Lone Survivor: The Sorcerers' Scourge Series: Book One

by Michael Arches

  On the way to the ranch, she said, “Crystal contacted your family en route to the Osage reservation. She told Samuel Sitting Bear everything that happened in court. He offered to pay your entire bail, and he and Diana duked it out. In the end, each of them put up half.”

  “That’s great,” I replied. “Listen, I don’t want to do anything that will get them into more trouble, but you should know that I would’ve done exactly the same thing to Cantor if I’d had the chance.”

  Felicity sighed. “Either way, your life isn’t worth much now. Escobar will put a huge bounty on your head—dead or alive, and preferably dead. Every sorcerer in the region, including Pestone, has to be looking for you. I’d strongly recommend that you stay out of Boulder and Denver at all costs. You’re a huge thorn in his side and an inspiration to witches everywhere.”

  Although I would’ve been happy to run into most sorcerer scum now, I still had doubts about being able to take on Pestone, and Escobar was even more trouble. I needed to beat a handful of weaker scum before taking on the two toughest.

  -o-o-o-

  Tuesday, September 24th

  Brigid’s Community Ranch, Boulder County, Colorado

  AT BREAKFAST, DIANA APPROACHED my table with the latest edition of the local newspaper.

  “You made the front page again.” She slapped the paper down.

  The headline read, Witch O’Rourke Implicated by Judge in Cop’s Murder in OK.

  Cindy Paxil, in her usual breathless style, recited the gruesome details of Cantor’s murder.

  I grinned. “In my book, Cantor got off too easy.”

  Laura and Tess agreed, but Diana stayed silent.

  Paxil had recounted how I’d gotten my ass reamed again by the judge. “She told the story pretty straight this time.”

  Diana harrumphed. “This puts incredible pressure on the mayor to renounce you. Is that what you want?”

  “Of course not,” I replied. “But I can’t control him, the judge, or the reporter.”

  She grumbled for another moment before saying, “The only good thing to come from this publicity is that the article’s electronic version already has two hundred comments. At least four people who know you spoke up to thank you for fighting against evil.”

  I laughed. “Good to hear.”

  “I’d feel a lot better if you trained harder to overcome the worst the opposition can throw at you.” With that, Diana wandered away.

  Given my trouble with Eastwood, and the risk that I could get shipped out any day, I said to Laura and Tess, “We definitely ought to get that hike in soon.”

  They nodded, and after breakfast, Tess drove me, Laura, Crystal, and Washta to the Peak-to-Peak Highway. The wolf was extra insurance against trouble.

  The more I thought about being out in the wilderness, the more excited I got. “How long is the trail to the waterfall?”

  “Eight miles,” Tess replied. “It’ll take all morning.”

  “Lunch will be fabulous,” Laura said. “It’s a remote, dramatic setting.”

  Crystal frowned. “What about bears or lions? They might want our lunch, too.”

  I could hardly believe that anyone would worry about the wilderness. The cities were filled with danger, not the mountains.

  “I brought bear spray,” Laura said, “but I never have problems with animals in the wild.” She put a reassuring arm around Crystal.

  My mind wandered until Crystal asked, “What if we run into sorcerers?”

  That thought gave me a zing.

  Tess shook her head. “They stay near Boulder. Like Diana said, they aren’t outdoor types. And before you ask, it’s too late in the year for mosquitos. You really need to stop worrying about the crazy stuff. Enjoy this glorious day.”

  I let out a deep breath and tried to follow Tess’s advice, too.

  Along the roadside, yellow aspens lit up the slopes. The high peaks occasionally popped into view, and they were capped with snow. It contrasted beautifully with the deep blue sky. There were no clouds, so we didn’t need to worry about rain. It was a perfect fall day.

  Still, I couldn’t relax. The ranch was the only place where I was sure to be safe. Even so, I couldn’t stay there forever, particularly when I’d be heading out to hunt specific sorcerers soon. This was a test of my independence.

  When we reached the trailhead, the only car in the parking area belonged to a young couple with a baby who were organizing all their gear. They obviously weren’t sorcerers, so I forgot about the possibility that Pestone might be hiding up ahead to ambush us.

  Instead, I savored the view of a crystal-clear stream that flowed along one side of the parking lot. The gurgling water relaxed me, and the air was clean and crisp. The creek’s banks held shards of ice, the remnants of overnight freezing each night. Summer was definitely over in the high country.

  To remember this day, I took a few pictures of the stream and the purple asters blooming on its banks. Most of the vegetation here remained green, but the red leaves of wild roses and geraniums glowed in the dappled sunlight.

  Tess and I were the designated pack animals for the day. We loaded up our lunches, drinks, and emergency gear. Laura and Crystal would have an easier time of it, just carrying their coats and water bottles in small packs.

  Laura led the way, striding forward with her staff in hand. She knew the name of every plant I asked about, and she was happy to stop often so I could take more pictures.

  When the trail widened, I took Laura’s hand in mine. On one switchback, we watched a pair of black squirrels chase each other around a pine tree.

  The day was turning out so perfectly. So, why did my stomach continue to twist? Maybe the peaches I’d eaten at breakfast had been too ripe. Or the milk in my cereal had been too old.

  I pushed my worry out of my mind. The surrounding mountains glistened in the sunlight, and each turn in the trail revealed some new wonder.

  Then Laura stopped. By now, the sun was high in the sky. “Do you hear it?” she asked.

  I froze. In the silence that followed, I heard a dull roar in the distance. “The waterfall?” I asked.

  “Exactly,” Tess said. “Even better, there’s a spring close to by where we can drink ice-cold water straight from a fissure in a cliff, so we know it’s safe.”

  The trail steepened, but the thought of a cold drink kept my legs moving forward. Then I noticed the intense colors of the plants. We were close to the tree line, and all the hues surrounding us seemed more vivid than down below. Most of the vegetation here had turned for the fall, so we were surrounded by yellow, orange, and red.

  The trail wound alongside a tiny creek covered with willows.

  Thank you, all the gods, for creating such a wonderful place for us to wander.

  We entered a thick stand of ancient bristlecone pines, and it was hard to see more than fifty feet in any direction but up. The roaring ahead became unmistakable. Washta stopped from time to time and sniffed the air, but nothing alarmed him.

  My stomach rumbled. It must’ve been anticipating lunch.

  Finally, we broke out of the trees onto the tundra. A cascading waterfall hundreds of feet high was roaring down a steep hillside in front of us. No wonder Crystal had been willing to hike this far without whining.

  Laura beamed at me and squeezed my hand. “Pretty spectacular, huh?”

  Tess grinned, too.

  “Incredible!” I couldn’t believe it, even though I could see white foam churning down the hillside in front of me.

  It was the end of summer, but the waterfall was still flowing fast, probably because it’d rained so much yesterday. Above the falls, I could barely make out a large glacial valley hidden in wispy clouds.

  The torrent in front of us was crashing into a large pool, where it threw up a dense spray. A small rainbow was floating over the pool, enhancing my suspicion that this otherworldly place was had been created by the wee people my Irish relatives ta
lked about with awe.

  We approached the bottom of the falls, and the mist settled on us. It was cool and refreshing after the long hike. The tiredness in my legs disappeared, and I snapped picture after picture to capture the scene. My kin in both Oklahoma and Ireland were going to go nuts when they saw these shots.

  Eventually, I put my camera away and simply gazed.

  Laura pointed at a rivulet of water flowing from the bottom of the cliff. My scratchy throat reminded me of how thirsty I’d gotten.

  “It’s sparkling mineral water,” she said. “Tastes great after the long walk.” She strode over to the spring and filled a large bottle. Then she savored a deep drink.

  I stood alongside her, and she finally handed me the bottle. I tasted it cautiously at first. The water was fizzy, cold, and satisfying. I drained the container and refilled it.

  After I’d quenched my thirst, I asked, “Do you know what’s in this?”

  Laura shrugged. “Can’t be too bad. I’ve been drinking it all my life, and I always feel energized afterward.”

  “Reminds me of club soda.” I took another long drink before handing back the bottle.

  Washta drank directly from a puddle at the base of the cliff, but he kept turning his head to look back along the trail.

  My gaze followed his, but nothing was approaching us. We’d all made ourselves crazy with worry lately, and it had to stop. “Relax, buddy,” I told him. “We’re safe here.”

  He returned to drinking.

  “I love this stuff,” Crystal said. “Everyone in the clan drinks it. We usually bring back gallons for the healers.”

  I returned to the waterfall and prayed, thanking Wakonda for His wonderful gift of nature. Then we sat on a shady patch of grass far enough from the pool to keep from getting soaked. The waterfall was too loud for us to talk much, so we stayed silent until Laura stood.

  “I’m famished,” she said.

  Tess and I broke out the food we’d brought. As I ate, a hungry feeling popped into my mind. It was coming from Washta, who was as eager for lunch as the rest of us.

  I fed him a half-dozen slices of salami, one at a time, from my hand. He took them gingerly, but he didn’t wag his tail or rub against me like a dog would. Back at the ranch, Herman was the only person who fed or touched the wolves. But today, Washta accepted food and a few strokes across his back from me.

  We lingered over our meal, but we had a long walk back to the trailhead.

  When everyone seemed ready to head home, we gathered our trash and gear and repacked. Then we all approached the waterfall pool one last time and bent over to rinse the trail dust off our hands and faces. We filled the containers we’d brought from the spring.

  When I turned to leave, I heard an unfamiliar laugh.

  A muscular man swaggered as he approached us.

  It was Pestone.

  Shocked, I stood motionless until he stopped some twenty feet away from us.

  “Don’t leave on my account,” he said with a sneer.

  Tess grabbed her staff. Laura and Crystal stood behind Tess. I strode up to stand beside her, holding my own weapon in front of me.

  “This was inevitable,” Tess said.

  I shook my head. “Not you, me.”

  Pestone pointed at me with a black cudgel. “He’s worth a lot of money, dead or enslaved. I challenge O’Rourke for magical power.”

  Once those words had left his mouth, he froze.

  “Run,” I said to the women. “You can’t help me, but you can save yourselves. Get to the ranch as fast as you can. Warn Diana.”

  Crystal didn’t have to be told twice. She grabbed Tess’s hand and dragged her toward the trail.

  Laura hesitated.

  “Help them get away,” I said to her. “I’ll hold him off as long as I can.”

  “I love you. Kick his ass.”

  Laura ran to the others and grabbed Tess’s free arm. Crystal and Laura pulled our master of arms away.

  Washta stayed behind, despite my waving him off.

  The sorcerer unfroze and laughed. “First you and then them. Perfect.”

  To prepare myself for the onslaught, I stood erect and used my magical core to build my ward. In an instant, the shield surrounded me. I would’ve loved to hide behind some trees, but we were too high. I edged instead toward a group of boulders that had broken loose from the steep hillside.

  A low vibration started. Although the waterfall drowned out the buzz, the battle had been joined.

  Washta bared his teeth at Pestone and lunged for him, but the wolf hit an invisible wall. He snapped his jaws but couldn’t reach his target.

  A rhythmic hammering surrounded me, shaking my ward. Pestone was attacking me with some kind of invisible battering ram.

  What would happen to the others if I lost?

  Pestone screamed with fury and waved his short staff at me. I needed to focus on him.

  What is his weakness?

  Washta stayed near me, growling at our common enemy. We both backed up toward the closest boulder, which was the size of a big SUV.

  Then I thought back to all the frustrations I’d endured because of sorcerers since the day Cantor and Escobar had killed most of my family. Raising my staff, I pointed it at Pestone. “HOLARTHON, ASSOMME!”

  He staggered backward, but he’d erected a shield of his own that saved him from my stun. Not missing a beat, he launched a pulse of balled lightning at me.

  Part of his spell broke through. I’d stupidly let my concentration waiver already. Even though there was no visible fire, my skin burned like it’d been soaked with flaming gasoline. The odor of singed hair and flesh surrounded me. I writhed, trying to shake it off somehow. That just made the pain worse.

  As I backed up more, I tried to ignore my suffering and concentrated on another spell. I needed anger, so I remembered how Pestone had attacked Maggie. He’d blasted the poor woman in her own bed. The memory of her hollow eyes filled my mind.

  “Pay for what you’ve done, you sick bastard!” I yelled. “Only a lowlife piece of shit ambushes old people!”

  I believed with all my might that I spoke for every god I worshipped. “HOLARTHON, ASSOMME!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  Pestone’s eyes almost popped out as he shot backward ten feet. He hit the ground hard, and his head thudded against the dirt.

  I gasped and staggered, weak from all the power I’d used up.

  The sorcerer convulsed on the ground, screaming, but I could barely move my legs, could hardly stay upright. Forget about either charging him or running away.

  Within a few seconds, I had rebuilt my ward. Then I prayed, Great Mórrígan, I need help. Send him into eternal darkness.

  Nothing happened.

  Pestone cackled as he stood, grinning with malice. “Can’t do any better, huh? You can run, but you can’t hide.”

  I’d already burned up most of my fury. Using what power I could still gather, I focused on how Cantor had slaughtered my beautiful nieces as they tried to run away. “What did we ever do to you assholes? HOLARTHON, CHOQUE!”

  A bolt of green lightning boomed from the top of my staff. Most of it ricocheted off his protection, but some got through and hit him in the chest. He froze, his mouth agape for a scream that didn’t come. The bastard teetered for an instant before he collapsed to his knees.

  I ran to him but collided with his ward. One good kick in the head would finish him, but I couldn’t approach.

  Instead, I ran to the group of boulders, but they were jumbled together too close to the cliff face. I couldn’t hide completely, and I had no anger left for spells. I’d used it all up, so I needed to protect myself. I focused my thoughts on the wall at Carter Pass and tried to calm my magical core to strengthen my shield.

  Pestone struggled to his feet, his mouth still wide open as though he was surprised I’d put up a fight.

  He swung around to one side to get a clear l
ine of view at me, pointed his cudgel, and the rhythmic pounding on my barrier started again, rattling me more than before. Invisible cracks opened around me, letting his poisonous power seep through.

  I tamped down my rising panic. I scrambled over one boulder, but there was no space behind to hide. I couldn’t give up, though. He’d go after Laura, Tess, and Crystal next.

  As he drew closer, Pestone called out names I didn’t know, and then he said, “Maggie Haldeman.”

  The asshole was bragging about the magicians he’d destroyed. My heart caught in my throat. If I didn’t find his weakness soon, I’d be next on his fucking list.

  I was cornered. Before I could come up with a miracle, he yelled in their guttural language. With a deafening crack, a red lightning bolt vaporized my ward. I went rigid, muscles locked in searing agony, and toppled to the ground.

  Washta tried to move between me and Pestone, but magic kept him away from both of us.

  My mind was still partially functioning, but most of it was drowning in agony. I prayed for any god’s help, but no answer came.

  I couldn’t fight back—my power was spent. How can I slow him down? What’s his fucking weakness?

  I tried to breathe, but my muscles wouldn’t work.

  Pestone strutted toward me as I lay crumpled against a massive rock, still paralyzed.

  Have to hang on.

  Before Pestone could reach me, his spell dissipated. I could move again. Still feeling incredible pain, I scrambled away from the cliff face onto open ground and ran. But soon, my legs gave out. Then I turned to face my tormentor again, drained of all energy. I leaned on my staff with both hands.

  Need help. Anyone?

  Pestone shot a stunning spell at me.

  “Ooof.” I wobbled on my knees as the searing pain coursed through my body. My head fogged, and I could hardly see him.

  I barely remained conscious.

  My lips trembled, but then I remembered what Samuel had said about there being no need for anger and took a deep, calming breath.

  “Wakonda!” I cried out, and a softball-sized fireball erupted from my hand and shot straight at Pestone’s face.

  He tried to bend over, but the flames turned toward his head. Fire flowed over his entire upper body. The stench of sulfur filled the air.