The Nemedian Trilogy: Book 01 - The Wizard's Magic Kingdom

by Jake Adler

“I’m guessing that you also liked me straight away too,” she teased, clearly delighted with this unexpected turn of events.

  His expression hardened, “I’m about to go on what may be a suicide mission and you’re playing games.”

  Her smiled dropped, “What are you talking about?”

  He held her shoulders firmly and stared at her face intently, “I have been asked to go undercover as a spy amongst the invading arms of Orcs underneath Takrak. I know their native tongue because of my father.” Seeing her look doubtful at the plan, “I will be wearing full armour so it will hide my human ancestry.”

  “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” she snorted. “tell them to go and kiss your dog’s backside.”

  Her statement was a common insult used by many in Nemedia and its use in this instance strangely made a lot of sense. He stood silent for a moment and then chuckled softly. This woman was the first person that made him look at the world differently. He had automatically risked his life so many times on the orders of others, that he’d stopped questioning why. Although he was still quite young, he had retired from the army. To expect him to immediately agree to go behind enemy lines and risk his life again on a mission that was likely to fail was both unfair and ridiculous. If he was caught, he would be killed and nobody would have benefited anyway.

  After a few moments, Ellaminva’s expression changed to a look so sensuous that it took his breath away. Before he could speak, she had wrapped her arms around him again and was kissing him furiously. Finally, they parted and she spoke, “We shall go together to Takrak, but know this, you are my man now. I will not allow you to throw your life away on the say-so of another.” Her eyes blazed with emotion. It was all he could do but agree.

  * * * *

  Cara muttered something softly underneath her breath. Ethan guessed that it was likely a prayer for what was about to happen. He could sense the spirit of his ring shift about excitedly. As it did so, images began to flash again inside his head. He was getting better now at interpreting them as the days passed. In the beginning, he saw only colours that represented basic emotions. As time went on, the colours became intermingled with images. Ethan likened their communication now to a type of Morse code that was rapidly becoming a fluid conversation.

  Ethan fondly ran his fingers over his ring. “I am ready.” Alexon informed him.

  With a flash of his eyes, the Grand Mage signaled that it had begun. He shifted his gaze towards Nilipon, “Have you seen Garagor? I would like to thank him for his hospitality before we leave.”

  The man’s face drained of all colour, “I will tell him,” he replied and rapidly disappeared.

  “Be ready.” Master Bedwyr warned through clenched teeth. The companions had mounted their horses and faced the entire caravan, their backs safely covered by the open grasslands. After a few short moments a now breathless and crimson faced Garagor arrived with a group of five armed men.

  “You do not have my permission to leave.” Garagor barked. He made a move towards Master Bedwyr, but quickly halted, his eyes narrowing as saw the old man raise forward both arms. Garagor was no fool. He knew that that he was dealing with a mage and that the man’s gesture was a warning.

  “Now be reasonable,” he said with a cold smile, “look at it from my point of view – you owe me money.”

  “Keep your men still.” Master Bedwyr ordered sharply as Garagor’s men had been slowly attempting to encircle them.

  Without warning, a man ran towards Cara’s horse and attempted to grab hold of her leg, “Pulsus!” she yelled and an unseen force knocked back her attacker over fifteen feet and then dropped him on the ground in a crumpled heap. A gasp emanated from the growing group of caravan onlookers.

  “If you don’t let us leave we will utterly destroy this caravan.” Thundered Master Bedwyr and a horrified ripple of whispers ran through the camp. A young child began to cry.

  It was a wickedly clever ploy. Master Bedwyr was now placed as the villain and Garagor the savior. To save the entire caravan, all Garagor had to do was to let them leave. If he attempted anything else, he would now be seen as the one responsible for placing the entire caravan in danger.

  “And what about my money?” he pressed, not willing to admit defeat.

  Master Bedwyr scratched his beard and acted as if he was giving this question some serious thought. “Well, the agreement was for some chores, but it was based upon our safe arrival at Fort Varok,” he pushed up his spectacles with his index finger then frowned, “however, we have travelled with you for a few days, so I shall leave you with fifty cinterns. This is more than I should really pay you, but I am a generous man.”

  Garagor scowled and spat on the ground.

  Master Bedwyr, seemingly oblivious to the response of Garagor smiled and tossed the money pouch on the ground.

  With a quick nod to both Ethan and Cara they silently worded “Lapis Scutum” and immediately their skin took on a stone-like quality.

  “Creator protect us!” An old woman groaned who immediately dropped to her knees in prayer.

  “Do not follow us. Do not seek us out.” Master Bedwyr warned. His expression remained dark as they began to back their horses away. After several minutes of this, they swiftly jerked around the heads of their mounts and galloped away. In the excitement of it all, the companions had failed to notice the single solitary raven circling high above. Within moments, it was travelling West to inform Yariq of what it had seen.

  Chapter 11

  They had been wading through the city’s rainwater drainage system now for nearly half an hour. For the shorter companions, the icy waters reached their chests and it didn’t take long before both their legs and bodies began to ache with the cold. Upon reaching the main junction leading down to the sewers, they were immediately met with the overwhelming stench of decay. It was strongly apparent, despite their use of the lavender ointment.

  “Thor’s blood, this place stinks!” Gizurr coughed.

  “Silence!” Baxan hissed.

  A flicker of torchlight and shadowy forms could be seen wavering along the back wall to an adjacent tunnel. As they slowly inched their way forward, they began to discern the distinctive guttural sounds of Goblins, clearly arguing over something. There were five of them. Two were yelling over ownership of an item of clothing while the remaining group stood backwards to watch. Jetzan’s heart sank when he identified the colours of a soldier’s uniform from the city. He surmised that it must be from one of the Dwarves reported earlier as missing in action.

  The larger of the two Goblins quickly became impatient and whipped out a long wicked looking dagger. With a shriek of rage, the second Goblin sprang backwards. It drew its own sword, dropping the now forgotten item of clothing, which began to immediately sink beneath the sea of surrounding filth. The remaining group of Goblins, their blood lust fully awakened, chattered excitedly and moved away to give them room to fight.

  The two foes slowly began to encircle one another. Suddenly, the larger Goblin speared forward its dagger, locating a weak spot between the shoulder and chest plate of its foe. Sensing a critical hit, it rammed forward the entire weight of its body onto the hilt of its dagger as it entered the creature’s ribcage. The Goblin’s cry of pain quickly gave way to a gurgle as its body froze in death and fell headfirst into the waters.

  The spectators shrieked with delight and wasted no time in stripping their dead brethren of its valuables. Its murderer now seemed disinterested. The prized item of clothing had long since disappeared into the filthy waters and after only a few minutes, the entire group had disappeared back along the passageway whence they came.

  “Vile.” Gizurr spat.

  Without speaking further, they moved on. Torches now lit the tunnel every thirty yards. Baxan paused briefly to feel the walls it for changes in its geology, “We’re almost at our first location,” he whispered hoarsely.

  The corridors had remained curiously quiet and then it hit them. A terrible pre
sence approached. A feeling of terror ran through the group that almost stifled the breath from their bodies.

  “There!” Baxan croaked with all the strength that he could muster. He quickly motioned them towards a small alcove upon which they could step out of the waters. Jetzan had the sense of mind to extinguish the torch to their section of the tunnel and they were plunged into darkness. They waited.

  For what seemed like an eternity all remained quiet. Then they heard a clicking noise. It was faint at first, but it gradually grew louder as they sensed something huge move towards them. Jetzan noticed that his Bedazzler locket had begun to burn with an intense heat. He squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the pain.

  It was close now. Their alcove consisted of a mild ledged indentation that lay just above the water and a sudden wave crashed at their feet. They pressed their trembling bodies back into its furthest recesses. They could not see the creature but could sense from the swirling waters at their feet that it was enormous. Suddenly, everything went silent and it stopped moving. The companions remained motionless, barely daring to breathe. After a short span of time, the strange clicking sound began again.

  After what seemed like an eternity, the creature’s huge mass began to move forward again. After several minutes, all sounds and the feeling of terror had dissipated.

  As Gizurr’s body and arms relaxed, he immediately noticed a sharp pain in the palm of his hand. He unclenched his fist to find the bloodied indentations of where his fingernails had dug deep into his palm. He squinted ahead, “So there are demons here as well as Creator knows what else.”

  ”Indeed. We have no time to lose.” Baxan grimaced.

  Baxan ran his right hand down the adjacent wall as he felt for a change in the rock’s texture. After a few minutes he halted. “Here,” he said then rapidly knelt down.

  He glanced up at the dimly lit silhouettes of his companions, “Five meter separations from this point forward. Everyone must place their devices out of sight, just below the water line. The fuses and timers are waterproof, so don’t worry.”

  “How much time do we have between charges?” Commander Haugen asked.

  “I suggest we give ourselves a clear hour before the first charges are activated. This should give us time to reach our second destination, set the charges and then run like the devil.”

  “That is not much time for us to get out alive.” Gizurr growled.

  “Indeed,” nodded Baxan who immediately began rummaging in his backpack, “but if we wait any longer and we increase the risk of the devices being discovered.”

  Silently, the companions set to work. They synchronised their timers and then placed the devices out of sight. Once their task had been completed they began moving forwards towards their final destination.

  Ahead of them, they began to discern the high pitched chatter of Goblins, intermingled now with the much deeper grunts of Orcs. The hair on the back of Gizurr’s neck stood on end when he then heard the distinct booms of Trolls. He quickly placed his throbbing palm into the filthy waters to rinse off any trace scent of his Dwarven blood. He knew that Trolls were famous for their keen sense of smell and smiled wryly with the knowledge that they would be suffering the most during their time inside the sewers.

  They had no option now but to rely entirely upon their disguises. Once again, their Bedazzler lockets began to radiate with an intense heat. There were dozens of the creatures ahead and their bodies blocked the entire passageway. The tunnel itself was no broader than five men walking abreast and it stood no higher than fifteen feet. Baxan’s gaze settled upon the distinct green plumed helmet of an Orc commander sticking out amongst the enemy crowd. He halted their approach and quickly reached into his backpack to assemble a weak make-shift grenade.

  “Follow me closely if you value your lives,” he whispered sharply and then threw the grenade.

  There was a dull plop as the grenade bounced off the helmet of the Orc commander then fell into the waters. The creature blinked once in surprise and then the device exploded. Baxan’s weakened grenade did not damage the tunnel, but its effect upon living flesh was devastating. Suddenly, the air was filled with a splattering of blood, guts and other body parts. The survivors now scurried and shrieked in a mixed state of anger, shock and confusion.

  “Now!” Baxan hissed as he began wading forward.

  They were as good as invisible within the chaos. They swiftly located and placed their final set of explosive devices. Baxan examined his watch, “We have a good thirty minutes to get the hell out of here.”

  Jetzan frowned deeply, “If we continue forwards we will meet the bulk of the enemy and drown in thirty minutes, but if we go back the way we came-.”

  “Then we will face at least one demon and a mass of angry Orcs, Trolls and Goblins,” interjected Commander Haugen.

  The group remained silent for a moment, thinking about their options then Commander Haugen spoke, “I wonder where that demon expects to exit the sewers?”

  The realization suddenly hit them. There must be another, much larger exit that the enemy was planning to use that they had missed entirely. They needed to retrace their steps to the last point that they had met with that evil horror and try to find out where it was headed. They quickly turned around and headed back towards the city.

  * * * *

  They had been pushing their horses hard for over an hour. Ethan could hear the labored breaths of Bella beginning to sound distressed. “We must stop!” he yelled and immediately pulled on his reins.

  The Grand Mage slowed his mount and quickly scanned the horizon for any signs of pursuit. There were none. Satisfied that all was well, he sprang off the back off his own horse with surprising agility, “Well spotted, my boy. I think that our mounts also deserve a decent breakfast!” He patted his horses’ neck.

  They had all dismounted now and began to slowly walk ahead, stopping frequently to allow their animals to feed upon the long grasses.

  “You wouldn’t have done anything to those people would you?” Ethan asked.

  “You mean, my threat of destroying the entire caravan if he didn’t let us go?” Master Bedwyr queried with his eyebrows arching high.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think me capable of cold blooded murder?” Master Bedwyr’s expression had darkened.

  Ethan suddenly remembered how Master Bedwyr had already shown temperance by sparing the lives of the two robbers a few days ago. He would never stoop to attacking innocent men, women and children.

  “I’m sorry, no.” Ethan apologised, his face flushing with embarrassment.

  Alexon and Ethan conversed during the length of the remaining day. His former owner had apparently been a female mage. His powers had barely been used and she had passed away peacefully at a ripe old age and then been placed into the box. Alexon had informed him that he had been kept in the box for some considerable time as the Grand Mage had been a much younger man when the ring had last ‘seen’ him.

  Ethan briefly worried about the ring’s sanity as it had been shut away from all human contact for so long. However, Alexon had assured him that as he could choose to return to the Creator at any moment, he was never trapped inside the box. He had also kept himself busy by creating new spells, which included being able to breathe under water and night vision.

  The daylight quickly began to fade and they agreed to take turns in standing watch for the night. Ethan excitedly offered his services first, outlining that he had gained knowledge of a new night vision spell.

  Master Bedwyr gave Ethan a quizzical look and asked to hear the words of power. Upon attempting to try the spell himself, he found that it did not work.

  ”It seems that Alexon has broken a physical barrier between your worldly senses and those of himself,” he rubbed his beard reflectively.

  “What do you mean?” Ethan asked.

  “Alexon is able to use your eyes with his own spirit magic. I suspect that he sees exactly what you see.”

  �
��So this ring is special?” Ethan asked, stroking his ring that glinted in the moonlight.

  “We will know more when we reach Findias,” the Grand Mage smiled.

  The companions had decided that it would be safer to not light a fire, as it would be seen for miles. After eating a cold supper of dried biscuits, they settled down for the night as Ethan took the first watch.

  The stars were hidden across the clouded dark skies, but Ethan’s eyes saw everything as if the night was bathed in full sunlight. He marveled at the power of his ring and wondered what else he would learn over the coming days and weeks ahead. The night passed without incident and within a few days they had already reached the outskirts of Fort Varok as the night drew in.

  As they approached from just a few miles away, Ethan admired its robust bulk as it thrust itself proudly out from the surrounding grasslands under the clear night skies. It flew many deep purple flags adorned with an image of a golden Dragon that were proudly illuminated by the evening watchtowers. The fort housed the Dwarven second infantry battalion, which for centuries had established a very close bond with the Dragon race. The large open grasslands surrounding the fort offered an ideal training ground, which the two races often did together.

  All was quiet, save for the sound of their horses’ hooves thudding softly upon the damp ground. Then they heard a howl.

  They turned around to view the grasslands behind. At first they could see nothing then a distant black form could be seen bounding towards them.

  “Move!” Master Bedwyr barked.

  A second more distant howl could now be heard. The horses strained forward their necks, sensing the panic of their owners. They raced along the grasslands heading directly towards the safety of the fort. The howling grew louder and more excited. Ethan briefly closed his eyes and urged Alexon to give him night vision. To his surprise, Alexon immediately responded to his thoughts. The brightness of a full summer’s day came to his eyes and he glanced backwards to see the closest demon was now only a few hundred feet away. The creature possessed a black lizard-like face that housed and two rows of savage white fangs. It moved largely on its powerful hinds legs, only occasionally gouging the earth with its smaller front shaped talons to steady its powerful leaps. A low growl emanated from the back of its throat as it lunged forward to intercept Ethan.