WOLVES MIST - Chapter 3(.4)
#16 of Wolves Mist
Skye ran a hand tiredly through his hair. Study, study, study he thought to himself. He was tired of books, tired of the hours spent in tutelage. His head felt ready to burst with the crammed knowledge of spell upon spell he'd learnt endlessly in the past months. His only joy was to be out practising those spells on nights the Grandmaster deemed it time. He missed the rushing adrenaline of being in the arena facing another mage. It was his own fault really, he'd been the one to use reckless magic's and techniques and no amount of arguing with the Grandmaster was going to change the old man's mind. He'd been banned from any further tournaments as well. Drat it! He thought in the privacy of his own mind, rubbing at his temples. He had a blinding headache. He was sure his restrictions were more for the fact that he had been the target of an assassination attempt than for his own reckless spell weaving. The old man wasn't going to take any chances with his young protégé it seemed.
He was somewhat irritated as well, he'd been learning only spells of destruction and protection. Things that gave him nightmares if he took a moment to think on what could happen to those he unleashed such destruction on during the war. He was regretting his desicion to come here with his brother. All those glorious stories that Snow had regaled him with after hearing them down at the village with their father, now seemed nothing more than foolish embroidered tales. The things he could do now, terrible things and that meant that the enemy could do them too. Some nights he awoke with a cold sweat and shaking limbs, fresh dreams of his brother dying in the midst of a horrible spell.
Skye shook his head trying to clear the dreadful thoughts and lingering fears. This was war and it was a war for their freedom. Speculating on the future had little point, he was sure that all those who had been at the choosing with them and had survived wouldn't be expected to join the forefront of the war yet. All of them were only scarcely trained, little under a year of smacking at straw for the warriors and slinging spells at each other behind the safety of triple shields seemed hardly enough to prepare them to face the deadly teeth of the Imperialists. Little under a year he thought before the war starts again in full.
He'd already heard the Grandmaster in conference with others on the plans for the war front. Troops were already being moved from all over to the barrier before the agreed upon field of death.
Five years of peace. Less if you considered that the enemy had agents infiltrated in the Order already causing death as and when they could.
He saw the door open behind him, the Grandmaster step in and look at Skye.
"Go on, get out of here." The Grandmaster said. "I've had you cooped up here for weeks, go get some fresh air and go see your brother."
Skye quickly neated his books and stood up. "Thank you sir, I'll see you in the morning."
The old man smiled at him and made a shooing motion. Skye quickly scuttled out the door fearing that the Grandmaster might change his mind if he dallied.
Snow again hefted his Warhammer. He sent a thought into it and the head burst into flame, he felt the slight draw of the magic running through him into the haft of the weapon. When he'd donned the helmet the magic had awoke in him and seared into his soul every use and instruction for both armour and weapon. The armour could invoke shields to protect him from small magics, his daggers blade would ever be sharp while the enchantments held, his one handed hammer could also call forth flame and would return to his hand if he summoned it.
There was a price though, the magic fed off his own strength, taxed his body and mind. He wished there was a mirrored surface somewhere so he could look at himself.
The instructors and mages had left not long ago, with most of the younglings. A few others were still scattered about familiarising themselves with their gear.
He cut the fire with a thought and slid the massive hammer to the ground. He tugged with a twist on the handle of the smaller hammer and it unlatched from his belt easily.
The head blazed obediently into fire at his thought and he hefted it the swung out and flung it at the archery target. The hammer flew threw the air with flaming vengeance and slammed into circular target. He called out to it and caught it as it obediently returned.
He looked at the hammer in his paw and the massive hammer resting against him on the ground. Both had the swirling black patterns over it, the same as his armour had gotten when he'd fitted the helm. His own weapons and armour, it felt like years ago that he and Skye had left their home. Mother and father tearful, but proudly sending their sons on the way to follow their dream of helping in the fight for freedom. He still felt twinges of guilt leaving his father to tend to the farm on his own, a strong man but one who had seen many seasons. His dad had said he'd hire some help from the village, that he shouldn't worry and follow his dream.
He turned at the sound of his name being shouted and waved at his brother. Skye came walking up seemingly hesitant. "Snow?" Skye asked.
"Yes, it's me." Dawning realisation that he was still in full armour and his brother likely hadn't recognized him, he lifted a paw and pulled the helm off grinning down at his brother.
"I didn't recognize you! I'd heard that you would be getting your enchanted armour and weapons." Skye said looking his brother up and down. "You are a fearsome sight let me tell you"
"So I've been told, haven't had the chance to find a mirror myself to find out" Snow said with a laugh.
Skye twisted his hands and Snow jumped, startled at the sand shifting into the air. He watched as it spun together and rippled, suddenly a mirror hung in the air. Skye stood grinning smugly "There you are, now you have one"
Snow stood before the mirror and looked at himself, if he hadn't taken the helm off he doubted he would have believed that the menacing warrior looking back from the mirrored surface was himself.
The mirror wavered and suddenly sand poured from the air back to the earth. "Thanks, I hadn't realised I was quite such a site." Snow said awestruck "What are you doing here? Finally been allowed to pull your nose out of books?"
"Yes, the Grandmaster told me I had the rest of the day to myself and that I could come down to see you. Where's that Wolven girl? And Chris? Is he around here? I hate not being able to see him." Skye muttered.
"Tess? She's probably back at the barracks. Chris is probably out in the forest with either Klain or Grev. He spends most of his time out there in that dratted wood." Snow answered.
"So are you and Tess seeing each other?" Skye's voice was sickly sweet.
"Yeah, I guess, kind of." Snow said embarrassed. He'd never really thought of what was going on between him and Tess, neither of them had really spoken about it or agreed that they were a couple. It was just more of being comfortable with each other and helping release... tension.
"Why don't we go find Chris, I'd like to see if the magic in his armour will allow me to see him now or if his dratted ability is still going to keep him hidden." Skye said, sparing his brother further prodding at a topic he could see had his brother embarrassed.
"Sure thing, we've been relieved of training for the rest of the day so it's not like I've got much else planned to do." Snow answered and with that he and his brother set off towards the eastern gate.