Motioning for his team to follow, Sebastian said, "It should be rather easy, I would have thought. The courtyard is pretty basic and we don't want to leave a large area for the enemy to be able to move around in avoiding our guards."
Martina shrugged and said, "That is the way we see it as mages, but they are wizards. We'll leave Streith to set them straight. He likes to argue anyway."
As they entered the hall beyond the courtyard doorway, his eyes had to adjust to the relative darkness after the light of the late morning sun. He knew there were four doors inside the long hallway. To the right led to the mage barracks, while straight ahead led to the center court and walkway leading in and out of the school.
Commotion to his left made the group of mages and wizards all look towards the door leading into the dining hall. A blond haired girl in novice robes hurrying with a taller red head also in white pulled up short seeing the crowd of mages returning from the courtyard.
A familiar young voice cried out in excitement, "Sebastian!"
Turning to see his younger sister, Sebastian turned with surprise and a smile. "Hello, Katya, it's been awhile."
Nearly dancing between the two falconi, Katya hurried to throw her arms around her brother excitedly.
"Is that all you can think of to say after all this time?" his little sister questioned with a shake of her head refusing to let him go. "I haven't heard a word from you in months! You know that I have been through a lot here too and I have so much to tell you.
"I know you must have a lot to tell me too, like did you find... you know who?"
"You haven't heard the news?" Sebastian said in surprise. "I thought it was common knowledge through all the cities. We found Gerid Aramathea, the Grimnal. The mission was a success though we came across quite a few other things along the way and it was a bit of a fight to free him from his prison."
Ashleen piped up from beside him saying, "I'm sure the two of you have a lot of catching up to do, but could we move it along out of this hallway?"
The wilder had been to the city of White Hall, but had only been to the main building of the school briefly with Lord Romonus. Whatever he had hoped to find or be able to do as an ambassador apparently hadn't been as useful within the confines of the school, so he had returned to the main city to the south speaking with the nobles of White Hall while ignoring the wizards and mages.
Confusion crossed Katya's face as she released him and moved to hold his right hand. She looked at the other girl in clothes that seemed foreign to wizard and battle mage both, but she still looked familiar. Ashleen and her fellow apprentice Wendle had joined them a few times at the Black Smith while Katya was with them. What confused her more was that she wasn't Yara.
"Aren't you that apprentice from Kardor?" the younger girl asked seeing the wilder take his left to hold it similarly to his sister.
Ashleen nodded refusing to say more. Knowing that the young woman was putting the introduction and explanation on him, Sebastian used his head to point towards the wilder.
"You know Ashleen from our time in Hala. We came across each other during the voyage, which is one of the many stories of that journey I could tell, but let's wait until we gather our lunch. It was later in Hala for us when we left. We held off leaving because the sun gets here a couple hours later than it does in Hala."
"You used the portal then?" his sister asked letting him distract her slightly though her eyes flicked to Ashleen as they talked as if unsure if she should like or hate her being there.
"Yes, I am here to help fortify it to make it safer to use."
"It's dangerous?" Katya asked with more worry from the lack of details.
"Well, using it isn't too dangerous, though there is the possibility of being trapped in the world we pass through to get from one gate to the other, but it was more a matter of securing it against anyone being able to accidentally find it to use to enter the school. It is why it was guarded in the first place."
Ashleen added, "It wasn't that bad being stuck in the other world though. There are islands and things to eat there as long as you make it to one of them."
Katya wasn't the only one to miss a step at her glib telling of yet another story he would probably have to tell his sister some time.
"You were stranded in this other world?" the younger girl asked in shock.
She had forgotten any misgivings Katya had for Ashleen in that moment until the young woman replied, "I wasn't alone. Sebastian was stuck there as well, but I am not sure how much of that story is considered top secret."
"In theory, probably most of it is supposed to be kept secret, Ashleen," Sebastian replied without accusation or any true care if the incident was told. It involved a fight with the Betrayer, the former mage known as Palose, but few knew that he had fought the man in New Harbor before getting stranded with Ashleen between worlds.
The dining hall was barely filled as they entered the large room next to the hallway. Sebastian felt an air of nostalgia seeing the place he had spent nearly every day in for most of five years.
"Ah, we're home!" Elzen joked drawing Katya's eyes from her brother to the short falcon.
Sebastian nodded, though it was no longer his home. He had moved on and changed as the falconi had noted. It was hard to go home again.
Chapter 10- Student Visitation
The large dining hall began to fill after awhile. Though it had been late morning for the travelers from Hala, since the sun to travel for a few hours to shine on White Hall's morning classes, they had barely begun the day by the time of the team's arrival. Luckily, they could find food in the cafeteria style buffet lines at almost any hour of the day. Students using magic needed access to meals throughout the day and sometimes earlier than a scheduled dining time. The magic schools were unique in that a kitchen staff was continually keeping some form of sustenance available throughout the school day and into the night.
Sitting at one of the long tables, Sebastian felt a bit of nostalgia for his days at the school. It had only been a year and half since he had been a cadet in White Hall. One of his last meals had been spent eating with Elzen and they were there again; but now they were both fully promoted falcons of the corps.
His little sister wearing the white of a novice was still new to him though. "How have your studies been going? Have you managed to control your power?"
Smiling at him, the girl had been mostly playing with her food as Sebastian and the mage leaders conversed about his time since leaving the school. Her fingers lifted a glittering purple gem sitting at the end of a chain. Even without using his special sight, Sebastian could tell that it held magic. The younger sibling said, "My studies have been going fairly well, though I have had some trouble creating certain spells the usual wizard way. This gem is a control that I am told puts a delay on my magic just enough to avoid things like losing control with a stray emotion. It barely affects the way that I cast my spells, but I can feel the delay at times.
"I sometimes frustrate my instructors by learning a spell in common like a battle mage, but I can find my way to achieve the spell faster that way. I still try to do the spell the right way, of course. Once I've done it the mage way, I usually have a better feel for what I am doing and get to it that way."
Sebastian grunted a bemused laugh, "I suppose that comes from watching me too much, huh?"
"Probably, though it could also be from nearly becoming a wilder," Katya leaned forward to look at Ashleen. "Have you had that problem, since you have wilder tendencies as well?"
Ashleen looked surprised to be included in the discussion and answered, "My bad habits make it possible to throw lightning or defend myself with a static field without casting, but for other spells I either figure it out the wizard way or not at all. I'm afraid that there is a lot that I can't do, which is a problem typically of wilders."
Nodding before leaning back from the uncomfortable position, Katya continued, "Well, I was found before I was truly a wilder, but was already exposed to battle mage
spells also. I guess that I am a blend of all three now."
Falconi Garrett interrupted, though Katya seemed to have stopped talking for the moment. A diplomacy wizard, the young girl was good at talking and had been covering nearly half the conversation when Sebastian wasn't being questioned by the others directly.
"Falcons Ardost and Vord have brought us several new spells, including the light and darkness spells. What was that spell you used to make a disc appear before pulling iron shafts from the air? Have you discovered even more spells since your men left you after the tournament?"
Sebastian's eyes glanced to the slowly filling hall. The white robes and dresses of novice and apprentice wizards mingled with the gray shirted cadets of the mages. Other trainees from the soldiers of Southwall were among them and each division appeared to have segregated from the others. Wizards ate with wizards and usually broke down into certain schools of magic beyond that, while those with great magic separated from those with little or none.
The school was a great representation of the armed forces of Southwall. Soldiers, battle mages and wizards had to get along in the field and probably did a better job of ignoring their differences than the children grouped together by teachers and skills. At least the students could blame the situation as much on the fact that certain groups tended to see each other in classes, while many other students had their clicks formed from their Harvest groups.
"I am not sure how much I should reveal in public, but I can say that I was exposed to more magic along the way. We fought Wizard Hunters of the Dark One. Somehow they still have black ships filled with their warlocks and soldiers protected in armor that absorbs most elemental attacks. A battle mage fireball would certainly be useless against them and I doubt that the newer air lance will be any better."
Martina looked confused and said, "You said that you fought the hunters, yet you are unsure of those spells' worth against them. How is that possible?"
"I have other spells that are effective. Others used fire and air against the armored troops. Few had much success with the elements. The armor is apparently treated with something that makes metal or leather armor react like a night shield.
"Using lightning at high strength or the light spell can crack or even destroy their gear, though we ran into them later and found that the armor had been improved. Avoiding the strength of the armor works well too. I have used sleep spells taken from healing magic fairly effectively. They can be changed to arrows or sleep can be passed with a touch."
Garrett replied, "If the sleep spells are an exclusively healer type of spell, few mages will be able to use it. Maybe after your work with the gate is done, you could see if it is possible to pass it on to the average mage.
"Now you still haven't spoken of this storage spell, or whatever you call it. Is this something else a battle mage can't use?"
His magic pushed into the runes tattooed to his arms to darken them to be seen by the elder mages and he held them up with a smile, "I came across a tribe that might have ties to the plains' tribes far to the east. Their shaman gave us a few runes as a gift for helping save their island. He said that they wouldn't teach me more about them unless I, or someone from Southwall at least, figured out more about them.
"Whether I qualify or not, I'm not sure; but I did discover several things about them. First, they placed them on their warriors, who had no magic at all; so we can use this magic on the soldiers of Southwall to make them more powerful and protected. They can operate like low level battle mages with these runes.
"Second, when placed on a mage or wizard, our magic can add to their power and expand on the abilities of the runes."
He placed his hand over the oval that the falconi had seen him use already and drew out a black blade that he had bought in Hala. It was a good blade and had been made with magic, the mage was quite sure; though it was not his own.
"This oval can hold weapons and was meant to hold little more for a warrior. It is handy as it is, but..." Sebastian pushed his magic into the rune making it glow and expand as it lifted from his skin above the table.
He reached into the oval with his fingers and pulled a pack out. A normal backpack that many travelers might use, the bag was more than a foot wide and would not have entered or left the smaller oval on his arm. "Pushing it from me and expanding it with my power, I can make it hold much larger items. A soldier with no magic won't have that option, but a battle mage or wizard can carry their entire campsite worth of gear without the weight bogging down their horse or needing pack animals."
Forgetting himself with the enjoyment of showing off the new spell, which he hoped would be passed through the army soon enough that it would become common to see; the mage had begun to draw the eyes of dozens of wizards and mages. The sounds of voices raised soon surpassed the clinks of utensils picking at their food.
Replacing the pack quickly and the sword, Sebastian let the magic fade with the color of the runes. He hated seeing the marks though with magic it was possible to change the color of the runes. Even when no one noticed them, they were there but simply colored exactly the same as his skin.
"That spell required no words," Garrett marveled. "How does it work?"
Sebastian placed his palm upwards on the table motioning with his fingers for the falconi to place his palm on the younger mage's hand.
"Let me show you," he offered.
Falconi Garrett seemed slightly reserved having no idea what Sebastian planned to do, but he had faith in his former student. Though not directly his mentor, the two had spoken fairly often, especially in the days before his first position on the wall. With that trust, Sebastian took his hand while pushing his magic into the oval. It glowed and seemed to double as his magic copied the mark. Moving along his arm to the falconi's right hand, it moved until it centered on the inner forearm of the mage leader.
"How?" the older man started but shook his head. "Never mind, but now how do I use it?"
Taking his fork, Sebastian pushed against his own forearm in demonstration. The metal began to slide into the ink disappearing like his sword and backpack, but the mage stopped pulling it free.
"When it is like this, you merely have to imagine it opening to receive an item. If you want it to lift free and enlarge, you have to push your power into it."
The falconi performed the same experiment with his fork watching it disappear into his arm. There was no blood or pain. The ink had magic and existed on his skin making it the first point of contact, thus the magic stood between the man and whatever he placed against it.
Martina asked, "Might I try that?"
She put out her left hand and Sebastian smiled. "I think I have one you'll like better."
The runes of his left arm copied over to the woman. A much larger tattoo than the oval, Martina frowned at the marks. "What do these do?"
Taking his fork again, Sebastian raised it above the table and stabbed downward onto her arm. His other hand held her hand fast. Unable to avoid the strike, she winced waiting for the pain to come; but it was the fork which gave. A glow rippled through the immediate area of the runes showing the magic at work.
The falconi's eyes went from her arm to the fork held in Sebastian's hand. As he let go of her hand, the woman frowned and asked, "I only asked what this could do. I didn't ask to be scared into thinking I was about to be stabbed by a lunatic mage."
Laughter rippled through those around them and Sebastian bowed his head slightly as he said his apology and explained, "I wanted you to see that whether you knew it or not, your arm was already protected. The rune acts for you based on your instinct. Sorry to surprise you, but I thought the defense runes would impress you more this way."
"You are a cheeky boy still," Martina said in annoyance as if she were decades older than the half dozen years she actually was. "I ought to put you through another weapon's test like before you left."
Sebastian smiled coolly and he stated, "The last time was a draw. I don't think you would want me to do that
with you again."
Martina's eyes narrowed and the woman replied with a chill to her voice, "You've grown cocky in a short time. Maybe I will make you fight me again while you are here."
Sebastian shrugged and calmly stated, "You don't know all that I have learned in that short time. I'm not the same cadet you knew then. I didn't have confidence or battle field experience either. Back then I was being called out by the Great Falconi Martina, who ate up and spit out little cadets to show them that they weren't good enough to be falcons."
Giving a surprising laugh at his words, Martina's eyes were amused and yet still held an edge of danger to them as she retorted, "I spit out falcons the same way, not just mouthy cadets."
Elzen spoke up as the two subsided and added, "You should have seen him in New Harbor. I used to beat him in hand to hand. I'm not sure I could take him anymore."
"Speaking of mouthy cadets," Martina said as she turned to glare at Elzen. He had been the class clown and a troublemaker to an extent, though it was usually good natured in design.
For those who knew the cadet well enough to understand, the laughter came again.
Katya leaned in closer while Elzen tried to defend himself saying he was a falcon now and not a cadet. While Martina argued about whether he should have been promoted or put in a cell for the trouble he had caused.
"Sebastian, where did you get that black sword you pulled out earlier?"
Surprised that she had noticed the weapon in particular being a wizard who would touch no sword until she was maybe an apprentice if at all, her brother answered wondering why she asked, "I bought it from a sword dealer in Hala when I was looking for swords made by current craftsmen to learn about the metal mixtures they used. When I told the man that it wasn't actually made of metal, I managed to get it for a much lower price, though to be fair it may be stronger than most swords made today.
Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) Page 14