Battle Mage: Winter's Edge

by Donald Wigboldy

  “Ha ha, I told you, mage. Light and fire always get absorbed by the darkness beneath the stone. Like the metal shafts, it returns the energy back to the earth. By the way, I notice your aura seems to have strengthened. Have you somehow learned to suppress your aura when another wizard tries to search you? That would be a spell that I would love to have you teach me once this is over.”

  Arronnon stood shakily in his circle. The dragon was tiring from all the energy expended in the battle, but he was still game to win. His movement drew the wizard from Grey Hall away from Sebastian. “It looks like our friend still wants to fight, mage. Too bad neither of you can get past my shields.”

  Shaking his head, Sebastian stated, “Wrong, Geriman, I may not be able to get through your shield, but I can get around it. Lightning dance!” he finished summoning a charge of lightning from the earth using its greater power to serve the mage. Dozens of bolts of lightning lashed out, not at the wizard who still held his shield ready, but to the pool and the ground around it. The water from his two large waves conducted the electricity in two directions through the tumbled stones and broken defensive walls.

  The power was at both wizards’ feet before they realized what he had done. Almost simultaneously the two men were caught and knocked unconscious from the incredible power of lightning, if not for the four wizards guarding each man, who all appeared shocked by the strength of the spell, both would have probably been dead. Arronnon was a dragon, so Sebastian wondered if maybe he would have survived, but neither was standing and that was that mattered.

  A stunned silence followed the echo of lightning’s thunder in the arena. The rumble was so strong that stories of people hearing it in all the battlefields and around the city would eventually lead back to his one spell.

  “The winner is Falcon Sebastian Trillon of Windmeer,” the wizard in black proclaimed sounding as stunned as anyone.

  Releasing the power of the earth, Sebastian suddenly felt small. He had held so much power that his spell had felt like nothing, but not in any practice had he been able to direct even half the strength of that one spell. If not for his staff, Sebastian would have fallen to his knees. It was like stepping off an unexpectedly high step. He wasn’t that tired, but his senses seemed slightly off balance in the release of so much power.

  Before he had left the table set with a massive amount of food for the needy wizards, Sebastian was beset by his friends and dozens more congratulating him on his win. Serrena moved close and asked, “How did you do that? Please tell me.”

  “Do what?” he asked a little addled from his battle and the crowd jamming around him.

  “The power. How did you call all that power?” the girl demanded as if he had just lied to her. “You’re a battle mage and I’ve fought you. You keep finding power and at first I thought it was my imagination or maybe just a rush of power when you get excited, but you held more power than any wizard I’ve seen for several minutes during that match, Sebastian. What are you hiding?”

  Glancing around at the crowd, the mage knew his secret couldn’t be released just yet. He still didn’t know if there were any adverse affects from drawing power from the earth. Letting the secret out only to find out that it could kill or otherwise harm wizards and mages wasn’t worth holding so much power. The contest was to be the true trial and he had Yara and dozens of healers in Hala to save him if he came to harm.

  “Not now, Serrena,” he gestured at all the many people leaning in that could overhear. The fire wizard looked annoyed, but she quickly realized that if he told his secret now, the entire city would know within the day. Not only that, but other countries had people in the city that would learn and such power might be sent to the wrong ears.

  “But you will tell me, right, Sebastian?” the girl asked as if hoping that the mage that was virtually her teacher wouldn’t hold out on her.

  He wasn’t sure why Serrena had come to him like an apprentice even if he had defeated her that day. Perhaps in exchange for one secret, the mage would have to ask for that one of hers.

  “Impressive, young mage,” the gray haired wizard from Eirdhen stood next to Katya congratulating Sebastian. “Might I speak to you in private? I would speak to you of things that I am not sure you wish spoken in public.”

  The crowd had lessened by that time to let the mage and his friends celebrate. Also the impending second match, which had Serrena in it, was coming soon so people began finding their seats back once more.

  “Katya, Frell, can you go hold our seats for us?” he asked knowing that Yara wouldn’t let him walk off alone anytime soon. The girls moved to go hold their spots before they were gone, even while eyeing the new wizard warily.

  The old wizard glanced to the healer questioningly and Sebastian held her hand in response. They were nearly to the end of the bleachers when a woman’s voice cried out, “Grandfather, where are you going? Aren’t you going to watch my match?”

  Turning to find the source of the voice, Sebastian was startled to see the pretty wizard from Malaiy hurrying after them. Dressed in clothes that looked soft and shiny like silk, but were apparently still warm enough for the winter days of Southwall, her platinum hair seemed to shine even in the grayness of the day’s light. Green eyes flicked to the two from Southwall before directing themselves at the gray haired old man. It was then that Sebastian realized that his hair wasn’t actually gray, but had more of the luster of silver like the woman calling him grandfather. He looked closer at the man’s blue eyes and realized there were no crow’s feet of age to guess his true years.

  “Grandfather? I thought that you were from Eirdhen, sir, and this girl is from Malaiy. How can you be her grandfather?” Sebastian asked suddenly wondering at the secretive meeting.

  Sniffing disapproval, Annalicia retorted angrily, “Because my father is his son. Just because my grandfather still lives with the wizards and elves in Eirdhen, doesn’t mean that my father couldn’t go to Malaiy and find my mother now does it?”

  Chuckling, the grey haired man put his arm around the girl’s shoulders. The man was slightly shorter than Sebastian, but next to the dainty Annalicia he seemed tall. “Pardon my granddaughter. She is right. I am the Grand Wizard of Aerwold in Eirdhen, so my duties are there and have been all my life, but I have had my share of travels. Some of my children became quite adventurous as they grew up and Yaron eventually went to Malaiy to find the love of his life.

  “Unlike her father, Annalicia received her magical gift like me and has done quite well with it.”

  “Did you teach her?” Yara asked showing her own curiosity.

  Annalicia frowned and answered for her grandfather, “The great Darius Eremia has too much to do to come teach his granddaughter magic in Malaiy. I had to make do with the masters in my own country.”

  Yara gasped and Sebastian wondered why the name sounded familiar. “THE Darius?” the healer asked incredulously. At Sebastian’s questioning look, she went on, “The Keeper of the Gates, Father of Elves, Grand Master of Eirdhen and holder of several other titles. Every wizard knows of him. He’s one of the immortals. He’s supposed to be as old as the Grimnal!”

  Once again the man chuckled as he shook his head, “I am a father of some elves since my first wife was an elf, but both their race and the man nicknamed the Grimnal are quite a bit older than me. While I never asked him his real age, since it’s kind of rude after all, I believe that Gerid is over five hundred years older than I. I’m not even seven hundred yet,” he added the last with another laugh. “But let’s not dwell on these things now. I do wish to see Annalicia in this next match, so pardon us granddaughter while the falcon and I speak in private.”

  The lady from Malaiy looked annoyed at being excluded, but went back to the other competitors waiting for the battlefield to be reset by a dozen wizards. Meanwhile the other three moved behind the stands a bit where there were no prying ears.

  As they started to talk, the wizard’s demeanor sobered as he began, “I had to get you al
one to talk to you about a few things. First, I noticed your wizard’s staff. Second, I know that you figured out how to tap the earth and I have to warn you to be careful, young man.”

  Yara looked confused and Sebastian was only confused that the wizard knew his secrets so well, and that he could name them without question. “Warn me how? I have been worried that using so much power could possibly kill a man. Am I correct?”

  Ignoring the healer’s even more worried look, Darius nodded and replied, “I don’t know if you were taught this or discovered it on your own. When I was about your age, I learned to tap the earth as well and it killed me. Well, it would have if I weren’t immortal or what we call immortal anyway.

  “But I digress like an old man. Probably because I am a ridiculously old man,” he added with a chuckle before continuing. “The power of the earth is nearly infinite, but it must be handled carefully and not fully through you. I assume that either you found the staff or made one of your one, since you seem to be an unusually talented lad. Use of the staff is crucial if you don’t want exhaust your little life trying to make use of the vast energy held beneath us.”

  Sebastian’s jaw nearly dropped in stunned silence. In seconds, the wizard had thrown the secrets he had been holding from everyone he knew right back into his face unerringly. “Is there a consequence to using the power aside from burning out from taking on too much power, grand master?”

  Patting the air as he responded, “You can me Darius, lad. I am not your master after all. As to your question, I have let the general knowledge of this tapping of magic fade for two reasons. One is that yes, abusers of the power will age and die in a much shorter span of years. The first wizards of Eirdhen that I taught the use of taking power from the earth using a shaft of wood learned this the hard way. Most used the power judiciously and didn’t abuse it, since we also were worried about the consequences of using so much more energy than was natural for us to hold. But there were a few that could not help themselves and they became addicted to the power.

  “I have lived longer than any man or even elf from my time save those immortal like myself and have seen it happen time and again. Young men addicted to power aged decades before their time. Be careful how you use this power and even more careful of who you teach it to if you care about them.” His eyes grew dark and distant as he said it. “My son died that way and well before his time. It is hard to bury your children, young ones, but so much harder when they die so young.”

  Sebastian nodded understanding the truth that he had feared himself. “I made Bairh’loore to use the power, but maybe I should forget that I ever learned such a thing.”

  Yara’s look told him that what she had heard would make her say so. He knew that she didn’t want to lose him or see him old and decrepit before his time.

  Darius shrugged and suggested gently, “I have known wizards that used it wisely and they lived long lives for men. You seem to be a man wise enough to only use such strength in times of need. This tournament may or may not feel like a need, but that is for you to decide. I am not here to tell you to give up because your power is less than the other wizards. To do so would not be the way I would teach my own wizards and I would hardly think to do that to you. Just be careful in its use is all I am saying.

  “Well, I think we should return to the stands or we will miss the match. I am quite excited to see my granddaughter. Unfortunately the first two rounds I had to help mentor my own country’s wizards including two grandsons,” he finished with a proud grandfatherly smile.

  Before they walked too far, Sebastian asked one other question that was on his mind after their talk, “Darius, do you think that the Grimnal, Gerid Aramathea that is, is still alive? There has been no sign of him for over a hundred and fifty years, but recently I ran into a man that almost seemed like what I would think he would be. He was a giant sorcerer with great magic and strength. He also had silver hair which I believe signifies an immortal?”

  Darius’s step stopped before they returned to the crowds and he turned to speak to Sebastian quietly, “I believe that he is still alive, but Gerid was no wizard. In fact, not only could he not use magic, most magic could not even be used against him. He was like anti magic and the only others like that are certain dwarves from Tolmona and their old world.

  “Perhaps we can talk more about this later, Sebastian, perhaps tonight at the inn?”

  “Of course, sir,” Sebastian agreed before they went to sit down for the next match.

  Chapter 32- Icy Slopes

  Sebastian felt sorry for the wizard from Rhearden. When the officials had made the groups of four, he was sure that they had tried to be fair. There were few groups with multiple wizards from Southwall or the same city to help gang up on other countries’ contestants. They had clearly stated that they were trying to be fair to all and had even placed a group or two from Southwall completely against each other with no other nations to help prevent such tactics from happening.

  Unfortunately, there was one type of grouping that had not been accounted for, the battle of the sexes. The wizard from Rhearden found himself in a mix of countries, but was the sole male in the four. Annalicia took the west circle, Serrena had the north and a water wizard from Marianis had the east leaving the man the south. At what point the women realized that they all had one thing in common against him, Sebastian didn’t know, but it happened quickly.

  The judge announced, “Timmerin Herrol of Rhearden holds the south, Karrelee Nisier from Marianis holds the east, Serrena Tarillon holds the north and Annalicia de Malef Eremia will hold the west. Prepare yourselves!”

  The women all received large cheers, but Annalicia seemed to have garnered the most fans since she had arrived. Between her beauty, unusual mode of dress and unique magic, the girl was getting very popular. That could have gained the others’ attention instead but, as the match started; first the water wizard struck the lone male followed quickly by Serrena’s fire attacks. Annalicia shrugged as she had taken a note from Sebastian’s match and held back waiting. The girl added a swirling air attack and even absorbed some of the fire to make it more powerful. Serrena intentionally added more fire to the tornado making its power even more destructive.

  To his credit, Timmerin from Rhearden fought hard. He might have had a chance of beating any of them one on one, but the match had become three to one and the women were enjoying it. The wizard’s magic was powerful and diverse. Shields similar to a mage’s dotted the air stopping water attack after attack. Glowing fire walls took the pounding from north and west while he attacked Serrena with a water spell using the pool between them.

  Her fire shields collapsed and only her mage shields stopped the girl from being washed away.

  Annalicia stole some water creating some strange creatures that appeared fishlike. Using the spin of her tornado, the water constructs launched at his defenses and spit water from their mouths in even stronger attacks. The projectiles weakened his fire shields, the fish striking the walls solidly finished them off.

  From then on, it was strictly being defensive for the man. Shield after shield rose and fell as he slowly stepped backwards out of the ring. When the attacks stopped, Timmerin looked at his feet outside the circle and cursed before walking to the side of the arena. He would be forced to watch and he could at least say that he hadn’t been thrown out of the circle.

  The weakness to the water attack left Serrena open to being exploited as the other two almost instantly attacked from each side using the remainder of the pool’s water. Losing her footing and being washed out of the ring ended Serrena’s tournament.

  After the fire wizard’s dismissal, the water wizard smiled at her opposition’s failure. The water and fire schools were rivals in almost every school after all and defeating a rival held a lot of satisfaction, but for the woman from Marianis the fact that she was not alone had escaped her momentarily.

  Annalicia had never released her tornado and the pool, the water wizard’s main source of powe
r, was empty. Short seconds later, Wizard Karrelee was defeated by a combination of air attacks leaving the popular wizard from Malaiy standing alone. Her ovation was so loud that the judge had to wait to announce her victory.

  Running to the stands, Annalicia nearly made it to Darius for personal congratulations before she was swamped by her fans much to her guards’ dismay. A small whirlwind started in the middle of the crowd pushing them back as gently as the girl could as she was being crushed from all the attention. Small cries as people were pushed back could be heard from where Sebastian stood worriedly. The small young woman had completely disappeared like Serrena under the flood.

  The judge used his magic to chasten the crowd to little avail. Sebastian noted Darius doing a chant and moving his hands. Unable to see Annalicia, the mage was unsure what had happened but the whirlwind disappeared and so did the girl. With the wizard mysteriously vanished, the crowd was left unsure of where to go and what to do before finally dispersing.

  Darius had continued with his magic and the mage noted that he seemed to be directing something from the air to his side. Moments later a small, cloaked figured stood next to him clutching his arm. The grand master gestured for the men of Malaiy to come to him and they quickly shielded Lady Annalicia from her adoring fans.

  Invisibility and some sort of spell that made her fly to him? Sebastian wondered what kinds of magic a man nearly seven hundred years old must know that no one else alive could possibly understand.

  It was a conversation for later, he supposed as Darius and those from Malaiy quickly left the arena. Sebastian led his group away from the Colonnades as well. Ashleen had a match at the newly named Four Hills next and that afternoon they would watch Collin’s as well. Serrena caught up to them dripping wet and angry.