Tides of Faith: Travail of The Dark Mage Book Two

by Brian S. Pratt

  James had plenty of experience in that arena, for he had devised many a spell to do just that. There were ways around it, but for that he had to figure out the overriding master spell set into place that was generating the devastating leeching.

  Wham!

  He had its number now. A small alteration to the shield protecting him and the attack failed to even so much as make him miss a step. When the next attack struck, he didn’t even feel it.

  Miko on the other hand was having a much harder time. The attacks were draining him badly and the strain of maintaining his defenses was clearly etched upon his face.

  James increased his shield to encompass his friend.

  Red flared as the attack came once again. This time, the magic flowed over and around his shield only to dissipate some distance behind them.

  Miko released the power of Morcyth.

  “Thanks.”

  “Not a problem. Morcyth must not be much into battle mages.”

  “No, he is not.”

  “That’s alright. I can take it from here.”

  Miko glanced in the direction of the magic. “I fail to detect the presence of a mage.”

  “I know. The magic doesn’t feel the same as it did during the attack on my island, either.”

  “Someone else?”

  James shrugged. “Maybe. Either way, we need to find out what’s going on before we cross the river. Should someone be hiding around here…”

  Another attack stuck and flowed harmlessly over his protective shell.

  “…they would have to know we’re here and what we are. We can’t afford them the opportunity to sound the alarm that a mage moves within the Empire.”

  Miko nodded.

  James stepped forward and maintained a quick pace as he headed toward the source of the attacks. Miko kept pace beside him.

  His senses probed the buildings by which they walked. Interiors devoid of any living thing were all he found. Ahead, though, the source of the magic glowed in his mind’s eye in ever greater luminosity with every step he took.

  Finally, they arrived at what looked to be a market square. During Tapu’s heyday, it would have been filled with the bustling activity of haggling merchants and eager buyers. Stalls lined the walls encompassing the square. In the moonlight, they looked forlorn.

  Still and quiet. Nothing moved in the night. It seemed almost as if the very wind feared to move and disturb what lay on the far side of the square.

  His eyes told him nothing. Shadows and indistinct moonlit mosaics formed a pattern within which anything could be hidden. But with his mind’s eye, a glow nearly as deep and dark as the heart of some fell beast radiated from a point along the far wall.

  A glance to Miko revealed that he could sense it as well.

  In a voice barely above a whisper, Miko said, “There is no one there.”

  James nodded. He, too, failed to detect the presence of the master of the magic. Could the mage have a shield spell that prevented detection? Such an ability would definitely put the odds in the mage’s favor.

  In an attempt to flush the mage out, James created one of his magic-radiating orbs that floated through the air and sent it forward.

  No sooner had it passed beyond the edge of his shield than it was obliterated by a draining attack such as had plagued them since entering Tapu.

  Testing the mage’s defenses, James simultaneously created six and sent them outward in scattered formations. Six strikes destroyed them in rapid succession.

  “He’s not going to show himself.”

  “No,” Miko said, shaking his head. “We shall have to seek him out.”

  “Let’s take out his store of magic first. I’d rather face him without such power at his beck and call. Keep an eye out while I work to extinguish it.”

  “Very well.”

  James entered the square and focused his attention on the source of magic. Walking steadily, he used both his regular sight and that of his mind to ascertain the exact location of the magic.

  The frequency of attacks increased. By the time he had reached the center of the square, they came with nearly every step he took. His shield held, keeping them at bay.

  As the far wall came into view through the mélange of shadow and moonlight, an open aired courtyard gradually emerged. Piles of lumber were stacked neatly off along the left side while several wagons sat in no apparent order throughout.

  “It appears to be a carpenter’s shop.”

  Miko proved to be correct as upon drawing closer, the main workshop was revealed.

  The doors stood open and moonlight streamed through to illuminate several dressers, stools, chests, and just within the doorway, six wagon wheels leaned in an orderly stack.

  James gave it only a passing glance as he turned his attention back to the rear of the carpenter’s courtyard. There, the magic radiated strongest.

  Despite the frequency of the attacks, the sheer magnitude of the stored magic failed to decrease.

  The prickling of his skin was nearly intolerable with being in such close proximity. It felt as if he had rolled in an anthill and was now covered in a swarm of the little nasties. Ignoring his discomfort, he pressed forward.

  “Any sign of the mage?”

  “No.”

  James glanced to his friend. “You would think that if he was here, he would have done something by now.”

  “One would think so,” Miko agreed.

  Stepping forward, he brought them to the opened gate leading into the carpenter’s courtyard. A couple wagons came into view, but nothing that indicated anything untoward. Yet, the presence of the magical energy could not be dismissed.

  Attacks now came back to back with but the briefest pause in between. Each held the same intensity, the same manner of attack; it was as if whatever was directing them only had one trick and was unable to adapt it to the fact James’ shield made them ineffective.

  The attacks were originating from the heart of the stored magic. With his mind’s eye, he determined that it was located somewhere on the far side of the courtyard. Visually, there was nothing to indicate the presence of anything so powerful. Quiet, moonlit shadows were all he saw. Bracing himself for any increase in intensity in the attacks, he stepped forward and entered the courtyard.

  Wham! Wham! Wham!

  Non-stop surges of power slammed into him. But, similar to the ones before, they proved inconsequential against his shield.

  The glow of Morcyth surrounding Miko produced a field of illumination that revealed an area extending six feet in all directions. As the pair drew nearer the far side of the courtyard, a wagon sitting askew came into view. Its left wheel was missing causing the left end of the axel to rest upon the ground. The rear courtyard wall rose mere feet on the other side of the wagon.

  James came to a halt. As unbelievable as it sounded, the magic originated at the wagon; more specifically, the bed of the wagon.

  “The wagon?”

  He nodded as he glanced to Miko. “Yes. But why would…” he began then trailed off as understanding came.

  Six years ago when he and Jiron separated from Illan and his Raiders near the end of the war, he had planted seeds of destruction in the beds of wagons traveling with various caravans. The seeds were designed to draw minute amounts of magic into itself, store it, then explosively release the amassed magic when active magic came near. The plan had been designed to take out Empire mages; in fact, one such trap had wiped out the Empire’s School of the Arcane.

  The wagon before him must have been one of those carrying his seeds of destruction. For six years it had drawn and stored magic from its surroundings.

  “How does the curse manifest?”

  Turning to Miko, Azhan replied, “Loss of strength, withering of flesh, and death.”

  And that is exactly what a continual drawing of magic would do to those living in Tapu. He had caused this. A town died because of him. He hadn’t even considered the effects should the seeds remain active an extended a
mount of time. Were there others still drawing power? Still killing innocent people like the former citizens of Tapu? He couldn’t concern himself about that right now. His family took priority over everything. Once the danger to them was removed, only then would he worry about discovering if any other seeds still existed.

  “Do you remember me telling you about my plan to remove Empire mages during the war?”

  “Yes. You created magic traps and sent them into the Empire in….” A moment’s pause, then, “Is this one of yours?”

  James nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

  Another moment of silence before Miko asked, “Then, was it not supposed to have exploded by now? From the way you described what you did, your shield should be within the range that would trigger its destructiveness.”

  “Absolutely. It should have gone off, and considering the amount of magic stored within it, left a massive hole where Tapu now stands.” Strengthening his shield in anticipation of just such an occurrence, James backed out of the courtyard amid an array of continued attacks, and didn’t stop until the entire market square stood between them and the wagon. Though only a marginally safer location should the seed actually go off, from that spot there was less likelihood of his magic triggering it.

  “I can’t leave it.” He glanced to Miko and saw his friend nod. “This could get interesting.”

  Miko gave a half-smile. “Usually does when you get involved.”

  “Brace yourself.”

  The white glow of Morcyth surrounding the god’s high priest intensified and reached out to envelope James as well. “Whenever you are ready.”

  After a moment of adjusting his own shield to withstand the explosive release of magic, James turned his attention full onto the wagon and the nexus of magic radiating from within. His mind’s eye traveled toward the wagon.

  Now that he knew it was his own construction, he could sense the bonds originally used to set the spell in place. They were definitely his, only… something was different.

  “Do spells degrade over time?” James asked.

  He glanced to Miko who shrugged. “I do not know. Azhan may. Why?”

  Returning his attention to the “seed,” he said, “It’s different. Instead of drawing very small amounts of magic from the world around it at periodic intervals, it now seeks to completely drain magic from whatever comes near it all at once.”

  “Like the owl.”

  “Exactly.”

  As if to emphasis what he said, another attack hit the shield, only to be deflected harmlessly.

  “Also, the trigger to blow upon detecting magic is no longer operational.”

  “Could someone else have changed it?”

  “I don’t see how,” James replied. “The only way to have done that is by using magic, which would have caused the seed to detonate. No, the spell must have deteriorated over time. It’s the only explanation that makes sense.”

  With his mind’s eye, he could see the interwoven intricacies of the spell. Over the past several years, especially since his first experiments with teleportation, he had grown more adept at discerning the multitude of magical components that make up the inner workings of a spell. Although, it was very likely an illusion constructed by his mind to make sense from something completely incomprehensible.

  In any event, what he saw was like pulsating, undulating threads of magic that comprised the spell; each being incredibly small and delicate like spider’s silk. Pull one, and the whole would collapse. The trick, of course, was to pull the right one. Tug on the wrong one and, well, the situation could escalate quickly to extremely unpleasant. The more complicated the spell, the more interwoven and numerous the threads became; thus making the task of figuring out how to dismantle it all the harder. What he saw before him was akin to what a ball of yarn would look like after a litter of kittens was done with it. It was a tangled mass of threads that twisted and serpentined in complete disorder.

  Within this labyrinth of magical threads, he discovered a series of lines that seemed familiar in some inexplicable way, lines which ran along more symmetrical and linear paths. Tracing them from one to another revealed a cohesive pattern at the center of the labyrinth. He was certain that he had found the original spell.

  At numerous points along the outer perimeter of the original spell, offshoots sprang forth. It was from these offshoots that the labyrinthine network of lines encompassing the original spell originated.

  James stood in silent contemplation of what he was seeing while his shield warded off attack after attack.

  A small fluxation in one area of the original spell preceded a larger fluxation in the lines of magic surrounding it; which in turn was followed by the attack. After three such consecutive attacks, he came to the realization that the outer layer of magic was magnifying what the inner layer was doing.

  Maybe by severing the amplifying strand from the original, the attacks would cease?

  “Be ready, I’m going to try something,” he said and out of the corner of his eye, saw Miko nod as the glow of Morcyth intensified yet further.

  His entire thoughts and concentration were on the point at which the offshoot connected to the original spell. He saw the spell pulse; the outer spell surged; and the attack struck.

  Pulse-Surge-Attack.

  A second later, the pattern repeated itself.

  Pulse-Surge-Attack.

  He waited for yet another sequence to play out. Then, in the lull before the pattern would begin anew, he struck. A tiny sliver of magic hit the base of the offshoot.

  Expecting an explosion, he was surprised that the only reaction to the severing was the vanishing of a section of the outer magical layer. When the sequence of magic began again, there was only the Pulse. The attacks had ended.

  “Well,” commented Miko as the glow of Morcyth returned to its former level, “that is better.”

  Giving out with a relieved sigh, James wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded. “But there’s still a lot of magic stored in there.”

  “I understand.” The glow re-intensified.

  Taking in the increased luminosity, James raised his eyebrow and cast Miko a grin.

  Miko shrugged. “You never know.”

  He shook his head and chuckled. “True enough.”

  Returning his attention to the spell and the stored magic it contained, James considered his options. As far as he could see, there were but two; drain or detonate. Trying the former would quite likely bring about the later. He felt like a member of the Bomb Squad sent in to disarm an explosive device. Now which is it? Red wire or blue…

  “Give me a hand.”

  Holding out both hands, Miko asked, “Which one?”

  “No. I need your help in maintaining a shield around the wagon while I try to drain the magic.”

  “Alright.”

  Turning his attention to the wagon and the magical seed within, Miko gave life to a white shimmering sphere that fully encompassed the wagon. The luminosity of the sphere gradually increased over the course of several moments until the glow radiating forth turned night into day.

  “Will this suffice?”

  James checked it with his senses and nodded. “It should.” He then glanced to his friend and saw the strain upon Miko’s face. “How long can you hold it?”

  “As long as needed.” A momentary pause, then, “But try not to dawdle.”

  “Will do.”

  Returning his attention to the destructive seed and the stored magic it contained, James considered what to do. He dared not stick it with a pin and pop it like a bubble. There needed to be a safe way that the magic could be diffused or drawn off. It took nearly a minute, but a plan of sorts came to mind.

  “Stay here.”

  Not waiting for Miko’s nod, he quick-timed it across the market square toward a spot twenty feet to the right of the wagon. Coming to a stop, he put his hands together, then drew them apart. Between his palms, a round translucent bubble formed. Once it had a diameter close to a
foot, James removed his hands and the bubble stayed in place.

  He hurried past the carpenter’s courtyard for another distance of twenty feet, then created a second translucent bubble just like first. When it floated free, he returned to Miko.

  “Be ready.”

  Closing his eyes, he brought the labyrinthine network of magical lines that was the magical seed into view with his mind’s eye. This was the tricky part. He needed to create a conduit from the stored magic to each of the bubbles simultaneously in order to create an even outflow and maintain equilibrium. In the back of his mind he wondered why he needed to do it thus, but past experiences had taught him to trust his instincts where magic was concerned. It felt like the right thing to do and so he set aside the question for later. Right now, he needed to get this done.

  Focusing on the bubbles, he created coil-like extensions that expanded from each and twined their way toward the stored magic. As they drew closer, he slowed their advance to a crawl. Working ever so carefully, he brought them to a point where both coils of magic were a hair’s breadth from the glowing heart of the spell. It was there that the magic concentrated most densely. Praying that this would work, be connected the two extensions.

  Light exploded outward from the two bubbles as from each, dozens of glowing orbs sprang into being. The orbs lasted only a brief moment before vanishing into nothing.

  After keeping an eye on the stable outflow of magic for several moments, James strengthened the coils leading to the bubbles and the magic flow increased.

  “Impressive.”

  Dozens of orbs had turned into hundreds and the flow of magic remained steady. Risking a quick glance to Miko, he grinned and nodded. “Not sure how long this is going to take, but I’ll gradually increase the usage until all the stored magic is depleted.”

  Returning his attention to the outflow of magic, James observed for another minute before tweaking the outflow to a greater level. The magic stored at the heart of the spell did not feel as if his efforts had had any effect. Not wanting to remain at this all night, he upped the outflow yet further.