Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus) by Donald Wigboldy Jr

she had discovered and replaced the rest. He remained on the floor for a time skimming through the three spell books and received a surprise. The magic in these seemed easier to his mind. Despite Sylvaine’s inability to learn these spells, Palose felt like he might be able to actually understand this reading.
    Using the quiet to avoid the stares he often received from the wizards in the library, the mage began to read ‘Understanding Life’. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after that he heard a new set of footsteps. They sounded heavier like boots rather than the light slippers Sylvaine was wearing. When a green skinned goblin in his leather boots and pants, wearing a dark, gray tunic suddenly rounded the end of the shelving to look at the human as he sat on the floor, they were still nearly eye to eye.
    “Master Atrouseon wants you to come to the lab now,” he informed the mage with a raspy voice.
    Palose knew this particular goblin from his time in the laboratory with Atrouseon. An assistant of little renown, Listher’s status was apparently no lower than his own as the mage had been a messenger for the warlock before as well. The fact that the goblin would speak to him with no extra respect for the caster let him know his own status in this world where goblins, orcs and men were mostly peons to the emperor.
    “Right now?” Palose questioned even as he gathered the other books into his satchel and stood.
    “The master said now,” he replied emphatically leaving little room to waver. Palose had a feeling that the little goblin was simply enjoying having a taste of power. To command anyone, especially someone larger than himself, for a simple goblin relegated to assisting warlocks and wizards was probably too rare to not relish.
    “I need to check out these books with the librarian on the way out then,” Palose sighed. He had hoped to study within the library to avoid more questions where he was. Letting Geerloc or any of the wizards here know more than he wanted to was disappointing. It meant that Atrouseon could simply check with them to find out his interests and Palose wasn’t sure how his master would take his apprentice researching the spells used for his creation.
    It took only moments to fill out the cards for each to prove that the mage had taken the three books before he hurried towards the lab. Listher hadn’t even bothered to wait inside, though Palose found the goblin walking slowly in the direction they both needed to travel. He had obviously not wanted to return before confirming that the apprentice was doing as he had been ordered. If Palose had ignored the order, it would have been the goblin who paid for not making sure that the young man obeyed the call and warlocks could be petty in dealing with such failures.
    The walk wasn’t long and soon they found the four story building made of worked cave stone. Unlike the organic look of the library spire, cut bricks kept the laboratory squared off and the lines straight. Why one building would be made so radically different from another, Palose didn’t know; but by comparison the laboratory was plain and boring in appearance. Maybe that was the intent to reduce curiosity from any passersby, since the experiments going on within were a secret to most of the population.
    Closed doors within rooms with more closed doors, led from one hall or to a set of stairs to another as the maze of secrecy spread even to the very building’s layout. Palose followed the goblin from room to hall to new room to stairs repeatedly opening and closing the myriad of doors. The final barrier was pushed aside by Listher revealing a large room with a fifteen foot high ceiling that remained shadowed despite a score of lamps spread around the chamber. Cages taller than a man dotted the room and many were covered with cloths.
    Palose quickly noted an assembly of men, most of whom were wizards judging by the auras the mage could read from them. Atrouseon stood with three other