by Eric Vall
I nodded at Big Guy now as he slowly rolled my way, and when he sent me a slow nod in return, I raised my sword at the ready. Every muscle ached, and I’d broken my forearm and a couple ribs in the last hour, but everything was already realigned, and I nearly had control over the rune. I could feel it.
I knew where the line was now between kill mode and killer offense, and I just needed to figure out how to channel the benefits of one over the other. After working into the evening like this with Big Guy, I could sense the rune and I finding a strange sort of understanding, and I figured if I was kicking enough ass more frequently, the rune wouldn’t feel the need to retaliate so strongly. So far, this seemed plausible given the chanting had risen and fallen during our last duel, which was a big enough improvement to make me almost sure I was on the right track.
So, when Big Guy drove forward with his sword angled straight at my heart, I let the runes protest only enough to feed my reflexes, and I fell into another deadly duel with the giant in front of me.
The sound of our swords clashing still caused an immediate grin to come to my face despite the force of the blows Big Guy could deliver, and the steel blades sang through the entire forest along with my labored breaths. Sweat dripped down my back and arms as Big Guy and I continued relentlessly, and I didn’t let up until my sword was thoroughly battered and useless.
This time, when I cast the sword aside, I swiftly locked Big Guy in place before he could dodge the move, but the ground shook beneath him with the whirring of his tracks, and he managed to break himself free to take a malicious swipe at my head. The runes reeled furiously as I flattened myself across the ground, but I still kept my focus on counter maneuvers and escape rather than killing him. While Big Guy prepared for another attack, I jumped aside and managed to raise a series of pillars ahead of me as I circled behind the machine, and he kept his eerie blue gaze on me as I rose higher.
From ten feet above his head, I wrenched the remaining pillars out of the earth and sent them down on Big Guy with his sword raised, and when they shattered both his arms into scrap metal, I threw my hands up like I’d made a touchdown.
“Hell yeah!” I laughed, and the runes reined themselves in. “That’s what I’m talking ab--”
Big Guy barreled into the last pillar I was standing on, and before I could even finish my victory dance, I dropped into a mass of rubble.
I let the runes heal me once more as I groaned and rolled from the rocks, and Big Guy slowly rolled to my side with the frayed wiring from his arms splaying out of each shoulder.
“Truce,” I panted.
When I could stand again, I dusted the rubble from my hair, and I looked up to find all four of my women staring from beside the house.
“Oh, hey,” I tried. “Done at the training fields?”
Shoshanne was flushed as she abruptly turned her back and went inside, but before the other three had managed to do much more than blink, the healer returned with her healing staff in hand and a tense set to her jaw.
I cleared my throat. “I’m really fine, you don’t have to--”
“Sit down,” Shoshanne ordered, and I wasn’t about to argue with that tone in her voice, so I smirked and plopped back down beside the rubble.
“That was … ” Deya muttered, but she didn’t seem to have any more words than that.
“Sexy,” Cayla decided, and I sent her a wink.
Aurora nodded blankly. “Was this supposed to be the surprise?”
“No,” I chuckled. “This is my new training regimen. The surprise is we’re going to Mors Pass tonight, and it’s filled with dragons.”
The half-elf’s eyes lit up at once. “Tell me everything.”
I filled the women in on everything I’d learned from the Defenders while Shoshanne’s channeling gem slowly drifted over my body from head to toe, and by the time the healer finished checking every inch without finding a single ligament out of place, the women were as resolved as me to get to Mors Pass as quickly as possible.
“It does sound crazy,” Aurora admitted, “but it’s our only option. Have you finished the sentries?”
I nodded and stood to help Shoshanne up as well. “They’re in the atrium. Let me fix Big Guy up, and I’ll be right in. Get anything together that might help us in the pass, and we’ll head out as soon as--”
“I think we should wait,” Deya announced.
“We don’t have time to wait,” I assured her. “I only have thirty-two Defenders on hand including Aurora and myself, and if anyone storms the Oculus, we could lose ten at once.”
“Yes, but dragons hunt in the evening,” she explained. “They’ll be more predatory if we come upon the pass at night.”
I furrowed my brow. “You’re sure about this?”
“Positive,” the elf said with a nod. “They leave at sundown and bring food back to their nests throughout the night. Then they return near sunrise to rest.”
“Are the nests unguarded while they hunt?” I asked.
“Never,” she replied. “Both the male and female come and go in shifts, but when the females return in the morning, they guard the nests while the males stand watch nearby.”
I nodded. “Thrungrig mentioned dragons lining the upper ridge of the pass.”
“Neither day or night will be safer for us,” Cayla pointed out. “Whether they are predatory or resting, they’ll be on guard.”
“Unless we time our arrival perfectly,” I mused. “If they’re tired from a night of hunting, and not yet rested from the morning, we might stand a better chance.”
“Just before dawn,” Aurora added thoughtfully. “That could work.”
“What do you think?” I asked Deya, who had her pink brows furrowed.
“This might be ideal,” she allowed. “What breed live in the pass?”
“I’ve only heard of drakes being there,” I admitted, “but different breeds wouldn’t nest together, right? Wouldn’t they just kill each other?”
Deya grimaced. “Not necessarily. They will turn against other dragons over territorial disputes, but a nesting ground is different. Some dragons nest in pods like the sea dragons, staying with their own kind, but others gather with several breeds for the sake of protection if the area has enough food to offer.”
“Let’s hope the drakes are like sea dragons,” Aurora sighed. “I bet their babies are so cute.”
“Aurora,” I warned, “we’re not letting the baby dragon thing distract us. This is life or death.”
“What?” Aurora demanded, and Deya’s brow crinkled. “We’re not killing any of the dragons.”
I stared. “You can’t be serious.”
“Mason, it’s their nesting ground!” the half-elf persisted. “You saw those helpless little baby dragons in the cove. They need protection.”
“Yeah, and they have a hoard of full grown, hungry, vicious dragons to do that. What are you suggesting we do? Tiptoe around them?”
Aurora pouted, and Deya looked nearly as upset.
I sighed. “Don’t do this, the baby dragons will be just fine. We, on the other hand, will be eaten if we don’t do everything we can to survive that pass.”
“But--” Aurora tried, and I shook my head.
“We’re going to a nesting ground, Aurora,” I informed her sternly. “That means dozens of hormonal and protective dragons lurking around.”
“If you think about it,” Deya countered, “it’s wise not to harm them, Mason.”
I crossed my arms and waited.
“I need to gather their scales,” the elf continued, “but if we kill the dragons whose scales I take, then the endeavor is useless. We need them alive if I plan to transmute with them.”
Aurora smiled and turned to me eagerly.
“See?” she insisted. “No killing the dragons, it’s settled.”
With the elf and half-elf both sending me pleading looks like that, it was nearly impossible to reason with them. Especially when they had their hands clasped together in solidar
ity, and they bounced nervously on their toes while I thought it over.
“Okay,” I finally muttered through gritted teeth. “We won’t kill the dragons.”
Words no sane man would ever say.
The two women squealed, though, and they bounded over to throw their arms around me.
“But when they’re trying to eat us,” I continued, “don’t say I didn’t tell you this is a terrible idea. It was dangerous before. Now, it’s just a terrible idea, but at least the baby dragons will be happy.”
“We’ll be fine,” Aurora promised as she covered my neck in kisses.
Then Aurora and Deya pranced off toward the house, and they giggled to one another over the prospect of the many dragon scales they’d have by dawn.
Shoshanne and Cayla sidled over to me with wry smirks, and as they slid their arms around my waist in consolation, I sighed and shook my head.
“Perhaps we should still be prepared for when this doesn’t go well,” Cayla muttered barely above a whisper.
“Oh, absolutely, stock the trunk to the rafters,” I agreed before I turned to Shoshanne. “Any luck with Raynor today?”
“Yes,” she sighed in relief. “Raynor found a note in one of his old texts about a berry that reacts poorly when mixed with a common type of mushroom, and both grow all over these foothills. When brewed together, they create a poison which isn’t lethal in small doses, but it can still severely incapacitate you. We’ve decided to increase the measurement of berries but brew the mixture for an hour longer than advised, and this should provide a potent enough serum for a single dart to knock the mages out completely without stopping their hearts.”
I furrowed my brow. “That sounds on the verge of a bad idea. You’re sure about all this?”
“No,” the healer admitted. “It does sound very dangerous, but it’s our best shot until the raven Raynor sent to an old healer friend of his can be answered. Raynor and I gathered the ingredients and began brewing this afternoon, though, and he’ll keep an eye on it for me until we return.”
“Let’s hope no one thinks it’s a new soup he’s serving over there,” I muttered.
“I thought the same thing,” Shoshanne chuckled, “but Raynor will be careful. He’s incredibly knowledgeable, I’m so happy you introduced us. It turns out I trained with one of his old mentors at the Order of Pallax. It’s a shame he came to the Order and let Abrus change his direction of study. He must have been a very talented healer in his time.”
“I’m glad you two get along,” I told her with a grin. “What did Abrus have him working on?”
“I don’t know,” Shoshanne admitted. “Raynor didn’t seem like he wished to discuss it, but he said he was betrayed by the Order. That Abrus misled him in some way.”
“I wonder if Abrus was trying to turn him over to the Master’s side,” I mused.
“It sounds like he must have been,” Cayla pointed out. “Are you sure he didn’t succeed?”
“No,” I replied honestly, “but I sensed Abrus was up to no good long before we found the proof of it. Raynor hasn’t sent up any red flags.”
“He’s a good man,” Shoshanne assured us both before the women headed for the house.
I quickly repaired Big Guy and reformed the ground in the clearing I’d destroyed, and then I retrieved my battered sword as I faced the machine.
“I think I’m finally getting the hang of this,” I told him with a grin. “When I get back from Mors Pass, we’re going at it again, but this time, no sword. I wanna see how I do on magery alone. The two forms of magic seem to disagree, and I need to make sure I’ve got that sorted out before any more mages show up in these woods. You did good today, buddy. Keep a close eye on the town while I’m gone.”
Big Guy saluted with his channeling gem burning fiercely, and I chuckled as I sent him off on his patrol once more. He really was a hell of guy to have around, and knowing his twin brother would soon be guarding the Oculus eased my mind considerably.
Although, his twin brother had the added feature of a blow gun on his inner arm, and I’d given him a single pulley and netting system, so he’d be equipped for some recapture work if need be. Big Guy hadn’t gotten to see the finished product yet, but I wanted to wait until both new sentries were awake to make the introduction. This way, if Big Guy decided to try and ram his brothers under a table again, they could hash things out for themselves.
Honestly, it’d probably be incredible to witness.
I had a feeling it wouldn’t come to this, though. When I told Big Guy about the work I’d completed before our duel, I sensed an eagerness in him almost equal to my own, and I knew he was excited about expanding our crew.
Stan was just ecstatic, though. When I returned to the house, Cayla and the others were in the atrium admiring the new sentries that took up most of the walking space, and Stan was scaling the snatcher’s massive arm on his way to his shoulder. He sent me a vigorous wave that almost cost him his grip, but then he continued determinedly, and he clamored all over the sentry like a kid on a jungle gym.
“These are incredible,” Deya mused as her serpentine eyes glinted. “Will they be as deadly as the one who tried to kill you?”
I smirked. “That’s the idea, but the snatcher isn’t as heavily armed. He’ll still be able to do some serious damage hand-to-hand, though.”
“I can’t wait to see them with their channeling gems in place,” Aurora giggled. “Big Guy looked terrifying out there. I don’t know how you manage to not run in the opposite direction when he pulls his sword out.”
“I don’t want to think about it,” Shoshanne muttered as she pulled her bow from the wall.
“Hey,” I chuckled and pulled the woman over to me to lock her in my arms, “you got to check the damage yourself. Good as new, right?”
“Yes,” she admitted, “but when he came at you with the sword--”
“I didn’t kill him,” I interrupted with a broad grin. “Which was the point …”
Shoshanne had to smile now. “Fine. You were right about Big Guy. It is helping.”
“Exactly,” I chuckled, and I tucked a kiss in her copper curls. “So, no more worrying about me or this rune. You’re just gonna have to trust me that I’ve got this under control. Although, that does remind me. I killed four mages today.”
“What?” Shoshanne gasped.
“They got Pindor,” I quickly explained.
To my surprise, both of the women who’d so recently run the kid out of here without remorse suddenly paled as their hands flew to their lips.
“Wh-what?” Aurora stammered. “Is he--?”
“He’ll be okay,” I assured her, and Cayla took a deep, steadying breath. “Scared the hell out of me, too, but he’s back in Serin now. Jenik kicked his ass a bit before he left, but that’s a story for another time. The point is, I came up on four mages attacking him in the western woods, and they had a branding iron with them. It’s locked with the others in the ammunition cabinet now, but the Master’s little posses have clearly begun working near the borders of Falmount already, and I can’t decide if it was a coincidence Pindor was one of the first ones captured or not.”
“What do you mean?” Cayla asked with concern.
“I’ll explain on the way to Mors Pass,” I assured her. “Let’s get the Mustang loaded up and get out of here. From the directions Urn gave me, we’re in for a three-hour drive, and we have to scout the area for the mage camp before we handle the gems and the dragon scales.”
We left Falmount before midnight, and I explained to the women about Pindor’s connection to the Baroness, his new mission, and the agreement I made with the Defenders at Flynt’s Pub that was already broken.
Aurora was the first to point out I’d made them a promise I couldn’t strictly keep.
“Their magery is stronger with the rune on them,” the half-elf said. “If they wear that rune longer, imagine what they’ll become. What they’ll be capable of.”
“I know,” I agre
ed as I glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “That’s why I wanted to go to Mors Pass as soon as possible. Every day the mages wear the rune, our chances of being able to recapture them plummet.”
“What will you tell the Defenders?” Cayla asked. “Eventually, they’ll need to understand.”
“When it comes to that, I’m hoping they’ll already understand the risk, at least enough to not want to kill me,” I muttered. “None of the Defenders I spoke to in the pub have encountered a possessed mage directly before, let alone an army. I certainly don’t want them to, but if the Master works as quickly here as he did in Nalnora, they won’t be able to hide behind the sentries forever, and those mages in the western woods didn’t fight like our mages. They fought like his mages. The Defenders will just have to learn the difference.”
“Not yet, though,” Shoshanne countered. “We won’t give up until there’s absolutely nothing left to do. Until then, we’ll recapture as many as possible and guard them with your sentries. It’s a good plan, Mason. Focus on that instead of what the Defenders will do if this all gets worse.”
I sent the healer a grin. “You’re right. Let’s just hope we can recapture them faster than the Master can brand them.”
We drove until we were within a mile of where Mors Pass was supposed to be before I parked the Mustang. We were north of Nalnora now and had taken a route along the southern border of Orebane like Urn suggested. The Draconis Mountains loomed at our left with angry sheaths of obsidian jutting up like spikes, and to our left, the foothills rolled south until they disappeared into a black mass of jungle.
We weren’t as far east as House Orrel had been, but I instinctively scanned the area for the sound of an owl’s wing just in case. I didn’t like the idea of being this close to Nalnora with Deya, but it did seem like the ideal place for the Master to form a camp.
None of the Elven Houses would venture this close to the dwarven border, no one in Illaria would ever know the mages were here, and even the dwarves stopped mining in this part of their region.
