“They were both healers,” she revealed that thought from her head hoping to avoid more of Sebastian’s connection to Yara.
Themenor nodded, “And we have none to test that idea. On the other hand, the curse may be getting weaker. Will the others be able to last until we can break it down or the curse ends on its own? Without water, they only have a couple days most likely.”
Putting her hands over her face, Ashleen fought both tears of frustration and sadness if she were to lose her master and friend. Deiclonus and Wendle had become like family to the apprentice and she didn’t know what she would do without them. If they died along with Lord Romonus, what would the rest of them do? She doubted anyone would want to continue without them and, without the lord to keep the other wizards enthused about the prospect of going to Kardor, the Southwall wizards might demand to return home as well.
It was while they wallowed in their worry that the sounds of thunder echoed through the castle. It was odd to hear, since the clouds from the west were still far off and most likely heading to the north of the island anyway.
Ashleen pushed away from the wall and strode quickly for the front door with a frown on her face. Those waiting beyond the barrier tried to ask where she was going, but their voices didn’t make it through the shielding. Even if they had, the young woman was curious about the sound she had heard.
From the front doorway, the wilder could see the source of the sound and it made her cover her mouth as she gasped at the sight of three black sailed warships assaulting the Carnivore in the harbor. All but defenseless against the emperor’s warlocks, the Kardorian ship quickly ran up a flag of surrender hoping to avoid a sinking in the harbor.
As the wizards watched, a black ship threw out its hooks pulling the two together before boarding the Carnivore. Longboats dropped from all three carrying more wizards and soldiers towards the shore and the castle above if Ashleen was any judge.
“Great,” was all Themenor could say as he looked on the harbor and ships.
“Now what?” Zenfar their earth wizard asked sliding his hand across the smooth surface of his bald head. Ashleen didn’t know him well, but one of his tells when he was nervous was to rub his head. She wondered if it ever brought him good luck, because on a day like this it would be nice to finally have some. “Do we try and fight or hide?”
Hyren spoke his opinion, “We can fight. I am too far away from the sea to use my water magic effectively, but I can use fire and wind to an extent to help.”
“There are a lot them,” Ashleen said quietly as she watched the longboats deposit the first of the assault team. A man, his magical power on display even from the distance, looked up and, though she couldn’t see him, Ashleen could almost feel a cold smile from the man. He was the leader and he wasn’t alone in power. The apprentice had never felt someone with such a powerful aura. “Their leader is powerful too.”
Themenor watched as well and mused, “There are at least twenty warlocks down there already. Their armor seems strange for a wizard to wear. I don’t like the look of this.”
Fedwin, their eldest wizard, shook his head and stated, “We can hide and be left on this island for the rest of our lives letting everyone else be taken captive or we can fight just enough to let them know we have power. If we don’t kill any of them, they will take us prisoner. A wizard’s magic is worth a lot to the emperor.” His eyes looked on them with darkness as he added, “If we aren’t rescued, they will try to break you and turn you to their side. There have been stories since the Cataclysm and the war began of wizards thought lost turning up on the enemy’s side. We have seen the power of their curse magic, so it wouldn’t surprise me that they have other magic to bend a wizard’s will.
“Show our strength, then let your selves be taken. After that, pray that the ones we follow can defeat these monsters before they can break us to use against our allies.”
Ashleen paled and hated the idea, but she had to admit that it made sense. Hyren tried to puff up his chest defiantly. “I would rather fight them to the death and I will never betray my friends,” the golden haired wizard tried to look valiant, but no one truly believed that they had a chance. They were outnumbered. Their ship was taken as well, so there would be no sailing away unless it was onboard one of the enemy’s vessels.
Answering Hyren’s bravado, Fedwin shrugged his shoulders and replied, “Do as you think you must, Hyren, but we can all see the outcome. We’re tired from trying to the break the curse with nowhere to fall back to and no escape in sight. I will let them see that I have power and let them decide whether I am worth keeping alive. It is the only plan I can see that stands any chance of us finding a way to escape with our lives and wills.”
“Here they come,” Zenfar informed them as they debated the point. “They aren’t even waiting for any back up to land.”
“It is four to one odds and we have the high ground,” Hyren urged again.
“I can destroy the steps,” Zenfar added thinking of ways to best use his earth magic.
Fedwin shook his head, “We have almost no supplies and unless you can all climb a sheer cliff we will be trapped. They can just wait us out if it is even necessary for the warlocks to wait. Strategy of position means less in a battle of magic.
“No let them come. Themenor kick up a wind to blind them with the sand and dirt to let them know we are here.”
“Should I help?” Ashleen asked thinking of her own ability to use the winds.
The fire wizard shook his head. “Give them lightning when they are near.”
“But you said that we shouldn’t kill any of them or it would be worse,” worried the wilder remembering his first words.
“I doubt that will be much of a problem, my dear,” he stated watching air shields bending winds around the warlocks. “Do you remember the black shields that the gray wizards used?”
The gray wizards in the tournament had used an effective shield of darkness that absorbed most elements strengthening them even more. It was believed that the magic had been brought from wizards that had escaped the emperor’s rule. Ashleen understood. Even a wilder’s lightning would be unlikely to harm, let alone kill, a warlock using that spell.
Despite Themenor’s irritating wind, the warlocks made quick progress up the stone steps. One of the orc soldiers fell from the stairs halfway up, but the air shielded warlocks didn’t take any notice. When they neared the top of the stairs, Fedwin unleashed a flurry of fireballs. The lead warlock created a shield of night absorbing the fire easily. Nineteen more shields rose in preparation for dealing with the wizards. Only the most powerful refrained from wasting any energy on the shield.
Backing away to join the others at the doors in front of the castle, Fedwin waited until the first warlock finished the walk. Themenor released the winds and waited with the rest for Fedwin’s command to attack.
“Now,” the fire wizard nodded.
Fire and lightning lashed out striking the absorbing shields creating a lot of noise with limited effect. Zenfar sent a barrage of stone spikes into the lead warlocks. Some even penetrated the dark shields. One pierced a warlock’s armor driving the man to his knees with a twelve inch spike through his shoulder. The earth wizard’s second spell raised an eight foot golem. Sweat beaded on his bald head with the effort of such a taxing spell. Hyren placed a hand on the man’s shoulder sharing his magic and boosting Zenfar’s power. His eyes glowed with the extra magic. His creation moved with the speed of a man and assaulted the orcs and trolls swarming from either side of the warlocks.
With the might of a stone giant, the golem hit their line throwing orcs aside with each mighty blow, even a pair of trolls were hard pressed to keep the golem contained in the midst of the battle. With nearly a dozen soldiers thrown to the ground, many incapacitated, the enemy began to get serious. Ashleen tried to drive the orcs back with her lightning, but their strange armor absorbed her magic like the warlock shields. Aiming bolts at the ground kicked up stone slowing them sli
ghtly, but the wilder could do little beyond that.
Fedwin threw a wall of fire between them while Themenor used his wind blades to cut through the line. The air wizard’s strikes were absorbed by shields and armor alike, but occasionally a soldier would take a strike drawing blood.
Their leader quickly grew tired of the nonsense. A spell like whips of night lashed from his extended hand that slashed the stone golem. Like a dozen heated knives attacking a block of butter, tendrils whipped through the stone. A split second was all it took for a single pass to split the stone into a dozen neatly cut pieces.
A second spell flew through the air at the two men controlling the golem. A glossy purple web looking remarkably like the curse barrier flew pinning the two men to the stone wall of the castle. Hands restrained and mouths covered by a band across each ended their threat in an instant.
Wind whipped around Themenor. Cloaked in wind armor, the air wizard met the lead orcs. Wind spears and blades struck armor and were absorbed.
Two of the muscular beasts tackled the wizard driving him to the ground hard. Restrained by the armored orcs, Themenor’s winds died. A blow to the head left the man dazed, but otherwise unharmed.
Another warlock sent tendrils of night to ensnare Fedwin’s arms. A band encircled the wizard’s mouth as he was pulled down to the ground. When another man tried the same thing on Ashleen, the wilder panicked. Lightning whipped uncontrollably from the woman. The force of her panic shredded the first attempt and caused more of the warlocks to cast out ensnaring lines of night.
Breathing hard, the girl threw up her hands before her in self defense. Light as bright as the spells she had seen Sebastian and the gray wizards use in the tournament turned the lines to dust. The orcs on Themenor and those trying to reach for Ashleen in the distraction of the snares, heard cracks in their black armor as the light over powered the night.
The leader used his barrier curse on the frightened wilder. Both hands were snared, but the lightning continued and the orcs fell back feeling the pain of each penetrating tendril. The leader shook his head and barked an order. A half dozen bags were lobbed through the air. Four broke early hitting Themenor and his captors as well as Fedwin. The remaining two broke by Ashleen. Dust clouds rose from all six bags. Sneezing at the first touch of dust, the wilder couldn’t move her hands to stop or protect her nose. Each breath brought more of the strangely sweet smelling powder into her lungs.
Her head began to feel fuzzy and her vision began to blur. Held by the magic binding her wrists, the wilder’s head fell forward as her eyes began to close of their own will. A sleep powder made of non-magical components put the girl to sleep and the lightning stopped.
Chapter 24- Absolution
Gray clouds followed the Sea Dragon. He had seen them coming the day before, but the mage had guessed from the wind that the clouds would skirt to the north of Maldus’ Island. With the sun obscured, the waves took on a similar shade of gray. Even the tips of the waves as the ship passed through them, only became a brighter shade of gray.
The air was still warm and seemed full of promise, though with at least three more days until they reached Trillian, the mage could only wonder what kind of promises could be made to him. Spring was in the air, however, and he felt a bit happier despite the poor lighting. Sebastian had been second guessing his freeing of Maldus. The mad wizard might prove a problem to future visitors to the island, though he had never heard of anyone finding it before so perhaps it wasn’t as important as he thought. If no ships passed by the island or visited, the cursed man could do them no harm and only his freed experiments in the forest and field would be of any danger most likely.
With Trillian as the known next step in their journey since supplies were needed even if the compass didn’t point towards the island, Sebastian had become lax during the night in checking the piece. Taking it out of the pouch he kept it in for safety, the mage pressed the poles and exerted the minor use of magic to make it work. His first look made him frown in confusion. Unsure what two new yellow dots sitting on the green gem could mean, he quickly went to find Darterian. The high wizard’s grandson would know what they meant he was sure.
“Darterian,” he called to the man where he stood talking with his cousin towards the rear of the ship. Wind tousled Annalicia’s silver blond hair, but the pretty girl didn’t seem to care. Dressed in her typical lightweight dress, little more than a sundress that a peasant girl might wear though finer is design and quality, Anna seemed less like a lady and more down to earth. Even many wizards, which she was apart of as well, tended to act anything but like a peasant if only to hide the roots of their life before the wizard calling. Ignoring the young lady for a moment, Sebastian held out the compass to the dark haired man.
By contrast to the silver haired beauty, who was petite and lovely, Darterian’s features were brown eyes and hair, and while not tall he was of average height. They both held a certain agelessness to their faces, which was nothing to Annalicia who was barely into her twenties, but Darterian looked barely older and yet he had revealed that he was seventy five, an age most men were worn down and wrinkled. They also shared similar ears, slightly pointing at the upper tip, they weren’t as pronounced as full elves, but they were still noticeably unusual.
Taking the compass from Sebastian, the wizard used his magic to check the device and frowned similarly to the mage seeing the two new lights. “A portal has been opened, perhaps two but the timing would make me believe that the events are related.”
“Portals like the one used by the emperor’s forces?”
Shrugging, Darterian could only reply, “Most portals my grandfather and the other wizards in charge of keeping them closed have been due to the emperor for the last seven hundred years. The fact that one light shows to the northwest is likely to be near his capitol. We could get the captain’s map and double check.”
Looking back the way they had come from Maldus’ Island, the man pointed with a frown, “The second comes from the southeast and is a stronger light so I fear that it may come from the island we left yesterday.”
Sebastian nodded and it was as he feared, “Then we need to hurry and be ready for a fight just in case. Something may have warned them that we are following the Grimnal’s trail.”
“Which would mean that either he is alive or they have a reason for not wanting anyone to find him,” Darterian nodded grimly. “Well, at least it sounds like we aren’t wasting time chasing a legend. Grandfather will be glad to know that at least.”
“That will be easier to tell if we aren’t caught by whatever force he has sent after us anyway.”
“True. We can assume that the Dark One will have sent enough force to account for a ship, maybe even two,” Darterian confirmed Sebastian’s thoughts as he handed the compass back to the mage.
A new thought crossed his mind and he voiced it to the man, “I wonder if Maldus called them somehow?”
“I didn’t meet the wizard, but you mentioned that he had been trapped within the curse. He wouldn’t have any real reason to want to call the emperor’s attention back on himself, but if they visit him I am sure he will be more than forthcoming about your visit to his castle.”
“It might even be a way to get back into the emperor’s good graces, at least in his mind. Even without that pushing him, I doubt that the wizard would stand up to anyone they sent for long. He owes us nothing. Maldus seemed fearful to leave his prison, perhaps this is why?” Sebastian mused and was glad that they had said nothing of their direction near the wizard. He did know that they were interested in Gerid Aramathea, and that may turn into the worst part of the information he could give.
Maldus had said that the Grimnal had been captured. If that were the case, then those following them might simply skip ahead to where the man was being kept. Frowning at the unfortunate turn of events, the mage excused himself to think on what possible plans could be formed to contend with this latest news.
“Maldus!” the voice echoe
d throughout the decrepit castle brooking no hesitation.
Moving to the head of the stairs, the dried out wizard bowed as best he could and answered, “Lord Devolus, it’s been a long time.”
The wizard’s eyes betrayed fear that only seemed to strengthen the disgust the black armored leader had for the long dismissed prisoner. “What happened here, Maldus? I left this castle with guards and cells formed of magic. Now I see broken bones and the prison falling apart.”
“It’s not my fault, my lord,” the wizard said quickly beginning to grovel. His life had been reduced to an undying boredom, but he feared what new torture would be given if he was found guilty of this disaster. “Some wizards came and they destroyed the guard dogs you left to guard the castle. They even destroyed more than a dozen cursed soldiers. I tried to distract them, but my power is only illusion from within the cell.
“Their leader didn’t seem that powerful, but he used the broken bones to slip into the far cell. He did manage to get himself stuck while playing around in there, but a young woman helped him and they proceeded to destroy most of the enchantments on the castle. They even went so far as to break my prison, my lord. Their power was much too great for the likes of me to stop them.”
Eyes black as night looked past the brim of his black helmet piercing the wizard. His dark beard left little of the wizard hunter’s tanned skin visible and against all the black he looked pale. The lord’s power had not paled in two hundred years, however, Maldus could tell.
“And what of this lot? If you talk of someone who can break the curse and shields of this castle, then what are these doing here?”
Maldus shrunk within himself fearing the pain that those black eyes held for him. “They asked about the first group and what they were after. Apparently, they knew the first group had an important mission and thought to gain from the others’ work.
Battle Mage: The Lost King (Tales of Alus) Page 30
