"Is the old wizard mocking me with this embellishment?" he wondered.
He decided to counter Hamiltus' arrogance with a spell that had felled the few desert shaman that had dared to duel him in his past. Balls of fire and molten lava streamed from his hands and blasted into Hamiltus' blue field. Moments later, a terrible, hot steam burned Julius and he cursed loudly.
As the steam cleared, Julius saw that the predatory fish still swam across the face of Hamiltus' magical field, and they seemed to be closer than before. He took a step backwards, but realized there were fish swimming all across his field of vision—not just in front of him. He glanced backward and his fears were confirmed: the field extended all around him, and was slowly constricting.
He scanned his memory for a suitable counter-spell as he saw that Hamiltus was continuing to strengthen his magical field.
A spell that he had once used to buttress a wooden gate crossed his mind, but it was more a spell of binding than one that exerted its own force. The grinning fish swam threateningly as he considered whether the field would kill him if it succeeded in surrounding him.
He considered boosting the field himself to see if it would pop or implode, but knew that the result might stun him, wound him, or worse.
Then the solution hit him. He would have to teleport out of the field. He cast a detection spell to see if the field would repel magical transmutation. There was a weak thread of defense against that type of spell woven into the magic field, but Julius knew he could defeat it. Teleportation was a powerful and complicated spell. Julius knew that a normal casting would take him too long, and Hamiltus might have time to take countermeasures. So Julius decided to attempt a risky snap-cast of the spell. It was a technique that had saved his life in the desert—but it had also killed his best friend. His pride, and the memory of the beautiful woman he had seen, convinced him he had to try it.
He dropped his defensive field and spun quickly in place as he pulled his arms to his sides. Particles of light flashed before his eyes, and there was a blinding flash and a deafening rumble. In the next instant, he hit the sandy ground hard, which knocked the wind out of him. His vision and the sounds around him were clear, and the assembled crowd gasped as they noticed him.
Though he was struggling for air, he quickly rose and faced the figure of Hamiltus, whose figure was still a fuzzy outline to Julius.
"Oh, you're a fiesty one!" giggled the old wizard.
Hamiltus was still maintaining the constricting field, and gesturing like he was going to try to move it toward Julius. Julius was still disoriented, but he knew some simple spells that he thought would break the old wizard's concentration.
Julius flung an arm across his body clumsily, and a powerful gust of wind knocked both him and Hamiltus to the ground.
The blue field disappeared and Julius looked to see whether Hamiltus was injured.
The woman who had captivated Julius cried out as she burst through the now open door of the keep toward her prone father.
Julius rose and stood transfixed as the woman helped Hamiltus to his feet.
"Get back, Ornella!" yelled Hamiltus as he brandished the Wand and began to cast again.
The blue field with the fish returned as Julius stared in disbelief.
"I could have killed you, Hamiltus! What treachery is this?" screamed Julius.
"My daughter has aided me in a most unexpected way! And you haven't proven yourself to me! If you are the son of a God, then you should be able to escape my trap again! That teleportation caught me by surprise, but I won't make that mistake again. Prove that you are worthy to be my king, and her husband!"
Julius choked down his rage even as the mention of the word "husband" thrilled him. The blue field was constricting him more quickly this time. And Hamiltus was correct—he was now too fatigued to teleport again.
The old wizard was more powerful than Julius had anticipated—no doubt due in part to the boosting effect of his Father's wand. Julius recalled the cold voice of his father in the cave when he had tested his resolve. In a way, he felt that cold voice had reached from beyond the grave to test him yet again.
"No wonder your plans did not come to fruition, Father. You left too much unchecked power in the hands of the weak-minded!"
An idea came to him as he thought of his old desert again. Had the old wizard ever fought a magical duel in the desert? Julius doubted it. Perhaps some desert magic would catch him unawares again. But would it work in this much denser sand?
Julius scanned the blue field again and cursed when he realized that it was also strongly warded against conjuration. His plan might still work, but it would be more difficult.
He would have to use a diversion to distract the old man while the beast he was going to conjure would hopefully dig beneath the blue field.
Julius conjured a huge desert boar, which he then set to charging at the blue field nearest Hamiltus. As the beast charged, yelped in pain and recoiled, Julius conjured a giant scorpion. He took a chance and conjured it somewhat below the ground, displacing some dirt from the area on the surface. As he perceived that the scorpion was digging under the magic field, he hoped that Hamiltus hadn't noticed.
His hopes rose as he saw a magical tentacle extend from the blue field and entangle the giant boar as it charged again. He could see Hamiltus laughing outside the magic field as the tentacle suffocated the boar.
"Yes, enjoy the spectacle, old man," thought Julius as he saw his scorpion surfacing on the other side of the field.
Julius knew he needed a final distraction to prevent the old man from seeing or hearing the scorpion as it closed on him. He cast an array of lightning bolts that impacted with a loud crash against the magic field.
It bought his scorpion the time it needed. The huge creature bowled over the old man and the blue field snapped out of existence in a flash.
Julius banished the scorpion a moment before it was about to sever the old wizard's neck in one of its claws.
Not taking any chances this time, he drew his sword and sprinted to Hamiltus' side just as the old wizard's daughter arrived there. Julius put his boot on Hamiltus' torso and raised his sword to the old man's neck, despite the protests and resistance of the daughter.
"Is this the proof you seek, old man?" asked Julius.
The old wizard coughed and spat dirt out of his mouth. "Indeed. Congratulations, young wizard. I yield."
"Say it so that all can hear it," said Julius as the warriors loyal to Hamiltus rushed to the scene.
"I yield to Julius!" cried the old man, stopping the warriors in their tracks.
"No boss, you don't have to!" said one of his captains.
"Yes, I do! I want to. I now have hope for the future—for my daughter's future," cried Hamiltus. "Sheath your weapons."
Julius reached for the Wand that Hamiltus still clutched. The old wizard locked Julius in an icy stare before relenting.
Julius held the Wand aloft and turned slowly in place to look upon his people for the first time as their new leader.
Julius stood atop the keep in the early evening and watched the Light Dancers emerging for another evening of indulging their sickening habit of leeching from the ley lines. Hamiltus stood beside him, but Julius’ mind was on the old wizard’s daughter, who he knew was some feet below him, separated from his lust by many layers of thick, impenetrable stone.
Her name was Ornella, and though she had thus far rebuffed Julius’ romantic overtures, she had done so with an unmistakable and thrilling twinkle in her eye that suggested future success.
The movement of the figures below returned his attention to the issue at hand. Julius had spent the past weeks organizing and training his warriors, and appointing seneschals to preside over the affairs of the City. Hamiltus was skeptical that this distribution of power was wise, but Julius had experience in governance that exceeded that of the older man.
The affairs of the City had now reached a point that gave Juliu
s confidence that his warriors were ready to support him in their first major campaign. It would be a campaign to drive the Light Dancers from the City.
“So you’re certain that the destruction of the obelisks will extinguish the ley lines?” asked Hamiltus.
“I am. And I know how to destroy them as well. They are like great cauldrons storing the Imperial power my Father created. Their strength is but an echo of what it was in his time, but it is enough to fuel the nightly devilry you see across the Lake. The obelisks are strong at the sides and bottom, but I can see that their upper sections are vulnerable. I will have to sunder the tops at their apex, and this should release the magical energy safely into the air.”
“Amazing. You can perceive all of this because you wore your Father’s crown for a few seconds?”
“Yes,” said Julius, and he turned to the old man and smiled. “But do not seek to do the same yourself. It would likely kill you.”
“Oh, I have no such ambitions. I am content as your seneschal of war. Truth be told, I tired of leadership before you came. I had begun to despair that I would never find a worthy successor.”
Hamiltus’ response made Julius feel reflective. He was about to reply when a loud shriek reverberated over the City. It was quickly followed by the groan of rock being sundered, and Julius saw a building in the eastern side of the City collapse in a great cloud of dust. He looked at Hamiltus with alarm.
“The She-Devil strikes again,” said Hamiltus.
Julius recalled the destroyed building he had seen when first entering the City.
“This has happened before?” he asked.
“Yes, it happens several times a year at random points in the City.”
“What is the cause?”
“Legend says it is a fallen spirit of the earth. Your Father apparently tricked her into betraying the Red Wizard. She yet lives, but cannot return to her kind. So she inflicts her rage upon the City, killing all in her path. I tried to trap her once, but she burst through my magical field like it was a sheet of papyrus. She hunted my party halfway across the length of the City and destroyed many buildings in her wake before she lost my trail. I’ve not attempted to interfere with her since then.”
“Is everything in the City left in disorder?!” cried Julius.
Hamiltus did not respond, and Julius composed himself as the dust raised by the recent tumult subsided.
“So this She-Devil will not return for several months?”
“If past experience is a guide, then, no, she will not.”
“Good, then I will deal with her later. For now, we will focus on the Light Dancers. There is no connection between her and the Light Dancers?”
“None that I’ve seen. She strikes both sides of the City indiscriminately.”
“That is good.”
Julius thought about the spells he would use to penetrate the Imperial ley lines. This campaign would stress his and Hamiltus’ magical abilities. If not for the Wand left behind by his Father, Julius doubted he would be able to pull it off. He had practiced with the Wand several times in the recent days. Its side-effect of strengthening his magic was extremely potent. But holding the Wand was producing another disturbing side effect: Julius was beginning to appreciate the power of the Imperial magic. Though he still considered the magic an affront to his code of ethics, he had caught himself fantasizing about the ease with which he could organize the City if he chose to don his Father’s crown. Because of these uncomfortable thoughts, he had taken to keeping the Wand in a magically sealed trunk.
He returned his attention to Hamiltus. “Here is my plan for the coming campaign. We attack in the mid-afternoon, when they are thirsty for the magic, but some daylight hours will remain.”
Hamiltus interrupted. “And you’re sure this won’t be a replay of our prior daylight attacks? Remember they seemed stronger in the daytime, despite their discomfort from the suns!”
“Again, it wasn’t the daylight that strengthened them—it was your violation of the Imperial law they’ve reactivated. You aren’t magically identifiable as Imperial citizens, so the magic gave them extra strength to oppose you. You must have faith in my assessment.”
“Yes, I suppose I must,” Hamiltus replied haltingly, “but understand that it’s difficult to redo something you’ve already tried and failed at. Leaves a bad taste in your mouth, for want of a better analogy.”
Julius clapped the old wizard on his back and smiled. “It’s an excellent analogy. In the desert we had a saying: a man never drinks twice from a contaminated well. I can understand your reluctance, Senechal, but you must trust me in this.”
Hamiltus stood a little taller, and Julius judged that his words had had the desired effect. “I will cast a spell to make the magic think I’m a citizen. I will then enter the eastern half of the City and make my way to the southernmost obelisk. You will place our warriors at the northern obelisk then take another group and move to the obelisk below that one. We will cast lightning at the tips of the obelisks, as I’ve demonstrated. This will destroy them. Once you destroy yours, you will move back north and form up with the warriors.
Their shamans will emerge from their foul holes to energize the Imperial ley lines across the City, and their forces will spew forth onto the streets. You will kill the Light Dancers as they emerge from the buildings around you and those that filter in piecemeal from the south. I will move north through the City, destroying obelisks as I go. Their shamans will try to organize to resist me, but as their magic fails, their forces will be routed and break for the active ley lines in the north. The shamans won’t be able to control them. We’ll be outnumbered, but their forces will be disorganized and running into the teeth of your formations.”
“But the Light Dancers in the north will be at full strength if we leave that obelisk operational.”
“True. The shaman and his forces there will be a difficult assignment for you, but I have confidence that you will defeat them quickly. You will have them outnumbered for a time. The key is to defeat them before their comrades can mass in sufficient numbers to overwhelm you.”
“And how will you destroy the seven other obelisks among all of their shamans and warriors?”
“I’ll rely on the chaos of the moment and magical concealment. Remember, the Imperial magic will not identify me as an intruder. And I don’t think their degenerate rank and file will even perceive me. My only concern will be their shamans, and I do not fear them without their hordes to support them.”
“I still don’t like it. Take some warriors with you, at least.”
“I can’t afford to cast the masking spell on many besides myself. It’s true that I could take more time to decipher how the Light Dancers have perverted the Imperial magic, but I want a dramatic victory to inspire the people. I will need an inspired populace to set my plans in motion. And I want to turn my attention to this She-Devil before she does more damage. A strike from her while I am in power will shake the people’s confidence in me.”
Hamiltus frowned. “Julius, you sound impetuous. The people are more patient than you are. They have accepted my rule for over forty years.”
Julius turned toward the west and his arm swept across the collection of dilapidated hovels that made up the majority of that half of the City. “And look at your accomplishments.”
Hamiltus reddened and Julius turned toward him with a conciliatory expression. “I did not mean to offend. It’s just that I want the people to expect more from their ruler and from themselves. Someday I will take you into the mountains to see the model of the City there. Though my father was misguided, the City was magnificent under his rule. We must be careful not to set our sights too low. This will be a great City once again, my friend!”
The old wizard did not respond immediately. Julius began to worry that the man might have to be discarded for lack of vigor, but finally Hamiltus turned toward him with a smile of resignation. “You know, when you talk like that, I actually believe it. I’ve become jaded
after all of these years, but, truth be told, I want to believe you. I want to believe in your vision. I will fight for you! But make sure you survive this fight. If you don’t, then the entire City might fall to the Light Dancers.”
Julius hadn’t considered what would happen if he perished in the battle. He didn’t have time for thoughts of defeat.
Later that evening, Hamiltus’ daughter, Ornella, burst into Julius’ chamber. She stared at him angrily without saying a word.
“What?” asked Julius, and then he guessed the reason for her anger. “So, you’ve heard of the plan for the coming battle? Do not worry yourself with these details.”
“Details!” she spat, and then ran her hands up and down in the air beside her body. “And you—don’t worry yourself with these details either. If I am not to be concerned with your details, then neither should you concern yourself with mine.”
Julius found that her spirit only made her more desirable. He did not want to dishonor her father, but he felt himself losing control. He feared that he might be moved to take the woman then and there.
Against his better judgement, he approached her and stood close, reveling in the intoxicating perfume that emanated from her golden skin. Her brown hair looked lustrous in the lantern light and her eyes shone with anger. He reached out and took her hand. She did not resist.
“Let us end the games between us. We are meant to be together, you and I. Will you be my wife? Then you will be privy to all of my details, and I yours.”
Her head lowered slightly and the anger in her eyes diminished by a notch, but she withdrew her hand, turned away and strolled to the other side of the room.
Hemlock And The Dead God's Legacy (Book 2) Page 21
