Battle Mage: Winter's Edge

by Donald Wigboldy

  As he began to look at his career, Sebastian thought a mage’s life looked to be hard on relationships.

  Breakfast finished, the mizard returned once more to the courtyard of the previous day’s training. The sun wasn’t high enough to even light the enclosed yard as the morning brightened slowly in the first hours of day. Removing Bairh’loore from an archer’s long bow case, Sebastian pulled the enchanted staff back into the light. Bairh’loore remained warm even in the winter’s cold embrace and nearly a day after its creation.

  With a final admiring gaze, Sebastian closed his eyes setting the butt of the staff onto the stone of the courtyard path. Figuring that it should act as a good base while his planned use of the extra energy was attempted, he had come to attempt a spell that had continued to elude him since the previous summer. The mage hadn’t even been a part of the spell since the fall, when an air wizard named Fala, had last taken him to ride the winds with his mind. The only time the mizard thought that he had managed to use the spell, had actually been in dream and Sebastian had no idea how it had happened that time. This go at it he hoped to finally succeed where he had failed so many times before.

  Feeling the flow of power coming from the earth to supplement his own, Sebastian began to try and release his mind the way Fala had shown him almost half a year ago. He had never seen a wizard execute the spell standing up, but Sebastian hoped the staff would also prevented his body from falling over if the spell should work.

  “Flight,” he murmured and tried to order his thoughts with a single word. After a moment, Sebastian opened his eyes and shook the newest failure from his head. Perhaps it wasn’t the right word or perhaps his mind just wasn’t prepared to separate itself from his body as he knew air wizards could do as they rode the winds. The mage had actually ridden the winds several times that summer but only with the help of talented air wizards that knew how to coax his mind free. Mulling the word over, Sebastian decided that must be what his mind needed. “Freedom,” the mizard tried his new link as he set his mind to trying to attain the wind.

  Defining what happened to him next might be impossible for Sebastian to communicate to any other mage, he feared, but as the spell came to life, his mind seemed to lift free. His body remained standing there below him drawing power from the ground and Sebastian could still feel the strength reaching from his flesh out to his mind.

  Like a bird on the wing, Sebastian rode the wind within the courtyard. Being hardly a breeze to someone not connected to the wind, the mage remembered this part from his summer’s lessons. Riding the currents and even controlling his direction on them, was familiar. It had always been the ability to free his mind properly that had stopped this spell before and now having conquered the first step, Sebastian let himself enjoy his new ability. Riding the winds with his mind gave him complete euphoria. Bird like as his spirit soared he rode the currents up and around the castle effortlessly. The view of the land below him was like a wondrous painting to be enjoyed.

  Unfettered by his body, the mage’s mind moved away from the castle and its keep wandering towards the great wall. He could see smoke curling away from chimneys near the formidable towers designed to help keep the men of the watch warm on these winter days as he moved closer. Sweeping closer to the wall, the mage pulled the breeze towards a soldier near his fire.

  The man shivered and the flame wavered under the directed wind.

  Releasing the northerly pushing current, he once more wandered back towards the castle. As he continued to experiment with the abilities of this barely understood magic, the mizard tested for gaps around the windows attempting to resist the wind and cold. If an air wizard could squeeze through any gaps in the winterized portals, the mage could find none.

  Sebastian wandered to the chimneys and found that he could fight against the heated air rising from the flue. Fearlessly the mage forced his way down through the darkness between the brickwork.

  The winds began to change. Only mere currents to work with now, the castle was full of eddies and flows unique to the inner workings of a manmade space. The mage decided to check his tether between mind and body and realized that travel like this might have severe consequences.

  An air mage usually traveled the winds outdoors where mind and body would not get separated, at least without foul play like from the Dark One or his black wizards. An air wizard’s mind could retrace its steps along the tether and find its way safely back to one’s body. The previous summer, some of Southwall’s wizards had been cut off from their bodies by the dark wizards of the north, but luckily his magic had been different enough to break them free to return their minds to their bodies. Sebastian had no one watching over him now and fearing that a door closing could damage his escape route, the mage retreated quickly up the warm currents of the chimney.

  As his mind contemplated what to do next, Sebastian felt a disturbance. Like a jabbing finger into his chest, his mind felt this uncomfortable prodding. Responding as swiftly as an arrow in flight, the mage launched towards his unprotected body.

  The sight of an apprentice with the black and silver near his helpless form investigating his status caused him a bit of annoyance. It was the same apprentice, Gildoyne, whom he had teased the previous day. The mage briefly wondered if it was mere happenstance which brought about the common choosing of this courtyard even so early in the morning, though his doubts were strongly against it.

  Sebastian watched as the apprentice seemed to be attempting some sort of spell which was directed at his entranced form. Whether it would be harmful or disruptive, the mizard didn’t know but he wasn’t willing to test his gut. Instead of returning to his body, however, the mage pulled at the winds nearby and began to assault the apprentice with the stinging breezes. Amazingly, the young man seemed unperturbed. The winds dipped to the ground scooping snow and flecks of ice up in a swirl that twisted around the mage’s body to drive the wizard back.

  At that point, Sebastian could still look at the situation as just a playful game despite the possible negative intent. Meanwhile, the apprentice grimaced with the new attack. “Your attention must be closer to the surface than you were letting on. Would you like to see what happens when I use my magic? I can make your body do whatever I want, you know.”

  The man took a moment to cast a spell at him looking smug. “There now walk to me,” Gildoyne ordered. Much to the young man’s surprise the mage’s body remained motionless despite the magic cast on it, however, and the apprentice’s expression quickly turned to frustration. Trying again, the apprentice cast as Sebastian’s consciousness rode the breezes safely untouched by the magic as he toyed with the young wizard.

  It was rumored that those designated as diplomat wizards could control others’ minds with their deceptively powerful magic. Their spells were all about the manipulation of a situation and people in particular. Sebastian smiled and despite the separation of his mind from body the mizard’s face echoed the thought.

  “Walk to me!” the apprentice tried again thinking that his spell must work on the man before him.

  Again the spell failed.

  Like some puppet master pulling strings, Sebastian decided to manipulate his body from the remoteness of the winds and teach the apprentice a lesson. If the magic was designed to assault a mind and control it, what better way to resist than to keep his consciousness separate and safe. Raising his left hand, the mizard’s voice slipped free from his lips as if coming from afar off. Gildoyne looked surprised by the motion. “Lightning,” was the even more shocking order.

  The apprentice stumbled away in fear and well he should, Sebastian thought. With his staff being used to gather power, the stream of lightning seemed to flow out of the earth instead of descending from the sky. Thick tendrils of powerful energy lashed out at the air where the apprentice had been only a moment before. Sebastian had intended to miss and waited for Gildoyne to back away, but this massive bolt of lightning was more than he had planned.

  The apprentice cursed in res
ponse and summoned a group of flaming balls launching them towards the mage determined to end his existence. Their flight true, the fire would have done great damage to the mizard had he not called forth a blue shield. It was no ordinary shield as he had often called forth in battle. This shield erected between the two of them extended from ground to two feet over his head and was more than eight feet abreast. The strength and thickness were easily five times as powerfully made as any shield Sebastian had ever raised with just his strength alone and all this while simultaneously holding two other spells.

  The apprentice changed tactics trying to assault his mind once more since the mage’s defenses were surprisingly strong. The tactic remained useless much to Gildoyne’s dismay. Able to fly about on the winds anywhere he wished, the mizard’s mind was not there to ensnare or destroy. Sebastian could tell that the wizard was truly playing for keeps but his arsenal of mind spells was no match for the mizard since his mind was free of the man’s ability to harm.

  As the battle continued to rage on, he watched as others in the area rushed to find out the source of the noise. With a little regret, the mage realized that he had just unveiled Bairh’loore and some new magic besides. Needing to wrap the matter up quickly, the mage decided to risk a spell he had only read about.

  “Engulf,” he declared and called once more to the earth.

  The apprentice yelped in surprise as two tendrils of rock and earth ensnared his legs nearly to his knees. They had sprung up like waves of water, but the mizard wasn’t done as even more tendrils followed the first two. Leaping up the apprentice’s body like waves crashing upon a shore, Gildoyne found that he could do nothing as his body was quickly engulfed up to his neck in solid stone. Sebastian made sure that the rock was amazingly gentle during the capture, but it solidified so swiftly and completely that the apprentice didn’t have a prayer of countering the spell or even moving.

  “Gildoyne!” a cry of shock from the apprentice’s master, Leryn, rang out as he witnessed the complete domination of the young man and by a mere battle mage. The man looked ready to try and cast his own magic to save his charge in the heat of the moment.

  Turning his body calmly to face the possibility of a new threat, he was right to guess as much, when the wizard merely tried a sleep spell. When the first attempt failed, Leryn looked as surprised as his apprentice. A master of his magic, the man was not used to such a spell being resisted by anyone let alone a battle mage. Another spell designed to control his mind was cast while Sebastian watched the attempt with good humor.

  Like an echo from deep in a cave, the mizard spoke, “My mind isn’t there for you to control, wizard, but I can control my body as you can tell. Stand down. I was merely defending myself against your apprentice. If you really wish to test what I’ve learned, I warn you that I won’t go easy on you.”

  The man’s eyes glanced around wondering where the mage’s mind could possibly be, but the wizard could also feel the power gathered by the mizard and had no idea what magic was about to be used against him. If there was one thing a trained diplomat wizard knew, it was caution and that was revealed by Leryn’s next actions. When faced with a completely unknown force, he knew when to retreat.

  “Fine. Release my apprentice, mage.”

  “Please,” Sebastian demanded with a smirk. He couldn’t help himself. This new power he had found was intoxicating.

  “Please, release the boy. I won’t raise my magic against you. These men will be my witnesses,” Leryn added gesturing to a dozen other wizards and mages that had come following the sounds of battle.

  “Cease,” he ordered the stone back into the ground freeing the apprentice easily. The power gained from the earth made it all so simple now. His staff remained touching the ground forming the perfect conduit, even as he waited on the black robed wizard’s next move.

  Moving to check on Gildoyne, Leryn seemed ready to follow his words of surrender, but Sebastian was not so certain of his younger charge.

  Sebastian returned to his body without anyone’s notice as all their attention remained focused on the stupefied apprentice and his teacher. So when the mizard spoke to order his next spell, all eyes turned in surprise to face the powerful battle mage. With the added strength of the earth bolstering him, Sebastian knew that this spell would resist all attempts from the wizards to break it. “Stealth,” he declared as they watched his every move and simply disappeared from their sight.

  Chapter 6- Judgment

  Late in the afternoon, Sebastian was led by soldiers of the keep to a chamber which was dimly lit as he entered alone. It was smaller than the official greeting room of Lord Dorwyn and certainly much smaller than the dance hall where their evening entertainment was held. This was a room that the mage had never found himself in before and he doubted that he would enjoy his time there.

  A dark piece of furniture like a raised judge’s desk stood to one side and a penitent’s rail faced it from the floor. There were few other chairs in the room and no other tables or desks save the one. Two guards remained outside the door maintaining their privacy. This was not a meeting for the public.

  Looking up at the desk, Sebastian realized that he was indeed looking up at the judges of what he had done, though the mage didn’t really think that he had truly done anything wrong. The apprentice had attacked him with magic first after all and that was while his body had appeared undefended. Had the mizard not returned to the sight of his entranced body, who knows how far Gildoyne would have gone in his attempt for revenge?

  Three men sat at the judges’ bench looking down on the young falcon. Centermost was Lord Dorwyn and to his left, sat Falconi Saren who appeared to be a stern yet blank slate of emotion. The man refused to be read for angry or glad. Sebastian had a feeling that it certainly wasn’t the latter, however.

  The final man in attendance was a wizard dressed all in white. A white wizard could be one of two things. The first was a wizard who had mastered more than one type of magic. Such a wizard was above the regular guild wizards since his talents had been acknowledged for being extraordinary in each field. The other type was above even those wizards. High wizards were leaders of their sects in the varied keeps. There was always at least one high wizard leading a city or the school he was assigned.

  The white wizard was the polar opposite of the falconi as he hid little of his emotion. He was red faced and very angry, but it was the lord of Falcon’s Keep that started the proceedings.

  “Falcon Trillon, it has come to our attention that you were in a fight with a wizard, who is just an apprentice besides. You know our rules. There are ways to go about dueling and this fight used strong and potentially deadly magic. No apprentice or cadet should ever be in a duel with a full mage or wizard without appropriate supervision or approval. You had neither from what I am told.

  “What is your answer to these accusations?” Lord Dorwyn led the discussion down a dark path which Sebastian had never given any thought.

  “I was experimenting with some new magic in the courtyard, my lord, when the apprentice found me in a trance. Had my mind not been separated when the apprentice found me, I am not sure what conversation you would be having right now. While achieving the spell of wind riding and sending my mind out on those winds, apparently Apprentice Gildoyne came across my unprotected body.

  “I am not sure what he did that first alerted me to his presence, but I felt pain on my chest even from a distance where my mind was preoccupied.

  “When I returned to the area to check, I warned the apprentice to leave me alone. He then attempted both mind control and fire magic against me without being provoked. While I kept my mind outside my body, the apprentice could not harm my mind and luckily I can still control my body separated from it. I cast a burst of lightning as a warning but the apprentice still continued to escalate his attacks.

  “I did finish the fight, if that’s what you want to call it since it was mostly one sided. I simply used an earth spell that I had read about which merel
y traps the enemy within a case of stone. It prevented him from using his magic any further ending the exchange.

  “Once it was over his mentor, Wizard Leryn, attempted to use a couple more spells against me, which again were countered by leaving my mind free. Unlike his student, Leryn knew to not continue the fight and I released the apprentice to his care.

  “Since I couldn’t trust my safety with either of them nearby, I escaped using our standard stealth spell.” Sebastian finished without mentioning the staff or the added power behind all the spells including the wind spell which had been beyond him until today and the power increase.

  The high wizard had calmed as his curiosity was peaked and seemed to not notice the omission at first as he questioned a different part of the declaration, “You finally conquered riding the winds by yourself, falcon? I had heard that you were never able to start the spell on your own. Air wizards have always pulled you along like an apprentice new to the art, I thought. Though I had heard that you could move your body or change magic outside yourself, I am impressed that you also figured out how to use that to protect your mind from a diplomat’s attack.” Sebastian nearly breathed easy, but then the high wizard pierced him with a question hitting closer to what he had hid. “The air riding spell takes a fair amount of strength, falcon, how do you account for this sudden increase in power that you have shown?”

  Falconi Saren’s eyes flitted towards the wizard revealing a bit of surprise. For all that the falconi led the Falcon’s Keep battle mages; he was not incredibly knowledgeable about full wizard magic. That was a domain that only Sebastian and the full wizards would understand. The falconi went with the more knowledgeable man’s opinion, however, and added, “Answer High Wizard Krennel, Sebastian. I would like to know this myself.”