Battle Mage: Dragon Mage (Tales of Alus) (41 page)

Cor’Dargan had held his tongue while the girl ordered and leaned in conspiratorially as he finally addressed Colbie’s accusation. “Malaketh may be what you say, but he is surrounded with others who believe in him and he has power within the council as well should we return to Mar’kal.”

Elenek had apparently heard enough and looked at his elder in confusion, “The girl has a point, but you have me questioning where my loyalties should lie with that thinking, Fa’Dargan’zer. We can only prolong avoiding the others. When they come for her, we will have to decide if we fight or let them take her away.”

Nodding in agreement, Lystheir confirmed his opinion with her own, “Fa’Elenek is correct, master. While I know that I would follow someone like you willingly, we have to decide what we will do when they come for her. Like Elenek said, we can only expect to hide her for so long.”

The elder dragon became quiet as he thought. He had forgotten the end game as the father had simply thought of the moment and protecting his daughter. While that was his instinct, they were right as Cheleya had been earlier when he had refused to listen. The mar’goyn’lya trackers were too good to be put off forever and he could hardly expect Lystheir and Elenek to follow Cheleya around indefinitely.

With a sigh, Cor’Dargan said, “I will have to think on our options. For tonight, we keep her hidden. In the morning, I will decide our next move.”

Their eyes were pulled from their conversation as a battle mage, taller than Evantus or the che’ther males, came up to Colbie with a smile on his lips. Two other men in battle mage uniforms sat a table deeper in the room smiling and speaking to one another as their eyes watched the man work up his courage to speak up. It didn’t take him long as he gave an acknowledging nod to the rest of the table and spoke to the smaller woman before him. “My friends and I noticed that you are battle mages, as well. Have you come to watch the games?”

“Among other things,” the red head replied brushing back her hair from the left side of her face subconsciously as she smiled politely at the tall young mage. He was probably a bit older than she, and Colbie thought that, with his light brown hair and blue eyes, he was fairly good looking. As she considered such things, her smile nearly ended as the woman realized her gestures were flirtatious by nature. After being so used to dealing with the men of Staron, her time with Cheleya seemed to have softened her in a very short time.

“Would one of those things be to dance with a certain dashing young mage?” he asked with a chuckle and conservative bow that fringed on dashing though she felt the humor he held for the maneuver as well.

Glancing to Tilana and Orlerin, Colbie found the wizard giving her a small push forward with her eyes. “I suppose one of those things could be dancing, though did you have a certain young mage in mind?”

He laughed genuinely and offered a hand as he bowed deeper and replied, “Well, there are other mages here, but of my friends I am the youngest. You wouldn’t want one of those old men over there. They would tire much too soon.”

Though she doubted that the men at the far table could have heard his remark over the music and laughter even with magical help, she nodded in their direction and asked, “Did these old mages talk you into asking the lost little battle mage to dance?”

“You aren’t lost, since I have found you,” he replied sounding almost too cheesy for Colbie to avoid laughing in his face. “As to them convincing me to ask the prettiest mage in the building to dance, in fact, I had to race them to get my chance.”

Giving a bit of a sigh as the girl decided to end the young man’s embarrassment, Colbie offered her hand letting him pull her towards the dance floor. “You haven’t told me your name, by the way,” she reminded him.

Pulling her into a hold firmly, yet gently, the mage confided, “Olan, I am from Windmeer and you?”

“Colbie, we’re here from Staron.”

“Well, if all the battle mages from Staron are as pretty as you, then I hope that I get sent there soon,” he said giving her a line so bad that the girl rolled her eyes.

“You can stop laying it on so thick. I am already dancing with you, Olan. If this is how you pick up girls in Windmeer, then you’d better not go to Staron or they’ll have you thrown back out of the country,” Colbie half laughed at the absurdity of the young man. He had managed to sound sincere, but the words were so bad she just couldn’t help teasing him. “Besides if you already think that I am so beautiful, why do you need to leave?”

The man tripped over her foot causing Colbie to wince in pain, though he looked even more in pain as he opened his mouth more than once looking for the right words to say. “Sorry,” was his feeble attempt to save what little dignity the girl had left him in that moment, “for your foot and, of course, my utter botching of this moment. You truly are beautiful though, Colbie.”

“Well, thank you. That sounded sincere at least,” she nodded somewhat graciously to the floundering mage.

“Shew,” he breathed as sweat beaded on his brow, “you are a tough one alright.” Managing an awkward sounding laugh before asking, “So I would guess that you are here to see the wizards duel. That is what has brought most everyone to Hala, I suppose.”

“Again, I would have to say that is just part of it. My squad mate is an earth wizard and was roped into representing Staron. Other things relating to business not my own brought us here initially,” Colbie replied letting him off a little bit. Hearing that she was ‘tough’ wasn’t pleasant to know either, but the mage supposed that she deserved it. Olan had simply been trying to come off confident, and she had cut him down to the root.

“I am here following someone else also,” the young man acknowledged and Colbie noted that he was no longer trying to play at her vanity. “It’s a team led by a battle mage, if you can believe it.”

Her brow wrinkled in confusion. “A battle mage led a group of wizards to Winter’s Edge, a tournament for wizards?”

Grinning, he shrugged and replied, “It’s a competition for anyone who can cast duel magic to be accurate and Bas can fight them on their own terms. He’s amazing!”

With a shake of her head, Colbie disputed his claim, “A battle mage’s magic is too limited to fight a wizard’s duel in the first place and then there is the fact that they hold more power than we do. How can he hope to win against any of them?”

“They used to call him a mizard, since he seems as much wizard as he is a mage. Now people are calling him an owl. He’s learned I don’t even know how many different spells. Air lances and shields, lightning, healing and a whole bunch more. He can’t use healing in a duel, of course, but mark my words he will surprise these wizards!”

“And are you going to be in the tournament as well?” she asked already appearing dubious and sounding even more so. Perhaps she hadn’t ruined his confidence so much as found a mage clearly gone insane?

Shaking his head, Olan appeared a bit disappointed as he replied, “No, only Bas is good enough. We only started straining with wizards a few weeks ago and, even with some of the new magic, none of us can actually outdo a really skilled wizard. I suppose that we could surprise a few and get lucky, but that is about all.”

“So what kind of new magic has this ‘Bas’ discovered?” she continued starting to get bored with the whole idea. The belief that a battle mage could fight wizard’s duels and not only hold his own, but actually win seemed absurd.

Looking about conspiratorially, Olan leaned closer and stated, “It is a little too crowded to do magic in here, plus it might spook the regulars. You know how common folk are with magic users. I could show you something outside, if you’d like.”

If she were a normal woman, untrained in combat, Colbie would probably not have nodded her head in agreement. While Olan seemed like a nice enough guy, there were always stories of men, drunk or otherwise, who would go too far with a woman. If Olan were such a man, he would find her shrike blade could cut through any man. Even so, the young woman spied Orlerin still sitting with Tilana at their table and made a quick signal to him letting her leader know where she was going.

Orlerin would give her a moment alone, but he knew to be on the ready if the girl failed to return in a suitable time frame.

What she had failed to see was a certain blond dragoness watching her as well. Drawing Evantus after her as if she were taking a boy outside for a kiss, Cheleya led the young man after her pulling him by the hand. She playfully entwined her fingers in his and draped the hand onto her shoulder and led him after the other two.

Lystheir and Elenek started to rise, but at a shake of Dargan’s head they sat once more. If she was willing to risk being noticed for her friend, then her father would leave the girl to make a mistake or not. She knew where they were should she need any help. He had been considering her words from earlier and had begun to question his original plan to protect his daughter. This could be the moment that he failed to keep her hidden, but Cor’Dargan and the others could only remain cautious while hoping for the best.

Chapter 25- Spear and Sword

Cheleya had noticed the nice looking mage walk up to Colbie even while caught up in the newest dance Evantus was teaching her. He noted her distraction and turned to glance in the direction she was looking. After a long conversation, which had some disappointed body language from the tall young man, they watched as the girl allowed herself to be led to the dance floor.

“Wow,” Evan started, “she’s actually letting herself have some fun it looks like.”

The bright emerald eyes of the dragoness looked up to her partner questioning his words, “Colbie doesn’t like to have fun?”

Shrugging, which threw off her timing with his careless movement, Evantus answered, “Well, I’ve known her a long time and, when she was much younger my friend knew how to have lots of fun, but as she grew older there were other mages who put her down for being a girl. To make them eat their words, Colbie became maybe more dedicated to being a mage and less to allowing herself to still be a girl. Now it’s as if she can’t let down her guard because she worries someone won’t think that she’s any good as a mage. I’m one of the few who know her well enough to see this side of her on occasion.”

Cocking her head to the side, Cheleya contemplated the young woman around Evan’s shoulder. “That seems sad to me. I’ve seen that side of her too with you. Being so serious and acting harder than you need to be with people for fear of looking weak is kind of depressing. That’s why I changed the color of her hair. It’s fun and I see that side of her as well.”

She looked up at her partner’s face and wrinkled her nose before smiling. A little laugh came out sounding joyful and brought a few eyes to the pretty girl making more people smile. The music was picking up tempo and it wasn’t hard to be happy.

“Sorry, now I am sounding gloomy,” the little dragoness apologized with her infectious smile warming the mage.

Rolling his eyes with a laugh in return, Evan shook his head and replied, “You don’t stay gloomy long then. I think you’re more like sunshine than rain clouds.”

Tilting her head to appraise the brown haired mage, her green eyes met his warm gaze and she asked, “Are you getting poetic now? I hadn’t thought a mage would use such words.”

Turning red as her comment embarrassed Evantus a bit, he wanted to rub his neck self consciously, but his hands were occupied with the beautiful girl’s hand and waist at the moment. Such an assessment of the beauty he touched made his embarrassment flare even warmer. If Cheleya hadn’t suddenly turned her gaze, the mage thought that he might have melted before those emerald eyes.

“Colbie seems to be going off with that man all alone,” the dragoness replied with worry.

Evan turned watching the two heading for the door. They didn’t seem amorous and it was unlike Colbie to be swept up in such an emotion anyway. He wondered what they could be up to as well.

“Well, I am feeling a little warm, if you wanted to take a quick break and go out for some fresh air,” he suggested.

Glancing to see whether she had misunderstood his intent, Cheleya took a moment before nodding. “I suppose a little fresh air wouldn’t appear like we were snooping or worried about her and you are a little flush. Are you feeling alright?” the girl asked with a little concern as he released her waist but not her hand as he let the girl lead the way through the crowd towards the door.

“I am fine, just a little warm,” he played off his embarrassment as best he could. It was warm with all those bodies dancing, so a little perspiration had formed on his brow that had nothing to do with the strange feelings of a moment earlier. If Colbie had heard what he had said, Evan knew that he would have been in for a lecture and it would have been well deserved. The man had to remember that the beautiful girl before him was not a real girl, but a dragoness.

Their table noted the two ducking out after Colbie and her escort, but they let the dancers escape without adding more to the exodus.

Glancing left and right as their eyes sought to adjust to the change in light, it was Cheleya who noticed the first couple turning around the left corner of the Black Smith Inn into a courtyard behind the building. The bloody light of the second moon, Turas, made the stone of the city around them seem like another world. The brother moons were both far enough towards either horizon to be blocked by the high walls of Hala letting only the war god observe their hurried pursuit of Colbie and her new friend.