Battle Mage Bonds (Tales of Alus Book 13) Page 17

  The boy's eyes moved to Shaylene apologetically.

  "I brought some of the reinforcements there that night," Sebastian informed the younger pair. "Ashleen wanted to come along and I admit that I thought better of bringing her. The first run by the force of mages would have been too much for her, since she hasn't trained for the long runs we can do. Before the battle was over, however, I brought her since she is a powerful wizard as well.

  "I would protect her with my life too and have had to heal her a few times."

  "I've healed you too and it was harder for me," Ashleen reminded him wondering why he was telling Xander and Shaylene all of this.

  Nodding at her comment, the mage continued, "We do things for the people we care about, but people still wonder why a battle mage and wizard might care for each other. Maybe you've seen that too."

  A quick exchange of a glance shared by the younger pair brought blushing from both.

  "Anyway, now that you've snuck along, I have to wonder what I should do with you."

  Worry and defiance warred in the girl's eyes.

  "I could just send you back," he stated as the mage's eyes looked to the north. Trees blocked a clear view of the fort's city walls, but he knew that it was there. "Well, maybe we can put you to good use for now. Maybe you'll even learn something for yourself also."

  As the others all began to relax despite the cold, Sebastian opened his rune to retrieve the wood stool he had sat on earlier.

  "Have you tried to use a wind walking spell before?" he asked Xander as the boy watched him use the rune with a look of awe.

  "No, sir."

  "Stop calling him 'sir', Xander. He's barely older than you," Shaylene whispered from his side. Her hand found its way to his entwining her fingers with his as they gained strength from a shared touch.

  "You can call me Sebastian or sir. Either one is fine."

  Noting his stool, the mage frowned and mused, "I only have one stool. I guess that you'll either have to lean against a tree or sit on the ground."

  "To do what, sir... Sebastian?"

  "I'm going to see if I can teach you how to wind walk."

  The boy's eyes widened and he worried, "But that takes a lot of power."

  "It takes less if I pull you instead."

  Shaylene looked unconvinced and she shook her head as she questioned, "But you're only a mage yourself. You shouldn't have the power to wind ride let alone be able to drag someone untrained like Xander."

  "You seem to know a lot about the spell."

  "Well, not exactly, but I know that it has always taken a wizard with wind ability to do it."

  "Times change. If you have the skill, then you might try reading my aura." He gestured to the ground next to the stool. "Find a place to get comfortable."

  Xander sighed and it was obvious that he preferred avoiding sitting in snow that would turn to water where he touched it. Soggy pants would add to the cold he would feel also making Sebastian have to consider how long he could take the cadet on the winds, if he could even do it with him. He had taken Katya on the winds even before going to the wizards' tournament in Hala though. The girl had no training at all at that time, but he could pull her mind from her body easily enough to make her feel like she could fly while their bodies remained sitting on the ground.

  Shaylene intoned a spell before fire melted off a patch of snow. In moments the fire wizard had cleared a four foot wide swath of brown grass. Warmed by fire or not, the grass would remain dormant for a few more months.

  Having a better place to sit suddenly, the cadet sat even as he gave the girl a thankful look.

  "Well, if you're ready then let's see if you have any aptitude for this spell as well," Sebastian said sitting on the stool. "Freedom," he said ordering the mindset he had when using the air spell.

  The magic released his spirit and mind into the air. "Close your eyes and think of floating free on the air. I use the word 'freedom' as my word of power. Since you will be pulled along by my magic, you can just sit back this time."

  From the place where he floated, Sebastian watched Xander close his eyes and try to relax his mind enough to see the spell. The owl hadn't learned it by himself. An air wizard had helped him learn the magic, though he hadn't been able to fly by himself for half a year before the mage conquered the spell.

  Touching the cadet with his spirit, the owl tugged gently and Xander's magical self joined his teacher hovering above his body. With the initial separation, the younger mage felt a degree of nervous energy and worry over the strange sensation. Before he could panic, Sebastian dragged the cadet onto the air currents leading towards the northwest.

  When he had taken Katya on her first trip into the air, the mage had kept it short. Though he considered testing his ability to drive forward to Interus, dragging the other spirit behind him felt like tempting fate. After a loop that started by looking over Delial, Sebastian towed Xander circling back towards the group.

  He restored Xander's spirit to his body before hopping back into his own skin as well. Remembering that he wasn't the only one capable of teaching the cadet in this way, Sebastian looked up at Ashleen standing near him.

  "Perhaps you can help me by taking Xander back onto the winds while I push towards Interus for now. It doesn't really matter who leads him to get a feel for the magic, but I can make better time by myself," he said asking for the pretty blonde's help.

  "You dragged him out here and now you are giving him over to her?" Shaylene complained after hearing the request.

  "There will be plenty of time for me to work with him, if I see that he actually has potential. Ashleen has been working this spell longer than I have anyway, so he is in trusted hands."

  The young fire wizard continued to look ready to complain, but Xander shrugged, "That is fine. She is an air wizard then?"

  "In Kardor we don't keep our wizards restrained to one element, but my strengths are in air and the earth," Ashleen interjected. "I would be glad to show you how a wizard would do it. Sebastian probably dragged you around with a heavier hand than a wizard would anyway. Battle mages are perhaps more straightforward that way. I'll try to be gentle," the pretty girl added with a laugh drawing a stronger frown from Shaylene.

  "Then it is settled. I will push as far as I can and return. Learn what you can from Ashleen." He considered the young fire wizard and added, "Maybe Serrena can show you a few things as well, since you are here. She's a full fire wizard after all."

  Before either of the women could complain, though he could see that Serrena was no happier with the idea than the apprentice, Sebastian intoned his single word spell releasing his mind from his body once more.

  Chapter 13- Parley

  Ashleen led the young mage from one current to another. She was in no hurry and took him on a similar journey to the ones the wilder had taken as a beginning apprentice. Her mentor, Deiclonus, was known for his skills with fire and had signed in as a fire wizard for the wizard's tournament last winter; but like Ashleen had said, Kardor did what it could to nourish all of the elements in their wizards. Like the white wizards of Southwall, they worked on their strengths but made sure to add as much to their list of spells as they could.

  One thing the wizard noted as she tried to let Xander control what he could as well was that the mage did appear to have at least some basic affinity for the magic. Though he was no more graceful than a baby bird in its first flight, Xander took her advice in between trips to try and understand the skill more. He also seemed to enjoy it as much as most wizards did. Sebastian used the word freedom for a reason after all.

  It was only about an hour after Sebastian had given over the study of the magic that the wilder noticed activity in the city to the north. Moving closer, Ashleen scouted Fort Delial and watched as a small team of men and women road out from the outer city wall. Wizards led a dozen soldiers on horseback wearing armored breastplates and metal helmets. Shields strapped to their backs and several weapons near to hand, she thought that this
looked more like a small war band than normal travelers.

  Waiting on the winds, the wilder continued to hold Xander with her. They trained, but Ashleen would check on their progress every few minutes. Though the group wasn't moving at top speed, they did appear to be moving with determination. One of the wizards held something in his hand as he road that drew her attention.

  She drew Xander with her to get close enough to see. Though in spirit form, Ashleen noticed that her sight from the air was similar to the vision of her actual eyes; so until she moved to only a few feet away it was hard to make out what he carried. Ashleen was no expert in the artifacts used by certain wizards to assist in their magic, but she had been exposed to something similar.

  A square piece of metal held a shiny stone that appeared to be smooth as glass. When the wizard pushed his magic into the device, a light appeared marking the direction that they were moving towards. She was pretty certain that this was a wizard's compass used to find portals and foreign items brought from other worlds. Worse, Ashleen thought that it pointed towards the point where Sebastian had brought them through the last gate.

  They were still a mile or so away when she returned to their temporary camp. While Xander blinked as he tried to acclimate his senses, the air wizard stood turning to Elzen.

  "It looks like Fort Delial has a team that can spot portals. They're on their way here now," the young woman warned. Most countries that had their foundation in magic from the Taltan schools tended to have one or two squads, if not more, who were trained in dealing with portals. Not every break in the barrier between worlds was created by magic as far as she knew, but the worry going back over a millennium was that tears would occur naturally since sorcerers long ago used magic to break that barrier. The repercussions of further breaks and tears had led wizards like High Wizard Darius to learn how to mend and repair the barriers to keep other dangers from entering their world like the Dark One and his creatures had.

  "Opening smaller gates is usually missed by wizards unless they know to look for them, I thought," the mage replied with a frown.

  Shrugging in response, the girl replied, "Well, apparently these wizards are vigilant enough that Sebastian's opening of the portal was noticed."

  Elzen noted the owl still sitting on his stool with his head leaning slightly forward. "If he does like he did yesterday, Bas won't be back to open another gate for awhile. He hasn't used a wind arrow yet anyway, so I assume that we can't afford to move him."

  "Wind riders can be strapped into their saddles and still ride if someone leads their horse, but we don't have any horses nor can we easily move him," Ashleen informed him quickly as she considered their options which had already been on her mind while riding the currents and watching the oncoming Kardorians.

  "How many of them are there?" the mage questioned and Ashleen could read that his thoughts had already moved towards violence. Elzen might be a healer as well, but he was also a battle mage trained to fight and protect his people.

  "We can't fight them, Elzen," she stated immediately. "These are my people and they are just doing their duty. We are the intruders... well, you are anyway. When they get here, I had better be the one to speak with them."

  "What are you going to tell them? Sorry, but we're just passing through using portal magic like the Dark One's warlocks. Don't worry about us." His tone was sarcastic, but Elzen was less mocking her and more chiding himself for having almost no options here.

  Serrena and Shaylene moved closer after stopping the drills the fire wizards had been doing since they had nothing better to do while they waited.

  "What's going on?" Serrena asked and they quickly caught the woman up on the problem.

  While those from Southwall continued to worry over both the approaching Kardorians and Sebastian's well being since his mind continued to move to the north, Ashleen moved to the small bag that she had brought with her. "We'll be alright," she said to the others optimistically. "I am from Kardor after all. Though I haven't been to Fort Delial before, my family name is known here."

  That said, the small group was left to wait. Their youngest members found each other, though they said little as they paused their training. Being close was enough to settle Xander and Shaylene however. Ashleen looked at Sebastian looking vulnerable sitting on his stool among the trees and snow covered grass. If there were wizards among those coming to face them, and there were, the wilder only hoped that they would understand the delicacy of a wizard separated from his spirit.

  These wizards were from an exclusively small group and she didn't know if any of them had knowledge of an air wizards' wind riding spell. While that worried the girl, Ashleen remained positive that she could handle the situation and protect her friends.

  When the riders arrived, they looked almost surprised to see that they were expected.

  "Who are you?" their leader asked as the soldiers fanned out from the five wizards at their center. The soldiers had their weapons ready, but so far no one had drawn their swords to imply that they would strike without hearing her answer.

  "I am Wizard Ashleen Karderos of Kardor and these are my friends," the wilder introduced herself. Her name didn't seem to draw any recognition, however, making her a little more worried.

  "You are a Kardorian working with... wizards and mages?" the wizard asked and she could see that sparkle in his eyes that told her he was scanning for their auras. "We've come searching for a breach. Now we find you here exactly where that break seems to be. Explain your presence now, woman."

  His cold attitude and lack of recognition of her family name made Ashleen let out a quiet sigh as she tried to explain in a way that would keep things civil.

  "Your device reads portals and tears in the barrier between worlds. If you've monitored for that magic, maybe you have noted distant use of gates in the direction of Southwall. They have cracked the Dark One's magic and been using them for months."

  "We don't bother to scan beyond Kardor's borders, which you have entered," the wizard reminded her. "You had better explain yourself before we take action and bring you into the fort as spies."

  His hand gestured and the soldiers drew their swords. Shields moved into place immediately afterward adding to their threat. Elzen took a step closer to the wilder at the show of force, but the single battle mage didn't look overly impressive to the soldiers. He merely wanted to make sure that if something were to happen that he would be in front of the wilder to keep her safe. The others stood by Sebastian's slumped form. Serrena and Xander would have to protect the absent owl and Shaylene if the situation were to get out of hand.

  Placing her hands on her hips and defiantly tapping her right foot, Ashleen did her best to not let her magic build along her skin. Excitement and danger often brought her lightning protectively around her.

  "I am the daughter of Lord Cerrus Karderos, the lord of Interus, Holder of the Eastern Watch. My friends and I have come on a mission to bring portal magic to King Vardal and Kardor. We travel swifter than you can ride, but we needed to make a stop here on the way to the capitol. Put your weapons away before I make you take me to Lord Berrol and tell him how you have treated his old friend's daughter."

  "That would be a longer ride than you think apparently," the wizard replied sarcastically. "Lord Berrol went to Velius and the king's court last year. As a spy, your information is out of date."

  The wizard started to raise his hand to motion the soldiers forward.

  Elzen shook his head and took another step towards the Kardorians. "I wouldn't think too much of it. Ashleen has been away from Kardor for about a year. She participated in the Winter's Edge wizard tournament, but has been working with Southwall since then."

  The wizard shook his head and retorted, "Your claims have already developed holes, as must your head if you think that someone with your magical power can intimidate us, boy. You will come with us and await Magister Ydirias in a cell. He will decide what to do with the lot of you."

  Elzen took another
step forward and Ashleen spotted the glow on his left arm signifying his magic pressing into the defense runes. If magic or arrows were to come, his shield of runes could be raised instantly. Ashleen had been given the identical runes by Sebastian to protect the woman as well, though her lightning was as likely to defend her as quickly.

  "Our leader is wind riding and can't be moved until his mind returns," the mage stated giving away more than Ashleen thought he would. Letting them know that Sebastian was defenseless would seem to be a particularly bad tactic to her mind. "We will wait here for his return. You can wait with us and if he thinks that we should accompany you, then we will.

  "We are here for your benefit, but if you think that I am worried about the lot of you, then you've never met a Southwall battle mage before," the boyish mage said continuing to say things that only seemed to exacerbate the situation.

  "Elzen, I told you to let me deal with this," she whispered emphatically to the young man. "You're going to make them attack us at the rate you are going."

  Ashleen started to pull out the marker she had pulled from the bag, but it was too late.

  "Take them, alive if possible," the wizard determined their fate, but Elzen didn't let him finish the words.

  "Reflex," the mage called on his mage spell, but he had already closed the distance by half using the power and speed of the runes in his legs. "Shields," he added drawing the blue magic to cover his hands. As a close fighting expert, Elzen didn't bother to call up a full size shield. His runes could be used quickly enough that his mage spells would be fine until otherwise needed.

  Seeing everything deteriorating before her eyes, Ashleen stepped back even as she tried to halt their conflict, "Stop, look I have my father's mark for proof!"

  It was too late, however, as the horsemen urged their mounts forward. Two tried to cut in front of the wizards. None of the wizards appeared ready to fight before Elzen reached the two soldiers.