It was then that the dragoness realized she had made a mistake as the stone and dust in the air suddenly reformed around her pulling the little blond to the ground. Caught off guard, the girl was quick to alter the stone into water to free herself. The wizard could no longer use the element, but it was too late. She was on the ground and the spires grew over the mage cutting off her escape above, while muddy earth gripped her bare feet.
“Cheleya, enough!” a deep voice growled in warning.
She knew that voice. The brown scaled che’ther loomed over her widening the girl’s eyes further as she asked in confusion, “Father? Why are you here?”
A heavy clearing of a long throat, preceded his words, “I came to find my daughter before she came to harm. Apparently, I needn’t have worried since you seem capable of protecting yourself.”
The ground released as Cheleya altered the mud back into dust and stepped free. Her father’s large eyes opened wide at the use of magic that he couldn’t immediately understand. “How?” the large dragon started in surprise. “You don’t use earth magic. How is this possible?”
Feeling a tremor in the ground, Cheleya looked behind her as two more che’ther moved to join their leader. The blue, female dragon shook her head still trying to shake cobwebs loose from the jarring impact with the ground. Luckily, Lystheir had only been a dozen feet above the ground and was protected by her dragon armor or it might have been worse. Elenek, a large red dragon, took position behind the little blond on her left, while the blue held the right.
In dragon form, Cheleya knew that she would have a speed advantage now, but her father didn’t seem to be trying to actually harm her. Whatever stories, Malaketh had told, Cheleya felt that he was here despite them.
“Why are you here?” she repeated again ignoring his question of her magic, since she wondered at the powerful earth magic of a simple farmer. If the dragoness needed to fight again, having her special magic was an advantage she needed to keep.
“Malaketh and the elders say that you tried to steal from the academy and fled with Kel’lor. I’ve never know you to steal. You likely have little knowledge of the artifacts kept in the inner chambers anyway and less idea how to get to them, and yet they say my daughter is a thief and traitor.
“No matter how angry you might be at your mother, I know better than that, so what is your part of the story?” his deep voice seemed soothing to the girl.
“Why haven’t you changed into a che’ther?” Fa’Lystheir asked still trying to remove the confusion from her fuzzy mind. “You can’t prefer those little pink bodies to being a che’ther.”
Letting out a big sigh from her little frame, Cheleya replied, “That would be part of the story father has asked for.
“Malaketh broke my amulet and embedded the pieces into my bones locking me in this form. He disrupted my magic and threw me from the academy tower hoping I would be killed in the fall.”
Unable to contain his shock, Elenek disputed the claim, “But why would he do that? He is a master and trusted by the council. Malaketh wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Glancing at the red dragon, Cheleya fought the urge to roll her eyes and realized that she had been among humans way too long. “Malaketh has a black amulet that he used to control Fa’Kelman’zer. He made the master let him and a pair of human men, who I had never seen before, into the artifact chambers. When I heard voices in the academy that night, I had thought they would belong to someone who I could ask for a room. If mother couldn’t handle my magic, I was going to live there for a time. Or so I had hoped.
“When Malaketh caught me, he used his black amulet to control me returning us to the classroom, but I still believed there was nothing to truly fear. He was my teacher and master. I wasn’t supposed to think he would hurt me, so when he took my amulet using his black amulet to destroy mine, I was unable to defend myself.
“He used another spell to disrupt my magic and only my desperation managed to get my wings formed in time to save me after he pushed me off the balcony.
“Kel’lor happened on me after a pack of werewolves and werecats attacked me. A pack of crag dogs defended me before he found me and saved my life.” Tears formed as she remembered the loss of her friend, Kerliss, though she tried to force the feelings back down as she continued. “We’ve been running ever since. I was hoping to find someone to break my curse and maybe find a way back later. Kel’lor and I hadn’t even thought that far ahead and now he’s been poisoned by a black bird man. I don’t even know if he’ll survive.
“Everyone’s being hurt trying to protect me and I don’t even know why this really happened.” She finished unable to stop her tears and shaking with emotion. It wasn’t a very che’ther thing, but Cheleya had come to understand her human side was very strong.
The three che’ther were a little disconcerted both from her story and the girl’s unusual display of emotions. Dargan began a spell checking for the stones of the amulet and finding the nine pieces spread through the human body, he knew at least that much of her story was true. No che’ther, even one who enjoyed her human form used for dragon mage magic, would dare to break their own amulet let alone displace them in such an odd way.
“So does this mean that the masters sent Malaketh because he was her master or did he arrange it?” Lystheir mused aloud and glanced to the red dragon beside her.
Elenek shook his great head as he gave his interpretation of the situation, “If he didn’t manipulate the situation to be the one to chase her down, I would be surprised. With Cheleya and Kel’lor removed permanently, he could conceal any evidence of his involvement.”
The blue dragon questioned, “Do you think he meant to find a way to kill them?”
“He’s a human. I have little doubt. If he serves his greed for power, we know stories of what humans are willing to do. If he serves the Dark One in an attempt to steal our secrets, we know what he is capable of as well,” the red dragon sniffed before raising his head to look behind him. “We have company coming.”
Cheleya looked between the two che’ther seeing a score of riders bearing down on them from the west gate. As she looked, glowing orbs appeared in the sky surrounding the che’ther lighting the ground and wall around them. Wizards and soldiers could be seen with Cheleya’s magic sensing spell. She had never released the power even during the fight and could see a dozen magic users among the gray light of those who had none.
“Hold che’ther!” a commanding voice cried out. “Do not think to use your magic to fight your way past or our wizards will take you down.”
“We had no desire to do any such thing,” her father responded coolly and calmly. “We were merely dealing with a matter of our realm.”
“You are in our lands now, dragon, so any fighting involves our realm now,” the commander stated coldly. “Using magic in the middle of the night right beside our walls could be considered an act of war, if taken wrongly.”
Cheleya stepped between the two che’ther smiling sweetly. She could see surprise among the men, though they tried to hide it. “We’re sorry to have disturbed you. We were trying to get a little practice in before the tournament in secret. After such a long journey, we were just working out some pent up energy readying ourselves for Winter’s Edge.
“We thought we were far enough outside inhabited areas to avoid waking anyone with our rough housing.”
The man looked unconvinced by the girl’s lie, though Cheleya had said it so easily that she was surprised that they doubted her. Che’ther weren’t known as good liars, but she amazed herself with the quick words as she managed to make them believable. While her smile never faltered, the man countered with another question, “You’re all dragons?”
Clarity of the juxtaposition of the dainty little blond fighting with giants was the problem apparently, she thought. “Ah, well we can hardly bring our full size bodies into the city now can we? We use amulets to change into humans. I don’t have mine with me, but they do.” She looked down at her
bare feet standing in the snow and added, “Do you know very many humans who will walk around in winter dressed like this?”
The man laughed at the thought despite the situation.
The three che’ther took hold of their amulets and changed in a trio of lights. After the glows had faded, their human forms stood in the dragons’ places though they wore more traditional looking uniforms including boots. Cor’Dargan followed in his daughter’s lie and confirmed, “As you can see, we came prepared to move among humans. A forty foot dragon, as you put it, can hardly maneuver through your narrow streets.”
Returning to his formal nature, the commander shook his head and replied, “Even so, we can’t have you using your magic like this so near the outer walls. People will hear and panic. You also might damage the walls in your fighting.”
Cheleya had moved closer and looked up at the men on horseback flashing her smile trying to look contrite. Shaking her head mirroring the man’s gesture, the pretty girl commiserated with the soldiers, “I am sorry that we disturbed you. My father wanted to be sure that I could duel. We should have thought out the matter more thoroughly. I can return to my hotel in the inner circle and if you need me I am at the Two Circles Inn. Ambassador Lord Lothran from Staron can verify that I am here for the tournament. I came with an earth wizard and her mage escort.”
The word ‘mage’ made the man’s face wrinkle a bit with distaste and Cheleya wondered why. Holding her sincerest apology in her eyes as she gazed up at the man, the che’ther let the matter recede into her subconscious making sure that this issue was handled first.
“The ambassador? Well, that is a good word to have vouch for you, but let us escort you back to your inn. We can’t have anymore of this late night dueling.”
“I can make it to my inn quickly enough, but my father and his friends might need a place to stay. Would you know of any place?” her eyes pled with him reflecting the light in her deep green eyes.
Thrown off by the girl’s looks and manner, the soldier shook his head and replied, “It is probably too late to find an inn tonight. They can come to the northwest barracks and grab a cot until morning. You are sure that you will be all right, young lady?”
The little blond nodded and turned to her father. “I will get back to my friends, father. You can find me at the Two Circles or the wizards’ hospital checking on Kel’lor.”
“Dragon wings,” Cheleya commanded wings to appear that were girlishly pink enforcing her appearance despite the new magic. She could here gasps as the dragoness leapt into the air letting her wings carry her in a circle until she could clear the outer wall. Faces of wizards and soldiers looked on in awe as the pretty, little, blond girl moved past with a wave and disappeared over the roofs between them and her room.
The exercise and emotions had drained Cheleya and the girl yawned covering her mouth with her hand despite no one being near. Thinking that she could sleep easily now, Cheleya wondered at what her father would do now that he knew what had happened to her. Malaketh was still coming. She doubted that the three che’ther could stop him, but at least now the little dragoness had someone who knew her and could help.
Landing on the rooftop of the Two Circles, the dragoness continued down the stairs to her room. The key worked the door and Cheleya continued to hear the steady breathing of the women sleeping as she locked the door behind her.
After removing her dress and replacing the silk top, she slipped back under the covers thinking how nice and warm the bed felt to her. Her skin noticed such things as the warmth of the woman next to her and the softness of her pillow under her head as well.
Bumping into Colbie caused the mage to start and complain, “Sheesh, Cheleya your feet are freezing. I thought dragons were warm.”
The initial complaint faded as Colbie returned to sleep. While the dragoness consciously moved away until her skin warmed again, she soon fell asleep as well.
Chapter 19- White Halls
A midmorning sun shown down on the prairie north of the wall glistening off the snow covering much of the grasses wintering beneath it. Five winged shadows slid along the ground as the flyers flew towards the tower allowing official entry into Southwall. As Malaketh led the remaining pursuit team, the master did his best to hide his anger at the che’ther that had made a fool of him.
All save Cor’Dargan had been picked because of their mastery of dragon mage magic and skills as trackers, yet it was the earth dragon farmer who had bested them by leaving the team a full day behind his three. He had been told that they had been originally three days behind the girl and her gargoyle by those the White Mare Inn, and that Dargan had been there as well. Their ability to fly unhindered had closed the gap on the two, but the master had to worry over the other squad from Staron as well.
He doubted that he could kill them or find a way to remove that many with believable accidents. Cheleya and Kel’lor would have been tricky enough, but now three che’ther and four of Mar’kal’s allies stood in the way. Malaketh worried who the girl would tell her story and how many would believe her.
His fingers touched the black amulet hidden inside his tunic. There was always that. The mar’goyn’lya and che’ther all wore medallions to change as they dealt with human cities and the need to be lighter for flight. Whether they had any idea of what could be done with the artifacts was unknown and so far no one had discovered his tampering with the other masters’ memories. Controlling the creatures had been child’s play as he had spent a decade of his life finding a way deeper into the academy.
“Fa’Malaketh’zer, Dargan’s three flew to the cliff,” Stas’kel informed him as the best of his trackers noticed the change from his magic. “Do we follow?”
Shaking his head, a nearly futile gesture in flight, the man stated, “We go to the tower to check ourselves in with our papers. Dargan must have led his people around their defenses to sneak into the city. They had a lead on us, but if they chose to come during the night it would be easy to fly along the cliffs to avoid the wall guards.
“We will clear our intent with Southwall and warn them of the thieves. Telling them of Dargan and the others before ascertaining their intentions, would be unwise at this point, however. This will also legitimize our duties here.”
Though Malaketh didn’t truly care about the legitimacy of their need before the men of Southwall, it was an obvious advantage. Letting them know what they needed of Mar’kal’s business with Cheleya and Kel’lor would help override whatever Dargan was up to now. With that in mind, the master mage led the four mar’goyn’lya to land in front of the eastern tower which guarded a heavily fortified gate.
The eyes of the men and women guarding the gate that Malaketh could see were wide eyed at the sight of a man flying with gargoyles. Few south of Mar’kal could say they had seen the mar’goyn’lya let alone in flight, while the knowledge of dragon mage magic was a little known secret as well. The master let a smile touch his lips to appear friendly though he mostly wanted to rub it in their faces. Southwall wizards were especially cocky, but none were known to fly.
Presenting his papers, Malaketh addressed the leader of the soldiers and mages barring their way, “Good morning, soldiers of Southwall. I am Fa’Malaketh’zer, leader of a team searching for thieves that have run to Southwall to hide.”
He was brief. They were given what he believed they needed and no more than that.
The leader in his blue tunic and cloak over brown pants had the Southwall emblem in red across his chest and back. Others used variations, but always the red and blue unified their look. While the man took his letter of introduction, he asked, “You follow thieves? No one without the proper identification and paperwork are allowed through this gate. Therefore you must be mistaken.”
“They travel with a group from Staron, who are unaware of their duplicitous ways I am sure. A blond haired young woman of strikingly beautiful features is one of them. Perhaps you have seen her or heard word of her with these others I mentioned.”
The captain of the guard shook his head as he handed the papers back to Malaketh. His eyes betrayed no knowledge of the girl as he replied, “No one like that has been through on my watch recently or otherwise.”
“She has bright, emerald green eyes and long blond hair. She is young and seems innocent and travels with a giant of a man. You are sure?” Malaketh asked letting his eyes roam to the soldiers behind the captain as the man shook his head starting to frown at being questioned on what he had already declared.
A young man spoke up out of turn directing his words to the captain, “Sergeant Brighton may have let them in yesterday along with a group of mages and a wizard, sir. They had official papers to get through, but he was talking about a beautiful blond haired girl yesterday.”
Turning his frown on the young man, the captain asked coldly, “Did they say where they were going then private? Perhaps we can make up for the sergeant’s mistake.”
A quick shake of the head and shrug did little to relieve the captain’s annoyance. He looked at Malaketh and added, “Sorry, but if she is the one you are seeking, then I guess you will have to search the city if you are sure that they went there. I apologize if we have failed to capture your quarry for you.” The man’s eyes strayed to the four mar’goyn’lya and he added, “You may have a problem catching up to her with these gargoyles drawing unwanted attention. Their kind aren’t common here, so their presence might alert the ones you are looking for.”
Nodding to the mar’goyn’lya, the four recited the words of change and soon four very human looking gargoyles had taken their place. Malaketh noted the looks of awe with smug satisfaction as he replied, “Perhaps that will help keep them from being noticed.”
The captain merely nodded unable to keep his eyes off the transformed magicians. “Nice trick,” he admitted trying to appear unimpressed, but failing to conceal the look in his eyes.
Malaketh gestured towards the outer gate. “If we are done here, may we continue with our pursuit?”
Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus) Page 25