Battle Mage: Winds of Change (The High King: A Tale of Alus Book 11) Read Free Page B

worked to stall them from running or attacking though. They didn't know where it led and couldn't risk jumping through it."
    Master Wiler was still close enough to hear the comment and the warlock asked, "How could you call a portal by yourself? Your people aren't even supposed to know the spell, but your aura is too weak to do something like that by yourself.
    "I felt your power surge for a moment as you called that spell. How did you hide your power so well?"
    Sebastian smirked at the man and retorted, "Unlike your portal spell; that is my secret."
    Ignoring the warlock and the other men of the separatists, Sebastian spoke to Westlin. "There are more than these two 'speakers' using this warehouse. If we can set a trap for the others as they return, maybe we can catch the whole network by the end of the day."
    Westlin nodded. "We'll let the diplomacy wizards use their magic to control a few of the guards to make it look safe. The portal wizards can transport the rest of these prisoners to Hala's dungeon cells for us."
    Raising an eyebrow curiously at the woman, Sebastian said, "Well, that sounds like a bit of a dismissal to me, falcondi. Does this mean I get to leave now that my job is done?"
    Westlin waved him off as she rolled her eyes at the younger mage. "I guess that you have done enough for today, if you really want to go rest already. I would have thought a younger man like you would have more stamina than this."
    Giving her a large smile, Sebastian shook his head, "Well, I did just fight an entire warehouse full of warlocks and wizard hunters after all. Can you blame a mage for wanting to recover after that?"
    "Just go," the woman ordered waving him off once more.
    Sebastian looked at Elzen as if to question if he wanted a ride back to Hala. At Elzen's minimal shake of his head and glance to Westlin, his friend knew that the younger mage still had his duties in the detail assigned to taking out the separatists in New Harbor. He also hadn't had much of a chance to fight and Elzen enjoyed a good brawl as much as any battle mage.
    "Door," the spy called now that his job was done. He stepped through the new portal disappearing from view and moments later the golden doorway collapsed behind him.
    If one were to look, they would notice a charred line on the wooden crate he had rested his hand upon as he called up the spell. It was the same as on the box he had touched to call the previous portal, but few knew of the battle mage's trick to call on the earth's power he needed for a spell that no mage should be able to do on his own.
     
    Chapter 2- Backwards and Forwards
     
    Stepping through the light of the portal led Sebastian from the warehouse in New Harbor to an inn room lit by two large windows with their drapes pulled back to allow the afternoon sunlight into the chamber. A full size bed sat beneath each window with a night stand between them and an unlit lamp sitting on the top. Dressers and wardrobes lined the other walls leaving a walkway for the mage to step onto at the base of one unoccupied bed.
    It was a safe spot set by the battle mage weeks ago after he had finally mastered the portal spell. His room in the Black Smith Inn wasn't large or overly fancy; but as an inn located within Hala's inner city walls, it was still considered a prestigious place to stay. Its prestige and placement so close to the king's castle had little to do with why Sebastian had taken residence there nearly two months ago, however.
    He had used the inn for the Winter's Edge tournament, a competition held by King Alain to bring wizards from around the world of Alus to Hala. Not just Southwall's cities had participated but wizards from far off countries like those of Taltan and Ch'thal. Even the che'ther and mar'goyn'lya, races of land dragons and gargoyles, had come down from their mountain city to join with them in a competition designed to bring their countries closer together in a very large world.
    Though he had used the inn before,