Underdog Mage Chronicles_The Captive_Book Two

by R. D. Bernstein

  Master Porthos could tell Lance was hanging on by a thread. It was now or never. He summoned an iron spear and stabbed it forward. To his surprise, the point met with flesh, digging into Mallagan’s back and straight through her stomach.

  Mallagan howled in pain and shock. The tentacles around Lance instantly recoiled. Mallagan shot her hand up and Master Porthos was sent flying into the wall, crumbling to the floor unconscious.

  Lance coughed and staggered forward. He watched as Mallagan summoned a portal and stumbled through it, the spear still sticking out of her, a trail of black blood left behind.

  Chapter 17

  Commander Voltross watched as Mallagan stepped through the shimmering blue portal. A young Drakaran woman with long, flowing red hair stood beside him.

  The two watched in silence as Mallagan stumbled to her knees, gripping the spear in pain.

  “The… healers,” Mallagan pleaded.

  To Mallagan’s surprise, Voltross shook his head.

  “Mallagan, meet Morgana. She’s your replacement,” Voltross said, holding his hand out toward the young woman at his side. He smiled at Mallagan’s look of betrayal.

  Mallagan shifted into a sitting position, her black blood pooling around her.

  “I can still…” Mallagan stammered.

  “You are dying,” Commander Voltross interrupted. “The council has had enough of your failures. So have I.”

  Commander Voltross pointed and a green beam of plasma shot outward, enveloping Mallagan. Her screams were cut short as her body burned alive, melting onto the floor.

  Voltross wiped the sweat from the top of his bald head.

  “What a waste of time and energy,” he said to Morgana. “I trust you will not waste our time as well?”

  Morgana nodded. She eyed the pile of goo that was Mallagan. “I will get the portal open.”

  * * *

  Dellius handed a cup of water to Master Porthos who drank it quickly.

  “How are you feeling?” Dellius asked as several monks cleaned up the area around them.

  “I have a raging headache,” Master Porthos replied. “But we did it. We stopped them.”

  “You did well,” Dellius said.

  Lance walked over to them.

  “This is just a temporary fix,” he told them. “They will send more and more Drakaran until we eventually fail or we can go to their world and end this once and for all.”

  Master Porthos nodded in agreement. “As soon as we get the portal open, King Triton has the combined armies ready to march. He also wants us to make sure we know how to get back to our world.”

  Lance looked toward the room with the Drakaran crystals. Those had to be the key to creating a sizeable portal between worlds, but Lance had no idea where to start.

  He had been to their world, learned about their people and customs, and even opened a smaller portal to travel many miles from the Drakaran city. Between worlds was something entirely different, a feat that seemed impossible. A year ago he would never even think about travelling between worlds, let alone the idea that another planet even existed.

  “Lance,” a voice said from behind.

  Lance turned around to see Dellius standing with his hand out, a sealed scroll clasped in it.

  “This was the last instruction your father gave,” Dellius said. “He said it was to be given to you if you made it this far, that it would guide you to the next step in the prophecy. I hope it serves you well.”

  “Thank you,” Lance said, taking the scroll and breaking the seal. He unrolled it and held it up so only he could see the words.

  Lance,

  I know I haven’t been a good father, and there is no way to make up for my absence. It is the sacrifice I gave to ensure the prophecy is fulfilled. I know all of this may not make sense right now, but it will in time.

  If you are reading this letter and made it this far, I am proud of you. You were meant to help stop the Drakaran’s attempt to summon the portal and you did that. But the war is far from over. They will send more unless you lead the war to them. The prophecy says that if you are able to cut the head off the snake then the body will wither. Destroy the Drakaran Council and the war ends. However, if you fail to open the portal or fail to kill the council, the prophecy will not come true. It is up to you, my son.

  Now comes the most important part. You are not Drakaran and cannot simply tap into the crystals. You need a Heartstone and the only place to get that is in the Dwarven mountains, deep inside the planet. With it you will channel the portal through meditation. It will come naturally to you. You are the chosen one.

  I love you, Lance.

  Love,

  Dad

  * * *

  Once King Triton heard what transpired, he sent a sizeable army to bolster Shatter Island’s defenses. Master Porthos gathered a handful of trusted and skilled Masters, and accompanied by twenty knights, they made their way to the Dwarven mines. Located northwest of the palace of Delvin, the delegation made haste toward it. Lance rode toward the mountain’s base beside Master Porthos. His father’s ominous words that this was only the start of the war stuck with him. They got lucky when Master Porthos showed up, saving Lance who was seconds away from death. But luck could run out eventually. His father believed that he would be able to meditate and open the portal, but that was yet to be seen.

  On top of that, the Dwarves were a hard, stubborn people, wary of visitors and extremely possessive of their treasures. They would not give up the Heartstone easily. King Triton gave Master Porthos a sizeable amount of gold to trade, but it was still unclear if the Dwarves would even let them in to hear them out.

  As they rode, Lance thought about words he could say to convince the Dwarves.

  It took half a day of hard riding to reach the base of Mountain Stonewall, the only home of the last remaining Dwarves. Towering above them, the mountain threatened to pierce the very sky. Goats stood on precarious perches halfway up, staring down at the newcomers with bored expressions.

  A monstrous door was carved into the base of the mountain with impressive engineering. The door stood closed as the group gathered in front and waited.

  “Should we knock?” Lance finally asked.

  The question went unanswered as the door creaked, the sound echoing across the land.

  Chapter 18

  As soon as the door creaked open, a dozen stout Dwarves marched out with heavy, well-crafted hammers in their hands. The Dwarf in front wore a helmet with three horns sticking out in random directions, his face visible beneath.

  “We do not have many visitors at Mountain Stonewall,” the Dwarf in front announced in a deep, booming voice. His red beard hung down to his belt. “I am Gromb. Tell us why you are here and be quick about it.”

  Gromb dug his hammer’s hilt into the dirt and rested his folded hands on its top.

  “We are here at the request of King Triton of Delvin,” Master Porthos replied. “We only risk coming here because of the urgency. We need a Heartstone and are willing to trade for it in gold.”

  “No,” Gromb said right away and turned to leave.

  “Wait!” Lance pleaded.

  Gromb paused, but did not turn around.

  “You can’t leave,” Lance followed up. “This concerns your people too. If you don’t help, we’ll all die.”

  Gromb turned back around, his eyes narrowed.

  “The mountain has been here since the dawn of time,” Gromb declared. “And it will continue to do so until the end of time.”

  Lance knew he had to say something fast if he hoped they would hear him out.

  “With all due respect, if the Drakaran bring their army and their creatures, they will destroy every living being on this planet and steal all your peoples’ resources.”

  All of the Dwarves shifted nervously, gripping their hammers tightly as they looked around.

  “The Drakaran… They are here?” Gromb asked.

  “They were,” Master Porthos chimed in. “They
killed many of our people and nearly succeeded in opening a portal to bring their armies across. King Triton of Delvin and all surrounding kingdoms are waiting to march through and end them before they end us. We need the Heartstone to open a portal to send our army through.”

  “Our stone scriptures speak of the Drakaran’s return,” Gromb said. “This is grave news. Come inside. We must talk further.”

  The group marched forward until Gromb held up his hand.

  “I do not intend to let an army inside my home. One or two of you will do,” Gromb insisted. “The rest of you can wait outside.”

  * * *

  The tunnels were well dug and supported, but narrow and short in places. Many times Master Porthos and Lance had to duck to avoid splitting their head open on a rock. It was also surprisingly well lit, torches every dozen or so feet burned brightly.

  Dwarves have been around almost as long as the mountains,” Gromb said as the tunnel began to slope significantly downward. “We have chiseled the history of the world into stone tablets since the time we were born. We have recorded the rise and fall of the Elves, The Great Dragon Migration, and of course the building of Delvin. During that time, the Drakaran helped build and establish a great city. Then they returned to their planet. Two days later, the Drakaran prophecy appeared, carved into stone tablets. It warned that this day would come. I was hoping it would not come for another few centuries.”

  “Does that mean your people will join us?” Lance asked.

  Gromb shook his head, his long beard swinging back and forth like a pendulum. “My people are fierce warriors, but over time my people have dwindled. Only a few thousand of us remain, many of them woman and children. We cannot afford to go to war as much as we want to. But we will help you get the Heartstone.”

  “Great!” Lance said. “Your help is appreciated.”

  “Not really,” Gromb said. “The cavern with the Heartstone is now guarded by a Skitter, an ancient and evil creature as large as any dragon. Best way I can describe it is a giant worm capable of digging its own tunnels into the mountain as easily as if it were chewing on pie. We leave it alone and it does the same. If you do go in there, be quick and silent. That is, if you don’t want to die. And I wager it wouldn’t be a fun death either.”

  “Can we bring more men?” Master Porthos asked.

  Gromb shook his head, a pattern Lance was starting to recognize as the little man’s favorite motion. “I told you once and I’ll tell you again, I will not allow an army in here with our women and children. You may not be our enemy, but you are certainly not our friends either. Besides, you want stealth. It would take hundreds of your mages to bring a creature like that down and you would lose too many men in the process.”

  “Then we will get the Heartstone and open the portal ourselves,” Lance said.

  “Good luck to you,” Gromb said. “Just remember that if you die in there, we aren’t going in to retrieve the body for a proper burial.”

  It sure seemed to Lance that luck was all they had these days.

  * * *

  Gromb led the humans through twists and turns, down even narrower side tunnels, always sloping downward.

  Finally, Gromb stopped.

  “I can take you no further. It is up to you now.”

  “Thank you for your help,” Master Porthos said. “The kingdom of Delvin will not forget your kindness.”

  Gromb chuckled.

  “If you die, my kindness of sending you to your death need not be thanked.”

  He turned and headed back up the tunnel.

  Lance looked ahead of them. It was much hotter down here, although Lance wagered the sweat was equally derived from the fear of being eating alive by a giant worm as it was from the heat.

  “What do the stones look like?” Lance asked. This was the first time he had even heard of a Heartstone.

  “I was hoping you know,” Master Porthos replied. “Just keep your eyes open for the stones and the worm.”

  Together, they crept forward. Eventually the tunnel turned into a massive cavern. Jagged rocks hung from the top of the cavern. Along its sides, the rocks turned inward as if the entire cavern was the mouth of a beast with rows of teeth. In the center was the massive beast Gromb told them about. Gromb’s description had been accurate. Lance had hoped the Dwarf had been exaggerating. Behind the beast were shiny red stones embedded into the rock of the wall.

  “Of course they would be behind it,” Lance said. “How are we supposed to sneak by that?”

  The cave suddenly shook, small rocks cascading down the side walls. The ground trembled and both of them staggered, holding on to each other with one hand and bracing against the wall with the other.

  “Is it an earthquake?” Lance asked.

  A few seconds later, the shaking abruptly stopped.

  They stood still while they looked around and listened.

  “It doesn’t look like the walls are caving in,” Master Porthos whispered. “Let’s press on.”

  They snuck along the wall at a snail’s pace. A minute later, the walls began to tremble violently, a loud sound echoing throughout the cavern. It only lasted a few seconds this time and then was replaced by an eerie silence.

  Master Porthos leaned over to whisper, “I think the beast is snoring. Look, its eyes are closed.”

  They took the opportunity between snores to get closer to the Heartstones, stopping and bracing against the wall when the snores began again. It was a slow and terrifying process.

  Then Lance’s heart stopped as the giant worm’s eyelids lifted to reveal a pair of enormous yellow eyes. An overwhelming sense of fear consumed him. The creature was larger than anything he faced in the arena. It was like staring at a mountain ready to eat him. He shook his head and hastily summoned a rock wall in front of them. Master Porthos and Lance crouched behind the wall and tried to stay quiet as the worm’s pupils scanned the cavern, passing the summoned wall and then moved past it.

  The worm shifted into a more comfortable position and then closed its eyes again.

  Lance realized he had been holding his breath and slowly let it out. He stood up, his bad leg hurting significantly from all the walking and crouching lately.

  Soon they made it to the far wall where the Heartstones glowed brightly inside the wall, the other half of the stones deeply embedded in the rock.

  “How are we supposed to get one out without waking the worm?” Lance asked.

  “Perhaps we should have thought about that before we snuck behind it,” Master Porthos replied.

  They were stuck between a giant worm and a rock wall, an expression Lance hoped he would never have to say again.

  Chapter 19

  Morgana watched the humans patrol the clearing. Their feeble attempt to seal the crystal cave with logs and wood was laughable. This would be her point of attack. The humans were remarkably predictable. After Mallagan’s failed attack at Shatter Island, they moved most troops over there, making this a prime target. As far as she could tell, there were at least thirty fighters and a half dozen mages. It was too risky for a full-on attack.

  Morgana shifted her position to peer out from the other side of the tree she was using for cover. Mallagan failed because she was overconfident and rash. She fought battles she didn’t need to, her confidence justified, but needless and ultimately led to her death.

  Morgana on the other hand believed in stealth and less chance of risk, the better.

  The grass was high. She crawled inch by inch toward the entrance. There was no need to rush. She had all the time in the world. Patience was sometimes more powerful than skill. People tended to forget that.

  An hour passed. Then another. Still she crept forward inch by inch, until she was as close as she dared. She waved her hand and created a loud noise in the forest on the other side of the entrance.

  “What was that?” Go check it out,” she heard one of the guards say.

  Glancing up, Morgana saw five knights draw weapons and go to investi
gate. She was hoping for more, but it would have to do. It at least created a small gap in the perimeter.

  She waved her hands and distorted the air around her. She wouldn’t be completely invisible, but she would be very difficult to see. It would look like a hazy fog rolling by. At least that was the idea.

  She crept quickly and quietly toward the entrance. The next step would be the tricky part.

  Morgana further distorted the air around her so it would be difficult to see her from any angle. She raised her hand again and held it over the dirt beneath her. It slowly began to bubble and melt until she dipped lower and lower. She kept the air distorted above the whole while she dug further into the soil. She had to be this close to start the tunnel or else she would likely get lost. Once underground it was difficult to get one’s bearings, not that she found herself underground often.

  She reached a spot she felt was safely underneath the crystal cave and began to melt the soil above her, moving at a slight incline so the dirt didn’t cave in on top of her.

  Morgana smiled. She came up almost exactly in the cave’s center. There were Drakaran crystals everywhere. It was tempting to work on taking them all, but she knew better than to be greedy. She only needed eight and so she would take eight. Taking longer because of greed led to getting caught.

  She removed the crystals with methodical precision and jumped back into her tunnel.

  Nothing would stop her from opening the portal.

  * * *

  Lance focused and began to quietly use as thin an energy beam as he could make, chipping away at the rock around the Heartstone closest to them. The idea was to go slow and have it fall out. The plan was going well until a rumbling snore from the giant worm shook the ground. The motion redirected the energy beam to hit the Heartstone directly, bouncing off its reflective surface and hitting the massive body of the worm behind them.