“She might be on to something.” A sorcerer nearby said. “Several months back I got news in Xeer of a great disturbance rocking Twilight. I wouldn’t be happy if one of my most top secret experiments had escaped. It would make sense to send someone of Megdline’s reputation to guide this Cage. He wouldn’t be threatened of her power in the least yet she has great understanding of magic. It would be a reckless test, setting him out into the world, but I believe it was a success if he could overpower you.” He said respectfully to the magister.
“What of the griffin? How might he fit into all this?” Another asked. “Griffins were extinct over a thousand years ago. I am the only one here old enough to remember them. They are immune to magic entirely. If it is a white king, a true king, then this venture is more dire. I remember a brown one growing almost as large as Bepop before it was killed. The only way to beat a griffin is to take it down when its small. If it grows, we’re doomed. Even worse, if the Familiar is bound, he’ll not die.”
“What would you have us do?” A leopard Familiar asked.
“We must be fast and decisive. The wards of the island will be effective, but we’ll still take advantage of the weaknesses.” The ancient sorcerer continued. “We must be quick and drug everyone. When they are taken we’ll come back with strong bodied slaves we were promised to keep. We stick to the plan, the only alteration I can give is if we move faster and definitely capture Megdline. She’s been a difficult one to pin down. Now that we have her, we might never get a better opportunity. Magister, it is your decision.”
The bearded sorcerer said “Then I suggest we do one last test before tonight. Good work all of you. I’m glad you came to my aid. Now we have an idea that will succeed. We test then rest until the appointed time.”
None disagreed and did the test run one more time, it being the fastest run yet. Enthusiasm played a major part and after the mock assault they all ate and rested to be at their very best.
The day passed slowly for the first class camp. After hours of darkness and after midnight the sorceress of the owl Familiar stood. “Yal contacted me. They are all well asleep. He is standing on the rail outside the room with Cage, the two females and the griffin who is just large enough to take down.”
“How big?” The eldest among them questioned.
“Half that of a horse. And they are all deeply asleep from working all day.”
The former Arch Magister too felt it was time and could feel he’d finally be reinstated. He thought of how the empress would reward him with bringing this dangerous enemy experiment to her and all the possibilities he could learn from Cage. That and experimenting on a live griffin would be the envy of his peers. His most specific reason would be to learn the secret of turning a ghost into a spirit. Then after he learned everything there was to know a soul gem was ready and waiting. “How is the Floranna smoke? Is it ready?”
One of the sorceress’s had an open bottom barrier over a fire of blue Floranna flowers. “Almost done, Arch Magister. Are the darts freshly coated?”
“Yes.” He replied impatiently and used magic to guide eleven straps holding several needle thin darts coated in a concentrated drug which would render anyone so much as pricked to fall deeply asleep for a day at the least. The fast acting drug could take down any animal, man included. Each strap safely held ten darts, plenty to knock out everyone in the target area. Each mage took their darts and stood by either him or the eldest ancient sorcerer. Most stayed by him and his lion. If something happens, their power as a whole would overpower Cage.
“Done.” The woman said as the flowers finished burning.
“Good. Hold still, I’ll take half.” The magister said and used a barrier of his own to capture the smoke. “Ready?” All hovered on different colored boards to fly. “This is it. Go!” The magister created a violet archway as his lion jumped on the board. He flew into the light like all others on his team likewise did.
In the next moment he appeared just outside the enormous oak tree house, right where he intended. By his side were eight accompanying him and far to the right flew the second squad already blowing the smoke and washing it over the cedar tree.
A bright red, pulsating light flared to life above the tip of the mountain, sensing a breach. A loud siren wailed in warning so loud the entire island heard it with clarity. The light was nearly blinding and every open window and room in the house turned on, pulsating red.
As this was happening the Arch Magister manipulated the wind, lowered the barrier around the smoke and forced it into the large open door. At the same time two sorceresses spread around, shooting darts through the other door openings, scoring direct hits on the sleeping bodies. The magister was flanked to either side as he pumped the smoke in the room. His Familiar, along with two other felines, jumped off the magic platform and charged into the room with roars, already increasing their power to overwhelm the surprised looks on the targets. As the three Familiars leapt, darts flew, piercing all four bodies. Most hitting the large white form within the room of smoke.
Then the unexpected happened, all four body burst in a red, wet slurp. The exploding bodies splattered the entire room, coating everything in a mess.
The Magister’s jaw dropped along with his team. “What just happened?”
The ancient sorcerer by the cedar yelled “Megdline just burst!”
“No, I didn’t!” Megdline’s voice rang out.
A deep chill gripped every mage and Familiar as they turned around to meet their end.
Darkness began to waver over the void created by the cliff. In moments, forms began to appear. In place of a simple invisibility spell flew Megdline on a golden board with Frill yowling like that of a lion as he already prepared for battle. Megdline’s staff glowed brightly in the darkness, bathed in the shine of her staff and that of the red warning light made her visage was both stern and malicious.
Beside the sorceress flew Cage on a board so black even darkness bowed down to it. In his hands swirled dark energy that completely dwarfed every sorcerer and still he poured more. The air around him began to distort with a spell of his own making.
But behind them hovered Daku, over fifty feet long with twice that of a wingspan. His wings moving nearly in a blur to hover. Muscles rippled eagerly beneath fur as his usual white visage was bathed red, like some horror come to life. He even flexed his clawed hands.
Singularly Cage’s power clearly dominated while Megdline’s was less to the others, but they were all clearly outnumbered, six to one.
But that just made the situation more exciting.
Knowing surprise would last less than another second Cage’s grin turned into a laugh as he targeted four powerful sorcerers. The distorted air around him swirled around to his hand, strengthening the breaking spell for each one who erected barriers before likely Jumping here. He threw his hands forward, releasing the spell. Air crackled around black spikes as the two streams split. He felt his spell meet the resistance of a ward much stronger than Megdline’s, but the combination of breaking, piercing, thrust and heat skewered past the barriers, slipped through the throats of four. The release of compressed heat in the spikes decapitated the four mage’s who shot something in the spare bedrooms in a the span of a heartbeat.
The assault and raw power unleashed on them had their confidence shattered as their comrades’ lifeless bodies, along with their Familiars, fell dead.
“SCATTER! TAKE THEM DOWN!” The magister ordered while trying to maneuver for a better position in the air.
At the same time he yelled, Frill launched himself at the group who’d attacked his and his master’s home. With the moment of surprise and great fear to their advantage he landed first on an airborne hawk, knocked her head clean off with an immensely heavy and powerful swipe. His extended claws helped gain purchase to separate the hawk’s shoulders from the head. In that moment he kept his momentum going by using the other Familiar’s back as a platform. He then jumped into the fray, attacking a wolf, ape and a large
male peacock at the same time.
The other Familiars also went on attack. Daku slammed his great wings down as the lion and two felines shot out from his nest. Cage dove down in avoidance and Daku caught the lion and a puma in his great hands, digging his talons deeply into their soft flesh as his razor sharp beak snagged the third right out of the air. Great jaw strength snapped the cat into three pieces. Two fell from either side of his beak as he jerked his head, swallowing the center of his prey. The Familiars were heavy, but not enough. With a powerful thrust he launched himself back while doing a twist. He rolled his wrist while flinging his arms, throwing them at two nearby mages who didn’t see it coming. The great weight of the Familiars took the men by surprise and knocked them off balance.
The off kilter move gave Cage the opening he needed to get in close. Two black swords were conjured from his outstretched fingers. Cage used his great reflexes and skill to not only surf in the opposite direction in less than the area of his body, but came in below. The two mages recovered somewhat, looking for him. Using human instinct against them, Cage knew that when searching, peering down would be last place to be spotted. When they were smart enough to look below, a black flash flew up almost directly beneath. Cage spun horizontally, using his momentum and the applied rotation to go right between them. His swords sliced through their strongest barrier, allowing the blades to find their mark.
The two mages looked down and saw the red lit ground getting closer, they tried to stop themselves until their heads turned and saw their bodies following them. They both were beheaded without feeling anything, thinking they were bested completely before dying.
Cage leveled himself and dodged a half dozen shattering spells and bolts of energy. He drew from his diamonds, for it took much mana to break a barrier of their strength and he already took down six in less than five entire seconds. Flashes of golden light caught his eye for a moment.
Megdline flew around with precision and grace while fighting off three powerful mages. The remainder could clearly see Cage as the greater threat. Her own wards were holding for now, but for how long she could avoid the more powerful spells is the real issue. She knew just one direct strike would be her end. Though she lacked their greater power, she more than made up for it by being able to cast multiple spells to harass her attackers while performing complex flight patterns which only made the first class more angry.
She was an annoying bug they couldn’t swat dead.
Daku threw the excess Familiars clear over the edge of the cliff before landing full force on a ape and peacock. The pair were squished flat under his might. Frill had taken a few hits as he found himself in the teeth of the wolf. He swiped his claws, stripping away the flesh and a few teeth from the grey wolf. The pain made it yelp and release his hold, dropping Frill. Frill hissed as he fought through all his injuries and leapt on the enemy, knocking him over before ripping his throat out and for good measure, Frill jumped and landed with all his magically enhanced weight. Bones buckled under the force each time.
Frill’s sharp hearing made his gold eyes jerked up to see the talons of a large owl about to grab him. Before such a thing could happen a large white beak coated in blood chomped down on the last remaining Familiar. Frill looked up to see Daku throw the bird of prey up a bit and clamped his beak shut, pulverizing the enemy before a jerk of his head showed he swallowed the broken bird.
Silver energy glanced off Cage’s wards when it sensed a specific spell that would erode wards and barriers by sticking to it. A fast rotation of the shield slung off the corrosive spell. Cage shot a compressed fire bullet which glowed red. As it fired like that of a tracer round in the night, it impacted the woman’s barrier when she couldn’t react. It erupted with a bright flash and the concussive force alone liquefied her organs from so close a range, even through her shield.
Still he relied on the diamonds to keep him in the fight of his life.
Cage made a mistake and ran into a solid wall of grey magic which hurt. Dazed for a split-second, violet mist began heating the air. Magic fire is easy to deflect, but natural hot air took much more to resist. The moment of not being focused allowed a mage to send a spell of crippling pain.
What they didn’t know is Cage fed off pain as he cried out in surprise. It gave him instant focus as he accepted it and controlled how it affected him. The yelp ended. Cage used it and retook the barrier, ending the enemy spell from passing.
He caught sight of Megdline getting hit by a lucky shot and her wards buckled under such power. In that moment he saw the three readying their final strike against his teacher, he swiftly counted five remaining mages, their position and focused on a spell, hoping to be quick enough. He dumped in over half of everything he’d stored in the past weeks from the diamonds until he felt as if his head was about to explode from the infusion.
Five rounds bars fired from a black orb in his hand with the consistency of carbon steel. The five shot straight at the remaining mages like lightning and the amount of raw power put into the spell had turned all attention upon him. The spiked ends were laced with a breaking spell which destroyed five full powered shields and punched a fist size hole through the center of all targets through their gut. The power was too great to handle as Cage lost consciousness immediately afterwards.
Daku, seeing and feeling what his partner accomplished, flew off the edge of the cliff and caught Cage a hundred feet from the lake below.
Megdline wasn’t nearly as surprised as the five remaining mages were. She’d been around her student long enough to expect the unexpected. The power alone was impressive, reminding her of her husband. The effect it had on the others holding the sky with her was better than she imagined. Pain alone caused three to faint. A violet and silver archway appeared as two tried to flee and hope to recover. Immediately Megdline fired two binding ropes which arced to the sorcerers. “Nice try!” She shouted as the magical ropes encircled the two. She mentally tugged on the ropes, jerking them back from Jumping to safety. Without their barriers, she got a hold of them before they or their wards had time enough to be reapplied. She altered the makeup of the ropes and sent an electrical current which would make it impossible to focus as it disrupted the nervous system as well as muscles. Megdline kept them in that state while sending three more ropes to bind the remaining attackers. Five staffs fell away from their owner, making it unable for them to further use their wards, proximity was required.
She had watched closely to their initial assault on their homes and found one full set of darts still being carried by one woman and smiled when she sensed the coating they all contained. Megdline quickly confiscated it while descending with her prizes.
She landed and dropped them side by side by her house. Megdline bound her spells to the topaz pyramid in her staff and prevented them all from being able to use magic. While it maintained the electrified ropes she rapidly healed each one of their mortal wounds. She didn’t have time to look at their faces, but when she saved all five from Cage’s last attack she stabbed each one with the drugged darts and didn’t release her binding spell till she felt the drug work its way through every one of their systems.
A slight tremor made her look up as Daku laid down Cage. “What happened!?”
“It is not his blood.” Daku clarified. “Familiars I defeated.”
It had been only a few moments so she said “Let me see his back.”
Daku gently lay Cage in a comfortable position. “Not to worry, Cage asked me to see how many rings had manifested at full power. I checked when I caught him. He is now up to twenty six. Just over halfway till it creates a circle. When he reaches forty he’ll be ready to apply his full potential. He made me proud tonight.”
Faint battle cries could be heard and Daku moved instantly to look down over the cliff. Megdline saw the tension in Daku’s giant body deflate. “It is the Utala warriors. They just took down two Familiars and are now driving stakes in the ground through their skulls. They did well… Brooke and Meeka are leading
a dozen up this way at a full run.” He took a deep breath and released a deafening shrill roar of victory. A moment later there came a cheer below, for who won tonight.
It took a few more minutes for Cage’s mates and a half dozen warriors to reach the top. Each held weapons at the ready as they ran over. Brooke took in the scene of the massacre wrought by her man and the others. The priestess pointed to bodies and said “Warriors, make sure they are dead. Spike the Familiars just in case. We won’t have another accident.” Three broke off and ran across the bridge while being careful. One held stakes and a hammer and began sending them through the animal skulls to be sure they were dead while the two others checked six headless bodies. The seventh had fallen into a bed of flowers earlier and bled from every orifice without a visible wound, dead before she even reaching the ground.
Meeka sheathed her knife to her thigh and hurried over to where Daku stood over Cage. She swallowed thickly, seeing blood smear his face and robes. She knelt and moved the robe aside, checking for wounds. Daku explained where the blood came from by showing his talons. She sighed and glanced over at Megdline.
“Bind them.” Brooke told her warriors when she spotted the five trespassers. Her people used strong leather ropes to tie the enemy in a way that any movement would only make the bindings tighter.
Megdline didn’t mind the extra precaution and stepped back to allow the Utala to do their priestess’s bidding. While they worked she healed her faithful companion of all his injuries. Frill had done well against so many numbers.
Warriors returned over the bridge to tell that all were dead. Meeka then stood and came closer “I’ll go turn off the warning orb.” before heading over to their house and spoke the command which turned the bright red orb white for one whole minute before vanishing, plunging the mountain back in darkness. Meeka turned the lights on in the house to shed some light and when she stepped back out she found Brooke and many others in the light created by Megdline’s own home.
Laugh of Destruction (Book 3 of the Death Incarnate Saga) Page 27
