Battle Mage: Winter's Edge (36 page)

“This was just one duel, Sebastian. What more will you discover by the time you are through? Whether you win the tournament or not, I think the experience is too valuable to pass up for both you and the corps.”

With a sharp nod, the falcon replied, “I can understand that and I realize that now despite worrying over the fortress in the mountains.”

“You let us worry over the fortress,” Stallis stated heavily demanding no question on the matter. “We are coordinating an attack from here and Falcon’s Keep. They won’t know what hit them.”

Eyeing his co-leader with a shake of his head, Liom added, “We are taking precautions also, despite Stallis’s confident words. The force we are sending should be more than enough to disable the enemy’s stronghold. Once we have driven them out and destroyed them we can figure out just how they got there.”

“I know how the most recent group arrived. They used magic to create a portal for them to come through, but that doesn’t tell us how the first wizards might have come to be there,” Sebastian replied as he thought on the problem. Running his fingers through his lengthening, light brown hair, the mage questioned another part of the year. “I wonder if Palose may have called more wizards through the portal he made? If they escaped to the mountains, that might explain how they could have bypassed the wall. Maybe they were already here from the deceiver’s first move to get into Windmeer.”

Nodding at the concept, Liom added, “That is what we have come to think as well.

“Once we let the snake into the keep, we don’t know what else the man might have done while he was here for those weeks. Palose was able to go into town and perhaps beyond where no one would have seen him. If he managed to make a smaller portal for the first men to come through, then he could have brought more of those warlocks into Southwall.”

“Warlocks?” that was a new term for Sebastian.

Liom smiled grimly. “Someone nicknamed those sorcerers in black cloaks warlocks, since we couldn’t stomach letting them use the term of mage for those blasted things. A man was raised back from the dead and channeling both our magic and that of the emperor. It’s too disgusting to be a mage anymore.”

Grunting acknowledgement, the falcon added, “Palose called himself a dark falcon that day, but I think a war lock sounds better for something like him.”

Clearing his throat, Stallis interrupted their tangent. “That is something behind us, gentlemen. We must move on to the here and now.”

“True,” Liom replied realizing that for once he was the one on a tangent, which was usually more something Stallis was prone to do. “You have your duelist wizards and we are sending five other mages along with you to learn and train as well. They will meet you along with the rest of the caravan in the morning.”

“Are you all packed and ready for this?” Stallis asked genuinely concerned for the young falcon.

The raven was almost protective like some close uncle, Sebastian thought to himself. “I am as ready as I can be anyway. My team has been packing since yesterday and preparing for the trip. Other than the ambassador and his daughter’s caravan, we have prepped as much as we can.”

His words about the ambassador brought about another concern in Sebastian’s mind that he had let lie while becoming so wrapped up in the duelist trials and finding his team. “One thing, sirs, the other night a strange thing happened after the night’s dancing was over. The ambassador’s daughter intercepted me and came on to me quite strongly. Her father has even had words with me and some of the wizards I know, where he has nearly asked us to return with him to Kardor.”

“That’s another reason to remain watchful of the man and his daughter then, falcon,” Stallis replied with a thoughtful nod. “Keep an eye on him while you are with him, but don’t make it obvious. There’s nowhere to hide such behavior while traveling with the caravan. If they slip up there, then alert the masters at White Hall. They’ll take the pair of them into custody if the ambassador actually means to try and steal our wizards.”

“Good luck, Falcon Trillon,” Liom added with a shake of the hand. Stallis nodded unwilling to say more.

The caravan was on the move once more. What would be a three or four day trip during summer was likely to take nearly twice that long between the challenges that winter brought and the fact that they were escorting a carriage for the ambassador. Sebastian was glad that the weather looked to be clear for a time at least.

It was still cold, however, and the mage was glad for his air shielding spell that kept him from getting wet during snowfalls and helped trap his own body heat to keep him a little warmer. Since a large portion of the party traveling consisted of either battle mages or wizards involved with his training, Sebastian used the need for warmth as a motivation to try and teach his mages the spell and how to lock it.

He had always wondered why so few of the mages had been able to grasp the spell, but these were supposed to be some of the best Windmeer had to offer. Three of them he knew from the previous year. Mecklin, Ardost and Vord had either studied under him or been trained by one of his assistants, which was still a strange concept for him to get his mind around. He hadn’t even been promoted to falcon for more than a month and had already begun training students with assistants. Thinking on it still could make him shake his head, and now he had wizards and more mages following him to take part in a wizard’s duel tournament.

The youngest of the five mages were Olan, the tallest of the men, and the final member was a lone woman, Frell, a blond who was nearly as petite as Yara. Though both had been falcons for several years, they had transferred to Windmeer in the fall just before winter had raged to life. By that time, Sebastian had ridden to Falcon’s Keep for his new post.

He tried to get to know everyone as best he could and encouraged them all to mingle as much as possible. They would be working together, which was not always the easiest of working relationships, but they all seemed to at least give it a try. All except Brenner, that is.

The air wizard seemed to be more introspective than any of the others. He had come to Sebastian almost half dragged by Fala, but the wizard had accepted the job on the one condition that he did not wish to join the tournament. The mage was taking his friend’s recommendation not only on his skill, which he had little doubt, but on his ability to get along with the others and himself. Training like he hoped to accomplish would require being able to get along and share their expertise and experiences. Brenner’s quiet, introspective demeanor made Sebastian a little worried, but the air wizard wasn’t always just being quiet.

As if to prevent having to talk with the group, Brenner often passed the reins of his horse to someone while he wandered the winds. Whether he truly scouted for possible trouble in their way along the road to White Hall, or the man simply chose to use the spell as a diversion for a long trip, Sebastian had no idea. The mage felt when Brenner used his magic, so he knew that the wizard wasn’t just taking naps while they rode, but where his mind went only he knew.

While they rode, Sebastian tried to teach a few spells to his mages as well. That led to the wizards wanting in on it, since he had told them they weren’t going to train until they made it to White Hall after all. Trying to make a bit of a game of it, Sebastian began having the mages try to cast their shields away from them, which led to a magical game of catch where wizards would cast a spell from their school and the mages would have to block them with a shield.

It was surprisingly good practice despite the limitations of having to ride on horseback.

The windows on the carriage were often pushed aside by the passengers to watch the game as the caravan continued to eat up the miles. Day after day, the procession continued to move towards White Hall and the wizards and mages continued to train as they could. Sebastian could also see people opening up as they discussed both the good and bad of their practices.

By the third day, Ashleen and Wendle were telling him they wished that they could join in if only to avoid the monotony of riding in the coach all day. Unfortunately, Deiclonus would not allow it, though Sebastian had a feeling that it was really the ambassador’s decision being enforced. So the travel continued the same as it always had.

Chapter 20- A Mind Set

The sun rode the sky high overhead, yet the caravan felt little warmth from the glowing orb. Lunch was past and the riders did what they could to pass the time as the miles slowly crept along. By the
fourth day, even their basic game of catch and spells the mages could try on horseback were beginning to wear thin. As leader, and being the mizard as his nickname had begun to crop up once more, somehow it fell to Sebastian to find new ideas to amuse them.

When Serrena moved closer to their leader during a lull in their practice as food still continued to be digested, the girl’s green eyes revealed a thirst for knowledge even before she asked, “Sebastian, we always see you and the mages cast these shields of yours with a single word.” Pausing as if unsure she should ask, the curly haired girl brushed back a lock of hair that was trying to escape her hood. “Fire wizards have a similar wall of light that they can raise which is used the same way, but we always have to chant to call on it. How do you and your mages call forth your shields so quickly and they still have strength?”

The questioning brought the attention of all the wizards, save Brenner, to the falcon as he thought upon the question briefly. This was what separated a battle mage’s spells from a wizard and yet he always wondered why someone from their side hadn’t stooped to ask or research the mage magic which was much quicker in a fight.

“Well, it is just the way we see the magic as opposed to a wizard. Our lack of strength led the first mage to set our spells in a simpler way, since we can only call so much to bear for the spell.”

The quizzical look on the girl’s face was mirrored by most of the other wizards who had ridden closer to hear what the mizard might have to say.

“You are saying that your spells are short and strong, because you are weak?” Serrena questioned as she shook her head. “I don’t get it. If we are the stronger group, then why are not able to do the same thing? We’re trained in more types of spells and can bring much larger effects into battle. What are you trying to say?”

“That is kind of the problem, I think. What we classify as a wizard is someone strong with magic and they can call upon larger, stronger items like a fireball. We can throw a fireball, maybe a few in a spell, but a wizard can take a little more time and send a wave of fire into an army affecting dozens in a moment. It just takes longer for you to get there, but unlike a mage who can’t pull enough power to create it no matter the time given, you have those different levels.

“I think somewhere along the line, wizard magic just became more complicated going for the bigger spells, just because they have the power to do so. A mage simply has smaller goals, so when Raven Hurst was found he looked at magic in a more concentrated way. The man was a wilder in effect, but his strength was too low to call him that, I suppose. He studied with wizards, but the spells largely were useless to him, but he found what he could do and created simpler, less powerful versions of your magic.”

“Ok, I get that,” Serrena replied, though she still looked a bit confused, “but how does that explain how a mage’s shield is so strong?”

As he thought on the question, Sebastian realized how different the thought processes must be between their two factions. “Your spells weave together multiple components creating a sort of mental painting. The more complicated the spell, or how strong, adds to the components needed to create that picture.

“A mage takes a single thought and visualizes it. The magic is there as a single thought and a single word as well as sometimes a gesture to focus the direction used to call the spell into being.”

Raising a finger as he went to make a point, Sebastian moved from lecture to practice, “You’ve seen our shields. The blue shimmer, the size and thickness of the shield just need to be focused in your thoughts. Then you simply… shield,” he called forth the blue mage’s shield with a flip of his hand directing it a few feet away in the air, “summon it and lock the spell in place.”

The wizards looked skeptical, Serrena in particular, who voiced their disbelief, “It can’t be that easy.”

With a laugh, Sebastian replied, “Actually it has to be. Like I said, mage magic is limited and for most part their attention to the detail of a wizard spell would fall short. A battle mage needs to move quick in a fight and much of their spells are tailored to that effect.

“Power isn’t the only thing separating our two classes. Most of it is the setting of our minds. I’m sure that a wizard can do it. I just think that most don’t take the time to learn the simple mage spells because they feel it is beneath them. In a wizard’s duel, a quick spell can save a fight or turn it. Most of your fire magic can be cast very quickly. You rely on it, but just the speed of it can keep your focus set there, while sometimes the slower, steadier pace of say Collin’s earth spells can wear you down and you wear out.

“That’s how you lost to Herraln and to me for that matter. I know we were just practicing, but you let your spells carry you away. For a lot of wizards, I see them almost slaves to their power. They want to use magic so much that it fools them into using it all.