Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) (14 page)

"You have changed. I think that most wizards doing a cursory, surface search would only see the level of a battle mage, but going deeper there is a lot hidden from my eyes even using the sight."

Taking a moment to think, Darius continued, "I am not sure if it comes from working with metal like no wizard I have known or if it comes from your repeated uses of the earth that I warned you not to use, but one thing is obvious, you are more powerful than you once were.

"I see no signs of the wear that killed the wizards of my generation," the immortal stated, though Sebastian wondered what he considered to be his generation when Darius was nearly seven hundred years old. He spanned more generations than anyone living aside from Gerid as far as the mage knew. The Dark One was said to be centuries older as well, but they really knew little of the true nature of the monster who had invaded their world so long ago.

"Well, that is a relief at least," Ashleen spoke up with a sigh. "Yara used to say that she didn't want to see him dry up like an ancient man ready to die when he was still young. I've always agreed with that opinion. I would hate to see Sebastian die early and burned away by magic that he could have avoided by simply stopping using it."

"If he starts showing the signs," Darius continued soberly, "even stopping won't prevent the damage from killing a wizard before his time. Our magic can get to the point that it begins to eat away at the core of a wizard. Perhaps because our magic follows the course of the blood flowing through us, it will continue to degrade your body if you push it too far."

"What if I push my body too far the way it is now? Has my body hardened like a runner building stamina or will pushing past the first layer do the same thing?" the mage asked curiously. While he was slightly worried, the immortal had already given him a clear bill of health, even if his core had changed adjusting to the added power.

Darius looked to the sky a moment with that question, but he answered, "Only the gods would know that. I've never seen anyone with your curious magic signature. The best comparison I have is to the folding of steel.

"I am no smith like you, but I understand the process of folding steel to build strength for a blade. Too many folds will eventually do nothing to improve the steel, though it becomes a waste of time and even more folds can detract from the metal's strength.

"Whether your magic can be folded infinitely to hold more power, I have no idea. Again you are unique in this, so I can only watch and be there in case something does change for the worse."

The three continued their walk without speaking for a short time.

"Have you seen Katya lately?" Sebastian asked into an awkward silence as they all seemed to be considering his health. It was a change of topic and completely moving them from one worry to another for the mage.

"I haven't had time to return to White Hall in over a month. She was away for some novice training in the Dimple Mountains last I was told."

Sebastian nodded, "It's probably one of the annual training outings. I went through several of their mock battles as a cadet. While the wizards tend to have their own training during it, the new mages would act as a defense force."

It was Ashleen who looked surprised and the girl asked, "You have so many wizards that you can create large scale battles just from the children in one of your schools? I can't believe that Southwall finds so many wizards and battle mages."

High Wizard Darius remarked, "Sometimes we have seen an increase in children needed as if the world decides to feed the fire. Boys will be born in larger numbers when nations are at war for example. It wouldn't be too hard to believe that a nation at war for two centuries might become a center of magic births.

"Hardship and need tend to find a way to maintain balance. We believe that we understand nature and the world since we have wizards that can become so close to it, but we control less than we let on and understand even less."

"Is that what seven hundred years of life tell you?" Sebastian asked with a smile that implied humor. Like teasing his father about being old as a child with his siblings, though he was still strong and running his farm; the young man knew that Darius took his longevity in stride and with a bit humor. Outliving generation after generation could take its toll on a soul without a sense of humor, the young man thought.

"But then sometimes someone comes along upsetting the prapple cart making new spells and discovering rare magic to rewrite what we know and believe," the wizard said offering up his hand palm up towards the mage.

"I have begun to think that we are only limited by our imagination and will to achieve what we wish to achieve," the younger man replied. "Magic is nearly as simple as wishing for what we want and setting our vision to seeing the result."

Ashleen shook her head countering, "One's power in magic still limits what we can do. I am not even saying that as a battle mage you can't defy the limits others set, but still there is a point that no one can surpass.

"We could weather the storms at sea, but we didn't have the power to silence those storms, Sebastian."

"Perhaps with enough wizards working together, it might be done," the mage mused. "Well, like I said. Will and our ability to believe the impossible makes things more likely."

Again the three lapsed into silence, but it was Darius who asked, "Will you be able to pass on the information of making gates and portal magic? Maybe teaching the runes to wizards and mages would take the pressure off of you as well."

Giving a big sigh, Sebastian nodded and said, "I'll do my best, but I have to admit I don't enjoy teaching groups of people. Wizards or mages, it always feels the same. They sit there wanting me to lay everything I've discovered on a plate and they always tend to question what I am saying, even though they already know that I have the results to back my words."

Darius laughed loudly drawing stares from those following them as well as Sebastian and Ashleen. "I'm sorry, but most teachers feel the same way. I've been the head of the Enchwold School of Magic for over six hundred years and those who teach and mentor all seem to have that complaint.

"Children might come in ready to learn, but teaching those who have trained to become wizards already is rife with questions of ability. It is as if they grow up believing that they have learned everything there is to know and how it should be taught, yet when we are teaching them something it is obvious that they do not know everything or they wouldn't be there with us."

Ashleen smiled and said, "There is a saying among my people that physicians make the worst patients. Maybe teachers are the worst students or wizards are the worst apprentices?"

Sebastian put his arm around her shoulders saying, "Well, you do all right at it as least."

"That's probably because technically I am still an apprentice. I never went through the final tests to be declared a full wizard in Kardor," she smiled up at him with a shrug.

"Ah, that must be it," he chuckled.

Darius considered her words saying, "Though perhaps she is right. Well, at least this time I get to be your student instead of trying to teach."

"After six hundred years, can you become a student again?" laughed Sebastian at the thought of trying to teach an immortal magic that was new to him.

Snorting in derision at the concept, Darius retorted, "I'll correct you when I see a flaw, even though I have already been through your gate and know it works; but just to keep you honest, I suppose."

Sebastian rolled his eyes at the man before spotting the Black Smith Inn just ahead of them.

Chapter 8- Boys and Girls

Laughter came from the table of women next to the one Sebastian held with Liam and Elzen. Ashleen had been pulled aside by Rilena and Serrena after they arrived at the inn. It was still early and too soon for dinner, but the mermaids Yaroma and Naoromi had been there before they arrived looking a bit bored.

The two young women tried to while away their days by walking through the outer city and its markets. Since they had no money of their own, the mermaids would mostly browse the wares unless Sebastian or Olan gave them some money to use. Olan only had that which he had saved from his mage wages. Since the army received the clothes on their backs and food on their table if they stayed within the corps buildings; their monthly wage, which was far from a fortune, could be saved. Olan could only afford to give Yaroma so much and Sebastian had a feeling that he had already dove into some of his savings trying to make the girl happy.

Sebastian had acquired a small fortune thanks to his journey to find the Grimnal. When the Dark One's black ships had shown up, they had defeated and looted one of the ships leaving it at sea with its beaten crew. A second ship had been taken at Gerid's island home during another battle with the wizard hunter crews. Though that chest had been shared with the merfolk and Gerid's people, half had been given to him to take as tribute for the king.

When he had returned to Hala, the mage had been surprised to find a new account had been made in his name. His percentage of the treasure had set him up to be comfortable as had some money given to him by his father when he had taken his sister away to become a wizard. If Sebastian wanted, he thought that he could make swords of a high enough quality to make a good living as a sword smith as well; but for now he served the king as a mage.

His monthly wage was lower than Olan's for another month since he wasn't twenty-one. Half of what Sebastian made still was forwarded to his parents as part of the agreement between the country and the families whose children were taken away to the schools.

The girls laughed at something making the three men glance their way instinctively. Elzen had started a running joke that when women were together laughing like that, the odds were that they were laughing at the men nearby.

"So, Bas, do you know if Naoromi has managed to find a guy that she likes since coming to Hala?" Elzen finally asked breaking up their mix of idle chat and silence. The men seemed to be quietly listening to the girls talk, but sometimes it was just that they truly had nothing to say.

The other two men looked at him in surprise. Sebastian queried, "I thought that you and Rilena had become something more than just friends. Why would you ask about Naoromi?"

Liam agreed saying, "I think you'd be lucky to win Rilena. She's a beautiful woman and seems to have an amazing personality despite that."

The wizard laughed. Obviously being beautiful neither made a woman a better person nor one that was worse, but that was what made it funny to him.

Sebastian looked at the table thinking that it was an interesting cross section of his recent life. Rilena and he had met at Falcon's Keep the previous fall after the mage had been transferred from Windmeer to the guardian city to the west. One of several friends Sebastian had made after the transfer; the two felt more like siblings, though Rilena was an attractive and desirable woman. She never had a problem finding a dance partner at night; that was for sure. More likely the beauty would complain of hurting feet from dancing too much and make Sebastian heal her.

Then there was Ashleen, who he had met near the end of winter after saving the carriage of Lord Romonus. She had been one of two apprentices traveling with her former master, the Wizard Deiclonus. Their mission had been to guard the ambassador on his travels to Hala, but they had been attacked north of the wall by a pack of werewolves. Most of the guardsmen for their party had been slain, and the three wizards had picked up their injuries as well while defending the carriage before Sebastian and his squad of battle mages caught up to the pack driving them away after killing several of the beasts.

Serrena was a wizard who had followed him from Windmeer on their way to Hala. His mission had changed from escorting the ambassador and his party to preparing for the Winter's Edge tournament. The fire wizard practically volunteered to join him after he defeated a wizard who had defeated her first. She often seemed to see him as her mentor or master.

Then there were the mermaids. They had used their magic siren song to destroy crews for the pirates holding their people captive. He and the rest of those with him had turned things around first by stopping the sirens before then saving their people. Defeating pirates had been a rather simple thing compared to the other challenges during their voyage.

The sisters had followed him telling him that they wanted to serve him to repay their debt. No matter how much he had told them that such a thing wasn't necessary, they had followed him far enough that eventually the young man just felt too worried to leave them behind. They had become his responsibility instead of truly paying off whatever debt they might have believed that they owed him. Now Sebastian felt like he was taking care of two more sisters of his own, one of which was younger and the other older than him.

Elzen's mind hadn't been so easily distracted by the memories associated with those at the table, the younger mage answered instead, "I like Rilena; and she seemed interested before Darius arrived, but then she kind of went cold. We're around each other all the time, but Rilena just acts all business or gets bossy.

"We used to dance more often, but it's like she's doing everything she can to shut me out. Well, if that door has closed, I think I will choose to look in a few windows."