The (sort of) Dark Mage (Waldo Rabbit) Read Online Free PDF Page B

you’re facing a charging knight or a hill giant?” His mother slowly shook her head. “This will be your first time facing real danger. Oh I know Walter has tried to kill you, and that some of the others might have if you had put the robes on sooner. But those were all threats you were familiar with, ones you knew to watch for. When you leave this castle, and then leave Alteroth, you will be alone and surrounded by enemies. This is the rite of passage every Dark Mage of a ruling house must endure. You must prove you are worthy, not just by surviving, but by shedding blood and returning home with treasure. Do you expect to come back empty handed and just say, ‘I did my best’?” She gave a rude snort. “That would be fine if you were a Poisondagger.”
     
    Waldo’s face reddened. “I’m not a coward mother.”
     
    “My son if I’d ever thought you were I would have killed you myself. I know your worth. That is not what concerns me.”
     
    “Then what is it?”
     
    “You don’t remember your brother Roland do you?”
     
    Waldo shook his head.
     
    “Well I’m not surprised; you were only three at the time he died. He was my first born, his father was Martin Wormwood. Martin was very skilled at fire magics. He would definitely have become the head of his family if the Poisondaggers hadn’t murdered him.”
     
    Lilith Corpselover had never married. Had she, her husband would have become the family head. Instead she had enjoyed a long series of lovers; each of her seven children had had a different father. The men came and went, and none of them were allowed to have any part of her children’s lives. Among the Great Families there was no stigma in being born out of wedlock, so long as there was one parent with elite blood and the child had the ability to use magic.
     
    “Roland was just like his father; a powerful and ruthless fire user. I taught him everything I knew and he never disappointed me. When he was just fourteen, I took him with me on a trip to the Barren Mounts. I wanted some new goblins and I thought it would be a good experience for him. Would you believe we ran into a giant? Twenty feet tall at the very least, and a tree for a club in his hands. Roland was closer to him than I was, and I called for him to get clear so I could deal with the brute. Calmly, as if it were just practice, he lifted his wand and poured enough fire on that stupid beast to roast him in less than a minute. I was fifty yards away and I felt as though I were starting to bake.” She sighed wistfully. “We ate his flesh for the rest of our trip.”
     
    “He killed a great monster at fourteen?” Waldo was impressed. Killing a Great Monster was quite a feat for anyone who was not a master. “Why did I never hear about that before?”
     
    Lilith shrugged. “Because he is dead, so what does it matter now? The point is he was everything I could hope for in an heir. When he set off on his First Quest I was certain he would come home with an army of slaves, piles of gold, and the heads of at least a dozen knights. I really was sure he would be fine.”
     
    Her eyes drifted, no doubt recalling his long forgotten brother.
     
    “He died,” his mother said simply. “He went to the Kingdom of Lothas and never came back. A knight defeated him and left his head on a pike. As strong as he was he ended up as rotting flesh somewhere far from home.”
     
    “I’ve always known the First Quest is dangerous mother.”
     
    “Three of my children have died on their First Quests,” his mother said. “All of them were as well prepared as I could make them, and all of them had learned how to kill by the time they set out. Yet they still died. Do you truly understand? No one cares about doing your best, the point is to survive. That means doing what you need to, not what you want to.”
     
    “I know that mother. It’s not like I fail on purpose.” He answered quietly.
     
    “My son, I don’t believe you are a failure or