his obligation. It didn’t change his duty to this new world. Well…new to him, at least. He’d fight off an army to save Kaitlyn if he had to. But he couldn’t ever forget that he was the archmage.
“I’m not going to be able to do this by myself,” Nicolas said.
“No one is expecting you to. But you will have to play your part. The part of an archmage. You can start by dressing like a Council magus. Remember, no one is going to recognize you on sight. You may think that a blessing, but trust me when I tell you it can be a curse.”
“What about these?” Nicolas asked, tugging at the archmage robes he was wearing.
“No,” Tithian said. “I’ll not have you taking a risk like that without me. You don’t go traipsing around dressed like the archmage without protection. Especially now.”
Tithian opened the wardrobe and examined the contents. He rifled through several of the robes, shirts, and trousers until he came to a white robe with a black scapular. He took the robe and trousers off a hanger and laid them on Nicolas’s bed.
“There’s pants?” Nicolas asked.
Tithian raised an eyebrow. “You’re not wearing pants?”
“No one told me about pants!” Nicolas held the pants at his side. Perfect length. “Wait. These aren’t girl pants, are they?”
“You’ll need this,” Tithian said.
Tithian handed him a small, black sphere. Larger than a marble, but small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. It was cool to the touch. Nicolas examined it for markings, but the sphere was seamless.
“That’s a translocation orb,” Tithian said. “It’s attuned to the Caspardis area. The city gate should be in view of your arrival point, as I recall. I’m…aware you’ve been there.”
Nicolas sniffed.
Been there? That was an understatement. The last time he’d been there , he was tossed into a dungeon, found guilty of heresy, flogged to within an inch of his life, and tossed into Lake Caspardis to drown.
Yeah…he’d been there .
“How does it work?” Nicolas asked.
“When you want to travel, channel a small amount of power into it. It will do the rest. Just make sure you’re touching whoever you want to travel with. The more people you take, the more power it will use. It should bring you back to the sanctuary here.”
“Should?”
Tithian blinked. “It’s best you don’t get involved in some things.”
“Tithian.”
“There are objects of power at the Pinnacle that sometimes disrupt the flow of magic,” Tithian said. “But they won’t be here long.”
Nicolas gave him a suspicious look.
“Please,” Tithian said. “Trust me.”
“I can’t help but wonder about something,” Nicolas said.
“What?” Tithian asked.
“I wonder what Kagan would do in my place. I mean, with the Council the way it is and the Barathosians invading?”
“I can’t say for certain, mind you. But I’m willing to lay good odds on him assassinating a diplomat, imprisoning his own people under a magical dome that slowly destroys the world, and eradicating anyone who disagrees with him. But what do I know?”
“Point taken.”
“When you’re tempted to ask yourself what Kagan would do…stop,” Tithian said. “Erindor has known a Kagan already. It’s time for the world to know a Nicolas .”
Nicolas nodded. “I will get Kaitlyn to the cichlos. And I will come back and set things straight here. You have my word.”
“There is something I must do in your absence,” Tithian said. “I have loyal contacts in Tildem. They work for me…in a sense.”
“What does that mean? Spy stuff?”
Tithian waved his hand as if to tell Nicolas to speak quietly.
“I trust you to sort it out,” Nicolas said.
“Lady Kaitlyn,” Tithian said as he bowed.
When the door closed behind him, Nicolas put his arm around Kaitlyn.
“I know this is all crazy,” Nicolas said. “But we’ll get through this together. The people I’m taking you to, they’ll know what to do.”
“I hope so,”
“I’m not going to be able to do this by myself,” Nicolas said.
“No one is expecting you to. But you will have to play your part. The part of an archmage. You can start by dressing like a Council magus. Remember, no one is going to recognize you on sight. You may think that a blessing, but trust me when I tell you it can be a curse.”
“What about these?” Nicolas asked, tugging at the archmage robes he was wearing.
“No,” Tithian said. “I’ll not have you taking a risk like that without me. You don’t go traipsing around dressed like the archmage without protection. Especially now.”
Tithian opened the wardrobe and examined the contents. He rifled through several of the robes, shirts, and trousers until he came to a white robe with a black scapular. He took the robe and trousers off a hanger and laid them on Nicolas’s bed.
“There’s pants?” Nicolas asked.
Tithian raised an eyebrow. “You’re not wearing pants?”
“No one told me about pants!” Nicolas held the pants at his side. Perfect length. “Wait. These aren’t girl pants, are they?”
“You’ll need this,” Tithian said.
Tithian handed him a small, black sphere. Larger than a marble, but small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. It was cool to the touch. Nicolas examined it for markings, but the sphere was seamless.
“That’s a translocation orb,” Tithian said. “It’s attuned to the Caspardis area. The city gate should be in view of your arrival point, as I recall. I’m…aware you’ve been there.”
Nicolas sniffed.
Been there? That was an understatement. The last time he’d been there , he was tossed into a dungeon, found guilty of heresy, flogged to within an inch of his life, and tossed into Lake Caspardis to drown.
Yeah…he’d been there .
“How does it work?” Nicolas asked.
“When you want to travel, channel a small amount of power into it. It will do the rest. Just make sure you’re touching whoever you want to travel with. The more people you take, the more power it will use. It should bring you back to the sanctuary here.”
“Should?”
Tithian blinked. “It’s best you don’t get involved in some things.”
“Tithian.”
“There are objects of power at the Pinnacle that sometimes disrupt the flow of magic,” Tithian said. “But they won’t be here long.”
Nicolas gave him a suspicious look.
“Please,” Tithian said. “Trust me.”
“I can’t help but wonder about something,” Nicolas said.
“What?” Tithian asked.
“I wonder what Kagan would do in my place. I mean, with the Council the way it is and the Barathosians invading?”
“I can’t say for certain, mind you. But I’m willing to lay good odds on him assassinating a diplomat, imprisoning his own people under a magical dome that slowly destroys the world, and eradicating anyone who disagrees with him. But what do I know?”
“Point taken.”
“When you’re tempted to ask yourself what Kagan would do…stop,” Tithian said. “Erindor has known a Kagan already. It’s time for the world to know a Nicolas .”
Nicolas nodded. “I will get Kaitlyn to the cichlos. And I will come back and set things straight here. You have my word.”
“There is something I must do in your absence,” Tithian said. “I have loyal contacts in Tildem. They work for me…in a sense.”
“What does that mean? Spy stuff?”
Tithian waved his hand as if to tell Nicolas to speak quietly.
“I trust you to sort it out,” Nicolas said.
“Lady Kaitlyn,” Tithian said as he bowed.
When the door closed behind him, Nicolas put his arm around Kaitlyn.
“I know this is all crazy,” Nicolas said. “But we’ll get through this together. The people I’m taking you to, they’ll know what to do.”
“I hope so,”
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