“If not for the help of a pack of crag dogs protecting their territory from them, I would probably have been torn apart before Kel’lor was able to save me. Then there were the dark bird men everyone keeps calling shrikes who found us at the cabin, which makes it look more than likely that he is supported by the Dark One.”
Cor’Dargan appeared to be thinking as he added to the evidence, “Malaketh always managed to skirt how he knew it was Cheleya who had stolen from the academy vault. He had alluded to seeing your pack, yet it was nowhere in evidence. Master Kelman had backed him up, but either master should have been able to catch and subdue mere children, novices compared to them. I had always felt there was something wrong with the whole set up of it. It was why I joined the pursuit team. I wanted to know the truth because it didn’t sound like Cheleya.”
“You know that we can’t stand in the way if Malaketh and the others show up looking for Cheleya,” Draasstmass stated with an air of regret, though Cheleya could tell human emotions were further away in the elder che’ther. He couldn’t truly express himself like the human he appeared to be. If he was truly regretful or disinterested, the look remained much the same.
Isstmira’s hand covered her grandfather’s forearm draped with his long sleeved tunic. Her eyes found his questioning the old che’ther without words. Shaking his head, the ambassador added, “He is right. We can’t directly interfere with them since they carry the warrant from our council, but that doesn’t say that we have to go out of our way to help them find her either.”
Ambassador Theress looked at Cor’Dargan saying, “First things first. I will look at what has been does to the amulet. If Cheleya can at least return to herself, it will help her hold onto her core being. Without that, she will become more human. Already I can see that she expresses feelings like one of them, but that isn’t so bad. We che’ther can learn from humans, though they might learn a thing or two from us as well,” he added with a smile to the humans sitting with them.
Leading Cheleya away shadowed by Lystheir to continue hiding the girl’s magic, the protective wall of air disappeared. Sound from the other patrons came to their ears in a rush. It was a surprise having been so wrapped up in their conversation that they hadn’t realized how well the spell worked to insulate them from the world. Those from Staron looked unsure of what to do as they watched Cheleya and Theress leave.
Colbie moved to Cor’Dargan and asked, “Is there anything that Evantus and I can do in your plans?”
Shaking his head, the dragon replied, “I do not know how much we can think to ask of you. You have already done so much for my daughter. I have to thank you for caring for her.”
Blushing lightly with his praise, Colbie shrugged as she rebutted, “She and Kel’lor saved us from those shrikes at the cabin and even healed me from before that. I might have died without your daughter’s ability to heal.”
His face registered surprise in a very human looking version of the emotion, “I didn’t even know that she could heal.”
Colbie was unsure if that was Cheleya’s secret or not. Perhaps her mouth had said too much, a bad habit she often felt had rubbed off from Evantus, the usual source of her blame even when she was joking. “She seemed pretty new to it and the others tell me that a flask actually saved me. Kel’lor called the liquid Cheleya’s ‘dragon tears’ and collected more when he noted her crying later. Your daughter seems to know some magic that I have never even heard of before let alone seen with my own eyes.”
Showing a father’s pride as he released a small smile, Dargan nodded as he replied, “Cheleya has a lot of talent. It was why I made her mother let her go to the academy. Sorqesta dislikes magic and the amulet that let Cheleya change into a human was her least favorite, but a father can be proud when his child follows in his footsteps before going so far beyond him. Alteration and healing are magic we list in tomes, but few have performed the arts since the exodus from our old world. The gentle magic of a time long ago has nearly died out to just become some words on a page.
“Perhaps if we can finally bring Malaketh’s deceit to light, Cheleya can help bring those arts back to our people.”
Colbie nodded surprised that the father dragon could be so proud of his child. She wasn’t even sure that her own parents felt half as much for her becoming a battle mage. It wasn’t a position regarded highly in any circles in Staron. “If she went back, would they listen to her story?”
The dragon shrugged generally unsure of what the council would do. Malaketh and Kelman were masters and had said that Cheleya was a thief. Could they prove otherwise and clear her name? Dargan looked towards the rooms of the che’ther wondering if he could still save his daughter when everything pointed to her.
Theress studied the pieces of Cheleya’s amulet as he held his chin in thought. The old che’ther was one of a few left from the time of the exile. More than eleven hundred years had passed since he was little more than a larva and passed through the gateway from the burning world that had birthed the two races of che’ther and mar’goyn’lya. He was old now and the master of many schools of magic had aged to the point that leading a comfortable life among the humans as an ambassador meant spending it looking like a human.
Unlike most che’ther using amulets, the elder spent months and even years contained within the human shell. Looking at Cheleya, he saw a kindred spirit. “So my guess is that you actually liked being able to become human,” Theress said as he made conversation to distract the girl from any worries over her current predicament.
“I did, though being trapped as one was not something I had ever considered. Becoming small with so much agility and the things I can do with dragon magic in this form made it so fun, but Malaketh robbed me of that as well,” she sighed making the old che’ther realize that he had just failed.
Smiling like a grandfather at the girl, Theress tried to make Cheleya feel better about her circumstances even as his attention never wavered from the mystic sight he used to examine the stones. “Well, at least you didn’t turn into a frog or some other unfortunate animal of this world. There are worse things to be than a human.”
Cheleya looked at the old man before her and showed her own insight, “You must like them to be an ambassador in a human city. I would guess that you rarely have a chance to return to who you are inside.”
Raising a questioning brow, the old man looked at her eyes intently as he retorted, “Who is to say what we truly are? The amulets are said to bring out what we wish to be embodied in this race we become. Some become large wishing to ward off potential threats. Some let themselves be ugly or beautiful by human standards, though all have the choice to alter what they are. I wasn’t always an old man. With time, even a che’ther becomes old, however, and now this form becomes me. If I am some giant wyrm, is that me or have I evolved to become this?”
The girl frowned and responded, “You are still the dragon you were, aren’t you? No amulet changes what you were, but remove the amulet and you return to a che’ther, do you not?”
Seeming to question her logic, despite Cheleya knowing that it must be true, she wondered how could anyone say that they weren’t born to be who they were. Was he saying becoming human was his true nature or was he implying that it was hers? It was all too complicated to think about without becoming frustrated over the logic.
“Well, be that as it may or may not be. I think that your amulet may still work.” The old man placed the palm of his hand between her breasts pointing his fingers upward along the center of the breastbone. His fingers were long enough that the tips touched her collarbone as Theress began to chant a spell. It took over a minute and the old che’ther looked tired after it was complete.
Sitting on the bed of whichever che’ther actually stayed in this room, Theress looked at her with his magical sight and watched as the lines of power connected the pieces within the girl’s body. “There. The spell I placed on you helps the pieces flow together magically despite being spread across so many feet
. You may find that you have to cast the spells in reverse for changing back and forth. I also can’t guarantee that the spell will hold in your larger dragon form, but it should allow you to change in times of need when a che’ther’s strength will be more appropriate.
“As a dragon mage, you may find that your true power comes from this little human you have chosen. I know that I am a che’ther and old, but I am sure that you know that your spirit chose a beautiful shell to hide inside. It doesn’t happen this way by chance, so I can only assume that you are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside. Remember that, if you ever feel lost in the future, Cheleya.
“By the way, did you know that one of the side affects of the change is that you put out a perfume?”
Questioning the old man with a look as she attempted to take in so many things at once, the girl tried to latch onto the last question. “What perfume?”
“Surely someone has commented on how sweet you smell? Our forms tend to give off whatever scent that best reflects the emotion we require from those around us. A warrior might give off a scent of hatred, anger or instill fear in others. A politician might smell friendly and help smooth bridges between others because of an agreeable scent. Some give off a scent that helps make everyone love them and want to protect them like you.”
Cheleya had heard the humans say similar words that seemed to corroborate his information, but the girl didn’t like what that implied, “Does that mean my friends are only my friends because of my perfume?”
Laughing at the worry in her voice, Theress shook his head and answered, “Hardly. It simply makes it easier for you to meet people and make them like you. If you were mean to them or had the personality of a fish, you would most likely find yourself alone, but I doubt that you will have problems like that. You are a sweet girl, whether che’ther or human. People will like you.”
With a sigh at the old dragon’s words, Cheleya noted that he hadn’t bothered to stand and asked, “Did your spells drain you too much, Kev’Theress?” She used the honorific her people sometimes gave to their elders.
“Kev’Theress, am I? You, I could let call me grandfather like Isstmira does. I can tell your father raised you to respect your elders as well.
“No, I am fine. I will get something from their kitchen before I leave to replenish myself but, no, this is just old age telling me that I can’t hide in either body anymore. That and I haven’t used my magic that much of late. I find less use for it here in Hala.”
Kneeling before the old che’ther, she took his hands in hers as Cheleya’s emerald green eyes looked up at the man. She smiled thankfully. “I appreciate all that you have done for me, Kev’Theress. Do you think that anyone can remove these pieces from me to make it whole again?”
“To remove the spell holding you, I assume you mean,” Theress held both of her hands leaning closer. Their eyes locked and she could see her sadness echoed by the ambassador. “I am afraid that I can’t know that for certain. This spell is a work of dark magic of a kind that I have never come across before and maybe only Malaketh knows the answer to making it whole again. Whether removing the pieces will make you return you to what you were is another question I wish I could answer for you, little one.
“I know this has been an ordeal for you, but stay strong and we can hope that it will all work out in the end.”
Rising once more and assisting Theress to stand, the girl smiled once more bringing warmth to his eyes. “Well, grandfather, I guess now that only time will tell. In the meanwhile, let’s get that food for you.”
Cheleya held his left arm escorting the old dragon back to the restaurant considering what to do as they returned.
Stas’kel paused for the second time on their walk. While Alk’leyal was the most powerful of the three trackers, Stas’kel seemed to have the keenest observation while augmented by his sense enhancing spells. As he looked up, the five tracking Cheleya paused as his green eyes looked up at the inner wall.
“What is it?” Malaketh questioned growing aggravated with the slow procession of the trackers. They had decided to follow the main path towards the inner city hoping to catch stronger traces of the dragoness along the way, but whoever was concealing her scent had done so with near perfect precision.
Point his hand up towards the top of the wall in a broad sweeping motion, the gargoyle turned to Alk’leyal. “Do you smell the scent on the wall?”
Lifting his head towards the heights that the other tracker suggested, the gargoyle looked more like a hound sniffing at the air. A few looks from casual passersby were met with nods and tight smiles from the others that had instinctively begun to surround the wizard. Alk’leyal frowned before lowering his head to chant a new spell and as he looked up once more, Malaketh could see the magic in his eyes causing the brown to turn golden.
After a moment he shook his head and admitted, “I can’t tell from down here. Those che’ther have dispersed too much of her aura and scent for me to read through the haze. I don’t suppose the humans would take well to us flying up to the top of the wall.”
Malaketh frowned and shook his head in response to the rhetorical question, “No, and I don’t want news to spread of gargoyles flying around the city either. We know that Cor’Dargan and the others have beaten us here. We can only hope that they don’t know that we are here now. I would like to have at least a slight advantage in catching the two thieves before they can escape again.”
“They can’t hide her forever and we know that they are still here or they wouldn’t be trying so hard to conceal her,” Alk’leyal stated. The bald man stroked his goatee thoughtfully as he continued, “Perhaps if we spread out through the inner city we will catch wind of them. It is a smaller area and will make it harder to hide if they remain in there. They have taken a lot of time to obscure the outer city, so we can only hope that it was to throw us off or we may never catch them.”
Malaketh nodded agreement sticking with Stas’kel as his tracker and Mor’treya followed her master though she was mostly useless at tracking. While Alk’leyal led the largest of the gargoyle trackers, Ev’erelias, to the north, the other three started towards the south. There were only a handful or so streets to cover though they were long and curved following the outer wall more than the inner keep. The bend and staggering of the streets running east and west to allow passage would do little to prevent the trackers from finding their quarry if they were there. They only needed a scent and no amount of bending streets could conceal that inside the confines of the original inner city walls.
Buildings ranged in heights within the inner city. Some were all stone and looked capable of repelling significant size armed forces. They were usually the oldest and had been built during a time where only the white wall protected the population from assault. Built to compliment the single wall with its towers many tall stone buildings had roofs higher than the defense around them. Crenellated stones surrounded the roof facing the wall where their height would let a greater number of archers assist the garrisons manning the wall and towers.
Malaketh looked at the defenses thinking them powerful against a normal army waging war from the ground, but after a decade living within Mar’kal, the wizard had seen that few walls could stop a large force capable of flight. A dragon mage brought the concept of war into a different dimension. He knew that the emperor had begun his own creations with the shrikes and those who could assume their forms. If Ensolus continued to breed the creatures, soon an entire army could fly down to destroy Southwall and any other country the Dark One desired.
Stas’kel paused before a large building near the south end of the second street as they turned finding the first street end facing a building in front of the white wall. Reading the yellow sign of the healers of Southwall, Malaketh wondered if Kel’lor had succumbed to the poison that the shrike mage had informed him of almost a week earlier.
“The mar’goyn’lya is inside. I sense traces of the girl’s presence from this morning as well. They r
emain in the city, but not together.” Confusion ruled the gargoyle’s face as he questioned, “I wonder what could have put him into their care?”
Assuming that he knew, the master still nodded along appearing curious as well. Mor’treya looked at her master and asked, “If he is inside there, how will we gain access to him? There are guards at the gates and I see more at the building’s entry.”
“I still have the warrant for their arrest,” Malaketh stated though he had other ideas in mind. Those following him still believed that he planned on taking Cheleya and Kel’lor back to Mar’kal, but the man had little doubt that such an action would ruin all that he had built over the years. Malaketh had too much invested to allow that to happen. Still he continued the farce playing to their beliefs as he questioned Stas’kel, “Can you smell Cheleya or whatever it is you are doing?”
Running through two other spells and turning in a circle scanning the area besides, the gargoyle finally shrugged admitting, “There are only old traces of her on the air and most of that is in the hospital. Apparently whoever is masking her never went past the guards or I would probably not even have that much by now. The spell to disperse her presence extends into the yard and even onto the walls, but my magic is still strong enough to smell and see it inside the building.”
After giving a nod, and pretending to have come to a decision, though it had been made from the start, he said, “I will stay here. You two continue on scanning the remainder of the inner city and try to find the girl. Having all of us here will only draw more attention; perhaps by myself I can gain entry and take Kel’lor into possession. If he is ill, the healers may not want to give him up.
“Go on while I give this more consideration.”
Being dismissed didn’t go over easily with Mor’treya. The woman was strong headed and only capitulated thanks to his power over her as teacher. Students didn’t dispute their masters, so even though she looked ready to argue the right to stay, Mor’treya followed the tracker onto the next street in an attempt to find their other quarry.
Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus) Page 29