Lord Of Dragons (Book 2)

by John Forrester

  He could communicate with Master Rennal in his mind, a skill he had developed with a few of his eldest sorcerers. His head swiveled around to where Master Vhelan told him to look, and together they aimed their dragons higher to gain the advantage against the King and his dragons. If they were lucky, Braxion would be so focused on the army that he would fail to notice their attack from above. An unlikely occurrence.

  Sliding in between two low clouds, he spied down on the snaking silhouettes of almost fifty dragons flying in three separate formations. His heart sank as he shook his head, hoping some hallucination of high altitude was affecting his mind. But there they were, strong in numbers and menacing in purpose. And utterly undefeatable in the air. Master Vhelan dove east towards Magrad, hoping to gain enough speed for them to outrun King Braxion and his dragons.

  But as they fled towards the tall mountain of Karkellian, all the enemy dragons sped over to intercept them in a blazing stream of light. Master Vhelan gaped at their speed, wondering if the Princes of Naverstrom had granted the Hakkadian sorcerers loyal to their cause new magic that aided in their dragon flight? Even plummeting at their tremendous velocity towards Magrad, he doubted whether they would be fast enough to land unmolested by the enemy dragons.

  He had only one chance to survive out here in the open against King Braxion. A costly spell that would weaken him for days. If it worked... One of the only spells he had never taught another sorcerer, for the cost to one's inner reserve of power could be deadly. The few bits of knowledge his great grandfather had passed along to him before he was killed, hundreds of years ago before the Hakkadians had made the mistake of stumbling into the caves of Naverstrom. A spell only for those in an absolutely hopeless situation.

  With the blazing sun pictured clear in his mind, Master Vhelan allowed the heat to rage inside his body. To cool himself, he removed the magical shield and breathed in the wild, cold winds that struck him in a sudden blast. The heat still flamed strong, and he could see his hands glowing white-hot with power. He focused on the enemy Hakkadians, splitting his mind in fifty different parts for each opponent. In a sudden soothing release of power, the energy shot from his fingertips and instantly ignited the enemy sorcerers in burst of flame.

  He slumped against his dragon, and tied his arms to his saddle, exhaustion washing over him in a wave of sleepiness. Take me to Magrad, he commanded his dragon. But before his mind lapsed in unconsciousness, he felt a wave of euphoria rush over his body as he spotted the enemy dragons twisting and abandoning their flaming riders. He had done it. He had slain the host of enemy sorcerers and ensured those dragons would never again fight for King Braxion. He commanded his elder sorcerers to secure the dragons and keep them safe.

  Flying back to the mountain, he knew they would live to find the protection of the dwarven city, at least until Magrad fell to the draenyx army...

  Chapter Ten

  SEBINE REALIZED SHE had to exploit her advantage against the witch while her back was still turned. The witch opened the door with a silver key that flared runes along the edge. If Sebine moved to follow the woman through the door, she was certain she would be discovered. And then it would merely be a magical melee, one that Sebine feared she would lose due to her inexperience in dueling magicians. Out of fear for having her spell reflected back onto herself, for she had heard of spells of reflection, and the casting of wards on oneself (a skill she'd never learned), she cast a weak testing spell which shoved Jesmia against the steel door.

  With her back braced against the wall, all Sebine felt was a force pushing her chest, causing the stones to dig into her shoulder blades. The young witch stumbled but quickly recovered, and pivoting around, she prepared to strike.

  "Who dared attack me?" the witch hissed, and flared out a burst of light to reveal Sebine cowering in the corner of the room.

  But it was too late, for Sebine cast the stunning spell and the woman froze, her long arms stretched out in preparation for casting another spell. For a second Sebine consider hurling the witch against the door and knocking her unconscious, but caution told her to cast the boiling spell on the woman's brain. Blood exploded in a gruesome shower from her eye sockets and mouth and nostrils, and a line of blood dribbled down her earlobe as the witch crumpled to the ground in a heavy heap.

  Sebine smiled to herself, remembering how the witch had looked at Tael with lust in her eyes, and had commanded her to leave Lord Oberon's chamber with such a dismissive expression. The witch got what she deserved. Especially considering all the atrocities she had done to the addicts outside...

  After she strode over and bent down next to the witch's body, she retrieved the silver key from the pool of blood expanding underneath the woman. Jesmia had been both beautiful and seductive, and it was no wonder that old man Oberon was taken in by her charms. But now her face looked like a rag doll that's been chewed by a dog.

  Inside the laboratory she heard the scraping sound of many feet shuffling towards her and she went still. For what dark purpose did the witch use the severed heads in her laboratory? Fear pounded her heart and her breathing went shallow as she cast a spell and raised the light slowly in the room. She could see Tael naked and splayed on a low bed, and the healed scars over his chest. He was tied up with leather shackles, but to her relief, she could see that he was still alive. His eyes frantically glanced back and forth in horror from Sebine to tens of tall, spindly shadow figures shambling towards her in the darkness of the laboratory.

  Despite her spell of illumination, the shadow figures were unaffected, and tendrils of darkness lapped out from their black cores at the light, licking and consuming the power, causing them to strengthen in size as they advanced. An immense coldness came quickly over her finger where the Ring of Galdora was, and an iciness spread up her arm and into her heart in a chilling embrace. She realized that the creatures were draining her magical power from the light spell. She instantly cast a spell of heat on a candle near the bed, and the room went dim as she eliminated the light spell. She gasped, feeling heat pouring back into her body. In a dash, she raced over to the bed and frantically untied Tael from his bonds.

  "They're attracted to light and heat," Tael said, and wriggled off the bed and grabbed his clothes and backpack. "Behind us!"

  As Sebine spun around towards the door, she spotted several of the shadow men that had circled around and blocked their way of escape. She flared several more candles to life and illuminated the bowels of the laboratory. With a quick whip of her hands she flung the witch's body against a tall shelf filled with flasks, and at the shattering of glass, she ignited the whole mess in a fiery explosion. Just as the shadow figures were about to overtake Sebine and Tael cringing at the back of the bed, the abominations veered away and shuffled towards the fire like moths to flame.

  "Let's get out of here," Tael hissed, and Sebine snapped to attention at the sound of terror in his voice. He gripped her hand and ran, but she found her feet slipping on the dark pool at the door, and she fell, slapping her arm as she skittered across the wet ground. Her once beautiful dress was soiled and drenched in blood. Glancing back, she could see that the tall, wiry shadow figures had turned away from the raging fire and were shambling towards them in a burst of speed.

  She scrambled across the ground and together they raced towards the stairs. In the floor above she heard the shouts of guards and knew she had to disguise herself to ensure they escaped unscathed. Tael tugged his pants up to cover his naked body.

  "I'm going to cast a spell, and change forms into that witch," Sebine said, and tried to calm herself enough to quickly cast the spell of self-illusion. She closed her eyes and remembered what the witch had worn and how her face and figure had looked. Likely it wouldn't be perfect, but hopefully good enough to fool the panicked guards. She cast the spell and found herself instantly transformed into the witch, and her once stained dress morphed into the black silk gown of the woman.

  The fearful faces of four guards appeared in the stairwell and stare
d over Sebine's shoulders at the flames and the shadows shuffling towards them.

  "There's been a horrible accident in the laboratory," Sebine shouted, and pointed inside the chamber. "Hurry up and put out the fire before we're all killed!"

  She raced forward and the guards parted and stepped uncertainly towards the burning room. As she ran past, she caught a glimpse of a guard's wide-eyed face frozen in absolute horror as he undoubtedly had caught sight of one of the shadow figures.

  They'll make fine bait, she thought, picturing the cruelty with which the guards had severed the heads of the addicted men and women outside. And as Tael and Sebine rushed up the stairs, she heard the screams and shouts of the guards fall silent as a deep, ominous groaning sound overtook them. More guards approached them on their ascent, and each time Sebine commanded the men to help put out the fire below, and they ran swiftly like sheep to the slaughter.

  "I need to get my sword," Tael said, and they stopped for a moment at the top of the stairs to catch their breath. "In Lord Oberon's chambers." Sebine followed after Tael, but worried whether they would encounter the old man. Likely if he saw Sebine in this illusion, he would certainly recognize her disguise. A flash of an idea came to her all at once.

  "We need to find Lord Oberon." Sebine had kept her voice low as they stalked around the corner and tried the door to Lord Oberon's chambers.

  "It's locked." Tael glanced expectantly at her, and as Sebine was about to blast the door open, she remembered she held the witch's silver key in the pocket of her robe. She retrieved the key and found the runes activate along the edge as the lock clicked open.

  Sebine's heart hammered in surprise as she eyed Lord Oberon sleeping on the reclining chair in the dimly lit room. The old man snored haltingly, his lips flapping at each loud exhalation. She closed the door and waited as Tael sneaked over to Lord Oberon and he reached under the chair to retrieve his sword and sheath.

  Knowing that they'd need to make their way out of the building and back to the docks, Sebine cast a faint spell of light and memorized the old man's features. She'd need to impersonate Lord Oberon if they wanted to make it to the docks unscathed. At the light filling the room, Oberon gasped and snuffled, then Sebine relaxed as he chewed his lips lightly, and went back to his snoring.

  Despite all the terrible things that were happening in Glar Bay, Sebine believed that many were due to the vile influence of the witch. Now that she was dead, Sebine hoped that Lord Oberon would mend his ways. But remembering the shadow figures that were devouring the guards, she knew Lord Oberon was as good as dead.

  She cast the spell of self-transformation and stretched out her arms, admiring the authenticity of her illusion. Tael gave Sebine a funny look, and motioned her towards the door. As they walked to the entryway, she hoped that the clerk was fast asleep. Something told her that no matter how realistic her impersonation was of Lord Oberon, Clerk Keysher was likely to detect that things were amiss.

  The foyer was empty save for two agitated guards that stood in attention at their arrival.

  "Foul business with the laboratory," Sebine said, and had to stop herself from chuckling at the sound of Lord Oberon's deep voice coming out of her mouth. "I have urgent need to visit the town...as the situation in the basement is very serious. Why haven't you gone to aid the other guards?"

  The first soldier averted his eyes as he spoke. "We were ordered by the Captain to protect the entrance, m'lord."

  "Well, are there any guards outside that can escort me to town?" Sebine gave the soldier a significant stare.

  The guards glanced at each other, obviously torn from obeying the Captain and helping Lord Oberon. "Everyone on duty has gone down to stop the fire. And a runner just went to the barracks to rouse those asleep."

  She couldn't risk encountering the clerk or the Captain. "I'm afraid you'll have to immediately escort me to the docks, we can't afford to waste another moment." She strode over to the door. The horrific sound of fire and screams and moans terrorized the guard's face, and with renewed interest, they turned and followed her outside.

  The sparse grounds were quiet until a group of soldiers jogged past them towards the burning building. Sebine spied smoke billowing out through broken windows in the back. They had to hurry up and reach the docks before all of Glar Bay turned into chaos. If only the witch could control those shadow figures, then they were likely to continue ravaging the area until nothing was left. Even if the wizard challenged them, Sebine knew from experience that the shadows creatures would only feed off the magic and grow stronger. A cruel vision flashed in her mind, of Glar Bay dark and desolate, with only shadow figures roaming the ruins of the city. She knew it was true.

  At the gate, one of the guards dropped the keys and glanced back nervously at the chaos overtaking the now fiery building. The other guard picked up the keys and quickly opened the door. His eyes stared in horror at the inferno. Sebine jumped in surprise as a gaunt face appeared in the darkness beyond the gate, a drooling face of hunger and fevered desperation.

  "I need...I need more," the gaunt man said, and wiped the drool from his mouth as his blood-shot eyes pleaded at Sebine. She found herself shivering at the addict and the hundreds more that were scrambling over to them.

  The guards were about to draw their swords when Sebine stopped them with a raised fist. "No, don't display your weapons. Tell them where drugs are, we have no time to fight. We have to leave now!" Sebine shoved her way through the gate and the guards followed. The addicts sniffed at her as if they'd discovered something of interest. Did they smell that she was a woman, or did the spell of illusion block that as well? The men's eyes went wide with lustful hunger. It was almost like they were using their sense of smell to guide their hunger.

  "Over there," a guard shouted at the addicts now packed in around them, and the soldier pointed through the gate at a low building nearest the barracks. "You'll find all the drugs you want in there. Go!"

  To Sebine's relief, the men advancing towards her turned and charged through the gate, and the crowd of addicts clambered after them. The guards veered around the clustered mass of bodies trying to push their way through, and Sebine and Tael followed them towards the far gate where a man's eyes peered through with concern.

  "Open up!" the guard shouted, "Lord Oberon has urgent business in town."

  Sebine could hear keys jangling on the other side of the door, and soon the gate swung open.

  "What in the name of the gods is going on?" An overweight guard peered around them and gaped at the building burning off in the distance. Flames leapt into the air, illuminating the mounds of grey smoke drifting off in the distance.

  The two guards with Sebine and Tael pushed through the gate. One guard turned and spoke. "Close and lock the gate." His desperate voice faded as Sebine tugged on Tael's hand and they left the guards. But she could still hear his voice off in the distance. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll get the hell out of this insane city. We're cursed for what we did..."

  They took off and ran through the streets of Glar Bay, and wound their way around the maze-like streets, always keeping sight of the distant bay illuminated by the ghostly moon. Sebine almost tripped over a group of dogs snuffling through garbage in the dirty streets, but Tael led her safely past the growling creatures. Soon they reached the docks and Sebine pointed to the building where she had seen the harbormaster. They stopped to catch their breath, and she scanned the ships anchored along the pier. One of those boats had to hail for a Malathian City. They would leave right away, before the shadow creatures chased the desperate citizens to the sea.

  She strode over and knocked on the harbormaster shack, and waited as a man grunted and swore inside. "What do you want at this ungodly hour?"

  "Open up for Lord Oberon, I have urgent business with you!" Sebine's shouted, hoping she'd gotten the inflection of the old man's voice correct, as she'd only heard him speak a little in his chambers.

  The door swung open and the sleepy face of t
he bald-headed dockmaster eyed her with suspicion.

  "There's a fire up at my mansion—"

  "Since when does old bones call his house of horrors a mansion?" The dockmaster spat and gave Sebine a hard stare. He sniffed at her and shook his head wryly. "Another trick by your witch? Ya look like Lord Oberon, but you smell too pretty to be old bones. Go on, show yourself." He rubbed his bald head with an irritated expression on his face.

  Sebine realized she'd been discovered. How she proceeded next was very important, and she debated her next course of action. If she reverted to her own form the dockmaster might be surprised to not find the witch. But if she impersonated the witch, the man might be suspicious to discover her desire to flee the city. She decided truth was the best course of action.

  "We only want to leave Glar Bay and go to a Malathian city," she said, changing back to her regular form. "We tried before but were forced to go up to that horrible place." She glanced up at the fire now visible off in the distance. "Lord Oberon's witch is dead, I killed her myself after they imprisoned me and tortured my friend Tael here for information. And likely old bones, as you called him, is dead as well. If you are smart you'll leave Glar Bay forever. The witch had created some strange abominations—figures made of shadow—and they were killing the guards. Will you help us find a ship out of here?"

  The dockmaster narrowed his dark eyes in concern and nodded at her. "Let me check my logbook. I think there is a ship sailing for Rez'el in the morning."

  "Are there any sailing for Erelim?" Sebine said as the man entered the shack. She wanted to avoid the City of Rez'el after hearing the stories told of the bizarre cults that dominated the people and the culture.

  The burly man shook his head as he returned, studying his logbook. "Only Rez'el. And from your tale I suspect I'll be sailing east to Cranth or even the Islands of Marr. I thank you for the warning. Come with me, I'll get you safely on your ship."