The Sapphire Manticore (The Lost Ancients Book 4)

by Marie Andreas

  Padraig had moved forward with her but stopped alongside me.

  “You don’t happen to have a drink called dragon bane, do you?”

  He gave me an odd look and shook his head.

  Alric looked back. “I think you can fight fine without it.”

  “You drink to fight?” said Padraig.

  “Not really. It’s complicated.” I shrugged it off. It might have been nice though, we were almost to the hall, and going a little berserker myself might have been handy.

  Then Covey hit the hall and all hell broke loose.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Screams and thuds told me Covey was in good form and running into the chamber confirmed that. At least six knights were down and Covey was carving a swath through the rest. There were no archers that I could tell—if Flarinen was in charge he probably forbade them as not being honorable—but plenty of knights.

  The chamber was huge and simply amazing, and it was all I could do not to stop and stare. The ceiling was a belled arch, one that reminded me of the abandoned ballroom in the ruins in Beccia. Only about five times larger. I briefly wondered if there was a throne room similar to this, although much older, somewhere in the old ruins back home.

  The top of the dome was made almost entirely of stained glass. The designs were too high up to see clearly, but the results on the floor were stunning. Or would be if their bright colors weren’t flowing all over a bunch of knights running our way.

  Covey had thrown herself on the first wave and was growling and yelling as she went through them. Considering how much control I’d seen as she ran by, I figured the sounds were mostly to impress and terrify. These were elven knights, highly trained. Yet, there was still some hesitation in those running to support their comrades.

  Another group of guards stood to our left. Not in armor like the knights, but even more heavily armed. Both men and women, they were also the bulkiest elves I’d ever seen and all had a sword in one hand and a ball of magical fire in the other. Those balls of fire were by far the deadliest things in the chamber.

  They didn’t move forward, but stood as a solid and unblinking line between all of us on the floor and the two crowned elves on the dais behind them. Two heavily robed people stood next to each throne, both crackling with enough magic to take out this building. Blue lightning whipped around them as if they were in a storm. I had a feeling that if a direct threat approached the royals, they were the storm. I was surprised that since it appeared we were really attacking the king and queen that they weren’t trying to get them someplace more secure. Then some of Alric’s attempts at teaching me strategy kicked in. The king and queen were extremely well protected on the dais; any movement would have increased the risk of something getting through to them.

  The guards were upon us, and even Siabiane raised a sword. I had a split second of wondering why none of the elves used magic, but there was a very good chance any magic used in this chamber would have a swift and catastrophic result based on the line of guard-magic users with exposed magic flame around us.

  Alric had only very briefly told me about this, something only extremely powerful mages could do. A ball of exposed magic, waiting to lash out. He couldn’t even call a spell ball that way. A skilled magic user could keep a ball going for hours and if needed it would enhance any spell the magic user called tenfold. Or it could be released as a massive weapon in its own right.

  I had hoped to see it in action one day—preferably not aimed at me.

  The first knight to reach me was familiar, the one wounded by the fire outside the shield. He snarled and charged me. I got my sword up and my dagger, but while I was becoming more skilled at both, I wasn’t able to do anything more than block him.

  As long as that kept me alive and allowed my friends to get closer to the royals, I was fine. But Siabiane and Padraig were heading toward the far side of the knights, not toward the royals.

  There hadn’t been a plan per se but I had figured getting to the king and queen and letting them know there were traitors afoot—and that they weren’t us—was probably a good idea.

  Alric was at my side a moment later and ran the knight I’d been fighting through. “Come on.” Alric grabbed my hand and followed Padraig and Siabiane.

  Covey had fallen back, keeping Harlan and Tag safe. I made Crusty and Leaf stay with them. If the worst case came about, at least the faeries could hide Harlan and Tag. Orenda and Locksead were holding their own and seemed content to keep a larger buffer between the royals and the knights. I hadn’t noticed at first, but it did seem that the knights were pushing the fighting closer to the heavily armed mages.

  As we moved, I saw where Siabiane and Padraig were going. Reginald, still wearing Lorcan’s body, and a tall man in heavy red robes were off to the side. They were in a heated discussion, one that I had a feeling the hooded man was going to lose. At least judging by the look on Reginald’s face. It was odd how quickly it had become his face. It still looked slightly like Lorcan, but the attitude of the current owner gave all his features a foul appearance.

  Knights charged us. I still couldn’t tell if Flarinen was in charge or not, but I found myself hoping he didn’t have one of those marks on his wrist. I couldn’t say I liked him. But all along he’d been trying to do what he thought was right.

  “Stop them!” Flarinen’s yell at least told me where he was. The knights closest to us charged forward and we were surrounded before Siabiane and Padraig could do whatever they were trying to do. Alric and I were cut off from them.

  “Why are they all after us?” Alric and I were back-to-back and managing to hold five knights at bay. Well, he was. I was doing the best I could.

  “You. They think you’re a danger.” Alric whirled away from my back and stabbed another knight, then spun and disabled another. I realized I’d been watching him instead of my opponent almost too late and blocked with my dagger just in time.

  The knight was young and cocky, and this time I did see the mark on his inner wrist as he raised his sword up for a very impressive looking, but also very stupid blow to my head. I blocked his strike with my sword, but his strength and momentum bore down on me. However, he’d forgotten I had a dagger.

  I stabbed up. The dagger pierced his armor as if it wasn’t even there. By the time I withdrew the blade, he was collapsing. I staggered back and looked at the bloody blade. Not a good idea as that just made me want to throw up.

  Another knight closed in.

  “Halt!” The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. It was male, female, old, and young. Moreover, there was absolutely no way to not obey it.

  I’d been leaning a little forward and should have fallen once my own momentum was halted. That I just hung there was a little disturbing.

  “That is enough. You will all put down your weapons immediately.” My sword popped out of existence and the dagger dropped out of my fingers of its own accord. I could only see in front of me, which was a bit off to the side of the royals. I could see Reginald and the robed person though. They both continued to move, albeit very slowly.

  “I said, halt. That goes for you as well, Grand Counselor Lorcan and inquisitor Malike.” The voice was still ageless and genderless, but now it was pissed. I assumed it came from one of the two towering mages next to the royals. I really wished I could turn enough to see them.

  “Siabiane, you will explain this and account for your actions and those of your companions. Then Grand Counselor Lorcan can explain.”

  I could see Siabiane. She’d been halted a short distance from Reginald. It spoke to her power, that she still held her sword raised.

  The mage must have released her as she lowered her sword and bowed toward the dais. “There are traitors here, your majesties. And not the people I have come here with. Reginald has given up his ghostly life and taken over his brother’s body. The mark of the circle and the dagger is seen on many of the king’s knights and palace guards. An illness grows in our land, your majesties. One that wants
to control a weapon to destroy us all.”

  Reginald coughed, and shifted. He must have been released as well. “Your majesty, they are the traitors; I have and always will be your ally. Siabiane has been by herself for too long. You know my brother is harmless and is probably off playing in his tower in the castle. Alric is a dangerous rebel who cares nothing for his people. He killed the alchemists to gain the foul gargoyle and he kept the rest of the relics, relics that could save us in the coming troubles. That human, Taryn, is behind this. She needs to be silenced before more of our people fall under her sway.” He made as if to move forward, and then froze suddenly.

  “You will remain where you are.” The voice was reaching new levels of pissed off.

  I felt a lessening of the invisible bands that held me, and I caught myself before I fell. I still couldn’t move much, nor fast, but I could turn.

  “We must converse.” The commanding voice came from the hooded shape next to the queen. The royals and the two mages on either side of them leaned into each other, and then broke apart.

  The king and queen stood. Both tall and regal, with long chestnut hair that flowed to their waists. “Take them,” the king said.

  We were screwed. There was no way out. The only doorway into the chamber was blocked by the knights and the hallway behind us was out. My sword appeared in my hand. I might not be able to move fast, but at least I had a weapon to die with.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  The knights moved forward in unison. Nevertheless, they were moving as slow as I was.

  “No. You will stand down or be killed.” That was not directed at us. Reginald looked up in shock, but the confusion on the faces of the knights closest to me was clear.

  Lightly armed troops, wearing colors that matched the armed mages up front, clarified the point when fifty of them came in through the main doors and stopped in front of the knights.

  “You may fight, but you will die. Drop your weapons and answer for your crimes.” The lead guard stopped in front of a very confused Flarinen.

  “What mayhem is this? We are knights.” He didn’t look to Reginald, but to the king and queen.

  “And some, or all, of you have betrayed us and would do more.” The king held out his hand and a page ran up with a package. “This was taken from your quarters, Lorcan. Would you care to explain?”

  The king held up the lid of the chest we’d found in the village.

  “That came from the traitors. If you look in their minds you’ll see they had it. Actually, the captain had it.” Reginald turned to Flarinen with a slowly shaking finger. “He betrayed us all.”

  That meant that either Flarinen wasn’t one of the bad guys or that Reginald didn’t care who he threw under the wagon wheel.

  “I have never seen that in my life—prior to that woman and Alric finding it.” Flarinen glared at us.

  Great, we were back to blaming me for everything.

  Everyone was looking at Flarinen or Alric and I, so few saw Reginald and the hooded inquisitor break free of whatever spell was slowing them down. I tried to yell, but things went too fast.

  Reginald created his own spell ball but instead of using it to fuel power, he flung it at the guards running toward him and the knights around him. The blast sent a dozen of them into the air and slammed them back to the ground. At the same time, the inquisitor held out his hands and flung a ball of fire at the line of mages in front of the royals.

  One of the mages crumbled to the ground, and the two on either side of him staggered.

  Siabiane spun to attack the inquisitor with her sword, but the damage was done. All of the mages released their spell balls, but they sent them toward Reginald and the inquisitor. Padraig tackled Siabiane and dragged her out of the line of fire as the mages spell balls engulfed the two men.

  A number of the knights—I assumed the ones with those marks on their wrists—took up arms and charged the remaining guards coming for them. I noticed Flarinen and a few others did not, and stood back with hands in the air. I could guess at their issue: if they really weren’t traitors, then they would probably like to help the guards and weed out those who were. But the guards looked like they were going to take down anyone wearing armor at this point.

  The mages didn’t send any more spells but were now standing much closer to each other and the royals. Again good strategy—they were saving their power to defend the king and queen, the rest of us were on our own.

  Alric and I started moving backwards. With the release of the fireballs, movement had returned to everyone, so we ran back to our friends. Everyone was in a corner except Padraig and Siabiane, who were still out in the middle of the floor. They got up from Padraig’s tackle and had placed themselves in front of the line of mages.

  They were also carefully watching the flaming two bodies that were once Reginald and the inquisitor.

  I was watching them as well. Who knew how many people would have died had they completed their plan? Yet, it still made me sick to watch them slowly burning to death.

  Or were they?

  Movement was happening within the ball of flame, and it didn’t look like death throes.

  The flames suddenly exploded outward, extinguishing before they reached Siabiane and Padraig, but not by much. Both the inquisitor and Reginald stood unharmed. The inquisitor had lost his hood and cape and I almost wished I was back to watching him die.

  It was the creature who had controlled the rakasa outside of the shield when we came in. He narrowed his eyes and his words stabbed into my head.

  “We meet again.” It felt like he was pulling thoughts out of my head, memories. He was crawling around my mind, but I fought back. I saw things in his head. He had been behind Glorinal—he was the master, an elf working with the rakasa to change the world to his liking. And he feared me for some reason I couldn’t see. Nevertheless, there was something else he feared more, something on the edge of his thoughts. If I could grab a hold of it…

  He mentally shoved me away with such force I slammed back into Orenda and Tag. They got me back to my feet with questioning looks, but I shook my head.

  Padraig yelled and charged forward as soon as the creature’s face became clear. Judging by his anguish I had a bad feeling this thing was behind the murder of Padraig’s wife and friends. Either he had replaced the real inquisitor at some point, or had always been behind this. Padraig’s sword was raised and his hand curled for a spell. One wave of the inquisitor’s hand and Padraig flew backwards into the line of mages as if he were a broken toy.

  The mages in front of the royals were sending spells, but Reginald and the monster had a massive shield around them. They were both injured: Reginald’s right arm hung uselessly, and the monster had bloody and burnt injuries across his entire torso. They were still able to run out of the chamber with no one able to stop them.

  The doors slammed behind them.

  Once they left, the knights that I assumed had been working for them lost some of their fight. Apparently they missed out on the whole “we will dump you if needed” part of the evildoer’s handbook.

  The guards split, half controlling the now confused knights, the other half trying to force open the door Reginald and the monster had exited.

  One of the mages in front of the royals stepped forward and called to the guards near the door. They stood back and he sent a spell at the door.

  It didn’t budge.

  It took two more mages, the rest still closing ranks around the royals, to blast apart the door. From the shocked looks on their faces, and on those of the elves around me, that was unprecedented. And terrifying.

  The hall on the other side was empty. Nevertheless, the guards who had been trying to get out vanished after Reginald and the inquisitor.

  The rest of the guards had all of the knights on their knees, helmets off, and were binding each one.

  “Look on their wrists. Their right wrists, directly above the crease,” Siabiane yelled out, but she and Padraig stayed near the roya
ls.

  At her words one of the knights tried to make a run for it. Clearly some of the guards were magic users and unlike Flarinen they had no issues with using it. A guard reached his hand out, muttered a few words I couldn’t hear clearly, and the knight came flying backwards.

  The guard nearest to him put one foot on his chest and pulled up his wrist. “The mark of the circle and dagger.”

  At that Flarinen reached over and grabbed the knight next to him, he pulled the man’s arm forward. I couldn’t see what he saw, but it wasn’t good for the other knight.

  Flarinen was still on his knees, but that didn’t lessen the punch he threw one bit. The other knight folded back, unconscious.

  Flarinen stood slowly, keeping his hands up and open. Then he pulled back his own sleeve to show his wrist to a nearby guard. At the guard’s nod, he addressed the knights. “We have been betrayed from within. All of you raise your right hands, sleeves back. If you do not, I will run you through myself.” The fact that he didn’t have his weapon back didn’t slow him down, and Flarinen did have good presence.

  The guards slowly moved through the kneeling knights, but only five remained that had the mark. They were bound, against their protestations to a man that it was a trick, and then gagged.

  The guards bowed to the king and queen and dragged the marked knights out. Flarinen armed himself and his remaining knights did as well. They didn’t approach the royals but stood with heads bowed.

  “I should have seen the traitors as they led us astray. I ask you to forgive my men who are only guilty of following my orders and I accept any punishment you deem fit.”

  The king nodded, and the mages opened to stand on either side of the dais and not in front of it. Siabiane and Padraig moved a bit more to the side but were still close.