Hoping to throw her off, the young man teased, "I wouldn't mind being confined to our bed with you, but that wouldn't feel like a punishment and would have enough to distract me for awhile."
"Yuck," Katya complained making a face. "You two might make a cute couple; but seriously, do you have to talk like that? I am still in the room, you know!"
Laughing at his younger sister, the couple looked at the apprentice wizard and knew that she was less disgusted by whatever thoughts his words might have suggested to her than she was trying to make them believe.
"Well, be that as it may," Ashleen said referring to Sebastian's joking, "Davern and the other healers have said that from the start. You pushed it too far this time and the new runes have them more curious I am guessing than truly concerned."
"The high wizards of Hala have wanted me to tell them how my aura has appeared to grow also. Raven Leros had been the buffer, but even telling them that I'm not ready to share these with them until I felt certain that they were safe, they have hardly stopped asking. They don't exactly demand it, but they are a short step from trying."
"If we were in Kardor, it might be easier. Wizards work a little more independently there.
"Wizards like Deiclonus took apprentices and there was a school of sorts in Velius; but it was more like a collective and library for younger wizards to learn. The masters would teach and wander between the cities using their magic to earn money from lords or working with the military. They'd teach us, but no other master would dare to demand that another give up any secrets. They might request it, but never demand it."
"You're trying to put me on the level of a master wizard?" Sebastian asked appearing to have only gleaned the compliment from her words.
Frowning, she replied, "Don't get a big head about it. You've obviously figured out magic that no one else in Southwall has. Since you're the teacher of things like runes or mage healing, that kind of makes you a master."
"Well, then we are in pretty serious trouble, aren't we?" Katya quipped trying to antagonize her older brother.
"Shush, apprentice," Sebastian retorted with a smirk at the girl.
Crossing her arms defiantly, the younger girl reminded him, "I've already fought in the war. I think that I've graduated beyond just being an apprentice by now."
The older two burst out laughing and Sebastian explained as he shook his head, "You've been at White Hall for less than a year, Katya. While you've been a quick study, I wouldn't get ahead of yourself. Becoming a full wizard requires time. You don't know everything. You're lucky that you're an apprentice in this short of a time actually."
"But I'm good!" she reminded him.
Ashleen shook her head. Still technically an apprentice, the wilder was over five years older than his sister. "Just because you can fight with what you know, doesn't mean that you've attained the mastery needed to graduate. At least, that is by Kardorian standards you haven't."
Sebastian held up his hand as Katya looked ready to argue and asked, "By the way, if you've been watching over me, what classes are you missing now? Shouldn't you be in class? I am obviously fine and you can always come back later, if you have classes so you can learn more magic."
"You're trying to get rid of me?" the little, blonde haired girl asked blinking her green eyes as if she was fighting back tears.
Surprised, her brother started to open his mouth before the younger girl broke character and laughed at him. "See? I am a diplomacy wizard, Bas. I can already fool you. Do you really think that I haven't learned anything?"
"Maybe, you're right," he agreed making the girl do a double take. "Maybe you shouldn't learn any more. I'm not sure if the world is ready for a know-it-all like you. Teaching you too much might be a mistake after all."
Making a growl that seemed more cute than ferocious to him, Katya moved towards his bed and gave him a quick hug. "If you're really alright, I think I might like to take a nap in my bed for now. I'll be back later though."
As the girl walked out into the hall, Ashleen uncrossed her legs and moved to lie down next to him. "She really is too smart for her own good," the wilder chuckled, "but I thought that she'd never leave."
Putting her arm across his chest, her hand found the area of the runes and noted the warmth there was different from the rest of him. Any worry about it was quelled for the moment as Ashleen simply appreciated that they were together and that Sebastian was safe.
Chapter 3- Questions
Doing nothing and sitting still weren't things easy for Sebastian. He had never really had a lot of time to waste even as a child. The second son of a farmer; he had been put to work caring for the animals and doing what he could in the fields almost as soon as he could walk it often felt. While there had been school in Mera when he was old enough, farmers' children didn't always have time for such things. When there was something important to do to keep the farm running, his father Marcel would send his eldest daughter while the boys joined him doing whatever was required.
When Sebastian was fifteen, the wizards found him. He had felt his magic for nearly two years, but the previous year the test hadn't been performed in his village. Since his magical strength wasn't wizard level his power had never gone out of control like the wilders everyone feared. Though he supposed there might be the occasional battle mage that manifested his magic before being found, only the story of the first mage ever came to mind and he had harnessed his power because of the Dark One's armies' continual attacks on the ancestors of Southwall.
After he had been found, the boy had been busy nearly every day learning the skills of combat. Unlike wizards who spent every day learning magic, Sebastian was just a mage and learned a couple dozen spells that made up the entire spell book that made up the battle mage's foundation. Using magic to increase speed or create defenses was paired with swordsmanship and other martial arts making them the ultimate soldiers, but they were looked down upon by the wizards while still being different from the regular men of the army. At once part and set apart, his kind had to work hard to earn the respect of either arm of Southwall's military.
Then he had gone to the wall and discovered that he could perceive more of magic than a normal battle mage. He learned healing and air spells first, which led the ravens to push him to learn more. Whatever he discovered, they wanted him to teach the other mages to pass along his knowledge bringing his corps into a new time of enlightenment as their powers increased; of course that meant he was even busier.
His new skills led the ravens to send him to compete against wizards in their tournament and he did well there surprising everyone including the wizards that he fought. He had also met the High Wizard of Enchwold, Darius, an immortal wizard. The two came up with a plan to find the first known immortal, Gerid, also known as the Grimnal the name of his castle in Hala.
The only break he had truly had was after he had found the man on his distant island prison. He earned the gift of runes, but spending time on the warm island with his friends had been one of the few times he could remember where he had been forced to relax as they had waited for the man to join them for the trip back home.
Sighing, the mage thought of the beautiful island paradise and considered going against his healers' advice to stay in bed. He could simply make a portal and step through to that island with little effort. Surely his body could carry him that far and it wasn't like his magic had been harmed.
He had overused his magic before, so he knew the dangers of that; but his runes had drawn much less magical power than it had drawn off his stamina. For those without magic, only their life energy could power the runes. Given to men and women with magic, Sebastian had discovered that they could do so much more with his power driving the enchanted marks.
Sound from the doorway drew Sebastian's attention and the sight of several men and women dressed in yellow made him frown. All of them were known to him, but a couple of the wizards weren't from the local healers of White Hall.
A woman with short brown hair was
in the mix. Wizard Rilenier was one of those from Hala that he had a bit of history with thanks to a few mishaps along the way. She smiled at him looking amused by the young man lying in the hospital bed.
Though Rilenier was likely the youngest of the wizards entering the woman, she didn't seem to fear a reprimand as she said, "It wasn't enough that you have to keep using our beds at Hala, now you have them dragging me halfway across the country to look in on you here as well, Falcon Sebastian?"
"It's owl now," he replied echoing her smile. Though they weren't exactly close, having spent as much time as they had in each other's proximity for so long had built a certain level of friendship. It was a doctor/patient relationship that had been built and that level let them joke with each other as well.
She snorted in disbelief and elaborated, "I thought owl's had wisdom. It looks like you did something stupid again."
Clearing his throat, one of the older men frowned at the younger woman before speaking. "If you two are done, maybe we can get down to the business at hand."
"What business is that this time?" Sebastian queried curiously. Though Davern accompanied the group as one of the wizards to tend him since he had first arrived, the man remained noticeably silent. The white haired man beside him was nearly bald and looked like he should have a long beard to prove that he was an old wizard. He was also the master healer of White Hall. No one was raised to a full wizard healer unless he approved of their skill.
Master Alum didn't look amused by the question or Sebastian's flippant attitude, but the mage had already been in bed too long. His restlessness meant his usual use of caution in how he controlled his face and words had slipped slightly, though he hadn't meant any real offense and it was true that he didn't know what they wanted for certain.
"Wizard Davern and the other healers in charge of you have explained to me about these unexplained runes built into your chest. Their worries made me call on my associates from Hala and with the blessing of portal magic they have joined us already."
Sebastian considered his words nearly a compliment. Between Darius and the owl mage, a system of secure portal gates tied Southwall's northern cities together so that a trip of weeks took mere moments to achieve. There were several more gates established even as far as the islands of Sileoth and Litsarin. It was magic taken from the Dark One's warlocks, but its usefulness couldn't be denied in spite of its source.
The elder wizard continued, "I thought to reach out to them since you have spent so much time in the capitol of late. It was good that I did. They tell me that not only did you create these runes on your chest, but you used them on another person, a normal woman. You gave magic to someone that had none, which makes me even more curious about your work."
Davern chose to speak up and added, "You said that I didn't have the clearance to share their significance, perhaps you can explain the marks to the masters of Hala and White Hall's wizards."
Alum glanced at the wizard, who went silent.
"Like I told Davern, I can't fully explain them, since I am uncertain if they are completely safe."
"You used them in this woman. Wizard Rilenier explained that you placed these diamond shaped marks on either side of her heart to save her life. She said that they assisted the woman's heart in moving her blood and keeping her heart beating until she could be looked at in Hala.
"If they are so dangerous, why would you subject this woman to a pair of them then?"
"She would have died without trying. It was a last resort when my healing magic failed to keep her heart beating. Everything else in her seemed healed, but the heart stopped and nothing else was working.
"Using the runes I had created for a different effect on me, I was able to use my magic to keep her heart beating."
The leader of Hala's healers, a wizard named Hegrone, spoke up next confirming what he had seen, "I have seen other examples of Owl Sebastian's work. He can heal surprisingly well and his runes fit into our field of study as well. At least it requires healers to replicate and transfer them to our mages and soldiers anyway.
"The creative use of these diamond runes saved the woman's life. We haven't been able to remove them from her yet, but the power is slowly fading from them. We wondered if magic could be created in others for a time, but it doesn't seem so after all."
Sebastian looked thoughtful after the wizard's observation of the use of his runes. He had simply been trying to save Jana's life. She was one of the spies sent to Ensolus for a time as Southwall looked for a way to get to the Dark One. Nearly two centuries of his terror would end in his death, but the woman had joined him for a dangerous mission and nearly died. Her heart had stopped beyond his normal ability to restart, so he supposed that she had died momentarily until his use of the runes brought her back.
The thought that magic could be shared wasn't that strange though, he realized. "Placing runes on our soldiers to make them safer and stronger was like sharing magic, though I am not sure that using the marks could truly give someone true magical power."
Their eyes locked on the mage. At their intense looks, he waited for one of the wizards to speak next. They had yet to actually level whatever demands had brought them to him today.
Noticing the awkward silence, Rilenier asked, "Would you be able to show us what you did? Even if you are still uncertain of the safety of the runes, what you did was something that might save lives in the future also."
"You have the pattern of the runes already. Charging them requires a wizard adding their power into the markings, but other than that you should have enough to do it just from observing Jana's runes," Sebastian stated waiting for the other likely questions to stem from his answer.
"And what of the use of these runes on you?" Wizard Alum asked sounding less than satisfied with his answer. "You have six, or three pairs of these marks, and they seem to be changing the level of your power."
Sighing, Sebastian gave his answer careful thought, though since his first awaking to Davern's questions he had considered what would be best to tell the wizards who never seemed content to wait for a battle mage to figure things out in his own time.
"Everyone knows that it is too dangerous to just draw power directly from the earth, though in theory there is more power than any wizard would need available to draw upon. Some of the spells that I have figured out require extra power, usually borrowed from a wizard sharing their power while I execute the focus of the magic.
"I created a pair of the energy wells to siphon off some of my energy when I am well fed and rested. When I was held in New Harbor, the collar which blocked my magic created an overload of power that threatened to kill me when the wells leaked into the other runes. Wizard Rilenier saw me after another use of magic made the wells leak into my other runes. Creating the extra marks drew off the excess power.
"Removing them seemed like a waste and I might as well keep them in case something else might affect me similarly. Like I said before, these are runes that I made up and they need to be fully tested. That is why I would rather wait to pass them on to your healers.
"While I would hardly call myself a master or tell you that I understand everything about this kind of magic, I do know more than anyone else in Southwall. For now, you have to be content with what I have shared; which is nearly everything that I know for now anyway."
He could see that Rilenier both understood and was the most content with his answer. Judging the others from their looks, the rest ranged from willing to let the matter drop to Davern still looking ready to try grilling him for more information. Luckily the leaders of the healers were closer to Rilenier's view than Davern's this time.
Master Alum glanced to the visiting wizards and asked, "You have recorded what has happened with the runes placed on this woman?"
Nodding, Hegrone replied, "Yes, Master Alum; Rilenier and I have even brought copies of what we have observed. The girl appears healthy enough and no adverse affects have arisen. If the wells that Sebastian placed on her drain completely,
we will see if her health continues, of course; and can save her by sending magic into the existing runes. At least, that is our opinion for now."
Apparently satisfied and tired of trying to break the mage down beyond what he had shared, the master nodded to the mage saying, "Well, if you discover more, Owl Sebastian, please let us know. These runes seem to have more possibilities than originally believed. If they can save lives that might otherwise be lost or possibly give our wizards extra reservoirs of strength that might let them heal beyond their natural capacity, such knowledge would be very valuable to us."
"Of course, Master Alum," the mage nodded more to be rid of the crowd of wizards pumping him for information than because he worried over their wanting everything he knew. While he doubted that these wizards simply wished to use him, like so many seemed to these days, the last year had become one demanding wizard or mage after another expecting him to reveal every secret that he might know.
There was at least one secret that he had promised the immortal Darius to never reveal, however. Sometimes people, even wizards, needed to remain ignorant of things that could only bring them harm. Though he might be a third of the master's age, Sebastian worried that if he told the man how he had charged the wells when they had run out, it would lead to more dangers that would lead to that secret. He might be younger, but the owl believed that he had enough wisdom to know what to share and what to hide until it could be considered safe.
Davern lingered a moment before he followed the elder wizards from the room leaving just Wizard Rilenier looking indecisive as to whether she should leave yet. The woman mumbled something under her breath making her eyes glow slightly with magic. Only someone attuned to the power would see it and Sebastian watched the woman move closer to place her hand on his wrist as well.
After a moment, where Rilenier's eyes lost focus on the world around her, her gaze seemed to see him once more. The glow faded and she released his wrist.
Battle Mage Bonds (Tales of Alus Book 13) Page 3