Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus) (29 page)

Replacing his flask inside his coat, Elzen noted a little color in Zerra’s cheeks for the first time since he had healed her. She had lost a lot of blood before the healing spell, but he had a feeling it was the liquor more than good health returning. Returning to Rilena, he replied, “I don’t think anyone truly trusts him, but Falconi Ralto, Wizard Delfar, Falcondi Warner and the rest all trust that they can handle him. He did surrender and submit to chains.”

Zerra entered the conversation with an observation, “He didn’t have to surrender. They could have overpowered both armies back there and still he surrendered to avoid the killing on both sides.”

“Yes, but why then?” she asked thinking that he could have ended the fighting and killing by simply keeping his hounds leashed. “He could have let the two armies meet at his mountain and show his power then or simply surrendered without any of this happening!”

Her voice was getting a little loud and Elzen was forced to put his finger to his lips to try and quiet the girl. Apparently the alcohol was affecting her more than he had meant. A few others in the column were beginning to look their way and the boy was beginning to look uncomfortable.

“Don’t shush me,” Rilena replied angrily though in a quieter tone to the mage. She shook her jacket collar as the falcon began to feel really, really warm. Buttons were undone shortly after, but Elzen managed to caution her against taking her coat off completely.

Elzen watched her carefully as they rode and added after awhile, “You sure can’t handle your liquor, can you? I’ll have to remember that when we get back to Windmeer.” He laughed to himself, as Rilena grew quiet and tried to ignore him.

The days ahead would tell which of them was correct about Garosh and what his plans were for Windmeer and Southwall.

Two days travel brought the column to a travel lodge, but with over two hundred in the small army, they could only make use of the well while a handful of their officers used the cabin to discuss their status. Such a meeting meant less as they traveled home and had found no trace of treachery in the time since they had left the mountain. Many had thought that, if Garosh’s surrender was a ploy, his people would spring a trap in one of the bottle neck traps that they had been forced to fight through to get to the mountain of his fortress.

While the officers used the cabin, tents sprouted up from one end of the clearing around it to the other. Snow covered the ground here until water and fire wizards worked to remove the foot of white down to the brown, frozen grass. Campfires were started with wood brought in from the forest, even though there was a pile of lumber kept beside the cabin. It was a travelers’ hut and not meant to be depleted by an army.

Gathering wood was the only strenuous part of a campfire with wizards around to cast their fire spells. Even battle mages were useful in this regard, so if the regular soldiers hadn’t learned of the usefulness of both groups, the added help could be seen now that the fighting part of their trip was done.

By the time night had fallen and the first moon, Epsilon, dominated the eastern sky, Rilena sat near one of those fires trying to stay warm. The weather had been much gentler compared to the blizzard they been trapped in for three days on the way to the mountain. She had spent three days in a tent with Falcon Zerra and a wizard named Dolfeen, with only bathroom needs driving them into the unrelenting cold and snow. After three days, the three women had become good friends and even during the fighting they had found each other helping to protect one another.

The girls were physically different besides one being a wizard. Dolfeen was the shortest and blond haired. Her blue eyes were similar to Zerra’s, but the falcon was a little taller with brown hair that was sometimes pulled back into a tail. Other times it fell to mid shoulder blade. Rilena was slightly taller than Zerra, and though they were similar in size, her hair was
brunette and cut into a shorter bob. When the wind blew catching her bare neck, Rilena wished that she had let her hair grow out more, but in a fight it was a liability when someone could yank on your hair or have it get into your eyes.

A falcon was a soldier and fighter. Long hair like Zerra’s and Dolfeen’s was less common in the corps, but many of the women thought that it looked more feminine. Even battle mages couldn’t always forget the values that many of them had ground into them as children. Women and girls wore their hair long in most villages and men cut their hair short. It was just the way it was done.

Rilena was one who cared less about the stereotypical ways of village folk. Practicality and the ability to fight as well as any man would keep her alive a lot longer than trying to decide what the men around her liked. Besides, men had never found her any less attractive as far as she knew. At least when the woman spent time in civilized areas where dancing could be found, she had never had a problem finding men to dance with her anyway.

“Hello, ladies,” Elzen greeted the three women sitting beside each other. Two more young male mages trailed the first. “These are my tent mates Fielther and Rodgren,” he added gesturing to the falcons.

Rilena noted the first was of average height and build and perhaps a year or two older than her, his dusty brown hair and golden brown eyes shown in the moonlight and fire. He had a well groomed beard that the man rubbed on occasion as if the movement was supposed to appear suave. In contrast, the last man was much taller and appeared muscular though his heavy coat and clothing could be adding to his bulk. With hair as dark as her own and a scruffy beard grown during the campaign, he looked rough, but his blue eyes seemed gentle enough to her gaze.

The two men waved taking up seats beside Elzen next to the women. Rilena introduced herself and the other two women feeling like the go between with Elzen as her friend, even if he was a rather new acquaintance.

Small talk came in between bites as they ate a warmed meal from the army cooks. Warm food had become a luxury on this trip as first the blizzard and then the fighting prevented them from relaxing long enough to bother.

“I will be glad to be back in Windmeer,” Fielther stated after a time as he looked at the sky wistfully. A warm glow was beginning to take the east as the second moon, Turas, began to climb from the horizon. The second brother, the war god Turas, would bathe the land red between his more gentle brothers. “A warm bed, the good food served by Lord Bryon, and dancing in the main hall with the beautiful women has become
more dear to me during this miserable campaign.”

They all nodded until the final item and the girls were forced to pause. Dolfeen spoke up for them saying, “Dancing is fun, but how are you sure that any women will dance with you?”

“Persistence,” the man said with confidence and a grin. “If I have to work to get the chance to dance with a beautiful woman, then that is what I will do. When we return, perhaps you ladies will give me the chance and save me some work however.”

“So you’re calling them all beautiful?” Elzen chided the man trying to stir up trouble. It worked but not as he had hoped.

Rilena retorted indignantly, “Are you saying we aren’t, Elzen?”

Rodgren couldn’t help releasing a quick bark of a laugh even as the women giggled at the suddenly squirming falcon. Fielther glanced at the younger man knowing that he was likely free from the hook that held Elzen fast.

Quickly composing his face, the young mage tried to throw them off by actually appearing to judge their appearance. “Well, admittedly I can really only judge by your faces with your coats and winter clothing. If I use my imagination just right though, maybe I can figure that out as well.”

Rilena threw her empty plate at his head, but the falcon’s reflexes were such that he caught it without even thinking and placed it under his. Zerra on the other hand turned red and warned, “You try thinking of me like that or try to sneak a peak when we’re changing and you’ll need to be slung over your saddle from the beating I’ll give you.”

It was Dolfeen who tried to put him in his place as the young boy he appeared to be, “Don’t worry, Zerra, I doubt that he has ever seen a naked woman before. He is just trying to tease you.”

“Untrue!” Elzen jumped up from his seat pointing towards the air as if he were revealing some great secret. “I have seen entire rooms full of young women while at White Hall. Well, some ran out clothed, but not all,” he finished with a grin.

Dolfeen frowned as she was unimpressed with the young mage’s peeping past. “I think I heard of a few pranks like smoke in the girls’ bath house from a few wizards who knew of the incident. So you are the pervert who caused so many girls so much distress!”

Putting his hands out before him protectively as the other two mages slid further away from their friend, Elzen answered as if he had become cherubic in nature, “I admit that I was a bit precocious in my youth. I have repented my ways since then working to become a solid citizen and falcon of the corps!” He finished pumping out his chest pretending to look heroic. No taller than Rilena in height and of a light build even in his winter clothing, the boy did little to change their opinions.

Rilena shook her head. “Sit down, idiot, you’re embarrassing yourself.”

Looking from the boy to her friend who was apparently less appalled than she, Zerra asked Rilena, “That’s all? He’s a pervert, Rilena.”

Shrugging, the girl reminded the mage, “He saw a lot of your skin covered in blood and probably knows your measurements from his magic healing. You weren’t exactly molested when he saved your life. Elzen’s more harmless than a pervert. He talks a good game, but I doubt he would know what to do with a girl.”

The group all laughed at the argument from Rilena, but Elzen leaned his elbow onto his knee before placing his hand on under his chin. His stare at Rilena with a smile creeping across his lips, made her hair stand on end. “You know,” he began, “I also healed you after that wolf and have to admit that what I saw of your figure was pretty nice as well. If I had to guess from using my magic, Rilena has
a little bigger breasts than Zerra.”

Turning red, the girls he was ogling pulled some snow into balls throwing them at the mage who quickly jumped up to dodge most of their missiles. The other two men tried to get out of the way, while more of the soldiers around the fire noticed the antics and began to laugh. While the girls tried to hit the agile young mage, a few more men strode into the light of the fire. Rilena stopped at once noticing one of the men towering over the others. She could also feel his power and Rilena could feel it vibrating in her teeth as she sought to grind them together.

The laughter stuttered to a stop as the rest of those surrounding the fire all stood looking wary. Garosh nodded at Rilena and the others saying, “It is good that you can enjoy yourselves after the last few days. Laughter is hard enough to find in the north, but maybe my people escaping from the emperor into Southwall might find that part of themselves more often.”

Fists clenched into knots along with her jaw, Rilena barely managed to speak through her teeth. “What are you doing here, Garosh?”

Elzen was at her side lending his strength, even in front of the powerful giant. The boy wasn’t afraid and Rilena managed to release some of her tension feeling her friend inches away.

Garosh took in the young man no taller than the girl he protected. “You have a new guardian. Is he as talented as the last? I never got the chance to meet him, since you escaped in such an impressively quick way.”

Elzen retorted in a low voice of warning, “Try and hurt her again and you’ll see just how talented I am, giant.”

“I have seen little dogs among our royalty that barked similarly. A hand around their neck and a twist proved that they were simply all noise,” Garosh stated looking unimpressed.

Blue magic began to cover Elzen’s hands without a word of power drawing the eyes of the giant. It was new to the mage as well, but he had to chalk it up to anger being able to draw out his combat magic of choice. He used swords rarely and instead used his speed and glowing blades around his hands to improve the deadliness of his strikes.

“Perhaps this dog has a little more bite than he appeared,” Garosh nodded before turning his sights on Rilena once more, “but I didn’t come here to fight or intentionally anger you. I had meant to apologize to you and the others involved beneath the mountain. While I can justify torturing an enemy to protect my people, doing such vile things is not something I would choose to do to anyone normally. I am not a violent man at heart, but we are in a violent world so only a fool would sit still and become a victim.”

He sighed and shook his head, “I digress and fear this apology isn’t going as I had hoped. While I fear we can never be friends, I hope no lasting harm came from our mistreatment of you and the other young woman. If you see her and her master, extend my apologies or let them know that I would gladly give them in person if they chose to visit me.”

Rilena frowned hearing the sincerity in his words, but found
herself unable to forgive the pain he had inflicted with his magic. She and Nereith had been pawns in an attempt to get her master Druick to tell what he knew, when in fact there was little to tell since finding the fortress had been simple bad luck.

Garosh bowed to the girl in front of him lowering his eyes submissively. The gesture, like the words, seemed sincere. “If you happen to see the one who saved you, thank him for me. I think that I am glad that you were taken from me before things got even more out of hand. I believe his name was Sebastian, was it not?”