Wizard Defender (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 8)

by Rodney Hartman

  The scout regretted she would be unable to take the head of the wizard scout who had killed her mother. My mother was the best. She trained me well. I regret I will not be able to kill the wizard scout who killed her, but the lives of these two visitors will have to do. After I escape my cell and kill them, the humans will undoubtedly activate the nuke I detected below the prison. It does not matter. A life without honor is no life at all.

  The thought that her grandmother would never know of her small victory in killing the two approaching humans bothered her. She thought of the shame her grandmother must be feeling if she had heard of the capture of her granddaughter by humans.

  Would that there was some way I could reduce her shame by escaping and taking the heads of these two humans as trophies back to our tribe’s Wall of Honor. At least that would be some recompense toward undoing my shame at being taken captive.

  The scout shook her head. She knew her grandmother would never know of her final fight against the two visitors. I will soon be atomized particles of dust forever scattered over the surface of this moon. My ashes will not be placed beneath the heads of my enemies on the Long Wing Wall of Honor. Shrugging her wings, she decided it didn’t matter. All that matters now is killing these two humans, if humans they be.

  Between her active scan and sonic wave, the scout sensed the two visitors come to a halt outside her cell door.

  Their stealth shields are good, but they make no attempt to hide the vibrations of their steps on the metal floors of this prison. I know where they are. If they are foolish enough to open my cell’s door, I will kill them. Whatever happens after that will happen. It matters not.

  The scout sensed a line of Power reach through the wall, toward the link to her Power reserve. She knocked it away with a line of her own. The moment the two lines touched, hope flared in the scout’s chest.

  It is he. I can sense his frequency from his scan. He did not wrap it in a stealth shield. Why, I care not. All I know is that if I can kill him, my mother’s death will be avenged. Perhaps my grandmother will hear how I killed the wizard scout before I died. Perhaps that will erase the shame of having her granddaughter taken prisoner.

  Another line of Power came through the wall and separated into two lines with both heading toward the link to the scout’s Power reserve. She succeeded in knocking one line aside, but the other line touched the link to her reserve before pulling hastily back.

  The scout bared her teeth in a moment of rare humor. The wizard scout senses the traps my mother placed on my link. He fears to try and break my link now. If I can lure him inside my cell, I may be able to kill him. He may not be wearing a battle suit. We shall soon see.

  Stepping back from the wall, the scout sent out another line of Power feigning weakness. She probed for the wizard scout but could not locate him through his stealth shield. She almost gave up hope that the fool would enter her cell when part of the wall shimmered and disappeared. Through the opening came a sphere of potent energy. The scout threw up a defensive shield, diverting the ball of energy to the side. The energy felt strange.

  Magic, the scout thought. How?

  The magic spell spread outward, filling the cell with its energy. The air grew intensely cold. The scout reached out with a line of Power toward a female carrying a staff in her left hand with a paw-sized gem at the top. Before the scout’s line of Power could find the female’s heart, two lines of Power reached out from a male wizard scout wearing an Empire battle suit. One line knocked her line away from the female. The scout sensed the wizard scout’s other line reach into her neck, seeking out her spinal cord.

  Charging forward, the scout aimed the point of her wing at the female, intent on skewering the magic user’s throat. Before the point made contact, the air solidified, filling the entire room with a solid block of ice. Unable to move, the scout formed another line of Power determined to kill the wizard scout’s companion before she died. Again her enemy knocked her line aside with one of his own. At the same time, the wizard scout’s first line continued to seek out her spinal cord. With a third line of Power, he began probing the link to her reserve. In desperation, the scout sent a line of her own to defend her link, but a line of magic from the female knocked her defensive line aside.

  Drawing half the Power from her reserve, the Crosioian scout sent a blast of pure energy toward the wizard scout and his companion. Even as the energy closed on the two, she sensed the wizard scout continue to probe the traps on her link. At the same time, a wall of magic formed around her two opponents. She sensed the gem on the female’s staff blaze with magic as it reinforced the female’s defensive shield. Due to the block of ice, the scout sensed more than saw her Power rebound back, shattering the ice encasing her. She was thrown into the back wall of her cell, knocking the air out of her lungs.

  Scrambling to her feet, the scout charged forward just as the wizard scout’s line of Power did something to her link. She stumbled as the connection to her reserve disappeared. At the same time, a ball of magic energy hit her in the chest. The scout fell to the floor. She tried to move her arms, legs, and wings to no avail. Something warm reached into the back of her neck. She heard a snap, then all sensation from her shoulders down ceased.

  The wizard scout snapped my spinal cord. He must also have disconnected the link to my Power reserve. My mother could do that, though I cannot. Now my self-heal is not working. My mother’s traps were not enough to stop him. They only slowed him down.

  Shame washed over the scout as she realized the wizard scout had defeated her. No, she thought. He is the one without honor. He had help, just like he did when he fought my mother. If he had been alone, and if I had been in my fighting-suit, I could have beaten him.

  She knew her thoughts were only that, thoughts. She was helpless before her enemies. The sounds around her began to dim as lack of oxygen began taking a toll on her senses. She tried to breathe, but between the elf’s magic and her snapped spinal cord, even that simple task eluded her.

  Waiting for death, the scout hoped she would meet the wizard scout in whatever place she was going. The next time, I will beat you. I swear it.

  Chapter 10 – My Enemy?

  ___________________

  Richard eyed the Crosioian scout lying on the cell floor. She was tall even for a Crosioian. He sensed her life force fading as her body used up the last of the oxygen in her blood.

  “This one is dangerous,” said Nickelo out loud for the high priestess’s benefit. “I highly recommend you allow her to die. We can find another prisoner to take us to the Crosioian capital if you insist on pursuing your plan. This one needs to die. She almost got your bondmate.”

  Glancing out the corner of his eye, Richard saw his bondmate standing to his left, just inside the door of the cell. She had removed the bulky power-suit and helmet. Blue light from the glowing gem at the top of the staff in her left hand reflected off her silver hair, turning the walls of the cell into a rainbow of colors.

  Glancing down at the still form of the scout, Jeena said, “He did not almost kill me. I could have protected myself if necessary. I knew Rick would guard me from harm, so I concentrated on my spell.” She looked away from the scout and into Richard’s eyes. “Master Nick is right about one thing though. You should allow the bat-creature to die. She is too dangerous to let live.”

  Richard knelt next to the scout. “No. This is the one we need. I recognize her scent.” He heard his bondmate sniff the air.

  “Uh…what scent?”

  “My wizard scout does not mean a physical scent,” said Nickelo. “He is referring to her frequency. It is similar to a Crosioian scout he fought and killed on Veturna. I calculate this one is related to that scout.”

  The room brightened as the light from the gem in the Staff of the Lady of the Tree grew more intense. “Then all the more reason for her to die. I do not enjoy taking another’s life, but I will not allow her to kill you, my bondmate.”

  Richard had no wish to die either. H
e also knew the scout had come closer to killing his bondmate than she admitted. I barely knocked the scout’s line of Power away in time, he thought in his private space. Maybe I should let her die. For the merest moment, he considered allowing the last of the scout’s life force to flow out of her body, but a persistent urge to save her kept him from doing so.

  “I think ‘the One’ wants me to use her to complete my mission,” Richard said.

  “You keep insisting I am part of ‘the One,’” said Nickelo still speaking out loud. “I have nothing in my memory banks indicating she should live.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Richard said growing ever surer the scout was the key to his plan. He looked up at Jeena. “I’m going to heal her spinal cord. Do you still have the paralysis spell on her?”

  “It is still active,” said Jeena. “I also have a disintegrate spell Master Jathar taught me ready to go. At the first sign of attack by the bat-creature, I will use it.”

  Richard nodded. “Fair enough. Nick, I’m giving you full control of my battle suit. If the scout attacks, do what you need to do.”

  “Compliance.”

  Removing his right glove, Richard touched the Crosioian’s shoulder. He imagined how the scout’s body should be and compared that with how it was now. Pulling the difference into himself, he heard a popping sound from the back of his neck. All feeling from his neck down disappeared. He struggled to breathe on his own, but the muscles of his chest wouldn’t move.

  “I am taking over your breathing,” said Nickelo.

  A second later, Richard sensed air flowing through the tube that was part of his battle helmet, into his lungs. The feeling of oxygen starvation disappeared. He heard a deep breath and noticed the chest of the scout moving in and out.

  “Your spinal cord will be healed in 5…4…3…2…1,” said Nickelo. “I am giving control of your battle suit back to you.”

  Richard took three breaths on his own before raising his helmet to three-quarters mode. The tubes in his mouth and nose disappeared back into the helmet. He took deep breaths, smelling a musty, ammonia odor. He looked at Jeena. “I’d forgotten how the bats smelled. It’s not unpleasant, but I can’t say I’d want scented candles of it in our home.”

  Jeena wrinkled her nose. “Nor would I.” She caught Richard’s eyes with hers. “Now what?”

  Replacing his glove, Richard pointed at the lone cot in the room. “Put her over there.”

  Jeena said a word Richard heard but immediately forgot. Magic wrapped around the scout and lifted the bat-creature into the air and to a sitting position on the cot.

  “Nick,” Richard said. “I want you to activate the translator on the battle helmet’s speakers. I want to speak to the scout.”

  “Compliance.”

  Removing his dimensional pack, Richard pulled out two folding chairs. He placed one near the cell door and the other chair an arms-reach in front of the scout. Pointing to the chair by the door, he said, “Jeena, that one is yours.”

  “I prefer to stand,” said Jeena shifting her staff to point the gem at the scout. “I would also prefer to be by your side in case the bat tries something.”

  At each of their words, Richard heard a hissing sound come from the battle helmet’s speakers. He noticed the scout’s ears twitch.

  “She is listening,” said Nickelo.

  Ignoring his battle computer, Richard looked at his bondmate. “Jeena, please sit. You can cover me from the door.”

  Jeena’s molten-silver eyes churned, and she opened her mouth to speak. Before she could say anything, Richard sent a feeling of need down the link to her. His bondmate nodded her head and walked to the cell door. He noticed her position the chair a step to the side of the doorway before sitting down. She removed the phase pistol from her holster and held it in her lap.

  Getting a better field of fire, Richard thought. Well, nothing wrong with that.

  Sitting down in his own chair, Richard stared into the scout’s eyes, barely visible through her thick facial fur.

  “The Crosioians do not use their eyes much,” said Nickelo in their shared space. “They see with their ears and sonic waves.”

  Richard ignored his battle computer and concentrated on the scout instead. “My name is Wizard Scout Richard Shepard. I once fought a Crosioian scout with a scent very similar to yours. That was on the planet Veturna. Did you know her?”

  Richard waited five seconds. When nothing came through the battle helmet’s translator, he said, “I placed a kink in the link to your Power reserve. Your link was trapped, but I found a weak point that was missed. Did you place the traps, or did someone else do it for you?”

  Again Richard waited five seconds. The only noise in the cell was the sound of Jeena’s boots shifting position on the metal deck. He looked back at his bondmate.

  Jeena spread her hands as if to say, “What are you hoping to accomplish?”

  What indeed? Richard wondered.

  Turning back to the scout, Richard made another attempt at communication. “You are a diviner. So am I. So was the scout I fought on Veturna. I viewed the video report of your capture on Estos. You were picked up near the point where I was located on the planet. I have a feeling if the nuke I shot off had exploded a few seconds later, we’d have met under more honorable circumstances.”

  At the word honorable, the bat’s ears twitched.

  “Hmm,” said Nickelo. “I think you hit a sore point.”

  “I believe you’re right, old buddy,” Richard thought back.

  Deciding to pursue the matter, Richard said, “If we had met on Estos, we could’ve fought as two scouts should, with honor.” He noticed the bat’s ears lock on him. “After I killed you in battle, I would have told stories of your prowess. As it is, if I kill you now, neither of us will receive honor. It is a shame you were taken prisoner.”

  Although Richard wasn’t an empath, he still felt a rise of emotions in the scout. She remained silent, but he knew he had her full attention.

  “I was thinking about having my battle computer send copies of the video of your capture to every Crosioian warship within range. I’m sure your friends, assuming you have such, would be interested in seeing your fate. I think that’s the only honorable thing to do.”

  A feeling resembling anger came from the scout.

  “I think you just pissed her off,” said Nickelo in their shared space.

  “I certainly hope so,” Richard thought back.

  “What would you know of honor?” came a husky voice out of the battle helmet’s external speakers. “My mother could have beaten you if you had fought her by yourself, as a warrior of honor should. Even captive as I am, you needed a pathetic magic user to beat me. That is why we will win this war, and why your species shall cease to exist. We need no one other than ourselves to be victorious.”

  “Wow,” said Nickelo in their shared space. “She’s quite a speechmaker when you get her talking. Keep on her, buddy. I calculate pride is a definite weakness in her species.”

  Richard leaned toward the scout and gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. “Pathetic? Really? You don’t know my bondmate very well. I think you’d find her a formidable foe under any circumstances.”

  The scout said nothing.

  “You are losing her,” said Nickelo in their shared space.

  “This magic user is my ally and bondmate,” Richard said. “I think the truly pathetic ones are those who serve at the beck and call of demons and their magic-user lackeys. Or are you going to try and tell me that you Crosioians didn’t rely on demons to hide your fleets from view before the battle on Estos. I suppose the next thing you’ll tell me is that you didn’t need magic users to help you either.”

  The emotions from the scout increased, but the speakers on the battle helmet remained silent.

  Richard rolled the dice for an all or nothing attempt to take advantage of the scout’s pride. “Of course, what should I expect from a species that does everything a demon tells them to
do?”

  The brow above the bat’s eyes narrowed. “What do you know of our assets? A few demons obeyed our commands to hide our fleets. So what? Demons obey us; we do not obey demons.”

  Richard leaned back in his chair. “Is that so? Then I guess the next thing you’ll tell me is that Crosioians do not do what their master computer tells them to do.”

  “Our master computer is a tool,” said the scout. “The Empire has a central computer. There is no difference.”

  Richard laughed, trying to put as much contempt into the sound as he could. He wasn’t sure how the effect would be transmitted in Crosioian but could only hope for the best. “Our central computer is not possessed by a high-level demon. We didn’t start a war by acting as a demon’s puppets.”

  The scout’s shoulder muscles shook.

  Richard wondered for a moment if the bat-creature was going to break free of Jeena’s paralysis spell. After a half-dozen heartbeats, the scout became still.

  * * *

  The scout got control of her breathing. She wanted to reach out and strangle her foe, but the elf’s magic was too strong.

  My mother told me of the magic dimension and those dwelling there, she thought. She would have eventually taken me on one of her missions had this wizard scout not killed her. She thought of her mother. A feeling of respect and loyalty passed over her as was proper. She continued her line of reasoning in her head. My mother would have argued against using demons and magic scum to fight our foes. I argued in her place, but to no avail. My youth was against me. The master computer said its algorithms proved the assets were needed temporarily.

  The wizard scout’s words bothered her. The master computer had attempted to convince the tribal leaders years earlier that the use of a few demons and magic users would not violate their warrior code.