Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) (21 page)

"I'm not afraid of you killing me or me killing you. I'm just afraid that if I beat you again, you won't be able to live with it and will keep challenging me every time I see you.

"Your ego won't settle for second, Magnus. Why not leave it with you being the champion?"

Magnus sighed in exaggeration, "Sebastian, I can live with losing, though I doubt that I will. What I can't live with is not knowing if I have learned enough to finally defeat you.

"You are my rival. Maybe my only true rival and yet you are a battle mage. If I can't beat you, so be it. Do we need to make a wager that this will decide our fates? Win or lose, we will never duel again?

"I would hate to give up sharpening my skills against you, but if that is what you require, my friend, I will accept those terms."

Sebastian wasn't sure which surprised him more, that Magnus would state such terms or that the wizard called him a friend. They had stood as enemies and allies when necessary, but the mage wasn't sure that he could believe that Magnus would ever think of him as a friend.

"I don't care, Magnus. You see me as your rival. I just see the need to learn as much as I can to make myself better. When I can, I pass on my knowledge to others."

The fire wizard didn't seem to hear him, though his voice reached the man.

His items were brought to his circle by the apprentices before they retreated to Magnus' side of the courtyard. By that time, the crowd had grown. His team was there. Ashleen looked a bit nervous, but she had been in the tournament and done very well. She knew that with other wizards protecting them, it was nearly impossible for someone to get killed; but it was still possible, as Magnus battle with Annalicia had nearly confirmed.

Pointing to the side, Magnus asked, "Katya, why don't you do the honors of counting us down. You know how the challenge works after all."

Katya sighed but looked resigned to act as duel moderator. The young girl stood equidistant to each combatant and called out, "Are you both ready?"

At their nods, she asked, "Do you need twenty seconds to prepare your defenses?"

"Let's just use ten seconds," Magnus stated looking only at Sebastian, who nodded without showing any expression.

On the other hand, the crowd gasped in surprise. No one ever used less than fifteen seconds. It was a moment to prepare walls and the like without being assaulted by your opponent and few wizards could erect a substantial defense in so short a time.

"Begin your defenses," Katya called out and began counting down to zero.

The two opponents started off similarly. Three blue mage shields formed in front of each man. Both angled one on a slight incline while the second two formed braces diagonally behind it. Magnus then called out two fire walls glowing nearly white with the power of his fire.

Sebastian on the other hand created a stone embankment following the circle exactly. With front and sides protected to a point, the two still had five seconds left to stare at each other waiting for the real fight to begin. Both knew the beginning walls meant little in a battle of magic. Keeping them intact was more a mental game than a true need for those who could call as quickly as battle mages.

"Prepare to fight in three, two, one, go!" his sister proclaimed as time ended on their preparations.

Magnus let loose a massive torrent of swirling fire. Most would expect a testing barrage of fireballs, but these two knew each other well enough, or had at least. They knew to not even bother holding back in this fight.

"Night shield," Sebastian directed creating a shield even larger than he meant in his sudden feeling of excitement. Despite his protests, the mage enjoyed dueling and the challenge that it brought to him. He was a man who looked for challenges and found a way to beat them. Like his conquering of new types of spells or making Hollow Swords, this was just one more new challenge to him.

The swirling fire's point of attack started to be absorbed by the night shield. It was a nearly perfect defense against any elements, even a powerful spell like Magnus used. Reacting to the shield calmly, the wizard made the torrent split trying to avoid the shield. Sebastian made the shield move to the left stopping one side while he called on an air tornado to push back the other.

Pulling in the torrent of fire, the tornado became a vertical swirl of flame pushing towards the fire wizard.

A second night shield formed, but it was directed by Magnus to cut into the tornado. Drawing in the force of both elements, the night shield held but was beginning to show cracks as the two elements nearly overwhelmed the darkness.

Sebastian reached out to the wood staves and placed air lances around them. The five spears launched across the field towards the wizard. Magnus moved his weakened night shield to counter. The air lances were absorbed, but the wooden staves passed through heading for the other man's defenses.

"Dragon claw," Magnus ordered reaching out with the red construct to bat the five sticks away with ease. "Ice dragon," he added creating a construct that resembled an undulating serpent.

It was a new spell for Sebastian, but it was still just an element. He cut down with his night shield absorbing the head and body of the ice beast as its momentum followed.

"Night spears," Sebastian ordered creating a new form of spear. Surrounding the three shafts of iron, the battle mage flung the staves towards Magnus. The move surprised the wizard.

"Vortex," the wizard called instinctively. It was an air spell of the battle mages but the power was increased by a full's wizard's strength.

The dark spears lanced through the swirling wind appearing unaffected. Barely remembering to use his light spell in time, the three mage shields fell with the attack as a beam of light was called forth by the fire wizard. The darkness was blown away, though the three pieces of iron continued to land near Magnus' feet.

"Lightning," Sebastian called a powerful bolt which he had previously only been able to do using a staff to call on the power of the earth. He felt a shift in the air and the ground as if he had drawn on both elements making the lightning flare as it moved forward.

Magnus whipped his tattered night shield in front of the bolt only to watch it disappear like the shadow it was. The power of light was in lightning and it was the enemy of darkness. With the weakness known, the wizard couldn't call up another night shield with any hope of stopping Sebastian's spell.

As thunder rolled through the courtyard making most of the spectators cover their ears, Sebastian lost sight of the wizard across from him and never heard his only remaining counter spell left to save him. When the lightning disappeared, the wizard could be seen hiding within the protective shell of his dragon wings. Magnus looked ready to continue the fight, but he watched as Sebastian turned away dismissing his opponent.

"Sebastian wins!" Katya cried out drawing the wizard's attention to the girl. "Magnus is knocked from the ring, so Sebastian wins the match!"

Ashleen and his friends rushed over while the crowd was mixed with cheers and cries of dismay. The wilder had concern in her eyes and Sebastian heard her speak the word, "Heal" to make sure that he was all right. With the touch of her hand on his shoulder masked among the others trying to congratulate him on the win, Ashleen moved with the mage as he tried to leave the courtyard.

He wasn't one to enjoy such adulation. He was a soldier and performing for crowds just to show off his skill wasn't really something that the man enjoyed. The challenge was something he didn't truly mind, though Magnus' inability to let things go made him want to stay away from the wizard as much as anything from their past.

Katya quickly hurried over to try to join the crowd around Sebastian, but the smaller girl realized that, short of magic, she was unlikely to make it closer to her brother for the moment. Turning to look at Magnus, she was a bit surprised to see him looking at the ground curiously. Fewer people moved close to the loser of the match as they expected him to be upset at the loss. Many of those who knew him as the champion of Winter's Edge were now lost as well and unable to believe what they had just seen.

Their champion had not only lost, he had lost to a mere battle mage. The fact that the mage had been undefeated in the tournament as well and had finished fourth because of having to pull out early was forgotten by most.

Strolling over to the wizard's circle, the girl noted destruction within the circle caused by the impact of the lightning. A mark looking like feet dragged through the dirt of the cleared circle led straight to where Magnus now stood.

The wizard noted the girl's approach and smiled at her ruefully. "Well, I guess that you were right, Katya."

Raising one eyebrow curiously, the girl asked, "Right about what?"

Chuckling almost beneath his breath, Magnus shook his head slowly saying, "Well, you told me that I was a champion only on paper without defeating Sebastian. I was given the tournament when he pulled out."

Katya frowned at the comment. She had been forced to straighten out the older wizard when he had let his ego get in the way and had perhaps said a few things that she shouldn't have; but he had made her angry. Telling him that his win was hollow wasn't completely true. Magnus had fought everyone put in front of him and won. He had wanted to fight Sebastian then as well, but the fight couldn't happen with her brother nearly killing himself just to reach that point.

"You earned your win, but it wasn't the same without him being able to fight you, was it?" she asked genuinely curious about his change of opinion now.

He shook his head keeping his eyes up to look at the younger girl. "Even using all that I have learned including using dragon magic, I couldn't make him truly use anything new. That harpoon and shield he used to escape my hold are new, but Sebastian didn't need to do anything that I haven't seen him use before. I didn't challenge him enough to make him draw deeper."

Katya glanced to the crowd still pushing around her brother with a wrinkled brow of annoyance. She wanted to congratulate him too. Consoling Magnus, who had been a mentor at times and a comrade in battle; didn't mean that they were really friends. There had always been something about him that she didn't completely trust to become closer than allies in a fight.

"Just because he knows new spells, doesn't mean they are any more effective than what he just used. I am surprised that he didn't try using a portal to redirect your magic against you though," the girl concluded. She knew that Sebastian had learned to cast the new spell, but wasn't sure how comfortable he was with it. Though a novice to combat, Katya could see how wizard's duels in particular worked. The two combatants had said anything goes, but Sebastian had only used night shields and spears as something newer. Like Magnus had said, her brother had used that magic in Hala; so it wasn't truly new.

Rubbing his chin contemplatively, Magnus mused aloud, "He didn't need to use the staves the way I expected him to, but I felt a surge in his strength beyond normal with that last spell. Bas threw that with the power of a strong wizard, but his aura went back to normal by the time I could see him again."

Katya knew more of her brother's use of wooden staves. He drew power from the ground and had been warned to never try it herself, not that she understood magic enough to dare anyway. She had felt his surge in power as well, though her brother didn't have a staff to share the increased power this time. Unsure how he had managed the surge without the earth, Katya would have to try and ask him what had happened later.

"My brother has more tricks up his sleeve than one of those sleight of hand magicians I would see come to Mera occasionally," the girl said with a shrug of her shoulders. Changing the subject slightly, she asked, "Does this mean you are done obsessing over my brother now?"

Magnus looked a bit surprised by her choice of words. "I don't think I've truly obsessed over him."

"You learned battle mage casting because of him and have been going on and on about how you wanted to fight him in a duel to prove that you were better. Now you've lost and can't claim that anymore.

"Does that mean you weren't obsessed with beating him and can move on to becoming the best wizard you can be?" she asked with her green eyes seeming to bore into him with her questions.

Despite being older than the girl by several years, Magnus often heard the wisdom in this girl, though Katya should have been too young to have such insight. She had called him out more than once and despite being a full wizard that the girl should have looked up to, he often found himself at her mercy.

He confessed, "I doubt that we will ever be truly done with testing each other. That is what rivals are for. If Sebastian can elevate other mages to his ability; then as a wizard, I have to figure out how become better. I have the edge in strength, but he still beat me.

"Doesn't that mean that there is something I am missing?"

Katya gave the question some thought and shrugged almost indifferently as she judged, "You never planned on remaining complacent as a fire wizard the rest of your life, did you?"

The man shook his head slowly wondering what she was thinking.

Revealing another nugget of wisdom for one so young, Katya said, "You're a full wizard now. Maybe it is time to work on becoming a white wizard, even if you are only twenty-two years old.

"Your fire magic never forced Sebastian to do much to counter your spells. At least when you turned to dragon magic, you could surprise him and make him react. I've never understood why wizards are content with just one type of magic. I think I am happier being a diplomat wizard since they force us to learn other magic to protect ourselves as well."

Magnus stood quietly thinking on what she had said. His eyes moved to a crowd that was thinning as Sebastian had continued to move towards the exit door to the mage courtyard to the west. A battle mage didn't worry over a class of magic. They used whatever was best for a fight. He had learned that from dabbling in their art.

The fire wizard had only veered slightly from the fire traditions. He could cast quickly, but fire was his main domain.

Nodding to Katya, he stated, "You might be right."

Calling his dragon wings back; the wizard launched into the sky returning to the roof while he thought on her words.

The crushing crowd had thinned out as they finished congratulating him on his win over Magnus. Worried more that Ashleen and those in his team might get crushed by so many trying to get to him at once, the mage was tempted to use the rune shield to push the crowd away. It reminded him of the time Katya's magic had gotten out of control drawing a throng of mind controlled sailors to them. That time he had used a large mage shield to protect them, but they still were nearly pushed through the wooden wall of the ship's cabin.

Fortunately these were wizards and mages in their right minds. As they got their fill, the crowd began to dissipate leaving Sebastian and his team to wait for Katya to follow. She had been smart enough to hold back and stay out of the crowd of new fans.

Sebastian still wanted to talk with Cheleya as well, so they waited near the Tower of War, the nickname for the mage administration tower on the north side of the building. Shouts of congratulations became sporadic by the time Katya had gathered Cheleya and Kel'lor, and surprisingly the fire apprentice Arrimus followed at their heels grinning like a fool.