The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1

by AJ Martin

  Maevik stumbled as if he were about to collapse, swallowing to catch his breath.

  “The girl did it! Against all four of us!” He slumped against a tree. “I don’t even think she broke a sweat!” He wiped the beads of moisture from his taught brow.

  “No!” Rajinal roared. “This is not the end of this! Sikaris will be freed!”

  “Rajinal,” Kala said calmly, dusting himself off and placing a hand on the man’s burly shoulder. “There is nothing more we can do. She’s created a shield around the dragon with a shell of a power we can never hope to defeat. We can’t penetrate it! We don’t even know how it works!”

  “I will not accept it! All this time planning to be defeated by a… a girl!” He grasped at the man’s arms and shook him. “There must be a way!”

  “The Asternabai will still happen Rajinal,” Kala replied with a rare touch of genuine pity on his counterpart. “All isn’t lost. I share your anger, but what would attacking the girl achieve now? What if you were to be killed? We would lose everything then.”

  The man let his hands fall from his counterpart’s arms, and he kneeled down on the ground to catch his breath. “Thank you for saving me from myself there,” he panted.

  “So… what do we do now?” Maevik asked. “The dragon was the start of the Time of Chaos. Without it, we need to figure out how we can destabilise Triska further.”

  “What if we tried to cause some damage ourselves? It is not beyond our abilities to destroy a city, after all,” Rajinal suggested. “All this planning. Perhaps a blunt approach would be better?”

  Kala shook his head. “It is too dangerous,” he advised. “We need to remain hidden, as much as I hate to do so. Besides,” he panted, wiping spittle from his chin, “that isn’t our endgame.”

  They stood in the darkness of the hillside, looking down on the city together, the chill wind blowing about them. Silar stood aside from the others, unmoving, a pillar of calm. Kala studied him, and after a moment, stepped towards him.

  “You are awfully quiet Silar, considering the circumstances,” he commented, narrowing his eyes.

  “Would it help if I lumbered around like a bear with a sore thumb too?” Silar sniffed, not moving from his position. “Perhaps I should stamp my feet like a child the same as Rajinal, hmm?”

  “I am in no mood for your bile, Silar!” Rajinal growled from his crouched position.

  ‘No. Apparently you are seeking suicide, the way you went after the girl back there. Who knows what talents she possesses now? Clearly Grimm’s failure is not as inexcusable as we thought given how strong she appears to have become. But throwing yourself towards her like a drunken lout? After all your talk of caution, you are the one who could have cost us our final victory.”

  “Victory? How can there be victory when she remains alive? She has ruined the start of the chaos we sought!” Rajinal growled. “Who knows what she could do to the Asternabai?

  Silar shook his head. “She has not ruined anything!” he disagreed. “How small you have all become to not see the obvious.”

  Rajinal marched towards the man. “If you have something to share that is keeping you so calm in this disaster, then I suggest you speak of it!”

  Silar turned. “Or what? You will rip my head off?” he snapped. “Put your fists away Rajinal, and use your brain!”

  “What is there to think about?” Maevik asked. “The girl put up a barrier, forced us to flee before we could finish our work. There’s no way we can prise that shield open now!”

  “I could feel her forcing me back at every turn,” Kala said thoughtfully. “She is so strong! Surprisingly, given that she seemed so feeble only weeks ago.”

  “It would be better to admit defeat in releasing Sikaris and focus our efforts on another target,” Maevik continued.

  “You are all missing the point I am making!” Silar sighed.

  “Well as you are so desperate to illuminate us with your wisdom, I suggest you cut to the chase before I do decide to use these fists!” Rajinal rumbled.

  Silar’s sharp eyes regarded the man ferociously. “So the girl has blocked us from Sikaris. We can no longer touch the dragon.” He leaned forward. “What you are all too blind to see is that we don’t need to!” They exchanged puzzled looks, and Silar tutted in exasperation. “When a garment has become so unravelled that the threads no longer hold tightly together, the garment will fall apart of its own accord in time, without someone being there to pull at the loose threads.” He clenched his fist. “All that remains of the dragon’s prison is a thread of energy, loose and unknotted.”

  “Yes, but that thread still remains intact! It is more than enough to still hold the creature at bay!” Rajinal berated him. “The prison was designed to withstand great forces against it, even down to its final seals. It will hold, as strong as if it were whole, withstand any force that is thrown at it! It is the work of the ancient, dead sorcerers just as powerful as us! And now it is reinforced by the girl’s shielding there is no way to finish the job and cut it!”

  Silar shook his head and looked at the man with condescension. “That thread is as loose as the lace on a trollop’s corset. You’re right that no person can touch that thread now from the outside.” He smiled. “From the outside.”

  Maevik’s old eyes suddenly widened with excitement. “Oh. Oh, that is very good!” He smiled.

  “Am I missing something?” Kala shrugged.

  “As always, you callow youth,” Maevik sneered.

  “Well enlighten me then, grandad!” he sniffed.

  “We don’t need to touch the prison to free the dragon now. No one does. Because the dragon can now free itself!”

  Kala blinked. “I’m lost,” he said.

  “That is because you ignore your senses, my friend,” Silar smiled. “You have all grown soft in these centuries, forgotten what it is to be one with the world. None of you felt it before we left?”

  “Feel what?” Rajinal asked, his anger being replaced with a mixture of curiosity and hope.

  “Hate, Rajinal. Pure, undiluted hatred, emanating out from the gaps in the prison towards its captors. The malevolence of the creature began pouring out of the holes we made. The dragon’s anger at being trapped for four hundred years is seeping through into the world!”

  “The dragon is conscious?” Kala exclaimed.

  Silar nodded. “He has become aware of his entrapment.”

  “How is that possible?” the youngest asked. “Surely the last threads of the spell still bind him in his prison?”

  “His body perhaps, but not his mind. Not any longer.” Silar turned to the glowing circle of the city. “We may have failed at releasing him completely, but we have started his awakening. Enough of the wards have been removed to revive him. What remains is like an eggshell. It’s strong on the outside, granted, but weak to the anger within. Sikaris will free himself now from that casing, like a new-born chick.” The man smiled. “It’s only a matter of time.”

  High on the pillar, across the stony back of the dragon, a small crack began to form in its frozen scales.

  Secrets and Stories

  142nd Day of the Cycle, 495 N.E. (New Era)

  The night had settled on Crystal Ember, the sky a mix of rich, dark blues and an absorbing blackness, closing in on the city like a man clasping his palms around a flame. Protector Balzan stood on the battlements, his hands resting on the crenulations, watching the city. Behind him, the door opened and Matthias stepped into the cold night air. The man turned briefly, his eyes shimmering bright blue, and upon seeing whom it was, turned back to the view.

  “Have you been here all this time?” Matthias asked him, wrapping his coat around himself. “It’s been hours!”

  “I just had to be sure,” the man replied. “For someone to have pulled the wool so completely about my eyes. I don’t trust my own senses now.”

  Matthias nodded. “How does it look?” he asked.

  “The barrier the princess created appears to
be holding strong,” Balzan nodded. “Though as for the prison itself, I can no longer feel it beyond the shield she has made.”

  “The fact the dragon is not rampaging around the streets below would indicate the sorcerers have failed in their mission,” Matthias said with a smile, and looked to the dark skies. “At least they left without a fight,” he said. “Just.” He looked down on the city below. “You do think they’ve gone, don’t you?”

  Balzan sniffed. “I would have thought we would know it if they were here still, don’t you?” He released the earth energy, and his eyes returned to their usual grey. “But we should remain on guard, just in case. How is the Princess?” he asked.

  “Better,” Matthias replied. “Resting. Though she refuses to sleep. I think she fears the same as you, that she might have missed something.”

  “The only thing missing is an explanation for all of this,” Balzan said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “If this was the sorcerer’s true goal, to release the dragon, would they have fled so quickly? Kept hidden for so long?” He grimaced. “No, there is something else they do not want anyone to know about.” He turned to Matthias. “And I know the answer lies with our people.”

  “So you said earlier,” Matthias reiterated.

  “You think I’m wrong?” Balzan smiled.

  Matthias shrugged. “I don’t know to be honest. After I have taken the princess back to Rina, I will return to Mahalia and demand they tell me what they know.”

  “You think they will tell you? You will be lucky they do not imprison you in one of the Artefacts they so enjoy using on those unfortunate enough to draw their wrath.”

  “Then come back with me,” Matthias asked.

  “You must be joking!” Balzan exclaimed. “They would kill me as soon as they set eyes on me!”

  “Make them see the truth! Meet with Augustus Pym. Perhaps between us all, we can help bring a new perspective to the council.”

  “You’d sooner part the seas right now,” Balzan sighed and shook his head. “No boy, my place is here, to defend my adopted county against whatever is coming.” He swallowed. “Because something else is coming, that much I am sure of.”

  The door behind them creaked on its hinges and Josephine emerged from the doorway, with Thadius trailing behind. She was draped in a blanket. She smiled when she saw them and approached slowly.

  “I have been speaking to Regent Caldur,” she said. “He asked me to pass on his thanks to you, Matthias, for helping me to stop the threat.” She turned to Balzan. “He also asked to see you again, Protector Balzan, to discuss a plan he has in mind.” The elderly man looked at her with puzzlement and then bowed.

  “I shall visit him now. I could do with warming up a little.” He placed a hand on Josephine’s shoulder. “Well done, my dear. I never said it before - too much in shock, I suppose, which for a man as old as myself can come as a shock in itself. But you did us a great service today.”

  “You mean she pulled your backside from the fire,” Thadius commented.

  “Eloquently put, soldier,” Balzan sniffed and bowed to the princess. She nodded her head, and the man shuffled off into the fortress.

  “That sounds ominous,” Matthias commented.

  “In light of tonight’s events, the regent has deemed the dragon to be too dangerous to remain in Olindia. He intends to have him taken to the old gold mine at Galzia, to the north, and have him buried.”

  Matthias looked at her in surprise. “And I suppose you had no part in that decision?” he asked.

  “I may have suggested to him it would be prudent,” Josephine smiled.

  “That must have taken some doing,” Matthias said.

  “I simply explained that pride in a victory some four hundred years ago should not be retained at the cost of the safety of present.” She turned to Thadius. “Would you give us a moment, Thadius? I would like to talk to Matthias alone.”

  Thadius nodded. “Very well your highness. But I shall begin to take these dismissals personally soon,” he joked.

  “I will share a bottle of wine with you later,” she smiled. “Thank you, old friend.” She smiled. Thadius blinked at her as if in surprise, and his eyes grew watery. He swallowed and coughed and then silently bowed and walked to the door, before entering the fortress.

  “Was he alright?” Matthias asked.

  “I think that is perhaps the first time I have ever truly called him a friend,” Josephine said, frowning. She shook her head. “How arrogant I have been in my ivory tower. Things will change when I am home,” she nodded.

  Matthias smiled. “Well you look better,” he complimented, changing the subject, indicating to her face. The veins had almost all disappeared.

  “Apparently I heal quickly,” she replied. “Though I am still exhausted. I do not think I could use the power for a few days.”

  “It’s fortunate then that you don’t have to,” he grinned back.

  She shivered. “It has grown even colder out here than earlier!” she said, rubbing her hands together.

  Matthias nodded and she watched as his eyes shifted to their energetic blue. “I think it’s safe for me to warm us up now,” he said, and surrounded them in a cushion of warm air.

  “You must show me how you do that,” Josephine said, closing her eyes as the warmth cradled her body.

  “It’s easy when you know how.”

  She turned and looked out over the city. “How beautiful it looks down there,” she commented. “How peaceful.”

  “They owe you that peace,” Matthias said.

  “They owe me nothing,” Josephine said. “The peace is thanks enough.”

  Matthias nodded. “I suppose that once you have rested a few days, we should think on what to do next,” he said. “We can return you home, certainly. Your father would be happy to see you back.”

  “You think it is safe to return with the sorcerers still out there? With Lord Fenzar stalking me?” she asked. “No. I didn’t think so. There is much more I need to do before I can rest safely in my bed again. I will send a message to my father though, informing him I am safe, but telling him that I am not returning home yet.”

  “You sound as if you have a plan?” Matthias asked.

  “Only that whilst I am here in Crystal Ember I am safe from Lord Fenzar. As for finding the sorcerers, or whatever it is I am meant to do now, I haven’t a clue.”

  “Well, now the initial danger is over, perhaps we have time to think on the best course of action,” Matthias replied. “We will think of something.”

  Josephine turned to him. “Thank you, Matthias. For everything. Especially for helping me earlier,” she said. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “I didn’t really do anything Josephine,” Matthias said. “I just stood there and stopped you from falling over!”

  “You helped me to keep going. Without you there I would have given up. I am grateful.”

  Matthias nodded. “Well, whatever it is I did, you are welcome.”

  “I’m almost sorry that I finished the shield when I did. I was enjoying our conversation. I wondered, perhaps, if you wished to continue it?”

  Matthias’s smile slipped a little. “I’m not sure I remember what we were talking about,” he said.

  Josephine smiled. “You know exactly what we were talking about,” she said. “It is alright if you would rather not discuss it further. Your private affairs are really none of my business. But I class you as a friend now, and I would like to know you better.”

  Matthias took a breath. “It is all very complicated, Josephine.”

  “Isn’t life always?” she asked. She looked up at him provocatively. “But you are an enigma I would like to know more about.”

  Matthias sniffed and tried to ignore her advance. “We’re all enigmas, in our own way. Who really knows why we think what we think, why we do what we do?” He swallowed. “Josephine, you have to understand that my past is not what you might expect of me. I
wasn’t the same person I am today.”

  “I know you came from a farm. That much you have revealed about yourself. Well, that and your age.” Matthias licked his lips awkwardly. “What?” she asked.

  “I lied to you before,” he said. “I’m not as young as I told you.”

  She looked at him, puzzled. “Why? Why would you do that?”

  “Because I didn’t want you to know the truth.”

  “Which is?” she asked acerbically, backing off.

  “That I am much older than you are,” he said.

  She turned away from him and fumbled with her hands. “You could have told me you would rather not discuss it,” she suggested. “Why did you have to lie to me again?”

  “You were rather adamant at the time, and somewhat busy,” he replied. Josephine remained silent. “Josephine?” he took a step forward.

  “Somehow… I knew you were lying to me. Something inside told me you were older than your appearance. But I stupidly ignored my instinct.” She turned back round to face him. “Why is it so important to you to keep it a secret?” she asked. “What possible bearing could it have on my opinion of you?”

  “The years have not always been kind to me Josephine. The older I have grown, the more I have had to live with. I didn’t want you to see that part of me. I still don’t.”

  “I thought that you trusted me?” she asked.

  “I do trust you!” Matthias exclaimed.

  “No! No you can’t,” she whispered. “People don’t lie to those they trust!” Her eyes grew teary. “All that we have been through these last few weeks… does it not mean anything to you?”

  “Of course it does!” he replied.

  “You have seen me at my most vulnerable. Learned all about my life, my hardships. And yet you cannot bear to tell me yours?” She swallowed. “What am I to you truly? Am I still just a mission to you?”

  Matthias leant over her. “Josephine, nothing could be further from the truth than that,” he exclaimed.