When Talis had vanished in a flash of silver and black light, Mara thought for sure that the strange ceremony by the Dragons had obliterated him so completely that he was forever gone. But their shocked faces and glances around caused her to realize, in the purest wave of relief, that he must have escaped by casting some shadow spell. Instead of trying to systematically slay every Dragon one at a time, Mara relaxed and slipped away from the mob, aiming her wet path in the direction where Talis had been facing.
If she could find him then things would be better, she knew it was true. They could escape back to Naru through one of Talis’s shadow portal spells or simply fly north and return home. If there were any threat of Jiserian invasion then they would deal with as it came. For now, as long as they could stay together and protect each other, she believed they would survive. He had saved her once again, and somehow sinking into the depths of the lake had caused a renewed hope to surge inside her heart. If the taint of darkness in her mind could only be washed away…
She gripped her daggers and felt the furious power working its way through the caverns of her mind, as if serpents slithered and searched for an ankle to poison. But she forced herself to remember Talis’s hurt eyes as she ignored him in the palace, and pushed the power of daggers down below the surface of her thoughts until the dagger’s dark suggestions were just a hushed murmur beneath the main avenue of her thoughts. She knew she had to control the power to preserve her sanity.
Her feet wandered as she shuffled through the snaking streets, and the rain soaking her white dress appeared ghostly to her eyes. She hoped that through some divine intervention she might stumble upon Talis and they’d escape together. But this part of the city seemed strangely silent and empty, as the citizens were avoiding going outside because of the violence in the palace. In the quiet, the city had a delicate quality to it, and Mara could see the beauty of the whitewashed architecture without the wildness of the crowd surging through it.
Above, the stormy sky seethed with a rising fury, and a gale’s blast buffeted her face and caused her to shield herself from the wind. A faint whisper sounded in her ears, like when the wind rushes by and talks to you, so softly sometimes you can barely make out the wind’s words. But this voice was stronger now, urging and insistent, and it told her to keep walking straight ahead, and oddly enough, guided her left and right, and around buildings and shops and trees as she strode in a clear, peaceful trance, as if she were treading freely across clouds.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the strangling clouds and shone upon a shining statue of a pretty goddess protecting a child, and Mara saw herself in that child and felt the warm embrace of light filling her soul with sorrow and gladness. The wind gusted up and pushed open a door to a temple and for a moment Mara was afraid of being seen, but she laughed as she remembered that she was still invisible, though she wondered if it was ok to remove the spell since she was so far away from the palace.
She released her invisibility and relished in the return of her body to her eyes. Why had she waited so long? Even if she encountered the Dragons, she could always hide herself from them. When the sound of feet came from within the temple her heart raced and she hurried on, not wanting to interact with anyone, certainly not a temple priest. She rounded a corner and felt relieved at escaping unnoticed, then a shout caused her to quicken her steps and run down the street.
Footsteps chased her and her chest pounded from the exertion of running as fast as she could from her pursuer. Rain streamed down her face and she felt cold from the wind and the storm pressing chilly air down from the sky. Feeling stupid for not going invisible again, she was about to cast the spell when she paused and listened, wondering if she recognized the voice of the person chasing her. She turned around and found a silly smile stretching across her face as she spotted Talis breathless and jogging towards her.
He paused and caught his breath, his kind eyes savoring her in a warm look of love and amazement.
“I prayed to the Goddess Nacrea,” he said, still panting hard from the run. “I prayed for your safety, and for the fortitude for you to fight against the dark power of the daggers. I know those are identical to Princess Minoweth’s daggers, I just don’t know where you found them.” He looked up and raised his hands to the sky. “All praises and blessings to the Goddess Nacrea, for hearing my prayer and bringing Mara safely to me.”
Mara looked at his beautiful face as he stared up at the sky and a soft golden light swirled around his figure and filled him with an angelic quality that caused tears to flood down her cheeks and she gasped in sorrow and regret at hardening her heart to him. She loved him, it was so simple and pure, she loved him and no other boy. As she immersed herself in the vision of Talis praying to the Goddess, a silver streak shot across the stormy sky, and for a moment Mara thought that the Goddess might pay them a visit like before in the Temple of the Sun. But no Goddess appeared, only the sound of cascading explosions rocking the air above them, and Mara swiveled her head around to study a blinding array of lightning and spiraling storm tunnels shooting down at the city.
Was Carvina under invasion? Talis caught Mara’s concerned eyes and he sidled over to hold her hand and inspect the tumultuous violence arcing across the sky. Thunder boomed in hundreds of massive, rumbling explosions that shook the ground and quaked the buildings from side-to-side until a flash of white smoke blanketed the sky. A wailing, whining, whirring sound echoed out as an enormous detonation shot a titanic plume of smoke and rubble so high into the air it seemed to cover the city in a seething, demonic face of destruction.
Talis and Mara dove to the ground as whizzing iron and stone fragments bounced off the eerie-green shield that activated from Mara’s daggers, protecting them from the storm of particles that shot across the city in the explosion. Buildings crumbled and collapsed, and the sides of structures and houses were shredded from the blast. A giant tower off in the distance cracked and tumbled over, sending the massive stone blocks crashing into a nearby temple. The quick succession of damage to the city was so expansive and violent that it shocked Mara speechless. Her ears ringed in a tinny sound and although Talis was speaking to her, she couldn’t hear a thing.
31. THE BALEFUL HAND
They stayed on the ground for a while until the explosions died down to a dull series of thuds and concussive blasts, and Talis cleared his ears. What had made that massive explosion? He knew he had to see what was going on from the vantage point of the sky, even at the risk of getting caught by the Dragons again. He spoke to Mara and told her to stay here, but go invisible, and he pointed at the sky.
Still his ears were ringing and he could barely hear what she said to him, but he just nodded and motioned for her to go and she mouthed the words, I love you, be careful, please! He kissed her lips and watched her disappear, and moved over into the center of the square and transformed into a dragon.
The area was so small he had to scramble and claw his way up to the top of the buildings and he flapped his wings and took flight high above the smoking, burning, shattered city. Far below around the palace burst a clustering series of explosions, the colorful beauty of which was frightening to behold. He spied a silvery figure spinning around in circles, shooting quick blasts of power that seemed to be causing all the damage to the city. Who was that sorcerer and why was he attacking Carvina?
Something in the strength and intensity of the blasts seemed familiar to Talis. He dove down after the shimmering figure, uncaring now of the strangling nets from the Dragon’s ballistas. As he neared the sorcerer, the figure paused its attacks and turned to face Talis.
“Thank the gods they didn’t kill you already,” shouted Rikar, a broad, mirthful smile filling his face. “Where is Mara?”
Surprised, Talis studied the sorcerer again to be sure it was really Rikar. Although the voice was definitely Rikar’s cocky, aristocratic accent, his hair was now golden like the sun and his skin pale as the four moon sisters. A star-like luminescence seemed to surround h
im as he hovered in the sky, one foot on earth, and the other foot in the vast expansiveness of the many worlds. He was completely renewed, and from the devastating impact of his attacks, utterly transformed in his magical prowess. Talis felt a twinge of jealousy strike his heart at seeing Rikar in all his regalia, his face proud and strong.
With a flick of his snout he motioned for Rikar to follow him down to where Mara was hiding in the small square. He sped off over the inferno that raged over the once beautiful city, and Rikar flew alongside until they reached the cracked and shattered buildings that surrounded the square. Dust billowed all around and caused Talis to sneeze and smoke shot out from his nostrils. He scrambled down the inside of the square slowly, hoping that Mara would stay safely away from his approach. When he reached the bottom he changed into human form and called out for her.
Rikar landed with a hard thud that pulverized the cobblestones, shooting a dust cloud around his radiant figure. His relaxed eyes held a strange calmness that seemed foreign to the friend and traitor that Talis once knew. Mara appeared from behind a broken marble statue of a lion and strode over, staring with suspicious eyes at Rikar.
“What the hell are you doing here? What did you do, decide to dye your hair blonde?” Mara scoffed and tilted her head querulously. “No, there is something strange about you, a kind of pale magnificence that likely means you’ve either stolen something of fantastic strength or allied yourself with a very powerful entity.”
“Good to see you too, Mara. And I see that you’re well-utilizing Princess Minoweth’s dagger?” His head did a double take as Mara held up her other hand. “Wait, twin daggers? How did that happen?”
Mara sniffed and glanced guiltily at Talis. “It’s a long story, actually. And you have a lot of explaining to do. Like why you are here in the first place and why the massive change in appearance?”
“And change in power and ability,” Talis said, and pointed at the destroyed wall of a building. “It seems our old friend has come to Carvina seeking to demolish the place. Good thing we weren’t in the epicenter of the explosion.”
“I knew you weren’t, actually.” Rikar tapped his head and grinned thievishly. “A long story of my own to tell, but now is hardly the time. I sense those Dragons stalking over the city, looking for you. Even though I created a nice distraction, I doubt the damage killed many of them. We need to leave…like right now.”
“Where exactly do you propose we go?” Mara gave Rikar an exasperated shake of her head. “You come here out of nowhere and expect us to follow you? One moment you’re our enemy and the next you flew to Carvina to try and rescue us?”
Rikar cast a quick spell and started rising into the air. “May I?” At Talis’s nod he cast the flying spell over Mara and Talis and they flew over to where Rikar was preparing to catapult into the sky. “Back to the lair, the Ruins of Elmarr, to the prison of the Nameless.”
The Ruins of Elmarr? Talis remembered the overwhelming feeling of malicious that had come over him as he was compelled towards the ruin in the desert. Why would Rikar want to take them there? Now wasn’t the time to argue, so Talis decided to go along with Rikar and at least distance themselves from the city.
“But we have to go retrieve our backpacks from the Regent’s Inn,” Talis said. And the Surineda Map, he thought. Why had he been so stupid as to leave it in the room? He flew high and scanned over the city, trying to find the right direction in the smoky landscape. There! Off to the south, past the gardens where Talis and Mara had traveled through last night, and past the square where Princess Devonia had watched his foolish display of fire magic. Soon he landed on the stone street, surprising the servants that scurried away from them in horror at their approach.
The Regent’s Inn had survived most of the blast, but broken windows and stray rocks had still sprayed the once beautiful inn with devastating shots of rubble. Talis shouted at the bell clerk to take them quickly to their room, and the man obeyed and they charged off after him up the stairs to where they collected their packs and changed into their cleaned travel clothes and leathers. Hoping he’d gathered everything he needed for their trip, they jogged back outside and scanned around before stepping into the street.
And with a nod from Talis and a grim look from Mara, Rikar shot off into the air and they followed fast, feeling the wind and smoke and dust rush past him as Talis chased after the last person in the world he wanted to follow.
32. TEMPORARY OBEDIENCE
The speed and exhilaration from flying with Rikar’s spell caused Mara to flush in excitement and strength, a feeling heightened by the dagger’s dark power that surged through her body. She believed that anything was possible after witnessing the tremendous destructive force obliterating the once pompous and debauched city. It was a shame that Princess Devonia had likely survived the attacks. Mara hoped she could send the pretty bitch to the Underworld and speed her reunion with her brother. A sweet snack best saved for another time…
Compared to flying as a dragon, this ridiculous speed was like galloping instead of crawling. Several times her daggers brought to life the shimmering green shield and protectively smashed seabirds that strayed too far inland. Mara glanced at Talis as he squinted and stared ahead, his expression intent on not losing Rikar. The stupid traitor flew like a madman. What was he doing in the Ruins of Elmarr? Was he allied with the Nameless, that hideous voice that still haunted Mara’s mind? She shivered in horror at the thought of returning to that place.
To Mara’s surprise, they were approaching an expansive city with steep mountains off to the south, a red-tinged city built along the beautiful, emerald sea. The closer they came to the city, the more Mara spotted spirals of smoke scattered everywhere. Was this the great City of Ishur, the city that Master Goleth had said was deep in civil war and violence between the magical Orders? But wasn’t Rikar supposed to take them to the Ruins of Elmarr?
Talis must have been thinking the same thing, for they both sped up alongside Rikar and shot him questioning looks that caused him to slow down and hover on the outskirts of Ishur.
“What the hell is going on?” Mara said, and was determined to hear Rikar’s story before they proceeded any farther. “I thought we were going to Ruins of Elmarr?”
“Before we go on, I think we’re owed an explanation.” Talis pointed to a mountaintop off on the southern side of the city. “Let’s fly over there and rest while you tell us your story.”
Rikar’s face looked strangely impatient and nervous, but after he glanced around as if scanning for danger, he nodded in agreement and sped off towards the mountain. Soon they arrived and landed in the shade of a stand of soldier pines and stared out over the rock-strewn landscape to the west as the sun floated just above the horizon, an orange ball slicing through a stream of feathery clouds.
Talis and Mara dropped their backpacks onto the pine needle bed and she sat with a sigh. She glanced up expectantly at Rikar, and with a shrug of his shoulders, he began telling them the story of why he’d followed them through the portal, and what he’d done inside the Ruins of Elmarr. Mara found the hairs of her arms standing in sheer terror as he described his interaction with the Nameless in that dark prison chamber. And when Rikar told of how his body had been brutalized by the priest and brought back to life with the essence of the slain Starwalkers, Mara shivered in horror as she imagined the hideous ceremony.
She wondered if even Elder Relech could be so cruel.
“You’re crazy if you think we’d return to the Ruins of Elmarr with you,” Mara said, and shook her head in disgust at Rikar. “No, listen, I mean it. Before you argue back, realize that we came to Carvina in the hope of striking a peace treaty with Emperor Ghaalis. Don’t scoff like that, I’m serious. He did grant us an audience but it was a complete setup.”
“And you expected something different from the Jiserian Emperor?” Rikar laughed and stared at her with mocking eyes, making Mara furious at his flippant attitude. “The Jiserians hate Talis for killing so many
sorcerers and necromancers and standing up to them. You should have heard Lord Aurellia talking about you. He was actually amused as he seems to enjoy creating chaos and conflict.”
“Well, he’s worlds away now,” Talis said, and frowned at Rikar as if wondering what he was doing here with his old enemy.
“Not for long. Do you think he’d really be satisfied to give up any portion of his power and dominion over this world?” Rikar looked with deliberate, haughty provocation at Talis and Mara, as if daring them to challenge him. “He only went to Vellia because he wanted something of power to aid his cause. I think he’ll be coming back, especially if we succeed in stealing fragments from the Starwalkers.”
“We? Are you absolutely insane?” Mara whispered, feeling disgusted at herself and disbelieving that she’d even thought of getting involved with Rikar’s ridiculous plans. “Have fun with that! There’s no way we’re going anywhere near another Starwalker. You’re the one they want revenge against. What do we have to do with it?”
“Do I know the mind of the Lord of All?” Rikar flipped his long, golden hair away from his eyes, and it infuriated Mara how serene and self-assured he looked. “There is obviously something you’re not telling me, since it seems like the Nameless knows both of you. It’s like he’s watching you and tracking you, and he has to be whispering in your head, just like I hear his voice inside mine.” He tapped the side of his skull and it made a soft rapping sound.
Talis looked wary as he paused for a moment. “We stopped at the Ruins of Elmarr. Some feeling possessed me and compelled me to land and go inside the temple ruins you talked about. Still, I resisted and we left, but it is true, several times I’ve heard the voice of the Nameless in my mind…”
“So have I,” Mara admitted, and wished she’d stayed quiet, for Talis scowled and looked at her with doubt and fear in his eyes. “After we visited the Ruins I had a nightmare. I saw a dark chamber, and Princess Minoweth’s dagger appeared…and the next thing I knew I woke and the twin daggers were in my hands. It was like the Nameless had fed off my memories and somehow recreated the daggers. I don’t know, it’s all seriously strange and honestly, I don’t want anything to do with that power chained there in the desert. It’s a hideous feeling…”
Star Mage (Book 5) Page 20
