It took a moment for Rodric’s challenge to set in. Tarick nodded and closed the visor on his helmet. He took his sword from one of his soldiers and walked away from the meeting place. Rodric picked up his sword and followed his opponent into the center of the ravine. Both armies began to scramble down the mountain to get a better view of what was happening. Tarick saluted to Rodric and then got into his fighting stance. The two tested each other with half-hearted attacks, trying to find a weakness. Satisfied with his findings, Rodric swung for his opponent’s left arm. Tarick blocked the blow and then blocked another attack. He stayed on the defense and blocked three more attempts. The two continued their dance, neither combatant able to gain an advantage.
“I have better things to do, Rodric,” Tarick said as he swung for Rodric’s leg.
“Name one,” Rodric replied as he dodged backward.
“Fighting dragons with Janessa,”
“You’ve sent her to her death!” Rodric yelled as he lunged forward with a powerful overhead attack.
Tarick was able to block the blow, but it knocked him onto his back. Rodric capitalized on his advantage and drove his sword into his opponent’s leg. He pressed further and scored a blow on Tarick’s arm. Janessa’s uncle rolled to the side and got up just in time to block another attack. His injuries slowed him down, allowing Rodric to land two more blows. The younger combatant shoved the older man onto his back with a kick. He then spun and faced his army in a victory pose. A cheer erupted from his army. Tarick struggled to his knees and Rodric came at him again. This time he stabbed the older man in the stomach. If there had been any doubt before, it was gone. Rodric had won the duel and would be able to take command of Tarick’s men. What a fool I have been, Tarick thought as he looked down at his wounds. Though far more experienced in battle, the veteran had succumbed to the younger man’s prowess. Rodric turned to his troops and took a bow before facing Janessa’s uncle. He knelt down on one knee and grabbed the man by his chin.
“Your men are now mine. I will find a way to get Janessa back before she makes the mistake of attacking the dragons,” he said.
“You won, Rodric, but that does not mean I will bow to you. My army is yours, but you will never have my respect. There was a time when you could have earned it, but not now,” Tarick replied.
“Silence!” Rodric yelled as he whipped his sword around and severed Tarick’s head from his shoulders.
*
Kimeth and the other dragons hovered in the air as their opponents began their retreat. Janessa’s arrival had been enough to tip the balance in their favor. As per Rolin’s orders, they refrained from pursuing their quarry. In all likelihood, the dragon King had prepared some sort of trap for them. Janessa looked down at the battle below. Her troops had arrived shortly after Elena and her army had engaged the dragon King’s thralls. The battle was going quite well for the Wizards and their allies. Even with the wyverns and land dragons joining the fray against them, they were still more than a match for the dragon King’s army. Paul sheathed his sword and leaned his body against Argos. The battle had taken its toll on all four of them and their dragons, but not so much so that they could not fight if necessary. They welcomed the chance for a small rest, but remained wary of their enemy.
“Look there,” James said as he pointed toward the tower.
The massive form of the dragon King’s body took flight. Just seeing their opponent’s sheer size brought a tinge of fear to the Wizards. They discussed their plan of attack as the distant silhouette grew. The dragon King moved much faster than they had expected. His minions followed behind, but none of them looked to be joining the battle. Paul was the first to react. He spurred Argos forward and to the right while drawing his sword. Rolin followed quickly behind with Lethos moving off to the left side for a flanking maneuver. Kimeth ascended on a trajectory that would allow her to dive bomb the King. Hanoth tucked in his wings and plummeted toward the ground, bringing them out again when he was below the dragon King. All four of the dragons converged on the King at once. Each of the Wizards prepared a spell as their dragons collided with their massive opponent.
Their spells slammed into the dragon King, filling the battlefield with smoke and steam. The dragons continued to press their attack. Argos was the first to be swatted back by the dragon King. He dropped several hundred feet before he was able to steady himself. Hanoth was thrown back the opposite direction. Each of the dragons wasted no time catapulting themselves back into the fray. The dragon King grabbed Kimeth in his claws and whipped his tail around, taking Lethos in the side. Argos and Hanoth collided with the King, forcing him to release his grip on Kimeth. The four surged at him again, only to be swatted away. Their riders bombarded the opponent with another array of spells, but they seemed to barely affect the massive creature. Argos took another hit and fell down to the ground. Hanoth met with a similar fate when the King’s tail smashed into him. Rolin attempted to get Lethos out of harm’s way, but it was too late. The dragon King grabbed his two remaining opponents and slammed them into the ground below.
*
Serith took the lead as the army marched out of the Fortress of Exaltation. It felt good to be at the head of an army so large. She knew that there were few on Canai that could match the power she wielded. Let them bow before us, she thought. Xander rode slightly behind her and to the right, accepting his role as second-in-command. She had expected him to put up more of a fight. There was still time for him to do so when he learned she had no plans of bowing to the Grand Cleric’s will. She followed the will of the light or at least her interpretation of it. Her scouts had returned with news that an army had traveled south to Alamor. They saw the army leave the castle town, but they lost it in the Old Forest. She had been mad at first, but they claimed that the army had used magic to bypass a significant portion of the woods. Magic was something she knew little about, but she had seen those who claimed to be magicians do amazing things. It was not too far-fetched for them to teleport an army.
“What do you think of the reports?” She asked Xander.
“Magic is a terrifying force. I was there when the Grand Cleric rained fire upon the Witches of Telmac. We would do well not to underestimate the Wizards. However, I cannot see them being powerful enough to teleport an army without us having known about it,” he replied.
“Could they have used some other means to ferry their army across the forest?”
“I’ve heard stories that magicians can use their spells to ensure that their soldiers do not tire. If they have sided with the dragons, who knows what other spells they could muster.”
The Crusader gritted her teeth. She didn’t like the idea of not knowing how they had escaped her scouts. Magic was the one thing that she could not calculate. How powerful are they? she asked herself. It was a question that she knew she could not answer. As Xander had said, the dragons could have increased their power beyond anything that they had previously recorded. That was the explanation that made the most sense to her. Bartholomew had always kept an account of the different types of magic that the Holy Order investigated. He had his own network of informants that kept tabs on the magic users of Canai. Their reports had kept him prepared for the clashes with the Witches of Telmac Valley. Either the magicians had found a way of hiding their powers from him or he had stopped informing her of the types of magic they used. Neither option sat well with her.
*
Thanos appeared in phantom form on the deck of the ship. Septimus was nowhere to be found, so the Archwizard materialized and began his search. A fisherman at the harbor directed him to the inn down the road. It was bustling with activity when he entered. A large portion of the room stopped what they were doing and stared at him as he stood at the bar. His skeleton fingers tapped against the bar as he waited for the innkeeper. A man in an apron pushed open a door near the back of the common room and rushed behind the bar. He paused when he saw Thanos. Take a good look, he thought as he waited for the man to speak.
�
�Begging my pardon, sir. I’ve never seen a man survive an injury quite like that,” the innkeeper said.
“Nor have I.” Thanos replied.
“What can I do for you?”
“I am looking for somebody. He would have checked in here no more than three days ago.”
“Right, real private like. That bloke is right in our secondary room. He prefers the quiet. You need something to eat?”
“No time for that, thank you.”
The Archwizard looked out across the room. Many of the inn’s patrons had gone back to their business, but those who didn’t were terrified. His blank stare could unnerve the most grizzled veteran. He took a strange pleasure in tormenting people who stared at him. The patrons moved out of his way as he headed for the door in the back of the room. It led to a small hallway with another door. He pushed it open and found Septimus. The Warlock nearly flew off the handle when he saw the door opening. It was only when he saw Thanos that he calmed down. The Archwizard could tell that both waiting and being interrupted had taken their toll on the man. He had never been the cheeriest of people, but his mood was even fouler than Thanos recalled.
“The others will be arriving shortly, they thought it prudent for me to come contact you,” he said.
“Good, I’ve been looking forward to leaving this rat’s nest,” Septimus replied.
“What is our first target?”
“With any luck, Alamor should welcome us with open arms. We can use the castle as a staging ground. Our choices are the Telmac Valley in the north, the Old Forest in the south, and the unclaimed lands to the west. We should have our pick of things.”
“That is the best news I have heard all day. Come, let us meet the others.”
*
“Our scouts report that there is a fleet coming in from the northeast,” Kervos said as he addressed the council.
“A fleet? Do we know how many ships? What do they carry?” Gareth asked.
“I’m afraid we don’t know yet, sir. The fairies fear that they may be hostile. They vote that we move north to intercept.”
“What of the dwarves?” Gareth directed his question at Borfin.
“We are ready to cross weapons with anyone. A conquest might do us some good,” Borfin replied.
“If it is what the fairies want, then I suppose we should do it,” Ellesar added.
“Not that we will join the actual fight, but will follow the fairies as well,” King Aithen said.
“That makes it unanimous. We will leave at first light,” Kervos said.
Sev sighed as he watched the council disperse. None of the others seemed to realize that the fairies had manipulated them into fighting the oncoming fleet. Rather than discuss the matter, they spread fear among the ranks and used it to get the others to vote on confronting the fleet. Both the Holy Order and the dragons were known threats, yet the fairies wanted them to face a fleet. Sev felt they either knew more than the others or were gambling with lives. It wasn’t so much the course of action that bothered him as it was how they arrived on it. Leave it alone, he thought as members of the council passed by. He waved to Caitlyn and she ran over to join him. The two hugged for a moment before taking a seat at the trunk of a large tree.
“It is good to see you, Sev,” Caitlyn said.
“You as well. I wasn’t sure how often we would be able to see each other,” Sev replied.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Yes. The fairies manipulated us into changing our target from the dragons to this new fleet. Why would they do such a thing?”
“Maybe they know we can’t face the Holy Order. Or they might be afraid to face the Holy Order.”
“You are probably right. Either way, we should be checking on this fleet that has arrived from who knows where.”
“I thought you wanted to focus on things other than the fleet.”
“No, I feel we need to investigate the fleet. What I don’t like is how the fairies ended up dictating our next course of action.”
*
Zeltos gave the innkeeper an extra three gold and bid the man farewell. His stay had been shorter than he expected, but he had remembered that the Holy Order was expanding in the Telmac Valley. Taking a route through the Old Forest would allow him to bypass his newly created enemies and join up with the Grand Crusader. From there, he would be able to decide whether or not to return to Bartholomew in the Fortress of Light. The townsfolk seemed upset to see him go and, though he would never admit it, he was upset to leave. He headed north into the forest and quickly found that the Old Forest was far more confusing than he had anticipated. The trees were so thick that it was difficult to find areas where the sunlight hit the floor. He had to squint at the sky to see the light coming through the leaves. It made navigation difficult, but he was able to run faster than anyone he had ever faced. He was unable to tell how long he had been in the forest, but he doubted it was more than a day.
Night had fallen by the time he arrived at the northern edge of the forest. He could make out the lights coming from Alamor to his right and another source of light to the north. The second source of light appeared to be a camp of some sort. He made his way to the outskirts of the camp and began to creep through the tall grasses. Several sentries were discussing something, but he was too far away to make out what they were saying. He spotted a familiar banner and realized that he had stumbled upon his allies. What are they doing this far south? he thought as he stood up and called over to the sentries. He identified himself and asked if the commander was awake. The guards nodded and then escorted him to the command tent.
“Serith, what are you doing here?” He asked when he saw the Crusader.
“The Telmac Valley is safe from attack, so we decided to expand our territory,” she replied.
“Does Bartholomew know about this?”
“No, but he will be pleased when we present him with land. Xander is on board and that is good enough for me.”
“Then it is good enough for me as well.”
*
Septimus and Thanos stood on the docks as the ships rolled in. Leoth called out to them as they came into view. He was relieved to see that the Warlock was keeping up his end of the bargain. Cassandra and Talia volunteered to oversee the unloading of the ships while Leoth joined the two magicians. The buildings around the harbor looked strange to him. They were made of completely different material than what he was used to. He wondered what Cassandra would think of the styles. Septimus and Thanos called him over as they headed away from the docks. He had seen the looks on their faces before and he knew it meant that they were prepared to execute some plan. His worry was that the plan they wanted to hatch was different from his plan.
“That is the castle town Alamor. Talia and I have good standing with them, we should be able to use the castle as a staging ground for our assault. Our first order of business is to gather our things and find a place to stay,” Septimus said.
“This is a sound plan. I will tell Cassandra that we are heading for the castle. This better be worth the trouble,” Leoth said.
The other two waited as he went back and left the message for his wife. If Septimus’ plan worked, they would already have a fortress to start their campaign. It looked as though the Emperor would indeed have an empire when everything was through. He was stunned by the size of the castle. Seeing it in the distance did not do it justice. His former hall of the warlord had been one of the largest buildings he had ever seen. Now, he was looking at a building so large that it had a city inside of it. Even to those who had seen castles like the one in Galimdor or the Fortress of Light, the castle at Alamor was a magnificent sight. This applied to Leoth even more. He was fascinated with the entire city, which forced Thanos and Septimus to push him along on multiple occasions.
“This is absolutely wonderful. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life,” Leoth said as he looked out over the city.
“I don’t suppose you have. On Canai, they build castles like t
his in almost every kingdom. They are both symbols of power and near indestructible defenses. It is a deadly combination.” Thanos replied.
“How are we going to take them?”
“You can leave that to Septimus and I. We have a few tricks up our sleeves.”
*
Paul yanked on the chain again, but it was no use. His legs and his arms were chained to a pillar. Even his magic had been unable to break or open the shackles. Rolin, James, and Janessa were all chained to the pillars like him. They were atop the dragon’s tower. Their dragons were chained down as well. Argos attempted to move on several occasions, but the restraints were too much for him. Every time one of the prisoners tried to escape, the dragon King laughed. There must be a way to break free, Paul thought. They had devastated a large portion the King’s army, but they hadn’t even come close to killing the dragon King. The only positive that Paul could think of was that their actions had slowed the dragon King’s plans. He didn’t know if it was true or not, but he hoped so. There was still a chance that the two armies had defeated the King’s thralls.
“What happened?” Thanos asked as he appeared atop the tower.
“We were desperately overpowered. He is far stronger than we realized,” Paul replied.
“What is this worm doing here?” The dragon King bellowed.
“Your time will come, dragon. We will throw your carcass of this tower in triumph,” Thanos replied.
The dragon King tried to claw the Archwizard, but his claws went through the apparition. He attacked again, becoming increasingly frustrated. Paul and the others began to laugh, sending the dragon King into a rage. He let out a massive roar and then engulfed Thanos’ apparition in fire. The Archwizard disappeared, making the King think he was victorious. He puffed up his chest and let out a small wisp of smoke. His presence alone was enough to cause the captives to go silent. They were unsure what Thanos would do next, but it didn’t matter to them. The dragon King had captured all of them at once, showing his supreme dominance. Their defeat had not yet sunk in, but seeing the King’s display of rage made them realize how futile it would be to attempt an escape. Even if they could free themselves from the shackles, they would still have to defeat an opponent that had defeated them as if they were children.
The Tomes Of Magic Page 22
