Battle Mage, The Caves of Time

by Donald Wigboldy

  He lifted his right hand to place it on her chest between her breasts and said thoughtfully, "She asked if I could make a rune that worked like Cheleya's. She hoped that she could become older that way again."

  "But the dragons just switch back and forth between forms. It wouldn't work that way would it?"

  "I told her that I didn't think it would work. It surprised me that she would want to even. She's younger by about two decades. That's a new lease on life and Ylena would rather be old. She threatened to use a grain of dark sand to age herself back as well."

  Ashleen considered the idea and said, "I am only slightly surprised when I think about it from her perspective. It would be like taking a nap and waking decades later. Everyone you knew would be old, though I think there was a story written about something like that. He woke up old too.

  "It's kind of a sad story actually. Missing your whole life with just one long nap, that would be disconcerting for sure."

  "But she's not missing out on her life. She gets to live the next twenty years however she wants. The people she loves and knew a few weeks ago are more or less the same as well. She could embrace being younger again and think of it as a gift, but Ylena acts like it is a curse instead."

  "It kind of is. She didn't ask for this and no one knows how to change her back. Sounds like a curse to me."

  Sighing at her continually siding with Ylena, he countered, "She might have to learn to embrace it or at least get used to the idea of being younger for awhile. I haven't heard of anyone having any ideas of how to fix her problem safely."

  "What is the unsafe answer?" her blue eyes questioned him curiously.

  "Taking the dark sand and aging her with it. Ylena wasn't the first to suggest it, but we don't know enough about the sand to let her try something like that."

  Ashleen stood up again closing her double layer of robes before cinching them closed with a matched belt. "Do you still want to go down and dance? I know it was a long day."

  Standing up beside her, Sebastian encircled her with his arms to hold her in a hug.

  "Of course, we're going dancing. I have to show off the girl that I'm not good enough for, don't I?" he asked with a laugh. Ashleen joined him and her hands touched his arm making him feel warm inside.

  The couple could hear music even before they made the trek to the top of the stairs. After having eaten dinner with his family and the difference in the timing of the sun's set, the inn was well into its evening entertainment. They took a staircase that gave them a view of most of the main room that served as diner and music hall for the Black Smith Inn. Though it was set inside the inner wall of Hala, the Black Smith was considered both reasonable for cost as well as friendly enough for locals and those outside the inner circle alike to come dance to the music of entertainers that were changed out surprisingly often.

  It wasn't that the Alamores didn't pay the musicians fairly or that they didn't receive enough tips from the patrons; but more that the Black Smith Inn was a place to showcase new talent. Some of these musicians picked up a following that would go to other inns and music halls outside the inner city as well because of a performance in the inn. Sebastian had seen quite a few new bands try their hand here, and those that were more popular with their guests would be invited back by Hilda regularly bringing them more fame.

  Sebastian spotted the reddish brown hair and red dress of a familiar looking fire wizard. She was easier to find than her partner, perhaps since Elzen might be the shortest of the men in the room.

  Leading Ashleen into the swirling throng of dancers, the two followed along moving in synch as they had from almost the first time they had ever danced together. It was one of those things that had made him question if he could fall in love with someone else when he was supposed to be committed to Yara at that time.

  A few songs later they were warmed up, even if it was cool outside. While the days had been getting warmer, each night could still freeze plants left uncovered. The dance room was large, but it was so crowded tonight that the many moving bodies supplied most of the heat which made it warm enough to begin to glisten.

  When the musicians stopped for a break, the crowd split up going to the tables or the bar to order more drinks. A few others probably went to use the restrooms the inn made public for their visitors, but the mage hardly bothered to keep an eye on that. He did, however, see Elzen and Serrena coming towards them with smiles on their faces. They looked warm. Serrena's cheeks were a bit flush and both their foreheads had a sheen of sweat to prove that they had been quite active this evening.

  "Hey, Bas, how did the trip go?" the younger mage asked as he directed his friends towards one of the smaller tables that was just big enough for four to sit around comfortably.

  "Well, enough, I think," he answered truthfully. "Ashleen helped with the cooking, which impressed my mother."

  The wilder frowned and stated, "I doubt that I impressed her unless I impressed her with my need to learn more about it."

  Serrena smiled and said, "I've never seen you cook."

  "There is a reason for that," the petite blonde replied with a crooked, amused looking grin.

  "Well, at least she tried," Sebastian chuckled. "She earned points for that if nothing else. Nothing was burned or ruined and the house didn't burn down from her attempts either."

  Ashleen rolled her eyes at his overly dramatic exploration of her day of cooking.

  Before much more could be said, a boy with a familiar face hurried up to the table.

  "Mister Trillon... Falcon?" he questioned his own greeting.

  "You can just me Sebastian, Aric," the mage replied. One of Hilda's sons, Aric was Ivol's usual helper in the forge. Tonight he seemed to be helping with the inn.

  An envelope with a seal closing it off from prying eyes was handed to him. "A messenger came this afternoon and said to make sure to give it to you immediately. He also said that it was very important."

  "It was given to you?"

  Shaking his head, the younger boy answered, "No, I was working with my father; but I was told to give it to you because of the way it was said to them. Apparently the messenger looked unusually harried when he gave it to my sister."

  Letting the muscular smith's apprentice retreat to the counter on the far side of the room, Sebastian used his smallest finger on the right hand to slip under the outer edge towards the opposing side breaking the seal as he did. He pulled a folder letter from inside the envelope and quickly scanned its contents. The penmanship was very beautiful, but this wasn't from the king. It did mention King Alain in its contents and that this request had been given approval by him.

  "High Wizard Culmore says that a new marker similar to the one in the Dimple Mountains has shown up way to the north. The gate wizards guess that it is in the Dragon Spine Mountains."

  Elzen frowned and stated, "Then it is likely beyond our reach."

  "We can only hope that this isn't the first of more breeches," Serrena said worriedly. "If this new enemy has the ability to enter our world from multiple points, they could build a suitable vanguard here that could give us trouble."

  "Not to mention that they might use this time magic dust to do a lot of damage," Ashleen agreed with her friend.

  Elzen asked, "So why is he sending this to you? Do the wizards hope that you can get them there in some way? You can't make a gate blindly there can you?"

  "Well, I've seen and felt their portal magic, so using a map to find it might be possible for me this time."

  "You could do it tonight before going to bed, if you want," Ashleen said, though the girl didn't sound overly interested in having him divert his time from the evening together.

  Shrugging, the mage replied, "Depending on what Wizard Culmore tells me, it may not be necessary. It can wait until after I talk to him."

  A slight pout pushed out Ashleen's lip slightly as she stated as much as asked, "So we're not going to visit your parents again tomorrow, I guess."

  Pondering the point,
Sebastian answered after a moment. "It would be nice to bring Katya back again. I was hoping that she would be free most of this week, but didn't expect to be the one who was too busy to go."

  Elzen looked relaxed as he said, "Why are you worrying about the possibility before you learn what he wants from you? It seems a waste to get worked up about something that you don't even know anything about beyond what you've read in this brief letter."

  It wasn't that brief, the owl thought; but he understood his friend's intention and didn't quibble over the technicalities of his statement.

  "I suppose you're right. I'll have to at least lose a little time tomorrow and head over to that part of the castle."

  Sebastian tried to remember if he had ever been to High Wizard Culmore's chambers in the castle. It wasn't like he had ever had free run of the place; so if there had never been an invitation or reason to go, the mage wouldn't just stumble across the wizards' part of the king's castle.

  Letting the matter go for now, the four returned to their evening of dancing. It grew late too soon and they retired to their rooms.

  Morning came once more and as Sebastian rolled out of bed he noted that the sky was already brighter than the previous days had been. Spring brought longer days and the sun shone against the drapes of their room letting just a few rays inside. Ashleen continued to sleep. She hadn't even woken with his getting up, he noted.

  They had been sleeping together for a little over half a year and he guessed that added to her being a deep sleeper, Ashleen was used to his early rising also. He smiled at the pretty girl. Her hair was a bit tousled as it cascaded across her cheek and onto the pillow in alternate waves of silver and golden strands of hair.

  A last stretch before getting up brought a few cracks from some of his vertebrae. His muscles tried to loosen up feeling some of the work he had been doing on the farm. Though he was perfectly fit, farm work was definitely different from that of being a battle mage or even a smith. The latter had taken up some of his time as well, but he was still barely a part time sword smith though his magic made his skills equal to that of the masters. In truth, he probably surpassed most of them since he could also imbue the weapons he made with magic, but Sebastian did consider some of what he did a cheat. The masters used their tools and strength of arm to make amazing blades. His chief tool was his magic, though the mage had done his fair share of hard work learning the art as well.

  Once again, Sebastian was one of the first downstairs. Hilda was there as well seemingly waiting for him.

  "Did you sleep well?" the woman asked sounding more like an inn keeper than perhaps faux family member.

  "Well, enough thanks, Hilda," he answered with a smile before finding a table and a chair to sit down.

  "And how is Ashleen doing?" she asked following up sounding a little more concerned than their normal early morning banter.

  "Still sleeping, but doing well enough. She was trying to cook yesterday with my mother and sisters."

  Hilda chuckled and asked, "And how did that go?"

  "She didn't burn the house down or anything else for that matter, so I suppose well enough," he answered with a wry grin.

  The woman laughed before placing a glass on the table in front of him. She had also brought a decanter filled with water to get him started.

  "So she isn't much of a cook then? I guess that it isn't much of a surprise with her being a wizard."

  He grunted in acknowledgement but added, "She comes from a family with money and power. Her mother didn't have to cook or find the need to teach her, if she even knows how."

  Wrinkling her brow, Hilda said, "Well, Ashleen is certainly sweet enough. She doesn't act haughty like you would expect of a typical child of wealth. Her parents must have found a way to keep her well grounded."

  Not knowing Ashleen's exact upbringing, he could compare her to the siblings he had met. She was nothing like them, though for the most part they weren't bad people. As opposed to her early years, the mage wondered how much of what had made her the person she was didn't have more to do with becoming a wilder and wizard. She had been torn from the lap of luxury, a royal family, and been placed in the care of wizards.

  He had met her wizard mentor and master. The man was kind enough, but if he was at all like the wizards and falcons of the corps, a person's past meant little while training as an apprentice or cadet. You were in training and needed to follow the rules. You were a blank slate in their hands whether you were noble of birth or a farmer. Rich or poor, magic put them all on a different playing field where strength in magic and the ability to learn would set you above or below the others in the guilds.

  It was part of a system that created wizards that believed battle mages were less than them, but even that was something to consider after their magic had been discovered. Whether it was right or changing because of his ability to learn new spells and teach them to his corps to improve their magic, it was simply how it was.

  "Ashleen does pretty well at getting along with everyone. My family likes her."

  The woman's face became intrigued and a knowing smile crossed her lips. Her eyes told him such an admission was like gold to a mother. "Oh, they do, do they?"

  He looked at the table a moment and chuckled. "My father says that I shouldn't let her go. He says that I should propose and marry her."

  The inn keeper sat down on the chair beside him, something that he couldn't ever remember seeing her do with anyone. "You are thinking of marrying her?"

  A slight frown wrinkled his brow and he mused, "Well, I can't say that it never crossed my mind, but I always felt like it was too soon. We're too young."

  "But now you aren't so sure?" she asked with a reassuring smile.

  "It would be hard if I was still in the mage corps, but technically I am more of a freelancer working for the king. I still work with wizards and battle mages alike, but not directly for them."

  The woman seemed to understand that he was still trying to work out the details for himself. "The idea of marrying someone is pretty daunting for most. It isn't something that should be jumped into lightly. You are still young, but not so young that you can't consider it."

  "My parents were younger than us," he nodded. Shaking his head suddenly to break out of the thoughts trying to drown him with the weight of something he had only just begun considering, Sebastian changed the subject, "Well, whatever that might be, I am starting to get hungry. I guess I'll just have my usual."

  Smiling at him still, Hilda nodded before standing once again. "Henry is already cooking it up. You are a bit of a creature of habit."

  Her eyes strayed from him in thought for a moment before returning to the younger man in front of her. "Don't let that keep you from testing other waters. I don't think that you have been that way with your magic. Maybe you need to consider that as well when thinking about your relationship with that girl."

  The woman left him to his suddenly weighty thoughts. His meal followed shortly after. Indeed it had probably already likely been prepared and possibly even had been cooking by the time he had sat down. Maybe he was too much of a creature of habit in the time he rose and what he had for breakfast, but he was the owl. He experimented with magic and steel. The many spells and styles of magic were almost as expansive as that to become a white wizard.

  Thinking of white wizards, Sebastian started to wonder what High Wizard Culmore wanted from him. His eyes glanced to the stairs which led up to both Ashleen and his friends in the room across from theirs. None of them were up as far as he could tell. They rarely ate breakfast with him in fact. Serrena and Elzen tended to get up earlier than Ashleen, but neither liked to be up as early as he did.

  It was the farmer in him, he supposed.

  Sighing as the man thought of the lord's daughter up in his room, a beautiful young woman that should have been out of his league yet was in love with him and he with her; he had to think that his farming beginnings were part of him, but he was so much more than he might have been if
not for his magic. It was certainly a more interesting life than he had ever thought about as a boy when just being able to go to Mera was considered an adventure. He had grown up and changed in many ways, but Sebastian was also that boy who grew up on a farm.

  A bite of eggs was taken. He needed to eat his breakfast more because he didn't want it to get cold than because he was in a rush. High Wizard Culmore was likely asleep as well yet. There was no time set in the letter thanks to his varied schedule and tasks, but few meetings began before the third bell. The second wouldn't have rung yet at the school, even if White Hall was this far to the east. Hala didn't ring bells like the distant school, at least not the early ones anyway.

  He sighed before biting into his piece of toast. Prapple jam had been spread on it. While quite sweet, it worked with the more bland bread.

  The mage sat in the quiet room eating undisturbed for a long while thinking as he ate.

  Chapter 19- Reminder of a Promise

  Sebastian walked through halls in the king's castle that he hadn't seen before as he followed a wizard dressed in the black with silver trim of a diplomacy wizard. The colors and robe were familiar, of course. With his sister being an apprentice of Ylena, he had seen the elder woman's outfit enough times over the last several months.

  Shaking his head, the owl frowned over the thought of Ylena being his elder. This new magic, or whatever it truly was, was quite frightening and confusing in its results as well. It wasn't that he didn't understand what had happened, but that living with the result when someone survived was quite challenging. Ylena looked like a beautiful teenage girl, but she was nearly twice his age. If the magic had truly rolled back the clock for her body in all ways, she could live to be a hundred with little difficulty.