Lord Crendemor had a thought that he’d never have tried such a ploy with the Crosioian scout he’d worked with last year. That scout had been the best the Crosioians had to offer. The scout had been killed by one of the Empire’s wizard cadets.
Lord Crendemor recognized the human on the other side of the fence. He’d not seen the human in a long time, but he would never forget his face. He was Lord Crendemor’s sworn enemy. He was also the one who had killed the scout the previous year. Anger built up inside Lord Crendemor, but he kept it under control. One day he would kill the human, but not tonight. The mission came first.
While the Crosioian scout working with him now was still deadly, she was not the caliber of the one he’d worked with before. This one didn’t even know how to properly protect the link to her Power reserve. Crendemor was confident he could kill her easily if she was foolish enough to attack him.
The Crosioian scout continued holding her fire. She was very angry, but she didn’t attempt to retaliate against him.
Hmm, Lord Crendemor thought. May she’s not a fool after all.
Lord Crendemor switched his attention to his enemy on the other side of the fence. The human had caught him by surprise. Even now, with only a few meters separating them, Lord Crendemor couldn’t detect him with his scan. He could visibly see the human, but he couldn’t detect even the slightest trace of Power from him. If he didn’t see him standing before him, he would have thought the area devoid of life.
Lord Crendemor drew more Power from his reserve and with a few words formed it into a ball of magical energy. He made all but the final hand gesture needed to send the magic as a bolt of lightning at the human.
I could kill him so easily, he thought. But I’m forbidden. The Dalinfaust would not be pleased.
Although Lord Crendemor didn’t want to admit it, he feared the Dalinfaust. The demon was strong, even for a demon. In other circumstances, Lord Crendemor would have scanned the human and probed the link to his Power reserve. But he couldn’t take the risk now. His mission was too important to take a chance this close to the end.
His stealth shield’s too good, Crendemor thought. What brought him here? Can he detect us?
Lord Crendemor checked the magical shield surrounding his party. Everything appeared normal. The spell was a blend of a mass invisibility spell and a stealth shield. It had been taught him by the Dalinfaust. The demon had assured him the spell would make everyone inside its confines undetectable. Until now, the spell had performed perfectly.
Lord Crendemor’s confidence in his stealth shield began to slip the longer the human stared at the spot where his scouting party hid. In spite of himself, Lord Crendemor got the feeling the human was looking right at him.
Glancing at his two dark-elf assassins, Lord Crendemor saw they each had one of their wands pointed at the human. They were efficient. He tolerated no less. Lord Crendemor looked back at the party’s human technician. He was busy adjusting the controls of the portable electronic equipment he held in his hands.
The technician must have felt Lord Crendemor’s stare because he looked up and nodded. Lord Crendemor relaxed a little. The technician was still successfully hacking the Empire’s tele-bots. Lord Crendemor turned his attention back to the human on the other side of the fence. He waited to see if the wizard scout would send out Power to scan their location. At the first hint of Power from the human, they would have to kill him. Between the combined attack from his assassins, the Crosioian scout, and himself, his enemy would be dead before he knew what hit him. The Dalinfaust would just have to be angry.
His enemy seemed to increase his concentration on the scouting party’s location. Lord Crendemor almost sensed a struggle going on in the human as if he were trying to make a decision. Lord Crendemor saw a look come over the human’s face. He’d obviously decided. Lord Crendemor tensed. He fully expected the wizard scout to attack. But, he didn’t. Instead, the human shook his head as if admonishing himself for being foolish. Then he turned and walked back the way he had come. After a couple of minutes, his enemy disappeared from sight.
When Lord Crendemor could no longer hear the human’s footsteps, he finally relaxed. He removed his hand from the Crosioian scout’s shoulder. At the same time, he retrieved the magical energy from the scout’s chest. He allowed the energy to dissipate back into the universe from which it had come.
The Crosioian scout turned towards him and hissed. “If you ever do that again, I will kill you.”
“Of course, you will,” Lord Crendemor said. “But think for a moment. A dozen of the Empire’s tele-bots are around us. The technician’s equipment and my spell are keeping us hidden, but if you had shot the wizard scout, the tele-bots would have spotted us. Our mission would have failed.”
The scout glared at Lord Crendemor, but she said nothing further. Lord Crendemor made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the scout in the future. The Crosioians were a touchy lot when it came to honor.
Fortunately, I have no such weakness, Lord Crendemor thought. Honor is for fools. I am no longer such a fool.
Putting the false front of a smile on his face, Lord Crendemor said, “Then let us finish our task so we can get back to the ship, shall we?”
Lord Crendemor sensed the tenseness dissipate in the scout. After a moment, she nodded her head. “Yes. The mission comes first. Cover me, spell-caster.”
The scout touched a control on her wrist. Her armor shimmered and assumed the colors and shades of the objects around it. The scout blended into the background until she was barely visible.
Lord Crendemor said a word as he made a well-practiced flip with his hand. The scout disappeared completely as the invisibility spell took effect. Lord Crendemor had no doubt the scout had her best stealth shield activated. But he was not concerned. He could still track her by sensing the location of his spell. Where his invisibility spell went, the Crosioian scout was sure to be. Lord Crendemor followed the scout’s progress as she slipped past the perimeter of the spell protecting the scouting party. She made her way to the door of the building. The scout remained there for over a minute. Lord Crendemor had faith she would not attempt to enter. He had no doubt she was even now searching for weak points in the building’s security. If she found one, she would release the half dozen static tele-bots she carried. The tele-bots would work their way inside the building. After they confirmed the building was indeed the airfield’s power plant, the tele-bots would pinpoint its weak points for later attack. If the Crosioians’ special operations teams could disable all three power plants, the airfield’s defensive shields would come down. Then the airfield, its cadets, and the planet’s secondary teleport station could be easily destroyed by orbiting ships.
“Status?” Lord Crendemor said to the human technician.
“Traffic from the Empire’s tele-bots is normal,” said the technician. “None of the scouting parties have been detected.”
Lord Crendemor nodded his head. Everything was going according to plan. Soon, the mission would be complete, and he could return to his own place and time.
A change caught Lord Crendemor’s attention. He sensed the faint whispers of his spell moving away from the building. The scout was returning.
Once his spell had entered the perimeter of the party’s protective spell, Lord Crendemor dropped the flow of energy to the spell surrounding the scout. She appeared before him as an indistinct, dark blob. The blob shimmered as the scout deactivated her camouflage.
“Well?” Lord Crendemor said.
“Mission complete,” said the scout. “The Master computer says to expedite our return.”
Lord Crendemor allowed himself an internal smile.
If they only knew, he thought. But they don’t know, and I’m not going to tell them.
“Then let us be on our way,” Lord Crendemor said.
The scout shifted her plasma rifle and began walking towards the fence.
“Do not stray far, my friend,” said Lord Crendemor. “My di
mensional spell’s range is limited.”
The scout said nothing, but Lord Crendemor noticed she slowed her approach towards the fence. Just before she made contact, Lord Crendemor drew Power from his reserve and said the words the Dalinfaust had taught him. He wrapped the scout and the rest of the party in the magical energy. The world shimmered around them as the group shifted into the void between dimensions.
Lord Crendemor sensed the scout levitate herself forward. His two assassins did the same. They were accomplished mages as well as skilled assassins. The human technician had no such abilities. Lord Crendemor scoffed as he wrapped both the human and himself in a spell and levitated through the fence. The human technician was a mercenary. He had his uses, but he was as helpless as most human filth without his electronics.
Technicians and electronics, Lord Crendemor thought. The creatures in this dimension think their machines give them power. But instead, they bind themselves in chains which they do not even see.
The Dalinfaust had sent Lord Crendemor on many missions to the physical dimension over the years. During that time, he’d learned to use the inhabitant’s technology. Some of it could be quite useful. However, he preferred his magic over technology. Magic required skill. Technology could be used by any fool. It made the masses think they were as good as their betters.
Once they reached the far side of the building’s protective fence. Lord Crendemor dropped the dimensional shift. The spell was too Power hungry to maintain for long. Even with his large Power reserve, he could only maintain a group dimensional shift for a few seconds. Lord Crendemor suspected the Dalinfaust had purposely taught him an inefficient version of the spell to keep him from becoming too powerful.
No matter, Lord Crendemor thought. The time will come when I won’t need the Dalinfaust.
The Crosioian scout picked up her pace and exited the party’s protective spell. Lord Crendemor let her go. She was well able to take care of herself.
Motioning his two assassins forward, Lord Crendemor trailed behind with the human technician. Even as he walked, the human devoted most of his attention to his equipment. Lord Crendemor placed a well-manicured, ebony hand on the human’s shoulder and guided him around a dip in the ground. It wouldn’t do to have the human stumble. Lord Crendemor disliked humans, but this one was keeping them from being discovered by the Empire’s tele-bots. That made him temporarily useful.
They followed the Crosioian scout for several minutes. Occasionally, she would stop or change course. Once, she motioned them behind one of the metal buildings the Empire used to store their golems. Lord Crendemor knew the cats were not golems, but he preferred to think of them as such.
After a vehicle passed, the scout got them moving again. Before long, they left the airfield behind and entered the desert beyond. Lord Crendemor said a breeze spell to wipe away the party’s tracks in the sand. It wouldn’t do to be discovered so close to the end of their mission.
There were many things Lord Crendemor didn’t understand about technology. Tele-bots was one of them. But as the Dalinfaust had explained, they were merely scrying devices, no more, no less. Lord Crendemor knew how to prevent detection by scrying devices.
Before long, the scout stopped. They had reached the edge of the airfield’s defensive shields. The shield was an invisible force field of immense energy. It was designed to protect the airfield from unauthorized entry of aircraft or personnel. Even the primary energy weapons of the largest starships or nuclear weapons couldn’t penetrate the shield except after a prolonged barrage. Only equipment or lifeforms with the correct identification codes could pass through unharmed.
Lord Crendemor smiled. The humans thought their vaunted technology protected them. They were wrong. He waited until he saw a shimmer in the air to their front. The ‘special asset’ had cast its spell. It was safe to cross. Lord Crendemor motioned the others forward. Soon they were on the other side of the shield. The shimmer in the air disappeared. They were safely across.
He knew the Crosioians’ Master computer could now teleport them back to their mothership if it desired. However, the scout didn’t stop. She continued on until she found a small path that meandered down a rocky ravine.
“We’re clear,” said the technician. “Only four of the Empire’s tele-bots are in the area. The Crosioians’ Master computer has them firmly under its control.”
Lord Crendemor said nothing. He didn’t lower himself to speak to humans unless it was necessary. He looked down the length of the ravine. The first glow of the morning sun was just starting to illuminate the landscape enough to cast dim shadows. Even without night vision, it would soon be light enough to see the entire valley.
When the scout reached the floor of the small valley, Lord Crendemor dropped the party’s protective spell.
The valley was not empty. Lord Crendemor spied three other scouting parties. He nodded his head to the dark-elf mage in the nearest scouting party. The dark-elf mage nodded his head in return to his leader. Lord Crendemor ignored the human mages with the other two scouting parties. He’d worried the skills of the two Northern Mages would be inadequate for the tasks. Even having given them the easiest of the four targets, he’d been concerned. But they had managed, so Lord Crendemor was satisfied. He wouldn’t have to kill them today.
The four Crosioian scouts conferred with a group of their species’ technicians who were clustered around an array of electronic equipment. The Crosioians had not invited him to attend their impromptu meeting. Lord Crendemor ignored their intentional slight. He cared not what they thought. They were fools. Soon his part in the mission would be complete, and he could return home. He had his own plans to pursue.
After a short wait, the huddled Crosioians broke apart and returned to their individual groups. When his group’s scout returned, Lord Crendemor said, “Is all well?”
“Yes,” she said. “Even with our handicaps, the Empire has not detected us.”
By handicaps, Lord Crendemor knew she meant the non-Crosioians. It was another slight. He let it slide as well.
What does it matter? he thought. One day soon, they’ll all be dead or wishing they were.
“One team shall remain here to secure the site,” the scout said. “The rest of us will return to the mothership as soon as the shuttle arrives.”
“We’re not teleporting?” Lord Crendemor said surprised. He immediately regretted his gaffe when he saw the corners of the bat’s mouth curl up slightly. It did not pay to let the Crosioians catch him at a disadvantage.
“No,” said the scout.
She did not elaborate. Lord Crendemor did not press her. He had no doubt the scout would see it as a sign of weakness. He would if their situations were reversed.
Lord Crendemor suddenly felt exposed. The sky was growing every lighter. In spite of himself, Lord Crendemor felt a tremor of nervousness. However, he did not allow his nervousness to be seen by those around him. A part of him wanted to activate his best stealth spell, but he forced himself to refrain. The dimensional shift had drained his Power reserve more than he liked. He needed to recharge.
The Crosioians’ electronics will keep us hidden well enough, he thought.
“Get ready,” said one of the Crosioians monitoring the electronics. “The shuttle is twenty seconds out.”
Instinctively, Lord Crendemor glanced at the reddening morning sky. He said a spell and reached out with his mind. He detected nothing.
The Crosioian squeaked again. “Five seconds,” came the translation from the box on Lord Crendemor’s belt. “Do not waste time during the landing. The special asset cannot hold the shift for long.”
A stiff breeze knocked up dirt a hundred paces to Lord Crendemor’s front. A few rocks rolled along the ground as if shoved by some unseen creature. The air shimmered as a Crosioian shuttle appeared on the ground. Its ramp dropped. Lord Crendemor ran for the shuttle with the others. A wave of evil washed over him. It increased the closer he got to the shuttle.
Once buck
led in, Lord Crendemor looked at the front of the shuttle. The special asset, the source of the evil, stood behind the Crosioian pilots. The special asset was hunched over. It was too tall to stand erect in the confines of the shuttle. Its gray and orange mottled skin was in sharp contrast to the antiseptic white of the shuttle’s interior. The special asset looked back at Lord Crendemor and growled. The special asset was the Master computer’s secret weapon. It was a demon. It was a demon that could cast dimensional spells powerful enough to allow groups of individuals or even large cargo shuttles to pass through defensive shields.
Lord Crendemor sensed Power emanate from the demon. The shuttle and all its occupants shifted into the void. A glance out a nearby porthole confirmed they were rushing into the morning sky.
Lord Crendemor smiled. Nothing the Empire had could detect the shuttle when the demon had it in the void. The demon could hold its dimensional shift all the way back to the fleet. When the time for the invasion came, the Empire wouldn’t know what hit them.
And even the Empire’s vaunted wizard scouts cannot help them, Lord Crendemor thought.
As the shuttle rose unchallenged by the Empire’s defensive weapons, Lord Crendemor relaxed. Soon, he thought. Soon I will be going home.
Chapter 10 – Jonathan
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The inside of the armory was dark, but that mattered little to Nickelo. He was using every sensor on the battle helmet, so the lack of visible light was only a minor inconvenience. Using all of the battle helmet’s assets, Nickelo scanned and analyzed every millimeter of the armory’s walls, floors, and ceiling. He’d initially calculated the probability of finding any weaknesses at less than six percent. But despite the odds, he’d been hopeful. His wizard scout had a habit of proving low probabilities wrong. Still, he was becoming increasingly disappointed with his lack of success. Sometimes he hated being so correct with his probabilities.
Wizard Scout (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 3) Page 9
