Battle Mage: Winter's Edge (54 page)

Growing to more than twenty feet long, much of the dragon’s body was now outside the circle. As the crowd gasped and cried out in shock at the surprise transformation, the voice of the judge proclaimed in his magically enhanced voice, “Isstmira has been driven from the circle. Collin from Windmeer wins the match.”

The crowd watched as Collin calmly walked across the stone strewn battle field to pick up the fallen amulet. Handing the piece of jewelry back to to the dragon, a surprisingly female sounding voice said thank you before invoking the amulet’s power. As quickly as the dragon had appeared, the womanly form of the copper haired wizard reappeared. Even her dress and the remnants of her torn cloak were there as they had been before the change.

Helping the pretty dragon woman to her feet, Collin smiled as he said, “Well, that was a neat trick.”

Blushing with her very human looking cheeks, Isstmira explained, “In order for the dragon wizards to both enter the city and partake in the tournament, we couldn’t just come as dragons. We don’t even fit inside of your battle circles,” she giggled in a nearly musical way gesturing at the twenty foot circle. Her dragon form from head to tip of tail would only have fit if she had curled herself inside of the ring. “After letting the the tournament judges know our problem, they confirmed that we could use these amulets of transformation for the games.”

With a shake of his head, Collin replied, “Well, they are very convincing. I would never have known that you were… are a real dragon.”

After putting on her boots, the two wizards exited the battle field while a group of earth wizards maintaining the arena looked at the mess and started returning the Trench to its original look. A thankless job in any event was the clean up, Sebastian thought to himself as he watched eight men and women work on the rubble strewn site.

Collin met up with his team at the edge of the stands, while Isstmira followed him with apparently nothing better to do. The earth wizard gestured to Sebastian and the others introducing them as a whole, “Isstmira, this is my training partners and team.”

Cocking her head slightly and furrowing her brow a moment, the dragoness took them in saying, “I confess that I do not know everything about your wizards, but I thought these brown and black uniforms were those of your battle mages. Their magical strength seems to be less as well, so I find it interesting that a full wizard would train with them instead of just dueling people of your own power. I do not mean to offend, battle mages,” Isstmira finished with an inclined head and a polite smile that was very disarming with apparent innocence.

Sebastian shook his head. “I don’t think any of us will be offended. It’s the common thinking after all. That’s why I am competing to try and change some of that thinking.”

Her eyes widened. “You are competing in the tournament?”

Katya piped in looking all proud of her brother as she bragged, “He’s already won his first match. A wizard from Alcazar bragged how easy my brother would be and how short a match it was going to be as well.”

The other mages began to chuckle. Olan was sufficiently amused by the younger girl’s remarks to add, “Well, it was short, but he was just wrong about who would end it really.”

“I laughed when Sebastian sent him flying after the match and that Cazwallan was such a bad loser trying to attack him from behind,” Katya grinned.

Taking their words in, Isstmira half bowed as she replied, “Well, I am glad that you prevailed and proved me wrong then. Your skill must compensate for innate power. That is something that many overlook when they judge each other’s magic.”

Collin patted the woman on the shoulder still smiling from the surprising match. “Don’t worry about Sebastian. He likes fooling wizards into thinking they have a chance before humiliating them. I know from first hand experience.

“In fact, he’s so good that I had to be humble enough to try and learn at least some of his battle magic.”

“I noticed there were different types of spells in our match! Is that how you did that?” Isstmira and Collin started to compare notes a little too friendly for Nara’s taste, but they missed her frown of disapproval.

They did not miss another’s disapproval as a man’s voice barked sharply, “Isstmira! You lose and now you befriend the victor and these other humans? Where is your dignity?”

Jumping in surprise, Isstmira quickly went from surprise and narrowed her eyes in anger at the man walking up behind her. He wore an amulet similar to hers though his clothes of black looked more normal for this time of year unlike the younger looking girl.

“Draasstmass, I lost my dignity down there when my amulet fell off leaving me a dragon unable to stay in a circle. As to who I might befriend, I thought this trip to Hala was to continue our friendship with our human allies. Now don’t be rude.

“In fact, I think you may want to get ready for your own match.”

With a black beard and a thick head of hair including some bushy eyebrows, Sebastian thought no one would ever have believed this man was a dragon hidden in human form. He looked easily twice Isstmira’s age which could pass for a teenage girl, but as they glared at each other it was Draasstmass that folded first. “My apologies, my lady. You are right, of course. We should be ambassadors for our people as you say.”

Rolling her eyes like any teenage girl at her parents or at a particularly obtuse boy, Isstmira returned her attention back to Collin and the rest. “If you’ll excuse me, I should probably help him prepare for his match. There will be a few evening banquets at the castle in celebration of Winter’s Edge, perhaps we will get to talk again in the future.” Looking to Sebastian, she added, “If you make it deeper into the tournament I will have to make sure that I go see at least one of your matches, battle mage. It would be interesting to see what you can do with your power level and skill.”

“Hopefully, I will surprise you,” Sebastian replied with a nod before the dragoness turned to leave.

After they had left, Collin was still smiling as he stated, “Well, she was nice, not at all what I would have thought a dragon would be.”

Again Nara frowned, “Let’s go to Serrena’s match. Shall we?”

The woman finished by stomping past the earth wizard whose face betrayed confusion. As the other women in the group shook their heads at his ignorance, Liam helped him out as any friend would. “You don’t go on and on about how interesting another woman is in front of the one you’re interested in, you idiot.”

“But she’s a dragon! I wasn’t… I mean… she… but…,” finishing with an unintelligible groan of frustration and slapping his forehead, Collin just turned and followed the others unable to say more.

The battle field, the Two Houses, was another variance to the wizard’s duel that held some interesting possibilities. The two battle circles were set on two stone houses only a little wider than the circles set on their flat stone roofs. While earth wizards had been restricted from competing in this arena that still left some defensive issues that no other field held.

Sebastian sitting in the stands, quickly spotted the largest problem of standing on a rooftop was the likelihood that someone could try to undermine their position by destroying the stone walls of the houses beneath them. It would require protecting more than just the circle in front of a wizard, but the stone walls beneath as well. He had thought that the Heights had its obvious defensive problems, but this field had thrown a new wrench in the gears.

As they watched Serrena and her opponent step onto their roofs from opposite sides of the little buildings, Sebastian hoped the girl would think smart in her preparation. They had worked with her on both her patience in a fight and the beginning tactics. Hopefully, all of the team’s hard work had the fire wizard ready for battle.

“Serrena Tarillon of Windmeer versus Marten Hallenber from Kardor,” the judge proclaimed from a box set at the top of one of the bleachers.

During their defense period, the red headed wizard worked quickly to raise a large blue mage shield in front of the house before moving to a pair of glowing solid wizard fire walls angled within the circle. A second pair of mage shields formed the wedge connecting the two fire walls, while letting her see her opponent clearly. The kardorian was slower preparing his defenses and the twenty seconds they had been given was over before Sebastian thought the wizard was actually finished.

Wind driven fire spears rained down on the hapless Marten. The new weapons had been something Serrena had worked on with Sebastian during their time of training. Controlling wind was almost as easy for the fire wizard and, with a second school’s weapons at hand, opened up a new arsenal for the girl.

Striking an ineffective wind barrier trying to protect his base, the fire spears punched several large holes in the front wall of the building causing extra damage as they exploded against the stone. Rocking the building with their impact, Marten stumbled to one knee as the girl continued the simple but effective assault.

The fire walls and air shield atop the roof held up only slightly better. The walls were able to absorb the spears on impact, but the explosive nature of her attack actually snuffed the fire with her attacks disabling his left wall after just three hits. Struggling to recover, Marten sent his quickest spells to try and counter the girl.

Mage shields collected each fireball faster than he could raise new ones. More fire spears continued to strike the building as it was unprotected after her attacks had destroyed his defense there.

Marten stumbled again in his circle and nearly fell forward out of the ring that he struggled to hold.

Sebastian shook his head as the crowd screamed for Serrena. Such an impressive offense had gained her quite a few fans very quickly. With her defenses virtually untested, the fire wizard continued to hammer the building and Marten’s defenses on the roof as one. It was just a matter of which would collapse first.

A new rumble as the roof collapsed beneath the man gave evidence that the building’s support structure had finally failed.

“Serrena from Windmeer wins this round!” the judge announced loudly as if no one could tell. Only the three wizards in charge of the man’s protection prevented his burial in the rubble of the second house.

Day one ended with all of his team intact. With the second round being conducted in the morning, everyone with a match quickly went to bed readying themselves for more battle.

Darkness fell in the Dimple Mountains leaving the army from Windmeer still separated from their allies from Falcon’s Keep. All afternoon the wolves and lions had nipped at their column. Every attack slowed their progress and often reduced their numbers.

When Elzen was no longer teasing her and simply watching the forest, she noticed that he had placed himself two paces between her and the brush hiding their attackers. Rilena was unsure why her new friend was so protective of her. She was a falcon and had even fought this enemy. No one would question her abilities in battle, but the falcon, little more than a boy she often thought, looked like he would make the enemy go through him to get to her.

Rilena thought that she should be offended, but the girl couldn’t help feeling better that someone cared enough to put her safety above his own. Knowing that she could tell him that he didn’t have to, Rilena watched Elzen and felt comforted by his presence.

An uneasiness took her with the fall of the sun. Even the snow helping to brighten the night was less than cheering. The enemy had been brazen enough to strike by day. What would night bring this time?

Word passed back from Falconi Ralto and Wizard Delfar that they would push on awhile longer. They weren’t far from Falcon Keep’s army now. After the two were joined, then they would set up a defensive camp before driving up the mountain to drive the beasts from Southwall.

Rilena watched quietly as another air wizard let his horse be led by his fellow air school member. His mind would search the winds to try and check on both the enemy and their allies, she thought. It was just another wizard skill that the falcon could not do, she thought with annoyance.

When the man’s eyes snapped open, he gestured to his comrade to give him back his reins and quickly rode forward to consult with the army’s leaders. He had worry in his eyes, she thought.

“Hound,” Rilena spelled her senses and listened. Her human hearing had thought that she had heard a sound that didn’t fit with all the shifting of gear and men. Horses’ hooves and everyone’s breathing could conceal the noise from human ears, but not those of a hound.

There it was. The distant sound of an explosion.

“Falcon’s Keep is under attack,” she breathed loud enough both her female friends and Elzen could hear her news.

“How far do you think?” Elzen asked in his brief way. He didn’t seem afraid, Rilena thought as her stomach began to churn with nerves.

Shaking her head, the woman could only reply, “With the way these mountains echo and sound can carry, it’s hard to guess, but a mile maybe two?”

The leaders sent word back. They would increase their pace and try to help out their allies. Everyone had to keep alert for more ambushes. With the warning and the enemy’s activity for the day evident, being cautious was obvious to all. The only problem was that even caution had failed them during the day.

Hurrying their strides and using water wizards to thin the snow before them, the column hurried into the night towards new danger.