Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) (55 page)

Then there was Falconi Brelan, though only a couple years older than the falcondi, she was the matron of the group, an actual married woman still serving in the military. Her maintaining her position even after marriage helped Sebastian think that there could be more to his life than just serving Southwall as a falcon in his future. Unlike the other two, both Brelan and Raven Leros seemed happy to be there. Their relaxed attitudes helped the others gathered to feel somewhat at ease despite being called to the meeting with little notice or information as to why.

That Kel'lor and Cheleya had been called into a meeting otherwise consisting of Southwall citizens was also a curious point. A few eyes from the dragon mage students and those of his team attending continued to glance at the little, blonde beauty and her hulking bodyguard.

"So, I can assume that you are all curious as to why you are all here," Leros stated simply. "You can thank Falcon Sebastian and his concept of a plan for it."

Eyes moved to the mage almost like they were drawn to him because of the raven's words.

The leader of the mage corps continued, "The war for Litsarin hasn't been going well. Sileoth has little answers for the black ships of the Dark One, which means the towns and cities are nearly on their own over there. News has been spotty thanks to the aforementioned problems in the straight between the two islands. We aren't even certain if our ships all made it there safely in support."

Magnus' friends began to talk between themselves in surprise, but at their unofficial leader's glares at them, they were moved to silence.

The raven barely paused for the interruption and rolled on with his speech, "With the influx of new magic recently, some discovered by Sebastian and of course our friends from Mar'kal who have brought us the magic of flight in dragon mage magic, we have a few new possibilities to turn the tide against the enemy.

"First, we need to know if Kel'lor and Cheleya would be willing to bring our request to Mar'kal for us. We can send officials with, but what it comes down to is; will your people support us and Sileoth against the Dark One to save west Litsarin?"

Kel'lor frowned and looked ready to reply negatively; but Cheleya spoke up first saying, "Our people have always been there for our allies. My father and many of our wizards came to help after the Cataclysm. He told me a little about his time here using an amulet to look human while living amongst your ancestors. Now as to how they will help, I can't be certain."

"What is your request?" the mar'goyn'lya gruffly added with suspicion after the young dragoness had finished.

After a nod from the raven, Sebastian answered, "Unless we can find a way to produce a significant number of trained dragon mages very quickly, we could use whatever Mar'kal would be willing to lend us until we can silence those black ships."

Frowning as he tried to make sense of the request, Kel'lor countered, "Lending them to do what exactly? Aside from a few more candidates that haven't really started their training, the number we have here will likely be it until spring. Your people can't take the cold the way ours can."

Winter would be brutal. For the last two weeks cold air had come in from the west and north ending summer abruptly. There were still warm days, but that was coming to an end. Though they called the next month and a half fall, it would feel like winter in the north well before that and then no one would want to risk their health in long exposures to the cold.

"We haven't completely worked out everything, but my proposal is that each new fleet leaving Sileoth to reinforce their remaining cities will have a portal wizard capable of bringing a force of dragon mages to defend the ships if the enemy vessels appear. There is a second force I am hoping to add as well, but right now the dragon mages are at least here.

"Getting your people to add even a score of flyers to assist would likely make all the difference. Like our small numbers of dragon mages here, we have limited numbers of wizards capable of using portal magic. We will place a wizard with a fleet or on a separate ship to call a waiting squad of dragon mages to drive off or sink the black ships. The more we can send through a gate the more likely our plan will work," Sebastian finished explaining what he had for a plan aside from what might happen if the merfolk could be added to the mix.

His sister surprised him by speaking a question. She was only thirteen, but her confidence made her brave enough to speak in front of the officers and wizards without fear.

"Can the portals even be used on a moving ship? They aren't going to stop to try bringing us there while being chased, are they?" Katya asked a surprisingly insightful question into the magic for a novice.

Sebastian replied, "They can be bonded to a moving deck. It varies from trying to move a portal once it is set on land, because bonding it to the deck, even though it moves, seems to get around the limitation. That said; a wizard could form a portal beside the ship, behind it or in the air above, leaving it in place even as they continue to move away from it."

When Magnus spoke up next his question came at the problem differently. "If it is just us, who will lead it? Will Kel'lor or Cheleya be team leaders or will a wizard or the falconi do it?"

The last person referred to was Falconi Martina. She had been one of two mages to pass the tests to study the new magic. Unfortunately, the other falcon had died along with one of the wizards during a battle two months ago, which was another worry for Southwall. One problem at a time was best, so they looked to this war for Litsarin before doing more than watching a mysterious gate that had brought creatures from yet another world to Alus.

Kel'lor shook his head and responded, "If Mar'kal doesn't support this war, we can't lead."

"That is only if they know that we are doing it," Cheleya replied ready to defy such a verdict apparently. "Likely you will have to return to Mar'kal to try and encourage them to send support for our allies."

The dragoness frowned at her own words and asked, "Even if Kel'lor flies everyday; it will take at least a few weeks to return home. This war could be over before they could send anyone to Southwall let alone traveling all the way to Sileoth. Winter could be in full bloom by then, which might make it longer even."

Kel'lor questioned, "Why would I go?"

Rolling her green eyes at the giant, Cheleya replied, "Even if I can turn back into my che'ther body, do you think that the council will give me much of a thought? We're both young, but at least you are twice my age and can get a bit of respect. I might be able to talk to my father on my behalf, I suppose, but they would look at me like I was a baby speaking to them."

Growling at the thought that the mar'goyn'lya might have to undertake such a long mission, Kel'lor said nothing more but look hopeful that her opinion of the long time would make it a waste of consideration. Then another thought crossed his mind, and he added, "If you hope to send your diplomacy wizards to help sell your idea, it will take even longer to get there."

Popping his balloon of hope, Sebastian pointed at the amulet around the human looking mar'goyn'lya. Even with high ceilings, it was easier to move around the school in human form than in that of a mar'goyn'lya. He wore his amulet to maintain the large, dark haired, mountain of a man they saw before them.

"I have already tried using another set of magical amulets to cross the world to somewhere without a portal. All I need is one of your amulets, and we can cross to Mar'kal in a matter of minutes. With your permission, of course," the young man added quickly realizing that they had yet to agree to anything.

Cheleya's eyes widened with astonishment at the notion, while Kel'lor looked a bit deflated at the idea of returning to Mar'kal so easily. While his words rang in their ears, the dragoness asked, "You can do that so easily? Does that mean the emperor's warlocks have the same magic? Anyone with an amulet could bring an army before we knew what was happening."

Trying to gloss over the new worry, the owl mage shook his head. "If it was so easy for them, I think they would have found a way to do it already."

The che'ther girl shook her head and informed the room, "I was attacked by someone using the gates you use. They brought wolves to attack me, but they have never attacked Mar'kal before."

Magnus suddenly laughed and asked, "What idiot would bring a pack of wolves to fight a city full of dragons? Would their teeth even get past your armored scales?"

More laughter followed the thought.

Raven Leros was smiling as some of the tension left the room at Magnus' words. He added, "Mar'kal is just one city. As powerful as your two races are, you don't have the numbers to truly bother the Dark One. You won't be attacking his capitol most likely and your people stay up in their mountain city for the most part.

"Attacking Mar'kal with little reason isn't like the emperor. He usually has a reason for things, even if we don't see it at first. There would be little strategic grounds to attack your people, at least for now."

A few more minutes' discussion led Cheleya to look at Kel'lor and say, "Well, if Sebastian can cross the distance as he says, then I think you should at least take the time to ask. I will be fine here until your return.

"I can even see if there are any others who can handle the heights to try training them, I guess."

It was as good as a 'yes' to Sebastian's ears and the next few minutes covered how soon they could gather the diplomats to join Kel'lor. Word would be relayed to the wizards and King Alain, who knew of their plan. The right people would be gathered and sent to White Hall first. Sebastian would then form the portal to send them through to the mountain city.

With the first step in his plan to help Litsarin in play, the mage mentally checked it off and knew that there was a lot of work ahead of him to move things forward.

The giant, silver haired man stood with crossed arms and a frown. Nearly the size of a mar'goyn'lya, Gerid Aramathea was easily as powerful as the gargoyle-like creatures and even had a history with the monsters which were alien to their world. His virtual immortality seemed equally alien and it was hard to believe the man was the Grimnal of legend.

He started pacing as Sebastian sat against a table in the living chamber of the suite of rooms lent to the immortal king. Gerid's position within castle Grimnal was uncertain in some ways, but King Alain treated him like the most special of dignitaries and treasured of family members just the same. Not everyone in the city might truly believe that Gerid was a twelve hundred year old man, but it didn't matter since the king believed in him.

Gerid couldn't very well go walking around the city stabbing himself and healing to prove it to everyone.

Now the young mage stood before the legend he had sought to find with just a few clues and a belief that Gerid might still be alive. Watching the giant king pacing, Sebastian knew that the man wasn't frowning in anger at him exactly, but his suggestion wasn't being taken well either.

"When you first found me on that island, I asked that you do your best to avoid revealing the truth of the legends of the merfolk. Now you are asking me to go to my people, the tribe of sea folk who helped save my crew when we were imprisoned on that island; and ask them to come forward to join your alliance against the Dark One? Doing so would reveal their existence and bring on untold numbers of hunters looking for their people as oddities to show to the world!"

Ashleen sat beside the mage appearing tense with worry. Though she hadn't been intended to be on his mission of finding the Grimnal, Ashleen had followed him due to her former lord's belief that the mage was up to something significant. The wizard had been there to swear that she wouldn't reveal the merfolk as well. All of the people manning the two ships crewed by three different nations had agreed to the terms set by Gerid before leaving the formerly hidden island.

"We can continue to avoid telling the main public, but it isn't a complete secret even now. There are those who know they exist, including the Dark Emperor," Ashleen stated defending Sebastian's request for help. There were too few dragon mages in Southwall, and those weren't truly trained to the point a dragon mage from Mar'kal would be. With so few to help, the merfolk were the second hope of Sebastian's plans to alter the course of Litsarin's war. "At least we could avoid letting people know how they change. Those amulets would wind up being more valuable than a hundred merfolk, since an amulet can be given to anyone to change them into a mermaid."

Frowning at the little girl, the giant's gray eyes narrowed slightly making the wilder cringe at the look. Sebastian felt the hairs on his arm closest to Ashleen begin to rise with the static caused by her lightning trying to determine if she was in danger. The field of power the wilder couldn't completely control was almost like a separate animal from the girl in that way.

His hand lifted only to lower gently onto her forearm even as he felt the sting of her electricity.

"The merfolk have been hiding their race since before I was born. They have even saved sailors' lives, but managed to keep that secret from the rest of the world until now," Gerid stated as he unfolded his arms and his hands began to speak echoing his words with their animation. "I don't think that it is a good idea to risk changing that now."

"You don't have to answer for them," Sebastian replied calmly. "I just want to have the chance to ask the tribe's leaders. Eventually they will have to decide if they will continue to hide or find a way to work with the rest of the world. This is just a chance to ask if it is time to lower the veil of secrecy."