Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) (24 page)

Being distracted again by other thoughts as his mind remained curious, Sebastian watched as Cheleya placed her hand over the tattoo which no longer glowed. He worried that the magic might have worn off, but it might just have been his spell creating the initial glow.

"Neruter emis ot flesym sa et sawen!" the human girl cried out with her musical sounding voice. The strange words sounded like a song from her mouth, unlike the sound of the mar'goyn'lya's harsh voice.

The amulet glowed again and the light encompassed Cheleya's petite body quickly. When the light continued to grow and masked the girl's form, it lengthened and shifted swiftly. In just over a second, a light blue dragon appeared out of the glow of the light.

"It worked!" a deeper voice came from the che'ther. Her words were as articulate as that of a human and only the depth of the tone really seemed different.

The mage tested the air for the scent and noticed it had faded with the glow. Whatever it was, it was part of Cheleya only as a human.

"Does it feel right?" he asked almost positive that everything was the way it should be.

The little dragon lifted her front claw lifting it as her long neck curled to bring her che'ther face and eyes close enough to see the scales running along her arm. Short claws, that looked capable of cutting through a man's flesh with ease, opened and closed before her emerald green eyes. The eyes were the same color as her human ones had been, though the black of the iris look more like a vertical slit now.

Trying to walk around using several tentative steps, the dragoness seemed to find everything satisfactory and tried to sit back enough to bring her front legs up in front of her. Cheleya's head lifted to nearly twice Kel'lor's height and the che'ther stated, "I think everything is correct, but it has been so long that this body feels bulky and almost clumsy."

The mar'goyn'lya replied, "You always said so in Mar'kal. That was one of the reasons you liked to be human when we were home."

Nodding, the che'ther's eyes began to look even glossier than before and Kel'lor quickly put Cheleya's clothing on the ground. He pulled a glass vial from a small pouch at his waist and said to the dragon, "I never thought that I would see a che'ther cry. You had tears as a human girl, but I've never seen a dragon's tears."

The che'ther dropped back down to place her face before her friend and said, "I've never been so happy as a che'ther either Kel'lor."

Large tears formed pooling over her lids and the mar'goyn'lya did his best to catch them in his vial. Enough came to fill not only the first glass container but a second very quickly.

Cheleya leaned back and touched the center of her scaly breast and uttered the magic words, "Ekam emet tahway et ma desopus ot ebem."

The light took over the dragon body contracting it in an instant. Cheleya stood as the tan human girl with her long blonde hair covering her breasts. Her underwear remained intact; the girl noted looking down to verify it for herself. Color and texture formed over her upper body. What appeared to be a thick, pink ribbon wrapped around her chest lifting the blond hair as it continued around her stomach and again around her waist. Forming a skirt that hid her human clothing, the ribbon stopped and Cheleya nodded.

"The illusion magic works again too," she noted drawing her hair back over her shoulders. Kel'lor handed her a ribbon the girl sometimes used to tie her long hair back and did so with a practiced hand. She took her blouse and pulled it over her head letting the illusion of the ribbon disappear even before she pulled her shorts on once more.

Cheleya's eyes still looked ready to cry, but the girl moved to Sebastian with a grin. "It works just like an amulet of stone. You've freed me, Sebastian!"

He was about to agree when the little girl moved forward to quickly throw her arms around his neck despite the height difference as she pulled him down enough to hug the mage. Kel'lor frowned as did Ashleen and Serrena behind him.

"I don't know how I can repay you; but if there is anything I can do, please let me know," the grateful che'ther offered beside his ear.

She released him quickly. Cheleya could be demonstrative at times, but she was more often reserved at least with men.

His mind already moving to other mysteries, Sebastian thought of something else his sister had said and placed his hand over the oval on his arm drawing out the black sword. "Well, there is one thing I can think of at the moment. Did you make this?"

Cheleya's eyes widened and she nodded her head, "You bought this in Hala?"

"Yes, from a sword merchant, but he thought that it was some form of steel. You used magic to create this, didn't you?"

Cheleya grinned. "So now I get to see if I can teach you something to pay you for saving me?"

Laughing at the notion, Sebastian shook his head, "Only if you really want to. I found this and it made me curious what you made it out of, because I can tell this is not metal."

Ashleen rolled her eyes and waited for Cheleya to propose returning to the school. She had other swords that the girl could show him as well, she offered.

The group returned to White Hall after their success. Sebastian had an idea to remove the tattoo of the amulet from Cheleya as well, but it could wait for now. He had a new bit of magic to discover first.

Chapter 13- The Right Thing

The wizards had finalized their plans and put both apprentices and full wizards to work on the tower and wall expansions they would need to anchor the portal for White Hall. Though they had begun the work, they would be unable to finish before the next day. Even working through the night and with magic, it was a major undertaking. Without magic, it would have taken weeks, if not months.

Some earth wizards went to the grounds between the school walls and city wall to begin excavating the extra stone which would be needed. It was the quickest way to get what they needed, though other wizards went into town to see what they could find from local builders' supplies.

Sebastian debated on returning to Hala with his team. Rooms were limited and certainly less comfortable than his place in the Black Smith Inn. His team was mixed in their reactions to the thought. Rilena wanted to remain to reacquaint herself with Evie, a friend she had met originally in the enemy fortress. Sebastian thought that the two girls seemed like sisters and Rilena was very protective of the younger, smaller girl.

Mecklin and Frell had already arranged for accommodations in the mage barracks in White Hall. It would be less work to remain in the school than to walk the mile or so back and forth to the barracks in Hala from the inn. It also meant less arranging of time to be available when he needed them. They would just wait there, and the rooms were little different in either facility.

Serrena and Ashleen would go where he went and Elzen asked to return with him. Figuring his friend had ulterior motives for returning to Hala, namely being able to see Naoromi again; Sebastian opened a gate in the portal courtyard where more earth wizards were already using their magic to tear down old defenses to begin work on new. He didn't need the lodestones still set on the ground, but if the enemy could trace his use of the magic, it was better to keep it all in one place.

Before they left, Elzen mentioned, "Maybe we should have stayed a little longer. Dinner here would be free."

Serrena rolled her eyes and complained, "If Naoromi finds out that you are a cheapskate, I wonder if she would want anything to do with you?'

Glaring at the young woman, Elzen retorted, "Well, we are here and it will be in just a few hours."

"Dinner at the inn will be fine. The rush should just be beginning when we get there," Sebastian stated as he readied himself to cast the spell. "Door," he called and the magic answered with a portal roughly six feet square.

Elzen rushed through despite his protests about a free meal followed by Serrena and Ashleen. The mage was last and gave the courtyard one last look wondering how much it would change before he returned in the morning to put up the gate.

Arriving inside the room he rented in the inn, Elzen and Serrena looked surprised. They had assumed that the mage would use the main gate he had created in the fire wizards' court.

"Where are we?" Elzen asked curiously as the owl arrived.

"My room, the one Ashleen and I share at the inn. Now we only need to walk downstairs to get dinner."

"Ah, very economical of you, Bas," the younger mage chuckled as he walked towards the door. When his friend stood still thinking, Elzen stopped to ask, "Are you coming?"

He nodded and said, "Let's see what time it is here, but I need to find something that I am not sure Ivol will have stocked in the smithy."

The four exited the room and Ashleen asked for them all, "Are you planning on making something tonight?"

"Nothing too difficult, but, yes, I had something in mind if I get the time and the metal I need. For now, let's just see if we can eat. I've already built up an appetite with the magic I've used today."

Elzen asked another question as they discovered a crowd beginning to build at the tables, "That dragon mage magic seemed very similar to battle mage spells. Are you going to take the time to learn how to use it too?"

"The wings and flight would certainly come in handy," he agreed. The use of the magic wasn't complex, but like any other mage spell Sebastian would need to understand how to set his mind to control the magic in the way he wished. The mage had seen the wing spells in particular used several times and from that he had a feel for what was done; but he had a feeling that just knowing how to make the wings wouldn't help one fly easily. He wasn't a bird, but his mind had ridden the winds using air magic. If it wasn't too far beyond what he knew how to do in mind as it would be for his body, the owl mage thought he might be able to do it without too much effort.

Ashleen stated, "I don't think I can fly."

The wilder could ride the winds just as Sebastian could, but there was another issue he could tell that she was addressing.

"You can't separate from the land without feeling sick," the mage noted with a nod to the girl.

The other two looked between them curiously and Serrena asked as they sat at an empty table, "What do you mean that she gets sick from being separated from the land? Until this dragon magic showed up, no one could actually fly and I doubt just picking her up would make her sick."

Sebastian nodded and replied after gesturing to one of Hilda's daughters that they needed to place their orders, "True, but Ashleen is a wilder and her magic works a bit differently than ours in some ways. Mainly, she is tied to the earth in a stronger way than normal."

"But I thought she used air magic," Elzen added appearing equally lost. "How is she then tied to the earth?"

"Ashleen uses lightning effortlessly. It is a combination of earth and air. That was why she chose air for the tournament, but was able to use the stone of the cliffs to strike from both high and low."

Elzen hadn't been to the tournament, since he had been on the trail to the enemy fortress in the Dimple Mountains at the time. Still he could understand the basics without having actually been there. Seeing his friend and the others all following, Sebastian stated, "We tested if her tie to the ground was affected by climbing the tallest tower in Falcon's Keep. Though the stone conducted some of the earth's energy to her for awhile, after about fifty or sixty feet up Ashleen was feeling weakened because the flow of power stayed closer to the ground refusing to infuse all of the stone as the tower grew higher.

"If Ashleen were to try flying, I would expect that she would grow quite sick from the distance to the earth."

The conversation paused to order their dinner. With just the four of them there, it didn't take long.

Apparently the lack of people at their table made Elzen realize something as well. "Where are Yaroma and Naoromi? I don't see them at any of the tables."

"Olan remained behind to keep an eye on the girls. Mecklin and Frell probably weren't necessary either, but the ravens seem to want me to keep a few mages nearby just in case there is something new to learn, I guess.

"Since we weren't sure if we would be back tonight, they probably went to a different place to eat dinner."

Serrena looked at the younger mage with an evil look and said, "Oh, does Elzen have a crush on the mermaid now?"

Though cringe worthy to hear the secret about the other girl voiced, Elzen frowned and retorted, "Better her than an annoying fire head like you."

Sebastian did wince at that and watched Serrena turn dark with anger and she countered, "I'll have you know that men find me quite lovely. You would be lucky if I gave you a moment of my time, you jerk!"

Throwing up his hands as if he had given up, Elzen replied, "I didn't say that you weren't pretty. Fine, if Naoromi doesn't show up, maybe you can show me how lucky I would be by giving me the first dance."

Serrena blinked in surprise as much of the fire went out of her at his change in tune. Sebastian noted that Elzen hadn't said she was his first choice, but didn't want to get drawn into any of this conversation. The fire wizard finally agreed saying, "I suppose if no other man rushes over, since you are here anyway, maybe I'll let you then."