Juxta, Magi

by Porter, Geoffrey C

  "We need to get all the poisoned men wrapped up in blankets and put them as close to the fires as we can," Monroe said. "Keeping them warm will help them fight the poison. Ruskin told me to treat the wounded this way."

  They gathered up the poisoned men and wrapped them in three or four blankets each and fed fuel to the bonfires putting the men as close to the flames as possible. Only two dozen men died, and Robert promised that their spirits made it to paradise.

  Chapter 39

  Juxta, paralyzed by the poison, couldn't move or speak or even open his eyes, but his mind functioned. The heat from the blaze they put him near almost burned him. He couldn't believe in the existence of the God of War. He decided in his mind to pray to the god again, for he had questions for him. He did his best to make up a prayer and pour power into it. The God of War answered, "Now you know I exist. You've seen the proof."

  "Yes." Juxta realized he didn't know how to address a god.

  "Call me master if you are going to choose to become one of my disciples."

  "What of The One True God?"

  "The One True God rules over heaven and hell, but he has no hold over my paradise," the God of War said. "The old gods were once alone in this realm. Now we must at times answer to The One True God."

  Juxta tried to scoot his body away from the fire, but his arms and legs refused all commands. "You watch over the souls of warriors who die in battle?"

  "Do you require proof beyond the spirit warriors I sent to you?"

  "I've many questions, great one," Juxta said. He wasn't sure if he was thinking straight as the goblin poison coursed through his veins.

  "Juxta, call me master, become one of my disciples. I haven't had a disciple in many eons. I've watched all of your battles. You're worthy of a place in my realm."

  "I don't know if I can do that." Juxta tried to reach out and touch the thunderous voice echoing in his mind. "My beloved is a priestess of The One True God."

  "You'll know her again in the mortal realm," the voice said with a laugh. "She'll return to you in her own time."

  "I don't know if I can trust you. You could just be a figment of the poison in my veins."

  "Your teacher's here, Hebron. I'll summon his spirit…"

  Hebron spoke in Juxta's mind, "You've grown into a master."

  Juxta said, "Yes… Is it really you, Hebron?"

  "It is. Serving the God of War is the righteous path."

  "Did I kill you, Master? In the battle, did I drain too much of your strength?"

  Hebron appeared in between Juxta and the fire. "No, it was my time to die. You had no part in it."

  "Thank you."

  "I've watched you since before the fire that killed your family," the God of War said. "I woke you up, so you could survive. The other elder gods started the fire just to destroy you…"

  "WHAT!"

  Hebron whispered, "The fire was started by the elder gods…"

  "Why did they want to destroy me?"

  "Because of your potential," the God of War said. "You've the capacity for great evil. You might have joined forces with Balron, and that would have meant doom for the mortal realm."

  "What else have the elder gods done to thwart me?" Juxta asked. "Did they help take away Lisa from me?"

  "The God of Nature kept Lisa alive after you freed her soul… Of course the God of Nature reincarnated the goblins too… The bitch."

  Juxta tried to twist and turn in the blankets wrapped around him. "I must find Lisa and my son."

  "You can't go against the priesthood. Give her time…"

  "It has been years…" Juxta let out a low sigh and gave up his struggle against the poison paralyzing his muscles.

  "Balron is getting stronger with every passing day. I command a great army in heaven while he commands a great army in the mortal realm and in hell. The balance is shifting. The One True God is losing his hold on heaven and hell. There will be more war to come: bloodbaths. I can only do so much. You must become my disciple and fight Balron with all your strength and mine. Balron will strike at you again and again until he is either your master or your destroyer."

  "If I decide to call you master, you'll help me find Lisa?"

  "Yes, in time."

  "Master."

  Chapter 40

  They found three goblin villages and wiped them out. One had an Adamite mine, which was how the goblins forged bane weapons. The pure humans among the army helped the surviving Tree Nymph tribes replace their numbers, so that they could take over parts of the forest that had been lost to the goblins. The army collected as much Adamite as they could to have it re-forged into man-sized weapons instead of goblin-sized. They spent a few weeks patrolling the forest then the army left for home. Monroe's army went back to Juxta's fiefdom, and the rangers returned to Lynken.

  Timothy looked at Juxta from across the campfire one night. "Now you serve the God of War."

  "Yes." Juxta smiled. "I guess so. I don't expect he'll ever call on me for anything."

  Timothy looked into the fire. "I believe in The One True God."

  Juxta's shoulders slumped down a bit. It was his turn to stare into the fire. "The God of War promised to reunite me with Lisa while The One True God stands in my way."

  "I hope it works for you, Master."

  *

  Another year passed uneventfully. Timothy studied and studied, trying to learn to cast from the heart. Robert helped him daily.

  Matthew's study progressed as well. It became clear; however, the cat didn't like Matthew. The feline wouldn't let the boy come near him, pet him, or feed him table scraps. Matthew went to William.

  Matthew bowed before the king in the throne room.

  William said, "Brother, how's your magic?"

  "It takes a long time to learn…" Matthew sighed a tired, I'm not sure I've done the right thing kind of sigh. "I want a Kergian cat."

  "They're faster than a horse of course, but you can't have a saddlebag," William said as he reached down and petted the yellow striped cat at his feet. "You'd have to go to Kergia and throw yourself on the mercy of their court." William smiled. "There's a princess there. She's rather beautiful, and only a few years older than you. She may still be unmarried."

  Matthew stared wide eyed.

  "When you become a master, you can travel to Kergia," William said. "For now, study!"

  Matthew bowed and departed.

  Juxta checked on his fiefdom every year. It had become well known as a peaceful fiefdom where justice prevailed.

  Timothy found a young lady from his estate and married her, moving into the Lord's Manor.

  Neither Timothy nor Juxta aged, and within a year or two more Matthew would be forging his mage's staff.

  Juxta prayed to the God of War with some frequency asking him when he would help him find Lisa. The God of War simply replied, "The priesthood still deems it necessary to shield her. They're shielding her from Balron as well. Be patient."

  Queen Teresa's cat had a litter. They were fairly certain she'd bred with one of the feral Kergian cats that had been left riderless after the war. Matthew got his wish. His own Kergian kitten.

  Timothy journeyed to Weslan at times and dueled with their masters. He typically lost unless he used the Dragon's Fire ring. Soon he would have to pass on the ring to Matthew.

  When Timothy and Matthew were in the house, Juxta felt like it was home again. Juxta caught Timothy and Matthew throwing lightning and fire at each other one evening.

  Juxta snarled. "What are you two doing?"

  The lightning and fire dwindled down. Timothy said, "What does it look like we're doing?"

  Juxta looked from one young man to the other, thinking of a suitable punishment for both of them. Perhaps he would hang them from a tree by their toes for a few hours.

  "Try and get past his shield, if he's not old enough," Timothy said.

  Matthew's eyebrows bounced up and down. "Timothy can't."

  "It would be pointless," Juxta said. "I can get
past his shield. I doubt it'll require that much effort."

  "Try it," Timothy said.

  Juxta looked over at Matthew who grinned wider and wider. "Fine, it'll be a quick demonstration."

  Matthew moved to about fifty feet away from Juxta and threw up his shield. Juxta started with just a bit of lightning, and the shield held. Then he upped the ante about twofold. Still the shield held. Matthew barely even tried. He didn't sweat. He just stood there grinning. Juxta lashed out with power, again and again. Finally Matthew started to sweat a little, he shouted, "Is that all you have?"

  Juxta summoned enough power to shatter a boulder and quite carefully sent it at Matthew. He had to be careful with it because he didn't want the shield to cave, and the lightning to hurt the boy. The shield held, but it knocked Matthew on the ground. He shouted, "Quarter!"

  Juxta stopped the lightning.

  Matthew got back to his feet, and walked back to Juxta and Timothy. "You're much stronger than Timothy."

  "Your line's magic resistance must convey into the sphere," Juxta said. "Try shielding something besides yourself with it, and I'll see how much effort it takes to shatter it."

  Matthew pointed. "That tree stump over there…"

  Juxta waited a moment for him to put the shield up and tried a lightning bolt. The lightning crashed without effect on the shield. Juxta upped the output significantly, yet the sphere held. Matthew sweated again though getting a good workout from a magical perspective. Finally Juxta flattened the shield with lightning. Matthew groaned and clutched at his skull.

  Juxta said, "Headache?"

  Matthew groaned again and bent over.

  "Stronger shield than any of the masters of Weslan possess," Timothy said.

  He spent a few weeks in Lynken practicing. He still didn't cast from the heart. Juxta reminded him that it can easily take decades to learn. Eventually, Timothy headed back to his fiefdom. Robert traveled with him, for he wanted to meet Timothy's wife and see their manor and fief.

  *

  Timothy camped by the side of the road. He made a small fire and almost dozed off. Half asleep, his perimeter ward woke him. He reached for his staff. In his mind, echoed the words, You won't be needing that.

  Timothy started drawing power into himself and put up his magical shield. He looked around and shouted, "Show yourself!"

  A man stepped out of the shadows wearing a great golden crown and a long sword with glowing inscriptions on it and a great sapphire in place between the hilt and blade. Shadows all around Timothy started to move. The creature spoke in his mind again, Put down your weapons. You face Balron. You won't win. Robert watched the whole thing, and he thought to himself, ‘God, no…'

  Power raged inside of Timothy. He knew of Balron from Juxta's stories. He rained lightning down on Balron, but it made no dent in the necromancer's shield. Balron focused his power and projected, Pain! into Timothy's mind. He didn't have the strength to protect himself and great pain wracked his body. He started to scream and crumpled up in a ball on the ground with all thought of resistance leaving his mind.

  Balron stepped up to Timothy. "So, this is Juxta's first apprentice. We'll make him a servant of darkness."

  A few dozen necromancers and ogres stepped out of the shadows approaching Timothy's writhing form. His hands and feet were tied then they tied him to a large pole, so that two ogres could carry him on their shoulders.

  Balron looked over Timothy. He grabbed up Timothy's staff and cast it aside. He noticed the Dragon's Fire ring and took it from Timothy's finger. "What an interesting trinket. I thought only Juxta wore it. I'll bend it to my will."

  Robert was still there. Balron turned to him. "And you, Robert, what'll we do with you?"

  Robert tried to dart away, but Balron grabbed him in some kind of force field and banished him to a limbo of sorts. Robert found himself in a mausoleum deep within Tercia. He didn't seem capable of escaping it of his own volition. He cried out in anguish.

  Chapter 41

  Juxta was schooling Matthew. The boy's newfound ability to create ultra powerful shields intrigued Juxta. Robert became overdue, but at first, Juxta thought nothing of it. Then another day passed, and another. On the third day, Juxta tried the scrying orb to find Robert or Timothy to no avail. He mounted his cat and sprinted to his grove. He built a huge bonfire and tried with all the power of his trees to scry on Timothy or Robert. He got nowhere.

  He called on the God of War. He poured a great torrent of power into summoning him. The sky broke out in thunder and lightning high above. The God of War materialized in the bonfire. "Yes."

  "I fear the worst, Master," Juxta said. "My apprentice Timothy and our friendly spirit Robert are missing, and I can't scry them."

  "Balron is loose again… Let me first see what he could have done to Robert." The God disappeared for a moment. "Robert was caged in a mausoleum deep within Tercia, and I've freed him."

  "What of Timothy?"

  "He's held captive traveling east almost at the Tercia border. They seem to be traveling to the same temple that held Robert."

  A tent appeared to hover in the air next to the God of War. The view moved inside the structure. A fire burned inside it, and they had Timothy bound, gagged, and tied to a pole. Juxta hissed.

  "The creature that is Balron is an abomination," the God of War said. "There are two spirits living in the shell of a man. Pray to me when you are within sound of him. I'll defeat his body and banish his spirit to a place that he'll find very difficult to leave. You must ride! Your orb will now show the truest path to reach them."

  Juxta leapt onto the cat's back and rode for home. He needed one thing. Druid's wine to keep the cat running day and night. He ran into the house to get it. Matthew asked him, "What's going on, Master?"

  "I must ride like the wind to get Timothy. Balron has him."

  "I want to go along! My shields will prove useful."

  "You can't keep up, Matthew. I'll be pushing the cat very hard. Timothy must be freed before they reach a mausoleum in Tercia."

  Matthew poked at the floor with his right toe. "I'll wait at the castle."

  On that note, Juxta ran out of the house and hopped onto the cat, and they rode hard to the northeast. They rode until sunrise. Juxta stopped the cat long enough for it to get a drink of water, Druid's wine, and some beef jerky. He pushed the cat all that day, and at nightfall he let the cat fall to the ground. He let the cat sleep for all of two hours, and then he woke it up and fed it more beef jerky and wine.

  He had to take the time to explain to the cat that they chased after Timothy. He shouldn't have had to do such a thing, but the cat seemed smarter than a cat should be. The cat raced onward through the night and into the day again. The cat drank more Druid's wine and ate more beef jerky. They rode on. Juxta became exhausted himself, so he called a halt to it. Juxta and the cat slept for about six hours. They passed the border into Tercia. Juxta called on the God of War to see how far away the mausoleum was where they were taking Timothy to carve him up. Perhaps another day's travel. Juxta needed to ride. He woke up the cat and said to him, "We're close to Timothy. Can you smell their trail, boy?"

  The cat just sighed and nodded his head and took off to the east. Juxta thought he could smell ogres. The ogres even left a trail of sorts that they could follow…

  They came upon an open field with a lone tent in the center. A trickle of smoke rose from its top. The sun rose slowly in the east, and the horizon glowed by dawn's early light. The cat showed its fatigue with labored breathing, and he started to walk. They approached the tent and threw open the canopy. Balron waited inside. "Come in, Juxta. I hoped to make it to my temple before your arrival; nonetheless, this will be the last time we face each other. You'll join me, or I'll send you to hell."

  Juxta calmly stepped off the cat, which collapsed at Juxta's feet. He looked Balron over. He had the look of the undead. His stomach had leather stitching it closed. He wore the crown and had the great sword in a scabbard on his b
elt. Juxta started his prayer to the God of War. Balron laughed. "That's what you bring to fight me, Juxta? A prayer to a long dead God?"

  Juxta's cat scooted across the floor of the tent to Timothy. The cat coughed, and it splattered blood. Juxta said the prayer louder, while raising shields about himself, the cat, and Timothy. His power flowed.

  Balron smiled wide. "Give in to real power, Juxta. Join me. Let me teach you what it means to be immortal."

  Juxta continued his prayer pouring more and more power into it. The cat reached Timothy and licked his leg then collapsed merely breathing and coughing up more blood. Balron said, "Your cat is dying, Juxta, and where is this God you summon?"

  All of a sudden Balron's body contorted, and he shouted, "No!" The God of War split the two spirits within his body, lending great strength to the mortal whose body had been taken over by Balron's spirit.

  The God of War materialized over the fire in the tent and spoke, "Be gone, abomination, and never return to this Earth!"

  On that note, two different mists started seeping out of Balron from his stomach, one red, one white. The red mist started moving downward towards the Earth, and the white mist started sifting upwards towards the heavens. The body that Balron used fell like a stone. The God of War spoke, "It's done!"

  Juxta walked over to Timothy and cut loose his hands and feet. Timothy pulled the burlap sack off his face and removed the gag from his mouth. He shook his extremities to get the circulation going again. "Thank you, Master."

  "We're not out of this yet."

  Timothy walked over to the dead corpse that was Balron, and drew Balron's great sword. He lopped off the corpse's head. "Just to be sure."

  Juxta knelt down to the cat giving him more Druid's wine. The cat coughed up more blood. Juxta tried a healing chant. It didn't seem to have any effect. The cat just lay there breathing and splattering out blood in front of him.

  The top of the tent flew off as if by a rope pulled by a strong hand. In the growing light of dawn, necromancers and ogres circled them in abundance.

  Timothy howled, "Arrrooo!" He charged their line with the great sword held high. He shouted a prayer to the God of War having said more than enough unanswered prayers to The One True God while tied and bound. He called upon the God for bloodlust. His pulse quickened, and his stride lengthened as he ran.