure white, cinched at the waist and embroidered with silver. To my surprise she was able to acquire platinum jewelry for me. I had to clue how they were able to procure that since I assumed platinum refinement was a modern innovation.


    My hair was left to fall freely with only two platinum clips to keep it out of my eyes. I looked rather androgynous but that was the point and besides I liked how I looked and that was reason enough to dress like this.


    We were in the middle of a long line of carriages heading to the castle. It would take some time for our arrival since each person had to be announced before they entered the grand hall where the celebrations were being held. I could hear in the distance a crier shouting the name of some Count, Viscount, Baron or baroness. I only vaguely knew some of the names.


    There was a long elegantly decorated entrance that led up to a massive set of stairs. The main keep was even larger upclose. Finally, it was our turn. Benny was first to exit followed by me, then with my help the duchess exited the carriage. We walked up the set of stairs and before we entered the massive greeting hall. A crier announced. ¡°Dutchess Hearthaven, Sir Moon The Lightbearer.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at my moniker being used. And looked at Allyssia.


    ¡°Really?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You have no titles, so I had to give them something.¡± She said shamelessly.


    I didn¡¯t care much for the name, but it had stuck and there was no point in complaining about It now. We walked through the massive entrance to a grand hall at least 50 feet tall and 500 feet both in length and width. There were dozens of massive chandeliers emitting magical light that illuminated the entire area.


    All around there were probably three hundred members of the nobility. Most were watching the entrance. Allysia and I walked with arms locked playing the role we set out for ourselves. Benny was acting as guard, her armor polished to a mirror shine. It was quite dramatic but so was everyone else in the hall. Off to one side was a massive table packed high with finger food and smartly dressed servants were walking around the hall with trays of sparkling wine.


    Most of the nobles were clustered in groups usually surrounding their liege lord. I spotted Denerif off to one side talking and laughing with a few women. Shorecast gave me a knowing glance. And Halloway was yet to arrive. As we entered a few familiar faces began to approach us.


    Cillian the last son of Cedwain, Karliah and Briannah came over to us. Behind them were other members of the Duchesses court but they were just viscounts and low ranked lords. They were not worthy to stand in her presence. Karliah was wearing a black dress with swirling silver patterns. Cedwain was in a black and brown doublet and pants, his brown hair cut close. And Briannah was in a similar green dress as the baroness.


    Two barons and a baroness all in vassalage to duchess Hearthaven. She had only had the title for a few days. I was too focused on enchanting to care about her approval of a title change. Though she at least seemed incredibly pleased. As she was now the seventh ducal lord in the empire.


    All three bowed as they approached. ¡°Duchess¡± they said in unison. Then they turned to me. ¡°Greetings Lightbearer. Lady Benny¡±


    I rolled my eyes, ¡°Just call me Moon or Lord Moon if it suits you.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really care about the titles.


    ¡°So, I see most of the dukes have arrived, any word of the Imperial Family?¡± Allyssia asked.


    Cillian answered, ¡°Fashionably late as expected, I assume that they will arrive after the last carriage.¡±


    At the back of the hall was a set of massive staircases, likely where the Imperial family will descend from.


    ¡°And the princess?¡± Benny asked.


    Kariah chucked, ¡°There''s a rumor that her father threatened to ground the dragon ships for a year if she didn¡¯t attend. So, I¡¯m sure she will be here.¡±


    Benny could barely hold back her excitement. I suppose she was finally going to meet her hero.


    Briannah¡¯s attention was drawn to the door. ¡°I knew this was going to be an interesting night.¡±


    I turned around to see six elves walking through the door. ¡°Matriarch Xalia of Lite¡¯Havn, Kerelia of Lite¡¯Havn.¡±


    Xalia and two elven males I didn¡¯t recognize as well as Kerelia and her two husbands entered the hall. They all wore matching brown and green tunics regardless of gender. They were of fine make if a bit plain. Xalia herself had long hair so black It almost looked blue under the magical lights. Then I noticed the similarity between Kerelia. Were they related?


    ¡°Does the elven coalition not have a sense of fashion?¡± Briannah said as she looked at their clothes. Then she looked at me. ¡°I mean no offense Lord Moon. You look rather dashing.¡±


    I chuckled, ¡°None taken. In fact, I agree.¡±


    The tunics, while well-made, were rather plain then again, I suppose from their perspective the elaborate clothing we wore looked ridiculous.


    It took moments for Xalia and the rest to spot me. I was, however, surrounded by 4 human nobles and their retainers. This was some sort of power play on Allyssia¡¯s part. To show the entirety of the nobility that she had my loyalty. I didn¡¯t really care how it was perceived. I¡¯m weeks away from making my own amplifier and that''s all that mattered.


    ¡°Archduke Halloway Lady Pentranda, Lord Craymore.¡± The crier announced.


    Halloway walked in followed by nobles who looked to be no more than 15 or 16. They looked eerily similar to each other. And both had the same hair and eyes as Halloway.


    ¡°His twin children, while it''s usually the male that inherits there is a rumor that the boy isn¡¯t competent enough to take his father¡¯s seat.¡± Allyssia said.


    Halloway, I knew, was one of the most powerful noblemen in the empire. Having a son who many saw as incompetent must be a headache for him. He gave us the barest nod and soon enough he was surrounded by his Vassals and stirring up conversation.


    ¡°What of his wife?¡± I asked.


    Briannah answered, ¡°Died a few years ago, some unknown sickness. She was constantly plagued with seizures since she was a child. One day she just died suddenly.¡±


    Severe epilepsy maybe? I couldn¡¯t say for sure.


    The elven group stayed mostly by themselves, converting with an occasional glance in my direction.


    ¡°Come Moon, your audience awaits, there¡¯s many a noble desperate to meet the Lightbearer.¡±


    I sighed, while I wasn¡¯t interested in mingling if I were to fulfill my ambitions knowing how to navigate events like these should be one of my skills. I grabbed a glass of sparkling wine and Allyssia led me to a group of noblewomen. On to battle I suppose.

 Book 1: Chapter 50: The First Princess

    Mingling with the many lords and ladies wasn¡¯t as droll as I thought it would be. With Allyssia, and her vassals as an entourage, many of the lower nobles who would pester me were filtered out. Over the course of an hour the massive chamber was flooded with people. Somewhere music was being played and humans laughed and danced. There were few people that really interested me, but I maintained politeness. While this sort of large gathering wasn¡¯t to my taste, I was determined to understand how to navigate such circles.


    Eventually hunger started to set in and I slipped away from my group to the large table containing food. Allyssia was in the middle of a conversation with a wealthy merchant about the possibility of increasing trade with her duchy. She knew I was going to do this eventually to allow the elves to approach me, so she didn''t react when I made my leave. Benny was off somewhere mingling. Quite a few of the younger noblewomen and men found her fascinating. Though I assumed it was just another method of getting close to me.


    The cabal almost never interacted beyond the barest of pleasantry. For all intents and purposes on the outside they were distant from each other. There was even a rumor that Allyssia and Shorecast were enemies. It was amusing to watch the mummers play, that was this celebration.


    Taking a small plate, I began to load it with a few small finger sandwiches.


    ¡°Well, you certainly are the life of the party.¡± Xalia said.


    I had heard her approach and wasn¡¯t surprised.


    Without looking up I said, ¡°Humans are easily entertained with curiosities.¡±


    I picked up a cube of what appeared to be a strawberry suspended in red gelatin, and popped it into my mouth. I enjoyed the sweet and sour flavor, and added some to my plate.


    ¡°Yes, they are.¡± she said.


    After adding a few cubes of an odd cheese, that vaguely reminded me of cheddar I looked up at her. She, Kerelia and the males were standing off to my left. So, I leaned my back against the table and started eating.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t come all the way from Isran for me, did you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let''s just say many of the matriarchs are displeased by the news they have been getting.¡± She said standing close, so we weren''t overheard. Kerelia and the other elves stayed quiet.


    Xalia¡¯s voice was almost as deep as Endali¡¯s and still distinctly feminine. Was that an effect of aging? Would my voice get that deep, or even deeper since I was a male?


    ¡°Ah, more disappointment from the matriarchs, I can¡¯t wait to continue ignoring it.¡± I said, popping a small sandwich into my mouth and chewing.


    She chuckled and said to Kerelia, ¡°He is exactly as you described.¡±


    She nodded and all evidence of the bold elf I had met was gone.


    ¡°Really now? I¡¯m sure her description was filled with flattery.¡±


    Xalia smirked and almost mockingly said, ¡°Of course.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like her tone.


    ¡°Enough banter, what do you want from me.¡± said flippantly. I was uninterested in continuing this farse of a conversation. I had done enough of that through the night.


    The rest of the elves stiffened. Xalia¡¯s eyes became steel for a moment before it disappeared, and her calm demeanor returned. I wonder if I just offended her.


    ¡°I was warned of your personality, but it is another thing to see it in person. There is much you do not know about our culture.¡± She had an almost warning tone in her voice.


    I sighed. While I could play politeness with the cabal and the rest. I had no interest in doing it with Xalia. Mostly because there was no profit to be had. This delusion people tend to have that they deserve respect was irritating to deal with.


    ¡°I assume that some delusions of grandeur makes you believe that I should show you some respect.¡± That was the problem really, she clearly didn¡¯t see me as an equal and that irritated me, thus my belligerence. Somewhere along the line I developed an inflated self-worth that couldn¡¯t tolerate being talked down to.


    The elves looked at me as if I had grown a second head. Xalia¡¯s calmness remained, though there was some ice in her blue eyes.


    ¡°Typically, a duel to the death would be the response for such irreverence.¡± That wasn¡¯t a warning, that was an outright threat.


    ¡°If you want a quick death then you are welcome to challenge me.¡± I can easily sense that my power outclassed hers, though that doesn¡¯t guarantee victory.


    The elves¡¯ eyes flicked back and forth between us, as if expecting us to start fighting. I was on full alert for even the slightest fluctuation in the ether, just in case.


    Then she started chuckling and it progressed into laughter. ¡°Not in my 300 years of life have I been so boldly challenged, by a male no less.¡±


    ¡°There is a first time for everything, was gauging my personality really your only intention?¡±


    ¡°Partially, I also wanted to learn about your abilities, and by glancing at Duchess Shorecast, and your dear Duchess Hearthaven. You have some unique gifts. Humans lack the depth of sensitivity that elves do. Any elf worth their salt can see that your apprentice and those two noble women are much more than normal humans.¡±


    I smiled. ¡°So, you have gleaned a bit deeper into my gifts, what of it?¡±


    ¡°Do you intend to serve humans perpetually?¡± It was a simple question, but every elf was laser focused on my response.


    I thought about what to say and decided to go with the truth.


    ¡°I serve only one person Xalia and that is the elf I see in the mirror.¡±


    ¡°Is gold the only thing that can sway you.¡± She asked.


    I smirked and said, ¡°There are other things.¡±


    She followed my gaze and realized I was staring at Allyssia¡¯s shapely rear end. Allyssia smirked as she caught me watching. She should come over in a minute and cut off the conversation. An excellent display for the watching nobility. It should calm them, spreading the belief that an elf wouldn¡¯t come along and seduce me away. It was a stupid game, but my bank account stands to grow rather fat after tonight. I knew Allyssia was ruthlessly leveraging our ¡®relationship¡¯ to make deals. I was collecting thousands upon thousands of gold just standing around being pretty. I might have a need for it later; right after I find some land to conquer.


    As Kerelia stated, Xalia didn¡¯t seem to care about my desire for human women.


    Returning her gaze to me she said. ¡°I see.¡±


    She paused for a moment then continued. ¡°You are too human. Lilian should have dragged you to us the moment she found you. Shame you reached your majority without guidance. It is too late now.¡±


    Xalia didn¡¯t even seem to be looking at me anymore. Then her eyes refocused. ¡°Sianna however is still interested. Though she is likely to be disappointed.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°You''re probably right, I¡¯d sooner burn the world down before I become some demure husband.¡±


    ¡°Ruling beside her is not desirable in any fashion?¡± she asked.


    What was she searching for with these questions? I wasn¡¯t even thinking when I responded since I was distracted by a particularly well-endowed brown-haired woman. She must have serious back pain.


    I flippantly said, ¡°Ruling beside her? Sharing power? Ridiculous. If I took power, then everyone would have to kneel, including her. But that sounds like a lot of work for little benefit.¡±


    Allyssia started to walk over.


    ¡°No interest in Arlathan? I mean your ancestors once ruled from this very castle?¡±


    I laughed, ¡°Why would I have interest in a bunch of failures that couldn¡¯t see a betrayal coming? Even more, the elven coalition who couldn''t hold on to their rule after taking power from the royals. The past is dead and gone and I have no interest in it. This castle is little more than a monument to elven stupidity. Not something to be desired. Best to tear it down and start over.¡±


    She was silent for about ten seconds, so I turned to look at her. The pupils were almost completely black, similar to when I was feeling extreme emotions.


    ¡°Moon, a Lord Grantham has an interesting proposal you might like.¡± Allyssia¡¯s words were enough to break whatever emotion had possessed Xalia and her eyes returned to normal.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue this conversation another time, Xalia. I have important business.¡± I said setting my plate down and walking away. Meeting Allyssia halfway between us.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Xalia said and turned to leave. Her frosty demeanor and hasty exit made it look as if my abandoning her for Allyssia was an offense. Excellent.


    After locking arms with Allyssia, we watched her leave the hall.


    ¡°How was the conversation?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Mostly as expected though the last question was strange.¡±


    ¡°What did she ask?¡±


    ¡°If I was interested in Arlathan and the royal elves that ruled it?¡±


    She chuckled and said. ¡°I assume your answer was along the lines of, there are a bunch of failures and Arlathan could be blown up by a meteor spell for all you care.¡±


    ¡°Essentially yes.¡±


    ¡°So, what was strange about her response?¡±


    ¡°She lost control of her emotions. I am sure you have seen my irises dilate wildly at times.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, though that¡¯s often in bed.¡±


    ¡°Rage, fear, wrath, desire, bloodlust can all cause them to dilate wildly. Why did my response cause such emotion in her.¡±


    Allyssia considered. ¡°We should keep eyes on her movements and the movements of her clan.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. I also want as much information about Xalia herself as you can find.¡±


    We continued mingling for another quarter hour before the imperial family finally made their appearance.


    ¡°Announcing her grace, First Princess Morriane Vendalia.¡±


    At that proclamation everyone turned their eyes to the stairs. Slowly the entirety of the audience moved forward to get a better view. We were relatively close to the base.


    A woman with black hair and ice blue eyes walked down the two flights of stairs. She had a pretty face, but so did most noble women. A small scar ran across the bridge of her nose, thin and almost imperceptible under the glow of the magical lights. She wore little makeup, with the exception of some shadow around her eyes. Her hair, like most noble women, was tied into a complex network of braids that trailed along her back.


    She wore a tiara of pure mithrite with glowing etheric gems for every attenuation. Including shadow, which was the first I have seen. Finding etheric gems that powerful and that small was difficult and I couldn¡¯t imagine the coin it took to create that tiara. She wore a dark blue strapless dress made of a shiny material that reminded me of silk. As she stepped down it reflected the lights of the chandeliers hypnotically. She wore long gloves of the same material that terminated a few inches below the shoulders. Around her neck was a waterfall of diamonds, there were dozens in the complex interconnected necklace.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    What was most enthralling about her wasn¡¯t the diamonds, her beauty, or even her position as first princess. It was the power that rolled off of her. She was around the same level of power that I was before my second transformation. She was more powerful than both Elven matriarchs I had met. Benny still had years to grow into her power, and the duchess, after she stabilized fully, would come close, but not equal. And that is why I was so impressed. Her abilities were not due to artificial enhancement. She was that powerful innately. What kind of monster would she be if I pushed her through an evolution? I didn¡¯t have to guess she would be more powerful than me. In that moment I resolved to never, under any circumstances, agree to empowering her.


    Following behind her, were four mages. One woman, and three men, I guessed. They all wore matching enchanted steel armor. With three amplifiers each. A fire mage, earth mage, water mage and a light mage. They had no distinct color scheme; however, each had an etheric gem embedded into the center of the breast plate matching their primary affinities. The other two were embedded in their gauntlets matching their secondary affinities.


    They were all of course powerful. At least none matched the power of the gem Duchess Shorecast gave me, but the ones on the breastplate wasn¡¯t far off. Everything they wore was enchanted, even the leather beneath their armor. They all wore full helms that hid their faces, though one man had cut outs for his ears. They weren¡¯t as large as a normal elf and he was too tall, so I had to assume he was a half elf.


    Not much was known about her personal guard except that they were all master mages. As prideful as I was, I had to concede; facing those five was not a battle I could win. As she stepped closer, I noted the well-toned muscles in her arms. The sureness of her steps carried the grace of a career warrior.


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful,¡± Benny said.


    ¡°Feel free to pick your jaw up off the floor Moon.¡± Allyssia teased.


    I rolled my eyes; humans lacked the sensitivity I did. I could literally feel her power from this distance.


    ¡°It appears the stories did not exaggerate.¡± I said.


    She finally completed her journey to the bottom of the stairs before several Dukes and men who were dressed like generals rushed over to her and she began to converse with them. I couldn¡¯t see her beyond the crowd of people.


    Denerif approached us and said, ¡°The rumor that she was willing to accept a husband seems to be driving them wild.¡±


    I turned around to look at Denerif, he nodded towards the food table. It was empty of people since Morianne had garnered all the attention.


    After finding a secluded position, he asked. ¡°What happened with Xalia?¡±


    ¡°Exactly as expected however, I recommend looking into her deeply, something about her reaction to my opinions on Arlathan didn¡¯t sit right with me.¡±


    He raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°I can assume you disbarred the royal elves and their empire. Was she not relieved by it?¡±


    ¡°Whatever emotion she felt wasn¡¯t relief. I assumed it was my continual irreverence to her position. But that doesn¡¯t feel right.¡±


    He rubbed his well-groomed chin. ¡°I do know Xalia is one of, if not the most powerful matriarchs mostly due to her clan size. One would assume that your apathy to the elves along with your poor opinion of the elven dominion would please her. Since you would not threaten her position, yet it had the opposite effect. Something is missing here.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. That is why we should keep her monitored, though I know that elves are difficult in that regard.¡±


    There was a roar of laughter from the masses. Allyssia and Benny were lost in the crowd while Halloway and Shorecast were on opposite sides of the room with their vassals.


    ¡°So, what do you think of Morianne?¡± Denerif asked.


    ¡°Powerful, and her guards are impressive.¡±


    ¡°How does she compare to your own power; I lack the senses you do?¡±


    ¡°I outclass her in terms of raw power, but she has the backing of an entire empire and has access to the greatest smiths, enchanters, and magical teachers in the world. Not to mention every one of her guards is a master mage.¡± I said truthfully.


    ¡°What would you think of your chances of victory against her in direct combat?¡±


    I thought about it for a moment. Assuming she fires literal bolts of lightning I should be able to defend against it with a shield. The shifts in the ether would be enough to predict her attacks. How fast could she attack? And how often was unknown? I have taken strides to not fully reveal how advanced my casting ability was. I had oceans of stamina so I doubt she could break through my shield with raw power, especially when I have an amplifier.


    I doubted a normal human could cast faster than I could, but there is the question of her unique abilities. It is a large unknown that I have no interest in learning about in the moment.


    ¡°Hard to say. If she can get through my shields then it is her victory, if she can¡¯t then I can out last her. Though if those mages are with her, I can say with confidence I would lose.¡±


    Denerif nodded as if he expected that answer.


    ¡°What would you do if a confrontation was inevitable?¡± he asked.


    I thought about it for a moment and answered.


    ¡°I would exploit a weakness. Friends, family, or something to force her to not engage me. Then I would flee.¡±


    Denerif chuckled and said. ¡°Not interested in testing yourself. Some even might call you a coward or dishonorable.¡±


    I laughed, ¡°I¡¯m sure there are plenty of graves filled with brave and honorable men. I, however, intend on living a long life.¡±


    Denerif actually laughed rather loudly as I finished talking. That drew a few eyes to us, but they quickly returned to the Princess.


    The crowd of people started to disperse, which allowed me to see that Allyssia and Benny were actually talking to her and laughing. Allyssia pointed at me and continued talking, they laughed once more and began to walk in our direction, with the crowd following. It was clear she was coming over to us.


    ¡°Well, it would seem you¡¯ve finally caught their attention. I¡¯m sure this will be interesting.¡± Denerif said.


    Benny, Allyssia, and Princess Morianne were walking side by side, followed by her guards and nobility. She stopped a few feet in front of us and Benny introduced me.


    ¡°Princess, may I present My master Moon, the Lightbearer.¡± The half elven man made the faintest sniff at my name, but no one noticed.


    Then Allyssia continued, ¡°Moon, May I present Princess Morianne Vendalia the first.¡±


    Morianne smiled, showing straight white teeth, and said, ¡°May I say it is a pleasure to finally meet the Lightbearer. When I heard of your attendance, I was eager to separate the Elf from the rumors.¡±


    She offered her hand, her voice was softer than I had expected, almost delicate. The offered hand was likely a power play. I would have to bow down and symbolically kiss it, without actually touching it my lips. Not doing so would be seen as disrespectful. I had no reverence for her or the aristocracy, but I was in her seat of power. Most noblewoman would never approach an elven male with her hand, let alone asking a royal elf. In Arlathan no less? Not a single noblewoman offered me her hand due to the nature of elves being known. I couldn''t tell if it was supreme confidence or arrogance.


    My first interaction would be me bowing to her. I will concede the victory. There was nothing substantial to gain from denying her. I would have to feed my pride later. I bowed and brought her hand close to my lips without actually touching. A murmur went through the crowd.


    Would my theoretical ancestors be turning in their grave at the sight of a Royal elf bowing to a human in Arlathan?


    How amusing.


    I straightened and released, the very picture of grace by my own estimation.


    ¡°Let it be known that I am equally pleased to finally meet The Princess. Even as far south as Vernon there are unending stories.¡±


    ¡°Such is the fate of those with power. Tell me how do I measure up to the stories?¡± she asked.


    I imagine she has been told her entire life that she is a great mage. The best that humanity had to offer. Might as well poke a little and see how she reacts.


    ¡°The stories of your beauty don¡¯t do you justice. The stories of your power, however, I believe are perfectly accurate. Your power is beyond peer...for a human. Now I must ask you the same, how do I measure to the rumors?¡±


    More murmuring, Morianne''s smile widened slightly.


    ¡°They say you are the most powerful light mage in history, thus your name Lightbearer. I must say they are correct. They say you are as beautiful as the sunrise. I must agree no woman here could match such a delicate beauty.¡±


    So, she was the type to always go for victory.


    There was some chuckling at that. I suppose that tactic would work with humans. I could dress a bit more masculine but that would also imply that I am self-conscious about my looks. I refuse to show such obvious weakness. Besides, I long have come to terms with my appearance, so her tactic meant nothing to me.


    She continued. ¡°Sumnar, il sumlar von epis. As your people would say.¡±


    I apparently didn¡¯t hide my confusion well.


    ¡°Ah, my mistake, I forget that you do not speak elven.¡± Our audience, including her elven guard, chuckled.


    Damn, she got me there. How did she even learn the elven language? Her guard perhaps? Maybe I should use some English, that would surely throw her off her game. But no, it wasn¡¯t worth it. There was no real way to win a battle of words with such a biased audience. Even if I did ¡®win¡¯ it wouldn¡¯t serve me. This was likely the same reason why Denerif had to give up the armor to her during that auction. Speaking of him, he was largely silent. Benny was looking back and forth between us like she was watching a great duel. She was smart enough to know not to interrupt. Allyssia was much the same.


    I let the tension ease from my body. Now was not the time to compete with her. I still had more to do in the city, and I didn¡¯t want roadblocks to start rising like they did in Vernon. I took that prideful part of myself, the part that hated to bend, bow, and kneel; I shoved him down deep. I had ambitions to fulfill so I wouldn''t let him have his way.


    Not yet.


    With my most heart-breaking smile I said. ¡°You have me their princess, I know nothing of my own language. I would love to know what you said.¡±


    ¡°Power of Sun and the mysteries of the Moon" is the best translation. Quite appropriate, don''t you think?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I bow to your wisdom.¡± I said, inclining my head.


    Her smile widened with genuine pleasure. That¡¯s what she wanted isn¡¯t it? A bit of public supplication. Benny looked at me then at Morianne, her smile fading then tightening.


    ¡°I am not so great; I have only been practicing for a year. But where are my manners? We are at a celebration and while it is my name day, all should enjoy it. After all I have the honor of hosting another Unique mage.¡±


    The crowd mumbled.


    Well, she was being rather forward, wasn''t she? Is it a tactic or arrogance?


    ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m not going to lie, one of my motivations for coming was seeing another unique mage. Our kind is so rare.¡±


    ¡°Quite so, there are some who do not believe I am one and that I just use complex air spells to generate lightning. Some of those are here right now?¡±


    She brought her hand up and opened her palm.


    ¡°Tell me Moon, do you believe I am a unique mage?¡±


    Then with no spell circuit or casting of any kind. Lightening began to jump between her fingers. There were strange fluctuations in the ether. I instantly flipped my vision to the ether. And as expected, there was nothing to be seen. The ether around her had just looked rather strange but it was nothing I would attribute to a spell. The lightning attenuated ether was invisible to me after all.


    ¡°Without a doubt.¡± I said. She cut off the lightning.


    ¡°Would you do me the honor of showing me yours. I hear you can mold flesh as easily as clay.¡±


    Why was she doing this in such an open space? What did she stand to gain? Is it just to show dominance or was she looking for something else? I suppose after today everyone in the empire will know that I am a unique mage. Though I don¡¯t want to continue this line of inquiry. Might as well be shocking about it, after all she wanted a demonstration. It would be impudent for me not to fulfill her wishes. It is best to have them focused on that and Noire, than the enhancement.


    ¡°Oh yes¡± I said, then raised a hand the same way she did. Slowly my fingers lengthened, becoming thicker. The tendons and muscles grew larger, and my fingernails lengthened into claws. My delicate hands transformed into a monstrous and catlike appendage.


    There was a collective gasp as I brandished my hand. Then slowly I returned it back to its natural state.


    ¡°If all flesh is clay, then I am a master sculptor," I boasted.


    ¡°Ah, so the mystery reveals itself. I have seen some of your work and it is quite impressive. Perhaps the empire can procure your services.¡±


    Would she really try to make me her creature? It is certainly possible, but it was never going to happen. If the stories about her were true. She was the type to demand subservience from her retainers. My pride wouldn''t allow that though. I must always be at the top of the pyramid.


    ¡°I''m available at your pleasure.¡±


    This performance is getting annoying, and I almost slipped. Hopefully, it was satisfactory enough to reinforce her superiority over me in the eyes of our audience. The damage to my pride at this prostration would heal in time.


    ¡°Announcing his Grace, Emperor Margrave Vendalia the V, Empress Beatrice Vendalia the III, Second Princess Lucinda Vendalia the I, First Prince Reginald Vendalia the I.¡± The crier shouted.


    That was enough to break the apparent standoff that was happening between us. And much of our audience was beginning to move towards the stairs to watch the precession of the rest of the imperial family.


    The emperor himself was 82 years old, He wore a luxurious blue tunic and robe, His hair was completely white and thin. The Deep blue was a theme for all of the empirical family''s garments. Empress Beatrice was wearing a voluminous dress similar to Morianne''s, with blonde hair with green eyes and looked to be half the emperor''s age. Princess Lucinda was practically a younger carbon copy of the mother. Prince Reginald was a thin man with black hair and green eyes that had dark circles from lack of sleep.


    ¡°Until next time Moon. Do enjoy the festivities. Benny, I must say it was a pleasure to meet such a skilled young mage, your master taught you well.¡±


    We bowed and she walked away heading towards her family, the crowd of sycophants following behind. Allyssia followed, giving Denerif and I a subtle nod.


    After we had some amount of privacy Denerif asked. ¡°Well, what do you think of our dear princess.¡±


    ¡°Bold, though expected from one with her power.¡±


    I turned to Benny, ¡°What do you think of her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s strong. Very strong. That one guard, he¡¯s a half elf, isn''t he? I''m fairly sure he hates you.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°I did get a feeling.¡±


    Denerif added more information. ¡°He is the son of a prostitute in the lower city. His mother died while giving birth to him and most of his life was spent in toil. Until he discovered he was a mage. His talent and perseverance even through the hatred and discrimination half breeds usually receive awarded him the position of royal guard.¡±


    He almost sounded like he admired him.


    ¡°And his hatred for me?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Elves usually kill half breeds. A few have tried including his father, or at least that¡¯s the rumor. Therein lies his contempt.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they have intentions to recruit me?¡± I asked Denerif.


    ¡°Morianne, most likely. She likes gathering the talented. As for the emperor. Not sure, supposedly he¡¯s becoming senile, so most are just waiting for him to die and for Morianne to take control, even if her brother is technically the heir.¡±


    I considered the opportunity for a few moments and rejected it. With the cabal I had flexibility and the assurance that I could handle anything they threw at me; If they were foolish enough to betray me. With the Imperial family that wasn''t the case.


    ¡°Perhaps we should take our leave. Neither of us are part of the nobility so it shouldn''t be too much of a problem. I have no interest in getting into bed with the imperial family, literally or figuratively.¡±


    Denerif almost looked relieved.


    ¡°Yes, lets, the festivities will go on for some time and I''ve done all the networking I wished to do.¡±


    The Imperial family finished descending and Morianne joined them. It looked as if a speech was about to be given.


    ¡°What do you recommend is the best way of avoiding any imperial summons without it causing any roadblocks.¡± I asked Denerif as he, Benny, and I began making our way to the exit.


    ¡°Hmmm. How long before your study is complete.¡±


    I estimated how long it took based on how fast I was learning.


    ¡°Two months at most.¡±


    ¡°The best way is to never receive them. The imperial city is a large place and finding someone would take time. Not to mention how slow the imperial family is to react to things. You should be done by the time they really try to invest resources into recruiting you.¡±


    I shrugged it''s not as if I had any other plan, so I would trust the obvious displeasure he has with the imperial family.


    We headed towards the exit. I took one last glance back to the imperial family before locking eyes with Morianne for an instant. I turned away not liking the smile she gave me. I would see her again eventually.

 Book 1: Chapter 51: The Amplifiers

    I gently lowered the air attenuated Etheric gem into place. Using a small amount of molten Mithrite I connected the gem to the spellscript on the back of the gauntlet. The script for an amplifier was rather complex. It used a series of etheric capacitors to actually create the amplification. The amount of amplification was dependent on the ratio of the capacitor size. It took some experimentation to determine both the maximum amplification and output of each gem. Then, create a capacitance ratio that would allow the circuit to remain stable. The amplifier couldn''t actually create a stream of ether more powerful than the gem itself.


    So, if a gem has a specific strength and a 3 times amplification in the spell script. Inputting exactly one third of the gem¡¯s max output into the input to be amplified would be the most efficient use of the amplifier. If half of the gems max throughput is streamed into the input. Then it will still only amplify to the same maximum output. The extra ether could damage the spellscript. Typically, the larger the gem the greater the maximum output. The greater the gems strength, the higher the amplification can be pushed. So, it''s entirely possible to have a large gem with massive output and little amplification, or the inverse. This made every amplification spell script unique.


    I measured the amplifier I was going to give to Benny at around 3, with a decent maximum output. My own amplifier was still in the works since it was more complex. The gem Duchess Shorecast gave me was powerful. If I created an amplifier the same way I did with Benny''s gauntlet, then it would lose efficiency due to being incapable of reaching its maximum output. So, after some experiments, Trent and I decided to create what was essentially a double amplifier.


    The amplification I could get from my small light gem was around 3.5 and the one from the duchess a little over 10 with high output. To not lose efficiency, the output from the smaller amplifier would be passed into the larger. It would cause some latency in my spell casting, but I would be able to push it to its max output while still having a 10x amplification. So, if I wanted speed I wouldn''t use the amplifier.


    For costly spells like Radiant orb or Radiant carapace it would be rather useful to save stamina. While I had an ocean to use, overcharging these spells could drain me, since the reduction of stamina is exponential as the power of the spell increases. Doubling the amount of ether in the spell cost four times the stamina. Tripling cost nine times, and so forth. Conversely, the spell power increased linearly. With the insane level of control, I had with light ether I could overcharge a spell circuit near infinitely. The exponential loss of stamina was the only barrier which made my amplifier rather useful.


    A month and a half of near constant study and practice with enchanting finally produced results. The tattoos on etheric knights were rather simple. It was a special kind of ink with dissolved mithrite. The patterns on the body created a constant flow of ether that connected with their body''s own natural ether. This allowed them to perform extremely limited manipulation. This they used to activate spell scripts on their equipment like the ones on the back of that etheric knight''s shield. Etheric gems would be used to slowly charge an etheric capacitor with ether, then with a small push from the etheric knight the spell could be activated.


    Without a direct will behind the spell, they were rather weak. Heavily enchanted plate armor along with spells to enhance the body''s own natural strength and stamina made for a terrifying knight. Invigorate, radiant carapace, the earth spell strengthen, healing spells, could all be used by a knight.


    Though every spell had to have their own gem to power it, and it takes time to fully recharge the capacitor after each cast, usually several minutes. This reliance on expensive armor and materials is why etheric knights were so rare. Why waste powerful gems and mithrite on a knight when you can invest it in a mage.


    The gauntlet itself was rather stylish with swirling patterns of silver and gold filigree. The glowing white gem was of course the centerpiece. It should make for an excellent name day gift for Benny.


    Allyssia and Halloway had returned to their respective Duchies. Halloway had undergone his own transformation some weeks earlier. The man was apparently enjoying his newfound strength and vigor, if rumors of him fathering two bastards on his mistresses were true. The only one left was Denerif, and he was scheduled for later today.


    As for the imperial family, their requests have been largely ignored by me. It was something of a problem I imagine since I wouldn¡¯t answer their summons and was nowhere to be found when they sent people to find me. I had got what I wanted from the capitol, now it was time to move on.


    I finalized the spellscript for the amplifier and used a small amount of ether to kickstart the enchantment.


    ¡°Excellent, my pupil, you have managed to create your first amplifier. Everything else you learn from now would have to be discovered through practice.¡± Trent said as he examined the gauntlet.


    Our workroom started out barren, now there were dozens of books and hundreds of pieces of scrap metal containing failed enchantments sitting on a table near the back of the room.


    I stood up from the enchanting station. Put on the gauntlet and attempted a simple air spell. As expected, the amplifier worked successfully.


    ¡°There is a slight drop in the throughput, around 5 percent.¡± Trent said, as he examined the air stream spell from the ether.


    I cut off the spell and looked at the ornate gauntlet once more. It was curious. I expected some profound sense of accomplishment. The ability to create these enchantments was one of the empire''s greatest strengths. Like dual casting, I had mastered a skill that took years, in a matter of months and yet I felt nothing. What was next? Elven magic? More Grimoires? more enchantments? I suppose I could work towards a third evolution, but the number of lives it would take could very well be in the hundreds. I abandoned those morose thoughts, refocused on Trent and his analysis of the amplifier.


    Glancing into the ether I could see where the amplifier was bleeding ether. It wouldn''t be difficult to correct it.


    ¡°Yes, I see. I¡¯ll work on correcting it.¡± I said, cutting off the vision.


    ¡°I suppose this is the end of my tutelage. My dear cousin will likely be heading back to her duchy soon enough, what will you do? "Trent asked.


    ¡°I have a bit more business in the city, then I will move on to other work.¡±


    Most of said work would be with the armies of the cabal. I stood up and gave Trent a respectful bow.


    ¡°I thank you for the gift of knowledge, Master.¡±


    He offered a hand; I took it, and we shook. ¡°While I had to do this under duress, it was a joy to have such a talented pupil. Now Master Moon, the rest of the mysteries of enchanting will have to be found through your own exploration.¡±


    After some final goodbyes we parted ways. I didn''t learn every enchantment he knew but I already had ideas on how to create the icebox from Sarah¡¯s house, ever burning lanterns, and many other enchanted appliances. I have the building blocks. I only had to figure out how to fit them together. My only quandary is what to do with this ability.


    After Trent had left, I spent the rest of the day finishing my own amplifier and correcting the small inaccuracies in Benny¡¯s spellscript.


    A few hours later.


    Denerif and I were sitting in Duchess Shorecast¡¯s dungeon. Preparing for his own transformation. He was instrumental in rebuffing any inquiries done by the Imperial family. I constantly moved locations, even faking leaving the city at times to ward off suspicion. But now I am only days away from leaving the city permanently.


    ¡°What will you do after your transformation?¡± I asked Denerif.


    ¡°I think I''ll finally take a wife. Perhaps a commoner?¡±


    ¡°Not considering marrying another noble mage?¡± I asked, referencing Sarah.


    ¡°That was an impulse on my part. A fallen noble and a mage was the perfect catalyst for increasing my influence, with a few years and some coin I could have her title restored. I never expected she would reject the proposal, considering her situation, but some nobles are prideful to a fault.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sarah is prideful that is for sure. Even with all my power, I''m sure she would still look down on me. But last I saw her she was making strides with the new baroness Vernon.¡±


    Denerif chuckled. ¡°She is well on her way to fully restoring her title and prestige, with our influence of course. It¡¯s a shame really, if Sarah had agreed, she would be well on her way to greater things than being the sworn mage of a far south noble. They weren''t even relevant enough to receive an invite to Morianne¡¯s name day celebration.¡±


    ¡°I did wonder why they never turned up.¡±


    ¡°How goes the investigation into my assassins?¡± I asked. It has been some time since I have had updates.


    ¡°I''ve narrowed it down to someone in the imperial family. While the other matriarch remains unknown.¡± he said almost hesitantly.


    ¡°You knew about this for some time, didn''t you?¡± I asked neutrally.


    ¡°Yes, we had to be sure that you wouldn¡¯t simply march up to the gates of the imperial castle and exact vengeance.¡± he said, unapologetically.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    I wasn''t angry in the slightest, I would have done the same. And he was correct, simply marching up to the castle demanding justice was foolhardy.


    ¡°Not surprising, though if you considered such a rash action something I could take, why bother bringing me into the cabal to begin with.¡±


    ¡°We couldn''t risk you falling into imperial hands. At first when we began receiving reports from Allyssia you were little more than a passing curiosity. When she got you into her bed, and more about your abilities was revealed, we figured that was a viable path to maneuvering you. At some point, Allyssia realized that the plan would end in failure. So, she proposed a different strategy, not control, but an alliance of equals. That was the only thing she figured would keep you on our side.¡±


    I smiled, not angry in the least about how well she maneuvered me. I was mostly sure that was their game, but it was amusing to hear it from the horse''s mouth.


    ¡°Respect is the ultimate currency after all.¡± I said.


    ¡°That is what we accounted for, and also why we were not concerned about you revealing our existence. You have a strange sense of honor about you.¡±


    That is the first time anyone has described me as honorable, strange, or not.


    At my expression he laughed. ¡°Honor comes in many forms, Moon. I imagine that so long as mutual respect is maintained between us, and no betrayal occurs. You will keep our secrets and remain on our side when the eventual split in the empire occurs. I can even assume that you would stand against your own kind. I''ve examined your history since you woke up in that forest, never have I found a case where you betrayed or revoked a deal, even your contract with Sten was broken on his end. And while you fell out with the baron you still won him his war.¡±


    ¡°Correct on all counts. I''m even more impressed that you understood me enough to reveal this. Now we are all on the same page and as equals we move forward toward the same goal. So, I have to ask. Is your intention conquest or independence?¡±


    ¡°Independence, the south has no real use for the north. Once we have seceded the Cabal will rule as an oligarchy. With our lives extended, time will be on our side.¡±


    I imagine the imperial family will not like such a thing happening. ¡°Your independence will be paid for in blood.¡±


    ¡°That''s why we needed the greatest healer in the known world on our side. The flying mounts were just a bonus; your existence should be enough to give the elves pause in case they try to ally them against us.¡±


    I could understand why the southern nobles¡¯ motives were, but Denerif¡¯s remains unclear.


    I tried to guess. ¡°I''m sure your hatred of the imperial family plays a part in this, especially after seeing Morianne¡¯s irreverence. But you don''t seem the type to let simple hatred guide you. What else is there?¡±


    He held my eyes for a moment. ¡°Ambition. I have banks in every imperial city. However, I lack my own lands mostly due to the imperial family wanting to keep me under control. But with the secession comes opportunity.¡±


    I brought up the map of the empire in my mind. There was Halloway to the southeast, then Hearthaven and finally Shorecast taking up parts of the southeastern coast all the way up to the middle of the empire. It would split the empire into almost two halves. What land would he lay claim to? I couldn''t imagine one of the dukes simply giving up pieces of their land. Then I realized there was a country south of the empire. Small and largely dependent on trade from the empire for food. And about the size of a duchy.


    ¡°Braken? But the empire has a non-aggression treaty that has lasted centuries.¡±


    Denerif¡¯s smile was almost snake-like. ¡°The empire does, not us.¡±


    ¡°I suppose Duke Mason does sound appropriate.¡± I joked.


    Perhaps I should seek some land for myself soon. There were plenty of kingdoms in the east that I could probably conquer. There¡¯s even an island nation between the two continents. I didn''t know much about it beyond that it was unstable with bad leadership. Some unofficial agreement between the empire and the kingdoms of the East prevented either from laying claim.


    ¡°Might I assume that flying mounts are out of the question for the time being? I don''t believe for a moment that you haven''t figured it out yet.¡±


    ¡°Enhancements and my healing I can sell. But my ability to create flying mounts is another matter. Can you imagine the power that riding something like a drake can offer to a mage.¡±


    He shrugged as if expecting that answer. ¡°As long as they''re off the table with the imperial family I can accept that.¡±


    Then an idea seemed to occur to him, ¡°What about a non-flying mount?¡±


    I never actually considered that. Would something like an enhanced horse pose a problem for me?


    No, not really. So, I shrugged and answered, ¡°That''s not a problem.¡±


    ¡°We should head to my stables after I recover from my transformation. I have a particular horse in mind.¡±


    The Next morning Benny and I headed out to roughly the same location where we had our picnic. Both of our amplifiers were complete, and I had neglected to tell her. After finding the area we landed and dismounted. She was curious about what the cases attached to the saddle bag were, but I told her to wait and see. Though I''m sure she knew what I was going to show her.


    I removed the small case and said. ¡°While your name day is in a few days I am far too excited to keep this a secret.¡±


    Benny knew what I was about to pull out and her excitement was palpable. I opened the ornate brown box and pulled out the amplifier.


    Her eyes widened into saucers as she eyed the gauntlet.


    ¡°It''s beautiful. What''s its strength?¡± she said.


    ¡°A little over 3.¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± benny asked. I nodded, she lifted it out of the box, almost reverently. Benny was right-handed, but preferred to cast with her off hand most times so I made it a left-handed amplifier. She carefully put it on as if she would damage the enchantment. The entire gauntlet was enchanted, including the leather, so unless she produced a flame powerful enough to boil steel for an extended duration, the enchantment would remain intact.


    ¡°What spell should I use?¡± she asked.


    I considered and said. ¡°Try an airstream, it should be the best way to get used to using it.¡±


    She agreed, created the circuit, charged it, and released the spell. There was nothing around us but grass, but by how violently the grass in front of her was being whipped about I assumed she was pumping a significant amount of ether into the spell. Slowly she dialed up the power, the cone of air becoming larger and more violent. Until it started to tear apart the ground, sending chunks of earth flying. Finally, she cut off the spell.


    ¡°Amazing¡± she beamed and looked at the gauntlet in amazement.


    Then she looked at my hand and asked. ¡°What about yours?¡±


    I grinned and pulled the second case off Noire¡¯s saddle bags. It was similar to the cases used by most bards to carry their instrument. Except it was thinner with a strap that I could throw over my shoulder.


    I placed the white case on the ground and flipped it open. Inside were the two halves of my amplifier. Benny¡¯s eyes went wide as she saw it. The top half was actually the amplifier. The Large fist sized gem was embedded at the top of the staff with metal clasps to hold it in place like a diamond ring. A few inches down from the clasps was the second gem embedded in the side of the staff. On the metal itself was a complex network of spellscript connecting the two gems into a double amplifier.


    I locked the two halves together. The gem embedded at the end made it top-heavy so there was a counterweight near the base of the staff to keep it balanced in my hand. That made it a few inches taller than I was.


    ¡°Really master?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I knew exactly what she was suggesting.


    ¡°It''s a bit dramatic.¡±


    ¡°My name is literally Moon, the Lightbearer. At this point it would be a disappointment if my amplifier wasn¡¯t suitably ostentatious.¡±


    At some point I would make an amplifier to compliment Benny and I¡¯s secondary affinities. I just needed more time and gems.


    ¡°Alright apprentice, it''s time for some practice.¡±


    She sighed, knowing where I was going. I started casting radiant carapace using my amplifier to charge the circuit. With a 10x amplification to the ether and my absurd levels of affinity I probably created the most powerful carapace in history. Before, it couldn''t become invisible due to how much ether was used to create the shield. Now with far greater control after my second evolution the shield remained invisible. Overcharging it to over 20 times its normal strength took an enormous amount of ether. It would use almost a full 10% of my stamina to cast it with the exponential drain, such was the cost of master level spells. Now I barely even felt it using the amplifier. Benny was looking into the ether the entire time. Her eyes widening at the absurd amount of ether I funneled into the circuit. While the circuit didn''t emit lightning due to my control of light ether it did glow bright enough that I had to close my eyes.


    ¡°That was a lot of ether.¡± she said after I finished casting.


    I cast another circuit on her and said with a malicious smile.¡± Let¡¯s begin apprentice.¡±


    An hour later and we finally finished practicing. The plain around us was completely destroyed. All around were massive craters where spells detonated. There were even a few dying embers of small fires. The sun was starting to dip lower, I gauged that we had a few more hours of sunlight. Benny and I sat on a blanket eating a small lunch as we watched the setting sun.


    We ate in comfortable silence until Benny asked. ¡°What do you plan on doing now, Master?¡±


    ¡°At this point you can just call me Moon, Benny.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said while smiling. I didn''t know why she insisted on calling me master even in private, but I shrugged. And answered the question.


    ¡°I don''t know. The cabal have their plans, so I suppose I''ll help with their armies for some time. Though that''s mostly busy work. I have been thinking about settling down and finding a place of my own.¡±


    She looked confused and asked. ¡°Are you thinking about buying land?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m thinking about building a kingdom for myself. Somewhere outside the empire''s borders. I have some ideas, but I need to do more research.¡±


    Benny laughed and said. ¡°King Moon. I suppose it does sound dramatic.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of giving myself a last name actually.¡±


    ¡°What would it be?¡±


    I sat considering what name would best define me. I am a light mage so something to emphasize that. I looked at the setting sun. Then my staff and ideas started to form. A small amount of wind kicked up. And my hair blew into my face. What did Morianne say? umnar, il sumlar von epis, power of Sun and the mysteries of the Moon. Sun? Sol? Solar? Solis? Solaris.


    ¡°Moon Baelathor. Now that sounds fearsome." I rolled my eyes at where she was heading. I had no idea where she came up with that name. Probably from some book she was reading.


    ¡°Solaris, Moon Solaris, King of Solaria. Emperor of the Solarian empire. What do you think?¡±


    Benny shrugged and said. ¡°Sounds alright, I prefer Bealathor though. What does Solaris even mean?¡±


    ¡°Essentially it means sun.¡± I didn''t want to break down Latin.


    ¡°Sun and Moon, I suppose it fits. Especially if you start carrying that staff around everywhere.¡±


    It wasn''t the best name, but neither was Moon. I just had to make it work.


    ¡°What about you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Benny Baelath¡­... No that sounds terrible.¡±


    She sat there for over a minute thinking in silence then a thought came to me.


    ¡°You could just take my name.¡± I suggested it without thinking.


    ¡°You''re not proposing marriage, are you?¡± I knew she was joking, even then I couldn''t stop the loud belly laugh from escaping my throat. I laughed a bit too hard and calmed down when I noticed her frown.


    ¡°No, even when you''ve blossomed into full womanhood, you''ll still be a child in my eyes.¡±


    Her frown faded and she said. ¡°I know, but even then, I doubt anyone would think I¡¯m your daughter.¡±


    ¡°It''s just a thought and besides, don''t nobles adopt when they don''t have heirs.¡±


    Benny looked away and said. ¡°I''ll think about it.¡±


    Noire landed around 30 feet away carrying a cow in each talon. Where did she steal those? We watched in macabre fascination as she consumed them whole.


    ¡°It''s such a strange life we lead isn''t it.¡± I said.


    ¡°It''s a good life. Much better than being some farmer''s wife.¡± Benny said.


    ¡°No regrets?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Since we met, I became a mage, won a war, flew thousands of feet in the air, met some of the most powerful people in the empire, shook hands and talked with First Princess Morianne in the flesh. I''ve lived more in the last ten months than most people live their entire lives. I can¡¯t wait to see what''s next. So, no regrets here.¡±


    I smiled at that. It''s good to have some time off from the endless intrigue. We talked about random things of no consequence until the conversation petered off and we watched the sun start to dip below the horizon in companionable silence.


    She said to herself in a whisper so faint I almost didn''t hear it. ¡°Benny Solaris, it has a nice ring to it.¡±

 Book 1: Chapter 52: The Pyre

    Everything was being finalized for my departure from the capitol. As enjoyable as the experience was, the constant eyes on me were becoming uncomfortable. The leads on the second matriarch had gone completely dry. The only thing of significance that he found was that there was a meeting in the elven coalition with all matriarchs, they even invited Queen Sianna to attend. That was significant. The content of the meeting isn''t known but anything that could push the matriarchs to invite the exiled queen was something important. Humans weren''t actually allowed inside Isran itself. There was a small town a few miles out from the forest where humans and elves traded. Denerif had an agent in the town who pays good coin for information.


    A groan from beside me brought me out of my contemplation. I was in one of the guest rooms in Denerif¡¯s manse. And the night before I had sent for some entertainment. The whore was still here for some reason, sleeping next to me on the large four post bed. I shoved on the blonde woman''s shoulder until she awoke her eyes, confused about where she was. My constitution was considerably higher than a normal humans, so I recovered from heavy drinking rather easily. The whore not so much.


    Once her eyes focused on me. I pointed at the door and said. ¡°Leave.¡±


    It took another few seconds for the command to register.


    ¡°Yes Milord¡± she said, her breath stank of alcohol. So did mine most likely.


    She spent some time searching the room for her clothes before she dressed and left. And I finally had my thoughts to myself.


    I spent the last few days in deep contemplation trying to figure out what I wanted to do. While taking over some country was largely something I wanted to do out of vanity. I realized there could be an actual purpose. Considering how many lives it took to evolve a second time, a third would likely require at least 600 or maybe even close to a thousand lives. Gathering and holding that many humans to be consumed in such a brief time would require a large amount of effort. The cabal would never support such an endeavor. With such a large number of people the information would leak.


    There was an island nation between the two continents called Moria ruled by some despot and his family. The capitol city was on the south coast and the ruling nobility were not kind to the citizenry; corruption, violence, and crime was rampant . This eventually lead to several failed rebellions. Since the south had the coin, more soldiers and two mages every attempt to fight was quelled. Now the rebellion was practically vestigial. I just had to strategically insert myself into the rebellion and take control. With my abilities, winning against the ruling family would be easy. Then I would have them eliminated and wrest control from the rest of the nobility.


    The more I thought about it the more enthused I became. Feeling motivated I hopped out of bed and headed to the baths.


    An hour later I left the manse on foot to enjoy the morning. I had my amplifier slung over my shoulder inside the carrying case and my sword was left in my room. I headed to the upper market intent on purchasing some maps and any books I could find on the island of Moria. Benny was out running some last-minute errands, and we were supposed to meet up later today. Apparently, she had something to show me.


    The streets were clear for the most part, with little through traffic. At least that meant there would be very few stares. Usually, I would obscure my location, but we were leaving soon so it didn''t matter. I would be half a continent away in a few hours. I stood in the middle of the street glancing at the many shops looking for a bookstore.


    ¡°Pardon me, My Lord,¡± someone said from behind me.


    Strange that I didn''t hear them approach, but it''s not as if I was on high alert at the moment. It was a young brown haired human man. Smartly dressed, but every bit the servant. He stood a few feet away holding a velvet envelope. I had this happen to me dozens of times already, the best way to get rid of this errand boy was to simply accept the letter. I could also threaten them with death, but I was in a decent mood. I''ll toss it into the fireplace later.


    ¡°Approach.¡± I said.


    It was standard practice to only approach a noble with permission.


    ¡°A missive for a Lord Moon, from Lord Graymore.¡± the man said and strode forward, the letter in his left hand. He bowed and presented the letter holding it towards me. As soon as I touched the velvet envelope the man acted. In an instant he dropped the letter and grabbed my hand, pulling me off balance. In his right hand a dagger appeared from nowhere. With supernatural speed he slammed the dagger directly into my heart.


    Or at least he tried. The dagger stopped as the blade met my shield. It had to be some kind of enchanted dagger to drain almost two thirds of my carapace¡¯s strength, not even an overcharged fireball could do that much damage at this level of overcharge. I wasn¡¯t passive however; in the same instant I summoned a radiant lance directly next to his head, almost as fast as he drew the dagger. The cylinder of light burned a hold directly through his skull killing him instantly. I watched in macabre fascination as the man''s form blurred, and there, lying dead, was an elven woman. Though she still had the same brown hair.


    I didn''t even have time to react to that information as warning bells started to sound in the ether. Five, no? Ten? No there were more. Twenty? Thirty spells were released as soon as the elf fell. My radiant shield popped into existence. I pumped ether into the spell as fast as I could. It expanded to around ten feet across before the spells impacted. Fire, ice, wind, earth, water. Pummeled my shield, blocking out my vision, and draining massive amounts of ether in the process. But I was not the Lightbearer for no reason. I refuse to allow the barrier to drop.


    Almost a minute of constant bombardment passed before I could even see outside the shield. While it was happening, I pulled my amplifier out of my carrying case. And recast the radiant carapace overcharging it to over 20 times its normal strength. I looked at the dead elf and its dagger. It was an ornate silver, similar to Lilian¡¯s, with the exception of a powerful enchantment. There was no spellscript to read. And other than some strange patterns in the ether. I couldn''t really tell what the enchantment did, other than it was quite strong. I shrugged and tossed the dagger into my carrying case and slung it back over my shoulder. The lighten enchantment on the case itself made it feel like I wasn¡¯t carrying anything.


    I created another shield using the amplifier after a small delay in the absolute bombardment of spells. I dismissed the first shield and replaced it with the second. Now that I was fueling the shield using the amplifier I wouldn''t have to worry about the stamina drain from sustaining it. The bombardment from my 5 assassins was a light evening rain compared to what the elves were doing.


    Finally, it ended, some idiot probably realized that they weren''t getting through the shield anytime soon. Surrounding me in the large open square were 30 elves. They were all female from what I could see, with matching nondescript brown leather armor. Though from the ether I could tell that they had some strange, enchanted items on their person. Elven magic was a strange thing, it was less casting and more directly manipulating the ether that they had affinity with. Streams of fire or blades of ice simply appeared with no circuit.


    The entire area was devastated, and the smooth orderly cobbles were gone. There were massive craters of burnt earth, a pool of lava was right next to me and above my shield seemed to be the remnant of a gigantic stone fist. They were standing in a rough semi-circle, hands extended, waiting for something. Were they waiting for me to drop my shield? As if I would, I will sit here like a turtle for the entire day before I drop this shield. Soon enough the guards will turn up and numbers won''t be on their side.


    ¡°Did you morons really think that would have worked? I''m literally called the Lightbearer. No one can get through my shields.¡±


    They did not respond, just stood there like statues.


    ¡°Oh, come now, at least banter with me, the last ones didn''t.¡±


    It was a bit awkward, no one was doing anything, and I certainly wasn''t going to drop the shield. A massive explosion to the south caught my attention. It was too far from me to feel the shift in ether, but by the diminishing pressure wave in the sky and the sonic boom, that was an overcharged air blast. Dread started to mount as I assumed that had to be Benny. My standing order was, as it always was, if you''re in danger hold nothing back. She was going to the markets by the docks for some shopping. It would take me over an hour to get there on foot.


    Then my eyes flicked back to the elves as I realized their plan. I had to choose to drop the shield and face them or let my apprentice die.


    Noire! she could get to Benny. Unfortunately, Benny couldn''t command her and sending her to grab Benny at an opportune time was too complex a command to give her without constant direction. I revised my plan. I don''t have to win here; I simply have to create an opening for Noire to grab me. It would take no more than a minute to reach Benny¡¯s location.


    ¡®Noire come to me.¡¯ I commanded through our connection; she was nesting over at Denerif¡¯s so she shouldn''t even take more than 30 seconds to get to me. I agonized over the decision, but I didn''t have too much time to consider every detail. A piercing shriek echoed across the city. It was loud and filled with pain.


    Noire was clearly being attacked. I focused on the connection to Noire in the ether.


    I practically screamed along the connection. ¡®ESCAPE AND COME TO ME.¡¯


    The screams became louder and more frantic before they were cut off. I watched as the connection faded into nothing. That could only mean Noire was dead. Another blast in the distance once more, likely another one of Benny¡¯s spells. Good she was still in the fight. I refocused on the elves forcing Benny out of my mind to concentrate on the battle. I didn''t have too much time, so I was going to hold nothing back.


    Pushing my control to its limits I summoned 4 more circuits bringing my total to five. I firmly grasped my staff in my right hand and focused on the elves. They were only a hundred feet away, well within my range.


    I dropped the shield unleashing 3 radiant lances. Aimed at different elves, the ones on the edge and one in the center. The near 300-foot-long cylinder of light instantly killed two of the elves but there was a pulse in the ether from the one in the center and to my fascination the lance literally curved around the group of elves. As if a prism was refracting it. They did not sit idly by however as they released a cacophony of fire spells at me, but one of those 4 spells was a shield that I instantly raised. Blocking what appeared to be hundreds of blades of fire.


    The elves remade their formation into a tighter group probably to allow whatever light blocking spell that mage used to cover everyone. Testing again I repeated with three radiant lances and like before there was a pulse as soon as I dropped the shield, and the lances warped around them. They responded with a lance of ice that extended from the palm of one of the elves. It rocketed towards me so fast that it almost reached me before my shield activated. The lance of ice connected with my shield and started spidering out and then stopping. MY shield was actually being drained from being in contact with the ice.


    I reduced the size slightly to stop the drain. The lance wouldn''t work anymore so we just have to go for a more direct approach. They were all bundled up so might well go for absolute destruction. I summoned 3 air blasts and an additional shield, perfectly willing to devastate the entire area. I pushed the spells to their limits. Let¡¯s see how they handle this. I released.


    To my utter fascination instead of detonating they veered off course one flying to the right detonating in the distance. The other two flying off into the air. Of course, they responded in kind with their own spells, but my shield was already up.


    I took a deep breath and decided to go all out. Pushing my control and senses to the limit. Fireball airblast; airblade; For each spell regardless of the type were, either blocked or deflected. Back and forth we went, for nearly a minute exchanging over a hundred spells and the entire area was completely devastated. A FEW WERE ABLE TO GET THROUGH injuring an elf, but it wasn¡¯t enough. Any projectile based spell if it was a spell construct, they simply redirected, that means I have to try physical attacks. Which means earth and water spells.


    I need to break apart their formation. Let¡¯s see of that barrier can handle every other attenuation. I created Earth Barrage, Ice rain. I dropped the shield and released them, the ground in front of where my shield was, simply detonated. The blast of fire didn''t hurt me, but the concussive force sent me flying. My carapace absorbed most of the blast and I held on to my amplifier, but I tumbled, flipping end over end along the street of the upper quarter, sliding to a stop. I was glad at least that I heard some high-pitched screams of pain before I was blasted off into the distance.


    As soon as I stopped, I raised a shield knowing that they would have another attack planned. I hopped to my feet. A literal fist of stone fell from the heavens and smashed against the shield. The absurd drain sending me to my knees. But I persisted. Using a bit of living ether, a healed the cracked ribs and broken arm from the explosion. Was that some kind of remotely detonated magical bomb? I shifted my glance into the ether.


    ¡°Damn elves.¡± I whispered to myself.


    There were hundreds of odd concentrations of ether in the ground all around me; they definitely weren''t there before. I had to keep my vision in the ether if I dropped the shield, they would simply detonate the one nearest to me. The elves spread out this time though there were only 22 of them now. I refreshed my carapace once more, not liking how much power that blast drained. Almost a third. Where the blast had occurred was a massive crater.


    Another explosion sounded off in the distance, reminding me of the fight Benny was in. Where were the guards, they should have been here at this point. No, they weren''t coming. I was on my own for the moment. I needed to start heading to where Benny was. I didn¡¯t have the time to slowly wear down their numbers. I needed something big and indirect, not projectile based. They were spread out waiting for me to drop my shield. Flicking through all the spells in my mind I decided on Sun.


    Unlike meteor it didn''t need to be cast in two parts. The only problem was that I would be in its range. I didn''t care about the burns; I just wanted to kill or cripple a large number of the elves. I could use an earthen wall for cover. Taking my staff in hand I began casting the master level spell pumping massive amounts of ether into the circuit. Once I dropped my shield, no doubt they would detonate another bomb. But I can tank the blast and fortunately, I didn''t need to sustain the sun. It would shine until the construct ran out of ether. The bomb will help me get out of its range. I could actually maneuver the orb before I triggered the spell, but I doubt they would give me the time.


    I dropped the shield and pushed the orb as far away as I could before several bombs detonated and I went flying. Again, my carapace saved my life, though I was flown hundreds of feet into the air. I smashed into a neighboring rooftop before rolling off and clattering onto the ground.


    The Sun spell activated in the same moment, and everything turned white. I managed to get my head straight and cast earthen wall as fast as I could. Even behind the wall the heat was sweltering. I smiled and I heard the scream of dying elves. Good riddance, after barely 15 seconds the light cut off.


    What? That should have lasted several minutes. Somehow, they destroyed the spell construct itself. I coughed up blood and started repairing the broken ribs, punctured lung, and shattered collarbone. with a combination of living ether and overcharged healing light spells. Using my staff to help me up I peered around the 10-foot wall while looking into the ether.


    The cobblestones were glowing white hot; however, the magical bombs were gone. Perhaps the one that cast it was dead? Burnt Elven corpses littered the ground. Not all were dead though, since there were several domes of white smooth stone. Now was the chance I had to make my leave. I cast Strengthen overcharging it to increase my physical strength. And began sprinting down the wide cobblestone path towards the lower city. I sprinted past the domes. As I ran, I sent massive fireballs and airblasts at them but to my surprise they didn¡¯t so much as singe the outside. The sparse amount of people in the early morning was gone and the streets were barren. But the farther I got from the battlefield the more people I saw.


    I even started seeing guards, some nobles started to yell and point as I sprinted towards them. Were they forming some kind of barricade? Men on horses were shepherding people away from the location. I spotted one guard on a horse and sprinted towards him. MY fine white clothes were stained with dirt and blood. I never expected I would be attacked so I didn¡¯t wear my enchanted armor.


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    ¡°Halt.¡± A guard shouted.


    At this everyone''s attention was turned to me. Over 30 guards started drawing weapons and a few created spell circuits. A few bolts of fire and spikes of ice came at me, but I simply summoned and dismissed a shield to block them each time. I reached the man on the horse, and I knocked him off with an ice spike. It was actually powerful enough to kill the man, but his armor seemed to be enchanted. I vaulted onto the brown mare and spurred her on to the exit of the upper quarter.


    With one hand on the reins, I kicked the horse into a gallop, casting a strengthen on the horse itself. I galloped past the open exit leaving the guards and startled nobles in the dust. We sprinted through the streets dodging people, carts, merchants, and other horses. Generally causing chaos at our high speed.


    I raised my shield to block a lance of ice. I spared a glance to note an elf in burnt armor standing there on top of a roof.


    Dammit how did they catch up. Magical bullshit probably, the elf literally started to hop from roof to roof. With around 10 following behind her. I summoned a radiant lance, overcharged it, and pointed it on the roofs to hopefully catch them. The lance of light tore through the building causing collapses and sending people screaming. I released fireballs, air blasts constantly towards the rooftops. Some detonated against the building while others were reflected. Only managing to catch one of the following elves. The horse started to slow so I cast an invigorate and pumped living ether into the mare. This was enough to get her back up to full gallop. Glancing along the passing rooftops I noticed there were no elves to be seen.


    A fiery explosion to the east was enough to alert me where Benny was. Good she had the same idea I had since she was coming closer. Guessing where she was, I noticed she was only a few minutes away. This caused a lapse in my focus, and I was too late to react to another lance of ice. It connected with my carapace draining is strength and snaking around me. The force of the lance was enough to knock me from the horse sending me into a building. Not caring who was hit I summoned an overcharged stream of fire and air. The two spells enhance each other. From the wreckage of the building the massive cone of fire burned and destroyed everything in its path, catching every shop stall and human who was unfortunate enough to be in range. The ice that was wrapping around my chest broke apart and fell. Though it was enough to drain my shield completely. What kind of spell was that?


    Instantly I started to recast the radiant carapace without bothering to use my amplifier. What I could only describe as an ice arrow buried itself in my left shoulder before the spell was cast. Dammit I didn''t even feel a fluctuation in the ether. Still the arrow froze everything it came into contact, doing tremendous damage to the flesh beneath. At least it wasn¡¯t progressing further. I sprinted out of the building noting only 8 elves along the rooftops. The horse was dead so I would have to continue on foot. For hundreds of feet down the road the streets were completely consumed with fire. I didn¡¯t bother thinking about how many people were caught in the flames. Spells rained down; I blocked them in time. Not even bothering to respond, I simply ran towards Benny¡¯s location.


    The elves would rain down spells, but they were neither as many nor as powerful as before. I ignored the pain from my shoulder and sprinted along, occasionally bringing up a radiant shield. To block a barrage of spells. Without their numbers they couldn''t hope to get past my shield now. Finally, I reached the area Benny was fighting in. I followed the trail of destroyed buildings, craters, and the mangled bodies of humans. I even spotted a dead elf or two. The streets were barren of people. It took another five minutes but eventually, I turned a corner and saw some people standing around someone lying prone on the ground. Unmoving.


    Blue nondescript armor, masks. They turned around at my approach and started to cast. They had no chance though. The three were inside the range of my radiant lance and no human can match my casting speed. Instantly I severed their legs at the knees with one lance. The pain was enough to break their concentration. I killed two and left one alive. The elves took this chance to launch a few spells at me, but I easily blocked them. I didn''t even bother to look back. I sprinted towards Benny, sliding to a stop ignoring the man screaming and clutching his severed legs.


    I cast a radiant shield fueling it with my staff. In the same moment I created 4 healing spells overcharging to dozens of times their normal strength. Benny was face down on the ground, so I turned her over and started pushing living ether into her. But there was nothing. The ether washed off of her as if I was trying to heal a rock. I switched my vision into the ether and that was enough to confirm.


    Benny was dead and her soul wasn''t there anymore, without a soul there was no living ether. I tried again forcing ether into the body. It was just enough to be able to see how much damage she sustained. Broken ribs, punctured lungs, cracked skull and massive Intracerebral hemorrhaging. I moved her brown hair away from her eyes. Most of her injuries were internal, likely from being flung around by enemy spells. She wasn''t skilled enough with light magic to cast radiant carapaces yet so once they got through my carapace their greater numbers won out. Still, she managed to kill two of them. I closed her eyes and arranged her more respectfully. They will pay for this.


    The elves were still there waiting for an opportunity to attack. I slapped a hand down on the screaming man''s face and rendered him unconscious.


    I was too late. I sighed as I turned to the 8 remaining elves. I removed the ice arrow from my shoulder and repaired the damaged flesh. I dropped my staff and prepared to fight.


    Five minutes later and four of the elves were dead. The other four were prone, unconscious, to an airblast that caught them off guard. I dragged them a small distance away from benny. I arranged them in a neat line and starting with the first one, a lovely blonde elf I put a hand on her face and using living ether severed the connection from her spine to her limbs. Making her a quadriplegic but leaving her sense of feeling. Then I woke her up.


    Her blue eyes flicked open, fear showing as I looked down at her coldly. Without saying anything I disabled her voice box. Then I ignited every single pain receptor in her body. I didn''t even want to imagine what kind of mind melting agony it must be. I made sure to monitor her health the entire time ensuring that she didn¡¯t die in the process. After counting to one hundred I stopped.


    In an emotionless voice I said. ¡°I''m going to ask you some questions. You will answer them honestly. If you lie, I will leave you in that state permanently. Do you understand?¡±


    She nodded frantically, with tears flowing from her eyes.


    ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    ¡°Matriarch Xalia.¡± she said, her voice barely a whisper.


    ¡°Why would she want me dead? I thought it was known that I had no interest in elven affairs.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is and when she told the rest of the matriarchs and Queen Sianna your words verbatim, they were outraged by the disrespect of our ancestors.¡±


    ¡°Then why, that would essentially guarantee her position.¡±


    She swallowed, ¡°It did, for a while, but a few things you said lingered, and your words started to fester. ¡°The past is dead and gone.¡± ¡°It''s best to tear it down and start over.¡± ¡°Arlathan is a monument to failure and stupidity, not something worth desiring.¡±


    She swallowed once more, her mouth dry. I cast water stream and allowed her to drink then she continued. ¡°More elves started to hear your words, they were crude, disrespectful, irreverent to the point or rage inducing. But they were not wrong, for centuries elves clung to their past while the humans grew to surpass us. But the arrival of the last royal male, one so irreverent one that if given power would destroy the old elven world and rebuild it as he saw fit, things began to shift. Some started to wonder if it would not be better to simply wed the two royals and return the royal heritage to the elves. Then your unique abilities come into play. With flying mounts, we would be able to rebuild our fallen dominion. None could match elven power. Ever since the end of the royals we have been in decline.¡±


    So, I started to understand. ¡°Given time the sentiment would grow, and it would erode Xalia¡¯s position.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your first assassination was largely on a whim. Xalia and Boriel heard that a royal was alive. This was a threat to them so they decided it''s best to kill you. They used a group from the underworld famous for killing mages. They failed and it was months before you turned up again with an apprentice and a flying etheric beast. Your power, even greater. Killing you was''nt the best option anymore. But one meeting with you was enough to make her realize that she could never control you. She would have killed any male in an instant for such the disrespect you showed her she assumed the rest would be as repulsed, so she invited Sianna to crush any aspirations she has for you.¡±


    At this point I was sitting cross legged next to her head holding my staff in one hand maintaining a shield at least two hundred feet across so I could have privacy.


    ¡°So, she decided to send you all after her plan backfired. Killing me would kill the idea and end any plan Sianna had.¡±


    ¡°Essentially, but we were running out of time, we had to attack when you were separated from your apprentice. She saved your life so we were confident that you would not abandon her to death. Though we didn''t know how fast you could cast, nor that you could use 5 circuits simultaneously. Poisons wouldn''t work and mage killers couldn''t get past the carapace. By the ancestors how much ether was in that carapace.¡± she just started rambling.


    Mage killer? I assume she meant the dagger.


    I wanted some more focused information. ¡°Who in the imperial family helped fund my assassination.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°The first prince.¡±


    ¡°Why would he care about me?¡±


    ¡°He wanted the secrets to elven enchanting; we promised him it in exchange for coin. The fool didn''t realize that all the text would be in ancient royal elvish. Tired of living in his sister¡¯s shadow I suppose. Not even I can translate them. He didn''t even ask for what we wanted the coin. Once we realized where you were going the guards were removed from the area by his order though this time, he knew we were going after you since they were tracking your movements as well.¡±


    I almost wanted him to be some dastardly mastermind, not just some fool seeking glory and getting caught up in elven plans.


    ¡°What will you do now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It''s simple, I will take the heads of Xalia and Boriel, even if I have to make a mountain of elven corpses. But first I''m going to massacre every member of the underworld I can find in the city, after torturing the information out of that fool.¡± I said pointing to the assassin.


    ¡°And us?¡± she said.


    ¡°Death.¡±


    ¡°Ah I see, no less than we deserve, my apologies for the death of your apprentice Benny and your Mount Noire, but a matriarch''s orders cannot be refused. May I request a quick death.¡± she asked.


    ¡°Very well¡±


    I rendered her unconscious and ripped the living ether from her soul. Killing her. Interestingly, elves had around 50% more living ether than a human. I couldn''t care less if they were ordered. Everyone had a choice in life, they chose to obey the command, they chose to risk the consequences of failure. Now they will pay the price.


    Half an hour later and every elf was dead, as well as the human mage. The story was the same, some had more detail, some had less but there were never any inconsistencies.


    The human mage squealed like a pig, giving me the location of many of the underworld''s hideouts. Then I ramped up his pain for nearly 10 minutes until his heart burst. I looked at the bodies and found a water and fire amplifier on two of the mages. They were crude and bleeding ether, honestly it was best if I just took the gems and remade them.


    Then I turned to Benny and cast telekinesis on her body lifting her gently off the ground, I very much doubted that another attack would occur but just in case I cast another carapace. I headed towards Denerif¡¯s home. It was still early in the morning, and I had a lot of killing to do before I left the city. People watched me pass in fear. One group of guards stumbled upon me. They began to march towards me before one man stopped them, a conversation was had, and they ran off. I Walked towards the noble quarter observing the destruction done to the city during the battle. Fires were spreading across the city, probably from my fire spell. I couldn¡¯t care less, as far as I was concerned, it was self-defense.


    Denerif found me before I made it to his home. His large black enhanced warhorse skidded to a stop as he saw me walking towards him. Then he glanced at Benny''s floating body and noted my dead expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Moon.¡± he said.


    I kept my voice neutral. ¡°It''s fine, can you find me a safe place in your home to keep her body until I finish my business. Also gather all our things as well as a few months of supplies in a carriage.¡±


    He nodded and said. ¡°It will be done within the hour. What will you do in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°Killing the underworld. I¡¯ll be done in a few hours.¡±


    It took more than a few hours. That mage had a lot of information, hideouts, bars, taverns, brothels, and secret meeting places. I didn''t ask questions, I just walked in and started killing, I would leave a few alive and just torture them for information. Then I continued the slaughter, it is a wonder that no guard came to stop me. The only benefit was the large amount of living ether that I had harvested.


    Still the killing couldn''t last forever. After leaving another hideout in flames and devoid of life I headed to a tavern and found it abandoned. This repeated several times before I concluded that most were in hiding. Still the death toll was over 500. I killed everyone with even the slightest connection to the underworld. Barmen, guards, runners, bookmakers, gang leaders, pawnshops loan sharks and a few mages. Nearly a third of the lower quarter was burning. It didn''t matter if they begged, pleaded, or surrendered. It didn''t even matter if they were innocent or ignorant. There was no mercy in my heart.


    Fourteen hours of work later I entered Denerif¡¯s manor, the sun starting to dip below the horizon. Outside was Denerif and a few of his staff. The large two horse wagon was packed with everything I had specified.


    ¡°My thanks Denerif.¡± I said as I approached him.


    There was an odd screech from the carriage, so I had to walk over and check. Benny¡¯s body was laid in the center covered in clean white cloth. Her body must have been prepared. One side was a cage with and odd lizard creature. It had white scales and blue eyes with wings that folded. It crawled along the cage walls like a bat. A wyvern? It was barely 3 feet long.


    Denerif had come over and said. ¡°She bought it yesterday and wanted to show it off to you. Apparently, she had been looking for just the right one for weeks.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see,¡± I said, not really listening.


    ¡°I''m sure I¡¯ve caused quite the stir, so I think it''s best I leave for some time. When I''m ready I''ll contact our friends. It was the first prince and Xalia. I''m not sure how the empire will react to the destruction and the many dead in the lower quarters. But I can guess it''s not good. I''ll take my pound of flesh from the prince in time but not now.¡±


    Denerif ever the pragmatic man said. ¡°It will cause problems, but they can be managed. Some rumors of the imperial paying off elves to kill you and your apprentice should keep them occupied. Apparently, there were a lot of casualties from bystanders. We will shift the blame from you to the treachery of the imperial family. Fortunately, Princess Morianne is not in the city so no one can stop you at the moment.¡±


    I didn''t really care how he wanted to spin it. ¡°Do as you wish. I will retrieve Noire and see to the burials myself.¡±


    I headed to the rear of the house and found Noire¡¯s body. There were massive burns along her wings as if she was held with burning rope. One leg was completely severed. It would appear that something had pierced her heart. From Denerif''s report she managed to kill one of the elves that attacked her which, was satisfying to hear.


    With Denerif¡¯s help I left the city in the dead of night, though with the giant floating body of Noire following behind I doubt it was anonymous. There was a mountain range to the west of the city, which would be a decent location. I kicked the horses into motion and headed west, the incline slowly increasing. The constant drain of Noire''s body was becoming a problem, but I pushed through it. I followed winding roads and steep paths using living ether to push the horses past their natural limit.


    The travel went on for hours with nothing but my thoughts plaguing me. Oddly numb from the events. Complacency that¡¯s what it was, my smug self-satisfaction from my own abilities was what caused me to lose focus on the danger. People were trying to kill me so why would they not try to target my apprentice. I never expected they would be desperate to make such a bold attack. Hiding the full extent of my abilities proved to be a double-edged sword. It gave me the advantage when in direct confrontation. But in the same breath gave them false hope that they could win. Which led them to think using Benny as a crutch would mean victory. I never really considered that I had any chance of losing.


    In a way I didn¡¯t, but this day did not feel like a victory. I had the bitter taste of defeat. The body of my apprentice in the back of my carriage served as a constant reminder of the price of my arrogance. I need to be more present; I think. I should have prioritized getting Benny to a second evolution, pushed her to choose a mount quicker and not dallying about trying to find the perfect one. Because of my power I felt like I had all the time in the world, never realizing how close death could be. I would simply have to live with this failure and do better in the future.


    After nearly a day of travel I finally found a location that seemed appropriate. I was on a large plateau with the sun just starting to crest above the horizon. It was a large circular area of mostly short grass around a thousand feet above ground level. Even though the sun was just starting to rise most of the stars were out and the sky looked beautiful. Using an earthen wall spell I created a platform about knee high.


    I went back to the carriage and lifted the white cloth to see her face one last time. It was gray and lifeless, no sign of the bright young girl.


    I gently carried her from the carriage by hand and lowered her onto the platform.


    Then I created a larger platform for Noire behind benny. I didn¡¯t really know what to say so I just said whatever was on my mind.


    ¡°I never asked how you would prefer to be buried, mostly because I never considered you would die. Warriors in this world are often cremated and you once said that you don''t want to die in that forest, buried not a few minutes walk from your birthplace. So perhaps this is appropriate.¡±


    Strange it hasn¡¯t even been a year since I¡¯ve known her.


    ¡°10 Months Benny, that¡¯s all the time we had. I never told you I''m not from this world. I was someone else, another name, another place, another body. I don''t know if I had children. But I wouldn''t mind calling you daughter.¡±


    ¡°But now I will never have that chance. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever find another like you in this world.¡±


    I thought back to her callous ruthlessness when I brought up the topic of draining humans for power and chuckled. I thought back to first meeting her in that forest.


    ¡°You know when I ran into those men, I nearly killed myself trying to get away from them. Somehow you managed to kill two and a few elves. That''s damn impressive my apprentice. I am so proud.¡±


    From the devastation in the city, she must have put on a hell of a show.


    ¡°I could only imagine the heights you would have reached. Hopefully, your next life is a good one if reincarnation is your destiny. Perhaps we can meet again, as unlikely as that sounds.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye Benny Solaris, my apprentice, my daughter, may you find peace.¡±


    I used the advanced version of the candle spell to create large fires around both Benny and Noire. I sat on the ground for hours watching as the bodies burned to ash. I used significantly larger flames for Noire to quicken the process. The sun was high in the air by the time the spell ran its course, and nothing was left but gray ashes. Using a cone of air, I blasted the ashes into the air allowing them to fly away freely into the wind. I stared numbly as they drifted and disappeared.


    I sat there for hours my rage boiling and fading into nothing repeatedly, both at the elves; and my ineptitude. I didn''t think they would attack while I was in the city. And on such a scale, it seemed too foolish.


    A small shriek from the back of the carriage snapped me out of my mood and I went back to check on the wyvern. In the light it was rather fearsome looking with sharp spines on its head. Inside its mouth was filled with sharp teeth and when it extended his wings, they had a blood red hew. Without melanin the blood vessels gave the wings thier color. The only thing with any real color was its blue eyes. It had to be leucistic then.


    I imagine she was ecstatic when she found this wyvern. A small smile came across my face. Which quickly faded and turned into sadness, then rage. Yes, this creature will be the tool of my revenge. I met the creature''s blue eyes and tried to think of a name. I smiled again knowing exactly what Benny would have named it.


    ¡°Baelathor, that will be your name.¡±


    End of Book 1

 Book 2: Chapter 1: The Wyvern

    Denerif Mason:


    I sat in my office, looking over the reports from my many agents in the capitol. To put it mildly; everything was a mess. It took over a day to put out the fires, and even now they were pulling bodies out of collapsed buildings. The tale of Moon''s battle will be told for decades. The elf himself was missing. He was a mercurial being, arrogant and largely apathetic to anything that did not advance his own interest. That made maneuvering him in a position advantageous to me, both complex and simple.


    Thirty members of the nobility were dead, apparently from a stray airblast. Current estimates place the total number, not including Moon¡¯s relentless slaughter of Members of the underworld, at roughly 4000. Most were from the fires and his mad dash through the streets to get to his apprentice. I thought back to the bright young girl and felt a small amount of remorse for her death. I still felt chills down my spine when I remembered Moon¡¯s eyes. Black as tar, or ink, with no trace of the purple iris. How a creature can be so terrifying and lovely was beyond me.


    As soon as I could. I sent my agents into the city, spreading the lies and truth I wanted to tell. To get the reaction I wanted from the populace, I needed to humanize Moon in the eyes of the peasants. So, I had the tale of his first assassination and the subsequent rescue by Benny, after crawling in the forest missing two limbs, spread. I made sure to add that the ones who hired the assassins were the elves and hinted that someone in the imperial family supplied the coin.


    Given enough time the opinion of Moon will change from perpetrator to victim. It was the perfect way to embed Moon even deeper into our interests. Any chance of the imperial family getting his allegiance was severed, and there was no chance that he would be allying with the elves. I''ll just have to wait until he finishes his vengeance. Morianne, most thought, was the greatest magical power in all the lands, but opinions are changing, and I am in the perfect position to capitalize.


    It had only been a week since my transformation, and every day I felt stronger and healthier. Hearing, sight, smell, touch; everything was improved. It was as if I was blind to the world, and now I could see. Roses never smelled so sweet, and meat has never been more savory. I clenched my fist, feeling the strength that flowed. I only gave him 150,000 gelding, a fortune to be sure, but I would easily give ten times that. Every scar, bump, and blemish were gone, and as he said: Every Morning I looked younger, like I was aging in reverse. Allyissia had no less than three dukes sending marriage proposals, her enhanced looks were almost elf like in terms of uncanny beauty, but it was decided that she remain unattached for a time. Wouldn¡¯t want moon¡¯s gaze to drift elsewhere, since he didn''t seem the type to be a paramour.


    While I''m sure that the citizenry can be convinced to view Moon in a more sympathetic light, the nobility however, were not so understanding. They were demanding justice be done. The elves within the city were denying any involvement in the assassination. The situation was becoming untenable. It wasn''t until Morianne arrived in the city that things started to calm down.


    The master mages, however, were strangely quiet and did not make any statements on Moon. It had been an enormous effort to keep him isolated from others in power. I¡¯m sure he knew what we were doing, but so long as I delivered on his requests, I doubted he cared. Either way this situation was a perfect point to begin eroding the imperial family¡¯s power and influence. I almost wanted to hug the prince for delivering such a gift. I can''t wait to see what kind of monster he turns that wyvern into.


    A knock at my door interrupted my thoughts. I returned to my neutral mask and in a calm voice said. ¡°Enter.¡±


    Lidia, my lovely assistant, walked in with a startled expression on her face. That was strange.


    ¡°Princess Morianne is requesting your presence, she is currently waiting outside the manse, with her royal guard.¡±


    How amusing, the first princess calling on a lowly commoner, personally, instead of sending for them. My, how much of a debacle the imperial family must be in. Another point in time I would feel intimidated that she came with her full retinue. But that only showed her weak position. Perhaps it is the raw power that coursed through my limbs that filled me with such defiance. But Moon came to me for assistance and trusted me with the body of his apprentice while he went off on his killing spree. That information I made sure to spread, being a trusted ally of Moon''s, was already paying dividends.


    ¡°I''ll see her after I¡¯ve finished these reports. Do treat her with the respect befitting her station.¡±


    The girl looked at me with fear in her eyes and nodded. ¡°As you wish my Lord.¡± I watched Lidia leave and decided to have her tonight.


    Keeping the imperial princess waiting was quite disrespectful and something I would never do, since she wouldn''t hesitate to put me in my place. However, I wanted to test how desperate a situation she is in. If she acts how she normally would then I will of course offer her the deepest apologies, publicly even. But if she doesn''t then, she must be under pressure from the emperor to resolve the issue with Moon.


    Twenty minutes later I exited the front door of my manse. Apparently, the princess was not in the mood for pleasantries. She stood in her full Enchanted Mithrite armor, it was a stunning piece that I was still upset I had to give up. Like her own guards she had three amplifiers. According to my mages the air gem in her chest was the most powerful in recorded history.


    She wasn''t wearing her helmet and allowed her black hair to flow freely. In the morning sun she looked rather striking. Her steel blue eyes locked on to me. Her gaze didn''t quite intimidate me as much as before. As a non-mage she could kill me with the flick of her wrist. And that was usually enough to give me pause. But after seeing Moon¡¯s eyes that fateful day, little else seemed as intimidating. Those eyes don''t belong on such a comely face. Focusing my thoughts, I approached the princess and bowed.


    ¡°My apologies, Your Grace, I was preoccupied with business I could not interrupt.¡±


    She almost sneered as she said. ¡°Of course,¡±


    So, she was in a desperate situation.


    ¡°What do I owe the honor of your company Your Grace.¡±


    Her voice was all business. ¡°The elf. Where is he? Do not tell me you don''t know.¡±


    Well, I don''t even have to lie in this case. In my most formal and respectful tone, I answered. ¡°I do not currently know. I managed to find the sight where he cremated his apprentice and his mount. But then we lost the trail deep into the mountains.¡±


    She didn''t seem to believe me but it''s not like she¡¯s going to find evidence to the contrary. ¡°Very well. I require all the information you have on him.¡±


    ¡°May I ask what for?¡±


    ¡°Many of the nobles in the city desire retribution for the deaths of their family members, there were three riots. Now half the city is claiming that my family was responsible for the assassination and the subsequent destruction. Do not pretend to be ignorant.¡±


    I never actually leaked that it was the imperial prince, only that someone in the imperial family was responsible. Good, let her twist in the wind at something for all her power she can''t control.


    ¡°A white account with links to the imperial family was used. To the sum of 56000 gelding so it is entirely possible that someone in the imperial family was responsible.¡±


    She looked at me rather angrily. And I enjoyed every moment.


    ¡°And you informed Moon of this?¡± she asked. Revealing this information to him could be seen as treason if she pushed. But what was I supposed to do? Moon was a powerful mage, and I was a lowly banker. I''m sure that''s how she would see it.


    ¡°Of course. Moon, a good friend of mine, was almost killed. My honor demanded that I find the culprits.¡± I was putting on an exceptional performance by my own estimation.


    ¡°What was his reaction?¡±


    ¡°Irritation, though he didn''t seem inclined to seek revenge?¡±


    Her eyes became piercing, perhaps it was the intense stare, but I swear I could see lightning behind them. ¡°And now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, his mount was butchered. His apprentice, the same apprentice that saved his life, was killed in the streets. I had her body prepared for burial. The damage was extensive.¡±


    I just needed to push her to the edge and bring her back. Fortunately, I didn''t even need to pretend for the next part.


    ¡°You know the elven, princess, his eyes were as black as tar, an abyss of rage so deep I feared I would fall in.¡±


    Morianne straightened, her rage, calming a bit. ¡°So, conflict is inevitable. Is that what you are saying.¡±


    ¡°In the present situation, yes, but it need not be the case. I believe I can convince him that revenge against the imperial family is not the best approach. After all, I doubt whoever provided the coin knew of the recipient''s intentions.¡±


    She didn''t look convinced. ¡°You believe you can reason with an enraged elf?¡±


    I understood her point. When they get in that state usually only blood can calm them down.


    ¡°Yes, he is not like most elves. If he comes for his vengeance, ensure I am there. I can talk him down.¡±


    ¡°Very well Mason. What of his abilities? we still have use for them.¡± she said.


    I couldn''t hold back the laughter. That only brought back her anger. ¡°That bridge burned with his apprentice. Convincing him to not go after the family for vengeance is one thing. But I will not insult our friendship by asking him to work for you. That is a risk you have to take on your own.¡±


    She sneered at being denied but right now she did not have the power to compel me to do anything. It was dangerous, but with Moon on my side, well they didn''t want to add to the list of things that he wanted to seek vengeance for. I know Moon does not consider me a friend in any capacity. But fortunately, he was willing to attend all those nonsense dinners and plays to keep up appearances.


    ¡°When he arrives, I will expect your presence. See that you talk him down or what happened that day would pale in comparison to a confrontation with me.¡±


    I bowed deep and respectfully, mostly to hide the smile growing across my face. Excellent, this was the perfect way to deepen our connection. I just had to present it to Moon the right way. The princess didn''t know but, in her attempt, to stop Moon from destroying the empire, she just guaranteed it.


    Duchess Allyssia Hearthaven:


    Briannah and I were enjoying an evening brunch in my garden. Things in my duchy were well in hand, the walls were being repaired, and my barons were ruling according to my will. I only hope Moon finishes His business in the capitol soon since his abilities would be of use in restoring my army. The one light mage I hired was woefully under equipped for the task, even with the amplifier I procured for him. Still, he was better than nothing.


    ¡°What of your betrothed has he made peace with moving to Wigmore?¡± I asked Briannah.


    ¡°Yes, though Markus has complained incessantly about losing connection to his family.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°He should be grateful he is marrying above his station, just see to it that you produce an heir as quickly as possible. Then he can have his freedom.¡±


    At times she still hasn¡¯t grown out of that childishness. The duchy wasn''t yet stable, so worrying about him being homesick is not a concern.


    Briannah sighed and said. ¡°Yes, Aunt Allyssia. I also have a request.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The enhancement Moon has done. Is that something you can ask him to do for me?¡±


    I suppose she would bring this up at some point. In the months since then, Briannah and I Looked almost the same age.


    ¡°No, largely because he would not do it.¡±


    ¡°Can you not convince him? I thought you had some sway over him.¡±


    I suppose I never taught her about such things. ¡°You think because we often share a bed, I command him?¡±


    ¡°That''s the rumor.¡± she said meekly.


    ¡°There are two types of men that can be controlled through sex. A man with low confidence and self-worth is easy, just make him feel like he is greater than what he is, he''ll become addicted, and you can make him do anything. You''re betrothed for example. The other wants a woman as a trophy, something to show off and stroke his ego. Intelligence is usually not their strong point. They are even easier to control.¡±


    She looked confused but didn''t seem willing to defend her husband''s honor. Anyone with eyes can tell the man is about as strong willed as a mouse.


    ¡°Which one is Moon?¡± Briannah asked.


    ¡°Neither. He is arrogance incarnate and admires himself more than he does any woman. I''m sure he thinks himself the most desirable thing in any room. Worst still he is powerful and intelligent, and he knows it.¡±


    ¡°But I''ve personally seen him defer to you in public.¡±


    ¡°A fiction we created; he couldn''t be bothered to deal with the requests. It was perceived that I held sway over him. Most men would despise that idea spreading but not Moon. As far as he was concerned that meant he would not have to deal with the annoyance of the nobility. The coin he earned was just a bonus.¡±


    Briannah calmed down as she realized. ¡°Ah. Is there no true feeling between you two?¡±


    I wish. It would make my position even better. ¡°No, the only one Moon truly adores is himself and perhaps his apprentice to a small degree. The moment he doesn''t benefit he will leave for greener pastures.¡±


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°So, to get him to do what you want, you have to offer something of greater value than the effort he would use?¡± Briannah said.


    ¡°Yes, and at times his requests are troublesome. But what choice do I have, I cannot allow him to fall into the hands of another, and he will not hesitate to use that fact to his advantage.¡±


    ¡°Is there no means to compel him beyond that?¡± Briannah asked.


    ¡°A man without a wife, children, or family cannot be threatened. There is his apprentice I suppose but that is also doomed to failure.¡±


    I had noticed the shine Benny had taken with her was more than friendship. The foolish girl decided to cut that off out of loyalty to her betrothed, I need to teach her better. Now any attempt to maneuver Moon through Benny was gone.


    A servant came over carrying a letter. After finishing, a cold sweat ran down my back. I must not have guarded my expression well enough since Briannah asked.


    ¡°What is it that makes you look worried?¡±


    I glanced up at Briannah and said. ¡°There was an attack on Moon in the capitol. Thousands are dead. Moon fled and is still missing. Both his mount and his apprentice are dead.¡±


    Briannah looked horrified. ¡°Benny is dead. But she seemed so powerful.¡±


    ¡°They were separated. Thirty elves attacked moon, Noire was killed before she could take flight. Five human mages and three elves attacked benny though it could have been more. She managed to kill all but three of them. Moon went on a rampage and slaughtered anyone affiliated with the underworld, innocent or not. Denerif assumes he will do the same to the elven clans responsible.


    ¡°Why would they attack in the city?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. It seems foolish, so their desire to kill Moon must have been great.¡±


    I sighed and considered my options; Denerif seemed confident that he could convince Moon to hold off on his vengeance on the imperial family. How to handle this? I suppose for some reason if he turns up here, I''ll play the supportive and understanding lover role. Yes, that''s what I''ll do. Let Denerif play his game, I''ll suggest nothing. Just bed him repeatedly to take mind off things. Ease his tension and calm his mind. Comfort and peace; most people don''t realize how precious these things are, until they''re taken away, soon enough he will crave it. And where else is better than in my arms?


    Moon was never the type to sit still for long and soon enough he would start coming up with ideas. Every time he did, I benefited massively.


    ¡°We will begin spreading this throughout the city. I will of course recuse myself from court out of worry or some such nonsense. You were a friend of Benny¡¯s so make sure to present sufficiently grieved.¡±


    Denerif was already doing the same, I¡¯ll send the information along to Shorecast and Halloway. Soon enough half the empire will start condemning the actions of the imperial family. Not revealing who actually was involved only served to place the blame on the entire family than an individual.


    Moon Solaris:


    It has been over three months since I''ve cremated Benny and Noire. I had taken great pains to avoid any contact with human civilization, or any civilization really. Other than stopping in villages and purchasing supplies. In my heavy cloak no one knew who I was. The last trip to the village was to purchase as much rope as possible. I spent time doing nothing other than practicing my magic. Now I sat upon a rocky beach staring out to the western sea, far from the mountains near the imperial capital.


    I would not rush my vengeance. I replayed my battle, over and over, thousands of times. Thinking about what spells I should have used, better ways to counter their magic. I practiced new combinations of spells. I repaired the flame mages amplifier and wore it on my right hand. On my left was Benny¡¯s. In that time, I found calm and focus. Accepting what had happened to my apprentice and resolving to do better if I take another.


    It is as I have always said. The past mistakes cannot be taken back so I will move forward. I will have vengeance for my apprentice and then I will forge something new. Something great. Something the entire world will envy. Too long have I been content being the tool that others used. Now it is time I become the hand. Too long have I walked, ran, and flew from place to place collecting power. It is time I sat down.


    A roar sounded off into the distance. It was long and loud, a combination of high-pitched scream, exploding volcano and unending thunder. It shook the ground, sending the many sea birds flying off into the distance. Baelathor was approaching from the sea carrying his latest catch.


    He was my greatest creation and tool for my vengeance. I will show the world the true power of the Lightbearer.


    I could see him just off in the distance approaching. His massive blood red wings whipping a whirlpool of water with each flap, the gleaming white scales reflecting the sunlight. His massive 1000-foot wingspan blotted out the sun as he passed overhead. The trailing wind whipped up the air and sand around me. In one of his talons, he carried what looked like a whale.


    To say Baelathor was large would be the greatest understatement in history. He was almost 500 feet long from head to tail. I had to assume his weight had to be around one or two thousand tons, by the way he shook the earth. To sustain his growth, he ate constantly. Eating several times his mass in animals per day. I needed to constantly travel to feed his unending hunger. It wasn''t until we reached the ocean after nearly a month that he found a sufficient source of food. Which were whales and other large sea creatures.


    He consumed hundreds of thousands of pounds of meat a day. I was worried that he would never stop eating until a week ago he shed his scales, and his growth slowed. As the days passed the frequency of his eating decreased. Until he only went out to hunt around once every other day.


    I never tire of watching the massive creature fly. Its wings extended all the way to the base of his tail. His teeth were as long as swords and his head was shaped like a massive angry snarl and covered in sharp white spines. None of these features were as terrifying as his fire. Before they were little more than small bursts only large enough to stun an animal. Now he vomited an ocean of flame. If not for my constant commands he would have burned down several forests.


    He dropped the whale several hundred feet away, he knew enough to not eat near me. Then he landed shaking the earth kicking up massive mounds of sand and rock. He couldn''t even fit on the beach, so half his body was in the water. Bealathor folded his wings in and crawled over to the whale. Then it breathed fire in a constant stream, bathing the whale, charring its flesh, and turning the surrounding sand to glass. Even from this distance I could feel the intense heat, but it never seemed to bother him.


    50 lives worth of living ether it took to create that creature. Every day I would push ether into him until he got close to his limits. Over a period of weeks, the limit extended until it stopped, then I would push him over the barrier. Before even the first breakthrough he grew over 20 feet in length. I repeated this process for the second breakthrough. Now I was rather drained.


    The reason I put so much effort into him was that I wanted a beast so massive, so monstrous that no one would dare challenge me again. It would take well over a hundred lives to push through the third barrier, but I didn''t even want to consider what he would turn into. I strapped my amplifier and prepared to fly. I had no real way to get back to civilization quickly, since I fed the horses to my wyvern. I had nothing of real value in the carriage besides my elven sword, enchanting kit, A sack containing Benny¡¯s armor, a loose collection of mithrite, a water amplifier and etheric gems.


    I would have to head to the capitol at some point and collect information, but not now. I needed a saddle and there was one man I knew that could do it. After Baelathor finished I walked over carrying the long length of rope.


    ¡°Alright time to go. Bring your head over here.¡± It took a few commands to maneuver his body out of the water so I could climb up his wings and onto his back. I walked along his spine until I reached his neck. Then I tied a complex series of knots around his spines then dropped the rope to either side. I slid down, until I reached the sand. I had him lift his head and I tied off the two ends as tight as I could around the base of his neck.


    That should be enough to keep me secure for the flight. I climbed up his wings and tied a length of rope around my torso and connected it to the rope sound his spines. I attached my belongings to the rope and hoped nothing would come loose in the flight. Even with him lying down like this I was still rather high in the air.


    ¡°Ok give me a shake.¡±


    He twisted and wiggled his massive body. I rocked madly back and forth, holding on for dear life as the rope pulled taut but didn''t break.


    With some excitement I said. ¡°Baelathor, it''s time for the world to know of your existence.¡±


    ¡°FLY¡± I screamed in English.


    He let loose a deafening roar, then in a single massive leap from his legs he launched himself forward extending his wings. There was a massive pulse in the ether as he took to the sky. I was jerked violently in the saddle as the winds generated from his wings felt like a hurricane. The flapping sounds were deafening. We climbed higher and higher, his flapping becoming less violent as we picked up speed.


    We soared high, past the overcast sky above the clouds. I grinned in satisfaction as I saw nothing but the open sky. Nothing in the world compared to this feeling, the freedom. Baelathor flew gracefully, his massive form completely unaffected by the winds. With a mental command I pointed him southeast towards Hearthaven. Hopefully, Umber isn''t going to be too terrified to create a saddle for me.


    We climbed to over 5000 feet. Soaring past Mountains, cities and finally over the Great Stormveil sea. We were going somewhere around 150 miles per hour and that was just his casual flying speed. A creature this size couldn''t fly normally. But massive amounts of ether flowed over his wings providing both lift and thrust. The near 800-mile journey would be over in a little over 4 hours. I could go faster but I didn''t trust the crude rope harness.


    Finally, I could see Hearthaven in the distance, so I slowly descended to a little over 1000 feet. As soon as we reached the harbor, I commanded Him. ¡°Baelathor, announce yourself.¡±


    I created a shield to block the sound. His roar could be heard for miles, I couldn''t imagine what it was like for the citizenry. A massive snow-white wyvern with blood red wings flying overhead was probably not something they thought they would see today.


    I flew past the front gate and spiraled down for a landing. He shook the earth as he landed digging up the ground.


    ¡°Good boy,¡± I said, patting his back.


    A deep rumbling sound that devolved into shuffling, emitted from his mouth. Taking a knife I cut the rope. I removed my enchanting kit and the sack containing Bennys armor and a few other things. I would find a proper place for it eventually, but for now I would have Allyssia hold on to it. I purposely landed at the east of the city away from the main gate.


    With a firm command to not attack or kill any humans I made my way down his wing and headed to the city.


    It was something of a pain to lug all my belongings along to the entrance, but I''m sure there would be someone to greet me by the time I get there. It took me nearly thirty minutes before riders were storming across the field towards my location. Guards by the look of it. When they spotted me, they slowed down.


    ¡°Sir Moon, good to see you again.¡± I remember that voice.


    ¡°Vanya! how have you been?¡± It seems my test subject has taken up a post as a guard.


    ¡°Good my lord, would you like help with those?¡±


    I was carrying a sack with Benny¡¯s armor, the spare gems and Mithrite as well as the crude amplifiers, and case with my enchanting supplies. Slung across my waist was my elven sword as well as the one I gave benny. I had my own light amplifier strapped across my back.


    ¡°If you wouldn''t mind.¡±


    Then she ordered the rest of the guards around her. ¡°Carry his things, and you, Give him your horse. Not to worry My lord, they''re not stupid and they won''t run off with any of your things.¡±


    I gave them everything but my amplifier to carry.


    I mounted the provided horse and said to the men. ¡°Bring those to the keep.¡±


    ¡°Yes, My Lord¡± they responded in unison. They hefted the canvas sack as if he was carrying a newborn child.


    We headed to the entrance at a slow trot.


    ¡°So, is the gigantic flying monster your mount?¡± she asked awkwardly. Even a quarter mile away his massive form was dominating the horizon. The terrified glances the rest of the guards were throwing Baelathor every time he moved or was attracted to a sound was amusing.


    ¡°Yes, it''s called a wyvern. His name is Baelathor.¡±


    ¡°Not gonna lie, I thought I was marchin to my death when the cap sent me to investigate. The entire city thought it was ending times.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that''s expected. I''m sure you have heard about what happened at the capitol.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes. Everyone knows what happened. The damn elves tried to kill you, and the imperial family let it happen. Heard you paid the underworld back a hundredfold for Benny. I''m sorry about her.¡±


    Of course that''s how Denerif spun the story.


    ¡°It''s all right, tell me how things are in the Duchy?¡±


    ¡°Good enough. Things are calming down and trade is picking back up. And the repairs on the walls are almost finished. I even heard that Wigmore is recovering well under Baroness Velcor¡¯s leadership.¡±


    ¡°And Duchess Hearthaven?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s well I think, the Lords love her since she has opened up trade again and taxes are low. Her baronies are coming inline quickly. It''s funny all you have to do is make sure everyone is safe and have full bellies and they stop caring about how many died in the war.¡±


    What an interesting thought, I''ll keep that in mind.


    We passed through the gate with minor delay and headed to the keep. People trailed along pointing and whispering amongst themselves excitedly.


    ¡°You''ve been talked about for months. Some thought you fled the continent.¡±


    ¡°When I flew over the city, I thought it would be fear with which I was greeted. It seems to be the opposite, "I said.


    ¡°Well, you and the Duchess are¡­..friendly, are you not? And it''s already spreading that is your new mount after Noires death.¡±


    ¡°Ah. I see.¡± as I understood.


    In their eyes, I was here to see my lover, not destroy the city. No doubt Allyssia has been encouraging this idea. If they believed that I had some Infatuation for Allyssia, then that beast is not an enemy. I was well aware of her using our supposed connection as a tool to further her own ends. But it didn''t really matter to me, for every deal she made more coin was delivered to my account. Every noble lady she sent to me for cosmetic changes filled my pockets with gold. So let her play her game. If my plans for Moria are to be completed, then I would need massive amounts of capital.


    We passed through the noble quarter with much the same fanfare until we finally reached the keep. At the gates were Allyssia, Briannah, General Feyrun, and a light mage I didn''t recognize.


    On our approach Allyssia had a smile so wide it was mildly disconcerting on her beautiful face. There was a trail of nobility that was watching our precession.


    I dismounted and started to approach her. ¡°Moon, it is so good to see you safe. I am so sorry for the loss of your apprentice.¡±


    Surprisingly, she stepped forward and brought me into a hug that I didn''t return, pushing my face into her bosom. It was a good performance on her part. If I didn''t know her, I would have believed it. Outward demonstrations of affection like this is never done amongst the nobility. Though I assumed that it was just to banish any worries about the gigantic wyvern outside their walls.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you Allyssia, shall we talk, preferably without the audience.¡±


    Her eyes flicked to the watching nobles and whispered. ¡°Of course, just a few more seconds to send their tongues wagging.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we can have a meal. I have grown tired of dried meats and hardtack.¡±


    An hour later we were in the familiar gardens under a covered eating supper. Usually, I would be more elegant with my eating but three months of being on the road didn''t allow me to have proper food.


    Briannah, General Feyrun, Alyssia and I were all sitting around the table.


    After I had eaten almost the entirety of a Cornish hen. I finally felt like having a conversation.


    ¡°Do tell what has been happening in the empire while I''ve been missing.¡± I asked. As I took a gulp of my favorite spiced wine.


    Allyssia answered. ¡°Oh, you''re the talk of the empire, and the imperial family has quite the black eye from the entire affair. Once news of your latest beast spreads well those demanding your death will quickly grow silent. The rest of our friends were quite pleased with the situation. For now, they will play neutral.¡±


    Yes, this would cause a rift. With no allegiance to the elves and no friendship with the imperial family, my allegiance will play a significant role when the north and south start dividing.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°How did she die?¡± Briannah asked. This was the first time she had spoken.


    ¡°Massive intracranial hemorrhaging, from blunt force trauma to the head¡± I said. I said it so bluntly that Briannah slightly jolted.


    ¡°It was quick.¡± I added.


    General Feyrun asked. ¡°Now you have a beast of vengeance, yes. Do you intend on burning the capitol to ashes for the involvement of the imperial family?¡±


    He did not sound accusatory. Did I? I was still contemplating. My desire for retribution was warring with my logical mind. There would be so many things to lose if I simply attacked the capitol with full force.


    ¡°I''m considering. Their involvement can be attributed less to maliciousness and more to stupidity. But make no mistake that only extends to me not burning the capital to cinders. I would, without hesitation, kill those involved.¡±


    ¡°What about the elves involved?¡± Allyssia asked.


    I gave her a cold heartless stare; the same one I used when slaughtering the underworld.


    ¡°I will have their heads for this. Make no mistake, even if I have to burn that entire forest down.¡±


    She swallowed and said. ¡°I see. No less that they deserve.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have to go to the capitol to see Denerif. I''m sure he¡¯s busy compiling information. But before that I need a proper saddle for Baelathor, so I came here to find the one man I knew could do it.¡±


    ¡°So Baelathor is his name. Noire was an impressive beast, but this latest monster Is likely beyond any reasonable expectation.¡± Allyssia said.


    ¡°That is the point. No one can challenge that kind of power without major loss. I put a lot of effort into that creature.¡±


    Even now I still felt drained, but it was worth it. I think I now know how to safely pass the third threshold. But the sheer volume of life it would take to repeat what I did with Baelathor was not worth considering.


    "For now, fill me in on everything that happened in the empire while I was gone. "


    Half an hour later.


    Allyssia and I lounged in her own private baths, the ground-based tub could have held 10 people. It was beyond enjoyable to soak my bones. She has been extra attentive to me, even offering to wash my back and hair. Now we were in waist deep water enjoying the hot steam and sweet scent of flowers. The fantastic view of her body was a nice addition. She sat on the opposite side of the bath, eyeing me.


    ¡°You seem tired¡± she said.


    ¡°I am. Creating Baelathor was more draining than I had anticipated.¡±


    She crossed the distance between us, straddled my thighs and started to trail kisses along my brow, then cheek and then lips. She pulled back and looked me in the eye and said.


    ¡°Then you should rest, let us retire to my bed for the night. Tomorrow you can worry about such things.¡±


    I knew what she was doing but I couldn''t care less at the moment. I did need the rest. A few turns in bed with her then a deep meditation and I should be right as rain. Then I would plan and prepare.

 Book 2: Chapter 2: The Threat

    Umber was frankly terrified when he first met Baelathor. Granted, any sane individual would be. But with me here to keep him calm and constantly under control, there was no real danger; Other than accidentally being stepped on. It took well over an hour to get all the measurements needed for him to begin his work.


    We stood off to one side while Baelathor lazed in the sun, discussing what kind of saddle to create. Though we were having trouble figuring out how to keep the saddle stable.


    ¡°The spines!" Umber said as if he had stumbled upon a great epiphany.


    ¡°The spines?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, instead of creating a full harness like with Noire, we can use the spines as an anchor, though that would mean you would have to ride close to the base of the neck.¡±


    As long as I could fly without fear of falling off, I couldn¡¯t care less where it was attached.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bow to your wisdom; how long do you think it would take?¡±


    He rubbed his long beard, looked at his drawings and measurements again for a few minutes then answered. ¡°Two weeks, if I put a rush on it. I¡¯ll have to have my boys drop everything. But they won¡¯t complain about the gold.¡±


    His price was 750 gelding originally to do the job. To ensure that he did his best work, I offered him double, which he gladly accepted.


    Enchantments for leather were rather limited, only really extending to increasing its tensile strength, reducing wear and various environmental resistances. What was most important was resistance to heat, which would be necessary when Baelathor breathed fire.


    Eleven days Later.


    Umber worked as fast as he could to create the saddle. And with nothing else to do in Hearthaven, I spent time using the radiant orb to train the soldiers. With an almost 20 times overcharge I could get the healing to about 30% of a normal healing spell. The training area was littered with at least 50 floating orbs, allowing the soldiers to train under its light. One day we decided to push the men to train for over 16 hours. The only reason they stopped was mental fatigue. I took copious notes including how humans responded to the training, as well as how they were trained.


    I also spent time practicing enchanting. Swords, shields, armor, I don¡¯t know how much mithrite I used, but so long as the duchess was willing to provide it, I was willing to practice. I probably enchanted well over a hundred items by now. I sat in a makeshift enchanting workshop working on a set of full plate armor. Each set was usually around 20 individual metal pieces and took hours to properly enchant.


    Word got around that I was quite skilled, so officers and generals all brought me their armor to be enchanted. Allyssia of course paid for everything. Each metal plate had eight enchantments. Lighten, Anti-Tarnish, Acid Resistance, heat resistance, cold resistance, rust resistance, hardening and anti-magic. It took around 200 enchantments for a full set of plate armor, but the results were worth it. The end product was a full plate that weighed almost nothing and was resistant to most physical damage and slightly resistant to magic.


    I stood, appreciating the final full set that I had time for. I released a weak firebolt. Is splashed off the armor without even leaving so much as a scorch mark. I exited the guard¡¯s barracks and casually walked across the training fields. Soldiers would salute as I walked by, and I would usually return a curt nod. 50 Radiant orbs were littered across the field in a neat grid, while under the healing light the soldiers drilled like men possessed. Their commanders screamed at any soldiers that weren''t pushing as hard as possible. While under the light, injuries sustained didn¡¯t matter, the only barrier was the mind.


    Nalia, the same assistant from when I first stayed in the keep, spotted me, and ran over. She bowed then said. ¡°My lord it seems that Sir Umber has completed the saddle as per your request.¡±


    ¡®Finally,¡¯ I thought to myself. I have been growing impatient.


    ¡°Send word to the Duchess, she mentioned she wanted to see it attached to Baelathor.¡± I said.


    ¡°At once my lord.¡±


    An hour later.


    Myself, Allyssia, General Feyrun, and a dozen guards were standing off to the side in the field outside the city. Every one of them had a set of fully enchanted armor done by my own hand. Umber and six of his workers were working together to attach what was essentially a gigantic collar around the base of Baelathor¡¯s neck. To make sure that the collar stays secure, the spines along Baelathor¡¯s back were used as anchors. I would essentially sit where his neck and shoulders met. The saddle was large enough for several people. With secure handles for me to hold onto, there were a dozen mounting points for harnesses.


    While it was a rush order, Denerif still used mostly white leather to keep the entire thing both functional and aesthetically pleasing.


    ¡°It is an impressive beast.¡± Feyrun said.


    Baelathor was holding his massive neck a few feet above the ground for the workers to properly secure the collar.


    ¡°Agreed. If only I could be there to see the reaction from the capitol. Which reminds me; Denerif managed to send a letter for you.¡± Allyssia said. A guard walked over and handed me a sealed letter.


    ¡°Any idea of its contents?¡± I asked. Inspecting the plush purple envelope.


    ¡°No, with anyone else I would have had the seal discretely removed.¡±


    It¡¯s likely she already looked. But it¡¯s not as if calling her out on it would do anything.


    I open the envelope to reveal a letter. Unfolding the parchment I began reading.


    Dear Moon,


    The situation in the capitol is becoming rather complicated. The nobles are threatening to march south if you are not brought to heel. The tale of your new beast has reached the capitol. It is possible that Morianne would be forced to capitulate to their demands. The prince has fled and even with my vast resources I cannot locate him. So, I am left with the unfortunate task of asking you to forestall your vengeance on the prince for the moment. However, he cannot remain hidden forever, once the divide between the north and south begins he will be forced to show himself. That will be the opportune time to settle all accounts with him.


    The empire¡¯s armies and mages have been on full alert, though the tales of the size of your wyvern strikes enough fear that most want this dispute to end without violence. I¡¯m sure that you agree that complete destruction of the imperial capitol is not the best strategic move in this position. We can, however, use this to increase the power of our group.


    I propose that you fly to the capitol postering with the full intent to destroy and allow me to talk you down from the violence. I recommend approaching from the main gate to maximize the fear. This will place a significant amount of power in my hands, power that I can use in your efforts against the elves and any other endeavor you personally pursue.


    ¡°Here, take a look.¡± I said, handing the note to Allyssia.


    She spent a minute reading the letter before sighing and shaking her head.


    ¡°Denerif is quite the handful isn¡¯t he.¡± She said.


    ¡°Yes, he intends to be the sole route through which my interaction with the imperial family occurs; this will likely extend to the rest of the dukes. He will paint himself the hero that saved the city from destruction. With mere words, not the power of magic, he will prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands. From a situation that the imperial family helped create; Another blow to Morianne.¡±


    Allyssia giggled. ¡°Yes, I came to the same conclusion. If done right Denerif will gain substantial influence. But are you comfortable with giving him such power?"


    I decided to be straight forward. ¡°Is there any real difference to our relationship? You all gain in association with me. Besides, the power Denerif gains ends the moment I decide our relationship isn¡¯t to my benefit. He will owe me for this, and I intend to collect.¡±


    That was, in the end, Denerif¡¯s greatest weakness. His power came from his coin, the relationships he forged, and his allies. Potent, but ultimately it was external. Relying solely on others only creates a weakness that can be exploited.


    ¡°What price will you ask?¡± she had a more serious expression.


    ¡°Nothing too extraneous. We are, in the end, allies, and I don¡¯t mind him gaining some power from something I intended to do anyways.¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°As cryptic as ever, Moon. When do you intend to leave and do your business.¡±


    ¡°Two days from now. I intend to finish a few more enchantments on my new armor, and I might as well finish healing your new recruits, while finalizing the training program. I don¡¯t mind the practice.¡±


    Since I had become famous for healing any ailment. The blind, deaf, crippled or deformed were flocking to Hearthaven for healing. The price was to join her army for 10 years. Most hopped at the chance and she was filling out her numbers rather quickly. She was nearing seven thousand by my estimate and it was growing quickly. I didn¡¯t even care enough to check my account on how much she was paying me anymore. Though I was wondering If I had reached a million yet.


    ¡°I do wish I could be there to see the show, but I am far too busy with things here.¡±


    Umber and his men came over, looking satisfied with their work.


    ¡°I assume you¡¯re finished?¡± I asked.


    He bowed to the duchess. ¡°Yes, my lord, I dare say this is my greatest work.¡±


    ¡°And the schematics?¡±


    He reached into a satchel and pulled out a roll of parchment. Opening my carrying case I took it from him and put it next to my amplifier and the mage killer. It was a detailed drawing of how the saddle and collar was constructed. It will become useful in time.


    ¡°Excellent work Umber, I¡¯ll make sure to send you a handsome bonus.¡±


    He grinned and I shook hands with the bear of a man.


    ¡°It¡¯s a damned pleasure, just be sure to spread the word on who made that saddle.¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Of course, a master such as yourself deserves the recognition. And coin.¡±


    He gave me a sly smile in return. ¡°Well then, my lord, my lady. I will return to my work. I¡¯m sure requests have been piling up.¡±


    Allyssia gave him a nod of dismissal and he and his men left towards the city.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go test out the saddle.¡±


    With some humor in her voice, she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re anxious so enjoy your flight. I would join you, but Feyrun will keel over and die from the stress.¡±


    ¡°We can sneak off some other time. I¡¯ll probably be in the air for a few hours, so I''ll join you for supper later.¡±


    She gave me a kiss and returned to her advisors and guards. They surrounded her as they headed back to the city.


    Along the left side of the collar was a set of leather rungs that I could use to climb into the saddle. It was much faster than having Baelathor extend his wings so I could walk along it to his back. The saddle itself was larger and sturdier with handles to hold onto while flying. I attached the clasps to my armor¡¯s harness and ordered Baelathor. With only a slightly deafening roar he launched himself into the air. Picking up speed and gaining height rapidly.


    Umber¡¯s work was once again fantastic. I was securely attached to the saddle, the violent flapping to gain air not even causing the slightest creak in the leather harness.


    ¡°Alright Baelathor, let¡¯s see what you can do.¡±


    I commanded Baelathor to ascend as high as he could. 5000 feet, 10000 feet, 15000 feet. Finally, around 18,000 feet, I felt like Baelathor couldn¡¯t ascend any further. He was using a large amount of ether to sustain the flight. It was bitter cold, probably below freezing. The city was a little more than a speck from this height. It was eerily silent, save for the wind. My breathing became heavy from the reduction in oxygen. I would have spent hours at that height, admiring the endless horizon. But the cold was hurting my ears, and I started to shiver, so after a few minutes I decided to descend.


    With a grin I screamed, ¡°DIVE.¡±


    As if waiting for the command, Baelathor roared, tucked his wings in, and we fell like a rock. We rocketed toward the earth headfirst, at an almost 90-degree angle. It was thrilling and terrifying. The winds were ferocious as I clung to the saddle for dear life. Eventually we hit terminal velocity and at around 5000 feet we had to be pushing nearly 300 mph. I tucked myself as close to the saddle as possible as I prepared for the recovery.


    ¡°Pull up.¡± I commanded.


    With a pulse in the ether, massive enough to shock me, Baelathor snapped open his wings, pulling up. I underestimated how intense the g-forces would be. Try as I might to sustain consciousness, I blacked out slumping in the saddle.


    I jolted awake, staring at my surroundings before calming down. We were cruising at around a thousand feet over the great storm Veil Sea. Noting the position of the sun, I realized I probably was only out for a minute.


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll admit it. That was stupid, but hey, at least I know my limits now.¡± I said to Baelathor.


    He snorted in response, flame actually coming out of his nostrils.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t act like it wasn¡¯t fun. Come on, let¡¯s do some speed tests.¡± With a physics defying right turn we sped towards the Hearthaven docks.


    Over two hours later, we went in for a landing outside the city. Baelathor was only slightly faster than Noire, hitting a top speed I gauged to be about 250 miles per hour. Sustaining that speed, however, took far more energy than Noire. Either way, I was pleased with the results. Despite his massive size he could use Ether to perform maneuvers that by all logic should tear his wings off.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I spent a few hours in the sky enjoying the freedom. My mind eventually drifted to Benny, imagining how she would want to race our mounts or see who could dive the longest before pulling up. I smiled at the thought and signed.


    ¡®Benny is gone Moon. Best not to dwell on what was lost.¡¯ I thought to myself.


    Two days later.


    I spent the last two days finalizing the enchantments on my new armor and saddle, as well as the rest of the side work, I was doing for Allyssia. Instead of my usual leathers, I wore half plate. It was a combination of white leather armor with a steel breastplate, shoulder, arm, leg, and waist guards.


    Everything was fully enchanted to the best of my abilities. I was pressed for time, so I didn¡¯t bother to go with any elaborate decorations. Most of my other belongings such as Benny¡¯s armor, most of my Mithrite and etheric gems, were in Allyssia¡¯s vault. I completely built a new fire amplifier. After testing, it reached a 2.5x amplification. Now I have amplifiers for my primary and secondary affinities.


    My plan was rather simple: fly low over the city avoiding the walls. It¡¯s probably a good idea to show off Baelathor¡¯s flames and generally send the city into a panic. Then I would allow Denerif to talk me down. It took some practice, but I did manage to learn how to force my irises to expand similar to when I¡¯m enraged.


    We shall see how Morianne decides to react, part of me wants her to be stupid enough to try to kill me. Against her and her guards I might not be especially confident. But with Baelathor behind me, they don¡¯t stand a chance. I''ll give her an ultimatum and have Denerif convince me otherwise. Something along the lines of: Give me your brother and I won''t have Baelathor burn the city to the paving stones. Yes, that will do.


    Allyssia and I were standing close to Baelathor in quiet conversation.


    ¡°I likely will be heading towards the elves after I finish things in the capitol. More than likely I won¡¯t burn the city down.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°Not planning on showing the elves any mercy?¡±


    ¡°No, but from all I¡¯ve researched the forest is vast and I need information. If Denerif is half as intelligent as I think he is. The information is already prepared.¡±


    ¡°Very well then, make sure the princess squirms for me dear.¡± She said and pulled me in for a deep kiss before I climbed up the collar and latched myself into the saddle.


    I shouted at Allyssia. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again in a few weeks. I want you to arrange a meeting with the entire cabal. I have a proposal.¡±


    She raised a well-manicured eyebrow. ¡°I see it done. Do be sure to have fun.¡±


    First Princess Morianne Vendalia:


    Three months. Three months, it took for that damned knife ear to turn up. His very existence was causing me no end in problems. Every duke, baron, viscount, and hedge knight with even the smallest scrap if influence was demanding I put an end to him. But the fools couldn¡¯t feel his power and worse even my own royal guards with the exception of Fenris doubted my victory.


    If I was here while the attack was happening maybe there was a chance. But he had disappeared. Every mage knows that meant he was preparing. Now, I couldn¡¯t even guarantee the master mages would participate if a battle broke out.


    Now he has a new monster, Baelathor, he calls it. A ridiculous name from a children¡¯s story. Now instead of demanding his death, they want me to capitulate. None were saying it aloud, but I got the hint regardless. They want me to simply give up my brother so the elf could exact his vengeance. I almost killed the baron who mentioned that. As if the life of a single peasant, regardless of her magical power, was equal to that of an imperial prince.


    I rolled out of the uncomfortable bed and headed to a wash basin to splash a bit of water on my face.


    Then I heard it. A roar so loud, I felt it in my bones, it rattled the stones of the barracks, and I could just now hear screams. Marcus, one of my most trusted guards, burst into my room still in his night clothes.


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± he said.


    ¡°Assemble the royal guard, summon up the imperial mages and prepare for battle. And fetch Denerif.¡±


    He saluted and said, ¡°At once your grace.¡±


    I crossed the room to my Mithrite armor and began to prepare.


    We stood under the wall watching Moon¡¯s new monster. I¡¯ve killed full grown drakes, cockatrices, even a kraken. Nothing prepared me for the beast that now stalked the sky above my city. Massive was not the word to describe it.


    ¡°By old gods and new.¡± Marcus said, the master earth mage and veteran of five wars had fear in his voice.


    I could understand the sentiment. I had heard Baelathor was massive, but it was another thing to see it in person. Its gleaming white scales and blood red wing membrane was terrifying and beautiful.


    ¡°What is he doing?¡± Leanne, another one of my royal guards, asked no one.


    I watched as the creature which was currently over 5000 feet in the air tucked in its wings and dove towards the docks. Burning our ships? He opened his wings at the last moment and pulled a maneuver I know should be physically possible for a creature that size.


    ¡°Instilling fear in the populace.¡± I said. It¡¯s exactly the same thing I do from my dragon ship. Then it let loose the single most massive stream of fire I had ever seen. Even miles away from the docks I could feel its power. Not even Leanne, a master fire mage, could produce so much flame in a short time.


    ¡°Gods help us.¡± Marcus said.


    Damn that elf, this is what he wanted, the fear.


    ¡°What do we do, your grace?¡± Another guard asked with panic in his voice.


    ¡°Wait and watch. He didn¡¯t burn anything, just demonstrated Baelathor¡¯s, no, his power. So, he has another goal in mind.¡±


    We watched as the wyvern began flying across the city in a loose grid pattern. What is he looking for?


    Then I realized! He is looking for me. It has to be.


    ¡°Your grace.¡± A hated voice said from behind me.


    I turned around to see a smartly dressed Denerif. The peasant looked barely twenty-five, another one of Moon¡¯s abilities. If I didn¡¯t love my brother, I would throttle him for his stupidity.


    ¡°Are you prepared?¡± I asked.


    He wasn¡¯t even looking at me. Just staring wide eyed at the wyvern.


    ¡°Yes, your grace, though we will need to find an opportune place to have a conversation. I don¡¯t think there is anywhere in the city that creatures can land without causing significant damage.¡±


    ¡°Very well to the outer wall. I think I know how to attract his attention.¡± I said.


    Then I turned my attention to my royal guards and everyone else who were staring at the beast in terror.


    ¡°Everyone to the outer wall. Double time.¡±


    20 minutes later we were assembled outside the main gate, thousands of archers and hundreds of mages were inside the walls of the city waiting for my order to attack. I doubted they could do much. The imperial palace was under high security. A full three fourths of all the mages in the city were stationed there in preparation to defend the imperial family. Father refused to flee, but mother and the rest of my siblings were halfway across the continent with my brother.


    ¡°How do we get his attention?¡± Denerif asked.


    ¡°I will draw him here.¡± I said.


    As I finished speaking, I drew deep from my unique abilities, reached a hand into the air then released a massive bolt of lightning. It lit up the sky releasing deafening thunder. I kept it up for a few seconds before cutting off the ether. That lightning bolt would be enough to cripple a full-grown drake. Baelathor, however, was far more powerful and with Moon on his back, healing and defending, it was difficult to come up with a proper method of bringing it down permanently.


    The Wyvern turned around and headed towards the main gate at great speed.


    ¡°Ready yourselves. Denerif forward.¡± I ordered.


    He was the only one not in full armor, his calm demeanor disconcerting. Baelathor passed overhead, his massive wingspan blotting out the sun. He landed a few hundred feet away shaking the ground and causing a small amount of fear to crawl up my spine. Then the monster folded its wings and crawled toward us, reminding me of a bat. Its massive bulk destroyed the main road and tore up the ground as it approached. Each step shook the earth. Never have I seen an etheric beast this powerful.


    The wyvern was growling, a deep rumbling sound that I felt in my chest.


    ¡°Steady everyone.¡± I said, practically feeling the fear that was coming off them.


    Denerif stepped forward in front of us and fortunately the beast stopped its approach. Moon looked tiny when compared to the massive bulk of the wyvern. Moons tilted his head sideways as if confused then began to dismount.


    ¡°Sit.¡± He commanded, as if the beast was a dog.


    It did as commanded, pressing its body against the earth allowing Moon to climb down the collar and onto the ground.


    He was dressed for a battle, carrying three amplifiers and a fully enchanted set of half plate. The light amplifier was taller than he was and exceptionally powerful. He had the single most powerful radiant carapace I had ever seen. It was such a strange thing; he was both a delicate beauty and a terrifying monster. But I will not show any fear.


    Baelathor lifted its head watching over Moon as he approached, its long serpentine neck swaying as one or another of the soldiers caught its attention. Denerif was to my left and the entire 200-man force of mages were behind me with even more in the walls. All were ready to leap into combat at my command or at least, I hoped. I didn¡¯t dare look behind me lest their fear would seep into me. Where did he learn enchanting? And how did we miss that?


    His eyes were completely black with no shade of purple. A signifier that he was enraged. But the mocking smile he gave me as he approached was contrary.


    ¡°Well, well, well. The princess herself greets me. I have to say I am honored.¡± Moon said with genuine pleasure in his voice.


    Deneif looked like he was about to speak but I couldn¡¯t show fear at that moment, so I cut him off.


    ¡°What do you want Moon?¡± I asked.


    His jovial smile disappeared. ¡°It is not what I want, but who? And I¡¯m sure you know to whom I am referring. I am owed a debt, and I am here to collect. So, I ask. Where is he?¡±


    ¡°You know I cannot simply give you who you want. And if you had any intention of mass slaughter you would have already done so.¡± I needed to understand his motives. Something about this entire situation didn¡¯t feel right to me and I wasn¡¯t about to have Denerif speak for me unless I needed it.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I do detest mindless slaughter, so I decided to give you all a chance to hand over the guilty. One life is all it will take for this to end. Then the millions of people in the city can sleep safe and sound. I find that to be a bargain, do you not?¡± Moon said with a confident smile on his face.


    I stepped forward leaving only a few feet between us.


    ¡°You are smart enough to know that such a demand cannot be fulfilled. The loss of Benny was unfortunate, but perhaps you should turn your attention to the real culprits.¡±


    Suddenly his expression became as cold as ice and his eyes felt even more soulless than before. He stepped forward crossing the distance leaving only a few inches between us. I felt actual fear. How long has it been since I''ve been intimidated by someone''s power?


    ¡°Unfortunate. That is how you describe the results of your crime. The imperial family funds my assassination, then calls off the guards to fulfill another which leads to the death of my apprentice. Let me ask you, princess. Will you deny me justice? Are you a defender of murderers and criminals?¡±


    He summoned five circuits, radiant lances by the look of them. In response everyone behind me, including my royal guards summoned circuits as well. What was most concerning was the massive amounts of power flowing into the circuit. How did an elf with a little more than two years of experience manage to surpass the greatest mages in human history? I could only summon 3.


    The wyverns'' slow growl began to grow louder until it was deafening. The situation was becoming untenable. An accusation that I am a defender of murders and criminals would spread. It was too pointed a response. I began to summon lighting, concentrating it within my body.


    ¡°Perhaps I can provide some clarity.¡± Denerif said.


    At some point I got lost in anticipation of our impending battle. So was Moon since he looked over at Denerif as if he appeared out of nowhere.


    ¡°Speak.¡± Moon said, sounding mildly annoyed.


    ¡°You are working under the assumption that the Imperial family wants you dead, however I can assure you that that is not the case.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡± He said a little too loudly.


    Denerif looked at me as if asking permission to speak. Damn, he wants to reveal it to our audience, soon enough the entire city will know. I glanced at the five circuits then back to my troops; many were shaking from fear.


    Whether from the massive beast whose mouth was glowing, or the ridiculous amount of power Moon was funneling into those circuits I didn¡¯t know. I suppose we will have to deal with the disgrace. I gave Denerif a subtle nod.


    ¡°The first prince offered coin to a group of elves in exchange for knowledge, he was not aware of the intended purpose. Furthermore, when he ordered the guards removed from the noble quarter, he was also unaware until it was too late. In either case he did not specifically intend to have you, or your apprentice killed.¡±


    He handed Moon several pieces of paper. Likely proof of my brother¡¯s stupidity. After a few minutes he seemed to calm down.


    ¡°I see, though this does not mean he is innocent.¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t, but it does not make him a murderer. He was a tool used by more malicious forces. Your wrath is misplaced.¡±


    Moon seemed to be convinced and one by one the circuit slowly disappeared. My soldiers eventually followed suit. Even the wyvern began to calm down. And I could hear the relieved sighs from behind me.


    What he showed Moon was a combination of my own information and his research. Denerif assumed that if it came solely from me, Moon wouldn¡¯t believe it. He seemed to be correct, however, this situation felt off to me.


    Did Denerif really not have this information before Moon disappeared? If he did what was his game? This entire situation seems contrived. Prepared. Was he manipulating Moon for this very moment? Did Moon know? If that is the case is this entire thing a performance? If so, what is their purpose?


    To shame the imperial family? Make him more coin? I couldn¡¯t say for sure, either way a gut feeling wasn¡¯t enough to prove anything. I sighed. Maybe I¡¯m just upset that I have to capitulate to a knife ear. Even if my guess was true, I would never find any proof. Denerif was that meticulous.


    ¡°Very well Denerif. I¡¯ll stay my hand. Baelathor, go find something to eat. I can hear your stomach from here. And don¡¯t eat any humans.¡±


    The beast made a chuffing noise before turning away from us and taking to the air, kicking up a massive amount of dust and debris as he left. The main road behind him was destroyed by his massive weight. I dissipated the electricity in my body, sensing that the possibility for conflict was over.


    ¡°May I assume we have an accord.¡± I asked, mostly for the benefit of the people behind us, I¡¯m sure this conversation is going to spread like the plague.


    ¡°Yes, for now we will have peace. Rest assured no vengeance will fall on your family or the citizens. Of course, I expect a proper apology, preferably in the form of magical items. I''m sure the imperial family will honor my mercy.¡± Moon said, staring at me, loud enough so that everyone would hear. his eyes returned to normal.


    ¡°It will be done; I expect you will pay for the repairs to the imperial road since we are in accord.¡±


    ¡°That is acceptable.¡±


    I gave him another piercing stare, not liking the satisfied expression on his face. I will have to wait and investigate their relationship more thoroughly. Now was not the time for direct confrontation. Moon the light mage was now a player on the imperial scale.


    ¡°Stand down. The danger has passed,¡± I shouted to the mages.


    ¡°Thank the gods.¡± I heard one woman say. It felt strange being on the other side of this. Usually, I was the mage too powerful to be held down by laws and courts. It feels almost as if karma was finally getting the better of me. The gods only knew what would happen if Moon decided to unleash that beast. How many would have died? Would the elves sit still? Would Braken remain in their place while the empire is in turmoil? Too many things stood to go wrong. For now, I must cajole and bargain.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, Denerif. Should we have some supper? I¡¯m in the mood for a fine steak with a sweet red wine.¡± Moon said to Denerif. I wanted to throttle the elf for casually discussing dinner plans while I had to deal with this mess.


    We made eye contact one last time before I disappeared with my army into the city to inform father of the developments. And find something to give him as a suitable apology. Something was going on here that I wasn¡¯t seeing, and I intend to find out.


    Moon Solaris:


    We entered Denerif¡¯s manse sometime later and had steak and wine for supper. We sat at the table in his wine room halfway through the meal.


    ¡°That was much easier than I thought it would be.¡± I said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so surprising, you wouldn¡¯t believe how much pressure she was under to solve the problem that was you. Even more than the pressure she was under to marry.¡± Denerif seemed more than pleased with the events.


    ¡°Though there is a slight problem, I know humans follow primogeniture with a preference for males. But I doubt after the first Prince''s blunder, he will remain heir for long. She could become a problem for us if she becomes the empress.¡±


    Denerif chuckled as if I was missing something. ¡°It would potentially, but we stand to gain much more.¡±


    How exactly is giving the most powerful human mage control of the empire benefit us?


    ¡°Explain.¡± I said.


    ¡°Ruling the empire is not as glamorous as it appears. She will have to deal with the dukes, disputes between families, managing relations with Braken and the eastern kings. And she will have to marry which means the dukes will be fighting for themselves or their own sons to be her consort. The process could spark conflict we need but add oil to the fire to weaken them.¡±


    I began to understand his game, ¡°Ahhh, I see. She will be trapped in the capitol, forced to placate the nobility. While we have freedom to move about the empire as we see fit. None of the dukes on our side have made any outward shows of friendship other than Allyssia whom I''m currently in a relationship with, so she gets all the attention while being untouchable through our connection.¡±


    We shared a smile as if plotting the downfall of an empire was a fun game. ¡°Yes. No other human mage can match her power. But that matters little when she cannot leave the capitol. For the next few years, our allies intend to accelerate recruitment and build our forces.¡±


    I finished his thoughts. ¡°And we do it all under the guise that they are preparing for an attack by me.¡±


    Denerif had a genuine smile as he said. ¡°Thus, an empire will fracture.¡±


    As enjoyable as it was to terrify an entire city, the real reason I came back to the capitol was information.


    ¡°What have you learned about the elves involved?¡±


    Denerif clapped twice and a servant came in carrying a stack of papers. Apparently, he was waiting for me to ask. Leafing through it, I found information on Lite¡¯Havn or Lum¡¯nar. And the names of dozens of elves who had some involvement.


    ¡°Where did you get this information?¡±


    ¡°My man in Taybor, the trading town near Isran. he has decent connections with elves in Isran. The only problem is finding the locations of their clans. No maps of Isran exist and there is some odd magic that makes navigation difficult. So, you will have to find that information on your own. Humans are strictly banned from traversing the forest.¡±


    I thought about what to do then decided. ¡°I will travel to Taybor and interrogate the elves there. No doubt that I''ll draw attention and clan Noct¡¯hrum well get involved. From there I will convince them to give me the location of Lum¡¯nar and Lite¡¯Havn so I can exact justice. Even if they don''t talk, I''m sure I¡¯ll garner the attention of others who will be more than happy to aid me. The queen herself might even step in.¡±


    Then I had a thought ¡°What of the elves in the city?¡±


    ¡°Everyone with even the slightest link to Lite¡¯Havn or Lum¡¯nar has left and with the repairs from your battle still ongoing it''s likely best to not stir the pot at the moment. Morianne was willing to give me all the information her brother had, and that is what you are currently reading.¡±


    So, I¡¯ll have to do the rest on my own. So be it. There were 36 names from the two clans and every one of them will die unless I find any conflicting information. We will just have to see how much I have to destroy before they give me what I want.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head there tomorrow. For now, tell me what you know about the island of Moriah.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 3: The Queen

    It took a little over five hours to reach the edge of Isran. I was about 10,000 feet in the air, and from what I can see the forest stretched on infinitely. The tree canopy was so dense that I couldn¡¯t see the forest floor. The trees themselves were massive, some reaching hundreds of feet into the air. I had largely memorized the map of the continent, so it was easy to navigate using the sun and landmarks. But with the forest there were none, or at the very least none that were on the map. Even after roughly a hundred miles into elven territory, there was nothing to be seen, just endless trees. So, Taybor it is.


    Taybor was the only human settlement within 50 miles from the edge of the forest. So, if I was going to find any elves, or at least attract elven attention, it would be there. A man named Kent was the headman, also Denerif¡¯s source of information. I would speak to him, perhaps he would have ideas. I flew along the edge of the forest for a quarter hour before I spotted the small settlement.


    It was little more than a small village with a wooden palisade. There were around 30 homes and a few larger buildings that were likely inns or warehouses. From what I knew only tradesmen lived in this town. I passed directly overhead noting that it was only slightly larger than Baelathor¡¯s wingspan. A few people where entering the village on foot and as soon as they saw me it became a mad dash.


    I banked around to the entrance for a landing outside the town. I assembled my amplifier and recast radiant carapace. Even though I was a few hundred feet away I could see men on the walls nocking arrows. There was no point in carrying the elven sword anymore, so I kept it in one of Baelathor¡¯s large saddlebags.


    ¡°Say outside the city until I order otherwise.¡± I said to Baelathor. He chuffed and laid down to bask in the morning sun. He was a lazy beast at times.


    After adjusting my armor, I climbed down the collar and made my way to the town. I walked along the dirt path to the gate, which was closed. A few men were aiming bows at me. They wore little more than randomly colored gambesons and leather trousers.


    ¡°State your business elf.¡± One man shouted down at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to see Kent, open the gate. If I intended harm this village would be little more than rubble.¡±


    ¡°The headman ain¡¯t seeing no one and we got no word of elves comin.¡± The man said.


    I had to say I was impressed; one would think the gigantic monster sitting outside the town would be enough for them to give me what I wanted. But some people were that stupid. I held up my left hand, cast an air blast and blew apart the main gate. It wasn¡¯t particularly strong, just enough to allow me to enter. Men dove to the ground. Some arrows were fired at me but most missed and one bounced off my shield. I walked calmly into the main square of the town. I was met with over a dozen guards all in poor armor. Other than the men, the streets were barren.


    ¡°Stand down, stand down.¡± A voice from behind them shouted. The terrified men sheathed their swords.


    A young man elbowed his way through the line of guards. He was decently dressed, In a fine red tunic with short cut brown hair and a hairless face.


    He came over to me, eyeing the glowing staff and with a respectful bow said. ¡°My apologies Lord Moon, I didn¡¯t know you were arriving.¡±


    He made a small gesture to the rest of the men behind him and they followed suit, bowing to me. Satisfied that there was no point in terrorizing them anymore, I disassembled my staff and placed it in my carrying case. Everyone seemed to take that as the danger passing.


    ¡°It''s fine Kent, I¡¯m sure you know why I¡¯m here.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    I could see humans in simple wooden houses looking through windows and cracked doors, cowering in fear of what might be happening.


    ¡°Do you have a place we can talk privately?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord, we can talk in my home.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡± I said.


    The streets were lined with abandoned stalls, some with fresh produce or other simple goods. I suppose everyone fled inside the many wooden buildings.


    At the top of his voice Kent shouted. ¡°It¡¯s alright everyone. It was a simple misunderstanding. No danger will befall anyone.¡±


    At his proclamation, a few humans started exiting the buildings and a few minutes later we entered a two storied wooden home. He opened the door for me. It was decently furnished, with furniture made more for longevity and comfort than beauty. As soon as we walked through the door we were met by a heavily pregnant black-haired woman, in a simple yellow dress.


    ¡°Darlah my dear, this is Lord Moon,¡± he said awkwardly.


    She looked me up and down as if she recognized me. ¡°The Lightbearer?¡±


    ¡°The same.¡± I said to her.


    Then I turned my attention to Kent. ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Uuhhh, Darla fetch us a meal would you. Perhaps we can speak in my study.¡±


    His study was little more than a small room with a desk stacked high with papers. I took a seat in front of his desk, and we began to talk.


    ¡°I have heard that elves come to this town for trade, yet I have not seen any.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, my lord, however they only come once every few days and leave within the hour.¡±


    ¡°Do you have an idea on when they will arrive again?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They are likely due tomorrow. They usually arrive as soon as the sun rises.¡±


    ¡°Any names worth knowing.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t give names, they just come with products. Furs, jewelry, cloth, amongst other things. The merchants buy everything up and sell it south for a profit. Though I was able to determine that most of the elves are from clan Aelv¡¯oth. Since the rest consider it beneath them to trade with humans.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that explains their wealth.¡± I said remembering Denerif¡¯s words about clan Aelv¡¯oth.


    ¡°Quite so.¡±


    His wife came in with two bowls of stew and fresh bread. She stood off to once side as if waiting for a command. I signaled her to leave. It was disrespectful to dismiss a man¡¯s wife in his own home, but I didn¡¯t care about pleasantries.


    ¡°Tell me all about the trade with the elves and what they usually ask in return. Also, I need a place to sleep. Are there any Inns?¡±


    ¡°I have a guest room upstairs, much better than any inn in Taybor. It would be my honor to house you for the night.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°Very well, my thanks for the consideration.¡±


    We spent the next two hours discussing the trade with the elves. Everything from how the town began, to how profitable it was to sell elven made items in the southern duchies. They almost exclusively asked for gold or rare metals in return. With so many traders coming and going, a small town sprang up with humans offering goods and services to the tradesmen.


    My room was small but comfortable. It had a small bed and a desk. The bed itself was soft and the pillows were stuffed with feathers. What it lacked in opulence it made up for in comfort. I looked out the small window at the town. The sun was down and most of the humans were heading to their homes for the night.


    I stared out the window for an hour, my thoughts constantly churning about what to do before I noticed a shift in the ether. Flipping my sight into the ether I noticed a singular elf standing in the street, staring at me through the window. I shrugged, opened it, and sat on my bed, waiting. A minute later there was another small pulse and the elf climbed through. She made a small movement with her hand and some kind of barrier formed around us.


    Then Endali deactivated her cloak.


    ¡°Nice to see you again Endali, you came faster than I expected. What is this barrier?¡± I said shifting my gaze out of the ether. She looked the same as when I last saw her. The barrier itself was invisible outside the ether.


    ¡°It blocks sound. And I have been waiting for your arrival.¡± She said.


    ¡°Since you expected me to turn up here. You must know what I want.¡±


    She didn¡¯t speak to me as if I was a child anymore, so it was reasonable to assume she was finally learning. ¡°Yes, but I must know more. How much blood will satisfy your desire.¡±


    ¡°I want the heads of every elf involved. Especially the matriarchs. None will walk away from this.¡± I said calmly.


    ¡°It seems Sianna was right.¡± She said to herself.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°You will not stop until everyone is dead.¡± She didn¡¯t seem to have any real emotion on the matter.


    ¡°That much is obvious to anyone who knows me. Now I have to ask, are you an ally in my cause or an enemy.¡±


    She gave me a long searching look then said. ¡°That is for Sianna to decide. It is her I serve. If your apprentice was an elf, then most would see you as justified. But with her being a human, none would agree with you taking the lives of anyone involved, much less a matriarch. However, those matriarchs were guilty of trying to kill you, so a dual to the death with the matriarchs responsible can be arranged. Once the dual is completed then the dept is settled.¡±


    Of course. That is how the elves would view Benny¡¯s death. She was just a human to them.


    ¡°Is this your words or the queen¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°It is both. Much thought was given to how to maintain stability while still exacting justice.¡± Endali said.


    ¡°So, let me get this straight. Since my apprentice was a lowly human, she does not deserve justice?¡± I asked.


    She looked almost ashamed to say. ¡°In the eyes of the matriarchs no. the only justice they would approve of is the slight against you.¡±


    ¡°Does your queen share this view?¡±


    She was silent for a few seconds before she answered. ¡°Given the fragility of the elven coalition she would side with the matriarchs on their decision about Benny. The deaths of the attackers would be sufficient justice in their eyes.¡±


    I laughed; a full belly laugh that lasted for a minute. Endali seemed surprised but said nothing as I calmed down.


    ¡°Elven hubris is impressive.¡± I said in English. Edali¡¯s ears twitched at the unfamiliar language.


    I used telekinesis to bring over my amplifier case and pulled out the parchment with the list of suspects. Then I handed it to Endali.


    ¡°These are all the names my people have managed to compile about who was involved. How accurate is it?¡±


    Endali looked it over for a minute then said. ¡°There are a few more names to add, but it is quite accurate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll offer an alternative, since you damn elves don¡¯t understand me. I will take the heads of everyone involved and the heads of anyone who tries to stop me. If you do not help me, I will torture the information out of any elf I can find. If I don¡¯t get the information, then I will burn that forest to the ground. It will take weeks, but I¡¯m willing. You dare stand in front of me and tell me the death of my apprentice is not worth justice. The only thing you have accomplished here is proving that no elf can be trusted, especially your queen. ¡°


    I wanted to make it clear that I was not a lightweight. So, I decided to do something I haven¡¯t done in a long time and started to gather ether in my chest similar to when I try to cast daylight. I gathered a truly monstrous amount of ether, more than any master level spell. Endali, I knew could feel the power gathering. It was enough to turn the entirety of Taybor into a molten ruin ten times over.


    A shiver ran through Endali, and her eyes widened as she realized that the power didn¡¯t stop growing. Her breathing quickened and a small bead of sweat ran down her brow.


    ¡°Did you really think I would agree to this token gesture? This insult? Is elven arrogance so vast that it blinds your common sense? Did you think that etheric beast was created without purpose?¡± I really considered killing her in that moment.


    ¡°Perhaps I spoke in haste.¡± She forced out, as if she could barely breath.


    She took a deep breath and continued. ¡°Before you do anything rash would you be willing to speak to the Queen.¡±


    ¡°What difference would that make?¡± I asked.


    ¡°In extreme cases an entire clan can be exiled for the crimes of the matriarch. It is difficult to convince the other matriarchs, but it is possible. That will guarantee all involved will be avenged.¡±


    Now that was decent, but I still wasn¡¯t satisfied. First, she insults me with this token gesture. Now I must wait for permission to exact justice.


    Nonsense.


    ¡°No, I will do nothing on your terms. Let all the clans see me as an enemy then, for I will not ask for permission to avenge my apprentice. Its best if you¡­¡±


    Endali fell to her knees, her head touching the floor. It was such a surprising move that I cut off my speech mid-sentence. I didn¡¯t really know how to respond to this.


    ¡°Before you do anything I beg of you to speak to the queen. One day is all I ask.¡± She didn¡¯t raise her head.


    Endali was antient by human standards. The elven coalition was a matriarchy and male weren¡¯t expected to speak or act above a female. But here was a matriarch bowing to a male who most considers to be a child. It must shame her to her core to be reduced to this.


    I enjoyed it immensely. But I had to consider the best approach here. What do I really gain from indiscriminate killing and what do I stand to lose. I couldn''t let my apprentice¡¯s death go unanswered, nor would my pride allow me to take vengeance on their terms. Then there were my other ambitions to consider.


    I thought about it for a few moments, considering every possible angle. Then settled on a decision. If they can provide me with the heads of everyone involved, then I would not slaughter them by the thousands. In the end it will be their choice. But I needed something more, something to justify seeking vengeance on their terms. I''ll let her twist in the wind for a time, no point in letting the fear I had created be for nothing. I dissipated the energy within my body, and I could see the tension in Endali easing.


    ¡°Rise.¡± I said.


    Endali stood a released a breath she was holding.


    ¡°Where is your queen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A week¡¯s travel by sur''an.¡±


    ¡°Sur''an?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Deer.¡±


    So, elves travel by deer? No thank you.


    ¡°Do you think you can navigate to her by the sky?¡± I asked.


    ¡°On your mount? Easily.¡±


    ¡°I can cross the forest from the east coast to the west in eight hours. How long do you think it would take to reach your queen?¡±


    She did some metal calculation. ¡°Two hours at most.¡±


    ¡°Very well let''s go.¡±


    ¡°You have the gratitude of clan Noct¡¯hrum, for the generosity you have shown today." Endali said with a bow, sounding genuine. Then she glanced about the room with a curious expression.


    "Do you wish to inform your host of your departure?¡±


    A looked at her curiously, ¡°Why would I?¡±


    Endali shrugged, came over to me and placed a finger on my armor. I felt a pulse of ether flow over me but little else. From the ether I could see the spell flowing around me. I could break it with a little will. Then she opened the window and leapt out, falling two stories without so much as a roll to halt her landing.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Go ahead, leap.¡± Endali said to me in a low whisper.


    I shrugged, grabbed my things, tossed 50 gelding from my coin purse on a small table and leapt out the window. The instant I was airborne my weight decreased, and I fell to the ground much slower than normal. As soon as I made contact my weight returned.


    ¡°Interesting magic.¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, that is nothing.¡± She touched my chest once more and another pulse of ether flowed through me.


    ¡°Follow as fast as you can.¡± Then she sprinted off towards the gate far faster than normal. I followed her running faster than possible. My feet felt light, it was less running, more massive leaps alternating from one foot to the other. Once I got the hang of it, I could sprint as fast as a galloping horse. Then Endali leapt over the 15 feet tall palisade. Trusting that whatever magic would work for me I leapt. Flying over the palisade I overshot it by at least 5 feet and landed in a crash on the other side. But again, while airborne my weight wasn¡¯t as large, so the impact barely even phased me.


    Endali chuckled as I got to my feet. ¡°It does take some practice.¡±


    I dusted my armor off. ¡°Such strange magic, but at least I know how they kept up with my horse.¡±


    ¡°Feather weight in combination with air nullification makes for fast movement.¡±


    Come to think of it I didn¡¯t feel any air while running.


    ¡°Interesting, come lets head to Baelathor.¡±


    It took only a minute before we reached the massive sleeping beast.


    ¡°Wake up you lazy oaf.¡± I said in English.


    She gave the wyvern a once over, appreciating its size and power.


    ¡°It is formidable, and you control it without difficulty?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, though he can be lazy at times.¡±


    Baelathor brought his massive head over examining Endali. He took a few sniffs and brought his massive eyes closer to get a look. Endali pulsed in the ether before it dissipated. I could have told him to stop, but I wanted her to squirm. The fear he inspired was almost primal, not even Endali with her centuries of experience could stop herself from taking a step back when he opened his massive maw.


    I climbed up his collar and got a spare harness from his saddle bags.


    ¡°Here put this on.¡± I said, throwing it to her. I mentally commanded Baelathor to stop bothering her.


    She quickly figured out what it was and strapped on the harness. She leapt onto the saddle, sat behind me, and figured out where to attach the buckles.


    ¡°It is a clever construction.¡± Edali said while she examined how the collar was attached to Baelathor.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass on the complement. Now are you ready for your first flight.¡±


    She wrapped her arms around me. ¡°Indeed, do impress me.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like how much I enjoyed her voice in my ear. With a mental command Baelathor leapt into the air. His wings flapped violently to gain height. Endali hugged me tightly before she loosened her grip. We climbed rapidly, it was a cloudless night and only one moon was out. The air was chilly but comfortable. While I prefer morning and evening flights, the sky was no less beautiful. I had to take a few moments to appreciate the ocean of stars.


    ¡°This is likely your greatest gift, to fly amongst the clouds is a dream.¡± Endali released me and looked around, absorbing the view as we climbed higher.


    ¡°I agree. I¡¯ve flown hundreds of times, yet I never tire of the sight. To go anywhere at any time. It¡¯s a kind of freedom most would never understand. It would take a little over a day to fly from the northern tip of the continent to the south.¡±


    She didn¡¯t speak for several minutes too, absorbed in the sight was we climbed over 5000 feet,


    ¡°Is it difficult to create this beast?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Baelathor, yes. Noire not so much.¡±


    I slowed our spiraling accent to give her a few minutes to get used to the feeling of flying. The first flight is always the most jarring. After several minutes she said. ¡°Head north.¡±


    We flew for close to 20 minutes before she made me change direction. I couldn¡¯t understand what she was using to navigate since one massive patch of forest looked the same as another. We flew for over three hours with small corrections in my direction. I suspect that she was purposely extending the journey to spend more time in the air.


    ¡°We are close.¡± She said to me.


    I couldn¡¯t see anything, just forest. Then she touched the side of my head and suddenly a castle appeared in the distance. It was similar to Arlathan, just about a fifth the size with only a single tall spire in the center. There was no outer wall, though some of the forest was cleared for gardens. There was a large clear area a small distance away from the castle where Baelathor could land. It was almost a perfect circle.


    ¡°I suppose I should land there¡± I said to Endali.


    ¡°Yes, it is a training area, and it appears no one is currently using it.¡±


    ¡°It will be a tight landing.¡±


    Baelathor flew low, brushing against the tree canopy before snapping his wings out, slowing his speed and dropping a hundred feet to the ground. A 2000-ton creature falling from even a small height sounded like an explosion. The training area was only slightly larger than he was in terms of length.


    ¡°Good boy. As a treat we''ll head out to coast for you to get some whales.¡± I said to Baelathor.


    Endali chuckled. ¡°You treat this monster as a pet.¡±


    Baelathor chuffed in offence. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her, she just doesn¡¯t understand you like I do.¡±


    Sensing that spells she used were still active, I unlatched myself and leapt off Baelathor. I was beginning to enjoy not worrying about gravity. Endali did the same. It was then I sensed the hundreds of elves emerging from the trees. Males, females, young, old, one female was carrying an elven baby. It had funny looking floppy ears and was smaller than a human baby by about a third. I was struck by the strange sight. They wore simple robes of the same dark blue as Endali¡¯s armor.


    Their eyes flicked from me to Baelathor constantly.


    ¡°Moon, may I introduce most of clan Noct¡¯hrum.¡± Endali said. Every elf bowed, even the ones holding children.


    ¡°Greetings.¡± I said casually.


    ¡°So, what now.¡± I whispered to Endali, not entirely comfortable with the hundreds of unblinking eyes trained on me.


    Endali said something to them and many of them chuckled. Then they started to disperse, leaving only a few behind, one of which I recognized.


    ¡°Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t my dear old friend Lilian. It''s good to see you again.¡± I said with genuine joy. Mostly because she was a familiar face.


    She had a small smile on her face as she said. ¡°It is good to see you as well.¡±


    The other two elves I didn¡¯t recognize.


    ¡°This is my daughter and heir Leithani and my son Numar.¡± Endali said.


    They both had the same red hair and dark green eyes as Endali. They were practically twins since the robes the elves wore didn¡¯t emphasize their gender. It would be impossible to tell which was which, but somehow, I intrinsically knew.


    ¡°Greetings Moon, it is a pleasure to have your acquaintance.¡± They said in unison. Their imperial common sounded overly formal, as if they were still learning.


    Elves didn¡¯t shake hands, so I didn¡¯t really know where to go from here. So, I turned my attention back to Lilian.


    ¡°So, I''m finally in elven lands, mind showing me around?¡± Everyone shared awkward glances at each other. I rolled my eyes and waited for them to figure out what ever was the problem.


    ¡°I shall. Lilian will accompany us.¡± Endali said.


    The siblings gave Lilian a tense stare before a word from Endali in elven cut off whatever was happening.


    I shrugged, not really caring. Then Endali offered me her elbow, I shrugged again and wrapped an arm around. We headed to the small castle, passing through a thicket of trees before exiting into the gardens.


    Elves watched us the entire time, staying a respectful distance. ¡°So are you curious about what happened with the company.¡± I asked Lilian.


    ¡°No, that is behind me now.¡± She said a bit too quickly. She was certainly acting strange.


    ¡°So, what is life in the clan Noct¡¯hrum like Endali.¡± I asked.


    ¡°It is a simple life. We train our skills and contribute to the protection and safety of elven kind. We specialize in stealth and subterfuge.¡±


    ¡°How is it that you serve the queen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Our clan always has and always will.¡± She said cryptically.


    ¡°So, you all live in the castle?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Most, however some mated couples choose to live in one of the great oaks or constructed dwellings.¡±


    We passed through the garden and I noticed a few elven children playing. They ran and skipped through the plant sculptures, with more agility and speed that a human could achieve at that age. The sculptures themselves were made of a dense bush that seemed to be grown into various shapes. Some were geometric, others were symbols I couldn''t recognize.


    The children were odd to look at, some had ears that flopped about as they ran. So, I guess that the cartilage would stiffen as they grow older.


    Some elves were practicing sword play while others were modeling plants into varies shapes. It was strange how active they were even though we''re in the dead of night. The moon and several magical glowing orbs were the only thing that provided light.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Endali asked me.


    ¡°It is strange.¡± I said honestly.


    ¡°These are your people, Moon. It is humans that are strange.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡®What was the reason for her exile? And how did she return?¡¯ I wondered.


    I garnered unending attention and by the time we reached the entrance to the castle, a small crowd was following behind. They chatted and gossiped but none of it I understood. Endali chased them off with a word. They didn¡¯t walk, talk, or act in any way that reminded me of humans. Sometimes they rarely touched each other and other times their greetings were incredibly intimate. I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of it. Much less that I couldn¡¯t understand the language.


    I whistled as we passed into the keep. The doors were open and there were no guards. The walls were high, and I could appreciate the architecture without the unending decoration humans usually had plastered on the walls. It was all seamless smooth white stone. Actually, it reminded me of the stone spheres that the elves used to block my sun spell.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how this is constructed¡± I said.


    ¡°It is grown using magic¡± Endali said.


    I shrugged, not really surprised.


    ¡°So, where is this queen. My anticipation is mounting.¡±


    ¡°She will see you in her rooms.¡± Endali said, not looking at me.


    We walked through the halls, occasionally running to elves who bowed respectfully; we went up several flight of stairs before we reached the highest point in the central tower. Then we stopped in front of the master rooms.


    ¡°This is where we must leave you, as the queen wishes to speak to you privately.¡± Endali bowed and released my arm.


    ¡°Very well, Lilian we should catch up after words.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything, just bowed, and left, leaving me with Endali and her children. Not exactly the reunion I was expecting.


    ¡°Worry not about her, the shame of her exile has yet to pass, but time will heal the wound.¡± Endali said.


    Then she opened the door for me. ¡°Queen Sianna is inside.¡± Endali said.


    I walked in expecting Endali to follow, but the door shut behind me. The first thing I noticed was the books, they lined the walls, numbering in the thousands. And no furniture beyond small cushions and tables which were stacked with books, papers, and scrolls. It was a large circular room with a single window that dominated the view about 150 feet in diameter. A large circle cushion was placed in front of the window and there sat Queen Sianna.


    She eyed me as I crossed the room. She wore white robes and looked exactly the same as my dreams. White hair, purple eyes, stunningly beautiful. Perhaps I¡¯m a narcissist, but it was like I was looking in a mirror, just with my gender flipped. Though her eyes tilted a bit more than mine and her ears were slightly larger. But that wasn¡¯t what was most concerning. She was powerful. More powerful than Morianne, perhaps even slightly more powerful than I was. Those large purple eyes tracked me as I crossed the room, unblinking.


    Once I reached her, I didn¡¯t really know what to say. She was sitting in the center of the large cushion with several books littered around her.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person.¡± She said. I had expected a lower voice like Endali and Xalia but hers was a higher pitch, like bird song.


    ¡°Likewise, I¡¯ve heard much about you.¡± I said.


    ¡°Would you prefer to sit¡± she said while gesturing to a clear space in front of her.


    ¡°Very well.¡± I joined her on the cushion.


    ¡°So, I am finally here, though not under the best of circumstances.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, I would have preferred if you came in friendship, but fate seems a cruel mistress.¡±


    ¡°I suppose, you know what I want. Though Endali seems to think you can convince me otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Blood and Vengeance. A worthy cause for the murder of an apprentice.¡± She said.


    Strange, Endali seemed to suggest that Sianna wouldn¡¯t share this opinion. Was her prostration planned? It¡¯s possible, but the fear I felt from her was real.


    ¡°That is my thought. and nothing will sway me from this path. Now unless you have something to convince me otherwise, this meeting will be short and pointless.¡±


    She smiled looking me up and down. I¡¯m not sure how I¡¯m supposed to take that.


    ¡°Yes, I believe you could with that beast of yours and the power you clearly wield. However, there is a slight problem.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    ¡°Without an approval of combat from the matriarchs, the death of Xalia, Boriel and those involved will be seen as murder. As you are still living their deaths would not be equal. This gives the rest freedom to act against you without repercussion.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°If they are willing to die then let them or are you planning to intervene in a fight against me.¡±


    She held my gaze unwavering. ¡°If I must, then I will. A fight with you would mean the death of thousands. Unlike humans we cannot replace those numbers easily.¡±


    I looked at her from within the ether. Confirming what I already suspected, she was incredibly powerful and fighting her is not a guaranteed victory. But I have no intention of fighting fairly, after all she just revealed a weakness.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing dear queen, I don¡¯t care much about the elves so the death of one or a thousand means little to me. So, if it comes down to it and you all decide to attack me. Baelathor will kill your weak defenseless. How long do you think it will take to break through my barriers as well as my stamina? How many thousands will die to my beast before you can take me down. Worst yet if I die, who will control him.¡±


    A smile started to form across my face as I noticed the smallest twitch in her eyebrow. So, I continued. ¡°A single thought is all it would take, and that beast will go on a rampage.¡±


    I mentally commanded Baelathor. Almost immediately, even from half a mile away, the sound of his roar was deafening. I do hope no one was standing too close.


    ¡°I put a lot of effort into making that beast as powerful as possible.¡±


    She gave me a searching look. I was unsure what she was looking for, but I was dead serious.


    ¡°How about an alternative, you are known for your deals and never breaking them.¡± She asked.


    The fact that her tactics immediately changed was enough for me to assume that her confidence in her victory against me dropped.


    ¡°What exactly can you offer me that I don¡¯t already have or that I can¡¯t simply take.¡± I was smug, since I couldn¡¯t think of anything that she could offer me nor was a token gesture satisfactory. If I am to limit my vengeance, then I need something of true value in return. Elven magic I suppose but I honestly wasn¡¯t as interested is I was before.


    ¡°Your memories.¡±


    I went from arrogant to dead faced as soon as she spoke.


    ¡°I have it on reasonable authority that they cannot be recovered.¡±


    She smirked and said. ¡°On who¡¯s authority?¡±


    I suppose I slipped there. I might as well see if she has any information. It¡¯s not as if hiding this information has any real benefit. She was antient, older than the Vendalian empire even. So, if there is anyone in the world who could give me information it would be her.


    ¡°Just someone I met once. Tell me. Have you ever heard the term Sea of Souls?¡±


    Her eyes widened, then squinted as if she couldn¡¯t believe what I had just said.


    ¡°Some believe it is the barrier between the mortal plane and the afterlife. It is also said to be where all the gods reside, where souls must pass through in death and in birth. Is this where you are from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It is as you suggest. It¡¯s not as if I can trust the source of the information completely. Do you know what corrupted souls are?¡± I asked.


    She looked utterly confused. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never heard the term. I could guess, but it is unlikely to be useful to you.¡±


    I honestly expected her to know. I¡¯m not sure how she would react to the suspicion that I was a human before, so I decided it is best to hold on to that little secret for now.


    ¡°How could you recover my memories then?¡±


    ¡°There is a ritual. It pulls the truth from the soul itself. It is as antient as the royal elves themselves. We can live for well over a millennium, remembering things from our youth becomes difficult. Thus, this spell was created. Some memories are etched into your soul. It is also the only way to break a Geas.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± I asked, the word was completely unfamiliar to me.


    ¡°Some call it a curse, mind control or blessing. It can alter the very nature of what you are, down to you core values. It is not an enchantment spell; your mind is literally rewritten. How it is performed is unknown, but the writ of rejuvenation is the only known spell to break it. I have spent the last six months perfecting the ritual. That is what I assume is upon your mind.¡±


    Is she speaking truth? can my memories truly be recovered from the spell? I couldn¡¯t know for certain.


    ¡°What is the extent of the vengeance I can enact if I get approval from the matriarch¡¯s. And what do you stand to gain from this?¡± Her having this on hand was far too suspicious so this had to be planned. I am clearly being maneuvered.


    But my memories.


    It was the one thing that could stay my hand.


    ¡°You will be able to claim the lives of Xalia and Boriel as well as everyone who participated. I¡¯m sure you have your list as well as proof. Endali has hers, and it should be enough to find guilt. You can either face them yourself or choose a champion. If they refuse, then their entire clan would face exile. In that case you can kill them without their being any reprisals from the matriarchs. As for myself, with the death of so many elves and the problems that have arisen with the empire due to their actions, some of the matriarchs have begun to reach out to me to take control and to parlay with you. In time I can increase my influence towards complete control and finally begin steering my people in the right direction. It is as you said, the past is dead and gone, best to tear it all down and start over.¡±


    It seems my flippant words had a profound impact on her. But would that be a fair reprisal for Benny? I stared at her large purple eyes, wondering if I could best her in magical combat. She is the only one in the world that I have seen who could match me in terms of raw power. What gave me pause was her experience. I have no doubt she could feel my own power, but I had a few years to master my abilities whereas she had centuries.


    I could just burn their territories to ruin, but that would be losing out on the possibility of retrieving my memories. Sianna definitely prepared for my arrival. And there is her power to consider. Throughout the entire conversation I couldn¡¯t stop how enthralling it felt. I was lost in the amethyst depths of her eyes. Her words were like music to my ears. I wanted to reach out and caress her soft features. It was a good deal, might as well accept. My desire for her was growing by the moment, it wasn¡¯t fully carnal. It was something else, something deeper. I have never felt so drawn to another individual.


    ¡°I will need proof that your ritual will do as you claim and nothing else. If that can be guaranteed, then I will limit my vengeance to only those involved in the crime.¡± I said, still partially enthralled by her.


    At my acquiescence, her smile was beautiful and radiant. It was like the dual moons themselves were bathing me in light. She reached out her hand, caressed my cheek and said in a low voice. ¡°My thanks Moon. I understand the pain of losing one dear to you and how strong the desire is to burn the entire world for their deaths.¡±


    Her touch was comforting, and I unconsciously rested my cheek against her palm. We sat there for a few moments, eyes locked, with the warmth of her hands upon my cheek. It felt safe, like I had finally come home. Soon thoughts of staying with her permanently started to creep into my mind.


    ¡®What is this?¡¯ I thought to myself.


    Then suspicion began to bloom within me. Then rage.


    I murdered the feelings that were welling up in me, smothering them in their cribs and tossing them into a seldom used corner of my mind. Cold hard reason reasserted itself and that spell she put on me disappeared.


    With my left hand I grabbed her wrist with considerable force and asked with barely constrained violence. ¡°What did you just try to do?¡±


    Her warm smile turned into confusion, then amusement.


    ¡°You are the source of your own feelings. I have cast no charm upon you, at the very least not on purpose.¡±


    I calmed down slightly and released her hand. She returned it to her lap.


    ¡°Explain¡± I said.


    ¡°You are an elf Moon, not a human. At a primal level attraction for humans is based on physical appearance. But for elves it is more. Magical ability and the potential to pass that power unto our offspring is what dives elves, far mor than appearance.¡±


    I suppose that made some sense.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never felt this towards anyone, and I¡¯ve met rather powerful mages. What is the difference with you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You have never met a mage that matched your power; thus, those feelings were at best vestigial. Even naked alone with Lilian¡¯s dagger in your throat. Your power surpassed hers and she could feel it.¡±


    I thought back to Endali and the rest of the other elves that I have met.


    ¡°No other elf seem to have this reaction to me.¡±


    ¡°It is just a feeling Moon, not something malicious. Once you know that it exists it is simple to ignore.¡±


    I relaxed, letting the tension ease away and gazed at her face once more. The feeling was there, but it is as she said, I could just ignore it like any other desire.


    ¡°My knowledge of elves it quite lacking.¡± I admitted.


    ¡°It will take a day and a half to assemble the ritual, perhaps you can spend the time to learn a bit about your people.¡±


    I¡¯ll have to keep my guard up around the elves. Gods only knows what would have happened if I didn¡¯t restrain myself.


    ¡°Very well, I¡¯m sure you have made accommodations.¡±


    ¡°Precisely. Would you care for a drink to celebrate that we avoided needless slaughter.¡± Alcina said.


    I sighed, ¡°A drink sounds lovely.¡±


    She made an odd gesture, and the ether swirled around her hand and pulsed. Not a moment later a young male elf walked in carrying a silver tray with two ornate teacups.


    He walked over, handing a cup to each of us then left without saying another word.


    The brown steaming liquid had an earthy smell. I took a sip tasting the slightly bitter tea. After a few moments, I took another sip, then three more, not caring about the burn in my throat. An overwhelming feeling of nostalgia came over me and I was lost to the feeling for long moments as I drank in silence.


    ¡°By old gods and new! what is this?¡± I asked, thinking. Coffee! that''s what it reminded me of. The favor was different, but the energized feeling that high amounts of caffeine gave you was unmistakable.


    ¡°Guyara. It is a drink made from the roasted seed of a fruit of the same name.¡±


    I closed my eyes as I tried to grasp the feeling. I can only assume I drank coffee as much as water in my past life.


    ¡°Is this familiar to you?¡±


    ¡°I have certainly drunk something similar, but not the exact same.¡± I glanced down at my empty glass slightly remorseful that I drank it so quickly.


    ¡°Would you like another cup?¡± she asked with humor in her voice.


    ¡°I think I would.¡± I said, giving her a genuine smile.


    Perhaps a day or two with the elves wouldn¡¯t be so terrible and besides, in a few days, I may finally learn who I am.

 Book 2: Chapter 4: The Clan

    The queen and I spent some time discussing the intricacies of matriarchal politics. It bore no resemblance to its human counterpart. The elves had no dukes, barons, viscounts or any real sense of nobility beyond whomever was the reining matriarch. The title of matriarch was usually passed onto the daughter for the sole reason that she would be raised to take her mother¡¯s place. If that child, however, demonstrates incompetence, then it passes unto another, less the entire clan rebels against her.


    Sianna herself was pleasant to talk to. She was courteous and clever, with a surprising sense of humor. Though I could never shake the suspicion that she was tailoring her behavior to get me to lower my guard. My armor was placed to once side of the room and now I sat casually on the large cushion in my cotton shirt and pants. I just finished my fourth cup of Guyara and Sianna asked me a question.


    ¡°Why do you desire vengeance Moon?¡±


    ¡°My apprentice was murdered, and this demands justice. Is that not obvious?¡± I had to wonder where this was going.


    ¡°Did you love her?¡± Sianna asked.


    ¡°Hm?¡± I looked at her confused. What does that have to do with anything?


    ¡°Benny. Did you love her as a father loves a child.¡±


    Did I love Benny? I cared for her, and she was a good apprentice. I did feel some grief for her death, does that constitute love? Sianna answered before I could formulate an answer.


    ¡°It appears you did not. If you did, contemplation would not be necessary. Lilian once said to me the only thing you really love is yourself.¡±


    Ah, so she wants to glean further into my character.


    ¡°Perhaps I didn¡¯t love her, after all she wasn¡¯t even my apprentice for a year. But she did assist me in a time of need, and she was unshakably loyal to me. A girl of fifteen could kill dozens in the blink of an eye and not lose a moment of sleep, she held some of my deepest secrets and never betrayed them. All she desired was to stay at my side and grow in power as I did.¡±


    She chuckled and said. ¡°She sounds exceptional.¡±


    ¡°She was. And I¡¯m not likely to find another like her.¡±


    ¡°The air amplifier. Was it hers?¡± Sianna asked.


    I had been staring at it during our conversation. ¡°It was an early name day gift, enchanted by my own hand.¡±


    That actually brought something back to my memory. I went over to my carrying case and pulled out the mage killer.


    Sianna¡¯s eyes locked on the blade.


    ¡°Is this familiar?¡± I asked


    ¡°Yes, its name translates to mage killer in common. It absorbs ether from magical constructs. It will be useful as evidence since records are kept about magical artifacts.¡±


    I placed it back in the case and returned to where I sat. ¡°Some elf tried to ram it into my heart, fortunately my carapace blocked it.¡±


    Sianna raised an eyebrow, then her eyes focused on me, clearly looking into the ether. ¡°That is an impressive carapace. To condense so much ether and still maintain invisibility would require an absurdly high affinity and control.¡±


    I smiled and said. ¡°They do call me the lightbearer.¡±


    Then I looked at her and wondered about her own affinity. ¡°What kind of mage are you?¡±


    ¡°My primary affinity is fire.¡± As she said this a small flame sprang to life in her palm. It grew to be about the size of her fist before it morphed into the form of a bird. The fire bird took flight soaring around the room then separated into dozens more. It flew around in a complex swarm before dissipating into nothing.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to understand how that works.¡± I said as the small embers faded into nothing. Spell circuits had a structured nature that I could wrap my mind around.


    ¡°I simply summon fire and mold it as a sculptor molds clay.¡± Then she summoned another small flame and shaped it into a wyvern.


    ¡°What are the limitations?¡± I asked.


    She looked at me bemused and with some humor in her voice said. ¡°The only limitation is imagination."


    Then she rapidly changed the shape through dozens of different forms, geometric symbols, and animals that ran around the room without burning anything their feet touched. Then she changed the color of the flames, red, green, blue, violet. I watched in silent fascination for several minutes as she displayed a mastery of fire that with all my power I couldn¡¯t hope to comprehend.


    ¡°Fascinating. And how long does this take to master.¡±


    ¡°There is no such thing as mastery of one¡¯s primary affinity.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She slid over to the end of the cushion and dipped her hand into the white stone floor as if it was made of water. Then she explained. ¡°Is there an end to imagination? Is there an end to art? No. each generation creates new techniques and adds to the whole.¡±


    ¡°To say that I have achieved mastery would mean that there is nothing more to learn; no room for innovation or improvement.¡±


    ¡°How do you do it? ¡°I asked.


    She paused for a moment thinking of how to answer the question.


    ¡°How do you move your hands.¡±


    I stared at her curiously. I began cataloging in my mind the complexity of the mind muscle connection and the contraction of muscle tissue in the forearms before she interrupted me.


    ¡°In the end regardless of the complex biological processes. You command you muscles to move. The problem is how do you explain how you command your muscles.¡±


    Ah, I see where she was going. I don¡¯t consciously activate the neurons to send specific signals to muscles. I can¡¯t really define that specific process any more than I can explain how the brain generates consciousness.


    ¡°So, you command the ether to follow your conscious desires?¡±


    ¡°Close, but not inaccurate. I am but a humble guide to the ether. When you open yourself to its currents there are no limits. It is similar to your unique abilities. Is there any real limitation to how you shape flesh?"


    ¡°Some, but I can understand your point.¡±


    I can literally summon a fire tornado and heal fatal injuries within moments, but her explanation still sounded like metaphysical nonsense to me. The structure of spell circuits made much more sense in comparison.


    ¡°How long does this take to learn.¡±


    She gave me a smile as she said. ¡°For you? You would need to unlearn all you know about magic and start anew, so years most likely, even with all of your knowledge.¡±


    Strange; I would have assumed she would try enticing me with elven magic, yet she is doing the opposite. Has she abandoned the aspirations of an elven renaissance? Or is she playing another game?


    Eight hour later.


    I was alone in a guest room within the central tower of Sianna¡¯s castle. It was similar to Sianna¡¯s own room, large, almost a perfect circle with little furniture. There was a small table, chairs and a large circular cushion to sleep on. In another attached room appeared to be a wardrobe so that is where I stored my armor. I didn¡¯t carry many suits of clothes with me, so the elves were more than willing to provide me with a well-made white robe.


    I spent some time going over the conversation I had with Sianna and the deal I made. The ritual was foreign magic to me. I was quite apprehensive to the idea that there could me magic that could affect the mind. This necessitates my condition on our deal. That they must prove to me that this ritual would do as she stated and nothing else. Perhaps I was underestimating the extent of Sianna''s planning; most likely she had been preparing for this moment since I saw her in the forest.


    Sitting on my bed were three books, that after eight hours of reading I had just completed. These books were translated to imperial common. Inside the first book was the history of the ritual dating back to over 2000 years, the second book was a detailed description of the ritual and the third was personal anecdotes from dozens of royal elves who had performed it.


    What was most shocking was how the ritual is performed. No elven magic up until this point had any structure that I could identify with the exception of this ritual. It involved the construction of what was to my eyes an enormously complex spell circuit using mithrite laced paint. On one of the pages was a complete diagram of the ritual circle. Not even my most powerful master level spells could compare to the complexity of the ritual circle. It even needed powerful etheric gems of every attenuation placed at specific points in the ritual circle.


    Like circuits the entire ritual circle had to be fueled with ether. The will behind, and the over one thousand sigil like symbols, which also had been translated for me, would guide the ritual. This gave me some assurance that there is no malicious intent behind the spell, but not enough. I would need a demonstration, and I could carefully examine both the ether and the subjects brain to see how it would react. Though I wouldn¡¯t ask them yet, I¡¯ll wait until they finish preparing the ritual, then I would choose a few people at random.


    Leithani, Lilian and Sianna herself would serve as viable test subjects first. Even this wasn¡¯t enough to completely assuage my worries over the spell. I suppose I could spend years unlearning all I knew about magic to fully understand the ritual, but I don¡¯t have that kind of time. There were no mathematical formulae, or structured scientific principles that governed the ritual.


    It was all metaphysical nonsense; the text essentially denies that memories exists within any form in the material plane. All memories exist within the soul and our minds only interact with it. Perhaps there is some truth to this nonsense since I know that souls exist and even after my body was destroyed, I retained my memories while in the sea of souls. All elven magic was like this in some form. One would think understanding thermodynamics would be useful in casting fire spells, but for the elves many scientific principles were only a limitation.


    The only law they seem to recognize is the first law. That energy cannot be created or destroyed. Gravity, fluid dynamics, pressure, electromagnetism. It was all useless when it came to elven magic.


    These books only served to stroke my interest in learning elven magic even more. But the problem was the time period it would take to learn. I had my ambitions in Moriah to think about. It would take some time to properly conquer the country then to stabilize my rule, stablish trade, law, order and eliminate any rebellion will take years. Then I had to consider the eventual fracturing of the Vendalian empire and the secession of the southern duchies. How would that affect my kingdom? I can¡¯t afford to make the Vendalian empire an enemy just yet.


    I still intend to end the prince but the fallout of it would affect my allies and therefor my plans with Moriah. Threats could work I suppose but my brief interaction with Morianne gave me the impression that she would break before she bent. Besides I can¡¯t rely on threats forever. No, I can wait. Revenge is good but not at the cost of everything I intend on working on.


    Now there were elves. I didn¡¯t want to completely burn my bridges here, there was so much knowledge to be had. nor could I not exact justice. What to do? Sianna! I could use her. I need to make her believe that there is still a possible future alliance. If I ruled Moriah, the cabal ruled the south and Sianna controlled the elves. Then the empire would be completely surrounded. Elven subtly and espionage. Human ground troops and resources. And my forces controlling the sky and trade by sea.


    I smiled as I considered the possibilities in such an alliance. Then there were the eastern kingdoms all ripe for the taking. Timing would be paramount and even a year spent with the elves would be time wasted. As much as I hated the idea, I would have to wait to learn elven magic until at the very least my rule has been stabilized. All this was predicated on whether the ritual would work.


    Not all my worry was from my fears of there being something malicious hidden from me. It was the memories themselves. Would I be the same person if they truly did return to me. If I was under this geas and the being I met in the sea of souls was lying. Then who would I be then. Would I still call myself Moon Solaris or would I take my human name. Would my goals remain the same? A part of me was hoping that the spell would simply fail, and my memories were gone forever.


    Sighing I exited my rooms and was immediately met with Leithani. Endali¡¯s daughter seemed to be waiting for me.


    ¡°Good morning, Moon I have been assigned as your escort. If you wish You can break your fast with my mother and explore clan Noct¡¯hrum as you wish. Queen Sianna is currently in the middle of preparing the ritual and has asked if you can join her for supper.¡±


    I didn¡¯t actually feel hungry, but I was curious about the daily lives of clan Noct¡¯hrum.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry but do show me around.¡± I said.


    Leithani led me out of the castle into the garden. Elves were eyeing me as I walked by. The garden served as an area for communal gathering. Elves talked, laughed and children ran around freely. Some elves practiced magic, weaving their hands and channeling the ether in strange ways. I watched a child manipulate water with more precision that I could ever achieve. It boiled, turned into steam then she shaped it into a rabbit which then dissolved into the wind. She giggled and started over. Another older elven man was shaping plants into intricate symbols which were similar to the sigils used in the ritual.


    Then she led me out of the gardens into the forest.


    ¡°Most of us live around the castle.¡±


    Their homes were rather strange. It was as If someone took a wide cylinder of stone then had a tree grow under it. The tree lifted these stone homes dozens of feet into the air. The homes seemed to grow in proportion to the size of the tree. The homes had windows, and I could see elves looking down at us as we walked by. I wondered how they entered the homes until I realized that at the base of the tree was an entrance. I assume that they could climb up through the core of the tree.


    ¡°How are these homes constructed? I have seen this smooth white stone many times.¡± I asked.


    We stopped at a particularly large tree which featured a two-story home lifted nearly a hundred feet into the air.


    ¡°Each home is grown from slatestones. Then a tree seed is placed beneath the dwelling. Over time the trees roots grow around the home and lift it into the air. Our earth and water mages aid the plants growth. The larger the tree becomes the more rooms and levels can be added.¡± She explained.


    I couldn¡¯t really comprehend how it worked but it was fascinating regardless. Most of the surrounding forest on the left side of the castle was comprised of these homes. Based on the number of homes I had to assume that the clan numbered around 2000 to 3000.


    ¡°Do you know where Lilian lives?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes¡± she replied tersely. ¡°Do you wish to see her?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, do show me the way.¡±


    Leithani made a left and we continued through the forest of homes. There were no paved roads, just paths carved to bare dirt. Occasionally I could sense pulses within the ether. There were a few elves following us while being stealthed. No doubt there here to ensure our safety so there was no point in bringing it up.


    Eventually the number of homes began to decrease as we walked further into the forest and finally, we stopped outside a relatively small dwelling raised around 30 feet off of the ground.


    Through one of the windows Lilian looked down at me in surprise. I gave her a small wave and said.


    ¡°Are you going to invite me up?¡±


    She looked from me to Leithani for a few moments then said.


    ¡°Yes, you may enter.¡±


    I wanted to have a relatively private conversation with Lilian. ¡°I¡¯ll speak with her privately.¡±


    ¡°Very well I will wait until you have finished¡± Leithani said.


    At the base of her tree was a similar entrance. Elves didn¡¯t seem worried about things like thieves so none of their homes with the exception of the castle had any locks. I climbed up the central passage using rungs seemingly carved into the wood itself. Once I reached the top Lilian offered me a hand and pulled me into the room. It was a relatively small space, though comfortable. There was a similar circular cushion to one side of the room in front of a window. A hearth to one side burning with magical fire. There was a small table with several chairs near a window. Next to the cushion were chests likely where she kept her clothes. One thing that was interesting was the large number of plants that littered the room, some in pots and planters. Herbs, flowers, even fruit was growing in her home.


    ¡°Welcome to my home, would you like some tea.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, but must you be so formal. I do recall meeting you stark-naked in the forest.¡±


    She chuckled under her breath then she cast what I recognize was the sound barrier that Endali used. ¡°I must watch myself while Leithani is present. I am on thin ice as it is.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she does seem to dislike you. Why is that?¡±


    Lilian conjured some water into an ornate ceramic pot and placed it above the fire while I took a seat at the small table. After adding a few leaves to the steaming water, she answered.


    ¡°The matriarchs allowed me to return from exile, Leithani however does not believe that I had been punished sufficiently.¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°As I recall I was a viable path for your return, so that begs the question. What did you offer them.¡±


    She stared at me for a few moments debating if she should tell me. Then she sighed then answered.


    ¡°I offered them you. Their spies had learned of your existence. This caused massive upheaval amongst the matriarchs. They were desperate for information and would have spent thousands of gelding for even the smallest sliver. So, I seized the opportunity. I knew your name, abilities, temperament, relative age. This is usually not enough to absolve someone from their exile but their desperation and with help from Endali was enough to convince the matriarchs to rescind the exile.¡±


    I thought of Lilian¡¯s sudden departure then the first attempt at my life.


    ¡°I suppose I can now answer why assassins came when they did.¡±


    Lilian flinched as if I had struck her. I suppose I could be angry with her but in truth all she did was accelerate something that would have happened eventually. Besides, there was nothing to gain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself over it. I survived in the end, and it would have happened regardless.¡±


    She gave me a searching look before nodding. Lilian poured two cups of tea and joined me at the table.


    ¡°Why did you get exiled?¡±


    I purposely asked while she was in the middle of sipping the tea. Her eyes darted around as she debated whether to tell me or not.


    ¡°Might as well tell me. Is there any reason to hold it a secret.¡± I said.


    Lilian stared into her cup for a few moments before she started to speak.


    ¡°Seven years ago, there was a gathering of the matriarchs to discuss ongoing hostilities with humans on the border of Isran. Usually, a matriarch attends the closed meeting with a second, which is almost always the heir. It is a largely ceremonial position but is still of high honor. Leithani was away on a mission, so I was chosen to be Endali¡¯s second not her brother. You know how elves are.¡±


    Of course, elves are a matriarchal society, so I suppose a second wouldn¡¯t be a male. I nodded for her to continue.


    ¡°The meeting went as expected. The matriarchs discussed how to handle the humans, what clans should participate and what resources would be needed. Throughout the meeting some of the matriarchs repeatedly insulted Endali, but never directly. Her continuing to be in service to the Queen Sianna after all this time is something the matriarchs despised. Sianna was there at my birth, and I was personally trained by Endali since childhood. Hearing such insults directed towards them enraged me and I spoke out of turn.¡±


    ¡°Why is speaking out of turn significant.¡± I asked.


    ¡°A second represents the future of the clan. Strict poise and deference are required at all times. In anger I protested their insults. Boriel was particularly pleased since she despises Sianna. In speaking out I disrespected, Endali, all the matriarchs, and the entire clan Noct''hrum.¡±


    I thought back to my conversation with Xalia and the bloodlust that radiated off of her due to my irreverence.


    ¡°They desired a duel I presume.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, it would have meant my death and there is nothing Endali could do to stop it. To refuse the duel would heap even greater shame upon our clan. Endali instead asked for my exile, which in some ways is even more shameful since no one has been exiled in over a century. According to our laws the only way to recover from an exile is to offer a service to the clans.¡±


    ¡°The information you had on me. was it so valuable to wash away your dishonor.¡± Lilian spoke as if she regrated that day down to her very soul. ¡°No, but the matriarchs were desperate. Endali offered an ultimatum, rule that the information was enough to rescind the exile or do nothing and allow the information to slip past their fingers.¡±


    I thought about it for a moment and realized why that ploy worked. ¡°They would have started plotting against each other, all desperate to get their hands on the information you had. The one who succeeds would have the most leverage to act. Knowledge is power after all.¡±


    Lilian nodded. ¡°Indeed. Now everyone can act with equal information. Though that meant that I had to tell them practically everything about you. The interrogation went on for days until everything was compiled and my exile officially rescinded.¡±


    I deeply disliked that so much information was given to those whose intentions I did not know. Did she realize that it could be used against me or did she just not care. I suppose we were never really trusted allies. It¡¯s not as if I wouldn¡¯t have sold away information about her if there was a great enough benefit for me. But there was one thing I wanted to know first before I decided how to react to this.


    ¡°Do they know about Lori and Garette?¡± I asked.


    There are very few people on this planet who¡¯s existence mattered to me. So, I would need to ensure their safety if that was the case.


    ¡°No, I only mentioned that there was a light mage that owed Sten a favor. They didn¡¯t really care who it was since they consider all human magic to be inferior.


    Thats good to hear but I¡¯ll still drop by before I make my move on Moriah. Allyssia would take them in as a favor to me. Who knows, maybe I can convince Garett to move to Moriah with Lori after I have solidified my rule. It would be good to have another trusted light mage at my side and who knows what Lori could grow into with my influence.


    ¡°I see.¡± The conversation trailed off as we took a few sips of the earthy tea.


    ¡°Did you really bed Breala?¡± Lilian asked.


    I laughed at the sudden question. ¡°Yes, it was before the first battle in the war with Suncrest.¡±


    She shook her head as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine. Were you injured during¡­¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°No. She was rather gentle and besides I¡¯m a healer.¡±


    ¡°I would not have thought one of her blood would be a gentle lover.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°Looks can be deceiving.¡± I said.


    Lilian gazed into the ether while looking at me. ¡°You have grown even more powerful Moon; I imagine you and Queen Sianna are the two most powerful mages on the continent.¡±


    ¡°I intend to face the guilty alone since you have seen Matriarch Xalia and Boriel in person how do you estimate my chances.¡±


    ¡°I would place it in your favor by virtue of your power, though be cautious of Xalia, her water magic is some of the most powerful we have seen.¡±


    Lilian bit her lower lips as if she wanted to ask a question.


    ¡°Just ask Lilian.¡±


    ¡°After your victory, would you not consider staying.¡± She asked.


    I held her eyes for long moments before I answered.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°But why? If you and Sianna joined there would be no force in the world that could stand against you. I have seen Baelathor¡¯s power. Every clan would fall in line and bow to your rule.¡±


    Indeed, her proposal wasn¡¯t terrible. If I did marry Sianna or whatever the elven equivalent is. I certainly could use my abilities to empower them. My abilities would become invaluable, and I could freely pursue any desire I wanted. But there was one problem.


    ¡°They would fall under Sianna¡¯s rule, while I remain the supporter of her reign. I would be king consort in this case. Not a terrible fate in truth, but it wouldn¡¯t be much different than what I do with any other nobles that I have dealings with.¡±


    Lilian like always couldn''t understand why I thought the way I do. ¡°If I am to rule it must be me and me alone. I have no interest in sharing power or being the support of another. The elven matriarchs will never bow to a sole king.¡±


    In truth even if their society wasn¡¯t matriarchal, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed either. Their culture was too foreign, at least with humans I understood them.


    ¡°But you have been doing such with every noble so far why would Sianna be any different.¡± Lilian asked.


    ¡°She isn¡¯t but I have grown tired of being the tool others wield and you know how I feel about whatever significance our joining would mean of the elven people. Even Sianna seems to have resigned herself.¡±


    Lilian shook her head and said. ¡°Matrix can have plans that span decades. Perhaps she has decided to change her approach.¡±


    Its possible I suppose, we will have to see.


    We talked for another few minutes before I remember that Leithani was still waiting for me. Lilian and I said our goodbyes. And I was about to climb down the entrance before I asked.


    ¡°Would you like to go flying later.¡±


    Her eyes widened in excitement, but she quickly recovered.


    ¡°Yes, I am interested to see the world as a bird does.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find you tonight.¡±


    I climbed down with an impatient Leithani waiting near the base of the tree. ¡°Shall we continue.¡±


    ¡°Very well, what are you interested in seeing.¡± Leithani asked.


    ¡°Guyara I was curious about the plant.¡±


    Leithani shrugged and sad. ¡°I will show you the fields.¡±


    We walked through the forest until the collection of tree homes ended. It did take very long as Lilian seemed to leave near the edge of what was the residential area of the forest.


    ¡°What are your thoughts on clan Noct¡¯hrum¡± Leithani asked as we walked.


    ¡°Strange, though that is likely because I have spent significant time with humans.¡±


    ¡°I imagine so. You look at us with the same astonished bewilderment most humans do.¡±


    In an open clearing to my left I watched a group of elves practice sword fighting. Their movements seem to prioritize speed and dexterity augmented by ether. Strikes would be accented by a rush of flame or a spire of ice. Weaponry weaving together in a complex dance. It was mesmerizing.


    ¡°A person is shaped by their upbringing. Even without my memories humans customs were familiar to me. Though you are my kind you remain as alien as ever.¡± I said as I returned my attention back to the conversation.


    Leithani¡¯s tone changed more serious as she said. ¡°That is perhaps the greatest mystery about you. Where did you come from and why were you in that forest.¡±


    ¡°The question never stops plaguing me and the more I learn the more confusing it becomes. What theories have the elves divined?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Many, but none feel close to the truth. Some believe there is a small group of royal elves that survived the fall, and you are their progeny. But your lack of even the basic understanding of your own people contradicts this. Others believe that you were perhaps a bastard of impure blood that was owned by some noble in Braken. But that is also false your blood is pure, and you have all the Arrogance and self-importance of a human noble. You are the only one who can answer this question. Though I do believe you know more than your pretend.¡± She finished her long explanation stopping and holding my gaze.


    ¡°You¡¯re not entirely wrong but what I know is far less that you suspect. Perhaps the ritual will shed some light.¡±


    Leithani raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ah, so you agreed in the end. No wonder Queen Sianna has been occupied. She has been preparing the ritual.¡±


    I began to fish for her thoughts on the ritual. ¡°Have you undergone it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I am far too young for it to have any use. I know my mother has. Our minds tent to discard old information as we begin to reach over a century or two of life.¡± Then she paused for a moment then a smirk came across her face which was quickly hidden. It was so slight I almost didn¡¯t notice it.


    ¡°What amuses you so?¡± I asked. that smirk did not sit well with me.


    She sighed and murmured to herself. ¡°Mother will be cross that I have let slip her game.¡±


    ¡°You know that the elves desire you for both your power and the potential benefit.¡± She said.


    ¡°Clearly.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is another theory that you are under a Geas. Which would mean that the true personality is hidden under this one. If the true personality is that of a traditional royal, then¡­¡­¡±


    I finished her thought. ¡°I would fall in line and bend to the desires of Sianna and Endali? Perhaps even abandon my vengeance.¡±


    ¡°It is a possibility. Though the ability to place someone under a geas has be lost for millennia.¡± She said.


    ¡°Why was it lost?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Can you imagine the destruction such an ability would cause. Once the Writ of rejuvenation was developed the practitioners of the geas were systematically killed and all texts burned. The threat of it was too great. The royals, as obsessed as they were with power couldn¡¯t allow its existence.¡±


    ¡°What was the betrayal?¡± I asked.


    ¡°There were at any time only a few hundred royals in existence. They ruled through their great magical power. The clans were servants under them. Noct¡¯hrum were their intelligence network. Others served as warriors, farmers and intermediates with the western kingdoms. We were slaves in all but name selectively, bred to suit a certain task. And clan Lum''nar were servants and that extended to serving the royals in bed.¡±


    ¡°So, a rebellion happened but where does the betrayal come in.¡± I asked.


    A slave rebellion makes sense. ¡°Clan Noct¡¯hrum was the most loyal. The first-born son of the reigning matriarch was regarded to be as beautiful as any royal male. He was commanded to serve one of the royals in bed. he refused as he was mated and very much loved his wife.¡±


    ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°He was killed for his insolence, by his own mother. Endali¡¯s mother. Disobedience was not tolerated. The one he refused was the reigning queen. Sianna¡¯s own mother. It is said that she wept at her sons grave for days, refusing to eat or drink, resolving herself to die. That is when the other matriarchs began to spread poison into her ear. Rebellion, vengeance, atonement for the sin of murdering her only son. Grief curdled into hate as they chipped away at the loyalty she once held. Her hate was all consuming. The matriarchs used her to plot the downfall of the royals.¡±


    ¡°The royals were the greatest magical power in the world. how did you overcome them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The same way the humans overcame us. greater numbers and centuries of complacency. The royals enjoyed endless luxury. Feasts, balls and of course carnal pleasure at the expense of their servants. Matriarch Cyntha developed a slow acting poison. Colorless, odorless, and tasteless, that would simulate intoxication, the royals loved their wine after all. When the royals were thoroughly inebriated the clans attacked. The same servants that served them in their beds pulled leth¡¯lans, mage killers. And over a hundred royals nearly half the population died. Once they realized what was happening the fight began. For every dead royal hundreds of elves died.¡±


    ¡°In that case how did Sianna survive.¡±


    ¡°Their numbers won out in the end. Eventually the queen fell to Matriarch Cyntha¡¯s blade. Leaving only the child remaining. It took almost 400 elves to kill the queen. All that was left was Sianna and even through all her hate and grief she couldn¡¯t bring herself to kill the child. She was the only royal born in three centuries. Some wanted her dead to permanently end the royals forever, but most couldn¡¯t bring themselves to kill a child. So, a compromise was made. She was officially exiled and forced to live in this castle. Watched by the same clan that betrayed them.¡±


    I thought back to the elves and how they interacted with Sianna. There was no hate there, most seemed to treat her with great respect.


    ¡°Clan Noct¡¯hrum Does¡¯nt seem to hate Sianna and what happened to Cythna in the end?¡±


    ¡°Even though Cyntha killed her mother, Sianna never held it against her. Cyntha found no peace after getting her vengeance and took her life after passing the title of Matriarch on to Endali around fifty years later. Many elves suffered under the rule of the royals and deaths like Cyntha¡¯s son were common. Sianna never bore hatred for Cyntha, perhaps she understood the grief that drove the vengeance and refused to continue the cycle.¡±


    ¡°With my arrival and the possibility of reinstating the royal line I¡¯m certain old scars have been irritated.¡±


    "Yes, but it is a complex thing. Not every clan suffered under their rule, and some were afforded great luxuries and privilege. So, some elves don''t have such a harsh view of the royals."


    ¡°After the humans arrived instead of one person ruling there were twelve.¡± I said.


    Leithani gave me a solemn glance and said ¡°Yes. We gained freedom and was no longer under the rule of the royals, but now we had no unity and lost a massive amount of magical power. The humans came from the east and bread like locusts, for every one child we had they birthed a dozen. We couldn¡¯t hope to hold out against their numbers so in shame we had to abandon Arlathan and flee to Isran. Now we fight amongst ourselves as human nobles do and any hope to reclaim our past glory is now gone.¡±


    ¡°So now some see me as the chance to reclaim that glory while others see me as a threat that could return their tyranny.¡± I said.


    ¡°Indeed, but you hold no reverence for your ancestors and considers both the royals and the matriarchs failures. You would build something new. This is what Xalia feared. Change is one of the most difficult things for a species whose lives are measured in centuries.¡±


    I thought that this story could be linked with what the creature in the sea of souls called me but it doesn¡¯t seem the case.


    We reached the edge of the forest to a large clearing of plants. Unlike the neat rows of human agriculture. The elves had dozens of different species of fruit and vegetables growing together. The tall plants showed different fruits for which I could not name. Several elven males were walking through the forest of agriculture picking produce and filling baskets. We walked through as I examined the forest of food.


    Eventually we reached the far eastern edge to a group of trees bearing a bright purple fruit. A few elves were wandering around picking the fallen fruit off the ground. It was about the size of a egg with a hard exterior.


    ¡°This is Guyara. Once it falls the pods are collected. After a weeks they pop open revealing around the ten to fifteen brown seeds that are then roasted and grounded. This ground seeds can then be boiled and drank.¡±


    She tossed the unopen pod to an elf that caught it and added it to his basket. I had to hide a dumfounded expression. They had a plant that was rich in caffeine and didn¡¯t sell the grounds. This was a literal goldmine.


    ¡°I think I can do for a meal. All this talking has me hungry.¡± Leithani smiled, nodded and led me back to the castle.


    As she walked away, I discretely picked up one of the unopened pods and snuck It into a pocket, a small smile coming over my face.


    Leithani made a different route back to the castle. This time we passed a field of Sur''an. They were large white deer with massive antlers that appeared almost metallic. After shifting my gaze to the ether, I realized that they were weak etheric beasts. As the herd of dear scampered in the large field I realized that I could hear no sound coming from the animals. Leithani explained that they were not tamed. Each deer chooses a single rider in their lifetime and will accept no other. Some were being ridden bareback by elves, the hooves not making a sound as they trot along the grass. Those large sharp antlers would make for great decoration above a fireplace. I wonder if their entire skeleton had that metallic sheen. Another interesting fact was that even females grew them.


    Eventually we returned to the castle where Sianna invited me for supper in her rooms. We sat together at a small table near her hearth. It was mid-day and the large window was enough to light the room. There were several dishes one looked to be pasta which immediately brought the word ravioli to my mind. Others were small salads, a bowl of rice and several strips of what looked to be barely cooked meat. It smelled delicious, especially the pasta. We didn¡¯t really have placements as humans do. Just a two-pronged fork.


    ¡°Do enjoy your meal. We do not stand on ceremony as humans do.¡± Sianna said.


    Most of the fruit and vegetables I could recognize. ¡°I¡¯m just curious about what everything was.¡±


    ¡°The meat is Tal¡¯run, similar to geese.¡±


    Then she pointed to the pasta ¡°That is Lailan. Made from Yuma flour and full filled with goat cheese.¡±


    She pointed to each of the ingredients naming all of them. They all had strange elven names that had no translation to common. I would have to add learning the elven language to the list of things I need to do.


    I dug into the food savoring the strange flavors. Everything was delicious. I have eaten at the best restaurants the empire had to offer and this meal was an excellent contender for some of the best I have ever had.


    ¡°Let¡¯s assume that you get your vengeance. What will you do then?¡± Sianna asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet. My life has ever been traveling from one place to another gathering power. Perhaps I will settle for a while.¡± I said cryptically.


    ¡°Why did you gather such power. While human magic has many limitations it is no less destructive.¡±


    ¡°At first it was for safety then just because I wanted it. But I do have an unending curiosity about this world. And magic is one of the most interesting things about it.¡±


    ¡°What about you? What do you intent to do?¡±


    She gave me a searching glance before she answered my question with a question. ¡°What do you know of the betrayal?¡±


    ¡°Leithani informed me of Cyntha, the death of her son and the ensuing betrayal and conflict that occurred.¡±


    She gave me a small nod and glanced into her cup. ¡°We were powerful Moon. The royals were the greatest source of magic in the world. With that came arrogance and complacency. It is easy to fail to see your own flaws when you become so powerful that most are afraid to voice them.¡±


    Then she held my gaze and continued. ¡°I see this arrogance in you as well. Be careful that you do not become blinded by it. I have worked to evaluate the failings of the royals through years of contemplation. I spoke with many who suffered under our reign to gain insight. I wish to rid us of the constant infighting among the clans and work towards building something new. Something that can last beyond both our lifetimes.¡±


    ¡°Is me recovering my memories going to assist you, if it even works or do you have another intent behind the ritual?¡±


    ¡°I imagine the question of your origins plagues you endlessly. It was the only thing I believed could stop from you from committing wanton slaughter. Hearing you speak so casually about slaughtering the defenseless only served to remind me of the attitude of the old royals.¡±


    I scoffed and said. ¡°If not for my willingness to destroy then you may have tried to deny me justice. Since me killing a matriarch would be politically inconvenient to you and your plans. Fear is a tool like anything else and I will wield it if I have to.¡±


    A small smile came over her face as she said. ¡°Yet you capitulated with the prince so quickly. Someone of your personality wouldn¡¯t hesitate yet the prince is still alive, and the capitol isn¡¯t a burnt ruin. I can only guess that killing him would be politically inconvenient for you and your plans.¡±


    My eye twitched as she threw my words back at me. ¡°Yes, you are correct. But the fact remains he was mostly involved because of his foolish plan to acquire knowledge. I will end him in time but not yet. The matriarchs plotted my death directly, using my apprentice as a way to get past my barriers. Then killing Noire. It was a good plan they just never realized how powerful my barriers really were. That mage killer would have killed almost anyone.¡±


    ¡°This action will have consequences. What if some elves decide to take vengeance on you for killing the matriarchs.¡± Sianna asked.


    I gave it some thought before I answered. ¡°Then I would have to find allies, probably ones from within the empire. If pushed I would give them what they want. Flying mounts for their mages. So far, I have kept that power for myself, but I assure you if I must, then I will.¡±


    She closed her eyes and nodded as if she was expecting this answer. ¡°Fortunately for the both of us elves are not the same as humans. Once the duels are officially sanctioned then none will have the right to take vengeance. Doing so would mean death or exile. No elf wants humans in control of gigantic wyverns.¡±


    ¡°Nor do I. Give me justice and I will seek no quarrel with the elves. And besides most people are so focused with what I can do with flying creatures, they never asked about others.¡±


    Sianna blinked as if she herself hasn¡¯t thought about it. ¡°What about Sur¡¯an?¡±


    ¡°Of course. My abilities manifest in strange ways but in the end, it is always an improvement. The Sur¡¯an will just become more powerful. Stronger, faster with enhanced etheric abilities. You could command it with just a thought¡±


    ¡°What is the price for this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to place it in terms of coin.¡± I mused.


    ¡°I meant to you. What kind of ether do you control to perform this miracle.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°You know most people don¡¯t seem interested in the answer. None of my clients ever asked.¡±


    ¡°More than likely they do not want the answer. You somehow control life itself do you not?¡± Sianna asked.


    ¡°Indeed. You may think of me as the opposite of argon the defiler.¡±


    ¡°So, you draw power from the living and give to others. And with your power you can control the living tissue.¡±


    I nodded as she deduced the correct answer. ¡°Yes, and the more living ether the more powerful the body becomes.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you can give and take as argon did with the dead.¡± Sianna had a more serious expression.


    ¡°Not to worry I¡¯m not drunk on power as he was.¡± That wasn¡¯t completely true, since I tend to lose myself when I start consuming large amounts of living ether.


    She held my gaze for long moments before she spoke. ¡°What price would you offer for a Sur¡¯an.¡±


    In the end that was what I wanted. More elves will want enhanced beasts or other things with my abilities. Sure, they would lose two matriarchs and a few dozen elves, but they stood to gain so much more. When the empire fractures, I want them firmly on my side. It would take time but eventually I can bargain for elven magic and enchanting. Sianna would serve as excellent advertisement.


    ¡°For you I¡¯ll do it free of charge. As an offer of good faith. We can go over the details later. For now, would you like to meet Baelathor?¡± I said.


    ¡°Very well¡± she said with suspicion clearly in her eyes.


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s go after we have finished. I brought something I wanted to ask you about.¡± Maybe she knew more about the sword and the enchantments placed upon it. And most importantly It would be excellent if she could explain the purple Mithrite. Rings and other kinds of jewelry made of the material would be quite fetching.

 Book 2: Chapter 5: The Being

    Sianna and I walked side by side through the clan, towards Baelathor. It was rather amusing how the elves looked at us. It was somewhere between confusion, awe, and terror. I imagine it has been centuries since they had seen something like this. As we passed, the elves bowed in deference. I wonder what it must be like for them; to feel the overwhelming power radiating off both of us, the potential of our joining.


    As we exited the forest, I saw Baelathor sleeping the day away. Has he even moved since yesterday?


    ¡°Wake up you lazy oaf we have a guest.¡± I yelled at him. A single massive eye opened. Its blue slit pupils looked from me to Sianna before he chuffed in offense and yawned, revealing his massive toothy maw and long serpentine tongue.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give attitude. I know you haven¡¯t even moved since yesterday.¡± I said with exasperation.


    Even Sianna, with her centuries of life and immense power, couldn¡¯t help the sudden fear from causing her step to falter in her step and her breath to catch.


    ¡°Worry not. I have him under control, in fact, think of him as an extension of myself.¡± She raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced.


    ¡°Fine, he does take a bit of prodding, but he is a good boy nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± Sianna said, as she started to approach with me.


    Sianna examined his folded wings and ran her hand along his scales. ¡°Beautiful.¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Can you have him extend a wing?¡± she asked,


    I shrugged and gave him a mental command. Baelathor did as instructed and extended his left wing above us. It covered practically the entire clearing. The sun behind it made the deep red hue of his wing membrane even more pronounced.


    ¡°Truly fearsome. Why did you choose the name Baelathor?¡± Sianna asked.


    I commanded him to refold his wings then answered. ¡°I was considering giving myself a last name, like nobles humans do. Benny thought to give herself one as well. She was set on Baelathor for some reason, it is a character from some fictional work I found amongst her things.¡±


    I started towards the base of his neck to get the elven blade. I climbed along the collar and opened one of the large saddle bags. I pulled out the blade and climbed back down. Sianna¡¯s eyes were locked on it the entire time.


    ¡°A Shaeilin blade. How did you find one?¡± she asked. I handed it to her, and she started to examine it.


    ¡°I found it inside an underground armory in an antient watchtower, amongst degraded armor, clearly of elven origin.¡± I said.


    ¡°These blades are antient even by elven standards. Unike human enchanting, we weave patterns within the ether itself and bind it to the item being enchanted. May I see your Staff?¡± she asked.


    I never left without it, so I unstrapped it, twisted the two pieces together, and handed it to her.


    ¡°These lines of mithrite form some kind of structure that allows you to pull power from the gems.¡± She analyzed. Then asked. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Essentially.¡±


    ¡°But you must provide an input, and this stream of ether is amplified. We, however, can pull power from the gems directly. By enchanting the gem itself."


    She returned the staff to me and continued. ¡°There was a considerable amount of competition among the royals. They hoarded these blades across the continent, paranoid that their rivals would steal it from them. Who it belonged to is unknown to, but considering it has been centuries since one has been found the owner is most likely dead.¡±


    ¡°What about the enchantment and the purple Mithrite¡± I asked.


    ¡°Most are to preserve the blade, sharpness, hardness protection against corrosion and so forth. As for the purple Mithrite. I can tell you how it is done, for a price.¡± She smirked at my enthusiastic expression.


    ¡°According to Kerelia the knowledge was lost but then again, she isn¡¯t a royal elf. What price do you ask for this?¡±


    ¡°Two things swear to me to never reveal how it is done to anyone that is not of royal blood, And an enhanced Su¡¯ran for two elves of my choosing.¡±


    That hardly seemed worth the price and my lack of enthusiasm showed on my face. Sianna noticed this and continued. ¡°Royal Mithrite can conduct the ether with no resistance or loss. I know not how to enchant as humans do but, using royal Mithrite would be an interesting prospect would it not.¡±


    Now that was intriguing. What would that do to enchantments then I looked at my staff. I wouldn¡¯t need the double amplifier. In that case I could use the amplifier to its max potential without the latency.


    I reached out a hand and said. ¡°Deal.¡±


    She smiled slyly and we shook hands. ¡°But of course you still will do mine for free. Yes?¡±


    Damn she got me there; I shrugged. It''s fine, I don¡¯t mind letting her get a win.


    ¡°So, do tell me how it is done.¡± I asked, not caring that I had been swindled.


    ¡°It¡¯s rather simple. You must compress primal ether within the mithrite. It requires a truly massive amount.¡±


    I did have some mithrite with me. ¡°One moment.¡± I said as I scrambled up Baelathor¡¯s saddle and removed one of my ingots of Mithrite.


    ¡°How much ether would it take to transform this amount.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Enough to destroy the entire clan Noct¡¯hrum ten times over. And it must be done all at once, cut off the flow and you must start over.¡±


    Well, there goes my dreams of mass production. I could compress that much primal ether, but it would leave me rather drained. I looked at my staff and gauged how much Mithrite I would need to rebuild the enchantment. If I did, then what would I need the second gem for. Then I smiled. If Denerim came through for me, then I know exactly what to put there. There was no rule against having two amplifiers on one staff. It is fortunate I brought my enchanting tools with me.


    ¡°So, how would you like to fly? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re curious?¡± I asked.


    Sianna sighed clearly wanting to. ¡°No, I am not allowed to leave the bound of the clan without the approval of the matriarchs. Spies would spread the information that I went flying to who knows where.¡±


    I shrugged there is always Lilian I suppose. ¡°I see. Very well let¡¯s see to your Su¡¯ran then.¡±


    We headed back to the field of Su¡¯ran. As soon as we exited the forest Sianna started singing. It was a long, beautiful note that carried across the glade. To my surprise it was shifting the ether. Then one of the Su¡¯ran came sprinting over. It stopped in front of her and nuzzled her hand. It was still uncanny how silent the creatures were. The deer itself was a head taller than me and those antlers still looked impressive up-close.


    ¡°How does it work?¡± Sianna asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s rather simple I will forge a connection between you and the Su¡¯ran. Through this connection I will channel your very life to it, this will enhance and empower her. With enough living ether the creature will be forced to evolve and grow stronger. Or be burned from the inside out from its own power.¡± I explained.


    ¡°You say living ether would, that means that my life would be reduced.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not significantly. You are powerful so this would be like taking a few buckets of water out of a great lake.¡±


    Sianna acquiesced and said. ¡°Very well I shall trust you.¡±


    Is it foolish or wise of her to trust me? How would she really know that my unique abilities will do as I say? I suppose it¡¯s the same thing with the ritual. Very well I will take the olive branch, and we will see if she is as genuine as she appears.


    ¡°Very well lay your hand on her.¡±


    Sianna nodded and placed her hand on the Su¡¯ran¡¯s flank. Then I gripped her wrist and placed a hand next to where she had hers. I summoned up my abilities. And forced the living ether from her body into the deer.


    Sianna gasped at the uncomfortable sensation. ¡°It¡¯s ok, don''t fight it, just let it flow. We only need a few more moments.¡±


    Sianna stopped fighting and I channeled more living ether into the deer until it finally broke through its barrier. Just as I cut off the flow from Dianna to the deer, I tasted a bit of her living ether. It was delicious beyond anything I had tasted before. A vicious hunger welled up in me and I was about to start tearing the living ether out of her before I regained control of myself. Never have I felt such hunger before.


    ¡°Are you alright, Moon?¡± Sianna asked. From her perspective I must have looked like I blanked out.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I''m just examining the connection.¡± Then I proceeded to do just that. and like with Baelathor there was a thin line of living ether flowing between Sianna and the deer.


    ¡°Now we wait for it to finish its transformation.¡±


    The deer collapsed and bleated in agony. It twisted and writhed and through the dense coat of white fur I could see muscles tearing and repairing.


    ¡°This is horrid.¡± Sianna said.


    ¡°Indeed, such is the price of power. But worry not, what comes out the other end will be worth it. For now, give it some time.¡±


    ¡°May I assume you have been through this pain.¡± Sianna said.


    It was a logical assumption.


    ¡°You saw the state I was in after my first assassination attempt. It was a springtime walk compared to the pain of enhancing oneself.¡±


    We returned to the keep after the deer stopped bellowing in agony. Once it got up Sianna gave it some basic commands to confirm that the connection was forged. It would take some time to fully recover, and I was excited to see the results.


    Sianna was in the final stages of preparing the ritual so I figured I would work on my amplifier in the meantime. I sat in my room within the castle with an ingot of mithrite in my hand.


    Then I began forcing primal ether into it. There was some resistance, but the Mithrite absorbed it as fast as I pushed it. After about ten minutes of channeling, the resistance increased. After fifteen minutes I drained two thirds of my stamina charging the mithrite, but still there were no changes. I actually started to doubt that I had enough stamina to transform the mithrite. There was no such thing as affinity for primal ether, so I was working off pure etheric stamina.


    At 95% of my stamina drained, something happened. The Mithrite began to vibrate and heat, as Sianna described after she went into further detail. It became hot enough that I started to feel pain, determined to not to stop until I succeeded. I turned off my pain receptors and continued. Eventually I could smell burning flesh. Then in an instant there was a singularly massive pulse in the ether and the Mithrite instantly turned purple. I dropped the bar onto the floor and fell back, Exhausted.


    I spent a few minutes catching my breath before I healed my hand and picked up the ingot. It was lighter than before, perhaps a third the weight. I had to wonder where all that ether went. It was as Sianna said, I pushed enough ether into the bar to destroy a city. I placed the bar into my small crucible to melt it. I had to charge the enchanted crucible with significantly more ether to actually get the royal mithrite to melt. Then I brought over my staff and began the arduous process of building the shell script for an amplifier.


    Four hours later.


    It was in the dead of night before I finally finished. The once blue lines of mithrite that created the amplifier were replaced with royal mithrite. And what a wonder it was. I could push the amplification and throughput to its maximum without worrying about any loss. And I still had a third of the bar left. I gathered my supplies and headed to Bealathor to stow them away. I ignored the stares and once I was in the field I tested the improved amplifier.


    While aiming at the sky I channeled hundreds of radiant lances all through my amplifier without any loss in casting speed. I tried every light spell I knew and was pleased with the results. I couldn¡¯t wait to see how powerful I could make other enchantments with royal mithrite. Leithani interrupted my practice.


    ¡°Moon the ritual is ready.¡± She said,


    I returned my staff to its case and started towards the castle. ¡°Very well, fetch Lilian before we start, I want her to be there for it.¡±


    Before I passed her, she said. ¡°Moon it would not be appropriate for her to attend.¡±


    I stopped in my tracks, looked her dead in the eye and said. ¡°I am not repeating myself.¡± Before continuing towards the castle. I didn¡¯t bother sparing her a second glance.


    The ritual room was completely barren with the exception of the massive circle that dominated the floor. Etheric gems were on small mithrite pedestals, placed exactly how the diagram specified. My eyes were drawn to the powerful shadow gem; they were the rarest form and the empire only had three. I walked around the circle confirming the sigil¡¯s layout was the same. Sianna watched me observing the ritual circle with a neutral mask.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Sianna asked.


    ¡°I will need a demonstration, you, Leithani, and Lilian will do.¡± I said.


    She raised an eyebrow, then nodded. ¡°As you desire, I shall perform it first so you may see. As you have read, only one can be in the center.¡±


    Leithani, Endali, and Lilian were standing off to one side. The two young elves were surprised at my request. Leithani seemed shocked, and Lilian seemed confused.


    ¡°One moment before you begin. I wish to see something. May I have your hand.¡± Sianna came over to me and gave me her hand, confused.


    I channeled a small amount of living ethe into her and examined her brain in detail. Everything down to the smallest structure I gave a once over.


    ¡°Alright let''s begin.¡± I said.


    Before Sianna stepped into the circle she said. ¡°You need to learn to trust Moon.¡± I scoffed.


    Sianna stepped into the center, sat down on the floor, and placed a single hand onto a specific mithrite sigil in front of her. Then she channeled ether into the ritual circle.


    Slowly the complex series of runes and symbols that covered at least 30 feet of the large room glowed a bright blue. From within the ether, it was even more impressive. It swirled and twisted in repeating patterns I have never seen before. Then the spirals intensified around her growing faster and condensing. To my utter astonishment every bit of living ether inside her body disappeared. Did I just watch this woman commit suicide? No one else seemed surprised so I just sat there and waited. Then a minute later, the living ether returned with a massive shockwave. And she took in a massive intake of air.


    So, that is what the book meant by sending the soul on a journey to retrieve its lost fragments. It was literal.


    She breathed heavily for a minute before she calmed down. Tears were flowing from her eyes, no doubt from painful memories. She sat there for a few minutes and finally got up and reached a hand to me. I shrugged and examined her brain in the same detail. Unsurprised, there was no difference down to the neurological level.


    ¡°Is your examination satisfactory?¡± Sianna asked. There was some pain in her voice, not the physical kind. I genuinely doubted that this was some complex mind control plot, but I might as well see it through till the end.


    ¡°Might as well see how the others react, at this point I¡¯m simply curious. For a moment you looked as if you died.¡± I said.


    ¡°I suppose it would be to someone who could see life itself. Death is a more complex than that.¡±


    Don¡¯t I know it?


    ¡°Lilian, Leithani, are you willing?¡± Sianna asked. both nodded.


    They repeated the ritual with the same results, no changes to their brains and the same whirling and twisting of the ether. The only difference was how long their souls disappeared for. Sianna was around a minute, Leithani was roughly 5 and Lilian was little more than 2. Once more the books proved to be accurate. The age determined how long the soul takes to retrieve its lost fragments. Lethani had a bright smile when she returned, and Lilian looked neutral.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I suppose your worries have been assuaged?¡± Endali asked a bit testily. I¡¯m sure I was breaking some kind of eleven etiquette, but I couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°Not even slightly, but I might as well see this through.¡± I answered.


    I stepped into the center of the circle and placed my hand on the same sigil. The 4 elves watched me in anticipation. I began to charge the circle the same way they did and as the books instructed focused on finding the fragments of my memory lost within the soul. I closed out the world and focused on this singular thought. My memories, who am I, where did I come from? I felt the ether whirling in the same way it did the last three times. I felt a strange pulling that reminded me of when my body was reconstructed. Then all thought ended.


    Queen Sianna:


    I watched as the Moon began the ritual. He was more untrusting than any elf I had ever met. But he finally seemed confident enough that I didn¡¯t have some dastardly plot behind the ritual. As if a spell like that would work on an individual of our power. I did truly hope that he does recover his memories, however. One so young having so much power is not good for the world. It is fortunate that he seems uninterested in conquest.


    Though he looks at me with open suspicion. I think we have actually begun to achieve something of a rapport. Even now the clans speak of our joining. And Endali whispers into my ears to take him to bed, though whatever interaction they had in Tabor seems to have given her pause. After a minute, the ritual reached its apex. The anticipation of everyone in the room rose to its maximum, as the answer to who this young elf was seemed to be close.


    Then Moon¡¯s body stiffened, and he collapsed onto the ground. ¡°What is happening?¡± Endali asked.


    ¡°I know not¡± I said in worry. He should be in the middle of recovering the memories at the moment. But he simply laid there on his back, occasionally twitching.


    ¡°Do we pull him out or stop the ritual?¡± Lilian asked, looking at her in desperation.


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t. It could kill him.¡± Endali answered for her.


    ¡°He looks to already be dying.¡± Lethani screamed as the twisting ether became more violent.


    Nothing in all the text I had read described something like this happening. I searched my mind for what would have caused it to fail like this and found nothing. Just as I was about to break the ritual circle, it ended. And moon laid there on the floor unmoving. Then with a similar rush his soul returned to him. Sending the single largest shockwave across the room, almost knocking me over.


    I felt relief as I could see his chest moving up and down.


    ¡°It¡¯s over I think.¡± I said to everyone.


    Then moon began to float. It was so shocking I couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. His body rotated so he was hovering upright. Then his eyes popped open and looked about the room confused.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Moon said. His eyes flicked between us, with not an ounce of recognition. Is this Moon or someone else?


    ¡°A royal?¡± He said it with confusion in his voice. That''s when I realized Moon wasn¡¯t speaking imperial. He spoke perfect Evanian. This must be the true moon. Everyone was too stunned silent to speak, it wasn''t just that he was floating a foot off the ground. It was his power. It was beyond overwhelming.


    Moon or whoever it was signed and said. ¡°Very well I¡¯ll just take the answers.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked. If there was something that needed to be known, it was who in all the stars Moon was.


    ¡°Who am I?¡± Moon touched his lips in contemplation. ¡°Now that is a complex question but, before I answer I want to know everything. It seems I have been away for some time.¡±


    ¡°What do you¡­.¡± Before I could finish my question, it felt like an arm was choking me. I tried to use the ether, but I was completely disconnected from it. It was silent, never in my life have I felt such dreadful fear. The ethereal hand raised me off the ground, giving me just enough room to breathe.


    Endali, Lilian and Leithani were in the same state, clutching at invisible hands that seemed poise to choke the life out of them.


    Moon floated over and placed a finger on my head. I assume he cast some kind of spell to extract my memories since he immediately started laughing.


    ¡°The humans took Arlathan?¡± I was as If he had heard the single most hilarious joke in his life.


    ¡°Ah I haven¡¯t had a good laugh in some time, I suppose it was bound to happen. They breed as if fighting off extinction and from what I can see the royals became quite wretched.¡± Moon said then he moved on to Lilian. Before he touched her head there was a fluctuation in his power and the hand around her neck loosened before tightening again.


    ¡°That was strange?¡± Moon mumbled.


    Then he touched Lilians head, then Endali. He was using magic in a way I have never seen before.


    ¡°Moon is what I am called is it? Amusing that a human named me.¡± He made a small wave, the hands immediately released, and I could once again touch the ether.


    ¡°Seems you¡¯re not my enemy.¡± Then his eyes focused, looking into the ether. His eyes tracked something, eventually focusing on the east.


    ¡°A wyvern? How interesting. I prefer drakes personally, though I did eventually go overboard. Such a waste.¡± Moon mumbled, shaking his head.


    ¡°Who or what are you? and what is your name?¡± I asked once again.


    ¡°I am what you see, a royal elf. Who am I? I suppose I could say I am the original Moon or a different version. These things get complicated.¡±


    ¡°You are simply dodging the question?¡± Endali said.


    ¡°I suppose I am, anything I tell you Moon will know, since the little queen there has quite a plan for him. Before we continue this lovely conversation, I have to check something.¡± Then Moon disappeared in a flash of golden light.


    We looked at each other with confusion. ¡°What in all the world did we just unleash?¡± Lilian asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Perhaps he is some kind of antient royal elf more antient than our histories depict. His magic was strange and more powerful than anything I have seen, but still distinctly elven.¡±


    ¡°He described the humans strangely, so perhaps he is antient.¡± Leilani said. Everyone agreed with that analysis.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t expect to be here, though. And that still doesn¡¯t answer why Moon was in that forest.¡± Lilian said, with her eyes focused on the spot moon once hovered.


    Moon popped into existence with a flash of golden light a minute later. Now he looked a bit more serious.


    ¡°Well, at least I have answers now,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why did Moon appear when he did?¡± Lilina asked.


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time. Moon still needs to grow before he learns why. As for you four I would advise to maintain him as an ally.¡±


    ¡°Why not tell him now. Is there any point in keeping it from him.¡± Endali asked.


    ¡°Yes, he needs to walk his own path. If feels like he is being led he will fight the reins.¡± The Being said.


    Then with exasperation I asked. ¡°Then what can you tell us?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡± Moon mused. ¡°Lilian, for your first question regarding Moon, just ask, you know his personality. The second is a tough sell. It would take years to wear him down to the idea, especially to get more than one. I recommend appealing to his narcissism. Third, in a few years you will get your chance, just make sure to remind everyone you knew him the longest.¡± Lilian looked both embarrassed and confused.


    ¡°Sianna, Moon isn¡¯t an animal that can be caught with clever traps. But yes, he is considering deepening the alliance;¡¯ let him come to you. Earn his trust. Loyalty is what he values most beyond anything else. If you want that future then truly understand him, but never try to cage him. You don¡¯t understand the height of his ambition yet.¡± I¡¯ll have to revise my approach I suppose. By the way this being is talking, Moon is going to return in time.


    ¡°As for the two of you,¡± Moon said to Endali and Leithani.


    ¡°Continue your work, the clans need to be united under one ruler and speak with one voice. Do that and Moon will open many doors for your queen.¡±


    ¡°Why are you offering this information?¡± I asked suspiciously. He was purposely offering us a route to turn Moon for our cause. But through the conversation with this being, I got the distinct feeling that he was trying to prepare Moon for something. Slowly this being lowered himself to the ground.


    ¡°Because he is too arrogant for his own good and distrustful of your intentions. This serves neither himself, nor you.¡±


    He pulled up his sleeves and focused intensely on his forearm for a few moments. Before he fixed his sleeves, I was just able to make out writing. A private message from this being to Moon I suppose.


    The being closed his eyes took in a deep breath. ¡°My time is ending. Ask your questions and I will answer if I can.¡± He said.


    ¡°I assume you now have his memories so is there any way to convince him to take his place at my side?¡± I asked. I was already convinced it was impossible, but might as well have complete assurance. This being was rather open about Moon intentions.


    ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t like sharing, and any attempt to convince him will only hurt your cause.¡±


    ¡°You say, Moon will open doors for Queen Sianna. What are these doors.¡± Endali asked.


    ¡°Worry not, he will approach you with an offer in time. Whether you side with him or his enemies is your choice. He hasn¡¯t even begun to explore the true depth of his power; the healing and enhanced creatures are but an opening act. Those doors open when you choose him over safety.¡± Endali looked confused but this being not answering questions linearly was expected.


    Then I remembered something Mentioned. Corrupted souls. I had no clue what they were and none of my research turned up anything of use.


    ¡°What are corrupted souls?¡± I asked.


    The being actually flinched and for an instant there was grief in his eyes. ¡°A body cannot live without a soul, neither will a soul remain anchored to the material plane without a body. When this connection is severed the soul moves on to the afterlife. However, if a soul is powerful enough and anchored to the by some strong emotion it will not move on. Over time the regret, hatred, or whatever powerful emotion that prevents it from moving on will consume and corrupt it. Leaving behind only a creature of rage and hate, whose only motivation is to consume and spread its corruption.¡±


    Then the being pulled up its left sleeve and placed a much shorter message. Before hiding it once more. Slowly the overwhelmingly dominant persona started to disappear and his presence within the ether started to diminish.


    ¡°Will you appear again if this ritual is repeated?¡± I asked.


    The being smiled and said. ¡°No, I have prevented the ritual from working again. It is best for you to forget me as I am little more than the pale shadow of a long dead soul. If Moon decides to pursue me then it is his choice.¡±


    Then his eyes grew dim as if he was about to fall asleep before snapping back to alertness. ¡°Last question. Moon is beginning to awaken.¡±


    A racked my mind trying to consider the best answer to ask. This frustrating being has done little to answer my questions.


    It was an odd feeling talking to Moon at times. His mannerisms and attitude were so different from that of an elf that it felt alien. As if he was something else inside the skin of a royal.


    ¡°Are you actually a royal elf?¡±  I asked.


    The beings head tilted as he stared at me as if the question was more than a simple yes or no.


    ¡°Yes, I am as I always have been, though we never called ourselves royal elves. Speaking with words is primitive. We never used names. We spoke through the ether. I have had many spoken names. I will leave that up to Moon to learn. You aren¡¯t ready for the truth.¡± He said with a smile.


    Before I could ask him what the antient royal elves called themselves. The light in his eyes completely disappeared.


    Moon Solaris:


    I snapped awake with a rush and looked around my surroundings in a panic. I was sitting in the same position. Endali, Sianna, Lilian and Leithani were standing on the edge of the circle watching me. Though they looked rather haggard. I quickly searched through my mind for any new information and found none. So, it appears the ritual failed and did nothing other than rendering me unconscious for a few moments.


    ¡°Well, it appears this was pointless.¡± I said, as I got up and brushed myself off.


    ¡°Moon? Is that you.¡± Lilian asked.


    Is she expecting someone else? In the middle of brushing myself off the sleeve of the robe slipped down a little and I noticed that from my wrist to my inner elbow was completely filled with words in English.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    Ten minutes later they repeated everything that had happened. From the being awakening, to his magic and all the information provided. So, I wasn¡¯t originally a human. I can only assume that I was reincarnated in my old world as a human. I remembered the beings in the sea of souls. It was interesting to know that they were once powerful beings. Then I began reading the note on my arm. He actually stimulated the production of melanin within my skin to form the letters.


    Dear Moon:


    It is rather odd talking to myself. But it is as they have said. I am you or at the very least a different you. You have taken considerable steps in mastering your abilities, but more is necessary. Your plans for Moriah are a good start to gather the resources. As for the elves, complete your vengeance and move on. I have set the stage for them to become useful to your plans later. You need not worry for your safety. Sianna is as ambitious as you are and her plans for you span decades though none of them involve harm. Endali and Leithani are not to be trusted, they are loyal to Sianna and Sianna alone. Each of them will kill you without hesitation if she commands, though neither believe they have the ability.


    Lilian, however, is a useful tool you have yet to utilize. Her loyalty to the clans is not as unshakable as you had previously thought. Her return has been bittersweet, and many are not receptive to her. Even Sianna and Endali have been distant from her. Give her your favor openly and she will rise to prominence within the clans. In time you could sway her loyalty from Sianna to you. The faint embers of ambition and resentment are inside her, you need but add fuel to start the fire.


    As for your greatest question, who you are and why you are here. All those will be answered when you have the power. As you have guessed, I have the same unique abilities, once you become powerful enough you can reenter the sea of souls at will. Then that being will give you all your answers. If there is one piece of advice, I can give you is to grow in power. Build, grow, empower others, and lead them to greatness. Become absolute you have the ambition already and when the time is right you will understand why it is necessary.


    This message was enough to confirm that what they were informing of is true. My intention was to see if Sianna proved to be loyal enough to introduce her to the rest of the cabal. That was only if she was able to take control of the clans. By opening doors, I assume he meant greater access to my abilities as well as the vast resources of the cabal. Choosing me over safety that would likely refer to the fracturing of the empire.


    When the eventual war breaks out, I can assume that they would face pressure to ally with the empire against us. Having the ability to sort through memories is quite the power. I stared at Lilian and wondered if she really could be useful. Perhaps I should give her some attention later.


    Then there is the being itself. It had my abilities so how exactly did it die? It can¡¯t be old age, and I seriously doubt that someone with both my abilities and mastery of the ether, enough to completely nullify Sianna¡¯s abilities would be killed easily. Then there was his openness with what a corrupted soul was. If I had enough regret and hatred, would I then become a corrupted soul. And he mentioned spreading corruption. If I had been killed within the sea of souls, then would I become one of those monsters.


    The being said death would occur. But if there was one thing I realized, it was that death was more complex than first assumed. To evolve again would take at least a thousand lives most likely. I sighed this technically didn¡¯t satisfy the deal I had with Sianna since I didn¡¯t have my memories. But the creature wanted me to end my vengeance and move on. What is his game? Something was coming. Something he wanted me prepared for. Did it have something to do with corrupted souls? A feeling of dread came over me as I recalled Sianna¡¯s description of what a corrupted soul was.


    Sianna came over to try to read what was on my arm. But she had the same confused expression everyone else did when I spoke or wrote English ¡°What does it say? And what is this language?¡± Sianna asked.


    ¡°It mostly confirms what you have been saying and offers some advice. The language doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I got up and looked out the window. It was mid evening, and I wanted some time to think.


    ¡°While I do not have my memories, I will consider our deal satisfied. Once I have gathered my thoughts, we can discuss the process of officiating the duel and finally settling matters.¡±


    Sianna nodded, though she didn¡¯t look pleased. Then I looked at Lilian and decided to act on what the being said. ¡°I did promise to take you flying. Will you join me tonight?¡±


    She nodded and flung a glance at Leithani. I made my way to the door before Endali interrupted me.


    ¡°There is another message on your left wrist.¡± She said, I glanced down and saw that she was correct.


    Benny was not powerful enough. Her soul has moved on.


    I smiled and returned my skin tone to normal, my initial dread disappearing. Why would the being bother to reassure me about Benny¡¯s fate?


    An hour later I sat atop Baelathor over a mile in the sky as the sun started to sink below the horizon. The four women wanted to have a conversation with me about what they had seen but I wasn¡¯t interested. My mind was whirling with the information, and I didn¡¯t want the distraction. The elves, the cabal, and my kingdom. I had quite the task in front of me.


    I spent over a little an hour in the sky going over everything I had learned.


    My past self said that Endali and Leithani cannot be trusted while on the other hand telling them to continue their work and specifically mentioned uniting the clans.


    The advice to Lilian was strange. There was something she wanted that would take years to convince me of and that she would have the chance in time. What that was I couldn¡¯t say. Perhaps she wanted a boost to her power or a mount like Baelathor. Something like that would certainly take convincing. Though I got the distinct feeling she was altering what the being actually said. Still despite their fervent need to discuss what had happened. I refused and left to gather my thoughts.


    I landed in the clearing a few minutes later and immediately headed to the residential section of the surrounding forest. I ignored the elves following me from the shadows. Honestly, it would be less annoying if they just followed in the open. Then I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the constant fluctuation of their stealth abilities.


    I found Lilian¡¯s house sometime later. Though it was at the dead of night there were still elves active and from within the many homes I could see lights or hear conversations. There was nowhere to knock like a traditional home, so I just said loudly.


    ¡°Lilian. Are you there?¡±


    Fortunately, she was, and a head popped out of the window. She looked surprised to see me.


    ¡°I did promise to take you flying, didn''t I?¡±


    The way she looked at me it appeared that even she forgot. Then she smiled and said, ¡°I will be down in a moment.¡±


    A minute later and were headed to the clearing where Baelathor resided.


    ¡°I am surprised you came to see me.¡± Lilian said as we walked.


    ¡°I am an elf of my world Lilian, regardless of shocking revelations.¡±


    Lilian chuckled. ¡°Indeed, we all thought you were truly dead then you became that being.¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite the quandary that creature was. I am still not even sure of its intentions. But I do believe it was a past me. The massage of my arm was made by precisely changing my skin tone.¡± I said.


    ¡°Why not tell us what was said. Is it still trust?¡± Lilian asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am distrustful to the point where some would consider it paranoia.¡±


    ¡°That is not a good way to live life.¡±


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t, but what choice do I have? ¡°Someone loyal to a person, an idea, a country, or anything else cannot be trusted fully. There will eventually be conflict and a betrayal will happen.¡±


    Then I looked at her and continued. ¡°Take you for example, you are loyal to your clan and queen. What happens when I offer you my trust and loyalty, and your clans ask you to betray it? You already gave them most of the information you had on me upon request.¡±


    Before she attempted to apologize, I interrupted her. ¡°To make it clear I hold no grudge, it only serves as an example. Your loyalty is to the elves and your clan, not to me.¡±


    ¡°You say you hold no grudge, but your words still have ice in them.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°Perhaps I do, everyone I know wants something from me to advance themselves or their own cause. Even Sianna sees only what she can accomplish through me. The brief time I had with my apprentice showed me what loyalty was. She held almost all my secrets, and not once did I fear she would betray them for any reason.¡± I said.


    Lilian held a warm smile. ¡°You speak of her with a warmth I have never heard from you.¡±


    ¡°Benny was unique, she wanted power and after she got it, just desired to be by my side. In her own words. It was a good life.¡±


    Lilian nodded and said. ¡°I suppose I understand why you desire vengeance. True trust is something you have never had with anyone, other than her,¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Then she asked another question. ¡°Why have you not taken the prince¡¯s head then. He is as responsible as any elf.¡±


    ¡°I have plans that go beyond this and killing him will cause an innumerable amount of problems.¡± I said, baiting the question.


    ¡°What are those plans?¡± This was the moment that the entire conversation was hinged upon. The being told me that she could be used, that it was possible to turn her to my side. And how does one build trust and friendship?


    Show vulnerability and weakness. A friend will not judge or use it against you. Finally sharing a secret, I likely will have no way of knowing if she keeps it or immediately tells Sianna. But if she could become an actual ally amongst the elves then that would be a boon to me. For that I need her amongst the inner circle of Sianna. The only way I know how to find out if someone can be trusted is to trust them. If she breaks it, then the being was misguided, and I will handle it. I made a gesture which she realized meant I wanted full silence.


    With an eager nod she cast the same sound dampening spell I¡¯ve seen her and Endali use before.


    ¡°I have been thinking about settling down for some time. Perhaps taking a bit of land for myself.¡± I said casually.


    She looked surprised, ¡°You wish to buy land within the empire?¡± Lilian asked.


    ¡°No, I want more than that. I think I will look east, and I want much more than a few square miles.¡±


    Then she looked confused, ¡°How much do you want Moon?¡±


    I continued on as if she didn¡¯t ask the question. ¡°You know Lilian I was considering giving myself a last name as the humans do.¡±


    She shrugged and asked the obvious question. ¡°What would you name yourself? And why be so secretive about it?¡±


    ¡°Moon is a decent name, but I wanted something grander.¡± I stopped in my tracks, locked eyes with her and with a smile said.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t King Solaris sound appropriate?¡± I asked Lilian.


    Lilians eyes widened as she understood what I meant. Then her eyes widened even more as some kind of revelation happened in her mind. She calmed down a few moments later.


    ¡°I think it is a perfect name.¡± Lilian said, with eyes I have grown familiar with; eyes that burned with ambition.

 Book 2: Chapter 6: The Speech

    Lilian and I soared high in the sky, reaching a little over two miles. Both moons were out and there was not a cloud to be seen. Lilian, as expected, was apprehensive as she met Baelathor up close. It wasn¡¯t surprising in the least. Anyone who could either see or feel the ether would know how powerful he was. This far north the air was colder, and I had to grab a long overcoat from my saddlebags. Lilian didn¡¯t seem bothered no matter how high we rose.


    ¡°This is amazing.¡± Lilian said, sounding lost to the stunning view of the forest and stars above.


    ¡°Yes, it is. I have flown hundreds of times and still have never gotten bored.¡±


    ¡°How fast is Baelathor?¡± she asked. It was hard to gauge my speed with any accuracy.


    ¡°He could cross the entire continent from the Gikar mountains to Braken in a little over a day.¡± I said. It was a journey of around six or seven months by foot.


    ¡°Remarkable. And Noire, your other mount, was equally fast?¡¯


    ¡°Faster, it depends on the creature really. Noire¡¯s species primarily hunts among the forest canopy, so range isn¡¯t as important. I would have to extend her stamina artificially.¡±


    Then I remembered the white birds that flew nearly two miles in the air. ¡°Migratory birds however could cross the entire world without stopping, if enhanced by my abilities.¡±


    Lilian was silent for a whole minute before she responded. ¡°The potential for such an ability is limitless.¡±


    ¡°I know, that is why, only now, I have been more liberal with its use. With my power, no one can force me to do anything.¡±


    Lilian chuckled and said. ¡°Now you want to use your ability to build your own kingdom. Queens and kings from all over will want alliances, or your death. Though if you had even a dozen mages on the backs of wyverns or even mounts like Noire. All their ships and massive armies would mean nothing to someone who rules the sky.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± I said. But there is far more I wish to do. I need people to experiment on. Genetic manipulation is a complex thing, and even small errors could have horrific consequences.


    ¡°You have come a long way since that day in the forest.¡± Lilian said.


    I chuckled as I remembered her with the knife at my throat. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the best of first impressions, though I was grateful for the clothing.¡±


    ¡°That was no great gift.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°Perhaps not, but I never repaid you for it, and I don¡¯t like owing debts.¡± In truth I cared nothing about the clothes. If Lilian was to rise in prominence within the clan she would need power. I wasn¡¯t willing to evolve her yet, but giving her something like a Su¡¯ran would be well within reason. Queen Sianna hasn¡¯t yet told me to whom they would go. If I had to guess it would be to matriarchs who are loyal to her. Endali maybe, and one other.


    It had only been a day since I had enhanced the Su¡¯ran, yet it had grown half a head taller than the rest and sprinted with greater speed than any purebred racehorse, all while being completely silent.


    Lilian wrapped me in a hug from behind and with a small amount of sarcasm said. ¡°And how would you repay such a great gift that I have given.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s up to you really, simply ask. If I cannot give, ask for something else.¡± I said casually.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Lilian mumbled in my ear. Then she said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you would give me a flying mount. Nor do I have a Su¡¯ran, none has chosen me, not for a lack of trying. It can be any creature correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, once the bond is forged it will become an extension of yourself, and it can find you anywhere. As massively powerful as Baelathor is. I never have to worry he would harm me.¡±


    ¡°I think I have an idea, though capturing one is going to be difficult.¡± Lilian said with excitement in her voice.


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s going to be a surprise, for now let¡¯s head back, the night air is growing colder.¡± Lilian said. How exactly she tolerated it this long, in only a blue robe, was beyond me.


    It only took 10 minutes to return to clan Noct¡¯hrum. We landed with a loud thud and the few elves who were meandering around the clearing scampered out of the way. It was still odd how active they were regardless of time. I helped Lilian climb down and remove her harness.


    I looked at the sky once more admiring the moons before deciding to rest. I still felt slightly drained from creating the royal mithrite, but a quick meal and deep meditation should set me right.


    ¡°What are your plans for the rest of the eve?¡± Lilian asked.


    ¡°It has been a hectic day, and some meditation is in order.¡± I said.


    Lilian took in a deep breath before asking ¡°Do you remember when we meditated in Vernon?¡±


    I did and it was quite pleasant. ¡°Yes. Clara and Bella were quite amusing.¡±


    ¡°They were pleasant hosts and demanded little of me. Though they had no filter.¡± A small smile came over her face as she was reminded of the two women.


    ¡°That is putting it lightly. But I do remember those sessions fondly. It¡¯s one of the few times our interactions were not heated.¡±


    I realized where this was going but I wanted her to ask. With a boldness I didn¡¯t expect she stepped in close, reached down and caressed my hand.


    ¡°Perhaps we can meditate once more.¡±


    Well, she was being surprisingly bold, but I¡¯m not one to turn down a good time. Besides, I¡¯m sure the elves watching in the forest would spread this through the clan. Hopefully the mount, the secrets I have offered her, and fulfilling her desires will be sufficient to foster a sense of loyalty. Though I''ll still make sure that I ¡®fire blanks¡¯ as it were. It was an easy enough use of my abilities. Though at some point I would need children. Surprisingly, the prospect didn¡¯t seem as dreadful as before.


    7 hours later.


    Lilian and I laid naked on the large circular cushion that served as a bed. Her small home was comfortably warm so there was no need for covering. Our time the night before was quite enjoyable. Though I underestimated her endurance, once she got started it took some time before she calmed down.


    I rose from the meditation to see Lilian watching me with an expression that I could only characterize as smug. It disappeared as soon as she noticed I regained full consciousness. I decided not to bring it up. I took a deep inhale of the fresh air and foliage of the forest, savoring the scent of pine and the ever-present perfume of wood.


    ¡°Well, good morning.¡± I said to Lilian, I sat up then I looked at the sun, noting the time. ¡°It¡¯s already midday.¡±


    ¡°You looked tired, so I decided to wait until you arose from your meditation. Though Leithani did request your presence.¡± Lilian said, she looked far too pleased. I suppose that is why she looked so smug. I did fall into a rather deep meditation. The constant cycling of ether to enter the state was even easier with another person.


    Might as well play into it, I adjusted my waist length hair and said. ¡°Right, I likely have to have a lengthy conversation with Endali and Sianna. I¡¯m sure they are already well under way to arrange a council with the Matriarchs.¡±


    ¡°You sound as though you dread the very prospect.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°There is only so much clandestine plotting I can deal with.¡±


    She straddled my lap and pushed me back onto the bed. I made no attempt to hide my admiration of her lithe body.


    ¡°I shall go hunting for my mount, let me ease your stress before you head back into battle.¡± I grinned.


    An hour later I headed towards the castle. My mind, quite distracted by the memories from last night and this morning. Lilian helped with me dress and even offered me a black ribbon to tie my hair back. Her attitude had turned nearly 180 degrees. Now she was rather pleasant to be around. I even made plans to see her tonight. Apparently, the creature she wanted as a mount would take some time to hunt. Her slightly morose and resigned countenance had disappeared. Focus and determination took its place.


    Throughout our sessions I fed her living ether, mostly to increase her health and vitality. It wasn¡¯t enough to cause any drastic changes since it was only about a quarter of a normal human''s life. Let us hope that this past me was correct and I wasn¡¯t wasting time and effort on her. I didn¡¯t like being directed even if I was directing. But I couldn¡¯t ignore the potential benefits of having someone among the elves as an ally. Sianna was far too focused on her own goals. I¡¯ll likely need an ambassador to the elves in my own country after all and who else would be better than her.


    Leithani greeted me at the entrance to the castle. She, as usual, didn¡¯t look pleased. I imagine she was a more traditional even woman and didn¡¯t like my devil may care attitude. Most elven men I have seen were demure and were being escorted around.


    ¡°Leithani, a pleasure as always.¡± I said, with artfully masked sarcasm. I didn¡¯t dislike her but now I knew she was useless to me. There was no point in showing her any deference.


    ¡°Greetings Moon, I see Lilian is not with you.¡± She tried to hide the sneer, but failed.


    ¡°Yes, we had a long night, so she is resting. Is Sianna available? I wish to discuss plans for the duels.¡± I still didn¡¯t really understand the logistics in dueling over 60 elves.


    ¡°There is currently a meeting with the elders of the clan if you wish I can escort you.¡±


    I shrugged, a private meeting with Sianna would be preferable since they no doubt have questions for me about yesterday''s ritual. But what¡¯s done is done.


    Leithani escorted me to a room within the tower where eight elves including Sianna and Leithani were. They were all female of course, sitting in a circle, each elf was sitting cross legged on a small cushion. Leithani was on Sianna¡¯s left and the cushion to her right was empty.


    ¡°Glad of you to join us, Moon.¡± Sianna said as I made my way to the empty cushion. I didn¡¯t know if I was supposed to sit there, but I wasn¡¯t going to ask for permission.


    ¡°I was occupied. Now Leithani tells me that you wish to discuss the duels.¡± I said as I sat down next to her. A few elves whispered to each other in their native tongue. I couldn''t understand a word of it.


    ¡°Yes, we were discussing format. Typically, the offended party chooses. However, it is unusual with so many elves offending one party.¡±


    ¡°What are the limitations? In a duel.¡± I asked.


    ¡°None, you may bring all your magic to bear. Though it is still in discussion on whether or not Baelathor is allowable.¡±


    ¡°Before we get into it, explain how the duel works.¡± I said.


    An elf with golden brown hair and brown eyes started talking. ¡°All duals take place upon the fields of honor. It is roughly two leagues, both in length and width. It is to the death. Any magic or magical items are allowed, the only thing that matters is victory. The winner will receive all the magical artifacts as spoils.¡±


    ¡°If two elves are dueling, could they bring their Su¡¯ran?¡± I asked the elf.


    ¡°Yes, the bond between an elf and a Su¡¯ran is for life, and thus is considered a part of the elf itself.¡± She explained.


    ¡°There is your answer then, Baelathor and I are one, and thus is applicable to enter. The bond we share is a magical one. I¡¯m sure Sianna can attest to this.¡± Sianna nodded as if she expected my answer.


    ¡°Indeed. Therefore, Baelathor is well within the accords. Though the elves might claim dishonor if he is used and call into question your power, since it is known you practice human magic.¡± Endali said.


    ¡°Who is the most powerful among them?¡± I asked. I already knew the answer.


    ¡°Matriarch Xalia.¡± Another elf said.


    ¡°I will face her alone. After her death I will face the rest of the elves all at once with Baelathor.¡± That erupted the room into frenzied discussion.


    ¡°You are powerful Moon, but matriarch Xalia has centuries more experience than you. Your victory is not assured.¡± Leithani said. She got an icy stare from her mother before I answered.


    ¡°Perhaps, but she was the prime orchestrator whose actions lead to the death of one I considered my child. Honor demands I face her myself.¡±


    More frenzied discussion I couldn¡¯t understand broke out. Though I could see some eager nods and approving glances. In truth I couldn¡¯t care less about honor, but perception is a useful tool. If I ever feel like I have a chance of losing then Xalia will have to deal with a two-thousand-ton rampaging fire breathing wyvern, honor be damned.


    ¡°Is this acceptable?¡± I asked after the discussion calmed down.


    Sianna spoke, addressing everyone. ¡°Yes, I believe this is agreeable. Six other matriarchs have openly condemned Xalia¡¯s and Boriel¡¯s actions. Once you arrive with Baelathor in tow the rest will fall in line. A council of all matriarchs has been called, there we will formally make the accusation and force her and the guilty into a duel.¡±


    Sianna looked at everyone for objections, none were found. Heads nodded and in a single voice they all said. ¡°Sum.¡±


    Endali stood and said a few words in Evaian before the elves bowed and exited the room leaving only Endali, Leithani, Sianna and l.


    ¡°How long until the council is gathered?¡± I asked Endali.


    ¡°5 days. It only takes a day to reach Nu¡¯Vian, a neutral keep where all council gatherings occur. It is only a few leagues from the fields of honor.¡±


    ¡°When do we leave?¡±


    ¡°It is best to arrive early, so we leave in three days. While I believe you will be victorious, preparation is always necessary.¡± I shrugged and accepted the advice.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Unlike human magic the amount of ways an elf could manipulate their primary affinity was infinite. Though from what both Sianna, Lilian told me. Elves usually focus on a specific form of manipulation. One elf with water magic may focus on the manipulation of massive tentacles of water to restrain and destroy enemies. While another focuses on specific kinds of ice spells. Though the older they became the more complex these manipulations could become.


    I had dozens of spells at my disposal, but it really didn¡¯t mean much. Speed usually won the day in any battle. And if I don¡¯t use my primary affinity I would just be under a handicap. Endali, Sianna and I discussed for some time the ways an elf could use water magic in combat, but Xalia has kept her true strength hidden for over a century. So, the best advice they could offer was focusing on defense and slowly learning how her abilities work.


    After over an hour of discussion I sat in the field as elves practiced riding their Su¡¯ran. I could focus on creating more royal mithrite, but I wanted to be at full strength. Creating even a small ingot was draining both physically and mentally.


    I watched Sianna and a group of elves atop Su¡¯rans sprint across the large field. Hers was by far the largest and fastest. And within a few moments she left the rest in the dust. Their mock race wasn¡¯t even close.


    Next Sianna progressed into testing the agility of her mount. The half dozen elves threw spell after spell at her and the mount dodge with supernatural agility. Then she did something altogether strange. Sianna channeled ether into the deer and cast a spell. The deer leapt, clearing a distance of over 200 feet before landing completely silent. Then she dashed into the tree line with the Su¡¯ran skipping off branches of the massive trees and disappearing from sight. Her audience looked at each other confused. Apparently, they did not expect that kind of agility.


    ¡°Your abilities are impressive, Moon.¡± Endali said. She was standing next to me the entire time as I watched the performance.


    ¡°Thank you for the compliment. I knew the Su¡¯ran to be more agile but that was beyond anything I expected.¡± I said.


    ¡°The bond between an elf and their Su¡¯ran is built over decades. The bond you created between them seems to have deepened the connection to the point where they can anticipate each other¡¯s desires.¡±


    ¡°What price would, and elf offer for a mount like that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Much. Especially with how superior it is to others of its kind. Vanity is not something exclusive to humans. Do you intend on selling your abilities?¡±


    I smiled and said. ¡°Not quite yet, I¡¯ll wait until anticipation grows.¡±


    Endali gave me a piercing stare as she asked. ¡°What is your real goal, Moon? I know of your deal for the secret of royal Mithrite.¡±


    While we had a conversation about the ritual. I was sparing with the details. Especially with what was written on my hand. That only made them more determined to know my true intentions.


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly to take the attention away from flying mounts. That is a power I offer to no one. This serves as an excellent source of advertising. I imagine once Sianna rides in on this mount others will want one for themselves and they will have to pay.¡± I said. Then I remembered the two mounts I still had to provide.


    ¡°Are you not among those who will receive mounts?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, it would not serve my purpose. They will be given to two other matriarchs who you will meet soon.¡±


    Well, it seems Sianna is already making headway, this is good. The faster she takes control of the clans, the better.


    ¡°Moon,¡± A voice from behind me said.


    I turned to see Lilian, she was dirty, sweaty and had a manic smile. ¡°Do you have it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, it took some effort.¡±


    Clearly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see to it then. I have been anxious to see this mystery creature.¡± Endali was watching the conversation with unhidden curiosity.


    It seems Lilian didn¡¯t inform them of my choice to give her a mount. Excellent, though I don¡¯t think I would ever get her to betray the elves, everyone has selfish desires, and this would be a good step in having her lean into them more. If I were her, I would choose a creature whose base strength would surpass a Su¡¯ran.


    ¡°Whatever are you two talking about.¡± Endali asked me.


    Lilian looked nervous so I stepped in. ¡°I owe my old mercenary compatriot a debt. It wouldn¡¯t do to not show gratitude, especially since she has been so accommodating.¡±


    There were numerous elves around and I could see ears twitching in our direction. Endali looked suspicious, all the more proof that Lilian hadn¡¯t informed her of my offer. I left with Lilian as the eyes of dozens of elves followed us into the forest. Ten minutes later she led me deep into the forest where I could just pick up the sound of a creature panting. After rounding one final tree I was rather shocked with what she chose.


    On the ground was a massive feline creature with ink black fur. It almost looked like a panther but had large, pointed ears. There were two arrows embedded into the creature. One in its shoulder and another near its rear leg. As I got closer, I admired the well-muscled limbs and unretracted claws. If this was standing up it would probably be as tall as I was.


    ¡°What is this?¡± I asked Lilian.


    ¡°Noct¡¯thrax or Shadow Cat in common. They are impressive hunters and can even use the ether to go nearly invisible.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°It seems that many creatures in these forests can use the ether.¡± It was something I noticed over time. Birds, even small rodents that scampered in the tree line seems to have some small etheric ability.


    ¡°They know not to encroach on our lands, and we respect theirs, humans however expanded everywhere and wiped out most of the etheric beasts. Only in the high mountains do they remain.¡± She explained.


    ¡°Like the drake?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    I got closer, placed a hand on the creature and examined its body. It seems the arrows were coated with a paralytic.


    ¡°You can remove the arrows; it won''t take long.¡± I said.


    She looked at me dubiously, ¡°Are you sure? He was not easy to bring down alive.¡± I understood her hesitation. This creature had to weigh at least 800lbs, most of that being muscle.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± she shrugged, gently removed the arrows, and stored them in her quiver.


    ¡°Now place your hand there.¡± I instructed. Then I repeated the process with Lilian and the Shadow cat. However, since she had much less living ether than someone as powerful as Sianna. I had to funnel some of my own into her, wait for it to commune then channel it into the Shadow cat. This made it take longer than usual, but in a matter of minutes the creature broke through and the bond was forged.


    ¡°Now we wait, prepare yourself. This process is rather unpleasant. And after that you will have to send him hunting in the forest for a day or two. He will grow rapidly.¡±


    Lilian shook herself off as she reeled from how much living ether was sapped from her. This Cat was much more powerful than the deer after all. Still, it was only a large magical cat and didn¡¯t need as much as a human would.


    ¡°How much bigger?¡± she asked.


    I shrugged ¡°It depends on the creature, so far, I have done a horse, Su¡¯ran, wyvern and a bird. They all grew bigger yet to find a pattern beyond the amount of power provided.¡±


    After hours of violent twisting and screaming the creature finally finished and slowly got to his feet.


    ¡°Remember he is a part of you now and you him. just send him a command and he will follow.¡± I said.


    ¡°Vanish.¡± Lilian said.


    And just like that the creature turned invisible with a small pulse of ether. I walked around where the creature stood and noticed it wasn¡¯t perfect. There was a slight distortion, though in the night I imagined he would be impossible to see.


    He reappeared and walked over to Lilian. He nuzzled her hand then she ran her finger across his shiny black fur.


    ¡°You should go hunt with him, spend time understanding the bond. While he is a part of you, each enchanted creature has their own personality. Baelathor for example is impressively lazy and requires prodding.¡±


    She nodded absentmindedly. She looked completely entranced by the creature. ¡°I shall repay you for this gift Moon.¡±


    I chuckled and said, ¡°Repayment is not necessary, let us, from this moment, begin anew as allies and let the past remain the past.¡±


    I held out a hand which she shook. I met her green eyes. They were focused and determined. ¡°Very well, Moon. The past is the past and we will move forward as allies.¡±


    Three days later.


    Over 100 members of the Clan Noct¡¯hrum walked through the forest towards the fields of honor. I would have preferred to fly there but Sianna was adamant that procedure was necessary. We traveled by Su¡¯ran for most of the entire journey, I didn¡¯t have one of my own, so I hitched a ride with Endali. Lilian of course rode on the back of the now massive shadow cat she named Velith. Many members of the clan were enthralled by the beast especially with how impressively large it was.


    It stood a head taller than me at around 6 feet and weighed at least half a ton. Regardless of its massive size it was beyond agile, and she could disappear with it. How she was able to remain on its back through the massive leaps the creature took was beyond me, though I know magic was involved. Every time we stopped a small group of elves would gather around Lilian and her beast in enthusiastic discussion. Sienna''s Su¡¯ran by comparison wasn¡¯t as impressive. And that is what I wanted. I would deliver on my agreement with her of course and have them envy Velith.


    I got the distinct feeling some wanted to approach me but stern stares from both Endali and Sianna dissuaded them. Leithani was of course displeased with the attention Lilian was getting. Elves may preach about their superiority to humans but in the end, everyone is attracted to power and prestige.


    ¡°We are only an hour away. This is sacred ground, and no act of violence is tolerated without permission.¡± Sianna said.


    ¡°We have already agreed, no need to remind me.¡± I said.


    In the distance I could see a large white tower surrounded by many stone houses. It almost reminded me of the higher-class neighborhoods in noble quarters. Though the streets were almost barren. Grass gave way to white cobblestones, and I had to admire the fine architecture. Each clan had a specific section of the small town for their exclusive use. But of course, they were expected to tend to their own needs.


    ¡°We will report our presence to the overseer. Moon, you should join us.¡± Leithani said. The Su¡¯ran were kept outside the city in an open field. There was apparently no fear of them wandering off.


    ¡°Very well.¡± I said. I was interested in seeing the large tower up close. It was over 50 feet across and stood almost 500 feet into the air. At the top were the council chambers, where the matriarchs and their seconds would meet. With the early morning sun shining off the smooth white stone it was almost hard to look at.


    Endali, Leithani, Lilian, Sianna along with a few other elves made our way to the tower. After around 10 minutes of walking we reached the massive entrance, a large steel double door. Outside stood an elven man in black robes. Speaking to him was a familiar sight, Xalia, her daughter Kerelia and over a dozen elves I didn¡¯t recognize.


    They turned to watch as we approached the elven man. She couldn¡¯t help the sneer that arose as we met eyes.


    ¡°Xalia, Kerelia, how nice to see you two again.¡± I said. completely breaking decorum.


    ¡°I see you are still as impetuous as ever.¡± Xalia said, with a sneer, but Kerelia remained neutral. Interestingly enough she wasn¡¯t among the guilty. It seems that Xalia knew that this was a possibility and ensured that her daughter would not be amongst those on trial. Xalia was only slightly more powerful than Morianne but from the ether I could see a powerful etheric gem in her pocket. And several other enchanted items on her person. Even her clothing was enchanted.


    ¡°This is neutral ground provocation is beneath you both. Let all be settled within the council and the fields of honor. Is this agreed?¡± The overseer said in common. Likely for my benefit.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said.


    ¡°Sum¡± Xalia said.


    ¡°Good, only three clans are yet to arrive. The council will begin when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky. Do not shame our ancestors by breaching these accords. I shall report on the arrival of Clan Noct¡¯hrum and clan Lit¡¯havn¡± Elf looked pointedly at me and started towards the tower. The door opened by itself and closed behind him. I was just able to make out a few elves wandering around in the same dark robes.


    ¡°I see the royals have already joined forces. Soon enough they will breed and bring about more ruin.¡± Xalia said.


    Sianna said. ¡°You have made your choice Xalia, instead of open discourse you chose treachery and murder. You must pay the price.¡±


    ¡°The death of a single human hardly counts as murder. It is doubtful you will convince the clans of such.¡± She sniffed in indignance. I sent a mental command to Baelathor while they sparred with words. In truth it was more likely for the gathering audience than for each other. Now there were at least a hundred elves watching the confrontation.


    ¡°Moon considered her a daughter, trained her in magic himself. But you, in your desperate need for control, threw the lives of over 30 elves away. For no other reason than your pride and the pathetic illusion of control.¡± Sianna responded. That brought some excited discussion amongst the audience. Then the conversation switched to Evaian. And I had no clue what was being said. Though it did start to become quite heated as I could feel the ether flowing off both of them. As much as I couldn¡¯t understand it was quite entertaining. This was a rather common occurrence before a council meeting. It usually was for the audience, how they reacted would largely dictate the decision of the council.


    ¡°What does Moon say to this?¡± Xalia asked.


    I looked at Sianna since I had no clue what she was talking about, though from how intently the audience was looking at me it was a serious question. Noticing my confusion she said, ¡°She wished to know what you will do if you are not given a chance to exact justice via a duel.¡±


    I suppose she wanted me to admit my more murderous tendencies to the audience. I shrugged might as well give a good performance. So, I ignored her and faced my audience. I imagine if I was a normal elven male I would be intimidated by the hundreds of eyes staring at me. It was a mistake to call me out like this. Even now she underestimates me.


    ¡°I woke alone and naked in a forest south of Vernon. No name, no history, I had barely enough magic to fight off a goblin. Even now, I know not, what my true name is. I am called Moon because I found the two moons beautiful and was enraptured by the sight.¡±


    Not every elf spoke commonly so I could see some frantically translating to others. I gave them a few moments to translate and continued.


    ¡°Then I met Lilian, she was as shocked to see me as I was her. I didn¡¯t even know what a royal elf was then. The human who gave me the name Moon saw my potential and offered to get me training in light magic. Though Lilian offered to bring me to her people, I feared the intentions of elves I knew nothing about, only now I realize that time has proven me wise.¡± I paused once again and let my audience digest that information. At that point they were enraptured, and no one seemed poised to interrupt.


    ¡°A human taught me light magic and as a mercenary earned good coin. All the while Lilian was by my side constantly asking to bring me to my people. Lilian taught me to meditate and showed me how calming it can be with others I trust, still I refused to return to my people because I feared elves I did not know. Eventually I grew tired of serving the human nobles, their arrogance was exhausting.¡± There were some mumbles of approval. Of course they would approve of disparaging humans.


    ¡°So, I set off on my own and then I was attacked. It took me some time to learn who orchestrated it. I was burned bereft of two limbs and crawled along the forest floor near death for hours before a human came and helped me.¡±


    I paused once again, there was silence. With nothing but the wind and the muttering of elves rapidly translating.


    ¡°This human fed me and kept me safe while I healed my wounds. She asked to be my apprentice, and for the first time in this short life of mine, I found one I truly trusted. She held my secrets and loyalty from the moment I met her until the moment she was killed in the street. Xalia says that this is not murder because she is not an elf.¡±


    A small rumbling started through the crowd. I continued on with a bit more fire in my voice. ¡°A human gave me my name. A human taught me the magic that saved my life a dozen times over. A human taught me the meaning of family and loyalty. Who will say that this is not murder?¡±


    I waited until the crowd calmed down and the translation finished before continuing. ¡°An elf decided that I should be murdered for what I am; for past crimes I didn¡¯t not commit. An elf decided that my apprentice¡¯s life was worth nothing and had her butchered in the street. An elf risked the lives of thousands for her own selfishness, her own fear. Who will say that this is not murder?¡±


    Baelathor arrived at the same moment his massive form blotted out the sun, his blood red wings and his white scales glowed in the sunlight. He roared so loud it shook the very paving stones, elves dove to the ground covering their ears.


    ¡®Alright that¡¯s enough,¡¯ I commanded him then he flew away. Slowly they got up off the ground, the fear dissipating as Baelathor flew away.


    ¡°I brought that beast here for justice. And I would have gladly unleashed his full power on every clan until I found those guilty.¡± The translators were far less enthusiastic about their translations.


    In a calmer voice I continued, ¡°But an elf showed me true magic.¡± I gave an appreciative stare to Sianna. ¡°An elf showed me the failure of the royals and the crimes they committed. An elf showed me the beauty of the Su¡¯ran, the taste of Guyara. An elf showed me that my hate and rage should be directed only at the guilty, that I can find allies and friends among the elven. An elf showed me the beauty and comfort that can only be found amongst those of my own kind.¡±


    I looked to Endali, Leithani and finally gave Lilian¡¯s hand a soft caress that should send their tongues wagging. Time to finish up I suppose. Then I turned to Xalia who was quietly fuming. I suppose she could have interrupted me, but that would have only worked in my favor. I was tailoring my experiences to fit a certain narrative.


    So, I have garnered some sympathy, some fear, now, it¡¯s time to give them an ultimatum. I really didn¡¯t want to bother with this performance, but I do intend to be king someday and what is a king without allies? But I can''t be too generous with the elves. They elves need to know that I am more than willing to bring death on a mass scale if they refuse me justice. What is power afterall without the willingness to use it?


    ¡°Make no mistake Xalia of Clan Lit¡¯Havn. Regardless of the outcome of the council. This will be the last sunrise you will ever see.¡± I made sure my iris dilated, turning my eyes into black pits to punctuate the seriousness of my words. If they refuse, I will be forced to act. It would be a shame to slaughter these elves before I learn their magic.


    Her brow tightened; her pulse quickened. I could practically taste the fear that was coming off of her. Over two centuries of life will end today, I suppose most people never woke up with the idea that today could be their last.


    I turned on my heels and walked away. The crowd cleared a path as if standing too close to me would direct my ire to them. The massive amount of ether I was gathering near the end of my speech was probably not helping things.


    Hopefully, this performance will have the desired effect. I¡¯m sure my name will be on the lips of every elf in Isran soon enough. The speech covered everything I wanted, expressing my rage and willingness to destroy. Shame them with how poorly I have been treated by my own kind in comparison to humans.


    I¡¯ve given them some hope that all is not lost and there is a chance I can be retained as an ally. Finally, have everything contingent upon finding those who I accuse guilty.


    This should be enough to set the stage for Sianna to build influence and for everyone to know I am intimate with Lilian. With the open display of affection and the etheric beast she rides, as well as the terror, the council will do as I desire. And if they don¡¯t, they will suffer the consequences.

 Book 2: Chapter: 6: The Sword VS The Lance

    I was alone in a small room in a shallow meditation. Everything I could desire was provided to me by elven servants. Sianna and Endali were busy politicking, the council of matriarchs was still ongoing and had been for over six hours. Lilian was busy socializing; she was garnering considerable attention due to the majesty of her shadow cat. I had my pieces on the board now and I didn¡¯t want to add anymore complications by taking new lovers or making deals with elves I didn¡¯t know. So, I requested privacy and left instructions to not be bothered unless it was important.


    ¡°Pardon Moon, you have a visitor.¡± A voice said, there were no doors in these dwellings.


    I opened my eyes to see Neakle, she was an elven equivalent of a teen. The cartilage in her ears had yet to fully harden and they slightly drooped; She was adorable. A shameful thought entered my mind when I first saw her. Would this be what a daughter of my own would look like? I imagined instead of her brown locks and emerald eyes, the white and purple of my own. Why in the world am I having so many thoughts about having children? I need to leave these elves as quickly as possible.


    ¡°Really now, it must be someone important.¡± Neakle beamed with an exuberant and almost conspiratorial smile, that reminded me of Benny.


    ¡°It¡¯s Kerelia.¡± She said in a whisper.


    Now that was interesting, I would have assumed that she would be a second to her mother during the council. What in all the world would she want to talk about? I considered if she had harmful intentions then abandoned that idea. If the daughter of one of the accused tried to assassinate me, during the council no less. Then I could bury their entire clan, elven law was just that brutal.


    ¡°Send her in and bring some Guyara.¡± I said to Neakle. She nodded and ran off with a hop in her step. I had rather enjoyed the drink. It didn¡¯t do anything on a biological level beyond what normal caffeine did. And with my constitution it didn¡¯t really aid me in any real way. What I did like, however, was the overwhelming sense of nostalgia that came over me every time I drank it.


    The room I was in was considered one of the best in the dwelling, but it was rather utilitarian. A cushion to sleep on, a small desk, a table with a few two chairs and even an attached wardrobe. There were guards, but the idea that an elf would break the peace seemed to be a concept that wouldn¡¯t even be considered.


    Neakle walked in, carrying a silver platter with two steaming porcelain cups, followed by Kerelia. She was dressed in the same, simple, but well-made dark blue tunic, with her black hair in a tight bun. These elves really didn¡¯t have any sense of fashion. I had switched to my more impressive ensemble. Comprising of a purple and silver close-cut doublet and high collared overcoat. It made me stick out like a sore thumb.


    ¡°Do join me.¡± I said. At the same moment I got up off the cushion and made my way to the small table. Kerelia gave me a nod and in short order we sat down, our drinks were served, and Neakle left the room.


    ¡°I am surprised you decided to converse with me.¡± She said and took a small sip of the brown liquid.


    ¡°Why would I not?¡±


    ¡°Our clan''s actions lead to the death of your apprentice and harm to yourself. Most would not drink with those they consider enemies, regardless of the accords.¡±


    I smiled and said.  ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if you were guilty, why bother conversing with someone who will die in short order.¡±


    She flinched at my callous tone, but I continued regardless. ¡°Neither through my own resources nor Endali¡¯s were we able to determine if you were involved. So, for the moment you are only the child of my enemy.¡±


    ¡°Some would say that is enough cause for hate.¡±


    I really dislike these personality tests, but she wants something. Before she asks, she needs assurances, which likely is the reason for this discussion.


    ¡°I hate those who deserve it. Mindless hatred is for children and fools.¡±


    She chuckled without humor and said, ¡°I expected that answer to some degree. But I must ask regardless, do you hate clan Lit¡¯havn.¡±


    ¡°No, but I will take my pound of flesh for the crimes against me. Once that is finished the rest of the clan will bear no enmity from me.¡±


    She was about to say something, but I cut her off. ¡°I will kill Xalia, your mother and matriarch. Perhaps this will forever cause your clan to hate me and perhaps they will seek vengeance. In that eventually, to end the cycle of vengeance, I would have to end clan Lit¡¯havn.¡±


    She didn¡¯t bat an eyelash at my threat, only nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°By your power I can assume that you do indeed stand a strong chance at victory, for the love I still bear for my mother, I will not tell you of her abilities. But in the case that you do end up dying, I want to settle all dealings.¡±


    I had no idea what she was talking about. What dealing?


    ¡°Explain.¡± I commanded.


    She had a playful smile on her lips. ¡°I am here for my Su¡¯ran. You promised two, yes, for what price Sianna did not mention? One is for me.¡±


    Is this why Endali and Sianna were so cagey on who the Su¡¯rans were going to. I suppose I could see why. This is a first step to douse the flames of hate that could spring up due to the duels.


    ¡°The other is for Boriel¡¯s heir?¡± I asked.


    She nodded, ¡°Yes, we spoke in short before the council, not long after your speech. My compliments by the way. The other matriarch¡¯s are thirsty for one of their own. Though Lilian¡¯s beast is even more impressive, especially the control she has. In a few decades she could grow into one of the fiercest hunters in the clans.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been in contact with Sianna?¡± I asked. I did not like being left in the dark about these things.


    ¡°After the failure of the second assassination attempt. Your words and rumors of your power were starting to spread as well as the potential harm in having you as an enemy. A change needs to happen, who better to embrace this change than the clans who held the strongest opposition¡±


    Apparently, my dislike of being left out showed on my face. ¡°No need to be offended, Sianna wanted me to see the surprise in your face. This proved two things to me.¡± Kerelia said.


    ¡°And what did you find?¡± I asked neutrally.


    ¡°One: You can be reasoned with. Two: You are true to your deals. It has been mentioned many times that once you strike a deal you will never betray it. Even now, after the crimes my clan has committed and the slight by Sianna to not forewarn you of my visit. You will still provide the enhancement.¡± She explained confidently, and she was correct. I disliked how Sianna decided to play this.


    A part of me was suspicious that she was involved but again, nothing even close to proof was found. It wasn¡¯t until Endali explained that it was common practice to completely isolate an heir from plans that could result in a situation like this, that I started to accept the possibility that Kerelia wasn¡¯t guilty.


    In fact, from the brief conversations I had with other elves, her lack of guilt wasn¡¯t surprising. I suppose she could be lying, but that would be stupid. One conversation with Endali or Sianna, who were currently in council would be enough to verify her words. I¡¯m sure the clans will be awash with rumors of her visit and her receiving an enhancement for her Su¡¯ran. If Endali and Sianna wanted to avoid gossip, then they should have included me in this little plot.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you a second to your mother?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want my open support and wishes to forestall any suggestion that I am supporting her defense. Even if she wins the duel with you her reputation is in shambles and even worse the clans do not want her to win; your speech tipped the balance..¡±


    ¡°Her loss in either case.¡± I said in understanding.


    ¡°Tell me Moon.¡± Endali said, grabbing my attention. I gave her a raised eyebrow in response.


    ¡°You hold no reverence for our ways, yet you are abiding to the accords.¡±


    ¡°Is there a question there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What was offered to you? As far as I can see you are not the type to bend to rules that no one has the power to enforce on you. Either you were given something of value or there is something else you desire, that you cannot get with threats.¡±


    I considered her for a moment, then abandoned thoughts of her being of use to me. I didn¡¯t know enough about her, and I didn¡¯t want to complicate my alliances. I¡¯ll leave Sianna and the rest to hand things with the elves. I have far too many things on the fire as it is. I downed the last sip of Guyara before I stood and said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see to the Su¡¯ran then.¡± She flinched at how abruptly I cut off the conversation.


    ¡°Very well.¡± Kerelia said.


    30 minutes later we were in a small clearing where clan Noct¡¯hum¡¯s Su¡¯rans were grazing. I could even see the large form of Sianna¡¯s, towing over the others. We got some odd gazes as we walked through the clan, but none seemed hostile, just confused. It was near sunset and the council meeting was still ongoing. Through some stupid custom or another I wasn¡¯t allowed to attend. I didn¡¯t really care. So long as they gave me what I wanted little mattered to me. In truth I was beginning to tire of the elves and their strange ways.


    Kerelia started singing in a slightly different tone than Sianna, though still beautiful. A single Sur¡¯an came running over. Its brilliant white fur and metallic antlers were mesmerizing in the setting sun.


    ¡°How does it work?¡± Kerelia asked as she ran her hand along its neck.


    ¡°All you have to do is place your hand. I will do the rest. A small amount of your life will be used to forge the bond. Worry not, as I have said before. It is like taking a bucket of water out of a great lake.¡± Her instant hesitation at the proclamation that it would cost her some of her life, decreased a bit, but didn¡¯t disappear.


    ¡°You control life itself. Quite the potent power you have.¡± Kerelia said. She did as instructed and placed a hand on the flank of the Su¡¯ran. I began the process for a third time. In quick order it was completed, and animal was writhing on the ground in agony.


    ¡°The process takes time but worry not for its life.¡± I said over the sound of the creatures bleating. It took well over an hour until it finished. And the same bond was forged as all the others.


    ¡°Moon!¡± I heard from behind me.  I turned to Lilian atop her shadow cat sprinting towards me across the field faster than even the Sur¡¯an. She had to be close to 90 miles an hour, the beast skidded to a stop and she hopped off her face beaming with excitement.


    ¡°The council is over. The duels will take place at sunrise.¡±


    A silence fell over us as Lilian informed me. I felt odd. I presumed that I would feel relief, anticipation, fear, vengeance was so close at hand. Yet I felt almost nothing, killing these elves was just another task that needed to be completed.


    ¡°Thank you, Lilian. I will prepare myself.¡± I said.


    Then I turned to Kerelia. ¡°I desire privacy so I will have to bid you a good eve.¡±


    I left the two elves behind without another word and headed to my room. I wanted to contemplate my feelings.


    I didn¡¯t regret my actions in the slightest and no part of me was opposed to the act of killing. So, what was it that caused me unease? No, I was lying to myself. I did feel regret, but not for this action. Everything fell together as Endali and Sianna wished. Their opposition will be eliminated, enemies will become friends, and they can begin gathering power. All of this was done through my capitulation. What did it cost me? A small amount of power. A bit of time. I know the secret of royal mithrite and now have a path to finding the truth of myself. Not bad for only a week and a half with the elves.


    Was I so arrogant that even getting what I want from a method not of my own design, bothered me? Even if I did indiscriminately slaughterer, I stood to gain less than I did now. Yet there it was, I disliked getting what I want on another¡¯s terms, through another¡¯s plans. I was a pawn to be played on Sianna¡¯s chess board and she played me well. Then there was that being and his advice.


    I felt like a pawn on an even larger board. I took a deep breath and released the growing frustration I had been feeling since being with the elves. They were too foreign, too different. Even if I was an elf in a far distant life. I still didn¡¯t feel like I was one, not truly. The dysphoria at my own reflection was long gone but now I felt it again while being amongst the elves.


    I didn¡¯t speak, talk, or walk as they did. I hated this sense of doubt and hesitation that was welling up in me.


    ¡°Enough wallowing.¡± I said aloud.


    I was in my room in a shallow meditation. Dressed in my full armor with my staff across my lap. I had both amplifiers on my hands and was as ready as I could be for battle. Baelathor was circling high in the sky. I banished the feelings. They were a weakness I didn¡¯t need at the moment and settled in for a calming meditation.


    ¡°Moon it is time.¡± A voice said.


    Sianna was standing in front of me, her eyes focused and worried.


    ¡°You look concerned?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You could actually die in this battle. Power alone does not dictate victory.¡±


    ¡°You are correct. But in truth I¡¯m not going to lose. If I must abandon my honor to survive then so be it.¡±


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    Sianna¡¯s eyes tightened. ¡°You would violate your own terms?¡±


    ¡°To survive, yes. If you believe that I subscribe to the idea of death before dishonor. You have not been paying attention.¡±. I got up off the cushion. I stretched and got a satisfying pop out of my neck. Sianna did not look pleased. Did she really think I would die to preserve my honor?


    An hour later.


    The Fields of Honor was a massive clearing of land exactly as the elder described. Nothing but a large expanse of grass. The duel had some pageantry. The participants would meet in the center of the field, accept the terms and it would begin. Sianna, Endali, Leithani, Lilian, and dozens of other elves rode to the center of the field. I was riding along with Endali once again. I could just start to make out Xalia¡¯s group and the overly large Sur¡¯an of Kerelia. Already in the center there were 10 elves dressed in fine robes. The other matriarchs I presume. In the distance amongst the trees, I could see probably a thousand elves watching.


    The two parties were dismounted and met at the center. I finally got a good chance to see my opponent. Xalia looked magnificent.


    It was the first time I had ever seen an elf in plate armor. It reminded me of the armor I found near Wigmore. She wore an entire suit of scale armor. Thousands of individual pieces of steel shaped to look like drake scale. Above the scale was a suit of half plate designed to protect only vital organs and to not disrupt mobility. Under her arm was a helmet with cut outs for her ears. Everything she wore was enchanted, especially her sword. The way the ether rippled around it reminded me of the mage killer. I smiled; by the rules of this battle that entire suit of armor along with everything else she wore would belong to me. Underneath all of that I could sense a powerful etheric gem around her neck. How glorious would I look in full royal mithrite?


    Xalia herself didn¡¯t look angry or filled with hate, just determination. Rumors were that even if she won this duel she would relinquish her position to Kerelia. It seems she intends to prevent further deaths since I would have to do this again and no one in their right mind would want to fight Baelathor.


    The same overseer from the day before was standing between us in his black robes.


    ¡°Moon, Xalia step forward.¡±


    We did as instructed, and met in the center.


    ¡°Through a unanimous decision Xalia has been found guilty for attempted murder of another elven. As well as a secondary offense of killing that elven¡¯s apprentice. Both parties have agreed to the terms put forth and a duel of honor will occur this day. The terms are as thus, a duel between Moon and Xalia with all weapons and armor but no mounts. Do both parties affirm this decision.¡±


    The elf looked at us and we both said in unison. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then let it be known that both participants have agreed, and all must accept the outcome of this duel. Once the field has been cleared, we will begin.¡±


    Then without another word everyone left but Xalia and I.


    The overseer performed a light spell and a small floating light levitated roughly 100 feet into the air.


    ¡°Both combatants will take 100 paces away from the center. Once the light disappears the duel has begun. None may interfere and none may leave the field of honor until the duel has ended through death.¡±


    Then without even a pulse in the ether the elf disappeared. Now I stood facing Xalia. She pulled a mithrite longsword from her waist, placed her helmet on her head, turned on her heel, and walked away. Her helmet only covered her skull but left her face bare. It was rather elegant. I followed suit pacing out 100 steps. In the distance around us well over a thousand elves were watching the duel.  I turned around and watched the light.


    It was a cool morning, and the sweet scent of the forest was relaxing. Xalia stood as still as a statue watching me from two hundred paces away. The time it took for the light to disappear was random. A minute passed. Then two. Then ten. Still Xalia did not so much as twitch. It was as if her entire being was focused for this very moment. Surprisingly, I was feeling excited. I have never craved battle in any real sense, it was just another chore like clipping a nail. Still, there it was. An anticipation and an eagerness to test myself against what is essentially a master elven mage.


    The light went out.


    Faster than thought Xalia, rocketed forward pushed by a pillar of water that wrapped around her chest like a cloak. In barely a fraction of a second, she crossed the distance between us, her sword pointed at my heart.


    But I was no slouch, at the same moment four radiant lances popped into existence intercepting her path nearly 10 feet in front of me. She was dead. There was no dodging the pillars of light and not even enchanted plate would stand against something that burned hotter than the surface of the sun.


    At least that is what I thought. In the barest instant before the lance was released, she changed direction and the pillars of light did nothing other than disintegrate the ground where she once was. I was surprised. That kind of reaction time was impossible. Right?


    At an even higher velocity she made an ark wide arc around to strike from the rear. I summoned lances that should instantly kill her but each time her trajectory changed, and my lance went wide. With a massive burst of ether her speed increased and once again she rocketed towards me, sword first, aiming for my heart. I could of course change the orientation of the lances once I summoned them but not fast enough to match her speed.


    Another four lances popped into existence this time targeting both her and her possible paths of evasion. Once again, to my surprise her movement stopped completely and she rocketed upright pushed by another pillar of water. It was the only path that would allow her to live. Then she retreated outside my range. Even during her retreat, I summoned nearly 50 lances pushing my casting speed to the limit but every time she dodged an instant before she was incinerated.


    She left behind a cylindrical trail of water around chest width that hung suspended in the air I considered destroying it with a fireball.  It was a strange mirror of her movement. But I was weary of the amount of ether that flowed within it.  The entire bout lasted only a second. Such was her speed and my casting ability. I kept a close eye on her and switched my vision to the ether, weary of traps. There was a truly impressive amount of ether within the water. Slowly the water dispersed and drifted towards her.


    Once more surrounding her like a cloak. I wasn¡¯t going to let her rest, however. I summoned the two circuits needed for Meteor and began to charge them through my fire amplifier. The moment I did so she rocketed towards me again. Fire wasn¡¯t my primary affinity, so my casting time was slower. I immediately abandoned it and switched to casting lances again. She was just too fast.


    Then another bout began, this time she was persistent. Every time I summoned a lance she dodged it and I finally began to realize how. She, in nearly an instant, could examine the circuit and based on its orientation predict the path the lance would travel before it was released. That gave her enough time to change her trajectory. She had to do this in less than a fiftieth of a second for four lances simultaneously. She had to be perfect even a slight miscalculation would mean her death. Can someone really maintain perfection for so long? To my surprise she did.


    ¡°Amazing.¡± I whispered to myself.


    Ten, fifty , a hundred , two hundred, five hundred. As the seconds passed, I summoned lance after lance. She would dodge and continue her attack from another trajectory. Above, close to the ground, behind. She could use that pillar of water to attack from any trajectory in 3d space. She grew so fast I couldn¡¯t rely on my eyes anymore, just the ripples in the ether. I simply couldn¡¯t turn around fast enough to track her with my eyes. Finally after 10 seconds and hundreds of lances there was a massive ripple ether and she disappeared. No, her speed increased to the point where I couldn''t track her. I activated my radiant shield and pumped massive amounts of ether into it. In the same instant her sword connected.  The amount of ether drained was staggering in fact. Still I dont think it could break my carapace with a single blow whoever it would send my flying. She was clearly aiming for my heart. A single killing blow that is how you kill someone with the healing abilities I have.


    I turned around to see her held aloft by the pillar of water sword being held back by the shield. I¡¯ll have to thank Duchess Shorcast for the gem since even with my insane stamina that sword would be a problem. She sustained the absurd pressure for a few seconds before retreating once again. Leaving behind a trail of water, instead of coalescing back into her cloak  it wrapped around my shield, but didn¡¯t drain any of its strength.


    Even more water began to surround me until it looked like I was under an ocean. I was wondering how I would handle this before the water exploded. How exactly she turned thousands of gallons of water instantly to steam was beyond me. But even with fueling the shield with my amplifier the strain of sustaining the shield drove me to my knees. But my stamina was massive and with my amplifier she could hit me with a hundred of those and I¡¯ll still have stamina to spare. This was something of a stalemate.


    I stood up and contemplated what to do. I cycled through every spell I knew with her speed there was no chance I would ever hit her with a fireball or air blast. Perhaps I can try something else? It was rather inefficient though. I¡¯ll just dial the power back a little. I just need her to get in close after all I don¡¯t have to summon spells close to my body.


    As soon as the steam cleared, I got a good look at the surrounding field. It was destroyed and I stood in the middle of bare earth brought to ruin from the force of the blast.


    Xalia pressed the attack once again and it was my lances versus her speed. However, I only used three and left an overcharged air blast as bait  and kept a radiant shield in reserve. Maintaining concentration on three different spell circuits while tracking her was challenging, but I was able to handle it.


    The bout continued once again our duel was a combination of her insane speed and my unending lances. The field was lit up brilliantly as each lance popped into existence  the pillars of water that marked her path refracted the light. It was beautiful in a way. Once again, her speed increased to the point I couldn''t keep track of her with my eyes. I was ready she was going to strike from an unexpected angle. After fifteen seconds and hundreds of lances later she made her move. She came in from the left. Pushing my ability to the limit I dismissed the airblast and I summoned 3 lances nearly 30 feet behind her, an enormously inefficient endeavor. But she couldn¡¯t see it which means she couldn¡¯t predict their path.


    She must have sensed the ripples in the ether and through what was either luck or precognition dogged towards the ground and retreated. Though not without damage half of her left ear was completely vaporized, there wasn¡¯t even any blood. I smiled as I finally managed to land a blow.


    When she was out of my range, she raised a hand and used some light magic to heal the wound. It was strange to see the spiraling green light.


    Her breathing was heavy, but I wasn¡¯t going to give her any reprieve. I summoned four, master level circuits. The Tornado spell was one of Benny¡¯s favorites after all. Using her amplifier I charged them.  Let her come, I''ll release them regardless I can heal any injury and she would be caught in the wind.


    Xalia, realizing the power that was going into the spells, responded in kind. Massive orb of water exploded around her and grew to nearly a hundred feet across. Then tentacles emerged from with massive spikes of ice on each tip. Each was as wide as a carriage and the spike must have weighed several tons. All four of them aimed at me. I released the tornados in her direction and the spiked tipped tentacles rocketed towards me. I activated the radiant shield I always kept in reserve.


    The sound of the spikes connecting with my shield was enough to damage my ear drums. The sheer force with which they connected nearly made me almost lose control of the shield even with my amplifier. The massive orb of water was still there and I nearly lost sight of it as before the tornadoes popped into existence, then surprisingly they merged together. Creating a twister nearly 1000 feet tall. Earth trees rocks everything was swept away by the violent winds even hundreds of feet away I could feel the strain on my shield. I poured ether into the barrier and I could barely see the orb of water behind the wind and debris.


    The howl of the winds were mildly terrifying. I could just make out the orb turning into ice before completely being absorbed by the twister.


    I summoned four sun spells and charged them ten times over along with another shield. It was a truly absurd waste of stamina but I had an amplifier so what would have been nearly half of my total stamina drained was reduced to a fifth. After all the spells I had cast. I was down nearly 30% of my total stamina.  I wanted to see just how much she could block with that ice orb. It took several minutes for the tornado to end. And I could see the orb was still mostly intact with Xalia in the center. I immediately released the four  sun spells and made them flank her on all sides. Then I strengthened my shield until not even light could pass through. So, I was in complete blackness. While the four spells raged. I could feel the massive amounts of ether that was being drained to block out the light.


    Unlike her I can heal practically any damage. Then I began to plan. Xalia always went for the killing blow, always to the heart or the last elf that tried to kill me also went for the heart. Perhaps it is their training? I smiled and used to use living ether to morph my flesh. After several more minutes the sun spells wore off and I decreased the strength of my shield so I could see. Xalia¡¯s former massive orb of ice was reduced to  barely 10 feet across. The entire area, however, was a molten ruin. Literal pools of boiling magma were all around me. A testament to just how hot that spell was.


    AS much as master level spells were enjoyable, they were costly. Xalia didn¡¯t hesitate though as soon as I dropped the shield she acted exactly as I expected. I suppose she realized she couldn¡¯t match me with large scale magic. I had too much stamina compared to her. As limited as human magic was, it was no less deadly.


    The duel renewed lances versus her speed. Even using the trick of summoning circuits outside of her view it was difficult to hit her. And after nearly 30 seconds all I managed to do was char her armor. Still, she didn¡¯t stop, she kept up the insane speed dodging and retreating and attacking in the same motion, occasionally forcing me to bring up a shield in response. What was concerning however was the ether. She was channeling it into herself and her sword. She had to be preparing for an attack so I kept my senses hyper focused on her. How would she use so much ether? Then she moved for a frontal attack? This was perhaps her fastest speed, but I was ready. Then she cut off her attack before I had the chance to respond.


    This continued for several minutes all the while we were at a stalemate though she was slowing down. And didn¡¯t make any more risky maneuvers. What made me concerned though was the ether she had gathered. She hasn¡¯t used it. What was she waiting for? I still had significant amounts of stamina and by the look of her she was running out. Even with the gem I knew she had on her.


    Then in what looked like a desperation attack she blasted directly forward with her sword pointed at my heart. But she wasn¡¯t as fast as before, I suppose this would be her end. There was a pulse in the ether so massive I could see it emanating from her. Then pain beyond anything I could imagine ripped through me and I lost control of my circuits. Blood vessels all over my body literally burst. I bleed from my eyes, ears, nose, mouth, even my pores. The lapse in my concentration was enough for her to strike and the mage killer, fueled by massive amounts of ether, tore through my carapace then destroyed the enchantments on my armor piercing my heart, burning the sword to its hilt in my crest.


    At least that is what it looked like. After whatever that spell was, Xalia seemed drained of most of her strength and wasn¡¯t fast enough to react. She fell for my trap in the end.


    I grabbed at the only bit of exposed,which were her ears and immediately used my ability to sever the connection between her brain and spine. She crumpled to the ground, staring up at me with confusion. I still had a sword buried in my chest and my left lung was filling with blood.


    I ripped it out and began the painful process of healing the wound. It took several minutes before I was no longer close to death, though I was still covered in my own blood and I had significant internal injuries, the sword not being the worst of it. After a cursory examination I realized I suffered massive amounts of internal hemorrhaging due to whatever that last spell was. Most of my organs were damaged. If she had actually hit my heart, I would have been dead, not even I can heal that fast. Xalia was completely paralyzed and though she could still use the ether she seemed resigned to her fate.


    ¡°I pierced your heart. Is your healing so advanced?¡± Xalia forced out.


    I summoned 4 radiant lances and aimed it at her.  Then I sat next to her head as she stared at the sky.


    ¡°No, it would have killed me. Not even I¡¯m that good. During the sun spell I moved my heart to the right side of my chest. It was difficult but simple enough. You always aimed for it.¡±


    She chuckled and said. ¡°Clever, I would not have guessed that was possible. I suppose I have lost.¡±


    ¡°Yes, these are your last moments.¡± I said. Disappointingly I felt nothing, no great sense of victory or satisfaction that justice was carried out.


    ¡°I suppose my ambition was my downfall in the end. Over a century I worked to raise my clan to its position. We were the weakest of the clans and suffered the most under the royals.¡±


    ¡°I know the story. Sianna seems quite driven and Kerelia has a good head on her shoulders. I doubt your clan will suffer much.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, I know of her dealings, Kerelia is still young but has talent.¡±


    I looked up at the blue sky thinking back to my apprentice. With a sigh I placed a hand on Xalia¡¯s ear.


    ¡°I regret nothing in the end however, my orders were to capture your apprentice, not kill. Once you were dealt with she would be released.¡± Xalia said. I almost wanted to laugh at how casually she mentioned killing me.


    ¡°Intention matters little. She is dead, and you are the cause.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±  She said, sounding even more resigned. I dismissed the lances.


    ¡°Is an apology worthless?¡± Xalia asked.


    I shrugged. Regardless; this was the end for her. But I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be terrible to hear it.


    ¡°No.¡± I said.


    ¡°I am sorry for the death of Benny. Moon.¡± Xalia said, Sounding genuine.


    Was this really genuine? I didn¡¯t really know. I remembered what the being said about corrupted souls and how they formed. Would she become a corrupted soul, filled with anger and hate? I will never forgive her, but holding on to hate was just another weakness.


    ¡°All debts have been paid and after today. I will bear no hatred for your clan. So long as they do not seek further action against me, we will be at peace. They even stand to gain even more.¡± That¡¯s the best I can offer her.


    ¡°They will not, we hold to our laws.¡± She said with conviction.


    ¡°How do you want to die?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Turn my head to the sun. I wish to watch it rise one last time, then you may end it as you wish.¡±


    I did as she asked, and she watched the rising sun silently. After a few minutes I sent living ether into her to render her unconscious. Then I stopped her heart, she was dead within a minute. It was a better death than she deserved in truth. But hatred is for children and it¡¯s time I move on.

 Book 2: Chapter 7: The Beast

    I spent a few minutes repairing most of the major damage done by Xalia¡¯s spell. It was quite malicious and if I didn¡¯t have such a resilient body due to the two enchantments, it is likely that I would have instantly died. As Xalia died the enchantments on her weapons and armor faded. I didn¡¯t know enough about how elves enchant to understand why they faded as soon as she died. I suppose it would be to avoid giving enemies access to powerful enchantments. But I would still get the gem, mithrite sword, and armor.


    I absentmindedly cast telekinesis on her body and sword. The area around us was still a partially molten ruin but my boots were enchanted against heat so I could walk across the non-molten parts of the ground without worry. Fortunately, a group that I assumed to be the matriarchs, and the overseer was walking towards me.


    It was rather amusing that they stopped just short of where the ground turned to molten rock. At my approach, the overseer stared at the floating body of Xalia from the ether and said.


    ¡°The duel has ended with Moon as the victor. Does all accept and acknowledge this outcome.¡±


    All said yes and nodded their heads. Kerelia¡¯s expression was unreadable, though her eyes were locked on the body of her mother.


    ¡°When can we proceed with the next duel.¡± I asked the overseer.


    ¡°We can proceed in a few hours. The field needs to be cleared and the ground prepared. Kerelia you may prepare Matriarch Xalia for burial and bring the victor the spoils.¡± He said.


    ¡°Yes, Overseer.¡± She said, sounding hollow.


    Several elves came forward with a white cloth. I lowered her to the ground then they carefully wrapped her body and carried her off.


    ¡°I will deliver the items to your dwelling before your next duel. Until then.¡± She bowed to me in a surprising show of deference and left with the elves carrying her mother¡¯s body.


    Then I was left with the 11 matriarchs, their seconds as well as Lilian, Ednali, Sianna, and Leithani.


    ¡°Impressive work Moon. But I have to ask. Can you even fight the next duels?¡± One of the matriarchs said. She was a copper haired female with brown eyes. I knew this one to be Namoila.


    ¡°Xalia was impressive, as for my state I look worse than I actually feel. Most of the damage is already mended.¡±


    She looked down at my chest, from the looks of it my heart was pierced and I miraculously survived. Though it didn¡¯t pierce my heart I was still stabbed in the chest and bled profusely. I had no intention of sharing that with them.


    ¡°Impressive healing Indeed.¡± Another said. She had icy blue eyes and gray hair, Hellia I think.


    An auburn-haired elf stepped forward and bowed. ¡°Greetings Moon. I am Boriel and I will take part in the next duel. Let me offer my humble apologies for the death of your apprentice and the pain and suffering my actions have caused.¡± She was young, not much older than Lilian.


    ¡°As I have said to Xalia. The guilty will be punished, but pursue no further action against me and we will have peace.¡±


    ¡°You are most gracious.¡± She nodded and said.


    She, unlike most of the other elves, wasn''t skilled enough to mask her emotions. She was scared, whether it was the difference in power, the battle or just the realization that she was close to death, I could only guess. But this wasn¡¯t going to sway me, even if Xalia forced her, she made her choice and would get no mercy.


    The rest of the matriarchs looked ready to pepper me with more questions, but I wasn¡¯t interested in being interrogated. Their eyes were what perturbed me. It was the same greed I have in everyone once they realize what I can do for them. I didn¡¯t mind it for the most part, but I was tired, and the blood was starting to dry.


    I gave Lilian a glance I hoped read, ¡®Please extradite me from this situation.¡¯ I could just walk off and disrespect the lot of them. With my power what would they really do? Nothing, but this would give Lilian some face.


    ¡°Moon, perhaps you would like to get cleaned up.¡± Lilian said.


    Good, she understood. From out of the forest her beast sprinted and skidded to a stop. There was some mild alarm, but it quickly dissipated.


    ¡°Excellent idea. Dear matriarchs, perhaps we can continue this discussion another time, when I¡¯m not covered in blood.¡± I said with my most charming smile. Endali and Leithani threw Lilian a disapproving gaze, but she looked unfazed. Sianna maintained a passive smile.


    Namolia chuckled under her breath as she realized what was going on. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s quite untoward to bombard him after such a dramatic battle.¡±


    I gave them a formal bow, something I would never do. Even Lilian looked surprised. She mounted Velith and I joined her in short order. We sprinted off towards the city, leaving the matriarchs behind.


    ¡°You were polite.¡± Lilian said as I held on behind her.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m trying to be political. Fear is good, but I want a change in my reputation.¡±


    ¡°Why change? Most already fear you and after today none will act against you.¡± Lilian said.


    ¡°True but almost all I do I sow fear and use my power for leverage. If I continue to do this for too long, it will curdle into hate. Too much hate and people will oppose or work against me regardless of the repercussions.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it will work. You have too much power and even with the many limitations of human magic. You bested arguably the most powerful matriarch.¡±


    I considered her words.


    ¡°Do you fear me, Lilian.¡± I asked.


    She was silent for long moments before she answered. ¡°Yes, but it is a different kind of fear. Without cause you will never harm me. But with cause you would kill me with hardly a thought.¡±


    ¡°What action would cause such a response from me?¡±


    She was silent again and with some guilt in her voice said. ¡°I suppose if I betrayed you in a way that was malicious.¡±


    I gave her a reassuring pat on her shoulder and said in a low voice. ¡°We¡¯re past that.¡±


    Then I continued in a more normal tone. ¡°That¡¯s what I want in the end, cooperation and a healthy amount of fear is good for a partnership.¡±


    With even more bewilderment in her voice, she asked. ¡°Are you saying you fear us?¡±


    ¡°For all the power I have, I am only one elf. I cannot be everywhere and guard against everything. My apprentice suffered for that folly and that was just the actions of two matriarchs and a few dozen elves.¡±


    Lilian shook her head. ¡°I think you¡¯re being too hard on yourself. From what I know your apprentice was strong enough to kill several of her attackers. For a human, her age and inexperience is inconceivable.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. But now my vengeance is coming to an end and all responsible will be dead. Having that be the last impression serves no purpose.¡± More accurately it would serve Sianna¡¯s purpose. I could just leave it there, but that takes away from my own agency. I would like nothing more than to have Lilian singing my good graces. After all, look at how much she is benefiting from being friends with me. And soon enough her power will grow to new heights.


    ¡°There are elves with permanent injuries, I could find them and send them to you.¡± Lilian said.


    Now that is a good idea. Hopefully, I will get some true horror cases, burns, missing limbs, incurable diseases, all are well within my power.


    ¡°That sounds good. Perhaps it will soften the blow of lives I will take.¡± I said. I had a few more hours before the next battle and I wasn¡¯t really concerned about my chances of victory.


    ¡°Is there anywhere I could swim? I grow tired of copper baths and buckets.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Hm, there is a river only a quarter hours ride from here.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful, let''s head to my abode for a few things and then to the river.¡±


    One hour later.


    I floated bonelessly in the center of a large river. It was roughly 150 feet across with clear crystalline waters that flowed slowly. I was completely nude and with the sun approaching its zenith, the cold wasn¡¯t bothersome. Lilian was rather surprised when I stripped and simply dove into the water. The banks along the river were littered with fine white stone and made for a beautiful sight in the morning sun. Fortunately, nothing dangerous lived within.


    Deciding I should get out before I pruned, I swam towards where our makeshift campsite was. It was little more than a large blanket laid out on the banks of the river. Lilian was shamelessly eyeing me as I exited the water. Even after two enhancements I had barely put on any muscle, but unlike humans, elves really only cared about beauty and magical power.


    ¡°My eyes are up here.¡± I said to Lilian as I grabbed a towel and dried myself off. She didn¡¯t spend much time in the water. Though we did have a bit of fun after I had washed the blood off. She rolled her eyes and laid back down, bathing in the sun.


    ¡°Your armor is a mess.¡± She said,


    Indeed, it was. Even after washing, it still had the coppery scent of blood.


    ¡°I won¡¯t need it for the next duel. That''s why I brought my regular clothes.¡± By regular clothes I meant a suit from one of the finest tailors in the capitol. It was worth 40 gelding in materials alone.


    ¡°You will leave after duels. Yes?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, then I will be heading east.¡±


    ¡°To conquer some human kingdom. Why do you wish to rule humans? You could build your own base of power here, even without Sianna.¡±


    So, she isn¡¯t as enthused about us joining. How very interesting.


    ¡°True, but I don¡¯t understand your culture. Not truly. But it is more than that. I want to build something that lasts, something genuinely great. Something that inspires both envy and admiration. I want to mold using my own hands, in a form of my desire.¡± There is also the logistical nightmare of arranging the absorption of a thousand people, but everything I was saying is true.


    ¡°You want a Legacy.¡± Lilian said, completely sure of herself.


    Then she chuckled and continued. ¡°How very royal of you. Careful Moon, you¡¯re slowly turning into an elf. Next, you¡¯re going to say, you¡¯re thinking about children.¡±


    I didn¡¯t hide my expression fast enough and she caught me. But she didn¡¯t say anything, just smiled seductively, and motioned me over to join her on the blanket. I triple checked that the change I made was still in effect.


    Two hours later


    I stood across from my second set of opponents. 63 elves, some male, some female. From nine different clans. Every single one was a knowing participant, but elven law declared them guilty with ample proof, so no one would complain about their deaths. In fact, I got the gist that their deaths were a worthy sacrifice for peace. Most were mounted on Su¡¯rans, but none wore any enchanted items.


    I looked magnificent in my purple gold and silver ensemble. My finger ears, neck and wrists bore the finest of jewelry. Elves didn¡¯t actually wear any jewelry and found it strange that I did. Boriel was at the front and circling in the sky was Baelathor. Lilian, to her disappointment, isn¡¯t viewing. She was busy speaking to members of the other clans within the city to get their sick and permanently injured. I would heal them all without price.


    I told her to spin it as me offering a service to the clans as a gesture of good faith. The formally destroyed field looked as serene as the moment I first saw it. How the elves managed to clear away so much destruction and regrow the grass was beyond me.


    Boriel matriarch was only a quarter of the strength of Xalia, stronger than any human mage save for Morianne. Her power would be slightly above where I was after my first transformation. I still wasn¡¯t stupid enough to face them alone. They will be facing Baelathor, and he was a weapon of war with wings.


    They knew it as well as everyone else. Even more elves were gathered on the edge of the clearing. Somehow this battle was of more interest.


    I ordered Baelathor to fly low, only a few hundred feet above, and circle the fighting area. Usually, he was lazy and required prodding. But now he seemed eager to listen. As much as the overseer was neutral during Xalia¡¯s battle, the loud flapping of Baelathor¡¯s wings caused him to flick his eyes to the sky every few seconds.


    Every elf was looking up at him, eyes piercing the sky. Looking into the ether no doubt. The matriarchs were gathered the same as before. Some were focused on the beast while others were looking at me like a piece of meat. It was rather unpleasant. I commanded Baelathor to land and in a few moments, he spiraled down and landed a few hundred feet away from us. His massive form shook the earth as he folded his wings and crawled over to me. Baelathor¡¯s long serpentine body tore up the ground.


    As he got close, I could feel the fear radiating off of them. His rumbling grew louder as if he could practically taste the violence that was about to happen. Really. Is this what motivates him?


    ¡°Hey, enough of that. Be polite.¡± I reprimanded him with a bit of force through our connection.


    The loud rumbling cut off and he turned his head to me. He almost looked offended.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me any attitude, go over there.¡± I pointed behind me. He grumbled indignantly and did as I commanded.


    The elves looked at me like I was insane. Though I suppose from an outside view, reprimanding the gigantic creature as if he was a dog, was far too strange.


    ¡°Right.¡± The Overseer said. Then he continued on with the pageantry acknowledging the crime, stating terms of the dual, and the acceptance by all participants. In truth he sounded resigned, as If the result of the duel was decided. Then he disappeared and we waited for the familiar glowing light to vanish, starting the dual.


    All the participants took their positions leaving only Boriel and I in the center. Though her eyes were focused on the hulking monstrosity behind me.


    ¡°Quite the beast Moon.¡± She said,


    ¡°Indeed, he is. A shame it has to end like this.¡±


    ¡°At the very least I know now that you are not Sianna¡¯s tool.¡±


    ¡°You hate her as well?¡± I inquired.


    ¡°No, I hate what royals represent. Massive amounts of unchecked power with nothing but your whims to guide it. It will only lead to ruin. With you her domination would be guaranteed. Especially with the potency of your unique abilities. But so long as you never become her tool, the true domination of the royals are not likely to return.¡±


    ¡°You realize a single conversation would have been enough to resolve your worries. In a few weeks I won¡¯t even be on the continent anymore.¡± I said, shaking my head.


    ¡°It was a risk that I was not willing to take. Who knows if she could have convinced you to remain? But you are no normal elven male, you lie with Lilian and gift her a mount as if you are courting her. But I see past the surface, you want her as your own pawn amongst clan Noct¡¯hrum. Who even now are gaining power. It came as quite a surprise that you have not bedded Sianna and spent most of your time with Lilian. Several Matriarchs have approached her with friendship, now she is gathering the sick and injured for healing by your hand, an excellent way to give her face and temper the pain from all the death that is about to happen.¡±


    I just smiled, not confirming, or denying.


    ¡°What does it matter in the end?¡± I asked. There was no real point in continuing the conversation.


    She sighed, glanced at the sun, and answered. ¡°I suppose it does not matter. Let us be done with this.¡±


    She mounted her Su¡¯ran and joined the rest of the group. I returned to Baelathor and considered mounting him, then rejected the idea. I wanted the entire battle to be won by him. Mostly for my curiosity of his effectiveness.


    63 elves were in rows on the other side of the clearing. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, tasting the sweet forest air. I turned my mind back to the first moments with Benny, those weeks in the cabin, time on the road and our travels. Then I thought about her death and the amplifier on my left hand. The anger rose in me again and this time I let it take over. I could hear Baelathor shuffling behind me. I built the rage into a storm, and I opened my eyes.


    I watched the light. The moment it disappeared; I gave Baelathor a single order.


    ¡®KILL¡¯


    It was so violent that the line of ether between us shook, and I felt a small amount of living ether leave my body through it.


    His roar was so loud it shook earth and caused the elves who were just about to attack to hesitate. Baelathor however had no such compunctions. He scrambled across the clearing all the while unleashing a massive torrent of fire towards the elves. They scattered, the speed of the Su¡¯rans were impressive enough that only a quarter of them were caught in the massive wave of flame.


    I felt the ether pulsing as spells were launched at Baelathor in retaliation. As large as he was, Baelathor was still an organic creature. Elves on the backs of Su¡¯rans sprinted to the left and right trying to get away from the ocean of fire he was breathing. He kept the stream flowing trying to capture as many as he could in its devouring flame. It wasn¡¯t until a massive stone spire erupted out of the ground and flew towards his head that he cut off the flame. It only managed to damage his scales.


    Enraged, he clambered after the elf, with a single massive wingbeat crossing the distance. The elf and a few surrounding her tried to counter attack but more flames and his massive form landed on her, ending her life and a half dozen other elves around her.


    Another elf unleashed massive ropes of fire trying to restrain his movement. A few others were summoning spires of Ice and Blades of wind, damaging his wing membrane, to prevent his flight. Boriel summoned what I could only describe as a massive, humanoid, stone golem nearly a hundred feet tall. It leapt unto Baelathor¡¯s back further restraining his movement.


    Wait, fire rope? I remember the burns on Noire. Was this the elf responsible?


    ¡®Baelathor, stop playing with them or am I going to have to rescue you.¡¯ I sent to him.


    He was trying to crush them or bite them in half instead of simply burning them to death. That seemed to offend him, and he roared so loud I could feel ripples in the ether. He thrashed madly all the while vomiting an ocean of flame from his mouth. The ropes of fire broke and the Golem lost its grip on him. He cut off the flame, lunged forward and bit the elven woman in two. Then spat her out. With greater agility I had seen him perform up until this point. He whipped around and used his tail as a weapon against the golem.


    It practically disintegrated. Then he started again breathing fire at the dodging and retreating elves. Some created magical barriers of earth and stone. Some of ice and a few that looked similar to a radiant shield. But no one could stand against the power of the flame for long. It was a magical fire after all and burned hot enough to boil rock.


    He took to the air, the perforations in his wings were obvious but it didn¡¯t seem to stop him from flying.


    One elf unleashed what looked like a massive flaming eagle that chased after him. Once it caught up it exploded with the force of an overcharged fireball. It signed his scales but only made him even more angry.


    Then he began strafing the elves. HE would fly high in the air dive to generate speed and bathe elves in flame. However, unlike before where his flames were more like an ocean of fire. This was more focused and condensed. Elves caught in the fire were instantly turned to ash. They would of course return fire but to little effect. The tears and perforations in his wing membrane wasn¡¯t enough to affect his flight. Now we were down to only a dozen elves including Boriel, who was the one throwing spires of earth and summoning massive stone barriers to block the flame. The violence went on for another ten minutes and even with all the injuries he sustained. His ferocity never decreased in fact it seemed to just ignite his fury.


    Finally only Boriel was left. Her mount was dead, and she tried with all her might to fight him, throwing massive pillars of stone, building sized boulders and even summoning four golems. Still Bealathor either used his immense strength or fire to destroy everything. Finally, her strength began to wane and Baelathor sensing that the creature that was causing him so much trouble was vulnerable, dove to the earth. She managed to dodge his attack by launching herself away with a pillar of stone. But Baelathor gave chase trying to crush her to death, eventually she got caught. Baelathor managed to catch her with a massive wing of his tail. It was enough to send her flying.


    He seemed to be quite enraged with her. The entire time he could have ended it with fire, but he seemed to want the pleasure of eating her. She was prone and likely close to death, a blow like that would easily kill.


    ¡®I said no eating.¡¯ I reminded him.


    I could almost feel his disappointment. He loomed over her maw agape ready to consume her whole before he snapped them close, grumbling in frustration.


    I hadn¡¯t even moved from my position the entire fight. I walked casually over to the body of Boriel. Navigating through the field of burned, broken and torn elven corpses. An odd sense of familiarity welled up in me but disappeared in almost the same instant.


    Once I made my way over to Boriel I didn¡¯t have to check using my abilities to know she was dead. Her chest was practically concave. Lifeless eyes stared up at the sky and so the battle was over.


    Our audience started approaching while I went over to check Baelathor. He was beaten up certainly, but nothing that wouldn¡¯t heal on its own. In fact, his regeneration was far faster than I had expected. All the wounds were closed, and I could already see new scales growing in. I summoned five healing lights and distributed it across his body on the largest wounds. As well as over the tears in the wing. My healing abilities were enough that it didn¡¯t take very long for them to close.


    ¡°Excellent work. Though you need to stop playing with your food and just stick to the air.¡± I said to him,


    He grumbled in response.


    ¡°Yes, I know that it''s fun to crush them but look at how many hits they got on you.¡±


    He snorted.


    ¡°Well, I suppose I''ll just not reward you then since you''re far too invulnerable for little mages.¡±


    The grumble was slightly lower this time.


    ¡°Alright don¡¯t look at me like that. You''re making me feel guilty.¡± I walked over, placed a hand on his massive head and channeled roughly an entire human life worth of living ether.


    He shook his head and chuffed when I cut off the flow.


    ¡°Hey, be satisfied, I can''t do that infinitely.¡±


    ¡°Can you actually understand him?¡± Sianna asked.


    Elves were gathering up the dead bodies as the matriarchs approached. And now I got to see the new 12 matriarchs. Sianna was approaching me with Kerelia and another elf I had seen in passing. The new matriarch I presumed. She was the tallest elf I had ever seen standing almost 5¡¯7¡±.


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly just a feeling I get. You will understand it in time.¡±


    I changed my focus to the new Matriarch. ¡°Greetings.¡± A said with a smile. It was rather morose with all the dead around, but none of the elves seemed fazed.


    ¡°Hello Moon, I am Rynor. My congratulation for your victory.¡± She said, though her eyes flicked to Baelathor. I didn¡¯t actually do anything.


    ¡°My thanks. Now I do believe we have business to finish, however I desire rest. Perhaps we can meet tonight.¡±


    Sianna answered her. ¡°That will be acceptable.¡±


    Sometime later Sianna, Leithani, their usual escort and I returned to our dwelling. However, we were greeted with a rather unusual sight. Dozens of elves were lined up outside my house and I could see Lilian¡¯s beast near the front.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Sianna asked.


    ¡°It seems Lilian worked faster than I expected.¡± We passed elves of all ages and, from their clothing, were from practically every clan. It wasn¡¯t too hard to figure out why they were here. One elf was missing a leg, another was paralyzed, and one was missing both ears. Another, an eye. Battle wounds I supposed. No one seemed sickly though I suppose their healing magic was sufficient enough. Many bowed as I passed, their eyes filled with hope.


    ¡°I had told Lilian, I was willing to do a bit of healing, it seems she spread the word.¡± I said.


    ¡°You should have informed me.¡± Sianna reprimanded.


    ¡°Perhaps but it¡¯s just healing, didn¡¯t seem like something to inform you about.¡± Elves were listening so it wouldn''t do to show too much disrespect. Though that¡¯s not why she¡¯s upset. She likely wanted to be the one to parcel my abilities out. Leithani hid her disdainful stare at Lilian as soon as she realized I was looking at her. I stared death into her eyes for a few moments before my disarming smile returned.


    ¡°Well, it seems like you took my words to heart.¡± I said to Lilian. Everyone has good ears, so this conversation isn¡¯t private.


    ¡°When you said you were willing to heal without cost, I thought it was prudent to find as much as I could. Even now there are more traveling.¡± I said to Lilian.


    ¡°It was a good thought, Lilian.¡± Sianna said.


    Then she turned her attention to the line of elves and whispered to me. ¡°How best is your ability utilized?¡±


    ¡°To get through as many elves as possible, least to most critical, with the exception of those with potentially fatal injuries.¡±


    I sighed and got ready to expel a large amount of Living Ether.


    One Week Later.


    I laid down boneless in my bed. Tired from all the work I have done in the last few days. Elves from all over came. Though very few had any potentially fatal injuries, most were wounds that magical healing couldn¡¯t fix completely. Things like paralysis from a damaged spine and severed limbs, those actually took a few days to grow back. Everything else was rather simple, just prompting the body to consume the damaged and scarred flesh and rebuild it properly.


    I was surprised how few elves there were who needed treatment. A human settlement with their population would be teeming with the sick and needy. But I had completed my last patient and there was no one else. Baelathor was in the field resting and I was preparing to leave. The elves I had killed of course had families and friends, occasionally I would get a hard glance but for the most part the elves were pleasant.


    I soon became numb to the tearful expressions of gratitude when I healed someone. An elven man who fell from a tree as a child proclaimed me a saint when I fixed his severed spine and reversed the atrophy of his muscles. At the very least that¡¯s what Lilian said, since I didn¡¯t understand the language. I was picking up a few words but not nearly enough for any meaningful communication. Lilian was my ever-present assistant, and I made sure to show her some affection when handling a patient.


    While Sianna was making good headway in forging friendship with the Matriarchs Lilian was busy making a name for herself. Every time we coupled, I would feed her living ether, while it wasn¡¯t as great of an increase in her power as a transformation. It was still noticeable and now she was slightly more powerful than Leithani.


    With Sianna, I was a bit more distant, resolving to treat her with respect but not overt submission. As powerful as I was, these people were matriarchal, and I want them as allies. That means leaving them with a favorable impression of me. Every one of those elves had families and friends, it would spread.


    ¡°Today is the day, Isn¡¯t it?¡± Lilian said.


    We practically shared the room. ¡°Yes, there is nothing left for me to do.¡±


    ¡°There are a million things you could do.¡±


    All the gifts from the many elves I helped with were stuffed into large sacks and carried out to Baelathor, including the suit of armor, water gem and mithrite sword from my duel with Xalia. I didn¡¯t want coin, but they insisted on showing their thanks. So, I resolved to accept payment in weak Etheric gems. I had a few dozen, none were suitable for an amplifier, but they had many uses in enchantments.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so morose. It''s not like it''s forever, a few years at most.¡± I said to her,


    ¡°I suppose a few years is not much time for elves.¡±


    ¡°What do you intend to do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, though several matriarchs have been offering to accept me into their clans.¡± She said,


    ¡°That¡¯s a thing?¡± I¡¯ve never heard about switching clans before.


    ¡°Yes, though it''s not looked kindly upon. Others are saying Endali should make me her heir.¡±


    I hid my pleased smile. ¡°Matriarch Lilian. I suppose it does have a ring to it. Is that something you want.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never really considered it.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me what clan you¡¯re a part of. So, feel free to make any decision you want.¡±


    ¡°I think that is what they are counting on. You would still favor me.¡± She said absently.


    ¡°We are elves Lilian, time is on our side, so make your decision carefully regardless, I¡¯ll support you.¡± Agency can be a rather addictive thing.


    Three hours Later.


    I was atop Baelathor, strapped into the Saddle with all my belongings inside the saddle bags. I was as ready as ever to leave. It seems my departure was quite the event. Since well over three hundred elves and every Matriarch was in attendance. Sianna was almost glad when I told her I was leaving. I imagined she realized that I was a destabilizing force to her eventual rule.


    ¡°When will we see you again?¡± Sianna said, loud enough so everyone could hear.


    ¡°I plan on traveling. Could be months, but at worst a few years.¡±


    ¡°I thank the matriarchs for their noble ruling and hope that in the future we may foster cooperation and friendship. All debts are settled, and justice has been done. To any elf who approaches me in peace I will treat you as a friend.¡± I said loud enough so that everyone would hear. I wanted to roll my eyes at the needless pageantry.


    I turned my attention to Lilian, ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon Lilian.¡±


    She nodded and gave me a sad smile.


    Baelathor leaped into the air and with a single beat of his massive wings took to the sky, heading east.


    One day later.


    I landed outside of Taybor. And it seemed that they managed to repair the destroyed gate. As before there was a small line of people heading into the village that scattered as soon as I flew over. I walked a short distance to the entrance.


    I had taken Baelathor to the coast as a reward and he spent most of the day gorging himself on massive sea creatures. I stopped at Taybor to pick up some rations for the journey back to the capitol.


    The gate was already open, and the same Headman greeted me with a smile. ¡°Greetings My Lord.¡±


    He bowed as I approached and looked rather nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous I¡¯m only here for some rations.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see, well then, I¡¯ll have it taken care of. Perhaps you can have a drink while you wait.¡±


    That sounded rather pleasant.


    ¡°I accept.¡±


    We walked through the town with much less fear than before though they were still weary. Kent whispered to me as we walked. ¡°I got a massage from our mutual friend.¡±


    Denerif most likely.


    Sometime later I was in his old office ignoring the sound of a crying child as I read Denerif Letter.


    Moon, I figured it was a high possibility that you would stop here before returning south. There are a few things you should know. First is I have gone south and am currently being hosted by Dutchess Hearthaven¡¯s. I have also acquired the items you requested. Morianne has been formally acknowledged as her father¡¯s heir. And even now every baron, duke or hedge knight is sending their sons to capitol as a marriage candidate. Though no one has been chosen at the moment. I recommend that you avoid the capitol for the time being. It is even more volatile than before. Though with the announcement your actions have largely been moved to the background. I hear Baroness Vernon is hosting a grand ball in celebration of her son''s fifth nameday. Perhaps we shall attend.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± I said aloud. It seemed that he was right in the end. And if I had to guess he wanted to use the ball as a guise for the meeting. My time in the Vendalian empire is soon coming to an end. I only had a few more things to iron out.

 Book 2: Chapter 8: The Imperium

    It took well over twelve hours of flying before I reached the Hearthaven capitol. Of course I couldn¡¯t resist a dramatic entrance. I flew low over the city and commanded Baelathor to unleash a roar. I made a few loops around the city taking in the familiar sights, the docks filled with boats connected to the Stormveil sea, The large curtain wall that seemed to be completely repaired from the war with her vassals and the keep itself standing tall over the entire city. That should be more than enough to let Allyssia know that I am here.


    I landed closer to the city gate this time, of course the line of peasants that were either entering or exiting from the south entrance of the city fled in terror. Even though I landed a few hundred feet away from the main road and wall. As expected, guards were riding towards me. Baelathor¡¯s saddlebags were full, so I really didn¡¯t feel like lugging all of it to her keep. A few other guards were riding amongst the frightened peasants trying to reassure them that the massive monster wasn¡¯t going to attack them.


    ¡°My Lord, Good to see you again.¡± Shouted a familiar voice.


    Vanya, my guard from the war, removed her helmet and beamed at me. Based on her armor, she was promoted to vice captain of the guards.


    ¡°Vanya! Good to see you. How are things?¡± I said jovially.


    ¡°Good my Lord, but did you have to land so close? I¡¯m sure a few peasants died from fright.¡± She said with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯re fine. I have a lot of things to carry, and I want to spare you the trip.¡± The guards finally were able to get the terrified peasants to calm down. Though they looked ready to bolt if Baelathor so much as twitched. I climbed down and stretched, getting a satisfying pop out of my back.


    ¡°They¡¯re all in the saddle bags, go ahead and climb up¡± I said.


    ¡°Oi, get to it.¡± Vanya ordered the men. They didn¡¯t look excited but did as she commanded.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s new in the Duchy?¡± I asked Vanya.


    ¡°Nothin much. Trade is good, crime is low, hells, I almost miss the war. That banker Denerif is here, got the merchants all bending backwards currying favor.¡±


    In a whisper she said to me. ¡°Though I¡¯m sure the duchess will be happy to see you. Word is; she has been beside herself with loneliness.¡±


    I almost wanted to roll my eyes. Allyssia wasn¡¯t the type of woman to shed a tear if I turned up dead.


    We rode along the street towards the keep. My arrival was apparently quite the event. People shouted and cheered as if I was some kind of returning hero.


    ¡°They are just glad that you¡¯re not here to kill them.¡± Vanya said after she noticed my confusion.


    ¡°Ah I see.¡± Sometimes I forget that a beast like Baelathor was something that most peasants believed belonged in a story. Not sitting outside their city curled up and sleeping.


    The noble quarter was more subdued, but most either bowed their heads or curtsied as I rode past. I did miss proper prostration.


    Finally, Allyssia and Briannah, who was just showing pregnancy, her general, Feyrun and advisors were all waiting for me. The form of Allyssia beamed as we met eyes. Her lovely blonde hair shone in the evening sun. Her enhancement settled and she was radiating as much power as any matriarch.


    I dismounted the horse and everyone, but the Duchess bowed. Of course, we had an audience.


    ¡°Duchess Hearthaven, may I say the sight of you alone was worth traveling halfway across the continent.¡± I said playfully.


    She stifled a chuckle and said. ¡°I was beginning to suspect that you had abandoned me for some elven queen.¡±


    ¡°No elf can hope to match you dear duchess.¡±


    She sighed and gestured to the keep. ¡°Come let us speak, I¡¯m sure your travels have been rigorous.¡±


    The rest of my things were being handed to her personal guard and would be in her vault in short order.


    Once we were in relative privacy under the same gazebo in her gardens we began to speak in earnest. At the table was General Feyrun, Briannah and Allyssia¡¯s young son who was more interested in the wooden horse he was playing with. I dove into the light finger food.


    ¡°Did you manage to finish your dealings with the elves?¡± Allyssia asked.


    ¡°Essentially, all responsible are dead and I managed to make some decent friendships.¡±


    ¡°What was their society like?¡± Briannah asked.


    ¡°Strange.Everything from their food, homes and government structure was archaic. Their magic, however, was by far the most strange. It had no structure and relied on pure imagination.¡± I explained.


    ¡°What of Queen Sianna?¡± Allyssia asked, though she had a strange tone to her voice.


    ¡°As beautiful as I am and as much as it pains me to say slightly more powerful. Smart, calculating and most important; she is patient.¡±


    ¡°She sounds impressive.¡± Allyssia said, nonplussed.


    ¡°She is, but like most elves she desires my power, but I certainly don¡¯t intend to become some trophy husband and relegate myself to supporting her reign.¡± I said with honest distaste.


    Allyssia looked pleased when I said that. ¡°Good, Denerif is in the city still occupied with trade negotiations. He should be here in a few hours.¡±


    ¡°What are your plans for the foreseeable future?¡± Feyrun asked.


    ¡°Oh, I intend to do a bit of traveling. It¡¯s about time I see more of the world.¡±


    He grunted, not sounding convinced.


    ¡°We should have a meal with Denerif to discuss things, for now you could use a bath. You stink of wyvern.¡±


    She was right, Baelathor had the constant smell of ash and burning flesh.


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    She snapped her finger, and a servant came from nowhere. ¡°Niara will see to your needs. I had arranged everything the moment you arrived. Do save your strength for me later.¡±


    Briannah blushed and Feyrun just rolled his eyes at the suggestion. Though what did she mean by saving my strength?


    Niara led me to the large luxurious baths. I could already smell the scent of oils and flowers. Inside were three scantily clad women, courtesans no doubt. They gathered around me eagerly stripping me of my clothing, they then followed suit and dragged me to the large sunken bath. I sighed and smiled, glad to be back amongst humanity.


    I showed up late to the Dawnflower. It was the best inn in the city with the finest restaurant. The Duchess of course had the entire building cleared for our meeting. She even provided a new suit of clothes. Shockingly, there was no purple. It was still mostly white and silver with pale green accents. While it wasn''t to my usual taste, I could make a canvas sack look stylish.


    The guards outside bowed as I walked past them.


    Sitting at a table in the entirely barren dining area were Allyssia in a stunning dark purple dress with an almost scandalously plunging neckline. Denerif gave me a broad smile at my approach.


    He was wearing a fine black and red doublet with matching pants and gold accents. He looked practically made of money.


    ¡°Denerif! Good to see you.¡± I said with actual excitement.


    He got up and with a broad smile shook my hand with enthusiasm. ¡°You as well Moon. I figured you would have been occupied so I ordered for you.¡±


    There was a steaming bowl of soup along with some honey bread that ignited my hunger. Allyssia rolled her eyes, and I laughed. I did spend too much time with the women. After a quick scan of the building the only occupants were the people in the kitchens. Which were far enough away that they couldn¡¯t hear.


    I joined them at the table and took a few delicate sips of the soup. It was some kind of bisque made from what tasted like a sweet crab.


    ¡°Fantastic.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°So, what''s new in the empire? the only news I have is what little I got from the guards and your letter¡± I said to Denerif.


    ¡°How did you get a letter into the elven lands?¡± Allyssia asked.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t. I guessed that Moon would stop at Taybor before heading further south. Luckly enough I was right.¡±


    Then he turned his attention to me. ¡°Nothing much of note has happened, Morianne is the official heir and now she is consolidating her power.¡±


    ¡°I imagine she wanted you under her thumb.¡± I said to Allyssia.


    Allyssia chuckled and said. ¡°Indeed, she was even trying to foist a marriage to one of her uncles upon me.¡±


    Allyssia, married off? What a horrible notion. I enjoyed her company far too much.


    ¡°No need to be jealous Moon, there is very little she can use to force me into it, besides she has more pressing concerns with her own marriage candidates.¡±


    Then with a smile I looked at Denerif and asked. ¡°Did she try to get you married as well?¡±


    With an almost playful grin he said. ¡°Worse, she was going after my coin. I essentially hold a monopoly on all banking in the empire. She wants to outlaw such things. She offered to buy a quarter of all my assets. To no doubt spin them off into a bank run by the imperial family.¡±


    ¡°Has she made any moves against our other allies?¡± I asked.


    Allyssia answered, ¡°Increased taxes on the imports from Shorecast and greater taxation on Halloway¡¯s Mithrite mining rights.¡±


    ¡°That must irritate him.¡± I said.


    ¡°Not so much. He¡¯s quite occupied enjoying his newfound youth. He has fathered four bastards with two on the way.¡± Denerif said with some exasperation.


    ¡°Is that going to be a problem for us in the future?¡± I asked.


    Allyssia answered ,¡°Not likely, if any of them become a problem for his trueborn, Halloway is ruthless enough to have them killed. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time.¡±


    I shrugged, so long as the duchy remained stable, I didn¡¯t care how he ruled.


    ¡°Morianne has also been drumming up dissent in regard to you, however that has proven unsuccessful. I imagine it will increase once she is officially crowned.¡±


    I polished off the rest of my soup with a piece of bread.


    ¡°It almost sounds like she knows about our group. Has she done anything to limit the northern duchies.¡± I observed.


    ¡°Not as much. As far as my spies can tell me. She suspects that the south is allied due to their proximity and that you are a pawn that we court using Allyssia and wealth. Not that you actually sit at our table.¡±


    We paused in our conversation for a few moments as the second course was carried out. It was a rack of lamb with some kind of red sauce with a side of roasted vegetables, paired with a white wine.


    ¡°What can you tell us of the elven lands? And how did you end up achieving victory in the end? Allyssia asked.


    ¡°As you know I met the queen. She proposed a deal. Limit my vengeance to only those who are guilty. With Ednali¡¯s and Denerif¡¯s research we managed to narrow it down to 63 elves.¡±


    ¡°What did she offer you?¡± Denerif asked.


    ¡°My memories.¡±


    Allyssia¡¯s eyes widened and asked. ¡°You know who you are?¡±


    ¡°No, but I managed to learn a few things.¡±


    I gave them a quick overview of the interaction with the being. Nothing that would reveal my true origins, but it was a mostly true accounting of my experience with the elves, the battles, and the deals for the Su¡¯rans. Our meal was finished at this point, and we were casually sipping wine.


    ¡°Fascinating, this might be the single most comprehensive accounting of elven culture to date.¡± Denerif said.


    ¡°Can Queen Sianna really join our group.¡± Denerif asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I suggest we wait to see how far she is willing to go. When the empire fractures, I don¡¯t doubt that they will try to ally with the elves against us.¡± I said.


    Allyssia smiled as she understood the game I was playing. ¡°You made sure the impression you left was a positive one. Sianna would be forced to ally with you over the humans.¡±


    ¡°Yes, when she chooses me over the empire even though they border the forest. Then I can extend the offer. Though I am of two minds about giving her a seat. We should speak with Halloway and Shorecast to iron out the details.¡±


    Denerif nodded, ¡°Yes that would be necessary.¡±


    Then he twitched, ¡°I forgot your apology gift from the imperial family.¡±


    I was so caught up in our plotting that I also forgot. Denerif clapped loudly and one of his men came in. With a single gesture from Denerif the man left for a few moments and returned holding a red case. I grinned as he brought it over to me.


    I rested it on the table and opened it.


    ¡°Beautiful.¡± I whispered.


    I picked up the egg sized gem and turned it over in my hand to examine it. It was powerful.


    ¡°Is that what I think it is?Denerif.¡± Allyssia asked.


    ¡°Yes, one of only three shadow gems ever discovered. This one was from Argon the Defiler''s own amplifier.¡± Denerif said.


    I took out the top half of my amplifier and smiled as it fit perfectly.


    ¡°Ah, so that is the royal Mithrite," Denerif observed.


    I charged the spellscript and the shadow amplifier spring to life. With royal Mithrite it should be just enough for me to cast shadow magic. I grabbed the second end of the staff and twisted them together.


    The staff looked magnificent, at the top was the brightly glowing fist sized light gem surrounded by glowing purple spell script. around 8 inches beneath that was the shadow gem which didn¡¯t reflect light. It was pure black. With small purple ripples.


    ¡°How much do you think this amplifier is worth?¡± I asked Denerif.


    He took a deep breath and tried to consider. ¡°It¡¯s priceless Moon. That gem isn¡¯t one of three discovered in the empire, it¡¯s one of three discovered in the world. Other than the one owned by Sianna. Very few gems are close in power to the light gem and then there is the royal mithrite. Centuries from now this will be considered an artifact of incalculable value.¡±


    ¡°It needs a name.¡± Allyssia said.


    I considered for a moment what I should name it. It should be something involving the sun and moon. Light and dark. It¡¯s my entire theme really. I shrugged and settled on the first decent name that popped into my head.


    ¡°Eclipse.¡± I said in English.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± They both asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s when one celestial body obscures another, the sun and moons for example.¡±


    Allyssia shrugged and said, ¡°I suppose it is appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Even more, since my last name translates to Sun.¡±


    They both looked at me confused. ¡°Ah, I suppose I never mentioned it. I have given myself a last name.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡± Denerif asked.


    I stood up and with staff in hand did a melodramatic formal bow. ¡°Moon Solaris The First, at your service.¡±


    Allyssia laughedand said. ¡°King Solaris eventually, I suppose.¡±


    I disassembled my staff and returned it to its carrying case. The actual script would need to be adjusted for the power of the gem.


    ¡°So, you have settled on Moriah then?¡± Denerif asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I said as I finished my glass. I immediately grabbed the bottle from the center of the table and refilled it.


    ¡°First Denerif and Braken now you and Moriah. Is it natural to desire to carve out a piece of the world for oneself when you have great power?¡± Allyssia asked.


    ¡°I think so, Greed after all is infinite and everyone desires a Legacy.¡± I said.


    ¡°You two realize that legacy does mean having children.¡± Allyssia joked.


    Denerif and I looked at each other, askance.


    Allyssia burst out laughing. ¡°What is it with men and children? You act as if you were the ones pushing them out.¡±


    Then she continued as if speaking to said children. ¡°Denerif, find some young and pretty Braken noble woman and marry her. She will add legitimacy to your claim. Moon, marry a human from Moriah, you¡¯re going to be ruling over humans after all. And father a few half-bloods, sure their fertility is lower, but I¡¯m sure you can fix that.¡±


    I really didn¡¯t want to talk about children, so I changed the conversation. ¡°Denerif, have you started to make any headway with Braken?¡±


    Allyssia rolled her eyes and whispered ¡°men,¡± at the obvious deflection.


    ¡°Yes some, their current king is little more than a puppet, half the peasants are starving, and the other half can barely make do. The nation is so stripped of resources that your fortune is likely to eclipse the Emperor¡¯s. They are thirsty for change.¡±


    ¡°How much coin do I have?¡± I asked Denerif.


    ¡°Roughly 1.02 million gelding almost a third of that was from all the cosmetic magic you did while in the capitol.¡± He said. Honestly, the entire time I was doing it I never paid attention. It was strange how little I cared about the coin.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°What of the orc clans?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had no contact. Though the raids on the southern border has decreased.¡±


    ¡°One of my old comrades was a half orc who went south in hopes of turning her clan away from constant raids.¡±


    ¡°Breala?¡± Denerif asked.


    ¡°The very same, she wants stability and peace, to sway her clan away from violence. If you can find her, she would make for a potent ally and a way to control the orcs.¡±


    Denerif rubbed his chin in consideration. ¡°I¡¯ll look into it, I was considering just wiping them out. There''s not that many of them.¡±


    ¡°Why destroy what you can control.¡± Allyssia said.


    ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡±


    ¡°I say we table this discussion for now and continue when every member is here.¡± Denerif said.


    ¡°Agreed, I¡¯ll likely have to arrange a few things with Duchess Shorecast.¡± I said.


    Our conversation continued for well over an hour, it was mostly casual, with far less clandestine plotting. Most was just going over plans for the gathering in Vernon. As well as everything Denerif had gathered about Moriah.


    It was once a colony of the empire but after Argon the defiler tried to conquer the continent they didn¡¯t have enough resources to maintain power. The Viscount over the island declared himself king and a few generations later, as with all kingdoms, the father built it , the son grew it and the grandson destroyed it. The island was roughly 400 miles across at its widest and 700 miles from north to south. The island was ruled by Draven Moriah, by every accounting he was a despot who made the late Baron Vernon look like a priest in comparison.


    His seat of power was on the southernmost tip of the island. To the north there were three baronies in liege to him. Roughly 10 years ago there was an attempt at a rebellion which failed and the remnants and their families fled north.


    Roughly 200 miles south was an archipelago of small independent islands. Ruled by clan chiefs who raided trade ships and at times Moriah itself. The waters around Moria close to the empire were teeming with pirates and the ocean to the east were filled with slavers. It was a damn mess of a kingdom. But there was potential. For instance, the land was rich for farming and the mining operations were vestigial. However, the best part about the island was the hatred for the king. It was ripe for the taking. All I need is to light the spark and the flames of rebellion would rage.


    Three hours later.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about Moriah are you not?¡± Allyssia asked.


    We were sitting at our usual place, a cushioned windowsill staring out at the city. She offered me a cup of tea and joined me.


    ¡°Am I that obvious?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the same look I had when I desired to become a duchess. Though once the empire breaks apart, I will name myself Queen. And the rest will name themselves king.¡±


    ¡°Queen Allyssia Hearthaven. It does have a nice ring to it.¡±


    ¡°I have seen the mount you enhanced for Denerif, what can I offer for one of my own.¡± She asked.


    I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything. I¡¯ll do it for free, consider it a gift.¡±


    I turned my attention to the city below. I quite enjoyed being so high above it all.


    ¡°You¡¯re becoming soft.¡± She mused.


    ¡°We¡¯re beyond the need for payment for services between friends.¡±


    ¡°Is that all we are Moon? Friends.¡± Allyssia asked.


    ¡°You underestimate what friendship means to me.¡±


    She paused for a few moments in contemplation then spoke.


    ¡°I suppose all you have ever had were tools and temporary allies. Very well I accept your friendship.¡± Allyssia offered me a hand. I met her green eyes and shook it firmly. Somehow that was more intimate than our time in bed.


    Hours later I sat alone in my own rooms working on the shadow amplifier. After some testing it was roughly a six times amplifier with excellent output. I charged, activated the script and double checked within the ether, and was pleased with the results.


    I created the spell circuit for umber, a spell that created a cylinder of darkness and through the amplifier tried to charge it. It was incredibly difficult, the shadow attenuated ether fought against my control but at about a quarter of my stamina drained I managed to cast the spell. In front of me a 8 foot wide and 6-foot-tall cylinder of complete darkness popped into existence. I circled it curiously before stepping inside. It was true blackness, rather disconcerting really. I cast a light orb and it fizzled into nothing.


    Next was invisibility. With another enormous effort I cast the spell. Using almost a third of my stamina. I instantly vanished from sight. It was rather strange and disorienting trying to move about the room with no body. I wasn¡¯t perfectly invisible, my body and everything on my person was slightly refractive. Though you would really have to focus to see the distortion. I was immensely pleased with eclipse. Any light mage would sell their own children for something like this.


    Three days later.


    Today was Baroness Vernon¡¯s name day celebration for her son, Charles. Since three dukes, Denerif Mason himself and the Lightbearer are in attendance. It had to be extravagant. I didn¡¯t fly Baelathor to Vernon, instead I rode in one of Allyssia¡¯s luxurious carriages. The trip only took a few days, and I enjoyed the slow travel. The long road leading to Vernon was clear of all peasants. And dozens of luxurious carriages dominated the street.


    We were already dressed for the occasion. I was in my usual purple and silver with accented gold jewelry. Allyssia was in a deep carmine dress and lovely diamond earrings. Around her neck was her amplifier. An elaborate gold neckpiece with an egg sized glowing gem in the center. I carried my amplifier at Allyssia¡¯s insistence. The gilded staff was certainly eye-catching.


    I even decided to have her spread the name Solaris. And that is how I would be announced. We were quite the impressive duo. In the carriages around us were our allies. Though it wouldn¡¯t do to have us speak so openly. Baroness Vernon already arranged a meeting place.


    We passed through the gates, and I pulled back the curtains to watch the city pass. It was only a few hours until sunset and most of the streets were cleared in preparation for our arrival. Though there was still a considerable number of people watching the precession.


    ¡°Feeling nostalgic?¡± Allyssia asked.


    ¡°Yes, it wasn¡¯t too long ago that I was amongst those masses. Though it feels like an entire lifetime.¡±


    I gazed at the familiar streets and buildings, drumming up memories of my time with the bronze spears.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only visited here once, and it wasn¡¯t so well put together.¡± Allyssia commented as she opened her window.


    ¡°Baron, Vernon was reasonably competent, though not the smartest.¡±


    ¡°Not smart enough to see the dagger at his back and the potential you had. I imagine if things didn¡¯t fall apart between you two, he would be one of the most powerful barons in the empire at this point.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, that was my plan for him, but I grew to dislike the man.¡±


    Allyssia smiled and said. ¡°His loss, we would have certainly reconsidered his fate if you were on his side.¡±


    We passed through the noble quarter. I actually spotted Sarah¡¯s home. From what I could see it was well arranged. Soon enough we passed through the keep gate and a liveried servant opened the door once we reached the path to the entrance of the keep.


    A wave of familiarity fell over me once I spotted the gardens, stone structure and the long path towards the entrance.


    The man at the door bowed gracefully and opened the doors to the halls. The audience hall had been completely transformed with brilliant tapestries, smartly dress


    ¡°Duchess Allyssia Hearthaven and Lord Moon Solaris.¡± He announced in a booming voice.


    Well over a hundred heads turned at that proclamation. Duke Halloway smiled and nodded; he was entertaining a group of young noble women. Denerif was off to one side in an intense conversation with several well-dressed noblemen including Gardenia and Martin. Other than a few more gray hairs she still looked fantastic in her black dress. We locked eyes for an instant and a small shiver ran up her spine before she mastered herself.


    Talking to Duchess Shorecast was the baroness and Sarah as well as a few younger noblewomen who stood off to one side. In a corner was Sten, His wife, and daughters, they seemed to be in conversation with another family that I didn¡¯t recognize. His eyes turned to saucers when he saw me.


    ¡°Well, this is quite the gathering.¡± I said.


    ¡°See some familiar faces?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s speak to Halloway then you can decide who to ignore and who to show attention.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    We made our way over to Halloway with eyes watching us. I gave a few subtle nods to the members of the cabal.


    ¡°Please my darlings, give me a few moments to speak to my friends. I promise a dance to each of you.¡± The brown-haired man gave them a charming smile. All signs of his age was gone and even his hair grew back thick and long. In his green and gray ensemble he looked like a storybook prince. The women bowed and left, giving him smoldering glances.


    ¡°Enjoying your youth, Duke Halloway? I jokingly asked.


    He chuckled and we shook hands. ¡°That I have, though the quality of the women this far south is to be desired. Present company excluded.¡±


    Allyssia just rolled her eyes. The man made me look like a celibate priest.


    ¡°Any good gossip about the attendees.¡± Allyssia asked.


    He grunted in disgust, ¡°These people barely know how to throw a proper ball. And I care even less about this boy. At least the wine is decent.¡±


    He came over and looked my staff up and down. ¡°So that¡¯s Eclipse, quite a treasure. My light mages would sell their own children to have it.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, as for the ball it is a bit underwhelming, I suppose were just too use to grand luxury,¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Halloway said.


    ¡°Ah, here comes Baroness Vernon, and her mother.¡± Allyssia said.


    Baroness Vernon with her black hair and blue eyes looked like a younger copy of her mother. Sarah trailed behind. Following Baroness Ruben were the two mages I had seen so long ago, the light mage was staring at my staff with unhidden envy. Sarah remained quite it wasn''t her place to speak amongst such high members of the peerage if not addressed,


    ¡°My lords and Lady.¡± Baroness Vernon said and bowed quickly followed by the rest of the mages. They were all dressed in the same color coordination standardized by the empire.


    ¡°Lady Vernon, I am pleased to hear of your son''s good health.¡± Allyssia said.


    ¡°My thanks Duchess, it is an honor to have you in attendance.¡± Baroness Vernon said.


    ¡°And may I say it is an honor to finally meet the Lightbearer in person.¡± Baroness Ruben said.


    She offered her hand to me which I took and placed a formal kiss. ¡°It is my pleasure though it¡¯s not the first time we have met.¡±


    She looked confused. ¡°Really? When did we meet?¡±


    ¡°On your trip to Vernon a few years ago your man Riker hired a company to increase defense. I was among them.¡±


    Her eyes brightened with recognition. ¡°Yes, I do remember my servants mentioning two elves. My, how times change.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    I caught a glance of Sten talking and laughing with his wife and daughters, they were still standing in the same area though he did flick a glance over to me every few seconds.


    ¡°So, what are your plans now? And where is the beast I have heard unending tales of, Baelathor I believe he is called.¡± Baroness Ruben asked.


    ¡°I plan to travel; I want to see more of the world. As for Baelathor, the lazy beast is still resting somewhere outside Hearthaven.¡±


    ¡°Shame, I would have liked to see him.¡±


    ¡°You may still yet, the night is still young after all. Now I apologize but I see my old mercenary commander. It wouldn¡¯t do for me to not pay him some respect.¡±


    Baroness Ruben turned her gaze to where I was looking. And noted Sten standing wine glass in hand. ¡°Ah yes, I know the tale. Well don¡¯t let me keep you.¡±


    I gave her a respectful nod and headed off towards Sten, Leaving Baroness Ruben with Allyssia and Halloway. I didn''t pay Sarah a second glance.


    Sten straightened himself as he realized I was walking towards him. He whispered something to his wife and two daughters low enough that I didn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Lord Solaris. A pleasure.¡± Sten said with a bow, his wife and children followed. I was normally pleased with prostration from humans, but I didn¡¯t want it from Sten.


    With a chuckle I said. ¡°Please, no need for all that, the prostration becomes tiresome.¡±


    Sten smiled and some stress was released from him. ¡°Well, you never know with noble types, and you look like a right king walking around with that staff.¡±


    I looked at the glowing gilded staff. ¡°Is it a bit much for the occasion? Duchess Hearthaven assured me it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    I noticed his family watching the back and forth with bewildered expressions. ¡°Where are my manners? Sten. Do introduce me.¡±


    ¡°Right, this is Noria Barlow.¡± His wife did a short bow.


    ¡°And these are my daughters Breanne and Ella.¡± Breanne was the taller and older one I presume. She had her mother''s bearing and grace, while the younger seemed more exuberant as if she was seeing a figure from a story.


    ¡°This is Moon Solaris, The Lightbearer and Formerly of the Bronze Spears.¡± I gave them a smile and a formal bow in return.


    ¡°Did father really name you?¡± The younger one asked eagerly.


    ¡°Yes, I was enraptured by the sight of the two moons. I suppose he thought it fit.¡±


    ¡°Tell me Sten what has being a Viscount like? And where are the rest of the bronze Spears.¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s a good life. Mark and Brandon were officially knighted. Mikah built a tavern and has a child on the way. Bast moved on and hasn¡¯t been seen for some time neither has Caan.¡±


    ¡°It feels like so long ago.¡± I said almost to myself.


    ¡°Indeed, we did have some good battles. Though fighting is behind me.¡±


    ¡°What of you Lord Solaris? How has your life been since the bronze spears.¡± Nalia asked.


    ¡°Some good. Some bad, but I¡¯m hopeful for the future. I¡¯m sure the stories have been retold a thousand times.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, they have. I¡¯m sorry about your apprentice.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°My thanks. You would have liked her, but fate was indeed a cruel mistress.¡±


    ¡°It is still impressive that in only two and a half years you went from being a lone elf in the forest to casually speaking with some of the most powerful people in the empire.¡± Breanne said.


    I shrugged, ¡°It is not so impressive. Power attracts the powerful. In truth it was inevitable. I just seized the opportunities provided.¡±


    ¡°It has been said that you have been to the elves. Does that mean you finally know who you are?¡± Ella asked.


    ¡°No, in fact it created even more questions. That not even the elves had answers to, But enough about me tell me about yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, our lives are not so fanciful as compared to yours. I mostly manage the trade and finances of my husband''s lands. Breanne is also training as heir. Ella has taken up singing and has a voice as lovely as any songbird.¡± While she said they were not fanciful she looked overwhelmingly proud.


    ¡°It sounds like you lead a good life Sten. I am happy for you.¡± I said honestly.


    ¡°It is more than I deserve, but I will treasure it.¡± Sten said.


    ¡°You should visit sometime, you¡¯re almost like family with how often you are discussed.¡± Ella said, with some hope in her eyes.


    I was inclined but people close to me tend to be in danger.


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    Allyssia caught my eye and signaled to a side room where the others were headed. I got the hint and nodded.


    ¡°So, it seems you are still without family.¡± Nalia said.


    What an odd question. ¡°Yes, but I have friends. I suppose that has to be enough.¡±


    ¡°I suppose Sten is the closest thing to a Father Moon has.¡± Ella said.


    Every one of us looked at Ella confused. How exactly did she come to that conclusion? Ella noticed the bemused glances and explained. ¡°You wake in the middle of a forest nude; no memories and Father comes along to give you a name.¡±


    Now I could see where she was going. In imperial custom the father names the child. I suppose I could see the metaphor.


    With a smile I said to Sten, with as much sincerely as I could muster. ¡°Well father, If I fancy a young woman, I will be sure to have your approval before marriage.¡±


    The three women giggled as Stens face was rapidly growing red. After a good few seconds of laughter, I said to the Barlow Family.


    ¡°I''m afraid I must leave you now, I have some business to discuss. Sten if there is ever something you need be sure to call on me, I count you amongst my few friends in this world.¡±


    He stood up straight and saluted, crossing his hands across his chest. I repeated the salute and bid the women a farewell.


    ¡°It has been a pleasure; I hope we see each other again.¡± I gave them a bow which they returned.


    I headed through the side door and a well-dressed servant bowed and said. ¡°Follow me, My lord.¡±


    We walked through the halls of the keep before entering a familiar room.


    It was the Barons'' old smoking room with elegant couches and a serene glowing fireplace. There was the lack of ash and smoke in the air which gave the room a calming ambiance. Sitting in the large lounging area were Duchess Shorecast, the formally elderly woman barely looked 25 with her glowing red hair and coquettish green dress, Denerif was next to her then Allyssia and Duke Holloway. They all sat in a loose circle on the large lounging couch.


    ¡°Done sharing war stories?¡± Shorecast asked.


    ¡°Essentially.¡± I said as I took a seat next to Allyssia. What the baron lacked in subtlety and grace he made up for in taste in furniture. The couch was so comfortable I would have minded sleeping in it.


    ¡°So, I hear you intend to make yourself a King.¡± Halloway said.


    ¡°Precisely, I have taken interest in the island of Moriah.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the island country in the middle of the Yruga ocean.¡± Shorecast said.


    ¡°Indeed, it is ripe for the taking and the potential benefits are incalculable.¡± I said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Denerif asked.


    ¡°Did you bring the map?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There was a table in the center of the grouping of couches around four feet wide, just large enough for Denerif to unfold the map.


    It was a map of the entire known world. Vendalia to the left then south to Shorecast, Hearthaven, Halloway with Braken at the southern top.


    In almost the center of the ocean between the two continents stood a singular island around a thousand miles from each continent.


    ¡°Here are my thoughts. Currently Moriah is ruled by a despot who with the right push I can easily dethrone. The island, from what we know, has excellent soil for agriculture and due to mismanagement is in decline.¡±


    I drew four lines, from, Isran, Shorecast, Braken and the northernmost Duchy Relish to the island. Then I drew another line from Moriah to Jubani, a kingdom in the middle of Silia.


    ¡°These are the major trading routes from east to west. Currently the northern waters are teeming with piracy and the waters to the east to Jubani I are filled with slavers and even more pirates. This stifles trade and no one is willing to invest the resources to quell them.¡±


    Then I drew three Xs on the port cities of Jubani and continued.


    ¡°Jubani is wealthy in cloth, spice, gold, jewels, precious metals and much more. Goods that the empire would love to have access to. However, Jubani and the two countries in the great desert rely on trade of produce from the north and south to sustain their population.¡±


    At this point everyone was standing around the small table as I explained my thinking.


    ¡°There is one facet of my ability that I haven''t fully explored. It is its effect on plants. In limited experiments I found that I can significantly increase the growth rate and resilience of any plant.¡±


    Shorecast nodded, as the one who trades most with the east she understood first.¡°You intend to dominate the trade between the two continents.¡±


    I smiled and said, ¡°Indeed, I will utilize my ability to significantly increase the production of agriculture from Moriah. And I will completely undercut the markets from the north and south. To prevent reprisals, I will forge an army of flying warriors that will destroy every single pirate, slaver or merchant who does not pay tariffs to be in my waters. These wyvern riders will completely negate the possibility of any nation sending a fleet of ships.¡±


    Eyes widened as they realized what that would mean. Denerif continued.


    ¡°You would lay claim to thousands of miles of ocean. Anyone who wanted to trade would have to pay a tariff on goods. Less a wyvern burns them from the sky. Jubani would trade the goods with you for produce instead of the north and south especially if you massively undercut their prices.¡±


    Halloway caught on and added. ¡°Not only that, you intend to open up trade to the elves and perhaps even the dwarves if they ever bother to come out of their underground kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, can you imagine how much coin there is to be made with an influx of elven goods to the east. As far as I can find the population of elves is miniscule.¡±


    Allyssia finally added at the end. ¡°When the empire fractures all you have to do is cut off trade to Relith. Then they will be surrounded on all sides. And we would have Moriah, No Solaria with constant shipments of supplies to bolster our forces. And when Moon creates this force of wyvern riders, we would be the single most powerful force in the world.¡±


    Denerif added with amusement. ¡°At that point taking Braken would be a simple task.¡±


    Heads nodded and eyes were plastered to the map and my drawings. The true scale of the control we would have over the world, finally setting in.


    ¡°When Solaria is established. I will cut off mostl trade with the northern Duchy¡¯s and only go through Duchess Shorecast and Hearthaven, Baelathor will render their dragon ships useless. I also intend to create messengers on the backs of birds like Noir. This will enable us to communicate faster than anyone. A message that would take weeks to arrive for other kingdoms will take hours for us.¡±


    I added with a smile. "Denerif could even set up branches of his bank in Moriah and I am sure I could negotiate for a branch in Jubani. The flyers would make it much easier to manage."


    I pointed from Moriah to the southern tip of Braken, a distance of almost two thousand miles. ¡°A journey this long can be made in roughly 13 hours, less if the rider pushes the bird. We can attack and respond faster than any nation in the world.¡±


    Halloway took in a deep breath and said with astonishment. ¡°I must say Allyssia, bringing Moon into our group was a stroke of genius.¡±


    She nodded in affirmation; her gaze locked on the map.


    ¡°For now, I will head to Moriah on my own, I¡¯m sure the resistance is vestigial at this point, and I will need the resources to equip and feed them.¡±


    I pointed to the three baronies in the north.


    ¡°Once I have a reasonably trained force, I will take villages and towns and finally a barony. If that baron or baroness makes sense, they will realize that the days of king Moriah are numbered, and they will swear to me. Once I have every barony under my control I will march on the capitol. Where I will kill the king and probably his entire family then crown myself.¡±


    ¡°What do you need from us?¡± Halloway asked.


    ¡°A way to get there, 1300 miles of open ocean isn¡¯t something I know how to navigate, and I fear I will end up halfway across the world. Next is resources. Arms armor, tools and food once I find the remnant of the resistance I would need to equip them properly. From there nothing, it''s best the empire believes that I am doing this of my own volition, in fact I recommend you openly condemn my actions.¡±


    My allies remained silent, staring at the map and no doubt absorbing my ideas.


    ¡°It can work, and I know a captain who can take you. Archduke Halloway, can your people arrange the armor and weapons.¡± Shorecast asked.


    ¡°Yes, basic brigandines arming swords, shields, bows, arrows and everything needed to maintain that equipment can be arranged. But Moon what¡¯s stopping you from simply taking the city by force.¡±


    ¡°I can but the problem is holding it. I need allies, people I can depend on, and most of all the support of the citizenry. I intend to paint myself as the savior who will rescue them from the tyranny of King Moriah. Once I have the power I will slowly eliminate everyone who opposes my rule and replace them with my own people.¡±


    ¡°It will be a monumental task but if you are successful¡­.¡± Allyssia said and Denerif continued clearly having the same thought. ¡°Then Moon will control the entire ocean. The blossom of trade with Silia would make his current fortune look like a pittance.¡±


    I smiled as I said. ¡°You all have a task ahead of you. Once I have fully established myself each of you will receive a wyvern for defense and two flyers for communication, so choose wisely whom amongst your people will receive it.¡±


    ¡°So, you have finally relented on flying mounts?¡± Shorecast asked.


    ¡°Yes, we are allies are we not, it''s about time I put some trust in you. How exactly you will spin this with Morianne breathing down your necks is another problem.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, Moon does have a point there. Enhancement is one thing, but the mounts are the real power.¡± Allysia said.


    ¡°As much as I would like to fly, Morianne would definitely have a problem with the south gaining such power.¡± Shorecast said with clear resentment in her voice.


    ¡°How about this? We wait until Moon is fully established and he has trade up and running. The massive shift in power would pale in comparison to the mounts.¡± Denerif said and gave me a sly smile, no one seemed to notice. It seems he picked up on my game.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Allyssia said, she was staring at me quite hungrily. In truth I didn¡¯t want to share this power. But I needed them invested in my success, that means offering them incentive. Denerif was smart enough to realize my ploy. Of course, no one will get a mount even a tenth the power of Baelathor. Betrayal is always a possibility, but once I establish Moriah to my desires then even if every member of the Cabal betrays me, none will be able to survive my response.


    ¡°We need a name for ourselves.¡± Allyssia said.


    What was with her obsessions with names?


    ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± I asked.


    She just shrugged, we looked at each other and the clandestine plotting paused for the moment as we contemplated.


    ¡°Imperium.¡± I said in English.


    Of course everyone looked at me confused.


    ¡°It translates to Absolute power. Even better no one in the world knows this tongue¡±


    ¡°The Imperium¡± Denerif said, tasting the foreign word on his tongue.


    ¡°I like it.¡± Halloway scampered over to the racks of bottles on the wall and took one after a few moments of examining. In the same moment I used telekinesis to bring over five glasses.


    I placed each on the map In front of us. Halloway poured a tall glass for each of us and with a boisterous smile that fit his young features said. ¡°To the Imperium.¡±


    We raised our glasses and as one said. ¡°To the Imperium.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 9: The Pirate

    I landed a far distance from Garrett''s cottage. It had been a number of weeks since I saw him and Lori, though I did feel a small amount of sadness that Benny wasn¡¯t here with me for my second visit. I remembered that Lori wanted a sword for some reason and decided to give her Benny¡¯s old sword. It, along with most of the things of value to me were inside Baelathor¡¯s Saddle bags. I walked calmly through the forest, taking in the fine morning air until I reached a large cluster of fallen trees, where I first tested the radiant lance spell.


    Half an hour later I reached the cottage. The backyard had a low fence, and I could see Lori, who was now an inch taller chasing a few chickens. From this distance I could see the necklace I had gifted her. It was worn over her dark blue dress.


    ¡°MOON.¡± Lori shouted as I approached.


    I smiled and waved. Her loud shout apparently alarmed Garrett and not a minute later he came through the back door. He gave me a sad and almost knowing smile. I hopped the small fence, and Lori immediately wrapped me in a hug.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Benny?¡± she asked,


    I sighed, wondering how to explain to a child that she was dead.


    ¡°She¡¯s moved on sweetheart.¡± Garett said. Apparently, he knew of Benny¡¯s fate. Not surprising, since the story was rather popular. It is one of the reasons I landed so far outside the village.


    ¡°Like Momma?¡± Benny asked worriedly.


    Benny buried her face into my chest trying to hide tears. She was getting taller, almost 4¡¯5. At only 9 years old she will likely grow taller than I am.


    I never shed a single tear for Benny, perhaps I grieve differently or maybe something is fundamentally broken within me.


    ¡°Would you like some tea, Moon?¡± Garette asked.


    ¡°Yes, I think I would.¡±


    It took some time for Lori to calm down. Apparently, she had seen Benny as something of a big sister even though they only spent a few hours with each other. The fast attachment was probably due to how isolated these two were out here. After sending Lori to her room to finish her numbers, Garette and I were finally able to speak in earnest.


    ¡°I''m sorry about Benny Moon.¡± Garett said.


    We sat at the small dining table, each with a cup of tea in front of us. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I repaid her death a hundred-fold. You did warn me how dangerous it could be.¡±


    ¡°Anyone can be blinded by their own power, especially those with immense talent. Do you feel any better now that those responsible have been brought to justice?¡±


    ¡°It does give me some relief, but for the most part I feel nothing.¡± These were probably the first true words on Benny''s death I have spoken to someone else.


    ¡°Vengeance isn''t as sweet as most people think, especially when you have nothing else to live for.¡±


    I looked into his brown eyes, still curious about why he owed Sten but if he doesn''t bring it up, I won''t ask.


    ¡°Speaking from experience? "I inquired, trying to get the answer.


    He held my gaze for a few moments. Stern and unwavering, no I wouldn''t be learning about that today. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret your vengeance?¡± Garett asked.


    ¡°Not for a single moment, but I do feel that I am missing something.¡± I said.


    I didn''t know when our conversation turned into a therapy session, but who else was I going to talk to?


    ¡°Perhaps you should find another apprentice?¡±


    ¡°Humans with magical ability are rare enough but I don''t think I want another one.¡±


    ¡°You need someone, Moon. Someone to both depend and rely upon. Being atop the pyramid is a lonely existence.¡±


    ¡°I plan on going east to an island called Moriah, perhaps I will find something there.¡±


    He looked surprised, ¡°You intend on settling there?¡±


    With a sly smile I answered, ¡°I intend to make myself its king.¡±


    Garett chuckled and said. ¡°You never fail to surprise me.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps when I rule the country you and Lori can come visit. ¡°He actually looked receptive to the idea.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never considered leaving the empire''s Borders.¡±


    ¡°It''s a wide world Garette and I want to see more of it.¡±


    ¡°Word is that Princess Morianne is displeased with you. ¡°He inquired.


    ¡°She is. And that''s one of the reasons I came to see you. I''ve never mentioned you to anyone, but I can''t say the same for the other members of the bronze spears. And thus, I can''t guarantee that there won''t be people at some point asking questions.¡±


    ¡°You believe there is danger to us?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I''m sorry but it''s possible. I have very few people in the world that I trust and it''s not impossible for someone to find out who or where you are. That is partially why I made this.¡± I went to my carrying case I had placed in a corner of the room. He had eyed it more than a few times, no doubt curious about what was inside.


    I brought it over to the table and opened the case removing the top half of Eclipse.


    ¡°By all the gods.¡± Garett said his voice filled with astonishment.


    ¡°This is Eclipse, my amplifier.¡± I couldn''t help but chuckle at his bewildered expression. With a smile I said.


    ¡°The light amplifier is a little over ten times and the shadow amplifier is a six.¡±


    ¡°The Mithrite, it''s different.¡± He was looking into the ether at this point.


    ¡°Royal Mithrite, the elves call it. It conducts ether with no loss or resistance. So, I can push the amplification much higher than normal. I haven''t delved too deeply into its potential. ¡°I explained though he didn''t seem to be listening.


    ¡°Would you like to try it?¡± I asked.


    He couldn''t help himself.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. I tossed it to him. He caught and held it with as much care as one would a child.


    Without prompting, he created the spell circuit for radiant carapace and gave it a slight overcharge before releasing the spell on himself.


    ¡°Glorious, I barely used any of my stamina.¡±


    Then he created another circuit, a shadow spell by the sigils. Then he cast it on himself. It was far more difficult than before; such was the toll of using the opposite attenuation to one''s affinity. He pinched himself with considerable force shaking his head. The numb spell, I''ll have to have him teach me that.


    ¡°Moon, this staff, what is it worth? Millions? No more, this shadow gem is too powerful.¡±


    ¡°It is from Agron the Defiler''s own amplifier.¡± He handed me the staff as if it would spontaneously combust.


    ¡°Not millions. There is no price for it. How did you manage to convince the royal family to part with it?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t, Denerif did.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow clearly, confused.


    ¡°The First Prince was involved, so I made a bargain to not pursue vengeance and not make an enemy of the entire empire. Morianne wouldn''t give up her brother without a fight.¡±


    He sniffed and gave me a withering glance. ¡°As if that would stop you.¡± Then, he realized immediately why I didn''t go through with it. ¡°You intend to make yourself the king of Moriah.¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    I replaced the staff and brought out another amplifier. This was in the form of a much smaller staff three inches shorter than a typical forearm. I decided not to use royal mithrite even then it was still a 3.5 times amplifier. I made it nondescript and almost unimpressive.


    ¡°You never know when you might need some extra power.¡±


    ¡°I can''t accept this moon.¡± Garett said in haste.


    ¡°Please. It would do me a world of good to know you can handle yourself.


    Garette sighed; his honor warred with his desire to have an amplifier.


    ¡°Again, I have nothing to offer.¡±


    I held up my hand and said, ¡°I want nothing, though if you feel you must repay me, you could teach me that numbing spell.¡±


    ¡°Paralysis, at low power. It numbs the sense of pain. I¡¯ve never successfully cast it before.¡±


    I returned Eclipse to its case and said. ¡°So, we have a deal?¡± I asked.


    No mage would turn away a free amplifier no matter how honorable.


    ¡°I must find a way to repay you some day.¡±


    ¡°What''s that? ¡°Lori asked. Apparently, she was eavesdropping. Garett sighed and said. ¡°Come Lori, you can join us.¡±


    She sheepishly exited her room to join us. ¡°It''s an amplifier for a mage.¡± He explained.


    ¡°I wish I was a mage.¡± Lori said, her eyes fixated on the glowing gem.


    I gave a curious glance to Garette before he shook his head.


    ¡°I do have a gift for you as well. I do recall you wanted a sword, yes?¡± I looked at Garette and he nodded.


    ¡°Though you will have to grow into it. This was the first sword I got when I woke up in the forest. I gave it to Benny and now I will give it to you.¡±


    The blade from the goblin cave was rewrapped with a new hilt scabbard and along the blade was my own enchantment work. It was polished to a mirror shine with a razor edge; the enchantment behind the blade made it practically indestructible. It would be worth hundreds of gelding on the open market. I drew the blade for her to see the fine edge of the longsword, then sheathed it and handed it to Garett.


    ¡°That''s for when you''re older.¡± I said with a smile. She pouted.


    I wasn''t going to hand the deadly weapon over to her. But she could be an investment in the future.


    ¡°Say thank you to Moon.¡± Garett said.


    She scampered over and signaled me to stand at her lean down to her height. I figured she wanted to whisper something to me. She gave me a peck on the cheek and said ¡°Thanks Moon¡± then ran off to her room.


    I laughed at her antics.


    ¡°She is adorable.¡± I said to Garett.


    ¡°She is the beat of my heart.¡± He said as he watched her run away.


    ¡°Now come student, it¡¯s time for you to learn Paralysis.¡± He said taking the old tone he had when I first started to learn.


    I adopted the role of the eager student and said. ¡°Yes master.¡± then gave him a formal bow.


    Four hours later.


    Garett and I shared a simple bottle of wine. It wasn''t high quality, but any alcohol in good company was delicious. We had discussed what was the best approach to keep Lori and himself safe. So far no one has made any inquiry about them. This was a good enough sign that there was no interest in him. The villagers were rather loyal to him, and no one wanted to lose access to a light mage. He promised to head to Duchess Hearthaven if anyone started to inquire about him. She would protect him, and our faux relationship would be enough to give her protection.


    With that, all my dealing within Vendalia was finished, now was the time to leave. Garette Lori and I walked through the forest to where Baelathor had landed. It was the same clearing where I tested radiant lance. They were rather excited to meet Baelathor. It was rather pleasing that Garette trusted me enough to not question if Lori would be safe.


    ¡°So that is Baelathor.¡± Garette said in awe. Then he focused his eyes to see him through the ether. ¡°My word, Moon.¡± he said. Even more astonished.


    ¡°I know, I went rather overboard with his creation.¡± I said.


    ¡°Can I ride it?¡± Lori said, her voice was full of cheer. The girl had no fear in her, that''s for sure.


    ¡°Are you sure of your control?¡± Garette asked.


    ¡°Pick a tree.¡± I said.


    He shrugged and pointed at a particularly large oak, nearly 50 feet tall.


    ¡°Baelathor rip that out of the ground and drop it here.¡± I pointed in front of me.


    He groaned in annoyance but obeyed regardless. The sound of him tearing the tree out of the ground was deafening. Then he slowly put the tree down in front of us, careful not to hit us with the branches.


    ¡°The wonders never cease with you.¡± Garette said.


    ¡°That sounds like a yes. Oh my, his eyes are so pretty.¡± Lori said. How a 9-year-old can meet the eye of a monster several thousand times her size without fear perplexed me to no end.


    ¡°I have several harnesses, and the saddle is quite large so we can all fly.¡± I said with a large smile.


    ¡°I''m going to regret this.¡± Garette said.


    Ten minutes later, and all three of us were nearly a mile high with me in the front and Lori and Garette behind me. The harness was rather robust, and I kept an iron will on Baelathor to not make any sudden movements.


    ¡°This is the best.¡± Lori yelled over the wind. They were all strapped tightly to the saddle. Umber¡¯s work and my enchantment made the saddle not even creak with the increased weight.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    We flew for over an hour passing, Vernon flying over mountains and disturbing flocks of migrating birds. We flew through clouds, over the mountains of Ruben and low over the city of Vernon. The sun would be down soon, and I had to be in Shorecast in the morning. We landed and disembarked.


    Garette looked like he wanted to kiss the ground while Lori seemed like she could stay in the air her entire life if she could.


    ¡°I wish I had a wyvern; I would fly every day.¡± Lori said. Her hair was a mess from the wind, but she was all smiles.


    ¡°I suppose this will be the last we see of you for some time.¡± Garette said.


    ¡°Yes, it will take time to deal with Moriah, but if I am king be sure that you would be an honored guest. Who knows maybe you would find island life to your taste.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never considered leaving the empire. I have family in the capitol after all.¡± I do recall he had an older daughter in the capitol.


    ¡°Come, walk with us back to the house.¡± Garette said.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Race you,¡± Lori said and sprinted off. I raised an eyebrow at Garette.


    ¡°Don''t worry about her, she knows this forest like the back of her hand.¡± I just shrugged. She did have a carapace on her and the walk wasn''t long.


    ¡°With that sword no doubt her dreams of becoming some great warrior will be permanently solidified in her mind. I''m still not sure whether you were doing that on purpose.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°She is young and will likely grow out of it, in truth I didn''t know what to do with the sword. Giving it to her seems like as good an option as any.¡±


    ¡°Not a week ago she asked me to let her train with the village boys. I would prefer it if she had a safe and comfortable life. Not one fraught with danger.¡± He gave me a knowing glance. I had told him most of the story about what happened to Benny.


    I see. He didn''t want Lori chasing dreams of being a warrior through me and possibly ending up like my former apprentice.


    ¡°I understand.¡± I said, giving him a small nod. Then I decided to give him an out. He had misgivings about continued association with me, there was danger after all.


    ¡°If you wish, this can be the last time we see each other. I will never seek either you or Lori and your names will never leave my lips to anyone.¡± I meant every word.


    Garette was silent for long moments, his gaze never leaving mine. To my utter surprise I felt fear. Fear of rejection. Were Allyssia¡¯s words, correct? Am I becoming soft? When did that start happening?


    ¡°Don''t insult me, Moon. You are a friend and will always be welcome. I will try to steer her way from her dreams of being a warrior; perhaps I shouldn''t have shared so much about her mother. But if that day comes and she decides to go out into the world and carve a life for herself using the sword, better it be with as much advantage as possible. I will not be here forever. I am only 45 but I can feel myself slowing down.¡±


    ¡°Age is a medical condition, and I can easily reverse its effects.¡± I said with confidence.


    ¡°No, I do not wish for a longer life, only that I die with no regrets.¡± I was rather surprised. Most people would jump at the opportunity.


    It''s his choice in the end.


    ¡°Goodbye Garette. It will likely be some time before I see you again.¡±


    He offered me a hand and I discreetly checked his body for illnesses. The man was as healthy as a horse.


    ¡°Until next time Moon.¡±


    ¡°Until Next time Master Garette.¡±


    The Next Morning.


    I was standing on the docks of the east coast of the Vendalian Empire. I was at a border city called Trapor. It was a small trading town entirely dependent on trade from the east. Shorcast recommended a captain by the name of Bron. He was an older man who was one of her contacts. The docks were busy with many seamen lugging supplies and tending to the many ships that were anchored. It took me an hour to find the Feron amongst the cornucopia of ships. I could practically taste the salt from the ocean spray.


    The large three-masted vessel was docked at the far north corner of Trapor. I drew quite a few curious glances from surrounding humans. I imagine an elegantly dressed elf in mostly white was not a common sight. Most people walked around in brown or gray homespun clothing. The Feron wasn''t very impressive but what I did know about ships told me it was well maintained.


    Two burly men were standing in front of the ramp leading to the ship. Their odd stares turned violent. That would probably be enough to make a regular peasant wonder off.


    ¡°I''m here to see Captain Bron. We have business.¡± I said neutrally.


    ¡°I aint heard nothin bout that elf. Bugger off.¡± The one of the left said. Even though I was standing several feet from him I noticed his remarkably unrotten teeth. They looked more maintained than most peasants.


    ¡°Simply give him the name, Moon. I assure you if I leave now, he will not be pleased with either of you.¡±


    The one on the right puffed himself up in some attempted intimidation. I was unimpressed but responding the usual way wouldn''t be useful at the moment. The one on the right seemed to be smart and realized that I wasn''t even slightly intimidated.


    ¡°Just go talk to the capn Ned, I can handle one little she-elf.¡± The brown-haired man on the right said. He had deeply bronzed skin likely from years in the sun.


    Ned looked at his companion in confusion, but at his stern glance said. ¡°Fine.¡± and stomped off.


    ¡°Don''t mind him, He¡¯s an Idiot. Name¡¯s Mennan¡± Quite a strange name. I shrugged and gave him a nod in return.


    ¡°What!¡± I heard a shout from the ship.


    Some loud stomping followed and not 30 seconds later, a heavily bearded man in a three-pronged hat with a blade at his wrist came walking down the gangplank.


    ¡°Moon my apologies, I was expecting you hours from now.¡± He spoke well but I can still hear hints of the peasant drawl.


    ¡°It''s nothing, your men behaved themselves.¡± I said.


    Ned was behind him, shocked at his captain''s level of respect.


    ¡°Good, it seems at least one of them had sense.¡± The captain said loudly for the benefit of the men. He walked over to me, and we shook hands.


    ¡°Good to meet you, Captain Bron. I assume my accommodations are in order.¡± It wasn''t a luxury ship by any means, but I was assured that I would have at least comfortable lodgings for the two-week journey.


    ¡°Yes, everything is prepped, and the winds are looking good. Come, I''ll show you to your quarters.¡± I nodded and followed, leaving Ned and the other man behind. The ship was a little over 200 feet long.


    ¡°Tell me captain, how do you maintain proper navigation across thousands of miles of ocean.¡± I asked. I already knew it was a combination of stars, the sun, wind patterns and a compass, but I wanted more detail. I had purchased all I would need since I wanted to learn. But time was of the essence to me, and I intended to learn on the go.


    ¡°By day we use the sun to maintain basic direction and we can use a compass and a little math to determine where we are with decent accuracy. It takes a bit of practice and understanding but anyone with a decent mind can learn.¡± He said, almost absent mindedly.


    ¡°I would like you to teach me this on our journey.¡± He looked like he was about to refuse, but I cut him off.


    ¡°In return I will offer my healing services without cost. I am the greatest healer in the world. There is nothing and I mean nothing, I cannot heal, save death itself. As a skilled medicant I have seen practically every ailment throughout my life, nothing will surprise or shock me.¡±


    Many ears were listening to our conversation and the captain would be a fool to refuse. They were sailors and there had to be those among them with permanent injuries. Several men, including one wearing an eyepatch, were eyeing the captain.


    ¡°You say you can heal anything. What about Hemmy there.¡± He pointed to a man wearing an eye patch.


    ¡°Easily.¡±


    ¡°Callum?¡± He pointed to another man missing two fingers of his left hand.


    ¡°Even easier than Hemmy.¡±


    He smiled and said, ¡°Then you have a deal Lady mage, but I have a condition.¡±


    I nodded for him to continue.


    ¡°While aboard this ship I am captain, which means my orders must be followed to ensure the safety of the crew and the success of this journey.¡±


    I nodded in understanding. He didn''t want me usurping his authority.


    ¡°Rest assured Captain, while I am aboard your ship I will defer to your authority.¡± I gave him a slightly deeper bow, one of respect in clear view of the men. That should be more than enough to make this journey pleasant enough. Some of them began loading barrels onto the ship. Filled with provisions.


    ¡°Shall I speed this along?¡± I asked, pointing to the over two dozen more barrels sitting on the docks.


    ¡°If you can.¡± The captain said confused. The men were carrying them below deck so five at a time I casted telekinesis and five barrels hovered into the air. ¡°I''ll leave them by the entrance and the men can carry them down.¡±


    ¡°You heard the mage.¡± The captain shouted. In the space of a few minutes every barrel was loaded onto the ship, a process that would have taken well over an hour. The captain smiled as the last barrel was brought below deck.


    ¡°That is useful. Come let me show you to your quarters.¡± The captain brought me below deck past the cargo area near his quarters to an adjoining room. It was small but had a bed, desk, and a small chest to store my things. A single lantern was hanging on the wall. It was practically a royal suite compared to the rest of the living areas.


    ¡°It''s modest, but this is the best we can do and a lady such as yourself should have privacy. We still have some more preparations to make, but once we are in the open sea we can see to the healing and if mages are as smart as they say, you should be able to learn navigation well within the two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Very good captain, I''ll change into more seaworthy garments. And rejoin you above deck.¡± Before he left, I added. ¡°Another thing captain, I am a male. I bear no offense. I know it is difficult for humans to tell the difference.¡± He looked me up and down as if he didn''t believe my words. "Very well my Lord," he said, then he returned to his work.


    One week later.


    I stood at the helm of the ship with the captain. It was easy enough to learn their method of navigation and I could easily imagine how this would be used from the air. In truth it would have been faster to simply learn then fly to Moriah, but I wanted to see the ocean that would one day be mine. Firsthand understanding of how ships navigate and how crews are maintained would be useful for an island country. While it wasn''t as exciting flying, it was calming. The men were pleasant especially after my healing. They were rather healthy, a few badly healed wounds, missing fingers, one missing eye and a man with a severe STI were the only real afflictions. That was enough for them to consider me some kind of saint.


    I could tell the captain would want me to stay on, but he knew enough that I couldn''t be afforded. Getting the men to stop calling me Lady took some time, but what else do I expect from peasants.


    ¡°Good only a few degrees off course. Make a small correction to the left.¡± I did as he commanded. We had some rain and strong wind the night before but after checking with the compass and the map we were still on schedule.


    ¡°Captain a pirate ship starboard.¡± the man from the Crowsnest shouted down at us. Immediately the captain brought out his spyglass and looked in said direction. I followed his glance and could barely see a ship in the distance. But I could easily tell that it was a war galley. The large four-masted ship was at least 300 feet long. To my surprise the captain breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Shall I destroy their ship when they are in my range?¡± I asked the captain.


    He looked back at me surprised, as if he forgot that I was a mage. Granted I had done little other than some telekinesis and healing.


    ¡°No, this is captain Fenrin, he is a decent sort and keeps the truly wretched pirates at bay.¡± He said.


    ¡°Then what is the plan to simply allow them to kill us and steal our belongings.¡± I asked.


    ¡°No just, offer them some coin, perhaps they will take a few jewels, wouldn''t be the first time I ran into his crew. They will be on their way, no rape, murder or selling people to slavers at best a black eye or a bruised rib. Thats if we remain calm and let them go about their work.¡±


    ¡°I imagine if I simply killed them all. Other more, morally deficient pirates would take his place.¡± I said.


    ¡°Yes, he keeps them at bay and so long as we take this route the only ones, we need to worry about are his people. He is quite brutal with anyone who breaks his rules.¡±


    Nothing was really stopping me from killing them all, it''s not as if I cared about the lives of the crew. But I was interested in this captain Fenrin. Perhaps he can be of some use someday.


    ¡°I have a few things I can''t part with, but other than that I can spare a few gems.¡± I cared very little about the coin. The only truly irreplaceable item I had on me were amplifiers, the mage killer, and the water gem from Xalia. The mage killer My staff and amplifier were in my carrying case which I wore at all times.


    The larger ship approached along the starboard side. Then Captain Bron ordered his men above deck, and they all stood stock still watching as the larger ship approached alongside.


    ¡°Steady everyone, we know how this goes, no point in being stupid.¡± The captain announced.


    Several of the men were clutching weapons but none seemed stupid enough to draw them.


    A tall thin man with dark hair in what looked to be an old officer''s uniform yelled over to us.


    ¡°Captain, do I have permission to come aboard?¡± Fenris asked. Bron seemed resolve to this fate and replied. "Of course, I only ask that my men remain safe?¡±


    I had brought my coin purse; it only had a few dozen gelding since most of my wealth was either in the carrying case or Baelathor¡¯s saddlebags.


    I watched in fascination as hooks were thrown from the pirate ship to ours. And soon enough a plank was laid across and pirates began to invade the ship.


    ¡°Good day captain, I must thank you for your cordiality. And what is this now, an elven maiden, quite a surprising thing to see in these waters.¡± Fenris said. I was standing behind the captain amongst the men, but it was not as if I could be conspicuous.


    A few of the men leered at me but the deadly stare from the red harried woman was enough to quell any thoughts they were having.


    ¡°It is appreciated captain Fenris. Moon is a passenger, and we have no significant cargo, but we are willing to offer what we have in exchange for your cordiality.¡± Bron said.


    Fenris raised an eyebrow and looked at me. Then he returned his stare to Bron. ¡°A whole ship for one elf. Must be important¡±


    Then he sighed as if he was magnanimously giving away an opportunity. He turned his attention to me again and with an attempt at a charming smile said. ¡°I''m not in the business of ransom and my men are professionals. so not to worry my dear.¡±


    I elected not to correct him of my gender and to see how his crew operated. I adopted my most serene and etheric tone.


    ¡°It is appreciated. Captain Fenris, Bron has spoken of your honor and respectable conduct.¡± I said, giving him my most charming smile. Some of his crew looked like they love in that moment. I almost wanted to sigh. A pretty face is such a powerful thing.


    The captain however didn''t so much as alter his expression.


    ¡°Right, everyone line up then my men will check below deck and awe can be done with this in post haste. I expect everyone to offer something.¡± he said.


    We did as instructed, and in a minute, we were standing side by side in a long line. A few of the men tried to be belligerent but none suffered more than an elbow to the stomach or a threat. But one thing I noticed from Fenris¡¯s crew was that everyone was constantly alert as if waiting for someone to get stupid and pull a weapon. They were trained men, not just thugs.


    From the left they started, I was in the middle while captain Fenris walked with Captain Bron.


    ¡°Sherry, start at the other end and we can move faster that way.¡± Fenris said. It seems the red-haired woman¡¯s name was Sherry. One by one they collected something from each of the crew. Some gave coins or jewelry only once was a sword drawn when one man pretended to have nothing only to find out he was hiding several geldings in his shoes. They only took three of the four he had.


    Then finally Sherry reached me. I brought out my coin purse and offered it to her. It was a fine dark leather and velvet with a silver clasp. Her eyes widened as she held the purse, and she grinned even wider to see the palm sized pouch was filled with gelding. She whistled and was about to move on before she spotted the case strapped across my back.


    ¡°Not as violent as I assume a pirate attack would be.¡± I observed.


    ¡°We got lucky, come let''s join the men and we can be done with this in a quarter hour.¡±


    We made our way to the middle of the ship where most of the men were gathered, Captain Fenris and a few of his men crossed over the plank. There were rather rough looking types, large and burnt from the sun. Though they looked rather healthy, none had rotten teeth or missing limbs. There was only one woman amongst them. She was a large woman with an impressive amount of red hair. It flowed chaotically in the wind almost reaching her waist. While she was large for a woman her face spoke of youth.


    Captain Fenris himself would have been a handsome man if not for the thinness of his lips and the hook of his nose. It gave him an almost villous appearance. Though he had a large smile as he approached us.


    ¡°What''s in the case?¡± Sherry asked. Her voice was hoarse as if she had spent most of the day yelling.


    ¡°Nothing I am willing to give away.¡± I wanted to see more of how this crew acted so I asked. ¡°You have 50 gelding, is this not sufficient?¡±


    Perhaps a case of white leather with gold clasps was not the most covert thing to travel with.


    ¡°You just part with more coin than the entire ship combined without thinking. I''m guessin what''s in that case is the real treasure.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I cannot part with it.¡± My lack of concern as she reached for a blade seems to irritate her.


    ¡°Listen elf you don''t want this to get violent, give it up and you can go about your day without a bruise on your pretty face.¡± The men behind her took on an aggressive stance but a voice stopped whatever violence that was about to start. The men standing next to me looked ready to bolt.


    ¡°What''s going on. Sherry the elf doesn''t want to give up what she has?¡± Fenris asked.


    ¡°Tossed us around 50 gelding without even blinking, gots to be some kind of noble elf.¡± Sherry replied.


    ¡°50 gelding hm?¡± He looked at me for a few seconds examining my face. My utter lack of concern made him heir on the side of caution.


    ¡°My lady, we are good, honest, hardworking people, not simple brigands.¡± The object that resides in that case, is it really worth the trouble.¡±


    I smiled with genuine humor and said. ¡°Firstly, I am a male.¡± I said. The shock in their faces amused me.


    ¡°Second, I will let you decide for yourself if it is worth the trouble.¡± I removed the case. The entire crew was watching me. I have never opened it in front of anyone and many of my own crew were straining their necks to see what was inside.


    I unclasped the two latches that held it shut, holding it in both my hands and turned it towards the captain for him to open it himself. Suspicion was clear on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll open it,¡± Sherry said.


    Then she cautiously came over and flipped open the case, Revealing Eclipse. Her gasp was audible. The rest of the crew gazed at the amplifier with a combination of greed and fascination. Though from their confused glances no one knew what it was. Captain Fenris, however, was as pale as a ghost. True fear rose up in him as he looked at me with unhidden terror.


    It seems he, unlike his crew, realized what it was and what I likely was. It was amusing how little information there was about mages outside of certain circles. Even less information was known about elves.


    ¡°What the hells is that?¡± One of the men asked.


    ¡°I don''t know but it''s probably worth a fortune.¡± Sherry responded. She cautiously reaches towards the large glowing light gem before captain Fenris said in reproach.


    ¡°He has given us a significant amount of coin there is no need to take more.¡± Fenris commanded. Sherry looked like she was about to argue but one glance from Fenris was enough to stifle any complaints.


    ¡°Perhaps we can have a conversation captain.¡± I nodded towards the helm of the ship.


    ¡°Of course. Everyone else gets back to it.¡± He said neutrally.


    We went over to the helm with Sherry''s eyes still focused on the case. Once we had some privacy Fenris said, ¡°I am surprised that my entire crew isn''t dead. I know that is an amplifier and with such a large gem you must be a light mage of incredible wealth and influence.¡±


    ¡°Captain Bron spoke well of you, so I was willing to play along and not rock the boat. As for my abilities you correct, I am the most powerful light mage in the world. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Lightbearer?¡±


    He considered the name for a few moments then answered, ¡°I''ve heard the name, but I don''t pay much attention to rumors, I almost never dock in the empire, so I get little news.¡±


    He looked me up and down once more as if really seeing me for the first time. And asked. ¡°How easy would it have been for you to kill my entire crew?¡±


    ¡°If I wanted to. I could reduce your ship to little more than kindling with hardly any effort, but again Bron mentioned that you keep the waters relatively safe from the truly vile pirates.¡±


    Fenris chuckled and said, ¡°Well I''ll just thank the gods that you are more reasonable that most mages I''ve heard about.¡±


    ¡°You caught me on a good day.¡±


    ¡°That amplifier, what is it really worth?¡±


    ¡°There is none like it in the world. But if I had to place a price on it, five or ten million gelding. Purely from the rarity of the materials alone.¡±


    He looked like he could believe his ears. Then he took a deep breath and released it.


    ¡°I don''t even know if it''s luck or a curse that I stumbled upon you in this vast ocean.¡± I''ll just be glad that we can part peacefully.¡± He made the last bit sound like a question.


    ¡°Yes, we will part peacefully, but I have a strong feeling that we will see each other again.¡± I said, offering him my hand. He did not look pleased, but took it, nonetheless.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± Fenris asked.


    ¡°Moon Solaris.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Forgive me for saying this but I''ll probably be avoiding wherever Moon Solaris turns up.¡± I smiled. I will rule this entire ocean there would be no avoiding me.


    ¡°That will be difficult but feel free to try, take my advice, when Solaria calls on you. Do answer, there will be significant rewards.¡±


    He looked at me confused, ¡°Solaria? Is that where you are from, I''ve never heard of it.¡±


    With a smile I said. ¡°Almost no one has, but be assured, soon enough everyone will know.¡±


    Fenris was silent as he contemplated my words. We watched in silence as the rest of his crew went about their work. But honestly my mind was far away. Only a few days and I would arrive At Moriah and my work would begin. We will have to see if this man can be of use to me in the future. Why destroy what I could control.

 Book 2: Chapter 10: The Island

    I stood upon the shores of Moriah, watching as the Feron sailed away. No. Not Moriah, Solaria. This was to be my kingdom in time. I was on a large beach. A few hundred feet away, sandy shores gave way to green pastures, then to a forest. The sun was high in the sky with not a cloud to besmirch its azure brilliance. I breathed in the salty sea air, a scent that I had grown to enjoy over the two-week journey. Taking a seat on the white sandy shores I looked into the ether and focused on my connection with Baelathor. I sent him a strong mental command to increase his pace. As soon as I saw the island I sent him a command to find me. That was a few hours ago and he should be arriving in another three or four.


    Now that I was on the shores of my kingdom, I had to consider the inevitable problem. How does a lone elf conquer a kingdom of humans? Through the remnants of the rebellion of course. But they could be anywhere on the island. In one of Baelathor¡¯s saddle bags there were over two thousand gelding and everything I valued. I even brought Benny¡¯s armor, and for some reason I didn''t want to leave it in Vendalia.


    The plan for now would be to fly over most of the island and compare the location of villages, towns, and cities to my own map. I also intended to make note of landmasses, rivers or any natural formation that would be useful. In war knowing the terrain is essential to victory.


    Not once have I ever considered that I had a possibility of losing, I simply had too much power. But there is the inevitable problem of how to win. I could, with Baelathor, brutalize every barony, and force the citizenry to kneel. But, that would most likely end with me being little more than a tyrant. So, I decided to go the savior route. My looks would help there, as humans tend to associate beauty with righteousness. I still wanted them to fear me though, but I needed a specific type of fear. The kind of fear one has for a stern father or mother. The child that does not have a healthy amount of fear for the consequence of their actions or lack respect for their parents will disobey, regardless of love. It is inevitable.


    The fear of punishment is what I will foster. Then I will curtail their hate by being uncompromisingly fair. Everyone from the lowest peasant to highest noble will be held to the same standard and meet the same punishment. As long as my laws are followed there is no reason to fear. A human could lead a long and prosperous life without fear of unjust persecution. But once my laws are broken, the consequences would be swift and brutal. That is the legacy I wish to grow amongst the masses. Uncompromisingly stern, but fair.


    I spent a few hours going over my thoughts before I spotted Baelathor in the distance. He was still ten or twenty miles out, but a creature that size could be spotted easily. I looked around at the various birds in the sky and decided to make another Noire. Sometimes Baelathor was a bit too dramatic, especially if I needed stealth.


    ¡®Come, have a rest near me. We will scout the island in a few hours.¡¯ I sent it to Baelathor, when passed overhead. It would take him a few minutes before he spiraled down to land.


    Three hours Later.


    Baelathor and I were roughly five miles in the sky. We began by first traveling to the northern tip of the island. The first thing I noted was Mount Revus. It wasn''t anything close to an actual mountain. Revus was a long dormant volcano on the northern edge of the island. Surrounding it was a lush green field overflowing the flora and fauna. This eventually gave way to large swaths of forest and rolling hills. On the northeastern edge of Solaria was the Cren Barony. It was half the size of Vernon with a central city with outlying towns and villages that fed it. As I flew over, I noted the moat surrounding the city. The walls, which were a little over 20 feet tall, were much in terms of defenses.


    I continued west near the northern center of the island. Marking villages and towns that were absent from my map, as well as drawing rough lines for roads and changes in elevation.


    Around a hundred miles southwest of Revus was the Caymor Barony, it was larger with more outlying towns and villages. The city half sat on a large lake with a massive mote dug in front. It would actually be quite difficult to siege for a normal army. What little information Denerif had, stated that the family were people of honor. Which could make it easy to take control or force me to take a more brutal approach.


    I continued west until I reached Maybury. What it lacked in size it made up for in its wealth of farmland. Of all the baronies I had seen, this was by far the largest producer of food. Though its defenses left much to be desired. The main city walls were unimpressive. The poor state of the roads and lack of any kind of patrol spoke of a barony in decline. Which was strange considering how much farming was being done. This would be my first target. Finally, I headed south to what would be my seat of power.


    Typically, a capital city for a kingdom should be in the center, but not so with Solaria. King Moriah¡¯s ancestors saw it fit to build his city on the coast for no other reason than the beauty of having a coastal city. That seemed utterly ridiculous. It wasn''t until I reached said city that I ate my words.


    The city was large, almost unnecessarily large. It couldn''t compare with the Vendalian capitol, but it was still twice the size of Vernon and the castle itself was stunning. Mostly because of how it was constructed.


    The castle was built upon a large cliff hundreds of feet into the air, roughly in the shape of a thumb. Since it was built upon a large outcropping I couldn''t even imagine how, with the exception of treachery or starving out, the castle could be sieged. There was one approach via the outcropping. The entire city with docks and wharves stretched out from this out cropping down the side of the large hill until it reached the shore. The difference in each section as the city descended to the shore was stark. The glorious keep at the highest point. Then this continued to the noble quarter, merchants, then the peasantry which eventually gave way to the docks.


    The Royal family themselves seem to have a docks separate from the rest, on the other side of the city that hosted several beautiful yachts. The main docks, however, were the most impressive. It was larger than any I have seen hundreds of ships of all sizes from all corners of the world were docked. Now I can understand why a barony so rich in produce could seem so destitute. Feeding this city had to be a problem. I estimated the population to be roughly 100 - 120 thousand. It would seem that over time more sections were added to the city as people came south for work. The outer wall seemed reasonably robust but the pathetic state of most of the peasant quarters was a firm reminder of the kind of ruler King Moriah was. Not even Wigmore had such destitution.


    I circled the city a few times from roughly a mile in the air, taking note of the docks, castle walls, and the state of the roads leading to the city, which were rather poor. The only part of the city that looked well maintained was the castle. Even the noble quarter underwhelming. It was as if the entirety island''s resources were funneled into this one place. I sighed and considered how much work would have to be done. But it didn''t deter me in the least the, more of a despot Moriah was, the more would flock to my cause.


    ¡°So Baelathor, where do you think the remnants of the rebellion is?¡± I asked.


    The beast just grumbled in response.


    ¡°Fine then let''s start from Maybury and work our way north. I¡¯m sure there is someone who will be willing to give me information for gold. I''ll have to find a horse or be remarkably conspicuous. I''m sure the entire country is buzzing about a gigantic flying beast in their skies.¡±


    He growled, almost sounding indignant.


    ¡°Don''t blame me, you''re the one who keeps gorging himself with whales.¡±


    With a mental command I ordered Baelathor back north.


    I landed a few miles south of an unnamed village deep in the forest. I had a large cloak of fine but unimpressive looking brown cloth. I replaced my splendid garments with nondescript leather. It was of fine making but specifically designed to not look conspicuous. After tying my hair back, I strapped on my satchel containing a few supplies like dried food.


    I walked for a few hours through the dense forest until I found a well-trod dirt road. It was only large enough for a single carriage and the deep furrows in the ground was enough of a sign that carriages pass through often. Adjusting my hood over my head, I walked along the path. It was a few hours before sunset and I at least wanted a decent place to rest. It didn''t take long before I saw humans. No one of any note, just random peasants on carts strolling by. I did get a few odd stares from the downtrodden peasants, but nothing more than that. It was almost odd how I was disregarded. In Vendalia I couldn''t go 10 feet without bows of deference.


    Eventually after an hour of walking I reached the frankly unimpressive wooden wall that served as a defense for the village. It was little more than a few dozen buildings.


    It had a basic gate guarded by a few men in hard leathers beneath metal breast plate. Each wore a cape of tattered cloth emblazoned with a symbol of what looked like a winged, six-legged stag. The symbol of Moriah. I had to wonder if it was a real creature or just some fantasy.


    The peasants seemed to be rushing to the gate. They kicked horses and donkeys into motion to get in the line quickly. I put some speed into my walk and joined the end of the line.


    In front of me was a bearded man driving a carriage in leather armor and had a sword strapped to his waist. Inside the carriage were a two people in heavy cloaks so heavy I couldn''t even distinguish anything about them. The floor of the carriage was lined with produce. I approached the man and asked. ¡°Pardon me sir. What seems to be the rush?¡± He looked down from his seat and gave me a confused stare as we met eyes.


    ¡°Almost sundown, the guards won''t let anyone inside after sunset. Well, not without coin.¡± The man said. Though he still had his perplexed stare. I suppose my large purple eyes were an oddity.


    ¡°How much coin?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A silver or two since it''s late in the day.¡± Expensive for peasants. I shrugged and I had significantly more than that.


    ¡°My thanks.¡± I said before walking away.


    The man turned his attention away from me. He did have an odd guilty look on his face as I walked away.


    ¡°Hold on a moment.¡± He said hastily.


    I turned back to him with a curious expression. ¡°The guards can get handsy if you don''t have the coin.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I said nonchalantly.


    ¡°Sometimes coin isn''t enough, especially if they have been drinking.¡±


    I almost wanted to roll my eyes. A few humans weren''t a problem for me, but I wanted to see where his thoughts were going.


    ¡°Ah, I see, would it be best if I returned in the morning?¡±


    ¡°And spend the night in the forest?¡± a distinctly feminine voice from the carriage asked.


    I shrugged as if it was no big deal. ¡°If I must, I would not prefer the alternative.¡±


    The hooded figure looked at the man and said, in an almost reproachful tone, ¡°Husband.¡±


    The man sighed and looked at his wife. After a few moments he turned to me.


    ¡°I have an understanding with the guards. They won''t look twice at what''s in the carriage, they''ll let us through with no trouble. I pay them a good coin for it. You though, one look at you and they might not care how much coin you have.¡±


    It was so very strange being seen as weak and defenseless. But again, I wanted to see the people in their truest form.


    ¡°My thanks sir, I am more than willing to pay for such honorable conduct.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, hop up and join us it shouldn''t take too long, after, you can go about your day the guards inside the village aren''t so shameless.¡±


    I walked to the back of the carriage and one of the passengers offered me a hand, helping me up. I navigated the large amount of produce and took a seat across from them. I finally was able to see the eyes of an older woman, perhaps 35, and a younger woman in her early teens with the same brown eyes.


    ¡°Greetings.¡± I said, as they met my eyes. Under the cloak and in the setting sun it was hard to make out my face, but even heavily cloaked as I was, my eyes were a dead giveaway that I wasn''t human.


    ¡°You''re not human,¡± The woman observed as my amethyst eyes met her brown globes.


    ¡°No.¡±


    The young girl asked, ¡°What are ye?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an elf.¡±


    ¡°What''s an elf doing on Moriah? Aren''t your people exclusive to Vendalia.¡± The man asked. Before the interrogation begins it would be appropriate to have introductions.


    ¡°May I ask your names?¡±


    ¡°Ah of course,¡± The man said. ¡°The name is Jonas. This is my wife Cytha and daughter Nani.¡±


    I gave them a respectful bow and said. ¡°I am Moon, as for why I am Moriah, it was mostly curiosity. I have never been far from Vendalia and I wanted to see more of the world.


    ¡°Ah so its wanderlust is it? you must be young then.¡± Cyntha said.


    ¡°Indeed, to an elf I am not much older than your daughter. I am 28 summers to be exact.¡± I just picked a number at random, really no point in explaining the complexity that is my age.


    ¡°Truely?¡± Dani asked, she seemed mesmerized by my eyes. I turned my attention to her.


    ¡°Yes, elves are a bit different than humans. I¡¯ll look like this even when I am 280.¡± I said with a smile.


    ¡°Quiet down now, Moon, keep your eyes down, the guards are coming.¡± I did as instructed and waited for said guards.


    In a few moments we were at the front of the line. And the two guards came overlooking the carriage up and down before walking over to Jonas.


    ¡°Jonas, my good man, is a bit late today.¡± One of the guards said.


    I kept my eyes locked on a bundle of corn near my feet and listened to the conversation.


    ¡°Indeed, but it''s not sundown, may we pass?¡± Jonas asked. There was something like a threat in his voice which seemed to give the other men pause.


    ¡°You know how it goes for us hard working types. The days are long, and our throats are dry. A little donation to the guards might go a long way and keep you out of trouble.¡± The man responded with another implication of a threat.


    ¡°Of course I''m always willing to support the guards.¡± Jonas relented, sounding defeated, but I could sense the falsehood in his voice. It was clearly a performance to appeal to the guards'' petty sense of power. I heard the shifting of pockets and giggling of coin.


    ¡°Who''s the new one?¡± One of the guards asked.


    ¡°A niece of mine, her mother died of the flux a few years back.¡± Jonas said.


    I heard a guard walk behind me then he laid a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. The fool didn''t know how close to death he was. Once more I wanted to see how Jonas handled things, so I stiffened in mock fear.


    ¡°Of course, she would have to pay her way for safety in the village, though there are always other ways if coins are not available.¡± He squeezed a bit tighter. So, I added a shiver to emphasize my pretend fear.


    ¡°But a little cold silver might suit me better than a warm night.¡± The guard continued.


    ¡°Of course, as I said, I am always in support of the guard.¡± Jonas handed him another coin.


    ¡°Good man.¡± He said as he pocketed the coin then he shouted to another man atop the wooden palisade.


    ¡°Oi this is the last one anyone else will have to spend the night outside.¡± The guard shouted and we were quickly let past into the town.


    Roughly 30 seconds later everyone felt relieved. Then the women removed their hoods and breathed in some fresh air.


    ¡°Well, that was something.¡± I said. At the same moment I reached into my coin purse and pulled out two gelding. After a quick glance around to see that none of the humans were paying attention I offered the coins to Jonas. The women gasped when they saw the gold.


    ¡°My thanks Sir Jonas. That was well done. I hope you won¡¯t insult me by refusing my gratitude.¡± He reached forward from his sitting position and pocketed the two gelding.


    ¡°I still think Father should just thrash those two idiots.¡± Nani complained. She had the same brown hair as mother.


    ¡°They will just be replaced by others and cause more problems for us. Best we rest for the night and move on in the morrow.¡± Jonas said.


    It would seem that the sword and armor was not just for show.


    ¡°Is there an inn in this village where one could get a meal and a bed.¡± I asked.


    ¡°No Inn, but there is a tavern, my sister lives in this village and that''s who we''re going to stay with. I''m sure she can put you up for some coin.¡± Cyntha suggested.


    Jonas grumbled but didn''t respond. He seemed to dislike anything that could mean trouble.


    ¡°You''re too kind.¡± I said.


    I wasn''t going to turn away a decent bed to sleep on and Jonas¡¯s token disapproval wasn''t enough to dissuade me. At the very least I could hopefully have a decent conversation about the kingdom and perhaps I could ask some discrete questions about the remnants of the rebellion.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± Jonas said as we stopped in front of a small house. It was only slightly larger than Garett¡¯s house. Fortunately, it was to the far end of the small village and there didn''t seem to be much through traffic on the dirt road.


    Jonas immediately hopped out of the carriage and began unhitching the horses. The two women started working immediately. Dina went to the door and knocked loudly while her mother started helping her husband with the horses.


    I didn''t know what to do so I stood to one side and observed the peasants going about their business. I was cautious to not let anyone see my eyes under my heavy cloak.


    ¡°Nani! it''s so good to see you''re all safe.¡± I turned around to see a portly woman in a blue homespun dress envelop Nani in a hug.


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re safe papa, wouldn''t let nothin happen.¡± Dina replied.


    ¡°Who''s this now?¡± The woman asked Cyntha as she approached the door.


    ¡°That''s Moon, she¡¯s an elf we found on the road.¡± Dina whispered to her aunt.


    Her eyes widened and I took this moment to approach her. ¡°Greetings.¡± I said, then I gave her a small respectful bow.


    ¡°She doesn''t have anywhere to rest her head. It wouldn''t do to leave her out in the street. Especially with the guards.¡± Jonas said. In the same moment he handed her the second gelding I had given him. The woman''s eyes turned to saucers before the gold disappeared into the folds of her dress.


    ¡°We don''t have much, but what we can offer is hot food and a warm place to sleep. The name is Cynthia.¡± I gave her a smile and shook the offered hand. I looked back and forth between Cynthia and Cyntha and wondered about the names. Apparently, this wasn''t a surprise and Cynthia said with a smile. ¡°Our father wasn''t very creative when he named us.¡± She said with mirth.


    ¡°A pleasure. My name is Moon.¡±


    A few minutes later we entered the small home. Unfortunately, I wouldn''t be having a bed to myself.


    As soon as we entered, I removed my hooded cloak and untied my waist length hair. I ran my hand through it a few times and laid my satchel to one side, where everyone else left their belongings.


    After checking my supplies, I turned around to find everyone staring at me with open mouthed awe.


    smiled and said. ¡°I assume you don''t have elves come through these parts.¡±


    Cynthia regained her senses before the rest. ¡°You''re the first elf I have ever seen. I heard your people were pretty, but this is a bit much. I''ve never seen hair like that. Your right Jonas one look at her and the guards would have lost their senses.¡±


    ¡°I would behoove you to know that I am a male elf.¡± Then the expressions turned to disbelief.


    ¡°I see my apologies Ser elf.¡± Jonas said but he didn''t look like he believed me.


    ¡°Is it fine. Humans can''t really tell the difference between us in the best of circumstances.¡±


    ¡°You are truly a man?¡± Cyntha asked.


    ¡°There is a way I can prove it, but that would be rather inappropriate at the moment.¡± I joked.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Dina blushed and there was a soft chuckle from Cynthia.


    ¡°I''ll take your word for it.¡± Cyntha relented.


    ¡°Now that we have all been introduced, let us have some supper.¡± Jonas said. After my shocking revelation, all were agreed.


    Sometime later we sat around the small table in her kitchen nursing a bowl of thick stew each. I did find it rather odd that they were so unconcerned with me. But it was likely due to their ignorance. I wasn''t tall or muscled, so they probably never saw me as a threat. If I didn''t have magic and an enhanced body, I doubt I could have fought and won a fight against Nani.


    ¡°So, tell us Moon, how did you manage to get all the way from Vendalia to our island?¡± Synthia asked.


    ¡°I chartered a ship from Shorecast. It was quite the journey. We even ran into pirates.¡±


    ¡°Really? How did you survive?¡± Nani asked.


    ¡°Oh, they was a rather cordial sort. I offered them some coin and they were rather happy to accept and leave about their business.¡±


    They all looked at me suspiciously. ¡°Is that odd?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, most stories we hear about pirates are less peaceful. It seems you ran into an honorable pirate as strange as it may seem.¡± Cyntha said.


    I shrugged and tried to steer the conversation to a topic in which I was interested. ¡°I have seen little of Moriah so far it has been¡­.Not what I expected.¡±


    Taking the opening Jonas jumped in. ¡°No doubt you have seen the state of the kingdom. Our king prefers to spend his time on wine and women. And we are forced to fund his perversion.¡±


    The rest of the women sighed as if this was a complaint they have heard many times from Jonas.


    ¡°Ahh, I see. So, he is not well loved then?¡± I asked, gauging their reaction.


    ¡°No, but what are we to do about it?¡± Nina said dejectedly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve read some of your human histories and it seems rebellion is most often the result of years of poor leadership?¡±


    Jonas barked out a laugh, but there was no humor in his eyes. ¡°Rebellions only work if there is real power behind it the last fools thought he could rally the people with his noble cause.¡±


    ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°Some years back an officer from his army tried to rally people against the king. A few hundred joined and it looked like he might have a chance, but they had no coin, no noble backing and worst of all, no real power beyond a just cause. They were found and most were killed.¡± Cynthia explained.


    ¡°What happened to the remnants of the rebellion?¡± That was in the end what I genuinely wanted to know in detail.


    Jonas answered. ¡°They fled somewhere north. The king¡¯s army chased them for a while, but they gave up the chance since most were dead.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about the rebellion.¡±


    ¡°Rebellion is a strong word, but after the whole thing ended the king made sure to spread the word around the island. Then held very public and brutal executions. Not even the women were spared.¡± Everyone seemed a bit morose after that explanation, so I decided to halt my inquiry for now.


    ¡°How far is the Barony¡¯s capitol city from this village? And is there someone I could purchase a horse from? I would rather not walk.¡±


    I could always fly but it would be good to see my lands as a peasant would.


    ¡°A week''s travel and yes I¡¯m sure you can get a horse from someone in the village especially if you offer gold.¡±


    Jonas took out the coin I gave him and took it. ¡°It¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve seen an imperial gelding.¡±


    Sometimes I forget that that single piece of gold was worth over a year''s wages for most peasants. I reached my pouch and took out another ten gelding. Just to gauge how he would react.


    ¡°Would this suffice?¡± I asked innocently.


    Cynthia coughed on her stew as I pulled out the coins. She licked her lips then Jonas gave her the sink eye before he reached across the table and took out two gelding.


    ¡°This is more than enough for a decent horse, saddle and all the feed you would need; I¡¯ll take care of it in the morn. If you wish, you can travel with us for the next few days and after that you will be on your own. I suggest you travel with a caravan after that.¡±


    We finished supper and I was shown where I would rest for the night. I did not have my own room. The best they could do was a corner near the hearth and the rest of the family rested around the living area. I shrugged, it wasn¡¯t anywhere close to the worst place I had slept. These people seemed like decent folk. I had given them opportunities to lie or rob me. It seemed that Jonas took a risk in bringing me to the village.


    I didn¡¯t actually need sleep, so I spent most of the night writing down my thoughts into a notebook I had purchased. Everything was in English and as far as I knew, I was the only one in this world who could read or speak it.


    While I couldn¡¯t say for certain if this village was the norm, I could already see how things could be improved. One massive problem was the roads and the quality of the guards. Every guard I saw seemed to be in service to the king. It turned out that no lord was allowed to raise their own militia beyond their own personal guard forces. Not the worst idea, but they left the outlying villages to the whims of what force the king sent to guard it.


    Next was how much they were being taxed. Jonas let it slip several times how harsh it was. It seemed the king took two thirds of every harvest as a tax and it wasn¡¯t even a tax on the actual harvest, it was calculated based on how much land was allotted. So, if there was a lean season an individual could end up owing the crown since they didn¡¯t meet the expected max yield of the field.


    This was utterly ridiculous, but what were the peasants to do, most were farmers and had little means of denying the crown their pound of flesh.


    Before we bedded down for the night, I was able to learn that the crown was in considerable debt to the Eastern kingdoms no one knew the actual price but most thought it was well into the tens of thousands.


    I finished my notes and settled down for a shallow meditation.


    The next Morning.


    ¡°Moon?¡± Nani asked. I was circling the ether in my body for no other reason that it was calming.


    ¡°Yes Nani?¡± I met her brown eyes.


    ¡°Is that how elves sleep? You''ve been sitting like that for a long time.¡±


    Jonas left the house before the sun rose and I was still sitting by the hearth.


    ¡°We don¡¯t actually need much sleep. I can stay awake for weeks without any problems. So, we usually meditate to pass the time and rest.¡±


    Nani just shrugged and said.¡± That sounds useful, but I enjoy sleeping too much.¡±


    ¡°To each his own.¡±


    I stood, stretched, and tied my hair back with a red ribbon. Dina stood there staring the entire time.


    ¡°Shall we break our fast?¡±


    That seemed to jolt her out of her slack jawed stare.


    ¡°Right, it is probably going to be stew again. I''m not sure what elves usually eat.¡±


    ¡°It varies from elf to elf, but I eat of everything, so don''t worry.¡±


    She smiled and before she could continue Jonas walked in through the door. He gave me a nod and said. ¡°It''s done, would you like to meet your mount.¡±


    A minute later I was outside examining a dappled grey horse. He was large, a quick examination told me he was an older gentleman. I would put his age at almost 18. From within the ether, I could see no hint of lameness or any kind of disease. He would be serviceable. His large black eyes watched me. With one hand I offered him a carrot and with another I fed him a slow trickle of living ether. His body drank it up quickly. In a few minutes he was used to my touch and after mounting he followed my commands easily.


    I returned to the small abode after a trot around the village. Jonas only returned with 20 silver coins bearing the same deer crest. I didn''t really care if he pocketed a few silver for himself.


    ¡°A fine horse.¡± I said to Jonas as I ran a hand along his flank.


    ¡°Aye, he might not be a young stallion, but his owner treated him well and he has a good few years in him. You seem to know your way around a horse.¡± Jonas said as I joined him near the front of the horse.


    ¡°I''ve ridden a few, though elves don''t actually ride horses.¡±


    ¡°What do you ride?¡±


    ¡°Large deer called Su¡¯ran. They grow as tall as a horse with large antlers that look as if they were made of polished metal.¡±


    His eyes became unfocused as he imagined what the Su¡¯ran would look like. ¡°I wouldn''t mind seeing one in person.¡±


    ¡°They are stunning, but rare, and only ride with a single elf their entire life.¡±


    ¡°We should save the conversation for Nani. She would want to hear every word of this. She seems quite enthralled with you.¡±


    ¡°It''s something I''m used to. Even in the empire where elves are more common, I rarely can walk the street without awestruck stares. Which is why I decided to wear the hood. Though it irritates my ears.¡±


    ¡°I did wonder how you fit those things under the hood.¡±


    With a chuckle I said. ¡°With great difficulty and discomfort.¡±


    An hour later we left the village continuing on towards a village called Heathcliff , then we would turn further north to Fellin. There, we would part ways. The women rode in the cart as before but now they were uncovered. Jonas didn''t even have his sword belted at his waist. These roads seem to be familiar to him, so I decided not to wear my hood and enjoy the morning sun.


    I rode along the left side of the carriage on my horse, named Stone. He kept up easily and was more than happy to maintain the slow pace.


    ¡°So, Moon. is Moriah everything you thought it would be.¡± Jonas asked.


    ¡°It is a beautiful island, and from what I could see has very fertile land.¡± The forest was gone and now we were on a flat plane. In the distance I could see fields of agriculture.


    ¡°Aye that it is. If only we were still ruled by Moriah, the elder. Now there was a man of principle. But like the histories say, a single unworthy heir can destroy a great legacy.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell us more about the elves?¡± Dina asked. She smiled as she jumped into the conversation. She had been asking me questions nonstop over the trip.


    ¡°Sure, what else do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°Do all elves look like you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°My hair and eyes are uncommon but for the most part yes, we all have large ears and eyes with a slender physique.¡±


    ¡°No, I meant all elves sooo.¡± tried to search for a word then sighed and blurted it out. ¡°Pretty.¡±


    I said with a chuckle. ¡°While I''m prettier than most. Yes, we do all share a beauty that humans consider to be feminine. As amusing as it sounds, it''s as easy for me to differentiate male and female elves as it is for you to tell the difference between male and female humans.¡±


    Once more she looked doubtful then she shrugged as she seemed to accept the truth. ¡°What about elven babes? What do they look like.¡±


    ¡°Around a third smaller than humans though our ears only harden with age as children they flop about like some dogs.¡±


    She looked at my ears for a moment and chucked, probably considering what I would look like with those ears. Imagine it would look ridiculous.


    ¡°Alright my dear no need to endlessly pester Moon about elven life.¡± Cyntha said. She looked like she had a million more questions but relented.


    ¡°I see you sell produce, so you must be a farmer.¡± I asked Jonas. He nodded and I continued.


    ¡°Could you tell me how much your product sells for? I think that would be good to know if I desired to stock up.¡±


    He shrugged and launched into an explanation of the cost of his produce. We eventually started talking about the produce market and his many complaints. Largely stemming from the massive tax, inefficiencies in the government and the unfairness of the law. All of this, I committed to memory and would further explore once I had some time to think. The roads passed easily, getting busier. The occasional wave of Jonas or his daughters to passersby was enough to convince me that he was indeed in familiar lands.


    Eventually the conversation turned to the rulers of the barony. It was currently ruled by a man named Yorveth or as his citizens call him, the toad. Apparently, the man was famous for his obesity. He had no children and had a wife that avoided him like the plague. Though surprisingly he wasn''t hated in any significant capacity. The man gorged himself endlessly and cared little for ruling. His wife apparently handles most of the barony, an arrangement he was content with.


    Next were the reigning king''s sons, Dennis, Carson, and Nomar. They were also a problem that would have to be dealt with. They were as depraved as their father. Too much power with no one to answer to had led them to act without conscience. Freely abusing the citizenry at every opportunity. The stories of abuse were common. They were some of the worst I have heard.


    I couldn''t be more pleased with my future enemies. The king also had an older daughter, Lydia, in her 15th year; nothing much was known about her. While I don''t care for killing innocents. I would have to wipe out the entire family. I couldn''t have anyone questioning my rule by suggesting that another should sit the throne. I could always act merciful and exile them from the island, then kill them all for the sky once they fled by sea.


    ¡°What are you thinking about Moon?¡± Cytha asked. We were currently heading to Heathcliff. From there I would be heading to the capitol on my own though they kept suggesting I wait for a caravan.


    ¡°Just thinking about the Moriah itself. It has such natural beauty, fertile soil, and a strategic position, being in the middle of the Yruga, yet it is in decline due to the failure of a single family. The waste is depressing.¡± I said with mock sadness.


    She sighed and said, ¡°It is a feeling shared by most, the only thing we can really hope for is some miracle or that King Moriah¡¯s grandsons grow to have better sense.¡±


    ¡°That would mean decades of more suffering and decline.¡±


    ¡°True, but there is nothing else to put our hope into.¡±


    I had to hold back a smile. This island was ripe for the picking and all I had to do was reach. It would make the most sense to take this barony first since it is the largest supplier of food to the capitol. Then move on to east to Caymore, which had the best defended castle. Finally, To the east coast to Cren who were by far the weakest and only had decent mines to boast about.


    After another two days of traveling we reached the gates of Fellin. I had steadily been feeding Stone living Ether through our entire journey and now he was as spry as a horse in his prime. Fellin¡¯s guards let through with little trouble.


    ¡°Will you spend the eve with us Moon? We would be more than happy to house you.¡± Cyntha asked as we passed through the gates. Dani looked excited but I wanted to move on.


    ¡°A million thanks, but I should move on to the capitol. Jonas tells me it is only a half day''s ride, and the sun is still high in the sky.¡± Cyntha looked disappointed but nodded in acceptance. We were currently in the center of the village and for the most part people were ignoring us.


    ¡°Well then Moon, I must say it has been a pleasure to meet you. I do hope we see you again.¡± Jonas said. I brought Stone alongside the carriage and reached over to shake the hand of each of the family.


    ¡°Not to worry, I will be heading back south eventually, and I will make sure to see you again.¡±


    I took a weak fire etheric gem out of my pack and pressed it into Dina¡¯s hand. She looked at the small glowing red rock in fascination and I said. ¡°Something to remember me by. Until next time.¡±


    With a final wave and a kick, I spurred Stone into motion and in a few minutes, I left the village. It had been some time since I rode a horse, so I increased his speed to a full gallop, Pushing him to his limits. Humans dove out the way as I stormed past. A grin spread across my face; while flying was superior in every fashion, I still could find enjoyment in riding a horse.


    I walked along the road heading to the Maybury¡¯s capital city. It was rather small with poorly paved roads. A long line of carriages was outside the portcullis and guards were on patrol watching the peasants. I couldn''t exactly be inconspicuous since I was the only one wearing a heavy cloak in the evening sun. The human peasants constantly gave me curious glances as I led Stone by his reigns. I missed the ability to simply barge ahead to the front of the line and go about my way.


    This did give me some insight into the traveling arrangements of the citizenry. The roads were poor and badly maintained; broken down carriages were a common sight. It seems that most of the villagers were carrying produce into the city to sell. Men women and children traveled with carriages, most were burnt by the sun and artificially aged by years of hard labor. It was a common enough sight in this world. It took well over an hour before I reached the gate. To my surprise a largely uninterested guard looked me up and down once or twice, held out his hand and after dropping a silver waved me pass with little fuss.


    It was certainly poor practice to pay for the entrance to a city, just another thing I would have to fix. The city itself was, as expected, terrible. The streets consisted of cracked and broken cobbles. Poor and sickly of all ages lined the edges of the main thoroughfare begging. Shifty individuals lurked in alleyways, and everyone kept a hand on a weapon or for the poorest humans, wooden clubs.


    The scent of unwashed bodies and horses was irritating my nose so as soon as I found a reasonable looking tavern I veered off the main street. It was a tall two-story building that looked to be well maintained and there were hitches outside where travelers could tie their horses off. A young man in old homespun clothing came running over as soon as he saw me approach.


    ¡°Good day Milord, can I take your horse? If you want, I can have him watered and brushed for only a few coppers.¡± I observed him doing this several times.


    ¡°Certainly.¡± I replied. I hopped off the horse and handed the young man the reins. Then I gave him some silver and a few coppers. No doubt he had to give a portion of his coin to the owner of the establishment. If he''s smart, he would pocket the silver and pretend that copper is all I gave him.


    His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he spotted the silver. A boy like him could work a week and only earn one.


    ¡°Get him clean water, good feed, and a proper brushing and there will be three more for you after I finish my business.¡±


    He bowed with a mock imitation of nobility and said. ¡°Swear on my life Milord, I''ll see him taken care of.¡±


    ¡°Good boy, it shouldn''t be more than an hour.¡±


    I waved him off as he carried the horse away to the attached stables. Again, I had seen him do half a dozen times.


    I entered the crowded tavern, fortunately I could smell food and most importantly, meat in the air. Everyone was busy with their conversations and only a few turned in my direction. I would have thought a heavily hooded figure would grab some attention, but it seems people really didn''t care. I did make significant effort to not meet anyone''s eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯ll you be havin?¡± A large woman behind the counter said. She was perhaps forty with a heavy apron. She wasn''t pleasant to look at by any means, especially considering her nose was too large for her face and was definitely broken several times.


    ¡°Decent mead and any food with meat.¡± I replied.


    ¡°5 copper for the mead, 15 for the food.¡± She replied tersely.


    ¡°How much for information?¡±


    I took out two silver pieces and slid them across the counter. They disappeared in an instant.


    She lowered her voice and said to me ¡°Depends on the info, could be a handful of silver could be gold. Could be that I''ll have you tossed into the street for drumming up trouble.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in trouble. I would rather not end my day with violence.¡±


    ¡°My, aren''t you confident,¡± she said with humor in her voice.


    ¡°I met her eyes for the first time.¡± and she paused as her green orbs locked with time.


    ¡°What are ye?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not important, just know that I have no interest in violence, just information.¡± I reached into my cloak and pulled out a gold coin, then two more, only for her to see. Amongst peasants gold was incredibly rare.


    She licked her lips and looked around the room.


    ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    I smiled and asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone, I hear they are somewhere north of here.¡±


    ¡°I''m going to need more than that.¡±


    ¡°From what I was able to find out, they fled with some rebellion a few years ago. They probably used these people as a cover to hide themselves.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you have a score to settle with them, are you going for blood?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I assure you they have earned their fate 10 times over. Death, is the least of their concerns.¡± I tried to add some anger to my voice.


    She shrugged, seeming to not care. ¡°All¡¯s I knew is, there were a few hundred of them that came north after the king thrashed them so half of them decided to sacrifice themselves to give the others a chance to escape. They were slaughtered and most believe they are all dead by now. The forest north of here is not kind. There is a bounty for their heads though.¡±


    I gave her a single gold and asked. ¡°There is quite a lot of ground to traverse. I doubt I could find them quickly, especially if they are few in number.¡±


    ¡°You know we were once a part of the empire. There were quite a few forts and waystations up north that had gone unused. They could be hiding in one of them.¡±


    ¡°If that was the case then why haven''t they been found yet?¡±


    ¡°It''s a lot of ground to cover. The king''s men tried for a few months but gave up the chase. Even with horses it would take months and many men. Why waste so much time and coin if they all starve or die of exposure in the end? The men fled with their families so it''s probably just a bunch of half-starved women and children squatting in an old keep. There is a bounty if you feel like collecting.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in such things. Have I really no hope of finding my quarry?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°You could get lucky and stubble on them. That¡¯s all I have for you.¡±


    She tapped the table with an index finger, and I gave her three gelding, ¡°I''ll take extra meat with my stew.¡±


    She grinned, showing a smile missing several teeth. ¡°It will be my pleasure.¡±


    I sighed and returned to my thoughts. The more I heard about this supposed rebellion the more convinced I was that they were not worth my time. Then I banished such thoughts even if there were little more than a few dozen half-starved women I still could turn them into something fearsome. I just had to find them and see for myself.


    An hour later I left the city heading north. I veered off the path for a few hours making sure to set considerable distance from the city. There was little population in the north; the few villages I passed through had small populations of half-starved pathetic looking peasants. None had much information. So, I decided it was time to take to the sky. One thing I made sure to do, however, was create a second bond with Stone.


    He was a fine horse, and I wanted to experiment with my abilities a bit. So, I stood in an empty grass field with my hand on his flank and poured a massive amount of living ether into him until he broke through the barrier. Over an hour of painful screaming later and the bond was forged between us. I did notice however in the few moments leading up to the bonds creation I could actually sever it thus allowing the creature to evolve without a bond being forged. Something to think about later.


    It was weaker than the one I had with Baelathor, but now I could see the second line of living ether emanating from my body, connected me to him and other, stretching south to where Baelathor rested. I sat in the field and meditated for a few hours to allow Stone to gorge himself feed and plants. Before, he was an acceptable beast now he looked magnificent. His grey coat was shining, and he seemed to be brimming with energy.


    I mounted him and pushed him to a full gallop. For some reason I found it more terrifying than flying as his speed climbed to almost 70 miles an hour by my estimation. I could almost feel his desire to push even faster, but that was enough experiments for now.


    ¡®Baelathor, come to me.¡¯ I sent along his connection.


    It took a little over an hour before I could see his massive form in the distance. Stone shifted beneath me. Some part of him could feel Baelathor''s power. While Stone was like a bonfire within the ether, Baelathor was like a raging inferno.


    ¡°It''s alright he''s more bark than bite.¡± Baelathor landed a few hundred feet away kicking up a massive amount of dirt and debris. I kicked Stone into motion and reinforced his will through our connection. When we reached Baelathor, his massive head examined Stone, he didn''t seem impressed.


    ¡°What? Are you going to pretend that you didn''t start out smaller than a cat.¡± he exhaled a large amount of smoke at me and Stone sniffed in irritation.


    ¡°No need to be jealous, we can go fly now.¡± I said as I dismounted Stone. He sniffed again but lowered his neck for me to climb up.


    ¡°I''ll be back soon so stay safe.¡± I said to Stone. With a single command Baelathor and I took to the sky.


    Two weeks later.


    Two weeks, two damned weeks of searching these forests and nothing. I started in a grid pattern searching the mountains and coastlines for any kind of human structure. Try as I might, I couldn''t find any maps containing this information. I had marked ten structures that could have contained life but after landing I ended up finding nothing. They were everything from small keeps, old watchtowers and even a few abandoned farms.


    In truth there was a chance they noticed the gigantic flying monster and fled the area. I had taken to flying only a few hundred feet above the ground. After my disappointment I decided to take a break and leisurely fly along the coast to re-evaluate my approach. It was the early morning, and the chill hadn''t left the air just yet. While my search had been unsuccessful, flying was never boring, and I had grown to like the smell of ocean wind. It was then, while barely paying attention, that I finally had a stroke of luck. Even though I was a mile in the sky I could see a few people loitering near the shores of the sandy beaches. I couldn''t be sure exactly what they were doing, perhaps fishing. This was the first sign of sentient life I had seen in these gods forsaken hills.


    I beamed and immediately marked the location on my map. Eventually a few others came out of the dense forest and after a short conversation all the humans fled.


    ¡°Stone come.¡± I sent.


    Ten minutes later I landed a few miles away from the location and changed into my more impressive attire: an ensemble of white, gold and purple that clearly demonstrated my wealth and power. I strapped the carrying case for my amplifier and waited for Stone. He shouldn''t be more than an hour away. I commanded Baelathor to leave and go hunting. So, there I stood on the beach being overly dressed while waiting for Stone to arrive. I always made sure he was at least an hours away from wherever I was searching. And as expected he burst out of the forest and sprinted over to me. He anxiously nursed my hand, and I made sure to give him a good rubbing and a little living ether.


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go hunt some humans.¡± I said as I mounted.


    We started with a quick trot along the beach keeping a careful eye out for any movement. It didn''t take very long before I reached the location where I saw the humans. They were fishing apparently. The lines were still stuck in the sand waiting for something to bite. Then I turned my attention to the forest. It wasn''t particularly dense so Stone would have a decent chance of navigating it. I made my way through the forest looking for signs of travel. Half an hour later a twig snapped to the left of me. Hasty breathing to the right. Someone knocked an arrow a few dozen feet behind me. There were six of them in total all following me while maintaining distance. My ears were simply too sensitive to sound; these people were clearly not masters of stealth.


    ¡°I know you are there; I assure you I mean no harm.¡± I said as I pulled on Stone reigns stopping him. No one responded, though they maintained their positions.


    ¡°There is a woman to my left, another man with a bow and arrow behind me. A particularly heavy-set man to my right and three ahead just behind those brushes. These ears of mine are rather sensitive to sound.¡±


    A whistle sounded then humans appeared from behind brushes. What a sight they were. Barely kept together armor, hollow cheeks and skin, severely bronzed from the sun. The lead man was tall and young, he looked to be in his mid-20s beneath the grime and dirt. Next to him was an even younger man with barely any hair on his face sporting leather armor much too big for him. The strangest one however was an old woman, she looked halfway into the grave with thin hair as white as mine and cataracts in her left eye. However, the woman was a mage, though she was incredibly weak in fact I doubt she could do much beyond the most basic spells.


    The heavy-set man was actually a heavy-set woman standing as tall Breala. The woman I thought was to my left was little more than a teen girl.


    ¡°Greetings.¡± I said, not entirely sure how to go about things.


    ¡°Who are you and what are you doing in these lands elf.¡± The young man who seemed to be the leader asked.


    ¡°I am but a weary traveler, though based on your garb you are the remnants of the rebellion that occurred some years ago, yes?¡± Everyone stiffened, which was enough to confirm my suspicions.


    ¡°What does it matter to an elf or perhaps you''re here for Silica?¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a clue who that is. We happened upon each other by accident.¡±


    ¡°You''re also a mage.¡± The old woman said her voice had more strength and vigor than I had expected. Eyes flicked to her with fear and a few of the humans started to retreat behind her.


    ¡°Indeed, all elves are mages. May I ask who this Silica is?¡±


    The young man sniffed and said. ¡°That''s not your concern.¡±


    ¡°Very well sir. Would it be impertinent to ask if you have a camp nearby where I can rest my head. I have traveled a great distance. I can offer gold or medicant assistance. In exchange for the courtesy.¡± There was no chance these people didn''t have sick or injured.


    The young man looked like he was about to refuse before the old woman placed a gentle hand on his wrist and whispered. ¡°Lira won''t survive the next few days. This might be our only chance. It is a risk I know, but can we really just let him leave, who knows if there are others looking. It''s best we find out all we can about him and go from there. Especially with that thing flying about.¡±


    ¡®Did she mean Baelathor?¡¯ I wondered.


    The man looked back and forth between me and the old woman with confusion then asked in a whisper. ¡°Him?¡±


    She smiled and whispered back. ¡°Yes, it''s a him.¡±


    Then he nodded and stated with more confidence that he likely felt.


    ¡°Very well elf, but any sign of trouble and Loresse¡¯s arrow will end you.¡± The archer finally came into my view.


    What a surprise he was. A dwarf with a crossbow, the man was a few inches shorter than I was and beardless, with a long mane of red hair. He actually had fine armor; old but well-kept hard leather adored his thickly muscled physique.


    ¡°Greetings elf.¡± He said.


    ¡°Good day Ser dwarf.¡± I responded.


    ¡°Lady dwarf.¡± She corrected testily.


    It took all my strength of will to not recoil from the shock, but I kept my composure. I firmly crossed dwarven women off my list. ¡°Apologies, I understand what that is like.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter," she said and unknocked the arrow.


    ¡°Follow me and may I ask your name?¡± The young man met my purple eyes.


    ¡°Moon Solaris, a pleasure to meet you.¡±

 Book 2: Chapter 11: The Remnants

    I followed the five humans and one dwarf through the forest. I didn''t have to lead Stone by his reigns; all that sufficed from him to follow was a single mental command.


    ¡°That is a fine horse, Moon.¡± The young man said as we walked along the forest floor.


    ¡°My thanks, but I have yet to know your names.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. My name is Jallen.¡± he said, touching his chest. ¡°That is Cassia as you know she is mage.¡±


    ¡°You already know Loresse.¡±


    Then he nodded to the large woman. ¡°That''s Talis, one of our better warriors.¡±


    ¡°Annie and Lut. some of our youngest.¡± he pointed to the girl and boy respectively.


    ¡°A pleasure to meet you all.¡± I said with my most charming smile. It didn''t seem to have much of an effect. They all had hard suspicious eyes, even the younger ones.


    ¡°Did you travel all the way from the capitol by horse?¡± Jallen asked.


    ¡°Yes, some of it was on foot, some by horse. I even hitched a ride with a rather kind family.¡±


    ¡°Where did you find such fine horse flesh, he is beautiful.¡± Talis inquired.


    ¡°A few days south of Maybury I desired a mount for myself and the same family offered to find one for me.¡±


    ¡°Elves are native to Vendalia, yes? Why is one here on Moriah instead of being with his own people.¡± Cassia asked,


    ¡°Vendalia is no home to me, or anywhere really.¡± Surprisingly, those words were true.


    ¡°Why?¡± she continued.


    ¡°That would mean telling you the story of my life and that is a tale I don''t share with everyone. I can assure you that I''m not running from the law or anything. Additionally, if you weren''t so isolated so far north you might have already known who I was.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you''re famous?¡± Luth asked.


    ¡°Yes; or infamous depending on your perspective.¡±


    ¡°So, you''re not all sunshine and goodness.¡± Loresse observed.


    ¡°Is anyone?¡± I asked.


    She didn''t respond. Eventually we reached a stone wall barely 10 feet tall with a massive hole in one side. The remains of a watch tower was collapsed over one side of the wall. The entire clearing for the watch tower was a little over 100 feet wide. The walls were covered with plants and vegetation, now I understood how I could have missed this from the sky.


    ¡°This is our humble abode, try not to ruin your fine clothes.¡± Cassia teased.


    We walked through the large opening in the wall to a small encampment. There were a dozen tattered tents and at least 70 humans loitering around. Some were stirring cookpots, others were sewing, but most just sat around doing nothing. Hollow dejected stares locked onto me as I was led through the clearing. It was as I feared, of the roughly 70 people, most were women. Young and old alike I did spot a few men who looked like they knew how to handle a sword, but even they looked like little more than fodder for any proper army.


    ¡°Not impressed elf.¡± Lorisse asked.


    ¡°It is a sad state certainly.¡± I replied neutrally. It wouldn''t do to pretend not to notice the state of things.


    ¡°Come, if you can heal this person, we would be more than happy to house you for the night. I am a water mage so there is little I can do.¡± Cassia said.


    We made our way over to a tent and she opened the flap, immediately I was met with the acrid and almost sweet scent of infection. A woman was lying on the ground wrapped in fur. Next to her was a newborn, perhaps a week old, wrapped snugly in brown cloth. She was sweating profusely, and her brown hair was plastered to her head. I cast a light spell and had it float above her. People were gathering outside the tent, watching and talking amongst themselves. Immediately a young man walked into the small tent carrying a bundle of cloth in his hand. The father I presume. He had dark rings around his eyes, clearly from lack of sleep.


    ¡°What''s going on here?¡± The large red-haired man in tattered leather armor barked. He locked onto me with a combination of suspicion and confusion.


    ¡°This elf is a medicant, he might be the only chance Lira has. The corruption has been getting worse.¡± Jallen said.


    ¡°You can''t just trust some random elf to save her. And why would an elf bother helping a human.¡± The man shouted.


    ¡°I was offered shelter for the night in exchange for my services. If I fail, then you may leave me to the wolves.¡± I explained neutrally. Self-interest is something that anyone could understand. The worst answer would have been to say I was doing it out of the good of my heart. People like them wouldn''t believe in such nonsense. The man looked even angrier but didn''t have any outlet for it.


    ¡°Can you really save her knife ear?¡± The man growled out. A few of the people tensed at the slur. But I maintain my composure.


    ¡°Yes, give me an hour and she will be as healthy as a horse.¡±


    ¡°Do I have your permission to help her, good sir.¡± I asked the irate man. With my serene respectful tone, the man was finding it hard to maintain his angered state. Soon enough he deflated.


    ¡°Alright but I want to see you work.¡±


    ¡°Very well I will have to see the body, note that I am a professional and will maintain strict respect.¡±


    Men were quite territorial with their wives at times, but desperation won out.


    ¡°Just do what you have to do to save her.¡± I nodded and with a more commanding tone I stated.


    ¡°Bring me anything that can hold a large amount of hot water. I have everything else I will need in my satchel. Everyone else save for the gentleman, leave the tent.¡±


    Everyone looked to Jallen as I started to command them. ¡°Do as he says.¡± he ordered. Then everyone sprang into motion.


    I took the opportunity to scan her body. I removed the furs to find she wore nothing but a dark blue shift. ¡°I must see the patient,¡± I said to the man.


    His eyes held the threat of death but nodded.


    I removed the shift to examine the wound both from the ether and visually. There was a laceration along the left side of her hip that wasn''t particularly deep, but the problem was that she apparently gave birth not long after the injury.


    ¡°She suffered this laceration roughly a week ago, not long after she went into labor, the stress of the process along with the unsanitary conditions led to the wound becoming corrupted. The corruption has spread to her blood. You are lucky to find me in time, she had less than a day. Assist me with cleaning the wound so I can take care of the corruption.¡± The man''s eyes widened. Then he said, ¡°It seems you do know your business.¡±


    I was brought a large cook pot that looked reasonably clean. The man gasped as I filled it with water using a spell then brought it to a roaring boil. After following my instruction, the man and I cleaned the unconscious woman of filth. It took some time, but the calmness and detail of my explanations finally broke through his fiery demeanor. Soon enough the woman was clean dry, and her wound was redressed. I could have cured her without the extra work, but I wanted to demonstrate my skills other than magic. I managed to learn that the man¡¯s name was Ben.


    ¡°Now watch.¡± Three spell circuits sprung into existence above her anti-corruption, cure-disease and general healing.


    We still had an audience, but for the most part I ignored the stunned gasps. Cassia, however, was the most shocked.


    ¡°Magic is quite a thing.¡± The man said, staring at the three spell circuits.


    ¡°I assume you haven''t seen much magic.¡±


    ¡°No, not much after that attack spells from the king''s pet mages. Hell of an ambush that was.¡±


    After most of the infection was gone the black veins had disappeared and color returned to the woman''s face. By my estimation she should be awake soon.


    ¡°Amazin she looks like nothing, she was never even sick.¡± Someone from the audience said. At this point she was covered, and Cassia, Jallen, and the woman''s husband were the only ones in the tent.


    ¡°You are quite the light mage moon, but this is human magic, why is an elf using it?¡± Cassia asked.


    ¡°That is a long story, but let''s just say my relationship with the elves have been rather, strained.¡±


    The woman whose name was Lira groaned. She opened her eyes groggily, staring at us before they locked onto the three glowing spell circuits above her.


    ¡°What?¡± was all she said.


    ¡°Lira my dear, how are you feeling?¡± Ben asked, his voice filled with worry.


    She glanced about the room with confusion that turned into surprise when we met eyes. ¡°A little hungry and thirsty, but fine.¡± She looked as if she couldn''t believe her own words.


    ¡°What is happening? And who are you?¡± Lira asked.


    ¡°Right, this must be confusing for you.¡± Ben said. And explained. ¡°This is Moon, an elven light mage that happened upon us. He healed you.¡±


    Before she could ask more questions Ben grabbed my attention. ¡°Ser mage, my apologies for my words. They were in anger and desperation.¡±


    I held up a hand to forestall his unending gratitude. ¡°Think nothing of it. I understand that a random elf appearing in the forest offering salvation is something to be suspicious about.¡±


    ¡°Regardless, I should not have spoken to you with such disrespect.¡±


    I reached a hand out to him. ¡°Accept the apology, let us put that behind us and move forward as friends.¡±


    With a sigh and a smile, he shook my hand. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Would someone please tell me what is happening?¡± The woman asked impatiently.


    We looked down at her and a chuckle came from Ben''s mouth, ¡°Of course my dear, let us get you some food.¡±


    My healing was quite thorough. And she was able to get to her feet and consume some water and dried meat. We exited the tent with the babe nursing at her mother¡¯s breast. We were greeted by dozens of humans. All staring enraptured at the woman who most thought had one foot in the grave, looked as healthy as can be, if a little thin.


    Many eyes followed our small group, most being women. I managed to spot a strange looking woman in the crowd. It didn''t take me long to realize what she was. A half-elf. What was most curious was that she looked almost fully elven, but the blue eyes weren''t as big. And she was much too tall for any elf. It was always odd seeing the strange combination. If someone had never seen an elf before they would assume she was of pure blood. I had to wonder about her origins since such prominent elven features would mean she had an elven mother. She was an abomination in the eyes of most elves. The hate in her eyes when she saw me, however, was unmistakable. Lira went to join a group of women who began looking her up and down like worried mother hens.


    ¡°Lets you, Classia and I take a walk so the rest can talk things over and let things settle.¡± Jallen suggested.


    A few people looked like they were about to approach us, but a firm hand was enough to forestall any inquiries. We left through the gap in the wall into the forest.


    ¡°You are quite powerful. I''ve never seen such power in a single circuit, much less three and you don''t look remotely winded.¡± Cassia said.


    ¡°Can you not see into the ether?¡± I asked.


    Her withered face fought back shame. ¡°No, I had little talent just enough to learn a few spells even with my many years.¡±


    ¡°May I see a spell.¡± I asked. Jallen was silently listening.


    ¡°Very well.¡± She raised her hand and performed the ice spike. The circuit was barely stable, but he had just enough control to fuel and fire it. The foot long shard of ice lodged itself into a tree. If she was never able to see into the ether, then it must have been an enormous effort to learn even a single spell like ice spike.


    ¡°I see. It must have taken an incredible amount of effort to learn that spell. Do you know any others?¡±


    ¡°I know the conjure water spell, but I lack the control to cast it. I could when I was younger, but age has taken its toll.¡± I nodded in understanding.


    ¡°Why this line of inquiry Moon.¡± Jallen asked.


    ¡°I am simply interested in you; magic came to me as easy as breathing. Sometimes I forget that no amount of hard work can overcome a lack of affinity.¡±


    ¡°It is a fate I have long accepted.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°You know how fortunes can change.¡±


    Jallen sniffed in offense. ¡°I don''t know if you have noticed but our fortune is at an end.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but today the life of a mother and wife was saved from what all thought was certain death. Who knows what tomorrow might bring.¡±


    ¡°Easy to say for someone with power, we are just humans.¡± Cassia said.


    ¡°That is true I suppose. The powerless can never change anything.¡± I stopped in my tracks and opened my carrying case. I was careful not to let them see inside. I brought out a water amplifier in the form of a short staff made from Xalia¡¯s gem and handed it to Cassia.


    ¡°Is this what I think it is?¡± Cassia asked. She was holding the small staff as if it were a newborn.


    ¡°Yes, it''s a water amplifier. 6.5 times actually.¡± I was able to push the amplification using the royal mithrie.


    ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It''s rather simple, feed ether into the input sigil there. And use the ether from the output to charge the circuit.¡±


    It doesn¡¯t matter how old and dejected someone was, magic was magic. And all mages want amplifiers.


    It took her a few tries as she got used to the significantly increased flow of ether. Then she fired another ice spike. Then two more, the last one with a slight overcharge.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± She said. She squeezed the handle and with some effort handed it back to me.


    ¡°Hold unto it for now. Who knows if we could be attacked while walking.¡± I said reassuringly.


    Cassia was enraptured with the amplifier.


    ¡°What else do you have in that case?¡± Jallen asked.


    ¡°My own amplifier and a few other treasures dear to me.¡± I said truthfully.


    ¡°Who are you really?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Am I what you see, a master mage and a master enchanter.¡±


    Cassia stopped in her tracks. ¡°You created this amplifier?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, it is of my design.¡±


    ¡°How did you get the empire to part with its secrets even the king only has a single amplifier and it for earth.¡±


    ¡°That is a long story.¡±


    ¡°You are a master light mage, skilled medicant and an enchanter. Yet you leave your home for some far-flung island. I''m sure you could have used your skill to amass incredible wealth and influence. So, I ask again. Why, Are, You, Here.¡± Jallen sounded dead serious.


    ¡°Your suspicion is understandable. But I have no home, not with the elves or the empire. Since the elves tried to murder me twice. As for the empire I have killed many on behalf of power-hungry despots and I have no more interest in serving them regardless of how much I can profit.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Jallen said. Then after a few moments of silence, added. ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why you use human magic.¡±


    ¡°That, once more, is a long story. Perhaps we should discuss it over supper.¡±


    ¡°I think that''s fair, Jallen. By my estimation if Moon wanted to kill us all there is little we can do to stop him.¡± Cassia said.


    Jallen sighed and relented. ¡°Very well. Would you join us for supper, Moon?¡±


    ¡°It would be my pleasure.¡±


    We headed back to the destroyed tower after a walk that lasted little more than 30 minutes.


    ¡°They''re back.¡± Someone shouted excitedly.


    Most of the humans were gathered near the entrance. It wasn''t difficult to know what they wanted.


    Jallen sighed and said. ¡°I knew this would happen.¡±


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    Humans rushed over some caring children while others hobbled over. It was a flurry of desperate pleas for healing or assistance. Jallen looked chagrined but I was more than willing to help.


    ¡°Hold on everyone.¡± I shouted.


    ¡°I am willing to help but we need to organize a bit. You have offered me safe haven to rest so it would be prudent for me to help you for now so I can take care of simple injuries quickly. May I Jallen?¡±


    ¡°What do you plan to do?¡±


    ¡°I know a master level healing spell that can affect everyone in the area that should take care of most superficial injuries. I can see people individually if the spell doesn''t completely heal them.¡±


    I looked at the faces of the peasants and most were clearly desperate for the chance.


    ¡°And you''re sure it won''t cause harm?¡±


    ¡°I am sure, healing light cannot harm in any capacity. It''s the same kind of healing I used on Lira except on a larger scale.¡±


    Jallen looked at Cassia and she gave him a nod of confirmation.


    ¡°All right Moon, do as you see fit. They would riot otherwise.¡±


    Excellent. Now to dazzle them with my brilliance. There was a reason I made sure to wear my finest clothing. ¡°All right everyone gather in the center of the clearing. Try to even yourselves out.¡±


    A few minutes later we were in the center of the clearing and everyone except the half elf was gathered, 18 men and 58 women in total.


    I unslung my carrying case and removed my amplifier. Loud gasps of both excitement and fear sounded.


    ¡°It''s all right Nanette is called an amplifier; it makes spells easier to cast.¡± Cassia said to another elderly woman loud enough so everyone can hear.


    Once I had it assembled, I began casting the radiant orb of regeneration. To get it to perform healing on the level of a standard healing spell it would need at least a 20 times overcharge. which means 400 times the amount of ether in the circuit. This would be a feat impossible for a light mage, but with my frankly insane levels of control and an over 10X amplifier I would need a little over 40 times the energy not 400.


    Loud gasps sounded as the massive spell circuit popped into existence. Then I began pumping it full of ether through my amplifier. After a minute the massive amount of energy in the circuit could be felt by everyone and people shrunk away from fear. Another minute and the spell was complete, the circuit was practically blinding. Then I released.


    The spell still used a quarter of my stamina but it was worth it. The green orb popped into existence above my head casting healing and rejuvenating light in all directions. Even without any injuries the slight regenerative effect on my stamina from the orb is comforting.


    It was amusing to hear the sounds the humans made. Gasps, moans of pleasure, and sighs of relief were common, some were even sobbing. I imagine if you had an injury haunting you for months and suddenly the pain began to disappear, it would inspire such emotion.


    Cassia came over to me walking more upright than before. ¡°By all the gods Moon. That was an absurd amount of ether.¡±


    ¡°It isn''t an easy spell with such a large over charge.¡±


    Jallen came over though he was mesmerized by the floating orb above my head. Then he closed his eyes, clenching and unclenching his fists. Lost in the soothing sensation that the healing light provided.


    ¡°It seems quite a few people had injuries.¡± By this point the area around us was crowded. The fear was completely gone. Some humans stood with their arms out streaked towards the light while others laid on the ground bonelessly just enjoying themselves. It should last for several hours; there was no real need to make it last the entire day. Lira was holding her child up towards the light.


    ¡°This is¡­.¡± Jallen said his thoughts were scrambled it seems. ¡°If we had this on our side.¡±


    I kept my serene smile as they enjoyed the spell. Jallen¡¯s reaction was exactly what I wanted. How can we get him to stay with us? If only we had his power on our side, then we wouldn''t have failed in our rebellion. Those thoughts are no doubt circling in their minds.


    I stood in the center of the masses with my brilliant glowing amplifier for all to see. I made sure my clothing was immaculate. I could see it in their eyes. The wonder, the gratitude; I will raise them up from the mud and give them self-respect, pride and self-reliance. make them devoted to the point of worship. I was going to be their savior and soon enough, their king.


    Hours later I sat in the company of Jallen, Ben, Loresse, Lira, her child and Cassia eating a bowl of thin stew that some of the women made. All around, people were gathered in the same fashion: families, friends and lovers in conversation. Cassia tried to return the amplifier to me, but I refused each time saying it would be good for the only other mage to be able to defend themselves. There was a hint of sadness every time I refused her. I knew what caused it but decided to wait. After all, once I mentioned restoring youth and increasing a mage''s power. The hunger that every mage had would rise in her.


    ¡°While we are grateful for your assistance, but we still know nothing about you. Would you mind telling us about yourself?¡± Ben asked. Showing a significant amount of deference to me.


    ¡°Well for one thing I don''t know my real name. Moon is a name a human gave me, and Solaris is one I came up with by myself.¡±


    The entire encampment was silent as I started to speak, so I made sure to speak a bit loudly.


    ¡°Well, I''m sure this will be a hell of a story.¡± Ben said.


    I began by telling them about waking up in the forest fighting, the goblin then finding the Bronze Spears. They were rather excited to hear about the raid on the goblin den, as the sun began to go down. I cast dozens of light orbs to illuminate the area. Finally, after reaching my dalliance with Dena someone piped up.


    ¡°Not two weeks after waking up with no memories. Already he is chasing skirts. Are you sure you aren¡¯t human in elf skin?¡± One woman said. A few other women laughed.


    With mock offence I responded. ¡°A buxom red headed woman asks me to join her in bed. It is my duty to say yes.¡± The men boisterously laughed at that one.


    ¡°So how did you learn magic?¡± A young brown-haired girl asked.


    ¡°Soon after I met my master, I promised to keep him a secret, so I''ll have to call him something else.¡±


    By this point all 76 people were gathered around me listening to my tale. I went through the story with Garett, who I named Yannis, for my audience. How I learned spells which then transitioned into the tale of our first hunt with the drake many didn''t believe me until I brought out Benny¡¯s air amplifier. To show them the gem. Each time I discussed a new spell I learned they would ask for a demonstration. They were enthralled as I covered the entire encampment with a radiant shield. I had Loresse shoot me with a crossbow bolt only to have it bounce off me with a flash of light. Then I cast carapace Jallen and had her repeat the same feat.


    Soon enough I reached the tale of our fight with the earth mage. I made sure to emphasize my sadness at the loss of John though I felt little grief. I was quite the storyteller apparently and I could see some teary eyes. I made sure not to go over how I murdered three men to increase my power. But I did mention how I slaughtered most of Gardenia''s enemies. A band of rapists and murderers getting slaughtered wholesale is a beat everyone can dance to.


    Eventually we reached the war with Suncrest, and I was going over my private conversation with Breala which ended with her inviting me to her tent.


    ¡°Moon, you didn''t.¡± Ben said with a salacious grin.


    I shrugged guilty and replied ¡°I had to see what it was like. Not to worry, my hips survived.¡± The men roared with laughter while some of the women hid smiles and rolled their eyes.


    I had my audience completely enthralled though that had a lot to do with their lack of entertainment and isolation from the world being so far north. Soon enough I reached the end of the war and the actions of baron Veron¡¯s men on the citizenry. Some had steely eyes as I described what I saw. Most were upset that I did not end his life for his crimes but were mollified when I told them he was dead.


    ¡°Not long after I left, I finally met my apprentice.¡± Another young man from the crowd asked. ¡°What happened to her?¡±


    ¡°She was murdered by elves, using human assassins.¡±


    I played the role of the grieved master and after a few moments said. ¡°My thanks for the meal. I think I should bed down for the night. Perhaps we can continue the story tomorrow.¡±


    Ben spoke up first. ¡°Right, we have taken too much of your time. We have a tent set up for you since you have nowhere else to sleep.¡±


    I gave him a respectful bow and said. ¡°My thanks Ben. Until the morrow everyone.¡±


    As I headed to bed I could see expressions of sympathy. My story was no doubt an odd one, but was mostly true though I did change a few things to make myself seem a bit more sympathetic. I mostly want to hammer home the thought in their minds that I have no other loyalty amongst humans or elves. Furthermore, I consider my own kind to be enemies. To take control of these people it would be prudent for them to think it was their idea.


    The Next Morning.


    I rose from my meditation long before anyone awoke. I had a tent to myself, so I had some semblance of privacy. I grabbed my amplifier and left the carrying case behind. It still held some valuable items such as gold, the mage killer, etheric gems and my extra amplifiers. Benny¡¯s, I kept close at hand. There were also a few scrolls containing the schematics for the flying mounts.


    After I cast invisibility on myself, I left the camp with none the wiser. After half an hour of walking I reached the beach. The sun was just rising, and I made it just in time to see it. I would love to go for a quick flight, but I held back the temptation. I stood at shore enjoying the sunrise and the taste of the ocean wind. The waters were a crystalline blue. I shrugged and decided to take a dip.


    I slammed my amplifier into the ground then removed my clothes and left them in a neat pile next to the staff. I walked into the cool waters until the depth reached my head. My hair would be a problem, but I didn''t care at the time. I dove down enjoying the chill of the sea water against my flesh. After ten minutes I decided to head back to the shore. I was surprised when I saw a familiar blonde half-elf standing by my staff. On my arrival she stopped examining it and turned to face me. Her contempt was clear, but I could neither see nor feel a shred of etheric power from her. It was an amusing thing; she looked so close to an elf but lacked any magical ability.


    ¡°Enjoying the show?¡± I asked standing in the waist deep water. She was so taciturn I couldn¡¯t help but tease her.


    ¡°You seem to have the humans eating out of your hands.¡± She said, then she ran a hand along the network of runes surrounding the light gem.


    ¡°If a man is dying of thirst, then a cup of water would seem like a great gift. Their reaction is not surprising.¡±


    ¡°Why bother?¡±


    ¡°Why not, it costs me little but time and a bit of energy.¡±


    I exited the water, and she looked me up and down seemingly unimpressed by what she saw.


    ¡°Have you come to interrogate me or are you just curious about what a real elf is like?¡±


    She rolled her eyes, it seems all I will ever get from her is compt. ¡°Based on your story, you are not even close to what an elf should be.¡±


    ¡°I suppose not, but what about you? I don''t recall doing anything to offend yet you seem to hate me. Would you like to enlighten me, or should I guess?¡±


    ¡°What would you know?¡± She asked testily.


    ¡°Guessing it is then. You have an elven mother, but from what I know about elves half-bloods are an abomination. So, you are either a child of rape, though that seems unlikely give their magical ability, or, more likely, an elven woman wanted to try a human and didn¡¯t take the proper precaution since cross breeding is so rare.¡±


    A twitch in her brow made me certain that the latter was the truth, so I continued.


    ¡°Surprisingly you weren''t aborted or killed at birth. There is no possibility that you were raised amongst the elven clans, so you were probably abandoned after she gave birth. Someone found you and no doubt you lead a difficult life given your lack of magic. The abandonment certainly explains your unjust hatred toward me.¡± She was getting angrier by the moment.


    ¡°Enough.¡± She said in a threat.


    I raised my hands in mock surrender and relented.


    ¡°I have to ask again what you actually want from me? Some kind of absolution?¡± Her petty grievances with the elves meant nothing to me. If she wanted some kind of apology on behalf of all elven kind, then she would be sorely disappointed.


    ¡°I want you to leave. I will not allow you to sway these humans to whatever ploy is behind those eyes. Desperation compels them to hang on to your every word.¡± Her expression was unreadable.


    ¡°I will leave when I wish or if Jallen asks. He seems to be the leader, not you. What designs do you think I have on them? I am already powerful, famous and weather that most.¡±


    Her eyes became piercing. ¡°That is the question, why would someone with such power bother some random human peasants?¡±


    I gave her a withering stare. What? Because I am an elf, I am incapable of sympathy. Perhaps unlike you, I see them as more than random human peasants. Kings, queens, Barons, Dukes, orcs, elves, humans and every combination of the sort, is all the same to me. I care nothing about their origins or species. They needed my help, and I lost nor gained anything. You however, though you are as hungry and desperate as they are, seem to think you are better than them and can decide what is best for them.¡±


    She looked seriously offended. ¡°I do not think I''m better than them.¡±


    I wanted to laugh, ¡°You call them humans instead of people, you separate yourself from them in your mind though they share half your blood. Did you ask anyone their opinion, or did you take it upon yourself to confront me?¡±


    She didn''t respond, which was answer enough. ¡°I''m sure in your mind they couldn''t possibly know what''s best for them. Perhaps you should learn to see people as more than their species.¡±


    Then just to twist the blade in some more I added. ¡°It''s probably the elven blood in you. Hells, I think you would make a far better elf than I would.¡±


    Her eyes went cold. It seems that, out of everything else I have said, that was the greatest insult. She looked ready to cross the short distance between us then stormed off.


    She was completely right in her suspicions. Soon enough the humans would begin to ask more questions and doubts about my intentions would form. As soon as Silica confronted me, I decided she would be the perfect tool to use. She is brash, easy to anger, easy to prod. She would voice her doubts loudly but given her nature and her clear hate for me, her words would fall on deaf ears, regardless of the legitimacy of her complaints. I just had to play it right and paint her as hating me for being an elf and not valuing the opinions of her comrades.


    These manipulations couldn''t last forever though once I had a group that I could actually trust I would reveal all. But not yet, not until they start demonstrating loyalty.


    An hour later I was dressed and headed back to the small encampment. A few people waved to me cordially. A pulse of ether to my left drew my attention. I walked past a clearing of trees to see Cassia practicing magic. She still carried the amplifier, the boost it offered was enough for her to fire a few more spells without exhausting herself. She could do little more than fire a few ice spikes but even that was deadly enough. The old woman spotted my approach and gave me a small bow.


    ¡°Cassia, how is your morning?¡± I asked as I joined her in the small clearing of trees.


    ¡°Decent enough for one of my age. This amplifier is a true wonder. The mithrite is an odd color. Is there something to that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is royal mithrite, a creation of the elves. For most part it''s the same as normal mithrite with the exception of it being a perfect conductor of ether and around 60% lighter.¡±


    ¡°Curious I would ask about its creation but I''m sure it''s a secret.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I swore to never reveal it to anyone not of my blood. And I never go back on my word.¡±


    I wanted to know more about how she ended up amongst the failed rebellion.


    ¡°How did a mage get involved with the rebellion?¡±


    She sighed and moved an errant lock of white hair from her face. ¡°Like most people, I hated the royal family and wanted change, but it failed.¡±


    ¡°Why desire vengeance, even with minimal ability you could have earned a place for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I did, and life was good for a time. I married some young noble and had a child who joined the king''s army. Then not long after I had a daughter, Kira. One of the king''s sons, Gerald, desired her and she refused his advances. My being a mage was enough to dissuade him from any further action.¡±


    She took a seat on the dirt. So, I decided to join her. ¡°Nobles don''t take rejection well,¡± I said.


    ¡°Another mage was found, one with talent greater than mine. He was sworn into the king''s service and soon enough I was not as important or feared. The difference in our power was clear to all. He and Gerald were fast friends so emboldened; he returned his attention to my daughter.¡±


    I could feel the rage growing in her voice as she told me her story.


    ¡°I was away on business when he made his move, she kept her honor but blackened the prince''s eye and stabbed the mage. A fight ensued and she ended up dead from an air blast.¡±


    ¡°I imagine the mage and the prince weren''t punished.¡±


    ¡°No, Dennis is a strong mage, and the prince is the prince. I was offered a coin for the death of my daughter. Not a month later my son died fighting bandits. He was a skilled warrior, there was no chance some brigands would overcome him, so he had to have been murdered. Soon enough daggers came for me, I barely survived and fled the city. I wandered for many years until I found myself in the company of some young fool wanting to overthrow the king.


    She handed me the water amplifier. Which I accepted.


    ¡°Why tell me all this?¡± I asked


    ¡°You say you are famous?¡± I nodded. Then she continued. ¡°When the king hears you are here no doubt, he will offer you coin, lands, women. Whatever he can to get you to serve him. Everyone you see in that crumbled keep has a story like that. Some even worse. I just want you to know what kind of family you would be serving.¡±


    I gave her a sad smile. ¡°Worry not, my time of being at the behest of some king or duchess is at an end. Even if the Moriahs were honest and noble people. I''m tired of being a tool others use.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to, could you march up to the castle and exact justice as you pleased?¡± Cassia asked.


    ¡°Yes, but while have sympathy for your suffering. I have no reason to do such a thing.¡±


    She shrugged and said nonchalantly ¡°I did not expect you to, but you have so much power and you chose to do nothing with it.¡±


    ¡°I can''t fight every injustice in the world, Cassia. I''m sure when I leave Moriah, I will find much the same in any other kingdom. Human, elf. It''s all the same, the strong prey on the weak, nothing ever changes.¡±


    She chuckled and said. ¡°You are rather cynical.¡±


    ¡°It is the way of the world. The weak suffer if the strong do not protect them.¡±


    ¡°What did you do to those responsible for your apprentice¡¯s death?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I killed everyone involved, human and elf alike. Everyone except the crowned prince of Vendalia. He, I couldn''t get my hands on without becoming an enemy of the entire empire. Though I have found vengeance to be somewhat hollow.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it?¡±


    ¡°No. Not for a single moment. They killed her and Noire for no other reason than hate for crimes my ancestors committed centuries ago. Everyone of them deserved it. But¡­¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡°But what?¡±


    ¡°Other than the mystery of who I really am, I have no other goals.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you need to find something else to give you meaning.¡±


    I laughed and said, ¡°You sound like my master.¡±


    ¡°He sounds like a wise man. And who is Noire?¡±


    I grinned mischievously. ¡°That I will have to save for part two of my story.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°Very well, come let''s return. I''m sure the rest want to hear more. We are starved for entertainment out here.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡±


    We rose and headed back to the collapsed keep. It took almost half an hour with Cassia¡¯s slow pace.


    ¡°I''m telling you we can''t trust him.¡± I heard a feminine voice say.


    ¡°But he healed Lira, we can''t just turn him away. If he meant us harm none of us could stop him.¡± a male voice responded.


    We were still a few minutes out, but I could hear the arguing voices on the wind.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s arguing about me. Silica and another man.¡± I said to Cassia. She had a confused expression before I pointed to my large ears.


    ¡°Ah, right. Well, let''s pick up the pace and see what''s going on.¡±


    Soon enough we passed through the broken wall to see Silica, arguing with Ben and Jallen. Lira and everyone else was standing off to one side with worried expressions as I made my way to the center of the circle. The argument cut off as they noticed my arrival.


    ¡°Let him explain himself then.¡± Silica said.


    ¡°Explain what exactly?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been lying to these good people this entire time.¡±


    ¡°While I have been circumspect with some details about my life, I have never been outright deceitful in any of my interactions with you all.¡± I said innocently.


    Silica smiled as if she was about to win a battle.


    ¡°Then explain this.¡± In the same moment she withdrew my map which she had kept hidden in a pocket of her green cloak.


    ¡°You went through my things. Violating my privacy; for my map?¡± I didn''t really understand where she was going. Jallen, who seemed the honorable sort, cringed as if he had been the one to commit the act. Others threw annoyed stares at Silica for her actions. She wasn''t deterred, in fact she seemed even more assured of her coming victory.


    ¡°You said multiple times that you have only been in Moriah for three weeks. Is this correct.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Then she unfurled the map revealing it to everyone.


    ¡°Where did you get the map?¡± she asked.


    ¡°In Vendalia.¡±


    Jallen interrupted. ¡°Silica, what does this have to do with anything we already knew he was from there. Why violate his privacy for something so¡­¡±


    Silica cut him off. ¡°Just listen, I''m doing this for your own good.¡±


    Then she continued. ¡°It is clear to everyone that the map is old yet there are new markings of every village from Revus to the Capitol. Lines of roads and rivers, elevation, changes, distances, travel times. I''ve lived here most of my life and I don''t even recognize half the villages on this map. You can''t even buy maps this detailed.¡±


    Ahhh, now I see where she was going; she is rather clever. But I''ll not interrupt her, let her cast doubt then I will strike. Taking a glance at the surrounding crowd I could see that her words were starting to take effect.


    ¡°Making such a map would take Months even on horseback.¡± A man from the audience said.


    Silica smiled as if she had won something. ¡°Exactly, you lied to our faces. You spent months crossing the island documenting the region. Why hide this and what else are you hiding?¡±


    Jallen looked conflicted on one hand; he was ashamed that one of his own people had violated my privacy while on the other what Silica said made sense. One glance at the map was enough to show that there were many new additions.


    Jallen looked guilty as he started to speak. ¡°Moon, what silica says makes sense. While I don''t believe you are a danger, why hide this?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t lie, I''ve only been in Moriah for three weeks.¡± I said, using my most serene unconcerned tone.


    ¡°Do not take us for fools Moon, did you make the map?¡± Silica asked.


    ¡°Yes, in fact, it only took me a day.¡± Jallen looked like he was about to ask the expected question. But I continued speaking.


    ¡°That of course makes even less sense. In truth I wouldn''t believe it myself. I am stranger to you all and trust is something you cannot give out lightly. You have suffered great losses, and I have heard many tales of the suffering you have endured for this sake. I will forgive Silica. While her actions were rash, she means well.¡±


    Some relief came over the crowd, but the suspicion wasn''t gone. ¡°That is noble of you Moon, but you still haven''t answered.¡± Jallen said.


    I met Silica''s eyes and softened my expression, ¡°It is a funny thing Silica, violating my privacy like this wasn''t necessary. All you had to do was wait for the rest of my story and you would have had the answer yourself. Hells you could have just asked me in private and I would have told you the truth. Many of you know the reputation of mages and their disregard for life. This could have ended in disaster, fortunately, I am not that kind of mage.¡±


    Ben¡¯s eyes turned from suspicion of me to rage at Silica. It wasn''t surprising he was a new father, and I had just hinted that Silica''s actions could have placed his wife and child in danger.


    ¡°Then how did you make the map?¡± Silia asked. With anger in her voice.


    ¡°I flew.¡± I said. Everyone, including Silica, looked surprised. Then Cassia finally contributed to the conversation.


    ¡°I thought flight magic was impossible is there some new discovery in Vendalia.¡±


    I sighed as if I had lost something truly precious. ¡°No, I was saving this part for tonight. But I have the ability to create etheric beasts. Noire was my first flying mount.¡±


    ¡°You''re a unique mage?¡± Cassia asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes, this is well known in Vendalia.¡±


    ¡°But you said Noire was killed. You have another mount then.¡± Cassia inquired.


    The suspicion in my audience disappeared; it seems all they needed was a reasonable explanation.


    ¡°I do, have any of you noticed a gigantic white beast flying in the sky?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your beast?¡± Both Ben and Jallen asked in disbelief. The crowd erupted into loud conversation at my revelation.


    ¡°Yes, his name is Baelathor, would anyone like to meet him?¡± I asked the audience. By this point the entire audience was on my side. Some even started to give Silica icy stares.


    ¡°I would.¡± Loresse said. She had been silent up until now.


    Then my smile became mischievous. ¡°Would anyone like to ride him?¡±


    That made the ground erupt in even louder chatter. Some were excitedly talking about the possibility of flying while others were doubtful that I was telling the truth. But for the most part the crowd''s impression of me was positive. The children were the most excited, while the oldest were apprehensive.


    ¡°May I have my map back?¡± I asked Silica loud enough for everyone to hear. She walked towards me, handed me the map and stomped off without another word. Icy stares followed as she left through the breach in the wall.


    ¡®Not to worry, dear Silica. I¡¯ll forgive you and in time and win your loyalty, I won¡¯t let that mind go to waste.¡¯ I thought to myself.

 Book 2: Chapter 12: The Roots

    Over 40 of us gathered on the shore, waiting for Baelathor to arrive. I pointed directly east, and dozens of eyes followed my finger towards the horizon. Jallen looked doubtful, ¡°How do you know where he is?¡± He asked me.


    ¡°There is a magical bond between us,¡± I explained. I touched the center of my chest and continued. ¡°I can see living ether. There is a connection that binds me to him and him to me, no matter the distance.¡±


    ¡°So, he can find you anywhere?¡± Cassia asked.


    ¡°Yes, through this bond I can even communicate with him.¡±


    A gasp rippled through the gathered crowd as we could just see his massive form cresting over the horizon.


    ¡®Land over there and make sure not to crush any of the humans,¡¯ I sent to Baelathor.


    ¡°By all the old gods and new,¡± Loresse exclaimed.


    As he approached the thunder sound of his wing beats became louder. His white scales shone beneath the morning sun and his blood red wings gave him a rather menacing appearance. Surprise gave way to terror as the humans realized how truly massive, he was. Baelathor passed only a few hundred feet overhead. Even at that height it was enough to blot out the sun and cast our entire group in shade. Humans dove to the ground, and some sprinted off in fear. I forced myself to hold back a laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you have this beast under control?¡± Ben asked. He stood in front of his wife as if that somehow could protect her.


    ¡°Yes, he''s more bark than bite.¡± I said calmly.


    Jallen, Loresse, Cassia and the rest looked at me as if I was insane. But my unconcerned expression seemed to calm them down a bit.


    ¡°I guess, we will have to trust you.¡± Cassia said she feared like the rest. But there was something else in her eyes. Hunger? Desire? It was mildly disconcerting.


    Baelathor circled down and landed in a loud crash with half his body sitting in the water. Then he crawled over to our group. It took some doing to get the humans to not bolt in fear, but I managed it, if barely.


    ¡°That monster can swallow a carriage whole.¡± Talis said. She was braver than most and stood near the front. Baelathor finally stopped only a hundred feet from us. His massive head swayed back and forth as he examined the humans.


    ¡°So, who is brave enough to touch him?¡± I said, my grin was a bit manic. Loresse stepped up first.


    ¡°That''s a wyvern, isn''t it?¡± she asked. The dwarven woman did seem to have any fear.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said, offering little.


    ¡°Are you going to explain how he became so gigantic? They don''t grow much bigger than dogs.¡±


    ¡°I mentioned that I can create etheric beasts. I can give any creature a portion of my own power. That creature grows stronger. The more I give of myself the more powerful the creature becomes. A horse will gallop faster than the wind, a bird grows large enough to mount a saddle.¡±


    We started walking towards him. At our approach he tilted his head towards Loresse to get a better look at her. Still, not an ounce of fear from her, not even Sianna could manage that. I chuckled under my breath.


    ¡°And what so funny.¡± she asked.


    ¡°You''re the first person I''ve ever seen approach him without fear.¡±


    Loresse shrugged, ¡°That saddle around his neck proves that you''re tellin the truth. So, there ain¡¯t shite I can do if you decide to sick him on me. ¡®Sides you''re not the type to kill for no reason.¡±


    I shrugged; she was correct on all counts. As we approached within a few feet he opened his mouth revealing his long, forked tongue and rows of sword-like teeth. Even I felt a little animalistic fear at times, Loresse looked like she was examining a prized horse.


    ¡°He is stunning!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°How heavy is he four? Five hundred tons?¡±


    ¡°Closer to 500 I think.¡±


    As Loresse reached towards him his growl grew in volume.


    ¡°Oh, enough of that. Try to be polite.¡± I reprimanded him. The growl cut off and he flung an annoyed glance in my direction.


    Finally, Loresse¡¯s hand touched his head, and she ran her fingers along his scales.


    ¡°Don''t wyverns breathe fire?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, but I think they¡¯re terrified enough, no need to add to it yet.¡± I said as I nodded toward the ground of humans.


    Then she spun around and with had on her hips asked, ¡°Well?¡±


    ¡°Well, what?¡±


    ¡°No dwarf has ever flown. I aim to be the first.¡±


    I grinned, jogged over the saddle, climbed up and pulled out two harnesses. She watched me curiously. I returned and showed her how to attach it.


    ¡°It''s a good design, No pressure on the joints or groin, adjustable for different sizes.¡± She mumbled to herself.


    ¡°Are you familiar with this kind of work?¡±


    ¡°Husband was. You pick things up over the years. I was a ranger; he managed my equipment.¡± The small amount of sadness in her eyes was enough to tell me that he was dead. No point in prodding further.


    ¡°Well, are you ready?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Damn right I am.¡±


    We took off after she insisted that she sit in front of me. Besides Lori she is the only person who I''ve flown with who was shorter than me. As we ascended, she beamed with laughter.


    ¡°How high do you want to go,¡± I asked her after we had ascended roughly 800 feet in a large circle. Loresse was focused on the ground rapidly moving away from us.


    ¡°How high can he go?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Is that a challenge?¡±


    ¡°You bet it is.¡±


    I shrugged and instructed Baelathor to climb even higher. One mile, two, then three. It wasn''t until we had reached nearly four miles into the air that I noticed her heavy breathing. I instructed Baelathor to level out. We were flying flight above the thin clouds and the view of the island and ocean was magnificent.


    ¡°Getting hard to breathe?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Aye, it''s like I''m on a mountain top.¡±


    She couldn''t pull her gaze from the magnificent sight, so I had Baelathor fly lazy circles for a few more minutes before I asked. ¡°You handle height well. My own master practically kissed the ground after his first flight.¡±


    She turned around to meet my gaze.


    ¡°Nothin much scares me, besides that view is worth it. I could spend my entire life up here.¡± She nodded towards the ocean. This high it looked like it would stretch on forever.


    ¡°I know the feeling.¡± Then my grin became mischievous. I was determined to get some fear out of her.


    ¡°I don''t like that look on your face.¡± she said.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to have to go back down, and you wanted the full experience.¡±


    With a serious smile I said. ¡°Baelathor dive.¡±


    She had a fraction of a second to register what I said before Baelathor tucked his wings in and we plummeted towards the ground. To my immense satisfaction Loresse started to scream.


    Three hours Later.


    Of the 40 or so people that came to see Baelathor only half actually decided to fly. These included Jallen, Talis, a few of the more adventurous men and Lira, after a long argument with Ben. We headed back after for an evening meal of thin stew, not much better than the meal from the night before. I had a few pieces of dried meat, hardtack and even a few pieces of hard candy tucked away in Baelathor¡¯s saddlebags that I shared with the children.


    After finishing our meal Jallen asked to have a conversation with me. We stood on the stone wall looking down at the people in spirited conversation. Most were bragging about the fact that they flew or excitedly discussing who would get a chance to fly again later. Spirits were much higher than before.


    ¡°You¡¯ve brought quite the excitement.¡± Jallen said. He stared down at them with a sad smile.


    ¡°They are good people; I don''t mind being today''s entertainment. I always prefer to leave a place with a positive impression.¡± I said, then subtly glanced over at him. There it was. His brow tightened and lips quivered as soon as I mentioned leaving.


    ¡°That they will.¡± He said, grimly.


    ¡°I have to ask Jallen; how did you end up leading these people?¡± I asked. He chuckled and said, ¡°It was all an accident really.¡±


    I raised a single eyebrow, ¡°You accidentally started a rebellion?¡±


    ¡°I was just a soldier. Following orders as usual, killing the king''s enemies and protecting his interests.¡±


    ¡°What changed?¡± I asked.


    He gave me a hard stare before his expression softened. ¡°I suppose it is fair for you to know, since you were so open with your own story.¡±


    He took a deep breath then continued. ¡°There was a village a few days north of Caymor, the headman was behind on taxes. He had been lax for years and somehow the tax collector ended up with a blade in his neck. Apparently, he was trying to bed the headman''s daughter in exchange for more leniency on his debts to the crown.¡±


    I sniffed in disgust and said. ¡°Imagine that did not end well for the village.¡±


    ¡°No. While he protected his daughter''s honor, he murdered a royal tax collector.¡±


    ¡°The king made an example of him?¡±


    ¡°He made an example of the entire village. Soldiers were sent for the headman. They raided and ransacked the village, took turns on the headman''s daughter then cut her throat while the father was forced to watch. The next day the king sent me and my men to escort Dennis to the village. We were ordered to bar the exits and Dennis burned it to the ground with the villagers inside.¡±


    His eyes were distant and showed no emotion as if he was numb to the memory. He was silent for a few moments then continued.


    ¡°You followed these orders?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, to my everlasting shame. The men laughed around the fire as the discussed what they did to the villagers. I deserted the next day. I stayed in the forest unsure of what to do. Then I got hungry and, in my desperation, attacked a small royal transport. The guards were half drunk, so they were easy prey. Turns out they carried debtors to the crown. They joined me. After that we raided royal transports for some time. Five became ten and more people wanted some kind of revenge.¡±


    ¡°How did this band of brigands turn into a rebellion?¡±


    ¡°Some people from the army started to join and our raids became organized. After a few years, our number reached over 200. Eventually we realized that we could do more than just raid. We could, just maybe, make a real difference. For that we needed resources, coin, and intelligence. No nobles or wealthy merchants bothered to back our efforts. No matter how noble our cause was. Soon enough we grew too large to hide effectively and there was an ambush. Dennis was amongst the ambushers and there was little we could do against a proper army supported by a mage. We ran, losing most of our people in the process; many sacrificed themselves to give their friends or family time to escape. We fled for weeks without much sleep or food but finally they gave up the chase.¡±


    We were silent for a moment. We watched as Lira, using her hand, described what it was like to fly to a group of women. Ben spoke with a few men with occasional glances to my direction. Cassia sat with a few of the older women.


    ¡°Do you know their names and faces?¡± I asked Jallen.


    ¡°Names and faces?¡±


    ¡°The men who committed these crimes, do you remember them?¡± I clarified.


    He chuckled without humor. ¡°Yes, even when I am old, grey and bereft of my senses I will remember.¡±


    ¡°Loresse¡¯s husband, was he amongst those who sacrificed their lives for you all to escape.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± he said, then he gestured to all the gathered humans. ¡°Everyone here has suffered. Some more, some less, but suffering is suffering.¡±


    We passed a few minutes in silence before he asked, ¡°Why do you care about their stories Moon? What are you seeking?¡±


    ¡°Cassia asked me if I had the power to simply march up to the royal castle and exact justice.¡±


    ¡°I think it goes without saying that you could. Even without Baelathor you far outclass the king''s mages.¡±


    ¡°You''re right, I could. But that solves nothing, tomorrow another will take their place. Even killing the king wouldn''t work. It will only create a power vacuum and instability. Short term vengeance for some and long-term suffering for others. Aimless killing won''t fix things.¡±


    Jallen looked disappointed then his expression turned curious. ¡°How would you do it?¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°Fix Moriah.¡±


    I stood silent as if this was my first time considering the idea. Then I answered. ¡°In Vendalia, I''ve observed how farmers deal with weeds that infest their crops. They are torn out root and stem and the field is burned. After the fires end the field is properly watered and nurtured until it is fit for replanting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡±


    ¡°Guards, merchants, nobles, peasants, everyone contributes to the rot in this kingdom. All must be brought to justice. Whether it be the lash or the noose.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Understanding began to blossom in his eyes, so I continued. ¡°This isn''t enough, however. There are many criminals, but not all are without reason. The hungry and desperate will often turn to crime. The apathetic will commit crime if there is no consequence. The truly greedy and malicious thrive in these environs and grow like a cancer.¡±


    ¡°How does someone stop crime when it is so deeply rooted?¡±


    ¡°Faith in the law, Fear of the law and opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Opportunity?¡±


    ¡°People need to eat and sleep. Provided them with good, honest work so they can support themselves and their families. An honest man or woman will not turn to crime if there are better alternatives.¡±


    ¡°The ones with apathy?¡±


    ¡°These would be merchants scribes, business owners. They will fall in line from the fear of the law.¡±


    ¡°The greedy and self-serving?¡±


    ¡°Faith in the law. These people thrive on the backs of others. Gang leaders, money changers, corrupt nobles, and politicians. These people hold power because the ones they use for their own gains have no means of recourse. However, if even the highest noble will face the hangman''s noose for crimes against the lowest peasant¡­.¡±


    Jallen continued my thoughts, ¡°Then those same peasants would resist their influence and thus their power would forever remain limited. They would be forced to work in the shadows ever fearful of the law that will show them no mercy. For all are equal under the law.¡±


    Jallen was silent in contemplation then spoke, ¡°It sounds nice, but it seems too idealistic.¡±


    ¡°It is in a way. To reach that point would require many deaths, some innocent, the old power structure would have to be torn out root and stem, then burned off any remnant. After that, years of careful restructuring.


    ¡°You sound like you have given this some thought beforehand?¡±


    ¡°I''ve seen it done. Duchess Hearthaven purposefully impoverished the surrounding baronies until they attacked her. She won the war with my help and spent months touring those same baronies bringing massive amounts of food and resources with her. She held speeches, feasts, rebuilt roads and established trade. She offered care to the sick and lucrative loans to businesses. All While slowly replacing everyone in a position of power with her own people. Soon enough the same peasants that suffered under her, praised her for her kindness and judiciousness. I helped her win the war and was present for every step of her plan after she won. We had something of a dalliance that lasted after the war¡±


    Jallen¡¯s eyes were focused on me as I spoke. His expression was unreadable. Eventually he looked at his people, once more he was silent. It lasted for ten minutes before he spoke again.


    ¡°You haven''t reached this part of your story. I think you should share it with them tonight.¡±


    ¡°I intend to, this is where things get really interesting.¡±


    Jallen nodded, ¡°I''m going to go for a walk. I''ll see you again tonight.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Jallen.¡±


    We shook hands and I held back a smile as I watched him walk away.


    Our group sat around in the encampment nursing bowls of the tiresome stew. There was quite a bit of excitement tonight since I would be finishing my story. After the meal we sat around, and everyone was in attendance. I could even spot Silica standing on the wall waiting for the end of my tale to begin.


    ¡°Right, where was I?¡± I asked the crowd.


    ¡°You just left Vernon and were heading north.¡± A young man from the crowd stated.


    And so, for the next hour I described my journey through Vernon to the edges of Ruben. Men and women were on the edges of their seats as I described the battle with the five assassins.


    ¡°What? no magic healing can replace limbs.¡± Ben said.


    ¡°The Moon has a flying monster and that is what you find unbelievable.¡± Talis, the large woman asked.


    I shrugged and explained. ¡°He is correct that light magic cannot replace limbs; however, my unique abilities allow me to directly regrow tissue. So, limbs, eyes, fingers, it doesn''t really matter what it is, I can heal it. Though the larger the injury, the longer it takes me.¡±


    ¡°What can''t you heal?¡± Loresse asked.


    With a wry smile I responded ¡°Death.¡±


    Noone asked any more questions, so I continued to talk about everything from Benny¡¯s training to me eventually meeting Allyssia. I was sparing with the details of our dalliance much to the disappointment of the women. I explained in detail the joy of my first flight. As I told my story I would bring out items to show them. The elves sword, schematics for Noire¡¯s harness, etheric gems. Finally, someone asked a question I was waiting for. He was one of the older warriors, a man with salt and pepper hair and a long beard.


    He was examining the elven sword in fascination. ¡°How much is this sword worth?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Hard to say, to elves it''s priceless. In raw material probably a few hundred thousand gelding. Royal mithrite is incredibly rare. As far as I know only two people in the world have access to it¡­.¡±


    Lira, who seemed to have a good mind guessed, ¡°You and Queen Sianna.¡±


    I gave her a smile. ¡°Yes.¡±


    I talked about the war, aftermath and eventually arriving at the Vendalian capitol. To the joy of many of the women I described to luxurious balls, parties, plays, operas, and everything I had enjoyed while in the capitol. One thing I made sure to emphasize is how much cosmetic work I had done and how much coin I had earned.


    ¡°10,000, gelding to remove acne scars?¡± Cassia asked in disbelief.


    ¡°If I was going to waste my time doing this, then it must be worth it. No one else can do what I do. I just threw out numbers. Noble vanity did the rest. After a while I just let Allyssia do all the work.¡±


    ¡°Wait then how wealthy are you?¡± Jallen asked.


    ¡°That depends, in raw coin, a little over a million. I would have to ask Denerif to get exact numbers.¡±


    ¡°You just keep stumbling into power and wealth,¡± Lira added.


    ¡°I think Moon is richer than King Moriah.¡± Someone from the crowd said to someone else.


    I shrugged, ¡°Power attracts power, the more famous I became the more those in power were willing to pay to keep me on their side.¡±


    I took out my amplifier and pointed to the shadow gem. ¡°This is a shadow gem. One of only three ever discovered. Has anyone heard of Argon the Defiler?¡±


    Many heads nodded. ¡°This gem is from his very amplifier, a national treasure by any measure.¡±


    Before anyone could ask how I got it I continued my story.


    The Next Morning.


    My tale continued long into the night; each part thrilled them to no end. The fight with Xalia was a particular crowd pleaser. Now they knew essentially my entire story. Carefully manufactured to paint me in the best possible light of course. I was surprised how little I was judged for my mindless rampage against any member of the underworld I could find. I kept one eye on Cassia, particularly when I discussed giving Shorecast her youth back and enhancing other mages abilities. I could see it in her eyes, the desire was growing. I only had to wait for her to ask.


    Of course, no one knew about the Imperium, or the true extent of my alliance. Those, I would reveal to only my most trusted subordinates. I already started to compile a list of names. Among those were Lira, Jallen, Loresse, Ben, Devon, and Cassia. Ben was often critical of me during the story, but his wife was quick to come to my defense, same for Talis. I approved of Ben¡¯s skepticism; he wouldn''t believe something unless I had a proper explanation or physical proof. Once this was demonstrated he accepted the truth and moved on. Loresse mostly cared about the flying mounts, especially when I stated I could give them to anyone and was always close by and willing to offer me assistance.


    Devon, the same man who asked about the sword watched silently. Only asking for more information anytime I discussed weapons and battles. I even offered to enchant his sword for him. His grim and largely unchanged expression finally lit up when I explained what kind of enchantments I could apply.


    However, he lacked the leadership charisma that Jallen had but a small unit I believe he could manage.


    The rest of the humans ranged from positive towards me with only a few holdouts that held me in contempt for simply not being a human. But they were few and quickly drowned out by everyone else.


    I estimate it will take only a few more days before people start asking me not to leave. The question was how do I wrest control from Jallen? For all my pomp and glory, they looked to him as the leader. He would have to bend the knee to me in front of everyone. During my story he was particularly interested in the time I spent in Allyssia¡¯s court and how I understood her actions. He was coming around I think, so I only had to give him time.


    Now I sat on a grass clearing only a few minutes¡¯ walk from the ruined watchtower to go over my thoughts. I opened my notebook and began writing down everything I would need to organize these people into the beginnings of an army.


    First, I would need a large amount of nonperishables, particularly high protein foods to facilitate training. Next, A large amount of Medicant supplies to form something similar to combat medics. Swords, shields, armor weapons and various tools. Once I take over Maybury, we can become self-sustaining. And gold, at least a fifty thousand, should be good enough for now.


    I intended to use the accelerated training program I developed during my time with Allyssia on these people. With my abilities they can train for half a day and not worry about over training. Eight days a week, ten hours a day for two months. That¡¯s roughly a thousand hours of training. I considered the largest problem with the accelerated training program and that would be food. Muscles can¡¯t grow from nothing. The body needs a high protein diet for proper hypertrophy and recovery. I recalled the diet plan I had made for Alyssiah army and estimated it was around 150 grams of protein per day. I modified it so that it would contain almost 200.


    I stared at the list of fruit beans, wheat and meat that would be required and sighed. Then I spent some more time going over what foods could be replaced with nonperishables. Since the trip from Shorecast to Moria takes at least two weeks, probably more with a cargo.


    Reaching into my satchel I took out my map and traced all the routes from the capitol and Caymor to Maybury. Once I take the barony, I would have to spend a few months increasing the production of food and expanding my army.


    ¡°You seem to be busy in thought.¡±


    Silica was standing not a few feet in front of me. I have to say it was impressive that she managed to sneak up on me without any magical assistance. I looked up at the blonde half-elf, considering her. She didn¡¯t seem as combative this time.


    ¡°Do you need something Silica?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I simply wished to speak.¡±


    I inclined my head towards a spot in front of where I sat. She immediately took said seat in front of me. She sat in silence for a few moments staring at me, with an expression I read to be bemused and curious. I decided to remain silent and wait for her to say the first words.


    ¡°You are an excellent storyteller,¡± she said.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what her complaint was today but now I had no reason to be combative with her. Most of the camp was already one my side. Now I will give her the chance to enter my good graces.


    ¡°It¡¯s a skill I never knew I had, perhaps I was a bard in another life,¡±


    Silica chuckled under her breath and said, ¡°That would make more sense that you ever being an elf.¡±


    ¡°Have you spent enough time with elves, to properly understand how one should act.¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°I suppose I haven¡¯t though your story was enough to prove that I am right in my expectations.¡±


    ¡°And what were those expectations.¡±


    ¡°Proud, xenophobic, arrogant, filled with contempt for anything that isn¡¯t them.¡± she listed.


    I gave her a withering stare. She clearly doesn¡¯t see the irony in her words. She noticed my look and seemed able to understand my thoughts.


    She sighed, ¡°I am aware of the irony. That is partially why I am here. It would seem you are only two of those things: proud and arrgant.¡±


    I suppose that was the closest she was going to get to an apology. I am quite aware of how arrogant I can be.


    ¡°Well Silica, you now know my entire story. What do you think are my intentions?¡±


    Her blue eyes focused on me for a moment before she started to speak, ¡°I still don¡¯t believe that you are here by accident. Perhaps I have grown cynical over my life.¡±


    My brows furrowed as I realized something, ¡°You speak well, almost as good as any noble.¡±


    She rolled her eyes at my obvious attempt and dodging the question. But she answered anyways, ¡°Some men just want a good time while others want conversation both before and after. A courtesan needs to have varied skills.¡±


    ¡®Curius, I would have never guessed.¡¯ Her eyes were locked onto my face, searching for something. How best to respond to this reveal? I didn¡¯t actually care about her profession, but it does open up some possibilities.


    ¡°How well do you know the criminal underbelly of the capitol.¡± I asked. Surprise flitted across her face for an instant before it disappeared back behind her neutral mask.


    ¡°Decently well, but It¡¯s been some time, I suppose I would be able to find my old contacts.¡± she said clearly not understanding how I got to this question.


    In reality the criminal element within Moriah would be a problem for me. I was planning to use scorched earth tactics against them, but as a I have said many times. Why destroy what I can control. Of course, a cleansing would have to occur of the worst elements, inevitably leading to a power vacuum. Could this be her purpose? I could control the underworld through her if I set it up right. At the very least she could introduce me to people who are malleable.


    ¡°Moon?¡± Silica asked, after I had been silent for several seconds.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What is magic like?¡± she asked. Now it was my turn to be surprised.


    I shrugged and answered honestly, ¡°Its, amazing. With nothing but my will I can reshape the world. Ether flows within everyone and everything. Have you never asked Cassia this?¡±


    ¡°Cassia is barely a mage there was no point in asking her.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that someone has magical abilities?¡± she asked.


    Now I understood, she was still holding out hope. ¡°In times of stress mages naturally exude magical phenomena, random gusts of wind, bursts of fire and so on. It happens to everyone at some point in their lives. Even the weakest mage has these experiences.¡±


    I gathered ether into my palm and fired daylight into a tree to the left of us. After a blinding flash of light, a hole was burned into the bark. She flinched in fear before collecting herself and staring at the tree.


    ¡°That is what happened with my fight with the goblin. Over time my power and sensitivity to ether grew and I could tell at a glance if someone has magical ability.


    She bit her lower lip and in a pained voice asked, ¡°Well?¡±


    I turned my vision into the ether and examined her body and as expected, found nothing. Emotions affect the flow of ether around and inside a person. Those with even the smallest ability has constant changes to this flow depending on their mood. Silica¡¯s was constant and unchanging. It was more difficult with Benny but after my seconds evolution it was practically second nature.


    ¡°No, you have no magical ability.¡±


    ¡®Should I ask her about her past?¡¯ I considered. ¡®No, not yet, let her come to me I should offer her some hope.¡¯


    ¡°I suppose I was foolish to hold out hope¡± Silica said.


    ¡°Why do you desire magic? I don¡¯t think its simple power you desire.¡± I asked.


    Silica frowned. ¡°Its¡­¡­¡± she trailed off, unable to find the words.


    ¡°Perhaps you desire agency, the ability to choose your own path. I for the most part do what I want. The only laws that bind me are the ones I make for myself. My apprentice was similar.¡±


    Her eyes squinted and she shook her head. It seems I wasn¡¯t quite on the mark. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s close enough.¡±


    ¡°There are other ways to attain power of course.¡± An eyebrow perked up, so I continued.


    ¡°There are etheric knights who use magical tools and enchanted equipment to provide both offence and defensive enhancement. Most mages for all their power would die to a swordsman without proper protection.¡±


    ¡°The single etheric knight you faced didn¡¯t seem to pose a challenge.¡± She said, in regard to the knight who¡¯s arm I severed while fighting Allyssia¡¯s war.


    ¡°I am exceptionally powerful. There are but a handful of people in the world with my level of power.¡±


    ¡°You are an enchanter, healer, and you know dozens of spells many not even in your primary affinity.¡± She observed. Her expression became a neutral mask once again.


    ¡°Why did you gather all this knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I was curious. Magic is an interesting subject.¡± I said she was searching for something.


    ¡°That is a lie. There is something else you¡¯re not telling me.¡± Silica observed my expression, trying to glean truth. Let¡¯s see how smart she is.


    ¡°Think about my story why would I gather all that knowledge,¡± I wanted to see how clever she really was.


    She sat there staring at me for a solid minute. I took the time observing her features. It was so oddly elven the large eyes, but not as large as mine. She had large ears as well, but they never twitched or moved in response to sound. Perhaps that is something she didn¡¯t inherit.


    ¡°I think you want something for yourself. Moriah? Do you want Moriah?¡± she asked.


    ¡°If did come to desire Moriah? Why would I be here instead of taking the capitol.¡± I challenged.


    She sat silent for another minute before she answered, ¡°You can¡¯t do it on your own. Ruling is complex. You need people you trust in position of power, but you don¡¯t have anyone other than yourself.¡±


    Then her eyes widened as she finally realized, I wasn¡¯t surprised I¡¯m sure Jallen and a few others are also realizing what I really want.


    ¡°Do you really think you can do it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I can create more wyvern riders. My ability to enhance living creatures is not limited to people and animals. Crops are also viable. The more I have seen of this land the more I realize how simple it would be to make it something great.¡±


    She laughed under her breath. ¡°You made me look like a fool in front of everyone when I brought out the map. You could have explained the situation further.¡± She accused.


    ¡°You made yourself into a fool. Need I remind you that you were the one to violate my privacy. Furthermore, I very much doubt any explanation from me would have changed your opinion. Your hate for elves clouded your mind.¡±


    She flinched, but remained combative, ¡°You definitely held things back and even now I don¡¯t think I have a clear picture of who you are and what you want.¡±


    ¡°What about you. You claim to be a courtesan, but I¡¯ve never seen any of the men proposition you. Its, possible that they are not interested in an elf, but I find it unlikely. Almost no one can sneak up on me. Even Endali has trouble when she comes too close. That implies practice. So, what are you really? Thief? Assassin? Would you like clarify things?¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem to like this line of questioning, ¡°If I was either of those things would it matter?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, but I would like to know who I am dealing with.¡±


    She took in a deep breath, ¡°You are so bold to show me your true colors. What if I simply inform everyone else of your designs.¡±


    I shrugged unconcerned, ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter. That won¡¯t make Cassia desire magical power any less nor would Loresse lose her newfound love of flying. You could harm my efforts but not stop them.¡±


    Her eyes tightened as my words sunk in, ¡°There is no point in us being enemies. You care for these people, that much is certain. At first taking Moriah was a whim but now after walking the streets and seeing the sad state of the island I realized that I must take it. With the proper leadership this island could become the envy of the world. I can give the people what they want and what they need. But Silica, I don¡¯t know what you want but if you sit and tell me your story and be truthful in your desires, then I will give you the most valuable thing I can offer.¡±


    Her eyes flitted about nervously as she listened to my words. Subtle manipulations wouldn¡¯t work on someone like Silica, she was too paranoid and untrusting. So, I must be clear so there is no room for misunderstanding. She needs solid ground to stand on. Still, she remained silent, but I knew I was close I just needed the proper bait to reel her in. Then inspiration struck me.


    ¡°What is the most valuable thing you can offer?¡± she asked, tentatively.


    ¡°Loyalty.¡±


    That seemed to drag her out of whatever mental turmoil she was in. ¡°Loyalty?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, I value that more that all the mithrite and magic in the world. Loyalty is reciprocal and I would expect the same. Your desires become my desires. If you wished to become a knight, then I would make you the one of the greatest warriors in the known word. If you wish to become a noble then you will have such luxury, wealth, and power that those who once looked down on you for being a half-elf will now bow their heads in deference or lose it. I do not tolerate slights against my allies regardless of severity. Should wish fly to Isran and demand satisfaction from a mother that saw fit to abandon you at birth, then you will have my power at your back and the elves will bend or break.¡±


    Silica couldn¡¯t meet my eyes, she just stared off into the distance what she was thinking about I couldn¡¯t know. But I could see that my words have taken root. It would take time for her to fully become mine, but I had no doubt I would succeed. The silence between us stretched on for over ten minutes before Silica spoke.


    ¡°I was born near in a Village called Rembrandt, 32 years ago in Vendalia. I never knew my father. One of the guards, saw my mother leave me at the gates not a day out of the womb. That same guard told me that I look almost exactly like her, just taller.¡±


    A small smile came across my face as she began to tell me her story. I mentally added Silica¡¯s name to my list.

 Book 2: Chapter 13: The Oath

    Silica and I spoke for roughly an hour. Her story wasn''t a happy one, the first ten years of her life was at an orphanage within Rembrant. Her eyes and ears made her a pariah. After the age of 14, she was forced to leave. There weren''t many avenues for a young uneducated peasant girl to support herself, so she turned to whoring. She was trained for a few months by a madam and sold her maiden head at 15, apparently some men paid for the opportunity to deflower a woman, and a half elf went for gold. Her childhood was filled with mockery, abuse and the rejection that being a hybrid created.


    Apparently, some drunk noble didn¡¯t want to pay for her services. Things got violent and she put a dagger in his eye. Of course, she ran the same night and took up banditry. Natural elven agility made picking up the sword simple. She robbed transports for years and eventually joined a gang which she promptly betrayed for coin. Her entire life was crime and death. I didn''t really care that she was a murderer. I''ve killed hundreds more than she ever did, and most didn''t really deserve it. Even now I felt little to no guilt, so who was I to judge?


    Eventually, her crimes caught up with her and she stowed away on a random ship and landed on Moriah. Of course, she went back to her old ways and was close to getting caught. She fled the capitol and joined Jallen and his band of misfits rather early on. These people became something of a found family.


    Only after her story ended did I understand what she wanted: Acceptance. At every turn she was rejected from society; the elves would rather her dead and humans are naturally xenophobic. She isn''t going to be my blade in the dark as I desired. But she can be something equally useful.


    ¡°You know what''s funny, the worst part of my life wasn''t the whoring or killing.¡± Silica said, brushing away an errant leaf that fell on her lap.


    I was surprised and it showed on my face, ¡°Really? What was?¡±


    ¡°It''s when I tried to get work that wasn''t whoring, everyone said no, even when I had talent. These ears and eyes have been a curse.¡±


    ¡°That is how people are, they distrust and despise the alien and unfamiliar.¡±


    Silica scoffed at what I consider sage words, ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You speak as if you¡¯re a wizened elder when you¡¯re younger than I am.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have any memory, so for all you know I''m old enough to be your grandfather.¡± I joked.


    ¡°I may not have magic, but I can tell an elf¡¯s age. You¡¯re young¡±


    I shrugged and we remained silent for a few minutes. It wasn''t awkward by any means, just pause in a conversation as we both considered things.


    ¡°Can I ask you to be truthful? You claim you never break your word. I will ask you to swear you will answer truthfully or not at all.¡± Silica said.


    ¡°Very well I swear to it.¡± I agreed immediately.


    She nodded, then asked her question, ¡°How much of your story is true?¡±


    It was a simple question, but I was starting to understand Silica, so I knew what she really wanted. Silica needed an answer she could understand and even sympathize with. Furthermore, it needs to be tailored to her kind of thinking. Not once did she voice guilt or regret for the lives she had taken.


    After thirty seconds of silence I answered, ¡°The broad strokes are true, once my tale spreads far enough you will learn of it yourself. But of course, some details were changed, timelines maneuvered, and motivations were altered, to make me seem more heroic, but both you and I know there is no such thing in this world. For example, I could have prevented John''s death at the hands of the bandits, but¡­.¡±


    She cut me off mid-sentence and finished my thought, ¡°You weren''t very powerful then, if you healed him, Sarah would have noticed something was off. It was potentially dangerous.¡±


    Sharing small secrets, I found, was a good way to build trust. The onus will be on her to break it. It also gives the illusion of an advantage to her. If she revealed this, then she proved herself to be unreliable and not worth further trust. Her invasion of my privacy was instigated by me, but just because a man leaves his door unlocked doesn''t make the thief not guilty.  I will give her a second chance.


    ¡°Essentially yes. There is more, far more, but all will come in time.¡±


    She shrugged, relaxing, ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised; you played on my emotions rather well I never even considered why you left your bags behind.¡±


    ¡°I figured something like that would happen, that''s why I wasn''t really angry.¡±


    ¡°It was a test then?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not necessarily, I was just fishing, someone had to be interested in what was in my bag. To my surprise no one did until you.¡±


    ¡°Jallen was rather cross with me.¡± Silica mumbled.


    ¡°He¡¯s an honorable man, but honor only goes so far. In this world no one has perfectly noble intentions. Everyone has some selfishness, better to find out now instead of meeting some disaster later.¡±


    Silica nodded along as I spoke. A good part of any relationship is having common beliefs and hers were transparent.


    ¡°If I become some loyal retainer, when will I know everything?¡± Silica asked.


    ¡°When I am king.¡±


    ¡°And what can you offer me for such loyalty?¡± She sounded serious.


    ¡°A title.¡± I said simply.


    She laughed, clearly not expecting such an answer. ¡°And what would that be?¡±


    ¡°What do you think of Solar Knight?¡±


    ~


    A few days passed like this in relative peace. I talked with Jallen and Cassia. showed magic to the children and healed the sick. In my short time with the motley rebellion their lives were improved all the while Silica watched how I acted around them. I was in the forest hunting with Loresse, she taught me how to walk without sound. How to avoid branches arrant roots and leaves. I took her flying several times. I wasn''t exactly sure if someone could become addicted to flying but she was somewhere close to it.


    Now we stood over a boar as the dwarven woman skinned and prepared it for travel back to the small camp site. She gave me a stern stare, preparing herself to ask something.


    ¡°Moon.¡± She said, drawing my attention. I gave her a raised eyebrow in return.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt with you; we dwarves have no use for human maneuvering. Elf you may be, but you act like a human. I ask a question, and you answer truthfully, with no double meaning and no lies or don¡¯t answer at all. That¡¯s our way.¡±


    I nodded, then she continued. ¡°Can you truly make more ridable wyverns.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is a simple process.¡±


    ¡°Could you grant me one of my own?¡±


    I already knew where this was going, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What can I offer to get one for myself?¡± she said simply.


    ¡°Before I answer, may I ask a question?¡± Loresse nodded, ¡°Why do you want a wyvern?¡±


    ¡°Is it not clear that I wish to fly. It is the ultimate freedom, but I can see that isn''t enough. We dwarves are bound to the earth; most of us never leave our underground kingdom believing that the surface dwellers are lesser. But now that I have the taste of freedom. I want it all the more.¡±


    I nodded, liking her reason. Straightforward self-interest is always reliable.


    ¡°My price is simple. ill not play the game of double meaning and half-truths with you. The more I have spent on this island the more I have begun to realize what I can accomplish. For that I need people who I can trust. So that is my price. For this gift you must offer me your loyalty,¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you mean exactly?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any loyalty to anyone within the Dwarven Sovereignty? Anyone you have pledged yourself to? Anyone, who if you were to swear allegiance with me would cause you to break your oaths with other individuals?¡±


    Her brow furrowed, contemplating.


    ¡°Technically all dwarven children are sworn in service to our king. If I swear to another then I would be labeled an apostate and I would be killed if I entered dwarven lands,¡±


    ¡°Well now you know the price?¡±


    ¡°Why do you even want my loyalty?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°You have seen my abilities so ask yourself. What could I accomplish if I controlled an entire kingdom? DO you think it would be difficult for me to conquer this island?¡±


    She took in a deep breath her eyes widening in shock as she realized that I wasn¡¯t joking.


    ¡°With your power you could, but holding it would be a problem. You would need¡­¡± She paused. Then her eyes widened with surprise.


    ¡°You didn''t run into us by accident.¡± she said, brokering no counterargument.


    ¡°No, I didn''t, so let me ask you. Can you offer such loyalty?¡±


    She took in a deep breath, ¡°What would I be? A servant? A vassal?¡±


    ¡°A kingdom needs protectors. And what better protector than a knight.¡±


    She laughed half in mockery, ¡°You¡¯d make me a knight.¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°Not just a knight. A knight of my kingdom. A solar knight. A knight of the sun.¡±


    ¡°What would I need to do If I accepted?¡±


    ¡°Simple, kill my enemies, secure my lands and embody the greatest qualities of both me and my kingdom. I could make the island the envy of the world. Its knights will certainly have to match my prestige. Additionally, I don''t intend to take the island alone, but the entire ocean will be my territory.¡±


    She openly laughed, ¡°You can''t secure that much ocean without a massive fleet. But if you had¡­..¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would rule the skies. How much could I accomplish with ten solar knights?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I see.¡± She said, not giving anything away.


    ¡°What do you intend to have the solar knight be beyond killing,¡±


    ¡°Many knights exist in this world; the role is largely ceremonial. My Solar knight would be an extension of my will, answerable only to me. My kingdom will be a representation of myself. So, it must have the greatest knights to ever walk the earth. The solar knights will each receive a wyvern, probably around a fifth the size of Baelathor. The best enchanted armor and weapons that I can make. And of course, the access of my unique magic,¡± I finished watching as she absorbed my words.


    ¡°The rest won¡¯t be pleased that you lied to em,¡± she said.


    ¡°Perhaps they will be upset, perhaps some will leave. Even a handful of people loyal to me is worth it,¡±


    She looked up at the sky, her mind whirling with thoughts.


    ¡°That is my offer Loresse.¡±


    ¡°May I think about it? Forswearing my oath to my king is no simple matter,¡±


    I nodded and left her to her thoughts. I wasn''t sure if she would turn out to be loyal in the end but there are some risks I have to take. Betrayals will happen. I only have to have contingencies to minimize the damage. Still, I felt that she would swear for me in the end. Things were going smoothly, and, in a few days, it might be time to make my pitch to Jallen. Depending on the loyalty of the rest they might have already informed him of my intentions. I f they then that proves that I don¡¯t have their loyalty. Not surprising, since I¡¯ve only been interacting with them for a few days.  I''ll give it a week then, and use that time embed myself so deeply that they would morn me leaving


    If they haven''t told Jallen, then their self-interest won out. While that was my preferred reaction. I would have to grow that self-interest into true devotion. For now, I''ll take a lesson from Madame Gardenia and embed their ambitions and aspirations with my own. I¡¯ll trim away those who are in it just for themselves or those who aren''t as loyal as I would like. Even if I have to kill them to do it.


    Another three days passed like this. Silica and Loresse have yet to swear to me. And I could feel the tension in the camp. Whispers were spread that thanks to my ears I could pick up. Some were questioning why I was still there. While others were questioning why Jallen refused to ask for my help since anyone with sense would realize that I had the power to take this kingdom.


    I got side glances from Cassia as she spoke to the older women, speaking about how wonderful my abilities were. I got some mildly disdainful glances from Ben as I interacted with Lira. She had become rather fanatical towards me. This only amplified as I healed her completely and at her request healed all the damage done from birthing a child. She was more ecstatic that I could give her assurance that her daughter was healthy. All she had to do was bring little Benny over and I would place a finger on her forehead, and I could with certainty inform her of her health. It pleased me when at the protest of her husband she decided to name her child Benny.


    At this point everyone was in good health. There was fresh water available for both cooking and cleaning. And I used telekinesis to clear away all the rubble from the collapsed tower to allow for more room within the small courtyard. I amused the children to no end as I would have them sit on large wooden planks and levitate them a foot off the ground. As they grew more comfortable almost all the humans and most of the children have been on Baelethor at least once. By now I knew everyone by name and my alienness of being an elf amongst humans was being forgotten. I even started a small garden that was growing a few dozen pea plants. The speed at which I was able to grow the plant astonished them.


    In a few more days the peas should be ready to pick and added to the night¡¯s stew. My magic, while impressive, did not invoke such a reaction. I stood in front of my small garden while a few of the older women, Cassia and Lira looked on in awe.


    ¡°And you say this can be done on a large scale,¡± Cassia asked in surprise.


    ¡°Not quite as fast since these have gotten my personal attention but tripling or quadrupling the growth rate on a large scale is well within my abilities. Not to mention these plants are more resistant to diseases and pests,¡± I said confidently.


    ¡°What would you even do with so much food, you usually have to harvest every week or so. But you''re telling me we would have to harvest almost daily during the growing season.¡± Another woman asked.


    ¡°No, these plants are hardy enough to be harvested even during the off season. Not to mention they would grow larger and produce more peas per pod than normal," I corrected.


    ¡°What would you even do with so much food?¡± Cassia asked.


    I took a moment to pretend as if I had never thought about it before, ¡°Well, considering such a large influx of food would drive down prices, feeding the people would be rather simple. So, most would have to be sold abroad, probably to Jubani and the rest of the eastern kingdoms. What does Moriah lack in terms of resources,¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Copper and iron.¡± A woman added. ¡°Spices, salt, pepper, those are always expensive.¡± a decrepit woman added.


    ¡°Sugar and honey. The damn traders always ask for an arm and a leg.¡± Another added.


    ¡°Precisely, Jubani is rich in these products so trade would be a priority. More farms, more harvests, more workers tending fields, many jobs to go around. Men will pick up trade and transport as a profession. This cycle of trade, production, consumption, imports, and exports is how a proper economy is built.¡±


    The women nodded along as if I was a sage, but in truth they likely never thought about how an economy works beyond their daily needs. I was in their good graces and had at least secured them in my camp. Now all that was left was the few warriors in the camp.


    ~


    I stood on the beach watching Devon drill his men through various sword forms. I had been watching him silently inspecting what would be the beginnings of my fighting force. They were rather pathetic really. I shook my head as they went through various sword forms pantomiming, parrying and blocking. They were clearly just doing this to pass the time. There was no motivation or enthusiasm in any of them. Eventually the training session ended, and they wondered off.


    ¡°You have opinions Moon?¡± Devon asked inquisitively.


    ¡°They leave much to be desired.¡± I had no reason to spare him the truth.


    ¡°And what would you do differently, since my abilities are so lacking?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Their armor and weapons are poorly kept, half of them are rusted. They are undisciplined, unmotivated and lacking any unit cohesion.¡±


    He sighed accepting my words as truth, ¡°How can they be, they have nothing to fight for and most don''t even have families,¡±


    ¡°I suppose, but what they truly lack is a goal,¡± Devon raised an eyebrow. So, I continued, ¡°It''s a rather simple thing really. They¡¯re like the living dead; each day that passes are the same, with no destination. If they cannot come up with one, then one must be given.¡±


    ¡°What is your goal then?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I have many goals. Finding out who I am is one. Learning more magic is another. Either way I always have something to get me out of bed in the morning, metaphorically speaking.¡±


    ¡°What goal can I offer them then? Since you seem to fail to notice the state of things. They have all buried friends, wives, brothers, sisters, daughters and sons. What can you offer a man who has seen all that he loves burned to ash in the wind.¡± I met Devon¡¯s grey eyes. And took a long moment, considering how I should answer. In those moments when I couldn''t come up with something suitable, I went with the truth.


    ¡°Perhaps, nothing. Perhaps vengeance. But in truth, vengeance is an unsatisfying meal. Perhaps you can give them someone to follow and make something as simple as mastering sword play the goal. Train them with such intensity that they don''t have time to wallow in despair. During this time with some luck, they can find something else to live for. Another wife, new friendships, new loved ones. No matter how deep the shadows of the night; the sun will always rise again to drive the darkness away. So maybe all they need is just a small ember of hope.¡± Devon was silent. His face, a stone mask. I didn''t know much about the man beyond that every member of his family was dead. We stood silent for a hand full of minutes before I left him to contemplate my words. I wanted this man on my side since I''m sure the men would follow.


    One week later.


    I was flying high in the sky scouting the southern islands.  They were around a hundred miles south of Moriah. The 14 islands were home to 14 clans of Shormen, a people whose entire culture was built on raiding ships in the Yruga Ocean. They fought amongst themselves constantly. But for what they lacked in proper government and farmland they made up for in martial and naval skill. Their Longships were small compared to the massive galleons of the empire, but they were fast, faster than any other ship I had seen. Not to mention their warriors spirit as they call it. They were willing to fight and die to the last man or woman to defend their island.


    They had no cities, just large clusters of wooden huts in villages. No standing fortification or properly structured fleets. I was still debating if they had to be exterminated or annexed into my own kingdom. The islands, while small, some barely even 50 miles across, were beautiful, with gorgeous white sandy beaches and lush jungles.


    I would have the islands but how to go about getting them was still a debate for me. My time with the remnants of the rebellion was decent. Everyone was healed and my pea garden was producing enough food for almost everyone to go to bed with full stomach. I underestimated how fast I could grow produce.  Constant exposure to living ether had caused the plants to grow three times the height of a normal pea plant and produce many more pods.  There were now a dedicated group of women to pick and pluck the peas daily. With genetic modification, proper pruning and better fertilizer than food scraps. I could probably further increase the production. On a large scale the produce would be staggering. But that would have to wait until I have a kingdom to build.


    I had purposely made this journey last a day just so the humans would understand what it would be like for them when I¡¯m gone. Can¡¯t have them taking my presence for granted after all. A few begged me to not leave yet but I need to foster dependency for the moment. And it''s not like spending the entire day on the back of Baelathor wasn''t enjoyable.


    There were a few other islands in the ocean, but they didn¡¯t have any significant population to speak of. I had built trust and was sure that there were at least a dozen people who would follow me. It was a start, so now, either I would be approached when I returned, or I would be forced to be the one approaching. I didn''t just visit the island though I went back to Vendalia to the closest coastal city I could find and, in my hood and cloak, bought some supplies. Several bottles of wine, cheeses, hardtack, dried meat, salt, and a small sack of hard candies for the children. It took several trips to the random village, but I managed to fill Baelathor¡¯s saddle bags with food.


    ~


    Eventually I landed on the shores near where the watchtower was, and Stone came dashing out of the forest to greet me. ¡°Yes, Yes, I missed you too.¡± I said to the large grey horse. He had grown a few inches and was as spry as a young stallion. Silica came walking out of the woods with a serious expression.


    ¡°Moon! We have been waiting," she said with clear relief. Her expression was exactly what I wanted to see.


    ¡°Hello Silica, you seem tense,¡± She still hasn''t given me a proper oath of loyalty.


    ¡°We wish to speak with you,¡± Silica said. I assume by ¡®we¡¯ she meant what passed for leadership amongst them.


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± My anticipation was rising. Hopefully all my work won¡¯t be for naught.


    The camp was empty, a first I had seen. I was concerned that they were attacked while I was gone but there was no blood or signs of struggle. The cookfire was still lit and everyone¡¯s belongings were still there. So, they probably had someone watching for my arrival and emptied the camp for this conversation.


    Strange, but perhaps they were preparing for the worst. Or maybe if I didn''t like what they had to say and chose violence no one else would be caught in the crossfire. Silica led me to the center of the camp where Jallen, Loresse, Cassia, and Devon were.


    ¡°Greetings Moon,¡± Jallen said with solemnity.


    ¡°Jallen,¡± I responded, taking in their expressions. Some awkward silence passed before Cassia spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you know what we want to talk about,¡± Cassia said. I gave her a silent nod in return, offering them little.


    Loresse sniffed and blurted out, ¡°So you want to take Moriah for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve decided I will.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Cassia asked.


    How should I respond? Altruism? No, that wouldn''t work. Perhaps I should just go for honesty. Let them look beneath the surface of my mask. They need to know what they are signing up for.


    ¡°I suppose I could say, it is for justice. Or some other altruistic reason but it is for my own ambition. I feel for your suffering and the others in this camp, but I had decided long before ever meeting any of you that this Island would be mine.¡±


    As expected, I got a few disapproving stares form Cassia, Jallen and Devon. Silica and Loresse of course knew more than the others.


    ¡°You say this so boldly, yet you want us to trust you.¡± Devon said.


    I shook my head. I suppose I should stroke their egos a bit, ¡°I have walked amongst you. Shared meals with you. I would not offer you such disrespect as to lie and offer an altruistic motivation that would suit you,¡± He remained silent considering my words.


    ¡°Then how are you any different than any other power-hungry individual who wants a crown on his head,¡± Cassia asked.


    ¡°I am not. A delusion most people have is that the most trustworthy person to have power is someone who doesn''t want it. This is nonsense.¡±


    Devon shook his head, clearly my words were counter to his own beliefs, ¡°Explain your thoughts.¡± he commanded.


    ¡°Simple, can you think of a single successful leader that adheres to the noble ideals you find to be of value. Can you think of one who is perfectly honorable, honest, who¡¯s motivations are completely in the service of the people and not themselves,¡± He didn''t respond so I continued.


    ¡°The only thing that matters in a leader is competence, not their motivation or ideals. A leader must jealously guard their power against those who would see them undone. A leader must always seek to increase their power and standing.¡±


    ¡°King Moriah would agree with you?¡± Jallen said coldly.


    ¡°So would Dutchess, Hearthaven, who managed to increase her status from baroness. Now her dutchy is thriving, the roads are safe, trade is up and running. Even Wigmore, a barony that has been in decline for years is now having a turnaround. Why do you think she lowered taxes, offered low interest loans to businesses, built new roads, doubled patrols, strengthened her courts and established free trade, non-aggression and mutual defense treaties with her neighbors?¡±


    ¡°Why did she do this if not for the people?¡± Jallen asked.


    ¡°That is effective leadership Jallen. But what I didn''t tell you was that she was the one who impoverished the surrounding baronies. Prompting them to attack her, which gave her the opportunity to annex the surrounding baronies, petition for a change in titles, and install her own people in positions of power. Now instead of 4 baronies fighting against each other she rules all. And she will jealously guard her acquired power, because in the end she did it for herself she said as much to me. Now how does one guard against being deposed? A strong army, the elimination of corruption and dissidents. Also, the people need to be placated so what do they need to remain loyal?¡± I stayed silent, my eyes flicking between each of them.


    ¡°Strong courts, actually have justice and trust in their leadership. Actual men of honor who can guard the weak and punish the corrupt.¡± Jallen said.


    Then I looked to Cassia, after a few moments she realized I wanted her to answer, ¡°Food, work and shelter. A man with consistent work, good pay, a full stomach, and a warm dry bed is not a man you can motivate to take up arms in rebellion,¡±


    Devon started speaking, ¡°You need good men and women at your back, motivated to fight. Give them proper arms, armor, training, and fill their minds with motivation that they will be making a difference and that the blood they spill will bring about a bright future.¡±


    I smiled slyly then looked at Silica and Loresse, ¡°These are good and honorable ways to keep safety, security, and prosperity of a country. But it''s missing something.¡±


    Silica spoke first, ¡°Honor is good and all. But sometimes a blade in the dark is what you need. No witness, no courts. You need eyes and ears in every tavern and in every back alley and street. Every whore house and gambling hall. Many who the laws find it difficult to bind are as destructive to a country as a plague. It''s best to get rid of them without any the wiser.¡±


    Loresse spoke finally, ¡°Sometimes a blade in the dark is too subtle, sometimes you need to march up to someone and end them for all to see. To remind both your allies and enemies that for all your good works, you hold all the power, and they will die if you command it.¡±


    I smiled. Each of them had a quality that I found useful and with just a few well-placed words I was able to get them thinking about what roles they would have in my rule. I was getting close, just a bit more.


    ¡°So, the question is Moon, are you that person or are you just another despot?¡± Jallen asked.


    I smiled, unslung my caring case and assembled eclipse. There was a wave of fear from them that pleased me. I stood in front of them. My brilliant white clothes were slightly dirty from not being cleaned but they still shone wonderfully in the sun.


    ¡°What do you see when you look at me?¡± I asked.


    There was a moment of silence, ¡°Just say what you think even if you think it could offend me.¡±


    Loresse spoke first, ¡°Too pretty, if I didn''t know you, I would think you''re a softly little elf.¡±


    Jallen was next, ¡°Arrogant and also intelligent; I see your words were well chosen.¡±


    Silica spoke, ¡°Self-Serving and ambitious. Willing to lie and manipulate to get what you want.¡±


    ¡°Powerful, this power gives you confidence to act how you please.¡± Cassia added.


    ¡°Narcissism and a lack of honor or pride, but there is kindness beneath it or perhaps the mask you wear is so great that it fools me even now,¡± Devon said.


    I nodded as they voiced their thoughts.


    ¡°You are all correct to varying degrees. I am what I am. An elf that believes he shines as bright as the sun in fact Solaris means sun. Now what kind of kingdom would that elf build. That is what you are asking. Very well let me tell you.¡±


    I caught their eyes, took a deep breath and began.


    ¡°This island is a diamond in the rough, an unpolished gem. Your soil is fertile, you share no borders with anyone. The only means of attacking is by sea and with my wyvern such a thing would be impossible. But it''s not just that, my ego will not allow me to simply build any kingdom. It must be the envy of the world. Everyone who visits my kingdom must be in awe of their surroundings. ¡®It''s cleanliness, architecture, the wealth, health and wellness of its citizens from the lowest peasant to the highest lord should turn men green with envy. Kings, Queens, Dukes, and duchesses who visit my kingdom will return home and look at their own lands with disappointment, since their home will never hold a candle to the majesty of Solaria,¡±


    My words hung in the air for a moment before Loresse asked, ¡°Do you really think you can do it? And what role would we play?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I have been preparing for some time and have given it considerable thought. I didn¡¯t amass incredible wealth, a massive amount of magical knowledge and connections with the most powerful people in Vendalia for no reason,¡±


    ¡°I see it now. The time spent at Allissia¡¯s court, learning as many spells as possible, bargaining for the secrets of enchanting. It¡¯s all for this. Your ambition,¡± Jallen said sounding both amazed and disappointed.


    ¡°Answer Loresses¡¯s other question, what would be our roll?¡± Devon said.


    ¡°I am powerful, incredibly wealthy and intelligent. But I am only one elf. I can only be at one place at a time,¡±


    Silica nodded, ¡°Makes sense, anyone in power needs people in key places to support them,¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Your roles would vary; generals, knights, guard captains, it depends,¡±


    ¡°But would it not be better for someone like Jallen to take the throne, it will be a hard pill to swallow for your everyday peasant to bow to an elf.¡± Devon said. It was rather bold of him to say so in front of me.


    Jallen shook his head, ¡°Even if it would be easier for people to accept. I don''t want the throne, I just want the people of Moriah to live good lives,¡±


    Loresse sniffed,¡± let''s be real here. Moon is going to do this with or without us. At least if were a part of it he wouldn''t be spilling too much blood in the process. And since Jallen and Cassia are well known, that can ease people¡¯s acceptance.¡±


    Cassia sighed, ¡°I suppose you are right we would add some legitimacy,¡±


    ¡°We have only known each other for a week and a half, and it will take time for true loyalty and trust to bloom within us. But Loresse is right. I will do this with or without your help.¡± I couldn''t make them think I needed them too much.


    ¡°I accept. You will have my oath, but it must be done in private,¡± Loresse said. Shocking everyone.


    ¡°You would accept this risk?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The Sovereignty is far away. But the one thing we dwarves bow to is power. Each dwarven king must prove that he has the metal to keep the throne, lest he be dethroned. Swearing to one of the most powerful mages in the world. A king that controls the entire Yruga ocean, and turning up on the back of a wyvern sporting enchanted steel armor would actually increase my status. Power is power after all,¡± she shrugged casually. I rather like her straight forwardness.


    ¡°Very well then Moon, I¡¯m not long for this world, but if you can save the kingdom and give it hope you will have my loyalty.¡± Cassia said.


    Jallen sighed and looked at Devon. A silent conversation seemed to have happened then both men nodded.


    Devon looked me dead in the eyes and said, ¡°I still don''t trust your words, but I have no other choice. I will offer you my sword and follow you along this path hoping that you are as you appear to be,¡±


    Jallen looked surprised and Devon then he spoke, ¡°I want justice Moon. justice for all those who have suffered under the rule of King Moriah and his ilk. As Devon said I still don¡¯t trust you, but you are the only chance we have left. I can only hope that you do as you said.¡±


    My eyes flicked to Silica, ¡°I will take the title of Solar Knight and all you promised. Give me that and you will find I can be indispensable to your rule.¡± Silica got puzzled stares as she finished speaking. Apparently, she didn¡¯t mention the solar knights.


    I nodded, ¡°I thank you all, and will endeavor to meet your expectations, but I will make something clear. When I accept your oath. I will be your king and will act as such and expect proper respect. I''m not completely arrogant but how you act around me will affect how others act.¡±


    ¡°We understand that much,¡± Jallen said as if it was obvious.


    ¡°Very well. Another thing. I am a unique mage. And as my loyal retainers you will have full access to my abilities. For example, old injuries, cosmetic changes, and physical enchantment are simple things for me.¡±


    I turned to Cassia, ¡°You say you don¡¯t have long, but Cassia, age is a medical condition. Give me an hour and I can make you as healthy as you were at 40. Give me a week and no one would ever suspect that you were more than twenty-five summers. And yes, I can enhance your magical power. You could even have children again if you wished,¡±


    Cassia¡¯s eyes bulged as she considered the proposition.


    ¡°I suppose I do have a few old injuries that never healed right,¡± Jallen mumbled.


    ¡°What about the wyverns?¡± Loresse asked. She was really fixating on them.


    ¡°I intend to create an Order called Solar Knights or Knights of the Sun. It''s a working title. They would defend my kingdom on the backs of wyverns perhaps a fifth of Baelathor¡¯s size. They would be my most loyal and trusted retainers since such a power is not to be given lightly. They they''re not native to Moriah but they can be purchased,¡± I explained for everyone else¡¯s convenience.


    ¡°Were getting off track, how exactly would we take the capitol, have only 8 fighters. Probably another 30 if we train all the women,¡± Devon said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s save that for a strategy meeting, after all, I will have to announce this to everyone,¡± I said.


    ¡°How will we do it.¡± Silica asked.


    ¡°Simple, I will give a speech and ask those who wish to become a part of the kingdom I plan to build to kneel and swear their oaths of allegiance. After that we can begin training volunteers. By the way, I assume you led them somewhere far enough in case this somehow went south.¡±


    Devon nodded, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to risk their lives in the worst case,¡± His eyes were looking at me for a reaction.


    I just shrugged, ¡°Good thinking; caution is always necessary when dealing with the unknown.¡±


    There was some surprise in his eyes before it disappeared. ¡°Let''s gather em then. I hope you have a good speech, cause this is going to be a tough sell¡± Loresse said jokingly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been preparing, but even if ten only people accept. I will consider it a smashing success,¡±


    ¡°Before we do, I need to give you my oath in private,¡± Loresse said.


    ¡°We''ll head out and get the rest. It shouldn''t take more than half an hour,¡± Jallen said.


    Soon enough I was left alone with Loresse while the rest headed off into the woods.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done then, just accept the oath however you see fit,¡± Loresse said. She stood in front of me then took a knee and removed a glove.


    ¡°I Loresse of house Dumarn, third of her name. In full conscience hereby reject all my oaths and loyalties to both king, crown, and family,¡± then she reached for a knife on her waist. On the back of her hand was a crest that was branded to her skin, it was old, likely done very early in her life. I couldn¡¯t read the script nor make out the animal, but it did look vaguely like a mountain goat. She drew the knife across the crest causing the blood to flow.


    ¡°I Loresse of house Dumarn, third of her name. In full conscience; by salt and stone; by ash and wind; swear my loyalty in service to Moon Solaris first of his name. I will protect his house and hearth. His desires are my desires, his commands are my will. I am his hands and feet; eyes and ears. I will live, so long as he allows it and will die, if he commands it.¡±


    I was mildly shocked at the oath; it was far more than I had expected. I really need to brush up on dwarven culture. She paused, meeting my eyes, waiting for me to accept.


    ¡°I moon Solaris First of his name in full conscience Hereby accept the oath of Loresse of house Dumarn, third of her name and the responsibility this entails. So long as our oath remains intact, she will be welcomed to my house and hearth. So long as trust rains between us she will fly amongst the sky carrying my will on wings of her own."


    She smiled almost prettily and handed me the knife. I pantomimed crossing the wound and she nodded. So, I dragged the knife across the back of her hand, finishing the bloody cross.


    That was certainly some oath.


    One down, a few hundred thousand to go.

 Book 2: Chapter 14: The First Citizens

    I stood upon a small stone platform, looking down at the gathered humans. Loresse informed me that they didn''t know my intentions. Jallen and the rest would play it by ear, as I made my pitch. It seemed the five of them kept it a secret, lest their suspicions cause discourse among the people. As the last of them wandered into the courtyard of the watch tower, confusion at both my presence and Loresse¡¯s presence next to me was obvious. She promised to explain in greater detail the complexities of the dwarven sovereignty, but that conversation would have to wait for later. 18 men and 58 women; I¡¯m sure I can get most of them to kneel, but not all unfortunately. It was a start, at least.


    I found Talis and Lira amongst the crowd giving me relieved yet concerned glances. Now, how do I start this?


    Lira made her way to the front of the crowd to join Cassia, Devon, Silica and Jallen, Ben following close behind. ¡°What¡¯s Going on.¡± Lira asked.


    It was a common question amongst the people.


    ¡°Moon has a proposal he would like us to hear,¡± Jallen responded. ¡°What kind of proposal?¡± Ben asked with suspicion.


    ¡°It''s best that it comes from his mouth. The only thing I ask is that you keep an open mind,¡± Cassia answered.


    I let the confusion build before I raised a hand for silence. Eventually the crowd quieted down, and I had everyone¡¯s attention. Ben was interrogating Cassia and the rest, but they weren¡¯t giving him any solid answers.


    ¡°Greetings all.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on Moon?¡± Ben demanded.


    I ignored him and continued to speak. ¡°You are confused as to why you were sent away and why I am now standing before you. That is because I am filled with a purpose that I must pursue.¡±


    ¡°What are ye looking to pursue?¡± someone in front of the audience yelled.


    ¡°Something knew, something daring. When I first landed upon these shores I had seen much suffering. People starving, living in squalor, and persecuted by an unjust system. It isn''t the first time I have seen such suffering. Yet one day a man and his family offered me assistance at risk of their own safety not knowing the depth of my power. They were kind, opening their home and hearth to me, asking for nothing.¡±


    My audience grew quite as they latched onto the tale I was spinning.


    ¡°Moriah, known to the world as a backwater in the middle of the Yruga had more to it than I ever realized. Beautiful beaches, fertile ground and even with the depravity of its king, still, there were good and honest people.¡±


    I took a deep breath, examining my audience as they were absorbed into the spell I was weaving and continued, ¡°Then I found you, the remnants of the failed rebellion. I have heard your tales of suffering. The lost loved ones, the violations you have endured. Yet you shared what little you had with me. It was a warmth I have not felt since the death of my dear apprentice. The cruelty of life did not harden your heart to simple kindness.¡±


    I paused as if I felt some deep sadness but in truth the pain of Benny''s death was long gone.


    ¡°I have great power, some of the strongest in the world. The miracles I have performed here is but a prelude to what can be done on a larger scale. Many have tried to buy my abilities with gold, magic, knowledge, position, or women. None of these moved me.¡±


    ¡°Now I am at a crossroads with my life. Do I move on to serve another king, another duchess, another baron, another despot who sees nothing more than their own glory reflected in my eyes? Or do I do something else. Instead of destroying on the behalf of others. Perhaps it is time I create,¡±


    ¡°What are you going to make?¡± Ben asked. I saw heads nodding at his question.


    ¡°A kingdom of his own,¡± Lira said, in a whisper but it carried through the entire crowd.


    ¡°Yes, Lira. This land is rich in resources and with the right leadership, could become the envy of the world. I choose this path not for my own glory, but for the people. The pea plant you all cherish can be spread across the land. Can you imagine a world where no child of Moriah will ever be hungry? Can you imagine a Moriah where no one has to fear pirates, thieves, corrupt lords, and depraved kings? Where the streets and seas are safe. Where anyone, so long as they are willing to work, will be paid a fair wage to feed and house their family.¡±


    I stood quiet for a few more seconds as they whispered amongst themselves. Some looked at me with fear, others hope, but most were skeptical.


    ¡°In truth I can''t imagine this, Moriah. Moriah is a kingdom of stagnation, ruled by incompetence and corruption. Moriah as it is can never be a place of peace, prosperity, and safety. Moriah will never become that which can give these children hope for the future¡± the faces of hope dimmed as I intended. Now to raise them again.


    ¡°Moriah may be forever lost, but there is hope. No matter how deep the night the sun will rise to drive away the darkness. Moriah may be lost but, in its place, Solaria can rise,¡± Gasps echoed through the crowd at the implication of my words.


    ¡°I have seen the potential of these lands, and its people. They cry out for salvation, for justice, for a new beginning. Too long has it gone unanswered. No one with either the power or will has taken up the call. It falls to me to carry this burden,¡±


    ¡°You want to be a king. An elf king in a kingdom of humans?¡± Stefen, one of Devon¡¯s men asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Yes, I must, and I will,¡±


    ¡°I ain¡¯t bowing to no elf,¡± he said, followed by the affirmations of a few other people.


    ¡°No one else has the power or will to see this through. No one else was willing to offer assistance when you needed it most. Not any human, noble or merchant and not even most of the army. None rose to your cause. It is an elf in this vast world who saw this island, its people and realized that it is worth saving. You say you will not bow to an elf. Who then will take up the cause? Who else will stumble into this camp with the power and will to see this land change for the better,¡±


    That cowed him a bit, as he had no answer. Jallen and the rest remained quite unwilling to influence the proceedings. Lira spoke up next.


    ¡°What are we to you then? And what do you want from us,¡±


    I gave her a warm smile, ¡°You would be the first Solarians. I want you to become whatever you wish to be, as my loyal subjects. I intend to take up arms against the King and his ilk. To bring them to justice. For that I need loyal soldiers. Should you choose to join my army, I have both the skill, knowledge, and coin to turn any of you, man, or woman, young or old, sick, or feeble, into the greatest fighting force this world has ever known.¡±


    ¡°Why not just fly there on your beast and take the capitol. Why should we risk our lives again.¡± Dariah, one of the seamstresses of the camp shouted.


    ¡°I can do that. Fly Baelathor to the city, burn it to the ground, killing tens of thousands in wyvern fire. Force them to kneel under the threat of fire and blood. Is that what you want? Is that what these lands need.¡± She went quiet, shaking her head.


    ¡°It is a hard thing to ask of you to take up arms again. But remember my power, you will not be fighting alone in the dark. Everything the sun touches is within my power. You will not ride into battle with broken weapons and armor. You will be armored with enchanted steel and protected with the magic of the Lightbearer himself, the greatest light mage this world has ever known.¡±


    I flicked an eye to Lira, catching her attention, ¡°Even more so, should some among you prove to be truly loyal to me, truly dedicated in making Solaria into something worth protecting. Then you prove yourself to be worthy of being granted the title of Solar Knight and you would receive a wyvern to call your own. Answerable only to me and my laws. The Solar Knights will be the most prestigious, well-armed, armored, and trained order of knights in the world.¡±


    A ripple went through the audience while I held Lira¡¯s eyes. Soon enough, her expression turned to shock as she realized I was referring to her. She slowly nodded and my smile widened.


    ¡°Those who are willing to take part in the future that I will build. To become a part of a new Kingdom, one of peace, justice, and plenty. One that allows you and your children to prosper. Step forward and take a knee.¡±


    There was no movement for a second before Lira walked forward, child in hand. Her husband tried to stop her, but she was determined. Then Cassia, Devon, Jallen, and Silica stepped forward, joining Lira. Ben gave me a sneer before he walked forward to join his wife. There was a heated conversation happening between them. Loresse left the platform and joined the rest, taking a knee. One by one people joined, including Talis the tall woman, all of the elderly women, all the unattached women and their children.


    I smiled inwardly as two thirds of the people took a knee before me. Six men stood apart refusing to kneel. Unfortunate, since they looked rather strong bodied but no great loss really. Among those standing apart with them were 15 women who looked on at the kneeling people with an odd combination of contempt and worry. A few of the women looked between the kneeling people and the men then sprinted forward to join the kneeling crowd. Once I was sure all those who were willing but hesitant made their choice, I spoke.


    ¡°I thank you for your show of loyalty. You took a risk to trust someone who you barely know. To acknowledge your wise choice, I give you all the title of First Citizens. With this title you will gain a commission of gelding. Lands to call your own, for you, and your children to hold in perpetuity. You all are the first and only people who will ever hold the title of first citizens, no other noble title will carry more respect. With this title comes privilege. If you wish to pursue the sword then the crown will provide the means to armor and train you. If you wish to become an artist, then the crown will provide the coins for instructors. Should you choose business, then the crown will provide the most lucrative contracts to ensure your success. Your destiny is now in your hands, you now have the opportunity to make your mark in the world. Taking the throne will be bloody, many corrupt merchants and lords will have to be brought down, and their lands seized. Who else but my first citizens would I trust to assume those noble titles,¡±


    ¡°Now you have heard my words, heard my goals. Now I ask you. Am I your king?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lira shouted followed by a chorus of other more boisterous shouts.


    ¡°Will you follow me towards greatness?¡± The cries of affirmation continued, and they sprung to their feet with cheers. I managed to catch the rest who didn¡¯t kneel slip away from the camp. They will have to be taken care of.


    ¡°Then I declare the establishment of the Kingdom of Solaria. This old ruin, I claim as the first of my lands. You, as of this moment, are now my loyal and beloved subjects. My first Citizens, the first Solarians.¡±


    I began casting Radiant orb. There was no fear since I had done it many times. After I released the spell, my subjects basked in the healing light. Cheering and hugging one another. Half the fighting men were gone, and I was left with mostly young and old women and quite a few children. But it was a start. After the cheers died down and the spell faded, I continued.


    ¡°Now it is time for appointments. Jallen forward.¡± With smiles, some of the women push Jallen forward. Taking a knee, he looked me in the eye.


    ¡°You have led these people well given all the extenuating circumstances. I can see no other worthy of the title of Vice Regent. In this roll you will be privy to my plans and offer advice for both the welfare and success of Solaria and its people. If I am ever absent or incapacitated, it will be your duty to lead them in my stead. Do you accept,¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would be my honor,¡± There was some rapturous applause. I let it die before I spoke again.


    ¡°Vice Regent Jallen, rise and join me. By my power I grant you the rank of lord, choose a family name since both you and your descendants will forever be a member of my nobility.¡± His eyes widened and he bowed even deeper.


    ¡°I will do my utmost to fulfill the duties you have set forth your majesty.¡± He said, then rose and climbed the stone platform to stand at my right hand.


    ¡°Devon, forward.¡± The middle-aged man walked forward and kneeled.


    ¡°I can see in you the ability to lead men and women. But I also see honor and goodness within you even though your heart is filled with grief. You are a man who can lead our soldiers, to forge our fighters into a true army, not a band of marauders. You will be responsible for the entirety of my army, its upkeep, discipline, training, and battle plans. I King Solaris the First grant you the title of First General. Do you accept?¡±


    The man met my eyes for long moments, still filled with doubts, ¡°I accept your majesty. And will perform my duties with the upmost dedication.¡± more applause from the audience resounded.


    ¡°Rise and Join me.¡±


    Excited whispered echoed through the ground,


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Were going to be nobles?¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re peasants?¡±


    ¡°Devons a good choice,¡±


    ¡°Who are we to argue with the Lightbearer?¡±


    ¡°I want to be a solar knight, can you imagine having your own wyvern?¡± a young boy whispered.


    ¡°As First Citizens, I wonder how much coin we will get. Did Jallen know about this?¡±


    Men and women went back and forth. Excitement, fear, and every combination of emotion was present in the crowd.


    ¡°Cassia forward,¡± Her collective of old women smiled at her and eagerly pushed her forward.


    She took a pained knee.


    ¡°It is not only the sword that will secure my kingdom, but magic as well. But this is not limited to killing. Magic can be used to build, to protect, and to enhance the lives of every citizen. In my kingdom I will need someone who understands magic, its dangers, and its potential. To train and nurture new magicians and enchanters that are found. I King Solaris the First grant you the title of Arch Magus. Do you accept.¡±


    ¡°I accept, this great honor, your majesty,¡± This time I left the platform and stood directly in front of her. She looked up at me and I offered her my hand. There was growing anticipation of what I was going to do. Once she grabbed my hand I began to work. ¡°Close your eyes,¡± I commanded.


    She probably had a few months to live. Cancer in her liver, failing kidneys, a massive amount of bone loss. I slowly healed her body, regrowing atrophied muscles, clearing away the cancer cells, even thickening her thinning hair. After another minute her yellowed skin began to take on a healthy pink. I prompted her body to produce more collagen and tightened her skin. I cleared away liver spots, discoloration, unsightly veins and much of the damage from prolonged exposure to the sun. After nearly five minutes she looked like she had reversed in age by about 20 years. At best most would say she was around 50. Then I filled her with living ether almost to the point where she would break through but stopped just short.


    Suffice to say the audience witnessing her transformation was shocked beyond belief. No words were uttered.


    ¡°Now open your eyes.¡±


    She gasped and looked around, ¡°I can see clearly!¡± she exclaimed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel any pain, Is this living ether? It¡¯s like there is a warm fire within me.¡± she whispered mostly to herself. I smiled mostly at the reactions from the crowd. A messiah has to perform miracles after all.


    ¡°This is but the beginning, as I have said, all who serve me will have access to my abilities. Especially my first citizens.¡±


    Fortunately, I still had my carrying case, so I took out the water amplifier, ¡°This is now yours. I will teach you every water spell I know and eventually air and shadow. Now rise Arch Magus Cassia and join me.¡±


    She stood expecting pain but felt nothing. Nodding numbly, she followed me back to the stage, holding the amplifier like a child.


    ¡°As I have stated I will form an Order of knights above all others. There are three amongst you who I believe can carry both the burden and has shown themselves to be truly loyal.¡± Excited whispers echoed through the audience mostly discussing who the Solar Knights would be.


    ¡°Silica forward,¡± She smirked and walked forward, already knowing that I would do this and took a knee.


    ¡°You have demonstrated both intelligence, caution, and the boldness needed to become a part of the most noble order of knights in the world. Your past means nothing, only the future matters. I see within you, the potential for greatness. The circumstances of your life molded you into the person you are today. But now you have the opportunity to forge a future for yourself. To be the person you wish to be. As my solar knight you will have my full trust and access to my abilities. The best education, training, and equipment I can either purchase or enchant. But this comes at a price. Will you swear to me and only me? To uphold my laws and obey my commands above all others.¡±


    ¡°I swear it, your Majesty,¡±


    ¡°Rise Silica and take your place at my side as a Solar Knight. A title you will hold forever, a title that will soon resonate throughout the world.¡±


    She grinned and joined me on the stage.


    ¡°Loresse forward,¡± She walked forward and took a knee.


    ¡°Loresse, you have already sworn your oaths and forsaken the ones to your dwarven king. And act that would see you killed if ever you were to return to dwarven lands, who can argue that she is not loyal. Who can argue that she is not dedicated to the future of Solaria. So, I need not ask, simply rise, and join your fellow Solar knight.¡±


    Loresse chuckled and went up on stage.


    ¡°Lira Forward,¡± That sent a ripple of confusion through the crowd. Not surprising, since Lira wasn¡¯t skilled in combat in any respect, nor did she have any skills to speak of. But that is precisely why, she was excellent propaganda. Not to mention her odd fanaticism towards me.


    ¡°No, I don''t agree with this,¡± Ben said to her.


    ¡°But I want to do this Ben, I can help make a better world for our daughter. Actually, do something,¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a warrior; this isn¡¯t your place.¡±


    I let the back and forth go on for a moment before I interjected, ¡°Why you disagree Ben,¡±


    ¡°As I said, Moon, your majesty. She is not a warrior. She has a child. This isn''t her place. Loresse and Silica are understandable, but not my wife.¡±


    I stared down at him, my face cold, ¡°Is that all you see in Lira, nothing else?¡± He said nothing.


    I shook my head, ¡°What do you think Lira?¡±


    Her eyes flicked between her husband and me, ¡°He¡¯s right I¡¯m not a warrior I¡¯ve never even swung a sword.¡± Ben looked at me as if he had won something.


    ¡°You''re wrong Lira, you do not see it, but I do. You have the ability to change the world. To secure a future for yourself and little Benny. You think you are just a peasant. There is limitless potential. Do not let fear hold you back. There is a bright future in front of you. All you have to do is reach out and grab it. Greatness is available to everyone here. Some people work hard to achieve greatness, some people are born great, and others have greatness handed to them. The only thing I can do is increase your speed along this path. It is up to you to take the first step.¡±


    She looked at her husband, then me, then to the other young women watching her make her decision. Seconds passed as she struggled. ¡°I do this for Benny,¡± she whispered, then in a split second she held her child close and sprinted to the stage unable to meet her husband''s gaze, which was enough for me, no need for more pageantry.


    The fool should have encouraged her instead of sticking to his guns. I''ll have to keep a close eye on him. Perhaps an accident needs to be arranged. The women clapped as Lira made her way to the stage. While Ben seethed, he couldn''t really do anything. Most of the people here were women and they needed a role model. Lira was perfect, in that she was unimpressive in every way. If she could become great, then they could as well.


    ¡°In the coming days I will speak with each of you individually, to learn your talents, skills, your dreams, and aspirations. For now, let us celebrate the establishment of A new Kingdom and a new Future.¡± I said, raising my staff.


    Loresse with a booming voice shouted, ¡°All Hail King Solaris.¡± Soon enough the crowd picked up the shout. Everyone kept shouting ¡®All Hail King Solaris¡¯ over and over. It was better than music, laughter, or even a woman¡¯s moans. It was truly the greatest thing I had ever heard. The only thing left in my mind was how it would sound with fifty thousand voices instead of fifty.


    The Next Morning.


    I spent most of the rest of the day speaking to every one of my subjects, eating and drinking the delicacies that I had brought and giving them positions and tasks to complete. Also imparting to them a gift of living ether once the conversation ended. Now there were people assigned to manage the garden, children cleaning and cooking. I¡¯ve even selected a few young women to begin training as medicants. It¡¯s simplistic and archaic but it was a start. Five older women assigned to cleaning and preparing food. I would train four young women to become mendicants. Two were assigned as my personal assistants and the rest who weren''t in the fighting force was assigned general tasks. The children were mostly put to the task of picking and shelling peas.


    ¡°So, this is our army,¡± I said to Devon. In front of us stood 30 people. 6 men and 24 women including Lira and surprisingly her husband. They had an argument that lasted throughout the night. He was mostly concerned about her safety, and she was filled with dreams of becoming something her daughter would be proud of and securing a future for their family through me. Some of the women were older, around 40, but had volunteered regardless.


    ¡°I still don''t see how this would work. We don''t have the equipment to train them even then it''s mostly women. They would never match a proper army.¡± Devon stated.


    ¡°Perhaps, but look at it a different way, how much can you train a soldier before they suffer from the effects of over training?¡±


    ¡°A few hours a day in the beginning with proper rest to recover, more as the body adjusts. Too much training and you risk injury.¡± I nodded,


    ¡°Indeed, however factor in my healing ability, you have already seen the extent of its potential.¡±


    He shook his head, ¡°Let¡¯s say you can drill them for an entire day. And they can recover to do it again. They still won¡¯t match men.¡±


    ¡°Incorrect, they won¡¯t match men of equal training and equipment. But how many men in the kings army have a thousand hours of training under their belt. How many men wear enchanted armor.¡± I asked.


    ¡°Damn few,¡±


    ¡°10 hours of training a day with my healing abilities to accelerate recovery. Let¡¯s say seven days a week and one for rest over three months. How many hours of training would that be?¡±


    It took him a few minutes to do the math in his head, ¡°Around 800 hours of training. But at that pace you would face injur¡­..¡± he paused then continued.


    ¡°I see, with your healing, injuries wouldn¡¯t matter, I drill them till they drop, and you can just heal them up to full health.¡±


    I grinned, ¡°Now, you have felt the restorative effects of the radiant orb. What if they were drilling under the light for an entire day.¡±


    ¡°You say it helps recover stamina¡­.. My word if this works how you say then these women could become something dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Now add in enchanted weapons, armor, and my magical support. What then.¡±


    He paused and he finally realized the potential power of such an army.


    I chuckled, ¡°Age, sex, it doesn¡¯t matter, I can make them great. But I need you to drill them properly. I can draw up an exercise and eating plan for you since I¡¯ve already implemented and documented its efficacy on both men and women,¡±


    He looked inspired, ¡°We need food, lots of meat and beans, for them to grow strong. But you already know this.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°I can arrange the shipment; it will take a few weeks to arrive, and it will be expensive. But I can make it happen. I also plan to expand the garden, and with supplies from Vandalia; it be enough to sustain us for some time.¡±


    ¡°All I need to do then is teach them to march, fight with a sword and proper military discipline. I can do it.¡± Devon licked his lips thinking about the possibilities; turning it over in his head until calm determination spread over his face. ¡°Very well then, your majesty I¡¯ll begin with this plan. And I assure you when you are ready to march you will have some of the finest soldiers under your command.¡±


    20 minutes later 20 radiant orbs were cast along the beach. In a straight line the men and women were running under the restorative light. Even with the light and the increase to stamina regeneration it offered many of the older women struggled. But they all were determined to complete the drill. I gave Lira an affirming nod, she was dripping with sweat and looked like she was about to pass out but kept going. Forcing herself to keep up with the stronger men.


    ~


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± Lira asked,


    I was standing on the beach with my inner circle as I had come to call them. Cassia who looked drained from spending most of the day practicing magic. Devon who looked like he had one foot in the grave since he joined the men and women in their drills. And finally, Jallen, who looked worried since he would be tasked to keep everything on track until I returned.


    ¡°It shouldn''t be more than two days, I have a good connection with Duchess Shorecast and can arrange a shipment of much needed supplies,¡±


    ¡°We don''t know how long those who left would take to reach civilization and if they are captured, we could be in danger,¡± Cassia said.


    ¡°Indeed, that is why I¡¯m rushing to make sure everyone can defend themselves, if need be, remember I can¡¯t be everywhere at once,¡± Everyone nodded but Silica and Loresse were eyeing me.


    The ones who refused to kneel left, saying that they wouldn''t kneel to an elf. Bigotry made little sense, but I couldn''t just outwardly kill them. At least not in the open.


    ¡°How¡¯s your magic coming along Cassia?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s getting better, I could do without the constant hunger though,¡± she said.


    ¡°Your body is using the living ether to heal itself; this requires food. This should be resolved once I get proper supplies from Vendalia and even better, the wyverns. Can you defend them if the need arises.¡±


    Cassia nodded, ¡°Yes, I grow stronger by the hour though I''m still rather weak when compared to an average mage. Your. My, amplifier helps considerably.¡±


    ¡°Lira, how is your training?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s torture, but I enjoy it. I¡¯m definitely the best woman but I can¡¯t compare to the men.¡± she complained. ¡°Yet¡± she added.


    I had filled her with living ether the day before to aid in her training and growth. She needed to be the best and she was determined.


    ¡°Silica, Loresse have you tracked them down, how long until they reach a village?¡± I asked,


    ¡°A few days,¡± Loresse answered.


    I nodded. ¡°Ok then, I leave in the morning. Jallen, you will be responsible for maintaining the camp while I¡¯m gone, Devon keep up the physical conditioning. We¡¯ll move on to weapons training once we have the equipment. At that point we can increase the intensity even further,¡±


    ¡°Oh, and Lira keep an ear to the ground for anyone else you think has potential,¡± I reminded her. I would need more Solar knights after all.


    ¡°Loresse. I want you to find any birds around the island you think would be suitable for a mount, you already know what Noire was like. The rest of you come up with 5 people to receive them, including yourselves, and one for me preferably a darker color. So, nine in total. Have it done by the time I return.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± they said in unison. They were getting better at that. I''m never going to get tired of hearing it.


    ¡°Any concerns?¡± I asked,


    ¡°Food, we need more, but that problem will solve itself. Some of the men are acting like fools since the women started training with them. How far should I go with punishments,¡± Devon asked.


    ¡°They are professional soldiers, not a band of thugs. They will be my right hand, carrying my banners, and fighting in my name. I will not tolerate my flag being sullied by fools. You must bring them under control and mold them into a proper army. Use any means necessary, remember I can heal almost anything. You have to break them and remold them until my word becomes absolute. Anyone who violates the standards I set forth should suffer severe punishment. How they act reflects upon you as their general and more importantly on me.¡±


    Devon nodded, ¡°I understand your meaning, I promise that they will be the finest men Mori¡­ Solaria has ever seen.¡±


    ¡°See it done,¡± Promises mean nothing to me, only results matter.


    ¡°We need proper laws, something basic to give the people some guidance,¡± Jallen said.


    ¡°I''m already working on it. It should be done within a week,¡± I said.


    ¡°Most can¡¯t read or write. We need to solve this problem.¡± Loresse said.


    I nodded, ¡°Cassia can you fit in basic lessons when working with the growers.¡±


    She shrugged, ¡°Yes, in fact I can start teaching everyone nightly.¡±


    Devon added, ¡°I¡¯ll add reading and writing as a part of the training. Perhaps we should add those supplies to the list. At the very least I can start with letters and numbers.¡±


    ¡°Anything else,¡± None responded, ¡°Very good everyone, you¡¯re dismissed. Loresse, Silica remain,¡± the rest bowed and the beach.


    They knew the problem before I even brought it up, ¡°Those people are going to be a problem if they talk or get captured. It could pose a problem with our preparation.¡± Silica said. Loresse nodded.


    I brought out my map, ¡°Where were they headed?¡±


    ¡°This village, following that valley. It shouldn''t take them more than a few days,¡±


    ¡°As my Solar Knights, what do you suggest,¡±


    ¡°They need to be eliminated,¡± Loresse said as if it was no big deal.


    Silica sighed, ¡°Yes, they were always the most hostile to you. They¡¯ll talk, and it could put the rest in danger,¡±


    ¡°Suggestions?¡± I already made my decision, but I wanted to see if they too would mirror my thoughts.


    ¡°Well, you''re leaving in the morning, one pass over with Baelathor and the threat is gone, but I¡¯m sure you already knew this. Your testing us.¡± Silica said, sounding morose but resolved.


    ¡°Yes, I am. Sometimes you need to do what is necessary. You¡¯re no longer a part of the rebellion or the sovereignty. You are Solarians, my Solar Knights. When you have your own wyverns, tasks like this will fall to you. If you cannot bear the burden of this then say your peace. I will allow you to walk away only once.¡± No one said anything.


    ¡°What of Lira?¡± Loresse asked.


    ¡°It will take time to mold her but soon enough she will be a part of these discussions. Now I need to meditate and consider my plans. continue to look for anyone who is showing signs of dissension or disloyalty. Dismissed.¡± They both bowed and left. I sat down on the beach, closed my eyes and sunk into meditation. Thinking of plans within plans and even more plans.


    ~


    The next day I was flying high in the sky early in the morning, following the path Loresse had drawn to the village. It took hours but I found them walking along a narrow ridgeline. I gave no warning. The moment I spotted the fifteen people, Baelathor dove; they had little time to react as Baelathor bathed the entire ridgeline in an ocean of fire, burning everyone to ash and bone. They didn¡¯t even have time to scream. Without a second thought I pointed Baelathor east towards Vendalia.

 Book 2: Chapter 15: The Resources

    I lounged in a luxurious bath enjoying lavender soap, the of smell burning essence and soothing sound of a woman playing a lyre. Landing outside Duchess Shorecast¡¯s capitol caused a large amount of drama, but her guards were well trained and had the common sense to know who I was. In short order, I was escorted through the city into her massive stone keep and offered every luxury that I could desire.


    The duchess herself was in an important trade dispute and would be joining me for an evening meal. I wasn''t offended in the slightest since I had been so thoroughly taken care of. And besides, I needed a bit of pampering after being forced to sleep on the ground. Her servants were oddly detached, they didn''t speak amongst themselves at all and behaved as if even my slightest disapproval of their actions would mean their certain deaths. Which with what I remember from my old enchanting teacher¡¯s impression of Shorecast¡¯s personality; It could very well be the case.


    As efficient as they were, their machine-like movement and mannerisms wasn''t something I would look for in my own staff. One of the girls even offered what she referred to as ¡¯sexual services,¡¯ in such a business-like manner, that it killed any interest I would have had in her otherwise. In the end I didn''t actually care how she ran her dutchy. One of the girls brought over a glass of my favorite spiced wine in a literal gold and diamond studded chalice. The ridiculous display of wealth amused me until I saw the blank expression on the woman who offered the drink. It''s like they were taught to never smile.


    I shook my head abandoning any prospects and closed my eyes determined to finish the entire bottle before I dared to leave the bath.


    Sitting at a table an hour later, I marveled at the massive amount of food on display, it was a feast really. I spent well over an hour sampling dish after dish, freely stuffing my face with actual food. I abandoned any sense of noble decorum since my only audience was more machine than men. Finally, after another hour of stuffing my face a liveried servant in blue and reds came over to me, ¡°The duchess will see you now Lord Solaris,¡±


    ¡°Lead me to her,¡± I said, not sparing the man a second glance.


    He led me to a smoking room, richly decorated with plush gilded furniture, a crackling fireplace, racks upon racks of wine against a wall, and of course in the center of the room were tobacco pipes. I lounged on one of the couches and not a minute later entered Duchess Shorecast in all her glory. The formerly old woman was now the picture of youth, with vibrant red hair, green eyes, and spotless skin. The blue dress she wore was on the more conservative end but still complimented her figure nicely. She gave me a soft smile before her servants, who were following close behind whispered something to her and left the room.


    ¡°Moon, how do you do, Or should I call you King Solaris, you worked faster than I had expected,¡± she said as she sat down across from me.


    ¡°I suppose it would be king Solaris, but my kingdom is little more than a broken down keep with a watchtower and fifty peasants. And please, we¡¯re allies, call me Moon when we¡¯re alone.¡±


    She raised a well-manicured eyebrow and said with a smile, ¡°Very well, you must call me Sonya then. So, you are onto your next step and need the resources. Denerif, Hearthaven and Halloway have long delivered on their promises. The resources are being held within a safehouse with my trusted guards. It is a good thing you have arrived so quickly,¡±


    ¡°Why is that? something amiss?¡±


    ¡°No, but the pressure from the capitol has increased along with the probes being sent about our connection with you. Our spies inform me that it''s all but confirmed that we are in allegiance, the only question is how deep and what are our intentions. I was speaking in respect to the wyverns you requested, they have not been doing well in captivity and two of the seven have died.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine, I only need three at the moment, what about our allies, anything new,¡± I asked.


    ¡°A few, Denerif has made headway with the Braken nobility and has allied himself with the house of Tares. An old and respected faction that over the centuries has lost power and influence, we have been ensuring their rise, no doubt in the coming months he will wed their eldest daughter. Imports of food have increased by 250% to their lands, slowly driving down prices. Hearthaven has been facing tariffs from the imperial throne on her export over the Stormveil Sea. I recommend you visit her in the coming weeks to reassure her citizens that the fiction of your bond is still strong. Still, with increased trade to Braken, she has not faced significant losses.¡±


    I nodded along, ¡°Have you started sabotaging the rest of the noble families?¡±


    ¡°Not quite, we intend to fully start operations once Denerif takes hold of the Tares family and it Officially becomes the Masons,¡±


    ¡°How is Moriah. It has been some time since anyone in the empire has concerned themselves with that island.¡± she asked,


    ¡°Damn poor, but as we expected, ripe for the picking. It will be another few months before I start marching,¡±


    I took out my highly detailed map and spent some time discussing my plans.


    ¡°Excellent, we will need a day for my men to fill the transport ship. Let us visit the warehouse. Hopefully, you can prevent the other wyverns from dying.¡±


    ~


    A long carriage ride later we reached a large wooden building surrounded by armed men. The duchess and I stepped out of the luxurious carriage, and we were immediately surrounded by her guards. A few minutes later we were escorted inside, and what a sight it weas.


    The duchess smiled as I stared wide eyed, ¡°500 swords, 500 shields 100 bows 20,000 arrows, 250 sets of adjustable half plate, 500 sets of brigandine, boots, thick woolen pants, socks, everything. 20 tons of military provisions. 15 tons of supplies: knives, saws, axes forks, pots pans, flint, tents, dried spices, salt, everything an army could need. 150 bottles of your favorite wine. 50,000 gelding, 25,000 sterling. Both chests are enchanted and has only two keys,¡±


    ¡°Excellent, even more than I had requested, what did it cost me?¡±


    She smiled slyly, ¡°Including the hard coin everything here is close to 100,000 gelding,¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°I thought it would be more, can you trust your men to deliver with discretion,¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are without question the finest of my Navy, they will deliver to your specified location, though I won¡¯t inform them until the day of departure.¡±


    ¡°The Wyverns?¡±


    She nodded and led me to the back room. In the room there were seven cages around thigh height. In all but two were a wyvern. Small, clearly starving but I could see scraps of untouched meat inside each cage.


    ¡°They rarely eat even then its barely scraps. Regardless of if it is fresh killed or living.¡± she said with some frustration.


    I walked over and stuck my finger in the cage touching the wing of a wyvern who seemed to be close to death. The emerald, green wyvern twitched as I made contact. I channeled living ether until it was near bursting and stopped. I repeated it with the other green, blue, brown, and black wyvern. They all twitched and wiggled looking up at me in fascination, then after a few moments ravenously, started consuming the food.


    ¡°What was the problem?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The black and green were sick, the brown was simply old the nothing is wrong with the rest, so I¡¯m not sure there. But after consuming a large amount living ether most people get ravenous hungry.¡±


    ¡°I see, that reminds me, your ability to enhance others and reverse the effects of aging are now known everywhere. I¡¯ve had elderly noble after elderly noble come to me or Allyssia on occasion, begging for a few years of life. Mages all over the empire have come south looking for access. How do you want to handle this?¡±


    ¡± True enhancements are restricted to those of the imperium. But you already mentioned what you would offer for the changes I made before you evolved. If you want, feel free to take them for everything they¡¯re worth. We''ll split the coin 50/50. You can even suggest that you have enough influence to reduce the price significantly for your own creatures.¡±


    She smiled viciously, ¡°That is more than acceptable, I have in mind two already in the city.¡±


    ¡°Anyone of note?¡±


    ¡°Gendry Duresh, a rather wealthy merchant, boasts the largest mercantile fleet. Lord Sorros, unexceptional but his lands produce the best ships in the empire.¡±


    ¡°Anything you need from them in particular?¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°No, they''re already under my thrall. And once it gets out that can request your services the rest will line up.¡±


    ¡°Ok then I have no use for Gendry until I fully take Moriah, however I would like three transport ships. What''s the maximum transport weight?¡±


    ¡°Around 500 tons for the biggest transport ships, they usually cost around 50,000 gelding and takes roughly half a year to build.¡±


    ¡°Let that be my price for Lord Sorros, feel free to bargain hard. I''ll cover whatever coin price you get him down to.¡±


    She chuckled, ¡°Do you even have someone in your group that can sail a ship?¡±


    ¡°No, but I have someone in mind who I think can convince, he has already proven himself to be a practical man.¡±


    After a small conversation about additional resources, we headed back to her keep. Allies are such an invaluable resource. With so much food and resources we can begin venturing to the neighboring villages and start recruiting. Even better is that I can begin paying my servants and soldiers. Even a few sterling a month is far more than most soldiers will ever receive. The rest of my day was spent enjoying the luxuries provided by Shorecast.


    The old men came by the next day. I did the usual, repairing organs, tissue regeneration, sight restoration and rebuilding muscles. These men who were in their sixties walked out of the room looking and feeling like men in their forties, as expected they were more than willing. The lord Sorros offered the three ships at a third of the price. And Shorecast struck some deal with the merchant that left her pleased. I took hard coin, 50,000 exactly, just enough to cover the cost of the three ships. We were in her study going over a few letters from our allies when Shorecast flinched, and an annoyed expression came over her face.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± I asked.


    She looked me in the eye debating if she should answer then after a few moments sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s my moon blood, it returned a few months ago, though I distinctly remembered you saying it wouldn¡¯t,¡±


    I shrugged, walked around her desk, and offered her my hand, ¡°May I examine you?¡±


    ¡°Very well do it quickly,¡±


    I did just that and yes, her reproductive organs were functioning as a normal healthy woman would. In fact, if I didn¡¯t know this woman was 80, I wouldn¡¯t be able to predict her age. I delved deeper into her cells, her DNA, nearly falling over in shock at what I saw, ¡°Holy shit,¡± I said, the curse completely lost to her.


    ¡°Something amiss?¡± she asked with some worry.


    I shook my head, ¡°No, something is very right.¡± Her telomeres were fully regenerated, she almost looked like a newborn from a DNA standpoint. I moved on to her ovaries. To confirm my suspicion. And there it was, her oocytes were also at the levels of a newborn female.


    ¡°For all intents and purposes, you do not have a single identifier of your age. In fact, you''re similar to a newborn in certain aspects, parts of you that degrade with age have fully recovered to levels that only exist in newborn children.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean exactly?¡± I thought about how to explain DNA to someone who has no idea what microbiology is.


    ¡°Every living creature has a set of instruction ingrained into their soul. It governs everything; hair color, eye color, skin color and height. You inherit these instructions from your parents, which is why you share traits with them. It also controls how your body maintains itself.¡±


    She looked bemused but said nothing, ¡°These instructions degrade over time and this results in ageing. The loss of hair color, atrophy of muscles sagging skin, and a myriad of health problems. Technically no one actually dies from old age, its usually disease or organ failure, but with you I see no degradation; it''s as if you have the instructions of a newborn child.¡±


    She still looked skeptical but nodded in acceptance, ¡°What does that mean for me?¡± she asked,


    ¡°You will live a long and healthy life, though you already knew that. This also means that you can get pregnant again.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± she said sarcastically.


    ¡°Any other changes,¡±


    ¡°Many, I don''t sleep as much anymore, perhaps a few hours every other day. My moon blood is short and oftentimes I don¡¯t notice it. A blessing I suppose. I am as strong as a trained swordsman even though I have never so much as picked up a sword in my entire life. Also, a blessing. MY senses: taste, hearing, smell, touch, are all vivid. It took some time to get used to it. I can also feel people using magic though I''m still certainly not a mage.¡±


    ¡°Any negatives?¡± I asked.


    ¡°None, though I am wondering how long I will live,¡±


    ¡°My experience is the same. You are simply more. Better in every way. If you bothered to take up the sword then you would outclass every knight in your service. As for your life span, Another two or three centuries most likely.¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    She sat in long silence as she considered her extended life span. Then she shrugged and immediately changed the direction of the conversation, ¡°Do tell me about your new subjects, the rest of us have been anxious for new information.¡±


    ~


    I spent an hour detailing the people I had found, information about Moriah and the broad strokes of my plan.


    We continued talking while we enjoyed a glass of wine. ¡°The strangest part is their lack of ambition. One would think if one of the most powerful mages in the world turns up at your doorstep, offering the world, then you would have loftier goals than opening a tavern or starting a farm or being a servant in my family.¡±


    Sonya giggled almost sounding like the young woman she wasn¡¯t, ¡°They¡¯re peasants who likely spent their entire lives being, destitute, hungry, and persecuted. For someone like that owning a good business is the height of accomplishment.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you are correct, at least there are a few among them who have lofty ambitions that I can foster,¡±


    She took a deep draft of her wine savoring the rich smoky flavor before she asked, ¡°Lira, I don¡¯t understand why you chose her, beyond her fascination with you.¡±


    ¡± It¡¯s a solution to the same problem of lack of ambition. None of those peasant women are likely to consider themselves to be great warriors. But if one amongst them can achieve such lofty goals,¡±


    Sonya finished for me, ¡°Then others would rise up and seek it for themselves.¡± she shrugged, ¡°A decent solution, though you are unlikely to receive dividends for some time.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, amused at the irony, ¡°With people like us, all we have is time.¡±


    She grinned maliciously, ¡°That is true, but for some reason I feel all the more impatient,¡±


    ¡°I understand your feelings. So much I can accomplish with the time I have. I just can''t wait to get started.¡±


    She nodded, affirming that I was mirroring her thoughts. ¡°You need a flag. Symbols are important things. It reminds everyone from peasant to noble who is in power,¡±


    ¡°Anyone in your city that can provide that service,¡±


    ¡°I have one on retainer. most noble families choose beasts for their heraldry. I recommend the Wyvern. It''s one that no one else has used. You can create an impressive flag, coat of arms, heraldry, and the like,¡± She offered helpfully, though there was an undercurrent of slyness about her suggestion. Though for the life of me I couldn''t figure out what it was. I shrugged resolving to deal with that later. For now, I have things to do and a kingdom to build.


    ~


    I landed on the shores of my kingdom almost two days later, it was the early evening and before I could even hop off Baelathor¡¯s back eleven people rushed to greet me. My inner circle as I had begun to refer to them. Solar knights, my First General, Vice Regent and my Arch Magus along with 5 others. Including Talis, the tall woman as well as Annie, and Lut the only people in the camp who were teens. Garna and finally Russ, one of Jallen¡¯s good friends. Garna was an old woman but strong in body. I raised my eyes at their choices.


    ¡°Your Majesty,¡± they bowed and said in unison. I couldn¡¯t stop a smile from stretching across my face. Raising my hand, I bid them to rise. I could see Loresse licking her lips at the cages attached to Baelathor¡¯s saddle.


    ¡°How was your journey?¡± Jallen asked, as I approached the group.


    ¡°Fruitful, in the coming weeks we will be drowning in resources. Arms, armor, everything we would need for the next several months. I see you have decided who will be the first flyers.¡±


    Jallen nodded at Devon and started, ¡°Yes, you have emphasized the importance of loyalty and eagerness in people. Russ is a man of unquestionable honor and our best scout,¡± Loresse scoffed, ¡°Other than Lady Dumarn of course.¡±


    ¡°Annie and Lut may be young, but they are eager and more than willing to learn.¡± I nodded at the two brown haired teens. ¡°Talis refused at first but she, like Russ, can be trusted since she saved my life once. Garna¡¯s life experience will temper their youthful exuberance,¡±


    Their reasons were sound, even if they were not perfect, they could be molded. ¡°Excellent choices. Anything new on your end Cassia?¡±


    ¡°My magic has plateaued; the crops are being harvested, and we don''t have to worry about food. But we are getting some complaints about the lack of variety. No injuries or sickness that need your immediate attention.¡±


    ¡°Training,¡± I said looking at Devon.


    ¡°Progressing, the training is difficult for the women, but they have shown no small amount of commitment. Lira has been something of an inspiration. Some minor disciplinary problems but I¡¯ve sorted it out.¡±


    I looked to Jallen, and he nodded, ¡°The camp is stable, everyone has a task, and they are committed to them. Though we should work out a system of payment soon. A noble cause is a good motivator, but coin is coin.¡±


    I spent a few moments processing that before I asked, ¡°Have you gathered the birds?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, their tied up in the camp. We have already sorted out who gets which bird?¡± Jallen said.


    I smiled, ¡°Excellent, we well sort that out in the hour. For now, return to your duties. Russ, Talis, Germa, Lut and Annie I will speak to you all later.¡±


    A few minutes later they left me with my solar knights.


    ¡°So those are the beauties,¡± Loresse said as she helped me carry down the five cages.


    ¡°Indeed, now you may choose. Be warned this is a bond that lasts forever and not even I can break it.¡± I was reasonably sure I could break it with enough effort but why tell them that?


    ¡°The black one is mine,¡± Loresse said without preamble. No one else voiced objections.


    Lira spoke up next, ¡°I think I want the blue one. Its scales are pretty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take one of the greens I suppose,¡± Silica said.


    ¡°Very well let¡¯s begin,¡±


    I had already explained the process and half an hour later we were watching the creatures twitch and writhe within the cages as their bodies changed.


    ¡°That was terrible,¡± Lira said, her voice filled with sympathy.


    ¡°Indeed, now they are yours, no one else will command them,¡± I walked over to the blue one¡¯s cage since it was the first that had woken up after the transformation.


    ¡°Go on Lira, call her over. Don¡¯t use your voice, just feel it.¡± I said,


    With saucers for eyes, she sent a request to the creature. The small blue wyvern shook herself off. And in a single leap took to the air enjoying the freedom before landing on Lira¡¯s shoulder. It was little larger than a cat. It stuck its long serpentine tongue out and licked her face. Lira let out a girlish giggle and said, ¡°She¡¯s amazing. I¡¯ll call you iris, after my favorite flower.¡±


    I repeated the process with the next two wyverns. As with Lira, Loresse and Silica called them over.


    ¡°Draxus, the black wing, that will be your name,¡± Loresse said as she commanded the black wyvern to breathe a small amount of fire. They were little more than small tufts of flame.


    ¡°Fenre, come,¡± Silica said. The small emerald wyvern crawled out of the cage, made a single flap, and landed on her head. Silica smiled.


    ¡°Remember, they are not pets, they¡¯re connected to your very soul and they will have their own personalities. for the most part they can be independent of you. Make sure to reinforce the behaviors you want. And send them out to eat as much as possible. They will grow fast, and we will have to do this at least one more time.¡±


    ¡°How long before they grow large enough to fly?¡± Loresse asked.


    ¡°A month if they get all the food they want. Fortunately, the ocean is rich with fish and these hills have a lot of fauna.¡±


    ¡°And the last two?¡± Silica asked, nodding to the brown and green wyverns.


    ¡°They will remain for now; I can keep them alive and maybe even breed them since the brown one is a male and the other is female. But for the most part they will remain in reserve for others I find worthy. How is everything else?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to split Lira''s training between us and Devon. She¡¯ll be a terror once were done.¡± Loresse said, nodding to herself.


    ¡°Excellent, now there is one last thing you all will need to become official Solar Knights.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Silica asked.


    ¡°Remember I know how to create etheric knights?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Right, you know how to do it. How could I forget.¡± silica said.


    ¡°Indeed, the tattooing process takes time, around six hours, but after that you will be able to use spell circuits embedded in armor. For example.¡±


    After a brief explanation I cast an overcharged strengthen on Lira. she shivered as the spell took hold.


    ¡°Wow, I feel powerful.¡± She said in amazement.


    ¡°Care to give it a test Loresse? Your skill versus my magic?¡±


    She grinned and cracked her knuckles, ¡°Let¡¯s see to it then,¡±


    Lira lost but not without putting up a good fight. Loresse was simply too skilled for her. Though Lira did manage to toss the woman through the air like a sack of potatoes when she got overconfident. After healing their wounds, we sat on the beach as I discussed my business in Vendalia.


    ¡°That reminds me,¡± I said, hopping up and climbing onto Baelathor. I pulled out Xalia¡¯s armor. It took several minutes since it was in at least a dozen pieces. The elven armor plate sat on the beach. It was much too slender for any of them to wear.


    ¡°You just had this sitting in those bags.¡± Silica asked, shaking her head.


    ¡°Indeed, I rather like the design, especially the interlocking scale armor beneath the plate. I think this base design would be quite appropriate for you.¡± The scale armor covered the chest arms and legs. Above the scale was a plate just enough to protect the upper chest, should upper and lower arms, as well as having gauntlets. The helmet had a closed face with ear holes. The lower part of the armor had a waist, thigh, and shin guards as well thick steel plate boots.


    ¡°Elven armor can¡¯t say I¡¯ve ever seen it before,¡± Silica said.


    ¡°They¡¯ve fallen out of use. But it can have a new life and a new purpose with the solar knights, I just need to find a smith to make them. Not to mention this.¡± I said pulling out Xalia¡¯s mithrite sword.


    ¡°An enchanted set of this armor, a mithrite sword, spell circuits embedded beneath each piece, and a wyvern. This will be the standard loadout of a Solar knight. I''ll have to have someone design a kite shield with my heraldry.¡±


    Lira tore her gaze away from the armor and weapon and asked. ¡°Heraldry?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I had an official flag, crest and a few banners made. It was a rush order, but Duchess Shorecast¡¯s man was talented. It only took him a day to finalize my design. I think a deep purple and white cape with my sigil will be quite fetching.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can guess what I chose,¡± I said pulling out a rolled-up flag, and small squares of cloth out of Baelathor¡¯s bag. I unfurled it for them to see.


    ¡°Beautiful and a bit garish, it fits you perfectly¡± Silica said, shaking her head.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty,¡± Lira added.


    ¡°You do know purple die cost a lot of coin?¡± Loresse asked rhetorically.


    The flag was a rich slightly dark purple. Dominating the center was a white wyvern with a purple eye breathing golden fire. Int its left talon it held the sun in the other the moon. Next, I showed them my coat of arms. It featured two white wyverns parched on a shield breathing golden fire that coalesced into the gem of my staff, Eclipse. Inside the shield was the sun and moon in a stylized depiction of a solar eclipse. Underneath, in English, were the words, ¡°The sun shall burn eternal,¡±


    ¡°Now that''s a proper coat of arms,¡±


    ¡°I had livery commissioned as well. My colors are white and purple with accented gold. I''m going to give these out for people to sew into their clothes, it should do for now,¡±


    ¡°Didn''t think you would go this far so soon,¡± Silica said.


    ¡°Symbols are important, and people need to see these everywhere as a constant reminder of who is in power.¡± I said repeating Sonya¡¯s words.


    Two weeks Later.


    ¡°Remember, saving his life is all that will matter, pain is temporary. If not properly set a broken bone could cause further injury. This could lead to improper healing, infection, sepsis, and death,¡± I lectured the four young women who I had been training in medicine. We were standing around a man who had broken his leg while training. It was a clean break of his tibia. I took this as the perfect opportunity for them to learn how to set a bone beyond theory.


    ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± they said simultaneously. The man was in pain but grit his teeth as they worked together to adjust the broken bone in place. The brace was crude, little more than sturdy planks of wood wrapped tightly around his leg to hold the bone in place. It took them several tries, but they succeeded. I could numb his pain, but they needed to be able to do this while I¡¯m not around.


    ¡°How¡¯s this your majesty,¡± Sivis asked, while Hanna Norn and Calin looked on with nervous anticipation. Sivis was the oldest and fastest learner.


    ¡°Good, slightly too tight but not enough to cut off blood flow, he will just have to deal with discomfort for a time.¡± After a quick healing light and bone mending. The man limped off. My magic was powerful enough to heal it fully, but they needed to learn restraint. If it got around that they could injure themselves with leisure and I would simply put them back together, then recklessness would take hold and with that would come undecided deaths.


    ¡°Umm, your majesty are we ready to move on to suturing,¡± Calin asked, the young blonde girl was perhaps the smartest but overly timid.


    ¡°Yes, even better we should have proper supplies soon.¡±


    ¡°What will we learn after that,¡± Norn asked.


    ¡°Diseases, how to diagnose and treat. Bedside decorum. By the time I''m done you will all know every organ by name and its function. Every bone, muscle, types of tissues, different kinds of surgeries, soon enough we will perform an amputation, c-section, and appendectomy.¡± They looked confused.


    ¡°What are those your majesty? Sivis asked.


    ¡°A c-section is a method of extracting a child from the mother¡¯s uterus without her dying. An appendectomy is he process of removing the appendix a simple treatment for appendicitis,¡± They looked confused, but I gave them a wave which they knew meant. ¡®I will explain it in detail later,¡¯


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think we would learn that much,¡± Sivis asked.


    ¡°What you know has barely touched the surface, perhaps in another five years you will have enough skill to call yourself a doctor,¡± I said.


    ¡°Dok-tor,¡± Calin said, sounding out the strange word.


    ¡°Yes, you four will be the single most talented medicants in the world. I found the term Medicant to be inappropriate for the level of skill I will foster in you. This is a lifelong journey for you. Are you ready for it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± they said in unison, their faces filled with determination.


    It''s such a simple thing. Once someone has a purpose, a goal; they will follow that path to the ends of the world. I saw it in their eyes, the devotion, the eagerness. They will be incredibly valuable to me in the future.


    ¡°Your majesty,¡± Kelin shouted from the opening of the medical tent. She was one of my assistants.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said.


    ¡°Urgent message from Silica, a large ship has been spotted off the coast. Devon and his people are already at the shore,¡±


    I grinned and nodded eagerly. They were ahead of schedule. I walked through the camp and people bowed in deference as I passed. Every one of them had some form of livery. Simple images of wyverns were sewed into clothes, and my flag hung from the center of the camp. They were becoming my people and now I could hear them calling themselves solarians.


    I sent a message to Stone and a few minutes later I hopped on the horse joined by Kelin. In short order we were at the beach. Everyone was there. MY solar knights were off to one side with their wyverns, who had grown significantly.


    Iris¡¯s blue scale now resembled sapphires, her wing membrane was a deep blue almost purple, she had almost no spines, of all the wyverns She was the least intimidating, that was however, until she breathed fire, the bright blue flames were stunning and deadly. Draxus loomed over Loresse. The black wyvern was ferocious, absolutely covered in sharp spines that ended in blood red tips. Its eyes were a blood red, and its wing was as dark as ink. It was the largest at around 35 feet.


    He had double rows of backwards facing hooklike teeth and a face that could only be described as being in a permanent hateful snarl. Fenre was the second largest at around 27 feet. He was by far the fastest of the wyverns. His wings were thinner and swept back, he also had a second set of small wings near the base of his tail that further increased his maneuverability. They had gone through their second evolution this very morning.


    They were impressive but none could hold a candle to baelathor, that monster was beyond anything else in the world. Baelathor could kill any of them without much difficulty even if they attacked all at once. Every one of them knew that if there ever was a betrayal, then they would face him.


    The birds chosen for the flyers were called Osturaies. Predator birds that hunted in the forest as well as in the ocean. Most were white with a much larger wing to body ratio than Noire. With large talons, designed to capture and carry prey long distances. My bird, I named Asure, due to her blue eyes. She had grown rapidly to only slightly smaller than Noire with a wingspan of 100 feet. She was probably still hunting since she was in the final stages of growing. Everyone that was bonded to an animal had fostered a strong connection treating them like beloved pets. No one had taken flight yet at my command, but they were anxious.


    Once the wyverns were introduced to the population no one had any doubt that I would take the throne. They were increasingly motivated to prove themselves since there were two unclaimed wyverns.


    I smiled as I spotted the trade ship in the distance.


    ¡°Your majesty,¡± Devon called out when I arrived.


    ¡°That''s the ship isn''t it.¡± He said. I nodded.


    ¡°Three months everyone, three months until we begin our conquest. You have all done well in your training and dedication so far. Now it is time we accelerate the process. First General, are my soldiers ready to train?¡± I asked. They knew that once the supplies arrived that their training would be increased dramatically.


    Devon stood up, straightened, then turned to the small army. He shouted, ¡°Soldiers, are you ready to train? To become the light that banishes the darkness. Blades in our glorious king''s army.¡±


    Every man and woman stood straight, pressed a fist against their heart, and shouted back, ¡°We are ready,¡±


    I looked into their eyes. I had been working with them closely for the last few weeks carefully monitoring their training. With my assistance their growth was steady, and quickly, even the oldest woman could complete the drills. But I needed more.


    ¡°Vice Regent, are the people ready,¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are dedicated. Most believe that it''s only a matter of when you take the throne, not if,¡± Jallen said and Cassia added, ¡°They practice their letters and numbers daily. In the coming months everyone will be able to read and write. All are prepared, you only need to give the order, and we will follow,¡±


    ¡°My solar knights, the world will soon learn of your existence. Why don''t you give these men an introduction and have your wyverns guide them to our location.¡±


    Loresse and Silica grinned. Without even a word the black, green, and blue wyverns flew off towards the ship eager to take to the sky.


    ¡°I can''t wait to fly,¡± Lira said, watching Iris''s beautiful wings. Loressse had a vicious smile and Silica looked determined. Their tattoos were finished. I only needed to start creating the tools. For now, a shield and enchanted sword would be enough. I should pay my dear Allyssia a visit since there was a particular horse master who would no doubt be eager to create the saddles.

 Book 2: Chapter 16: The Results of Training

    I stood on the bow of the large transport ship watching the last of the supplies being lowered into boats. The four masted monstrosity couldn¡¯t actually be landed. These boats would ferry them to the shore, where men and women would carry them to the camp. Captain Reign, Sonya¡¯s lead naval commander, oversaw the operation to transport the supplies. The surprisingly young man commanded men twice his age with the competence of a man thrice his years.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie. I am curious about who these people are, Lord Solaris,¡± he said.


    ¡°The duchess hasn''t informed you?¡± I asked.


    He shook his head. ¡°No. And if she didn''t, then I have no need to know. These men are vetted so, rest assured that none will speak of what they see, The Duchess does not tolerate disloyalty. Though everyone is curious about what the Lightbearer is up to.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the common view of me lately?¡± I asked.


    ¡°It''s a mixed bag; some revile you for actions at the capitol, while others praise the large amount of healing you performed during your time with Duchess Hearthaven.¡±


    ¡°Loved in the south and hated in the north I see. What of the imperial family?¡±


    ¡°Precisely my Lord, Empress Vandalia has largely disregarded you as a threat. Downplaying your power and curbing her vassals. Though, anyone who has met you, or have seen Baelathor in person would know that is complete folly.¡±


    I nodded along, I already knew all from my conversation with Sonya, but it was important to have multiple perspectives.


    A younger man came running over to the bow, straightened his back and announced, ¡°The last of the supplies have been loaded, captain.¡±


    It had taken the better part of the morning. Fortunately, with my telekinesis, I could move the larger crates significantly faster; cutting down the time it took to unload the items.


    ¡°Well, it is good to have met you captain, the winds look favorably so I wish you a safe journey.¡±


    He reached into a pocket and pulled out a sealed letter, he bowed respectfully, and I took the letter and stowed it in a breast pocket.


    ~


    All 56 members of camp stared dumbstruck at the massive amount of crates that littered the area. My inner circle were all around me, not entirely sure how to tackle distributing the items. The important items like mithrite and gold were already in my tent. I''ll have to assign a quartermaster to keep track of everything. Fortunately, I had a detailed list of everything that was delivered.


    ¡°Solar knights; follow me¡± I said, heading to my tent. My solar knights followed me inside while the rest waited outside. Taking a key out of a pocket, I opened one of the three unassuming chests. Each contained 25,000 coins, one silver and two gold. I opened one of the gold chests.


    ¡°By all the gods,¡± Lira exclaimed before she caught herself.


    ¡°Yes, a small fraction of my fortune. I did say I would pay you all well. But you won''t be getting paid in the normal sense, all you need to do is take any amount of coin you need. We can formalize this process later.¡± I said, handing Silica, Lira, and Loresse a key. Each chest had two keys at my request.


    ¡°You place a significant amount of trust in us.¡± Silica said. It was rather foolish to be honest since they could steal a chest rather easily.


    Lira sniffed, ¡°It¡¯s not like any of us would steal from you.¡±


    ¡°I know that and besides Silica, the only way to know if you can trust someone is to put your trust in them. I have seen nothing so far to suggest that you would betray me, so why would I not trust you with such a paltry sum of coin.¡±


    Loresse shook her head mumbling, ¡°Paltry sum he says,¡±


    ¡°So, we just come here and take coin as we need it?¡± Lira asked.


    ¡°Essentially yes. Probably best to leave a note inside so I can keep track of how much coin I have,¡± I said nonchalantly. Though it was largely because I wanted to devalue coin in their eyes. If they had easy access to a fortune, then bribing them would be rather difficult. It was also a test. Once they have their mounts then the only thing stopping them simply flying away with a chest would be trust. It would be unfortunate, but better to have them betray me now than later.


    ¡°For now, it is time to pay my people for their efforts. Granted we don''t have a proper economy and everyone in my army will receive supplies for free. But now that we have resources and coins I want to begin recruiting from neighboring villages in a few months.¡±


    Silica nodded, ¡°Coin can open many doors.¡±


    ¡°For now, I will pay my citizens for their hard work. 15 geldings a month in for the inner circle and let''s say 15 sterling a month for any of my staff.¡±


    ¡°That''s a lot, most peasant soldiers would be lucky to earn two or three.¡± Loresse said.


    ¡°Well paid soldiers are less likely to take bribes and besides I need to keep up morale; Call in Jallen and the rest¡± I said.


    Not a few minutes later Jallen, Devon and Cassia walked in, staring at the three open chests. It took them a few seconds to recover from the shock of seeing a literal fortune sitting on the dirt floor.


    ¡°Goodness, I''ve never seen so much wealth in one place.¡± Jallen said, shaking his head.


    ¡°What are you intending to do with so much coin?¡± Devon asked.


    ¡°I promised a reward of coin. To my first citizens let''s put it at 15 gelding a head. 20 if they decided to join the army or medical staff. Anyone with children will receive an additional 10 for each child. 25 gelding will be held in trust for those children once they reach the age of 16.¡±


    Cassia shook her head, ¡°That''s nearly a thousand gelding, what would they even do with that much coin?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Doesn''t matter at the moment, but I did promise to reward them with gold. It''s a onetime payment. As for paying 15 sterling a month for soldier and 15 gelding for each of you, coin is just a tool like any other. I can make coin easily. Trusted people are worth their weight in gold. Everyone, no matter how noble or selfless, desires appreciation for their loyalty and dedication¡±


    They nodded along as I explained, ¡°Very good now help me gather the coin, I have a speech to give.¡±


    I stood outside my tent, the eager eyes of my citizens watched, the anticipation was palpable.


    ¡°My first citizens,¡± I began. ¡°You have put your trust in me, into the future I have promised. I have watched as you worked hard to learn, grow and improve yourself. I find myself moved by your dedication. Let it be known that the trust and loyalty you have shown me has not gone unrecognized. No matter how small the contribution, I have seen it, and I will recognize it. Take this small reward as a gesture of greater rewards to come for those who genuinely believe in the bright future we intend to build,¡± Excited cheers echoed through the audience.


    I nodded to Jallen and in short order everyone lined up in front of me. One by one I dropped gold into each hand. Some had tears in their eyes and some kneeled at my feet looking ready to kiss my toes if I asked. Through it all I was magnanimous, saying that such a small display of gratitude was not worth such prostration. In reality most peasants could work their entire lives and not earn a single gelding. Comparatively I had just given each and every one of them a great fortune. After the coin was passed out, I continued.


    ¡°In the coming weeks we will work harder, grow stronger. This is but the beginning of the great future that awaits us. Soon enough all of Solaria will see the great bounty we can offer. Eventually the entire world will envy what we have created. Through our sweat and blood, we will be the guiding light that banishes the darkness bringing forth a new age, the age of Solaria. So, I ask, are you with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your majesty,¡± they yelled back.


    ¡°Then let us feast and celebrate our accomplishments and the rich future ahead of us.¡± The people burst into cheers and Loresse shouted over the entire crowd. ¡°All Hail King Solaris.¡± The crowd picked up the chant. I took some time to appreciate the beauty of such music.


    The cook pots were filled with sausages, strips of dried pork and beef, seasoned with herbs, spices and most importantly salt. People ate their fill, their bowls overflowing with meat. When the sun went down, Crates were opened revealing bottles of wine, wheels of cheese, dried fruit, crackers, and sweets. Bottle after bottle of wine was drunk and when the sun went down It turned into a celebration.


    My people sang songs, men women danced with abandon carefully clutching heavy coin purses. Children ran and played, overflowing with energy from the sweets they had eaten. Eventually Silica, Loresse, and Lira were pulled into the festivities. And once wine started flowing; they too danced and sang regardless of their ability.


    Jallen, who was sharing a bottle with me, watched as the people celebrated; a far cry from the half-starved and hopeless state they were in when I first arrived. A single tear crawled down his face before he quickly wiped it away. I tried to remain the stoic king, but eventually my will was worn down and I joined them in their celebration. People laughed at my awkward moves as they sang and clapped to a song I had never heard. It was surprising to me that I genuinely enjoyed myself. The simple happiness reminded me of my first time flying with Benny, perhaps Garette was right all along.


    ~


    Who is stronger, a man or a woman? The easy answer would be a man due to various biological factors. Denser bones, more skeletal muscle, thicker skin, and various other physiological factors. However, biological fact only remains true to a point, add swordplay into the equation and more factors are introduced. Speed, stamina, timing, strategy, reaction time; physical strength by comparison isn''t as significant. Training a group of mostly women to become fighters when they were taught by a society that women shouldn¡¯t do such things was a challenging task.


    This, however, changed once proper weapons were introduced. The men who had experience under Devon beforehand saw their skill increase exponentially so this allowed them to remain superior to the women in terms of skill, for a few weeks at least. However, as the women caught up in terms of physical fitness the sparring matches became less predictable. The best of the women was of course Lira. The women lost over and over since Devon would not tolerate them going easy because of their gender.


    Over the first two weeks of proper weapons training the men took it easy on the women, thinking it wouldn''t be chivalrous to strike them too hard. The women however had no such mercy and Jorm, one of the better men lost to a killing strike from Lira, netting the women their first victory.


    Like sharks, the first drop of blood sent the rest into a frenzy. The training became even more intense then one win, became three, then ten. This spurred them men on further since their pride wouldn''t allow them to lose to women so easily. The next two weeks were filled with unending competition. Each side pushing the other to greater levels of skill. With a proper diet and my abilities, they were quickly surpassing the skill of any normal army. In another three months they would be a real force to be reckoned with.


    Now I stood upon the shore watching as Nanette, a 40-year-old mother of three who had only one son left, fought Ben. He wasn¡¯t the best soldier, but he was bigger and surprisingly fast for his size. Nanette though some insane amounts of dedication and fought her way near the top of the women in terms of skill. Being beaten out by only Lira and Talis. The fight was in its ninth round, both carried wooden swords dressed in their full armor. A combination of plate brigandine and leathers, each were armed with a sword and shield. Both were bruised; both were unwilling to concede the victory. One needed to win two matches in a row to be declared the winner and Nanette was up by one.


    I had spent considerable time making sure that their bodies grew properly. At least two years of physical conditioning were condensed in a month. Granted some of the women were concerned with their growing muscles. But I reassured them that so long as they stick to my diet, they wouldn''t lose any significant amount of fat, and I was more than willing to make slight modifications at their request. If I wasn''t already perfect, I would have made significant changes to myself. In another month or two they would reach the limit of human physical conditioning.


    There were things like menstrual cycles that I had to manage. They were rather disturbed with discussing how it would affect their training with me. I was a man and their king, so they considered such things inappropriate. So, I ended up using my doctors in training as a go between for what they called ¡®womanly concerns¡¯.


    Still the fight continued, Ben was the aggressor. His strikes were fast and vicious, probing her defenses, trying to find a gap all the while she blocked strike after strike, then aimed for a wrist or exposed thigh in lightning-fast counter attacks. I could hear the sound of their wooden sword whipping through the air. Ben, with surprising speed, would block in return. Sometimes they stopped and circled each other looking for signs of exhaustion but the hyper accelerated training had given them both enough stamina that a few minutes of intense fighting wouldn¡¯t have a hope of draining. Bets were being exchanged about who would emerge the victor.


    Devon stood off to one side examining their fight mentally taking notes on how they could improve. Nanette took a step, her left foot shifted surprisingly in the sand, throwing her off balance. She tilted to the right as if she was going to tumble over, she tried to right herself leaving her wide open. Ben instantly recognized the momentary lapse in balance and attacked with a lightning fast thrust to her chest. I thought the fight was over until Nanette instead of trying to defend herself went with the fall. In that instant I realized she didn''t trip; she was baiting him. She kicked off with her right foot and spun, avoiding the thrust. Ben in his belief that victory was assured, overextended, and couldn''t bring his shield up fast enough to block the strike that clocked him on the side of the head. And just like that the fight was over.


    Cheers and curses resounded from the audience in equal measure. As Nanette took the win. It was an amusing thing watching a woman who a month earlier could barely swing a sword, fight like an experienced warrior. My solar knights, who were at my back watching the fight, exchanged coins.


    ¡°I can''t believe he fell for that,¡± Lira complained as she gave Silica coin.


    ¡°He was too eager to win, pride is a fragile thing. It makes fools of us all.¡± Silica said.


    ¡°He needs to abandon his inferiority complex; it only holds him back,¡± I added. Lira sighed; she argued with her husband constantly. Unfortunately for him Lira had surpassed him in terms of skill. I personally worked on her body, nurturing her muscles to grow, strengthening her bones, fixing her nearsightedness, and enhancing her tendons was among the most minor of my changes. Balancing a nursing mother¡¯s physical growth was complex but well within my abilities. One primary change was bone and muscular density. Loresse interestingly enough was stronger than even the largest man. It wasn''t that she was thickly built. It was the density of her muscles. They were at least 50% more dense than a humans. The cell structure of the muscle tissue was rather simple to copy.


    So, I had slowly been increasing Lira¡¯s and Silica¡¯s muscular density. I even went as far as prompting their bones to produce more red blood cells, increasing her blood oxygen saturation. So, the woman who was a little taller than 5¡¯2¡¯¡¯ fought with the strength of a man with a lifetime of physical training. She still wasn''t the best fighter, but everyone knew eventually she would be. She already outclassed her husband and all but Devon. Her training was even more brutal since once she was finished with Devon¡¯s drills; she had to train under Loresse and Silica. They had no mercy, and I had to fix a broken bone twice. But Lira never complained, never faltered in her determination. She wanted to be the best and was willing to suffer for it. What king wouldn''t encourage such enthusiasm?


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    After the exchange of coin, I was left with my inner circle.


    ¡°I think they have reached the appropriate level of skill,¡± I said.


    ¡°They can still be improved, but I agree. In terms of physical condition and equipment they are superior to most armed forces. Even at 20 I didn''t have such strength,¡± Devon said, staring at his clenched fist.


    ¡°Lira, how do you measure yourself against most of the men?¡± I asked.


    She pursed her lips, unsatisfied with something, ¡°I most likely can defeat them all, I need time to fully master myself. The only ones I will allow myself to lose is another solar knight. I need victory to be certain, not likely.¡±


    I was pleased with her resolve.


    ¡°It''s time we move on to the next step,¡± I announced. A collective sigh of relief came over everyone. They had been impatient, but I wasn''t willing to budge on the subject.


    ¡°I will travel with the solar knights to Hearthaven. We need the harness and saddles.¡±


    ¡°Lord Burson, Lord Vorhes and Lady Ravenhart,¡± I said, referring to Devon, Jallen, and Cassia, respectively. ¡°Begin scouting operations, I want to know the status of the nine villages I wish to take. Population, names of village elders and headmen, who do I offer the carrot and who the stick. I want this completed by next week.¡±


    At their official names they straightened. Cassia already had a last name from a previous marriage, apparently it was loveless, so she decided to choose a new name for herself.


    Jallen spoke up, ¡°Our scouts can start today, no direct confrontations correct,¡±


    I nodded in affirmation, ¡°Correct but if it comes down to it, I will trust you to make the best decision. Keep guards on the coin and other valuable items.¡±


    ¡°It will be done,¡± Jallen said.


    ¡°Excellent, you are dismissed to start your tasks,¡± They bowed and left.


    ¡°Well, are your three ready to meet my lost lady love,¡± I said with a smile. I was far more casual when I was alone with my solar knights.


    ¡°I''m incredibly excited, I''ve never even been to vandalia,¡± Lira said.


    ¡°The letter. Is this what prompted you?¡± Silica asked, not missing anything.


    I nodded; the letter contained rather startling information. Apparently, Queen Sianna herself arrived at the capitol and spoke to the imperial family. What they spoke about no one knew, she stayed for a week, attended a ball then returned to Isran. Things were moving in the capitol, and I needed more information.


    ¡°Yes, I don''t know what she could be planning, perhaps it''s just diplomatic relations. But I will not allow her to simply side with the empire,¡±


    ¡°What if she does? Could you defeat her in combat if you become enemies?¡± Loresse asked.


    ¡°Unlikely, she is far too powerful and has centuries more experience than me. However, I will not fight fairly. She has a major weakness; Isran itself. She cares for the elves and guilt from the royal¡¯s abuse plagues her. I don''t have to attack her directly. But perhaps she needs reminding of the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean?¡± Silica seemed excited.


    ¡°Yes, but not now or for a few years even. When I step foot in Isran again my power over Solaria and the Yruga must be absolute.¡±


    Silica deflated, but accepted my reasoning.


    ¡°So, we leave in the morning?¡± Lira asked.


    ¡°Indeed, prepare yourselves for the journey.¡±


    ~


    I only had two spare harnesses, like the lightest and the one who was controlling Baelathor I flew without. Baelathor took the lead with the three relatively smaller wyverns, and my new avian mount, Asure following behind. Fenre had grown to roughly 110 feet long, the sleek green wyvern was incredibly fast and highly maneuverable. Iris was the smallest at 90 feet. The sapphire blue wyvern was even more stunning as it grew older.


    Its scales took on a gem-like appearance. I''ve been having her shed scales collected since they were incredibly hard and beautiful to look at. Her fire had only grown even more beautiful, the azure flames burned hotter than normal, a stark reminder of her deadliness. The largest of them was of course Draxus who had grown to nearly 150 feet. If he was ferocious before, now he looked demonic. Pitch black with the exception of his blazing red eyes and the massive amount of red tipped spines.


    How they behaved around Baelathor was a curiosity. It was as if the creatures knew that he was a superior being and often became submissive. Granted, Bealathor neared 500 feet and while his flames didn¡¯t burn as hot the sheer volume that he could produce made up for it. There was also that skill he had of condensing the flames into a blinding white stream that reminded me of plasma. I was reassured that even in the worst situation Bealathor would be the victor.


    I wasn''t idle with their training either. I spent the time teaching navigation via the stars. It was slow learning, but I was sure that I could drop any of them anywhere in the world and they could find their way back to Solaria using the sky alone.


    The journey lasted well over twelve hours. We flew past mountains, valleys, towns, and cities bringing back memories that seemed so long ago. While the saddle was cramped my solar knights enjoyed the journey. We landed outside the city walls not before doing a flyover of the city and just to make sure they knew I was here, ordered Baelathor to roar not quite at his highest volume. It was still enough to shake the paving stones and be heard for miles. We landed outside the city and the three women were pleased to hop down from the cramped saddle.


    ¡°Finally,¡± Loresse said as she touched the earth for the first time in over 16 hours. The wyverns landed nearby. A mixture of confusion and inquisitiveness drove them to pick at the surrounding forest.


    ¡°Oi this isn''t our land don''t go tearing up the scenery.¡± Loresse reprimanded her wyvern who had just started to tear a tree out of the ground. Bealathor, the lazy beast that he was, curled into a ball and didn''t hesitate to start snoring.


    ¡°Look, guards are riding towards us,¡± Lira said. Without another word the three women formed up around me. Hands on weapons as a familiar guards woman approached.


    ¡°Moon!¡± Vanya shouted.


    I raised a hand in greeting, ¡°Vanya, how do you do?¡±


    She was followed by another group of guards, ¡°Decent enough, not much has changed. The duchess will be glad to see you.¡±


    Loresse stifled a chuckle.


    ¡°We would have brought more horses if we knew that you would have company.¡± Vanya looked to her guards and said in a terse voice, ¡°Off, Lord Solaris and his companions will not suffer the indignity of walking to the gates.¡± At her stern tone, the men rushed to leave their horses.


    in short order we were heading into the city. I don''t know how it was arranged but somehow there was another grand presession. People were in the streets waving, shouting praises; honestly, I couldn''t tell if it was planned. Lira and Loresse enjoyed it immensely. Waving and taking offered flowers. Silica tried to hide it, but I could see the undercurrent of enjoyment. That sparked an idea that I''ll have to save for later.


    Past the peasants district, to the merchant and noble district it seemed as if the entire city had come out to greet us.


    ¡°It''s a bit overwhelming,¡± Silica said.


    ¡°What did you do to deserve such love?¡± Loresse asked.


    ¡°It''s fear.¡± I said.


    ¡°How is it fear? They don''t look scared at all, I¡¯ve seen when people are scared¡± Lira said.


    ¡°It''s rather simple. I have no intention of harming them and I am considered a friend of their Dutchess. So long as that relationship lasts no one will challenge her rule and anyone stupid enough to try would face me. It is in their best interest if I have a positive impression of the city.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t call that fear.¡± Loresse said.


    ¡°What would it be then?¡± Silica asked.


    ¡°Respect, Lord Solaris. Respect cannot exist without fear, but I also see admiration, gratitude and most important of all. No hatred.¡± Loresse explained, I couldn''t help but nod along. That was always the image I wanted to portray. Inspire fear and admiration in equal measure. But never hate; hatred is useless and leads to making foolish decisions.


    ¡°Perhaps you are right, Loresse,¡± I said. Then with a small amount of amusement I cast radiant orb. The master spell was rather famous in the city since I had used it many times over the course of the war. Of course this sent the crowd into a frenzy of cheers.


    ¡°I wish you were still with us Lord Solaris, the light mage that took up your post can barely cast one of those.¡± Vanya said. Looking up at the floating orb that we were quickly leaving behind.


    ¡°Is Ki-Lord Solaris so much more talented than most light mages.¡± Lira asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve not met many but from what I''ve seen no one can throw around master spells so casually.¡± Vanya answered.


    Lira looked at me with awe, and I of course, affected an air of indifference and elegance. Soon enough we walked into the noble quarter. IT was more subdued, but I still caused quite the ruckus at my entrance. As expected, Vanya and the rest of her guards broke off, replaced by Allyssia¡¯s own personal guards.


    A few of them I even recognized. Eventually the Duchess herself met me at the gate. She was as stunning as ever. A deep red embroidered dress and a gold ducal circlet around her head framing her golden hair. Feyrun, her head general, and even Briannah was there with a man I barely recognized, by the look of her stomach she was a few months pregnant. Further to her rear were ten mages I didn''t recognize. It seems she has been recruiting.


    I smiled as I met her eyes. Hopping off my horse, I approached her with my solar knights taking up guard around me. Her eyes flicked to the women in confusion before she refocused back on me.


    ¡°My Dearest Duchess, it is a pleasure to be in your presence.¡± I said offering a slight bow one of deference not submission. She returned the bow with a delicate curtsy.


    ¡°Lord Solaris, The Duchy of Hearthaven is always welcome to you. We have a meal prepared for this auspicious occasion. We have much to catch up on.¡± She said offering a beautiful smile, the type of smile that would cause fools to fall head over heels for her.


    20 minutes later we sat under a familiar gazebo within her gardens. Her son was sitting at her side busying himself with a wooden horse. The meal looked extravagant and the 7 of us would never have a hope of finishing it. Loresse stared at it with open hunger. Once the food was served, we were left alone.


    ¡°Now we have some privacy. Do Introduce me.¡± she said.


    ¡°May I introduce, Silica Lewson, Loresse Dumarn, and Lira Lunaris, my solar knights.¡± They were also seated at the table. As I pointed to each of them, they offered bows of their heads in respect to Allyssia. As soon as a mention Lunar and Solar phases in our lessons Lira immediately decided that Lunaris would be her last name. As for Silica, she wasn¡¯t interested in discussing why she chose that name, and I didn¡¯t really care to press the issue.


    ¡°Solar knights. Solaris. Solaria,¡± She chuckled, ¡°Moon you are too much sometimes,¡±


    I shrugged. It was rather shameless, ¡°Did you expect any less?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not. May I speak candidly with them,¡± Allyssia asked. They knew how to act when I was in formal discussions. Silence, unless I address them was the largest rule.


    ¡°Very well, they may answer as they wish,¡±


    My solar knights seemed surprised.


    ¡°Why did you decide to serve My dear Solaris,¡± she asked, there was almost a threat in her voice. One that they noticed.


    Loresse shrugged, ¡°I wanted a wyvern, so I swore to him,¡± she said casually.


    ¡°In opposition to the Sovereignty?¡± Briannah asked with surprise.


    Loresse chuckled and corrected her as she would a child, ¡°Power is what holds the sovereignty together. Power is the ultimate currency. Noble families if not the king himself. will be throwing their young sons at me the moment they get a look at my wyvern, even worse if they see Baelathor in person. They will curse the ground that they were not the ones to offer oaths.¡±


    ¡°And my dear Moon should rely on such shallow loyalty? You so quickly abandoned your king.¡± Allyssia pressed. This was already a discussion I had with her, but I found it interesting to see how she defended her choice in front of others. This was her battle, and I would not insult her by interfering. She glanced to me and I offered her a silent nod.


    ¡°It was not an easy decision, but I have no future with the dwarves. But it does not matter if you believe my oath is to be trusted, he trusts me and has accepted my oath. your opinion matters naught.¡± Allyssia raised an eyebrow, surprised at her boldness. Feyrun stiffened at her almost disrespectful tone but a look from Allyssia stopped him before he could raise a fuss. Silica and Lira stiffened in defiance and Allyssia set her piercing blue gaze at them.


    ¡°Silica, I''ve never met a half elf. Why do you serve?¡± her gaze was even more intense. I could actually feel the ether shifting. This was excellent training for them. So, I stayed silent.


    Silica shrugged, ¡°My reasons are my own for the most part. But what clinched it for me was when he promised I could kill my mother if I wished.¡± I almost wanted to laugh when Allyssia¡¯s piercing gaze fractured for an instant. Then she realized that Silica was dead serious. Such informality in front of a duchess was never tolerated, but they were backed by my power and whether Allyssia was offended or not she could do nothing, without risking my displeasure.


    ¡°Very well, good luck with your vengeance.¡±


    ¡°Lira my dear, how about you? Unlike your peers you don¡¯t seem the type to pick up the sword.¡± Allyssia said.


    Lira shrugged, ¡°It was that or pick peas.¡±


    Allyssia gave her a withering smile, then Lira decided to be more honest, ¡°I have a child, I won''t have her spending her childhood squatting in an abandoned watch tower; I can protect her now.¡±


    ¡°Is a wyvern enough to protect your child?¡±


    Lira looked at her gloved hands, I knew beneath them they were rather callused, ¡°The wyvern was a bonus, right now I¡¯m probably as good a fighter as your best knights if not better, any of the solar knights are.¡±


    Allyssia grinned, ¡°What do you think general Feyrun?¡±


    Feyrun looked her up and down, seeming doubtful, ¡°The men I''ve trained aren''t the usual prancing fools Lira, they are true knights.¡±


    Lira didn''t look perturbed, ¡°I¡¯m willing to put that to the test if my lord allows,¡±


    Lira said with a surprising amount of confidence, The Duchess smiled then caught my eye. Her gaze flickered to both my people and hers. I assumed she wanted us to speak alone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll allow it,¡±


    ¡°General Feyrun, perhaps it would be good to examine the metal of the ones who will protect my dearest Moon. Briannah Why don''t you accompany them and show them around the city? Remember they are honored guests,¡± Both the general and the new Baroness Wigmore realized that she wanted to be alone with me.


    ¡°You''ll be alright alone?¡± Silica asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, if I can''t trust my dear Allyssia then I can trust no one.¡± Then I caught their eyes and said. ¡°Remember I can heal anything other than death.¡±


    Malicious smiles came over the faces of all my solar knights. I was pleased that they got my message.


    ~


    A few minutes later I was alone with Allyssia, her guards far enough away that we couldn''t be overheard.


    ¡°Really Moon, you turned them into etheric knights? Our empress will not be pleased when she finds out.¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Your empress. Besides, I''m sure she will have her hands full with more pressing concerns.¡±


    ¡°It was a shame you missed the coronation, no less than three duels to the death were fought for her hand. She has yet to announce anything.¡±


    The problems Morianne faced were not my concern, so long as they did not interfere with my plan ¡°What of your problems? I hear she is putting you under pressure.¡±


    Allyssia scoffed, ¡°She tries, but with so much trade to Braken insured by Denerif¡¯s coin, I''m still reaping in significant profit. Though it could be more if not for her tariffs on trade.¡±


    ¡°I see you have some new mages?¡± I observed glancing at the men and women in color coded armor.


    ¡°Indeed, I have no less than 50 under my command. And I have quite a few less than legal amplifiers to empower them. Soon enough enchanters and etheric knights will follow. Though Morianne has been keeping them on a tight leash.¡±


    ¡°I suppose my enchanting skill is well known at this point.¡±


    She nodded, ¡°Yes and she tried investigating how you learned, eventually leading her to Trent. Though tragically he died of a stroke not long after you left the kingdom.¡±


    Shorecast almost certainly killed him. ¡°Shame but he was an old man.¡±


    I almost asked her if she knew mages that were willing to defect in the coming years but decided against it. They would just be spies, ¡°Most importantly. Queen Sianna.¡±


    Her gaze became stern. ¡°Quite the surprise that was. And no, I don''t know what was discussed. However, I do know she opened trade with the empire. And elven goods have started to find their way south. One thing is for sure there is no possibility that you were not discussed.¡±


    Sighing, I considered what the implications of this could mean for my future plans. Would this hinder or aid my reign over solaria? I was unsure but the only thing I could do at the moment was keep an eye on it.


    ¡°It would behoove you to know that two of your old mercenary companions have been spotted in the capitol.¡± She said,


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Lilian was in the company of the queen, acting as a guard, I think. And Sarah was sworn into the service of the empress herself. Quite an honor for the Newban Family. She¡¯s also sent people to speak with your old captain Barlow. Though we don''t yet know how he will respond. She is the empress so legally we can do nothing.¡± Allyssia answered with a smirk staring at my surprised face.


    I racked my mind trying to figure out Morianne¡¯s play. ¡°Leverage? Information?¡± I asked aloud.


    ¡°A little of both, which of them would be willing to give up information about you? Is there information they could offer that could be used as leverage against you?¡± she asked.


    Most of what they knew about me was already public knowledge. But there were two people who could be used as leverage. Though it''s unlikely that they knew that I cared enough about Garette and Lori for them to be used as leverage. Garette also has a daughter in the capitol. If Morianne was malicious enough she could use her as leverage against him and me by proxy.


    ¡°Sten is honorable. But Sarah; she was always looking to better her position. Told me so herself; Even went as far as trying to ally with me. However, some fallen noble with barely a scrap of power did not interest me. As for information, nothing that could cause me any harm.¡±


    ¡°Yet she has fallen no more, and has the ear of the empress.¡± Allyssia said offering little.


    ¡°And if she labels me an enemy of the empire?¡± I asked. I knew the answer but wanted a second opinion.


    ¡°Then those who you consider allies might be implicated. As a high ranking noble she wouldn''t dare try to have me imprisoned without unquestionable proof of sedition, she risks the other dukes rebelling. But a baron, low ranking viscount or a commoner. Well, that is a different story.¡±


    It took me a second, but I finally realized what she was doing. Purposely stroking my fears, seeing how I would react. Leverage that Morianne could use is leverage she could use. I shouldn''t forget that she is as much a political animal as any noble. Giving me plenty of problems and no solutions would lead to me relying on her for support.


    Sten was his own man and held no special place amongst those I care about, not like Garette and Lori at least. Going out of my way for him is something I wouldn''t care enough to do if it could cause me significant harm. But Lori and Garrett; I would. Going out of my way to protect them could also make them a target. I¡¯ll test how she reacts to my seeking her help.


    ¡°Perhaps you can offer Sten a place in your city. I''d rather not have implicated him or at the very least she would hesitate to arrest him on paper thin charges, simply to use him as leverage against me. I do know that a few of my other mercenary companions decided to serve under him.¡±


    She smiled magnanimously, ¡°I can offer some minor lands and titles. I even sent a personal invitation to one of my balls for him and his family. I¡¯m sure that would be enough to give her pause.¡±


    I offered a respectful bow in return, ¡°My thanks, can¡¯t have the man who named me disappear into a dark dungeon somewhere.¡± She seemed pleased at my show of deference. As much as I don''t like being maneuvered. I can¡¯t have people thinking I¡¯m inflexible. Let her believe that Sten is a collar she can use to control me.


    I¡¯ll personally speak to Garette about his future. Perhaps this could be enough to convince him to move to Solaria.


    ¡°No need to worry she is still far too occupied with curbing her vassals and establishing her base of power. It will be some time before she decides to truly move against you,¡± That was at least good to hear. With an empire spanning most of a continent her dukes were far more of a danger than I am.


    I spent some time in silence contemplating if it was even possible to meet with Lilian in secret before Allyssia reached over and caressed my hand, offering a lovely smile. ¡°Perhaps we should have supper alone. We have much to catch up on.¡±


    I returned her smile, more than willing, ¡°Of course my Duchess.¡± I wonder what she¡¯s going to ask me for.