Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) (32 page)

Rolling his eyes at the wizard, who always seemed able to show up at the most inopportune time, Sebastian retorted, "Then maybe I should have made the spell stronger. I hope that I can at least finish my dinner."

With a big laugh, the fire wizard nodded as he turned towards another table held by the wizards who were always around him. He added, "Well, if he does wake up too soon then maybe that is a lesson for you to learn, mage?"

Evie hurriedly followed him to the table setting her tray beside his. Ashleen frowned at the girl briefly assessing what Evie might be thinking. He placed both trays on the table, one for him and one for Ashleen. Elzen returned with a tray for Rilena, though the other two mages remained across from him. The dark haired mage, who was more like a sister to Evie, looked at the younger girl at his side inquisitively, but didn't say anything about the positioning of her friend.

Speaking first after having been only a few people away when the dispute had happened, Elzen asked, "Was that the healers' sleep spell?"

  He nodded. "While we aren't supposed to fight each other and certainly a full mage isn't supposed to fight with an apprentice wizard, a quick sleep spell to end the problem peacefully can hardly be blamed on me; after all he was about to call a fireball spell in the middle of the dining hall."

Ashleen shook her head and stated, "Did you bait him into it, Sebastian?"

Evie spoke up for him, frowning at the blonde haired wilder, "The bully deserved it. He keeps picking on me."

"That's because you keep changing into a mouse then turning back into a naked girl in front of him," Elzen stated with a slight grin as if he found the idea amusing or perhaps he enjoyed seeing the girl bare as well. The young falcon had done his share of pranks to get the girls to run out of the bathhouse while at the school, so it would hardly be out of character for the boy.

"Stop teasing her, Elzen," Rilena ordered giving him a hard nudge in the ribs. "Evie was sent here to help Cheleya and has been the target of Arrimus as soon as he found out that she was... delicate," the mage finished trying for an appropriate word that wouldn't be mean to the shy girl.

Rilena seemed to think of something else and asked Sebastian, "Bas, would it be alright if we took Evie with us to Hala? If Cheleya's problem is fixed, then she has no purpose here and I am not sure if Darius is ready to take care of her."

Looking from one to the other, Evie looked hopeful; but he asked, "Is her home in Windmeer now?"

"She was one of Garosh's changelings. Evie hid during the assault on the fortress, when so many others were killed by the emperor's sneak attack. She came with us to Windmeer for a time, but I am not sure where she considers home now."

Evie answered, "I would like to travel with Rilena and you."

There was no 'if' to her statement. Sighing, Sebastian replied, "Well, there are two beds in Yaroma and Naoromi's room. I suppose Rilena and Evie could stay with them a day or two while working at White Hall."

Elzen looked thoughtful and added, "Well, they might be a bit surprised to have company. They are used to having the room to themselves."

Ashleen retorted, "Just to their selves?"

Elzen didn't even blush as he shrugged appearing innocent as to her meaning.

The plan was set, so after dinner, they picked up Evie's small pack from the girls' room letting Katya and Cheleya know that the girl was returning to Hala with them. Casting the gate spell from the portal courtyard of White Hall, the group left the school to return to the inn room in the Black Smith Inn.

Chapter 17- Cover of Night

The beautiful sirens took the news that they would need to share their room with Rilena and Evie in stride. While the two mermaids had joined him in service to repay a debt, the fact that he had been paying for their lodging and food meant their perception of their debt continued to grow. Giving up a bed and their privacy for a time was the least that they could offer in exchange.

Olan and Elzen tried to hide their misgivings at the decision, but neither man could exactly argue any point against it. It was Sebastian's money paying for the rooms, including the one he had rented when Olan had been too drunk to return to the guild hall.

Also the fact that neither mage had come out and said that they wanted to room with one of the mermaids meant that they had even less that they could say. Sleeping around with women without being married wasn't uncommon in the military, though never condoned in such a society; but it happened. Speaking of it was a risk besides, to one's reputation and possibly even their rank, if something too scandalous were to come out against them.

Having waited to return until after their free meals at White Hall, the evening's dancing was more than half over; but Elzen found Naoromi stealing the girl away as soon as that dance was over with. Ashleen joined Sebastian for a dance, but he noticed her attention wander.

"Is something wrong?"

Her blue eyes looked to his with a worried smile. Ashleen couldn't hide her feelings from her face like the mage had practiced to do. Shaking her head slightly, the young woman replied, "Evie turned down a request to dance and looks like she is hiding behind Rilena, which means neither of them are dancing."

Turning his head to see the two young women sitting at a table otherwise alone, Sebastian could see that Rilena at least looked bored with having to babysit the younger girl. Evie in turn appeared ready to hide from any man's attention and still wore a child like frock that stood out awkwardly among the evening crowd. The problem was that such a childish look attracted certain men and most of those he wouldn't have let his little sister dance with if she was there either.

"And what exactly can we do about it?" he asked having a feeling of what was coming.

"You should dance with Evie for awhile, so Rilena can enjoy herself."

His darker blue eyes met Ashleen's again seeing disappointment in her face despite it being her idea. "Then you will have to find another partner," he reminded her.

Giving him a smirk, the wilder replied jokingly, "That shouldn't be a problem. If you weren't hogging me so much of the time, I could have the run of the place, you know. The men do find me attractive, even if you won't treat me like a woman in bed."

Pulling back slightly in shock at her offhand comment that suddenly made the girl blush, Sebastian wondered how much of her joke was a true complaint? Ashleen had made her intentions known long ago. Once Yara had bowed out by breaking up with him, the young woman had been his shadow and partner in nearly everything. She wanted to be his partner in all ways, even though Sebastian was still a bit leery from the loss of Yara.

"I didn't mean it like that!" she exclaimed in shock at her words. "I was just joking. Really."

Doing the only thing he could think of to lessen the tension, Sebastian kissed the shorter girl on the forehead and said just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the music, "Trust me. I know that you are a woman."

Not satisfied with the kiss that could have come from a brother, Ashleen's hand slid from his shoulder to the back of his neck pulling his lips closer as she tilted up to meet his for a more romantic version of that kiss. There were no words expressed immediately after. Her passion was enough and it was returned as much as he dared while in public.

The song ended and there was a brief pause while the musicians drank some water. The singer had been singing for quite awhile taking short breaks while the others played their instruments. It was a taxing thing to be a musician in Southwall when an evening of dancing spanned a few hours or more.

Taking the time to return to the table, Sebastian sat beside Evie and asked, "Hey, Evie, would you like to dance with me for awhile? I think Ashleen has grown bored with me already."

The older girls both smirked at the idea, but Evie's eyes grew larger in surprise. She glanced to Ashleen quickly, but the younger girl saw no other reason to say no to him. She smiled shyly and nodded her head.

As the two moved onto the dance floor, Sebastian towered over the little wizard. Evie was even smaller than Ashleen, who was considered petite as well. Rilena shook her head at Ashleen and said conspiratorially, "That might be a mistake. I think Evie's got a crush on him since he saved her from Arrimus. She's been talking about him ever since."

Ashleen watched the two with a small smile and replied, "Well, she can like him all she wants. I don't plan on giving him up to any girl."

Nodding to the Kardorian woman, Rilena started to stand as one of the men from the bar came their way. She had turned him down once before saying that she couldn't because she was watching over her little sister. "Still, I thought that you should know. Evie's young and pretty inexperienced so she might do something wrong. She's also been running with the pack of wolves and werecats at the fortress, so who knows what those creatures are teaching her."

Ashleen nodded with her smile waning slightly. While Evie seemed like a sweet, young girl; those could be the worst to deal with when they had a crush. She had seen others trying to let them down gently and sometimes it went well while other times it did not.

The evening wound down and when the musicians left so did most of their group. Sebastian was a bit tired after his use of magic as well as the physical activity of the day; but he made sure that Rilena and Evie found their way into the siren's room safely. Naoromi and Yaroma went with, even though Olan and Elzen appeared to want to spend more time with the girls.

With the girls' door closed, Sebastian joined Ashleen in their room. Removing her dress the blonde haired wilder let her blonde tresses cascade over her naked breasts concealing them as she walked over to the mage. She helped Sebastian off with his shirt giving it a sniff before pulling it over her head. Wearing it like a night dress as it touched the middle of her thighs, Ashleen moved to the young man once more running her hand from his stomach up to his chest before kissing him as he bowed his head to kiss the wilder once more.

The two took their time getting under the covers. He lifted her onto the bed and though they limited their love to heavy petting, both were very warm before stopping to draw back the bed spread and blanket. It was still nice enough to use a single sheet, though his slowly growing weather senses told him the cooler seasons were nearly on them.

While their passion had given them temporary energy, as soon as they stopped, the two began to feel the weight of the long day and were soon asleep.

Though Naoromi and Yaroma had acted like obedient servants taking the other two women into their room without complaint, it didn't mean that they were complacent in their roles as roommates to the girls. While they weren't obvious in their resistance to the new guests' arrival, the two mermaids weren't ready to give up on the romance in their lives either.

Yaroma was the first to slip out of bed. She had listened for the slow steady breathing of the other women hoping to slip out with the others unaware of her absence. The door opened only enough to allow the young woman enough space to escape the room, but the dim light of lanterns in the hallway spilled into the darkness making her nervous. It missed their faces, and it was brief; so Yaroma slipped out hearing no apparent changes in the breathing of the others' sleeping patterns.

The mermaid opened the door across the hallway to find Olan waiting for her with a big smile. He was her lover and Yaroma still couldn't believe that she had fallen in love with someone on the first ship she had been in prolonged contact with. The young mage was a little older than she was and a man, not just some boy. On the night he had become drunk, Yaroma had slipped across to be with him while Elzen had gone to see her younger sister.

Though protective of Naoromi, Yaroma could see something similar happening between her sister and the other mage.

After awhile, Naoromi slid from beneath her covers as well. She too listened to the sounds of Rilena and Evie sleeping. A small smile crossed her lips as the mermaid opened the door in a similar fashion. Wearing her dress from earlier, the younger girl disappeared into the hall and down the back stairs of the inn.

She and Elzen had arranged to meet. Such a secret rendezvous held more excitement for her than just having him switch rooms with her sister. While Elzen wasn't necessarily anyone's first thought to be her love interest since he was only as tall as her and not one of the taller men that so many women seemed to swoon over in the various dance halls, Naoromi had fallen for his charms none the less. He had a sense of humor that appealed to her and the young man treated her with an interesting gentleness mixed with a surprising strength as well. Elzen might have lacked some height, but Naoromi had found him well muscled. His toned body held strength that most of those taller men wouldn't have seen unless they challenged the smaller mage to a fight.

Though Naoromi hadn't been told of his combat prowess, their time on the dance floor had proved his ability to move with her was almost uncanny in how he felt to her. She had seduced him enough to get him into bed as well. While close to her sister, she hadn't told Yaroma what they had done after separating that night. She didn't ask what her sister had done with Olan in return.

A hiss of her name in a whisper drew the mermaid's eyes towards the stables of the inn. Her amulet could give her sight into darkness that surpassed her normal vision, but Elzen waved drawing her to him. Finding the handsome young mage, the two slipped into one of the stalls where Naoromi discovered her new lover had placed a few blankets over a bed of straw.