Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus)

by Wigboldy, Donald

  Cheleya smiled at him and he felt warm forgetting for a moment that she was in truth a dragon in disguise.

  Chapter 29- A Touch of Warning

  Scrambling to take their seats, the mages of Staron and Cheleya found Tilana and Orlerin holding a bench between two walkways near the center of the stands overlooking the Colonnades from the east. They were cutting the time close, but they had made it before their friend was due to take her place on the field.

  Colbie gave her long time friend a hug as she rose.

  “Good luck, Tilana,” the mage encouraged her as Cheleya and the others echoed the sentiment.

  Evantus gave a wave as the wizard proceeded down the stairs to the base of the stands to receive the final instructions from the officials. The match was to be run the same as the previous day, though the field of duelists was cut in half. Still it only made sense to make sure everyone was playing fair and expecting the same rules to be applied. In Tilana’s case, the rules were common throughout much of North Continent as the magic in most of the southwestern continent had been established by the same ancestors. The ancient rules were almost word for word the same even after the Cataclysm had turned the world on its head.

  The only change to the program had been sent the previous night to their inn. A squat, wide shouldered man wearing clothing of an odd style stood across from Tilana instead of the Hala favorite, Deris Halliman. Apparently, there had been a need to move the young man to a later match and the Tolmonan winner of the third match had switched places with him. The tournament officials had been vague in the request, though some of the team had conjectured that maybe they were sheltering the favorite after seeing Tilana’s duel. As powerful as the Staronen wizard was, the Tolmonan was said to be an equal.

  He was a wizard from the old continent called Alus, where most of the North continent’s ancestors had originated. A Tolmonan, his people were said to have mingled with dwarves who had come from the same world as the elves. Whether his slightly below average height and strong build originated from that ancestry was only conjecture for any watchers however.

  “Tilana will have a bigger challenge this time,” Evantus stated as he watched the two receiving final instructions before they separated to go to their individual circles.

  Colbie never removed her eyes from the field as she asked, “Did you hear something about him last night?”

  “Nothing that we hadn’t figured from seeing his match yesterday. The man was there to watch Tilana to study her also, since his match followed hers. They’re no longer coming into this blind, so I doubt her trick with the water will work the same here.”

  “He fights differently from your wizards,” Cheleya interjected as she stood to watch the start of the match. Being slim and on the short side, her height still brought frowns from those directly behind the girl.

  The two mages sitting on either side reached for her hands drawing her back down as she continued, “He has a rawness to his use of the earth that I have only seen from my father. If Tilana tries to use too much finesse, his speed of casting and strength might overwhelm her defenses.”

  Noting his name mentioned, Cor’Dargan who was sitting on the other side of Colbie remained quiet as he listened to his daughter’s assessment. The woman in between did not as she countered, “Her use of quicksand, or I suppose I should call it quick stone, is fast as well.”

  Cheleya looked ready to argue, but Evantus interrupted the two pointing towards the field, “I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Here comes the announcer.”

  “In our first match, returning to the arena we have Tilana Romeran from Staron and, from the distant country of Tolmona, we have Mirode Darcelphin. Duelists you have just fifteen seconds to set your defenses starting... now!” the wizard in the black robe with the silver piping declared. He had remained near the edge of the duel field where no stray shrapnel or wayward spells could break the barrier set around them. As Tilana and Mirode worked quickly to set their basic defenses, the announcer and crowd waited expectantly for the short timeline to expire.

  “Begin!” the word rang out all across the northern fields and the three arenas behind the castle. With that one word, the sounds of battle could be heard everywhere as the morning duels began.

  The two earth wizards struck quickly and loudly as the earth rumbled in reaction to their magic. Stone columns were flung in part or the whole depending on which wizard was casting. Mirode’s movements were vastly different as he seemed to attack the air with his hands. Stomps of his feet and turns of his body that positioned him to act like a fighter in the ring, set his magic apart from the less flashy Tilana.

  Where the Tolmonan struck the air with chops or even cast using kicks to direct the magic, the woman from Staron kept herself more contained in her movements. He broke a standing column into five large pieces and struck the air channeling his magic to send the heavy stones flying at his opponent. Tilana countered raising her right hand and twisting it from her palm facing it to the edge of her hand as if she would chop the flying stone.

  Exploding the five pieces of the column into a cloud of shrapnel, the woman wasn’t finished. The cloud moved as her two hands came together and split apart once more. Splitting into two separate swarms of needles, they wound through the remaining columns on the field to strike at the Tolmonan.

  With a shout, the man flung his arms open squeezing the air in response to the needles and the crowd watched in awe as the clouds halted before his defenses compressing into a pair of large stone boulders. Like a game of tug of war, the wizards fought over the same pieces of earth.

  “He’s strong,” Cheleya breathed out as the audience held their collective breath wondering who would win the battle of wills. She could see sweat beading on the contestants’ foreheads already and the match had just begun.

  “She can do it,” Evantus said sounding confident despite the tension on his face. Standing up suddenly, the young man shouted encouragement to his friend, “Come on, Tilana! You can do it!”

  Shaking her head, Colbie admonished her fellow mage, “That isn’t going to help her, Evan. If you distract her with your shouting, she’ll lose this fast. Now sit down.”

  As he sat, the game of wills ended as Tilana released her hold on the two stones. Mumbling her words of power, the wizard followed with a quick set of hand gestures which set off a spell breaking the pool as the stone and water combined into a pair of snakelike constructs.

  “She’s gone to her quick stone spell already,” Colbie said sounding worried, despite her earlier belief in the spell.

  Evantus grinned and stated happily, “Then she’ll end this quickly. Tilana’s not messing around.”

  “Your friend is desperate,” a new voice came from behind Cheleya causing her to start as the sound quickly brought a chill to her spine. Fingers held her shoulder as the dragoness started to stand in response to the fear driving her with those words. “Sit down, Cheleya,” the familiar voice ordered the girl.

  The blond haired girl sat stiffly and turned her head to look at the woman touching her.

  “Mor’treya,” the girl stated as the others sitting began to react to the mar’goyn’lya sitting right behind the dragoness.

  Like night to her day, Mor’treya’s intense, dark brown eyes and black hair stood in stark contrast to the blond. The mar’goyn’lya’s human form was also larger and much stronger physically as Cheleya could tell from the strong grip on her shoulder.

  “Your friends can rest easy for now. I am alone, though I can call them now if you wish to do this publicly,” the woman said appearing calm as her focus appeared centered on the girl before her.

  “How did you find me? We were careful to watch for your trackers.”

  “I wasn’t always learning to become a dragon mage, Cheleya. I have been studying various schools of magic since before you were born. You may have a knack for magic, but I have lived a lot longer than you,” Mor’treya declared in an even voice.

  Shaking her head,
Cheleya tried to get through to the woman as she started, “Mor’treya, I didn’t steal from the academy. Malaketh is the thief and he tried to kill me. You’re following the man behind the whole thing.”

  Eyes narrowing slightly, the dark haired woman’s face appeared unmoved. With a quick shake of her head, she replied, “It doesn’t matter. We were sent by the council to take you back for trial. You can state your case when you return. I am just one of the ones here to take you back home.”

  Frowning at the woman she had considered a friend, Cheleya countered angrily, “You don’t care that you are being deceived by a man who is an attempted murderer and the very thief you should be seeking.”

  “I was sent by the council to bring you back. It isn’t for me to decide whether you are right or wrong. Your father forgot that as have his acolytes here,” Mor’treya replied frowning at the three che’ther who appeared ready to strike. “I will give you the chance to turn yourself in or fight. Either way, you should come here tonight to settle this.”

  “I can hide from you.”

  “You can try, but if you’re telling the truth, then why fight it. Come back with us and state your case for the council.”

  Becoming angry, a surprising emotion to see on the normally happy girl, Cheleya countered, “He controls at least some of the masters with his amulet. You have noticed the black amulet that looks much like the transformation pieces we use to change? Malaketh uses it to control those using their amulets, I believe.

  “He destroyed mine and trapped me in this form. Do you see my talisman? No! It’s because he buried the pieces in my body! He is evil, Mor’treya! Listen to me and stop following him.”

  She couldn’t tell if her words had registered at all while the mar’goyn’lya’s face remained neutral. “You can’t hide any longer, even with these trackers masking you. I can find you anywhere you go now, so be here when Turas rises or we’ll track you down in the city. You know Hala will give you up with our writ, so don’t bother trying to beg them for help.” Her eyes looked over the dragoness’s head and added, “Your friend is about to lose.”

  Cheleya’s head flicked to the field and back, but Mor’treya was gone. What spell she had used, the girl didn’t know. Her former friend wouldn’t listen, however, and the final threat had been given.

  Turning back glumly to the duel proceeding below, she watched as Tilana was indeed faltering in her defense. The quick stone spell appeared to have failed as water littered the ground between the dispelled pool and the Tolmonan’s defensive walls. Columns had been reduced to rubble only to have the pieces reform into golems by both wizards.

  Warring against each other, the dark haired man seemed to have an edge even there.

  Two vaguely humanoid creatures struck at each other breaking smaller stones from the main bodies in great booms of sound. The impact would have killed an ordinary man, but these constructs of stone were breathed to life by magic. As they watched them fight, the Tolmonan used his right hand to form a spell as his mouthed some words. His left managed to continue the fight as the fingers of that hand pointed or retracted with each swing of the massive stone arms.

  A handful of stone lances formed with his right hand and swiftly attacked Tilana’s defensive walls causing her to start in surprise. Her attention was broken just long enough for Mirode’s golem to shatter the other construct as well. Trying to recover, the woman was already too late as the spears of stone moved like snakes through her broken walls to wrap around Tilana’s body immobilizing her.

  “Winner by immobilization, Mirode Darcelphin from Tolmona,” the moderator announced the instant Tilana could no longer move to use her magic.

  She looked uncomfortable for only a moment before the other wizard released her from his grip. A polite bow to Tilana and two more facing either set of bleachers preceded his stepping out of the battle circle.

  Both wizards went to the tables laden with food and drink to recover. Tilana looked only slightly disappointed when the rest of her group descended from the stands to console their friend. She noted strangely upset looking faces on most of them and said, “Are those looks for my loss? It isn’t that big a deal. I hadn’t wanted to join the tournament after all. It was just a condition for the ambassador to help us get our rooms at the inn.”

  Colbie shook her head and being the most vocal aside from Evantus, she answered, “We’re a little sad to see you lose, but we were found by one of the trackers. She gave an ultimatum to Cheleya. If she doesn’t come here to surrender, the woman says that she will bring them straight to our inn.”

  “She never stated that she knew where we were staying,” Orlerin countered as he mused on the unfortunate set of circumstances to suddenly befall them. “The woman said she could find us anywhere, though I doubt that. We could probably escape the city, especially now that Tilana’s no longer in the tournament.”

  Cheleya shook her head vehemently. “No, I will come back tonight as she said. I am tired of running and hiding, but I don’t trust Malaketh to actually bring me back to Mar’kal alive. He tried to kill me once to silence me, so I don’t see why he wouldn’t try again.”

  “You could try Ambassador Sselanus again,” Evantus suggested.

  “No, he already said that he can’t fight against the council’s wishes,” the girl explained sadly. “Perhaps with everyone coming back with me, Malaketh will be too afraid to try anything again.”

  Cor’Dargan spoke quietly, but his somber voice drew all their eyes even so, “She didn’t necessarily say you had to give up without a fight. Mar’goyn’lya have often let their decisions rest on who can win with their fists. Mor’treya practically told you to fight with the time she set to meet.”

  At their confused looks, the elder che’ther sighed before adding, “We are to meet at Turas’ rise. He is the war god and, when a mar’goyn’lya calls on you to meet at the rise of Turas, he means to fight.”

  Orlerin and the others from Staron looked conflicted to one degree or another and their leader spoke his worry, “I don’t know if we can help you fight them any more than someone from Southwall could. They do have a legal right to take you home.”

  “It’s based on a lie and manipulation!” Colbie countered. She and Evantus looked angrily at their leader’s quick need to give up Cheleya. The dragoness had become close to them both and they looked unready to give her up to an attempted murderer without a fight.

  “Like the mar’goyn’lya said, their council ordered it and, right or wrong, she needs to go back and settle things. I don’t like it, but I don’t think our superiors would appreciate us getting in the middle of another country’s internal matters.”

  “Come on, Orlerin!” Evantus joined Colbie’s protest. “We know Cheleya. She couldn’t have done what they said. Are you going to abandon her now?”

  Orlerin wouldn’t speak again as he considered the ground before his feet.

  Cheleya put a hand on both Evantus and Colbie in the way she had seen them do to try and establish peace and other emotions. Contact seemed to be a human way of expressing emotion. While she wasn’t sure that she understood it all, the touch felt right as the girl spoke to her friends, “It’s alright. I don’t expect you to fight for me. It is one thing to travel with me and even help me hide, but it is time. If my father, Lystheir and Elenek feel the need to join my cause, that is fine.

  “I will fight them either way and try to convince the mar’goyn’lya with my magic and fighting spirit that Malaketh is a fraud. Perhaps it will work and perhaps it will not, but I will try.”

  Looks were exchanged amongst them all as silence descended on the group. Each person was left with their thoughts as they weighed what they felt was right and wrong. Finally, Cor’Dargan stated firmly, “I will help my daughter. I did not come all this way to see this human use deception to condemn Cheleya or worse find a way to finish the job he started by killing her.”

  Elenek surprised Cheleya by nodding and adding, “I will join you, Fa’Dargan’zer
. I believe what she has told us and can see the falsehoods Malaketh tried to make us believe along the way. You two will not be alone.”

  Lystheir merely nodded affirmation to her compatriot’s words.

  Cheleya gave a curt nod and said, “Four against five, maybe not perfect odds, but I can beat Mor’treya despite her age and training. Maybe if I can turn her opinion she will still join us against Malaketh.”

  Evan and Colbie looked ready to jump onboard to swing the odds in her favor, but Orlerin stared them down. “We can’t or it could become an international problem bigger than just Cheleya. You will stand down and that’s an order, falcons.”

  Even Tilana looked unhappy with the decision, but he was their leader and going against him meant more than just defying one man. He acted as he believed their countrymen would decide and that meant the others had to bend to his will. While they had wills of their own, they could all see his point and couldn’t convince their minds that he was in the wrong despite their feelings.

  Suddenly brightening her mood with a smile, Cheleya stated, “Well, we can still enjoy the remainder of the day’s duels. Let’s not dwell on the negative alright? Let’s have fun, if this is to be our last day together before I return home.”

  Despite her words and attempt to bring up everyone’s spirits, the group passed the remainder of the day checking out duels from the Colonnades and many other duel fields with a shadow over the tournament. They all tried to look happy and positive, but giving up one of their own didn’t sit well.

  Cheleya pretended to not be concerned and cheered the duels getting some of them to join her, but it wasn’t whole hearted. Still, they had what fun they could before returning to the inner city.

  Colbie slipped away before the group returned all the way to the Two Circles. No one had been able to check on Kel’lor since his near death experience in the hospital. While she doubted that the mar’goyn’lya was up to helping his adopted sister, the mage wanted to check in on him for her friend and let him know what was going to happen.