Even though it was a gesture often given in civilized settings with little emotion attached to it, Tilana turned noticeably red before turning to walk onto the field. The wizard looked more confident, however, as she took her circle. Looking across the field and the reconstructed pool, the woman could see her opponent taking position.
Cheleya noted the girl’s appearance. Petite, thin, the fire wizard wore a heavy coat of red over her wizard’s tunic. Breeches were tucked into leather boots coming up to her knees. She looked cold, which was likely for someone living so far to the south, the dragoness supposed. Gauging the fire wizard to be as young as she herself, Cheleya wondered how experienced such a young wizard could be. Perhaps this New Oapril had few wizards to choose from or had sent the least needed among them to represent the city?
“From New Oapril, Laramis Orean versus Tilana Romeran representing Staron,” the wizard in black announced in his augmented way once more.
The defenses raised were different from the previous wizards. One reason was that there was a fire wizard, but Tilana created a unique shield of stone around her circle. While the fire wizard placed two solid walls of fire horizontally in front of her leaving just a sight hole to see her opponent and added two more at an angle to protect her sides, the earth wizard placed a dozen spikes that looked like stalagmites around her. They appeared unconnected with a few feet between each. They were thick at the base and pointed at the top. How they would protect her from fire spells, Cheleya had no idea as she leaned forward growing more excited. Tilana obviously had some plan in mind and the dragoness felt that these spires of stone held more protection than she could see for now.
The twenty seconds expired and the moderator announced the time to attack.
Like a typical fire wizard in personality, Laramis cast a spread of fireballs at the earth wizard. Tilana ignored the flying constructs as she worked her next spell. While the crowd seemed to hold a collective breath worrying that the woman from Staron might be giving up without a fight, the fireballs found the true strength of those spikes. Like traps being sprung, the spikes suddenly expanded closing the gaps between each forming a strong stone wall. The strength was understood as the barrage of fire struck and extinguished itself upon the stone.
As they watched, the spikes contracted back into themselves leaving the earth wizard a virtually unobstructed view of the young woman across from her. Tilana gestured and the stone pool burst outward covering the stones around it. Feeling for the poor wizards who would have to reconstruct the pool again, Cheleya watched as the reason for the destruction seemed to come to life before her eyes.
Fire torrents swirled out of the fire wizard’s circle seeking to overwhelm the stone defenses but, as they neared the pool area, stone and water seemed to merge into a stream of gravel. Cheleya had heard of sand soaked with water that could grip feet and legs as they sank into the combination. This appeared to be an animated, living version as quicksand snakes lashed out by the dozens intercepting the fire torrents.
Covered in water, the gravel and rock stopped the fire and created steam in the air. Visibility between the two wizards became masked in the haze. Quick sand returned to stone, but Tilana manipulated the dried rocks almost as smoothly as she had the combined wet gravel.
Two columns jumped from the ground as it rippled beneath them sending the heavy stone falling towards Laramis’ battle circle. Fire lashed out behind the fog striking the falling columns pushing them away from the girl in response, but they were just another distraction. Like the fog, Tilana meant to confuse her opponent and disguise her own moves.
Another rumble warned the fire wizard that the other woman was up to something, but she could only rely on her fire walls as Laramis could no longer see what was coming. A half dozen stone snakes rose above the mist before hammering down upon the four fire walls. With the great stone mass smothering the four strong walls in a single strike, Laramis frantically attempted to raise new defenses. She could do them in seconds, but she didn’t have that kind of time as the rumbling ground revealed rolling land rippling through her circle to the girl’s feet.
The small girl was flung like a simple rag doll and landed nearly twenty feet beyond the back end of her circle. If not for the protecting spells slowing her fall and cushioning her impact to nothing, the fire wizard would most likely have several broken bones. Picking herself up with no injuries or even scratches, Laramis stood and began walking towards the bleachers defeated as the announcer declared Tilana winner of the match.
As their friend returned as a victor, the mages from Staron quickly rushed down to congratulate her with Cheleya in tow.
“See? You were worried about nothing,” Evantus said with glee.
The wizard from New Oapril stood at the far end of the same stands receiving consolation in her defeat, Cheleya noted, feeling sad for the girl who had traveled so far only to lose in the first round. Despite Evan’s words, Cheleya thought Laramis had put up a good fight. Tilana had simply been more original in her defense and attacks.
Confirming the che’ther’s viewpoint, the wizard shook her head at Evantus replying, “No, she was pretty good. If I hadn’t managed to get the water to block her view, it might have gone the other way. Once I had the fog in place, however, it was pretty much a given that I could beat her.”
At the mages’ questioning looks, Tilana explained, “Though she knew where I was more or less, a fire wizard is pretty much governed by what they can see. My second defensive spell was to create a sensing spell that told me exactly where she was using the ground to feel for her. I didn’t need to see the girl to attack her at all.”
Orlerin beamed and nodded as he praised her, “Nice work, Tilana.”
With their friend’s duel finished, Cheleya convinced the others to wander between the different fields to see what other types of battles were being fought. She didn’t want to return to the confines of the human city, and after lunch they continued to watch the different matches until they were all through for the day.
Chapter 27- Trial and Error
Malaketh sat at the table in the tavern mulling over the tankard of ale in his hand. It was his second and likely not to be his last. The continued frustration of pursuing Cheleya was beginning to get him. Though he was irritated that the trackers had still been unable to find her, the ale was more useful for buffering the anger that threatened to well up in him. His darker side had been contained by the man for most of his life, especially for the decade in Mar’kal. Playing the caring teacher to his students, and before that his need to pay respect for the masters above him; had become an existence that was beginning to grate on the nerves of the wizard. He had already trained to a master’s level in Ensolus long before he had taken the mission to infiltrate Mar’kal and its Academy of Magic.
“You know that won’t solve your problems,” a female voice stated before Mor’treya stepped around from behind her master to take a seat across from the man.
Contemplating the raven haired woman before him, Malaketh wondered at the magic in the amulets that let dragons and gargoyles become human. Magic defied logic in many places, one of which was wondering how a forty foot dragon weighing many tons, could somehow become something the size of a human.
Mor’treya and her race were less impressively changed in mass, of course, but the mar’goyn’lya were certainly not human in size or thinking. The mentality of a people that resembled statues created from stone, he often wondered if some of them weren’t actually stone brought to life. Perhaps it was simply the fact neither race truly belonged to Alus that made them feel so strange to him.
“And how would you propose to solve my problems, student of mine?” he asked drolly.
Sitting sideways in the chair as if she were avoiding harming her nonexistent wings, the woman rested her arm over the back of the chair. Her hand held top of the chair backing above the folded arm while she leaned her cheek against it contemplating the human in front of her. Dark brown eyes seemed to consid
er the man a moment before sitting straight once more as Mor’treya answered, “You have had the trackers canvassing the city for two days with little avail. Perhaps you need to narrow the search.”
“We limited our search to the inner city yesterday and only found Kel’lor. Gods rest his soul,” the wizard feigned true sorrow for the death of the mar’goyn’lya, his former student.
The name seemed to darken the woman’s eyes, whether from sorrow of a lost friend or from being unable to resolve why he had supposedly stolen from the academy, Malaketh was unsure. Again the strangeness of her race could hide so much from human eyes, even when they were in human guise.
“She has obviously been warned that you are looking for her here already. With the aid of the che’ther, Cheleya worked to spread her scent across both the inner and outer city while your men simply worked the smaller area. We were told that they had been sent into the city to see Staron’s ambassador. Why haven’t you asked the humans for information on their mages?”
Malaketh frowned. “We checked there and found no more trace of Cheleya at the embassy than anywhere else, which basically means we know she was there, but nothing beyond that. As to their ambassador, if his people are wrapped up in helping the thieves, he may not choose to tell us the truth. Plus there is the matter of getting an audience with the man or his subordinate during this Winter’s Edge tournament.”
“I hear excuses, but you haven’t tried,” the gargoyle woman accused quietly as she maintained an even voice.
Sighing, Malaketh gestured for her to continue with his hand as he asked, “Fine, so I make this meeting to find out whatever he might know. If he knows where they are staying, what says that they won’t catch our approach and simply leave before we can catch them?”
Shrugging before she leaned against the chair back casually once more, Mor’treya suggested, “If I know Cheleya, she will be getting restless in this cramped little city. The girl will most likely find an excuse to go to the dueling fields to the north, if only to get a breath of fresh air, so to speak.”
Malaketh found the idea of Hala being a ‘cramped city’ a bit ludicrous, though he understood man sized streets holding so many people would seem cramped compared to the layout of Mar’kal. The dragon city was built for che’ther dimensions and was nowhere near as busy as Hala. He considered her idea of Cheleya wanting more freedom and knew enough of the girl to believe Mor’treya’s opinion.
“So how do we use this to our advantage?” he asked.
Rolling her eyes in a very human way, the woman replied, “Instead of sending your trackers off in every direction at once looking for a needle in a haystack, let the prey come to you. It is simple hunter’s logic. You can’t expect to sneak up on a deer or rabbit, but lay a trap or lie in wait where they commonly drink reduces the search. You know the deer will drink from the brook, so wait for it there.”
He understood the idea easily enough, but had to remind the woman, “Cor’Dargan and the others know our trackers as well. We can wait for them, but they could spot them as well and change course.”
“A hunter can hide in a tree. Don’t make yourself so obvious and even prey knowing they are hunted can spring a trap,” she retorted with a shrug.
It was getting late in the afternoon and the trackers had yet to make their reports on the search since lunch. Malaketh guessed that it would be too late to attempt Mor’treya’s plan for today, but Cheleya and the others hadn’t seemed worried enough to flee the city as of yet. Perhaps staking out the entries into the inner city and the north tunnel through the wall in the morning would net them their prize.
Word had reached the inns and taverns that the lone battle mage entry had bested a wizard by the time the che’ther and people of Staron returned to the Two Circles for the night. Having enjoyed the Black Smith’s atmosphere the night before, half of their party had gone to the tavern and more stories abounded since it was the inn the man was using for the tournament. Colbie had hardly sat before her acquaintance of the night before strode over with a pair of mages in tow.
An attractive, blond haired woman of a size with Cheleya and Colbie, joined him along with one of the mages that had come for Olan the previous night. Colbie sized up the new woman at a glance and thought that she concealed strength that most men would miss, though she appeared somewhat more muscular than Colbie herself. Wondering if Southwall women had to contend with the same condescension from many of the men around them slid from her mind as Olan greeted her.
“Good evening, my friend from Staron. Have you come to see me again or have you come to try and check out your competition tonight?” he asked with a chuckle intending humor, though the two behind him rolled their eyes behind his back at the weak joke.
Glancing around at the crowd around her, Colbie shrugged before replying, “I don’t see any Southwall wizards around and you haven’t joined last I heard, so I suppose that we can’t check out Tilana’s competition.”
Olan looked at the others surrounding the table. Cheleya, Evantus, Lystheir and her father were the only ones beside the woman with the auburn hair. He looked at the elder female che’ther raising a questioning brow, “Is this your wizard?”
Colbie remembered that the dragoness was at a wizard’s level for power as an afterthought. Being a calm, cool woman, Colbie supposed that Lystheir certainly had the demeanor of a determined duelist. “Lystheir isn’t in the tournament. Our wizard friend retired to her room at our inn to rest for the competition tomorrow. She won against a Southwall fire wizard today.”
Adding the last part testing her new friend’s passion for his country, Colbie finished with a smile and awaited his comeback.
“Oh, what part of Southwall? Our team have all won, so I can assume that they weren’t from Windmeer,” he replied more curious than worked up over the news. Colbie supposed that she should have expected the reaction, after all half the field was made up of Southwall and half the field would be halved each day making for a long list of casualties.
Cheleya piped up as Colbie lagged in her report, “New Oapril. She was younger like me.”
Rolling her eyes facing away from the blond haired dragoness, Colbie nodded as Olan and the new mages nodded. He answered, “New Oapril is pretty far from here. So who will she be facing next?”
“She is in the Colonnades. An earth wizard from match one named Deris from here in Hala is next, I guess. Tilana was the second match and they are supposed to be matching up first and second tomorrow.”
“I’ve heard of Deris,” the blond female mage standing at Olan’s side stated hearing the name. “He’s supposed to be pretty good. Your friend will have her work cut out for her.”
Slapping his forehead at his lack of courtesy, the man quickly introduced his friends, “I’m sorry these are my fellow falcons, Frell and Ardost. Most of our wizard friends went to bed early and, of course, Sebastian our battle mage leader.”
Colbie quickly reintroduced Cheleya and Evantus followed by the two new che’ther. With their introductions out of the way, the woman asked about their leader, “So this Sebastian must either be an older falcon who has learned a lot of tricks or one young enough to not realize how outmatched he is compared to a wizard in their own tournament.”
The three laughed or grinned genuinely amused by her query and summation, but it was Olan who answered for them, “Sebastian is fairly young, but he has learned more tricks, as you call them, then anyone in the corps no matter how long they’ve lived. He beat a blow hard from Alcazar, a country on Taltan to the south.”
“He was a pretty sore loser too,” Frell nodded smiling even stronger. “The wizard didn’t like losing to Bas and tried to attack him as he was walking out of the circle. Sebastian flung the idiot off the wall letting the wizards catch him.”
Cheleya looked a bit confused and she asked, “Your friend has the strength of a battle mage, but the skill to best a wizard in a fair duel?”
Smirking at the girl, Olan quipped, “It’s on their
ground and by their rules, if that’s what you mean. Bas made the guy look silly, though his strange way of casting didn’t help either.”
“He did cast some impressive spells though,” the third mage, Ardost mused on the earlier match.
“But Sebastian had an answer for everything he threw at him and snuck those spears into his dome to finish Cazwallan off pretty quickly,” Frell added quickly to what the men had said.
Colbie looked at the three admiring mages as they considered their young leader and wondered aloud, “You all seem pretty impressed with him anyway.”
Frell shrugged. “You really have to see one of his matches or duel against him to understand. In Windmeer, again at White Hall and all along the way here, Sebastian has been training and dueling wizards. They’re actually learning techniques from him as much as he is from them.”
Looking a bit disappointed, Olan added, “He’s taught us some of what he knows, but the magic in that match had spells that none of the rest of us even understand yet.”
It was Ardost who turned the conversation away from the games and asked Cheleya, “Would you like to dance, young lady? This seems like too fine a night to just while away the time sitting at a table.”
Though he spoke as if the battle mage were an old man, Cheleya thought the man rather handsome for a human. With dark hair and deep brown eyes, the dragoness was surprised as she stood to join him, that Ardost was both shorter than Evantus and only a few inches taller than her. Still, being tiny as she was, the strong mage who led her to the dance floor ignoring the stares of her father was larger than she was and that felt right as a dance partner.
“So they had a good match this morning?” Cheleya asked trying to think of things to say. While they were dancing and she supposed that could have been enough, the girl felt like she should try and say something to get to know the man.
Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus) Page 36
