Battle Mage: Forging New Steel (Tales of Alus Book 9) (21 page)

The women shook their heads, while Frell and Serrena looked towards the wilder looking pale where she sat against her bed. She looked too weak to even jump up onto the mattress to truly sit.

“Ashleen, you were able to heal?” he asked only slightly surprised. The mage had been wondering if the wilder had been hiding that side of her. Their touch in the working of the metal had felt very familiar and like that of his blending of magic with Yara while using healing magic on each other.

She nodded with a small smile and answered, “I guess all that practicing with reading the metal, and watching you heal as well, finally rubbed off. That and I panicked when there was no one to heal you there. I just had to try and luckily it worked, though I have barely been able to stand since trying.

“Healing took everything out of me and I still haven’t managed to recover even sleeping most of the day and night since you were brought here.”

Serrena sniffed sarcastically and added, “They carried you both here. Raven Leros and the others thought that she might have hurt herself trying such a massive amount of healing on her first attempt. Apprentices start with little things like saddle soreness, not about twenty bloody wounds.

“Ashleen closed the worst of them and the others bandaged what was still left to heal. Without her closing the wounds, you would have bled out for sure.”

Looking over at his pretty, blonde haired savior, he said, “Thank you, Ashleen, for saving me.”

The girl turned her head away looking up as she folded her arms to reply sarcastically, “Well, I couldn’t very well let my teacher die now could I?”

He laughed as the wounded mage lifted the damaged arm and noticed a six inch long pink scar. It looked like a cut that had been healing for months and he had never seen better work from a seasoned healing wizard. “Impressive work, I would never guess how bad this really was.”

Frell gestured to Serrena and said, “Well, since he’s alive and awake. Let’s go let the others know, Serrena.”

The fire wizard looked confused and asked, “It takes both of us to tell them?”

The mage’s eyes flicked to Ashleen before inclining her head towards the door. “It might. Word of his safe return will be wanted by people like Raven Leros for example. Now come on and stop being stubborn for once.”

Serrena noticed Ashleen trying not to look at Sebastian as she fought to hold in tears of relief. The fire wizard had once entertained the belief that one day he might look at her as a potential love, but with the way he was with Yara and Ashleen, she knew that was unlikely now. Retreating with Frell to give the two time to be together, the other women left Ashleen and the patient alone.

They had barely entered the hall, when the wilder threw herself onto him releasing her tears. “I thought for sure you were going to die. There was so much blood and no healers.”

Her blond hair spread over his chest as the girl climbed into bed to lie beside him. Head on his shoulder as Sebastian hugged her to him with the healed arm, Ashleen shook with relief.

Kissing the top of her head, the man could feel her love for him. It wasn’t just friendship. She had gone against what she had been trained to do, casting lightning and using other combat magic, and found a way to heal him even though it appeared to have nearly killed her in the process.

“I’m fine. You did well. I’m still here even though I was careless.”

Her right arm lay on top of his chest and she mumbled into him, “Leros said you should have at least used a stone skin spell and he called you an idiot like pretty much everyone else.”

The second part was less likely, though he chuckled at her ability to try and tease him even as the girl tried to calm herself. She still shivered as Ashleen lay against him. Her warmth could be felt and the mage noticed that the room was relatively cool. He wouldn’t have known that it was summer outside and wondered if the weather had finally cooled, but he chose to ask, “So what happened to the blade? You had a better view of it than I, since I felt it giving way and tried to move away from it.”

“Unsuccessfully,” the girl complained and he agreed. “I could see light fracturing the metal even in places without runes. Then it exploded like a fireball. Some of the wizards watching were injured as well, though they were just scratches compared to you.”

He sighed and replied, “I was afraid that it wouldn’t hold up like the original. I got cocky when it held the first spell so well, but it couldn’t handle the earth’s power. Even the first one has felt on the brink of exploding on me, I should have gone easier with it.

“I will have to ask Bharen if there are sword smiths in the city that can give me more insight into it.”

“Not until after you are safely recovered,” Ashleen said sounding annoyed as she lifted her face to give him a stern look. The pressure on his chest to remain there grew uncomfortable quickly and Bas wasn’t sure if she was pressing extra hard to enforce her point.

“After I am cleared by the healers, of course,” he laughed quickly. “I think Leros will give me the time to continue my research even after the others arrive. It’s not like they really need me in the field anyway.”

“You will be lucky if they let you do anything after nearly dying. The raven might not let you out of the city in fear that you might die before discovering everything you can about magic.”

Her head rested on his shoulder once more.

He was surprised when Raven Leros was the next face to arrive. Serrena and Frell accompanied the man looking a little uncomfortable as if they had meant to keep his superior from peeking in on their friend.

“I see your physician is taking care of you again,” the old man chuckled seeing Ashleen lying beside him.

Not even bothering to raise her head at their arrival, the wilder admitted, “I was too exhausted to stand and didn’t feel like looking like an invalid in the other bed while trying to talk to him.”

Waving the girl’s words away, the raven added, “I made sure that the innkeeper at the Black Smith Inn knew of your injuries and the corps is paying for the room as before, though I admit I thought that there would be two rooms.”

Sebastian would have shrugged the veiled accusation off normally, but he didn’t wish to disturb his healer. “I could have rented a second room, but one is big enough and there are two beds.”

The old man looked at him knowingly and added, “And if being so close to each other changes that relationship?”

“Then renting a second room would have been a waste and there will be a spare bed,” Sebastian replied with a self deprecating smile.

He felt Ashleen tense slightly before releasing a long breath as she managed to hide a sigh.

“Your fellow teachers were informed that they would be teaching on their own again for a time, but they decided to check on you for their selves,” Leros said with a fatherly smile gesturing towards Frell. “Falcon Mecklin is waiting for me to leave to come see you, but I used my rank to push my way in to see you first.”

“I feel alright, sir. My healers did a good job and the soreness will go away soon enough. Apparently I have taken a rather long nap, so I don’t even feel that tired now,” Sebastian assured his leader with a half nod as he was trapped by the pillow and the girl.

“That’s good,” the raven replied and added, “Those who witnessed the first part of your demonstration believe that the Hollow Swords need to be researched and made a possibility for mages and wizards both. The addition of power from those weapons could be a true boon in battle for the future.”

“But that is for the future,” Ashleen said managing to sit up enough to give the older man a stern look.

Chuckling at her protective nature, Leros nodded and replied, “For his future, but apparently a few of the research wizards have already asked to look at the Hollow Sword while you are recovering. I permitted it on your behalf figuring that while you are confined to bed, you won’t have a use for it.”

It pained Sebastian more than he thought hearing that his personal sword was in someone else’s hands, but then he realized that he didn’t truly need it at the moment. A mage could grow to use it as a crutch and fail to continue to grow in their magic, he realized, seeing that even something with the potential of the sword had its problems.

“Of course, you are right. I certainly don’t intend to be the black smith for the entire corps. The more wizards and even sword smiths we can get involved in creating the best swords we can make, the better.”

The older man nodded, “Becoming just a smith for the rest of your life might be peaceful, but you’re a battle mage. It’s fine to discover the magic, but at some point such a large project needs to go beyond you, Sebastian. We can try and take on the world by ourselves, but there are many who would be willing to help make your dreams a reality. Let them help. Besides you can always keep an eye on them or add to those dreams in the future.”

Excusing himself shortly after, the raven left the room to let Mecklin take his place and get back to work. Only four guests were allowed to visit at one time apparently, and Ashleen was considered a guest even if she had been the one to heal him. She was also like a patient apparently after collapsing and then staying nearby Sebastian day and night.

While they waited for the other mage to arrive, Sebastian tried to feel for any lingering pain from his wounds. He had been at least partially healed by Ashleen from what the others had told him and, of course, the healing wizards of Hala had made sure to finish the job. She had used up her energy trying to save him, but that led him to remember her fatigue from helping him forge the failed sword. If he had hadn’t recharged her the day before, the mage doubted that the wilder would have been able to get as far as she had. He remembered his first try at healing as well as losing consciousness from overdoing it as well.

Looking to Frell, he asked, “Can you get her back to the Black Smith Inn? It looks like I will be here awhile longer and she will be able to sleep much better there. The beds alone are more comfortable.”

Ashleen propped her body up looking down on him with a frown. “I am fine here.”

Shaking his head in reply, the mage stated, “Your eyes look exhausted. You’re not getting enough sleep and probably aren’t eating enough to replenish your body. Don’t make me be the healer who has to force you to do what is right for your health,” he finished with a chuckle thinking of how often Yara had complained to him about the same thing. “I am out of the woods, so there is nothing to worry about. Get some sleep and come back in the morning.”

He wasn’t throwing them out just yet, since Sebastian had only recently awoke; but he wanted to make sure the girl was looked after now.

“We’ll take her back for dinner and make her go to bed,” Frell said with a nod to the wizards.

Mecklin stuck his head into the room trying to gauge the mood of the ladies around Sebastian before fully entering; but the mage spotted him right away.

“Mecklin, if you have any free time tomorrow, can you go to the Cutting Steel and talk to Bharen Orden for me? Try and get a list of the best smiths he uses. When I get out of here, I want to try to make a new Hollow Sword, preferably one that won’t explode on me.”

The older man nodded and replied, “That shouldn’t be a problem. Classes are a little smaller at the moment anyway.”

It was an oddly phrased statement, though others might think it innocent enough. Sebastian knew the other man too well to miss the significance of his words and asked, “What is going on? Where are the other battle mages going?”

Looking unsure if he should pass on the information to the injured mage, Mecklin stalled for a moment before sighing. “Apparently the nomads have been acting strangely all summer and the latest movements, noted by our scouts, have them closer to the wall than is usual. Hala and Norcrom are reinforcing the wall towers for a hundred miles as a precaution.”

“What can some nomads do to the wall?” Serrena questioned dismissively. “We don’t even need wizards or battle mages along the line to keep them out. A few arrows can drive them away.”

Mecklin glanced towards the doorway as if a secret was being discussed and he feared being caught talking it over with his friends. “The rumor is that multiple nomad tribes have been brought together. What they are doing no one knows, there has been conjecture from those tracking the plains people that they are being called together in two areas. One is along the Cadhalla River a couple hundred miles north of the wall apparently far away from either Southwall or Ensolus.”

“The bigger question is what suddenly made them change their ways?” Sebastian said thinking on the plains people he had run into the previous summer. “They usually operated in smaller groups making it hard to find them. Some prefer to be alone and others have allegiance to the emperor’s forces.

“Coming together in large groups or settling in one place hasn’t really happened since the Cataclysm and the emperor’s arrival.”

“Of course it isn’t something for someone stuck in the hospital to worry about. Just concentrate on getting well,” Mecklin replied rubbing his neck as he worried that he had unleashed the younger man’s concern. They all knew how much Sebastian liked to put the world on his shoulders as he worried about keeping his friends safe.

Trying to spread his arms wide with Ashleen still lying on him, Sebastian chuckled, “It looks like I have plenty of time to think about all kinds of things right now, but there are certainly other things ahead of something I know very little about. I just hope that the wizards don’t plan on keeping me here forever. I’ve already lost two days, so I can’t afford to be stuck in here for very long.”