Battle Mage: Winter's Edge

by Donald Wigboldy

  “Why not?” Lodia asked first, her big violet eyes looking disappointed at his response.

  “I don’t really like all that attention.”

  Rilena slapped her head in disbelief even as Fala turned her head trying to decide if he was playing with them.

  “What?” he asked. “It’s true. I was fine with training at White Hall and minding my own business. All this talk about being a “mizard” was never my idea. I was just curious about magic and figured out a way to learn and even teach it to others.

  “If you saw how everyone’s eyes look at me now when I come back from training or a mission, you’d see that they always seem to want more from me. It’s kind of hard to take. They all want me to make some new spell every second of the day and teach them over and over again.

  “I don’t mind sharing, but it’s gotten old. If they want to learn spells, why can’t someone else do it for a change? I’m not the only battle mage with any talent. You would think that someone else would step up, if only because I’ve shown that we can do more.” He smiled meekly, “Sorry, I’m not really feeling sorry for myself. I just feel that way sometimes.”

  Rilena looked apologetic. “I never thought about how you must feel. You must think we’re all greedy bastards. I’m sorry, Bas. You don‘t think I‘m just pretending to be your friend to get more spells out of you, do you?”

  With a deep breath, the mage smiled back and put an arm over her shoulder. “No, Rilena, I know who’s a friend and who simply wants what I can give them. You and Dougren both never pushed like someone just wanting something.”

  “Oh no, Dougren’s definitely a greedy bastard!” she laughed returning to herself.

  With a last pat to the back, Sebastian returned his hand to eating. He had barely seemed able to get any bites during their conversation, yet most of his plate was already cleared.

  It was Fala who broke the lull. “So, since they asked, do you think you’re going to enter the tournament?”

  He shrugged, “I’m not going to worry about it right now. I doubt it though. There’s too many tasks to do for a falcon to waste time on such a thing, don’t you think?”

  Even as the four readied to leave, a cadet hurried into the room and dropped a note for the falcon. The ravens had called him to meet with them.

  The mage sighed. He really should have stayed in bed.

  Chapter 13-Raven’s Nest

  The offices of the ravens of the battle mage guild in Windmeer were as expected, up several flights of steps in the north tower. Like the ravens they were named after, the leaders of the mage army could scan from on high all the way to the great wall to the north. The great fortress stood as a second barrier to the forces still believed arrayed against them beyond the wall.

  Sebastian wondered on that point as he walked up the many stairs of the north tower to his destination.

  As far as he knew, there had been no direct messages sent from the dark armies in decades. Yes, there had been skirmishes and even last year there had been the large battle between the company he had been in with several hundred of the creatures believed to be part of the Dark Emperor’s forces. It wasn’t that he doubted there were soldiers and creatures amassed in the north, but like the nomads that roamed past the wall, did it necessarily mean that the Dark One still existed? He didn’t know.

  All logic would say that no one should be able to live so long, but then there was the Lord Grimnal said to be millennia or more old, if that also wasn’t just a myth. Even that legend hadn’t been seen in roughly two hundred years and there was no one left alive that had actually seen him to verify any of that.

  With a sigh and knowing that his mental tangent simply meant he was trying to put off his meeting, Sebastian topped the last stair and passed through a door leading into a short hallway. There were several doors along the way to the one he sought, but it was easily identified as the one guarded by two falcons in their black and brown dress uniforms. He recognized neither man by sight, but nodded greeting to them each in turn as they opened the door letting him inside. He was expected here after all.

  Three men occupied the chamber and two looked up at him as he entered the room. Small smiles and nods accompanied their attention. The taller of the two men standing was much older and starting to gray, but still looked strong and was a commanding presence being taller than Sebastian. He was also well known to the mage as Raven Stallis had been at Windmeer on his previous tour and had even been taught some of the new mage magic from the falcon directly. The slightly smaller man next to him was younger, but he was unknown to Sebastian, however. He had the silver bars on his shoulders of a falconi unlike Stallis’ gold bars.

  The third man had the same gold bars of Stallis and appeared roughly the same age as the first man. While the larger man was starting to gray, this man merely had slightly receding hair and slight crow’s feet around his eyes. He looked physically strong but was smaller than the towering Stallis as well. As the second raven finished whatever he had been penning, he looked up to notice Sebastian, and smiled as well as gesturing towards a chair across from his desk. This was Raven Liom’s office; the other two were just visiting as they had their own places in the tower to work from in their positions.

  “Have a seat, Falcon Sebastian,” the raven said as he rose.

  Doing as he was asked, Sebastian couldn’t help but feel like he was in trouble having to sit while the others all remained standing.

  “Have you met Falconi Ralto? No? Well, he did transfer in at the end of the summer, so I suppose we must have sent you to Falcon’s Keep just before he arrived here. The falconi comes to us from New Knaria in the Cadmene province. He served with the battle mages there for the dukes of Cadmene for a number of years before requesting a transfer after word of your accomplishments made it to them there.”

  Sebastian nearly cringed. Here was yet another mage come to the mizard for training. Falconi or not, he had a feeling there would be a request for his personal attention at some point.

  The falconi came forward to offer a hand to be shaken. The formalities over, the man took a chair and the two ravens joined him shortly. All sitting on the same level, Sebastian could almost feel comfortable. One part of his position that he hated were the briefings and debriefings. It was impossible not to feel yourself being judged for your actions whether there were good things or ill that might have come from those decisions.

  “We may as well get to the point,” Stallis said gruffly. “The orc fortress you and the others found… there are reports of more than just the usual run of the mill creatures running the place. What more information can you give us? Markun had little to say since all he knew had been reported to him from the four of you who made it inside the mountain. The other three gave little more than that they knew a few names and had been in a fight on the mountain before their capture and subsequent escape. Can you fill in some of the other areas?”

  “I can try, sir, but I do have to say that it wasn’t the best of conditions for surveillance. Where should I start?”

  “From the beginning,” Liom offered.

  “The enemy seems to have new creatures they’ve either made or found since they’ve been in our world. I think I saw a gargoyle or maybe it was man bat, I’m not certain. It may not have been with them, but it was near where the enemy fortress was so I figured I’d better say something. They also had what I can only call werelions. They seem to be very similar to the wolflings we usually see, but even faster and they used their claws more for tearing than the wolves I’ve fought.

  “Inside the mountain, there were also wraithlike creatures with hollow eyes. I had the impression that they were likely dead brought back to life by someone’s magic and with them were men that smelled of being wolves. One of the wolf men tried to catch me by itself, but when I killed him the creature reverted from wolf to man. I had never seen such a thing happen before or even heard of someone else reporting such.”

  The men nodded seeming less surprised by the
information than the mage had when it happened before his eyes. Liom calmly added, “It had been rumored for awhile that there were wolf men that could change back and forth, though until it now it couldn’t be confirmed. Such men would be excellent weapons since they could possibly enter their enemies’ cities and fortresses potentially with no one being the wiser. Go on.”

  “There were also a few wizards, of course, but they served some giant that had an aura which reeked of evil and power that dwarfed theirs. We never witnessed the actual power of the giant they called Garosh, but I could feel his magical strength from deep within the mountain well before I could ever see him.

  “I think that’s about all I can tell you. We were busy trying to escape so other than the orcs, some goblins, the wolf men and two of the wraith men, we didn’t see what the others could do.”

  Stallis frowned slightly crinkling his forehead in thought as he said, “Not many have fought the wraiths in our time. Word has it that trying to kill them is very nearly impossible.”

  “My sword cut one and its blood was black and like acid,” Sebastian offered as the thought occurred to him. “Other than a spilling of a little black blood onto an orc, the creature shrugged off the damage. My guess is fire would do more damage than a sword, though if that could even destroy one I am not sure since I hardly had the time to try.”

  Liom looked intent as he asked a new question, “What new spells have you learned since leaving Windmeer? The wizard, Druick, told the white wizard that you used some spell involving corrinuts, which is typically a nature spell unknown to the falcons.”

  A knot in Sebastian’s stomach formed at the same old questions. It always came back to that with the battle mages it seemed, even with such powerful men as the ravens. What new spell had he come up with this week? Can you teach us more?

  Trying not to show his feelings, the mizard simply stated, “It was a simple spell from one of the wizard tomes that I had come across awhile ago. You place some of your magic into a corrinut or some similar receptacle and you can make them explode at a time of your choosing. It’s something that a wizard can charge days earlier and bring into battle while using little energy that day to activate the explosive magic.

  “Beyond that, I don’t think I did anything that I haven’t already taught you when I was here. I’ve been trying to note things down while at Falcon’s Keep for the mages there to pass along, so you should have received word of anything else. Though I can’t say that I’ve spent as much time creating new spells lately as my responsibilities have kept me busy.”

  “You’ve spent time with the Kardorian wizards recently,” Falconi Ralto spoke up. The man had remained quiet the whole meeting. Even while he had just been listening; Sebastian had still noted the man’s reactions to what had been said so far. There had been nearly no facial expression to betray the man’s thoughts. Ralto didn’t make him feel comfortable and as he continued, Sebastian began to understand why his instincts had said to worry. “Word from the others was that you threw lightning at the end of the fight. If so, I believe that is new. Had you forgotten?”

  “I had noted it to Falconi Saren and Falcondi Warner before I left Falcon’s Keep. With the winter being the way it is, maybe they didn’t get the message out to you. I hadn’t had time to teach it to anyone before I was called away for this mission. I did learn of the magic from their wilder while at the keep and discussing Kardorian spells. I’ve also noted that such magic may be drawn from the ground. It is also possible that with some exploration of that fact, battle mages may be able to tap into some of the ground’s energy to wield more than just their own strength of magic, though such thoughts are mostly conjecture so far.

  “You may want to have someone check into developing such theories some time,” he added trying to get the idea passed to someone else to discover its validity. While he knew that he had proven it truth, maybe someone else could show some ability to discover this one on their own. The truth of his sornfitreel Bairh’loore, on the other hand, he hoped to hide even from the ravens for a time. For some reason, he had a feeling that battle mages were not quite ready to learn of such a thing. If wizards had learned to tap even more energy from the earth why was there no record of it? Perhaps it was because there would be negative consequences to such a draw upon the earth?

  It was a vein of learning that he felt was best carefully researched further before giving the keys of such power away to potentially uncaring and destructive minds. If someone else figured out how to use the magic on their own, then maybe Sebastian would need to work with them closely to watch out for damage that could be done from using such powerful energy in that way. While he wasn’t some official guardian of Alus’s magic, the mizard still owed that much care to the world in which he lived.

  The three men stared at him silently a moment after his suggestion as they contemplated this new gem he had presented them. Ralto took up the reins again as he continued his inquiry, “I am surprised that you wouldn’t wish to check into such things yourself, mizard.” There it was again the nickname that had been thrown about at Windmeer since his first teachings of new magic. It had become both honorific and a bane to him as well these past several months.

  “It’s still just a general theory. Not even our wizards make mention of it in any resources that I’ve read so far. It might be something a research wizard would find interesting. At this point, I have too many other things to research already and am not interested in following it up at this time. There are so many other more immediate spells that I am closer to discovering that I feel I must work on first.

  “Besides, I believe there will also be more traveling in my immediate future now that I am healed back to full. I was given the task of delivering the ambassador to Hala. It’s rather difficult to sit around doing research while spending most of my time riding, though I have developed some of my magic while on the road before, so I never know where new ideas may develop.”

  “We could change your task, if you want, Falcon Trillon. We do have other falcons that can protect the ambassador and other wizards available for such a trip,” Raven Liom stated as he rose to walk behind his desk.

  There was that feeling of being judged again. Sebastian wondered if, in his attempt to hide some of his findings, he had maybe walked into a different sort of trap.

  “I am quite all right with doing the duty I was assigned, but I serve Southwall where I am wished,” he virtually repeated the oath of all the servants of Southwall. They fought to protect their own and their way of life. Peace required great cost of some, he knew. He’d given quite a bit of himself already in just the short time he had been a falcon, but there weren’t always limits to what would be asked of a man. Sometimes the price was one’s life.

  “When was the last time you visited your family, Falcon Trillon?” the question came from Liom and it was a major departure from the previous questioning in Sebastian’s thinking.

  He had to think hard about that one. “Close to three years ago, though I try to write my family every so often. My mother has even sent a letter to me while I’ve been at Falcon’s Keep.”

  Stallis smiled as if revealing a basic insight to a child as he said, “Letters can be a comfort, but they’re no replacement for one’s family. You need to go home every once in awhile, if only to remember what you’re fighting for, my boy.

  “In fact, you may even be getting close to that age where young men begin thinking of having their own families. Its not always easy being a battle mage, especially when you want a family.”

  Liom shook his head slightly at his peer and added, “What I believe Raven Stallis is getting at is perhaps it is time to take a few days to visit home. I believe your family’s farm isn’t too far out of the way from White Hall, if you wanted to take a few days to see them.”

  Forehead wrinkling in confusion, Sebastian asked, “Am I being asked to take a leave or am I still supposed to guard the ambassador’s detail, sir?”

  “You could do both,�
�� the raven acknowledged. “If you left a couple days before the ambassador, you could visit your family and catch up to them at White Hall for their next break; or perhaps you could escort them to the school and return home while they continue to Hala.”

  Quickly trying to follow the new situation, Sebastian tried to unbury the catch, “I don’t know if the healers feel I am ready to travel again so soon. Waiting a few days for the ambassador to be through with his commitments here might still be more of a rest than heading to my family.”

  Stallis shrugged and put in, “We were debating on sending a healer wizard or two with you anyway, since we have one more thing we were considering for your trip. You know of the spring tournament in Hala, correct? Well, we have been thinking of sending a few falcons to represent us and show the world what we can do. With your unique expertise, perhaps you would consider representing your brothers and sisters there?” Though put as a question, Sebastian had a feeling that this was virtually an order.

  The mage wanted to sigh, but tried to hide his true feelings. He really did not want to go to the tournament and participate as a contestant. Training was one thing, but fighting for sport wasn’t exactly what he hoped to be doing. “If that is your wish, then I guess I should go to the tournament.” It was the lack of commitment that brought slight frowns to the ravens’ eyes. Falconi Ralto managed to show nothing. The man was as cool as Sebastian wished he could be in this moment.

  With a slow nod of acknowledgement, Raven Liom said, “We will get back to you on this later today or tomorrow morning. Think on it. This could be a great chance for the battle mages to prove ourselves to any that still doubt our use.

  “Maybe you should even consider who you would want backing you in the tournament. You could pick from your fellow mages and maybe you should have a personal healing wizard that could help you through such a competition and training. The tournament lasts for a week and if you do well it can be quite a bit of wear and tear. Having your own healer available could help you go further.