by Jaxon Reed
There had been no other dalliances, no hints of impropriety, and the priest had gained everyone’s trust with his second chance in Greystone Village.
“I wish it was this full every Restday, Wizard Greystone.”
Greystone chuckled, and patted Robrigo on the back. He knew the disgraced cleric had plenty of offerings from the plate passed around each week, giving him more than enough to eat and keep the building in good shape. He always had some left over to feed those less fortunate, too.
Greystone also knew that even those not regularly attending the priest’s Restday services appreciated his ministry. Robrigo visited the sick and took care of funerals for those who died. He comforted the bereaved and counseled anyone needing a shoulder to cry on. He settled arguments. He even interceded in marital disputes. Whatever sins he may or may not have committed back in Coral, the man had proven invaluable as a spiritual servant to everyone in Greystone Village.
Greystone patted him again, then walked forward to the front of the pulpit.
“Thank you all for coming today. As you know, this village exists in a special place. We enter and leave it by magic, through different routes leading to the major kingdoms.
“You may also know that there is a wizard in Emerald who has gone rogue from the Magic Council. His name is Darkstone. But what you probably don’t know is that he seeks the Forlorn Dagger, which has recently surfaced after disappearing when humans fought the dwarf wizard Lok.”
Dudge, Barley, and Fret sat up straight at the mention of Lok’s name, giving Greystone their undivided attention.
“The Forlorn Dagger is now concealed in the Hidden Woods. Darkstone has gathered an army from Emerald, and they are marching on our village.
“We have allies on the Magic Council, and they are employing tactics to delay Darkstone. However, inevitably, I fear he will soon bring forces to bear against us despite the council’s best efforts. When that time comes, Darkstone will not stop until the dagger is found and our village is destroyed, or we destroy him.
“Therefore, I am asking you now that we prepare for war. I implore all able-bodied men and women to gather up whatever weapons you can to help defend this village against the hordes Darkstone is bringing.
“We will have help in this conflict. We will have other wizards fighting on our side, as well as a battlemaiden. Nonetheless, if we are to be successful in the coming conflict, we all must work together to defeat the enemy.”
He paused and looked out on the people crowding the pews. He caught the eye of the innkeeper, who nodded encouragingly. He glanced toward the stable master, who glared back with fire in his eyes and clenched fists. He looked at the dwarves on the front pew. Barley and his son looked stunned, while Dudge appeared outraged and ready to fight.
“I’ll be happy to meet with each of you to discuss what you can do to help. That is all.”
DUDGE SPOKE FIRST TO GREYSTONE, the wizard stooping down while the dwarf prince whispered excitedly in his ear. When he finished, Greystone stood and thanked Dudge. Something approaching a smile crossed the dwarf’s face.
He hurried back to the dwarves’ room at the inn, with Barley and Fret on his heels. When the door closed, he started packing his travel bag.
“I promised th’ wizard I’d bring help. Dunno how many th’ court will gimme, but even so I should be able to talk some into comin’ and helpin’ even without bein’ ordered to. Th’ memories o’ Lok run deep.”
Barley nodded and watched as the prince gathered all his items and laced up the bag.
“Should we go with ye, Highness?”
“Nay. Stay here. Th’ wizard said th’ nearest entryway fer Greystone Village to Ore Stad is a two day trek. Creator willin’, I can make th’ trip there an’ back in less with help. At least with a couple dwarves here they stand a better chance than no chance at all.”
He glanced over at Fret.
“Ye’ve trained at th’ Academy?”
“Aye. But I dinna understand,” Fret said. “What’s all th’ fuss? It’s just a human wizard. They kinna take care o’ things on their own?”
Dudge looked up from his bag.
“Ha’n’t ye heard about Lok?”
“Aye. Th’ most evil dwarf in history, far as I ken. But this ain’t Lok, it’s one of th’ human wizards.”
“He’s after one o’ Lok’s toys. Have ye read about th’ Starfallen Blade?”
Fret’s eyes grew big.
“Aye. I see ye have by th’ look on yer face. Th’ humans call it th’ Forlorn Dagger. ’Tis one and th’ same, lad.”
Dudge glanced over at Barley and raised an eyebrow as if to ask the older dwarf the same question. Barley shook his head.
“Nay, Highness. I dinna read much. Mainly I just brew ale.”
Dudge forced down the annoyance building in him. He reminded himself that commoners would be less interested in royal histories. They’d be less interested in reading generally. The son at least, had an education. He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly before beginning the tale.
“One o’ Lok’s darkest weapons was this blade. It was fashioned from th’ ore of a fallen star by one o’ th’ humans’ better swordsmiths. Its power was in removin’ magic, from both th’ bearer an’ whoever he touched. It could kill wizards, battlemaidens, anybody. Lok had many followers, even amongst th’ humans. He convinced one t’ kill several of ’em durin’ his last battle, an’ he almost won because of it.
“Th’ dagger has been missin’ since that battle. No one knew where it lay hid. Iffen this rogue wizard obtains it, he can finish th’ chaos Lok started. It’s too important, an’ that’s why I must go an’ bring back help. I dinna know iffen these humans can take care of it on their own.”
STIN HEADED STRAIGHT BACK to the inn after the meeting broke up. Kirt hurried to catch up with him.
“Where are you going?”
“To pack. You head to the stable and get Horse and the cart. Meet me back at the inn.”
“But why? We can’t leave here.”
“Didn’t you hear the wizard, Kirt? There’s an army coming this way. We need to be long gone before they get here.”
Kirt stopped walking. He crossed his arms and stared at Stin’s back. Stin stopped and turned around.
“You ever been in a battle, boy? Neither have I. Now is not the time to start for either one of us. Now go get Horse and meet me at the inn.”
“I’m not going.”
Stin stared at the lad. Kirt glared back stubbornly. Stin walked closer, closing the gap between them.
“Kirt, listen. This is not going to be a pleasant place to be, soon. There are soldiers coming. Soldiers like to kill, and rape and pillage and do all sorts of unpleasant things to people. This place doesn’t stand a chance, even with a wizard. The army coming this way has a wizard, too, and he’s a real nasty one from what I’ve heard.
“Now, look. We’ve got an opportunity here. We can take any gateway we want and be within a day or two of all the major kingdoms. You want to travel? Now’s your chance! I’ve been to most of them, and I know my way around. We’ve got some coin. We can make a good life for ourselves in Sapphire, Quartz, or Diamond. We could even get on a boat and sail somewhere. We can do anything but stay here.”
“I’m not going, and neither should you. This place is special and you know it. It’s worth fighting for. So are these people. We can’t let some stupid rogue wizard come in and ruin it for us and everybody else.”
Stin stared back at the boy, noting the stubbornness of his stance, the defiance in his eyes.
He really was named well, Stin thought.
He held Kirt’s gaze a long time. Finally, he turned away.
“Fine, you stay. I’m taking Horse and the cart and getting out of here. I’ll leave you a couple coins on your bed. Nice knowing you, kid.”
A HAWK SPIRALED high in the air, watching the giant storm cloud over the crossroads. Rain gushed down on the tents, what few that remained standing. Carts and
supply wagons lay tumbled over in the wind and rain, debris scattered about. Water flooded the fields, the creeks, and the roads. All travel in the area had crawled to a halt. The army went nowhere, still hunkered down in their now flooded campground.
Back in Kathar, Darkstone and Endrick watched what the hawk could see through a scrying window. Endrick’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the storm’s devastation.
“I’ve never seen that powerful a storm stay in one location so long.”
“That’s because it’s a wizard’s storm. Someone is expending an awful lot of energy to keep it going. Probably Loadstone. Weather is his specialty.”
“How are you going to stop him?”
“He can’t maintain something that powerful without protecting himself. Once I find him, I’ll attack. That will distract him, and the storm will end.”
He sent the hawk flying higher and commenced it circling the edges of the storm, looking down.
REDSTONE GAVE Loadstone another sip of water from a mug, and patted the perspiration away from his forehead.
Loadstone’s eyes were red. The muscles in his arms stretched taut, the angle of his staff aimed at the storm cloud over the crossroads. Yet his back remained ramrod straight, even though he had been standing in the same position for hours.
Redstone was duly impressed at the weather wizard’s stamina. Every half hour or so, he placed more food in Loadstone’s mouth, wiped his lips, and gave him water. Loadstone had explained before commencing that the magical energy required to maintain the storm sapped his physical strength, and he had to be fed often to keep up the phenomenon.
Conjuring a storm was difficult, and required concentration to maintain. Once he broke his concentration, the storm would dissipate and much additional time would be needed to conjure it again. But if he had a partner who could feed him food and water, he could maintain the storm indefinitely.
So, Redstone sat back and watched the storm churn through the sky over the crossroads, and periodically lifted food and water to Loadstone’s lips.
Redstone heard the screech of a bird flying far above them. He looked up and spied a hawk.
“That’s probably not a good sign, my friend. It looks like a scrying hawk. I think we’ve been discovered.”
Loadstone grunted in acknowledgment, but remained focused on the storm.
DARKSTONE WAS NOT VERY good at flying. Levitation and personal flight were skills he had yet to fully master. But, he had stumbled upon an acceptable substitute that worked for him. He propelled himself upward on the strength of flames and black smoke.
The heat from his magic propulsion often left his clothes ragged. His skin, too, became covered in soot after any length of flying.
Darkstone ignored these side effects, and rarely bothered to clean himself up. He cared not a whit what others thought of him and his appearance.
Today he streaked through the sky on a long trail of black smoke toward the crossroads. He covered ground that took the army an entire day of marching in a matter of minutes.
He slowed when he approached the wizard’s storm, a large grey and black cloud pouring rain over the crossroads and surrounding area. He circled to his left, seeking out a small copse near the storm’s periphery.
Finally he spied what the hawk had seen, and landed on the ground nearby. He began dancing in a circle, waving his arms as he conjured up a fireball spell. They poured down on the trees and the wizards, setting everything they touched on fire.
WHEN THE FIREBALLS began to fall, Redstone cast a protective globe around both of them. The first fireball evaporated when it hit, but the second one took longer to sputter out. The third one almost got through.
“Time to go, my friend. I’m not powerful enough to protect both of us.”
Loadstone broke his concentration and collapsed in Redstone’s arms. The toll of standing in one place for hours on end had rendered his muscles useless. The storm over the crossroads immediately began to dissipate.
Redstone grabbed Loadstone’s free arm, pulling it around his own shoulders. He made a quick motion with his staff, casting a revelation spell. A hazy globe appeared nearby.
“It’s a good thing Oldstone provided us a hasty exit!”
Redstone dragged the stiff wizard into the globe and they disappeared. As fireballs continued to rain down, the gateway to the flying castle snuffed out of sight, too.
DARKSTONE WALKED over to the trees, now all on fire, to look for the wizards. Not surprised, he found no sign of them. He only saw some supplies that looked like they had been food bags, burning amidst the trees.
In the distance he could see the army’s campsite, or what was left of it. The storm was gone, and the sky cleared quickly. A few men popped their heads out of tents and began wading through the mud and water, trying to begin the process of restoring order in the camp.
Darkstone flew up on a column of black smoke and headed toward the camp’s command center.
OLDSTONE STOOD on his floating slab, holding Deedles and watching Mita fighting another army below.
Deedles nudged him, mentally, and he looked at her. She had noticed something he had not, somebody trying to get his attention. He looked up at the floating castle some distance away. Redstone waved at him. He waved back. Redstone wandered back inside, and Oldstone resumed his observation of Mita destroying the facsimile army.
Her every effort was hampered by the army’s wizard. She flew along a line of men and horses with her sword held out to one side, slashing and killing along the way. The wizard threw a great wall of dirt and stone at her, ripping it up from the ground. Mita crashed into it before she could avert course.
She flew back up in the air and cast a long series of energy bolts at the archer’s ranks, killing hundreds. The wizard responded with a series of exceptionally powerful lightning bolts, overwhelming her protective globe of energy and delivering an electric shock that knocked her out of the sky.
Oldstone heard her swear words drift up to the slab. He looked down at Deedles, who transmitted a thought to him.
“I agree. That wasn’t a very nice thing to say.”
Deedles eyes remained closed. She couldn’t see the battle, but she enjoyed Oldstone’s steady strokes across her back while she listened to the sounds below and sensed other things.
Mita decided to find the wizard, and flew toward the rear of the army, ignoring all the lances, pikes, and arrows sent her way.
Deedles sent an unspoken question to Oldstone.
“Yes, she’s making the same mistake as before. She’s getting too close to him without knowing exactly where he is. We’ll see if she’s learned anything from the spells you taught her.”
Mita cast a flurry of energy bolts at the supply wagons. They exploded, disintegrating and flying up in the air. The wizard cast a giant iron net above her again, and she fell to the ground under its weight. All the nearby soldiers ran for her, and piled on top.
A couple hundred men were on her, scrambling over one another to add their weight. At the bottom of the pile, Mita cast the Globe of Expulsion. A giant explosion of light sent the men flying through air, scattering in all directions along with pieces of the net.
Mita rose up in the air triumphantly in a fighting stance, her black armor unscathed. She finally spied the wizard among the wagons. She pulled back her arm to cast a spell, but he shot a bolt of light from his staff before she could follow through.
She froze. Her breathing stopped. Even her eyes remained motionless.
The remaining soldiers cheered. The wizard facsimile walked out of his hiding place, and bowed toward Oldstone and Deedles on the floating slab. Then everything dissipated in clouds of black smoke. Supplies, carts, horses, men, and weapons all evaporated and floated away.
Mita found she could move again and flew toward the slab.
Oldstone looked down at the cat and said, “Thank you. He is a crafty one, isn’t he? He’s the best facsimile of a wizard I’ve got, actually.
“No, he�
��s not based on any one person, although he is loosely modeled after the original Oldstone, whose position I inherited a long time ago.
“Yes, I spent considerable effort giving this facsimile broad skills and powers. I daresay he’d be a fair match against anyone on the council.
“No, I haven’t given him a name. You’re right, I need to think of one for him.”
Mita landed gently on the slab. The black armor pulled back from her face and hands.
“Oh, yes. I think she’ll get to that point eventually.”
“What point?”
“We were just talking about you. Deedles asked if I thought you’d ever beat the wizard in this simulation.”
Mita snorted in exasperation.
“Each time I think I’ve got him, he throws something new at me I’ve never seen before.”
“That’s the—”
“I know, I know. That’s the point of the exercise. What was that last spell he used on me? I couldn’t do anything.”
“That was a Spell of Immobilization. Now, admittedly, it takes a powerful wizard to be able to cast one large enough to encompass you and your Globe of Protection. But many on the Council have the ability, and you need to be prepared for it.”
“Alright. How do I fight it without moving?”
“You need to learn to cast a Spell of Ambulation about yourself, without using gestures. In fact, it’s a good idea to learn how to cast everything without gestures. It’s much more difficult to do, I know. Almost all magicians and even wizards use the same motions from when they learned the spells. But, if you can transcend the need, your combat abilities will be greatly enhanced.
