Battle Mage: Winter's Edge

by Donald Wigboldy

  “Stupid water wizards!” she complained. The winter weather already had her shivering uncontrollably. Apparently the protective spells had only saved her from the physical trauma of being struck and not the water itself.

  Directing the girl to hold still, Sebastian used an old spell to pull the water from her clothes. Then he and Yara used their magic to heal and warm her skin. It didn’t take the two long to help Serrena and they were off again arriving at the Four Hills with time to spare.

  Ashleen was another wizard that was getting popular in the city. Her powerful lightning had decimated the wizards she had fought. With the power of a wilder, her spells were quick, strong, and hard to beat. Even against three others, Sebastian watched her duel with such ease that he wondered if he could beat the girl one on one, whether he used his extra strength or not, she was formidable.

  Air, fire and a water wizard fought hard against the woman that could control earth and air while summoning lightning from both. The match was well fought from them all, but soon only Ashleen was left standing, though she looked very drained. Sebastian had double checked the wilder as she ate to restore her strength. One of the things that he had learned from his friend while studying her talents, was that a wilder could easily harm themselves by over using their power. It was always on and when there was no trace left; Ashleen would be in serious danger.

  Resupplying a bit of energy with his own, Sebastian with Yara’s help managed to add to her low reserves. Pale cheeks soon held full health again, but as she sat eating Ashleen actually fell asleep against his shoulder.

  Yara appeared understanding, but he could tell that it bothered her. While Sebastian couldn’t say that he understood women all the time, he did know enough to know when Yara’s feelings were being hurt most of the time. Letting Wendle and Deiclonus escort Ashleen back to their inn to rest; Sebastian took the healer’s hand and led the others to an array of dining tents raised for the crowds gathering outside the city for the tournament.

  After the first half of the day was over, the team had been reduced by their matches drastically. Liam had lost in the Hedges to a nature wizard from Green Hall. Serrena had lost to Annalicia and that only left Collin remaining from his wizards. With that extra knowledge burdening him, the earth wizard looked like a bundle of nerves.

  “Are you that worried?” the mage asked his friend. Nara sat beside him looking almost as worried, he thought.

  His meal sitting before him largely untouched, Collin nodded, “It’s not just for me. Other than you I don’t think there’s anyone left from Windmeer in the tournament. I’d hate to disappoint anyone by losing.”

  Liam smiled, “If it makes you feel better, Shirama is here. I saw her win in the match after me. By the way speaking of pressure to win, do you remember the girl from my village that I told you all about?”

  At their questioning looks, the water wizard sighed and reminded them, “When we were talking about people from our towns I told you about the girl half a dozen years younger than me? Her name is Shirama Blackwood and I found out that she was in the tournament too. So if you think that you were under pressure, I wound up having to fight her today.”

  With everyone’s attention piqued, Olan began to shake his head. “Don’t tell me that pretty little nature wizard that won your match was her? Why didn’t you say something?”

  Laughing ruefully, Liam replied, “You think it’s easy to start a conversation about how your kid sister’s little friend has grown up and just kicked your butt in a match?”

  Olan rubbed his chin with a slight smile. “Really pretty.”

  Smacking the mage on his shoulder, Liam frowned angrily. “Hey, I know that she turned out pretty! You don’t have to rub my nose in it.”

  Yara grinned saying, “It sounds like you might have a crush on her, Liam. You didn’t throw the match because you liked her did you?”

  “I wouldn’t… well, at least I don’t think I did,” the water wizard went from adamant to confused midsentence. “Maybe I should go look for her in the city and see if we can talk over old times together. Well, there probably aren’t a lot of those, but maybe the people from our town…”

  “And we lost him,” Olan said with a chuckle.

  Collin looked more alarmed, “You’re not going to my match?”

  Shaking his head clearing his thoughts, the water wizard suddenly smiled looking sheepish, “Well, after you win your match, of course!”

  They went to Four Hills and watched as Collin climbed the hill to face his opponents. Sebastian’s hopes for his friend were mitigated by the opponents. Another of those mysterious wizards from Gray Hall, a wizard of the Dragon Mountains wearing his amulet and a surprise to the mix a wizard from one of the islands known as Baltu. It was a reasonably small nation from the middle of the ring of islands made larger after the cataclysm. Wizards had been working to remove the salt of the ocean’s water and make it into usable farmland for decades, so a small school had apparently cropped up there. The fact that he had made it this far brought new credibility to the little island.

  As good as his run had been, both he and Collin soon discovered that it was really just a two way race. Both men put up a good fight, but first the islander and then Collin were defeated by the pair. Their animosity towards each other came out with a great intensity then, but like in Sebastian’s match the gray wizard revealed powers and a skill that surpassed the dragon wizard.

  Collin looked dejected, but now that it was over the man seemed more at ease. While he hadn’t won, the wizard had gone down respectably. There was nothing to regret.

  By the end of the day, Sebastian felt some of the pressure that Collin had felt. As he went to the administration building to hear of the next day’s matches, he went alone.

  A scream sounded nearby. Fireballs and other magical spells continued from the army’s center as several of the wizards had remained mounted for the advantage of height and continued to drive back the enemy’s beasts. The goblin and orc part of the army had only tested their strength once and paid dearly despite the continued harassment from the lions and wolves.

  Managing to pull together the army not only repulsed the enemy, but had even managed to move the column out of the bottle neck. Wizards and wounded led the remaining horses, since no one liked the idea of trying to walk back to Windmeer on foot. Supplies would have to be carried on backs through the deep snow tiring them even more without the horses’ aid.

  Most of the soldiers and battle mages remained on foot as they fought to move the column forward. Water and fire wizards tried to clear the pathway ahead of as much of the snow as possible making footing easier for man and beast to both walk and fight. With the snow removal, their destination was continually the easiest way to move.

  A fireball shot straight up into the air from behind a hill to their right. The Falcon’s Keep Army had tried to maintain contact as they too struggled to pull themselves from a well laid trap. Rilena had to wonder just how many of the emperor’s forces had made it to the fortress on this side of the wall. Keeping them from over running Southwall had always been contingent on keeping them north of the wall and now at least one fortress had already been placed in their country. With the ability to use magic portals, the emperor could continue to reinforce his armies pushing an invasion into the rest of Southwall. They had to find a way to stop him somehow, but first they needed to not die here.

  “Falcons, we need to push them back on our left,” Falconi Ralto proclaimed riding his horse back along the line. The column continued to plod along steadily, but she could see the enemy forming up with their shields moving to intercept them once more.

  Glancing back to their commander, Rilena noticed his virtually unruffled appearance and began to dislike the man for a different reason. He was obviously a skilled mage to look so fresh as he rode behind the defensive perimeter of soldiers and battle mages. Had he been some lord that had hidden behind his troops, a clean uniform might be expected, but Rilena knew that he
had fought at the front of the column during the start of the ambush as much as anyone. It didn’t make her like the stuck up man, but at least she could respect him as a soldier.

  As Rilena continued moving with the unit while watching the enemy, something new began to happen uphill towards the fortress and the enemy’s main force. A dark fog seemed to be forming and as it formed it grew rolling down the slope of the mountain towards the soldiers. Others noticed it as well and voices became raised in worry.

  “What are they doing now?” Rilena mused aloud.

  Elzen answered the rhetorical question for her, “They’ve been using ambushes from the start, now they’re creating their own smoke screen to mask their next attack.”

  Glancing at the often whimsical young man, it was hard to juxtapose his jester-like personality with the sober businesslike mage Elzen became in a fight. Worse than thinking that the comedian could answer her question without pause, was that she hadn’t been as fast. She was older than him and had been a falcon for longer besides, but the boy was quick in a pinch.

  She was just about to ask what he thought they were going to try when fireballs lit the remaining distance between the black fog and the soldiers of Southwall. A cry rose up from the darkness and suddenly a horde of armored goblins and orcs came sprinting through the fog. As more fireballs met shields trying to distract them, the horde closed and the close fighting began anew.

  “Ice the slope!” Elzen suddenly cried out loud enough for several wizards and falcons to send out out spells to reduce the snow to slick patches of ice. They weren’t quick enough to change the entire field between them, but the quickly thought of plan slowed much of the horde descending upon them. Fireballs from the Southwall contingent followed burning and killing dozens of the enemy soldiers.

  Even with the help from their magic, many of the enemy made it to their line. Rilena cut down an orc than was too slow in his heavy armor. Elzen slipped between a pair of goblins lashing out with both hands and the glowing mage blades landed killing blows. Zerra slammed her mage shield into another orc, but his mass was too much for her to drive back. It was still enough to leave a gap in his defense as her sword slid between them stabbing upward into his head beneath a crude helm.

  A fireball to the face of another orc sent the creature reeling away from Rilena, who didn’t have a chance to finish the creature when more orcs and goblins continued to stumble through the ice. As her blade fended off more of the enemy swords and daggers, the falcon wondered how many they would have to kill to actually win this battle. They had come thinking to overwhelm the enemy, but now she was seeing an army larger than theirs coming down the mountainside towards them. If they could survive the battle, she knew that their portal must be destroyed.

  “Look out,” Elzen warned catching a goblin blade aimed for her side. If not for his quick reaction, Rilena knew that weapon would have slipped under her shield to perhaps gut her. His healing magic would probably not be enough to save her even if he was allowed to by the enemy. She had heard horror stories of men whose bellies had been cut open. Blood and intestines could be held in by hands that would get slick with blood, but often shock and trauma would send the victims into death spasms well before a healer could attempt to save them.

  “Thanks,” the girl breathed quickly as she caught another goblin trying to cut her leg on the other side. Goblins were nasty little beasts that preferred cutting their human enemies down by using numbers to distract and cut from the side or back. While she knew the tactics from training, it was Rilena’s first confrontation with the creatures in a full battle. The brief skirmish beneath the mountain had been limited by the doorway to a room. With nothing to limit their numbers and swarming attacks, she was seeing why they had spent weeks learning to counter their sneaky tactics.

  Zerra cried out next to her as a blade cut her leg.

  “Fire sword,” the falcon ordered before cutting the goblin’s head from its shoulders with one flaming attack. She checked Zerra as best she could while continuing to fend off more enemies. Her friend’s cut wasn’t too deep. It must have been painful, but the falcon continued to fight.

  “Elzen, Zerra’s hurt over here.”

  Catching just the mere basics of the martial artist’s maneuvers and strikes next to her, Rilena would have marveled at his speed if she had the time to think beyond their survival.

  “Can she still fight?” he asked without even slowing his attack. The boy struck with mage fire surrounding his hands and even his kicks seemed to damage the creatures.

  “I’m ok,” the woman in question puffed even as she struggled to protect herself from the continuous waves of goblins, orcs and werebeasts. Rilena could tell that the woman was trying to put up a good front, but she was wearing down and when that happened so did mistakes. If they couldn’t repulse this assault soon, not only would Zerra probably die, but so would the rest of them.

  “Wraith men!” the cry went up for the strange undead men that had been showing up more and more over the last few years. Many of these creatures had magical power and seemed to be wizards pulled back from death. They were powerful creatures that put fear into anyone that fought them.

  Five hooded figures on horseback charged the front of the column where Falconi Ralto had been leading them towards their allies. Even their horses looked like death warmed over especially in the light of the silvery moon of Gelinas and the red light of his brother Turas. Wielding green fire and curved blades, they met Ralto and a dozen battle mages and soldiers. Wizards tried to assist the men as they fought the undead, but for Rilena and those manning their lines the horde hid the new additions to the battle.

  The men and women of Southwall fought hard, but their line was steadily being pushed back towards their horses. Rilena feared that the army would fall to the power of the enemy fortress if something didn’t change and soon.

  Once again Sebastian found himself inside the administration building, but the crowd of wizards had thinned to a mere sixteen men and women. When once an individual arena held up to twenty four competitors, there were only sixteen champions left in the whole tournament. This was also the first time that he began to notice a separation between them all growing into cliques. On the right stood the remaining wizards of Southwall clumped together, though if you were to ask they would most likely have disagreed that they were together.

  The lone dragon wizard stood next to a gargoyle that had actually lost in the previous round but done well enough to be brought back as the sixteenth member. Annalicia stood with her cousin, the last wizard standing from Eirdhen, and a stout looking wizard from Tolmona. They were the last three left from those that had come from beyond the North Continent. With their numbers being fewer, it had been an uphill battle for those beyond their cold shores and only the skill of these three had managed to survive.

  Looking at the last group of three men dressed in gray, Sebastian had to frown. The wizards of Gray Hall were very skillful and had as much power as any of the wizards remaining. They had been tough and were still putting up a fight. While only three, this was still half of the wizards that they had brought to the competition. They were also still a mystery to everyone, though the dragons and gargoyles seemed to believe that they were not to be trusted. Whether they were members of a faction of the emperor’s armies was doubtful since the tournament directors had approved their participation. He didn’t think that they would be willing to let possible agents of the Dark One into the city even on the hopes of helping to bring about peace through competition.

  “Stop frowning, Bas,” the much more cheerful voice of Ashleen ordered as she slid her arm through his to begin pulling him fully into the room. He hadn’t even realized that he had been holding back evaluating his fellow competitors until the girl had interrupted his thoughts. “This is supposed to be a friendly competition, so stop looking like you dislike everyone.”

  With a start, the mage smiled at the pretty wizard from Kardor. “Sorry, I was just thinking. Has anyone
figured out anything new about these Gray Hall wizards? Some of the dragons and gargoyle wizards have had pretty heated exchanges with them during their matches.’

  Shaking her head, Ashleen simply replied, “Nothing more than they are supposed to be from a guild from the northeast. It’s supposed to be north of Taleres where the the Talerian and Malof rivers meet before heading to the Icewater Lake. At least that is what Deiclonus told me, though how he found that out I have no idea.”

  “That would be pretty far from the main cities of the Dragon’s Spine Mountains where the emperor’s forces are supposed to rule. I wonder why that dragon wizard kept talking like he knew they were an enemy?”

  “Frowning again,” the girl smiled as she gave him a little elbow to the ribs.

  “Hey, Sebastian, come join us and feel free to bring the lovely woman with you,” another familiar voice called from the right. The tall blond haired man in his red wizard garb waved the two over to the gathering from Southwall.

  “Hello, Magnus, I see that you’ve managed to survive the first rounds,” the mage said as he closed the distance with Ashleen at his side.

  “That I have and who is your friend? Please, introduce us to your lovely companion,” the fire wizard said trying to lay on all his charm. Knowing how much more attention Ashleen received wearing her more expensive dresses at dinner, Sebastian half wondered how much harder the wizard would be trying if she were dressed in something other than the simplistic silver and blue tunic and skirt she wore with her riding boots.

  “Ashleen from Kardor, this is Magnus, a fire wizard representing White Hall.”

  Leaning over the young woman’s hand the tall blond haired wizard left a kiss on the back of her hand. His eyes looked at her somewhat in surprise as he added, “I think perhaps there might be some magic between us. I felt a tingle just touching your hand.”

  Sebastian snorted as Ashleen giggled. The mage clarified as he explained, “Ashleen is a wilder. Her body is constantly holding back lightning, so everyone tingles a little bit if they touch her, Magnus.”