Shadow Mage

by John Forrester

  The old hermit leaned forward and peered into Nikulo’s eyes. “And just how long have you been poisoned?”

  “How can you tell?” Nikulo looked taken aback. “It’s been six months now.”

  “Hmm. You don’t have long now, maybe a week left. First comes fatigue, then the sweats, and finally the convulsions and death. I’m sorry. If you like I can ask Adwina to end it for you.”

  The young woman chortled. “Maybe your end will come sooner than you think.”

  “Not until they’ve finished their supper,” the bearded man said, and scowled at Adwina. “I will not have my pork roast disrespected. On a full stomach they’ll make much finer opponents.”

  “So then we’ll fight after dinner?” Mara said, narrowing her eyes at the bearded man.

  “Spar is a much better word. You have such a concept on your world?”

  Talis thought of the intense battles that took place in the training arenas. “We do, with a healer watching—”

  “But sometimes people die,” Mara said, interrupting him. “And we’re not allowed to use magic.”

  Carax chuckled. “No magic? What a ridiculous system. Rules for the rigid rabble-rousers. What are our rules, Tenuva?”

  The young man with the blue hair allowed a grin to spread across his face. “Rules? Only one, you must fight. And how long must you fight? Until your opponent is dead. So eat and enjoy the roast, I’m looking forward to killing all of you.”

  Nikulo raised a glass of wine to the young man. “I’ll drink to that. But did you hear that blue-haired bastards have weak minds?” He dug two fingers into his temple and clenched his jaw as he stared at Tenuva. The young man writhed around, slapping at his own head until his eyes flipped back in his sockets and drool rolled out of his slack mouth.

  “Tsk, tsk,” the old hermit said. “I suppose dinner is finished.”

  The bearded man swung his hunting knife around and let it plunge into the heart of the blue-haired boy, who gasped one last time and fell into the fire, flames lapping around his head.

  Mara jerked her wrist and threw a dagger at Adwina, but the weapon pinged off scales that had formed instantly from her neck down to her ankles. Adwina cartwheeled over the fire and slammed spiked-laden feet into the ground where Mara had once stood. Talis spun his hands around and shot a burst of wind, sending the scaly-skinned woman bouncing off tree trunks back into the darkness.

  The old hermit flew up his hands and his tattered robe flapped back as ice shards shot from his palms, his face a hideous contortion of rage and mockery. Talis reacted just in time, issuing a hundred tendrils of flame from his fingertips to melt the ice, and only a gush of water remained to eradicate the campfire in a burst of smoky haze.

  Talis pulled Mara and Nikulo back to hide in the shadows, but the bearded man circled around the mist and followed them in big, noisy stomps, stabbing tree trunks with his hunting knife along the way.

  “I’m going to rip my roasted pork right from your belly.”

  Nikulo grunted. “I like my belly just the way it is, thank you.” He aimed his gaze at the bearded man, fingers on his temple, and the warrior stopped in his charge.

  Then the world blinked, flashing yellow and silver lights, and the forest disappeared. Talis found himself alone in a desert at the bottom of a massive sand dune, with the wind whipping sand particles from the tip of the dune.

  “What’s going on?” Talis shouted, and spun around to find metallic gold spiders chattering towards him. Was this some kind of an illusion?

  “Mara!” He raised his hands to cast Fire Magic at the spiders now only a few feet away. Flames burst out from his fingertips and scorched the sand, but the spiders just bowed down and were unaffected by the flames. He tried Wind Magic and the spiders flipped back and landed crouched, then continued their advance despite the terrific gale.

  He realized this indeed was an illusion, and rather than wasting his power fighting the spiders, cast Wind Magic against the ground and propelled himself up and back a hundred feet until landing at the top of the dune. The spiders wavered away, as if a mirage broken, but farther out in the endless dunes something enormous was rolling towards him, a beast surrounded by a violent sand storm.

  A sudden fear stuck Talis: if this was his illusion then wasn’t his body now at risk of being slain? How could he break the illusion? He thought back to his magical training dreams, and all that Master Viridian had taught him, and he remembered something. When a nightmare possesses you, wake up in your dream, and realize it is not real. Focus on one thing in your dream and the dream will either change or end.

  So Talis focused his magical power on his gaze, and stared at the ground and soon the illusion wavered and shimmered and changed back to the dark forest.

  Adwina stood over Mara, scales still covering the young woman, her twisted blade thrust out towards Mara’s neck.

  20. THE CASTLE

  Talis remained still, determined to save Mara, and focused fire energy into Adwina’s heart. The young woman’s eyes went wild as she clenched her chest, then darkened into a blank gaze. Talis felt a sick knot tighten his stomach as she fell silently to the side, an angry stain of red dribbling from her delicate mouth.

  Mara lay lost in a nightmare, her eyelids fluttering, oblivious to Adwina’s assault. He had to find the illusionist, but quietly, without the old hermit knowing he was released from the dream.

  Talis pretended he was caught in a fitful sleep, but all the while through barely opened eyes he scanned the forest, searching for Carax. Beneath a stump lay Nikulo, kicking and twitching, and the bearded man stood obediently nearby, still locked under the mind control spell that Nikulo had cast.

  Talis pushed himself up, stalked around, and hid behind a tree once he found what he was searching for. Past the stump, brilliant emerald eyes pierced the dark, the eyes of the illusionist, the eyes conjuring the nightmares. Talis gaped at the radiating waves of energy pouring out from the old hermit.

  How would he stop Carax? A direct assault might just throw Talis into another nightmare and give the illusionist the extra time needed to revive the bearded man from Nikulo’s spell. Talis had a feeling the old hermit had forged a kind of magical protection as his shield, to keep him from harm’s way. The air around the illusionist shimmered.

  Then Charna stalked up close to Talis, her golden eyes bobbing in the blackness. She murmured and nuzzled against his chin.

  “Good girl,” Talis whispered. “We’ve got to stop that man.” He pointed at the illusionist. If Charna could create a distraction, Talis could try breaking through his defense. He withdrew his father’s sword, and felt the heat rush up his arm and swirl through his body.

  Talis stalked from tree to tree, keeping his gaze locked on Carax’s green eyes. The illusionist was seemingly lost in his own illusions, and paid little attention to anything around. When they were positioned behind the old hermit and close enough to kill, Talis sent Charna after Carax and circled around to the right.

  The illusionist flung his hands up and jumped as Charna sunk her teeth into his calf. He tried to kick her off, but she just dug in harder until the old hermit howled in pain. Talis leapt forward and stabbed his sword down at the illusionist’s back. Carax twisted around just as the blade was about to strike, and Talis felt himself launched into the air, floating away from the old man. Talis flung the blade at the man’s chest, but the illusionist just swept it aside with the slightest gesture of his finger. Carax aimed a hand at Charna and the lynx fell asleep.

  “You thought you could murder me with a cat and a blade?” The old hermit chuckled. “How did you break out of the trap I spun for you? Oh, you’ve such hateful eyes… Go ahead, cast your devastating spell on me, what are you afraid of? Or is there a reason you chose a blade rather than a spell?”

  There was a reason Talis chose the blade, he could see clearly now the glowing shield around Carax’s body. The illusionist was protected by a kind of energy shield, perhaps one that resisted magical
attacks? Or even worse, what if that was a mirror shield and sent magic back onto the caster? But the shield did nothing against Charna’s teeth. If they were to defeat the illusionist, somehow it had to be done with steel.

  After the shift of the old hermit’s attention, Talis spotted Nikulo and Mara through a break in the trees stalking towards them, and sighed in relief, realizing the fight must have broken the illusionist’s spell.

  “Why should such a powerful illusionist as yourself need to do Aurellia’s bidding?” Talis knew he had to keep Carax distracted long enough for Mara and Nikulo to attack.

  The illusionist scoffed. “You call this power? I’m no fool with an overinflated ego, I know true magical genius when I see it.”

  “So you’re loyal to Aurellia because of what?”

  “To learn, you fool. You would be wise to value that above all things in life. A wise master can teach you many things, like for instance the heightened awareness that your friends are trying to sneak up on me.” Carax snapped his fingers twice and Mara and Nikulo slumped to the ground. “Yes, I know this and much more. Your pet caught me off guard, she’s no ordinary creature… Tell me, before I kill you, where did you find this magnificent cat?”

  Talis clenched his jaw, his mind racing, trying to think of way to defeat the illusionist or at least to protect himself against his power. “Charna is a gift from the Goddess Nacrea.”

  “The Goddess Nacrea? Don’t be ridiculous—”

  A blinding light suddenly vaporized the blackness of the forest and the illusionist cried out in agony. Talis suddenly found himself plummeting towards the ground, and pain shot through his body as he slammed onto the pine needle floor. Stars spun in his eyes and he wheezed, unable to take a breath. What had just happened? Talis craned his neck around, trying to find the illusionist. He pushed himself up to his knees, watching the golden light swirling in the air, forming a face that Talis thought looked like the Goddess Nacrea. He reached out, trying to touch a fragment of the Goddess, but found the light slowly fade from the sky.

  Darkness returned as a thick blanket, so Talis cast a small orb of Light Magic and let it float into the air, sending shadows slithering across the forest. The illusionist had vanished. Or perhaps something far worse. The gruesome image of Master Viridian being savaged by the gods played over in his mind’s eye. Now he knew that the Goddess Nacrea had struck Carax down. Talis gazed at Charna when she shook her head and peered wisely into his eyes.

  “You truly are a gift from the Goddess Nacrea.” Talis raised his eyes to the sky and sent the Goddess his deepest thanks for saving them.

  Mara and Nikulo slowly stirred, groggy, shaking their heads, eyes blurry and wondering.

  “What happened?” Nikulo said, his voice deep and slurred.

  “Carax sensed you stalking him.” Talis snapped his finger. “That was all he had to do to stop you. He just focused his mind on making you sleep, and that was it.”

  Nikulo’s eyes were deep in thought. “My master could do such a thing, though not nearly with such ease or with such force. He taught me over the last few months how to gain a greater hold over controlling people.”

  “I’ve noticed.” Talis glanced at the bearded man still standing and slobbering, eyes blank, waiting for Nikulo’s command.

  “This one’s mind was particularly easy once I burrowed my way through his defenses. I’m surprised the spell hasn’t broken yet.” Nikulo tapped the bearded man on the forehead. “What secrets locked inside would you like to share with us?”

  Mara nudged Talis and tucked herself close to him. He wrapped his arm around her and realized she was freezing.

  “Let’s go by the fire and warm up,” Talis said.

  Nikulo commanded the bearded man-zombie to follow them, and plopped down next to the smoldering campfire. Talis added more wood to the fire, and stoked it up hot. He cast a small amount of fire energy inside Mara’s body until she warmed, her cheeks turning pink.

  “Feeling better?” Talis touched her forehead and felt tiny drops of perspiration.

  She smiled appreciatively, her face an expression of admiration and warmth. “So how did you defeat Carax?”

  “I didn’t. The Goddess Nacrea struck the illusionist when he doubted Charna was a gift from the Goddess. She saved us….”

  Mara’s eyes had widened when Talis told her the story, and now she cuddled up even closer until Talis felt tingles erupt across his skin where she touched him. She looked fondly up at his eyes and nuzzled his neck with her lips.

  “Time to question our chubby zombie.” Nikulo aimed his eyes at the bearded man. “What’s the best way to sneak inside the castle?”

  The bearded man’s mouth flopped open, and a line of drool dribbled out.

  “Let me release him halfway from the spell,” Nikulo said. The bearded man’s jaw twitched a bit and his eyes blinked rapidly, tears streaming down his face. He glanced up at Nikulo as if fearful of being struck.

  “Can you understand me?” Nikulo bent down and stared at the man’s face.

  The bearded man kept his eyes low. “I understand.”

  “Good, that’s better. Now tell us how to sneak into the castle.”

  “There are guards everywhere, constantly on patrol—ahh, no, that hurts!”

  “I didn’t ask that, I asked how to sneak inside. Focus.”

  “The sewer…I know an unguarded entrance through the sewers.” The bearded man grimaced and twisted up his face, like he was trying to fight Nikulo’s hold over his mind.

  Nikulo puckered up his lips and nodded in satisfaction. “Take us there.”

  The pine forest swept up the mountain until it reached a wall of boulders and bluffs, with the many-layered castle towering high above. They followed the wet stench up through the boulders and into a cave that sloped up into the heart of the mountain. Either side of the cave floor was thankfully dry, but the middle held a slow running river of filthy sludge.

  Talis unfurled the Surineda Map and discovered the way was free of traps (other than occasional smelly mounds of surprise). He signaled Nikulo to continue their ascent inside and cast a sphere of golden light to guide their way.

  “Can’t you summon a spell to take the stench away?” Nikulo’s voice sounded nasally as he’d pinched his nostrils together.

  “We’ve smelled worse in the Underworld.” Mara frowned as if remembering the hideous scene.

  Far ahead they discovered steps snaking up, and the bearded man motioned for them to follow the way up into the darkness. Talis treaded cautiously as the steps wound up and around, finally depositing them into a cellar filled with potatoes and onions and garlic. At the other side of the room, an iron door allowed faint light from the outside through its bars.

  “I don’t suppose you have the key,” Nikulo said to the bearded man. “No?”

  Talis inspected the lock and found it a simple contraption. He sent fire energy into the area around the lock mechanism and the metal glowed white hot until the lock snapped and the door swung open.

  “Do we need him anymore?” Mara said.

  Nikulo shook his head and commanded the bearded man back to the forest. The man shambled off towards the sewers and disappeared into the darkness.

  “What are we going to do when we find Aurellia?” Nikulo said.

  “We talk to him.” Talis felt an eye twitch and he rubbed a hand across his face. “He said he had a way for us to get off this planet.”

  “This is one enormous trap we’re walking into,” Mara said.

  “Do you have any other ideas? No? Then I don’t either. I do know I’d rather sneak in unannounced than fight my way in.” Talis studied Nikulo, noticing a change in his friend. “What’s wrong?”

  “I hope there’s a cure for my poison. I’m starting to feel something weakening me.”

  “Really?” Mara said, placing a hand on his arm.

  Nikulo brushed beads of sweat from his forehead. “I feel hot and clammy at the same time. Let’s get out of here
, this place is suffocating.”

  Talis cast a worried look at Nikulo, wondering what he could do to help. When they found Aurellia, Talis was determined to demand that the sorcerer cure Nikulo of his poison. They climbed the stairs up and around until the way opened up into an empty stone courtyard lined with arches and pillars. Talis made the golden orb disappear, and they crept along, keeping their backs to the wall. Charna padded alongside, sniffing the air.

  Through a narrow corridor Talis could hear the clapping of boots against stone. He motioned for them to head down to the other side of the courtyard. The castle loomed higher in the distance.

  “Do you think Aurellia is up there?” Mara whispered.

  “I can’t use the map to track him.” Talis frowned, withdrawing the Surineda Map.

  “Keep that out,” Nikulo said. “It can help us navigate the castle and keep us from bumping into soldiers.”

  “And find Palarian or Rikar? Don’t you think they’ll be close to Aurellia?” Mara flashed Talis a knowing look.

  Talis ran a finger across the map’s surface, feeling the heat rush up his arm and warm his body. He focused his mind on finding Palarian and Rikar, sensing any danger from guards, and displaying all the rooms and corridors of the castle.

  Rikar was nowhere to be found on the map.

  The sorcerer was ahead at the main castle, although Talis couldn’t tell if he was high above or deep below. The map was littered with spidery passageways criss-crossing atop the many levels of the castle.

  “So confusing,” Talis said. “Palarian is here, but I can’t tell what level he’s on.”

  Mara tilted her head, peering at the map. “Simple. Shift the perspective on the map to see it sideways.”

  She had a point. Talis commanded the map to show the castle from a side view, and there it was.

  Palarian was down in the deepest depths of the castle dungeon.

  21. THE DUNGEON

  The Surineda Map displayed hundreds of red and orange and magenta points of light moving through the many layers of the castle. But where Palarian was down deep in the dungeon contained only magenta dots glowing eerily.