Evantus and the other Staron mages watched the aerial battle in awe. The mar’goyn’lya and shrike used magic that they had never witnessed before. Rumors of the black shields and spears had been around for years, though no one had been known to have fought with a warlock using the spells, at least none who lived. The dragon magic was another thing entirely.
They had seen Kel’lor use the claw and scales, but they had also witnessed Cheleya in human form create glowing wings and more. Her armor glowed crimson like her wings, while the gargoyle’s scales were black and harder to see in the dim light of night. Their night vision spells had worn off or been released during the battle to save strength leaving the battle only swift moving shadows against the night sky.
Evantus and Colbie converged on the remaining two of their team. The youngest mage stated, “Without Veras, we have no mission, but if those things were from the portals, have we accomplished what we were sent out to do?”
Frowning at the mage’s shallow reckoning of the wizard’s death, Orlerin said quietly, “The man died warning us of their danger, Evan, have a little respect for the dead.”
“I have respect for the dead, but I am a realist, Orlerin. Our portal wizard is dead and our team can’t perform our work any longer. We have these two from Mar’kal using magic that I have never seen. One may be a man or a gargoyle and who knows what this girl is.”
Colbie waved his objections off as she answered, “Kel’lor may be either and it doesn’t matter. The mar’goyn’lya are considered our allies as much as the men there. As to Cheleya, she is as much a girl as any I’ve seen. Would a dragon or gargoyle mourn a creature like a crag dog?”
Evantus had another question, “Why is he putting her tears into that jar?”
Having an answer, the usually quiet Tilana answered, “She is a novice healer, but her powers come out in unconventional ways. Her tears hold her magic. You know that she healed Colbie with that flask. She couldn’t call her magic out for Colbie, but those tears held power to heal.”
The mages looked on in conflicted silence. Their new friends had certainly done much to be trusted, first, by saving Colbie’s life and then by helping defeat foes that all feared to admit aloud would have slain them without their help.
Tapping his foot nervously, Evantus asked, “So what do we do now, Orlerin?”
After a moment of silence, the team leader stated, “We bury Veras and return the compass to Televal or Estaria, if the council wants.”
“What about them?”
Shrugging at the question, Orlerin retorted, “What about them? They’ve helped us and can travel with us if that is their path or go on their way. Do you suddenly think that they’re the enemy, Evan?”
Colbie slapped him on the back of the head. “Stop being an idiot, Evan. I’ve told you already. Tilana and I talked with that girl and she may be naive, but she is probably the sweetest human being that I’ve ever met. Be nice to them or I’ll hit you a lot harder than that.”
Rubbing the back of his head, Evantus followed Orlerin’s lead as they brought out a blanket to roll the research wizard into. Tilana went ahead and found a spot behind the cabin between it and the small lake. Using her earth magic, the woman created a hole a few feet deep and long enough to hold the wizard.
After retrieving the body and the head that rolled several feet away, Evantus and Orlerin carried the wizard to his grave putting him into the ground.
Cheleya and Kel’lor still in his gargoyle form walked over to listen to Orlerin say a few words before Tilana moved the earth back over his body. Raising a stone, the wizard even put his name on the headstone marking the man’s grave.
“Tilana, would you help us bury Kerliss by the trees?” Cheleya asked humbly. She could feel the tension among the two groups and knew that they must have questions for the two from Mar’kal. They might have questions that they couldn’t answer safely, but the girl would answer as best she could.
It was getting late and night had been upon them for awhile, but the wizard nodded assent. After Kel’lor carried the crag dog to the copse that they had hidden in only hours earlier, the earth wizard created a suitable hole deep enough that scavengers wouldn’t dig him up. Asking for a moment to be alone to mourn her friend, Cheleya waited until the woman was clear of the trees to ask Kel’lor a favor.
Cutting the head armor plate free and following it down the back of the neck, the gargoyle removed the spiked armor. While he worked to skin the remainder of the animal, the dragoness began to use her alteration magic to change Kerliss’s head plate into a gauntlet for her right hand. Che’ther hated waste and the crag dog’s natural armor had withstood the attacks of werewolves and shrikes.
Letting the head plate and neck armor wrap around her arm nearly to the elbow, the gauntlet took shape even as tears came to the girl’s eyes thinking of her friend. He had sought to protect her more than once, now she could take that protection with her always.
After Kel’lor had finished with skinning the remaining pelt, the mage worked it more simply. The fur and armor came together into a heavy cloak. The fur would keep her warm as her friend had the past nights and his armor could protect her like no other.
Finished with their tasks, which would be considered savage by more civilized folk, Tilana came to cover the remaining body. Her face showed that the che’ther’s act would be controversial among the southern people. Too many of the city had forgotten their ancient roots of hunting and survival. They forgot where leather came from to protect them from the elements. The che’ther were closer to the animals by instinct if not intellect and for Cheleya it was a way of honoring her friend that had passed all too soon.
The three returned to the hut and three surprised faces when they saw the girl’s new cloak and armor.
It was new reason for Evantus to whisper that something was wrong with them, but Orlerin ordered him to drop it at least until morning. With the danger passed for now, the half dozen prepared for bed.
Those from Staron watched as Kel’lor returned to human guise using his amulet and quickly lay down on his cot. He wrapped a blanket over him and was asleep before the rest could settle themselves even slightly. Colbie and Tilana moved to the same side as Cheleya and watched as the girl took the new cloak and respectfully folded it before laying it beside her pack. The gauntlet was placed atop the cloak before the girl removed her boots.
Colbie was more of a soldier by disposition and simply took off her pants and boots before pulling a blanket over her legs, but she still watched as the strange girl from Mar’kal examined her dress. It was torn and not just from the sleeve wrapped as a ribbon holding back her hair. Her dragon scales had taken hits from the shrikes in places that she hadn’t even noticed during combat, but the dress covered her skin as well and had done little to protect her as the cloth was sliced from wings and talons.
With a sigh, Cheleya reached into her pack pulling out her only other piece of clothing, the blue dress. Pulling her red dress over her head, the bare girl heard gasps from the other women and found Colbie lunging with her blanket to cover the woman. Evan’s eyes in particular went large seeing the beautiful nude form, and Colbie warned him to look away with both an angry look and her words.
“I’m sorry? Is something wrong?” Cheleya asked turning towards Colbie who had nearly bowled the girl over in an attempt to cover her body.
“Are you crazy?” the mage started still shocked from the blatant blow to decency Cheleya had just delivered. “I know you said that there are fewer women in your city, at least human women, but in mixed company you don’t just strip in front of men. Civilized people cover themselves when they’re in public especially and you have no underwear. What is that about?”
Not looking the least bit self conscious, Cheleya continued to stand behind the blanket as she asked, “Are not all humans made about the same? I can understand covering yourselves to stay warm, but this seems like a strange custom to me. I also only have my two dresses and a blanket that
I have brought along. I didn’t know that other clothing was necessary, though I did make boots to cover my feet until my magic returned. Stones hurt my feet a lot. I assume that is also why you wear them and to keep warm?”
Her questions stunned Colbie and the rest of those from Staron. The men could hear her clearly as she obviously understood little of the southern customs of modesty, and they were beginning to wonder if it was more than just a cultural separation.
Colbie gestured using her head since both hands were in use holding the blanket between the girl and the men, who both were appearing to respect the mage’s wishes to avoid looking, though Colbie doubted Evan would resist for long.
“Turn in a circle,” she asked looking more carefully at the girl’s body. Other than the fact that her skin was smooth and hairless save for the long hair on her head, Colbie was sure that she looked human, but they had seen Kel’lor changed into a gargoyle and back into a human, albeit a huge one, more than once already. “You’re not a gargoyle, I mean, a mar’goyn’lya also are you? I mean that would certainly explain your ignorance about modesty.”
Surprise registered in the pretty emerald eyes of the dragoness as she replied, “I do not brag about my talents. I know about being modest.”
Unable to keep from giggling at the reply, Colbie heard a couple choked laughs stifled by the others. She shook her head again and clarified, “Not modesty like that. I mean decency and modesty, like people don’t go running around exposing their bodies to others in mixed company.”
“Unless they’re married or otherwise ready to have relations,” Evan said and was caught looking by Colbie. Her stare held death so he quickly looked at the floor. “You used to skinny dip in the river with the boys too, Colbie. Does that count?”
“When I was a girl!” she argued angrily letting the blanket drop a bit. Tilana grabbed the lowered cloth and stood on the other side of Cheleya having looked at the strange girl as well. While the wizard had rarely shared a shower with other women or otherwise had times to see them naked, she realized that Cheleya, while beautifully formed, was rather unique as well like Colbie had noted. It was like looking at the smooth flesh of a young child perhaps.
“Are you a mar’goyn’lya?” the wizard asked again quietly having noted that they had all digressed from that part of Colbie’s questions.
This was one of several questions that she was unsure of how to answer. Cheleya debated on whether to continue to push away the deepest truth. She could answer that she was not a mar’goyn’lya and be truthful, but the dragoness knew that was not what they truly meant. Deciding to be truthful, since in fact they were heading south to find a wizard to fix the damage done by Malaketh, Cheleya answered, “I was born a che’ther, but our master betrayed me and used some unknown magic to trap me as a human. I used to have an amulet, but it was broken. He tried to kill me to hide his secret; but I survived and my brother, Kel’lor, who is a brother to me, but not my brother, has helped me to come this far looking for a wizard that might remove whatever he did to me.”
“If she’s a dragon, then I can look right?” Evantus asked daring to look up slightly as he tried to interject humor into the situation. He had nearly forgotten his earlier suspicions with the confession of the che’ther. It was a story so absurd to him, that he almost had to laugh.
The combined frustrated ‘No’ from Colbie and Tilana didn’t deter the battle mage right away, but Colbie’s added, “I swear to Turas that if you look I will burn you to a cinder with a fireball, Evan!”
Gulping as if in fear, the young man nearly had to laugh even so.
Tilana continued to search for answers, “Why did he try to kill you?”
It was another question that she feared that she shouldn’t answer, but Cheleya was committed to them now. “He was stealing artifacts from the school and using a strange amulet to make one of the masters forget helping him. I stumbled across him and his men, when I had gone to the school to see if could stay there. I asked him to just make me forget and that I would tell no one, but he knew that I would wind up doing the right thing, I guess. So he locked me into this body and destroyed my amulet. Then he disrupted my magic and threw me over the balcony.
“If I hadn’t managed to summon my magic wings in time, I would have died then. He must have summoned werewolves through a portal to kill me as well, but Kerliss and his pack saved me. Well, until Kel’lor came to stop the pack leader anyway. Those strange black birds must be more of his minions.”
Orlerin spoke up saying, “That would explain both portals, but not who or how they were made.”
Shaking her head, Tilana countered, “And if it is this Malaketh person that did it, you know the truth but he would obviously hide the facts. If we sent word to Mar’kal about him...”
Kel’lor spoke and Cheleya realized that he hadn’t been snoring. Though she had never spent the night with him in human form, the girl could assume that like in his real body he probably would snore. “They wouldn’t believe it without proof. He is a dragon master, even if he is a human. Cheleya and I are mere students. They would believe him over us unless we could bring more proof than our word.”
Silence settled over the group and Cheleya finished pulling on her blue dress. Cut above the knee like the red, it would do for a night dress for the dragoness. They were all tired and decided to leave further discussion until the morning after they had rested.
Chapter 9- Dressing a Dragon
Morning light was still trying to push its way around the eastern mountains when Cheleya awoke. The girl rose and walked outside carrying her red dress. Her feet were bare and though the blue dress was thinner than the red, she barely felt the cold.
The humans had told her that she basically knew little of their customs and rules of modesty, which wasn’t that surprising to the girl. She knew few humans and most of those were older teachers. Human women were in Mar’kal, but her circle of acquaintances centered around magic and she couldn’t think of one human female she had ever met. Men seemed interested in daring the trip to Mar’kal to find magic that was unique to her people, but women must be more satisfied, she supposed. Again, she knew almost nothing beyond those few facts, so Cheleya expected that the humans would probably tell her that she was wrong.
Removing the red strip in her hair, Cheleya held it to the torn sleeve from which it came and began to concentrate on drawing out her magic to make the two pieces mend together once more. It was strange to use such magic. The dragoness had read about it, but never found anything about calling it out that required chanting or other words of power. While she had chanted words that helped her focus on a task, the books had simply said that it was a frame of mind created by concentrating first on the power within and then on the item to be changed.
Such strangeness of casting had somehow come naturally to her, so here she was playing with the magic to basically heal her garment. That was another bit of magic that Cheleya had less knowledge about, but perhaps there was similarity between the two types of magic that she had tapped into as well.
The sleeve and strip became one under her attention, despite the intruding thoughts. Cheleya began to work on each tear individually making every wound in the fabric come together. Her eyes grew wider at the thought of healing once again. It didn’t take too long to finish mending the dress as the dragoness was becoming more comfortable with the magic and working with fabric. Sadly, she was getting a lot of practice fixing her clothes on this trip. It was so sad, that Cheleya giggled at the thought.
“What’s so funny?” Evan’s voice came startling the girl who held a hand to her upper chest in surprise.
“You startled me,” Cheleya responded quickly as she smiled to disarm any accusation he might find in her words. “I didn’t know that you were there.”
“I scared a che’ther? I would think a dragon would fear little,” the mage replied looking a little smug.
Looking a little sad at the mention of her lost form, the dragoness responded, “I
am no longer a dragoness. I was never big for a che’ther, but apparently I have chosen to be small as a human as well. Being small, I guess that I scare easier.” She added the last with a bit of her smile, though he could tell that she was distracted with sad thoughts.
“It’s funny that you managed to pick such a pretty face without knowing humans very well. How long have you been able to change into one of us anyway?”
“I received my amulet a little over a year ago. Until I was forced to become human permanently I actually enjoyed it very much, but then I could return to a che’ther any time that I wanted also.” She held up her left hand and noted the delicate grace to her fingers and the smooth skin that the others had noted the previous night. Even Kel’lor had mentioned his surprise at her skin. Cheleya wondered if she had done something wrong using the amulet, though Evantus had just told her she was pretty. Her eyes searched his and asked, “You really think that I am pretty? I was told by the others that my body is wrong.”
Evan blushed a bit as he tried to answer without letting her know just how much he had managed to see the previous night. “There is nothing wrong with your shape per say. It is unusual for a grown woman to be so smooth, but many probably wish they had such skin since during the summer most women shave their legs and even arms while they can reveal them in the warmer air.
“Your breasts are a little small, though a very nice shape. Your body is slender and graceful looking as well. I think many men would find you attractive. Your hair is an interesting color too.”
The last made the girl giggle and her right hand came up to cover her lips in a strange instinctual need. Holding the red dress in her left, the right was free and she began to speak while her fingers blocked her mouth. “I was actually playing with the color the day this happened. I had a hair color more like Orlerin’s, but when the mood came I changed my color. I’ve been your hair color and Tilana’s too, but this was the first time I had tried a little red in my hair.”
Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus) Page 11
