Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book Two

by Cadman, Dean

  “Now we get out of here,” Lusam whispered back.

  “If she calls you that again you have my permission to turn her into a toad, or something equally disgusting,” Neala whispered from behind. Lusam just smiled to himself and headed off in the direction of the temple, Neala and Alexia closely following behind.

  They only reached the second intersection before they turned a corner and came face to face with two Empire agents. Lusam saw the unexpected reaction of the two men, and realised his mistake too late; he'd forgotten to cancel their magical shields. He and the other two would be lit up like giant fireflies to their mage-sight. Instinctively he sent out a blast of force towards the two men sending them hurtling into the wall behind, but not before one of them had managed to cast his silence spell on him.

  He couldn't speak, so he gestured to the others to follow him as he ran for the cover of the back streets. It didn't take long for another two Empire agents to show up, no doubt sensing the excessive use of magic. This time Lusam could see that they already had their shields in place. He gestured that they all should remain close together, then he increased the strength of his shield around all three of them as they continued running towards the temple. It was a good job he had fortified his shield, because only moments later he was struck by two successive blasts from the chasing pair of men.

  He held the blasts at bay with relative ease, but he could feel the instant drain on his reserves as each blast struck his shield. He knew if he was only shielding himself that it would have affected him much less, but with such a large area to protect it quickly sapped his strength. Blast after blast pounded his shield as they ran on towards their goal. At one point he turned and fired a shot back at his pursuers, only to see it fizzle on their shield with little or no effect.

  Noticing the bombardment intensify on his shield he glanced back over his shoulder, only to discover another two men had joined forces with the first two, and were now also launching magical missiles at him. He knew he had to change his tactics, and fast, or he would never make it to the temple before his reserves were drained. He decided to use the buildings as best he could to block their shots. He switched streets and alleys at every opportunity, denying the pursuing men as many direct shots at his party as he could.

  It seemed to be working for the first few minutes, but soon more and more of the Empire agents joined forces. He didn't dare slow down to look, but by the number of shots he was now taking he estimated that at least ten were now chasing them. He was extremely relieved to see the temple come into view as he turned the next corner, but equally dismayed to see yet another two men in black robes between him and the temple. There was nothing else he could do apart from run straight at them, zigzagging down the street, avoiding as many blasts as he could. It worked better than he thought it would, several of the blasts coming from the chasing pack missed them and impacted on the shields of the two blocking the road ahead.

  What happened next amazed him. From the temple doorway emerged over a dozen paladins, each armed with a sword and shield and in full chain-mail. They charged the two men blocking the road, cutting through their magical shields as if they weren't even there, killing both men instantly. Lusam felt the double shock wave of their deaths ripple through him even before their lifeless bodies hit the ground.

  As the paladins came within earshot, he heard the distinct voice of Hershel call out from within the group.

  “Don't stop, keep running boy.” Lusam tried to reply, forgetting he still couldn't speak, so he just nodded and continued running. The paladins formed up behind his party, retreating along with them, and using their blessed shields to block the missiles coming from the dozen or so Empire agents now closing on their position. When they approached the entrance to the temple the doors opened, and they were beckoned inside by another couple of paladins. Just before he ducked inside Lusam turned to see how the main group of paladins were doing, and he didn't like what he saw. It looked like two of them had been injured and were being carried by several of the others, which left them exposed and extremely vulnerable to further attacks.

  The Empire agents were now concentrating their fire-power on the weakened area of the paladins defences, pounding it relentlessly. He indicated for Neala and Alexia to remain inside the temple, and they seemed to understand what he had in mind. With Neala and Alexia safely inside he no longer needed to shield them, and instead focused on sending his magical barrier to fortify the weak spot in the paladins defensive line. The magical shield had an immediate positive effect on their speed of retreat, enabling them to effectively carry their injured men, and reform their defensive line more effectively. The first volley of shots that Lusam's shield absorbed almost brought him to his knees with its sudden massive drain on his reserves. Having seen the paladins reform their defensive line, he quickly narrowed his magical barrier so it only covered the gap in their defences, meaning most of the impacts were now being absorbed by the paladin's shields, instead of his.

  As they approached the main entrance several of the magical missiles impacted on the walls surrounding the door, but seemed to do no visible damage. Lusam stepped inside the temple walls out of harm's way, and immediately felt the spell restricting his speech fade away. Moments later the men were safely inside the temple and the door firmly barred behind them. Lusam heard the impacts of several more magical missiles, but no-one seemed concerned about it, and it soon ceased.

  Lusam could see that one of the men was badly injured, the other less so, but would still require medical attention. They were both carried into the large room where Lusam had first met Hershel and laid down on a long table against the far wall. One of the paladins quickly accessed the injuries of the worst of the two men.

  “How is he?” asked Hershel, concern evident on his face. The man assessing his injuries just shook his head at Hershel's inquiry, indicating there was no hope for him.

  “Lusam, you have to try and help him,” Neala whispered at Lusam's side.

  “I intend to,” Lusam replied. “Those men most likely saved our hides out there. I'm not about to let any of them die if I can avoid it.”

  “He looks pretty beat up to me, I'm not sure anyone could do anything for him,” Alexia said looking at the man on the table.

  “If anyone can help him, Lusam can,” Neala replied squeezing Lusam's hand, then nudging him forward towards the unconscious man. He walked over to the makeshift bed where Hershel was now praying for his fallen comrade's soul. Lusam wanted to speak with Hershel first, but he felt strangely uncomfortable breaking into his private prayers, and decided to just try and help the man if he could.

  Lusam placed his hand on the man's chest and sent his mage-sight into his body, searching for whichever was his most life threatening injury. It didn't take him long to see that it was his heart that had taken the brunt of the magical impact. It amazed Lusam the man still clung to life at all with his injuries, but he put that out of his mind and quickly set to work repairing his damaged organ, and surrounding tissues. Knitting the muscles of the heart together while they still moved was no easy task, and several times he lost his concentration, having to restart that part of the repair again. After about ten minutes he had managed to repair his heart and moved on to the surrounding damage caused by the impact. Apart from a few minor blood vessels that needed to be repaired around the main impact area, the rest was just superficial, and only took him a few more minutes to complete. When Lusam opened his eyes he could see that the wound was now fully closed, even though the amount of blood on his chest suggested otherwise. He reached over and grabbed a cloth from the end of the table and wiped away the blood to reveal a perfectly healed chest. He heard a gasp from the man who had first assessed his injuries as he saw the results of Lusam's work.

  Hershel however was still in prayer, and completely oblivious to his comrade now regaining consciousness right in front of him. As he woke, his hand instinctively went to his chest, but found no signs of trauma. Gingerly he sat upright an
d swung his legs over the edge of the table. Lusam playfully put his finger to his lips, indication for the man to stay silent while Hershel continued his prayers. The two paladins got the joke immediately and nodded their approval, whilst Lusam went to see the less injured man.

  The second man had suffered an impact on his left leg, and it was a quick and simple task to heal him in comparison with the first man's injuries. Once he was fully healed Lusam indicated for him to also remain silent, which he did. Unfortunately the other twenty or so men in the room must have found it far more difficult keeping their humour in check, as one after another escalated from chuckling to themselves, to bursting out in fits of laughter at Hershel's expense.

  Hershel opened his eyes, ready to berate his men for their lack of respect for their fellow paladin about to die on the table in front of him, but he was cut short by the man himself.

  “Sir, I think praying for my soul may be a little premature, just yet,” he said, grinning at the look of astonishment on Hershel's face.

  “I...I don't understand. How's this possible?” Hershel said, also noticing the second man up on his feet too.

  “I don't know how he did it, but our young friend over there placed his hand on them, and their wounds healed before my very eyes,” said the man who first assessed their injuries. The two men Lusam had healed were already thanking him verbally, and shaking his hand enthusiastically as Hershel approached him.

  “Well boy, I've never seen the likes before, I can tell you that,” Hershel half-whispered shaking his head. “Thank you Lusam, we are going to need every paladin we have if we're going to turn the tide of this war, even two as useless as these,” he said pointing with his chin and smiling at the two men, who were now re-enacting, and embellishing their recent battle prowess for the other men's entertainment.

  Neala nudged Alexia with her elbow and said under her breath with pride, “Told you he could do it.” Alexia only nodded, still speechless at what she had just witnessed.

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Zedd and Cole emerged from the forest well after dark and crossed the river using the ferry service opposite the eastern gate of Stelgad. The ferry-man refused to cross the river to pick them up at first, but Zedd had contacted the closest Empire agent on the other side of the river using his ring, to help change his mind.

  While they waited for the ferry to come and pick them up, Zedd listened in on the many communications that were being conducted around, and within the city by his fellow agents. He found it very strange that there was no mention of the boy, or the paladin he was travelling with. He knew they were at least a couple of hours in front of them, and would have probably made it to the city just before dark.

  He made some discreet enquiries as to how many of his brethren had made it to the city already, and was surprised at the answer. Every gate into the city was currently guarded by at least four of his fellow agents. Patrols freely roamed the streets within the city, and every road in or out of the city was also well guarded. The information seemed to confirm his suspicions; either the boy and paladin were not yet inside the city, or they hadn't enter via a gate.

  “Shouldn't we let someone know that the boy came through the forest and should still be somewhere nearby?” Cole asked. Zedd gave him a withering look of contempt, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him close to his face.

  “We're not telling anyone, anything, do you understand me? You may not have anything worth returning to the Empire for, but I do. And I refuse to spend a moment longer than I have to in this cold, wet, god-forsaken land,” Zedd spat at him, still half strangling him with his own collar.

  “But... Lord Zelroth knows all, he can read our thoughts through our rings, everyone knows that!” Cole exclaimed. Zedd burst out laughing and released his collar, dumping him on the ground at his feet.

  “You fool! If he knows everything, why are all our men searching for the boy inside the city, and on the roads, instead of just waiting at the edge of the forest to kill him when he came out. Don't get me wrong, I've no doubt that Lord Zelroth could read our mind if we were standing in front of him, but through our rings... that's just a story told to keep us all in line. Think about it, how better to ensure our complete loyalty than to spread the rumour that every thought can be heard by him?” Zedd said looking down at Cole still on the ground at his feet.

  “How can you be certain of that? Everyone knows he can kill us any time he wants by using our own rings against us. We all pledged our lives to serve him knowing failure meant certain death,” Cole replied sheepishly.

  “No, I can't be certain of it, but what I can be certain of is this; if you try to contact anyone to tell them, I will kill you,” Zedd said menacingly. Cole visibly paled at his two choices; betray Lord Zelroth and possibly risk death, or betray Zedd and find certain death. Zedd knew the dilemma Cole now faced, but he felt little or no remorse for his situation. He knew Cole was easily controlled, and that he may yet need his pitifully small supply of magic in his pursuit of the boy, especially now he travelled with a paladin of Aysha.

  “We can still kill the boy and return home to the Empire heroes. All you need is a little faith,” said Zedd, begrudgingly offering Cole a hand to stand up. He took his hand and pulled himself up to face Zedd.

  “How can you be sure that we will be the ones to kill the boy, when there are so many others looking to do the same?” Cole asked. “Because, they are all looking in the wrong place for him. Look at the city, tell me what you see”

  “A big wall,” Cole replied.

  “And what do you see beyond that wall?” Zedd asked.

  “I can't see anything beyond the wall, apart from that tower poking out over the wall in the distance,” Cole replied confused.

  “Exactly! That tower is a temple of Aysha. A training facility for their paladins if I'm not mistaken. Where better to enter the city than directly into the temple itself, especially if you happen to be travelling with a paladin. If they were already inside the temple our people could not possibly find them, nor would they risk a frontal assault on a temple full of paladins even if they knew they were inside,” Zedd said quietly as the ferry-man finally reached their bank.

  The ferry-man looked half scared to death as he encouraged them to quickly board his small craft. He never once made eye contact with either Zedd or Cole, but instead constantly scanned the trees beyond for any signs of movement. The moment both men were on board he push off from the river bank, putting as much distance between them and the forest side of the river as quickly as he could. Once they had reached the centre of the river the ferry-man slowed the craft and visibly relaxed again. “How comes two fine gents such as yourselves end up stuck on that side of the river after dark anyway?” asked the ferry-man, trying to make conversation.

  “I'd say that's none of your business, unless you think otherwise,” Zedd growled at the man.

  “Sorry sir, I meant no harm, please forgive me,” replied the ferry-man averting his eyes from Zedd's, and bowing his head in subservience. Zedd failed to reply, and the remainder of the crossing was done in complete silence. When they reached the Stelgad side of the river bank they disembarked the small craft without a word, or payment of any kind. There were no complaints from the ferry-man.

  Zedd could see six men guarding the east gate, and two town guards. No doubt the guards had been magically charmed not to take any notice of his fellow agents, possibly even to be on the lookout for the boy themselves. None of that concerned Zedd, he knew the boy and the paladin would never likely pass that gate anyway.

  If there was a secret entrance into the temple from outside the city walls he needed to find it, and fast. But circumnavigating the outside of the city walls, whilst checking for hidden entrances on foot would take him hours, time he didn't have. He noticed another two agents on horseback further north on the road at a junction, and started walking towards them, Cole following closely behind. When Zedd got close enough to see them more clearly he smiled to himself;
he out ranked both of them. Both of the men on horseback watched him and Cole approach their position, and both snapped to attention when they noticed his small silver skull pendant hanging below his sigil of Aamon.

  “I require both of your horses for urgent Empire business,” Zedd stated, leaving no room for debate. The two men were obviously not happy, but neither dared deny Zedd's request, and surrendered their mounts without complaint. Everyone's rank within the Empire was dictated by the amount of magical power they possessed, and any subordinate ranked agent who refused to follow the orders of his or her superior, often found themselves dead without trial.

  Zedd and Cole mounted their new horses and returned to the east gate without so much as a `thank you` to the two men they left standing on the road behind them. When they reached the east gate, instead of entering the city Zedd continued riding south, following the city wall. They followed the wall until it turned to the west and then continued following it in that direction.

  Ten minutes later came the first requests for help from within the city. The boy had been spotted, but he was now with two girls instead of the paladin. Cole wheeled his horse around ready to race back to the east gate, but even before he was fully turned he was ordered to stay where he was.

  “We must return to the city sire, they've found the boy and are requesting the help of everyone,” Cole said desperately.

  “I know, I'm not deaf. We aren't going back to the city.” Zedd stated.

  “Why not?”

  “The boy didn't enter the city through a gate, so it stands to reason he won't leave through one either. I think he found a way into the temple from outside the city walls. All we need to do is either find the secret entrance, or wait until he reveals himself outside the city walls and kill him. Follow me,” Zedd said, and continued following the southern city wall. Cole turned his horse back around and followed without complaint.