Battle Mage: Winter's Edge

by Donald Wigboldy

  He tried to get to know everyone as best he could and encouraged them all to mingle as much as possible. They would be working together, which was not always the easiest of working relationships, but they all seemed to at least give it a try. All except Brenner, that is.

  The air wizard seemed to be more introspective than any of the others. He had come to Sebastian almost half dragged by Fala, but the wizard had accepted the job on the one condition that he did not wish to join the tournament. The mage was taking his friend’s recommendation not only on his skill, which he had little doubt, but on his ability to get along with the others and himself. Training like he hoped to accomplish would require being able to get along and share their expertise and experiences. Brenner’s quiet, introspective demeanor made Sebastian a little worried, but the air wizard wasn’t always just being quiet.

  As if to prevent having to talk with the group, Brenner often passed the reins of his horse to someone while he wandered the winds. Whether he truly scouted for possible trouble in their way along the road to White Hall, or the man simply chose to use the spell as a diversion for a long trip, Sebastian had no idea. The mage felt when Brenner used his magic, so he knew that the wizard wasn’t just taking naps while they rode, but where his mind went only he knew.

  While they rode, Sebastian tried to teach a few spells to his mages as well. That led to the wizards wanting in on it, since he had told them they weren’t going to train until they made it to White Hall after all. Trying to make a bit of a game of it, Sebastian began having the mages try to cast their shields away from them, which led to a magical game of catch where wizards would cast a spell from their school and the mages would have to block them with a shield.

  It was surprisingly good practice despite the limitations of having to ride on horseback.

  The windows on the carriage were often pushed aside by the passengers to watch the game as the caravan continued to eat up the miles. Day after day, the procession continued to move towards White Hall and the wizards and mages continued to train as they could. Sebastian could also see people opening up as they discussed both the good and bad of their practices.

  By the third day, Ashleen and Wendle were telling him they wished that they could join in if only to avoid the monotony of riding in the coach all day. Unfortunately, Deiclonus would not allow it, though Sebastian had a feeling that it was really the ambassador’s decision being enforced. So the travel continued the same as it always had.

  Chapter 20- A Mind Set

  The sun rode the sky high overhead, yet the caravan felt little warmth from the glowing orb. Lunch was past and the riders did what they could to pass the time as the miles slowly crept along. By the fourth day, even their basic game of catch and spells the mages could try on horseback were beginning to wear thin. As leader, and being the mizard as his nickname had begun to crop up once more, somehow it fell to Sebastian to find new ideas to amuse them.

  When Serrena moved closer to their leader during a lull in their practice as food still continued to be digested, the girl’s green eyes revealed a thirst for knowledge even before she asked, “Sebastian, we always see you and the mages cast these shields of yours with a single word.” Pausing as if unsure she should ask, the curly haired girl brushed back a lock of hair that was trying to escape her hood. “Fire wizards have a similar wall of light that they can raise which is used the same way, but we always have to chant to call on it. How do you and your mages call forth your shields so quickly and they still have strength?”

  The questioning brought the attention of all the wizards, save Brenner, to the falcon as he thought upon the question briefly. This was what separated a battle mage’s spells from a wizard and yet he always wondered why someone from their side hadn’t stooped to ask or research the mage magic which was much quicker in a fight.

  “Well, it is just the way we see the magic as opposed to a wizard. Our lack of strength led the first mage to set our spells in a simpler way, since we can only call so much to bear for the spell.”

  The quizzical look on the girl’s face was mirrored by most of the other wizards who had ridden closer to hear what the mizard might have to say.

  “You are saying that your spells are short and strong, because you are weak?” Serrena questioned as she shook her head. “I don’t get it. If we are the stronger group, then why are not able to do the same thing? We’re trained in more types of spells and can bring much larger effects into battle. What are you trying to say?”

  “That is kind of the problem, I think. What we classify as a wizard is someone strong with magic and they can call upon larger, stronger items like a fireball. We can throw a fireball, maybe a few in a spell, but a wizard can take a little more time and send a wave of fire into an army affecting dozens in a moment. It just takes longer for you to get there, but unlike a mage who can’t pull enough power to create it no matter the time given, you have those different levels.

  “I think somewhere along the line, wizard magic just became more complicated going for the bigger spells, just because they have the power to do so. A mage simply has smaller goals, so when Raven Hurst was found he looked at magic in a more concentrated way. The man was a wilder in effect, but his strength was too low to call him that, I suppose. He studied with wizards, but the spells largely were useless to him, but he found what he could do and created simpler, less powerful versions of your magic.”

  “Ok, I get that,” Serrena replied, though she still looked a bit confused, “but how does that explain how a mage’s shield is so strong?”

  As he thought on the question, Sebastian realized how different the thought processes must be between their two factions. “Your spells weave together multiple components creating a sort of mental painting. The more complicated the spell, or how strong, adds to the components needed to create that picture.

  “A mage takes a single thought and visualizes it. The magic is there as a single thought and a single word as well as sometimes a gesture to focus the direction used to call the spell into being.”

  Raising a finger as he went to make a point, Sebastian moved from lecture to practice, “You’ve seen our shields. The blue shimmer, the size and thickness of the shield just need to be focused in your thoughts. Then you simply… shield,” he called forth the blue mage’s shield with a flip of his hand directing it a few feet away in the air, “summon it and lock the spell in place.”

  The wizards looked skeptical, Serrena in particular, who voiced their disbelief, “It can’t be that easy.”

  With a laugh, Sebastian replied, “Actually it has to be. Like I said, mage magic is limited and for most part their attention to the detail of a wizard spell would fall short. A battle mage needs to move quick in a fight and much of their spells are tailored to that effect.

  “Power isn’t the only thing separating our two classes. Most of it is the setting of our minds. I’m sure that a wizard can do it. I just think that most don’t take the time to learn the simple mage spells because they feel it is beneath them. In a wizard’s duel, a quick spell can save a fight or turn it. Most of your fire magic can be cast very quickly. You rely on it, but just the speed of it can keep your focus set there, while sometimes the slower, steadier pace of say Collin’s earth spells can wear you down and you wear out.

  “That’s how you lost to Herraln and to me for that matter. I know we were just practicing, but you let your spells carry you away. For a lot of wizards, I see them almost slaves to their power. They want to use magic so much that it fools them into using it all.

  “A shield spell combines speed with a steady pace. I rarely need to keep casting shields, but if I do they can be locked and set quickly. Then they remain long enough to pace ourselves and not use up our energy.

  “Now try it. See the shield. Set the magic before you call for it, and then let it form as you say the word.”

  Closing her eyes to visualize the shield in her mind, a common way for beginning mages to see their spell, Serrena called for i
t, “Shield.”

  He felt no rising of her power. She had not tapped into her magic even for a moment. “Again. See the spell in your mind and let your magic form the shield.”

  Frowning in concentration, as well as a little of frustration and annoyance at the mage pushing her, the wizard tried again, “Shield.”

  The word lacked command, but the girl’s power was trying to build.

  “Demand that it appear, Serrena. Don’t beg for it. A battle mage is a warrior and when he needs his shield it must be there without question. Know that it will be there when you call for it.”

  With a frustrated growl, she opened her eyes and snapped angrily, “I’m trying!”

  “Don’t tell me,” the mage held out his hands warding off her words. “Tell your magic and the shield to bring it out.”

  After closing her eyes once more, Serrena barked angrily, “Shield.” Her hand grasped the air before her and the blue glimmer of her spell winked into life.

  “I did it!” she cried seeing the shield in front of her hand. In her excitement, the spell wavered and melted away. “What? Where did it go?”

  While looking demandingly at Sebastian, the mage stated gently, “The spell has no beginning or end. You must make it a circle and within the circle the shield exists until you either tell it to leave or it is destroyed.”

  Giving another growl as she shook her hands in a quick snap as if clearing them for another try. The wizard began to move her body forward and back as she tried to psych herself up for another attempt at the spell. Her hand snapped up before her as she called for the shield again. The blue construct formed perfectly. Her hand twisted as if turning a key in a lock. Sebastian almost laughed as her physical action helped link her mental process like a novice mage might, but it worked for her.

  Eyes open, Serrena waited a moment before getting too excited, a change from the impetuous nature of the girl, he thought. “I think I got it that time,” she observed.

  He nodded. “And that is the first step to bridging the gap between the two types of magic. Not every spell works the same, but that is the gist of it.”

  Looking very pleased with herself, Serrena held the shield against the palm of her hand and began to swing it from side to side willing it to move with her hand. A shield needed to be mobile and the girl was figuring that out quickly.

  With the genie let out of the bottle, most of the wizards began playing with the shield spell as well. Yara was included and he watched as the pretty blonde’s face concentrated with closed eyes before trying to call on the spell. Several tries passed and she was beginning to get frustrated. After twice as many attempts, the wizard was still having problems getting the magic to come.

  “I don’t understand,” she said quietly to the mage as he rode by her side. “Serrena had it in just a few tries. Why can’t I get it?”

  Collin and Liam had managed to call their shields as well, though he noted that neither seemed as keen on using it as Serrena had. Their love of their own spells probably had a bit to do with it. That was the mind set Sebastian had alluded to with the fire wizard.

  A certain mind set also separated each wizard’s school from one another. With a slight smile on his face, Sebastian quietly walked Yara through a variation of the exercise. “Think of someone you would hope to protect, a child, someone wounded in the middle of battle, family maybe.”

  Looking unsure, Yara nodded, “All right.”

  “An arrow comes flying towards them. Now shield them and keep them safe, Yara.”

  “Shield!” the healer snapped extending a hand before her. The blue construct formed on angle as if to cover someone laying down in front of her.

  Opening her eyes, Yara grinned and stated gleefully, “I did it!”

  He nodded and said, “Every type of wizard school needs to remember their motivation for a spell. You heal people, Yara, so you can’t think of the shield as a weapon or protection for yourself, at least the first time. Your motivation is helping others first, so then you just needed to find that part of the spell and use it.”

  With a wry smile, the young woman said, “You think you’re pretty smart aren’t you?”

  Chuckling, Sebastian replied jokingly, “Well, they don’t call me mizard for nothing.”

  Yara rolled her eyes at him, but quickly added good naturedly, “Well, I guess there must be some reason, yes.

  “So now you are teaching wizards to become battle mages?”

  With a big shrug, the mage replied, “I don’t see why we can’t both learn from each other. If a battle mage spell can save one of our wizard’s lives, shouldn’t we try and get over our differences to learn the spell? I mean look how much I’ve learned from you and Deyla. Mages are learning to be able to heal. How many people have I saved because I know what I do of your magic?”

  Giving a contented sigh, Yara let her shield wink out. “I may not know how many people that you have saved, but you’re right. We really need to learn to work together better. The emperor’s forces are still beyond the wall and you’ve seen as much as anyone that they still want to destroy Southwall.”

  He nodded. As much as he wanted Southwall to be safe, they all knew that there was someone who wanted to harm them. Sebastian wondered how a being could live so long and still want to hurt people that were many generations removed from the ones that originally fought and defeated the emperor in his old world. The stories said that Gerid Aramathea and a few other immortals, along with their many allies, went to stop his armies from entering Alus. They imprisoned him, but he escaped and tried to destroy much of the world just to get revenge. By then, it was already hundreds of years removed from his defeat. The dark legions killed only descendants of warriors that had fought him, since their ancestors were long dead.

  Sighing, Sebastian realized that once again it was all about someone’s mind set. He wasn’t the Dark Emperor, so he had no idea how a man or creature could be as evil as to want revenge on people that had been dead for more than six hundred years. The mage decided that he didn’t want to learn the demon’s mind set. There were some things best left undiscovered and he would simply fight to end the threat as best he could.

  A few days later the members of the caravan began to see single houses near the road to White Hall. The foot hills were behind them and the outlying farm houses and shacks of hunters that lived off the land began to take their place between the groves of trees dotting the lands east of the Dimple Mountains, the lone mountain range south of the wall. Soon the single homes turned into a few homes and shops that acted as a hub for the goods needed by those that preferred to live away from the crowds of the big cities or even villages of Southwall.

  The first true village popped up, but thanks to the winter there were few people outside to see their approach. There was a small inn with an eating room so the ambassador demanded to stop and stretch his legs long enough to then sit at a small table to eat his fill of the local food. The remainder of the the travelers were left to fend for themselves to find their own tables, so most simply congregated around one of the two large tables with benches around them.

  Sebastian was invited to sit with Lord Romonus and his daughter along with the wizards from Kardor. He felt awkward leaving the members of his team, but had to accommodate the ambassador. Helena made sure to sit next to him and flirted a bit, though it was much tamer compared to finding the girl in his room. Ashleen was sitting across from them and he noted her frowns at the other girl’s obvious attention. While he still worried that Ashleen was more interested in him than was probably appropriate, her frowns meant that he was certainly not wrong about Helena either.

  The strangest thing about the way she flirted was that the man didn’t really feel like Helena truly felt anything for him. It was like she flirted to try and get his attention as more of a game or maybe like a job. When his mind quantified it that way, the mage became more curious about the girl’s motivation. Was she one of those women that seemed to keep points on how many men s
he could make want her, a tease that simply enjoyed the hunt or did she have another reason?

  For his own part, Romonus seemed to ignore her blatant flirting for the most part. Sebastian would catch an occasional flick of the man’s eyes to something she might say, but the mage had a feeling that it was more to see if any of it was working. The man would lead a story or make inquiries into his plans regarding the tournament and his training, but he let Helena go as far as she wanted. The more he remained with the ambassador and his daughter, the more Sebastian began to feel like they were up to something.

  On the other hand, Ashleen had never flirted with him, though she did seem interested. Either the wilder had decided to wait and see if he would go to her or she didn’t want what would simply be a short term relationship. It wasn’t like he would ever leave Southwall to go to Kardor, after all.

  He glanced at Helena and her father beside her at the thought. Perhaps that was actually what the two hoped. Maybe the ambassador hoped to recruit him and any of the others that Helena might try and draw away from Southwall. Lord Romonus had been seen talking with various wizards and men of position in both Windmeer and Falcon’s Keep on the pretense of diplomacy, of course, but what if the man was planting the seeds with those he met. Perhaps like one of Southwall’s wizards of diplomacy, the man was trying to work his magic with people that could add strength to Kardor or directly to the man himself if his ambitions were more personal.

  Truly, the mizard needed to keep an eye on the two as much as possible and perhaps expand his watching to the wizards he had with him. Ashleen seemed genuine, but a truly good manipulator might be able to fool him. He liked Wendle, who didn’t seem the kind of person to manipulate others, but was that an act as well?

  Then there was Deiclonus. The wizard had visited with some of the schools he had heard. Maybe the leader of the wizards was working with Romonus inside the guilds. Kardor’s wizards weren’t broken into the same types of schools as Southwall, so maybe he had access to mind control skills as well.