The boy grasped her hand and pumped vigorously. “Deal,” he said, a wide smile on his face.
“Let’s move,” said Arkon. “I just want to get away as soon as possible.”
They removed the saddles from the horses. “If we’d known, we could have sold them, or kept them in a stable in the last village.” Arkon strapped his pack to his back, as well as his blanket.
“Well, how was I to know the whole damned army was parked near the chasm?” Erob said in a cheery voice.
“Some spy you are!” Arkon whirled around to face him. “Every night you spend drinking in some tavern, how hard could it have been to ask someone where the army was?”
Erob glowered. “I’ll tell you how good a spy I’m…” He took a step forward.
Arkon swung his arm to push him away.
“Shh…” Zo hissed lightly. “Someone’s coming.”
She barely had enough time to throw a shield around her companions before the two mages were on them. A bright lance of lightning hit the shield and crackled. In return, Zo let forth twin whirlwinds of wind that threw one of them off his feet while the other clung to a nearby tree.
Arkon dropped his pack, and unsheathed his sword. The protection shield did not allow him to step outside its sphere of energy. He hacked at it with one quick thrust of his sword, but it withstood the attack and remained in place. He yelled in anger.
The mage who was clinging to the tree muttered an incantation. Two branches from the tree under which Zo and her party were standing cracked and fell. Zo raised her hands, and changed the direction of the fast-falling limbs. The branches flew in the air and fell on the first mage. A sharp fragment cut his arm. He threw another bolt of fire, but it fizzled as it hit Zo’s shield. The second mage placed his hands on the earth, and the land trembled beneath their feet. A mound of dirt rose under them, and they all fell forward.
The energy the shield drained from her body was making her weak. If she didn’t swing the battle in her favor soon, the mages would overcome her. Zo created a mini tornado that swept both the mages in its ferocious web and spun them around. Zo dropped the shield.
“Where the hell did they come from?” said Erob as they watched the tornado.
“They’ve been following us since we rescued the boy.”
The tornado abruptly ceased at one flick of Zo’s hands. The mages dropped to the ground with a mighty thud, both of them unconscious.
Walking over, Arkon prodded one of them with his foot. Satisfied that the fellow was indeed unconscious, he sheathed his sword again. “You knew we were being followed and didn’t tell me?” A note of anger crept into his voice.
Zo wiped her hands against her cloak. Fighting them had been a bit invigorating. She hadn’t had a chance to practice any magic in the past many days, and the pent-up energy had bottled up inside her like a bubbling vortex of fire. “There was no need to worry you. I took care of them, didn’t I?” She turned to face Erob and Leo.
Gripping her arm, Arkon turned her around. “No need? What do you mean there was no need?”
“Hands off me!” Bright, blue light crackled on her fingertips. “How dare you?”
“I dare. I dare because I’m here to protect you. And if I’m not even aware of any danger then how the hell can I do my job?”
“In case you’ve forgotten, commander, I don’t need any protection. Haven’t I proven that time and time again? I’ve told you this before. It was my sister’s idea to saddle me with you…not mine.”
Arkon retained his grip. “Nonetheless! We’re together in this, all of us. And if there’s any danger, we all need to be aware of its presence.”
“Fine.” Zo wrenched her arm free. “Next time, I will tell you.”
“And I don’t need your magical shield either,” he said.
"And I would rather not see another of my companions die," she retorted. "So you will have to deal with what protection I give you."
Arkon pursed his lips. “Can you make a shield that doesn’t restrict my movement?”
“Of course,” she huffed.
He scuffed his boot on the floor. “Then make that one the next time.”
“Fine.”
“So any idea how the mages tracked us?” said Erob. He picked at his teeth with a dirty fingernail.
Zo frowned. She didn’t know. It was possible to find someone through the magic they practiced because powerful magic left a trail, but she hadn’t weaved any spells since they had fought the mages.
“Could they have used the same kind of trick that Leo used to follow us?” Arkon gestured at Leo.
Zo chewed on her bottom lip. “No, I don’t think so. His magic, if he’s using magic, is more intrinsic. But I can't be sure.”
“What about that diary you write in all the time?”
“What about it? I just use it to communicate with my sister. I’m supposed to write about our whereabouts and the routes we take…” Comprehension dawned slowly. “You can’t be seriously accusing my sister of betraying me?” Placing her arms on her hips, she glared at him.
Arkon ignored her outburst. “Who else reads it?”
Zo lifted her shoulder. “Zima does. No…she won’t ever…” She shook her head. The old woman was a crackpot but certainly, she wasn’t a traitor.
Or was she? Zo pressed a hand to her temple, not sure if she was ready to believe that, but what other explanation was there? The mages had tracked them steadily through the winding routes and dense forests. Someone had betrayed their location – and if it wasn’t Zima, who else could it be?
“Would it be possible for someone to track us if they were given clues from your entries in the diary?”
“Well, I have been writing the names of the villages we pass. I have also given descriptions of important landmarks. Zima told me to write in detail.”
“Could she be communicating with them, telling them where to find us?” Arkon voiced the accusation lodged in Zo’s throat.
The two of them stood staring at each other.
“Throw it away,” he ordered.
“No need to throw it. I’ll just not write in it anymore.” Although it pained her to admit it, Arkon was right. Something was amiss, and more likely than not, it was Zima who had been passing on the knowledge of their whereabouts to their enemies.
Arkon looked annoyed. “Make sure you don’t give any more information that could lead the enemy to us.”
Zo felt like a fool. “When I get back…” She clamped her teeth together, not sure what she would do to the old woman who was trying to jeopardize their mission.
“Ah…you know what?” Erob rubbed his hands together. “I think I’ll not come with you through the chasm. I’ll go through the army camp and meet you on the other side.”
Arkon whirled around to stare at him. “What? What do you mean?”
Zo pursed her lips. “Why?”
He smirked. “As you can see…” he spread his arms and planted his feet widely. “I’m not made for such…herculean efforts…going down, coming up. And I’ve a good chance of getting through the camp. No one would perceive me as a threat. Also, I can sell the horses, and get your money back. The army’s in need of horses all the time.”
Zo was loath to sell the horses to the king’s army. It was the same as aiding them in the war. Still, she saw the wisdom in selling the animals. If they left them here, either the wild animals would get to them, or more likely one of the king’s minions would stumble across them and grab them for free.
“Sell them at a profit,” she told him.
“Let the horses go,” said the boy. “Fly, fly away.” He patted first the gelding and then the mare on its shoulder.
“Horses don’t fly.” Zo heaved her pack on her back.
“Fly, fly away,” Leo repeated the words, grinning wickedly.
“We’ll see you at night over there.” She pointed with her hands at the hard line of the forest that extended beyond the chasm. “See that big boulder, right next to those
oak trees? Meet us there.”
“And don’t you go chasing women.” Arkon grabbed the shorter man by the collar and dragged him up. “I expect to see you there. If you are not there at the appointed time…”
“Oh, stop threatening me.” Erob wriggled free of his grasp. “I’ve no plans to leave the princess.”
“What about them?” Leo pointed at the mages.
“Leave them here.” She shrugged, unconcerned by the fate of her enemies. These men were not civilized mages. They were happy to torture a innocent, helpless people. She didn’t want to waste her sympathy on them.
Holding the boy’s hand, Zo walked to the chasm and looked down into its depths. It would be hard to climb down, but it wasn’t impossible. Arkon took a coil of rope out of his pack. With a few efficient moves, he managed to tie them all together in a chain.
“I’ll go last and Leo will be first. If he falls, together we can provide support to keep him on the wall. If you fall, I’ll be able to pull you up.”
“And if you fall?”
“Then we’ll be in trouble,” he said, his voice grim. “But don’t worry, princess, I’ll not fall.”
Realizing he was still mad at her for not sharing the information about the mages, Zo sighed. What could she do? It had been her decision – and she had thought it was the best for everyone.
Zo thought that the child might be a little intimidated by the depth of the chasm and the sheer fall into the gorge but Leo started to climb down the rock wall like a little monkey, finding purchase among the jutting corners and ledges. After sharing one startled glance with Arkon, Zo followed him. Dimly, she was aware that Arkon was above her, grappling with the rough stones and protruding overhangs. In moments, the pack she wore seemed heavier than it was. Sweat glistened on her face as she avoided looking down, and instead concentrated on each small movement. Every breath wheezed out. Her tired hands became slippery with sweat. Each step down was a miracle.
After what seemed like an interminably long time, she set foot on the pebbly floor. Zo breathed out a sigh of relief. Shaking the pack off her shoulders, she sat on a nearby rock and coughed. She drank some water. It was a tough descent. She wasn’t used to so much physical exercise. Magic forced exhaustion, but it was mental – and she was used to its demands. Perhaps, it was time to rectify this weakness. Once she returned to Iram, she would enroll in one of those basic training courses for soldiers. Running around the track and learning to fight would help her gain physical strength. This journey had made her realize that it wasn’t just enough to rely on her magical power. Basic skills were also a necessary.
Arkon stepped on the floor. She looked at him, disgusted. He wasn’t even breathing hard. Rivulets of sweat dribbled down his face and his wet tunic stuck to his back, but he looked unperturbed. Fit as a fiddle. After wiping his face with his sleeve, he took a healthy swallow of water from his water skin and passed it to Leo.
“Now for the climb up,” he said.
Zo looked at the opposite wall. The chasm was more than a hundred feet wide, its floor littered with rocks and huge boulders. A large, dusty brown lizard sat on a stone sunning itself in the dry heat. Thick brush sprouted in places, grimy with dust and dry. On the opposite walls, far up, she could see round cave openings.
“What are those?” She pointed with her index finger. The openings were cluttered close together and looked too neat and clean-edged to be natural. Each was about three feet in diameter, and hewn out of solid rock.
Leo shot up from the rock where he was sitting. “Huh? What are those?”
Before she could turn around to see, before even she could think, Zo found herself bound from head to toe in an intricate magic spell weaved of thousands of tiny spell threads. She could not move, couldn’t speak, and even her brain was muddled. It was impossible to think clearly. What was happening? It was her last lucid thought before everything turned blank, and she drowned in a pool of unconsciousness.
It was quite a while later when she regained her senses. The night had fallen across the sky. The moon, a thin crescent, beamed from behind a cover of pale clouds. A few stars flanked its side, accompanying it on its usual journey across the shadowy land. Zo found herself sitting exactly where she had been. The magic still bound her body. She could think, but was unable to move. She felt the power of the spell that held her. Strange and potent, it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.
This magic was not elemental magic of air, earth, fire, or water. It was something else entirely. How could anyone hold her a prisoner, physically and mentally?
It was a shocking revelation. No one ever had been able to make Zo helpless. The spell that bound her blocked her power. It stole from her the ability to weave magic. It robbed her of the only identity she had. Nothing, except perhaps seeing her brother and sister at death’s door, had ever made Zo feel so insignificant. Without her magic, she had nothing.
She was nothing.
Unable to even twitch, Zo found herself staring straight ahead.
Someone was standing on the rock directly in her line of vision. It was someone no taller than a mere two feet. A child? She discarded the thought. No child could be so thin, so ugly, wrinkled, and old. It was a creature born of an ancient magic, long ago when magic had first seeped out from the bowels of earth to the surface. Who was it?
Who were they? She sensed rather than saw a number of them standing behind the one on the rock. Zo was outnumbered. Each of them held a terrible power. She sensed their innate magic. It was an unharnessed, pure, magical ability that had nothing to do with skill or knowledge but rather was present in their very essence.
“Your majesty, we meant you no harm.” She heard Arkon say. His voice quivered with tension.
The creature tapped a stick she held in one hand on her open palm. It was a woman, Zo realized. She was thin and wrinkly with age. A hammered band of gold adorned her forehead.
“Why did you venture into the chasm? It’s ours. No one is ever allowed to enter our sacred domain.” Zo didn’t hear her speak. The woman didn’t move her lips. Instead her thoughts were as clear as spoken words inside Zo’s head.
“We are travelers,” Arkon pleaded.
“Travelers don’t come into the chasm.”
“An army blocked our path. We were forced to search for a safer, shorter route through the chasm. Please, your majesty, let my friends go. We meant you no harm.” His tone was desperate.
Zo couldn’t see him, but she sensed the frustration radiating off him. They were in serious trouble. If these creatures had the power to bind her with such ease, it would be impossible to fight them. Who were they? What were they? Zima had mentioned an ancient magic, but she hadn’t gone into detail. Too late, Zo realized she should have consulted with the old woman through the magic diary. Sure of her own power against any magical threat, she hadn’t thought to check with the librarian. Now, they were trapped, at the mercy of these strange creatures.
“We ekeme hate the magic humans. They are bad, all bad,” the queen said. “Kill, kill and kill. That’s all they do. They leave no one and nothing.”
“My friends are not like that,” Arkon protested. “The boy…”
“He has magic. The woman has magic. We kill them.” There was a decisive note in the queen’s voice. “We will leave them here. No food, no water. They don't get anything. Soon they'll die.”
“Your majesty…” Zo heard the anger in Arkon’s voice.
The queen remained untroubled. She smacked her stick hard on her own palm. “You can stay with them. It's your choice. Or you may leave. Ekeme do not kill non-magic humans.”
Zo wanted to talk to the queen. Perhaps she would be able to convince her of their innocence. If she could hear the child-woman in her head, couldn’t she project her own thoughts? Zo tried. She did her best, but found herself getting confused. Their magic prevented her from forming her thoughts in a coherent manner. This inability disturbed her further.
What was happening
to her? How could anyone do this to her with such ease? She was a master mage. Why was she unable to fight back?
Were they really planning to leave them here without any food or water? It was a dire predicament. If the magic kept them bound, there was no way Arkon would be able to move them out of the chasm even if he carried them strapped to his back. And she suspected that the magic that bound them was extremely strong. Distance wouldn’t dim it.
“You can’t do that.” Anger shot from Arkon’s voice. He unsheathed his sword, but it fell from his hand with a loud clatter.
Clearly the ekeme were able to neutralize any physical threat against them without much effort. What were these creatures? What was the extent of their power?
The queen stepped off the rock. On the floor, she looked even shorter. Despite her obvious vulnerability, she was a powerful creature.
“Hey wait, where are you going? Leave them…let them go…I am telling you.”
No one answered. Zo heard a scampering sound, and then silence.
“Damn these creatures. What is an ekeme anyway? They just disappeared in their rat holes.” Arkon sat opposite Zo. He looked into her eyes. Reaching forward to touch her, he hesitated. Zo saw his hand tremble as he shook her shoulder. “Princess? Zo?” His tone was questioning, scared.
Zo made an effort to speak. She wanted to get up, move out of this dreadful place, but all she was capable of was staring into his misty grey eyes. Why hadn’t she noticed the silvery flecks in his eyes before? Or the fact that his hair needed a trim? His cheeks, brushed with a two-day stubble, looked even more hollowed than ever before. She realized he was frightened – for her. The thought slipped away even before she could properly form it in her head.
The Demon Mages (The Power of Three Book 1) Page 11
