Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Donald Wigboldy
with magic, though it was an excellent blade.
"I didn't need the overkill of a Hollow Sword," he explained. "My mission was to capture as many of them as I could. The king and his advisors want to try and find out what the emperor hopes to achieve with these new tactics. If it is just to distract us while he wages war on Listarin with Sileoth, then it is as we figured; but why now?"
"Of course, it is a distraction," Ashleen replied with a shake of her head. It seemed obvious, but his second point didn't have an answer. The dark armies of the emperor had tested the wall for over a century, but had become quieter over the last several decades. While his soldiers continued to fight Southwall beyond their wall, the war seemed to have become over land that didn't truly matter to the people living south of the great wall.
"Anyway," he continued as the girl seemed willing to let him tell his story, "I caught them by surprise using a variety of spells that they wouldn't expect from a battle mage."
Laying onto his shoulder beside him, Ashleen's breath touched his cheek as she said, "Like what?"
"I used reflex, of course, to get an edge on them. Then I put a few to sleep with that spell. I had to use a dark shield to absorb the warlock's fire spell. The portal rune, of course, was used to pull a sword and the defense rune shielded me when the one shield wasn't enough.
"I can nearly turtle up with that shield, if I want."
"None of the lightning I taught you?"
"No, but I pulled up a portal temporarily behind them preventing the warlock from escaping when he lost too many men. It would have taken them to Hala where a bunch of wizards and battle mages could have subdued them, but they didn't risk running without knowing where it went."
The girl pushed herself up on her elbow to look at him in surprise. "I thought you needed a Hollow Sword or a staff to draw that kind of power."
Ashleen had become enough of a confidante to learn his trick to increasing his basic strength. Drawing power from the earth could supercharge a wizard or mage, but drawing it directly usually would result in burning out a wizard with the excess of power. A staff of wood was a good conduit that acted as a limiter and separated him from the power enough to draw the extra energy in a safer way.
Unfortunately, he had learned that there were other consequences to over use of the world's power. It wasn't meant for men to use in the opinion of experts like High Wizard Darius, an immortal who knew firsthand what such power could do to wizards abusing the power. He had told a tale of wizards dying as old men, except that they were barely twenty years old and burned out because of the decision to use spells of devastation and chaos.
"They had wood crates there. I simply placed a hand on one and used it long enough to create a portal. The wood burned a bit, but I doubt anyone else noticed or will figure out why."
Ashleen frowned and replied, "If you plan to hide it from the emperor's warlocks and your own wizards, you shouldn't leave signs of using the power."
She placed her head on his shoulder again with a sigh that sounded like the girl considered his lack of caution a problem. Perhaps Ashleen believed he was becoming arrogant in its use, but Sebastian wasn't sure that she was wrong if he had to admit it to himself. He had planned to hide his use of the earth's power, but the mage found that he was using it quite often in combat.
It was part of why he hadn't drawn the Hollow Sword. Sebastian could use the special rune blade to pull strength from the earth creating powerful magic held in the weapon that he could release with power beyond his own, unaided strength.
"I wonder if there is maybe a safer way to contain extra magical power. Drawing from the earth the way you do is too dangerous and you know it," Ashleen stated letting her breath touch his skin as she looked at the side of his face again.
"I've been contemplating that as well," he answered before
"I didn't need the overkill of a Hollow Sword," he explained. "My mission was to capture as many of them as I could. The king and his advisors want to try and find out what the emperor hopes to achieve with these new tactics. If it is just to distract us while he wages war on Listarin with Sileoth, then it is as we figured; but why now?"
"Of course, it is a distraction," Ashleen replied with a shake of her head. It seemed obvious, but his second point didn't have an answer. The dark armies of the emperor had tested the wall for over a century, but had become quieter over the last several decades. While his soldiers continued to fight Southwall beyond their wall, the war seemed to have become over land that didn't truly matter to the people living south of the great wall.
"Anyway," he continued as the girl seemed willing to let him tell his story, "I caught them by surprise using a variety of spells that they wouldn't expect from a battle mage."
Laying onto his shoulder beside him, Ashleen's breath touched his cheek as she said, "Like what?"
"I used reflex, of course, to get an edge on them. Then I put a few to sleep with that spell. I had to use a dark shield to absorb the warlock's fire spell. The portal rune, of course, was used to pull a sword and the defense rune shielded me when the one shield wasn't enough.
"I can nearly turtle up with that shield, if I want."
"None of the lightning I taught you?"
"No, but I pulled up a portal temporarily behind them preventing the warlock from escaping when he lost too many men. It would have taken them to Hala where a bunch of wizards and battle mages could have subdued them, but they didn't risk running without knowing where it went."
The girl pushed herself up on her elbow to look at him in surprise. "I thought you needed a Hollow Sword or a staff to draw that kind of power."
Ashleen had become enough of a confidante to learn his trick to increasing his basic strength. Drawing power from the earth could supercharge a wizard or mage, but drawing it directly usually would result in burning out a wizard with the excess of power. A staff of wood was a good conduit that acted as a limiter and separated him from the power enough to draw the extra energy in a safer way.
Unfortunately, he had learned that there were other consequences to over use of the world's power. It wasn't meant for men to use in the opinion of experts like High Wizard Darius, an immortal who knew firsthand what such power could do to wizards abusing the power. He had told a tale of wizards dying as old men, except that they were barely twenty years old and burned out because of the decision to use spells of devastation and chaos.
"They had wood crates there. I simply placed a hand on one and used it long enough to create a portal. The wood burned a bit, but I doubt anyone else noticed or will figure out why."
Ashleen frowned and replied, "If you plan to hide it from the emperor's warlocks and your own wizards, you shouldn't leave signs of using the power."
She placed her head on his shoulder again with a sigh that sounded like the girl considered his lack of caution a problem. Perhaps Ashleen believed he was becoming arrogant in its use, but Sebastian wasn't sure that she was wrong if he had to admit it to himself. He had planned to hide his use of the earth's power, but the mage found that he was using it quite often in combat.
It was part of why he hadn't drawn the Hollow Sword. Sebastian could use the special rune blade to pull strength from the earth creating powerful magic held in the weapon that he could release with power beyond his own, unaided strength.
"I wonder if there is maybe a safer way to contain extra magical power. Drawing from the earth the way you do is too dangerous and you know it," Ashleen stated letting her breath touch his skin as she looked at the side of his face again.
"I've been contemplating that as well," he answered before
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