White Hall (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 10) (35 page)

As the leader of the mages in White Hall, Garrett took a breath and began, “You were fighting during dinner, Niklaus.”

Shrugging the boy replied without fear, “Krevahs keeps picking on us because he doesn’t want to be here and hates that we are learning magic faster than he is. I accepted his challenge and had plenty of witnesses to back me up on that.”

With a frown for the boy, the falconi knew that much of what he said was points from the handbook they had received orientation day. While fighting wasn’t approved per say, having mages and wizards dueling promoted experience. Novices were rarely among those willing to test the system however.

“Be that as it may, you used magic without permission in the fight. You and Krevahs are too new to be playing with spells which you barely understand,” Garrett responded trying to contain the situation. “If you plan to use the rule book against me, you know that other wizards or falcons are supposed to be there to contain any potential damage. It is also a way to protect you from harm.

“You are our responsibility, since you are away from your parents. If you had arranged a duel with teacher supervision, we wouldn’t be meeting here now.”

Unimpressed with the warning, Niklaus aimed his thumb towards his brother and countered, “We both know that isn’t true. Piotr had nothing to do with the fight. I don’t see Krevahs or anyone else involved in the conversation from my table, so this must mean I did something that you think has to do with Piotr.

“What did we do exactly?”

Piotr looked at the floor shaking his head minutely. When his twin got it into his head to be obstinate, there was little to do but wait him out; but he just wished that Niklaus would stop dragging him down at the same time.

High Wizard Herrol frowned, but stepped in saying, “Which one of you discovered how to change into an animal?”

Looking proud of himself, Niklaus said, “I was trying to figure out how Piotr shared minds with the animals when I accidentally changed.”

“Another battle mage coming up with a wizard spell?” Falcondi Streith questioned Garrett just loud enough to be heard. Katya’s brother had been stirring up things since the previous summer doing the same. The bigger question was: was this an isolated event caused by the cadet or were they about to watch a new owl being created? The designation for those with strange gifts in magic among the battle mages had started to be thrown around due to Sebastian’s gift with crafting new spells. Those with the rare gift of healing among them were also being considered from what the school was hearing from the ravens of Southwall.

“Not necessarily,” the elder nature wizard stated looking at the two boys standing side by side intently. “While he certainly created a new spell, I am not sure that it is just related to something like the other boy can do. They are twins and it is very unusual for the pair to both be born with magic.

“There might be something that the research wizards might be able to dig up on it happening before, but I can’t say that I know of any occurrences happening in my lifetime. You might consult Wizard Alum on it as well, but what I am suggesting is maybe trying his brother’s spell is part of the reason it happened.”

Garrett looked at her and asked, “Do the nature wizards have this spell to call on, Derennia, or has he managed to do something more unique than that?”

Glancing from the boys to the falconi, Wizard Derennia replied, “We have such a spell on the books, though it actually consists of several different spells. Different creatures require a variant in hand gestures or words used to summon the form.

“While our school does have these spells, few wizards like to use them. For most, there is a problem of control. If their will isn’t strong enough, the beast they call upon can actually exert control over their minds. A few tales say that wizards have been lost becoming animals for the rest of their lives.”

There were those who looked to Niklaus with worry, but the boy shrugged saying, “I didn’t even realize I was an animal until I saw that I had paws.”

With a few chuckles at the thought from those around him ignored by Derennia and Herrol, the woman replied soberly, “It was rarely during their first tries at the spell, boy.”

The nature wizard looked to the white wizard and asked, “Do you think that it has something to do with the boys being twins? Piotr is strong with nature and can tie his mind to animals. His brother is weaker in magic, but there is a feeling of nature magic to his aura as well.”

While most of those gathered looked to the gray haired wizard in white, Herrol stepped forward to stand before the twins. Standing centered between the two, the man gestured for Piotr to move to his left towards the stairs and for Niklaus to move closer to the outer wall to separate them. The boys had no more idea why than most of the rest of the room and Herrol strangely looked at the space between them rather than the twins for a moment.

“Piotr can you share your mind with Niklaus?”

“I’ve never tried, though I can’t with humans as far as I can tell. I tried on several people just to see what it felt like. Only Cheleya wasn’t like a wall, but I couldn’t enter her mind for more than a moment before she pushed me out.”

“Try,” the older man said letting out a breath in aggravation. As a high wizard, Herrol wanted to see the attempt before a young wizard told him why they couldn’t do something.

Forming a triangle, Piotr focused on his brother as Zieran moved to stand beside him. If the attempt worked, it was likely the novice’s body would collapse without his mind to control his balance. Ignoring his mentor, the boy tried to send his mind to Niklaus, but after a moment he shook his head saying, “It isn’t as strong a defense as most, but he is still a wall to me.”

The high wizard seemed to be looking at the air between them more than at the novice trying to achieve his wish. Gesturing to the cadet, Herrol asked, “Do you only know how to change into a bear?”

“I started with the lynx they have in the zoo,” Nicklaus replied and wished that he had ignored Piotr and tried a few other animals as well. A couple others he was thinking of could also come in handy in the future.

“Try that form then. The falconi’s office has begun to feel a bit small already for so many. At least a lynx is smaller than a brown bear,” High Wizard Herrol stated barely looking at the cadet. It was almost as if the wizard didn’t want to look at the mage, but then again he didn’t really look at Piotr either.

Unsure if he should be offended by the high wizard’s apparent distaste for him, Niklaus decided it was worth doing as he was asked. “Mind to mind, lynx,” the boy said using the words which seemed to work for creating the bear though with the other animal’s name in its place.

His mind focused on the feel and look of the lynx and Niklaus’ vision lowered as his body became that of the mountain cat. He was looking up at everything and the boy wished that he had become a bear instead. At least as a bear, he could stand without having to put his paws on something.

Sitting on its haunches, the lynx looked around at the men and women before him. Herrol smiled slightly as his eyes seemed to see something as they followed an invisible line from Piotr to Niklaus and back again several times.

“It is as I thought. The twins share power to an extent. Niklaus may only hold a mage’s strength in him; but at least near Piotr, the two seem to share magic between them. There doesn’t look to be a lot of power flowing to the cadet when he needs it, but I have a feeling that together they can adjust if they were ever to practice sharing power between them.”

Niklaus released the animal form as his brother replied, “I was near Nik when he first transformed. He was trying to transfer his mind to Lyras, but he became a bear at least thirty feet from me or more in the courtyard.”

The white wizard shook his head as if what the boy said didn’t matter. “Once he knows and understands a new spell, Niklaus may not need the extra boost in power. The other mage has translated quite a few wizard spells. Those who have watched him try believed that the first tries took more effort and probably more magic on his part. Once the mage used his new spell a few times, the spells seem to have taken less effort.”

Falconi Garrett nodded, “He seemed capable of wizard level spells when he visited on the way to Hala. I heard that he was able to defeat some of the other promising duelists with those spells.”

As if the battle mage had meant it as a jab, High Wizard Herrol frowned before trying to sound gracious as he replied, “From the reports I heard, he did well enough at Windmeer for the ravens to ask him to attend the tournament.”

“...and he finished fourth but only because he pulled out early,” Falconi Martina added.

“But this isn’t about him. That mage may be completely unique to our situation. Niklaus and his tie to his twin may be something altogether different. I would like to have a couple of our healers and researchers do some tests with the two,” Herrol said trying to lead the conversation back to where he felt more comfortable.  “Getting baseline information now, we can follow as they progress in their training and see if there is a link for the twins.”

Martina asked, “Even if there is a link between them, has there been other cases worth wasting the time interfering with their training to see if there is? It would be like spending time looking at Falcon Sebastian’s brain to see if he is different from the rest of us. No one is creating new magic, so that would be a waste of resources.

“These boys don’t need the extra poking and prodding from your researchers, do they?”

Garrett shook his head at his second in command, “If High Wizard Herrol thinks that it is worth taking the time to see what connection being a twin has to their magic; then we will just have to make room in their schedules to do the testing. I am sure that he wouldn’t want to waste anyone’s time on worthless tests for a unique case.”

Surprised by the mage’s admonishment of his second, Herrol nodded to his battle mage equivalent at the school. “Thank you, Falconi Garrett. I do believe that such research may bring new insights into our magic and possibly the relation between us as well.”

“Then we will work out the details later and let the boys go back to their studies,” the falconi stated.

Glad to be free, Piotr led the way ahead of his brother, who couldn’t help a little smirk at the disruption he had caused.

“Why do you look so happy?” the younger twin asked. “Now we will have wizards researching our connection or whatever, and our usual studies and classes.”

“Well being special isn’t exactly a bad thing, is it?” Niklaus chuckled in response. “If they want to see what else we can do as a team, maybe when you learn more spells, we can work to see if I can learn them as well. I wouldn’t mind finding out I can do more magic because we’re twins. If I have to be here, the more cool stuff I can do the better.

“You, little brother, have to work harder to figure out your spells so I can come learn them from you,” he finished with a grin.

“Or you’ll screw up my spells and bumble into something else like shape changing?” Piotr grumbled.

“So bitter,” Niklaus laughed. “But seriously, maybe we can become a special team together. At least then you’ll always know I have your back and I’ll know that you have mine as we move forward.”

“I doubt that you need me to watch your back, Nik,” Piotr replied with a shake of his head. “You have Xara, Jeraan and Uliya in a pretty tight group, so I’m sure that you’ll be fine.”

“True,” the elder twin stated with a nod and a smile. “By the way, how is that cute air apprentice doing that seemed so into you on the way to White Hall? I haven’t noticed her with you lately.”

Shrugging he replied, “She’s an apprentice and I’m a novice. I never see her except maybe for a few minutes after dinner. Right now I just have my books and my classes.”

“That’s a shame. I thought you might have a steady girlfriend with her,” Niklaus said before they exited the base of the tower. “Well, morning classes are about to begin. I guess I’ll see you later then.”

Piotr watched his brother heading towards the room taken over by the mages. In turn, the novice nearly dragged his feet heading towards his own class. He wondered if Niklaus wanted to be part of this research thing of Herrol’s because for the first time in their lives the twins were no longer around each other as much. Piotr was a wizard and Niklaus a battle mage. Normally those two groups would be busy with their individual studies until they graduated in a few years, but as twins they might be together once more.

Unsure if he wanted his independence from his brother, the boy wandered off to his classes.

 

“Did Niklaus get in trouble for fighting?” Briahnna asked as the novices grouped together waiting for their fire wizard teacher to show up for their class. New wizards always started with fire for the basics of elemental casting. If they didn’t have the temperament for fire, they would be broken up to their respective trainers in short order for their element, or in Katya’s case, diplomacy magic. “You didn’t get in trouble because of him, did you?”

“Why would he get in trouble for what his brother did?” Job asked less inclined to believe that could happen.

“I didn’t get in trouble exactly,” the boy in question responded ending the questions quickly. “They think there is a special bond between us as twins. He might be able to share power from me and vice versa, I suppose.

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