Battle Mage: Forging New Steel (Tales of Alus Book 9)

by Donald Wigboldy

  Adding strength to the oval on his right arm, the disk grew and moved to the side. Drawing out his staff easily, Sebastian contracted the rune back to his forearm creating uneasiness in the men.

  The iron bound staff wasn’t Bairh’loore, but if he felt the need for extra power it would do. He added, “I am unsure how safe the larger disk is, but you can see that my magic can make it much larger.”

  Lastly, he made the harpoon and barbwire glow with his magic. Like a snake under his control it waved in the air attached by the barbwire to his arm. Glowing orange, Sebastian wasn’t sure that anything was different other than the color. He had seen the rune warriors throw the harpoons and manipulate them to a point as well.

  As it returned to his arm, the mage made the three runes fade to clear to disappear on his skin making the warriors frown at the strangeness of the mage’s power.

  “I was hoping to see what other runes your men had. If I can copy them like I did with the others, then I can use them to help our soldiers. I can give them to other mages and wizards as well to spread them to our men without magic.”

  The rune warriors looked a little unsure of his proclamation and Bas followed up saying, “Your shamans said that only those who could figure out the runes would be allowed to learn from them. Do you think that I have passed the first test towards mastering the runes?”

  A tattooed warrior with brown hair stepped forward and said, “I have seen you do what you believed was best for people. I don’t think that you would try to misuse or abuse the runes. If the shamans granted you these runes to learn from, then surely they have to expect more from you than just keeping a single rune.

  “You may use any rune that I have Sebastian.”

  “Thank you, Semael,” he thanked the man from his heart. The merfolk were guarded individuals and untrusting of those from the surface. Semael was one of the extended tribe beneath the waves who was confined to land. Being more like the mage, since he was a surface dweller and unable to use the talismans of the merfolk to change; Semael was probably more trusting than his cousins from under the waves.

  The morning lapsed into Sebastian using his magic to find and transfer several other runes that he hoped would help the soldiers of Southwall’s army once he began finding volunteers to try the magic. If the tribes north of the wall had shamans who could use the same magic, it would be wise to arm their soldiers comparably.

  It was while they were still in the wizards’ practice fields that word came from Raven Leros.

  The meeting took place at a general meeting area. Having to climb fewer stairs, Sebastian didn’t mind the shorter walk. He was surprised that Olan had been called on as well. Other battle mages he was familiar with from the training sessions were there as well and not everyone was as pleasant to see as others.

  Although the message had come from Raven Leros’ office, Falconi Neven and two falcondi stood at the front of the room facing a half dozen falcon ranked mages including Sebastian. Ashleen had been in the invitation as well, so the wilder stood beside him looking a bit confused as were the rest of them by her presence.

  Neven announced, “Our scouts have made contact with a large tribe of plains folk north of Hala. Though they appear to be no direct threat and haven’t bothered to go near the wall, we have been asked to be part of a guard unit for a diplomat wizard.

  “The nomads have been exhibiting unusual habits throughout the plains this year as some of you know. Smaller tribes have disappeared into larger ones and in some areas our scouts have been driven away by large numbers of their warriors. Air wizards have managed to discover two large forts being built to the west.

  “This band is the largest of the eastern tribes, so we are being sent to also find out if they know why the other nomads have created these new settlements.”

  A female falcondi added for her superior, “Most of the information means little to our part of the mission. There have been other strange creatures, most likely sent by the emperor’s mountain cities, on the plains including black bird men resembling shrikes.”

  With a second falcondi, the woman handed out a folder to each of the falcons gathered for the mission.

  Falconi Neven took back over the briefing as he continued, “Most of you will notice the wizard in our midst, since Wizard Ashleen is working with Sebastian, Raven Leros wished to offer you a place with our part of the unit, if you wish to continue following the owl.”

  The new designation caused the other mages to wonder though Ashleen nodded her assent after a quick glance which was ignored by Sebastian. He was her mentor only because the girl wished it, so he wouldn’t order her to come.

  Neven looked like he was a little uncomfortable with the next part as he said, “Yes, I called him owl. The ravens are temporarily implementing a separate ranking for battle mages who can heal. Sebastian won’t be the only owl since there are several falcons with the talent now. As healers, the corps is trying to decide how to best set them aside since they are few in number with a specific talent.

  “That is, of course, a side note, but you can address him as either falcon or owl for the mission.”

  Sebastian felt uncomfortable with the separation of rank, but had a feeling using the new title for those with the unique skill in healing was just one step towards making the wizards see the corps differently. If things continued to work out well, eventually the hollow swords would help to gain recognition from their more powerful cousins’ eyes.

  Jeriah frowned and asked, “Isn’t this a rather small contingent for meeting the largest tribe near Hala? If these tribesmen choose to fight instead of listen, what will our numbers be like?”

  “We are working on adding another pair of mages, but the final number will be ten of us, a twenty soldier unit and a half dozen wizards plus Ashleen. This is supposed to be a diplomatic envoy, not an army sent to destroy them in battle, falcon.”

  Falcon Lysbeth mused aloud, “We send enough to show strength without initiating a threat that will only bring a fight.”

  The falconi nodded.

  “When do we leave?” Sebastian questioned thinking of the swords he still needed to test. Luckily, the mage had been able to copy the runes he thought would be most useful to their soldiers. Whether the falconi would want him sharing the runes with their unit was another thing however. The magic was new and the soldiers sent were unlikely expecting to become his first test subjects.

  “Tomorrow morning at eight,” the falconi said using the usual measure of time. Sebastian had lived in military installations which ran by using bells, so most mages would call the time Neven specified as second bell or second breakfast. It would be an early start then. “We will meet at our garrison then and walk to the stables by the northwest gate to join the rest of our unit.”

  There was too little time for much testing the owl thought disappointedly. He and Ashleen would have to pack tonight and be ready before her usual wake up call.

  With the main briefing finished, Neven called him over before they could leave. “Owl Sebastian,” the man addressed him making a face as he tried to decide if he hated the title, “Raven Leros would like you to talk with the battle mages who came with High Wizard Darius. He would like to add them to our squad.

  “You know the two personally from what I gather.”

  “Rilena and Elzen? I do know them, but why would he pull them from Windmeer, if I might ask?” Sebastian questioned the strange order. Normally there would be no possibility of borrowing another city’s mages without long travel involved for both the orders and the personnel. With Darius’s conquering of portal magic and trying to create a unification of Southwall using a series of set doors, eventually the kingdom would be able to borrow from any city or fortress with only the time needed to gather one’s belongings for a trip.

  “With High Wizard Darius’ permission, we would like to bring them along so they might train with you as they travel. Any of the new magic could be passed on to Windmeer with their return. With all the str
ange goings on near the castle, Raven Leros would like to use this new opportunity to spread your training in a few days time, when it would formerly have taken weeks to travel to Windmeer from Hala with someone trained here.”

  “I know them well enough to be fine with training them, but they will need an order to come with the request, I would think,” the falcon stated trying to fit his mind around the matter.

  A pair of envelopes were passed to him by the female falcondi at Neven’s gesture. “A note for the high wizard and official transfer papers for Windmeer.”

  They were very prepared considering they had only arrived the day before, but Southwall could move at surprisingly quick speed when it needed something. The battle mage corps in particular didn’t waste time on making decisions as was evident by this recent maneuver for his friends.

  “I will head to the wizards’ training yard where the high wizard is training others for portal spells then.”

  With a brief salute, he was off to accomplish his mission.

  “I can’t believe he gave us up so easily,” Rilena complained as she walked up the stairs of the Black Smith Inn carrying her pack. Elzen trailed the girl as they followed Sebastian up the stairs.

  Elzen chuckled before replying, “I can. He’s probably tired of ferrying you around with his portal magic. You’re just dead weight.”

  The dark haired girl punched the younger mage in the arm. “Speak for yourself Elzen. At least I was the one who helped Darius use the portal to enter the fortress. All you’ve done is be his test subject.”

  “Someone had to go first and check out the Silver World. I couldn’t reach the islands, but that was only because the rope wouldn’t reach that far.”

  Sebastian stopped at the top of the stairs and said, “You never made it to the islands?”

  At the shake of the younger man’s head, Bas let out a small hum of amusement.

  Rilena asked in reply, “Oh that’s right, you know about the islands too.”

  Stopping at his door, the mage nodded as he opened the obstruction. Ashleen was already inside and looked up at the door with a smile until she spied the others behind him. She had a pack partially filled for their trip, but what made her unhappy was the change of sleeping arrangements for the night.

  “Ashleen and I were trapped on one of the islands for what felt like a couple weeks, but it turned out to be nearly a month,” Sebastian informed the girl reminding her of how he had been stranded in Silver World. They hadn’t had much time to catch up and the stories were most likely beginning to jumble together, since he had left Windmeer so long ago.

  Elzen asked, “There were really animals and birds there? I thought I could see birds flying around the closest islands at least.”

  “The one we were on had animals, birds and even fish in a small lake. I wish I knew how the water was replenished, but we never did figure out how such a place could hold life like that.”

  “I told him it was magic,” Ashleen said standing at the foot of her bed. She was moving to the room shared by the mermaids with Rilena. Elzen couldn’t share with all the girls so the two men were going to room together with Olan, who had asked to join them before they left. The other mage had become very close to Yaroma and her sister. He had even asked if he could bring the two along, but Sebastian didn’t think the mermaids, so used to water and swimming, could handle days of riding horses which they had never done.

  Rilena made a sniffing noise and replied, “Of course it’s magic. Darius conjectured that the emperor used his magic to bring part of his world through to his prison in the void making a home for his armies until they could escape.

  “I wonder how long it will last with him gone. If his magic held the islands together, then without him it is likely that the world will fail without his magic.”

  Shrugging, Elzen tossed his bag onto the bed Ashleen was vacating. His eyes moved to the wilder and a grin crossed his face. “Now my question is why have you two been sharing the same room? Is Ashleen your lover, Bas?”

  While the girl in question blushed, Rilena looked at Sebastian adding the question, “I thought you were interested in that healer last we talked. You made sure to get her cleared to come with you for the tournament, didn’t you?”

  Sebastian hated answering such personal questions, but he said, “Yara and I have decided to give up on being together. If the future has something else written then that is the future, but for now I have to follow my own path and she will follow hers.”

  The answer didn’t look like it completely mollified Rilena in particular, but it was Elzen who moved closer to the owl nudging him with an elbow and a wink. “So you shared the same room, did you share the same bed?”

  “It wouldn’t be any business of yours to ask,” Rilena said with a frown as she looked ready to hit the boyish mage.

  Ashleen stated simply, “No, we haven’t. Come on, Rilena, I have what I need. Let’s see if Naoromi and Yaroma are ready for guests yet.”

  Following the pretty blond, the girls pulled the door closed behind them. Elzen took a deep breath and seemed to become more serious. “You seriously let Yara go? I mean, Ashleen seems great, but from what you had written me last fall and when we talked at Windmeer, I thought you were in love with Yara.”

  A sigh preceded Sebastian’s answer as he sat in the chair against the wall by his bed. “I was and probably still am, but not everything works out the way we want it. Ashleen is great, but I’m not ready to move on just yet.”

  “So Ashleen’s been giving hints that she’s interested?”

  Sebastian thought that was an understatement, but he replied, “We’re taking it slow, but yes.

  “I don’t really want to talk about my love life or lack of though. You and Rilena met and became friends?”

  The other mage pulled up one of the wood chairs turning it around and sat facing the chair back as he talked with his friend. “I met her on the trail to Garosh’s fortress. We were friends quickly if only because we both know you.”

  Continuing their conversation, the two friends tried to catch each other up on the last several months until Olan arrived. The three men joined the ladies for dinner and some dancing, though they all went to bed early since the march to the stables would begin at an early hour.

  Chapter 19- Laying a Trap

  Even the early morning air felt warm and moist, which almost made Sebastian forget that they were on North Continent. For all that the winters were long and cold, the summers could also be quite warm; though he had never lived on the east coast of Southwall before and had never experienced such a humid season. To add to the discomfort of a summer which refused to give way to fall, it rained during the night so leaving the city heading north to the wall meant the horses trod on a muddy path to the tower.

  Sebastian rode towards the rear of the column numbering thirty seven. Four soldiers led by Lt. Aufrienne, took the lead in front of the wizards. Most of the remaining sixteen soldiers followed three across until the last man, a sergeant was flanked by Falconi Neven and Falcondi Westlin where the three spoke discussing who would take scouting and vanguard positions north of the wall.

  Wizards were exempt from such work, since they would need more protection in the field. They were also the usual true scouts of a formation. Having an air wizard meant someone who could ride the winds for miles looking for movement on the plains. Even the potential ambushes of the nomads could rarely escape their attention.

  They also had an earth wizard. For the few weaknesses in scouting of an air wizard, an earth wizard could sense the vibration in the earth which meant they could often catch those hidden from sight.

  When the column was well beyond bow range of the outer city walls, the mage produced a pair of stones which he dropped simultaneously from each hand onto the path.

  Ashleen was beside him and wasn’t the only one who noticed the strange behavior, but the girl asked quietly, “What are you doing?”

  “Probably shortening our ride back t
o Hala,” he said with a wink.

  “You think that you can hold a portal long enough for the entire column to return?” she asked trying to ascertain whether Sebastian planned to be generous or not.

  “With help and I wouldn’t cast the gate anywhere near the nomads. If these people have some sort of alliance with the emperor’s armies, they might pass on the information that we have started to use their spells against them. If they hate the emperor, then casting the spell would probably make them distrust us since we would look like the enemy,” the owl stated without truly answering her question. Ashleen noticed, but said nothing more about it.

  They had passed through the gate guarded by the tower set in the wall and were well on their way north when Serrena maneuvered her horse out of the column dropping back towards them. One of the soldiers questioned if there was a problem, but the fire wizard shook her head and soon rejoined the column beside Ashleen, since Sebastian was between the wilder and Olan.

  Leaning forward to see the side of Serrena’s face as she looked forward at the line of backs before them, he asked, “Something wrong?”

  Trying not to show too much the woman glanced with her eyes twice, before her shoulders sank slightly as Serrena turned to look at him. “I think Oltus and Linus are competing to see who can be the most boring wizard. Maybe they’re just getting too old, but they all just act like they’re some ancient professors teaching their students.”

  Those closest to her listened and had to laugh. Sebastian shook his head. While Serrena was a wizard, she was also only twenty-three and had been with his team for most of the year. They were a fairly young group as well, so now returned to her peers; the differences in age were becoming too apparent for her.

  “Isn’t Petre kind of your age? You could always talk with her,” he suggested only to see the fire wizard make a face of distaste.

  Sticking out her tongue a moment and making a face at the idea, Serrena complained, “She’s an air wizard. Knowing how they are, she’ll probably spend too much of her time lost in the clouds or riding the winds to ever be interesting.”