The Warrior touched the tip of his nose to the baby’s, breathing in the newness of her, all but oblivious to her mother’s fury.
“Bonk bonk!” One of the Stoneguard rapped his knuckles on the doorframe, and poked his head around to peer inside. “Papa!”
“Why must they always learn the wrong words first?” Bertus sighed, moving back to the cradle, and depositing the infant back in her place. “I’ll tell him we can practice later.”
Mirsa smiled at the yawning Maisy, and shook her head. “She’ll nap a while longer. Go play with the boys.”
“I’ll be back soon,” he answered, planting a quick kiss on Mirsa’s cheek. Bertus unstrung his Elven longbow, and traded it for the ancient sword that rested in the corner.
Bertus followed the two dwarves out into the clearing, and the unicorns, familiar now with the routine, faded into the surrounding trees.
“Ha!” One of the Stoneguard whirled and thrust the spear-tip of his axe at Bertus.
Bertus rolled to the left, retaking his feet as he drew his blade and cast aside the scabbard. His evasive movement put the other dwarf behind his aggressor, giving him a brief respite as the pair swiveled and sidestepped to stand shoulder to shoulder against him. He gripped the sword with both hands, and took two lurching half-steps toward his opponents, looking for a sign of weakness or panic. Seeing none, he charged ahead.
The Stoneguard on the left acted first, shifting his axe back in preparation to swing. Bertus zigged to the left, leaned into the run, and took two more quick steps. He hopped over the kick the right Stoneguard aimed at his shin, and kicked at the shaft of that dwarf’s axe. At the same time, he parried the spinning axe of the other, who had turned the shifting motion into a backhand stroke. Changing grips, he smashed the left dwarf alongside the head with the hilt of his sword, spinning a backfist at the other as he twisted on landing.
The second Stoneguard ducked the attack, and whirled about to strike at Bertus’s weapon with his own. The Warrior twisted his wrist, swinging the weapon out of range, and tucked into a roll that gave him a bit of distance from the dwarves. By the time he’d stood and turned, the Stoneguard had split and were trying to circle him.
All right, he thought, turning toward the one he knew to be a marginally better fighter, while shifting a portion of his awareness to listen for the other dwarf behind him.
Obvious fakes, Bertus thought of the two quick thrusting jabs of the dwarf’s axe point, and the nearly silent crunch of grasses behind him confirmed the suspicion. He dodged forward and to the right, sidestepping the third, the only actual thrust of the weapon. He seized the weapon’s shaft, and pulled it further along its existing path, pivoting on his left foot, and kicking at the dwarf’s shoulder with his right.
The combination of the unbalancing yank and the leveraged kick tore the weapon free of the Stoneguard’s grip. Bertus slashed with the sword as he completed his leftward revolution, trying to spin the liberated weapon in his left hand to bear as he did so.
The dwarf crouched and bobbed to avoid the blade’s simple arc, then leaned and stood, leading with his right shoulder. The attack struck Bertus just above the small of the back, and launched him into the air, clutched weapons flailing as he tilted headlong past the dwarf.
No! Bertus gritted his teeth, and finished spinning the appropriated axe into a steadier grip. He turned his shoulder and his weapons so that he would roll when he hit, and not impale or cut himself. He sprang to his feet, face contorted in a snarl that helped him summon the strength to brandish the heavy Dwarven axe in his off-hand. He flicked the weapon upward, his hand sliding to the correct grip, and he shifted forward and to the right, squaring off toward where both the dwarves were gathered again.
The trailing Stoneguard’s knuckles whitened as his grip increased on his axe. “Aroro…” he whispered, beginning to step around his compatriot, weapon raised in a manner that hinted at something more than friendly practice.
“No!” the other dwarf extended his right arm, slowing his advance. “Behr-toos Aroro?” He shook his head. “Behr-toos papa. Behr-toos… o-kay.”
The Stoneguard lowered his weapon, but the fury in his eyes did not abate. “Aroro.”
Bertus cried out as his grip failed, and the axe tumbled to the earth, nearly striking him in the foot. He hopped back, sword still at the ready.
“Pfffft. Aroro.” The weaponless Stoneguard shoved his comrade aside and strode up to recover his axe. As he stood, he tilted his head toward the cottage. “Papa. Go.”
Lesson’s over for today, Bertus thought, recovering the scabbard and sheathing the sword. I’d never seen what fear looked like on a Stoneguard.
* * *
“Never heard the word before,” Mirsa set the plate down in front of Bertus, and swept across the room to scoop up Maisy. “If they’d left us with a translator, we would know.”
Bertus watched the slow twisting movements Mirsa used to rock her child back to contentedness, and noted the hint of sadness on her face. “I miss Rhysabeth-Dane, too. She wanted to be here for all of this.”
“They’ll be back soon enough,” Mirsa whispered, placing her sleeping child back in the cradle. After standing over her a bit longer, she crossed the room back to the table, and sat beside Bertus. “And there will be more hard decisions to make.”
Chapter 44
“Oof!” Kevon hit the platform harder than he thought possible, but recovered and scrambled out of the way before Alanna and Yusa tumbled down after him.
“I believe we have arrived,” Reko’s voice whispered from somewhere between them. “I cannot affect the surface below us. It is… somewhat of a relief.”
“Get some rest,” Kevon answered. “We may need you again soon.”
“Can you believe some of the things that have flown past us in just the last few minutes?” Alanna lay on her back, staring up into the whirling expanse.
“A few, almost into us,” Yusa clarified. “Curiosity, it seemed, more than malice.”
“Birds of all kinds, griffin, half a dozen things I cannot begin to name…” Kevon agreed. “And beyond this central platform, before we were carried above it…”
“A dragon.” Alanna sat up. “I’d hoped my eyes were deceiving me.”
“Hope instead that they are as benevolent as every other creature we’ve encountered,” Kevon offered, helping the assassin to her feet. “We’re nearly there.”
Kevon led the way into the mist that obscured the view of the center of the vast central platform.
Hours into the journey, the mist thinned, and a twisted shape became visible in the distance.
A crystalline structure, resembling a gigantic frozen dust-devil grew out of the firm cloud surface. Deep sapphire at the base, fading to translucence, and eventual transparence at dizzying heights, the spire was the only solid looking thing they had seen in this realm.
“The base flares out to the left,” Kevon observed, after the others stopped beside him. “There may be an entrance there.
“We’ve gathered an audience,” Alanna pointed skyward to the scattered avian forms circling above.
“Watch them, but let’s keep our pace up.” Kevon decided. “This realm is far more dangerous than M’lani’s. Best to finish our business and move on.”
“There is an arch!” Yusa called over the wind that had grown steadily as they approached the crystal spiral. “We should run for it!”
Something not right about this, the thought coming unbidden to Kevon’s mind as he sprinted behind Yusa and Alanna into the increasing gale. A dozen yards from their destination, his fears coalesced into reality as the wind snatched Alanna up, her scream all but lost in the fury of the vortex.
“NO!” Kevon poured all of his surprise and anger into a Movement rune, and lashed out with his mind, but the symbol dulled twice as he tightened the magic around the flailing assassin.
Then she was gone.
Kevon stumbled the last few steps into the crystal archway, nea
rly swept off his own feet in the final yards. The tempest subsided to a whisper inside the entrance, and Yusa seized his arm when he tried to rush back outside.
“There she is!” Kevon tried the spell again as Alanna whirled by, just outside and above the entranceway. The runes darkened as before. “Steel!” he exclaimed. “She’s touching metal!”
“Stand aside,” Yusa slid along the side of the arch to where the breeze began picking up, looked up and into the wind. He twisted his head as Alanna sped by again, then reached out for Kevon. “Be ready!”
Kevon joined hands with Yusa, and hugged tight to the wall as his friend edged further out into the roaring winds. He felt Reko’s spell begin, and mirrored it with symbols of his own, joining their power together under the other Mage’s control. The sudden power drain wrenched at his senses, as the impact wrenched at his arm.
Yusa caught Alanna with his right arm, nearly breaking free of Kevon’s grip in the process.
Kevon grabbed on with both hands, and leaned back, hauling both Yusa and Alanna into the calm interior of the crystal whirlwind.
“I’m glad I woke up for that,” Reko’s voice rasped above the whisper from outside. “Shall we continue?”
“I thought you were…” Kevon pushed past Yusa to encircle Alanna with trembling arms.
“You told me to get rid of my weapons,” she whispered, “And I knew it would be all right.”
“Time was short,” Reko chuckled. “I felt using your voice would help.”
“It worked,” Kevon grasped Yusa by the shoulder as he released Alanna. “That’s what matters.”
“I saved a few,” Alanna’s voice lifted as she drew a shortsword and a dagger, eyes toward the back of the crystal structure as Kevon backed away.
Large azure dragons, shimmering in and out of view as they blended in with the surrounding crystal, shifted and stood near the clear dais that was the focus of the chamber.
“Well, it’s no safer out there,” Yusa shrugged, stepping further into the room.
The others followed, watching the dragons settle into upright, imposing stances, not straying from where they had been resting.
Not even halfway across the chamber, the dragons standing guard roared, throwing their heads back and howling upward. The deep bellows merged, and changed to a twisted parody of the screeching vortex outside.
“Something is happening,” Yusa and Reko spoke in unison, stopping and motioning the others to a halt.
The dragons quieted, settling back into their state of staid composure. The howl of the wind subsided slowly, ebbing and spiking into nearly discernable whispers.
“Up there.”
Kevon craned his neck to see what Yusa spoke of; a fluttering speck of brown far above, where the twisted crystal became transparent. Or ends? He wondered to himself. The cavorting shape whirled and contracted. It seemed to pause for a few moments, before it became evident that it was falling at a tremendous speed.
Scintillating wings of the brightest blue unfurled as the falling figure streaked toward the dais. The attending dragons bowed their heads while the new arrival made half a dozen laps around the room, skimming the outer wall, slowing with each turn.
Yusa dropped to one knee, inclining his head as the strange figure before them alighted between the dragons. “Milady,” he murmured.
Kevon and Alanna bowed, and Kevon stepped ahead, taking in the wonder that stood before them.
“Lady M’phes,” he began and the goddess before him craned her neck to get a better look at him. Her folded wings hung like royal banners behind her, fluttering as she moved. Her talons clacked softly on the walkway beneath her, savage looking claws flowing upward into well-muscled, feather-clad legs that were beyond question feminine.
How is it that I am known to you, yet you are strange to me? The creator’s beak opened as the thought-runes flowed into Kevon’s mind.
“M’lani bade us find you, ask for your help.” Kevon explained.
M’lani… It seems an eternity since… M’phes uncrossed her raven-feathered arms, smoothed the orange ruffles on her stomach so that the bright oval of color that extended nearly to her neck was perfectly uniform. Come closer, servants of Light, and speak to me of my dear sister.
“Servants,” Alanna muttered, straightening and striding forward, nearly passing Kevon.
“Easy,” the Warrior cautioned, taking her hand, evening their pace. “We’re guests here.”
As they drew closer, the size of the goddess of Wind became more evident. Half again the size they’d seen M’lani manifest, her talons were large enough to encircle a full-grown man.
Men, M’phes thought at them, leaning down as they approached. Enchantment endures?
“Yes, your majesty,” Yusa volunteered, mesmerized by the blue, gold, and green ovals surrounding her eyes, reminiscent of a peacock’s feathers.
M’lani knows, yet has not told any of us?
“She is trapped in her personal realm,” Kevon explained. “Fearful of L’mort, as she assumed you all were.”
The Plane of Magic has grown darker, I am loath to venture there myself, M’phes nodded, standing to her full height. Our brother has always been… Difficult to be around.
“M’lani thinks that L’mort’s influence on the Plane of Enchantment has increased his power elsewhere,” Kevon continued. “She wanted us to bring this news, and this weapon, in hopes of…”
M’phes’s wings extended fully to each side as Kevon touched the hilt of the sword. She recoiled as the magic flowed out of him into the blade, the shock of her sudden movement booming through the chamber. The dragons at her sides stepped forward in unison, fangs bared.
“No!” Kevon raised his hands in front of him, shaking his spread fingers to show he held nothing. “This is what M’lani wanted me to show you!”
Kevon waited a moment before reaching for the weapon again, slower this time. He drew it halfway from the scabbard, then gripped the blade, and pulled it free, offering the hilt to M’phes.
A step off the dais, and a lean forward put the sword, and the rest of the group, within arm’s reach of the goddess. As she reached forward, her nearly human hand grew crimson-tipped talons. Ripples of blue ran up along her arm as raven feathers stood, stretched, and flattened into scales that matched the dragons to either side of her. She pinched the hilt between two claws, and drew back in pain, snatching the blade from Kevon’s hand, sending it spinning to the floor.
The blade whooshed through the previously solid surface as though it was not there.
“It cancelled the magic.” Reko chuckled. “We have another plan, correct?”
I’ll get it.
The platform behind M’phes swirled into mist. The goddess backflipped, flapping her outstretched wings at the correct instant to send her hurtling downward, after the falling sword. The thunder of her exit shook the room once again.
Wish she’d said something to the dragons before she left, Kevon thought as the two beasts advanced, voicing their displeasure.
Kevon felt the Illusion rune form as the crude replica of M’phes rose from the vortex she’d descended into. “Do you really think they’ll…” Kevon trailed off as the advancing dragons turned to inspect the slowly improving image.
“Doesn’t look like it will delay them for long,” Yusa commented, as one of the dragons turned to look their direction. “We may want to…”
The Illusion and corresponding rune winked out in Kevon’s mind as M’phes, sword clenched in her outstretched claw, burst through the mist and the false image at unbelievable speed, banking around the upper reaches of the main chamber to slow herself before landing in front of them.
My sister’s touch lingers on this abomination, M’phes’s thoughts reverberated through their minds as she advanced with the blade held before her, arms shifting back to raven-feathered covering as the mental volume of her speech lowered. I do see that her power has faltered, more than even mine. If she claims this will help restore the
balance… Please, continue. The creator’s claws flowed back to finger-forms as she shrank to merely double Kevon’s height, and handed the blade back to him.
My name is inscribed alongside hers, now. Use them to combat the darkness.
Kevon looked at the sword, and could see no change in the blade, feel no difference with his dulled magical senses. “I don’t…”
M’phes clasped both hands around where Kevon held the sword, and tilted her head to the side, an audible squawk escaping before her thought-runes resumed their thrum.
Truly, you do not. Until then, other measures must be taken.
Releasing Kevon, M’phes turned to the dragons that stood behind the dais. The breeze in the room stilled for a moment, and both roared, advancing toward the suddenly enlarging goddess with thundering footfalls that shook the chamber.
Kevon sheathed his sword, not keen on appearing a threat, or having the weapon fall through the floor again.
Transformed clawed fingers received the catlike nuzzles from first one dragon, then the other, as M’phes hissed in an oddly soothing manner.
The dragons stepped back and lowered their heads. M’phes stretched and fluttered her wings, and the magic in the area shifted.
Kevon felt spiraling proportions of Wind magic restrained further than the restricted magic surrounding either Seat they’d visited crackle and flare into the service of the deity before them. The release of power made him giddy just being so near, and he struggled to keep his eyes open as the spell built.
Twin cyclones enveloped the dragons, the focused vortices building in power until they warped the very fabric of the realm, twisting inward on themselves, folding down to a fraction of their original sizes.
The flow of magic slowed, and the winds fractured and dissipated from around the two light blue spheres that remained where the dragons had been.
Blademage Adept (The Blademage Saga Book 3) Page 22
