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

by Donald Wigboldy

  “Would you mind showing us while we wait, teacher?” the blond wizard asked shining a bright smile at the girl. Cheleya wasn’t human and such attempts which might make other girls blush or swoon, since he was a good looking young man, did little to sway her; but she was a teacher and they did have time on their hands to learn while they waited.

  Shrugging in turn, the dragoness replied, “It isn’t that difficult really. Flying for long periods of time is much harder at first. If you lose track of your link to your wings, they will disappear and you will fall. In a battle, you may wish to replace or remove the wings to change direction or to drop quickly.

  “If you get into the air, remember to concentrate on your wings. Now watch as I do it.”

  The girl stepped back a bit and continued to try and teach the lessons the students needed to remember.

  “Most will need to run forward to help get into the air enough to continue forward and up as well.”

  Taking several running steps, Cheleya thrust down with her wings tilting her body forward at an angle. Dropping too far, the wings couldn’t finish their thrust before touching the earth or in this case the stone of the roof. Cheleya was in the air with just one thrust. A quick second and third set of beats from the pink wings lifted the girl up more than twenty feet.

  She circled once just above them and used her wings to slow her speed as she dropped back down in front of them.

  Magnus touched his chin as if in thought and the girl caught the quick flick of his eyes to Arrimus, who was more engrossed in watching the flying blond. He asked a new question. “Is it not true that someone strong or at least strong in the use of this magic can actually take flight without a running start?”

  Arrimus glared at his rival a moment before returning his attention to the small girl wondering if she would answer this question as well.

  Her eyes took in the others and worried that Magnus might be trying to incite the others to do something rash. “A skilled flier might do so. A strong mar’goyn’lya can use his strong legs to propel himself upward enough to let the wings sweep down farther giving him more lift.”

  Iris had a more philosophical question as she interrupted the flow of the conversation. “Does everyone use wings that are more like those of bats? I know it is called dragon magic, but I have never seen one of those. What kinds of wings those mythical creatures might have is just a guess for us really. I’m not sure anyone living has seen a true dragon.”

  Cheleya realized that there could be more to this than just the one answer and stated, “The wings are summoned by you, the caster. Maintaining them requires both your magic and attention. Everyone tends to choose a color that fits their mood or personality. Shape can be similarly altered really, but creating something that isn’t in nature is unlikely to work.

  “Now if you watch a bird, perhaps you might study those kept in the zoo by the nature wizards. Those wings work in nature and could possibly be something you choose to create. If they are easier to remember and maintain for you, they might be a more useful tool than the ones we call dragon wings.”

  Noticing eyes moving upward, Cheleya turned to look at the tower behind her shadowing her eyes against the sun. Such a movement was natural to the girl now, but her che’ther eyes had never been cowed by the light. It was yet another thing she tended to notice and regret about her change of bodies.

  Martina’s black wings lifted several times testing the air. The woman was usually a rock in the face of danger, but she was still wise in testing her abilities as much as she could before daring a deadly exercise like this.

  Plunging from the tower, the falconi tried to keep her wings straight before taking the first beats which would change her plight from falling or gliding into that of flight. Martina was quickly lost to sight making the other students rush towards the white tower. Only Cheleya, Iris and Magnus remained behind. The dragoness had seen Kel’lor shadowing the falconi in flight and when they suddenly lifted back up into the air, she knew that the woman had failed.

  If not for Kel’lor’s wings holding the two aloft as he winged his way back to the roof setting the falconi down on solid stone once more, Martina would likely have crashed to the ground. She would have been dead from such a fall most likely unless dumb luck had managed to get her wings to slow her fall enough.

  Cheleya looked at the normally strong woman and she looked pale.

  “Next,” Kel’lor said after barely checking on Martina. He knew her to be strong and had challenged her fears enough to know that even this failure wouldn’t defeat the woman for long. He pointed to Wizard Edwar choosing the air wizard as his next victim, whether it would lead to success or failure, they wouldn’t know for a time yet.

  Magnus was back on the attack again as Kel’lor disappeared into the tower once again. “So it is just a matter of thrusting powerfully with the wings to lift into the air?”

  Looking smugly at the older boy, Arrimus remarked, “My, doesn’t that just sound too obvious to you, Magnus? Maybe you should go find that farmer’s barn and practice instead.”

  The wizard ignored him and said, “You use your wings the same for running forward as you do to just lift from a point, I would assume. I mean, you can’t really run fast enough to affect flight.

  “Our bodies are heavier than kites and we would need to run much faster to affect gravity from just our speed.”

  Cheleya nodded and said, “The forward momentum helps to start moving forward, but largely the flapping of your wings to create the thrust needed to lift you into the air affects it most. Being higher in the air or taller will help your wings thrust further, but even that is about the limit of how it affects a take off or flight.”

  Arrimus moved to confront Magnus once more and asked, “Do you think that you’ve had enough time to study how to be a dragon mage, Magnus? I mean, I see you every night at the dances, so I doubt that you are training to fly very often. Master Kel’lor will have enough trouble catching you from the tower. None of us will stop you if you take flight.

  “I mean, Cheleya might be willing to try, but you outweigh the poor girl by nearly double.”

  Magnus moved forward several steps all the while his wings seemed to be testing the air as they flapped slowly behind him.

  Everyone’s eyes moved to watch as Wizard Edwar stepped up testing his wings on the tower. Even as he fell forward, Cheleya thought the man had a better chance to get it right and, without surprising her too much; they watched as he flew shakily forward. After several testing flaps of his wings, Edwar attempted to fly further without the momentum started from the higher tower. It didn’t take long though before the wizard looked ready to land.

  Kel’lor flew in directly behind the man ordering him to end his wings as he caught the wizard and helped him land safely. Just flying was one thing, but landing could break bones if done incorrectly. In baby steps, each process would be taught, tested and mastered by dragon mages.

  Wizard Wellar was called on next. The water wizard nodded with a polite smile to the mar’goyn’lya as he followed the master.

  “Is landing very difficult?” Magnus asked a new question as Kel’lor and the next flyer disappeared.

  “You need to slow both your forward momentum and lift enough at the last second to avoid breaking a leg or ankle,” Cheleya stated simply. Her eyes watched the wizard. He was much too cocky about his abilities, though in any test of magic she had watched him do well. This wasn’t some Southwall tournament or their magic though, so the girl wondered what he was going on about.

  Apparently, Arrimus felt the same as he snidely commented, “I don’t know why you are bothering to ask her all these questions. She isn’t even the teacher. Kel’lor is.”

  Cheleya could sense that Magnus didn’t care about any of the protests from Arrimus. He barely seemed cognizant of the apprentice as if the younger man was a mere gnat buzzing around the roof. The girl also worried that the cocky wizard would do something stupid in his arrogance.

&n
bsp; Watching the red wizard cautiously, the girl stated, “I would appreciate if you release your wings for now. There will be plenty of time to use the spell with Kel’lor on the tower, Magnus.”

  She used no honorifics and the young man frowned slightly at the slight. Since he had earned his position the previous year, Magnus had come a long way and was already used to the students speaking to him like a grizzled veteran and leader within the school.

  “I decline, Cheleya,” the wizard replied refusing to call the younger girl teacher or anything beyond her name as well. With that he bent his knees before jumping as high as he could.

  Red wings thrust as he reached the peak of his jump propelling him nearly ten feet above the roof before a second sweep of the crimson projections took him even higher. This was beyond worrisome for the little blond haired dragoness. As Arrimus had stated, she wasn’t very large or strong, though some would be surprised by her abilities and her weight which was more than she appeared to have.

  Magnus used his wings to slowly turn and moved in more of a hovering technique than true flight, but the vain wizard looked to be gathering confidence for doing even more.

  “Come down, Magnus, slowly before you get too high!” Cheleya yelled up to him, but the wizard was already high enough that if he fell to the roof now he might be killed from the impact.

  She noted the strength of his wings and control he was showing. While Cheleya had done very well her first time, the dragoness knew this was the easiest forms of flight. If he should push beyond the roof or try to fly with any speed, wind currents and concentration to maintain his spell might cause him to fall.

  “Dragon wings,” Cheleya recalled her wings to life. She didn’t even look back to see the glimmering red wings that looked like rubies reflecting fire.

  Turning to address the remaining students, the girl ordered, “No one else do anything so stupid while I go try to bring him back safely.”

  Without waiting for an answer, but knowing that Falconi Martina would probably be an enforcer of her wishes should anyone else get such a thing in their heads; Cheleya launched into the air after just two steps forward and a quick thrust of her wings. Once in the air, the dragoness felt the wind whip past her face noting a change in the air. A breeze was starting to come in from the west making things trickier.

  Looking at Magnus, who had watched her take off as well; Cheleya made a quick turn as she circled rising higher swiftly. The dragoness was floating at his height in seconds looking quite comfortable using her wings. They had called her a prodigy in magic and dragon magic specifically. Testing her skills, the girl had even bested Kel’lor and another mar’goyn’lya repeatedly in either their human forms or that of the gargoyle, which had frustrated them repeatedly.

  “You will reduce the strength of your wing thrusts and let me guide you back down. If you wish to continue your training, Kel’lor will assist you next.”

  The fire wizard looked at her calmly and stated, “I am fine doing as I am. Your concern is noted but not merited. Thank you.”

  As if he were addressing a request as opposed to an order, Magnus smugly turned and rose even higher starting to go with the flow of the breeze. He was beyond the roof now and steadily crossing the lower Courtyard of Wind. Such a route would take him beyond the outer school walls towards the river at this rate in a matter of seconds.

  For Cheleya, his movements were slow and despite being fairly steady in his flight, there was still a degree of the novice flyer causing awkward adjustments as he moved forward.

  “I was not asking your permission,” Cheleya said as she swooped up in front of the wizard in an instant. The girl was an expert flyer. Though she and Kel’lor had not officially been declared to be finished with their studies in the vein of training, both would have graduated to their next area of study within a month, if not for the treachery of Malaketh who had sent her life into disarray. “You will turn around and work your way down slowly so I may help you land on the roof.”

  Magnus frowned and replied, “I do not believe you have the authority to order me to do anything. As Arrimus said, you are not our teacher and I am also a full wizard and older than you besides. You go back and I will not be forced to discipline you in front of the others.”

  Normally an easy going, fun loving type of girl, the wizard’s obstinate attitude and obvious threats were enough to make her irate. “You know nothing,” Cheleya determined angrily. “I was better than Kel’lor at this magic and in your world I would already be a full wizard. You only need to learn one source of magic to pass. We study all magic mastering what we can. If I wanted I could defeat you easily, champion of Winter’s Edge. I was there. I watched you win by default.”

  Her words stung the wizard causing him to physically jerk his head back at her verbal assault. “I earned my title,” he quickly responded even as his eyes looked towards the ground to see who else could possibly hear their voices. “It was not by default.”

  Her cold smile was wicked knowing the buttons to press in the vain fire wizard. “I watched as you were given a pass instead of dueling the mage. Then he saved the girl with a spell beyond your ability, as if you were even intelligent enough to know you had won and were about to kill the poor air wizard in the final round.

  “You are not the great wizard that you want everyone else to think you are, Magnus Trekanus.”

  Anger was his weapon in the face of her words. The initial shock of her opinion faded quickly from the wizard and he shot back, “I defeated everyone they set before me. Sebastian retired before I could beat him as well!

  “Even if you wish to try and demean my efforts there, I am a full wizard and teacher here, not you, little girl.”

  “Dragon wind,” Cheleya called on the power of her magical wings sweeping a strong wind into the wizard. He surprised her by remaining aloft and in turn used his wings to thrust upwards above her before propelling forward towards the river at a quicker speed.

  She heard his voice before he turned to cast a cluster of fire balls towards her. This was the sort of magic used to drive someone away without intending harm. Her wind spell had been meant to disrupt him enough to force the wizard down, but the champion had other ideas, the girl noted with annoyance.

  “Dragon scale,” the girl called ruby armor over much of her body. Formed in scales that appeared like clear gemstones, her dragon scales could protect her from most magic damage.

  Moving quickly forward, Cheleya proved immediately that she was the expert by catching up to Magnus above the river. The fire wizard turned seeing her armor spell catch the sunlight as she paused to give him another chance to return to the roof.

  A smug smile preceded the wizard’s next spell. “Gust,” he declared using an air spell similar to her wing driven magic. The wind was strong, but the girl didn’t even bother to dodge his spell; instead she looked down preparing to show Magnus that despite her youth, she was not to be trifled with.

  Her fingers moved and ancient words called forth a massive water spout from the river below. “Dragon gale!” she ordered a stronger force of wind from her wings even as she transitioned to a third spell.

  A handful of blue battle mage shields arose around the wizard as he realized that Cheleya was no longer playing around as he had pushed her too far. Her wind caused a spray, but her third spell changed the spray of water to ice and snow. Shards of ice buffeted the blue shields distracting Magnus enough for the dragon mage to sweep around behind him.

  Before the young wizard could react, she drove him towards the river with another blast of the gale spell. The wind was powerful, but would do little to harm Magnus. It was only meant to push him from the heights he had attained.

  Dragon armor of red covered the wizard’s body in turn making him even safer. Apparently he had already learned the spell from Kel’lor, she thought, as the mage lifted her hands to alter the course of the remaining water spout. Cheleya hadn’t released the water in case she needed it a second time. Swatting at Magnus
with the mass of water nearly caught the fire wizard, but he swiftly sent a pair of his mage shields towards the base of her summoned spell cutting the root to make the remainder fall free as the girl’s magic lost its hold.

  It didn’t matter to Cheleya, however, as the water had already set him up for another spell. “Icy breath,” the dragon mage said pursing her lips making it look like she was blowing Magnus a kiss.

  The water remaining in the air and that which had soaked into his clothes turned to ice. That which was in the air; fell towards the river as sleet and snow while his clothing developed a coating of ice that hampered his movements and casting. It also turned his red wings to ice.

  Surprising her, Magnus released the magic and dropped a dozen feet before calling up a second set of wings to catch himself before he could plummet into the river.

  “Dragon gale,” she ordered again driving the wizard down and down until Magnus splashed into the river.

  Chapter 25- Disputed Champion

  Magnus released his wings looking around him in surprise having not realized how far she had pushed him. It had been a gentle landing, which was likely something that would not have been the case had he been allowed to try a landing on the roof by himself, Cheleya thought.

  “Dragon claw,” the dragoness called out a spell of multiple abilities. Most of the time it was an attack spell, though she had used it more mundanely to open things like a wooden chest in her home. For a che’ther, it wasn’t large; but in her human form she couldn’t reach the lid to even lift it, so the girl had improvised while in human form in a che'ther house.

  This time it was used to fish the wizard from the river. Whether he could swim to shore or not, Cheleya gave him no other choice. Magnus had chosen to refute her authority as a teacher and had in turn been taught a number of lessons to remind him that in dragon magic he was the student.

  A crimson manifestation of her magic reached out to lift Magnus with more strength than her single arm could have done on its own. In magic, Cheleya was powerful and had been considered a prodigy by the teachers of her school. The humans saw her as a pretty, little blond haired girl. Few knew she was more and boys in particular seemed to confuse a pretty face for someone only capable of being that.