Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11)

by Donald Wigboldy

  "There was magic to it, though it seemed to be used to make it not to add to the sword's power or anything. Why do you ask?"

  "I think that I know who made it."

  His eyes widened and asked, "How do you know them? I've never seen magic like it and the look of the weapon is pretty unique."

  Looking unsure if she should venture the information, Katya lowered her voice even more saying, "My roommate has five more of them."

  Stunned by the news Bas stated, "Well then I have to meet him. Wait, a roommate? Then it was a girl who made these?"

  Nodding at her brother, she almost seemed to get quieter as she answered, "Yes and no, she's actually a che'ther who came to study with us here. I wanted you to meet her if you had time anyway."

  "A che'ther, one of the dragon people from Mar'kal, made this? Why would she come here if she has this sort of skill?"

  No one was paying attention to them, so Katya continued, "Darius has already tried to help her, but he says that he can't do more than he has. She's been cursed into a human body. Cheleya's so sweet that you would never know it, but I think she's pretty sad about not being able to be in her own body."

  The news packed so much information in such a short time, Katya couldn't have stunned him more even if she used her budding magic.

  "I have to make the new gate, but I'm sure I will get time to do other things. Depending on how much I have to do here, I would like to meet with her. She uses magic like I have never seen before."

  Katya grinned and said, "That isn't all she can do. In fact, she and Kel'lor have been teaching a class on dragon mage magic.

  "Martina's in the class too, so you might want to take back your willingness to fight her. You don't know what she has learned since you last saw her either."

  Intrigued by the notion, Sebastian glanced to the falconi briefly, but then looked to Garrett as he asked, "Do you think High Wizard Herrol and the others will come to a decision soon? I can't do much with the gate until they are finished. The lodestones Darius gave them will be destroyed once it is finished and be replaced by the new gate frame."

  Sighing, the elder mage replied, "They're wizards from different factions. If they manage to work out their ideas before supper, I would be surprised."

  "But it is a simple set up. All they need to do is surround it with new towers or build a thick wall with protected walkways like they did around the courtyard already," he countered disbelieving that the wizards could possibly be so obtuse and argumentative about the situation. The leaders of Hala had taken a little time as they worked out where they would position wizards, mages and soldiers as well as vats of oil which would be kept ready to pour on the enemy and grass on the field.

  Garrett shrugged. "We mages see warfare as black and white most times. You set up defenses in a sensible way and that is that.

  "Wizards tend to argue about every possible theory before coming to any conclusion. Hopefully, they will pick the best and proper choice."

  Sebastian looked contemplative and waited to say, "Well, then after lunch I will probably have time to walk around the school. It has been awhile after all."

  "Maybe you could teach us more about these runes. You have more than just these two, correct?"

  The mage nodded but replied, "I do, but I should wait on that until I know if the wizards will have a plan sooner than we think. It takes a lot of energy to build the gate."

  Ashleen looked at Sebastian with a slight frown and he knew that she was thinking that he had proven more than strong enough to make the gate and use his magic beyond that. They were eating lunch so the little he had used so far would be replaced, even that of making the portal earlier.

  The falconi didn't know that, however, and simply nodded. "Well, if you can extend your stay to train us and pass on that knowledge that would be great to see."

  Sebastian didn't promise anything for certain, but the mage didn't think waiting a few days to begin training more mages on rune magic would hurt. Maybe using the portals he could get a start in each new city, return to White Hall to train, and then return to finish the gate. With the new portals at their disposal, he could be nearly everywhere it seemed; but the owl would have to be careful not to spread himself too thin.

  As lunch came to a close, Falconi Garrett went to the courtyard with Martina to find out if they had come to a conclusion on the defenses. Katya pulled Sebastian in the other direction like some child wanting to show off her school. Filled with a different motivation, his sister had asked him to follow her to meet her friend while he waited for the wizards. They would need to build at least some of the stonework defenses before he could begin his part of the gate anyway leaving him time to see if he could discover anything new about this cursed che'ther.

  "You'll like Cheleya," Katya said holding onto his hand and drawing him to the wizard's school side of the dining hall. "Well, everyone does really, so don't be surprised."

  The way she spoke of the dragon girl seemed to have more behind her reasoning, but Sebastian didn't question his sister.

  "She is a wizard then? What does a dragon study in a human school?"

  Katya frowned at him and shook his head at her brother. "Cheleya is more human than you will believe, but she apparently was at the Winter's Edge tournament and watched you compete. I think she might even have a bit of a crush on you, at least as a mage anyway.

  "From what I gather, you inspired her to come to White Hall to try and learn how to become a battle mage as well. She believes that part of what made you so unusual is the teachers you had. Cheleya talked to Falconi Garrett and Martina, but they seemed to believe it was less their teaching than something in you.

  "They couldn't dissuade her from trying battle magic, but Cheleya has also started learning how to heal. She spends more time in the healer's wing than with the battle mages these days. Of course, her dragon mage magic is kind of similar in how it is used, so other than learning a few spells and how to wield a sword better, I think she has come to the same conclusion as they did."

  Sebastian frowned thinking a dragon finding a human attractive was doubtful, but having her come to the school to train to be like him was even stranger to his mind. He was just a battle mage, even if he had begun to discover other kinds of magic.

  "My teachers did a lot, but maybe I just see things differently. Still, your friend came all this way to try and become a battle mage?"

  Katya shrugged and added, "Well, she is stuck as a human and apparently felt less comfortable returning home to Mar'kal."

  "Why did she leave Mar'kal in the first place and why is she stuck as a human anyway?"

  These questions made his chatty sister go quiet for a moment. "I think Cheleya should answer those questions herself, but basically she was attacked by someone serving the Dark One and had to run away or be killed."

  She made a face and added, "That doesn't sound right when I say it aloud, but Cheleya can explain it all better than I can."

  They passed the healer rooms, a small hospital in truth, on the first floor. With soldiers and battle mages training in combat, it was a helpful thing to have and the young healers had patients coming in regularly to keep them busy. Sebastian noted their turn to a stairway down the hall running along the front of the wizard's school building.

  When Katya began to lead him up, he was surprised that they wouldn't look for the dragon girl in the healer wing and asked, "I thought that you would at least look for her in the hospital first."

  Noting the procession following the two, since the rest of his team had nothing better to do than follow him through the school while they waited, Katya stated to her brother, "I told you that she and Kel'lor started teaching their magic to some of those here in the school. Falconi Martina is one of the students and I am too."

  He frowned and asked, "You were allowed to learn magic from Mar'kal as a novice?"

  "I found a loophole?" she offered sounding more like Katya was asking for him not to be angry. Since he wasn't her teache
r or mentor and was in fact a battle mage, what the wizards allowed her to do was none of his business. "They meet on the school roof to train and I would just go there to study in the afternoon. As I watched them, I figured out a few of the spells also. Apparently, I wasn't that great at hiding the fact that I was watching, but the magic was pretty easy to learn to be honest."

  "What exactly is this dragon mage magic then? If it so easy, how many people are learning it?" the mage asked trying to find his answers succinctly as much from curiosity as a need for something to talk about with his sister.

  Katya noted his questions thoughtfully and he wondered if it was a diplomacy wizard's eyes that looked at him now. She was just a novice, but the magic had been innate in her. Nearly a wilder type in magic, the girl had always been good at getting her way as a child; so she had the personality for it also.

  "I think it'll be more fun to let you see it in person. Actually, I think it is something you would like to learn, since you like riding the winds with your mind. We've had some air wizards join, a few fire as well, but we lost a couple students a few weeks ago in a tragedy that I am not allowed to talk about at the moment."

  She had her secrets too apparently, the mage noted as they passed the doorways of the second and third floor. At the roof level, Katya pushed open the door letting the bright light of a sunny day cascade through the doorway. Blinking at the light as he followed his sister, Sebastian quickly spotted a group of wizards and an apprentice standing before a gargoyle, or mar'goyn'lya as the race called themselves.

  Sebastian had never run across them outside of the tournament, but he had fought a pair of fallen ones, gargoyles that had lost their wings. They had been just as large and the creatures were powerful. Seeing one standing comfortably talking to the group of humans was strange, but he was getting used to strange.

  A pretty little blonde haired girl spotted them. She was as tan as his sister and in some ways they looked alike. Both had blond hair, though Katya's was more golden and darker, while the other girl's hair nearly reflected white in the sunlight. Both had green eyes and were about the same height, though Katya was slightly fuller in the chest and hips.

  The girl waved to Katya and hurried towards her. He realized that Iris, the red haired apprentice friend of his sister was included in the greeting as well. Such a familiarity made him wonder if the apprentice was one of the dragon mage apprentices.

  "Katya, Iris, you're early... and bringing such a large group of people?" she added questioningly as the girl hurried over to intercept them. He noted her tan, bare feet. The stone of the roof was fairly smooth, but the mage would have thought that it would be easier on her skin to wear shoes or boots.

  "This is my brother. Don't you recognize him, Cheleya?" Katya asked in surprise. The stories of Cheleya watching the lone mage in the wizards' tournament had made her think that her friend would know him by sight easily.

  Cheleya's emerald eyes widened and her quick steps stalled more than a dozen feet short as shock made her look to the falcon beside her friend. "I only saw him from a distance in Hala."

  Her eyes looked past him a moment and showed more confusion as she pointed past him, "Frell and Mecklin? You are here too and Serrena as well!"

  It was Sebastian's turn for surprise as he found himself looking over his shoulder. The ones named looked at her and spoke her name.

  "You know each other?" he asked.

  Frell hurried forward to greet the girl by name and said, "She and some falcons from Staron came to the inn when you were going to bed early because of the tournament. Cheleya really caught the eyes of the men. Ardost in particular was taken with her."

  Cheleya smiled at the name of the falcon and nodded, "I met up with Ardost and Vord on the way here along with Katya. That is when I became friends with her."

  The way the dragoness declared her friendship made it sound like it was very important to her having Katya as a friend. Sebastian was no diplomat wizard, but he could see that. He was about to ask another question when the mage heard a familiar voice that made him cringe.

  "Sebastian Trillon, finally I will get my chance to challenge you to a duel once again!"

  A wizard dressed in a red shirt and brown pants hurried towards the mage interrupting their conversation.

  "Hello, Magnus," he greeted with less than a joyous tone. Magnus Trekanus was an old acquaintance. A fire wizard, who had felt like he owned the school even as an apprentice, he had often picked on Sebastian, who had tried to ignore the young wizard. The battle mage cadet had been trained to just ignore what the apprentices might say since as a battle mage he was supposed to support them, but there came a point when he had stood up for himself against Magnus.

  He had shown the cocky apprentice that, at least in a battle ring with weapons, a battle mage was more than equal to a fire wizard. Fire wizards referred to themselves as the greatest battle wizards, but they needed soldiers and mages between them and an enemy. Sebastian had easily defeated the wizard in the confines of a traditional battle circle.

  "Oh don't sound like it is the end of the world!" Magnus said laughing at the cool greeting. "I told you while we were still in Hala that I would not be satisfied with my championship until I beat you as well. If you have no excuses for your health, let's settle this once and for all, Sebastian."

  "I've beaten you in the battle circle and the duel field already, Magnus, apparently for you this won't be over unless you actually beat me," Sebastian complained with a sigh. His words nearly came out sounding exasperated with the wizard and the mage realized that he didn't want to back down from the man again. "I'll be here for a few days. We can always duel later."

  Magnus grinned and stated, "Well, that sounds like you accept my challenge after all. Let's go then!

  "Dragon wings!"

  The words called up magical wings of fiery red. The wizard leaped into the air and added, "Let me help you then. Dragon claw!"

  A projection like a red claw reached from the hovering wizard and grabbed Sebastian around his torso. Like a giant's hand, or a dragon's, it encircled the mage from waist to chest. The strength of the wizard's magic spell lifted Sebastian from the ground with ease.

  Flying towards the back of the building, Sebastian looked down as they lifted higher. Unafraid of the feeling of flight, the mage watched for his opportunity to escape or otherwise turn the tables on Magnus. He hadn't come for a fight after all.

  As they passed by the easternmost tower on the main building, Sebastian saw his chance to surprise the wizard. His right arm pointed towards the upper part of the large stone tower standing about twenty five feet higher than the roof of the school. The rune activated sending a harpoon like projection firing at the stone with a trailing wire attached to his arm. Pushing his power into the defense runes on his left arm, the rune shield expanded forcing the wizard's magic claw to open.

  Stone cracked with the impact of his harpoon and, as he began to fall, Sebastian also began to swing towards the stone wall of the tower.

  Magnus cried out with a curse of surprise. Whether it was because he had been thwarted or was afraid the mage would die from the fall, Sebastian wasn't certain. In the past, he would have been sure that the wizard's pride would have pushed for the former, but Magnus had said that he had changed in the past. It mattered little as he fell. The swing on the magic line made him crash into the tower thirty feet below his harpoon.

  With his glowing runes formed into a ball, the mage felt little of the impact as his body eased to a stop inside his protective shell. The wire of the harpoon began to glow as he released the runes of protection to let his feet touch the stone wall. He looked down with most of another thirty feet below him to go and the wire magically began to lengthen. Using his feet to rappel down the side of the building, Sebastian heard the gasps and cries of the air wizards in their courtyard.

  Touching down, the mage looked up at the wizard lazily circling above him. Over the cries of surprise and murmurs of confusion at the wei
rd combination of spells, he heard the laughter of Magnus. The wizard called down to him, "You are ever surprising me, owl! You have discovered new magic again. Follow me to the fire wizard courtyard. I think we will need a bigger venue than the air court."

  Sebastian waved to him with a little salute and started walking towards the doorway in the wall to the north as he ignored the apprentices and air wizards. He also missed the faces looking down from above over the crenellated defenses of the roof. Those with the power to fly leaped into the air following quickly after the duo. Several asked if his team would like a ride down as well, but they all declined hurrying after Serrena and the mages familiar with the school's layout as they ran for the east tower and the closest staircase to the fire wizard courtyard.

  Chapter 11- Rematch

  Like a town crier, the fire apprentice Arrimus flew over the nearby courtyards shouting, "Magnus and Sebastian are going to duel in the fire court!"

  Over and over the wizard who had once been one of Magnus' friends, shouted at the students and teachers outside doing their training. Arrimus had followed Magnus around when he was an apprentice bullying Sebastian and the other mages. Sebastian hadn't seen him since, and had no idea that there had been a falling out between the two wizards. Without that knowledge, the mage heard the fire apprentice calling attention to his former friend and one who was definitely not his friend.

  Sebastian found a crowd at his back, not because of the one calling out the duel but because of his stunt descending the tower.

  He couldn't believe that he had let Magnus dictate the time of their rematch. While passing through White Hall during the winter on the way to the tournament, the two had dueled like wizards. It had been with few spectators watching, but by the time he entered the northeast court used by the fire wizards, dozens were already there with more streaming in from the side doors.

  Looking up as he entered the large courtyard, Sebastian noted more coming from the towers to line the walls above the courtyard. The towers were used by the air wizards during peace time to study and train. Because they had use of the two eastern towers, the air courtyard was much smaller than their rivals from fire. The two schools of magic were said to be the best at combat, though earth and water would dispute such claims. Only nature wizards and the relatively small schools of diplomacy and healing would let the others puff up their chests to try and lay claim to such a title.