Fantasy novel series where a water and air wizard battles a fire and earth wizard [duplicate]

Question

Looking for a series where the main character (MC) wizard has water and air magical abilities, and uses them when battling a fire and earth wizard to freeze them both inside a cliff. The MC defrosts first and goes on a quest to find another fire and earth mage.

The catch is that there are none, because they go crazy, so when they show up, the medieval society hunt them down. Along the way, the MC finds a woman who can control and enter dreams.

Later in the series, it is revealed that the process of training or developing magical abilities involves two moles that are mentally connected to the trainee inside a spaceship. One mole is burned and the other buried alive.

I read this in high school, so back in the late '80s and early '90s.

Answer 1

This is Janny Wurts' Cycle of Fire series, consisting of Stormwarden, Keeper of the Keys, and Shadowfane. The first was published in 1984, and the others in 1988.

The main character gains power over wind and waves. His rival has power over flames, and is much stronger, but the process of gaining that power makes the fire mage become violently insane. Because of this, the Firelord (I believe that's what he is traditionally called) is disliked and mistrusted by the rest of humanity, though he plays a part in defending them against 'demons'. I don't remember much about the small animals burning, but I think that was part of the process of gaining his powers. He is linked telepathically to them via colonies of alien crystals, which are the source of all the three major mages' powers. (There are other wizards/psychics mentioned in the stories, but I don't think it's explained what the source of their powers is).

The third major 'mage' is a girl who has the power to enter dreams. She gains that power while hibernating in a spaceship.