Battle Mage: Winter's Edge (3 page)

             
Climbing a few stairways to eventually gain the lord’s main audience room, the group came upon Southwall soldiers lining the walls though in light numbers. Lord Dorwyn was hardly fearful of attack here inside his castle, but still the men guarded as much for show as true guardians this day. If they weren’t enough deterrent, Sebastian’s added presence would be enough to protect the man most days. A battle mage’s magic was powerful against most enemies and his magic shield and sword would buy the man time to flee in a crisis.

             
The visitors’ eyes noted the decoration of the audience chamber had become more impressive than the halls that had delivered them here, however, and eyes drifted. More luxurious wall hangings were uniformly hung across from one another. Brightly colored and long enough to reach from nearly floor to ceiling, the hangings also served to mask doors and sometimes more soldiers or wizards. For all that it was designed to impress a visitor of the regal nature of the lord they faced, it was an unspoken design of power and diligence as well.

             
Lit by five, large, impressive chandeliers above them the room was easily rid of any darkness despite being an inner chamber with no outside walls. A small dais held a desk and a pair of chairs with only one occupied at this time.

             
The man sitting atop the dais looked up from the papers on his desk with a smile. “Ambassador Romonus, I believe?” questioned the man with dark brown hair which had begun to gray. As he rose to greet them, they noted that his clothing, while finer than most of the commoners, did little to change the look of a military man. With a polite smile, the lord of the castle gestured towards the small crowd and added, “The rest are your people, I would presume.”

             
With a little bow, the round Kardorian with his bald head revealed as he held his hat gestured to the young woman next to him saying, “My daughter, Helena, my Lord Dorwyn.” With a slight twist he introduced the wizards, “Deiclonus, wizard of the first order, his apprentices Wendle and Ashleen, and of course our savior, Falcon Trillon, who is one of yours, of course. We thank you for his timely assistance, Lord Dorwyn.”

             
The man raised his eyebrow in query. “It sounds like there is a bit of a story that I have not yet heard. Was there trouble north of the wall?”

             
Romonus nodded in return and answered for them all, “Our party was set upon by a force of were-things, wolves and the like. We were quite outnumbered and surrounded. I thought for sure we were doomed, when your battle mages arrived to the save the day just in time.

             
“I, for one, am greatly thankful to this young man,” he said patting Sebastian on the shoulder fondly. “I am on business from the capitol and my death would have meant great delays, not to mention my wife would have missed me greatly,” the man finished with a laugh. As ambassador, Sebastian figured it was the way of such men to make light and try to be charming to other lords and ladies.

             
Lord Dorwyn answered, “I am sure you would have been missed.” A light smile was upon his lips for the story though the feeling seemed to not quite work into his eyes due to the darker information of another Dark Emperor hunting party. The man’s eyes strayed to Sebastian briefly as he continued, “Our Falcon Trillon has had a habit of arriving just in time throughout his short career. I am glad he could arrange the stars so well once again.

             
“Well, if you have no true business with our little keep beyond that of a stay over, I offer you and yours my hospitality. Manweyn will see to your rooms. We have a fair amount of guest room here at the moment thanks to the winter’s snows. Not everyone enjoys trying to ride through such weather after all.

             
“I also extend the offer to attend dinner with us. We will set an abundant table for you, I can assure you.”

             
The ambassador inclined his head in a half bow. “I accept your hospitality, sir. If you would not mind, I think I would like to head to my room and rest from our adventure. If your schedule brings you to dine with us, perhaps we might talk some more, my lord.”

             
Lord Dorwyn nodded, “Of course, ambassador, I can imagine how tired you must be after such a harrowing battle and the long trip.”

             
The apprentices surreptitiously rolled their eyes at the thought of the round bellied ambassador’s true part in the conflict, but quietly followed the lord and their master from the room. Ashleen spotted Sebastian watching the exchange and colored slightly, before nodding slightly to the falcon as she passed.

             
Once the visitors had left the room, Lord Dorwyn gestured for the falcon squad leader to approach. The young man stood straight and walked forward. From behind one of the wall hangings, a new source of movement caught the corner of Sebastian’s eye. He let his eyes flick to Falconi Saren even though the falcon had known the man was there for quite awhile. One of the gifts of most wizards and many battle mages was that they could sense the magic of others. Though weaker in magical power than a typical wizard, a mage like Sebastian could make out the magic from a fair range and had felt the falconi approach while they had been talking.

             
Lord Dorwyn noted the falconi as well and nodded. “Good timing, Falconi Saren. Did you hear much of their report?”

             
A fit man of middle age, the falconi made a striking figure in his black uniform with silver bars on his shoulders. A full beard and barely thinning brown hair framed a strong face that could turn fierce in battle. The man was the ranking leader of the battle mages in Falcon’s Keep until spring when one of the ravens would return. Acknowledging the falcon and lord with nods in that order, the falconi stated, “Apparently, the lord and his entourage were attacked by a pack of the Dark One’s beasts. Though judging from the man’s … condition… I would hazard that he had little enough to do with fighting the creatures. Perhaps the falcon would be so kind as to enlighten us as to his perspective?”

             
Though left as a question, the falcon knew that he was to respond.  “Yes, sir, I had the squad on patrol when luckily for the Kardorians we began to hear the howling. The wind carried the sound out to us and we hurried to the road. By the time we had arrived, they were completely surrounded and several of the guardsmen had been killed. While the wizards were still putting up a good fight, the apprentices had both been injured also.

             
“With the werebeasts distracted by our new friends, our charge went unnoticed until our lances killed most of the nearby forces. We drove the wolves away and tended to the Kardorian wounded. Unfortunately, most of their guardsmen were slain by the time we arrived, but the three wizards and their two charges in the carriage remained safe.

             
“After that, we made sure to escort them straight to the wall just in case the enemy chose to regroup or if there might be another band in the area. Our patrol hadn’t found any tracks to suggest anything more, but we had only been out for a few hours and hadn’t finished covering our planned route yet, which leads us to here. I hope that bringing them to the keep was appropriate, sir.”

             
“Of course it was, Falcon Trillon,” Lord Dorwyn stated for the falconi, though Saren nodded agreement with the lord. Turning his sights on the senior mage, the lord added, “Perhaps we should double our patrols the next two days, just in case we are looking at more than a single straggler group, falconi.”

             
Nodding agreement, Saren added, “Of course, my lord, I’ll let the other division leaders know immediately. Should I also have someone keeping watch on our guests?”

             
Lord Dorwyn shook his head. “I don’t think we have a need to do more than maintain the usual guards in the keep, though I am debating on whether we should offer an escort to their destination. I assume the ambassador has a reason for traveling in winter to Southwall. If it’s important to our relations with Kardor, then it could be in our best interests to assist our allies on the rest of their trip. It would also give us a way to make sure they don’t get into or cause anymore trouble.”

             
The lord dismissed the mages a moment later and Sebastian followed the falcons’ leader from the hall.

             
“The lord may not think that they need watching, Sebastian, but it might not be a bad idea for you to check in on them this evening and expand your relationship with them. As it’s said, keep your friends near and keep your enemies closer. Also gathering any information as to their actual mission might not be a bad idea either. I know you’re not a spy or diplomat, but you have a good way with wizards beyond any other mage. Maybe you can get a little more out of them, but be subtle. No need to cause an incident over it,” Saren suggested.

             
“Yes, sir. You don’t think they’re trying to deceive us about why they’re here do you? If they’re from Kardor, shouldn’t they be our allies and working with us against our mutual enemies?”

             
Saren agreed. “That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be a deception of the Dark One or even maybe someone in Kardor with an agenda of his own.” The man smiled and patted down the air in dismissal, “but don’t get all worried on my account, Sebastian. I’m not truly worried over them just staying guarded after the trouble in Windmeer last summer. I just figure that it’s better to be safe rather than sorry.”

             
Sebastian’s face darkened at the thought of Windmeer. He had been there for the trouble referred to and knew exactly what the falconi was suggesting. A deception of such vile magnitude could make anyone more guarded even against friends. After all, it was a falcon that was used to infiltrate the other fortress. A battle mage he knew well and fought alongside as well.

             
It was a tragic mission with Palose, who at that time was a cadet along with Sebastian, which had caused the man’s death seemingly. Bas had been forced to flee from the Dark Emperor’s creatures leaving his friend for dead after the cadet had fallen from his horse and fell breaking his neck. Weeks later, Palose had straggled in seemingly fine after all, or so they had thought. Palose pretended to be injured from the fall, but of course never killed. The Dark One’s wizards had somehow brought the man back to life, with full memories, but with a catch. Palose’s mind had been turned dark. Perhaps it was a ghost within him. Perhaps it was truly Palose himself angry at the seeming betrayal and abandonment. Sebastian had never truly known, but in a battle that had nearly ended his own life, the falcon had fought the dark falcon, two other dark wizards, and a mass of orcs and goblins in the bowels of the castle.

             
Saved by the other defenders of Windmeer and the healing powers of the wizards there, Sebastian had survived just barely. But questions remained, and unfortunately the only one who could answer them, Palose, had escaped and not been seen since then.

             
Noting Sebastian’s lost thoughts on his face Saren clapped the younger man on the shoulder. “Don’t look so grim, lad. I’m not suggesting such a thing is happening, but better safe than sorry.

             
“Now go write up a report of this trip and get it onto my desk, maybe later I will see you at dinner. Also you may want to hit the wizards’ halls while you have the time and see if anyone is interested in teaching you more magic for us. I know you’ve been busy with your own falcon work lately, but keeping yourself busy with the wizards might be a good way to get yourself out of these doldrums.”

             
Twisting a smile, Sebastian half chuckled, “Sorry, sir, but thinking of Windmeer tends to make me distracted. I still wonder over what has become of Palose, if that truly was him.”

             
“Enough!” the senior mage ordered raising a hand gesturing for a halt to such words. “Go take care of your report. If you’re still thinking like this after that, then hit the practice fields instead. I don’t care if it is cold. The exercise will do you good.”

             
Trying to shake himself from his reverie, Sebastian excused himself and went to work as the falconi had ordered.

              The afternoon passed quickly. His report was fairly brief. The attack had been short as had their patrol because of the werebeasts. With no real knowledge of where the monsters had come from, and only the short scuffle to speak on, a half page report was all it took and Sebastian had nothing more left to do in relation to it.

             
With that done and the report filed, Sebastian figured to move to the next part of his orders. Stopping by his room, he picked up a book that only one mage that he knew of possessed. The book of basic magic, given him while still a cadet at White Hall, was an apprentice wizard instructional tool. As far as he knew, no other mage had ever been given the task of trying to break down magic designed for the other kind of magic wielders. It was a true challenge. In over one hundred and fifty years of the battle mages’ history, no one had shown the mind for magic needed to crack the power intensive and intricate spells of a wizard to make them useable for a battle mage.