Battle Mage: Winter's Edge (10 page)
Read Battle Mage: Winter's Edge Online
Authors: Donald Wigboldy
“I thought maybe this dress would be better for dancing. I’d hate to have you healing my ankle every night we’re here,” she laughed with a light musical sound.
His hand on her hip could feel as her body slid beneath the glistening gown. It was a very attractive dress and accentuated the shape of her figure as well. “You look very pretty and I think that your ankle should be safer with the shorter hem,” he agreed. “I also know that there are a lot of men wishing they could dance with you right now.”
She smiled. “Too bad for them. You’re stuck with me tonight. So what have you been up to today anyway? I thought that I heard a rumor that you were showing off the lightning spell already.”
Chuckling, Sebastian replied, “Oh that was just me playing with a nosy wizard’s apprentice who failed his training. I teased him with a weak tendril just to let him know he was seen. The rest of my day was spent teaching or training. Oh, I was also told we would be escorting your group to the capitol.”
The girl looked perplexed and happy at the same time. “I’m not sure which part I should ask about, the teasing with lightning or the fact that you said you’re going to escort us?”
“Yes, Rilena and I with another falcon you’ve probably not met were assigned to go with your group in two days.”
Nodding, she added, “Well that should be nice. Now about this teasing with lightning. You’ve become that comfortable with the spell in just one day that you can play around with it?”
With a grin, Sebastian stated, “A single tease and then I had to spend the rest of the day trying to teach a group of the battle mages how to replicate it, though few seemed to get even the basics. I think using more than one element is confusing for them. Most can cast a bolt like they can cast a fireball, but maintaining it…? So far no one else could cast a prolonged stream of current.
“I can do a few things with it, but I would still say that I am just a beginner, since I’ve only had a day to try and master any of it.”
The girl let the matter drop for several dances. By the time they were getting warm and even a little sweaty, Ashleen finally pulled him towards the doorway saying she needed a breath of cooler air. That was when she let him know that the matter of his lightning practice was not forgotten.
“Show me what you’ve learned,” the girl half begged and half demanded. “I am kind of curious what it is that you can do since you only looked at how I drew out the lightning last night and how to maintain it. You can you already maintain the lightning for longer periods?”
Frowning as he tried to decide just what he could show her, Sebastian shrugged and said, “Well, we’ll have to go outside if you really want to see what I have figured out about it. Did you want to grab a coat?”
Ashleen shook her head. “I think we can survive a brief exhibition. If I get too cold then we’ll go back inside.”
It wasn’t too far to walk to one of the courtyards. Since it was winter, the yard was vacant as he had figured. “Air shield,” he called the bubble of air that trapped some heat and filtered out the snow and dust. Ashleen showed some surprise at the ease and strength of the barrier. A brief chant with several hand signs raised a similar shield around the girl.
“You knew of the shield before this?” the girl questioned.
“From an air wizard, yes,” he stated thinking little of the matter and quickly called forth the sparks, “Dance.” First, the smaller sparks danced across his fingers. Feeling the flow of the earth coming through him, the mizard wished that he had brought Bairh’loore with him even though he knew that he had hid the staff for a reason. The mage began to increase the power of his flow making the tendrils extend outward. They twisted and stretched but remained a weak strength as he let the tendrils light the night and play along the stone walls a moment.
“This is what I teased the apprentice with earlier,” Sebastian stated keeping his mind on what he was doing. “Though I also played around making this,” closing the force into his palm with a thought, the swift swirl of the balled lightning increased in both power and speed.
Ashleen’s eyes widened. She could feel the power of it standing her hair on end. This magic was new to her, a wind wizard, and she nearly felt jealous of this talented battle mage. Mizard indeed.
The girl spotted an old weathered board left along the wall and placed it standing on one of the benches in the courtyard. “Here,” she suggested he release the ball to see how powerful it was.
Frowning slightly, Sebastian impetuously lunged with the ball in his palm meeting the board with thunderous results. Glad that he had intentionally tried to aim the power away from Ashleen who held the board so close to her, the splinters flew as the board was obliterated.
Eyes wide in shock. The girl let out a low whistle of appreciation. “Wow,” she half whispered, “where did you learn that one? It’s so powerful.”
Wiping at his brow, Sebastian smiled wanly. “I was playing with it a bit this morning and figured if I could extend the flow then maybe tightening it into a controlled force would have its uses as well.”
Ashleen nodded. “I don’t know that a wizard can use it the way you can. I find it safer to cast from a distance than let the enemy get close enough to hurt me. You’re more comfortable with the closeness of combat. It probably takes that kind of person to use it that way. I bet I can do that spell, but I’m no soldier.”
Realization of her words dawned on him. “You’re probably right. What wizard wants to try calling up a ball that he can’t just cast away from himself, but I use swords and such. It was really just something to play at, though I think if a troll presented itself this might take care of it.”
“Definitely. Now if that’s about all, I think I am getting cold now,” she stated with a smile as her hands rubbed her arms and shoulders.
“Sure,” he nodded and put an arm around her waist to extend some warmth.
The heat of the castle, and shortly after, the dance hall, was a welcome feeling after being outside. Winter still had a strong hold on North Continent with more than a month from the expected entrance of spring, which was no guarantee of gentler weather in Southwall.
They separated for a few minutes as Sebastian found some food and drink. Ashleen went to speak with Wendle, whether about his new magic or something else, the mage didn’t know. Meanwhile Rilena and Dougren quickly made their way over to him, smiles on their faces.
“A walk with the beautiful apprentice again,” Dougren grinned. “I am so jealous, and you get to ride with her on a trip besides. Some guys get all the luck.”
Rilena let her eyes wander across the floor to the two apprentices. Sebastian wondered if it was because she worried over being interrupted or if she was actually more interested in her new dance student.
Sebastian meanwhile retorted to Dougren, “Don’t get so far ahead of yourself. She was asking about the new magic. Apparently, the lightning was talked about all over the castle. So I simply showed her the spells.”
The male mage looked in dismay at his friend. “Spells? I have only seen that long lightning stream. Is there another?”
Glad to have the mage off the topic of Ashleen, if only for a moment, Sebastian replied, “If no one can master the basic stream, then there’s no way they’ll figure out the other one. Don’t bother asking until you’ve got the first part down, since the second requires holding the power in far greater force than I’ve seen any falcon begin to pull so far.”
Looking disappointed at the news, the other mage let the matter drop for now.
Sebastian caught Rilena’s eye. “And how did the dancing go with the other apprentice,” he asked.
The girl half smiled. “Wendle’s better than he gave himself credit for, though it’s still a good thing I wore my boots.”
“Learning anything interesting from him?”
Shaking her head, Rilena’s eyes strayed back to the apprentices. “Just dancing.”
“You two are so boring!” Dougren exclaimed. “I can’t believe you two go so slow with these people. She’s pretty and I can tell Rilena likes her partner, but you guys just dance and talk about magic?”
Rilena turned to face him, her eyes mischievous. “Oh, and who have you been wooing tonight, Dougren?”
The man’s jaw dropped wordlessly. Snapping shut just as quickly, the man replied, “Ok, now you’re just being mean.”
Chuckling, Rilena glanced around the room. Spying a few maidens seated across the way, she guided Dougren’s attention to the women. “That’s where you should be instead of trying to live vicariously through we boring mages,” the woman stated. “I can walk you over there and introduce you, if you’d like,” she offered trying to be helpful.
Taking a deep breath, the falcon shook his head, “Nope, I don’t need you to hold my hand. This is a mission I must handle myself. So many ladies, I may not get to bed tonight.”
Watching Dougren crossing the hall confidently, Sebastian asked quietly, “What do you think are his chances?”
“Well, there are seven of them and I noticed that they haven’t been dancing very much. If they’re bored enough and he doesn’t trip, I’d say fifty-fifty.”
Sebastian chuckled and noticed a soldier move up to Ashleen and request a dance. The apprentice glanced over at her mage friend holding up a finger signaling just one dance. The mizard wondered if he might have to go join Dougren if he wanted to dance some more. Ashleen was new and pretty, and with that dress there were few women in the room that compared. She might be getting requests all night.
A little sigh sounded from beside him, and Rilena stated, “If I were wearing that dress, I’d be dancing all night too I bet.”
Placing a brotherly arm about her shoulders, Sebastian leaned in and said, “If you wore that dress I know I’d be in line.”
With an exaggerated sigh, Rilena gently elbowed him. “Flatterer, but if I had you trying to dance with me, then I’d be stuck with a second man who needed a teacher.
“That said, I think Wendle needs me.”
Left alone, Sebastian found a seat to eat and drink to restore his energy. Hopefully using the staff for wizard level spells would keep him from being as drained while practicing he thought. Channeling the force through himself simply drained him faster. He still wasn’t sure why the staff or the iron rod helped keep him strengthened, but his morning experiments had proved as much. In a fight, the battle mage might not be able to use it that way. Only time and experience with Bairh’loore would tell, however.
While he was waiting, one of the women from Dougren’s target group mustered the nerve to come over to Sebastian and asked him to dance. Two others seemed about to try that as well, and as he moved out to the floor with their friend they seemed disappointed.
A few more songs and after the two other girls had their dances with the mage, Ashleen found her way into his arms with a grin. “Well, you’re a popular one tonight,” she stated. “I thought that they’d never let you go.”
Gesturing with his head towards a small group of women including the three amongst them, all talking together and with most looking towards him, Sebastian answered, “I think you must have snuck by them or I would still be dancing with one or another of them.”
She followed his direction and retorted, “Well, I can leave you to them, sir, if you would like. I am sure that I can find someone to dance with me as well. Maybe them,” she gestured at the four men she had snuck away from to dance with Sebastian.
“That’s all right. At least with you I know you respect me for my mind and not just my good looks,” he laughed.
With a girlish snort, Ashleen responded, “If that’s what you believe…”
Gasping in mock surprise, Sebastian said, “Oh no.”
“Shush and dance,” the girl stated and laid her head against his shoulder.