Battle Mage, The Caves of Time

by Donald Wigboldy

  Some wizards had used magic to live unusually long lives before, but none had been able to change their bodies in this way.

  "Owl Sebastian?" His guide drew his attention towards a closed door gesturing towards it with his hand.

  Nodding to the wizard, the door was opened now and his thoughts returned to the task at hand. His robed guide didn't join him surprisingly. Sebastian had just assumed that this was an assistant to the high wizard. If he wasn't, it seemed like a surprisingly low position for a full wizard to have to occupy.

  As the door opened, the mage noted a large room occupied by a pair of desks. Another wizard dressed in diplomacy robes looked up. She smiled pleasantly. A red head with pale complexion, her skin looked as smooth as porcelain and her blue eyes felt large, though they fit her face very well. They were somehow both friendly and penetrating at the same time.

  "Good morning, Owl Sebastian," she greeted him with the same title that everyone still used though he was technically no longer with the battle mage corps which had created the new title just for him. Those who could heal might be called owls as well perhaps, but that had yet to be decided.

  "Good morning..." he started and realized that he had never met this woman before, so the mage could hardly greet her properly.

  "Wizard Yvie," the woman answered standing up after sliding her chair back to escape the desk with its piles of documents, an ink well and a few quill pens. He wondered if Yvie had been the one to write out the letter which had been sent to him. "High Wizard Culmore was hoping that you would come in quickly, though you are earlier than I might have thought."

  "I've been up since first bell. I could have come much earlier actually, but usually this is about the time I would meet King Alain or Raven Leros before he retired," the mage informed the wizard politely.

  His eyes flit to a second door on the opposite side of the room. Wizard Yvie must have caught the glance. It wasn't surprising since diplomacy wizards used visual cues among other things to help read those that they dealt with while working to keep things smooth and in their favor.

  "High Wizard Culmore will be with you in a moment. I just need to inform him of your arrival." She noted that he had looked at the second desk earlier as well and added, "Wizard Esten is on other business at the moment. He isn't typically the one to show visitors in anyway."

  The way she said it nearly hid a slight dismissive tone for the missing assistant. He didn't know this Esten either, so Sebastian merely nodded. It wasn't his problem in any way if the two wizards did or didn't get along. He was just here to see the high wizard to find out what he wanted.

  Disappearing through the second door for a moment, he heard her tell someone that, "The owl is here, sir."

  The attractive woman returned to face him with a smile. "You may go in, Owl Sebastian. He is ready to see you already."

  Passing through the door, the mage found another room with a single desk stained nearly black. Silver trimmed the edges and the top had an inlay of the same color also. Whether it denoted the man's past or not, Sebastian was uncertain. From the stripes on the wizard's robe, he did know that at least one of the school's of magic that he had mastered was diplomacy.

  "Ah, good morning, Owl Sebastian," a gray haired man dressed in a white jacket trimmed with six stripes greeted him on entry. Culmore was roughly the same height as the battle mage, but heavier set. Even being in good shape working in an office and figuring in the man's approximate age was an accomplishment, he judged.

  "Good morning, High Wizard Culmore," the owl greeted the other man with a respectful nod. Battle mages weren't trained to bow, even to men like the king. A high wizard wasn't royalty, so this meeting didn't require anything special for his greeting, though he was also Sebastian's elder.

  The white wizard, a nickname for the high wizards of Southwall, was surprisingly direct as he said, "I know that you are a man of action and I won't beat around the bush. My note told you that we have noticed another of these alien portals to the north.

  "While we predict that the gate was opened in the Dragon's Spine Mountains, it is likely not that deep into that range. It certainly isn't as far as Mar'kal and is more or less straight to our north.

  "After last summer's interaction with the nomads that inhabit the eastern plain, we thought that you might be willing to lead a party to the tribes and ask for their help. We don't want to just step on their toes by riding through their current territory at this point. We're also not certain how possessive they are of the land. They do move around a lot and don't seem to have a single living area. Also there is more than one tribe that gathered together there from what I have read of that mission."

  "There were five tribes with five arkons leading each, but they formed a council which appeared to work together well," he concurred having seen the tribal council, or arkein as they referred to it, first hand. "They seemed to defer to the archoness of the Khagan tribe, even though she wasn't the oldest of them," Sebastian added trying to recall his visit so many months ago. A lot had happened since that time, he quickly realized.

  Nodding as if more had been revealed than the mage had actually said, Culmore continued, "It has been awhile since you visited them. The crown has been keeping an eye on them from a distance. This has been made easier since you and High Wizard Darius discovered how to use the enemy's gate magic. However, the few times that our people have met with them on what appeared to be the border of their influence, well, not every discussion has gone as well as your trip did."

  "We did fight off an attack with some of the tribesmen and healed a number of their injured. That probably earned us a little more favor by putting our lives on the line for them."

  Again the wizard nodded. "True, but that favor seems to be somewhat fickle apparently. Not everyone that meets with their people is treated as a friend or ally. They have been very standoffish and have resisted any new entreaties to meet with their arkons."

  Releasing a small sigh intentionally, Sebastian seemed to confess, "Well, when we left, their druids came to me and asked me to return in the spring; but that invitation was directed to me alone. Perhaps the tribes aren't ready to give up their dislike of wallers just yet."

  Culmore read the younger man's expression and did little to reveal what he thought of Sebastian's reluctance to speak about his conversation. The mage meant it to appear as if he didn't want to be put on the spot by the druids, but in truth there was magic that they possessed that might shed more of a light on the rune magic he already knew. While he had managed a lot with what he did know, the owl wondered what other mysteries might be answered by the druids who had likely grown used to the magic over many generations.

  "We are planning another foray in negotiations with the tribes and wish to have you go along. Wizard Oltus will go as an ambassador again also. He hasn't been back since you went with him. We're hoping that his earlier involvement might be helpful for new negotiations; but his schedule has been filled until this time as well." The high wizard waved as if to shoo away a fly at the thought. "Anyway, conversations with King Alain have us believing the same thing; that those who managed such a strong meeting last summer should be sent again."

  "Falconi Neven led the mage part of the group..." Sebastian mused.

  "Raven Neven," Culmore said emphasizing the man's new title since Raven Leros had retired and created a shift among the ravens, "will obviously be too busy running Ravenhurst to come back to Hala for such a mission. Raven Daleyr has been consulted and has already picked out who he wishes to send."

  This made Sebastian frown slightly, and this gesture wasn't meant to be seen. He hadn't dealt with Raven Daleyr often, but the man seemed more of a combative personality than Leros had been. The latter had been a good leader, great even in his opinion. Leros could almost have been labeled a friend and certainly he had a fatherly aspect to him at least in their relationship. His initial impression of Daleyr had inspired him to find a way to break from the corps while still continuing to serve his
country and king.

  The question on his mind that made him frown now was; what kind of leader would the raven send along now. Oltus was certainly a good choice to continue making stronger relations with the tribe folk of the eastern plains, but surrounding him with the wrong people might ruin everything that they had created last summer.

  He didn't say anything about his apprehension in front of Culmore, though the man appeared somewhat amused at his reaction.

  "So there will be a new trip to visit the tribes. When will we be leaving?" he asked assuming that his presence was intended after calling him into the wizard's office.

  "The men have already been chosen and are waiting for the word as well as a portal to the point you set up south of their old camp. They could be assembled by this afternoon, if you are ready."

  A new thought crossed the mage's mind and he replied, "I have something to do today. We could be ready a little before noon tomorrow, I think."

  His use of the plural made Culmore ask, "Who do you plan to bring along? Like I've said the choice of men has been made by our little council already."

  "I have my own team now. Most of them are already familiar with the nomads. They won't harm the mission in any way," he assured the high wizard.

  Culmore paused giving him an appraising look. "Well, I will assume that the 'owl' has the wisdom to make good choices. Making these nomads into allies would certainly make things easier, but they aren't the only part of the play remember. We need to move our people to the Dragon Spine Mountains to assess if there is more danger from the travelers who invaded last fall. We don't need a new enemy like the emperor coming for us after finally being rid of the Dark One, now do we?"

  Sebastian thought that, if these new intruders could find their world more than once, they might not have any control over making a new enemy in this case. He had heard enough about the scuffle last fall to believe that these intruders had ill intentions for Alus. Now it was just a matter of finding a way to discourage them or discovering how to keep them from coming back again.

  "No, High Wizard Culmore, we do not," he replied feeling like he was supposed to answer though it was likely rhetorical.

  The older man nodded before saying, "Well, I will pass along the information. Let's say that you will assemble with the others at the fire wizard's portal at the fourth bell tomorrow then. The platoon will be waiting for you there."

  Giving a nod there was little more to be said between the men. Both were good with words, but neither seemed to appreciate just talking for the sake of filling the air. Sebastian left the office receiving a smile from Wizard Yvie on the way out. She at least seemed pleasant enough here, the mage thought, and returned to the inn with a bit of a plan already in mind.

  He waved to Hilda as the mage returned from his visit and noted that Ashleen was not in sight. It was still a bit early for the wilder, Sebastian supposed.

  "Ashleen still hasn't come down yet?" her long term guest asked curiously.

  With a smile on her face, the older woman shook her head. "The others came down and ate, but disappeared. There's been no sign of the girl so far."

  Nodding at the motherly inn keeper, Sebastian took the wood stairs two at a time though he wasn't exactly in a hurry. Ashleen hadn't come down, so there was likely no rush to intercept her now.

  Sebastian used his key and opened the door noting cooler air striking him immediately. The drapes were pulled away from the window to the left and strangely the glass pane had been opened letting the cool, early spring air inside lowering the temperature in their room significantly compared to the rest of the inn.

  "Why is the...?" his question stuck in his mouth wondering if Ashleen was riding the winds. If her mind was on a tendril of magic riding currents, then anything he said would be missed even if her body appeared before him.

  The little blond sat in their bed with the blankets over her legs. She wore one of her robes, though only one layer deep unlike her winter wrappings. He guessed that Ashleen wanted to keep her body warm, even if she needed the freedom of an open window for her magic to carry her beyond the confines of the inn.

  He knew the spell, but wondered why the air wilder had felt the need. There was nothing to scout in Hala, unless she wanted to see the city from on high just for fun or perhaps the practice.

  To his surprise, her blue eyes opened to look at him even as she gave him a smile. "Sorry, I was just taking a reading of the weather with my magic."

  His eyes lifted from her to the sunlight coming into the room. "It's cool and fairly clear. I could have told you that without opening the window.

  "You look like you're cold now."

  She held her smile and shook her head. "It isn't that bad and it is going to be much warmer soon," Ashleen assured him.

  He knew the weather in Southwall pretty well. Assuming anything related to the air warming at this time of year was often pointless. Even air wizard readings could be wrong. "If you say so, it's cool at the moment though. You'll probably want a light coat until it warms up more."

  Ashleen pushed the blankets aside revealing bare legs as she turned to put her equally bare feet on the floor. The girl's robe like green dress cascaded down like a falling curtain when she stood to walk to the window to close it.

  Answering as she moved, Ashleen stated, "Spring is finally here though. It's going to be warmer even north of the wall.

  "Maybe not closer to the mountains, but it'll be pretty nice."

  "White Hall is closer to the mountains," he reminded her.

  "I hadn't meant those, but we're going back to the school again? Are we going to take Katya to your parents again today? Doesn't she need to go to classes or study?" the little blond questioned after turning back from the newly closed window.

  His brow wrinkled and he asked, "You can read the weather as far away as the Dimple Mountains from here?"

  "You didn't answer my question, but no I took readings on other days when we were there. Now, White Hall...?"

  "High Wizard Culmore wants me to join a mission to the nomads north of the wall. We leave tomorrow. I thought maybe we could pick up a few others to join us. Katya and Ylena might be good choices with their diplomacy training."

  Ashleen still stood barefoot on a floor that had to be cool from the open window, but the air wizard didn't seem particularly affected or at least didn't reveal that it bothered her. She often put her cold feet against his legs when they went to bed during the winter, which made him question if she had wanted to warm her feet because she needed to or just because she enjoyed teasing him.

  "Hmmm, it has been awhile since we were there. Weren't you supposed to return to visit their druids about now?"

  "We had only agreed that I should come back in the spring. The druids hadn't specified a certain month or day or anything."

  Ashleen gave him a lingering look before turning towards the wardrobe that the girl had virtually taken over by pushing his clothing out to be kept in one of the dressers on either side of the door. She released the matching belt made of satin green before shrugging the robe from her shoulders. Bared to the air, Ashleen opened the wardrobe and looked over the choices arrayed before her.

  "So we'll go to the school today and use the portal you left on the plains when we left them last time?"

  She drew out a blue blouse and pulled it on before picking out a dark green skirt that only reached the tops of her knees. The clothes looked like something she might wear in spring weather that was a bit warmer than this, he thought. Ashleen pulled up some underwear before sitting on the bed to put on her short boots.

  "After you eat breakfast we can gather Elzen and Serrena. It's still probably only a little after first bell there right now."

  Standing, even with the heels of her boots adding nearly two inches of stature, the girl had to look up at his face on a significant angle. "That must be why I am still tired. I was raised too far to the west to get up at sunrise or earlier like you do."

  He chuckled sounding
doubtful. "You didn't do any better when we were in Kardor."

  Waving him off, she took his hand in hers and led him to the door. He locked it behind them while Ashleen replied, "That was after our battle. I'm always sleepy after a big use of magic. The release of energy after the danger of combat probably doesn't help either."

  Sebastian just nodded and walked the girl to the dining area of the inn.

  By the time she had finished eating Elzen and Serrena had returned from their early morning errands as well. The four left from the marker behind the inn and the next sight was of the surrounding walls and towers of White Hall's entry gate.

  "Elzen, why don't you try checking the mage quarters for Kharrik and Xander? Maybe they're free and might want to come along also. They might be capable of working with the runes too, so I could test them on that while working with the nomads."

  The other mage looked a little dubious. He had been told of the next mission and had also been along for the first trip to visit with the arkein. "Will the druids even permit you adding more to the training group or whatever you want to call it? They seemed more intent on just you discussing their magic with them. They're pretty guarded, Bas."

  "You and Serrena were there too, so even if they want to complain, they know that you know how to heal. You also know a lot about the runes. Xander has a knack for healing also and Kharrik can probably be brought up to speed soon enough."

  Shrugging, Elzen didn't argue the point any further. Sebastian was their leader and would follow his friend regardless. He was just arguing the question that the others had already been thinking and wanted to make sure that the owl had already weighed the possible problem before making his decision.

  "This should be interesting," Serrena stated joining the other mage while leaving Ashleen to follow Sebastian towards the dining hall.

  A quick, yet thorough, glance around the tables led Sebastian to believe that his sister wasn't here. They walked across the room towards the school side where novices and apprentices' dorms were located. The school separated mage from wizard. A few classrooms were used by the battle mages and they had a large gym like room to use during the cold winter months here. Beyond that this was where wizards worked and stayed, but in turn the wizards didn't bother to go to the mage dorms at all.