Battle Mage: The Lost King (Tales of Alus) Read online

  “Perhaps you could send someone else instead of me, but how many people do you have that would be willing to take a chance that this isn’t a waste of time? If you send someone who doesn’t care, I don’t think that you will ever see this mystery solved. I want to know why he hasn’t come to help us. I also think that I can find him with Darius’s help.”

  The raven stopped his pacing to look at the young man still standing before his desk as if rooted to that one spot. “Who do you plan to take with you?”

  “We’ve discussed taking part of the team I brought with me. Yara, my healer, is also my closest friend, so if possible I wish to bring her. Having a wizard capable of using each element might come in handy along the way as well. As to the mages, I think some need to remain behind to bring what they have learned back to the corps for training.”

  Eyeing the mage, Raven Leros countered, “Having best friends among the wizards can lead to a lot of trouble.” The older man inferred that he knew they were more than friends. “There can be penalties for both sides.”

  Understanding what his elder meant, Sebastian heeded the warning, but they had already considered such things long ago. “There comes a point where wizards and mages need to go with their hearts. The corps and guilds seem to believe that they own us to use as weapons, but they forget that we’re people that need a reason to fight as well. Saying that, there is also a time and place for everything.

  “Whether the High Wizards approve my need for wizards of my choice is already a foregone conclusion. We’ve talked and if I can convince the wizards I want to bring to extend their time with me for this new adventure, then I will have them. There is just the question of who I will have from the falcons and that comes to you.”

  He had turned the conversation back to Raven Leros, who frowned noticing the turn. The older man turned his head away from the mage letting a slight smile come to his lips. Admiring the young man’s ability to stand up to him and even trying to put him in the hot seat, he couldn’t help but smile at the future of his corps. “Decide who you need to send back to Windmeer, but before you begin this trip I think that you need to try and teach the mages here some of this new art. I’ve sent a few men to try and bring back more of your magic, but since you are here it would be a good time to see some of it first hand. The duels were an interesting demonstration to say the least.

  “I know one question I have is where has a simple mage found this extra power you’ve demonstrated. Whether you draw it from somewhere else or have found a way to make yourself stronger, there is something that you haven’t begun to share in the trainings I have been privy to so far.”

  Sebastian cringed slightly. Once more he was being asked to train the corps, but this need to find extra strength was a troublesome one. If mishandled, drawing in the strength that he had used during the tournament could easily kill a mage or even a powerful wizard. Darius had said as much in their conversations.

  Smiling slightly as the raven looked at him once again, the mage replied with a slight coloring of the truth, “I shall do what I can, sir.”

  Mid afternoon saw a lull in the patronage of the Black Smith’s Inn and became a quiet area for Sebastian to bring his team together. Darius sat listening as the results of this meeting would also affect what would be needed for the quest.

  Sitting on the table with his feet on a bench, Sebastian looked at this group that he considered his friends and wondered how they would decide. Mages and wizards alike sat or stood in a semicircle before him waiting for the mage to explain what all the time spent at the castle had been about.

  Taking a deep breath before a conversation he expected to be very long started, Sebastian began, “I am being sent on a mission in a little over a week that will take me away from Southwall for awhile, so I won’t be returning to Windmeer with you. The mission will require more than just me, of course, and I will need people that I trust so I needed to ask you, my friends, whether some of you will join me.”

  The strange use of those words led to eyes searching both Sebastian and each other, but they remained ready to listen.

  “We believe that Gerid Aramathea, the Grimnal, is still alive and hidden somewhere by the emperor. With Darius’s help, I think I can find him, but what holds him and what dangers there might be are unknown. Having a strong team of people like you will help ensure the success of this mission.”

  That confession brought whispering both to themselves and to those next to them. Questioning if the Grimnal could even be alive after all this time was chief among the questions. Collin spoke to Sebastian first quieting the others as they listened, “The man’s been missing since the early years after the Cataclysm. What makes you think that he’s even still alive? If the emperor had him, I would think that he would have found a way to kill him by now.”

  Darius answered that, “While he has been missing a long time, evidence indicates that he is still alive somewhere. We just have to find to find him.”

  “Is the high wizard going along?” Serrena asked with a frown.

  “No, I have matters to attend to in Windmeer, if the word we received about the surrender of Garosh is correct,” was the answer from Darius.

  Sebastian added, “This will be a voyage, so any air or water magic I can bring would be helpful, but there will be a likely need for anyone who wants to come.”

  Brenner began to shake his head. “I have commitments that I can’t ignore indefinitely and this sounds like something that will not end soon. My talent with air will have to be left to someone else to replace.” The eldest wizard on the team, the air wizard had honored his commitment to help Sebastian train for the Winter’s Edge tournament, but hadn’t joined. A bit quiet and reserved, the man was the least interactive with the team, but even so Sebastian had come to see him as a friend. The answer was disappointing, but not unforeseen.

  “My granddaughter, Annalicia, will be able to help in that matter,” Darius replied easily diffusing the significance of Brenner’s refusal. “It is her ship that you will be using. The Sea Dragon is one of Malaiy’s fastest frigates and should serve you well, while Anna also wishes to join you on this quest and can act as an air wizard in his stead.”

  Fighting a need to glance at Yara, Sebastian merely nodded assuming that they could only use the ship with the lady’s permission. He just hoped that the woman’s slight affection was simply in reaction to his helping save her life. If not, there could be some problems ahead. Not wanting to get into what he couldn’t control, the mage ignored the potential trouble and continued on with the rest of the team.

  Collin shrugged, “I don’t know how useful an earth wizard might be on the ocean, but I’ll come if it’s all right with my guild.”

  Nara nodded and added, “It’s the same for me, in fact, having a chance to be the ones finding the Grimnal could be a chance of a lifetime.”

  Looking less sure of himself, Liam glanced at Shara and appeared unsure of his answer. The nature wizard smiled back and said quietly, “I need to get back to Fort Maridith anyway, so you might as well put your talents to good use.”

  “But I thought maybe we could…,” the man looked deflated at the thought of losing his crush so soon. While he had always tried to make the others believe that Sharamar was just his sister’s friend and that he cared for her like a little sister, it had become quite obvious that she was much more than that to Liam.

  Giving him a kiss on the cheek, Shara placed a hand on his far shoulder leaning into him before saying with a smile, “Go. It’s not like you can come with me right now. Go on an adventure and bring me back some stories.”

  With a big sigh, Liam shrugged as he answered, “I guess that I am in too.”

  Serrena looked ready to leave immediately and simply nodded her head curtly. The fire wizard had been trying to learn everything that Bas could teach her and had somehow become a student of the mage. Having her willingness to tag along was not surprising.

  All of his mages looked ready to join him as
well, but Sebastian knew that not all of them could go. Someone needed to take his teachings back to Windmeer and Falcon’s Keep. Even White Hall would probably want to add his spells to the curriculum of the school. The fact that some would remain behind was something he would share later. First, he needed to see who could learn his newest spells and pass them on to other mages. It was one requirement set by Raven Leros before he could get permission from the eldest raven in the corps.

  “Then I guess that we will have a few days to train and prepare,” he stated aloud even as he withheld the bad news from the other mages.

  As the group broke up with most planning to check out more of the capitol city, Sebastian held up Brenner pulling him aside. “I know that I have no right to ask this of you, but can you drop my sister, Katya, at White Hall on your way back to Windmeer?”

  The elder wizard was a little more than a decade older than Sebastian and still not considered that old comparatively but, had he not been a wizard, he could easily have been a father of someone around Katya’s age. Such a gap in age and a generation removed led Brenner to hesitate. He was also not the type that made acquaintances or friends easily. The thought of taking the girl on such a long trip seemed to make the wizard uneasy. “I don’t know…,” he began.

  “There will be other wizards heading back as well. Perhaps checking with Magnus and the others from White Hall would make it easier. It doesn’t just have to be you, Brenner, but I’d feel better knowing that someone she knew was with her.”

  Sighing, the excuses seemed to dwindle with the idea of traveling with one of the other teams returning west. After a slow nod, Brenner added, “I had thought to check with Shirama and the others from Windmeer, but perhaps those from White Hall would be more appropriate. If you entrust me with her, then I guess that I can’t refuse.”

  Returning a smile for the less than enthusiastic words from the wizard, Sebastian thanked his friend and added, “I still need to tell Katya that I have to leave, but at least now I can tell her that you will bring her to school.”

  With a shake of his head, Brenner grumpily replied, “You speak as if it is a simple walk down the block to a neighborhood school. I wish it were that simple.”

  The mage chuckled at the idea. “True, but that’s why I can only ask the favor of someone I can call friend.”

  “You know Magnus. Why not ask him?” the air wizard countered realizing the fact in retrospect to having already agreed.

  “True, but I wouldn’t exactly call us close friends, in fact last summer he was still making my life miserable. I did help save his life though so perhaps I could have asked, but Katya still doesn’t know him. You’ve taken the time to talk with her. Perhaps you could look at her as an apprentice until you two reach White Hall. Katya still needs help learning how to tap into her power the way that she needs to be able to do. We can’t have her turning into a wilder and unleashing her mind control on helpless people,” Sebastian finished thinking of his sister’s natural ability. Had they come across Katya even a year later, she might have become a hazard to everyone around her with little hope of removing her bad habits. She would have become a wilder.

  “Well, I guess I will just have to put up with the girl,” Brenner grumped as he fully gave in to the idea. “I wouldn’t want to be the one blamed for setting a wilder loose on the country. So what do you think her reaction will be to being sent on her way by her brother?” the man asked turning the discussion back to Sebastian’s own worry.

  “She was always supposed to go to White Hall, which means that I wouldn’t be around to watch over her anyway. Separating here just means the break begins earlier than I might have planned. She should be able to understand that.”

  The older man began to chuckle and genuine mirth entered his eyes. “Well, good luck telling her even so. Teenage girls love unexpected change like this I am sure.”

  With the strange backhanded warning, the air wizard left Sebastian to consider just how he would explain sending Katya off to White Hall without him.

  Chapter 5- Light and Dark

  The morning air was brisk as Sebastian entered the courtyard, but held promise of warming to more spring like temperatures as the sun shown brightly. Shadows were cast by the dark keep, but even its black stone couldn’t dampen the day’s energy.

  Set behind the king’s castle, this was one of two large courtyards that had been set aside for the Winter’s Edge tournament. It had been known as Two Ponds with those obvious features creating the name. Stone walls rose up around the courtyard preventing prying eyes from watching unless they were with the king’s guard or perhaps a visiting noble from one of several overlooking windows. Maybe it wasn’t the most secure of all spaces, but no prying ears could overhear without being noticed as the mage set to teaching what he had learned to more than three dozen men and women.

  Seeing the dark uniforms of the falcons and even higher ranks of falcondi was not surprising, but about a third of those gathered wore the colorful robes of wizards. It was a first for one of his classes, though he had worked with his team of five wizards over the last few weeks teaching mage casting techniques. In fact, at his back followed his team, but even they were just there to learn this morning.

  As he took a deep breath and watched as all those faces looking to him eager to learn, Sebastian began to feel disheartened as he often felt working with mages in these trainings. It wasn’t like they were discouraged to come learn from him, but he continually wished that he wasn’t always being called to train others. Only a full falcon since last summer, the mage still felt like he had more to learn and needed to train still, but they kept coming asking for him to do more and more for them.

  Still the wizards were a new variable to this training. Mages knew the basics on which all of his own casting derived. He created spells the only way he knew how and that was as a battle mage.

  “Well, we have quite a large amount of you gathered this morning,” the young man started nervously. “Raven Leros and High Wizards Culmore and Neferen wanted me to try and teach the new spells that I picked up during the tournament.” He paused to swallow feeling that his words were becoming a ridiculous jumble. This was the largest group he had ever spoken to before, yet competing before much larger crowds during the tournament he had never felt so nervous. Perhaps it was because that had been more of a faceless crowd and now all these eyes were directed on him alone. “I’m not sure that I will be as helpful to our wizard students if you haven’t studied any mage casting, but hopefully the wizards from my team will be able to break it down for you once they learn the spells that I know you have come to learn.”

  “Can you teach us the black shields of Gray Hall?” a wizard dressed in the light blue robes of an air wizard asked. The man had been a contestant in the tournament, if Sebastian’s memory didn’t let him down.

  “Wizard… Themenor, if I remember correctly?” Sebastian queried the man. He had been one of the many wizards to get derailed by the third round match’s four way duel.

  The man nodded looking slightly surprised that his name had been remembered by someone that had never been his opponent. “Yes, I am surprised that you know me since I lost in the third round,” his smile slipped slightly towards a frown as he still felt the strangeness of the fight had let him down so early. “I wasn’t as lucky in that duel as I could have hoped.”

  Whether the wizard meant that Sebastian had been lucky to get through the four way match, the mage had no idea but apparently many of the other mages and even wizards felt the man’s words implied it. Frowns and glares were directed at the wizard, but Sebastian merely smiled and replied, “I admit having the others in my match underestimate me was very helpful, though it was a bit of strategy to play to their beliefs. Still, you had it much rougher with a pair of water wizards ganging up on you, if I recall. A wizard of Gray Hall drew most of the attention in my group, so I assume that you are quite strong as well since the others attacked you first.”

  The air wizard
began to smile a bit more. He was feeling appreciated and thought the mage had really understood the unfair circumstances leading to his early loss. Not wanting to continue with tournament stories during the training session, Sebastian brought the conversation back from the wizard, “I think most here are looking to solve the night shields so I guess that I will start there.”

  Nods and brightened faces revealed that he was right. The only drawback to teaching this spell lay in the way he thought as a battle mage. “I will try and break it down for everyone to learn, but remember for our wizard students less familiar with mage casting please save your questions until the end. I am hoping that my team of wizards will understand the spell and be able to make it easier to understand for you better than I can. Since we all know that I am a battle mage, my grasp of spells may not translate as well as I hope.

  “For those who understand and can cast our mage shields, this will probably be easiest for them. I liken the blue shields as a living magic. When we cast them we put our energy and strength into the blue shields. They can be refreshed and strengthened by adding more energy to them.”

  A man in the black uniform of a falcon was the first to blurt, “We understand how to cast mage shields. What does this have to do with the night shield as you called it in your spell?”

  Many others looked to be thinking the same thing. A mage shield was one of the earliest learned spells for a battle mage and considered basic by both mage and wizards’ standards.

  Smiling sympathetically, Sebastian stated, “Bear with me. This does have a point.

  “When I look at the basic shield I find that it represents and uses life. It’s a life line and we add our strength to it.

  “A night shield is almost the opposite. The black shield seems to draw in the elements without ever taking on any of their properties. It demands energy and pulls at life to strengthen the shield. Look at it as a void trying to fill itself perhaps.”