The wizard grinned. "See what I mean? You need food for the magic to return, but I couldn't get you to take anything before laying you in bed. From now on, try to hold on to enough to stay awake and eat."

  He nodded. A glance towards the fire before returning his eyes to the wizard revealed his needs. "Thanks for helping me."

  Shrugging, Fala smiled, "My pleasure. Now go. I know that you want more, so go."

  "I don't want to be rude," he stated even as he started to get up. Wobbling just a bit, Bas looked down at the wizard. "Thanks again."

  "Just try and take care of yourself. We need you alive to make our mages stronger. You're unique. Since the original ravens, no mage has really created any new spells that I know of. You've already mastered what? Four, five?"

  Bas shrugged and walked away to get more food to resupply his exhausted reserves.

  Fala was left to shake her head and continue eating her own food. Her appetite was greater than it would have been as well. It took energy to remove the pain. Magic to mend magic. With two wizards to give a bit of themselves, she was left stronger than she might have been otherwise.

  A second and third helping were needed before Sebastian had sated his needs. By then, his energy was nearly back to normal. A little tired still, Bas was feeling much better. He checked and saddled Stormy himself though Mirez and Palose offered. Offering his customary apple slices, they were ready when Lieutenant Cristin gave the order to move out for the morning's ride.

  The first part of the day, Bas spent teaching the spell for the air lance and the spear strike. The others took a little time to catch on and again it was Ziera who had it first. She seemed more adept at learning new magic than either of the other two.

  Bas noted the occasional glance from Fala where she rode with Justin. They only rode the winds once that morning. Having given Bas some of their energy, Fala hadn't wanted them to risk exhausting themselves uselessly.

  They broke for lunch at mid-day as usual. The mages tested the air lances on a large stone jutting from the ground. The rock surface was higher than a horse and wider than one's length. Standing at about one hundred paces, the mages practiced by striking the stone surface. Palose and Mirez soon began challenging each other to see who could do the most damage. Ziera was bored after a few tries and sat beside Sebastian who hadn't bothered to try at all. Mirez hadn't pushed him fearing a relapse of energy loss. Not wanting to correct his misconceptions, Bas sat near Fala until Ziera joined them.

  Justin watched for a little while trying to affect a look of boredom. Finally, the lack of real results caused the man to get up and try his hand at the air spear. Soon he was getting into the competition and jesting with the other two men.

  The wizard struck the stone well. His spears were longer and more effective. Soon the stone was showing wear as the chips continued to sprinkle down.

  "Come on, Bas," Palose said grinning. "Maybe you can show this guy something? Mirez and I can't seem to get a real good hit off. I think that we can do damage in a real battle though. So come on and show us how it's done."

  Fala grinned as well and gave him a little shove. "Go on, mizard," she laughed invoking the term that was beginning to become his new designation. "Do you think that you can do better than an air wizard at his own game?"

  Sighing, Bas got up. "Air lance," he ordered after getting to his feet. He glanced at Fala and stated, "Justin might be an air wizard, but I invented the game." Turning back to the stone, Bas didn't even bother moving forward to the line the men had drawn to throw behind. He was almost another ten paces back when he concentrated on his target. Visualizing his intended hit and damage, the mage charged forward three steps and released with a shout.

  "Strike!," the word struck the air almost as sharply as the crack of the spear meeting stone. Dust flew from around the stone, but, otherwise, the large rock appeared almost none the worse for it.

  "Hah!," Justin cried victorious. "Big talk for a lot of dust."

  Bas sat down beside Fala and Ziera and pointed to the stone. "Go look closer."

  A puzzled look crossed the wizard's face. Palose and Mirez seemed equally puzzled, but infinitely curious. They followed the wizard to the stone.

  Palose slapped his head. Mirez let out a whoop of victory and Justin let out a low whistle as he shook his head.

  The soldiers nearby had been watching as well. A general murmur went up as confusion moved through the ranks. Several ran out to the stone and the mages to see what the commotion was all about.

  "What?," Fala asked as did most of those remaining behind. "What did you do?"

  Justin and Mirez were nearly back as they were running to congratulate Bas. Palose remained behind to show what a battle mage had done.

  "Unbelievable!," Mirez shouted as they neared. "I can't believe you did that!"

  "Congratulations, battle mage," Justin echoed putting out his hand.

  Bas arose to shake his hand. "Thank you."

  "What?!," Ziera shouted jumping up with Fala.

  Mirez puffed up his chest proudly and clapped the cadet on the shoulder. "There's a perfect hole right through the heart of the stone. It went clean through. If there were an armored division lined up in columns, that hit could have sliced through a half dozen men easily if it continued straight."

  Fala raised an eyebrow at Bas who sat once more calmly.

  "How? How did you do that?," Justin asked. "I'm an air wizard. I've almost graduated to full wizard, but I couldn't do that. Nice chips come off when I do it, but that... impossible."

  Sebastian shrugged. "It's all about what you want it to do and letting it do it. I didn't care about making chips."

  "Instead, you wanted to make a point?," Fala asked with a small smile.

  "I wanted the spear to drive straight through the stone. If I were in battle, I wouldn't be trying to chip someone's armor. I would want the spear to drive clean through to kill the man inside, right?"

  Justin shook his head. Mirez looked thoughtful. Ziera nodded. Fala commented, "So that's it. Simply putting the weapon straight through. No muss. No fuss."

  The other soldiers came back whooping with Palose. Bas shook his head as they all seemed to want to congratulate the winner of the contest.

  Mirez appeared even more thoughtful. He pulled Ziera aside and began whispering to the woman.

  Bas didn't notice as the rest crowded around him. Fala patted his shoulder as she sat back down beside him. "You do have a wizard's mind, don't you, Mizard Sebastian?"

  Chapter 20-A Night's Flight

  The afternoon saw the group riding northeast towards the Dragon's Spine and one of the enemy's fortresses. It was said that Fort Doom, as those at Windmeer referred to it, housed some of the most deadly of the dark horde's forces. It was also the main staging ground near the center of North Wall. Regular patrols needed to go near enough to the fortress to make sure no unusual troop movements were occurring to signal a renewed conflict.

  As they rode, Fala requested Sebastian ride with her and Justin near the front of the formation. He could feel the eyes of the mages on his back as he rode. Their curiosity was known or at least assumed by now. The mages wanted more access to spells and Sebastian was the key to unlocking a new school of magic. A key that had never existed before. Now that his talent was known, the mages nearly drooled over the possibilities.

  Sebastian also assumed that Fala and Justin could figure all this out as well. The fact that the woman had invited him to ride with her amazed him. Maybe he finally had made enough of a bridge between them to be allowed access to the minds of wizards.

  "Watch, Sebastian," Fala insisted as she prepared to have Justin conduct his search with the winds. The air wizards had been sent along because of their magic. No other wizards could scout out the movements of troops quite so well. It was said that earth wizards could feel the vibrations of horses and troops almost as well, but the air wizards were the most accurate. "Justin, start your incantations, please. You'll take north and west at first. I'll catch up, so just go ahead."

  "You can follow his whereabouts on the winds as well as the physical world?," Sebastian inquired.

  Nodding, the wizard added, "Just like a wizard can tell when another is using his magic or how strong someone is in the magic, an air wizard can trace the line of magic from its source to the farthest point of its reach. Justin is right here, so I just reach out and follow the lines to his thoughts."

  "Can you communicate between each other while you're doing it?"

  "Not easily, no. You ask interesting questions for a battle mage," she added looking thoughtful. "Most wizards wouldn't think to ask so much so quickly.

  "Now watch Justin. Can you see what he's doing? Watch how he separates his spirit from his body. Do you see it, Sebastian?"

  Squinting, Bas thought that he almost understood the magic required. It was much more complicated than any of the spells he had duplicated so far, except perhaps for healing. He could tell that it worked on several levels at once. This wind magic was more the result than an actual part of the preparation. He also sensed that the spiritual part seemed along the lines of the healing he had done. You couldn't force the issue. The powers of the wind were too great to bend to their wills at least individually. It was almost like riding a horse with no reins.

  "What do you think, mizard?," the woman asked with a smile. His new nickname kept on gaining popularity with the others it seemed. "Can you duplicate the spell?"

  Taking a deep breath, Bas shook his head, "Not yet. There's too much to figure out to just do it. Like the healing spells, there's a lot that you need to visualize. Seeing the unseen is the hardest part."

  The woman smiled. "Oh well, maybe if you see it enough, you'll get the hang of it. Watch me then. I need to catch up to Justin before he's gone too long."

  "Why? He's what? Twenty? Hasn't he performed this skill a lot already? Does he really need a babysitter for each trip? I would think that it would be more efficient to split the effort of looking between the two of you."

  The woman shrugged. "It's just the way it is, Sebastian. See you in a bit."

  Chanting the words that Justin had finished only moments ago, Fala followed the apprentice onto the winds in no time. Having no one to speak to anymore due to the wizard's split attention, Bas considered what the wind riding spell involved. How much would he need to juggle in his mind to duplicate the feat? It seemed nearly impossible.

  Stormy slowed enough to fall back with the mages.

  "So," Ziera asked abruptly, "can you do it?"

  "Maybe if I keep watching them. Whether it'll be something that I can then teach to you all is another thing. You seem the most adaptable, Ziera, but Mirez and Palose still haven't figured out how to heal yet. The more basic spells like the fire sword and air lance they haven't had that much trouble with at all. Mages might be as limited to certain spheres of magic as true wizards are."

  "But you seem capable of learning them all," she reminded him.

  He shook his head. "I've translated basic spells, but I'm better at some than others just like everyone else. Battle magic is the simplest of all and the easiest to grasp. I'll learn what I can, but don't get your hopes up."

  The woman frowned. Ziera was a hard task master and Palose could probably vouch for that. The falcon didn't like to hear can't or no, especially in the face of one of her orders.

  Mirez tried to be different from Ziera. When she pushed, he held back. "Just keep trying, Bas. Anything that you can learn is always appreciated. In only a little over a week, you've already created a half dozen spells and learned to use a couple of the old ones differently as well. You're doing well enough. Cut him some slack, Ziera. He's already done more in a week than the rest of us have in forty or more years."

  Giving a sharp nod that reflected little forgiveness in her face, Ziera slowed a bit to ride beside Palose. She began to test the other cadet, but Bas still caught her looking at his back from time to time. It was still better than being grilled every two seconds.

  "Ignore her, Bas. Why don't you practice your sword drills from horse back? I haven't noticed you practicing as much since we left White Hall."

  Bas said nothing and drew his sword.

  Night fell. The group pulled up a little ways short of a small forest to their north. The wizards had sensed a little movement from the enemy several miles away. It seemed perfectly ordinary for Fort Doom and was simply jotted down in their patrol book. A band of nomads was a bit closer to their position, however, which left them being cautious. The Bageiri were normally harmless, but some of the nomads were directly controlled by the dark forces of the enemy. It was hard to tell which was which unfortunately until they either attacked you or treated you to a feast.

  Their campfire was kept small and the soldiers were assigned to keep watch in pairs. The others settled down as much as possible. Fala smiled at Bas as she sat on her bedroll. There were no nice warm cabins to separate the sexes in now. Everyone just had to be mature and get used to sleeping near each other. They were all adults and should have enough honor to obey the military codes established long ago.

  Bas had no problem with the arrangements or the code. He smiled back and settled onto his bag. The wizard lay down turning her back to him and Bas slid into the sack. Like any true soldier, sleep came swiftly. In a campaign in enemy territory, one learned to take all the sleep he could get, because you wouldn't know how long it would last.

  Late in the night, he entered a dream. In the dream, Bas lifted from his body like Fala and Justin had the past two days in their efforts to ride the winds. The mage didn't know how he did it, he simply did what had to be done. As he lifted on the night's breeze, Bas looked down to see his sleeping body. Wondering only slightly, if Fala looked at herself as she lifted away, his mind felt the current pushing east. His spirit followed care freely into the night sky. He passed through the camp and looked on as the two guards walked in a lazy circle around the campsite.

  Not one to linger on such dull fare, Bas wandered over the hill to the east. The eddy carried him back into the depression between it and the next hill. The sensation was like a bird flying. The thought caused him to try and flex mental wings and shift his direction. His spirit reshaped itself into a bird of energy. Beating imagined wings, Bas turned towards the north and the forest lying dark and dormant at first glance.

  An owl shifted and dropped into the grass less than twenty yards from the sheltering trees to catch a hapless mouse in its claws. The bird didn't even notice and he fluttered into the trees in his mind. Swooping low, Bas slid between the trunks even as branches stretched to try and snag him.

  He smiled. What did a branch mean to him? His thoughts weren't fragile and solid of form. A deer was caught foraging, but didn't even look up as he swirled nearby and overhead. He was really beginning to enjoy the sensation. If this was the way an air wizard felt chasing the winds, Bas wanted to learn the way to do the spell soon. The freedom was amazing.

  The forest held his interest only a short time longer and he wended wing back south again. He flew over the camp and south. Moving in an outward spiral, Bas flew between the hills and over them. Little vales lit by the light of two moons hid no mystery from his heightened senses. As he flit through the night air, movement caught his spirit's eye.

  Moving to investigate, his thoughts were surprised. In his dream, he spied horses. They were long and lean, the rides of nomads. Worry caused him to cross the land between horses and his camp. There! Movement to the east of the camp and only the last hill to conceal the nomads as they crawled towards its crest.

  In a hurry, Sebastian swept in a quick circle around the camp searching the nearest valleys. South had a few more of the nomadic warriors creeping in from that direction also. Bas flew back towards his body. He needed to spread the alarm before the ambush could take them unaware.

  His spirit crashed back into his body causing him to start awake. Sword in hand, Sebastian rolled from his covers in a tight crouch. He blinked. Looking at the banked embers of the small campfire, Bas wondered if it had all just been a dream.

  He was a mage, however, and magic was magic. Trusting that it was either instinct or true magic, Bas nudged Mirez awake beside him. "Hurry up. Wake up! We're in an ambush!"

  His words started as a whisper, but quickly became a shout. The mage drew the eyes of the watch. "Ambush! Get low and help me wake the others!"

  The two men looked at each other. They had seen no such thing, but he was a mage. If magic was afoot, who were they to question. "Ambush!," the two moved towards the other soldiers while keeping their eyes on the darkness beyond them. They didn't know from which way it would come and so the men looked all directions nearly at once. Swords were ready and the others were quickly coming awake as well. Everyone looked worried, but no one questioned such a call from the sentries.

  "Which way?," Lieutenant Cristin demanded harshly as he wiped sleep from first one eye and then the other.

  The two men looked at each other and pointed at Sebastian. "Ask him," the one known as Taylr stated and returned his eyes to the darkness.

  The lieutenant turned angry eyes on the mage and scolded, "What is the meaning of this, cadet? If you've woken us all for nothing...," he left the threat unfinished.

  "Nomads moving in from the east and south, sir," he said moving to Stormy and the other horses. "I suggest we leave everything and ride out of the ambush to come in from behind each. The southern group first. We can take them mostly by surprise though the noise of our hooves will travel a bit. These hills should muffle the noises enough to get close."

  The lieutenant resheathed his sword and glared at Mirez and Ziera who looked confused by Sebastian's words. "What kind of garbage are you mages trying to pull now? He's acting like he can see outside the camp. Sentries! Has this man been outside of camp tonight?"

  "No, sir!," they stated as one.

  "Stand down," the lieutenant growled.

  Stormy was nearly saddled as Bas refused to remain defenseless. He leveled a look that took in the mages and wizards both. "I can ride the winds as of tonight. Now move it or die in your bags!"

 

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