WarMage- Unrestrained

by Martha Carr

  “And she almost got herself and Bella Chase killed with magic I told them both to forget.”

  Leander snorted. “You’re worse at saying thank you than I am, dragon rider.”

  The headmaster stared in surprise before he uttered a quick, sharp laugh. “I suppose that’s because I’m rather out of practice in this type of situation. But I will say I’ve missed a dragon’s honesty. It’s been a long time.”

  “Not so long that you’ve forgotten her,” Leander said and narrowed his eyes.

  Flynn took a breath and held it. “No. I could live forever and not forget my dragon. We’re quite fortunate that you two found each other, Leander.”

  “Will she be all right?”

  “In a few days, I think. But yes. Your mage will be up and running around with you again in no time. And, I daresay, telling the story of tonight far more times than she wants to. Well done.”

  With a snort, Leander lowered himself and settled his massive head on his forepaws. His large yellow eyes remained narrowed, but he said nothing more.

  Headmaster Flynn nodded at the dragon before he turned and walked around the stables toward the stunned and relieved army of Brighton’s finest. They’ve proven themselves enough. That dragon doesn’t need to be in a pen any more than Raven Alby does.

  Raven woke in the infirmary with a pounding headache. Why? She sat up quickly and groaned at the sharply increased pain. She closed her eyes briefly against the bright light, then turned to look at Bella who lay in the bed beside her.

  “It’s about time you woke up,” the girl muttered and closed her eyes with a sigh. “If you tell me everything hurts, I’ll know I’m supposed to feel this awful.”

  With a grimace, she rubbed her head and tried to focus. “Wait. Did we do it? Did it work?”

  “Don’t yell.” Her companion groaned. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “We did it, right? The spell and the skull.” A tiny smile grew on her lips before her head pounded with another wave of pain. “Of course we did. There wouldn’t be an infirmary if we hadn’t succeeded. There wouldn’t even be a school.”

  “Raven, stop talking—”

  The door opened swiftly, and both girls scrunched their eyes against the loud noise and the rush of people who entered the room.

  “Look who’s returned,” Professor Fellows said with a chuckle.

  Bella groaned again and shut her eyes. “Everyone has to be so loud, don’t they?”

  Raven bit her bottom lip and glanced at the professors who had filed into the infirmary, all of them smiling in varying degrees—even Headmaster Flynn, who tugged on his graying beard and studied her in amusement. “What happened with the Swarm?” she asked.

  “They were wiped out, Miss Alby.” The headmaster nodded. “You and Miss Chase succeeded in accomplishing something very few mages attempt in their entire lives and something many mages died trying to perform. But your theory was exactly right.”

  “It killed them all?” Bella asked, her eyes open now although she stared at the ceiling.

  “All of them,” Professor Gilliam added.

  “This wouldn’t have been possible with merely any two mages.” When Professor Bixby clapped, Bella grimaced again and swallowed through the pain. “Two young mages from two extraordinarily powerful bloodlines worked together with their familiars. And one spell. Your pasts caught up with you both the other night, and I daresay that was the only thing that would have accomplished what you girls did.”

  “None of us saw this coming, Miss Alby.” Flynn nodded. “Not truly. We weren’t ready for a second siege by the Swarm because, in my opinion, this kingdom wanted nothing more than to forget the past that led us to this point in time. I can only speak for myself when I say I wanted to forget. Thank you both for reminding us that avoiding what we do not wish to see is never an option.”

  “Only if you don’t mind dying,” Bella muttered. “Or feeling like you’re dying.”

  “It’s a small price to pay, Miss Chase, I’m sure.”

  “That’s easy for you to say.”

  His smile widened at the girls as he looked slowly from one to the other. “A small price now, yes. Especially for saving this school and your fellow students and who knows how many others who were threatened the other night. You took it upon yourselves to ignore your professors and put yourselves in life-threatening danger—which is why you’ll also be given detention for the next week.”

  “What?” Bella bolted upright and grunted, her fists clenched around the blanket over her legs. “We wiped out the rest of the Swarm and you’re punishing us?”

  “Every decision has its consequence, Miss Chase. It’s nothing you can’t handle. And maybe you’ll think twice about taking matters into your own hands next time. Good day.” Headmaster Flynn nodded, turned on his heel, and strode across the infirmary before he vanished into the hall.

  Bixby chuckled and clapped again. Worley, Fellows, and Gilliam darted the girls sly glances of approval and gratitude and followed the headmaster out without a word.

  “Detention.” Bella’s eyelids fluttered before she turned slowly to glare at Raven. “Thanks a lot.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I’m the only one who broke the rules.” Raven rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. “And I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening right now.” The other girl eased gingerly onto her pillow and shook her head. “Don’t expect me to appear every time you need help breaking the rules, Raven. That’s not how I do things.”

  “Got it.” Raven rubbed her pounding forehead and sighed. “Thanks for making an exception.”

  “You’re welcome. I guess.”

  A few hours later, Henry poked his head through the infirmary door with a grin. “Hey, I’m looking for a war mage who single-handedly brought down the Swarm…this time.”

  “Not single-handedly, Derks.” Raven pushed to a seated position as Bella rolled her eyes, turned over, and drew another pillow over her ears. “I had help. We both did.” She nodded at her companion, and Henry tiptoed across the room.

  “I’ll be quiet, then.”

  “Not quiet enough,” the other girl muttered.

  “How are you feeling, Alby? You sure look like you almost died.”

  “How sweet of you.”

  He laughed. “Man, I wish I’d been there to see it! The Swarm. The army. Headmaster Flynn leading the mages.” He settled into a chair beside her bed and leaned forward with a grin. “That must’ve been something.”

  “Yeah, that’s one way to put it. But everyone’s okay, right?” Minus the people who didn’t make it.

  “Oh, yeah. Sure. People keep talking and talking about what they think happened. Flynn had a little gathering to explain the situation. I don’t think he gets it that telling us the story doesn’t keep people from, you know…improving it a little.”

  “More rumors, huh?” She rolled her shoulders and tried to stretch. “Ow. Yeah, I feel like I almost died.”

  “But you didn’t.” Henry nudged her shoulder with his fist. “And they’re not rumors, per se. More like imaginative retellings. Some people took a little more creative liberty than others.”

  Laughing, Raven shook her head. “Like what?”

  “Like you and Leander shooting fire at every single beetle lying out there to kill them one at a time. And I think there was something about a flaming sword…I don’t know the details, though.”

  “Oh, jeez. It’s gonna take a ton of work to set the record straight.”

  Henry winked at her. “Enjoy it while you can, Alby. Honestly, I’m a little hurt that none of the other stories I’ve heard mention me even once. Can you believe that? Your best friend was tossed right out of the picture.”

  “You should be glad you weren’t there, Henry. It wasn’t as awesome as it sounds.”

  “That’s easy for you to say, war mage.” He smiled at her, leaned back in the chair, and looked out the window. “You know, when I
heard that they’d brought you to the infirmary, Maxwell and I tried to sneak in. A toad has an affinity for healing, right? Man, Professor Gilliam runs a tight ship around here. She caught us and kicked us out. Twice.”

  Raven chuckled. “Well, even if she doesn’t, I appreciate the fact that you tried.”

  “It’s the thought that counts, I guess, huh? Hey, I saw Professor Worley dragging one of those dead beetles into the barn this morning. I think he’s gonna try to take it apart and study it. Or make us study it.” With a little shiver, he shook his head and shrugged. “Either way, I’m proud of you, Raven. And yeah, I guess Bella with an H gets a little credit.”

  The girl snorted, her back still turned toward them. “There’s no H in my name.”

  He shrugged and the two friends shared a knowing smile. “Yeah, maybe not. My bad.”

  Bella mumbled something about being at this school without knowing how to spell, and Henry choked down another laugh.

  “Does William know about what happened?”

  “I’m reasonably sure all of Brighton and the three closest towns know by now. But yeah. William came by to take a look at that other dragon. The one that…made it. And you were still knocked out when he was here, so he said he’d wait until you and Leander made it to the ranch.” He frowned. “It’s kinda weird the way he said it. Like he knew you’d be coming back anyway. Hey, it must be a dragon-riding thing, huh?”

  “I guess so.” Raven took a deep breath. We need to visit William and Teo at the first chance we get. “Hey, how’s Leander doing?” She frowned at her friend. “It’s been a few days, right? He’s been fed and everything?”

  “Yeah, Worley’s got that covered.”

  “Good. It’s not like anyone could forget he’s there. But does he seem okay?”

  “Leander?” Henry scratched his head. “He’s been a little tired and grumpy. I tried to say hi to him yesterday. You know, to let him know that you’re okay. He told me to go play with my toad. So I guess he’s fine.”

  She chuckled. “That sounds about right.”

  “Don’t take my word for it, though. He’s your dragon.”

  With a grin, she nodded at her best friend and took a deep breath. “He sure is.” And I think he might actually be able to read my mind after the other night. She frowned when a thought occurred to her. “Wait, how did Worley get into Leander’s pen to feed him?”

  His eyed widened and he grinned. “He didn’t. Fowler Academy has its very own resident dragon simply hanging out by the barns. No pen. No lead.”

  “No saddle…” Raven smiled at the memory of it. We did it. There’s no way Leander will let me put that on him again after that.

  “Yeah, you know, I heard about that,” Henry said. “People are gonna start thinking you have a death wish.”

  “Nope. Only a dragon familiar.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  The old mage veteran Peter slipped quietly along the perimeter of the soldiers stationed at the wall. And they think this many men in armor can keep out what’s coming for us. He snorted and cast a wary glance toward the troops before he looked at the starry sky overhead. The Swarm was only the end of the beginning. No one’s paying attention to the real danger.

  Hidden by the darkness, his cloak, and the wide-brimmed hat, Peter paused now and then when those guarding the wall turned toward him. As usual, they didn’t see him. No one ever sees the crazy old veteran who spouts useless crap about the end of the world. Not until it’s too late.

  Finally, he reached the massive hole in the great wall surrounding the kingdom of Lomberdoon. “I watched them build this useless thing,” he whispered. “And now I get to watch it fail. It’s too much for one life, old man.” Shaking his head, he climbed over the rubble that hadn’t yet been cleared. “Too much.”

  Finding a relatively comfortable section of broken stone to lean against, he took a deep breath and pulled up what little magic he had left. “Save it until you need it, isn’t that right? Visus abstemia.”

  A shimmering circle of light appeared in his hand, and he curled his fingers around it like a telescope before he raised it to his eye. The spell allowed him to see farther than anyone else in the kingdom—across valleys and hills, past the abandoned satellite ranches, and through forests. He panned slowly from side to side, searching, then stopped.

  With a little hiss, Peter grimaced and forced himself to watch. “Raiders. Oh, sure, they’re camped now, but in the morning, they’ll know exactly where to go to find an easy way beyond this wall. Thanks to the giant hole right—oh, no.”

  He adjusted the spell and looked again as he swept his magical telescope to capture every detail. Finally, he forced himself to look farther, beyond the first encampment, and his old heart raced. He clutched his chest and dragged in a sharp breath. “All of them. Every tribe, every war family—they’re all together. And you know they’ll clamber over these boulders in a few days. The next thing you know, they’ll sail in across the sea from Malenspire and the Grimshale Isles—”

  “Hey, Melrose. Did you hear something?”

  “Nothing but your severely off-tune whistling. Is there anything left in the gruel pot? I haven’t eaten yet.”

  Peter hunched his shoulders, canceled his spell, and turned to verify that the soldiers on patrol still hadn’t seen him. It won’t matter soon anyway. But I can’t do what I came to do if they stop me first.

  The men passed without even pausing to look through the gaping hole in the kingdom’s alleged protection. The old wizard pressed his lips together and glanced out across the open fields beyond the wall again. It’s time to send the signal. You knew this was coming, old man, and no one wanted to listen. Well, we’ll give them something they can’t ignore, won’t we?

  Slowly, he clambered over the boulders, moved through the shadows, and stopped beside the wall with enough open space for his next—and maybe last—act of service to the kingdom. With his eyes closed, he took a deep breath and conjured the spell every mage in his order had been taught for times such as these.

  He pushed his hands together and felt them grow warm. The tingling rushed up his arms as he muttered the spell and focused. After a few moments, he squatted with a grunt and pressed both hands against the cold earth beneath him.

  The force of his spell knocked him onto his backside when it burst from the earth. A column of brilliant green light erupted into the sky, flashed vividly, and illuminated the entire encampment only a few yards away. The air filled with a rumble like thunder and the searing green light lit up the old veteran’s eyes as he stared at the mages’ signal.

  Soldiers shouted in surprise, and one of them caught sight of the crazy spent wizard sprawled on the ground. “Hey, piss off, old man. Go on. It’s not safe out here.” The man sneered at him and couldn’t decide whether to chase the beggar off or stay well away from the pillar of green magic that streaked into the sky.

  Peter scrambled to his feet and backed away from the light. You can’t ignore what’s almost upon us. I only hope the others out there are watching too. If they get my message, we might have a chance.

  Chapter Forty

  Two days later, the two girls were cleared to leave the infirmary and return to their everyday lives of classes, studying, and being teenage mages in training.

  “That’s a relief.” Raven brushed her hair out of her eyes and slipped her feet into her boots.

  “Don’t get too comfortable with that relief,” Bella muttered and shrugged into her jacket. “It’s not gonna be as easy as you think trying to get ahead in classes now. Not with everyone talking about the Swarm and your dragon and whatever else they think is so important.”

  “It’s not that bad, Bella.” She smiled at the girl, who merely rolled her eyes.

  “I have actual studying to do. It’s been a real blast sharing a room with you for four days. But now, we can finally put it behind us.”

  Biting her lip, she tried not to laugh as she followed her companion to the door. She
’s only trying to save face. I give her a week before she appears at my dorm room to ask about those journals again.

  Before the girl could step out into the hall, Headmaster Flynn appeared in the doorway and looked very pleased with himself. “Excellent. You’re both looking quite well and ready to get out of here, I see.”

  “Who wouldn’t be?” Bella stared at the headmaster, then glanced behind him into the hall, hesitant to ask him to move.

  “What’s going on?” Raven asked.

  Flynn raised his eyebrows. “There’s been a slight change in your schedules today, young mages. Follow me.” He turned and led them out into the hall.

  Bella scoffed and glanced over her shoulder to glare at her. “Now what did you do?”

  “What?” She laughed. “I’ve been in a bed next to you for days. I didn’t do anything.”

  “Hurry, please,” the man called.

  They followed him through the stone halls of the school’s main building until they passed through the great hall and out the front doors. The headmaster walked so quickly that Raven almost had to jog to keep up. “Headmaster Flynn,” she called. “I didn’t have a chance to ask you about—”

  “There’s been no word from your grandfather, Miss Alby, if that’s what you’re wondering. Though I’m certain he’s caught wind of the events from several nights ago.” The man didn’t even turn to look at her.

  Okay, it’s a little creepy that he knew exactly what I was about to ask.

  The girls shared a confused glance when he led them under the stone archway and out into the fields. “Wait.” Bella hurried to catch up with him. “Headmaster, shouldn’t we get to class? We’ve missed enough days already and I don’t want to fall behind any more than I already am. What are we doing out here?”

  “I believe I mentioned both of you receiving detention for a week, did I not?”

  “What?” She stopped short and glared at Raven when she caught up. “Great. Now I get to miss even more classes because of you.”