“Once I established a firm hand and made sure to let them know that I would take their advice, we came to an understanding.”
Again the queen laughed and lowered her voice so that only he and Ashleen would hear, “I believe it was your water wizard who stated that she folded under pressure. You had put her in charge of an expeditionary group but warned your people to be vigilant believing that a wizard used to being confined to her laboratory and books might not be as good in the field.”
The information made him frown slightly. Sebastian didn’t expect anyone to cover up incompetence, but it had been an unusual situation. He quickly answered, “It was a hard situation for everyone caught on the island. The jungle attacked my group separating us, while Maura with Liam’s help found a cursed fort. I am told that they barely escaped through hundreds of mindless plant creatures the likes of which no one had ever seen before.
“They fought free and from what I was told it took all of them to survive. Even then, it was our host Lady Annalicia that truly saved the day and my people from being pulled under the lingering curse. I don’t know that Maura folded under the pressure anymore than most people would.”
The amusement slipped, but he thought that something akin to pride shone in her eyes instead. Glancing towards the king a moment, Alyanna answered as she rose, “You see the best in people and must do what you can to work with them all. No one said anything negative about your leadership over the last months. On behalf of my husband and the country, we thank you for your service Falcon Trillon.”
Left to sit and watch the queen move off to speak with the other ladies and lords like the king and Gerid, Sebastian was left with his thoughts only momentarily. Ashleen pushed her chair back and pulled him up saying, “I believe that they are readying for dancing, Bas. Since you are one of the guests of honor, it might be best to get some air before everyone demands your attention.”
Surprised by the girl’s words, Sebastian wondered what she meant by that as he allowed himself to be pulled away towards a set of glass, double doors. They were closed to the summer air letting the cooler air inside the castle remain trapped inside with the large crowd. He assumed air wizards were used to keep the castle cool in spite of the warm summer.
They walked out onto a balcony over looking the castle wall and beyond to the North Sea. Even from the balcony’s height hundreds of feet above the dark blue sea, the last light from a descending sun could be seen sparkling in orange glints of distant waves. The cliff protected the castle resting along its crest and Sebastian could barely hear the crash of waves below them.
Warm air made them a little uncomfortable, but it was worth the chance to see such a view.
“Hala has seen a lot of war and survived the Cataclysm even being so close to the sea,” Ashleen said looking out at the view. The grand hall wasn’t the highest place in the castle, but with the cliff adding to the height, the view was impressive enough for anyone.
“They do have a good view,” he indirectly agreed noticing the orange fading light becoming engulfed by the purple twilight in the courtyards below them. This view had a central wall reaching out to the protective outer wall creating two courtyards almost sixty feet below them. These were very familiar to him since he had fought multiple matches during the Winter’s Edge tournament both on the wall and in those courtyards.
“Velius, the capitol city of Kardor, sits on a much lower cliff overlooking the Glacian Ocean to the west. As the sun sets, the purple ocean and orange sunlight create an explosion out to the horizon. When there are the right kinds of clouds; the water can mirror the sky. I think the sunset may be more beautiful there, but Castle Grimnal’s view is still breathtaking. I wonder what their view of the sunrise would look be like. It is probably prettier than in Velius,” the girl stated glancing to the young man beside her. He was still looking off into the distance, so Ashleen found his hand as Sebastian leaned onto the railing.
Bringing his eyes back to hers, he smiled. When Sebastian looked at her, there were times that he could forget about Yara, but he had stood with the healer on this same balcony in the cold of late winter watching a similar scene. Ice and snow had caused the stone to glisten catching the light more spectacularly around them and broken ice had broken up the purple water that night.
His smile faltered slightly with his reminiscence and Ashleen sighed. “You were here with her too, weren’t you?”
Looking away from the girl towards the sea, Sebastian nodded, “It was a lot colder then, even using an air shield around us. We had left our coats with the servants when we entered and even our winter clothes weren’t thick enough to prevent a chill.
“There was ice out on the North Sea and snow on the walls.”
“Did you kiss her?” the girl asked curiously.
“No, there were too many people around to think of trying to be romantic or anything. We were still hiding as much as we could from the other wizards; after all she’s a young wizard and a healer besides.”
“It sounds like Southwall treats its female wizards like Kardorian women. They have a double standard when it comes to wizards being promiscuous. Since we need more children born with magic to replace those who die, the men are almost pushed to find a village girl or servant in the castle and bed her.
“If a female wizard tries to find a nice boy to be with, he can end up in all kinds of trouble from the wizard’s guild; so few men will dare risk it no matter how attracted they are to a girl. Some of the younger boys will dare anything, but anyone with any sense tends to avoid us.”
“They don’t want to have apprentices or young wizards becoming pregnant. They would call it wasting their time, even if the next high wizard were to come from the birth,” Sebastian chuckled sadly. “Yara told me a similar thing. The council prefers their wizards to wait until their thirties before they might be approved to have a family.”
Ashleen’s nose wrinkled in distaste in the way he found cute on the girl. “Well, I am not one of your Southwall wizards and no one from Kardor is here to know if you kiss me, if you want to.”
Looking at the wilder with her blonde hair, sun bleached to nearly white, with her sparkling blue eyes; thoughts of resistance were pushed back. Sebastian placed his hand on the center of her back turning Ashleen to face him before leaning down to kiss her upturned mouth. There were sparks with the girl as he had felt the first time he had touched her. It wasn’t just her physical magic, but part of the bond between them.
“It’s more fun without the worry of Deiclonus coming to scold me,” Ashleen said breathlessly speaking of her dead teacher. Even though she used his name there was none of the sadness that usually came with remembering the wizard killed on their journey. “Here we can just be a man and a woman without someone judging us.”
Still holding the girl in his arms, Sebastian sighed, “I think you wizards certainly have it worse than battle mages, but is that your first thought after a kiss?”
Ashleen giggled and replied, “Sorry, I guess being a wizard it actually is. I was born into a wealthy, prominent family and guarded like an expensive painting on the wall before I came into my powers. By the time the wizards found me I was already a wilder wizard and then I was under the strict rules of the wizard’s guild.”
Sebastian thought how odd it was that they fought for nations struggling to remain free of the emperor, yet certain basic freedoms were taken from those fighting to keep them that way. He had wondered how much of the changes to his relationship with Yara stemmed from their fear that they would be split up again anyway in their service to Southwall.
Music played in the background from behind the closed doors and the mage looked in at the men and women with their cascade of many colorful clothes as they danced. Under the warm colors of the hall’s decorations, it looked like some fantasy that he couldn’t be a part of and yet they were. He looked down at the girl in her beautiful blue dress and asked, “Do you want to go in and dance?”
“We can dance right
here, if you want; but maybe you’ll kiss me again first?”
Like payment for a dance, the mage dutifully kissed Ashleen and didn’t mind the price.
“Where did you two wander off to?” Gerid asked after they had returned from the balcony. They had remained outside dancing for several songs before they decided to head into the ballroom to look for some refreshments. Night had taken over the view with just Epsilon’s silver light to illuminate the tops of the walls and the distant sea.
“We were just out for a breath of fresh air on the balcony,” Sebastian told the truth more or less.
Ashleen nodded and added, “Even with whatever wizard spells they use to keep this room cool, the air is getting rather stale.”
Giving a rueful laugh, the giant replied, “Try standing near to a noble using up all the air trying to convince you that his business would be a perfect fit and I would only have to serve as the promotional face while he does all the work. I certainly have to say that the politics of trying to earn favors hasn’t changed much since my time.”
Sebastian shrugged and asked, “Are you missing your island already and thinking it was a mistake to come back?”
Raising an eyebrow in surprise, Gerid countered, “Are you? I came back because I have something to settle with the emperor, if I can. My descendants still rule here and they are my family as well. If I can help them, it is my duty to, is it not?”
“Duty can be a pain, but some people let responsibility govern too much of their lives probably,” the mage replied thinking of what he and Ashleen had discussed as much as wondering if he had truly done the immortal a favor by releasing him from his island prison.
“I had nearly two hundred years to relax and avoid what was happening beyond that island. I just figured that it was about time I got back to my world. Besides, I was curious what this country of yours was like that had made men and women like you and your team of wizards.
“Darius remained active the whole time in the outside world, even if he is a few centuries younger than I am. If he can keep on going here, then I guess that I can too.”
Ashleen giggled and said, “I guess that your vacation is over, though those aren’t exactly the most enthusiastic reasons for returning to Southwall.”
Shrugging the big man took a sip from a fluted glass holding a sparkling white wine before he answered, “Well, it wasn’t exactly that painful of a life living on that island. If the emperor thought he was punishing me by putting me there, seeing that I have been able to live in relative peace for so long creating a family of dozens while finding multiple loves there, then he really did fail.
“I may have not been able to be here to help people return to prosperity, but from what I have seen you all have done well enough without me. I am just one old man. No one person could have brought the nations back by himself anyway.”
King Alain slipped into the conversation from behind the giant and said, “Maybe not just one man, but if you had been here it would have brought more hope. You were said to be a warrior without equal and could have helped protect the people.”
Gerid gestured to those dancing before them to music that had been created after he had disappeared from the world. “These people and their ancestors protected themselves and pushed the Dark One back. They didn’t need me, Alain. They became stronger because they didn’t rely on a legend to get them through the tough times.
“I don’t mind being here to help give them hope, but I think they’ve always had hope. It was the soldiers, wizards and battle mages who threw his armies back, not one man or woman. Their power was in coming together for a single purpose.”
King Alain frowned a little; but not because the Grimnal dropped his title of king while speaking to him as his bodyguards had noticed as they surrounded him. “Now it sounds like those to the south have forgotten why we came together and for what purpose.”
Sebastian looked at him as he questioned, “Your highness, has something happened?”
“The reports of the insurrection speaking instigators of the emperor; have become mixed with mail from New Harbor, Siltrene and Mariport beginning to question the taxes and rules my predecessors and I created for the benefit of all Southwall. There are lords and ladies as well as merchants beginning to fall for the insidious words of the emperor’s spies.
“Some of the cities have even suggested breaking off from Hala’s rule since they feel they have nothing to do with us. We take their men and women for our army as well as taxes to fund it. They are questioning why they should be forced to suffer those taxes because they don’t believe the threat of the emperor remains.”
Sebastian frowned and replied, “That is just about exactly what we heard preached in the streets. If their words are making the citizens question their loyalty...”
Alain nodded finishing the thought, “If they don’t come to their senses, we might have cities revolting or even a civil war.”
The music played on trying to encourage those in attendance, but for those the king confided in, it was becoming more of a somber night.
Chapter 7- Honing Skill
Despite the worrying words of the king, the night of the celebration continued with few being any wiser of the troubles beginning to appear far to the south thanks to the emperor’s attempt to destabilize the status quo in Southwall. Sebastian and Ashleen rejoined the dancers and soon put the dark words behind them.
When they returned to the Two Circles Inn Sebastian could tell that they had both probably had too much wine instead of finding something weaker like water or juice. The king threw a lavish party and the lords and ladies in Hala expected the wine casks to flow. It made it harder for those used to keeping their heads for work in the morning to keep them intact.
Ashleen had become flirtier and Sebastian had kissed her a few more times even on the walk back to their inn. He had no regrets. After all, this was the time to discover whether his relationship to Yara was the right one or so the researcher inside of him justified giving in to the girl.
The wilder was drunk enough to have trouble walking straight by the time they returned to their room. She kicked off her slippers in his room and unclasped the outer layer of blue gauze before trying to pull at the strap looped over her neck holding up the remainder of her dress. Tilting her head forward nearly landed the girl on her face, but Sebastian caught her as she stumbled forward.
While he could feel the alcohol in his system, Sebastian had less difficulty with his balance. In his hold, Ashleen managed to pull the strap over her head messing her hair in the process before he even realized that her determination to be free of her dress continued. As she stepped back the front of the dress dropped revealing her breasts even as she squirmed free of the rest in front of him leaving only her matching blue panties to cover her.
Ashleen turned towards him throwing her arms around his neck pulling him close for a kiss.
“Goodnight, Bas,” she said with a slight slur to her words before turning to try walking through the bathroom doorway. The girl bumped into the doorframe as she passed bouncing back a step before finding her way through the bathroom.
Double checking to make sure Ashleen managed to find her bed through the dark and drunkenness, Sebastian returned to his room picking up the parts of her dress to place them in his wardrobe. He didn’t want to disturb her as he had already heard her settling into sleep on her bed.
Kicking off his boots and removing his shirt, the battle mage slept on his covers thanks to the warmth in the air from the heart of summer. He lay on his back considering what had happened at the banquet. While he knew that he cared for Yara and knew that it was love, to say that it was with all his heart made him wonder.
Ashleen was as wild as the term used for a wizard like her and everyday he got to know more about her, he found that he enjoyed being with her too. It was a little disconcerting and the young man wondered which relationship would wind up being the bigger mistake. He didn’t regret falling in love with Yara, but somethin
g had changed so soon that he wondered if staying together would be possible even without their leaders’ interference.
Looking at his relationship with Ashleen had no less worries. She was Kardorian making a question of whether she would stay with him a big concern. He had told her and she understood that he was loyal to Southwall with no plans to leave his country. Ashleen had never stated her intentions, but until recently he hadn’t let her close enough to consider worrying about where her loyalties would lead her.
Of course, she had followed him first to the Sea Dragon using Helena as an excuse. Ashleen had told them she wanted to leave the Carnivore because Helena was hard to get along with; but he wondered in retrospect, as had Yara, if the wilder had simply wished to be near him. She had chosen to go with him as the Kardorians separated to return home saying that she wished to learn more from him and that she could return home later.
That was before the fight with the Betrayer which had stranded the two of them in the silver light of the emperor’s former prison. It held hundreds of floating islands now, one of which they managed to survive on for weeks before finding their way back to Hala where his staff, Bairh’loore, had been placed.
Ashleen still remained near him even after and had pushed for them to at least try to let love take over and see where it led.
Closing his eyes with a sigh, the mage let his worrying thoughts rest and his body slept.
Morning came and the man was up early as he had been the day before. He would return to the Black Smith Inn and work on the iron blended with charcoal and other alloying components to try and find the ideal mixture to create a Hollow Sword. Since he didn’t know how soon the remaining team members would return from New Harbor, Sebastian assumed that he would only have a few weeks remaining in Hala.
Battle Mage: Forging New Steel (Tales of Alus Book 9) Page 9