God of Magic 7

by Logan Jacobs

  “The good news is that General Barcus is all in favor of facing Maderel on the surface,” Lavinia noted. “And whatever he says, goes. At least, as far as the military is concerned. The rest of them, well, who knows?”

  The elder finally finished and Deneth stood up. She approached the edge of the portico and looked down at the sea of people.

  “I will start by telling you that the final prophecy is in motion,” Deneth stated and a gasp went up from the crowd.

  “The Shadow Foxes have brought the Shodra to Augustine,” she continued, “I know many of you have your doubts about the prophecy, about the stories of the Shodra, and even the idea of returning to the surface. It has been so long and we have managed to create this wonderful place. It’s only natural that you would begin to fear the outside world, to want to remain here in this place of warmth and safety.”

  I saw quite a few people nod in agreement.

  “But that warmth and safety is only an illusion,” she added. “It doesn’t matter if we choose to confront them on the surface or hide in our cave, the manipulators who now approach our city will find us. Make no mistake, it is Theira who has shown me this. And whether you want to or not, you will fight a war. At least let us confront them as the brave warriors we are, not cowering like some mole rat in its lair.”

  Another shout went up from the crowd, and it looked as if Deneth had swayed quite a few of those who still had doubts.

  “Why must it be war?” a voice called out.

  I looked around and spotted a middle-aged man making his way up the stairs towards the portico. He carried himself with easy self-assurance despite the fact that he was missing his right leg from the knee down. I had to suppress a giggle when I saw the wooden pegleg he wore instead.

  “Who is this?” Aerin hissed.

  “His name is Pepin Dyer,” Yvaine replied with a strong note of disapproval. “The elder that proposed we talk to Maderel during that first council session? That’s her son, and he definitely has his own plans to continue the family’s political dynasty.”

  “There won’t be any place to continue the dynasty if they don’t fight,” Cat pointed out.

  Pepin had finally made it to the portico, and Deneth managed to cede the speaker’s position to him with more grace and dignity than I would have given him. I caught the smirk he gave her before he turned to face the crowd, a look of pride and determination on his face.

  “We have only the words of strangers from the beyond that these mages have some sort of evil intent,” Pepin declared. “And they have openly admitted that they stole the Shodra from the mages who follow them. Stole them after they were paid for retrieving the Shodra and returning them to the Mage Academy where they could be protected from illicit use by elementalists.”

  I could feel the people staring at us now and more than a few of those stares were downright hostile.

  “Are we to believe that Theira would send a vision to a pack of thieves and grave robbers?” Pepin demanded.

  The crowd murmured, and I felt a red flush stain my cheeks. I glanced at the other Shadow Foxes and saw most of them looked as angry at the disparagement as I did, though Imogen looked amused and Cat looked surprised.

  “And that’s what they are,” Pepin continued. “By their own admission. It’s not just the Shodra that they’ve stolen. They call themselves a guild, yet they have killed indiscriminately, all for the purpose of stealing items of value from their rightful owners.”

  I grabbed Lavinia’s arm as she started to move towards Pepin to keep her from leaping onto the portico and demonstrating an indiscriminate kill. I noticed Maruk had one beefy arm wrapped around Dehn’s shoulders while the halfling looked like he was about to start frothing at the mouth.

  “That doesn’t change the fact the mages have been spotted and will no doubt begin their journey towards Augustine,” Deneth cut in.

  “Let them come,” Pepin replied. “As we let this guild come. At least give this Maderel a chance to explain his version.”

  “Why?” I cried out angrily. “Why do you want to let him speak? He’ll kill every living thing in this city to get to the Shodra, and even if you just turn them over, he’ll still kill you.”

  “So you say,” Pepin snarled. “But I have no reason to believe you. We should let Maderel speak.”

  “Let Maderel speak,” someone called from the crowd. Several others took up the cry, and I noticed Pepin’s mother was positively beaming at her son.

  “General Barcus,” Deneth called out loudly.

  The crowd noise dipped to a murmur again as a tall man in camouflage with the unmistakable ramrod look of a career soldier separated himself from a group near ours and strode to the portico.

  “What say you, General Barcus?” Deneth asked. “Do we meet these approaching mages on the surface or down here?”

  “Whether we attack or talk, we need to meet them on the surface,” Barcus replied.

  The murmuring went up again, but Pepin appeared unperturbed by the general’s pronouncement.

  “Then we shall meet them on the surface,” Pepin replied. “And we shall talk to Maderel and offer our hand in friendship.”

  I saw General Barcus wince but most people were too far away to have seen it. The crowd was cheering Pepin’s name now, and he was basking in their adulation. Deneth still appeared serene, though I saw her give Barcus a small nod. He drew himself up and returned to his spot among the other military leaders.

  “This is suicide,” Yvaine hissed.

  “Maybe not,” I replied. “Let them talk to Maderel and see what he is for themselves.”

  “But he can be very convincing,” Lena protested.

  “He wants the Shodra,” I said. “I don’t think he’s going to want to spend much time in discussions with Pepin when he realizes how close they are.”

  “Besides,” Lavinia said as she looked toward Barcus, “General Barcus will position his soldiers as if they were going to war, no matter what Pepin says.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Aerin remarked as she glanced back at the crowd. “Or Augustine could be lost for good this time.”

  “Not as long as we’re here,” Dehn declared. “I’m not letting this panty-waisted mage take me down!”

  “That’s the spirit,” Imogen laughed.

  “We have a lot of work still to do,” I sighed. “I vote we slip out and start getting ready.”

  “Barcus sent some extra weapons to the monastery along with ours,” Lavinia replied. “And Lena’s already replenished her own supplies.”

  “Then let’s go,” I said.

  Creon seemed to sense what we were doing, and he and the other monks formed a loose circle around us that slowly wound its way down the steps and back to the street. Another speaker had taken over and was vowing support for whatever the esteemed leaders of Augustine determined was the best approach.

  No one paid much attention to our departure, and through it was slow going, most people were willing to move out of the way of the gray monks. The crowd was enormous and stretched even further than I had realized. Creon somehow remained calm through it all, and he even stopped and chatted with many of the citizens as he made his way through the crowd. Still, it was with a sense of relief that I finally spotted the walls that enclosed Sherburg.

  Imogen and Cat left us at the gate and returned to the recon groups. Imogen promised to send word as soon as the next alert arrived from the section currently on the surface. Both ladona and elf seemed anxious to check on how well their attempts to slow down the mage army were working, and I couldn’t blame them. Everyone was on edge and waiting for an army to arrive on the doorstep was the very definition of a stressful day.

  Yvaine left as well with two monks she recruited to help with translating some of the documents she wanted to review in the city file room. She was convinced that there was a link to the old port, but she hadn’t been able to find it yet. City officials insisted that all the old tunnels had been sealed but Yvaine wanted
a back door, either to send in a sneak attack or to save the population, depending on how well things were going on the surface.

  Life at the monastery, on the other hand, continued on much as it had every day since the monastery had been built. Monks worked in the gardens and in the library. Others tended to the basics, like cleaning the floors or dusting the furniture. The choir practiced, and Malik was hard at work in the kitchen. You would never know that Augustine’s fate was being decided just a short distance away.

  “I must meet with my brethren,” Creon said when we were inside the welcoming halls of the main building once again.

  “We have some preparations to make,” I replied. “We’ll talk later?”

  “That would be perfect,” Creon agreed. “Don’t worry, my friends. Augustine will do what is right.”

  “I hope so,” Lavinia muttered as the Abbott glided down the hallway towards the chapel.

  “I’m going to the herbalists to pick up a few more items,” Lena called out as she followed after Creon.

  “And I need to talk to some of the healers,” Aerin mused as she wandered down another hallway. “I want to make sure they understand what to do with head wounds.”

  “Let’s go see what Barcus sent,” Dehn practically trilled. “Where do you suppose those monks put the new stuff he sent over?”

  “If we can find Avain or Glenn we could ask them,” Lavinia replied.

  “Check the kitchen,” I suggested. “They spend a lot of time with Merlin in there.”

  Lavinia and Dehn turned their steps towards the refectory while the rest of us retreated to our rooms. There wasn’t much preparation that I needed to make beyond steadying my nerves. Deneth had shown me how mana flowed and how it worked with the elements, but I still felt uncertain about my own abilities. I had learned a lot from the High Mage, and it wasn’t bragging to say that being a manipulator had come easily to me, but I’d never gone up against anyone as powerful as Maderel. And I knew, in my heart, that when Maderel arrived, it would come down to the two of us.

  I was pacing the small confines of my room when I heard a quiet tap on the door. I opened it absent mindedly as I did a mental checklist of the spells Deneth had shown me.

  “Hi,” Emeline greeted me nervously.

  “Hi,” I replied in surprise. “Everything okay?”

  “Sure, I guess,” she said. “I’ve just never thought about having to go to war before. Is it always this scary?”

  “I’ve never been to war before either,” I remarked. “But yes, I think it’s always scary.”

  “It’s just… what if we lose?” she asked as she twisted her hair in her fingers.

  “We won’t lose,” I assured her. “We can’t lose.”

  “Okay,” she said, and I could see she was trying to calm her nerves.

  “Why don’t you come in?” I invited. “You look like you need company.”

  “Thanks,” she replied. “I definitely need to be with someone.”

  “Well, I could help with that as well,” I teased as she stepped into the room.

  “Oh,” she remarked as she realized what she had said and a blush blossomed on her cheeks.

  “It’s okay,” I said. “We can do whatever you want. Trust me, it’s not unusual when you’re facing the challenge of a lifetime to try to relieve the stress with some good old-fashioned sex.”

  “You know an awful lot about this for someone who’s never been to war,” Emeline noted.

  “I read a lot,” I replied.

  “Maybe I should read some of your books,” Emeline said with a grin.

  The panthera pulled her shirt off then, giving me a perfect view of her very round and very pert breasts. I grinned and swept her into my arms, locking my lips onto hers. She growled as I explored her mouth with my tongue and then I tossed her lightly onto the bed. I pounced on top of her, and she pulled my lips to hers again as she rubbed herself against me.

  It was my turn to growl as she undid my pants and pushed them off my hips. She grabbed my dick in one hand and began to stroke it while her tongue flicked along the edges of my ear.

  “Take me,” she demanded. “I need this. Now.”

  “Your wish is my command,” I replied.

  She spread her legs wide, and I plunged in between, hard and deep into her warm and very wet vagina. She growled again and raised her hips to meet me. I found my rhythm and drove against her while she ground below me, begging for more.

  Her tail flicked over my back, and I could feel the soft fur trace along my spine. I shuddered as it caressed my waist and I nearly lost control when it trailed in between my legs and tickled my balls. Emeline giggled when she felt me jerk at the touch but then I was back into the tempo and the feel of her tail along my body only fueled the fire I felt.

  I was deep inside the panthera when I felt her body start to tighten around my penis. I pressed down harder, picking up the pace as she started to growl, low and deep. And then her whole body began to shake with the force, and she dug her nails into my back.

  “Now,” she begged. “Oh, please, Gabriel! Now, now, now!”

  I let out a long stream as she reached her climax and I could feel her own juices mixing with mine. I plunged in as far as I could go and held her on my shaft until the last spasm passed, and she fell back onto the bed with a contented sigh and satisfied purr.

  “I love it when you fuck me,” she murmured. “I shouldn’t have waited so long.”

  “It had to be when you were ready,” I replied. “And you knew when you were ready.”

  “We’re so lucky,” she sighed. “To have you as our leader. You do so much for us.”

  “I try,” I laughed.

  “Let’s go again,” she said. “I need to catch up with the other ladies.”

  “You too?” I teased. “Everyone wants a child.”

  “Not a child,” she corrected. “Your child.”

  “Well, we should get back to work then,” I replied.

  She smiled and then drew me back to her. She sucked deep, lingering kisses from me while she rolled me slowly onto my back. She spread herself across my body, her tongue busy with my torso while her hands found my balls. My own hands found her breasts, and I squeezed just enough to draw another growl.

  She worked slowly this time, exploring every inch of my body while I admired the sleekness of her shape and ran my fingers over every spot I could reach. She liked the sensation of being stroked, and I gradually started to match the rhythm of my drive with the pace of my caress. She started to twitch as the double sensation threatened to push her over the edge.

  I started to pound faster and she pulled every inch of me deep inside of her. She grabbed my torso to steady herself as the force of my drives nearly shook her off, and her whole body bounced with my strength. When she came the second time, she arched backwards, tossing her hair in a long stream along her back and sending up a guttural howl that vibrated through me.

  “Oh, fuck me!” she cried out as she squeezed her legs against me.

  I climaxed into her again as her nails dragged across my abs, leaving long red scratches. She felt like she was about to explode, and then her body finally spasmed one last time and she fell on top of me, drained but purring louder than I’d ever heard her before.

  “Maybe we should go to war more often,” she murmured.

  I laughed and hugged her against me. She smiled at me and then laid her head against my chest.

  “I like listening to your heartbeat,” she said as I played with the silky strands of her hair.

  “And I like listening to you purr,” I replied as my hands moved to her back and began to caress her again.

  I played with her the rest of the morning, testing each and every inch of skin and even finding a few fun things to do with that tail. We ventured out for a late bite of lunch, long after everyone else had eaten. We were both starving, but at least the nervous energy was gone. Emeline left me, to clean up and make her own final preparations, and I retu
rned to my room, to let the soothing energy of the monastery wash over me one last time before Maderel arrived.

  Chapter 13

  The manipulator army was slowed considerably as they crossed the steppes. Between the booby traps and the unbound mana, the army had barely made it beyond the furthest tour point by noon. Scouts counted one hundred manipulators in the group as well as elementalists and healers, and Imogen confirmed that Maderel was part of the group.

  Cat was slightly injured along with two other soldiers when the manipulators finally launched an attack against one of the recon groups. After that, the scouts pulled back and watched from a distance. Maderel’s group made it to the same caves where the Shadow Foxes had rested and settled in for the night.

  The mage army set out early the next morning, only this time they were better prepared. They scoured for traps as they moved across the steppes and quickly removed any they found. They also had healed themselves, and more importantly, they had developed a shield against the mana. Kesta sent a note describing it as a bubble that surrounded the entire group. It wasn’t perfect, but it managed to keep out most of the unbound mana.

  Deneth and General Barcus sent word that they were heading to the surface, and we quickly donned protective suits and moved to join them. Someone had even created a small pack of the special fabric for Merlin to hide in until it was time for battle, and he ducked inside with his frogskin and a bag of marbles.

  Creon walked us to the gate and gave each of us a hug. There was a misty look in his eyes as he looked us over, like a father preparing to send his kids off to college.

  “I’ll see all of you again soon,” the Abbott insisted as the gate opened, and we stepped into the street.

  “Pray to Theira for us,” Aerin added quickly. “I haven’t had a chance to say my own.”

  “I will have the entire order say prayers,” Creon agreed as he patted Merlin on his head.

  The gate closed, and we joined the flow of similarly clad people heading towards the tunnel. Barcus had called up everyone who could fight, and the streets were lined with the few who were remaining behind. They waved and cheered, and a few sang songs, but there were a lot of tears and scared faces as well.