Battle Mage, The Caves of Time

by Donald Wigboldy

  The falconi responded, "I don't think it is quite that dire, but I think the girl... woman needs an expert healer to assess her situation. No offense to you or your skills, Sebastian, but like you said, no one has ever gone through something like this, so maybe an expert like Wizard Hegrone should have a look at her."

  "I am fine with that," the younger mage replied, "as long as you can convince her."

  The added caveat made the woman blink, but she nodded. "I don't think that she will be that hard to convince really, especially if Ylena still has her full faculties. She should understand that her physical form needs to be checked out and watched for complications."

  Sebastian noted movement coming towards them. The black dress of Ylena was easily noticed and the girl was one of the few who seemed comfortable without a coat. He also noted that the black wizard robes seemed to have been altered slightly. Cuts up the side and even to her knees in the middle revealed her bare legs and feet as Ylena walked. He guessed that it was easier to walk up and down the hills for her based on how often he watched the other women in camp holding their skirts outward or slightly up as they climbed.

  "Did I hear my name mentioned?" the brunette beauty asked as she walked up. Unless she was using a spell, Sebastian doubted that she could have overheard them at all. With all of their eyes looking at the girls joining them, however, Ylena must have assumed something.

  "I was planning on opening a gate to White Hall soon," he replied. "Anyone wishing to have a comfortable night in their beds can go, as long as Captain Anon and Falconi Martina approve, of course."

  "I will work with them to decide on which platoons will be sent back then," the diplomacy wizard replied with a simple nod to the owl. "We don't need this many when there are no enemies here after all."

  Sebastian nodded even as he felt that odd sensation of being watched again.

  Chapter 16- Roommates

  Sunlight cascaded through the window making Sebastian close his eyes harder. He had been running back and forth with the use of his portal magic for five days straight. Tired from all the uses of his magic, the mage had taken a break to lie down on his bed. There were two in the room that they rented at the Black Smith Inn, but the couple usually chose the same one each night.

  By the time the door opened, the mage knew from the sound of the light footfalls that Ashleen had returned. The wilder had taken Serrena and the two had gone shopping locally. It was usually for more clothes, he thought, and no longer bothered to ask the girl where she might be headed. Most of the time it was just to look, but the wardrobe that they once shared was completely overtaken just by Ashleen's growing clothes collection now. Something light landed on the other bed just before he heard her kick off her shoes and jump on the bed. Cracking his eyes open, he looked up at the girl with her blonde hair seeming to glow in the sunlight coming in through the window.

  "I can't believe that you are inside and trying to sleep on such a beautiful day. It's almost warm enough to think that it might be spring," she stated happily looming over him with a smile on her lips. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked down at him.

  Leaning over him, her silver blonde hair fell past her shoulders brushing his shirt. "Seriously, it is beautiful outside."

  "It's rather beautiful inside as well," he declared with a content smile as he took in the sight of the girl.

  "Flatterer," she replied before leaning close enough to kiss his lips.

  As she pulled back slightly with only their breaths between them, Sebastian said, "Just how I see it. Did you buy some new clothes?"

  Her attention turned towards the other bed leading his eyes in that direction. "A light weight blouse readying for spring, it can't get here soon enough. I am tired of the cold.

  "You know we haven't been to the Grimnal's island in awhile again. I bet it's much warmer there." She paused and he could see another thought cross her face. "You haven't taken Katya to see your parents yet, by the way. I thought the whole point of placing the gate markers was so you could bring her home for a visit."

  Releasing a breathy sigh, the owl replied, "We've been a little busy lately."

  Ashleen's upper body rested against his side and lay on his chest. He was used to her weight and the touch of the girl. She enjoyed being in this position while talking to him. Perhaps she thought that this meant that she could keep him from moving away from her to make sure that whatever needed to be said, could.

  "Did you at least tell her that you can take her home at any time?"

  "It hadn't come up, but I guess that I should make sure to tell her. Katya has also been a little preoccupied with Ylena. She worries over her teacher."

  "Ylena seems fine other than she looks like she is Katya's age. The healers haven't found anything else to worry about have they? You checked her... more than once even," she added with a slight frown. "Do I need to worry? Is she that much prettier now than she was before?"

  He knew her well enough to know that she teased him, but wondered if Ashleen might be insecure enough to mean it even so. "Wizard Hegrone asked me to look at her again just in case I might see something that they didn't. They've noticed her slight changes in behavior. Hegrone and the other teachers have known Ylena long enough to know how she usually acts and she is just different enough that they are worried.

  "As to whether she is prettier than before, I don't know. Maybe it is simply that looking younger, younger men will see her as more attainable than before. A mature wizard is a bit intimidating for men to think of... romantically."

  "So you can see her romantically?" the girl dug a little more.

  "I am currently occupied by another, so I don't really have time to worry about Ylena in that way."

  "You're... 'occupied', you say," she smirked and let her hand run through his hair mussing it a bit. Feeling many strands slowly shifting back or curling back with gravity, Sebastian let her do what she wanted with it. "Is whoever you are occupied by prettier than me?"

  "Hmm, she is pretty gorgeous admittedly," he joked with her, but wasn't lying about how beautiful she was to him. It wasn't just her physical appearance, though she was certainly pretty.

  "Go on."

  "She has this long almost silver looking blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. Her smile is... like looking at the sun rising when there are clouds to catch the light."

  Ashleen brushed back some of her hair on one side and stated, "You almost sound like a poet talking to his lover."

  "I don't just have to be a battle mage."

  A second kiss to his lips came before she rolled off him to lie on his arm and the pillow beside him. She blocked the view of the bag on the other bed, but Sebastian wasn't concerned with it. His eyes had a better view anyway, he thought.

  Seemingly out of nowhere, the girl asked, "Do your parents like me?"

  "Who doesn't like you?" he countered.

  A light slap on his chest signified that his answer wasn't enough for her. "No, really."

  "Are you worried that they wouldn't approve of you? You are a lord's daughter. They probably don't think I am good enough for you actually," he finished with a chuckle. "If anyone had to worry, it would be me with your family."

  "You saved Tenalin nearly single handedly. If they had any qualms about you, I think being a hero took care of that."

  "I'm just a battle mage and the son of a farmer. You are royalty."

  "I'm a wilder, a wizard. I have magic, so technically I am not. Kardor doesn't allow wizards to have a title to a royal house. It is supposedly because they fear that a wizard would have too much power if they had both magic and too much political power," the blonde explained practically into his ear as she lay on his arm. "You could marry me, if you wanted... at least from that point anyway. I mean that is if you wanted to."

  "That is good to know," he replied understanding that she had just both given him approval and nearly asked that he do so. They were too young probably and he wondered if they knew each other well enough to tak
e that chance, but on the other hand, Sebastian couldn't really see himself with anyone else. It was just the timing, he decided.

  "So should we go to White Hall and see if Katya wants to go home for a visit? I suppose it would be important to let her know that we could," the mage asked changing the subject intentionally.

  His attempt to change the subject was hardly subtle or missed by the pretty blonde on his arm, but Ashleen didn't pursue an answer to her vague proposal either. "Well, she can't say yes or tell you when, if she doesn't know about it; but do you want to go now? It could wait until tomorrow, couldn't it? We could just stay her for awhile and maybe go dancing after dinner."

  "Hmm, that does sound nice," he replied and noted her voice sounded a little too relaxed.

  The couple remained where they were and slipped into a light sleep enjoying the warmth of the sun on the cool spring afternoon.

  Sebastian and Ashleen walked into the dining hall planning to pass through it to the classroom side of the school. It was nearing midmorning, a time that most students would be in their classes learning more magic or perhaps they might be outside in one of the courtyards practicing the combat part of their spells. With the weather warming, though it was still a bit cool even during the day, more wizards would likely prefer to go outside after so many months huddling inside and avoiding the cold holding onto the city.

  Winters in most of Southwall were long and cold. That made those who lived there enthusiastic to enjoy the warmer months as soon as they could.

  "Owl Sebastian, you're back," a familiar male voice greeted him almost as soon as they had entered the large cafeteria room.

  "Good morning, Kharrik," he returned the greeting to a dark haired falcon who was slightly larger than the owl in size and height. The man's dark blue eyes seemed to smile echoing the curves of his lips. There was also significant intelligence in them, Sebastian noted of the man he had been working with recently.

  Ashleen's hand reached upward as the mage approached and stopped before them. She stroked his smooth cheek and chin before saying, "So are you still seeing Wizard Haylee? You've not grown your beard back, I see."

  Surprisingly the man took her invasion of his personal space without seeming to mind. The attention was a bit unusual, especially since she was doing it in front of her boyfriend.

  Kharrik chuckled before replying, "I see her occasionally after dinner on nights when they bring in musicians, but I usually keep a closer shave once the warmer weather returns anyway."

  The disappointment on Ashleen's face was easily apparent, though the girl didn't voice it.

  When she didn't immediately reply, the falcon asked, "Are you here to go to Kardor again? Perhaps we can do more training?"

  "Kardor is running well enough at the moment," Sebastian replied. "Perhaps we can train some more soon, though your ability to work with portal magic is already pretty good. You just tend to need a wizard to add enough strength to your spell."

  The man nodded, but asked, "Perhaps we could look at something else then?"

  "I don't think that there is any new magic that I can show you."

  Frowning slightly, the first time he had lost his smile since seeing the owl's arrival, Kharrik's eyes dropped towards the battle mage's covered arms. Sebastian still wore a coat, though it wasn't one of his heavier ones that he used during the colder parts of winter. "Little is known about your rune magic. Dozens of mages and even more soldiers have started using them, but few truly understand them and none can create more on their own."

  "There are wizards here who are familiar with them and can even use their magic to make them like I can do. Elzen can make them too, so it isn't impossible for a battle mage to use the runes."

  "Where is Elzen anyway? He is usually with you along with Serrena, but I haven't seen them yet."

  "We're gathering my sister for a brief trip home," Sebastian admitted. He hated sharing too much of his personal activities even with a friend like Kharrik. "They decided to remain in Hala. I suppose that they get little time off to be together and alone also."

  Ashleen smiled and said knowingly, "Maybe you and Haylee need a little alone time as well? The dances after dinner here are hardly that, are they?"

  "We teach at a school for wizards and mages. It isn't the easiest thing to just get away... if she would even want that," he finished looking truly uncertain if the wizard who had softened on the mage still remained that way.

  "Well, if you are done trying to meddle in others' relationships..." Sebastian said trying to change the subject to free Kharrik from being forced to talk about a relationship that he wasn't comfortable explaining.

  Her lower lip extended slightly in a pout before the three separated with quickly exchanged goodbyes. Kharrik appeared to forget that he had been the one to come up to the mage thanks to Ashleen's distracting discussion. Freeing the couple to leave the dining hall, the two moved towards the classroom part of the school without being caught by anyone else. It was still class time for most of those staying here.

  They climbed one of the tower stairways at the front of the school. It led to an area that the mage had rarely visited. He had never gone there while he was a student. This was a place reserved for wizards, not battle mages.

  Thanks to Katya living here now, Sebastian had had a reason to occasionally look for the door guarding his sister's room a few times since her arrival. With magic, the door truly did guard her too. There was a flat plate beside the door which was closed upon their arrival.

  Rapping on the dark wood door, the mage could feel more to the barrier than just natural wood. Without trying to use his sense of magic, he could feel the extra reinforcement added to it from a spell. It wasn't surprising in a school of magi and he supposed that those who had founded the school had wanted their students to have a place of sanctuary all their own. The doors to each apprentice's room were set to know their magic. Only those using it and the faculty in charge could break inside through the door.

  The walls on the other hand... He let the thought slip away in surprise as a familiar dark haired girl opened the door for him.

  "Good morning, Owl Sebastian," Ylena greeted him with a polite smile. Her hair was brushed out and glistened even in the dull light of the hallway. The room inside had no windows, so wizard globes supplied the light within the chamber. His eyes looked over her head to see Katya looking hurried as she searched through a chest set in front of a bunk bed. "Your sister is almost ready."

  Chuckling, he said, "She was always the last to be ready for the walk to school as well if I remember correctly."

  "Hey!" the younger girl protested from inside. Katya looked towards the door and clarified sounding annoyed, "I was still six when you left for White Hall, Bas, so that is hardly fair!"

  "Ah, I am sure that was it," he replied as the other two young women tried to stifle their laughter.

  "Come in," Ylena said gesturing for them to enter. It was something allowed only with permission from a teacher. Even if she seemed too young and was having trouble controlling her magic, Ylena still retained her position at the school.

  Ashleen looked around the plain room. Two bunk beds occupied opposing sides of the room opposite the door. Chests and armoires mirrored each other closer to them with a couple of desks on either side of the near wall. With just two girls it wouldn't be too stifling, but he supposed that with four they might feel like they were stepping on each other most of the time.

  "What are you looking for?" he asked of his sister. His eyes noticed Katya was wearing a green dress. It wasn't fancy, but he guessed that it was one of those which had been brought from home about a year earlier. He had bought Katya a couple outfits in Hala on their trip, so perhaps it was one of those, he supposed; but guessed that this was her attempt to not look the part of a wizard as she returned to visit their family.

  Straying from his sister as she continued to look for something, Sebastian noted Ylena wearing a blue dress which barely extended below her knees. There
was a split on either side allowing the girl to walk easier, but it also helped to show off her legs more than was typical in White Hall where fashion was governed by high wizards and falconi.

  "I have a light weight coat. It is warmer than it had been, but I think that I will still need it there," she replied absently.

  Ylena watched the younger girl and casually said, "I moved in with her this week and have been trying to help her get more organized, but I have had limited success, I am afraid."

  "Ah, there it is," Katya proclaimed drawing a light brown coat from the clothing stacked on top of it. Though she disrupted the formerly tidy packing job, which made Ylena wince slightly with annoyance making him guess that the teacher had probably straightened this as well, the apprentice didn't seem to care and closed the chest once more without fixing it so much as she pushed the mess down.

  Rolling her eyes as she turned away, Ylena took a black jacket marked with silver on the collar and sleeves. It was the colors of her guild of magic and after so many years of service, the mage guessed that the wizard didn't have many outfits that weren't marked for her class.

  "We should probably return to the courtyard. After making a bit of a deal out of setting up the protection of the locking gates, I would guess that just opening a door here might cause more problems than the time it would save," Sebastian mused though it was tempting to just make a portal instead of walking all the way back down to the courtyard.

  "I suppose that would be best," Ylena confirmed, though the dark haired wizard appeared disappointed to admit that.

  As four they walked down the stairs, but exited through the front doors into the central court leading from the classrooms to the front gates of the school. The dining hall remained to their right echoed by an extension on the left. Sounds of metal clanging and strange machines working came from the left. A laundry was paired with an armory and blacksmith's shop. The former used the heat generated by the latter to heat the water that was used to wash the clothes. It was a conservation of energy, though apprentices were often sent to work in both parts of the building where they could use their magic to manipulate other parts of the process when they wanted.