Underdog Mage Chronicles_The Captive_Book Two
Page 10
The worm let out a horrible, primal growl.
“Hurry!” Master Porthos whispered harshly.
Already the giant worm began to turn around to find the source of the annoyance. It clearly did not like being woken up. Lance couldn’t help but notice that the attack barely touched its tough, leathery skin. Fighting this thing down here would not end well.
Master Porthos combined his strength, and coupled with no longer trying to be silent, they were able to remove the Heartstone quickly.
“You hold it,” Master Porthos instructed.
The turning worm was almost turned toward them. Once it saw them, it would be over in seconds.
While Lance held the Heartstone, Porthos created a rock wall just as the giant yellow eyes looked their way. They both held their breath as it continued to turn and ultimately resume its original position. They didn’t dare move until the creature closed its eyelids and began to snore again.
* * *
It took a long time for Morgana to crawl away from the crystal cave. She left with the crystals and the defenders unaware anyone had been there, after making sure the tunnel hole was filled back in. Her plan was executed to perfection.
It would take several days to make it to the summoning location, and then a few more to summon it assuming all went well. The only difficulty at this point would be to ensure no one disturbed her. The good news was that being stealthy would not alert them to her presence and thus less likely to stop her. They wouldn’t even know she had the crystals. The Drakaran council would be proud of her.
* * *
“Well I’ll be a stone giant!” Gromb exclaimed when he saw Lance and Porthos emerge from the tunnel. “I have to be honest with you, I didn’t expect you to make it back, and especially not with the Heartstone. I guess I underestimated humans.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Lance remarked.
Gromb chuckled and slapped Lance on the back.
“Good show, lad! Now before you go, there is one other matter.”
“And what is that?” Master Porthos asked.
“You said you had gold with you,” Gromb replied. “And you know how much Dwarves love gold.” Indeed, his eyes seemed to light up when he spoke the word.
“Now wait a minute,” Master Porthos said. “You told us we could go in.”
“Aye, I did,” Gromb agreed. “But I never said you could take the Heartstone out with you. I only said I would help you get one.”
“That’s crazy!” Lance protested. “We’re the ones who got it. We risked our lives.”
Gromb took a step toward him.
“My mountain, my stone.”
Master Porthos sighed. “Your people haven’t changed.” He reluctantly handed over the bag of gold to the waiting hands of the greedy dwarf.
“Now can we go?” Master Porthos asked.
“Of course,” Gromb said with an exaggerated bow. “Pleasure doing business with the good people of Delvin.”
Lance wanted to smack the little man’s grin right off of his face, but he knew it would not be worth it, especially with how close they were to opening the portal to the Drakaran world.
“Come, Lance. Let’s make haste and get back to Shatter Island to open the portal,” Master Porthos urged.
Chapter 20
Lance spread the crystals out along the floor in a circle. Everyone seemed to believe in the prophecy except him. The task at hand seemed impossible and that nagging sense of doubt weighed heavily on his shoulders.
King Triton and the surrounding kingdoms made their way to the monastery where they waited for the portal to open. Knowing so many people were counting on him did not help ease the uncertainty and nervousness he felt. Even if he somehow managed to open it up, he could be sending thousands to their deaths. Many would be lost in the coming war. He hoped they were making the right choice to bring the attack to the Drakaran and cutting off the head of the snake by killing the Drakaran council.
It was too late to turn back now. The dice was rolled. Their window of time was closing before more Drakaran came through.
Lance sat down in the center of the monastery’s spacious courtyard, the crystals laid out around him. He was the focal point of the spell, the crystals the catalyst. He attempted to clear his mind of all the worry and responsibility that had recently piled up. It was no easy task, but after a few deep breaths and keeping his eyes closed, he was able to focus on only his breathing. Everything else faded into the background. A sense of calm and tranquility washed over him.
He swallowed a good amount of silver flakes and felt the familiar sense of power flow through his veins. Then he tried to open the portal.
At first, nothing happened. Then a flicker of hope as he felt the air around his crackle with energy. A faint blue light appeared above his head, growing darker and then expanding.
Lance felt his energy flowing into it, feeding it. It grew larger and larger until it suddenly popped, everything disappearing all at once.
“Well...crap,” Lance said.
* * *
Greyson had gone from the head of the Dark Ones, to ruling his own castle, to on the run in a very short period of time. Now he looked like a washed up beggar. His clothes were covered in dirt, his hair long and matted. Even his usual steely eyes lost their luster. He was a man without a cause or a home.
Ever since the Drakaran had used him as fodder for their sinister plans, his anger for them brewed to a dangerous level. If he ever saw one of them again, he would find a way to kill them, to make them feel the pain of losing everything.
That’s why, when he spotted the pale faced, red-eyed woman with long, red hair, his eyes lit up. A fire burned within the pit of his stomach. He subconsciously reached for the long dagger at his side. His fingertips curled around the familiar handle. His body urged him to strike now and end this miserable abomination, but years of tactical espionage and organization of troops kept his hand where it was. This was no ordinary woman. This was a Drakaran, capable of unimaginable dark magic. Attacking now would be suicide. He knew better than that after his encounters with General Crowl.
The woman made a fire with just her hands and stared at it as if lost in thought. Still Greyson waited. He watched her from the shadows as she took out several large crystals and inspected them. Greyson’s eyes lit up. Those would make him a wealthy man. He could get a good shave and a new set of clothes, clean up and get his act together. Enough wandering around feeling like the world was against him. This was surely god giving him a chance for revenge and a road to riches on a silver platter.
Greyson waited patiently as Morgana finally lay down to sleep. For all her patience and carefulness, she neglected to think she would come across a chance encounter in the middle of the woods with a disgruntled, dangerous killer.
Darkness filled the forest, the sun replaced by a half moon and an occasional star.
Greyson smirked. Even the mighty Drakaran needed sleep. He had to capitalize on it.
Greyson waited another ten minutes before slowly and carefully sliding his dagger out of its sheath. He crept forward inch by inch, careful to not step on any leaves or twigs.
As Greyson knelt down, he imagined holding those crystals in his hands, to feel how much gold they would bring him.
Morgana’s dark red eyes snapped open, staring directly into his eyes.
Greyson plunged the dagger into her neck before she could react.
Thick black blood flowed out as she opened her mouth in shock. She gripped the dagger with both hands and for a moment, he was worried she was about to cast a spell.
Her fingers loosened one by one until Morgana was still. Greyson smiled. The crystals were his.
* * *
Lance failed three more times. Perhaps he wasn’t meant to open the portal. Maybe his father was wrong and he didn’t have the skill everyone was hoping for.
Or maybe he did. He needed to be confident in his abilities as much as everyone seemed to be of him. If he could believe in him
self, perhaps it would come true.
Lance took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He felt the Drakaran crystals’ presence. He had been to the world of the Drakaran and he was able to keep that image in his mind. He saw its people. He saw the arena and the council. Lance saw the city as if it were in a globe, held in his hand.
Then Lance pulled energy from the crystals while simultaneously diving deep into his mind, reaching for the parts he discovered while captive in the Drakaran world.
The result was an explosion of power. A blue blob appeared. This time it expanded rapidly.
The portal was opening. He was doing it. It would soon be time to take the war to the Drakaran. It was time to end this.
THE END
Thank you for reading the next installment of the Underdog Mage Chronicles! If you could take the time to leave a review it would be much appreciated. I am planning on releasing a book a month in this series. Hope you enjoyed!
Books by R. D. Bernstein
Underdog Mage Chronicles:
1. The Crippled
2. The Captive
3. The War https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F6XZLTB
Fate Chronicles:
1. The Eternal War
2. Children of Fate
3. The Drakaran
4. Deadly Diplomacy
5. Mystery at Crescent Islands
Ship of Secrets
Raven and the Phoenix