The metal began to groan as the mages worked on cutting a path through it. Meanwhile, Mallagan summoned a portal. Unfortunately she would need to go home and ask for more assistance. Because of a magic restriction, the portal would only allow a couple of Drakaran to go to and from this world. Otherwise she would go back and forth and bring the entire army here herself. No, they needed the crystals and the larger portal spell for that or else the extra Drakaran would be killed as soon as they set food on this planet.
“See you soon!” Mallagan promised as she stepped into her portal and departed to the Drakaran world.
* * *
“General Crowl is dead?” Commander Voltross asked.
Mallagan nodded. “He died a warrior’s death.”
“The Drakaran was strong, but he was careless,” Commander Voltross noted. “I am told the portal was open for a few seconds. Can you open it again?”
“Not on my own, no,” Mallagan said. “I need someone able to protect me without getting distracted like the late general did.”
Commander Voltross tapped his fingers across his desk. His face was a controlled rage, liable to burst at any second. “The council will replace me if we do not have it open again soon. I will send Drek with you. He is my finest soldier and will serve you well.”
“That is very generous of you,” Mallagan said.
“Cut the bullshit, Mallagan,” Voltross replied. “I know you care little for me. Just get it done. No more excuses.”
“It will be done,” Mallagan said. She held back her feelings from showing emotion.
Commander Voltross snapped his fingers and a Drakaran wearing obsidian armor with a red cape fluttering behind him entered from the side room.
“Accompany Mallagan, Drek,” Commander Voltross instructed. “See to it that she is protected until the portal is open. Make sure it stays open long enough for our troops to get through.”
Drek was taller than General Crowl had been by a good half a foot. He moved like a coiled snake, light on his feet despite the heavy armor. Two blades glowing blue and red hung at his sides, instruments of death.
“My pleasure,” Drek hissed.
* * *
It was not easy for Lance to acclimate back to normal life in the palace. Master Sellius and King Triton sent men to guard the crystal location given to them by Lance, and Charlotte and Lance were sent back to their normal daily training schedule. They both found it extremely difficult to concentrate, especially after being through so much. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time until the Drakaran returned. Pretending to go about their day-to-day life like everything was fine was terribly difficult.
Lance rolled over on his bed and kissed Charlotte.
“Don’t you ever sleep?” Charlotte moaned as his kiss woke her up. She pulled the blanket tighter about her and rolled over away from him.
“Sleep while a beautiful girl is lying next to me? Hardly,” Lance said with a grin.
“Well you should,” Charlotte added.
“Yeah, just thinking about everything,” Lance replied. “How lucky I am to have you, everything that I went through in the arena, all of it is hard to process. It all happened so fast.”
Charlotte rubbed his arm. “Let me rephrase what I said, Lance. We both need sleep.” She gave him a look she knew he would get the point. Then she closed her eyes again.
“Oh okay…” He kept quiet and in that quiet, Charlotte opened her eyes.
“I know you Lance Gundar,” Charlotte said. “What is on your mind?” She propped herself up to rest on her palm with her elbow digging into the bed’s mattress.
“I think I’m going to take my test for green robe tomorrow,” Lance answered. He kissed her shoulder lightly and waited anxiously for her response.
Charlotte sat up so that she could look him directly in the eyes.
“Lance, we just got back and you haven’t had much training in a yellow robe yet. I’m not trying to stop you from success, but if you don’t have a strong foundation, you could miss out on really important stuff.”
“That’s the thing,” Lance said. “With what I’ve been through lately and the amount of power I have shown to possess, I should rightfully be a Master already.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Charlotte said. “You are very powerful Lance, but don’t let it get to your head. Your humbleness and kind heart are two of the things I love about you. You’re missing months of training. The Masters aren’t just powerful. They are wise and understand the way the world works and how to use their magic wisely.”
“With what I’ve been through, I can’t stay at just a yellow robe,” Lance asserted. “I was meant for more.”
“You’re letting your head get too big,” Charlotte warned. “What’s the rush?”
“What’s the rush? You’re kidding right? The world might be coming to an end. I want to know if I can make Master before that happens.”
“Well that’s a depressing way of looking at it,” Charlotte whispered. “I like where things are going with us and thinking the world is ending isn’t exactly a promising sign. We stopped them once. We can do it again. And look how far we’ve come to make it home together.”
“You’re right,” Lance admitted. “There’s still hope we can stop them. But I am still going to take my test tomorrow. I’m going to be the best damn mage this palace has ever seen.”
* * *
The next morning found Master Porthos folding his meaty arms across his chest and looking down at Lance in amusement while they stood in the cafeteria.
“You want to take the green robe test already?” Master Porthos asked. “You continue to surprise me, Lance. Very well. You’re lucky you caught me now. I and some other Masters are heading out to guard the crystals later today. Meet me in the trial room in one hour.”
Lance turned to leave and then a sudden thought came to him.
“Master Porthos,” Lance said.
“Yes?”
“What if instead of guarding the crystals and waiting for the Drakaran to attack again, we simply destroy them all?” Lance suggested. “Then they can never open the portal again.”
Master Porthos’ eyes widened.
“You’re going to make one hell of a Master one day,” Master Porthos said with a smile. “I’ll bring it up with Master Sellius when I meet him there. There may be reasons unknown that prevent us from destroying all of them. We shall see.”
Lance headed out of the mage quarter’s cafeteria and into the hallway. There, Charlotte nearly knocked him over.
“Sorry!” She said. Then her eyes narrowed. “You’re taking the test, aren’t you?
Lance nodded.
Charlotte took a deep breath. “I’m not mad at you. Just promise me you won’t change.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lance replied.
“I’m serious, Lance,” Charlotte insisted. “I don’t know what it is, but ever since the arena you… well you seem different.”
“I won’t change,” Lance agreed. “I’m still the same old Lance you fell for. Of course the arena affected me. It was a terrible experience. I almost died more times than I can count. I promise I won’t change even if I’m wearing a different color robe. It’s just a robe.”
“Good,” Charlotte said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be there to cheer you on.”
Charlotte stood still and watched him leave. She couldn’t help but worry. She knew he had been through a lot, but his newfound powers seemed to be making him overconfident. That could be a dangerous thing.
Chapter 11
Master Porthos stood in the center of the trial room. Lance joined him and glanced toward the spectator area, packed with students and Masters alike. He spotted Charlotte and resisted the urge to wave at her. He needed to act like a professional if he was trying to become a green robe.
“A green robe is a sign of respect,” Master Porthos announced. “Not everyone makes it this far, and those that do have gained a tremendous amount of experience in knowing the
ir capabilities and utilizing them to their full potential. The test to acquire a green robe is designed to be extremely difficult. Most fail at their first attempt. It is nothing to be ashamed about. I, myself failed twice before passing back in the day. We learn from our mistakes and that is how we grow as a mage. Are you prepared to take the test, Lance Gundar?”
Lance nodded.
“Then let us begin,” Master Porthos announced. He took a step backward and dropped a coin on the floor. Then he began to cast a spell. A magical energy shield appeared around the coin. He handed a small tube of silver flakes to Lance who swallowed them quickly.
“The task is simple yet more complex than you first imagine,” Master Porthos said. “Pick up the coin and the robe is yours. Fail to do so within five minutes and you do not pass. Begin!”
Lance knew better than to hit the shield with everything he had at once. Pacing oneself was taught even in the red robes. Instead, he tested the shields strength with a small jet of fire. The magical energy dispersed the fire as if it wasn’t even there, the flames fizzling out around the dome-shaped energy shield.
Lance shot a burst of hot air at it and the shield didn’t weaken in the slightest. Lance put more power behind it and still the shield held. Frustrated and acutely aware of the time running down, Lance shot a burst of his own magic energy at the shield, this time pulling from the deepness in his mind from his time in the Drakaran arena. To his disbelief, the energy shield held, the only indication of any attempt to break in was the small shower of sparks that erupted from where his energy wave hit the dome.
“One minute left!” Master Porthos warned. He backed away further to allow Lance room to focus.
Growing frustrated, Lance switched tactics and tried a powerful jet of water. Nothing. It simply soaked the shield in water, the power behind it doing nothing more than making the splash bigger the harder he pressed. Lance didn’t understand it. He knew he was stronger than most if not all other mages in his robe. Why wasn’t the shield breaking?
Then Lance caught Charlotte watching him from the audience and he was reminded of her recent words. He was growing too confident. He was powerful beyond what this trial required, but it wasn’t about the amount of power. It was about following directions. Every single element he threw at the shield was easily turned aside despite the amount of power he threw against it. That was because no amount of magical energy could get through a shield made of raw energy.
Lance ran toward the shield and reached down. His hand passed effortlessly through the energy shield and closed around the coin. He picked it up and held it out just as Master Porthos yelled that it was time.
The audience cheered.
“Sometimes it is not about how powerful you are, but how smart you are with what skills you have,” Master Porthos said. “Remember those words. They will serve you well in the future. Congratulations, Lance Gundar. Welcome to the green robes.”
* * *
Two days later…
Mallagan pointed and Drek drew his two blades, one of ice and one of fire, the blades crawling with elemental enchantments. The runes along the smooth metal were of the ancient Drakaran language, now unspoken and replaced long ago. Without a word he began to slice through the thick underbrush, cutting a clean path as smoothly as if he were slicing butter.
Drek’s arms did not tire, nor did they slow down. The movements created a blur only a master swordsman could create. Mallagan was pleasantly surprised by the display. Not only was her new companion quiet, he had displayed a rare ability to expertly combine swordsmanship and magic, weaving it into every one of his movements.
Mallagan tore her eyes from Drek and sniffed the air.
“Hold on,” she ordered.
Drek paused, holding both blades out to the side in a ready stance.
Mallagan swirled her hands about and sniffed the air again.
“We are walking into a trap,” Mallagan finally said. “I am certain of it. The humans have a distinct smell. It is hard to tell how many men, but there are at least twenty knights and a handful of mages with them. I do not think we have been spotted yet. Head off and circle around the crystal cave location. I will draw their attention. Hopefully you prove to be more useful than General Crowl was.”
Drek nodded and was off, dashing into the thick underbrush.
Mallagan sighed and began the slow walk with her frail body, cursing the humans every time a branch snagged her clothing. The lengths she went to just to open a portal took a toll on her body.
Before long, she came to the cave’s location next to large, multi-colored mushrooms. She sighed and took a step into the open.
As predicted, two dozen knights and ten mages stepped out of hiding spots among the trees and bushes, swords and staffs pointed at her. Mallagan was caught by surprise as another two dozen knights stepped out, effectively surrounding her, followed by ten bowmen. She had somehow miscalculated.
Mallagan waited for them to stop moving. She recognized their leader who stepped forward. He stood in front of the crystal cave which was now blocked by fallen trees and boulders.
“You have two options,” Master Sellius said. “You can fight us and die, or you can forfeit and be taken prisoner. Choose now.”
Mallagan chuckled. Her laugh was like chains being dragged across a bed of nails.
“I have faced worse odds than this,” Mallagan told them. “You forget that I am Drakaran and easily worth fifty of your men. And that little wall of nature you erected to block the cave will only stall me. Nothing can stop me.”
“We are prepared this time,” Master Sellius replied smoothly. “We stopped you before and we’ll stop you again.” He snapped his fingers and Mallagan caught his gaze looking up. She followed it to see dozens of trees with mages waiting along their limbs above them.
“You are prepared to lose that many men?” Mallagan asked. “Your odds are still low of defeating me.”
“We have prepared spells to defeat you,” Master Sellius warned. “Last chance.” He glared at her, standing upright. Although he was skinnier than most, Master Sellius was a tall man.
Mallagan laughed, a deep, scratchy sound ringing throughout the forest.
“Drakaran do not surrender! Now would be good, Drek,” Mallagan shouted.
Master Sellius’ eyes widened in surprise as three mages fell lifeless from the branches above, daggers sticking out of their bodies. Several knights cried out as they were cut down from behind, a blur of fire and ice slicing through the air.
Drek battled the rest of the knights while the element of surprise was over. Mallagan faced off against the remaining mages, some of them quite strong with their ability to combine powers.
Drek moved like a snake among rabbits, dodging left and right and lashing out unexpectedly. His blows came swiftly and hit their mark every time. The whirling blades were blinding with their speed and the light of their enchantment. Knight after knight fell to his swordsmanship while not a blade came close to hitting him. The bowmen could not fire their arrows for Drek moved among the knights, making it impossible to find a clear target.
Mallagan pressed her attacks while maintaining a shield around herself. They came to a stalemate, neither side able to do any damage. Mallagan smirked. All she had to do was wait for Drek to finish off the knights and then the tide would turn.
* * *
Master Sellius grimaced from the exertion. The spells he and the other Masters had practiced were working so far as proving to be equal with the Drakaran mystic, but they weren’t enough to break through her defenses. He knew they couldn’t keep up the intensity for much longer and from the looks of the knights, they weren’t faring any better.
Master Sellius kept his attacks up while raising a free hand into the air. He hoped the neighboring kingdom of Atrion had received his message by now and were close enough to see. A red beam extended from Master Sellius’ fingertips and erupted high above the tree line in a fiery explosion. His call for help would hopefully be se
en.
Meanwhile, Drek cut his way through the knights and bowmen so fast that he was upon the mages faster than they could react. They were so focused on Mallagan that Master Porthos jumped in surprise when the Master next to him fell to the ground with a cut down half of his body, glowing red from the fiery blade.
Drek swung at Master Porthos, who raised a shield in time to stop the blow. The frost sword pressed against the shield and instead of bouncing off, slowly wormed its way through it. Porthos’ eyes widened in shock as the blade ignored the shield and came toward him.
At the last second, Master Sellius shot a gust of wind toward his friend and knocked Master Porthos to the side. The blade sliced through the air where Porthos stood a half second earlier.
Drek blocked a blow from a nearby knight and killed the man in a quick slash across the abdomen. Ignoring Master Porthos scrambling to his feet, Drek charged Master Sellius.
Master Sellius shot a fireball toward the running Drakaran, but Drek raised his fire blade and absorbed most of the flame. Master Sellius shot another flare into the air before he looked down and saw Drek’s icy blade sticking into his stomach. His shields had failed him from the enchanted blades.
Master Sellius fell to his knees as Drek withdrew the blade and found other targets. Blood poured out of Master Sellius and he toppled over.
“No!” Master Porthos bellowed, breathing heavily as he shuffled over to Master Sellius.
He knelt down and cradled Master Sellius’ head in his arms. No amount of spells would seal that wound.
“Master… Porthos… look after Lance,” Master Sellius whispered. “He is… our only hope in the coming war. I…” His eyes glazed over and his body shuddered as he took his last breath.
Master Porthos suddenly looked up to see at least a hundred knights and mages dressed in the armor and cloth of the kingdom of Atrion burst through the trees and brush.
Mallagan screamed a warning to Drek. Arrows and spells bounced off of Drek’s obsidian armor as he made his way over toward his companion. The screams of the dying coupled with the tremendous amount of spell power flying around, filled the clearing with a cacophony equal to a volcanic eruption.
Underdog Mage Chronicles_The Captive_Book Two Page 6
