Battle Mage: Forging New Steel (Tales of Alus Book 9) (48 page)

“When did you two return?” the older mermaid asked. “We didn’t hear or see you come back.”

Ashleen’s eyes darted from the girls to the men who looked confused by the interruption. “We used the back way,” the wilder said concealing the fact that they had used magic to return directly. “Who are your friends?”

“Deleth and Qurlan are two new friends that we met the other day wandering near the markets,” Yaroma stated. Her eyes revealed that they weren’t there because she wanted them. Sebastian thought that the young woman was spoken for by Olan, but her younger sister had no such ties to anyone so far.

“Sebastian and Ashleen!” a woman’s voice interrupted the discussion before the men could respond. Sebastian had watched the one known as Deleth frown at the introduction, before the mage turned to see Hilda hurrying towards them.

“Good evening, Hilda, can we have two specials with extra bread and cheese for the table? We’ve just come back from our trip and could use some food.”

The woman nodded with a smile before she replied, “I didn’t see you return. I wish you had taken a moment to warn me, but it is good to have you two back.”

As the inn keeper herded one of her daughters before her to pass along the information to the kitchen, Sebastian and Ashleen sat on a pair of unoccupied chairs at the table. Sitting beside the larger of the two men, who was the blond haired Qurlan; Sebastian asked belatedly, “I hope it is all right to join you? After all, we are old friends of the ladies.”

The dark haired man sitting beside Naoromi retorted barely masking any annoyance, “Sure, ask now. We were finished eating anyway. Once the music starts the table is all yours. We figure to keep the girls occupied all night.”

“Well, thank you for your hospitality then,” Sebastian replied with a slight smile. He didn’t like the feel of the men, especially Deleth as he sat beside the mermaid. Her eyes were near mirrors of her older sister’s and told him that the meeting between them might have started as a mutual decision; but the girl was no longer certain she wished to be near the man.

He didn’t wish to just assume that was her thoughts and the mage added conversationally as they waited for their food, “So what is it you two do for a living?”

Deleth replied looking proud of himself, “We are police with the city guard. We keep the peace and make sure rowdy patrons don’t get too out of hand.”

“That’s a noble profession and I am sure with all the taverns and restaurants in the city there is never a quiet night.”

The larger man, Qurlan, grinned and nodded his head saying, “Between those in the taverns and those who can’t make it home, we find that the jail cells are often needed to sober them up properly by morning.”

Deleth added, “Then there are the barroom brawls that we have to break up also. Sometimes we have to crack some heads to get our point through to them.”

Their dinners arrived while Sebastian felt out the guardsmen. Unfortunately, though the city needed policing to maintain the peace at times, too often those in the guards were there because they enjoyed fighting as well. Being a guardsman made the fighting legal, so many of that sort of man joined just to be able to push others around. While there were good men as well, he had heard too many stories of those who were as much thugs as those fighting in the bars.

“Were you two making your rounds in the markets when you met the ladies?” he asked curiously.

Again Deleth responded, “Yeah, we couldn’t miss these two beauties wandering through the shops. We started up a conversation and eventually found out they were staying here. They agreed for a night of dancing, so here we are.”

“Yes, the two of them are pretty cautious in getting to know others,” Sebastian stated glancing occasionally to the girls receiving a shrug from Naoromi. Apparently the girls felt safe enough in the Black Smith Inn under the eyes of Hilda and her family. Now that the mage had returned, he knew that an early night was unlikely. He didn’t trust the guardsmen and would wait until the mermaids were safely in their room tonight before retiring with Ashleen.

The music began and some of the tables were moved to the side making more room for the dancers. Just before the music had begun, the crowd began to swell. Not everyone could afford to eat out on a regular basis, but the dancing was a communal event nightly that didn’t require coin if they didn’t need drinks. Of course, most dancers would get thirsty and buy alcohol anyway adding to the take for the night for the inn.

As the two men led the young women onto the dance floor, Ashleen said quietly leaning over her plate to watch them go, “I don’t know about those men. Is it just me or do they seem untrustworthy?”

His fork paused above the plate with a cut piece of beef waiting for him to bring it to his mouth. The mage’s eyes flicked to Ashleen as he nodded, “I hope that you aren’t as tired as you were telling me, because it looks like we are going to need to keep an eye on the girls.”

“Too bad we didn’t bring Olan back with us. He would like to see Yaroma again and we wouldn’t need to worry over them as much, since Olan could dance with her and keep an eye on Naoromi.”

“Falconi Neven sees him as part of the local corps. He is expected to stay at the hall. If he stayed here, you would have to sleep over with the girls instead and I thought that you wanted me for yourself tonight,” he finished with a chuckle bringing up the words she had used earlier.

“True, that was the plan. Being surrounded by soldiers and nomads for a week, it was a little hard to truly spend any time with you,” Ashleen agreed looking at the dancers. “Well, I am not quite as tired as I said, I suppose. As long as you dance with me for awhile, I should be able to remain awake.”

“I can always carry you around if you fall asleep,” he replied with a smile.

Finishing their meal, Sebastian offered a hand drawing the wilder into the swirl of dancers. He quickly realized that, for all her yawns; Ashleen wasn’t quite as tired as she had pretended to be while up in the room. While they watched over the girls with their questionable dates, the couple spent nearly an hour with only the pauses between songs for a respite.

Yaroma managed to separate from Qurlan for a few songs when other men asked for a dance with the pretty girl. Deleth wouldn’t let Naoromi go, however, though the girl seemed more resigned to the fact and didn’t push overly hard when he made other men leave her alone.

When Yaroma made to get away for a drink at their table, Sebastian and Ashleen joined her. The blond haired guardsman found another woman to dance with and left the mermaid to join her friends.

“Are you all right with him?” Ashleen asked showing her worry more than Sebastian, whose eyes watched over the younger sister with Deleth.

“Qurlan isn’t the problem. I fear that my sister has learned to flirt too well, but she doesn’t really like him. Naoromi is just trying to spend enough time with him to separate and go to our room,” the dark haired girl stated. Her violet eyes noticed Sebastian’s attention on her sister and sighed looking relieved to have the mage there. “She shouldn’t need you to rescue her, but that seems to be our plight.”

Looking at her curiously, Sebastian asked, “What do you mean?”

“You saved us and our people. Since then Olan has protected us for you or you have done so yourself. We only wished to repay you, but continue to find ways to draw more debt,” she replied regretfully.

“You know that I never asked you to try and repay me. I don’t see it as a debt. Friends help friends without asking for evening the score,” he replied turning away to watch over Naoromi.

Their conversation lapsed as the girls talked over what the mermaids had been up to both in New Harbor with Olan’s supervision and since then in Hala.

When Naoromi joined them later, Deleth followed looking unhappy. The girl took her sister’s arm pretending to yawn.

“I think that it is time to go to bed,” the younger girl stated though her green eyes flicked to the side as if telling them that the reason wasn’t her fake yawn, but the man shadowing her.

Qurlan came from the bar where he had been drinking with a few other men taking a break from the dance floor. Moving to touch the girl’s arm, Deleth asked, “Should we meet here again tomorrow?”

“I do not think so, Deleth, but thank you for a pleasant night,” the young woman replied virtually hugging her sister’s arm.

“Well a gentleman usually escorts his date home. We can walk you to your rooms,” the dark haired man said pressuring her once more.

The girl looked to Sebastian, who nodded and stood offering a hand to Ashleen. He would make sure the escorts didn’t go beyond just walking them up the stairs.

“To our floor, but I do not believe that it is appropriate for a man to walk a girl to her room.”

The man nodded and took her by the arm trying to look like the noblemen who led their wives through the finer streets on a nice night in Hala. When they reached the top of the stairs, the men made to move deeper into the hall to follow the women. When Yaroma and Naoromi held out there hands to stop the men, Deleth turned angry.

“You tease! You can’t work up a man and not expect to give him a kiss at least,” he complained.

Ashleen passed by to the open side as Sebastian put himself between her and the men. The mage stated firmly, “You asked to walk her here when she already bade you good night. It is time for you to go. Naoromi tried to be polite now respect that and go home or find someone else to dance with.”

Scowling at the mage, Deleth gripped the mage by the front of the shirt and pushed him back to the wall. The girls moved back in shock at the violent action, but Sebastian was in the man’s eyes. If he couldn’t get what he wanted from Naoromi, it was apparent that he was going to turn violent and take it out on someone.

Qurlan bristled at his side. The larger man didn’t care about the women. Yaroma had told him before that she was taken. He was simply hoping for a fight.

“You can stay out of this!” Deleth spat in Sebastian’s face.

Waving the women towards their rooms, the battle mage warned, “This is my last warning to you. You deal with drunken men in bars. You know when they are pushing themselves on women who don’t want them.

“You’re not wanted here. Now go or I will have to make you leave.”

A second shove to the wall set up a chance to punch the mage. The guardsmen were brawlers and intended to punish him for interfering with their fun, but Sebastian didn’t need his reflex spell to see the punch coming. Deleth was clumsy and slow hoping to simply overpower him or use the shove to confuse him for the secondary strike.

Pushing from the wall lightly, Sebastian shifted his head to the right letting the man’s fist pass by his ear. Seeing eyes widen in surprise, the mage locked the arm onto his shoulder while his right hand clamped onto Deleth’s forehead.

“Sleep,” he ordered and felt the man’s body start to give almost immediately. Leaning back against the opposite wall, Deleth slid to the floor unconscious by the time he was halfway to the floor.

Qurlan’s eyes popped open wide for a moment in shock, but the brawler’s instincts started him forward towards the smaller mage. When Sebastian pulled back facing the man calmly and said, “Try it and I’ll turn you to stone.”

The bigger man’s fist stopped with his momentum and he asked incredulously, “You can do that?”

“I have,” the mage nodded. “Now if you value your life, I suggest you carry your friend home. If I see either of you bothering my wards again, you won’t want to see what else I can do.”

Paling noticeably, Qurlan picked up Deleth and hurried down the stairs. His strength was considerable and he managed to make the other guard’s weight on his shoulder appear like nothing as they disappeared from sight.

The mermaids had ducked into their doorway and with mouths agape. Seeing his skill in person, as short a demonstration as it was, amazed the girls.

“If you still want to go down and dance, they won’t bother you anymore,” Sebastian stated with assurance, “but I think I will head to bed. It’s been a long day.”

Yaroma shook her head and replied, “I think that I have had enough for tonight. Thank you again, Sebastian.”

The dark haired beauties disappeared before Ashleen had opened their door.

Entering their room, Ashleen gave him an amused look and asked, “You were a little dramatic weren’t you? I mean, you can’t really turn someone to stone can you?”

Ashleen unbuttoned her blouse and Sebastian touched the cloth calling his stone skin spell. Projecting it into the blouse, the wilder suddenly found her arms held fast by her sleeves. “I learned to project our personal spell of defense onto an enemy, or just onto a particular item like a shirt, when I was still a cadet. It was before I began trying to learn wizard spells, but my mind led me to find new ways to use what we already had.”

Arms bent, the pretty blonde’s hands wiggled as she touched the part of her blouse still on her shoulders. Reaching within open blouse to touch the sides of her torso, Bas turned her towards him gazing on the girl who still managed to look amused.

“It’s pretty effective,” Ashleen acknowledged with a smile. “I can’t move and the cloth does feel like stone. How long does the spell last because I think I will lose blood flow to my hands in a few minutes? That tingling when they finally are able to move again is so annoying.”