“I shall join the judges and the arena will be closed for the safety of those that observe. You will have five minutes to start each level of test.” The man glanced toward a table. “The judges and I will let you know when you have shown enough to move on.”
Alador followed his gaze and for a long moment he felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. Lady Morana sat at the table. He could not tell if she had been truly empowered from where he was standing, but she was one of the four judges. Her beauty was hidden somewhat by a fur lined cloak, but there was no doubt about whom she was when their eyes met. She smiled warmly as she realized that Alador was staring at her. His heart began to thud so loudly that he heard it thrumming through his ears. He started as he realized that the master had spoken to him.
“Wait what?” Alador focused back to the task at hand though his heart thundered in his chest.
“I said do you have any questions?”
Blowing out tension, he shook his head. “I am ready.” He decided to turn his back to the judges and specifically Morana focusing on the guardsmen instead. At least on that side of the arena there was not a contingency of those rooting for him to fail. Well, he did not believe so anyway.
He watched as mages climbed onto four square posts outside the arena wall. As they began to cast the draconic words of protection, Alador felt the magic pull against his skin; his hair rose on his body. He glanced upward and watched in amazement as four types of sphere magic wove together to make a net of protective spells. He stood in awe watching as the arena master fed it a strange unfamiliar magic that filled in between the weavings. It was blue at first, then turned translucent as the weave touched the edges of the arena wall. If that had been the magic that they could use just to protect the crowd, how could he ever impress them enough to pass this test?
“You shall begin with simple spells, ones that any mage should know. Show us an array of such spells. We hope this shall be easy for you being one of the guard.” The arena master’s voice held a strange echo now. The voice seemed to emanate from everywhere.
Alador glanced over his shoulder looking for his uncle and spotted him in the council box. He was not sitting, but rather stood leaning against the wall. His dark red robes stood out amongst the other mages near him; or maybe, it was just that Luthian stood out no matter where he was. Alador dismissed his thoughts as Luthian nodded for him to proceed.
Luthian had explained that winning the crowd’s favor played a large part in the tests. It was not supposed to play into decisions, but it was widely known that those liked by the crowd were more likely to do well in the judging of higher levels. So, the two of them had prepared a bit of a theatrical performance for those that had braved the elements.
Alador realized that Luthian had been right. It was largely quiet in the arena now, outside sounds having been muffled and it was warm. He took off his coat and laid it aside. He was dressed in simple black breeches, a white linen shirt and polished black boots.
The young mage had to barely touch the well of magic to create the effects he wanted. Flower petals formed into his hands. He turned slowly to show them to all then tossed them into the air. A shift in power turned them into sparks that began to flutter to the ground. Alador smiled at the display, and swiftly formed a light breeze to send them spiraling around the arena. Applause from the guardsman was minimal as most used such spells to practice. Easy prestidigitation was a way to keep one’s ability to touch the inner well of magic open. To round up the display of simple cantrips, he let the wind close around him, sending the sparks in a wind funnel like display around his body. He let them fall away to show his clothing reversed. His pants and boots now white, while his shirt was now black.
Alador slowly turned to the judges and bowed low. His eyes moved of their own accord to Lady Morana who dipped her head in acknowledgment with a slight smile. He still did not know if it were a good or bad thing that she sat with the judges. Right now, if Dethara were against the plan of Renamaum, her priestess sat in a chair of power. He was truly at a crossroads, and not all of it was going to be determined by his own choices and skill.
“Alador Guldalian has mastered the first tier. Do you wish to continue?” The Arena master motioned for him to move on.
“Yes, I do.” Alador confidently stated.
Alador took a deep breath. For this there were many spells that one could use. It really came down to spells of use that were not sphere specific. He and Luthian had picked a few out in hopes of keeping his true mastery of his sphere hidden until he was forced to defend for the fourth tier. While those against him would have a basic understanding of fighting his sphere, each mage within a sphere had their own set of spells they excelled at.
The easiest one was a simple spell of movement. For many it appeared that Alador had disappeared only to appear at the other end of the arena, in truth he had just ran very fast. It was a spell that not all mastered, and so it brought a bit of acknowledgment from the crowd and a burst of applause from those below the second tier. He moved on to call lightning into his hand. It was not technically a sphere spell though it was tightly connected. He sent two balls hurtling out from his hands. It had been the first offensive spell he had learned. He did not wait for approval. He wanted the test over, and he had a long way to go to get all the way to the fifth tier.
Next he snapped out of his hands, six silver darts formed and flew away as he did so. When they landed against a nearby wooden construct, they shivered in the light. The six darts had each one penetrated within an inch of the other. Alador had one more spell that he wished to perform. It was one that he had found in the black book of his great ancestor, and one that seemed harmless enough. He put out his hand and formed four arrows. He took a deep breath of relief as they appeared. Using the strange change in vision he had acquired when he had absorbed Renamaum’s stone, the wooden construct with the darts jumped forward. He sent the arrows flying in simultaneously, each landing solidly between two darts. His support in the Blackguards jumped up with screaming applause. Alador just turned simply to the table of judges who held his fate and bowed.
“Let it be known that Alador Guldalian has mastered the second tier. Do you wish to continue?” The man’s monotone question seemed out of place in the furor of the cheering men. Despite the noise from the stands, the man’s voice was clear due to his magical enhancement.
Alador nodded. “I am ready, Sir.”
This test would be a little more fun, and he was ready for it. First, he brought a rolling ball out of the nearby pool of water. When the water was most of the way to him, he formed it into a whip. He cracked the whip as he strolled towards the pool, water spraying from every audible snap. The men who had been cheering silenced one another as Alador began, sitting down almost as one.
Once at the pool, Alador dropped the whip, letting it turn back into a spray of water as it hit the ground. He parted the water with a smile, remembering his first lesson in his sphere. He had not been allowed to take part in this practice due to his novice status with his power. Now, this spell seemed almost effortless to him. To bring an added flare, he froze the two walls of water then walked through the pool. Once clear, he let the spell go and watched as the walls of water collapsed back down. He raised the temperature of it till it was boiling. It felt good to just let the power weave through him. It had taken so much effort that first practice, and now it was like putting on his own pants. He did not have to think too hard about what was taking place to make it happen.
He smiled as he pulled on his last spell. This one took a few words of casting, a bit of sulfur and some motions, but he knew it would be worth the effect. Lightning struck where he stood, but Alador was not there. It struck a second time just inside the arena wall before the judges, and as the light cleared, he stood in its place. He had not discussed this spell with Luthian. He did not want to be pressed when he had no rank to hide behind as to where he had learned it. He realized that there had been no applause as he had expected
. Confused, he flashed a glance to his uncle who just met his gaze evenly; the only sign of his thoughts was the tapping of his bent finger against his lips.
Alador’s gaze flew to the judges as a slow growing round of cheering and applause began to swell from behind him then around the arena. The judges were whispering together, and one would occasionally glance at him before returning to the whispered conversation. He glanced at the seating around the arena, he could see that everyone was on their feet and stomping. The sound echoed even into the barrier between him and the crowd. Finally, the arena master stood up on a platform and raised his hands for quiet. Slowly, the crowd began to return to their seats and the sound diminished. What had he done wrong?
Finally, the arena grew quieter. All eyes were on the arena master. Alador’s nails dug into his hands and his heart throbbed so strongly in his chest that he could hear it echoing in his ears.
“Let it be known that Alador Guldalian has mastered the third tier. Do you wish to continue?” The man turned to look at Alador as he asked.
From the raging sounds of approval just moments before, it was so quiet that for Alador the only sound was his racing heart. Did he? Did he really want to move on? He stood there pinned down by the man’s gaze while he thought of declining. Alador knew that he could not; he had declared amongst this magic-holding, elitist gathering that he was a master of his sphere. He would not let the Daezun down by failing now. He steadied himself and smiled slowly at the arena master.
“Why sir, I have yet to have a challenge,” he called loudly, letting the natural Guldalian arrogance enhanced with a little dragon pride flow through him. “I have no intentions of stopping now.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It took a moment for the crowd to simmer down and the arena master waited for a short while before answering Alador. His words were a bit surprising as he shouted out, “Let it be known that Alador Guldalian moves to the fourth tier test of his own will. Call forth those that have volunteered to join him in the arena.” The man stepped off the edge of the arena and returned to the judges’ table.
Alador turned and glanced at either end of the arena as there were openings at both. He had thought that the council or the judges would choose the mages. He was not sure he liked the idea of ‘volunteers.’
Three mages, one man and two women stepped out of the far end, whereas one woman and two men came from where he had entered. Six mages, he calculated quickly. Henrick had said ten spells so four were going to cast at least twice. He would have no idea where the spells were coming from. He moved to the center of the arena. He whispered a soft prayer to the gods for protection and took a centering breath. If they were wearing the colors of their sphere, there were two fire mages, one nature mage, one stone mage, a death mage, and the last was a silver mage.
Alador cursed softly as he was unsure what kind of spells a silver mage might have for offense. They were mostly known for a level of healing, not quite as strong as the gold sphere. They also excelled at spells of purification. He had never considered having to fight one before; he had not considered them fighting mages.
The other mage that concerned him above the others, not that all were not a challenge, was the death mage. This man could wield poisons and death like fire mages wielded fire. He was deadly in every aspect of his sphere. What was more concerning was that they had all volunteered. That meant that each had their own reasons for wanting him to fail. The only reassurance he felt at that moment was that Luthian had forced him to practice deflection with magic itself and not just his sphere.
The six mages moved around him, drawing up the suspense for the spectators. Alador quickly saw that no matter how he stood, he had someone at his back. He had thought for some reason that he would face them. This circling was something that he had not planned for nor had Luthian mentioned it. He dared not glance to his uncle for guidance.
The first spell movement came from the woman in red robes. A ball of fire hurtled towards him and Alador simply dove out of the way, rolling up and sweeping around to try to discern who would be next. He had not forgotten Sordith’s council that not all problems had to be solved by magic. He realized as the ball hurtled harmlessly away that the magi's spacing ensured that they did not hit one another. He could feel the collective tension of the entire crowd who sat watching wide-eyed on the edges of their seats.
He barely saw the man wearing brown robes move before a huge rock flew from a pile of stones near them. Alador formed the V of energy to deflect it harmlessly away. In doing so, he left his back exposed to the second fire mage who took that opportunity to light his shirt a blaze. The fire flared up. He could smell his hair as it reached upward, and he could do nothing but clench his teeth until the boulder deflected passed him. He immediately called water to him. A seemingly invisible bucket of water pooled over him and let go, drenching him and putting the fire out.
Alador took a couple of centering breaths. He dare not let his guard down even with the smell of burning flesh in his nostrils. The pain of the fire’s touch was not ebbing in the slightest by the drenching of water, if anything it felt as if the exposed skin now burned hotter. He was slightly injured, and only three spells had been cast. He took another deep breath grateful for the seconds they seemed to be giving him.
The next spell came from the man in silver robes. He had seen the movements and turned to face him. Yet as he waited, he saw nothing of offense moving his way. He went to swirl to check the others and found he could not move. His body was frozen where he stood. A moment of panic swelled through him as he saw the death mage move to the side of the silver mage. The man’s cold smile filled his eyes with equal hardness as a green fog-like ichor began to snake its way towards Alador. Alador knew he could give in. He would fail the fourth test, but he could walk away right now. Anger filled him at the feeling of helplessness, and his eyes narrowed.
He focused on the airstones with as much effort as he could manage frozen in place as he was. The green snake of poison was two-thirds of the way to him when he was finally able to focus enough to see them. He had always used his hands before, but he recalled one early lesson with Henrick. Henrick had said that movement of the hands was more for the comfort of the casting mage to help them focus. He had cast a spell before without his hands, so he could do it again.
The fog was nearly to him when he managed to shift the air in the arena to create a wind. It began slowly at first, bending the snaking poison from Alador. The death mage frowned, and attempted to turn the spell back towards his target. Alador snarled as he forced a sudden shift in the airstones. The sudden movement created a wall of wind and the poison flew into the faces of the two mages to his left. He broke free of the holding spell in time to see that the second fire mage and the stone mage had left the fight. Both were headed coughing and gagging to the healer that awaited at the far end of the arena.
Alador spun about. It was all that he could do to contain the anger that he felt. They were not trying to just test him; they were trying to kill him. He was sure of it. He did not dare strike out, however, as he was limited to defensive spells. Small sparks of lightning flashed up and down his arms as he attempted to contain himself.
There was no one now but himself and these four mages. Alador did not notice the crowd who had silently come to their feet to see better. He did not notice that Luthian had moved to the front of the council box. He only knew that there were four people around him that wanted him dead. They still had five spells to see the matter finished.
He turned slowly in the opposite direction that the four were slowly moving. They had spaced out enough that he could only keep three in his line of vision at any given time. He knew that the attack would come from behind him. It was just a smart way for the four of them to complete seeing to his failure in the test. He changed strategy and began to pace himself so that he kept the man in silver robes in front of him. That sphere was more used for beauty, healing and other such positive things. Killing would be a mat
ter of defense for most of them as it would go against the nature of such a mage to kill for pleasure. If any of them were going to give away what the fourth mage was doing, it would be him. This put the nature mage behind him with the death mage to his right and fire mage to his left.
To his luck, he had been correct. The man’s eyes flickered with concern, and Alador chose that moment to blink to behind the nature mage. Where he stood just seconds before there were now thorny vines blindly striking one another. He would have been in the middle of that. Alador swiftly pulled his boot knife and put it to the man’s throat before the mage could even be warned he was there.
“Yield,” Alador coldly demanded.
The smirk left the mage’s face as his hands came up in a sign of peace. The man swallowed hard and whispered, “I yield.”
Alador stepped back, and the man moved off towards the healers. An uproar began in the stands, but Alador did not have the time or the energy to be worrying about who was cheering or objecting. He tossed his knife into the stand, eyeing the three remaining mages as he took a much needed breath.
He repositioned himself as did the three remaining mages. It was a bit easier to keep track of them now, and there was a little more spread. He was glad that they could not just send a barrage of spells. The point was to test his skills, and though he suspected that they meant to see him dead, they had to do so within the parameters of the test.
He took a breath. He was suspecting two at once, so quickly tried to figure out which two would work together the best. He was not given much time as the death mage and the fire mage both moved at once. Alador felt his throat begin to close off, air unable to sustain him. Knowing that the death mage cast this, he ignored it, knowing he had some time to deal with the threat. He spun about just in time to see six arrows of fire lancing straight for him. He pulled up the deflection shield, and the arrows seemed to bend around him to those that watched. Before he could focus on the growing burning in his lungs, the silver mage moved.
Pseudo-Dragon (The Blue Dragon's Geas Book 4) Page 27