by James Wisher
“Battered, burned, and almost out of power, but I’ll recover.”
Half an hour later Lon had Imogen as healed as he could under the circumstances. She’d need one of the dedicated healers to take a look at her, but he’d reduced the danger of her dying to a minimal level. “Can you fly on your own?”
Imogen winced and nodded. “I can make it to the fort. Thanks for the patching up.”
Lon smiled. “My pleasure.” He turned to Alden. “I can manage the artifacts if you can get the bodies.”
The three of them flew north, the remains of their opponents surrounded by soul force bubbles. When they landed in the courtyard Sasha and the sorcerer assigned to the navy base were there to greet them. Seeing their sad state Sasha immediately assumed control of the bubbles protecting the remains. The duty sorcerer helped Alden and Imogen make their ginger way into the fort leaving Sasha and Lon alone in the yard.
“You three look like hell,” Sasha said. “Where’s Chun?”
Lon shook his head. “Didn’t make it. There were some civilian casualties as well. And one of the enemy escaped, again. One of these days I’m going to corner that lunatic and make her pay for what she’s done. Well, at least now we know who the leak is.”
“We think we know. Thomas will question her to be certain.” She nodded toward the bubbles. “What’s the deal with these?”
Lon explained the artifacts and their bearers. “They didn’t have much skill. In fact we’re pretty sure the girl was already dead when we fought her. I’d like to know where they found such powerful weapons.”
“I think we both know the answer to that,” Sasha said. “Connor Blackman.”
“I meant I wonder where they came from originally. That scythe especially took a master of binding to create. I doubt Connor or anyone else living in the kingdom has the skill to create something like that.”
“They need to be destroyed and the bodies purified.”
“I know, but I haven’t the strength to do it myself and I’m afraid of what might happen if we break them in the city.”
“Lidia went to the capital yesterday to consult with the king. She’s supposed to return tomorrow. When she gets here the three of us can deal with these artifacts. Until then we’ll have to take turns guarding them. I want a barrier around both the bodies and the weapons at all times.”
“Good call. Can you take the first watch? I still need to talk to the Blackman family.”
Sasha frowned. “That female sorcerer is still on the loose. Are you certain you want to go through with the meeting?”
“Yes. It shouldn’t take long and if they know something and we don’t make the effort…”
“Understood. If you’re not back in two hours I’ll send my subordinate to check on you.”
“Thanks.”
Lon conjured a griffin, climbed aboard, and flew towards Lord’s district. The Blackman clan lived three mansions down from the Santens. It took less than a minute for him to make the flight.
The Blackman’s mansion wasn’t as sprawling as the Santen’s, but it was still bigger than the navy fort. Manicured grounds with white stone paths surrounded the white-painted main house. Lon brought the griffin down beside a bubbling fountain. Four guards in mail covered with black tabards surrounded him the moment his griffin touched the ground. Their spears trembled and they eyed the griffin with nervous glances.
Lon hopped to the ground and let his mount vanish. “I’m Lon Shen, I believe your mistress is expecting me.”
The youngest of the guards ran off toward the main house leaving Lon surrounded by the other three. He smiled and tried to look nonthreatening. “You can put those spears down. I don’t mean anyone here any harm and if I did those wouldn’t help you.”
The guards pointed their weapons away from him, but the tension remained. They leaned on the spears and the four of them stood in awkward silence until five minutes later when the fourth guard returned.
“You can go on up, sir. Apologies for the delay.”
Lon waved his hand and the men jumped back three feet. He sighed. “It’s fine. Thank you for the welcome. Good afternoon.”
Lon left the much-relieved guards to return to their posts and walked up to the main house. Three steps passed between white pillars. A boy in black servant’s garb stood at a set of polished double doors. He pushed them open at Lon’s approach. He nodded as he passed the young man who pulled the doors shut behind him. Inside the doors waited a white marble foyer. An elegant woman in a black dress wearing a string of pearls as big as Lon’s knuckles sat in a simple cherrywood chair.
“Mrs. Blackman?”
“Master Shen.” She gestured toward the empty chair opposite her. “Please sit.”
Lon took her up on her offer. It seemed she didn’t plan to let him any deeper into her home than necessary. “I appreciate you speaking to me.”
“I wasn’t aware I had a choice. Ask your questions and be gone.”
“Yes, ma’am. Tell me about Connor.”
Her thin face twisted into a scowl. “That again. My son disappeared years ago. What possible interest could you have in him after all this time?”
“Connor has reappeared.” Mrs. Blackman’s sharply drawn breath appeared genuine. She was either a superb actress or she really didn’t know about her son. “Apparently with a hatred for the kingdom. He’s already done a great deal of damage and we hope to find him before he does any more. Anything you can tell me would help.”
She leaned toward him, green eyes as hard as emeralds. “Connor was a good boy, Master Shen. He didn’t torture small animals or beat up the other children. Whatever happened to him happened after you people took him to The Tower. After he completed his training and returned home he wasn’t the same person.”
“How do you mean?”
“He was cool, distant, like he didn’t want anything to do with us anymore. In fact he only visited three times before he vanished. I was very close to my son and it hurt more than you can understand, watching him slipping away.”
“I’m sorry.” That sounded lame to Lon so he could imagine how it sounded to her. “Did he ever mention anything he was working on? Anywhere he planned to explore?”
“No. In fact he hardly spoke to us at all. I’m not entirely certain why he came home those last few times.”
“Perhaps he was trying to convince himself not to go through with whatever he has planned.”
“Perhaps. I like to think he wanted to visit me again before he left.”
“Did he mention anyone, a friend or teacher he was especially close to?” Lon had a sick feeling and sent a silent prayer to the archangels that he was wrong. If Lenore was more than a spy Thomas could be walking into a trap.
She cocked her head slightly as she considered. “Now that you mention it Connor did mention someone in his letters. It’s funny, I thought perhaps he had a crush. Her name was Lenore and she was two years ahead of him. Is something wrong?”
She must have noticed his expression. “No, you’ve just connected a couple dots for me. You’ve been a great help, Mrs. Blackman, thank you.”
Lon rushed out of the Blackman estate and hurtled into the air the instant he cleared the doors. He had to get back to the fort and warn them. Lenore was more than just a spy. She was most likely the one responsible for turning Connor into a monster. Thomas needed to be warned. If he went to her at less than full strength it could be a massacre.
Chapter 36
Sweat dripped off Eli as he left Master Soren’s training room. The gray-haired master might be in his sixties, but Eli still had trouble keeping up with him. He’d pushed Eli hard, but he still managed to hit every target Master Soren had conjured. Eli grinned, stepped out onto the landing, and shut the door behind him. He’d pass the final test next time for sure.
Eli barely managed to clear the doorway when he had to move aside for a grim-faced headmaster leading three teachers up the steps. They stalked past without so much as a nod of greeting
. What had happened to put the normally happy old man in such a mood? Curious, Eli followed along behind.
He didn’t have far to go. On the next floor the group exchanged nods and went into the library. Eli slipped in behind them and touched the headmaster on the shoulder. He paused while the other teachers continued deeper into the library.
“Is everything all right, Master?”
The wrinkles on the headmaster’s forehead deepened. “You shouldn’t be here, boy. Run along, now.”
“Please, Master, I’d like to help.”
The three masters had moved over to the central desk and were speaking with the librarian. Her eyes darted from one face to the next, her fingers drumming on the countertop.
The headmaster grabbed Eli’s arm and spun him around. “There are four more students scattered around the library. If you want to be of use, find them and get them out. Quick now.”
Eli nodded. “Yes, Master.”
Curiosity burned in Eli, but he didn’t dare push the old man any further. Whatever was happening, it must be serious. He slipped through the stacks, eyes and ears straining along with his sorcerous senses as he searched for the students. He rounded a bookcase and found one of the first-year girls reading a book on basic shaping.
She looked up when Eli approached. “Yes?”
“We need to clear the library, headmaster’s orders.”
“What’s going on?”
An explosion shook the room. Books rained down to the floor and the girl squealed. Eli knew just how she felt. “Head to the door. I have to find the others.”
She clutched his arm. “Don’t leave me alone. I’ll come with you.”
He didn’t have time to argue with her. “Stay close.”
She nodded, her eyes as big as tea cups.
Eli led her by the hand deeper into the library. Through a gap in the bookcases he caught glimpses of black flames mingled with gold lightning. They were fighting a battle, but with who?
The girl’s hand trembled in his grasp. “I’m scared.”
Join the club. “Don’t worry, the headmaster’s here. Whatever the problem is, he’ll handle it.”
They found the next student, a second-year boy, cowering under a table. Eli crouched down. “We need to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere. It’s a war out there.”
“All the more reason to go. We don’t want to get caught up in it. Come on, headmaster’s orders.”
Eli sensed the power a moment before it struck. He threw himself on top of the girl and conjured a desperate shield. Black flames roared over them. Bookcases and their contents disintegrated in an instant. Even with the shield the corruption twisted his guts. It took everything he had not to throw up on the weeping girl.
When the flames subsided Eli sat up. The boy was breathing, but his body was red and blistered. An alley had been burned through the library. At the end of it the librarian hurled handfuls of black flames at the teachers and headmaster. Her normally tightly bound hair danced like a nest of serpents and every few blasts she cackled like a madwoman.
He pulled the girl up. “You have to help me. I need you to get this young man out of here. Can you do that?”
She sniffed. “His name is Chad. He helped me with my constructs.”
The girl concentrated and a golden disk appeared under Chad and lifted him off the floor. “I can do it.”
“Good girl. Hurry.”
Eli watched until the girl slipped out the library door. He sighed and moved on, glad he’d managed to get at least two people out in one piece. Another blast shook the room raining books down on Eli’s head. He clenched his jaw and kept going.
A blast had blown apart three bookcases, leaving a hill of books and jagged wood in his way. After a moment’s hesitation he slipped around the left side, keeping the pile between him and the battle. Halfway around he tripped and staggered a couple of steps.
He spun and found an arm jutting partway out of the pile. “Heaven’s mercy.”
No soul force stirred under the debris. Whoever he tripped over was dead. Eli thought he should dig the unfortunate student out, but feared drawing attention. He touched the dead boy’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
Feeling like a coward, Eli left the body where it lay and went to find the last student. Please let them be alive.
He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when the library went dead silent. He peeked around a bookcase. No flames or lightning filled the air. The headmaster stood with his head bowed beside one of the teachers.
Eli tiptoed their way. Three bodies lay on the ground, blackened and twisted. The only way he could distinguish the librarian was by her glasses. They’d partly melted and fused to her face.
Eli stared at the corpses. He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t stop looking. He’d seen a dead body once, at his grandfather’s funeral, but he’d only looked asleep. This was beyond anything Eli ever imagined. And the smell, like rotten meat, was worse than the sight.
The headmaster moved into Eli’s line of sight. “It’s unfortunate you had to witness this. Let’s get you out of here.”
Eli was rooted to the spot. “What happened?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.” The headmaster tugged his arm. “It’s over now. Come on.”
Eli followed him toward the door. “I found one of the others. He’s buried under a pile of books. I didn’t even dig him out.”
“You saved two of them. I need you to take them and yourself to the healers. I can rely on you do that, can’t I?”
“Yes, Master.” Eli grasped the task the headmaster gave him like a starving man thrown a loaf of bread. “I’ll take care of it.
Chapter 37
Damien sat in the front of the ship, a conjured fishing pole in his hands, the breeze blowing through his hair. Instead of bait he’d conjured a little viewing sphere and connected it to the rod by a thin line of soul force. It wasn’t really fair to the fish. Whenever he spotted one on his viewing rectangle he sent a blast of soul force through the line. It was a simple matter to pull the dead fish up on deck where the ship’s boy would grab it and run it down to the galley.
Damien spent long hours each day pulling enough fish from the ocean so everyone on board could enjoy a fresh meal at supper time. His generosity had kept the crew in a good mood, but no one would talk to him. He suspected the captain had told them to keep their distance.
Over the snap of the canvas came a creak from the deck boards behind him. Damien glanced over his shoulder to find Captain Velco striding up the stairs to the little raised platform where he sat. Today the captain wore billowing pants that appeared to be made of sail cloth and an unbuttoned leather vest that displayed his hairy chest. Damien shuddered and wished he had a traveling companion as attractive as Lane or better yet Lizzy, to keep him company.
“Having any luck today?” Velco asked.
“I’m halfway through the day’s catch. In my wildest dreams I never imagined this was how I’d be spending my name day.”
“Happy name day. You’re in for a treat. We’re far enough out to sea now. As soon as the lookouts spot a pod of whales we’re going to start the hunt.”
Thank all the angels in heaven. Though it wasn’t his place Damien needed to try one last time. “Are you certain you want to go through with this? I’ve seen what a dragon can do. If your sorcerers have miscalculated you might get everyone killed.”
“Including you?”
Damien smiled at the implication that he was scared. “No, not including me. I intend to fly a safe distance away from the ships when you start your mission. I’m here to watch, not commit suicide.”
“Have no fear, my young friend. Everyone knew what they were getting into when they signed up for this voyage. I have a strong crew and I trust my sorcerers. Rest assured the dragon will die.”
Damien nodded. He’d tried his best. Whatever happened now was on Velco’s head.
“She blows to starboard!” the lookout shouted from up i
n the crow’s nest.
Damien absorbed his rod and looked left. The ocean looked smooth and calm right up to the horizon.
Beside him Velco chuckled. “Starboard’s the other way.”
Damien turned right just as a white spout sprayed into the air followed a second later by a tail twice as wide as he was tall. He’d seen drawings of whales, but they paled in comparison to the reality of the beasts.
Shouts from the crew distracted Damien from the display. Sailors ran around gathering supplies. Two of them carried twelve-foot harpoons, their razor-sharp tips gleaming in the sun. Sixteen men piled into two boats a quarter of the size of the whales they meant to hunt. While he didn’t think much of the brains of anyone that willingly signed up to hunt a dragon he couldn’t fault the sailors’ courage.
Velco clapped him on the back. “Sure you don’t want to go along? It’s quite a thrill.”
“No, thank you.”
Velco left him in the front of the ship and made his way back to the wheel, barking orders as he went. Damien extended his awareness out into the wider ocean. If the Leviathan was anywhere close he’d sense it.
The hunters had lowered their little boats and were pulling hard for the pod of whales. As they drew closer one man stood in the front of each boat, a harpoon ready in his hand. It looked like the boats were racing to see who’d reach the whales first.
One of the smaller whales—smaller being a relative term when speaking of hundred-foot-long animals—breached twenty feet from the lead boat.
The harpooner never hesitated. His harpoon flew true, piercing deep into the beast’s pebbly hide. The whale took off, towing the tiny boat along behind it like a toy, the sailors whooping and hollering as the spray blew over them.
At the rear of the Longshot Velco barked orders and soon they were in pursuit. The other ships of the flotilla maneuvered as well. It looked to Damien like they planned to circle the smaller boats with the big ones. Not wanting to get mixed up in whatever was about to happen Damien flew three hundred feet into the air above the ships. His position afforded an excellent view of the maneuvering vessels.
