Ralith and I were walking along a claustrophobic underground tunnel that seemed to go on for ages until we finally came to a wooden door that looked like it'd be ready to fall off it's rusted hinges at any moment. It's been a day since our victory at Ilonleena and right now, Ralith and I are using a secret tunnel that's connected to the basement of the Ilhalas estate, situated in the middle of the city Gualmalon. We plan on sneaking into the estate and then sneaking out into the city proper to prepare our resistance's final push. Someone suggested we just sneak into the estate with our entire army, but for numerous reasons that idea was instantly shot down. The most prominent being that such a cramped tunnel could easily be caved in by the count's casters and even if it wasn't, it would make for a good choke point for the enemy. The result would be a bloodbath, plain and simple. Mathra would be appalled at such a waste of life. I was as well, but I don't think our reasons entirely aligned. I was concerned with the shear amount of soldiers we'd lose for nothing, while he was more concerned with the fact that it would lead to him failing the people. We had the same reasoning, but different. To be honest, I thought it better that someone like him was leading the rebellion and not me. Someone who's empathetic like that. People like to follow those they trust. If it were me leading the rebellion, well... It would have ended before it even began. It lead me thinking. Mathra and I. I think there's something similar about the way we think, but we think that way for completely different reasons.
Do I love anyone? I shook my head. I should keep those thoughts out of my head. I've got a job to do.
"Shall we go over the plan one more time?" Ralith asked me, straightening his tie.
"Seriously, how does he wear that butler suit all the time?" Eeuna mused.
"We've got time. It couldn't hurt to hear it again" I replied, ignoring the voice in my head.
"Very well. Once we are behind this door we will be deep in enemy territory. We have to sneak out of the Ihallis estate and into the city. From there your primary objective is to set up the spell Celrith has planned. Celrith already has the spell ready on his side so all he needs is a magic circle in the city, hopefully somewhere inconspicuous. Any questions?" He took my silence as a no. "Good. Now be careful and if you're in trouble, use this" Ralith pointed to the invisibility potions attached to both of our belts. If things went south, they'd hide us pretty well. He tried approached the door. Ralith exerted much force, but eventually the nigh broken door quietly creaked open. On the other side was a room much wider and taller than the tunnels but otherwise completely plain. You'd be forgiven for thinking it was just 4 walls made of stone brick (actually that's basically what it was) but to someone familiar with this estate like Ralith it was just an entrance. He walked over to the wall and pressed in a loose brick which activated some kind of mechanism that caused a small section of the wall to turn, revealing an opening just large enough for a person to fit through. The two of us ducked through to find ourselves in a wine cellar. We tip toed through the cellar and up a small flight of stairs, onto the bottom floor.
Creeping through the estate was easier than expected, even though we were almost caught by patrolling guards on occasion. At least that's what we thought until we were halfway across rectangular room that seemed large almost for the sake of being a large room. The door which we were going to take swung right open and what we saw terrified us to our core. It was a man 6ft in height, with bulging muscles. He wore red, thick, extravagant silks that dropped all the way to his feet with white furs lining his collar. His skin was pale and purple veins bulged across his face. His hair and eyes were a grey-purple. It was like looking into the eyes of decay and depravity itself. When he saw the butler who had once betrayed him, to a gleeful, maniacal grin spread across his face. You'd think it was like that of a child with a toy. But this was no child. "Looks like my house is infested with vermin! Time to go rat hunting haha!" That's right. The man before us was none other than the head of house Ilhallis. Count Pridin Tytor Ilhalas. His voice was filled with glee, like a child who had just found his next source of entertainment.
YOU ARE READING
Chronicles of a Mage, Book One
FantasíaAbout a year and a half ago as of when this story is being uploaded I had the random inspiration to start writing a book. At first I only wrote for fun but now I realize that there's no reason not to share my stories with the world. Granted, this wa...
