Familiar's Ancient Throne (Book 2 of the Death Incarnate Saga)

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

He said nothing as he watched his parents along with Zatal, Lanna and Moril climb down the rungs while holding torches of their own. His father couldn’t risk using magic to light the way down the tunnel. He watched as they all ran and saw the orange glow fade quickly. Megdline laid a hand on his shoulder in understanding. She and Frill moved to either end to keep watch.

  The ceiling forced Cage to hunch over slightly while following Daku speeding on all fours in the size of a housecat. Brooke and the others followed the brisk pace through the narrow tunnel. Eventually they slowed to find the end and laid the torches down and smothered all but one of the four.

  Darkness consumed them on the surface and they had to whisper to keep from stumbling over each other. The area was dark, silent and thankfully vacant. They came out in the corner of the castle where a patch of sand lay hidden behind flowers. They used the wall as a guide to lead them to the place where the others were imprisoned. They rounded a corner to wait as a torch carrying guard moved away from the front door. Cage whispered “I’ll keep watch around the corner. Go in and…”

  “Shh…” Daku sounded and cocked his head to hear something. “Damn, they know. The Arch Magister is yelling a storm. He just spoke with Empress Vika and is ordering every mage to the Quiet Dove to detain you till he can bring you to her.” His sharp blue eyes were intense while he listened. Cage looked up to the castle to see many lights blossoming in the castle due to windows. “You and I must fall back on your emergency plan should this task end badly.” During those words Daku quadrupled in size, enough to carry his partner.

  Cage threw a leg and straddled his Familiar’s shoulders. He met four pair of eyes. “Stick to the plan while I draw them away. We meet at the rendezvous point as scheduled. You know the plan by heart. Good luck.”

  Zatal nodded. “And to you chief.”

  Before Brooke could say anything Daku lunged into the northern darkness and launched himself into the air like a streaking arrow and pumped his wings just as the first mage flew to the inn they vacated. Daku shot in the opposite direction, north. Two guards walking along the inner wall heard something, but by the time they looked back, nothing was there. Daku propelled himself and Cage higher and faster while growing to a point where his speed and size were just right to outrun and not be seen by the city.

  A group of mages crashed into the exquisite room of the Quiet Dove through the balcony itself and were startled when the illusion of their targets vanished before their eyes. One suggested using seeker thread and found the string snap straight to the north at an angle that made one say “He’s escaping!” they came out of the room to warn others who flew fast in their direction and all of them stood on colored oval creations that allowed any mage to fly, if they had enough strength. A group of seventeen anxious mages and their Familiars flew off to the north as fast as they could as a group.

  Zatal shook Brooke when their chief left and had her, Moril and Lanna hurry inside where they came across a startled pair of guards sitting inside. He and Lanna dispatched them at nearly the same time. They drug the bodies into a dark corner while Brooke ran straight for Meeka’s cage to find her weakened, obviously from using her kiss not too many hours ago. At the sight of Brooke she seemed to become more animated.

  Brooke went to the lock and tried breaking it with a hatchet with a furious strike to hurry and not take forever. But her blows didn’t even dent the lock. She said “Check for keys!”

  Lolon said “Only the mage’s have them. The locks have spells that prevent them from being broken.”

  “Then it is a good thing I came.” Said a small voice and Brooke turned around to be shocked to see Sean. He smiled. “Punish me later, Mother. Megdline is already mad, but I couldn’t wait behind this time.” He pulled out an old leather case wrapped and tied with leather strings. “I promised to not use these, but may I pick the locks?”

  Brooke’s shock wore quickly as Moril came up behind and swatted his backside. “What are you doing here?!” She said, knowing the danger and never wanting a child of her tribe facing it till they were ready.

  Meeka quickly took the initiative “Kid, since it seems I am your mother too I give you permission for whatever this promise is.”

  “Good enough for me, Meeka Mother.” Sean said and rubbed his backside before unrolling out his picks and got to work. He remembered what his uncle taught and with a few deft twists and moves there came a click when the lock opened. He hurried over to Lolon’s cell to pick that lock in a couple of seconds. He rushed over to everyone who wanted free and unlocked the cages. Quite a few said to not bother or would slow them down. He didn’t have time to do them all anyway.

  Brooke opened the cell after her amazing son came to the rescue and hugged her lover fully for a moment before holding her hand. Meeka called out for Lolon as they rushed to the front door where Zatal and Lanna stood waiting with bloody knives. Lolon hurried over to her friend who said “What do you hear?”

  Lolon closed her eyes and slowly turned her head from one direction to the next before saying “To the north are many mages yelling and trying to catch up to a… griffin? Whatever that is. They are finding it hard while avoiding attacks.”

  “That is Daku.” Brooke said. “What of nearby? Have they closed the gates?”

  Lolon closed her eyes as more slaves gathered close. “Only to the north. The west and south is clear for the moment.”

  “How do you know this?” Lanna asked.

  “She was magically blessed with great hearing.” Meeka replied when her friend listened for other things.

  Sean and Moril rushed closer for the warrior to say “We must leave. These are all who want to come.” Sean meanwhile tucked his thief tools in a pocket.

  “Hold on…” Lolon said. “They are sending a guard to retrieve the two supposed to be in here.”

  “Give me a knife.” Meeka said evilly. “I want to return the favor these fools did to others.”

  “Take mine, Meeka Mother.” Sean pulled a sleeve back and handed her his knife.

  Meeka grinned. “Thank you…”

  “Sean.” He supplied and moved back to give her room.

  “I will return the favor, Sean.” Meeka then used the knife to cut the dress’s length and ripped off the material to above a knee. She then gripped the knife and it felt good to have it again. Brooke kissed her cheek and moved back while holding her tomahawks ready.

  Lolon whispered a countdown and pointed right before a large man entered the room shouting “Up fools! We’ve got a situat…” and stopped when he saw a slave screaming like a beautiful banshee and he drew a knife by reflex and lunged, but the woman with long blonde hair moved deftly and twirled while slicing his throat to the spine.

  Brooke smiled as her love hadn’t lost her edge and didn’t hesitate against the stupid man and felt proud when their eyes locked and blood didn’t spray her. The priestess said “Quickly, before more come.” She took Meeka’s and Sean’s hands after sheathing her weapons and led the way through the darkness to the hole.

  Brooke lit the other torches underground by the one left behind and gave one to Sean who led the running people down the long tunnel. She and Meeka interlaced their fingers and waited till the last climbed down. Zatal closed the hole and the three of them hurriedly followed the rushing group.

  Megdline’s great worry eased as she saw Sean return and point for people to climb up. She found it remarkable that the adults followed his lead up to safety. She now believed that he seemed like a younger version of Cage. Men and women of obvious magician class climbed up one at a time. She had them stay quiet and move aside to let others up. After two and a half dozen arrived, her grey eyes twinkled while saying “You are one hard woman to rescue.”

  “Megdline!” Meeka beamed and embraced the sorceress while turning her head. “It is wonderful to see you.” Then she felt a pressure against her leg and giggled to pick up the gigantic Frill and hold him close.

  Megdline looked to a smiling Brooke as she lovingly t
ook Meeka’s hand again when setting her furry partner down. “I take it Cage is leading them away?” Brooke nodded, unable to speak for she was glad to have her woman back, but worried about her man trying to outrun all of the dark mages of this city. “Then we must hurry. I do not know how to get everyone here out together. My spell to shift light doesn’t work in this city…”

  “You’ve given us a chance.” A slender man approached. “Leave the rest to me.”

  “And how do you expect to help us?” Megdline wondered.

  “I paid sixty gold for a mage to give me the power to alter perception. If everyone stays within a hundred feet I can make sure no one sees us as we are. I’ll make us look like tiny grasshoppers to anyone who sees, just try not to say anything. My magic cannot change sounds.” He said and with no other options he became the center of them all.

  At the west gate the group made not a sound as they passed entirely unseen by five armored guards. They waited till Lolon said that nothing in the area had been sent after them.

  Megdline looked and spoke directly “Your all free now, but I’m sorry, we part here. But to make sure you are safe I would like to spell each of you so those evil mages cannot find you so easily. Do I have your permission?” None spoke up and she bound a temporary, year long spell to the mana of each freed slave so that if seeker thread finds them one time it will make the thread point in the same direction every time from then on and leave a sight mirror blank. It was the only gift she could offer.

  “I must go with them.” Lolon said.

  Meeka said “But didn’t you say that if we got out we would return to your home one day?”

  “I did, My Friend, but they need me more. My gift will be of more use to getting them safely home. You were right, we did get free. We have that chance now, thanks to your friends.” Lolon took charge and shouted “We need to put distance between us and Eeroan. Turn south from here! We’ll cut through the brush. Viil, I know you can alter scent, make sure we don’t leave one so if they send dogs we’ll be long gone.” Lolon gave Meeka a quick hug before moving the freed slaves away.

  “I hope she succeeds.” Lanna said while resting a hand on Meeka’s shoulder.

  Frill began meowing and Megdline said “We must hurry. Cage should be back with Daku in less than an hour.”

  “Who is Daku?” Meeka asked again.

  “Wait and see.” Brooke replied and took her love’s hand after giving Sean his bloody knife back.

  Their group ran west in all haste till Sean found the rocks he formed on the side of the dirt road and had everyone reach the tree line to find the paths leading to the clearing near the river. Megdline kept a light orb dim while they all sat down to catch their breath. Brooke wouldn’t let Meeka go and held on to her while everyone welcomed the buxom blonde beauty back. Meeka was all too comfortable being embraced by her love, the first to ever truly make love to her.

  Sean finally got to introduce himself and as the real hero of the night got a loving hug from his new, other mother. Thanks to the darkness he didn’t blush from the affection. His other mother gave him a thump on the back of his head for not staying put, but was then hugged for if not for his skills, none of them would be together again. Sean sat before his mothers and explained how Brooke came to his rescue and took him in as a son. Meeka commented what he already knew about his dad being an orphan too so the conversation didn’t become awkward.

  Meeka wanted to hear all that happened since she was taken, but Frill meowed and chirped in his way for Megdline to tell her to wait till Cage returns.

  There came a disturbance in the trees in less than a half hour before something created gusts of wind and landed with a loud thud nearby. Everyone, including Meeka, stood, but she seemed to be the only one afraid of what she could not see but knew to be nearby. She was about to ask, but stopped and dropped her jaw.

  At first she could see nothing, but then a large object began to appear as a haze. Meeka gasped “Great Gods!” as an enormous white creature stood over five feet tall in the shoulder and stared right at her. Brooke held her woman’s shoulders to keep her from stumbling backwards. Her immediate fright came to an end as a tall figure dropped to the ground. Meeka’s eyes began to water as she looked at the grin that both made her melt and could instill fear. The smolder of heat in his eyes made her quiver in excitement. He opened his arms and Meeka ran into his embrace yelling “Cage!” his long arm enveloped her as she sobbed.

  The heartfelt reunion wasn’t truly complete till Brooke made it so they hugged each other together.

  “I really hate to do this, but we must flee far away. I barely managed to avoid those mages.” Daku said. “Everyone climb up. We can speak when danger isn’t hunting us from the sky.”

  Meeka, not hearing anything except a raging pulse from her heart, stood on her toes to kiss her beloved Cage and taste his rich sweetness. Brooke came next and her two loves smiled lovingly. Cage suddenly moved when Meeka watched as the white creature grew twice his immense already size. She gasped when she noticed something “Those eyes! You have the same eye as what I saw Cage summon, but your smaller…”

  Daku smiled. “I am one in the same for I saw you there too, behind my partner. Now get on. Time is against us.”

  Sean hurried over and climbed Daku again while using fur and a little help from the griffin to climb. The rest followed and Cage helped Meeka up. As he climbed he heard Brooke explaining how to hold tightly onto the strong fur. Cage turned to tell everyone to hold on a few seconds before his Familiar jumped into the sky while getting cloaked. Daku’s sharp eyes slipped through the night air and avoided all mages searching for them.

  After a half hour of being cloaked they flew far over the ocean and became visible. Cage turned to say “Granny, that spell to disrupt their seeker thread did perfectly. I’m going to keep it up for a couple of days so they can’t jump anywhere near us. Daku also said thanks.”

  “I’m just glad this is all over, Dimwit.” Megdline laid flat on her back to sigh in relief. “It will feel good to not be under so much stress every other day. When we get to your island we’ll begin your real lessons in honing your skills. Till then, we relax.”

  Cage smiled as he crawled closer to his women. “Glad to be free?”

  “I’m glad to have the loves of my life back.” Meeka took both of their hands. “Please tell me everything that has happened with the two of you since I was captured. I want to know it all.”

  Brooke smiled happily. “It all happened after our love was attacked and fought a sorcerer and you left our people to help…”

  Meeka listened as Daku flew them all to their next destination, home… and for what would come next.

  The journey continues in the third installment of the Dark Prophecy:

  Laugh of Destruction.

  Be sure to read other books by this author:

  Balancer’s Cycle

  Balancer’s Soul

  Changer’s Blood

  Keeper’s Knowledge

  Harmonizer’s Evolution

  The Item Trilogy

  Untamed Gift

  Furion’s Trials

  Ra’van

  Death Incarnate Saga

  The Grin of Prophecy

  Familiar’s Ancient Throne

  Laugh of Destruction

  Ascension of the Warlock

  Empress’s Endgame

  Spirit Guide Saga (Coming Fall of 2014)

  Forgemaster

  Wrath of Flames

  Atavism of the Ifrit

  Star Pirate Legends (Coming Fall of 2015)

  The Fey Files (Coming Fall of 2016)

  Harsh Realms (Coming Fall on 2017)

  Contact me:

  http://facebook.com/h.leemorgan

 

 

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