White Hall (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 10)

by Donald Wigboldy

  “Even when we take a break, you practice magic. You are one of those who can’t get enough of magic and learning spells,” the blond haired dragoness finished with a smile.

  “Well, it isn’t a hard spell. It is no more than someone taking ink and drawing a picture on their desk when they are bored.”

  Cheleya cocked her head to the side and asked, “It’s a water doodle?”

  A giggle came from Katya at the words. She shrugged in return liking the term and found it funny.

  Looking at her fingers, Cheleya sighed and began to walk out of the water. She sat in the sun letting it begin to dry her skin. Katya followed without using her wrinkled fingertips to make her decision. The water had been cool and refreshing, but she had limited time to fly or learn dragon mage magic each day. Whiling away all her free time soaking in the river wasn’t going to make her any better as a wizard.

  The thought made her consider the dragoness’s words. Lying back onto the grass first, Cheleya quickly joined her. The warm sun and slight breeze following the river worked to dry their skin quickly. Before they became too warm again and lost the fresh feeling from the water, the girls got up and began to dress.

  Katya asked about another thing circulating around the groups she knew, “Do you think that I am ready for a mission into the mountains? You don’t think we’ll find trouble like they did bringing the animals back to the forest, do you?”

  Raising her eyebrows questioningly, Cheleya paused holding her blouse before shaking her head. “The dragon mages are going along meaning that you will have a lot of experienced wizards and mages coming along. We are just going to a place where we can let loose and fly more.

  “Piotr and the other novices have to release more animals rehabilitated over the winter, but the biggest challenge will be getting carts up into the lower mountains from what I am told.” She grinned and added, “But we can ride horses or fly if we run into any obstacles we don’t like.”

  Katya nodded and finished straightening her clothes. She could feel a piece of grass sticking to her back and reached beneath the cloth to brush it off of her. The dragoness stepped into her boots opened by magic. Using both hands to bring the two pieces of leather together, her magic bonded them as one making the result virtually seamless in appearance.

  Both girls used their wings to launch into the air heading back towards the city and school.

  Katya still worried over the things discussed, but she was just a novice. She didn’t have to lead or risk others’ lives, so at least people like Ylena would be able to work to keep everyone safe.

  The procession leaving White Hall headed west towards the mountains looked like an army prepared for a long march. Katya was grouped with Neira and two other diplomacy wizards and their mentors. The other two were boys making the numbers even. Beyond their little group was nearly every other novice in the school at the moment. Fire wizard trainees, air, earth, water and nature, including Piotr and the others who had arrived in White Hall at the same time, were grouped in their individual niches.

  This was a crossroads of sorts for the novice wizards. The summer event was apparently an annual thing designed to test novices beyond their basic comprehension of spells. They would be in the field and undergo specially created tests to see if they were ready to evolve to the next level as apprentices.

  Katya was somewhat surprised that after three and a half months her class was part of that question. They had all studied and everyone seemed to be doing well, but it all seemed so soon. Of course, in reality a novice was just a young wizard with little knowledge and understanding of magic. She felt like she had grown quite a bit in that way at least. While she didn’t feel like she had mastered anything, that was what the level of apprentices was, not full wizards. Being an apprentice was that time between knowing little and wholly understanding one’s abilities.

  Her mentors had said that no matter what level a wizard attained, most continued to study to learn even more. Being a white wizard was the dream of many. Learning magic of other classes to the point of mastering them as well, that was the draw of being a wizard as they made imagination into reality.

  The mass of wizards and mages hadn’t gone too far when word came through the mentors of a split in their ranks.

  Ylena explained for the diplomacy wizards saying, “Throughout this trip, we will be splitting the novices into two groups. Each side will need a leader for each day, both within each school and also for the entire company. While there is usually little to do during a ride normally, unless we were run into an enemy; it is still good practice.

  “The mentors will step back to both evaluate and create sample problems for the leaders to work to solve. At night, the leaders will supervise and give leadership to the camp. Each day, the leaders will change so you will all get a chance to lead more than once during this trip.

  “Our goal is Mount Deras, or more accurately the foothills southeast of it. There the nature wizards will release the animals that are ready to be sent back into the wild.”

  She nodded to one of the male wizards, a dark haired man named Faren. He continued her line of information pointing to the boys, “On the way there, we will take Berlis and Vren to one group while you girls will work together in the other. We will switch up after four days, so you all get used to working with each other.”

  He gestured to the other mentors adding, “You may as well get used to working together now, since diplomacy wizards are as rare as healer wizards. Ylena, Wren, Soren and I have known each other for years and not just at the school. You will cross each other’s paths throughout your career, so learn to get along and hopefully like each other; because that is the core of what a diplomacy wizard truly is.

  “We aren’t just wizards. As the classification says, we are the go betweens when the other wizards can’t get along. We are often chosen to lead teams of wizards since we exist outside of the main conflict of elementalists. They argue who is better at combat or hate the damage one group does to the others’ environment and the like.

  “A diplomacy wizard rules the mind and uses the other elements without growing partial to any. We watch their faces and read their body movements to read their minds and control the groups we are in charge of, while being there to intercede between them and keep the peace.”

  The other male mentor, a blond haired man named Soren who was quite handsome in Katya’s opinion, even if he was older, took over from Faren. “Ylena and I were in the same year of novices and were apprentices with Wren. Now we are mentors together, but I can’t even count how many times we have all worked together.

  "You will need to learn to accept the others leading as they do to you. There should be no egos. We are always there to get a job done.”

  The last mentor, Wren, nodded finishing for the others, “A diplomacy wizard tries to lead and have no losses. We aren’t the combat leaders, however, but we make it so the others work together smoothly.”

  She pointed at the novices and stated emphatically, “If you four can’t get along, then how will the others follow you?”

  Ylena nodded and drew Katya with her to the right followed by Wren and Neira. As they moved, the other wizards followed who were assigned to the right group. The men took the remainder moving south enough that the groups wouldn’t easily interfere with each other. The battle mages split with them, though from what Katya understood, there was less pressure on them. Their time at the wall was the only thing that would alter their status. This was a practice drill for their cadets, however, and without soldiers along they would be the only protection for the group beyond the wizards’ power.

  “Katya will take lead today,” her mentor stated as they rode side by side.

  Neira frowned and Katya shrugged offering, “If Neira would prefer to lead today, I can always do it tomorrow.”

  Shaking her head with a bit of a smile, Ylena said loud enough to be heard by the other diplomacy wizards, “No, I’m sure Neira would rather watch you first. If you sc
rew up, she can learn from your mistakes and do better tomorrow. That’s one advantage of being older.

  “You’re the youngest and get first shot at doing everything right, if you can anyway,” the older women finished with a grin.

  Katya noted Neira’s frown change to a more confident smile. The older girl wanted her to screw up and unfortunately, the younger novice had a feeling that, at some point, she would be making Neira glad that she went second.

  They proceeded and the column trailed after them. Ylena would suggest scenarios throughout the whole day testing the novice from morning until after the evening meal. Katya did her best to adjust with each new twist. They went from normal conditions to readying for a conflict.

  The young girl had been somewhat prepared in her studies, but adjusting in real time and doing so confidently wasn’t the same as discussing it in a class.

  Novice wizards would come from the rear and give her new challenges. A water wizard challenged a fire wizard’s status. She had to settle the matter and though it started as a scenario the two novices involved began to take it personally. They argued who was better or if the water wizards were even worth taking along on a trip to the mountains where water was less common.

  Katya did her best, but Ylena had to step in giving the novice her first bad mark. Neira’s smile wasn’t hidden as the older girl watched listening and learning what she could from both wizards involved. She heard and watched Katya, but learned from Ylena. It was an obvious advantage for the older girl.

  The evening came and as the sun began to descend, Katya ordered her group to set up camp near a stream scouted out by her air wizards earlier in the day. By the time the camp was set up and running fairly efficiently, since most Southwallers understood how it was supposed to go; Katya felt that she had done a fair job for the day.

  She set the sentry duty working with the younger battle mages and was glad to be done for the day as she lay down on her bedroll for the night.

  “You should have assigned me as your aide yesterday,” Neira said nearly sneering at the younger girl as they set out for the morning. “You could have let me screw up something and tried to fix it yourself afterwards. Instead, Ylena unofficially became your aide making you look foolish when you made mistakes.”

  Katya saw her point in away, but she countered, “I didn’t think of that, but I wouldn’t have thought it fair to you. If you want me as your aide to watch me screw up further or succeed when I can, I will do as you order, Neira. You’re in charge today after all.”

  The older girl looked disappointed in her answer, but nodded. “Yes, I think you will be my aide today. When they come to me with problems, you will settle what you consider simple ones and leave the bigger issues to me.”

  Having been delegated her role; Katya felt that she was almost in the same situation as the previous day. While the pressure of being among the leadership made her mentally tired and she wished that she could have sat back to watch Neira instead, Katya did her best.

  New wizards were in charge of their elemental divisions as well, so new wizards came to Neira with new problems; but Katya was left to deal with most. The older novice set protection squads, but left much of that to the leaders within the mages. She had friends among the other wizards as well. Some she used to her advantage getting them to do the work competently enough.

  Ylena watched both as did Wren; neither tried to give away their emotions or their impressions of the two working together. By the end of the day's camp, her mentor pulled her aside after delegating Neira’s orders to the others and asked, “So how was it following Neira’s orders?”

  Feeling a little surprised by the question, the girl replied, “It was alright. I’m not sure that it was wrong of me to do the work by myself yesterday, but I suppose that working as a team makes it easier for the leader.”

  Ylena took a moment, as her gray eyes narrowed slightly as if the dark haired woman was trying to look through the younger girl for her secrets, before she followed up with another question, “You don’t feel like she took advantage of you? Didn’t you wind up doing most of the work?”

  Making a wry face in response, Katya responded, “Well, she delegated and did take on certain roles, even if most of her work went through me. On the other hand, maybe I learned a few more things by working this way.”

  “And what things did you learn?”

  “Well, delegating certainly makes things easier. If you can trust those around you to do their work and work with you, a team is certainly likely to get more done than just one person.

  “Neira said I basically had you for an aide yesterday, but I only had you after I actually screwed up. She used me as a buffer all day; so like yesterday, Neira got to adjust from my mistakes and fix things.”

  Looking a bit judgmental, the dark haired mentor asked again, “But did she take advantage of you? I take it that you want to be her friend, but some people just don’t ever get along. Maybe she is just using you and making sure that you can be the one to fail each day?”

  Again the younger girl shrugged and expressed her true lack of worry over the matter. “We are on this journey to learn. I learned as much today as I did yesterday. If I had just watched Neira today, I might have learned something different; but we all have to work together anyway so why not as her aide?”

  Yelena’s face finally broke and she laughed, “Well, I guess you aren’t going to break and say something bad about it after all.

  “So what are you going to do tomorrow?”

  “Well, I tried it all by myself and as an aide to someone, maybe tomorrow I’ll try to make use of Neira as more than an observer.”

  Ylena merely nodded her head and the two moved on towards getting their dinner before heading to bed once again.

  “I would like you to be my aide today,” Katya stated to Neira as the morning started early. Food was already being cooked for a nice warm meal to begin the day. The previous morning the camp had simply eaten from their dry rations, but Katya had awoken early. She knew that Niklaus was among the final morning guards having set the roster herself for Neira.

  The girl had made sure to have her battle mage friend wake her just before the sun rose to get the cooks started. While they didn’t like getting up early, Katya had made sure to remind them to make meals for themselves using the best bits. She had joked that the cooks got the first shot since they could see the food heating anyway.

  Being a cute girl probably didn’t hurt either; but the novices and cadets all seemed to be smiling as they finished. Katya also made sure to bring Niklaus and the other sentries their meals herself. While not part of a leader’s job normally, the novice wanted to make sure that they knew she appreciated them.

  Now Neira sat eating the warm meal looking at her distrustfully and the older novice asked, “Why? Do you hope that you can just order me around now that it is your day?”

  Katya placed a look of confusion on her face in turn as if surprised by the comment. Though she had expected a level of distrust from the other girl; Katya wanted to put this matter to rest as well. It was another lesson to learn, if she could just get it right the first try.

  “Why would I do that? Was that what you did to me yesterday? I thought I was just being a good aide to the leader.”

  Neira’s eyes looked surprised though the other girl tried to suppress the emotion to avoid Katya noticing. The younger novice could read faces too well to be deceived, but she didn’t let on that she had noticed. Neira answered, “Well, no, not exactly. I just thought...”

  The older girl stopped before admitting anything and shook her head before asking, “So I am to be your aide. What is my first duty?”

  “Finish eating your breakfast,” Katya said with a laugh and walked away.

  She had set the tone and tried to use Neira in a modified way as she had been used the day before. Katya quickly realized that the lesson she had learned was indeed useful. The day proceeded quite easily with Neira at her side, though she doubte
d the other girl had meant to be so useful to her.

  Katya used the extra time she had because Neira fielded many of the questions she had taken on by herself the first day, by riding with different groups getting to know the other wizards better. Piotr, Briahnna, Alec and Lyssa were among them helping to facilitate making some easy friendships among the wizards they were already grouped with by class. Piotr was with the nature wizards. Alec was with air. Lyssa was among the water and Briahnna had defaulted to fire after finding her magic had no predilection.

  Wishing she had thought to use the two girls to ease the tensions among fire and water on the first day, it was just another lesson she had Neira to thank for. Neira made use of those she knew well and those she knew to a lesser degree also. Yes, Katya had been in the front line of much of the trouble, but the older novice had used her friends to make things much more manageable.

  There were new problems that had to go above Neira, of course, and in truth some were much more difficult, except that Katya had the use of a team now. By the time the end of the day came about, she felt less tired than any day before though the novice had worked at least as hard.

  Once more Ylena stopped to check in with her student before the evening meal and asked, “So how do you think your day went this time?”

  “Much better,” Katya stated with a weary smile. It had been a long day, but it had gone very well despite the hiccups introduced by the mentors. “Neira was a great aide and I had friends I could go to within each group to make things easier as well. I also made new friends and I think stronger ties as well because I knew that I could rely on Neira.”

  This made Ylena’s expression change in surprise after the previous two days. “You could rely on her? I thought the two of you didn’t always get along.”

  Shrugging Katya replied, “It is just one sided. I have always tried to be her friend or at least get along if I can’t.

  “Today I knew I could trust her if only because Wren was watching her. She couldn’t very well undermine or sabotage my leadership without drawing herself under with me, now could she?”