Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus) (30 page)

“So I am odd, because I don’t have enough hair, but you remove your hair?” Cheleya questioned slightly surprised.

Sighing, Colbie nodded, “Women wearing dresses in civilized areas prefer clean legs. I know we were surprised that you were smooth like a young girl, even cleaner since I don’t even see small arm hairs, but, yeah, women use razors to remove hair where they want to be smooth. I guess you’re lucky that you don’t need to worry over such things.”

“You humans are weird,” the girl stated before plunging beneath the water to cleanse her face of the soap.

Nodding as she settled back into the water after finishing both legs, Colbie had to agree.

Chapter 18- Flight of Dragons

The forty foot high wall ran all the way to the edge of the cliffs of Hala where the easternmost tower stood twenty feet higher to survey land and water. With a light sea breeze bringing more of the cool winter air to the men guarding the tower, the soldiers and wizards of Southwall huddled beside a metal fire pit set in the middle of their parapets. Glass and stone protected more than a score of men inside the upper part of the tower, but the three men drawing the unfortunate top watch wondered at how anyone expected an attack from bandits or the Dark One as they tried to stay warm. Winter was supposed to be ending in a few weeks, but the cold of night said otherwise.

A drop of over a hundred feet down the sheer rock face added to the sixty feet of tower made few men wish to look at the waters of the North Sea or the jagged stones at the base of the cliff. Vertigo had affected many men and soldiers were warned to look straight out from the stone defense rather than down, as the past had leant caution to the unwary. It was much easier to look northward at the rolling hills of the prairies and the guards took turns viewing the white snow glistening under the first moon’s silver light.

Thoughts of an attack as the special tournament loomed a mere day away, were far off as the guards looked at the barren snow stretching as far as the eye could see. Still, the men did their duty and occasionally even glanced south across the plain towards the walled city. New formations sat near the city as special battle grounds for the wizards had been created north of Hala for the tournament. It was a slight oddity for men who had looked at the city and the blank plain for so many years during their times at the wall.

Shrouded by stealth spells, a trio of winged creatures dropped below the ridge of the cliff well north of the tower. The lead appeared slightly erratic in its flight, but the path remained straight as the three ducked past the North Wall without drawing an alarm. They flew onward following the cliff in the moonlight.

The three dipped lower gathering speed as they neared Hala and its wall of defenses. Rising from midway down the cliff, the winged creatures used their momentum to create an arc lifting swiftly up the cliff side and beyond to the outer white wall. There were towers here too and more guards, but the magically hidden forms used the shadows along the outer wall to slide up the stone crossing into the city.

Still winging their way deeper into Hala, the three descended to land in the darkness of an abandoned alleyway.

Cor’Dargan released the cloak of stealth followed by Elenek and Lystheir. The younger dragons looked to their leader with questions, but their loyalty was unmistaken. Fa’Dargan’zer was nearly a legend amongst the younger wizards and mages of the che’ther. A master of stone magic, Dargan had left the life to pursue farming, but not in the way a human would try to create a farm or ranch. He had changed the way Mar’kal lived by creating life giving land to grow crops that flourished under his care and those who worked with him.

The masters of the academy had given him a place of honor despite his absence and many of his newer spells had become teachings within the school. Elenek and Lystheir knew of his reputation and legend. They would probably not have questioned his beliefs anymore than any other che’ther, about finding his daughter and the truth he could sense was missing from those pursuing the runaways, but his legend made it easier.

He had never told them any lie either. His kind weren’t good at that kind of thing and as bad as they were at lying, they were even better at seeing through them. There was something that Malaketh was hiding from them, but the masters had sent the dragon mage master on the pursuit even so. Cor’Dargan knew that the human had been sent as he was their master, but something still bothered him about it all.

“Can you sense her, Fa’Dargan’zer, or will we have to search the entire city?” Fa’Elenek asked from the shadows of the alley. The moon had not risen high enough to illuminate much of the dark alley and the che’ther’s brown features seemed to join the night.

The female, Fa’Lystheir’s blue eyes appeared to glow beside him as their leader began to use his sense and tracking spells. With such a large city and so many scents lingering in the air, he knew that it was going to be more difficult than in Televal. Hala was even more engorged with travelers swelling their numbers for the tournament.

Sniffing the air, the dragon man tried to find his daughter’s unique scent. Her natural perfume that acted as a defense for the tiny human had drawn him along the prairie from Televal, but the city was too large and the breezes roaming Hala twisted too much for Dargan to catch the scent. He knew that she was in the city, but even his magically enhanced senses could do only so much.

With a shake of his head, he admitted, “I can’t catch her scent here.”

Lystheir’s blue eyes twinkled as she suggested, “Perhaps we need to move back out towards the west gate into the city. They had horses. We can assume that they stabled them before going too far. A city like this is too challenging to ride or lead horses, I would think. Of course, I am no expert with the creatures, but like a che’ther, these streets seem too small for such an animal.”

He nodded and led the three from the alleyway. Cor’Dargan continued to search for Cheleya’s scent, but had to assume that Lystheir was correct. The city was too large to just happen upon her trail, but there were only two major gates into the city. If she were inside the inner ring, the che’ther could have started there, but they had no idea where she would hide with her human allies.

Trudging through the streets heading to the northwest gate, the che’ther continued to search.

It was late when Cheleya awoke. Worry over Kel’lor had been weighing heavily on her mind for days after finding out that he and his magic had been poisoned. The whole concept of killing a wizard slowly from use of their very magic seemed like a nightmare to the che’ther. Magic was like life to a
mage or wizard. Cutting them off from it was like trying to stop breathing. The inevitable end would be death either way.

Dinner in the Two Circles Inn restaurant had been strange and the whole experience much shorter than their time in the fun filled White Mare of Televal. Waiters and waitresses took their orders in stodgy uniforms with little humor. She wondered if their clothes made them unhappy. If that would be all it took, then they should leave and find something else to do.

While the atmosphere was quieter and somber, the food was excellent though the portions were smaller while it cost more. The dragoness was glad that she was small as well and could eat a light meal without longing for more. She had noted Evan’s eyes on the other plates while the slower eaters finished. His food was gone and the young man still looked hungry.

Musicians did play in the restaurant throughout the entire meal, but they didn’t play anything fast enough to dance to with any energy. A few of the richly dressed patrons started a slow dance, but interest never took hold and the floor never filled. Soon everyone disappeared to their rooms and the mages with Cheleya had decided to retire as well. The trip had been tiring anyway and the five decided that if they went to bed early, they could get back to the wizard hospital first thing in the morning. 

Cheleya wore her soft new clothing as Colbie had hoped and the mage had shared the same bed. Tilana was left to warm her own bed, but the dragoness soon found that Colbie wasn’t the easiest person to sleep next to as the young woman threw an arm and leg onto the nearest warm body. Being that body, Cheleya awoke after awhile to find her friend breathing into her face while the mage lay across her with two limbs.

Slipping free of Colbie in the dark, the dragoness found herself wide awake and in need of air. She triggered her night vision spell and drew out the blue dress before removing her top. Barefoot and wearing her dress, the girl slipped out of the room after grabbing the room key sitting on the dresser to her right.

The hall was still lit, though by less than half of the lanterns. Apparently the inn maintained them throughout the night to enable late night returns without wasting all their oil on every lamp. Even so, the rich flooring and wall treatments still managed to impress.

Cheleya reached the stairway unsure of where she should go, but seeing only two options, the girl chose to head upward. Two flights took her to the highest floor, but she noted another set of stairs leading to the roof. Continuing her climb, Cheleya pushed open a door secured against the cold night air. It wasn’t locked, so the dragoness found the moonlit roof easily enough.

She needed no magic to see with Turas’s light shining down from slightly to the west. The last brother moon was already beginning to peek over the horizon to the east, but the red light held sway over the world for now. With the war god watching over the city, the che’ther strode out onto the open roof. Covered in grey, square cut stone, the flat roof appeared strong enough to resist hard weather and even war should an enemy breech the outer wall. It certainly had no problem holding the weight of the petite dragoness in girl form.

Her dress brushed against her legs above the knee with no fear of catching the light snow covering the roof. “Dragon’s breath,” the girl summoned the heat of a dragon letting it flow about her warming the air and melting snow. She knew that the snow’s cold barely affected her, but it was safer to clear the frozen water from her skin. The heat swirled around Cheleya as she walked to the wall surrounding the roof.

Stone rose along the roof edge with small gaps for archers or wizards to safely fire on an enemy that might be able to get to the wall only dozens of feet away. A particularly brave and daring man might even try to use a rope to bridge the distance. Boards would bend and become useless even without defenders fighting back against them, but the questions of whether the building and the protective walls holding were of little consequence really. It was an extra feeling of comfort for those occupying the inner circle of the city, but it was a capital whose walls had never failed.

“Dragon wings,” she ordered quietly letting the magic become navy blue wings to lift her up with a single thrust onto the stone wall. Her view of the western part of Hala spread out clearly to the far white outer wall. Tinged red by the moon, the city’s roofs spread throughout the two protective rings and the dragoness surveyed buildings mostly dark in the night. There were a few buildings with those who couldn’t sleep using their lanterns, but the flame created lights were few.

Closing her eyes, Cheleya used other senses to feel the city. Something felt odd and still familiar, a presence of magic that should not be there. It moved as the mage felt for the source and she wondered at the deliberate movements.

Her wings thrust and the girl crossed two dozen feet in a single leap to stand on the inner wall. Guards were rare near the inner city, at least guards for the walls, so she remained unnoticed. Royal guards would protect the inner keep and their king, police would monitor the streets, but the inner walls required little watch without a war.

The feeling of familiar magic was weak. Whoever was using their spells so late at night must have set them recently, but if they were still using magic it was the benign kind. Such lingering magic could be traced by a wizard tracker of some skill, but Cheleya had never tried to track another magic user. She was young and still learning basic skills and spells. Tracking was a skill reserved for those who were more senior compared to the hatchling as her parents sometimes still called her.

Though it wasn’t something she had trained for, it was based off of a basic spell and keen senses. She figured to try the spell wouldn’t hurt, so Cheleya remained still save for her hands as she began a short chant. As the girl ended the spell, she looked around her feeling magic coming from hundreds of wizards. The majority were within the keep and inner wall using the inns. Most of the wizards’ magic felt dormant as they slept, so Cheleya could omit anyone in that state. Like looking at a scale of color, magic feeling blue and green came from those of wizards sleeping. Looking back at her inn, she could sense those of her group along with more than a dozen more sleeping wizards.

Looking at the outer city, the mage noticed fewer magical lights. There were still some blues and greens lying still in places, but few were more active. To the northwest near the outer gate, she noticed three warmer glowing figures moving. Their power usage was low, but still showing active and they were moving. No one else seemed to be moving with any purpose and these drew Cheleya like a moth to a flame.

Another launch from the dragoness’s dark wings swept her from the wall and low over the roofs of the outer city. She would stop after a few blocks and make sure that they were still moving towards the inner city. Each stop, the girl watched and the three seemed to be slowly making their way deeper into the city following a path generally east as they adjusted their bearing with each turn of the city’s streets. Hala was an old city designed to hamper any enemies that might breech her walls, so the streets were staggered after a certain amount of blocks forcing traffic to turn around individual buildings and entire blocks at a time. For those who chose to walk, they would follow the streets in such a way.