White Hall (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 10) (4 page)

Frowning slightly at the much taller man looming over her, Katya replied in a controlled voice, “I am Sebastian Trillon’s sister. You probably saw me with him at one of the parades or celebrations at the castle for the wizards of the tournament.”

“Wizards and a lone battle mage to be exact,” he retorted with an amused voice at the thought. “So you are his little sister then, well it looks like you got all the looks and the power judging between you and your brother.”

Like the couple at the table who had told the inn keeper they were siblings, there was a certain air of truth to his words. While Katya thought her brother was handsome, she had taken after her mother and Sebastian had taken after their father. The girl was blond haired with green eyes, slight in build and considered pretty, at least so she believed since both her sister and mother were reported to be. Katya looked like them and took the compliment by proxy if nothing else. Sebastian’s light brown hair and blue eyes were in a much more masculine face with a firm jaw, while her chin was smaller and her look dainty by comparison.

“My brother doesn’t seem to have trouble finding pretty girls that like him, but at least his amount of power never got out of control. I’m not sure having more magic is a good thing just yet or not,” Katya answered managing to defend her brother in his absence. Her eyes moved towards the table of wizards who were just beginning to turn to see the exchange. Two women, one in brown and one in yellow, sat with two other male wizards and Katya wondered if Magnus might have arranged to bring along a girlfriend like Sebastian had.

If the fire wizard felt any insult by her omission of his possible romantic possibilities, Magnus didn’t show it. Katya had heard enough of their history to know that Sebastian’s relationship with Yara had been hotly contested last year, but his face revealed none of that as he replied with a nod. “True, somehow he does wind up with girls around him doesn’t he? Maybe being a healer helps. It would be helpful to have a dance partner who could heal your feet if he steps on them, I guess.

“I can’t heal, but a champion fire wizard, like myself, can get pretty much any girl,” he bragged.

“Do you do that by standing in their way?” she quipped as the girl noted her path still obstructed by the wizard. It wasn’t that she didn’t think Magnus was fairly good looking, but Katya was loyal to her brother and didn’t like the man’s attitude towards him. That and he was too cocky in her opinion, so he deserved to be taken down a peg.

Twisting his head to see, a table occupied by most of the men who had accompanied her looking at them, Magnus bent his arm and offered to escort Katya to her table. “Admittedly, it is easier to get them to notice you when you do, but allow me to escort you to your table then. I can see that you will be a tough one to sell.”

“That and you are way too old for me,” she sniffed tossing her head away from him a moment, before choosing to take the arm even so.

Looking to the pretty little blond haired girl, and noting Ardost’s eyes glancing that way from time to time during her exchange with the fire wizard, she asked Magnus, “Do you know that girl?”

Unable to hide a little smile as he looked towards the two alone at their table, he replied, “Her name is Cheleya and she has been traveling with our group. Apparently she plans to train at White Hall too. She seems a little old to be an apprentice, but it isn’t uncommon for trained wizards to return to learn more.”

“Like you having to go back to learn how to cast like a battle mage?” Katya queried innocently.

Magnus looked at the girl quickly to see if it had been another shot and replied without heat, “Well, you are certainly unlike your brother. You’re quicker to wound with your words, while he tended to remain quiet.”

Starting at his comment, Katya was surprised to hear him say that she had wounded him with the offhand comment, when her earlier words had been a little more vindictive to put him in his place. “Sebastian prefers action over words, I think, though I didn’t intend to wound you. Well, at least not overly much, since you did put down my brother.”

Releasing brief laughter, Magnus admitted, “I am sorry, but your brother and I have a history of teasing each other. Sometimes it comes out more vicious than I mean as well. I guess we have that in common.

“So you plan to train at White Hall, correct?”

From apology to a new line of questioning, Katya wondered if he was trying to simply put her off. From what she had heard from Yara, Magnus was usually the one picking on her brother. As a powerful fire wizard apprentice, he had apparently enjoyed bullying the battle mage cadets, Sebastian in particular.

Unsure of how much to admit in turn, Katya said carefully, “That is what I am told. Sebastian said that I have too much magic to remain home with my family. If I am not careful, my power can slip out, even when I don’t try to cast a spell.”

Magnus’s eyes began to glow, according to her eyes, and he seemed to follow a line to Darius who had separated from them slightly, though her current guardian remained close enough to step in, she thought. With a nod to the high wizard, Magnus stated, “So you are so powerful that you verge on becoming a wilder. If Darius had to chain your magic, then you must be dangerous.”

Not appreciating the negative opinion from the wizard, Katya frowned and was quickly noticed by the young man. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. In fact, I think that I will be seeing you quite often at White Hall. They have asked me to stay on as a mentor for the fire guild, so I will probably be teaching a class with you in it at some time.”

“If you’re such a good wizard that you can become a champion, why are they keeping you hidden in a school as a teacher? Shouldn’t you be working with the front lines to destroy the Dark One or something? Surely you could be more than a teacher.”

Pulling out a chair for the girl, Magnus assisted her in seating as he slid the chair in place under her legs. It was more necessary than Katya wanted to admit as her feet could only touch with her toes if she sat all the way back in the chair. At thirteen, the girl hoped that she wasn’t completely finished growing. Her sister and mother were both taller, at least, so it was likely. Until that might happen, she often felt like a little girl at times like these.

Magnus stood beside her a moment before answering, “If a champion wizard can’t teach novices and apprentices something better perhaps, isn’t that the bigger shame? I hope that I can be of help to them and you when the time comes, Katya. Anyway, I will let you eat or whatever your plans might be for now. Maybe we can talk again at a later time.”

As he left, the two battle mages frowned at the man’s back.

Wondering at his attention, Katya tried to ignore them and ordered her food.

It wasn’t Magnus, however, that continued to draw the girl’s eyes, but the pretty blond girl with her giant brother.

The portions of her late afternoon meal weren’t substantial and when she watched as Cheleya and her brother moved towards the door, Katya was already finished. Sitting on the wooden chair wasn’t helping to relieve her saddle soreness either, so the girl chose to stand and follow. Ardost was a shadow as he in turn followed Katya despite a quick look to the man questioning his movement.

She knew that these two mages, like Brenner and Darius, were just keeping watch over her because of her brother. The men had all followed him and been there when Sebastian had discovered that she was on the verge of becoming a wilder. Only Darius, who later reined in her power, had been a shorter relationship; but he and her brother were already close friends as well. Everyone seemed to be watching her and all because her brother had magnetized so many to him.

Magnus could challenge her brother’s ability to befriend others, but the two men seemed to polarize people to them equally well, even if Sebastian was a battle mage rather than a wizard of greater power.

“Excuse me, Cheleya?” the girl asked as she caught up to the two taking a walk on the town's main street. “Can we talk?”

The other girl was similar to Katya in features. Both were blond haired and had green eyes. To Katya’s surprise, they were also the same height.

“Can I help you?” Cheleya inquired with a musical sounding voice.

Katya thought that the girl was one of the prettiest people she had ever seen and her voice was just as compelling. “Magnus tells me that you plan to train at White Hall too. I just thought that if we were both going there together, maybe we could talk and be friends.”

The girl’s smile didn’t fade, but her eyes flicked over Katya to the battle mage as she queried, “Aren’t you Ardost?”

Katya turned and watched his face fall slightly at the girl’s need to question her knowledge of him.

“Yes, Cheleya, we danced together at the Black Smith Inn. Don’t you remember?” he asked and noticed the large man with his crossed arms appearing to stare him down. The man towered over the other three and his dark brown eyes didn’t appear friendly towards the other man. It was a look that did feel like a protective brother to Katya, either that or a boyfriend who didn’t want another distraction.

With a nod of recognition, the pretty girl replied, “Well, of course, I remember dancing with you. I was more afraid that I had forgotten your name. No one where I live has a name like yours, so I wasn’t certain that I had remembered it correctly.

“So you now guard this girl? Where did Olan and the others go?”

Katya frowned as Ardost was the other girl’s sudden interest as he answered, “They have another mission, while Vord and I need to go to White Hall.”

Glancing back to Katya, Cheleya asked a new question, “You need to take this girl there?”

“She is the sister of the mage we traveled with who was in the tournament. We are taking her to White Hall, but we will need to remain there for awhile to teach Sebastian’s new spells to the teachers at the school.”

With a gasp, Cheleya’s attention returned to Katya as she caught the girl’s hands in hers. “You are his sister? I saw some of his matches. Your brother was wonderful! How he learned to tap into the earth to be able to match those wizards and use their magic against them was astounding. I was truly impressed and also saddened when he had to pull out of the competition; but the strength of so many spells in so few days must have finally worn him down.”

Katya didn’t follow half of the talk of magic, but at least the girl was paying her a little attention now instead of her old dance partner.

“Yes, my brother surprised a lot of people, so when people say that I have more magical power, they seem to expect me to be even better though I have no idea what I am doing yet.”

Squinting at Katya, Cheleya tilted her head before saying, “You do have a lot of potential. Seeing others’ auras isn’t really easy for me, but your power is very strong. Do you have any idea what you plan to study first? Maybe you have an idea of what school of magic you are strongest in already? I see someone has bound your magic, so you must have already started releasing it by accident. I have heard some young wizards have that problem before they are trained.”

“My magic seems to make other people do things against their will, but I don’t think they give us a choice as novices. Are you already a trained wizard?” Katya asked noticing that Cheleya already spoke like she understood how to use her magic.

The giant beside her finally spoke in his deep voice saying, “Cheleya is a prodigy and has already trained for almost four years at the Academy in Mar’kal.”

Glancing to Kel’lor in surprise, his little sister almost seemed to give him warning with the look.

When Ardost was drawn in to ask, “Mar’kal, but that is the dragon and gargoyle city? What were you doing up there?”

The question made Cheleya’s forehead frown before the girl admitted, “I was born in Mar’kal. My brother also has apparently as big a mouth as he is large.

“When I came to Hala, it was to find a wizard that might help me with a malady cast on me; but after seeing the girl’s brother dueling I asked if I could go to the school which trained him. Certainly a school that could create a battle mage like him must be good.”

“I am Katya, by the way, not the girl,” the younger girl replied realizing that Ardost’s interruption had prevented the proper introductions. “You and Ardost obviously know each other from the capitol.”

Cheleya nodded and aimed a thumb at the massive man behind her, who had winced realizing that he had nearly let his little sister’s secret escape to strangers. “This is Kel’lor, my big brother. We had different mothers, in case you were wondering. I am Cheleya.”

Ardost butted in again looking a bit embarrassed to have interrupted the girls’ conversation after being recognized. “Actually, though White Hall is certainly an excellent school for training wizards and battle mages; Sebastian has evolved well beyond his original learning. He began translating wizard spells and even altering some of the original mage spells he was given, after he left White Hall.

“It is why Vord and I are returning there as well. We have the most recent spells from Sebastian to share with them.”

Looking to consider his words a moment Cheleya finally answered, “Well, even so, I may as well go. I have begun to learn how to heal on my own; but if there is nothing more I can learn from his teachers, I can always work with the wizards to learn those skills.”

Katya’s face brightened at that revelation and the girl asked, “Do you know how to alleviate saddle sores then? I know that I miss Yara’s healing powers for that on these long rides.”