Taking in the large muscular male before him, Evantus frowned.
Cheleya shook her head even so and replied, “My brother and I are from Mar’kal to the north. Our ‘friend’ here decided to tag along with us.
“I have answered your questions so who are you and where are you from? I sense that you are a wizard or mage perhaps?”
He looked at the two disparate looking people. One a giant, with his dark brown hair and muscular frame; while the other was a petite beauty with strawberry blond hair and eyes so green that they looked like shining emeralds even as the day turned gray with approaching night. “You are siblings?” he asked forgetting that he had been asked questions in turn.
“We have different mothers,” Kel’lor stated gruffly and frowned while the girl began to giggle at the admission which was half the truth. Thinking of a dragon mother and gargoyle mother being the only difference between them amused her greatly. “You have ignored my sister’s questions quite rudely I must say. Do they not teach you manners where you are from?”
Blinking at the accusation, Evan bowed his head as he replied sincerely, “My apologies, I am Evantus Wierak, battle mage of Staron. I believe that answers all of your sister’s questions.” He noted the packs in their hands and continued, “So you have traveled far if you come from Mar’kal. We were headed that way when we had a run in with a gang of orcs and trolls. There was even a kiriak with them.” The last brought a little wince as his pride reminded him of how it had thrown him aside like he was nothing to the beast.
The girl looked concerned at his words, “And your party is all right? I assume that there are more of you inside then?”
Nodding, he added, “We had some injuries and needed to stop in the hut last night, but she isn’t getting any better.”
Noting the pain in his eyes and realizing that she was getting better at reading humans the longer she was one, the dragoness strode quickly forward towards the door behind the mage. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but the giant shook his head warningly as he put out his hand to stop the smaller man. “My little sister has a very caring heart and may be able to help her.”
“She’s a healer?”
“An untrained one though she saved this crag dog’s life before he adopted her.” He noted the dog starting to follow Cheleya and put out his hand saying firmly, “Kerliss, no.”
Amazingly the crag dog looked at him already smart enough to know the name belonged to him and obedient enough to heed the gargoyle’s direction. The dog sat down looking to Kel’lor and then to the way Cheleya had gone to disappear through the doorway. A single whine betrayed the animal’s preferred action, but he stayed waiting.
Evan noted the obedient animal and remarked, “He’s remarkably well trained. I thought crag dogs were just wild animals. I had never heard of anyone training one.”
A little surprised by the creature’s obedience as well, Kel’lor admitted, “Less trained than smart enough to heed commands and I don’t think I have heard of one tamed before either. My sister has an unusual way about her.”
“And she’s incredibly beautiful,” Evan let slip before catching himself. This was her brother after all and if someone spoke of his sister like that he might take offense. If the giant took offense, the mage might have to fear for his life. Being a battle mage, he wasn’t very good at sensing magic in others, but he could tell that this one carried more than just physical power.
Cheleya pushed through the doorway finding four others inside. Eyes looked at the stranger in surprise, but the girl only had eyes for the feverish young woman who already groaned with fever dreams. While new to being human, the dragoness had been through classes learning of the creatures of her race’s adopted world. A fever was said to be very bad and she could tell this one was going poorly. Sweat beaded the woman’s face even though they had stripped her heavier clothes to try and cool her skin.
“Who are you?” another man who looked to have suffered injuries as well tried to stand questioning the girl’s arrival.
“I am Cheleya from Mar’kal. May I see the injured girl? Perhaps I can help?” the dragoness asked meekly. She knew that her power to heal was new to her, but the girl followed her heart knowing that she had to try to help.
“Mar’kal?” Veras replied with his curiosity piqued immediately. “Have you noticed any gates opening near your city lately?”
Orlerin cut the man off with his hand and waved the girl towards Colbie hoping that she could help the sick falcon. “The gates only opened twice in less than three days, Veras. Even if she is from Mar’kal, there is no way she could have walked this far in only three days. Even riding horses would be pushing it and I didn’t hear any horses outside, did you?”
“There are no horses,” Cheleya replied distractedly as she placed a hand on the girl’s feverish head and wondered how to call her magic out to help her. She had healed the crag dogs feeling that she owed them all and not wanting any of them to die. Was that the way she needed to heal this human as well?
In che’ther, the girl muttered, “Please let me heal her. Make her well.” For several minutes the girl tried, but she couldn’t feel the magic the way she had that night. She had tried the elemental spells that she had learned since then and they now worked, but Cheleya had never been trained to heal. It had just been from instinct and now those instincts were failing her.
Getting up in frustration, Cheleya went to the door feeling the others’ eyes following her in concern. “Kel’lor?” she called and her friend moved into view blocking the waning light beyond the door. Again she spoke in a different tongue, that of the mar’goyn’lya, “It won’t come. I can’t feel my magic at all.”
He nodded having worried that might happen. The girl was deeply caring, but untrained. Even using the power multiple times in one night, it didn’t make the dragoness a true healer. Such magic usually took years to utilize without fail and more years to truly master.
Fishing in his pack, the gargoyle pretending to be human brought out the flask of her dragon tears presenting it to the girl.
“I am not a dragon of legend!” she argued again. “They are just tears.”
Shrugging, Kel’lor replied, “Then it won’t hurt her and perhaps it will remind you of your magic while you try.”
His words surprised her. Her tears had overflowed when she had been sad and trying to heal the dying and injured crag dogs. Would the simple reminder be enough to help the magician heal, because she was certain that the tears had no true healing ability in them?
Returning to the bedside, Cheleya knelt beside the cot and helped Colbie sit up slightly to drink the tears. New tears were beginning to form in the dragoness’s eyes, but she concentrated on both the salty tears in the flask and her patient. She prayed that the tears would heal the girl or her magic would return if they failed.
The battle mage swallowed a couple splashes of the tears. Her tongue licked her lips and she let out a wane smile. “So sweet,” the woman remarked to Cheleya’s surprise. The comment seemed strange to the dragoness since she had tasted her tears on her lips and thought them salty at best.
The mage’s breathing seemed to ease immediately and Cheleya felt her forehead noting her skin cooling as well. Had Kel’lor been correct? Her tears had actually helped heal the girl?
Worrying that it was just a fluke of timing, Cheleya touched the injured ribs that had been nearly black with bruising. To her eyes, even that was fading while her gentle touch brought a slight smile to Colbie’s face.
“That tickles,” she mumbled revealing the source of the smile.
Surprised that her tears seemed to truly be able to heal, Cheleya sealed the flask once more noting that only half remained. She didn’t know if she could create the same magic that had made the healing tears again and they needed to be preserved.
Hurrying over to Kel’lor, she returned the flask and revealed in his tongue, “It is working. The girl’s fever is gone and her wounds are healing. How can this
be?”
With a big shrug, the gargoyle replied, “I took your tears when your magic was healing others. Your desire to want to help them may have put your power into the tears. Either that or you are a che’ther that can cry tears of healing.”
Footsteps behind her brought Kel’lor’s eyes up to look over the little dragoness and Cheleya turned to see the banged up falcon leader.
“I don’t know what you gave her,” Orlerin started, “but whatever it was it seems to have worked. Colbie is healing almost as quickly as having a wizard healer working on her. I can’t thank you enough.” Glancing at the cots inside the cabin, he added, “There are a couple extra beds left if you two want to stay with us for the night.”
Veras looked ready to argue that point, but Tilana’s quiet stare silenced the research wizard.
Glancing to Kel’lor for his nod, Cheleya replied, “That would be appreciated. Our stores are getting low and we could use a night out of the cold.”
It was Tilana that heard her words and said, “You’ve had to sleep outside? I thought there were more travelers’ huts along the way and to think that you came all that way dressed in nothing more than that dress. It doesn’t look particularly warm.”
Veras looked at her as if he wanted to dissect her to find out the truth, but Cheleya smiled her disarming smile and replied, “I’ve been a little cold, but the journey was sudden. This is the first such cabin that I’ve seen along the way. We were forced to find what shelter we could each night.”
“Who is that?” Colbie’s voice asked drawing their attention. “And where are my clothes? I’m getting pretty cold since they have the door open.”
The last was a passive aggressive way of telling the two men by the door to close it. Tilana passed the falcon her shirt that was sitting at the foot of her bed.
Orlerin was the first to answer the girl, however, as he replied, “This is Cheleya, a healer from Mar’kal who healed your injuries and...”
Having not been introduced since he had given Cheleya the flask, the gargoyle introduced himself, “I am Kel’lor, her brother. We have different mothers,” he finished clarifying the way he had earlier for Evan.
Again Cheleya smiled at the odd truth added to an exaggeration. They had felt like brother and sister almost since they had met and referred to each other like siblings, but they were only related in magic.
Evantus hurried over to Colbie giving her a hug in relief.
“Hey, watch it you pervert. Give a girl a chance to get dressed here,” the girl jokingly protested even as she hugged him lightly. The two had been cadets together as well and known each other a long time. A similar relationship to Cheleya and Kel’lor had formed between the two over the years also.
Pulling back, Evantus thumbed towards Veras and said, “I thought we might lose you. We even had to let Veras try to heal you.”
Faking a gasp of surprise as the girl turned to put her feet on the floor, she put her hands on her cheeks exclaiming, “Oh lord, it must have been serious to let Veras near me with his medicine.”
Rolling his eyes, the elder wizard replied, “Great. She’s healed.”
The younger mages in particular laughed at the butt of their jokes, while Colbie began to replace her falcon uniform of black and brown. Blood still stained it in places, both from the mage and the orcs she had killed. Noting the marks and the rough spots from dried blood, Colbie held off on the dirty shirt and pulled a new one from her pack.
Noting Cheleya’s blue dress cut above the knee, the mage stated, “That is a bold dress to wear during the winter. Aren’t you cold?”
Cheleya shrugged noticing the cut of the clothing on the women in particular. “I have been cold on occasion but I have a blanket along and Kel’lor and Kerliss have helped keep me warm. Is that the style most women wear in your country?”
Colbie looked at the falcon tunic and rugged pants making a bit of a face at the idea. Pointing at Tilana wearing a brown long sleeve blouse and skirt that went to mid calf where her boots kept her lower legs and feet warm, she replied, “This is a battle mage uniform, so women wear them in the corps, but Tilana’s dress is closer to the style of the women in Staron. She wears too much brown because she is an earth wizard, but otherwise it is similar to the winter dresses of our home.”
Looking at the girl curiously, she asked, “Is that what your people wear?”
Laughing at the idea, Cheleya shook her head answering, “Well, che’ther wear no clothes and mar’goyn’lya dress more like you. I haven’t paid that much attention to what the human women of Mar’kal wear since they are few in number. This dress and my other one were in a clothing store, but the merchant was rather eager to sell them. I don’t think he received many female customers.”
“So there are few women to create a true custom,” Colbie nodded continuing to chat as she failed to understand the human guises before them weren’t real. The men were beginning to look bored and began trying to wring a little information out of Kel’lor concerning the road ahead and Mar’kal as well while they all prepared for another night in the cabin.
Tilana and Colbie pulled the pretty girl into their fold continuing to talk fashion and customs.
When Veras revealed that he was the cook and placed a stew made of vegetables and some dried meat that he had brought along, everyone quickly took shallow bowls filling them before taking them to the table or to a cot to sit. There were only four chairs and a small table, which were more of a courtesy than many travel huts held, so they made do.
Cheleya found eating with a large spoon a bit daunting at first, but watching the others, the dragoness proved herself a quick study and managed to eat without spilling on her dress. Orlerin and Evantus had always been human and managed to spill anyway as they gulped down their stew, so Cheleya felt good about surviving her first human meal.
“Boys,” Colbie said with a shake of her head. “They can be such slobs. I’ve known Evan forever and the boy still can’t manage to avoid spilling his food like some barbarian. You’d think he’s never used a spoon before,” she finished laughing and made Tilana smile as her eyes furtively found Orlerin cursing his injured shoulder for the mishap.
Cheleya laughed and played along echoing, “Yes, boys.”
Looking intently at the strawberry blond beauty in her blue dress, the mage asked, “Well, you’re quite pretty so I assume that you have a lot of boys hovering around looking to spend time with you. Do you have a boyfriend?”
The girl shrugged knowing nothing of the kind, but answered truthfully, “Other than Kel’lor, I rarely meet other boys since I have been studying at the academy for a long time. There are less magicians being trained than you might think.”
Colbie looked disappointed as she confirmed it by saying, “That’s a shame. Even though Staron is a relatively small country, there are enough boys around in and out of the magic schools to have some fun. She would be a big hit with the boys back home, don’t you think, Tilana?”
“She is very pretty, but training at the school does become a big distraction for many young wizards,” the pretty brunette said looking a bit self conscious as she answered.
A big grin formed on the battle mage’s face as she decided to tease the wizard, “I guess that you speak from experience. If you and Orlerin would just stop trying to hide from everyone, you could just get it over with, you know?”
“Get what over with?” Cheleya asked before thinking. She knew too little of human rituals, but assumed that it was something to do with their relationship.
Rocking on her cot in amusement, Colbie’s green eyes were filled with mischief as the elder wizard began to blush in embarrassment. “Oh, you know. IT. They could stop pretending they don’t love each other. Go make some babies, get married and set the wizard’s council on its ear after losing their earth wizard to a battle mage,” the girl finished getting loud enough that Orlerin and the other men could hear.
Her battle leader looked annoyed and slightly angry, though
embarrassment made him hold his tongue letting Tilana deal with the other woman. He knew that she was quiet, but like in the battle the day before, she could show a lot of strength.
“You are being inappropriate in front of our guests,” the wizard said quietly and without anger.
“Well, she did ask,” the girl said brushing her brown hair back from her face before leaning over to hug Tilana. “Besides, you know I love you guys. You’re like family to me and I want to see you get together before you’re too old to enjoy yourselves.” She looked at Cheleya appraisingly and added, “So you know little of boys too. That academy of yours really stifles a girl, huh? Too bad we’re supposed to head up to Mar’kal to try and close these portals or I would show you around Televal. It’s not a very big town, but there are a few cute boys that I think you might like.”
A little unsure of such talk, being even more naive about human boys than Colbie had surmised, Cheleya changed the subject to their actual destination. “Kel’lor and I were planning on trying to make it to the Winter’s Edge tournament in Hala actually. I don’t know that I would have enough time to be shown around anyway. The tournament will be beginning soon.”
The mages of Staron all nodded at that. Colbie answered for them, “You will really need to hurry then. It’s in two weeks and if you want to enter the contest you should be there even sooner, I bet.”
“We received word months ago, even in Televal. They say that invitations were sent all over the world,” Tilana added glad to be off of the topic of her relationship with Orlerin. “If you want to find a room there, you will definitely have trouble if you’re late, I would think.”
Shaking her head, Cheleya confessed, “I am not good enough to fight in a wizards’ tournament, but I hope to find some of our people there. Perhaps they will be able to help us with rooms.
“We just need to try and catch them before the tournament is over and they leave again.”
Confusion crossed both of their faces. Even the men had stopped speaking to listen to Cheleya speak, which made Kel’lor nervous. He feared that the girl was being too trusting with these strangers. It was a trait of the che’ther, he feared, and part of why they were here now.
Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus) Page 9
