SPOILER:
Yes there is something just past him and you need to go there. You can go around the Mage a bit to the north then drop down again. I don't know what that Mage had but I want some <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
btw: a good strategy whenever you encounter a Mage is to rush it immediately and hope there are not two of them. Witches are even worse... One actually killed me about 2 or 3 seconds after it was dead. Still shocked about that, but I want that spell too <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
