Battle Mage: Forging New Steel (Tales of Alus Book 9) (15 page)

“Are you going to start another sword today?” Ashleen asked curiously. She knew that even if he did, the girl would have relatively little to do during the making of it. Her hands and arms weren’t strong enough to do the hammering for sure, though she figured that the work on the bellows might be easy enough.

Still the wizard wasn’t surprised when Sebastian shook his head and replied, “I think that it needs to be tested before I waste time trying the same process. Maybe talking to Bharen or one of the sword smiths he trades with will give me more options in making the perfect sword to hold the magic?”

Looking confused as they entered the warm workshop, Ashleen asked, “Didn’t this sword hold the magic? I see runes, just like the first sword has; so I thought you said only the right metal would be able to take the stress of magic being introduced or it would break.”

He nodded. “That is what I said, but I also have only tried the magic used once before. It might be good enough steel thanks to fixing it with the healing magic to hold the runes, but until I test it I won’t know for sure that introducing other spells won’t overload and destroy it.”

Ashleen fanned herself with her hands as they stood in the warm room and said, “Then I guess I need to put on the dress for our walk to the inn.”

She patted her clothes and the girl noted with a grimace, “I’m still wet with sweat. Being a mage smith’s apprentice is a little annoying when I have to sweat like a boy in this furnace.”

As she walked to where her dress was placed, Ashleen began to fumble with the clasps cinching her top. Realizing that the girl was ignoring the fact that he was still in the room, though she kept her back to him, Sebastian complained, “Ashleen, Ivol and Aric could return any minute!”

“Then watch the door,” the girl responded tossing him her top and revealing her breasts as she twisted. Once again Ashleen was toying with him, but Sebastian caught the cloth and moved to stand in the doorway.

“You don’t have to keep showing off for me. I already said that I would give us a chance while we wait for Yara to return,” he said without looking to see what Ashleen might be doing now.

Her shorts struck him next and they were damp to his arm where she hit him. He wanted to look, but managed to keep his eyes averted and locked on the dirt yard between the buildings.

“Not everything has to do with you, Sebastian, though teasing you is fun as well. I hate this heat. In fact, I think I would almost rather have the cold of winter over this muggy weather.”

Her blonde hair ducked down beside him a moment later as her footsteps brought her beside him. Picking up the shorts, Ashleen’s nose wrinkled in distaste. “I will need to bring these to the maids in Two Circles to have them cleaned. They are certainly going to smell thanks to the heat and moisture.”

Handing Ashleen her top, he noted the buttons partially concealed running up her side. The lowest buttons weren’t fastened allowing the wilder to show a little more leg as she walked, while the neckline dropped a bit low revealing the glistening skin almost to her cleavage. Sebastian’s eyes were too slow to avoid being noticed by the girl who smiled slightly in her devious way.

After gathering the swords to bring them back to the Two Circles Inn, Sebastian walked beside the pretty girl wondering at her daring nature. She had always been a bit bold in the way she dressed. Her Kardorian robes had been the talk of the castles during the nights of parties and dancing. She had worn delicate slippers that could only be used inside of a castle and multiple layers of robes cinched by cords which often revealed a fair amount of her shapely legs. According to Ashleen, such dresses were common among the royal women of her nation and since she was the daughter of a wealthy lesser noble, they were what she preferred.

“Falcon Trillon,” he heard his name entering through the double doors of the Two Circles Inn. The desk clerk held up a letter for him looking a little too pleased with something. If it was a notice that he was being evicted from the inn, the mage wouldn’t be surprised.

Taking the envelope, Sebastian touched a finger to the secured flap and uttered the words, “Wind knife,” splitting the envelope across the ridge in a precise cut to let him draw the sheet of paper from inside. The display of such magic made the clerk pale as well. Most residents of Southwall couldn’t use magic and few received the displays of wizard abilities. It was part of why the king had conceived of the Winter’s Edge tournament. It had been meant to be a way of creating a bridge between those with magic and those without.

“Raven Leros wants me to come to the tower as soon as possible,” he told Ashleen.

“I can spend the time getting cleaned up while you go to the castle, and maybe even take a nap. You wore me out today,” she said bringing the clerk’s eyes up alertly thinking the worst of her words. They were sharing a suite after all, so Sebastian could assume that most of the staff believed that they were sleeping together by now.

Once back to his room, Sebastian placed the two swords purchased from Bharen in the wardrobe with the black sword. Since the black weapon wasn’t made of metal even if it was at least as strong as the one’s he had purchased, it wasn’t suitable for examining for the experiment of creating steel.

He now had five swords in his possession and, with both Hollow Swords belted to each side; Sebastian had to figure out what he would do with all of them. Only the first Hollow Sword truly felt like his. The others were pale versions of that sword, though his latest might be its equal. Only tomorrow’s tests would decide that.

Ashleen began to unbutton the light dress standing in the doorway to the bathroom and didn’t stop even as he turned to see her. “Do you think Raven Leros is going to assign you your next post? Will I be able to go with you... to keep learning?”

He noticed the hastily added words, even as the last button was unfastened letting the cloth settle lower towards both sides. Ashleen stood looking worried as Sebastian shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know the answer anymore than she did. Only by going to see the raven, would the mage find out more.

“Try to stay out of trouble and I will go find out once I get there I am sure. Leros did say the first day that his plans included me teaching some of the battle mages and wizards in Hala the new spells I have learned. Apparently that is what Mecklin and Frell have been doing for nearly a week.”

“And you are taking both swords with you?” she questioned with a little bit of surprise.

“I have to show him that just teaching isn’t the best use of my time somehow. Maybe showing that I can make more will give me a little more time to work on the craft and talk to a few sword smiths as well,” the mage said glancing towards the door to the room. It was a look that suggested he needed to leave for the castle already.

The girl nodded as her hands grasped the dress and pulled it free while facing him to reveal that she had worn nothing beneath the shorts. He wanted to sigh, but Sebastian held his ground. While as a man he appreciated the sight of the girl naked save for her boots, Bas wanted to complain that she tried too hard.

Ashleen started to blush in spite of her bold move, but the girl responded evenly, “Well, go and I will take a bath and soak for awhile. This humidity surrounding Hala is beginning to wear at me. I kind of wish we were still stuck in Silver World. It was much nicer on that island.”

Turning and giving her a wave, Sebastian moved the door saying, “I’ll lock the door behind me. Enjoy your bath.”

The girl sighed and moved into the bathroom before Sebastian had even opened the door.

Dozens and dozens of stairs led Sebastian to the office of Raven Leros, the leader of the corps. No other raven had been in their position longer than he, and though they were technically all of the same rank, the raven of Hala was essentially the one who could command them all.

One of the falcons guarding the door knocked before receiving a call to enter from inside the raven’s office. Leaning his head in to inform the officer that Sebastian was there took only a moment for a reply and the mage was gestured to enter as the door was pushed open for him. It was hardly the way a royal meeting would occur, but they were more akin to soldiers than the pomp and circumstance following those of a high born life.

“Falcon, you came rather quickly. I only sent the messenger a little before lunch,” the white haired Leros informed him with a polite smile. Two others dressed in black uniforms differing only in the silver bars on their shoulders from Leros’ gold bars were also in attendance to see the falcon enter.

“Falcon Sebastian these are Falconi Brelan and Neven,” he introduced the other two, a younger woman with dark brown hair bound in a tail resting nearly halfway down her back and a slightly older, brunette male with a receding hair line who was slightly taller than Sebastian. The woman was above average in height as well making them both rather impressive physically in their black uniforms.

He nodded to each before returning his eyes to the elder mage. “We returned from lunch and discovered the message, so I hurried over to see what you required of me, sir.”

“Right to business like a battle mage then,” Leros responded with a crisp nod and a smirk. “Since the king is done with his festivities, I am checking up on you to see whether you are ready to begin teaching classes to the battle mages here. Frell and Mecklin have been trying to teach what they know, but you are their teacher after all.”

“They know most of what there is show except for those who might be able to use healing spells. According to the wizards I have spoken to, as battle mages are predisposed to combat, they are less likely to have a knack for healing.”

Leros sat into his chair and leaned back slightly seeming to evaluate the younger man. “So far I believe just seven others have proved capable of learning how to use healing magic. Most of those were found without even having their teacher capable of using the spells, but you explained how it works sufficiently to teach even so.

“Now what other spells do you know that haven’t been passed on to your students?”

Sebastian drew out the original Hollow Sword and said, “A version of healing magic that requires massive power beyond just a battle mage.”

The raven took the weapon with slightly wide eyes. Leros was a soldier for life and knew the tricks of keeping his face clear of easily read emotions when he wanted, so Sebastian took the minor changes as being quite impressed. While the raven was a master of his emotions, Falconi Brelan in particular appeared very surprised.

“You made this?” the woman asked noting the incredible detail. Though they could all tell that the sword was enchanted somehow and made to be better than the average sword, Sebastian realized that they only understood half of it.

“It has excellent balance and seems strong,” Leros commented looking from the sword to the mage.

Sebastian shook his head and answered, “I found the sword broken on an island. We called it Crab Island after the giant crabs which were large enough to easily kill a man with their pinchers. The sword, according to a wizard’s diary found with the weapon, told that the blade broke in the claw of one of these creatures.

“After finding both sword and diary, we left on the Sea Dragon where I conducted an experiment with the metal of the blade.”

The falconi were offered the Hollow Sword by Leros to look at more closely, while he commented, “We heard this from Mecklin and Frell as well as others from the crew. They also mentioned you and your healer, Yara, pooled your magic to create this weapon everyone refers to as a Hollow Sword.”

Holding out his hand for the sword, Sebastian nodded as he answered, “While mending the blade, I went beyond the initial attempt to mend it with magic and made it stronger including having an ability to hold and increase the power of a spell directed into it.

“Fire sword,” he finished placing the fire spell into the reservoir of channels within the blade. The runes lacing the metal all took on a warm red hue that appeared to pulse within the sword. “Once placed within the weapon, it strengthens the sword until the magic is used up or cast out.”

Walking towards the open window overlooking the south side of the castle, Sebastian demonstrated while the falconi both began to question his meaning. Swinging the blade in an overhand strike, fire rushed forward out into the air beyond the stone. Unlike a fire sword spell which remained attached to the blade for both protection and extra damage in a fight, the sword released the flame in a short torrent that was several times stronger than the magic added into it.

“Amazing,” Neven declared after the demonstration. “If we had a hundred of those swords...”

Brelan nodded, “We would be able to cast spells at the strength of wizards.”

Leros stood to meet Sebastian as he started back to the front of the desk. Putting out a hand, the raven asked, “Does it only work for you? The wizard’s staff you brought with you is said to only respond to you so far. The wizards hated admitting that fact to me, but apparently that researcher who brought it back was flustered enough to confess that it refused to do much of anything for her.”

Offering the hilt to the raven over his left arm drew another question from the white haired man, “This tattoo of yours is new, isn’t it?”

“One thing at a time?” Sebastian asked with a rueful smile. “It is another story and you have asked me here for all that I know not just one piece.