White Hall (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 10)

by Donald Wigboldy

  Thinking a moment, despite his first instinct to say that there was no counter to it; the wizard mused, “The only way to avoid being drawn into their power is to move your mind beyond your body as far as I know. If you were to shift your mind to an animal before they could trap your consciousness for example, you might be safe.”

  A quick pat on the shoulder from the older wizard interrupted Piotr’s fears as he added, “Don’t fret over it. Most are safe enough to not have to worry.

  “Now as to your questions, I know that few nature wizards can move their minds to an animal as easily as you say that you can. Iris seemed impressed by your skill, especially considering that you are untrained.”

  “I practice a lot,” the boy confessed. “There is a rabbit in particular that comes almost every day to try and steal our crops. I have to make him go away. Sometimes I even ride in his mind for awhile to see what he sees.”

  The older man nodded and replied, “A lot of wizards underestimate what a good nature wizard can do. Nature covers everything to an extent and has certain unique parts to it as well, which is why there is a separation of schools.

  “Working with animals, plants, and even the world around us in general means we can work in ways that seem subtle to other wizards. Throwing a fireball is as possible for our kind as a fire wizard, but our magic leans towards being less destructive. We want nature to flow and be unharmed by our power as much as possible. We try to work with the world around us, while most elemental magic works to transform nature to their wishes without concern to what it does to the world around them.

  “Since we work with nature, some nature wizards move into healing instead. The human body is as much a part of nature as any other creature after all, so it is a possibility.”

  Thinking on his help with the birth of the calf, as well as other times helping other farmers’ animals; Piotr could see that possibility, though he wasn’t sure that was for him. He preferred being outside and in nature, not trapped in some hospital healing people. Maybe he could learn some healing magic to help others in the field, but not to be permanently kept inside.

  “I have helped with a few animal births using my magic, but I would rather be outside than stuck in a building with sick people all the time,” he stated his preference.

  Caldeyr nodded. Hearing a lull in the music, the two men looked to Alver with the pretty Katya waiting near the edge of the crowd. She was smiling as was the bigger apprentice.

  Noting Piotr’s eyes looking at them, the older wizard said, “If you hope to dance with her, then you should get up and ask.”

  Starting at the comment, the boy also spotted Iris with her dance partner, some unknown man from Delanne most likely. For all that he thought that Katya was pretty; there was something about Iris that drew him in more. She had held his hand and smiled making her seem to glow in his eyes, but once inside the girl had disappeared into the crowd almost as soon as the music started.

  “Oh, so you like older girls then,” laughed the wizard making Piotr look at him in surprise. “You are in luck then. Iris and Qeyr are most likely to be your escorts to White Hall. It is their turn, though sometimes when there are no girls found they will send a male team back first. You and your brother are the only ones we found here so far, though Katya and the other girl might count even if they were going there with an escort anyway, I suppose.”

  It was like he was being told to ask Iris to dance now if he wanted to be sure that he ever would. He shook his head at the thought. Iris was an older girl and part of the search teams, so he guessed that she wouldn’t remain at White Hall for long.

  “I doubt that she would be interested in me and won’t she return to the search team as soon as we are dropped off at the school anyway?” he expressed his reservations.

  Shrugging in response, Caldeyr replied, “Wizards and battle mages rarely stay in one place long once they finish their training. You have a few years at the school ahead of you, so make the most of it. If you don’t learn to take the opportunities when they appear because you think long term, you are likely to wind up quite lonely.”

  It was a sobering thought, but Piotr couldn’t make himself get up to ask either girl to dance.

  After the next song, however, it was like Iris knew his mind so the girl with warm scarlet hair came over to offer him a hand.

  “Come on, Piotr, you don’t plan on hiding here all night, do you?” she asked with a smile as her hand remained waiting for him to take it. “White Hall has dances all the time, so you need to learn to get out there.”

  Unable to resist the girl’s offer, the boy stood nearly looking the taller girl in the eye as she pulled him towards the floor.

  “I don’t really know how to dance,” he confided leaning in a little closer noticing the scent of flowers on her hair. Even after a day going door to door through the streets of Delanne, her hair managed to hold whatever scent she had washed into her hair, the boy thought, and became glad that Iris had chosen to come for him.

  Pursing her lips a moment, the girl shook her head as she leaned back. Looking at him with her green eyes where he could see his reflection, Iris declared, “Well, I can try to teach you. The first lesson is just to avoid stepping on my feet. Normally the boy leads, but since you don’t know the movements, I guess I will have to show them to you.”

  The music came up and the girl placed his left hand on her hip. Holding his right, she attempted to pull him through the steps. After a moment, Piotr thought it more natural than he had thought and soon Iris no longer had to lead him.

  “There you go, Piotr. Good job,” she encouraged him with her smile.

  The boy let out a deep breath and tried to return the look. Iris refused to let him go and taught him a few more dances, though Piotr doubted that he would remember all the steps when it came up again. At least, if he wanted to dance with another girl in the future, Piotr thought that he could.

  Morning came and Katya pulled herself together to go down for breakfast. Darius and his wizards were already there as was Ardost and Vord. Brenner had slept late, or at least come down last, the previous two days as well. There were times where the girl almost thought that she should thank him for that. If not for the wizard slowing the procedure for leaving, the day’s ride could be even longer; though they seemed to stop in certain towns as they had on the way to Hala from Mera, so maybe it did very little.

  Cheleya and Kel’lor had a table as well, so the younger girl joined the two with a smile given and returned by Cheleya.

  “I wonder if we’ll be traveling together today,” Katya asked as she waited for the waitress to bring her order over to the table.

  Shrugging at the question, the other blond haired girl replied, “We don’t have to travel with Magnus and his group of wizards. They were just leaving at the same time and could introduce me to the leaders of the school, though Raven Leros and the high wizards of Hala gave me letters of introduction which will work just as easily.”

  Noticing the change from ‘we’ to speaking of herself, Katya asked, “So you are joining the school to be either a battle mage, or to learn how to heal from what you say; but what is Kel’lor going to do while you are there? Is he going to join as well?”

  The big man frowned at the question, but more from a lack of an answer than that the girl was prying into their plans. Cheleya brightened in contrast and shrugged her shoulders. “He hasn’t decided beyond making sure that I make it safely to White Hall. Acting as my big brother doesn’t mean having a true plan, I suppose. He is older than I, but sometimes Kel’lor makes me do all the decisions.”

  “You are a child,” he complained, but didn’t truly dispute her answer.

  Giggling at the giant, Cheleya retorted, “but I am a prodigy, aren’t I?”

  “Whatever,” Kel’lor replied with a wave of his hand as he pretended to ignore her to look at the other travelers in the room.

  “I wonder if they found any other people with magic in Delanne,” Katya mused fo
llowing Kel’lor’s eyes seeing most of the same people she had the night before. Brenner still hadn’t come down as her meal was placed before her though.

  “Talking to the wizards and apprentices in the search team last night, I was told that the boy, Piotr, and his brother were all that were found to the north. The second group working the south found two more apparently,” Cheleya answered; and made Katya wonder how she had managed to get the information. Any time she had tried asking that question the girl had been stonewalled. If she was supposed to become a diplomat wizard, Katya thought having her powers limited by Darius was making it more difficult. Having her magic go off unexpectedly was a far worse option though for all of them after seeing what her ability running amok could do.

  “Will they come with us then?” Katya asked testing Cheleya’s knowledge yet again.

  This question didn’t have an answer at that moment, however.

  Magnus walked over as they were finishing their meals and said, “We planned to leave early, but the search team wizards asked if we would be willing to wait until midmorning to help deliver these new kids to the school. I guess that they are sending two of their group with them, but would appreciate having more wizards to escort them.”

  Shrugging, Cheleya replied, “I guess that we are in no hurry, though we could also accompany Katya’s group and meet you next evening.”

  “Whichever you prefer, Cheleya,” the fire wizard said with a smile for the girl.

  Katya noticed that everyone seemed to smile when they saw the girl from Mar'kal. There was something about Cheleya that everyone liked. She was very pretty with a musical voice that was easy to listen to, but there was also the nicest smell coming from her. Katya wished that she knew the perfume or shampoo the girl used, because the scent was marvelous.

  Noticing Cheleya’s eyes on her, Katya raised an eyebrow in query at the look.

  “I’m sure master Darius and the others won’t have a problem with two more coming along for the ride. Do you need money for the inn? My brother gave them money to pay for me. I think Southwall is paying for Brenner, Ardost and Vord anyway.”

  “I have money,” Cheleya nodded. “We pay for our rooms, even though I am going to White Hall to study. I am not from Southwall so it is as much a favor to study there as it would be a reason to pay for any service that I do for your country.”

  Magnus’ eyes lingered on the girl and he finished the conversation on the subject saying, “Then if her group waits with us for the new ones bringing their bags, we’ll all ride together. Otherwise we’ll just meet in Calamira. It is a common stopping point, since there are only so many towns with good inns along the way. The road has more open country with fewer towns for the next couple days of traveling.

  “White Hall and the river have larger populations with little towns here and there along the way.”

  “I can check with Darius’ plans,” Katya said beginning to stand despite Magnus looming over her. She liked the idea of having her new friend join them and not just because Cheleya could use her healing to make the ride more comfortable for her, but that was a plus.

  As Katya rose to go speak with Darius, Magnus put out his hand to assist her up, though she didn’t think that she really needed any help.

  “So did your brother teach you any magic before leaving you to his friends?” the fire wizard asked with a sympathetic smile as if he knew the answer before he had asked the question.

  “He tried, but even with the others to try and show the wizard way of doing things, nothing quite clicked before he had to go. I will just have to wait for my teachers in White Hall, I suppose,” the girl replied using the hand politely.

  Magnus remained in her way, though the man didn’t exactly crowd her. Making her wait a moment to continue the conversation, he added, “That is a shame. You certainly have the strength to be something special. I am surprised that Bas couldn’t do more for you. I mean, you are his sister after all.”

  Shooing him forward waving her hands towards the wizard, Katya answered, “He was also busy trying to win a tournament. Well, Bas said that winning wasn’t the most important thing. He wanted to do well, so maybe people like you will start to respect his battle mage corps more.”

  Feigning surprise, Magnus responded as he retreated to escort the girl to the high wizard, “I don’t think he was looking for my respect. He already knows that he has it.

  “When he put me in my place the first time in a battle ring, I began to understand that a battle mage was nothing to ignore. When he came up with a strategy to save our unit’s lives and risked his life several times to do so during a future mission, I had even more respect for him.

  “Didn’t your brother tell you that he even beat me in a duel at White Hall before the tournament? Admittedly, I think that I have learned more since then, but surely that doesn’t sound like someone who has a lack of respect for Falcon Sebastian, does it?”

  Katya frowned slightly and wondered at the man’s attitude. He was champion of Winter’s Edge and had acted full of himself at the celebrations from her viewpoint. Perhaps his defeats outside of the tournament had helped develop some respect for Sebastian, but it hadn’t seemed that way in Hala.

  “He has beaten you, but do you count those wins as just a fluke?” the girl asked as she stopped short of her guardians’ tables. They would have had to use a spell to overhear from that distance, the girl thought with the other noise of talking in the air.

  Shaking his head, Magnus tried to look sincere as he replied, “Once might be a fluke, but it is obvious that your brother, and all battle mages I should add, are becoming a significant force. Sebastian proved that in close a wizard is unlikely to be a match for a mage. They are better trained there.

  “Fighting a wizard duel can go either way, but battle mages will have a better chance after your brother better trains them, though maybe his corps doesn’t care about that side of things. They train for war after all. A wizard duel is more for entertainment than practicality.”

  He shrugged as if the man truly didn’t know the answer to that. His eyes looked to the table of Darius and the other friends of Sebastian sent as her guardians. “Well, if we travel separately or not, I suppose our destination is the same. If I do not see you before White Hall, we can always discuss it more there.”

  Finishing with a nod of dismissal, the fire wizard returned to his table to inform the rest of his group that they would be waiting for the search team to bring more young wizards to join their trip to White Hall.

  Darius preferred sticking with his time table. Leaving earlier, they would still most likely stop in the same place as those following them. The high wizard simply preferred making sure that day light didn’t slip away on them.

  Katya noticed Piotr sitting in front of the inn waiting on his brother apparently. Playing with a dog, the boy glanced to the girl appraisingly. With a little time to wait for the horses to be brought around, Katya sat down beside him and asked, “Who is your friend?”

  “I don’t actually know his name,” the boy answered looking at the hound with its floppy ears and big brown eyes. A coat mostly of brown with black near the tip of its tail and highlights of the same on half of its paws and back, the dog was most likely a mutt of some sort. Piotr knew animals, but not the specifics of breeds and such. To him, it was just another creature in need of attention.

  “He seems to like you enough,” the girl replied keeping her hands on her legs rather than risking getting bitten. While the Trillon farm had many animals, it was her brothers and father that mainly worked with them. Her sister Beatrice tended to work around the house more as had their mother. Such duties fell to the youngest daughter as well, so other than feeding chickens or dealing with the stray cat that had adopted their family, Katya didn’t have a lot of contact with animals like the dog.

  “Dogs are pretty easy once they get to know you. Here, give me your hand,” Piotr said taking the closer hand, her left. Placing it low before the animal to let h
im sniff the girl’s hand a moment, she received a series of licks as the smell of breakfast likely lingered on her fingers.

  “Now if you really want to get in their good graces, you bring them a snack. He ate my whole muffin before you came,” Piotr chuckled as he looked at Katya. Her green eyes met his making the boy look away to the dog quickly.

  The girl felt a little disappointment in his shyness, but her mind was quick and she asked, “Does that work with people as well? Should I have brought a treat for you?”

  Her voice held humor and Piotr looked into those eyes once again.

  “I think we’re ok,” he answered with a smile, “but I don’t turn down a good snack either, if it comes up again.”

  Giggling at his sense of humor, Katya looked up seeing her horse being brought around by Ardost. The mage seemed to be the one in charge of getting her on the road this morning.

  “Well, hopefully I will see you tonight at the next inn, but if not we’ll both be in White Hall soon enough. Stay safe until then,” Katya said as she stood up and walked to meet Ardost.

  The boy stood up and blurted, “I am Piotr by the way.”

  Smiling at him before turning to face her horse, Katya managed to pull herself up without any help. “Nice to meet you, Piotr. I’m still Katya, if you missed it last night. I’ll see you later then,” she finished following Ardost west and out of Delanne.

  By midmorning, Piotr still waited outside the inn with two others found by the wizards. A red haired girl named Briahnna and another boy named simply, Job, who looked as ordinary as his name with brown hair and eyes, were the only other recruits found in Delanne.

  Wizard Qeyr stood talking with five wizards who were apparently holding up leaving while they waited for his brother. The air wizard looked annoyed and his apprentice, Iris, remained closer to the newly found magic casters staying out of the way, probably to avoid being targeted by her mentor’s frustration. Piotr had a feeling that they had planned to be off already.