Kazin's Quest: Book I of The Dragon Mage Trilogy (50 page)

Carmen nodded. “This way.” They passed an elderly mage seated at a desk near the door. He looked up momentarily and squinted at them through bushy, grey eyebrows. Satisfied, he returned to his perusal of the book on his desk.

Carmen guided them to the section Kazin was interested in and lifted a candle from one of the tables. He began his examination of the books on the shelf in front of him.

After pulling out and replacing several books, he moved further down the aisle. His hand waved over the books as he scanned their bindings for the book Kazin wanted. His hand stopped on an empty space.

“Hmm,” said Carmen. “It looks like someone’s signed it out. Let’s talk to the librarian. Maybe he can tell us who has it.” He led them back to the old man at the desk.

“Mr. Alland?” said Carmen.

The old mage looked up. “Yes?”

“Can you tell us—?”

“Speak up, sonny!” interrupted Alland. “My ears aren’t what they used to be!”

Carmen nodded and raised his voice. “Can you tell us if the Book of Prophesy has been signed out, and by whom?”

Alland blinked. “That book’s been gathering dust on the shelf for at least three decades and now everyone wants it!”

“Then it was signed out?” asked Kazin.

“Yes,” said Alland, peering curiously at Kazin. “Why do you want it?”

“I need to borrow it for the Tower of Sorcery,” explained Kazin. “Ours was stolen and then destroyed, and—.”

Alland slammed his fist on the table. “Sacrilege!” he bellowed.

Several grey mages sitting at a nearby table looked up in annoyance.

Alland turned to them red-faced. “Carry on, students. It will not happen again.”

The students returned to their studies with low mutters. Alland turned back to Kazin.

“Now, what was it you wanted to know?” Alland asked in a lower tone.

“Who borrowed the Book of Prophesy?” asked Carmen. A scarcely concealed grin was evident on his face.

“Let’s see now,” muttered Alland, rifling through a small sign out book on his desk. “Here it is. The book was signed out by Jarvis Cloud.”

“I know him,” said Carmen. “He is a first year student. What he’s doing with that book is beyond me. We’ll go and find him to see if he’s finished with the book yet. Thank you, Mr. Alland.”

Alland grunted.

The three mages departed the library and returned to the lift. The magic user operating it was still there.

“Take us to the ground level,” ordered Carmen.

At the bottom, Carmen led Kazin and Milena to the tower’s exit and then outside. The sky was dark but a warm summer breeze billowed through their cloaks on their way to the student dormitories. Torches set along the walkway lit their way.

They stopped several students to inquire about the location to Jarvis Cloud’s room and found it after a short search. Carmen knocked on the student’s door.

“Come in,” said a voice.

Carmen, Kazin and Milena entered.

“Hello,” said Carmen to the youth in one of the bunks. “Is Jarvis around?”

“He left this morning,” said the youth.

Kazin and Milena exchanged glances.

“He left?” asked Carmen.

“Yeah,” answered the student. “I told him not to go, but he had his mind made up. He left the Tower of the Sky and he’s not coming back. He said he had better prospects with the ‘new order’, as he called it.”

“What’s the new order?” demanded Carmen. “Does it have to do with the rumours we heard about mages being approached by those magic wielding strangers?”

“I guess so,” said the youth. “He even showed me the ring he claimed they gave him. He said it had untold power.”

“What did this ring look like?” interrupted Kazin.

“It looked sort of smoky, with three quarters of a circle etched into it.”

Kazin blanched slightly and Milena looked at him in concern.

“Did he leave anything behind?” demanded Carmen. “Any library books or anything?”

“No,” said the youth. “He had a book, but he packed it in his packsack when he came in, just before telling me he was leaving.”

Carmen shook his head in dismay and Kazin and Milena exchanged glances again.

“Where did he say he was going?” asked Kazin.

The student scratched his head. “That’s the weird part. He said he was going up into the Five Fingers Mountains.”

Kazin grabbed Milena’s arm. “That’s no coincidence! We have to find him and that book! It’s important. I can feel it!”

“It’s dangerous,” cautioned Carmen. “Those lights and the disappearing mages are linked in some way, and the mountains are treacherous. You have no idea what is lying in wait for you! Besides, Jarvis had a day’s head start. You’ll never find him now.”

“We must,” said Kazin. “We have to find out what’s happening somehow. Who knows what will happen if we don’t act now!”

“Very well,” said Carmen. “I will arrange your supplies when you are ready.” He thanked the youth for his information and led the way outside.

“You should tell Krendal what you have in mind,” said Milena when Carmen was gone. “He might not agree. They need the elves up north right away and you’re the only one who can make that happen.”

“True,” said Kazin. “But what if what’s happening in the Five Fingers Mountains is related to the increase of intruders into the elven forest? If we help the elves now, they may be more willing to help us in return. And if we can neutralize their problem sooner, they can be free to help us out as well.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Milena. “You still have to convince Krendal, though.”

Not long afterwards Kazin and Milena entered the orb room with Mara, who was not pleased at being aroused from her bed so suddenly. Unfortunately they had no choice but to disturb her to receive permission to use the orb.

“This had better be important,” said Mara. “The more the orb is used, the sooner it will need to be charged again. We went a long time without reliable communications, and I do not want to return to those conditions anytime soon.”

“It’s important,” assured Kazin. “Besides, the orb should last a good six months now.”

Mara activated the orb and this time Valdez appeared in its depths.

“Oh, hello, Mara,” said Valdez. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“Hello, Valdez,” said Mara. “Can you contact Krendal? Kazin wishes to speak with him. He claims it’s urgent.”

“Certainly,” said Valdez. “I’ll be right back.”

The orb returned to a smoky white colour and before long Krendal appeared. He wore a long night cap.

“Mara?”

“Krendal,” said Mara. “Here’s Kazin.”

Kazin approached the orb. “Sorry to bother you so late, Krendal, but you told me to contact you as soon as I had the Book of Prophesy.”

“You have it?” asked Krendal eagerly.

“No,” said Kazin. He went on to explain the evening’s events and the possible connection of the strange lights, disappearing mages, and the missing Book of Prophesy.

Krendal’s face was grim. “You say the grey mage student had a ring with three quarters of a circle on it? Are you sure?”

“Yes,” said Kazin.

Krendal swore. “This isn’t good. I wish we could spare some mages to help you discover the truth, but the war has our full attention.”

“I think I should investigate the lights and track the grey mage in the mountains,” said Kazin. “He can’t be that far ahead of us if he’s scaling a mountain. I may be able to discover what’s going on and retrieve the Book of Prophesy at the same time.”

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with,” said Krendal. “That ring you brought us from Sandor is very powerful and complex. We still haven’t figured it out yet. Besides, we need the elves badly. That’s more important than retrieving a book that no one can understand.”

“What if we can neutralize the problem in the mountains, thereby saving the elves a major distraction, and thus allowing them to come to our aid sooner?” asked Kazin.

Krendal looked shrewdly at Kazin. “You have a sharp mind, boy. It’s a long shot at best. What makes you think you can succeed?”

“I have the eight heroes described on the page of the Book of Prophesy on my side.”

Krendal did not respond immediately. He seemed to be thinking something over. Finally he spoke. “Kazin, I cannot afford to lose you. I, too, think you have something to do with the prophesy. What, exactly, I don’t know without the book. I do know this; there will be a momentous time of darkness in the same year that two mages perfect the test. That time is upon us. Of all the infernal gibberish in that Book of Prophesy, that’s one of the few things that make any sense. That page of the book that you somehow miraculously salvaged meant nothing to me at first either. Once you discovered the Sword of Dead, though, I began to alter my way of thinking. Your entourage of companions fit the descriptions mentioned on that page quite accurately, and rack my brains as I might, I can think of no other group of people who would even come close. Are you truly prepared to sacrifice the significance of your team on a chase into the dangerous mountains?”

Kazin looked back at Milena and she nodded.

“I think they will follow me almost anywhere,” said Kazin. “I will, of course, give them a choice, but I suspect they will accompany me.”

“Very well,” said Krendal. “But remember; back off if you encounter too much resistance. Getting yourself killed is not the mark of a hero.”

“Yes, Sir,” said Kazin. “We will be very careful.”

“If things go awry,” continued Krendal, “report to me at once. I cannot promise aid, but I can give sound advice.”

“Yes, Sir,” said Kazin solemnly.

“And don’t waste time!” admonished Krendal. “If you tarry in the mountains too long, we may lose the Tower of Strength, along with countless lives. The elves are needed badly!”

“I understand, Sir,” said Kazin.

“Good luck,” said Krendal. “Keep me informed.” His face disappeared and the orb returned to its dull white glow.

Grakath chuckled evilly. His spell was partially successful. He was now able to see fuzzy images of the mages in communication. He still couldn’t hear them, but it was a start. At least the infernal mind-twisting sound was eliminated so he could watch in relative comfort. In time he would crack the code. It was only a matter of time.

He had seen Krendal speaking with a young mage in what he suspected was the Tower of the Sky. If it was the Tower of Hope, there would have been a cleric visible. Not to mention the fact that a grey mage was barely visible before the young black mage came on. It was definitely the Tower of the Sky. If this was so, the tower had its communication restored. That meant pigeons were no longer going to be used. If they were, the messages would indeed be worth intercepting.

Grakath had known of the orb difficulties in the Tower of the Sky because of a pigeon that one of his people had intercepted. It carried a message for the Tower of Sorcery requesting some mages to restore orb communication. Unfortunately, further pigeon interceptions gleaned little of interest. Now pigeon messages were at an end.

With the grey tower’s orb communications restored, Grakath’s army had to mobilize at once. He needed the elves distracted sufficiently in order to allow his other troops to be brought into play before the elves could send the humans aid. Unfortunately, the last bands of barbarians put up a stiff resistance and inflicted a heavy toll on his main forces. The barbarians were eventually crushed as strength of numbers finally won out, but separate bands were still forming resistance pockets in the lower mountains, slowing the advance of Grakath’s forces considerably.

The necromancer knew victory over the barbarians was inevitable, but much valuable time was being wasted chasing them down. He wouldn’t have wasted the effort weeding out the resistance, but every fighting man was required in the next phase of the war. He couldn’t afford to have renegades on the loose in his home turf while he was away on the offensive.

Grakath smiled at the thought of his enormous army amassed before the ‘Faceless Cliffs’, ready to step through the solid rock into the heart of the enemy. They would never suspect until it was too late!

A rap at the door broke his reverie.

“Come in,” commanded Grakath.

The door opened and a skeleton entered.

“You called, Sir?”

“Ah, Nimbar,” said Grakath. “It took you long enough. What information have you got on the southern resistance?”

“Progress is being made,” said Nimbar. “The number of defectors among the grey mages is increasing daily. They are being whisked through the gates and being sent to your academies.”

“Good,” said Grakath. “We need more mages to control the increasing enemy dead. What about the mages and the armies to the south? Have they begun their attacks yet?”

“Yes, milord,” said Nimbar. “In fact, their armies are so anxious to fight that several contingents have already taken over some of the outer centaur towns. The centaurs don’t stand a chance against them. The wolf riders can easily outrun them.

“Good!” exclaimed the necromancer, wringing his hands in glee. “With the southern threat underway, the elves will never come to the humans’ aid. I will have successfully divided them and made my job easier. What of the dwarves? Are they still bottled up?”

“Yes, Sir,” said Nimbar. “They have no idea how urgently the humans need them and do not believe the war with the minotaurs involves them.”

“Excellent!” said Grakath eagerly. “By the time they react, my forces will be too powerful for them to handle! Once the minotaurs have seized the Tower of Strength, they can be easily convinced to attack the dwarves with the promise of untold wealth. They will keep the dwarves busy while our forces finish off the elves! Things are beginning to fall into place, Nimbar. The only thing holding me back now is the resistance forces of the barbarians. Once they have been vanquished, the real fighting begins!”

“We may have the Tower of Strength sooner than expected, milord,’ said Nimbar. “The minotaurs are regrouping despite a setback of enemy reinforcements, and with the help of the lizardmages, they will have magic to counter that of the humans.”

“Lizardmen,” murmured Grakath. “Of all the forces on our side, they’re the ones I trust the least.” He shook his head. “I will have to deal with them after the war.”