Scion’s Sacrifice

by R. Michael Card

  Davar was dazed and partially deafened. Blinking, he tried to look around and focus on what had happened. His body was healing, but it was slow, sluggish. He saw Cass on her hands and knees nearby, shaking her head as if to clear it. Tirol was still alive if only barely, tears in his eyes and his teeth gritted against the pain of his crushed leg.

  Behind him, Davar saw the remains of the guard, stone and lava spread over a great area.

  Slowly Davar got to his feet.

  Wyllea was still battling with her own guard. How she’d managed to stay alive this long on her own against the thing Davar had no idea. But she seemed to be evading the creature with her amazing aerial speed and agility. Meanwhile, it was a virtual porcupine of arrows, dripping lava all over the room.

  That’s when a great blazing… something… passed through Davar’s field of vision.

  He blinked and when he opened his eyes again, Emberthorn was embedded in the chest of the Blacklord, sunk to the hilt. The wizard wore a surprised look, gave a rasping cough, and slumped over.

  The demon Wyllea was fighting screeched and plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground, digging a deep trench in the stonework.

  No, this wasn’t right. Davar staggered a few steps forward, closer to Cass, as silence sunk heavy over the room like a smothering blanket. Davar was certain the Blacklord would not die so easily.

  Wyllea landed nearby, a stunned look on her face as she stared at the limp form of the Blacklord. “I really didn’t think it would be that easy.”

  “Oh, it isn’t. Senia call Emberthorn back now!” Davar shouted.

  “What? But…”

  They all watched as the Blacklord’s head rose from where it had fallen against his chest, a rictus grin on his face as a frail hand reached for the hilt of Emberthorn.

  “Emberthorn!” Senia called, and the blade vanished from the small man’s chest, appearing back in her hand.

  The Blacklord stood slowly, his grating laugh growing louder.

  “Oh, what sports you are!” he cried out as if watching a pet doing tricks. Then the mirth faded from his voice. “But I think it is time to end this, don’t you?”

  Cass had crawled over next to Tirol and, pouring healing energies into him, had almost nearly restored his leg.

  “I’m nearly spent,” Tirol whispered. Davar checked. None of them looked good. Senia seemed mostly well, and Wyllea was only starting to tire, but the rest of them were weary. Once again, he couldn’t find Ahrn. Why had the monk avoided the fight? Where had he gone?

  “I think you are all nearly spent,” the Blacklord called out. “Why don’t you all rest.” He reached out a hand, and a great black wave flowed from him, quickly washing over them all. Davar felt a sense of futility, despair, and the desire to simply give up, lie down, and die. It took nearly everything he had of his soul magic to resist the urge to stop and surrender.

  “No!” Cass shouted and instantly Davar was filled with hope and inspiration as she dispelled the Blacklord’s magic.

  “Oh she’s a strong one, isn’t she?” the Blacklord said, his playful tone returning. “I’ll have so much fun defiling her.”

  “Is that all you have? Words?” Wyllea shouted.

  “I have far more than that!” His hand sprung up in a clutching motion, and the stone floor around Wyllea erupted up forming a spiky cage. “Does the little bird like her cage?”

  “Do you have enough earth talent left to undo that?” Cass asked in a hushed voice. “Because I don’t think I do. I spent myself blowing that guard up.”

  “How did you do that anyway?”

  “It took all four elements, but that drained me. How’s your strength?”

  Davar knew he didn’t have much left either. Everything he had was going into slowly healing his back from the spray of rock and lava when the guard had exploded. “Not good enough.”

  A sound distracted them. Senia was hacking away at the stone around Wyllea with Emberthorn. It was doing little.

  Suddenly another cage of stone sprung up around Senia as the Blacklord laughed a high-pitched giggle “Two birdies with one stone!” he said and laughed louder. “Oh, how I had hoped you wouldn’t force me to kill you. I really do want to keep you. I’ll spawn more of my dark scions!” The high grating voice instantly dropped to a dark and menacing tone. “Only this time I’ll make sure they don’t betray me.”

  “Looks like it’s up to us,” Davar whispered to Cass and Tirol.

  “Where’s Ahrn?” Tirol asked, and Davar shrugged.

  But it seemed the mere speaking aloud of the question had warned the Blacklord.

  “Yes, where is the little monk?” the Blacklord asked, then with mock surprise. “There he is!”

  Davar finally spotted him. With all the commotions around everyone else, Ahrn had been using the distraction to sneak around the sides of the chamber and had nearly reached the Blacklord.

  “If you wanted to see my up close, all you had to do was ask.” The Blacklord made a lifting motion with his hand and Ahrn was plucked from the ground by some large invisible force. The Blacklord made a motion with his hand as if to come closer and Ahrn was whisked across the rest of the room to float before the Blacklord.

  Ahrn swung with his staff. It passed inches before the Blacklord’s face. The dark wizard didn’t flinch. Ahrn threw his staff. It bounced off the Blacklord’s head with a hollow thunk.

  “Normal weapons cannot hurt me, monk, but I can hurt you!” A great grin spread across the skeletal face as the Blacklord raised both hands and closed them into fists before him. Ahrn grunted as if being squeezed. Then the Blacklord began pulling his fists apart and Ahrn was stretched, arms and legs pulled to the side. The warrior monk screamed a horrible sound as bones popped and muscles tore. Senia screamed as well, reaching out from her cage, useless. Beneath both screams was the joyous laughter of the Blacklord.

  Arrows began hammering into the side of the Blacklord. He looked around, hollow eyes tight, annoyed. Wyllea was shooting a long stream of projectiles through her cage. A great wall sprung up from the floor to block the remaining bolts, and the Blacklord turned back to his work with Ahrn. The arrows that had landed were pushed out from his body after a moment as his earth talent healed him.

  The Blacklord stretched Ahrn out a little more then released one of his fists and with the other made a motion as if to toss him aside. He flew like a doll through the air, crashing hard into a wall and falling, limp, to the floor.

  “Who’s next!” the Blacklord asked gleefully. “This is getting fun!”

  “What can we do?” The terror in Cass’s voice clear, tearing at Davar’s heart and shredding his tenuous faith that they could still, somehow, prevail. Wyllea was trapped, her arrows useless, Senia was similarly useless, raging against the stone spikes which held her in place, but achieving little. Ahrn was most likely dead and Tirol only just healed and nearly spent. Things did not look good.

  “We do everything we can,” he said, grimly. “Even if it means our death.”

  Cass met his eyes and they shared a single pure moment between then. She nodded.

  Chapter 25

  Well Starsong, this is it. Whatever you’ve got left, I need now. Spare nothing.

  I know Davar, and… She paused as if drawing a breath, yet she needed no air. Be careful

  Not blazing likely, he said with grim determination.

  Right, sorry, what was I thinking? Go all out and kill this bastard!

  He laughed quietly. That’s more like it.

  He felt another great surge within him, this one more powerful than anything before. Flooded with spirit and hope, his nearly expended earth talent was infused with new energy. He felt the wounds on his back close instantly.

  He turned to Cass. “Let’s do this.”

  Tirol still lay between them. “What about me?”

  “Stay out of the way and you might live.”

  A wild grin spread on his face. “Screw living, that’s no fun. I’ve got an id
ea. Follow my lead.”

  “I know what you’re all thinking. You can’t surprise me,” the Blacklord said, but Davar thought he could detect a hint of uncertainty. In fact, Davar knew for certain the Blacklord couldn’t detect his thoughts. That gave him an idea as well.

  Tirol sprung to his feet and dashed over to Wyllea. “Hello, my love. How’re things? Mind if I go kill this mad man?”

  “What are you doing?” she hissed.

  “You’ll see.” Then he turned to the Blacklord. “Oh yes, you thought I was a normal human, didn’t you? You can’t see my powers, can you? Oh, you’re in for a surprise!”

  Davar contacted Wyllea through their mind-link.

  What is Tirol doing? Wyllea demanded.

  I have no clue, but I think he’s providing a distraction. Now let me make his effort worth something, send me all the mind talent you can spare.

  Here you go. Davar felt a rush of awareness and memories, her memories, flood into him.

  He knew the Blacklord was an amazing mind talent. Davar was as well, but with Wyllea’s help he might be more powerful than the Blacklord! He had such control, such finesse over mind and air even his vision changed slightly. It was as if he could see the currents of air in the room.

  He touched Cass on the hand. The contact made it possible for him to create a blocked spot in her mind, so tiny the Blacklord would have to dig through her thoughts to find it.

  Get close, be ready, the Blacklord can’t sense these thoughts, be prepared for my move, he said into her mind.

  “What is this?” The Blacklord took a step forward. There was something in the ancient man’s voice Davar had never heard before. Could it be a hint of uncertainty? “What are you doing? I know you have no power little man. You can’t fool me!” The Blacklord puffed himself up a little, again another thing Davar had never seen. Such posturing wasn’t needed when you were as powerful as he was. “You can’t defeat me!”

  “Ha! You’re a fool!” Tirol called with a confident grin.

  The Blacklord’s head tilted to the side. “Your thoughts make no sense. You’re nothing but a puny mortal.”

  Davar didn’t know what in all the blazes of the Void Tirol was thinking to confuse the Blacklord, but it seemed to be working. He paced slowly forward keeping in line with Tirol who strode toward the Blacklord with confidence.

  With his newfound ability to see the currents of wind, Davar saw the Blacklord reach for Tirol, to pick him up. Davar created an ever so slight variance in the wind that caused the dark wizard’s unseen hand to miss Tirol.

  “What?” the Blacklord hissed.

  Tirol began to glow with a soft white light.

  What’s that? Davar asked Wyllea through their mind link.

  I created a safe spot in Senia’s mind and told her Tirol was going to try a ruse and asked her to play along. She’s using her spirit to add to it.

  Nice.

  Again, the Blacklord reached out with wind to crush Tirol and again Davar deflected the attack.

  “Impossible!” the Blacklord screeched.

  “You can’t defeat me!” Tirol’s voice boomed through the hall — an ability one could do with spirit magic, Senia’s work. “I’m your ultimate nemesis. You never saw me coming. Scions are nothing. For I am…” Tirol paused for effect. “The Whitelord!”

  “There is no such person!” The Blacklord sputtered, quivering with rage. He sent a thousand tendrils of wind-borne magic to clutch and rend the hapless rogue, but Davar placed a wind-shield around Tirol. The Blacklord’s magic raged around the man but could go no farther. “Who are you?”

  Even Tirol seemed a bit surprised at the Blacklord’s reaction. But the man couldn’t see the war of winds happening around him.

  Tirol pressed on with his diversion. “Yes, I’m the Whitelord and I’m here to defeat you once and for all!”

  “No, you lie. Your mind is slippery, unfocused, but I know you lie!”

  Davar contacted Wyllea again. The Blacklord should have opened Tirol’s mind and read all his secrets by now. Are you protecting him?

  Of course. I put a shield up around his mind months ago, reinforcing it daily for weeks. I wanted to make sure my man was safe.

  That explains it.

  “Do I?” The certainty in Tirol’s voice was impressive. “I don’t need this to defeat you!” Tirol threw away his remaining sword. “My magic has grown for as long as yours in lands far removed. Yet I was called here to restore order to this land.”

  The fury of the Blacklord’s unseen, wind-based attacks on Tirol pressed Davar’s shield to its limits.

  “I will know the truth!” the Blacklord screamed and suddenly the wind attacks stopped.

  For a moment, Davar didn’t know what was happening, it looked like the Blacklord was just standing there. Then he saw it, a thin line of mind magic, so fine and yet so powerful, meant to crack into Tirol’s head and read his deception. Davar saw it too late to stop it, however, and Tirol staggered back as if hit.

  By all the Gods! That was powerful. I don’t think I can protect Tirol’s mind much longer. Wyllea’s voice was urgent in Davar’s mind. If you’re going to do something, do it now!

  “Your mind is mine,” the Blacklord cried, still focused on Tirol.

  Davar summoned all of his and Wyllea’s wind talent and launched himself at the Blacklord.

  Luck was on his side. The Blacklord didn’t notice the attack until the last moment. He tried to evade it, but Davar succeeded in slicing off one of his frail, bony arms, Starsong shining bright.

  Like Davar, the dark wizard’s mental prowess would prevent him from feeling pain. Yet even as Davar turned to strike again, the Blacklord’s rage became palpable. A dark, noxious cloud seeped from his skin. When Starsong hit the black smoke, it stopped as if striking hardest stone.

  “Well done, my son. Of all here, I expected as much from you. But that is as far as you will get.” The wizard’s remaining hand waved before him and suddenly Davar couldn’t move.

  He tried to see how the Blacklord was holding him, but it was not use of wind. He could have stopped that, fought it off. He knew he was just as powerful as the Blacklord with his and Wyllea’s mind talent at the moment.

  No, this was something else.

  The Blacklord laughed a crazed cackle, his voice arching high and tight. “Your mind is strong, boy, and your spirit protected by that of your mother. Your soul I can’t reach, but your body is mine to command!”

  So that was it. The Blacklord was using earth talent and probably a little spirit to control Davar’s body. He knew he was too weak to resist. He’d spent far too much of this earth talent already.

  Davar would have shouted if his mouth had worked. His mind whirled, his emotions ran wild. Fear and the horrid dread of failure seeped into him. Would this be as far as they got?

  The Blacklord backed away a couple of steps, the miasma of foul smoke oozing from his wound sinking to spread out across the floor of the dais.

  “I control you now, my son. Your body is my toy. Now where is that woman of yours so that I might make you kill her?”

  Davar knew where Cass was.

  No, it won’t work! He called out to her mind, but she was committed to her course.

  A moment later the tip of a dagger punched through the front of the Blacklord’s chest, through his heart. Cass, standing behind the man, had made a valiant attack, but Davar knew the man no longer had a heart. There wasn’t even a surge of hope within him. He knew this could only end badly for Cass and his heart tightened at the thought, pain stabbing the tender organ.

  The Blacklord spun and his remaining hand caught Cass under her chin. It was what he’d done to her when he’d inhabited Davar’s body those many months ago. Despite being a small man, he was still tall enough to lift her off her feet, if only just. She gasped, beating at his arm, but it held fast.

  Davar reached out with his enhanced mind magic, trying to use it to pry away the Blacklord’s hand, but he felt the
ancient wizard rebuff his attempts. He was a match for the Blacklord, but no stronger.

  So he was forced to watch, unable to do anything to help. He struggled against the Blacklord’s control of his body, but to no avail. Even with all the energy Starsong had given him, he was nothing, a helpless puppy against the storm that was the Blacklord. A tear leaked from his eye.

  The Blacklord turned, bringing Cass closer to Davar. “Oh, the things I will do with you, my lovely.” His tongue like dried, cracked leather, black as pitch, snaked out of him mouth to an impossible length and pressed to her check. It slid across her mouth to the other cheek, then retracted.

  “You are quite sweet, aren’t you,” the Blacklord crooned. “Shall I do to you what my son has done? Will you scream as loudly when I am inside you, sweetling?”

  “I’ll never let you touch me!” Cass croaked despite the hold on her throat. It was a vain threat, but she remained defiant to the last.

  “I think you forgot someone!” Tirol said as his sword sliced through the Blacklord’s neck. The Blacklord’s head tumbled to the ground, landing with the sound of stone on stone.

  Then the severed head laughed.

  “What does it take to kill you?” Tirol breathed.

  Davar struggled harder, hoping perhaps the attack might have distracted the wizard, weakened the Blacklord’s hold him, but no, he was still held.

  The Blacklord’s head floated up and sat back on his neck. “So very much more than that! I’m invincible!” Without any movement at all by the Blacklord, Tirol was flung hard against the wall, collapsing to a heap on the ground.

  Davar heard Wyllea’s scream but barely registered it. He was too busy trying to extricate himself.

  “Now, where were we?” the Blacklord asked smugly. “Oh, yes, I was getting to the good part. Perhaps I will defile your woman right here in front of you before I have you kill her. What do you think of that, Davar?”

  Davar’s mind was reeling, searching for something to help, some desperate idea to free them.

  “Yes, I think I shall!” The Blacklord laughed a high-pitched noise of gleeful evil.