by Tom Rogal
How did Ulcinar know all that? Sure, Kile could report that he performed a Technique, but how did he know his private thoughts? Levus didn’t know what to make of the Dark Lord’s second offer. This all could end simply by giving Ulcinar the sword. Could he trust that Ulcinar wouldn’t come back to slaughter his town like he did Porsita?
Cerrapies finally stepped in front of Levus. “Enough! You came to fight, not to talk!”
The blacksmith charged toward Ulcinar, who watched in disappointment.
“Fool.”
Ulcinar slowly raised his right arm toward Cerrapies. Red lightning formed around the Dark Lord’s fingers. Levus couldn’t believe what he was seeing. When Cerrapies was ten feet away, too close to maneuver, Ulcinar unleashed red bolts drove him fifty feet back. The people watching shrieked in fear. The rumors about the power of Ulcinar were very true. Cerrapies got up gingerly as red lightning encircled his limbs. He grabbed his swords again and charged at Ulcinar, only with a noticeable limp.
Levus yelled, “Cerrapies! Don’t!”
Cerrapies paid no attention to Levus. This time, Ulcinar allowed the blacksmith to reach him. He swung with an insurmountable passion, yet every attempt was blocked or just flat-out missed. Levus could see the growing annoyance on Ulcinar’s face. After another series of failed strikes by Cerrapies, Ulcinar raised his left hand, forming a small, blue ball in his palm. He drove it into the blacksmith’s chest, propelling him back once again.
Cerrapies hit the ground even harder than the first time, evident by how slow he was to stand. His breathing was heavy as he tried to grasp his swords. A rush of pain entered his left arm when he attempted to grasp one of the blades. He must have injured it upon landing. Cerrapies grabbed one of his weapons with his right hand and limped toward Ulcinar, who gave a haunting laugh.
“I’m rather disappointed in your performance this time. You were much more competitive when we fought in Tartus. Yet your courage fails to falter even before imminent defeat. As much as I admire your spirit, I’m afraid I must end this round.”
Ulcinar brought both hands toward the injured Cerrapies, who despite his injury, kept on moving forward. Two black balls grew in the Dark Lord’s hands, much bigger than the blue one previous.
Levus noticed Kile ordered his men to retreat among the houses. Whatever Ulcinar was about to do, Kile knew and it was going to be major. That’s not a good sign.
Levus made one more plea to Cerrapies. “Get back here! Please!”
He kept walking, though. A bright light now surrounded the black balls. Cerrapies was about twenty feet away when Ulcinar raised his hands above his head and brought them down. As he did, the two spheres combined to form a huge fireball. All Cerrapies could do was brace for impact.
Levus screamed, “No!”
.The wind tunnel formed by the fireball pushed Cerrapies almost through the gates of the town. One of the people standing too close to the wake was sucked into Ulcinar’s spell. Cerrapies landed hard on the ground and rolled another twenty yards.
The unfortunate bystander, probably a merchant or bard since Levus didn’t recognize him, ended up hitting the wooden gate post. Just by the way his back connected with it, Levus knew he was gone.
The winds finally died down. Cerrapies lay motionless on the ground. His blood boiled. If Cerrapies was dead, Levus would avenge him. But Cerrapies’ chest rose up and down, so that was good. He must have been knocked out and Levus wouldn’t blame him after such an attack.
Levus turned to face Ulcinar, who stared into his eyes.
“Now, come with me or give me the sword.”
Anger spread in his body like a fever. His hands clenched the Moonsaber tighter, exposing the veins in his arms. An orange glow illuminated the area around him.
The townspeople watched in utter amazement. Leeta, Frey, and the Ferrud family were the most surprised of them all.
Sylph watched with great interest. What was Levus doing? The young man had acquired something special indeed. Whatever it was, he seemed to be getting comfortable using it now.
Levus brought the Moonsaber back. It's time to end this now!
“Circle of Fate!”
The orange circle formed this time without Levus making the motion with his sword. As he passed through it, he sped toward Ulcinar. The Dark Lord didn’t even flinch at the Technique. His blade met Ulcinar as a blinding light formed around them, forcing the townspeople to shield their eyes. Moments later, Levus landed about ten feet away from where he struck the Dark Lord. His shoulders slumped in relief . . . It was done.
Levus’ confidence was short, as a familiar laugh came from behind him. He slowly turned around to see Ulcinar standing behind him. Levus nearly dropped his sword in shock. That was impossible! He had felt the blade cut through something when he hit him
Ulcinar’s laugh ceased.
“You missed.”
Kile and his men started hitting their pauldrons with their metal gloves, causing a loud series clangs at Ulcinar’s comment until he signaled to them to be quiet. The Dark Lord’s evil gaze bore into Levus’ eyes.
“Perhaps I am the fool, foolish to believe that you would ever be strong enough to join me. But no matter, this ends now.”
Ulcinar raised his arm and a black ball formed around his hand. The ball traveled high into the air until it was almost twenty-five feet above the town. Levus knew there was no place to hide. He was going to have to take whatever it was Ulcinar was going to throw at him. The ball in the air got larger and larger until finally Ulcinar lowered his hand toward Levus. The ball exploded into thin, onyx magical shrapnel, with all the pieces coming toward him. Levus fruitlessly put up his sword in defense. The shards pierced him, and he felt each piece that passed through his skin. He fell to the ground quivering. There was no pain Levus could compare this to as his muscles began to quiver uncontrollably.
Divi, who was still very afraid, noticed that all the shards where forming a black layer on the ground. She had seen a spell similar to this cast in Myyril once, so she knew what was going to happen. How did Ulcinar know such powerful magic? She tried moving Levus with her telekinetic powers, but the aura of the spell was too powerful for hers to break through. It pained her to admit, but she was powerless to help him.
Divi yelled, “Levus! Get out of the way!”
She barely finished her sentence when the black pool that formed underneath Levus exploded under him, tossing him several feet into the air.
Leeta and Divi screamed, “Levus!”
He hit the ground incredibly hard. He hoped this wouldn’t be the end, but what was there to stop Ulcinar from killing him? He was useless now to him. Cerrapies was unconscious and the townspeople would not help. Divi . . .
Levus winced as he tried to move, but couldn’t. He could taste the warmth of his blood in his mouth. With his blurred vision, he was only able to catch a glimpse of Ulcinar staring down at him before everything went dark.
***
The King of Cordca sat silently in his throne. Night had overtaken the capital of the Human lands just as it always had. Yet he thought otherwise. The way the clouds were formed looked like a tidal wave headed from the Dyyros shores toward their lands. It was a sight he had never seen from that direction. From the west or south, all the time. Rarely, they would come from the north. Never had they come from the east, however . . . never.
A figure suddenly entered the room and walked next to the concerned King.
The King stated, “A dark tide seems to have emerged near Dyyros.”
“In more ways than not. My sources inform me there has been a lot of action on Dyyros lately,” the man replied.
“We’ll worry after the celebration. Besides, we have a meeting with those accursed mages.”
Saying nothing else, the man departed. The King looked out toward the sea. He had a strange feeling that from those shores trouble would come. What it would be he wasn’t sure, but it would affect the entire land.
A deep yawn ca
me from his royal mouth. Whatever he was concerned about could wait. He had a big few weeks starting tomorrow. The King quickly got up and headed for his bedroom.
***
Levus slowly opened his eyes. He began to panic, all he could see was white. He thought he could feel hands grabbing hold of each of his limbs, trying to control them, but he wasn’t sure. As his vision became clear again, Levus eased a bit. A faded female figure stared down at his face.
“Levus? Are you awake?”
He turned to see another blurry female figure standing above him.
“It’s all right, Levus.”
The voices sounded familiar, yet he couldn’t picture the names. What happened to him? He just remembered the pain of having millions of needles pass through him before everything went blank. The figures began to call to him again. He wished they would go away. Levus felt drained of life and just wanted to sleep. He gave a moan before closing his eyes. Divi looked over Levus, confused.
“Why didn’t he wake up?
Cerrapies, lying on makeshift cots on the table next to Levus, replied softly, “Ulcinar’s spell. It causes temporary paralysis after the victim awakens from their slumber. He’ll be fine by morning. He used that same spell in Tartus. I somehow avoided getting hit with it back then.”
Leeta walked over to him and said, “Quiet yourself, Cerrapies. I think Levus and you could both use a long rest.”
Frey added, “You’re both lucky to be alive! Ulcinar must really have thought you worthy to choose not to finish either of you off again and spare the village.”
This confused Divi as well. With Levus and Cerrapies unconscious, Kile had tried to take the sword from Levus, but his grip would not loosen. Ulcinar stopped him, telling him that there would be other chances. And thankfully so, as Kile was ready to sever his arm with the Marasam to get it. The Dark Lord’s laugh was one of realization, almost like he had been bested, but by whom? And after all the threats, why did he let Arnis go unscathed? She was happy that he did, but why? Porsita did much less against Ulcinar and they were burned to the ground. That seemed to be the problem with Ulcinar: too many questions and no answers.
Leeta said, “Let us leave them for tonight. The night will heal their wounds. Sylph gave them both a tonic she says will help them. After what she gave to cure my mother, I’m willing to believe anything from her.”
Leeta and Frey both quietly exited the room. Divi remained seated right next to Levus. She didn’t want to leave him. She felt partly responsible for what happened to him. When she grabbed Levus’ hand to caress it, it still felt smooth, though colder than when she first felt it.
“Is that you, Divi?”
She almost jumped as Cerrapies spoke.
“Yes. I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“Not at all. Divi, you and Levus must leave Dyyros. So long as you two are here, Ulcinar will continue to harass you . . . Arnis until he sees the fittest time to end it all.”
“But where do we go?”
Cerrapies gave a deep cough before answering.
“Go to the mainland. Try and seek help from somebody. It doesn’t matter if it’s human, mage, elf, whatever. Ulcinar must not be allowed to gain complete control of the continent. This place holds many secrets that its citizens don’t know, that Ulcinar does.”
That was easier said than done. The humans and ages hated each other with a passion, albeit relations appeared slightly more tolerant than here on Dyyros. Before she met Levus, she was beginning to think that the two races were never meant to like each other. It was going to have to be one or the other. She could possibly get help from Thamalos, but even that was a long shot as their kind liked to stay out of others troubles.
“Where do we go to depart from this place?”
“A ship sometimes pulls out of Salba to the south. You can go safely from there. If not, go to Tartus,” answered Cerrapies.
Divi rested her hand on his arm. “Listen, I will never forget your kindness toward me even after you found out I was a mage. I’ll make sure we leave at daybreak. Rest until then.”
He listened almost too well, as a loud snore ejected from his nose before she finished speaking. Divi had to smile a bit because his snore reminded her of a Myyrilian musical instrument. She then focused on Levus, who was still cold to the touch when she returned her hand to his. At times like these, she wished she knew magic. Myyrilian mages' healing spells could heal some major ailments, but many were still classified as incurable. All she could do was wait.
She rested her head across Levus’ chest. Her eyes got heavier as another Dyyros night emerged. Sleep overcame the exhausted mage as she slept over her hero’s heart.
CHAPTER 9
The Mainland
Divi slowly lifted her head. She was awakened by the sound of footsteps that creaked on the wooden floor. Not that it was the first time during the night she heard strange sounds here, but these were closer than usual. It was then that Divi realized Levus wasn't at the table anymore. She looked furiously around the room. Not even Cerrapies was there anymore.
A door slowly opened somewhere in the house. Divi got up and walked to the window. On the main road, a large cart carrying a few people waited in front of the building she was in. The overcast sky made it seem darker than it was.
“Divi.”
She jumped when she heard her name and turned around quickly to see a man walking toward her. She hadn’t even heard the door open. He was completely covered with a dark brown robe. It wasn’t until he got closer and removed the hood that she saw it was Levus.
“You scared the hells out of me.”
Levus didn’t reply to her comment. His focus was firm as he grabbed another brown robe from the dresser and threw it to Divi.
“Here, put this on.”
“What for?” asked Divi.
“I talked with Cerrapies before they took him back to Tartus. We’re going to the mainland now.”
Divi slowly put the robe on. The material already made her skin itch. She was accustomed to wearing a robe, but Myyril used better cloth. She still wasn’t sure why the elaborate dressing was necessary when they were just taking a ship to the mainland. They weren’t trying to disguise themselves as mages she assumed, especially here.
“What’s with the cart outside?”
Levus replied, “It’s a refugee cart. Ulcinar has apparently ordered a blockade on all ships. He’s only allowing ships exiting from Tartus with special permissions to be on the waters. Guess he doesn’t want us leaving here. There is a ship taking out the sick and wounded, since supplies are low. That’s the ship Cerrapies is going to be put on, and that’s the one we’re going to be on. They’re also checking at the ports. The driver opposes Ulcinar and all that he stands for. He has helped other important figures escape here, so he knows what he’s doing.”
“And these costumes are going to get us through?”
Levus was silent at first, but finally said, “We hope.”
“That isn’t very reassuring.”
She finished putting on the robe and joined Levus. They exited the hut and headed toward the cart. As they did, Harrin Ferrud stopped them.
Harrin said, “Be safe, Levus. The driver is a good friend of mine. We go way back. He will ensure that you reach Tartus’ docks.”
Levus asked, “Will you guys be all right? Everyone here, I mean. Hiding Divi’s identity was a mistake. Not only does Ulcinar knows I’m from here, but knowing I'm friends with a mage is going to complicate things for my mom and my friends. Going to make life difficult for everyone.”
“Not at all. Had I been in your position, I would have done the same. Take caution, though. Word travels quickly. Soon most of this continent will know you are friends with a mage, yet another reason why you must leave this place for a short while. My children will miss you, but they understand.” After a short pause, he continued in a whisper, “You met Divi for a reason. It was no coincidence. I believe she is meant to protect to you and possibly . . .
more. Just don’t tell my daughters I said that. They will be heartbroken.”
Levus was a little shocked by Harrin’s evaluation. Had he been talking to Cerrapies? Most likely not, as his old friend was probably still not himself after the tonics Sylph had administered to him. Were his emotions that easy to pick up? He hoped not, because that meant Leeta knew as well. He could no longer deny that there were some feelings for Divi, but he didn’t want to count them as being "love". . . not just yet, at least.
“You are okay about me staying with Divi? A mage?”
Harrin replied, “Our two families have been close longer than you realize. There has always been something . . . mystical about your family line. You have it, Jared had it, as did Jared’s father. I had seen Jared do many incredible things. I sense you will do even more.”
Levus gave a small smirk. Other than his eye colors, he didn’t see anything special about himself. He was just a hunter, nothing more. What could he possibly do that would make him important? What did other people see in him that he didn’t?
He finally said, “Keep this place in one piece until I get back.”
Harrin nodded as he guided them toward the cart. They were moving swiftly until Levus stopped. Divi wondered what the delay was, but didn’t wait long before she saw the answer. Leeta stood at the foot of the stairs. Levus let go of Divi and walked over to her.
Leeta said, “Well, I guess I won’t see you again for a while.”
Levus placed his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t think like that, Leeta. We’re just supposed to go to Cordca to try convincing King Aldaran IV to intervene and stop Ulcinar. After that, I’ll be back.”
“And the mage?”
That question took Levus aback. He knew she hated mages, but to say it while Divi could hear was not like Leeta.
He just replied, “Don’t worry.”
With that, Levus and Leeta gave each other a kiss, from which Divi looked away. Eventually, Levus separated from the embrace, let go of Leeta’s hands, and faced Divi.
