Grey Mage: Protector: Tournament of Mages, #5

By Cleave Bourbon

He's called the protector for a reason…

 

…it's just not the reason everyone thinks.

 

Asleth, the Grey Mage, has been instrumental in helping the blood mage, the necromancer, and the green thumb, but why? When did he decide to take on the responsibility of keeping the mages safe and together?

 

Or, was that decision made for him?

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cleave Bourbon
• Release date: Sep 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223531777

Cleave Bourbon

Cleave Bourbon is a native of Texas. His Texas heritage and his love of science fiction and fantasy allows him to write weird westerns among other fantastical stories. In fact, he has loved all things fantasy since he read the Belgariad by David and Leigh Eddings in High School. He says the word "fantasy" comes from fantasizing, so the sky is the limit on what fantasy can encompass as far as writing goes, so he isn't afraid to experiment and write new twists to liven up old tropes. Being that he holds both a B.A. and an M.A. in English, he writes full time and teaches in his spare time. He teaches Junior High and High School level grammar, vocabulary, and writing online. He says he will never stop writing and he will never stop teaching, unless he becomes physically unable to do so. He currently resides in Texas with his Tortoise Shell Cat, Khaleesi.

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Grey Mage Protector

Copyright © 2024 by Cleave Bourbon

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic

or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval

systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use

of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events,

and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are

used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,

events, or locals is entirely coincidental

Contact info: [e-mail]

Front Cover Design by Sanja Gombar www.fantasybookcoverdesign.com

Print Cover Design by Sanja Gombar www.fantasybookcoverdesign.com

Editor: Courtney Umphress www.courtneyumphress.com

FIRST EDITION : NOVEMBER 2024

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Grey Mage Protector

The Mage of Mentalism

Cleave Bourbon

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Shadesilver Publishing

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Contents

1.Disclosing Secrets

2.Visions of the Past

3.Protector

4.The Right Thing

5.Discovery

6.Hidden Secrets

7.Grey

8.New Prospects

9.Ambush

10.A Tangled Skein

11.Hollow Souls

12.Path to Vestia

13.The Handmaiden

14.South

15.Dastardly Deeds

16.Sheth's Cradle

17.Last Resort

18.Muddled

19.Aftershock

20.Fate's Reward

21.Revelations

22.Darkness Falls

23.Argus Bloodthorne

24.Mage War

25.Clash of Mages

26.Thessa’s Truth

27.Blood and Tears

28.A Solid Plan

29. Illusions and Delusions

30.For the Game

31.Bitter Sacrifice

32.The Red and the Black

33.The Next Step

Also By Cleave Bourbon

34.Glossary

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Looking through the Ocularius Magnus, Ephaltus jumped from mage to mage halfheartedly. His mind was occupied with the question of Marlee and whether or not he should tell her about his pursuit of the seventh god, the god’s wife, and the quest that has taken up so much of his time away from the arena. Technically, he should not have left Marlee to handle the day-to-day tasks of the tournament without him. He was not retired yet. She had done a good job supervising the repairs and rebuilding what had been damaged, but that work should have been his to oversee.

He moved the lens to the Grey Mage and focused on him. He was lounging around a fireplace reading a book. None of the mages seemed to be training with their magical or fighting abilities. They were all getting involved in each other’s lives or getting caught up in the manipulation of the gods. He switched to the Green Mage. By the architecture on the buildings in the background, she appeared to be in the same vicinity as the Grey Mage. He had noticed the exact same buildings when Asleth was outdoors earlier. He perked up, What’s this?

What’s what? He had not noticed Marlee enter the room.

I see the Grey Mage and Green Mage are together. Isn’t the Green Mage brand new to the tournament? I would’ve thought Nateria would be falling all over herself to get her trained up in time, being that she’s so far behind. I thought she would’ve hidden her away somewhere safe from prying eyes.

You have not been observing them for a while. Asleth and Hana took Lylah under their wing. Where’s Hana? Those two are always together?

Ephaltus turned the machine toward the Red Mage. He focused on her. From the angle of the giant lens, he could also see Asleth and then Lylah appeared in the background, She is there too. They are all three together in a room somewhere.

They’re planning their alliance I would imagine. Where are the other mages?

Ephaltus focused on the other three. Fia is talking to a group of men and women. I would guess they’re all in some sort of guild judging by their clothing, Thessa is moving through some heavy woods, maybe in Adendalind, and Arran is with Zedy in Ironholm. He is the only one currently training his abilities. He looks in good spirits, better than I have ever seen him before.

Marlee came to stand behind him so she could see through the lens over his shoulder, "You know, I could not see the Green Mage for the longest time. I guess that means Nateria did have her hidden somewhere, right?"

Aye, I thought she might. He sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead, What you witnessed was cheating. You got your first look at it. She has manipulated something to allow the Green Mage to train up somewhere she could control.

How do you know?

I have been at this for quite some time. Nateria would not be the first to do something like this to even the playing field.

What do we do about it?

Nothing. This is one of those cases when you use your judgement. She was behind and she brought her champion up to snuff.

Up to snuff?

It’s a saying. It means she brought the odds of her winning back to even. Her cheating has not necessarily given her an advantage so I will allow it. Besides, there has obviously been foul play from other gods to bring her to such a desperate act as manipulating the amount of time it takes to train a mage to this point. In other words, if the others had not been cheating or trying to affect the outcome, Nateria would have no need to cheat.

You are allowing cheating by justifying?

Yes, exactly. It isn’t her fault she’s behind. He scratched his bearded chin, Which brings me to something else I have observed.

Yes, go on.

This whole tournament cycle Asleth has been stuck like glue to the Red Mage, Hana. They have not been away from each other for more than a day or two here and there.

Aye, what’s your point? Hana is a very beautiful woman. Asleth is also a handsome man. I just assumed he was taken with her and she with him. It’s not unheard of even if it is stupid since they will have to fight one another eventually. She looked at the Oculus again, But, come to think of it, why haven’t the gods manipulated either of them?

We are still a couple of years from the tournament. The gods’ plans have not gotten around to them yet. Asrion and Andiel are two of the eldest gods. They are feared by the others. If their champions are going to be manipulated, it will be much closer to tournament time. The other gods, like Cassany, will not attempt anything too early.

Is there a way to look into a mage’s background or discover their motivations? I would love to see Asleth’s story. I think there’s something there, something that keeps him around Hana.

There is a way to look back, sure. You can’t go there in person, but you can adjust the Ocularius Magnus to focus on any time period in a mage’s life. I almost never do. There’s usually nothing significant to learn anyway. There is also a significant time commitment. When you are stuck viewing the past, your time will not be in sync with the time in the rest of the world. You cannot leave it once you begin until it has shown you everything you ask. You cannot interfere with anything you see because it has already happened. If you try to interfere, it will likely get you killed or worse. My advice to you is to forget about the past and focus on the here and now. If there are any surprises such as deceptions or drama, it makes this job that much more exciting.

"I don’t think so. I would prefer to be prepared. This explains why we must calibrate the oculus so much. Don’t you know the gods are peeking in to see things in the past as well as the present?

Yes, I do. We are not allowed to affect things we see, but they are gods and can do some things we cannot. Our use of the time it requires to watch past events must be for observational analysis only. It just takes too long. Even if you skip ahead and don’t watch when the mages are sleeping, relaxing, or eating, the effort is still a gross waste of time.

Wait, I didn’t say I wanted to do it. I just asked if there was a way?

All right, yes, there is a way.

I don’t know if I want to watch the past, but how do I do it if I decide I want to.

Here in the Arsenal of the Way, you simply go to the oculus room and set the rotary dial next to the mage color guide to black. White will bring you back to present viewing. Once you set it on the past based on the color of the mage you point the black indicator at, it will begin with the time you set. It will play out the scene in real time just like you were there. I warn you. Don’t cut it off early. If you do, it could cause a ripple in the past.

Sounds simple enough.

Just heed the warnings I gave you. Be careful. I mentioned the time commitment. You are unable to stop it once it starts. You can’t just turn it off and leave whenever you want. I would suggest short passages of time in the life of the mage, so you don’t end up in there for days on end.

Got it. That sounds interesting but dangerous. I don’t think I want to know the Grey Mage’s background that badly.

As I stated, I never use it. It is useful occasionally, but it rarely gives any pertinent information to help with the tournament. I found long ago that I really don’t care about the mages’ early lives. I mean who really cares about any of that?

Well, only if something in their past is motivating them now. Marlee pointed out.

Yes, well, speaking of that. I have something to tell you. But I don’t want to tell you here at the Oculus. There are too many possible prying eyes. We need to meet in my study. It is supposed to be private according to the laws of the tournament.

Marlee looked worried, All right, when?

It’s nothing to worry about. Ephaltus said to reassure his apprentice. It’s just something you should be aware of as a Tourney Master. He said the last part in case there were prying ears. Meet me in my study in about half an hour. I’ll have the dryads make us lunch and we can eat while we talk.

Marlee nodded, Half an hour it is then.

Ephaltus left the room and headed for the kitchen where he informed the dryads to move their lunch plans to his study and that Marlee would be joining him there. He checked the temperature of the Earth Chamber by observing little glass bobbles filled with liquid rise in a larger clear tube filled with water. The different sized bobbles with different levels of liquid inside would rise and fall as the temperature of the water inside the tube changed. He thought it was a bit warm in the room, but the temperature tube indicated it was a perfectly comfortable room temperature.

He had just arrived at the study when Marlee met him there. The dryads brought thin sliced cuts of meat and cheese with unleavened bread and vine fresh grapes for desert.

Did you ever wonder about the extra orb in the Arsenal of the Way? He asked her.

Not really, I thought it might be a spare in case of an accident.

Actually, there used to be a seventh kingdom called Audria.

Yes, it is the Sunken Lands now, right? She took a bite of cheese.

The Sunken Lands are part of it. The elders there rarely, if ever, took part in the tournament, but all the steps were taken to include them should they ever want to participate. Their color is violet or purple. The color was an odd choice since most of the other kingdoms thought they should choose yellow to represent themselves. I think violet was chosen as a joke.

Is this why you brought me here? You want to give me a history lesson? I thought the seventh god was a myth anyway. She picked up another piece of cheese.

Yes, I brought you here to talk about the seventh god. I not only found him, but his wife too and I have reason to believe she is still alive.

Marlee was dumbfounded and dropped the cheese.

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Adryad retrieved the piece of cheese Marlee had dropped and disappeared into the nearby kitchen. Marlee regained her composure and picked up another piece of cheese to replace it.

Do you have a plan? What does this mean? Will there be a new mage in the tournament if you release the missing god?

Ephaltus raised an eyebrow, You know the seventh god is a prisoner?

I know the legend, the myth. The story goes he did something so terrible to the rest of the gods that they destroyed any knowledge of him and exiled him, but they failed to erase him from history entirely, and some historians recorded his existence. Over time, he became myth, a fanciful story to explain how the Sunken Lands came to be.

"Yes, exactly. Only, it’s not as story. He is real. You surprise me, apprentice. I was not aware you were this well read.

I am studious to a fault. It’s one of the reasons I think investigating the past of the mages may be useful to us.

I’m not stopping you. Just because I haven’t investigated the mages’ past since a few tournaments back doesn’t mean you are forbidden to it yourself.

I just think it’s interesting.

I was once like you. It’s perfectly natural to be interested in them, it’s the reason the Oculus can see their pasts, but after few tournaments, you will learn to read them without looking back.

So, tell me your plans. You said the seventh’s god’s wife is alive?

"I found a couple of clues that lead me to think she’s still alive and well, but it requires investigation, I’m afraid, and I don’t currently have the time to go roaming around the kingdoms.

Why not? I can handle things around here. I’ve proven that much.

Because I’ve been thinking about it and it isn’t fair to you the way I’ve been leaving you here before you’re ready to take over. I should be training you more and traveling away less. The mystery of the seventh god has been around for centuries and it will be around during my retirement too. I shouldn’t be jumping ahead.

I have not minded your absence at all.

You’ve been lucky nothing major, except for that dragon incident, has happened. What if the gods decide to intervene in something. How would you handle that? So far, their interference has been small scale, nothing you couldn’t have handled, but what if they begin to fight and start using arsenal resources for their own purposes? Could you handle them then?

That has happened before?

Yes, the gods have had fights that have nearly destroyed the kingdoms, and of course, you already know about the Sunken Lands. What you may not know is the Broken Lands to the south were caused by the gods’ temper tantrums against each other.

Extreme instances, I’m sure. The likelihood of anything like that happening again is low, I would think.

Regardless, I will conduct my research from here for a while and I will leave again once I have more information. I have not pinpointed all the details yet, and I would hate to run off chasing phantoms.

I understand. I will make it a point to ask any questions I have about the tournament and the mages while you are around.

Once they had finished eating, Marlee, even though she was acting like she might not look through the Ocularius Magnus, hoofed it directly to the room in the arsenal. She wanted to know why Asleth found it necessary to be by Hana side all the time. She was convinced the answer would be in one of the mages’ past. She wasn’t sure how Ephaltus planned to conduct his research, but she saw him heading for the small library kept near his office. She thought he might be occupied for some time, allowing her to get started on her viewing of the past.

She sat in the double seat of the Ocularius Magnus and looked over the dials, colored switches, and controls. She knew how to look at the mages’ present locations, but she was not listening to Ephaltus that well when he told her how to get the giant lens to focus on the past. In fact, now that she thought about it, did he explain it to her at all?"

She played around with the controls and ended up focusing on Asleth as he was in the present. She turned the dials and finally got the lens to look into the past. At first, she thought she was focused on the wrong tournament because the lens focused on a large boy practicing his lifting of large logs with iron hooks. The boy would lift them and let them down again over and over After he lifted the logs for a while, another boy walked out into the field and began marking the ground. The large boy would take the log end first and lift it with his legs, finally lurching forward and sending the log sailing through the air and to the ground where the other boy would mark where it had landed. She realized by moving the lens, she was observing a tournament or games. The city appeared to be Ironholm. She scanned the grounds, looking at each station. Perhaps Asleth was there