Cheleya knew that she was outnumbered and outvoted for the moment. She eased in Kel’lor’s grip and took assessment of her own situation for the moment. She had turned into a winged dragon. Winged dragons that breathed fire and could instill irrational fear with their mere passing were things of myth and legend. There were rumors that such creatures could move between worlds or perhaps dimensions. They were rarely seen on Alus, but at least one had been seen in the last millennium. Few and far between, Cheleya’s mind had still summoned the black dragon with all its abilities, albeit for a short time, but it still begged the question of how.
Chapter 33- Lessons in Humility
The red che’ther looked meekly at Cor’Dargan as the wizard watched over the bound dragon. “You can release me now, Fa’Dargan’zer. Whatever power Malaketh’s spell had over me seems to have passed. My mind is my own now.”
Still the man stroked his brown beard as he looked for certain signs in the che’ther’s eyes. This wasn’t the first time one of those controlled had insisted they were fine since Malaketh had fled. It was still night, but the morning sun was already beginning to cast a glow on the eastern horizon and he had begun to fear its affect would last into the day. They had hoped to clear their business before the wizards in charge of setting the arenas returned for their morning’s work.
This had been Mar’kal business and, while Southwall was their ally, airing their dirty laundry wasn’t something any of them wanted. Things had been done that had best be kept secret. Seeing dragon mages flying and fighting was just one of the things that their country had kept from the southerners. If the fact that there was magic that could allow an enemy to easily circumvent the great wall were to be announced to the humans at large, there would be fear and panic. If the news that someone had taken that magic and might be giving it to the Dark One’s armies got out, who knew what the populace would do. Rioting and panic were likely. Such chaos would only distract from what they could control weakening what their leaders had been working for so long.
Their wizards and mages would have to continue standing against anything that the Dark One could devise if they were to carry on living in peace as they knew it. Luckily, flight was limited to those with magic or born with wings, at least so far. Whether dragon mage magic could spread to common soldiers had yet to be researched, but Cor’Dargan wondered if perhaps it was time for Mar’kal to figure that out. Such research would have to be guarded from those who would give it to their enemies, but he would also have to talk to the council to see if they agreed with his opinion.
Returning to his roots as a wizard and master of earth magic saddened the che’ther. He had liked his life helping farmers grow food from the rocky land between the mountains improving efforts beyond what had once been possible. That research was what he really wished to continue, but it appeared the Dark One wouldn’t let his people live in peace much longer. Farming magic was a thing for peaceful times and he feared that the dark armies were beginning to stir once more.
Brown eyes looked at the man questioning. “Master? Hello, can you please release these bonds? Even a che’ther’s muscles grow stiff held in such a way, sir. Trust me when I say that.”
Pulled from his thoughts that had become side tracked, Dargan merely snapped his fingers releasing the stone back into the earth from which it had sprung. He tossed the che’ther his amulet of transformation and watched as Elenek changed back to his human form. His eyes revealed the truth of his sincerity and the release from the controlling amulet.
“I am sorry, master. I couldn’t stop myself. Malaketh’s magic was too strong,” the wizard said in disappointment.
“Don’t apologize, Fa’Elenek, you weren’t the only one. Anyone bound by an amulet seems to be susceptible to that black magic he wields. At least, you have finally broken the bond,” the man said turning to look at a blue che’ther still struggling against the stone holding her. The two walked towards Lystheir waiting to see if she had also slipped free from the black amulet’s spell.
The blue dragon was the last, but a che’ther in full reveal was the one they least wished to have waiting for the city of Hala to view. A mar’goyn’lya was much easier to hide than a forty foot dragon bound in stone shackles. They didn’t need to remind their human allies of a che’ther’s power for fear that they would react against Mar’kal negatively. After a millennia of coexistence, the three races had only begun to learn to tolerate the differences between them.
Turning her large blue head as much as she could, Lystheir was able to see the two approaching with her right eye. The stone allowed for little movement to make sure no one was snapped up by the dragon in an effort to fulfill Malaketh’s wish of their deaths.
“Things are foggy, but I believe Cheleya destroyed my amulet,” the blue dragon stated without the meekness of her male counterpart.
Cor’Dargan nodded and followed up with a question, “I take it that you have come to your senses?”
A big sigh of annoyance preceded her words, “Yes, Fa’Dargan’zer, I have learned my lesson well.”
“Sarcasm. I’ll take that as a yes,” the human looking wizard stated as he could see the haze had lifted from her blue eyes. He held out a stone amulet and added, “The mar’goyn’lya won’t need this as bad as you do near the city. Once everyone is ready, we will give chase to Malaketh.”
“Won’t he just use his talisman to override our minds once more when we find him,” Elenek asked the obvious question.
Dargan snapped his fingers releasing Lystheir’s bonds as he answered, “We will use our human forms, while the mar’goyn’lya fly as they were created to do. They don’t need their amulets to give chase and we will simply remove ours when we find him before he gets that chance.”
After eyeing the plain stone amulet unhappily a moment, the blue dragon chanted the words of change. It wasn’t made of the shiny metal that che’ther in particular always seemed to prefer. Their race seemed to share at least one trait as that of the legendary dragons. They liked metal and precious stones, though only the less stable allowed such things to govern them.
Lystheir replied to his words after returning to the dark haired woman with her stunning blue eyes, “There is a danger in that. We don’t know his true range and he might find a way to ambush us to use the charms against us again.”
“Unless you’ve learned the stone running technique, I doubt that you will be able to keep up with the others. If he reaches the mountains, we will all need to fly or leave the chase to our allies,” Dargan answered with finality. “Now come. We need to gather the others and prepare to leave.”
With the two che’ther in tow, the earth wizard led them to a loosely formed ring of humans and mar’goyn’lya. There they found Ambassador Sselanus speaking with not only the trackers and wizards from the tournament, but a trio of human wizards as well.
“Ah, here he is now,” the ambassador said loud enough for Dargan to hear as he approached. “Cor’Dargan, this is High Wizard Neferen and High Wizard Culmore,” he stated gesturing to the two men wearing white jackets with several colors of stripes tracing the sleeves like fire. Black pants and boots barely scuffed by the dirt and snow they must have trod upon to get into the field were the only part of the uniform similar to the third man. “Last but not least is Raven Leros, leader of the battle mages here in Hala. We didn’t get a chance to introduce you while dealing with our more unfortunate members.”
The words were chosen a bit slowly for Dargan’s taste and he knew it was a diplomat’s trick to make sure each sentence held the right meaning. Still, such careful speeches were something a farmer rarely heard. He also decided that he hadn’t missed hearing the diplomatic tongues of wizards and natural diplomats since leaving the Academy of Magic decades ago.
Despite his feelings, he knew that Theress had brought these men along as witnesses to their dealings with Malaketh. This was their land and the warrant the master had carried with him had to be proven null and void or they would still
honor the letter. Cor’Dargan nodded to the men in respect, which was easy enough to do seeing the strong auras of magic around the men in white. The man in black was no less impressive despite his lesser strength of magic. Both wizards were gray haired and only the man in black had white hair, revealing that these were elders among their people.
“I am honored by your witness to the events here,” Dargan said trying to at least hold a grain of the diplomat’s tongue with his choice of words. These were wizards, not lords, but they still required a respectful tone and he just hoped that he was appropriate.
The first wizard looked annoyed by the circumstances. He had been there most of the night; and a cold, winter night in Southwall was an uncomfortable thing at best. A wall of heat seemed to circle around the man, a combination of fire and air. Knowing the men known as white wizards from their garb of choice, Dargan also knew these were men who had mastered more than one element. Whether the wizard’s temperament followed his primary path as a fire wizard, was unknown to the dragon.
“I don’t know about being honored, but I do know that I would rather be in my bed than out in a winter’s night beyond Hala’s walls,” High Wizard Neferen stated refusing to lose his scowl. “The displays of magic aside, I admit that I have my reservations about what I have seen.”
The second wizard clarified more as he added, “The ambassador informed us about some of what this Master Malaketh is said to have done. He deceived your council and may have used black magic to push their minds to issue this warrant.
“After the show he delivered, I and my colleagues would have to agree that his actions strengthen the belief that he created this out of his own need. We can not honor a document so tainted.”
Neferen wiped at his face in annoyance, before retorting, “I was getting to that. You just have to hear the sound of your voice, don’t you?”
The second wizard appeared to ignore his associate’s words as the raven stepped in, “He has fled beyond our border into the plains. If you have need of our help, I can have men put at your disposal for the chase. Letters to Staron can be given to you if necessary as well.”
Shaking his head, Cor’Dargan replied, “He is just one man. Even a master like Malaketh can’t defeat our half dozen wizards. We will track him down and capture him faster if we fly. Unfortunately, I do not believe any of your wizards have come to learn our dragon magic to learn how to join us in the sky.”
The diplomat wizard, Culmore, smiled at his inadvertent rhyme. The raven, a man of action, either ignored or missed the movement of words as he nodded in agreement. “Perhaps that will need to be remedied soon, but for now we’ll leave it to you, folks.”
With the matter decided, the raven excused himself and began the long walk back to the temporary north gate. The two high wizards joined him after wishing them luck. Neferen looked like he wondered why they hadn’t just found a way to excuse themselves hours earlier.
Left with their people, Dargan noted Cheleya sitting with Kel’lor. The girl looked annoyed and realized that the gargoyle had continued to keep her close. At first, Dargan thought that he was simply keeping her from running after Malaketh half cocked, but as he had watched the two the dragon realized that Kel’lor was acting like an older brother keeping her close as he made sure that the girl was safely through the after affects of her transformation. The two had been separated for days and the gargoyle seemed to be making up for lost time in body guard duties.
Moving closer to the two, Cor’Dargan stated, “You two will stay here and return with Arronnon and the others. Enjoy the tournament and rest. You two have been through enough and deserve to at least see the end of the tournament before travelling all the way back home.”
Cheleya’s face betrayed that she wanted to go after Malaketh with the tracker team, but her words led to another problem for the girl, “Is Mar’kal still my home then?”
Confused by the question, her father answered what he felt was obvious, “Of course it is your home. Your mother and future sibling are there. I’ll return soon enough and there is the academy as well.”
Holding up her pink, human hands and arms, Cheleya reminded him, “I can’t change back into a che’ther, at least not for long. How can I live in your house like this? I don’t feel the cold the way most humans do, but I still can’t live like a che’ther if I am a human now.
“More importantly, you know what mother thinks of this form. She drove me away for using my magic and amulet. Do you think that she will accept her daughter as a human for long?”
His mouth opened wanting to answer with a definitive yes, but Dargan saw her point. Sorqesta had hated magic. She was one of the reasons that he had left the academy. Since he was tired of wizardry when Cor’Dargan had met her, it had been easy to avoid using magic around her. The earth wizard used his powers in the fields and never at home.
He had watched the tension grow between the two women in his life as Cheleya’s powers continued to blossom and grow. Contention over Cheleya’s use of magic had finally driven the girl to run away after all. Was she right in questioning where her home was?
“You can return to Mar’kal. Humans live in the city as well. Maybe we will just have to look into finding a place for you there?”
Her eyes betrayed Cheleya’s dismissal of such plans. “Maybe I should just remain with my human friends for awhile. Maybe someone here will find a way to separate the stones from my body or not, but I can stay here and learn different magic perhaps. I’ve virtually mastered my study of dragon mage magic anyway, so I was about to move on to the next school of training. Maybe it could be here?”
Looking ready to argue, it was Ambassador Sselanus who interrupted saying, “I could see if one of the schools of Southwall would accept her. She could even see if there is a place to teach dragon mage magic to our allies here. It might be time to pass the knowledge on to our friends.”
Those who heard the elder dragon looked appalled by the idea, at least those who were older and had guarded the unique magic were. Cheleya brightened at Theress’ idea and she asked, “Do you think that they would? Or maybe I can ask my friends if I could go to Staron to train?”
While Colbie and Evantus appeared happy enough with the idea, Orlerin brought an air of reality to the thought, “We have already been through our training, Cheleya. Even if you do return to Staron and join the school in Estaria, we would be in the field much of the time. If you want to go to Staron to remain with Colbie and Evan, it would only be to see them rarely.”
The two mages looked unhappy at his words, but they realized he was correct. Tilana smiled trying to soften the impact, “If you come to visit, send us word so we have time to convince our leaders of a need for a vacation and we could certainly do that.”
Theress spoke up saying, “In the mean time, you could remain with me at my embassy home until things are decided. Your father and the others can attend to Malaketh.”
A frown came to the girl’s face at the last remark. “I still wish that you would let us come along to deal with Malaketh. We do have some scores to settle with him after all.”
Nodding to his daughter, Dargan raised a finger in rebuttal saying, “That is part of why I think it best if you leave matters to us. You have been through enough thanks to Malaketh. We will capture him. There will be a time where you two will need to return as witnesses to his actions, but for now it would be better to put a little distance between you three.”
Kel’lor looked over at Mor’treya, who was apparently among those going to pursue their master. “And will you be alright to deal with Malaketh then, Mor’treya? You have been betrayed by the master almost as much as we have. Should they make you stand down as well?”
The dark haired woman raised brown eyes to look at her fellow student. Her eyes revealed her own pain from the betrayal, but there was strength in them that quickly turned to resolve as Mor’treya shook her head. “I will be fine and make sure that the master pays for his crimes. I won’t fail you two a
gain, Kel’lor.”
“You didn’t fail us,” Cheleya countered gently. “He fooled everyone for ten years and became a master. How would you have known that he couldn’t be trusted? You never wronged us by following your orders, but you know the truth now so bring him to justice for us, big sis.”
The final words of endearment looked to soften the stony visage of the dark haired woman. Walking over to the dragoness cursed to remain in her weak human body, Mor’treya embraced her friend while she was still human in appearance. Stepping back, the mar’goyn’lya removed her amulet uttering the reversal spell before handing the charm to Cheleya. “Thank you, little sister. Maybe this will come in handy while you are here. I won’t need it where we are going. I hope one day this curse can be removed from you, Cheleya.”
There were tears welling up in Mor’treya’s eyes threatening to stain her gray skin, a rarity to be seen on a gargoyle. She brushed them aside before turning to face the others.
Cor’Dargan cleared his throat and stated, “Well, trackers, gather your packs. We have a hunt to commence and a villain to bring back to Mar’kal for justice.”
The trackers had traveled light and brought their packs to the field hiding them behind the bleachers. With everyone prepared to travel and knowing that Malaketh’s lead would only continue to grow as they waited, the che’ther called up glowing dragon wings to follow the mar’goyn’lya into the sky. There was no further need to put guards at ease as the six headed off into the darkness.
Malaketh fled through the remainder of the night. The fear he had felt in the presence of a true dragon had been primal. Thinking on his terror, he knew that the girl had channeled the actual power of a legendary dragon. Their magical nature and strength were rumored to flow from such creatures in such a way as to panic lesser men. Using such a classification as ‘lesser man’ infuriated the wizard.
Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus) Page 44