The Battlemage

Memories of Fire

   They could see the smoke before the village was even in sight and the all too familiar scent of wood smoke from burnt homes was hanging in the air for miles.

  When they finally reached the village, they saw that it had been completely destroyed. Many of the homes had been burned to the ground and reduced to nothing but cinders and ash. Even the temple had been razed.

   "Well it's obvious that the people of Blackstone weren't the culprits, but I never imagined that the rebels would burn down a temple of the gods," said Ellis.

   Adalina shook her head. No, this wasn't rebels. The memories of that night when the unknown enemy arrived at her village came flooding back to her and hit her like a punch to the gut. She felt nauseous.

   "They're back," she said in a hushed tone.

 "Are you sure? That was twenty five years ago. Why come back now?" asked Ellis.

   Adalina wasn't listening. She was lost in her own world. The village of Blackstone had been replaced with her own, and she could see it burning before her eyes.

   "Adalina? Adalina!" shouted Ellis. "Come back to me."

   She looked at Ellis, but she saw Ashwyn. He was looking at her with his sad eyes, telling her that it was going to be okay.

  "Adalina!" shouted Ellis.

 She snapped out of the haze she had been in and a fog lifted from her mind. Her head felt heavy and she rubbed her temples.

   "I'm sorry," she said, bowing her head.

  "Don't be sorry," said Ellis. "Are you okay?"

  She nodded, but inside she felt like crap. Her head was still heavy and her stomach was rolling. The only difference between her village and this one was that there were no bodies. Maybe the people of Blackstone were still alive and out there somewhere, waiting to be rescued; alongside the cavalry soldiers.

   "We need guidance," said Adalina. "We need to speak to Ashwyn."

 She reached into her pocket and retrieved the small, clear orb. She closed her eyes and imagined Ashwyn standing in front of her.

  "Ashwyn, we need your guidance. Are you there?" said Adalina.

 When she opened her eyes she saw a double of Ashwyn standing in front of her. The double was made of blue smoke, which swirled in the daylight.

   "What have you discovered?" asked the elder mage.

  Adalina held the orb up so that it could see the village around her. "We were directed to this village by the local fort commander. He said his missing cavalry unit had come this way. When we got here, this is what we found."

  The double of Ashwyn looked around at the village, then frowned. "This doesn't appear to be the work of rebels," he said finally after some moments of silence.

  "I agree. It looks very similar to the night when you came to my village," said Adalina. "When the raiders came."

  "I have a feeling that we are dealing with more than just raiders. Investigate the surrounding area. See what you can find. I will request aid from the King."

   "Understood," said Adalina.

 She watched as the smoke double of Ashwyn disappeared into little thin lines of smoke, and then altogether.

  "We should proceed very carefully, Adalina," said Ellis.

  "We will, and then when I find the bastards who did this, I'm gonna sprout a tree from their insides," growled Adalina.

  It took everything he had to keep his hands from trembling. He had faced countless opponents as a battlemage, and as the Lord of the University, he'd faced countless more. Some had even been nightmarish monsters with every configuration of claws, talons, and teeth. But it was the strange men who had seemingly come from nowhere, that kept him awake at night and filled his dreams with dread. Their brutality and their ferocity had never been rivaled by anything he'd faced.

  Now they had come back. He could feel it. Their returned had been inevitable, but he wished it had been after his lifetime.

 Ashwyn felt a stirring in his stomach. These strange men had returned, and had already laid waste to one village and the temple there. He'd already failed the people of Blith, and the people of Blackstone. Had they already destroyed more? He hoped not, and he hoped he could prevent them from doing so. But even his battlemages couldn't do it alone. He needed the full, crushing weight of the entire kingdom at his back, or they would all face doom.

  Imagining the General in his mind, Ashwyn closed his eyes and whispered the man's name, "Palladius." When he opened his eyes again a man made of smoke stood in front of his desk. The man frowned deeply.

   "Lord Ashwyn," said the man with a bow of his head.

   Ashwyn stood and offered a bow of his head in return. "General."

  "I take it that you have a matter of such great importance as to intrude upon my affairs," said the General.

   "I do. A pair of my battlemages were requested to investigate rebel activity along the northern coast. I am afraid, however, that it was not rebel activity they discovered, but the possible return of our unwanted guests. The same men who attacked Blith, twenty five years ago," said Ashwyn.

   "Do you have any proof of their return?"

 "The town of Blackstone has been burned to the ground, and is nothing but cinders. Even the holy temple was not spared. Also, one of the cavalry units attached to the local garrison was on patrol on that area and has been missing for some time."

   "Could it be the work of local rebels?" asked the General.

   "The rebels hold grievances with the King, not the gods. I don't believe they would do this," said Ashwyn.

   "Indeed, I suspect they wouldn't either. I will do what I can, but these are troubling times. I wouldn't rely to heavily on the idea of the army coming to reinforce you. The King has..other concerns."

  Ashwyn sighed. He knew all too well what the General meant. king Harold had only been on the throne for two years and had already begun to reverse much of the good his father had done. He enjoyed a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the common man, and was totally fine with that. He also thought of himself as somewhat of an expert in diplomacy and military affairs, though he certainly was not.

  "I understand. If I receive anymore information, I will update you," said Ashwyn.

  The General nodded, then his visage faded away.

  Ashwyn could feel it. War was coming, whether the King wanted it or not. But the question now was, could Mira win against a foe that they knew almost nothing about.