Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book Four

by Dean Cadman

  Durlan proved to be very competent at sailing the small boat. Lusam thought maybe even a little too good, because by end of their sixth day at sea, they could see the sails of the Empire ship on the horizon. Lusam found himself wondering whether it had been Durlan’s intention to catch up with the Empire ship all along, even though he had insisted that they shouldn’t. He couldn’t blame him, knowing that he had lost his entire family at the hands of the Empire magi. It was only natural that he would want to seek revenge for their deaths. In fact, revenge for the death of his family was his main reason for agreeing to help them in the first place.

  “How far away from Thule are we?” Lusam asked, studying the sails in the distance. Durlan had been plotting their progress on an old sea chart that Renn had brought with him from the High Temple, and after consulting it for a few moments, he turned back to Lusam.

  “Two or three days, depending on the wind strength and direction,” Durlan replied. Lusam nodded slowly, and continued to stare at the horizon. Renn noticed where his attention was fixed, and came to stand by his side.

  “Could we catch up with them before then?” Lusam asked.

  A grin spread across Durlan’s face. “Just give me the word.”

  “You’re not thinking of catching them up and destroying them are you, lad?” Renn asked, studying Lusam’s face closely.

  “Yes and no,” Lusam replied.

  “Would you like to elaborate on that a little?”

  “Well, I was thinking. If we allow them to escape back to Thule and warn the others we are coming, they will all be there waiting for us…”

  “You already knew that when you agreed to let them go, lad,” Renn said cutting him off mid-sentence.

  “Yes, I know that. But if there is already a large Empire force waiting for us, do you really think they will stop attacking us to chat? I know that I promised you that I’d give them a chance to retreat before I killed them, but I doubt they’ll give me the opportunity to deliver that message in the first place,” Lusam said, looking Renn in the eyes.

  “So what are you suggesting?”

  Lusam shrugged. “I was thinking maybe we could use that ship to deliver my message to the others,” he said, nodding towards the vessel on the horizon.

  “And how exactly would you do that?” Neala asked.

  “No, wait, he’s right,” Renn said nodding. “If he shows them just how powerful he is, they’re bound to spread that information around when they get back to Thule. And if he gives his word not to kill any of them who choose to walk away, that too will be circulated amongst their forces.”

  Neala laughed. “And you think that will be enough to convince them all to simply walk away?”

  “No, not for one moment. But it will sow seeds of doubt in their ranks, and maybe a few will prefer to take Lusam up on his offer, especially when they see what he’s capable of doing. Trust me, there’s a big difference between fighting an army which believes it has to fight to the death, and one which knows retreat is still an option,” Renn replied, smiling at Lusam. “There might be hope for you yet, lad.”

  “Thanks,” Lusam said chuckling.

  “So, do you want me to catch them?” Durlan asked hopefully.

  “Yes, but I don’t plan on killing any of them, just so you know. There will be plenty of time for that once we arrive at Thule, I’m sure,” Lusam replied. Durlan nodded, and set to work sailing the small craft towards their goal.

  “Would it help our speed if I increased the size of the sail area magically?” Lusam asked.

  Durlan looked at the boat’s sail for a moment, and assessed the strength of the wind. “Possibly, but the mast might not take the extra load, and when you over-canvass a boat it becomes difficult to steer, and will pitch and roll a lot more.”

  Lusam nodded. “The mast won’t break, I’ll make sure of that. I can also stabilise the boat a little, just like I did in the storm. And if you find that it becomes difficult to steer, just let me know and I’ll stop what I’m doing.”

  “Okay, but start whatever you’re planning to do slowly, I don’t want end up turning the boat over, I can’t swim,” Durlan said.

  “What! How can you spend your life at sea and not be able to swim?” Neala blurted out.

  Durlan gave her a stern look, but still answered her civilly. “I’ve never had the time to learn how. Besides, take a look around you. Do you really think you could swim to land from here?”

  Neala laughed. “Good point,” she said, looking at the vast expanse of ocean all around them. She had never even considered the capsize or sinking of their small boat to be a potential problem, simply because she knew that if all else failed, Lusam would simply levitate them all safely back to dry land.

  “You’d be surprised just how many fishermen can’t swim. Many believe that if their ships were to sink, it would be easier to die quickly, rather than struggle without hope for hours on the surface of the ocean, before eventually dying anyway,” Durlan said.

  “I suppose I can see the logic in that,” Neala agreed.

  “Okay, let’s try this before they see us coming and try to increase their own speed too,” Lusam said, ending their swimming debate abruptly. Durlan nodded, and Lusam began to create a magical extension to their existing sail, whilst at the same time strengthening the mast. There was a noticeable lurch forward from the small boat, as it began to pick up speed across the surface of the water.

  “Tell me when we reach the limit,” Lusam called out to Durlan, and continued to gradually increase the size of the sail’s surface. A moment later Durlan called out that the boat had reached its safe limits, and Lusam maintained it at that level. They were now skimming across the surface of the ocean much faster than before, and the distance between them and the Empire ship reduced quickly. Lusam knew exactly when they had been spotted, because the Empire ship unfurled another sail to try and outrun them—but they had no chance. He began to feel the wind in his magical sail, and adjusted its angle to take full advantage of it. It was almost intoxicating catching the wind just right, and feeling yourself surge forward as a result.

  Lusam watched the enemy vessel carefully for any signs of hostility. He knew they would fire at their boat eventually, but he guessed they would wait until they were much closer than they were right now. The chances of hitting such a small boat from their current range was almost non-existent, and to start a firefight too early would put them at a distinct disadvantage.

  Durlan expertly positioned their small boat to approach directly from behind the Empire ship, giving them an even smaller target to aim for.

  “What’s your plan, lad?” Renn asked, keeping an eye on the Empire vessel.

  “I’m going to board their ship and have a quiet word with their crew… after I’ve had a little fun first, of course,” Lusam replied grinning.

  “I don’t want to know, do I?” Renn asked. Lusam’s grin grew even wider, but he didn’t reply.

  As soon as they came within range, the Empire magi opened fire as predicted. Most of the missiles missed the small boat by quite a margin, but an odd one impacted harmlessly on Lusam’s shield. He intended to reach out through the air towards the enemy vessel, but realised it would be far easier to do it through the much denser water instead. Placing a hand on the side of the boat, he reached out through the small boat’s hull and into the water below. He traced a route towards the Empire ship, and up through its timbers until he found their main mast. Once he had found that, it was a simple matter of locating the ropes which held the sails in place. With a single thought he cut the ropes, and the sails dropped from the air, bringing the ship to an almost immediate stop in the water.

  Lusam dispelled his own magical sails, and Durlan scrambled to lower the canvass one before they ploughed headlong into the back of the Empire ship. The attacks of the Empire magi had become far more accurate now they were closer, but Lusam simply ignored them as their small boat slowly approached their ship.

  “Stay close to t
heir ship, so I can still shield you,” Lusam said quietly to Durlan. He nodded and steered them ever closer to the aft of the Empire ship. Lusam looked up at the Empire magi above, and put his hands up to show that he intended them no harm, but they continued to fire regardless.

  “I’ll be back shortly,” Lusam said to the others, still wearing his grin.

  “He’s really enjoying himself, isn’t he?” Neala said loud enough for everyone to hear, including Lusam, who just winked at her and turned his attention back to the enemy magi.

  Lusam levitated himself off the bow of the boat, and hovered in the air directly in front of the Empire magi. He kept a shield around the small boat, but the full focus of their attack was now firmly on him. They fired countless missiles at him whilst he levitated in the air and searched for their leader on the crowded deck below. It didn’t take long to spot the strongest crimson aura there, and he headed directly towards it. Confusion reigned when he set foot on their deck and started casually walking towards their commanding officer. No one dared to fire any more, just in case they hit one of their own, or damaged their ship, and they were powerless to stop his advance by any other means.

  Lusam could see the surge of magic as the Empire commander spoke a few words of power, and his shield strengthened around him. Lusam stopped a few paces away from the man and nodded a greeting. Surprisingly, the Empire commander reluctantly nodded back.

  “Do you speak my language?” Lusam asked, but he could tell by the blank look on his face that he didn’t.

  “No, he doesn’t, but I do,” a mage said in a thick Thulian accent. The man looked incredibly nervous as he stepped away from the crowd towards Lusam. He glanced at his commanding officer for permission to speak, and was granted it with a nod.

  “Good. I would like you to translate everything I say, loud enough for everyone to hear. Do you understand?” Lusam said to the man. He nodded his head nervously.

  “First of all, you all need to know that I mean you no harm. If I wished to destroy you I would have done so already, either here and now, or back in the Nauroe harbour.” Lusam waited until the man had translated his words before continuing. He could see the doubt in many of the gathered faces, and wondered if they questioned his sincerity not to kill them, or his ability to do so.

  “I presume you all know who I am, and what my intentions are. If not, I can tell you that I am on my way to Irragin to kill Lord Zelroth,” Lusam said. The man’s eyes widened at his blunt statement, and he paused a long time before translating the message. The gathered magi reacted in several different ways. Some laughed at the statement, while others showed signs of anger or simply stared in disbelief at him.

  Lusam met the eyes of every man on the ship, and the laughter and chatter quickly fell silent. He knew from their perspective that his partially shuttered aura appeared no stronger than that of any other man’s there, and that they would be simply comparing it to that of Lord Zelroth’s. For his intended offer to be taken seriously, he knew that he must convince every man there that his threat was real.

  “I can tell by your reactions that many of you doubt my ability to do what I say. I’m sure many of you have seen the strength of Lord Zelroth’s aura and are comparing it to my own. But let me assure you, the reason why you can’t see my full power, is because I choose to hide the true strength of my aura,” Lusam said, nodding at the man for him to translate. Lusam could tell when the man had finished his translation by the sudden outburst of laughter and mockery which came from the gathered magi. He already knew they wouldn’t believe it was possible for him to hide his aura, and was fully prepared for that. He slowly revealed his aura to the gathered magi, and watched as their humour quickly evaporated before his eyes.

  It was soon obvious to Lusam that he had achieved the desired effect. The wave of mutterings which ran through the gathered men was accompanied by several very slack-jawed stares. Lusam decided that now was the best time to make his offer, and turned back to face the Empire commander.

  “My offer is a simple one. I will allow you all to leave here today freely, so that you can complete your mission. Return to Thule and report my imminent arrival there, but also take this message with you. When I do arrive there, anyone who stands against me, I will destroy. But those who are not hostile towards me, or choose to turn away from Lord Zelroth, I give them my word that I will spare their lives.”

  While the man translated, Lusam reached out into the wooden decking of the Empire ship, and traced a route to the main mast. He formed a close fitting shield around it, and began to heat it slowly from the bottom upwards. The blackness of the slightly charred wood slowly crept up the full height of the mast.

  “I will be looking out for your ship when I arrive,” Lusam said, turning his head towards the main mast as it turned completely black. The message was understood by all. He would be looking for them first, and now it would be easy to find them. Lusam turned back to face the Empire commander, and could see his face red with frustration and rage.

  “I will allow you one day’s head start. I truly hope not to see you there when I arrive, but if I do, take what I’ve just said as fair warning. I will not give you another,” Lusam said, staring into his eyes. He levitated off the deck of the ship even before the man had finished translating his message.

  Unsurprisingly, no one attacked him.

  Whether his message would be delivered, or indeed heeded, only time would tell. He had at least given them a choice, which was far more than the Empire magi had ever given the people of Afaraon.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Three days later the imposing shadow of Mount Nuxvar appeared on the distant horizon like a foreboding black storm cloud. The sea was eerily calm and covered with a light sea mist, making it almost appear ethereal. The wind had dropped significantly during the previous night, and by the first light of morning there wasn’t such much as a breath of wind to propel them forward. Since then, Lusam had been forced to use his magic to maintain their slow progress.

  Mount Nuxvar dominated the skyline as they approached the coast of Thule. Its black granite peak seemed to erupt from the surface of the ocean, and reached towards the sky, as if it were trying to touch the very heavens themselves.

  “It looks like they might have a welcoming party for us, lad” Renn said squinting at the distant dots on the horizon. They were still hard to make out, but Lusam could see what looked like at least twenty-five ships waiting for them. He double checked the makeshift shield he had created for their small boat, then turned his attention back to the coastline ahead. He could see a large pinnacle of black rock to the west of Irragin poking out of the sea. Its steep sides looked almost vertical in places, making it impossible for any boat to land there. It almost looked like a miniature version of Mount Nuxvar which towered high into the sky behind it.

  As they came closer, the Empire ships became easier to see, and so did the coastline behind them. Lusam was surprised to see what looked like a small town at the base of Mount Nuxvar. He had never even considered that innocent civilians might be caught up in the crossfire when he attacked Irragin.

  “What’s that place?” he asked, pointing towards the town in the distance.

  “I believe it’s called Bruecia. And from what little I know about it, I believe it sprung up shortly after Lord Zelroth took control of Irragin, or Azmarin as he now likes to call it,” Renn replied.

  “Yeah, about that. Why do we still call it Irragin, if it’s now called Azmarin?” Neala asked curiously.

  Renn chuckled. “The official answer to that is, I don’t know, other than it’s always been known as Irragin within Afaraon.”

  “And the unofficial answer?” Neala prompted.

  Renn chuckled again. “Rumour has it, that Lord Zelroth gets more than a little upset if anyone ever calls his stronghold, Irragin. Apparently he’s made it a law now, punishable by death for anyone even heard mentioning the old name. So I think the unofficial answer to why we still call it Irragin, is p
robably the rather childish one of doing it to simply annoy him. Although I could never prove that.”

  Neala laughed loudly. “I never knew the High Temple had such a sense of humour.”

  “Oh, you’d be surprised, lass,” Renn replied grinning widely.

  Lusam counted twenty-seven ships in total, and they all formed a blockade line directly in front of Irragin. He knew if they continued on their present course, they would be putting themselves in the direct line-of-fire of all twenty-seven Empire ships. He wasn’t, however, overly concerned about that, but he did have to think about the safety of the others on the boat after he left. Originally, he had expected Durlan would sail the small boat back out to sea and wait for him there. But with the limited wind currently available, it would make the boat a very slow moving target for the Empire magi. There would be no way to outrun their attacks if they came, and no way for Lusam to help defend against them either.

  Lusam studied the layout of the enemy vessels, and could only see one option available to them.

  “Durlan, when I give the word, I need you to steer the boat towards that large pinnacle of rock. Once you get there, anchor the boat tight in behind it. You should all be safe there until I return. They can’t hit what they can’t see,” Lusam said pointing towards the towering rocky island.

  Durlan nodded. “Sure, but if you leave the boat like you planned to do, the strength of this wind won’t carry us to that rock very fast. We’ll pretty much be a stationary target for all of those magi.”

  Lusam grinned. “Don’t worry, I think we can use the lack of wind to our advantage too.”