Battle Mage: The Dark Mage (Tales of Alus) by Donald Wigboldy Jr Read Free Book Online Page A

really had no idea if he was completely human any longer.
    His blood looked normal enough and he had never felt any different, but still there was that kernel of doubt. What spell Atrouseon had used was unknown, but that was why he was sitting on the floor looking through dozens of books and scrolls of dark magic in the hopes of discovering what he was now. If he could find the spell and learn what had been done to him, perhaps then the mage could figure out where he truly stood among the men of Ensolus.
    Trying not to get any blood on the books, Palose looked at the titles trying to decide where to start. As a battle mage, reading a wizard’s spell book was still a bit foreign to him even after a month of trying to do so since he had arrived in the city. Atrouseon had given him the slightest direction to his studies and seemed of the mind to let the young man figure it out for himself. Whether this had been his teaching style with his past apprentices was unknown to him, but even so Palose wasn’t sure whether it was a good or a bad thing.
    With autonomy and a free reign on his studies, the mage could delve into this black magic without fear of his teacher’s rebuke. In fact, as long as he stayed out of Atrouseon’s way and maintained his duties like keeping the apartment clean and helping in the laboratory, the warlock seemed content to ignore him. Though it would have been helpful to have a guide, Palose realized that in history there had to have been those who had been the first to discover the spells to write them down to help teach others after them.
    Sebastian was one of those rare minds. He found his thoughts returning to the exceptional battle mage and his fellow student almost with a sense of loss. In a matter of a little over a month and as a cadet no less, the mizard had taught Palose at least half a dozen spells and other ways to use the original battle mage magic. His trick with the stone skin spell had been yet another translation of the original core spells conceived of by the man who had yet to see twenty years of life, but that guide to magic was gone. It was up to him to discover how to translate what he found in these books for himself now.
    A set of light footsteps interrupted his thoughts as he looked through the first book that sounded promising. Wondering if it was the three apprentices returning for another attempt at him despite his thrashing of the boys, Palose looked up waiting to see who it could be. When a dark haired girl wearing a simple, gray, belted tunic suddenly stepped into view, she was the one who actually looked startled as the apprentice drew up short. Her violet eyes widened and dark pink lips parted with a gasp. The faint scent of flowers wafted with the hem of her tunic that came to just below her knees. From his place on the floor, Palose noted slim ankles and calves before looking to see what kind of girl this truly was.
    “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know anyone was back here,” the girl said nervously. She didn’t give off the disgust for him that so many of the other apprentices and warlocks revealed at the sight of him, which either meant that the girl didn’t know him or was still suffering from her surprise, he thought sarcastically to himself.
    Giving a smile in return as he watched her face for recognition, Palose replied, “Just me, trying to find a good starting book on necromancy and spells of that nature.”
    The girl’s nose wrinkled slightly at the revelation and she revealed why, “Necromancy? That is a challenging one, though I guess you are probably older than I am, so maybe you’ve prepared for the more challenging schools of magic.”
    “Is it so hard to understand?” he asked worrying that he may have bitten off more than he could chew by taking on this next bit of wizardry.
    Nodding in response, the girl replied, “My master had me read ‘Beyond Flesh’ by Wizard Reterius and ‘Understanding Life’ by Northram to see if I had any aptitude for it.