White Hall (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 10) (74 page)

The novice had also taken to flying over the dining hall to look over the portal courtyard. She didn't know what she hoped to see from the air or the likelihood that she would pass over at a time to see something, but Katya still found herself doing it. They couldn't bar her from looking from above as they had by guarding the doors into the courtyard.

Another worry had begun to seep into the back of her mind. Her brother had been gone on his journey for a long time. It had been a secret mission, though Katya knew something of his quest. He was searching for another immortal from their legends who was believed dead during the Cataclysm, and his sister wondered if it had been dangerous.

No word had come from him and she thought that Sebastian would find a way to communicate with her in some way by now, but Spring passed and now Summer was nearly over as well without even a letter. Katya tried to keep her mind on her studies, but when she wasn't preoccupied the worry would return.

"You're making that face again," a red haired girl stated as the two sat on the roof. Most of the dragon mages were flying around mock fighting to continue to strengthen their skills. This girl was someone new and not a dragon mage, even in training.

"What face, Evie?" Katya asked the petite little girl. She looked young, probably younger than the novice; but Evie simply appeared younger and more naive. The girl had slightly wild hair and her clothing looked like an afterthought. Her bare feet and legs stuck out from a tunic that only touched the tops of her thighs. Evie didn't seem anymore concerned with modesty than Cheleya could be and they had another thing in common as well.

Darius had brought the girl to spend time with the dragoness for a good reason. Evie was a changeling. Her skill was beyond anything Niklaus or Piotr had and she was technically a wilder besides. She wasn't locked into one kind of animal like the werewolves or werecats were rumored to be in the Dark One's army either.

The cute little girl made an exaggerated expression on her face and said, "Something like this. Did you eat something bad for lunch?"

Giggling at her idea and the face, Katya shook her head. "No, I was just thinking about my brother. He's been gone for a long time and I wonder if he is safe."

Evie cocked her head slightly to the right and almost made the novice laugh again. The girl reminded her of one of the dogs on their farm. They too had assumed such a position as they pondered whatever it was that dogs tended to ponder. Being a changeling, Katya had a feeling that the girl had picked up some of the mannerisms of the animals she could change into over the years.

"He went away on a ship, I think you said. Is that dangerous? I've seen the ships on the river, but I think they look safe enough," the girl said with big green eyes peering at her curiously.

"I don't know if it was dangerous or not, but others have tried to find what he is looking for and never come back. Maybe that means it is dangerous, though no one has searched in a long time from what I was told."

"Your brother is a strong wizard like you?"

The blond haired novice shook her head and replied, "He's a battle mage, but he's a very skilled mage who has used magic like a wizard. Many thought he would be weak when he went to compete in the Winter's Edge tournament, but he beat quite a few powerful wizards in the competition.

"Depending on how you would judge him, I think you could argue whether he was powerful or not. I think he is though," Katya finished looking a little sheepish at her proclamation. Maybe it was because Sebastian was her brother, but she believed that there was something that made him more powerful than just looking at his aura and judging him.

The two sat for a moment and Katya decided to ask a question of the red head in turn. "Have you and Cheleya gotten anywhere on teaching her how to change shape?"

Shaking her head as Evie peered up at the sky looking for the dragoness, the girl replied, "I am not sure that she can, but we are still trying."

"Cheleya has changed before. Why do you think that she won't be able to again?"

Shrugging, the little redhead stood up stretching as she did. "Maybe she doesn't want to change after all?"

That was an odd choice of words, Katya thought. Cheleya had told her that she wanted the choice to become a che'ther. She had used an amulet to become human, but it was meant to be temporary. Now she was trapped, but the dragoness wasn't human even if she looked and acted very human.

Why would Evie believe that her friend no longer wished to change back into a che'ther?

Not wanting to argue, Katya was distracted by a winged form coming in quickly from behind Evie. Shouting 'Boo!' as he swept past to land a dozen feet beyond, Arrimus was laughing as the little redhead seemed to disappear leaving only her tunic which dropped to the ground.

The wizard walked over laughing at the sight. Evie was a little tentative and had a habit of shape changing when frightened. It was a source of humor to the apprentice and a few of his friends, who unfortunately had discovered the girl's sensitive nature.

Katya frowned and was about to angrily scold the older boy when the apprentice closed the distance and kicked gently at the tunic on the ground. There was still a shape wriggling within the cloth. Often Evie would turn into a mouse or something else as small, but this didn't look like the smaller body of a mouse to Katya.

"Oh, come on now, Evie, you make this too easy!" he proclaimed still prodding the cloth trying to get the mouse or whatever she was to come out. Like the twins had discovered months ago. Small animal shapes wouldn't absorb the clothing with the change, so that was another added bonus for the boys since Evie wasn't overly shy and would turn back to recover her tunic. "Where are you, mouse?" he continued to taunt as the apprentice finally bent over to tug the tunic and shake out the transformed Evie.

An inarticulate scream followed as a black snake slid free to bare its fangs at Arrimus. He scrambled backwards even as Katya's eyes widened in surprise as well, but the novice suddenly realized that Evie had turned the tables on the bully. Assuming the shape changer had noted his coming as well, Katya guessed that the target of his teasing had chosen to get her revenge.

The boy had been squatting to grab the tunic and lunged back so quickly that he was still lying on his back side sliding back from the surprising serpent. Katya began to laugh and the other dragon mages practicing on the roof turned to see the panicked apprentice facing the annoyed snake.

Katya stood to pick up the tunic to hold it between her and the snake. She was also positioned between Arrimus and Evie as the girl transformed back into the pretty girl that she was when she wasn't in an animal's form. Evie leaned around Katya sticking her tongue out at the fire apprentice before taking her clothing from the other girl's hands.

Evie wasn't shy, but knew societal conventions well enough to replace her nearly scandalous covering. Children might wear such things among the poor who couldn't afford better, but for a teenage girl who had already developed into quite a pretty one besides, it wouldn't normally be considered appropriate. While she had wanted to scold the changeling, Katya also realized that more complicated clothing made it harder for her transformations to escape the tangle they could become as she changed.

Arrimus picked himself up swearing under his breath before he complained, "You nearly scared the life out of me!"

Turning on the apprentice wagging her finger admonishingly at the older boy, Katya scolded, "It serves you right for always picking on her. Were you one of those annoying little boys who pulled the pig tails of the girls he liked, but was too shallow to express his feelings properly?

"If you actually like Evie, then maybe bringing her flowers would be more appropriate and if not, then just stop acting like a child for the rest of us!"

While he blushed at the dressing down from the younger girl, a novice of lower rank besides; Arrimus looked unable to reply for a moment.

Magnus came walking over slowly with some of the other dragon mages averting their eyes until Evie had finished pulling her tunic into place. They heard Katya's words and there was laughter in their midst.

"Poor Arrimus, even the novices tend to put you in your place. Of course, picking on little girls should be beneath you by your age."

Frowning at the fire wizard, the apprentice stated, "You were still bullying her brother only a year ago, and you were older than I am now. Maybe we're just slow learners.

"Now that you're champion, I guess you'd rather forget about your past, huh, Magnus?"

Katya glanced between the two fire wizards and thought that perhaps that explained some of the bad blood she had felt between Magnus and her brother in Hala. While neither seemed to hate each other any longer, if Magnus was her brother's bully, it would explain the tension between them.

Frowning at the apprentice, Magnus stated simply, "Sebastian wasn't a little girl first of all and I've made up with Sebastian since then. You are right though, whether it's because we're fire wizards or just because we're boys or something like that, you and I haven't always lived the way we should, Arrimus. I've tried to change. Now maybe it would be a good time for you also. You should apologize to our guest.

"High Wizard Darius brought Evie here to help. You shouldn't be picking on her,... unless Katya is correct and you are just teasing a girl you like because you don't know how to speak to her properly? That was never one of my problems growing up, but maybe she is right about you."

Arrimus ground his teeth at his older rival's chiding of his flaws. Whether he did like Evie or not, Katya was unsure; but Arrimus mumbled an apology to the little redhead before walking away.

Magnus continued to move closer to the girls and seemed to give Katya an unusually long glance. Why he would continue to try to act like her savior, the girl also wasn't sure. Magnus had always tried to appear like a big brother to her in Sebastian's absence. The act was both comforting and strange at the same time. The diplomacy wizard in her made Katya wary of someone like Magnus, but as a girl she couldn't help liking being the attention of the handsome young wizard.

"I apologize for Arrimus, since he didn't do a very good job of it," the man in the red fire wizard's tunic said with a nod to Evie, but managed to include Katya in the gesture. "Perhaps I am to blame for some of his behavior though. As he said, I was a little too arrogant in my beliefs growing up here as a fire wizard. I always thought of fire wizards being the peak of what we could be.

"Fire wizards are the best combat wizards, or so I thought, and auras are supposed to tell the strength of our kind without question. I believe your brother has forgiven me for my nonsense. He has certainly proved me wrong.

"Aura isn't the only measure of a wizard or mage apparently. Strength of character might be more important, if you look at what your brother has managed to do in just over a year."

He started to turn, but halted to drop a last piece of information on the girl saying, "Did you know that I heard your brother has already figured out portal magic as well? I heard that he was an important piece of the defense of the Two Towers.

"Your brother continues to stay ahead of me no matter what I do, it seems." He laughed and added, "Not that this is exactly a competition between us. If you ask him when he comes here, I would bet that he doesn't even see me as a rival; but I look to him as I hope to better myself, at least magically. As I said to Arrimus, I still do better with the ladies than he or Sebastian ever did.

"Well, I had better return to my practicing. I at least have the edge on learning dragon magic on your brother," he finished with a wave and a chuckle as the wizard walked away.

Evie seemed to sniff the air and shook her head as Magnus returned to the others who were already moving back to their places with Arrimus' retreat from the girls.

"I don't know if his words are all true," the redhead said quietly, but Katya wasn't sure if the comment was for her or just Evie voicing her mind.

While she thought Magnus would protect her in battle, Katya had to agree that she wasn't always sure that he spoke his heart. She might trust him on the battle field, but not with her personal life.

The two girls decided to go inside leaving the other dragon mages to their practicing.

Iris hurried into the classroom looking for Katya among the other students. It was late morning and the combined class was nearing an end, but the air mentor didn't look happy to see the sudden disruption.

"They said that your brother is here! He used a portal to the courtyard," the taller girl said with an excited smile on her lips.

Katya started to open her mouth to ask for permission to leave, but Master Turwin waved the girl away.

"Just go, Katya, and take Iris with you, so the rest of us might try and learn something today," the older man replied with a grumble.

Iris took her hand tugging her out into the hall. "If we hurry, maybe you can catch him before he gets tied up with whatever business brought him here."

"Business?"

Giving a quick laugh, Iris glanced to her younger friend and asked, "You don't think that he is just here to visit you? I don't think they let people use portal magic just for fun and visiting family, Katya."