Ebudae

by Carroll, John H.

  Ebudae took five deep breaths. She then began gathering energies around her. Surreal words flowed from her mouth while her arms and hands moved in snakelike gestures. Those closest to her stepped back to give her room, but stayed within range of the spell.

  Arcane winds whipped around her body, tugging at her dress, cloak and hair. She drew in more and more energy. With a final word and gesture, she released it. The spell was an advanced version of the one she had taught to Pelya. It would protect their minds and make everything they saw more detailed. Each person would be able to make decisions faster and more confidently.

  She immediately latched on to more energies. They swirled around her just as fiercely. When she released that spell, it flowed strength and energy to everyone. Their bodies would be faster and have more endurance. Vigor ran through their veins.

  “That should help,” Ebudae told them breathlessly. “Let’s go.”

  “Well done, Ebudae,” Frath told her with a pat on the back.

  “Very impressive,” Appana said. Her eyes appraised the wizardess carefully.

  “Isn’t it though?” Ebudae asked challengingly.

  The weaponmaster grabbed Ebudae’s hand and pulled her forward. “Let’s go get some evidence.” He did it more to keep trouble from happening than to drag her into danger.

  Sir Imbra was the first in, followed by the weaponmaster and Ebudae. Pelya stayed at Ebudae’s side to keep her protected. Frath, Grinkin and Appana came in after while the squad stayed back for a moment to give them space to work.

  Chapter 28

  Ebudae concentrated on breathing steadily and recovering her energy as fast as possible. She wouldn’t cast magic from that point on unless confronted by a wizard, or if it was necessary to protect one of her friends. This was different from a normal adventure or even the original rescue of Jovias, the actor. It was hard to believe Aphry was the only one still alive from all of that.

  The room they were in was ruined and the air heavy with dust. Luckily, there didn’t seem to be anyone in it, or if there was, they were buried under the rubble, sparing the intruders from having to look at their dead bodies. The devastation was impressive. Wooden crates had been shattered. Weapons lay scattered along with what might have been valuable pottery and other decorations.

  “I hate climbing stairs,” the weaponmaster said, pointing his torch at the stairs on the other end of the room. There were a couple of side rooms, but Frath did a cursory check and found them to be clear. The squad would do a more thorough search.

  “Last one up is old,” Pelya told him with an impudent grin.

  “I’m fine with that,” he replied. “By the way, you’ll have extra pushups tomorrow at drills.”

  “Hey!” she exclaimed in surprise. “That’s not right.”

  Ebudae laughed at the byplay, as did the others. It didn’t lessen the urgency as Sir Imbra dashed up the stairs behind Grinkin. The weaponmaster went up after them and Ebudae followed him. Pelya may have joked about the last person up being old, but she was determined to stay near Ebudae.

  At the top, Grinkin kicked open the door. It was faster than having Pelya try to pick the lock, Ebudae supposed. The door splintered and flew open. “Spell!” Grinkin yelled, dashing back down the stairs.

  Sir Imbra plastered himself against the wall of the stairway in order to let the private by. It was just in time because a ball of fire exploded at the top. The knight put an arm across his face, but seemed otherwise unfazed by it. Ebudae could feel the heat even at the bottom. She debated sending some sort of cool air, but no spell was clear in her mind, plus the knight was running through the door with sword drawn.

  The Weaponmaster followed him and Grinkin reversed course to go back up. “Let me by,” Frath said, pushing past the girls who put their backs to the wall as the knight had done a moment ago. Both were willing to follow the lead of the more experienced fighters trained to handle this type of fight.

  Appana gestured for them to go ahead. It had already been decided that she would go last and provide healing to anyone injured in the fighting. She was capable of much more, but it would be wise to save her magic only as needed.

  By the time Ebudae reached the room, Grinkin was pulling his sword out of the last swordsman. The wizard’s head was on the other side of the room while Sir Imbra stood over his body not far away from the top of the stairs. Five other swordsmen were dead too.

  It was hard to tell who had killed whom. Commander Coodmur had a sword in each hand, but they weren’t his. He dropped them on the bodies of the men he had taken them from. It was a favorite pastime of his to disarm students and beat them with their own swords when they became arrogant.

  Frath was standing over another body. He preferred to fight with his own sword and was flicking blood off it. “Let’s get to the next level,” he suggested. “Be ready for more spells.”

  “Good idea. I’ll go first.” Sir Imbra headed for the stairs directly above the ones they had just come up.

  “You just want to kick down the next door,” Grinkin said, gaining some of his normal humor.

  “Me? Noooooo.” Sir Imbra gave him his most innocent look then headed up the stairs. Grinkin and Frath followed and a moment later, the sound of a steel boot driving through wood was heard.

  Ebudae sensed powerful magic as she followed the men up the stairs. It was confirmed when Sir Imbra shouted “Magic!” from the room beyond.

  Grinkin had already gone past the door, but Frath flattened himself against the stairs. Ebudae decided to keep going up. She did her best to put her feet on the steps next to him, but heard an oof. Powerful wind roared through the stairs from above. Ebudae held onto the wall for a few seconds then pushed forward when it finished. She heard metal slam against stone and guessed that Imbra had been hit by the brunt of the spell.

  Ebudae had her spell ready as she dashed through the doorway. It was a nullifying spell that should disrupt any energy the target was gathering. Two Rojuun dressed in extremely colorful robes were in the center of the room. One had four longknives out and was sizing up Grinkin.

  The closest was just about to cast a second spell at the knight and weaponmaster to the left of the door. They were both struggling to get up from where they had fallen. Ebudae’s spell was just in time. The energy dissipated just as the Rojuun thrust both right hands forward.

  Both Rojuun instantly looked at her, causing Ebudae real fear. She ran to the left and began gathering energy as fast as she could for the next spell.

  Fortunately, the distraction gave Grinkin an opening and he attacked. Longknives furiously clashed against sword, but the private had already cut the Rojuun twice. Regrettably, they weren’t serious wounds and Grinkin found himself pushed back by the flurry of four blades.

  The Rojuun that Ebudae had nullified was drawing in magic for another spell. Ebudae was running around him, so he turned while preparing it. That was a mistake, because Pelya had come into the room with sword drawn, followed immediately by Frath.

  It realized the danger as Pelya dashed toward it. Then it did the most peculiar thing by transferring all of the spell’s energies to its upper arms while drawing longknives with its lower. In spite of the speed with which it did it, the Rojuun was not fast enough. It parried where it expected Pelya’s sword, but the young warrior rolled at the last second and cut though the Rojuun’s right leg above the ankle with her blade.

  That magical blade was so sharp, it cut as though there were no resistance. The Rojuun didn’t respond verbally so as not to lose the spell, but it did lose balance and fall to that knee. Shock had already begun to register in its face.

  Ebudae skidded to a stop and cast her own spell, a simple dagger of ice formed from moisture in the air. She aimed it at the center of his body. It slammed into him, piercing deep before he could defend against it. The Rojuun had extraordinary mental fortitude to release the energy of its spell harmlessly into the air.

  Frath leapt high into the air and drove his sword into th
e Rojuun’s chest with both arms. The force of the blow slammed the body back. Frath landed on the creature with both feet and instantly pulled out the blade, spinning to help Grinkin.

  The private was doing his best to hold off the flurry of attacks, but he was forced into a corner and had serious cuts in more than one place.

  Everybody moved at the same time. The weaponmaster and Sir Imbra had regained their senses while Pelya and Frath rushed from their positions toward the other Rojuun. Ebudae chose to let them handle it, as did Appana who stayed in the doorway as Commander Coodmur zipped by.

  It tried to defend itself, but there were too many experienced blades coming at it. Three of them pierced vital spots of the body, driving it to the ground. It twitched and whimpered a few words in a language none of them had ever heard before.

  Grinkin sat hard on the ground. He held a cut in his stomach with one arm and a cut in that arm with the other. Appana pierced the bottom of her staff into the hard stone of the floor and then placed her hands on his arms. They glowed with golden light and the cuts instantly disappeared.

  “Wow! Now that was impressive,” Grinkin said in awe. “Our healers aren’t that good. What in the world were those things anyway?”

  “Rojuun.” Frath cleaned his blade on the robe that had been orange, green and white, but now had red included. “Pelya rescued one and I thought they might be friends.”

  “I am your friend,” two voices said from the other end of the room. They turned to see Zaan hanging from the ceiling by shackles on all four wrists. He still wore the same ragged clothes they had seen him in the day before.

  “Saving you is becoming a habit,” Pelya walked to where he was hanging. “I’m confused by what’s happening. Why did they attack us and why are you hanging from the ceiling?” She crossed her arms expectantly.

  “It happens to be complicated.” The Rojuun seemed embarrassed by his vulnerable state.

  “Well you can either uncomplicate it quickly, or we’ll leave you here,” Frath told him.

  “There doesn’t seem to be anyone . . . or anything else around here,” the weaponmaster told them after sticking his head in another room. He headed toward the stairs, which were once again directly above the ones they had come up. “We don’t have time to deal with him. Leave him for the squad.”

  “Wait!” Zaan protested. “Not all of us are the same. The ones you killed aid your humans in slavery. My family fights them.”

  “It looks more like your family gets captured by them, over and over again,” Frath said. “The commander is right. There will be a squad of humans along. Tell them about it.”

  Pelya looked as though she wanted to save him, but Frath jerked his head toward the stairs. She followed, not willing to disobey in the middle of the mission.

  “You will release me now, humans!” Zaan yelled at them indignantly. “How dare you leave me hanging here. This is unacceptable.”

  That was the last Ebudae heard him say as she concentrated on the fact that someone had kicked open the next door and there were already sounds of fighting.

  More magic blasted from the room, but they were getting used to it. Three human swordsmen tried vainly to protect another of the Rojuun wearing a robe with different shades of blue. It didn’t take long for Sir Imbra to bullrush through a man to the right to get to the Creature while Grinkin and the weaponmaster went to the left and were blasted by a spell of lightning bolts. The Rojuun attempted to defend itself with longknives, but Sir Imbra’s sword came down and cut him in a diagonal from the right shoulder to the opposite hip. Ebudae stepped to the right just inside the door, choosing to hold her spells. Pelya darted in front of her and crouched in a protective stance while her father zoomed past to kill a swordsman who was furiously trying to defend himself against the knight’s steel.

  It wasn’t a fair fight as the last man also fell dead. The knight barely had time to kill him before Frath had his blade out of the first and aimed for another fatal blow. “So sorry. Did you want to kill him?” Sir Imbra’s apology was insincere at best and Frath smirked in amusement.

  “I’m not liking this.” The weaponmaster was brushing himself off after Appana healed him. She was using her magic on Grinkin next. “I go with the foolish knight and get hit with a spell. I go with the stupid private and get hit with a spell. This has officially become not fun.” He crossed his arms and glared at everyone.

  Pelya went over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry, Uncle Gilron.”

  His grumpiness faded. “Oh. Well. It’s one of the hazards of the job. Let’s get going. I’m going to bust in the next door.” He ran up the steps two at a time.

  “Right. This area looks clear,” Frath said, rushing up behind him to barely beat the knight. They all seemed eager to get into danger before anyone else.

  Except Grinkin. “You two ladies go ahead. I’m going to take this one a little slower.” He looked worse for the wear in spite of being healed twice. Appana leaned on her staff and smiled wordlessly. She was becoming tired from the healing. It was the kind of magic that took a lot out of people and the priestess had cast healing spells more powerful than any other holy person Ebudae had ever met.

  The door above splintered loudly and the ladies hurried to get up the stairs. They heard the weaponmaster cussing out loud when they reached the top and looked around, but didn’t see anyone. “Sorry for my language, but I’m the first one up and there’s no one here.” He kicked an empty wine bottle someone had left on the ground. “And have I mentioned that I hate stairs?”

  “Who wants to kick in this iron door?” Grinkin stood next to a plain door with no openings in it that was set into the far wall. There was also a smaller storeroom to the left, but Sir Imbra came out of that indicating that it was clear.

  “I believe breaking down metal doors along with walls and entire villages is our holy knight’s job,” the weaponmaster proclaimed with a wry twitch of his lips.

  “Only if the villages are filled with evil-type people,” Sir Imbra clarified.

  “Ahh, yes, of course.” The weaponmaster gestured at the door. “Can you break this down?”

  “I do not wish to waste Divine Reanna’s blessing on opening a door that can be opened with a key. We should leave it for the squad to investigate.”

  “It looks like a prison cell,” Grinkin said. “What if Clutz and Florsy are in there?”

  “Did you try opening it?” Pelya asked while walking towards it. She was pulling out her lockpicks.

  “Opening it?” Grinkin asked in confusion.

  “Yes. You know: taking the handle and pushing on the lever to see if it opens the door?” Pelya tried it, but it was locked. “This one is locked, but sometimes they’re not.” She kneeled in front of it and began working on the lock.

  “Oh. I didn’t think of that. Stupid of me.”

  “Are you actually picking that lock, young lady?” Sir Imbra looked over her shoulder. “That seems like a rather scandalous activity for a young woman who wants to be in the City Guard.”

  “I can pick a few locks, but I’m not good at it,” Grinkin said in her defense. “Florsy is the best.”

  “Picking locks is a vital skill in the Guard,” the weaponmaster added. “I’d do it, but I left my picks behind.”

  “Pelya learned from Bobbell, who was better than anyone I’ve ever known,” Frath said with pride. Grinkin and the weaponmaster looked suitably impressed.

  “How extraordinarily revealing,” Sir Imbra replied in astonishment.

  The lock clicked and Pelya rapidly put the tools back. “Opening.” She pulled on the door and stood aside for the men to enter. Sir Imbra, Grinkin and the weaponmaster all dashed forward at the same time and ran into each other while trying to squeeze through. Then they stepped back and looked at each other to see who was going to lead.

  Laughter burst from the room. “That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!”

  “Florsy!” Grinkin exclaimed. He dashed forward into t
he cell. “We need a healer in here!”

  Sir Imbra stuck his head in the door and nodded at Appana that it was clear. She went in to tend the men. Instead of laying hands on them, she touched them each with the staff for a minute. When she came out, the light from the crystal was slightly dimmer.

  “It takes longer to heal with this and I’ll have to recharge it later, but I wish to conserve my energy for future battles in the rooms above,” she explained to the group as she walked out of the cell.

  Florsy and Clutz followed. They were dressed in plain brown burlap clothes, but looked to be well enough after the healing. The weaponmaster looked them over. “Neither of you is in any condition to fight. I order you to remain here and aid the squad in securing the location.”

  “We can fight . . .” Clutz didn’t get any further.

  “That is an order, Private.” Commander Coodmur’s tone was that of an officer and there was no room for argument. Both men slammed fists to their chests in salute. The weaponmaster turned to Grinkin. “Stay with your friends. That also is an order.”

  “Yes sir.” Grinkin slammed his fist to chest.

  The commander waved for the rest of them to follow. “Let’s go.”

  The next level was empty of people. Crates and barrels were stacked everywhere and another pair of iron doors was at the far end. The weaponmaster sighed as he walked toward them. “I’m getting tired of doors. They seem like such a silly inconvenience.”

  “I’ll agree with that.” Sir Imbra reached them first. “Let’s try young Pelya’s suggestion.” He put a hand on the lever of the left door and it opened, to everyone’s surprise. “Well how about that.”

  Ebudae felt the stirrings in the air. “Magic!” They all dived for cover behind crates.

  An enormous ball of fire blasted past the doors and spread throughout the room. Fear gripped Ebudae’s heart as she felt the heat above her body. There was a special kind of magical fire called sticky fire that would cling to everything it touched. It took an incredible amount of power to cast it, but if that’s what had been shot through the door then they would likely die. She had read of a way to counter it, but had never tried. The words of the spell came to her mind.