Forgotten Mage (28 page)

“The magical races,” Bren said in
disgust.

“Got that right boy,” Crusher said
angrily. “Our taxes are five times what tha rest pay, and we aren’t
even permitted to show within the city, we have to stay within our
own little part of town. Suits me fine, don’t like many of those
humans anyway, but as time has passed more and more laws have come
down that punish someone fer not being human. If yer father was
around, he would have stung up that silly council of mages by
now.”

“I see,” Bren said, his fits clutched
in anger. “I need to stop this now, before the council steals the
last of the power away from the people.” Bren said, standing up
from his seat. “I wish I could stay and talk to you longer Crusher,
but it seems that I have a lot to do and I doubt the council will
give me much time to prepare.”

“Already got yourself on their radar?”
Crusher asked with a smile.

“You could say that,” Bren replied as
he headed for the door.

“If ya need some help knocking some
sense into those high and mighty fools, just come give me a holler.
I am sure I can find a few willing ta give ya a hand, probably more
than a few at that.”

“What do you plan to do, take on the
whole council of mages?” Flynn asked as Bren marched back toward
the Tower. “Master Sae-Thae tried that and it didn’t get
anywhere.”

“Master Sae-Thae didn’t have the
authority that I do. My father left him in charge of the school,
not the whole city and that is where the council has stepped. With
the absence of clear cut boundaries, they have done what they
please and Sae-Thae had little that he could say to stop
them.”

“And you think that you have the
authority to stop them?” Flynn asked sarcastically. “Just because
your father created the town, doesn’t give you the right to order
them about.”

“In fact it does,” Bren said
confidently. “The land that this town was founded on was a gift to
my father from my mother and the king of Rane. When he died or
disappeared it became mine by right.”

“So you are a king,” Flynn said with a
hidden laugh.

“In a way, yes. I am a king, even if it
is a very small kingdom. I just need to find proof that this land
now belongs to me. If it comes to it, I will contact King Killian
and my mother to assert my power of control.”

“Where do you expect to find this
proof?” Flynn asked, his tone still disbelieving.

“I am hoping that it will be in
Sae-Thae’s office. I know that my mother and King Killian will have
a copy of the titles given to my father, but I don’t want to have
to wait for them to be delivered, but I will if I have
to.”

As soon as Bren entered the Tower
grounds, a young tower guard noticed him and moved in his
direction. Thinking that the guards had been ordered to bring him
to the council chambers as soon as he returned, Bren quickened his
pace and raced up the stairs.

By the time he reached the top of the
stairs and got to Sae-Thae’s office, Bren was out of breath and his
chest. Flynn, in great shape, easily kept up, but the others were
left more than a few levels behind. Not stopping, Bren rushed into
the room, shut and locked the door as soon as Flynn entered, not
even waiting for his other guard.

“Help me look,” Bren said as he started
shuffling through Sae-Thae’s papers. “It won’t be long before a
senior tower guard arrives with the keys.”

“Might as well, though I doubt you will
find anything in this mess,” Flynn said as he started lazily
looking through the pile of things on one of the many
tables.

Bren found a little of everything on
Sae-Thae’s desk, there were even letters from his mother, King
Killian, and many others in languages that he couldn’t
read.

Why are you looking for a
piece of paper? Just go in there and demand they let you take you
rightful place. If they refuse, then force them to listen to you.
It would only take a letter from you to mobilize the Rane and
Farlan forces to your aid.

“If I did that, how many do you think
would die?” Bren asked Thuraman.

Does it matter how many die
if it serves the good of the whole. Life that has been lost will
return to the ether and in return breed more life. It is not as if
it is completely lost.

“Unless I must, I will not bring a war
to this small town. It would destroy it,” Bren replied
heatedly.

“Is this what you are looking for,”
Flynn said, handing Bren a thick piece of paper.

“Yes, thanks Flynn,” Bren said, holding
the paper as if it were a trophy. “Now all that is left, is to talk
to the council. I wish that I could put it off for a few days and
get a few other things in order, but I don’t think they will allow
me that chance. From what the Weapons Master said, they are eager
to put me in my place.”

“I almost wish they would, but I don’t
like what has been done to the non-humans. So for just this once, I
will wish you good luck,” Flynn said grudgingly.

“Flynn, I don’t know why you hate
nobles, but maybe one day you will stop believing that we are all
the same,” Bren said as he walked toward the door. “Just like
anyone else, there are good and bad nobles.”

“I believe anyone who believes they
have the inherent right to rule over others is bad,” Flynn said
ruefully. “You are no different than me, yet you claim to be
superior…I don’t see it.”

“I don’t think you understand what a
real noble is supposed to be,” Bren replied with a heavy sigh. “My
task is not to lord over others, but to protect those in my care
and to make sure that my land runs smoothly. Sometimes, that means
enforcing harsh laws and other times, it means going to war. To
make a kingdom work properly, every person from a farmer to the
king must work together.”

“I will believe it when I see it,”
Flynn retorted, the ire still evident in his voice.

CHAPTER XXIII

As he stood at the door to Sae-Thae’s
office, Bren thought about his mentor, who was now away from the
Tower on his own mission. H had begged Sae-Thae to give him the
head seat of the council when he had first arrived, but the mage
had talked him out of the decision. As soon as Sae-Thae had left,
things had turned against him and it seemed no longer possible to
wait to take his place. He wondered why Sae-Thae had not told him
what had been happening with the non-humans.

Opening the door, Bren didn’t have to
wait long for his escort to the council chambers. Five tower guards
awaited him outside, each looking nervous with their hands firmly
holding the hilts of their swords. “Lord Farlane, you are requested
to meet with the masters in the council chambers,” One of the older
guards said, looking from him to Flynn.

“Does the council normally send armed
guards to send an invite for a discussion?” Bren asked, looking at
the guards. “I guess it doesn’t matter, I had to talk to them
before long…Lead the way.”

The guard gave a short yet halted bow
before heading back down the stairs. As Bren followed, the other
three guards formed up around him, reminding him of a man headed
for the gallows.

The council room was only one floor
down, at the end of the hall. Bren thought that it would be further
away, or at least in a more secretive location. Then again, he
reminded himself, this wasn’t some story that he used to read in
his mother’s study.

“You will be summoned when the council
has arrived,” An older mage said, stepping outside the door to the
chambers. “Until then, you may wait here.”

Bren always loved how people invited
others to stay and wait when they were given little choice in the
matter. His mother did the same thing often. He had once asked her
about it. “There is never a reason to be rude, even when you plan
to lead them to slaughter,” She had said calmly, as if it was only
natural to act such a way. Bren always believed his enemies should
act like enemies, it would make life so much easier in the long
run.

Bren wasn’t forced to wait too long,
only about an hour, the same amount of time his mother would leave
someone of a medium rank waiting. He knew that it was all a game to
show the others power, and how much you mean to them. Bren felt a
little disappointed, as far as they were concerned, he was only as
valuable as a minor visiting noble.

Bren had expected to find a large table
with many chairs in the council chambers, but what he found was
much different. It was set up much like his mother’s throne room,
however, there was not one throne, but ten lined up. The chair in
the center was empty so he was left to believe that it had belonged
to Sae-Thae.

He had seen many of the faces that were
now in the room, but the only one he really knew was Master
Carnear. Her chair was second to the end in the line, so while
Sae-Thae had entrusted his position to her while he was gone, she
was not a high standing member on the council.

“Prince Farlane, do you know why you
have been summoned to the council?” An older man with grey hair and
a beard that nearly stretched to the ground asked
loudly.

“I have no idea master mage,” Bren
replied, pretending to play innocent.

“That is Master Turneal to you,’ the
elder mage said, red faced. “You have been summoned here because
you took it upon yourself to sign these,” the mage said, throwing a
stack of papers at Bren.

Bren watched as the papers flew at him.
He didn’t take the time to stop and pick any of them up, having
already known what they were. “I believe I have every authority to
sign anything having to do with the safety of my
kingdom.”

“Your kingdom?” Turneal asked, nearly
standing from his chair.

“Yes, my kingdom,” Bren replied calmly.
“This land was bequeathed to my father by the queen of Farlan and
the King of Rane as his own land, separate from the two countries.
When my father disappeared, the title of this land was passed down
to me by his own wishes,” Bren said, holding up the paper he had
found in Sae-Thae’s office.

“That is absurd young man,” another of
the mages yelled loudly, but was quickly silenced by a Turneal’s
outstretched hand. “Even if your father had granted you the rights
to the land, that still does not give you the right to do as you
please on Tower grounds. Your father put the council in charge of
the mages, so that no one person would be in charge.”

Bren cursed as Turneal spoke. His
father had created the council for just that reason, but he needed
a way around that. As he thought, an idea came to him. He just
hoped he could push it far enough to work.

“I believe we have both made mistakes
on that front,” Bren replied, trying to remain calm. “While my
father did give control of the Tower to the council, he did not
give control of the surrounding town, nor lands to the council. Yet
you have still extracted taxes from my people, as well as make laws
that regulate the magical races while within my country.” Bren kept
his words calm, but he couldn’t help the contempt in his
voice.

“We needed funds to keep the Tower
running. I am sure your father wouldn’t have minded...”

“You do not think my father would have
minded if you abused the very people he sought to protect?” Bren
yelled, his anger getting the best of him. “As it is, you are lucky
that I do not decide to have you all tried for your actions against
my people.”

“You little brat,” Turneal said, his
face turning red as he yelled at Bren. “You are lucky I don’t have
you drug to the Tower yard and have you whipped for such
threats.”

“You could try, but within a week’s
time, I would have Rane and Farlan soldiers here to support me.
Then it would be far worse than a lashing, which I would be giving.
I would suggest you talk among yourselves, and think of a way to
handle this so that we do not have to resort to bloodshed. As it
is, all taxes and laws issued by the Tower are no longer in
effect,” Bren said, trying to regain his composure as he turned his
back on them and walked toward the door.

We have not dismissed you!” Bren heard
Turneal shout, but he ignored the mage. “Guards! Guards!” the mage
yelled as a host of armored tower guards rushed into the room from
the front and some hidden side door. “Take this young man down to
the dungeon so that he may think about his foolish behavior,”
Turneal ordered.

Bren thought about fighting, but knew
that he was greatly outnumbered, and any resistance would give them
a reason to have him thrown in the dungeon. He had already lost his
calm while talking to the council, to do so again now would only
invite more trouble.

Bren was disarmed of both his sword and
staff, then escorted out of the council chambers by ten armored
guards. He was taken to the lowest level of the Tower. The dungeon
looked almost new compared to the one below the palace. The bars
were clean and the floors didn’t even have chips in the mortar.
Bren doubted that anyone had been placed in them before. The doors
even swung open without so much as a screech, as Bren was placed
inside.

“At least the floor and cot are clean,”
Bren told himself, as he look around his new home. “I wonder how
long they will keep me here.”