Not (Just) A Mage Lord Isekai

It took another hour for me to fully explain everything I'd found in Tamrie's diagnostic. Not because of the technical details, but because Tamrie was having a hard time believing it.

"Not a lick of sense," Tamrie said, pacing back and forth. "Me? A Caller of the Deeps?"

"Wait, you've heard of them?" I asked. It was the first time she'd indicated any familiarity.

"Course I done heard of 'em. Not a soul in Spellford who wouldn't," Tamrie said, hands over her head as she paced back and forth. "The High Lord's wife was a… Oh… poor Ari." Tamrie plopped down next to me, her energy gone all at once. "This'll be hard on her. She wanted to be like her mum."

"I think she'll be happy for you," I said, taking her hand in mine, squeezing softly.

"Aye, she'll be happy, more'n like. This is… Perry, I'm sorry," Tamrie said, turning to look up at me.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" I asked, pulling her into my side.

"On account of… you don't know what this means, do ya? Course not, you didn't grow up in Spellford." She banged the side of her head softly against my chest, her hands clenched into fists.

"It means you're leaving," I said, reaching up and brushing my hand across her hairpin.

"More'n like," Tamrie said, letting out a long sigh. "Even if I didn't wanna, everyone knows you can't deny the Call. Be like cutting out a piece o' myself, it would."

"How long? Until you have to leave?"

"Until they swim south. I won't know until… well, until they're almost on us," Tamrie said, her hand digging into my robe. "I'm gonna need to… get someone take over for me. I think… if'n I'm going… then it'd be better if I step down sooner than later."

"I understand," I said, swallowing hard.

"I… I don't want this to be the end. For us, I mean," Tamrie said, pulling back to look up at me. "Ari said her mum and pa, they lived a life in the beyond, even though they only saw each other for a week every year."

"A week? That's it?" Trying to imagine only seeing Tamrie for a week after a year apart. Unfortunately, I didn't have to try very hard, given my recent experience on the Dauntless.

"A Caller moves with her pod," Tamrie said, reaching up to stroke my cheek. "Ari's mum tried to stay, but without the pod, she was weaker than a mortal. And, well… I 'spose even if all of Spellford knows the story, it's still Ari's to tell, as she will. Suffice to say, staying didn't end none too well for her or her kin."

"And your pod would only be nearby for a week each year?"

"S'what it was like for Lady Thozgar, leastwise," Tamrie said, wiping at her cheek. "I'm… it's a lot to think about."

"Whatever you decide, I'll support you," I said, kissing the top of her head.

"Aye. Hate that 'bout you sometimes," Tamrie said, a smile breaking through.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, chuckling.

"Don't change, Perry," Tamrie said, pushing up to kiss my cheek.

"Can't promise that," I said, shaking my head. "But I'll do what I can to keep my promises."

She nodded.

We sat together for another half hour before Tamrie curled her hands into fists and pushed to her feet. "Right. Won't get done all on its own. Let's get this set."

"Sure," I said, joining her and taking us back to the surface.

We both stopped, looking up at the open ocean.

Tamrie reached out to touch the stone dome, her mana leaking from the tips of her fingers, golden and soft green-blue mixing together as it lit up the dome. After a minute standing there, she let out a long breath. "Not long. More'n like a few weeks."

"You… talked to them?"

"Not as such," Tamrie said, taking my hand and pulling me towards the Waygate. "It's a feeling, in here," she added, holding a hand over her chest. "Little more clear, down here, beneath the waves an' all."

I nodded, but I remained silent.

"You know, if this'd happened six months past, I'd have nothing but joy," Tamrie said, pulling my hand up in front of her, kissing it softly as we stood in front of the Waygate.

"Yeah, I get it," I said, running my thumb across her fingers.

"'Spose you do at that," Tamrie agreed, turning to face the Waygate.

We appeared in the central crystal chamber, where Vendil was waiting, with a list of urgent problems. All of which had to be sorted as we went. The next few hours were a flurry of activity as Tamrie dealt with not just the disruption from her unplanned absence but also setting the start of replacing her into motion.

I was by her side, helping as much as I could the whole time.

Less than half an hour after we started, Arizar showed up, providing her support without asking a single question. The entire day disappeared in a flurry of activity.

There were a lot of questions from other people, but Tamrie insisted that she'd explain later, once she'd had time to think.

And if anyone got too insistent. Well, Arizar or I would step in.

Before I knew it, the three of us were having dinner together. Tamrie had asked Bevel for an evening of privacy, and Bevel, after a short look between the three of us, had nodded, gave me a tight hug, then ran off to bug Inertia.

"So, something significant was revealed when you visited the Golden Halls this morning. Something that has you charting a new course," Arizar stated once I'd closed the door and ensured we wouldn't be interrupted. "Are you well?"

"Not sick, if'n that's what you're after," Tamrie said, sitting across from Arizar, her hands folded over each other on the table. "More like I stepped from one fairytale to the next, without the chapter from the first finishing."

"So, good news?" Arizar said, interpreting that better than I had despite the fact I knew what Tamrie was talking about.

Tamrie nodded. "If'n it was just this, for a certain it'd be cause for celebration."

"I do believe you're doing this on purpose," Arizar said, leaning forward, reaching out and taking Tamrie's hands. "Stop casting 'bout the pier and reel it in already."

"I'm a Caller of the Deeps."

Clearly, by the several moments of extended silence, that was one answer Arizar wasn't prepared for.

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Then, as if a switch had gone off, Arizar leapt to her feet, letting out a delighted squeal so completely out of character for her, it set Tamrie and I both leaning back. "This is marvelous, Tamrie! I'm so happy for you!" In seconds, Arizar ran around the table, pulling a flustered Tamrie to her feet, pulling her into a tight hug. "Oh, they couldn't have chosen better. I knew you were special. Said so the moment I met you, didn't I?"

"Sure enough, you did," Tamrie finally said, returning her friend's enthusiastic hug, tears appearing at the corners of her eyes.

"How long until your call? Oh, it must be soon. No wonder your magic wasn't working right. And, of course, you need to put aside your work," Arizar said, pulling back for a second looking at Tamrie. Then she seemed to get overwhelmed again as she pulled Tamrie into another hug.

Tamrie looked over Arizar's shoulder in my direction, the first fully genuine smile I'd seen on her face since I'd given her the news making its way through.

And, in that moment, even as a little piece cracked inside, I felt lucky to share in their joy.

…MLI…

While Tamrie leaving had felt like everything - and for a day, it had been - life in Cape Aeternia carried on.

Putting off my duties hadn't been too bad, except I'd forgotten one thing. To prepare for my meeting with the Ten Feathers clan's chief.

I still had the morning, but if I wanted even a chance at brokering peace, some preparation would help. With that in mind, I decided it was worth spending time in Memory Palace.

As Arizar had put in an open request to join me, she was there too. As was Bevel, who'd received her own explanation about Tamrie leaving. She'd been even more excited than Arizar, if that was possible.

Once I'd invited them into the garage, they'd spent the next few hours of compressed time discussing what sort of party they should throw for Tamrie.

While they did that, I reviewed everything I knew about the Ten Feathers. It wasn't much. They were a newer clan, having only learned how to bond the giant eagles they rode sometime in the last fifty years.

From what Thozgar had gathered, they didn't have a typical territory. Instead, they offered hunting services in a number of other clan's lands, dealing with other aerial predators, such as our wyverns or the giant flying bugs Nexxa had rooted out.

Nexxa really had to deal with a lot of bugs in that jungle of hers.

While there wasn't much on the Ten Feathers themselves, there was a lot on previous eagle bonded clans. They were usually one of the stronger clans, though their beliefs swung from one extreme to the other. Which meant the only clues I had to their behavior were what I'd seen from little Henri combined with Thozgar's limited notes.

Plus side, the current chief, Henri the senior, seemed to generally oppose violent expansion.

That was countered by the fact that she believed it was their duty to ensure the safety of their subject clans.

After several hours working through things on my own, I enlisted Ari and Bevel to help out, just to keep from running myself in circles. Somehow, that turned into us doing something reminiscent of charades, except guessing which clan of bonded the person was acting as.

We only spent a total of twenty minutes - real time - before exiting and getting back to work.

It left me feeling a lot better about the upcoming meeting, which both of them were going to join me for as well.

Using the Waygate we'd set up for Selvi's scouts, we were soon flying over the peaks where I'd so often taken my trials before the Dauntless. Despite there still being at least an hour before midday, the Ten Feathers chief was waiting for us.

Her eagle was large enough it could probably carry a half-dozen folk and barely notice. Much bigger than Frost Lily.

That was worrying, since Vaserra was at the peak of tier-3. Had Thozgar gotten his intel wrong?

Didn't matter. If she was tier-4, we were already well within her sphere of influence.

After one last circle, we brought our gliders down on the opposite side of the peak from her.

Henri the senior was as angular as her son, sharp limbs and sharp eyes. "You are the one who my son spoke of? The one who calls himself Magus Protectus Percival?"

"I am. I assume you're chief Henri of the Ten Feathers?"

She nodded, eyes moving to my companions.

"This is Bevel, my daughter, and Arizar, my ally," I said, motioning to each in turn.

Once more, she nodded to each of them before returning her attention to me. "My son said that you sought peace, for yourself and the Frost Riven."

"If it's possible, yes."

"Tell me, what do you know of why we have gathered?" Henri asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"You're here seeking revenge for the death of the Panther Lord's son. And to take slaves back to your lands," I said, crossing my arms as well. "Neither of which seem like enough to assemble this many clans."

Her eyes narrowed at the mention of slaves, but she didn't interrupt. When I was finished, she gave a slight nod. "You're correct. About all of it. While Arther's call for vengeance and promise of spoils motivate and control the lesser clans, they are not why those with honor have come."

"So… why are you here then? Not because a new Magus showed up, surely?"

A smile that didn't reach her eyes spread at that. "No. It is not your title which is the problem. It is what you have awoken. Tell me, Magus Protectus. What did the devils offer you to bring about the apocalypse?"

…

We stared at each other in silence for almost half a minute before I said, "Yeah… you're going to have to be more specific than that. Seems like there's another end of the world around every corner these days."

"You do not deny that you have dealt with the devils?"

"Not sure, honestly? I might've. Can you describe them?"

"I… cannot," Henri replied, eyes narrowing. "Though their names are known to all. Plague, War, Famine, and Death."

"You know…" I stopped, unable to stop a slight smile from tugging at my lips. "Never met a single devil by those names. Familiar with the concepts though."

And with the fact they were the four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Did I know a few devils that might be the same beings? Obviously. Though if Keeper, Conflict and Tender were related, it seemed they'd drifted from the source of their names. Seemed just as likely that someone had been feeling poetic and slapped another name on them.

"Perhaps you know them by other names," Henri said, unknowingly echoing my thoughts. "Deception is the plaything of such creatures."

'Cause humans were so much better for that.

Instead of saying that, I said, "And how would interacting with them lead to the apocalypse?"

"The fall of the great bulwark and the onslaught of the ravening hordes," Henri replied, gesturing to the west.

"Coincidental timing, at worst," I said, shaking my head. Honestly, thinking that having a few active trials half a continent away from the barrier…

Actually, Aeternia was a center for a lot of infrastructure in the distant past. It's possible, however unlikely, that bringing each of their facilities online had hastened the fall of the Pillars to a degree. A tiny degree. Maybe a few hours earlier than they would've failed otherwise.

"So, you deny making a deal with the devils to tear down the bulwark in exchange for power?"

"Absolutely," I said, not having to even think about the question. "Even if I had, why would I ever admit to it?"

"Honor," Henri said, raising an arm decorated with white feathers across her chest in some sort of salute.

I couldn't help but glance back at Ari at that, who gave me a slight smile and narrow shrug. So I wasn't the only one who'd caught that Henri both thought I was dealing with masters of deception while also expecting me to display honor.

"Uh," Bevel said, raising a hand, drawing everyone's attention. "If you're worried about the hordes, why are you attacking a place fortified within the highest mountains in the world? Isn't that stupid?"

"To restore the bulwark, child," Henri replied, her voice softening somewhat. "Arther promises that he knows how to rekindle its light."

"Sounds like I need to talk to this Arther. Assuming he's not lying," I said, gaze shifting towards the north.

"You would accuse one of the great clan lords of such baseless deception?" Henri drew herself up as if I'd slapped her.

"Right. Maybe not lying. He could just be mistaken," I said, raising a hand in apology. Had to remember I was trying to broker peace here, no matter how ridiculous her claims felt.

"Even the sharpest eyed eagle can mistake prey for a leaf, should the wind blow wrong," Henri said, nodding. "And while Arther does move more true than most landwalkers, he does remain bound to the limited view those not lifted upon the wings of wisdom have, such as you and I."

The amount of arrogance in that statement was… well, I was glad we'd come on our gliders. I suspected we'd earned bonus points for flying to our meeting with wings.

Our meeting continued for some time longer as I, quite accidentally, got Henri gossiping about the rest of the clans. Or, as she put it, sharing the 'wisdom of the winged'.

Neither Bevel or Ari contributed much, and I almost felt bad for them, though they seemed as interested in what Henri had to say as I was.

A lot of it really was no better than gossip. Who was sleeping with who, which clan leaders preferred what vice, and so forth.

It also revealed that there were three major factions among the clans, organized around each of the tier-4 champions.

Arther, the panther lord, had a faction full of slavers. They were the ones most excited to raid Vaserra's lands. It sounded like most of them didn't care about Cape Aeternia at all. Even if I somehow made peace, there was a good chance they'd attack Vaserra anyway. Henri's disdain for them was obvious.

The serpent lord, Vergel, was more of a mixed bag. A lot of his supporting clans wanted slaves, but they were just as willing to trade for them as go raiding. They were the largest faction, and most of them had come along as much out of boredom as for the potential financial benefits.

Henri's opinion of them wasn't much better than it had been for Arther's supporters.

"Of course, the great Tillan commands the most important faction, the true hearts," Henri said, standing slightly straighter. "We are bastions of honor, one and all. Unlike the lesser clans, our sole focus is to turn aside the apocalypse, even at the cost of our lives."

Well, at least the ones most likely to come for our heads had a sense of honor.