Emerald shivered. It’s just the cold. I’m not afraid.
Three vampires drifted into the clearing. One was short. He was a dwarf-child. Another was tall. He was an orc. His ugly form was made even more hideous by his red eyes and the long fangs protruding from his mouth. The last vampire was a human woman. She had long blonde hair. If not for her red eyes and fangs, Emerald thought the woman would be pretty.
“Don’t worry,” said the blonde vampire as she glided forward. “Lord Cancontus has need of you. I’ll make your death as painless as possible. You’ll soon be one of my disciples.”
By the blood in the eyes of the child-vampire, Emerald knew the boy was newly formed. He appeared impatient, or perhaps the burning hunger of his new vampire form couldn’t be denied. Whatever the reason, the child-vampire lunged past the blonde woman and dove straight for Emerald’s throat.
Although the Power of the Circle no longer flowed through her, she didn’t shrink away. Her mother was a queen. Her father was a king. She was too proud to do anything but fight. Emerald felt shield-maiden Osglow’s dagger still in her hand. She brought it up and aimed a blow for the child-vampire’s heart. The tip of the dagger struck a rib bone. Although the cold water of the stream had drained her strength, the momentum of the vampire’s charge forced the tip of the magic blade past the rib and into the vampire’s heart.
The momentum of the lifeless corpse knocked Emerald to the ground. Ignoring her pain, she rolled to her feet and came up in the fighting stance she’d been taught by her mother. She was a Drepdenoris dwarf. She would fight as long as she had breath.
Holding the dagger before her, Emerald faced her remaining opponents.
“Well, well,” said the blonde woman. “Looks like we have a fighter here.” Drawing a longsword from its sheath, the blonde vampire gave a wicked grin. “Come, little one. I’ll show you how to use that little pig sticker of yours.”
“No play,” growled the orc in broken common. “I hungry. I kill.”
The orc-vampire started forward with his well-muscled arms outstretched. He carried no weapon, but Emerald knew his finger-length fangs and razor-sharp claws were all the weapons he needed.
“Run, girl,” said the orc. “I like when they run.”
“Drepdenoris dwarves don’t run,” Emerald said in a voice brave enough to belie how she really felt. She might be young, but she was the daughter of a king.
The orc snarled and charged forward.
Emerald noticed the vampire’s feet were bending the blades of grass as he came. He’s too confident. She lifted the tip of her dagger to meet the vampire’s charge. He’s not even in the void.
Without warning, a series of red streaks passed over Emerald’s shoulder and struck the orc in the chest, knocking him head-over-heels. She sensed powerful energy in the red streaks but dared not look to see from whence they came. The blonde vampire was too much of a threat.
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you to pick on someone your own size?” said a voice.
The orc-vampire jumped up snarling with rage. Even as the vampire stood, the holes in his chest closed over and healed. Emerald sensed both vampires shift into the void.
Not so confident now, are you? Emerald thought.
She didn’t know who her unseen ally was, but the tide of the battle had shifted. She now had a slim chance of remaining alive.
The orc-vampire roared and charged forward again. Emerald could tell his path wasn’t headed toward her. His target was located to her right rear.
The blur of a tall figure wearing black armor passed to her right and intercepted the orc. The armored figure swung a sword at the vampire’s head. The sword had miniature red lightning bolts running up and down its length. The orc tried to dodge, but he was a little too slow. The tip of the red sword caught the vampire on the temple, knocking him to the ground.
Quick as a wink, Emerald dove on the orc and used her weight to drive her dagger deep into his heart. The orc-vampire was in the void, but it didn’t matter. The Holy Metal penetrated the vampire’s heart, releasing a spray of blood into the air.
Before the vampire could do more than scream, the mysterious figure’s red sword struck three more times at his unprotected head. Blood splattered on both Emerald and her black-armored ally. The orc-vampire stopped moving. Emerald noticed blades of grass bending underneath the orc’s body.
Well, he’s not in the void now, Emerald thought. She pulled her dagger free of the vampire’s heart to face the blonde woman.
The blonde vampire was still standing where she’d been when her companion began his charge. She held her sword out before her in a defensive position. The vampire didn’t seem concerned at the passing of her fellow vampires. A slight smile crossed her lips.
“Well, well,” said the vampire. “And here I thought Lord Cancontus was sending me on a wild dragon’s chase when he ordered me to fetch this tasty little morsel. I’m glad to see I won’t be bored after all.”
As Emerald watched, the blonde vampire slid to the left and began moving her sword in a small figure-eight pattern to her front. The grass beneath the vampire’s feet wasn’t bending.
She’s in the void.
“Oh, I don’t think you’ll be bored,” said the figure in black from a protective position between Emerald and the vampire.
Without turning, the figure in black armor spoke to Emerald. “Run, little one. I’ll find you after I finish with this one.”
The blonde vampire’s eyes flared with red fire, but she didn’t lose her tight-lipped smile. Nor did she stop the weaving of her sword. The blue glow along the edges of the sword was almost hypnotic as it wove its deadly pattern.
Emerald forced herself to look away. She focused instead on the back of her armored benefactor, standing her ground. The figure’s armor was a dull black. At the same time, parts of the armor seemed to blend with its surroundings, similar to the cloaks of hiding Emerald had seen hunting parties use. While the armor didn’t radiate magic as far as she could tell, it had an eerie feel to it all the same. The armor was unlike anything she’d ever seen. Several strange-looking items hung from the belt around the figure’s waist. The helmet glowed with red where a visor would normally be located. The red glow was almost, but not quite, translucent. Emerald was unable to make out her benefactor’s face. Unlike the vampire, Emerald noticed the figure wasn’t in the void.
The blonde vampire moved in for the attack, swinging her sword in a series of savage thrusts and cuts.
The black-armored figure parried each of the vampire’s attacks.
Blue and red sparks flew into the air whenever the two weapons met. The smell of ozone permeated the area.
The armored figure half-knelt and kicked out with a leg in an apparent attempt to sweep the vampire’s legs. Instead, the armored figure’s leg passed through the vampire.
Emerald sensed impending disaster.
Taking advantage of the armored figure’s momentary loss of balance, the blonde vampire swung her sword downward, straight at her antagonist’s head.
A line of Power stretched out from the armored figure and wrapped around the tip of the vampire’s sword, slowing its downward momentum. Quick as a flash, the armored figure side stepped and thrust the tip of the red sword into the vampire’s stomach.
The vampire groaned with pain as she bent over. Dodging backward, she was barely fast enough to avoid a second thrust from the figure in black.
“Well, you have some skill,” admitted the blonde vampire. “Too bad it’s not going to be enough to save you. I’m going to rip your throat out. When I’m done with you, I’ll feast on this girl before I take her to my master.”
Emerald stiffened against the threat, raising her magic knife chest high and glaring at the vampire.
The vampire and the armored figure slowly circled one another. The blonde vampire appeared leery of her opponent. The armored figure had hurt her.
Emerald knew the vampire still had the advantage. She was in the voi
d. Apparently, only the armored figure’s strange red rod was capable of hurting the vampire. Both of the combatants appeared to have temporarily forgotten her presence as each sought an advantage over the other. She decided to try giving the armored figure an opening. Praying she was fast enough, Emerald dove at the vampire’s left leg. With a downward thrust of her dagger, she drove the magic blade deep into the vampire’s calf. The blonde vampire screamed as the keen edge of the dagger ripped into her flesh.
In a blur of motion, the armored figure swung the red rod at the side of the vampire’s head.
As the red lightning bolts running up and down the rod made contact, Emerald heard the sound of cracking bone.
Apparently not satisfied with a single blow, the armored figure continued striking the blonde vampire’s body in a series of blows too fast for a dwarf’s eye to follow. The repeated blows knocked the vampire to the ground where she began withering in pain. The armored figure continued to pound the vampire relentlessly.
However, even as the figure’s red rod caused new injuries to the vampire, Emerald could see the blonde woman’s earlier wounds healing. She remembered the old storyteller’s tales of powerful vampires who could heal damage faster than their adversary could deal it out. Only a strike of Holy Metal directly into the vampire’s heart had any hope of causing its death. Crawling forward, she jerked shield-maiden Osglow’s dagger out of the vampire’s calf. With a thrust of her legs, she leaped on top of the blonde vampire’s chest and drove the blade of Holy Metal deep into the monster’s dark heart.
The vampire screamed one last time, then lay still.
Emerald jiggled the dagger several times before rolling off the body and standing. After bending down and wiping her blade on the woman’s cloak, she turned to face her savior.
The armored figure stood frozen, holding the rod high, ready to deliver another blow.
Emerald couldn’t see her ally’s face behind the red visor. Holding her dagger downward in what she hoped was a non-threatening manner, she asked, “Who are you? Why are you here?”
The armored figure made a flick with the hand holding the red rod. A slight pop sounded as the red lightning running along the rod’s length disappeared. The rod retracted into the weapon’s handle. With an ease of movement that could only be obtained from years of practice, the armored figure attached the handle to the belt running around the waist of the black armor. The figure’s red visor disappeared as the helmet changed shape to reveal a female with a mass of long dark hair.
Emerald thought the woman looked pretty for a human. Her penetrating brown eyes reminded Emerald of her mother’s.
The woman sized Emerald up and down in a way that indicated she discerned much more than she could physically see. If not for the appearance of a friendly smile, Emerald would have been intimidated by the woman’s obvious inspection.
“Who am I?” The woman gave a slight bow. “Wizard Scout Janice Deluth at your service. As to why I’m here, I’m not exactly sure. A minute ago, I was told to ‘save the small one.’ Then I was teleported here. Since I thought you looked a lot smaller than your vampire adversaries, I assumed I was supposed to save you. I hope I chose correctly.”
Too much had occurred in too short a time. Emerald just stood staring at the woman.
After a few awkward seconds of silence, the woman knelt on one knee. Once her head was at Emerald’s level, the woman spoke. “May I ask who I have the pleasure of addressing?”
“Emerald.”
“All right, Emerald,” said the woman, still smiling. “I’m not exactly sure what’s going on. However, I think it might be best if we left this area before some of these creatures’ friends decide to show up.” When Emerald didn’t respond, the woman added in a kind voice, “Where do you live? Is it far? Perhaps I can escort you to your parents. I’m sure they’re worried about you.”
At the mention of her parents, the dam holding back Emerald’s emotions broke and she began to cry. In spite of her constant attempts to be more mature than her childhood friends, she was just a child after all. With a child’s desperate need to be comforted, Emerald told the black-haired woman of the slaughter of the Drepdenoris dwarves along with her parents, the king and queen.
The woman listened to Emerald’s tale without interruption. She maintained a kind and sympathetic look on her face. Although the woman was a human, Emerald sensed she could trust the new ally fate had thrust upon her.
Once her tale was done, Emerald composed herself. “You’ve been kind to me, and you have my thanks. Now I must return home. I must avenge the death of my people. I swear I’ll drive this dagger into Lord Cancontus’s heart if it’s the last thing I do.”
Emerald was surprised when the woman didn’t smile at her talk of vengeance. She was used to adults not taking the words of a child seriously.
The woman said, “Janice. Please call me Janice.”
Despite the circumstances, her mother’s endless attempts over the years to improve her manners took charge. Emerald bowed and said, “Well met, Lady Janice.”
This time the woman did laugh. However, it was a friendly laugh, so Emerald took no offense.
“Just Janice,” said the woman. “Just plain old Janice will suit me fine.”
“All right, Janice,” Emerald said. “Thank you, Janice, for saving me.”
The woman stood and continued smiling. “Well, I think you were doing quite well even before I showed up.” The woman delivered a kick to the body of one of the dead vampires. “Unfortunately, from what you’ve told me, there are many more where these come from. So, while I’m sure we both have many questions, we really do need to go.”
“Go where?” Emerald said. In spite of her brave speech, she knew she wasn’t equipped to exact revenge with a lone dagger, even if it was magic. “I have no one now.” Emerald immediately regretted sounding childish and weak.
Janice looked down sympathetically. “You’re not alone, little one. You have me. I give you my word of honor as a wizard scout, I’ll help you as long as I’m able.”
Emerald didn’t know what a wizard scout was, but from the solemnness of the woman’s voice, she knew the woman’s oath was important to her.
“I—” Emerald’s voice broke. When she regained control, she said, “Thank you, again. Do you think we should go back to my mountain home? Some of my friends may still be alive.”
Janice turned and looked hard at the mountain that had been Emerald’s home for all of her short life. Although Emerald wasn’t a mage, she could detect a sense of Power reaching out from the woman toward the mountain. The woman maintained her concentration for several seconds.
Emerald said nothing; in fact, she barely breathed. She wasn’t sure what her newfound ally was doing, but she could tell it was important.
Finally, the woman’s face relaxed and took on a sad look.
Emerald waited stoically for the woman to speak, fearing her new friend’s words wouldn’t be good news.
“I’m sorry, Emerald,” said Janice. “I don’t detect any living persons in that mountain. Only death resides there now.”
Emerald didn’t weep. The woman’s words weren’t unexpected. Besides, she’d already wept too much to start anew.
Looking up at the woman, Emerald said, “My family’s honor demands I avenge my parents’ death. I can’t allow Lord Cancontus and his black-hearted fiends to get away with mass murder. I may be the last of the Drepdenoris dwarves. I won’t rest until my home is free once more.”
“I’m sure you won’t,” said Janice. “But maybe it shouldn’t be today. ‘The One’ sent me to save you. He told me that you must go to the Oracle. The Oracle is wise. He’ll tell you how to avenge your people.”
“The Oracle?” Emerald had heard the name before but assumed the Oracle was more a legend than an actual person. “How? Where? I don’t know where to find him.”
“Don’t fear, little one,” said Janice with another of her kind smiles. “I said I’ll help you as lo
ng as I’m able. I’ll—”
The woman started to blur in and out of focus.
“No!” shouted Janice as she looked skyward. “Not yet! I gave her my word. Please! Not yet!” She turned and locked eyes with Emerald, then mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.”
Janice blinked out of existence.
Emerald stood in the same spot for several minutes hoping against hope that the woman would return. She didn’t. Finally, with a stoic acceptance common to all dwarves, Emerald forced herself to do something. She searched the bodies of the three vampires. Surprisingly, she found a few coins in a small, leather bag in the pocket of the orc. She also removed a ring and two diamond ear-studs from the blonde vampire’s body. Finally, she picked up the blonde vampire’s longsword. It no longer glowed blue, but Emerald could feel latent magic deep inside the blade.
It’s too big for me, but it’s too valuable to leave behind.
With a final look at her mountain and a nod of her head, Emerald said, “I’ll be back, Cancontus. One day, I’ll be back. I promise on that day, you’ll pay.”
Turning to the rising sun, Emerald set off at a brisk walk. One direction was as good as another. She had no idea where the Oracle was located or even if such a being existed. However, if the Oracle did exist, she’d find him, even if it took the rest of her life.
Chapter 2 – Ambush
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The dolgar army was hungry. It needed to be fed.
Wizard Scout Richard Shepard sat on his mount and cast his eyes over the valley floor below. The black stallion was restless. Even after years of association, the stallion seemed to only tolerate him as a rider. Richard didn’t blame the creature. He supposed being forced to carry a rider was no different for the spirit-horse than it was for him to be forced by ‘the One’ to go on missions he had no wish to perform.
“Well, don’t blame me,” Richard told the stallion using emotion-speak. “It wasn’t my idea to come here. I’d rather be kicking back in my quarters on the Defiant reading a nice book instead of wandering around this Creator-forsaken land sitting on your sweaty back.”
Wizard Rebellion (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 5) Page 2
