Battle Mage: Winter's Edge Read Online Free Page A

the winter’s snows. Not everyone enjoys trying to ride through such weather after all.
                  “I also extend the offer to attend dinner with us. We will set an abundant table for you, I can assure you.”
                  The ambassador inclined his head in a half bow. “I accept your hospitality, sir. If you would not mind, I think I would like to head to my room and rest from our adventure. If your schedule brings you to dine with us, perhaps we might talk some more, my lord.”
                  Lord Dorwyn nodded, “Of course, ambassador, I can imagine how tired you must be after such a harrowing battle and the long trip.”
                  The apprentices surreptitiously rolled their eyes at the thought of the round bellied ambassador’s true part in the conflict, but quietly followed the lord and their master from the room. Ashleen spotted Sebastian watching the exchange and colored slightly, before nodding slightly to the falcon as she passed.
                  Once the visitors had left the room, Lord Dorwyn gestured for the falcon squad leader to approach. The young man stood straight and walked forward. From behind one of the wall hangings, a new source of movement caught the corner of Sebastian’s eye. He let his eyes flick to Falconi Saren even though the falcon had known the man was there for quite awhile. One of the gifts of most wizards and many battle mages was that they could sense the magic of others. Though weaker in magical power than a typical wizard, a mage like Sebastian could make out the magic from a fair range and had felt the falconi approach while they had been talking.
                  Lord Dorwyn noted the falconi as well and nodded. “Good timing, Falconi Saren. Did you hear much of their report?”
                  A fit man of middle age, the falconi made a striking figure in his black uniform with silver bars on his shoulders. A full beard and barely thinning brown hair framed a strong face that could turn fierce in battle. The man was the ranking leader of the battle mages in Falcon’s Keep until spring when one of the ravens would return. Acknowledging the falcon and lord with nods in that order, the falconi stated, “Apparently, the lord and his entourage were attacked by a pack of the Dark One’s beasts. Though judging from the man’s … condition… I would hazard that he had little enough to do with fighting the creatures. Perhaps the falcon would be so kind as to enlighten us as to his perspective?”
                  Though left as a question, the falcon knew that he was to respond.  “Yes, sir, I had the squad on patrol when luckily for the Kardorians we began to hear the howling. The wind carried the sound out to us and we hurried to the road. By the time we had arrived, they were completely surrounded and several of the guardsmen had been killed. While the wizards were still putting up a good fight, the apprentices had both been injured also.
                  “With the werebeasts distracted by our new friends, our charge went unnoticed until our lances killed most of the nearby forces. We drove the wolves away and tended to the Kardorian wounded. Unfortunately, most of their guardsmen were slain by the time we arrived, but the three wizards and their two charges in the carriage remained safe.
                  “After that, we made sure to escort them straight to the wall just in case the enemy chose to regroup or if there might be another band in the area. Our patrol hadn’t found any tracks to suggest anything more, but we had only been out for a few hours and hadn’t finished covering our planned route yet, which leads us to here. I hope that bringing them to the keep was appropriate, sir.”
                  “Of course it was, Falcon Trillon,” Lord Dorwyn stated for the falconi, though Saren nodded agreement with the lord.