A Sorcerer's Fist

by Guy Antibes

  “Good,” Ricky said. “We can put an end to this, one way or another.”

  “I’m all for one way, with us victorious and my cousin in chains.”

  “Chains might not happen in a conflict,” Ricky said. “You have to be prepared for that.”

  “I am, don’t worry.” They finished by flying over the University complex.

  Pira wobbled in the air. “Oh!” She dropped away from Ricky. He looked down at Pira drifting down, but not falling. She reached out to him.

  Ricky cried out. This couldn’t be happening. He looked at the Towers and saw people looking at them. He tore his eyes away from the onlookers and flew down, grabbing her hand. He could feel the pressure of increasing pressure on his sound shield. A sorcerer circle had to have been quickly assembled to get through Pira’s shield. She dragged him down with her, but the effect on the spell decreased as they descended. Ricky pulled her to his body as they shot over startled onlookers. With the pressure gone, Ricky felt his power increase. A building loomed ahead of him, but Ricky forced his will to react to his diminished resonance, and they narrowly avoided the roof. He took her higher in the air until he sang the deflection spell again, and they rose back up into the sky.

  “Are you better?” Ricky asked.

  He let go of her hand, but she drifted down. “I will need to link with you. Accept my strength.”

  “You strength is always accepted,” Pira said giving him a smile, but she was anxious, if not afraid. “I thought the spell had killed me.”

  Ricky took her hand and linked. He could feel how afraid she had been before he let some of his power flow through the link.

  “Is that better?”

  Pira nodded in the affirmative.

  Ricky let go of her hand, and she actually lifted up a bit in the air.

  “I’ll let Kened know that sorcerers circles who can kill resonance through a sound shield are still in Sealio. We have to leave the city, but we can still carry out our mission.”

  They finished looking over possible sites for troops and didn’t find any populated camps. It was time to head back to Mattia, so Ricky decided to take Pira over a probable route. He noticed a few clusters of troops milling about along the way, but he didn’t see large concentrations.

  ~

  “Did all the sorcerers return?” Pira asked Zaria.

  He nodded. “You look tired.”

  Ricky listened to Pira describe their flight over the city. Her fear was still there, but it had been pushed into the narrative of their mission. Her brush with death had just been turned into a war story, and Ricky couldn’t help but smile with the realization.

  “Pira didn’t lose all her power. The shield let her maintain a trickle. I was able to link with her and lend her enough power to return,” Ricky said. “We should test your sorcerers for the strength of their shields and find out who can link by touch. We might be able to save a few lives if we run into another sorcerers’ circle as powerful as that one.”

  Zaria nodded. “I’ll do that today while we travel one day closer to Sealio.” He left them.

  Pira turned to Ricky. “Won’t the Sealians be worried about us?”

  “I’m sure they already know about flying sorcerers from our battle in Samira. I doubt if they know about the Gruntalians. I didn’t get the sense the troops training on Crespi Field were gearing up for a conflict. The sorcerers saw us both plummet past them as they stood on one of the upper floors of their tower. They are now feeling confident, I am sure. We will shake that confidence when we attack.”

  Mattia looked at his map.

  “The Gruntalians have a better one,” Pira said.

  “Is mine inaccurate?” he raised an eyebrow, looking at the princess.

  “A little here and a little there, but in the main, no,” Pira said. “When our battle is over, we should copy theirs.”

  Mattia grunted. “I sincerely hope when our battle is over that we won’t need an accurate map of Sealio.”

  Pira shrunk from the comment, just a little. “I agree.”

  Ricky laughed. “What did the others report?”

  “There are a few concentrations of soldiers. The unit assigned to Crespi Field will probably be used to defend the castle. You can see this direct route?” Mattia traced a line from the field to a north gate of the castle with his finger. “I suggest you point that out to the Gruntalians. They should go past the field and secure the southern part of the fields first. The king will be expecting hundreds of troops to defend him, but if the Gruntalians do their job, they will never show up. It is a vital operation.”

  Ricky saw dark blue blocks on the map, including the ones that he and Pira had reported. It looked like Mattia had tossed a handful of them on top of the field.

  “What does the map tell you, Princess Pira?”

  “Flyers should avoid the University towers, for one.”

  Mattia nodded.

  “They can take out the reinforcements along the route that you decide.”

  Ricky looked down. “Not as easy as it looks. To arrive at the castle with the maximum amount of troops, we will need to use multiple routes.” He pointed to likely streets. “If I were King Leon, I’d have blocking strategies in place, like barricades, to stop an army from advancing.”

  “Keep that thought.” Mattia called in an officer and had the man gather the others in Mattia’s planning group.

  The group assembled, and Mattia outlined what Pira and Ricky had observed. He told them about the Gruntalian’s assignment, and they all agreed that it made sense for the Gruntalians to take out the fields since they were already on that side of the city.

  Zaria confirmed that the clustered troops in the city might be where barricades could be set up. Ricky would make sure that was the case. Pira’s flying force idea made more sense to keep the city streets clear.

  “What about the members of the Order currently in the city?” Ricky asked. “We weren’t able to extract them. Can we count on them for support?”

  Mattia frowned. “I don’t think any of us, except for Princess Pira, perhaps, know who they might be.”

  “I can find out,” Ricky said. “I can’t help figure out the right routes to take to the castle better than anyone else, so I’ll contact Duke Noacci and then fly over a few of the guard concentrations.”

  “While you are at it, see if there has been any change in the defenses at the bridges,” Mattia said.

  Ricky left. Pira walked out with him.

  “I’m going with you,” she said.

  Ricky shook his head. “Mattia, Nania, and you know Sealio better than I do. You need to stay to give your opinion when they start talking about how to invade the castle.”

  She looked at him and gave him a quick kiss. “Come back to me safe and sound.”

  He nodded and took off into the air. He could link with the Duke while he flew to Sealio.

  Ricky? Bocca said.

  How is your part of the war going?

  It hasn’t started yet. Our fliers have spotted the enemy, and they have stopped marching and are building fortifications and traps for our battle.

  What does Duke Noacci say about that?

  We will go around the battlefield and attack the royal army from the north while the Tossan forces will do the same from the west. We will use their fortifications against them, since they won’t be able to easily flee towards Applia.

  Ricky smiled. The duke didn’t need Mattia to run his battles. We are nearly ready to invade Sealio. From our aerial scouting, most of the troops have headed east. I wondered if we could get additional help from Order members stuck in the city.

  I will check.

  Ricky flew over the first bridge to the city and didn’t see any obstacles being prepared. He headed west to the next big bridge across the Lironi.

  Ricky? The duke will send birds to have the Order members rally the people once your troops have entered the city.

  We don’t want citizens caught between the king’s fo
rces and ours.

  That won’t happen. They will stay away from the armies, but Sealio is a big place, and the more citizens rally to others who have joined our cause, the better, the duke says.

  We won’t have to do anything then, Ricky said.

  You won’t. Good luck.

  Same to you. Ricky cut the link. Mattia wouldn’t be able to utilize the citizens, but he didn’t have to waste time trying to find and assemble them, either.

  He hovered over the second bridge and saw structures of some kind being dragged to the Sealio side of the bridge. The bridge traffic seemed to be going in one direction, towards the city. The word had gone out about an invading army, it seemed.

  Ricky expected a change on his return flight over the closest bridge to the troops. He saw a cluster of seven robed individuals walking out onto a now-empty bridge. He knew what they were going to do. The Sealians didn’t have barricades at the first bridge because the sorcerers were going to destroy it.

  That wouldn’t happen while Ricky was in the air. He swooped down from the sky and spelled his burning circle and moved it towards the sorcerers. The scraps of flammable items on the stone pavement began to flicker and burn. The men began to run, seeking refuge on the other side as the ring approached.

  One sorcerer bumped into another, and both of them tripped on the bridge. The circle still came, and the sorcerers couldn’t evade the fire. As the spell passed them, their clothes burst into flame, and they fell lifeless to the ground.

  Ricky moved closer and set off another spell directed at the entrance. Soldiers and sorcerers scattered as the spell burned wooden railings and the wooden barrier that regulated inflow into the city.

  Another set of sorcerers held hands, their eyes glued to Ricky, who pulled out his scruffy wand and pointed it at the men. He got his rope of fire out before the resonance-killing spell hit his shield. The flame ball began to coalesce at the shield that the men had created. Ricky flew backward. Just as the sorcerer’s spell began to lose its force, the explosion lit up the immediate area. It pushed Ricky back from the bridge end, but as the smoke cleared, the circle’s shield did not survive the blast.

  Ricky headed towards the other bridge with the barriers and cast a small burning ring at the massive wooden blockade being erected from the parts on the cart. The barrier burst into flames. It would be charcoal by the time the Sealian forces got close enough to inspect the damage.

  It was time to head back to the army. They should be setting off to Sealio as soon as possible, Ricky thought. The other battle sorcerers would have to patrol both approaches to the city.

  The meeting was breaking up as Ricky arrived. “Gather everyone again,” Ricky said to Mattia, who was rolling up the map of Sealio. “We need to move now. The Sealians are trying to seal off the two bridges over the River Lironi. I have delayed them for a bit.”

  “What about the Applian battle?”

  “The royal army has stopped and is digging in, creating fortifications and traps. Duke Noacci has elected to approach them from the north, with the Tossans coming up from the west.”

  Mattia winced. “That gives the army only one direction to flee, but then they can move south and turn west towards Sealio.”

  “Another reason to get on the road now,” Ricky said. “Do I need to know what you decided while I was gone?”

  Mattia shook his head. “You are a bit ahead of me. I am planning to use the closest bridge, but my backup was the one farther west. We can get the army in the city quicker if we don’t have to march to the second bridge. I have my commanders prepared to split into three approaches to the castle. You and Pira are to fly around Sealio linking between each column to keep everyone up to date. What about the Order?”

  “Noacci has notified them to stay out of our way, but they will be stirring up the citizens against the king while we fight.”

  “I had hoped we’d be able to use them.” Mattia shook his head. “We fight with what we’ve got. We picked up another two hundred men from Naparra this morning, so our numbers continue to increase and will until we close with the enemy.”

  Ricky nodded and exited the tent to find Pira.

  She looked up at him while sitting and talking to Nania. “Find anything interesting?”

  He told both women about his adventures at the bridges.

  “That means there are fewer sorcerers to deal with,” Pira said.

  “I’m a sorcerer, and you are a sorcerer,” Ricky said.

  “Enemy sorcerers. Does that make you happy?” Pira said, playfully.

  “Happy would not describe my current state of mind. Anxious is better. I think there are a lot of University sorcerers left to defeat.”

  “I agree,” Pira said.

  “Where will you be?” Ricky asked Nania.

  “If I can’t guard the princess, then I will march at Nemo’s side. We will meet up at the castle.”

  “Good. Do we have a strategy for the castle?”

  “A few of them, including using Pira’s tunnel if you can break through whatever they have stopped it up with. Our first priority is seizing the grounds and then the interior.”

  “Or doing them both at the same time,” Pira said. “Going in before the troops arrive would be foolish. Although I have been called foolish by many, I support a quick strike at the head of the snake.”

  “King Leon or the Botoyans?” Nania asked.

  Pira smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes. “Take your pick.”

  Ricky took Pira and found Mirano. “Can I link with you? See if I have sufficient power.”

  “You have more than enough,” Mirano said. “Do you want me to do the same with Pira?”

  “That is what she’s here for, but she didn’t know it.”

  Mirano held her wrist. “You could use a bit more.” He closed his eyes, and Pira blinked.

  “Thank you, Healer Bespa,” she said, giving him a curtsy.

  “A little joviality just before a battle?”

  Pira grimaced. “It is how I deal with my nerves. I’ve had lots of battles during my life, so far.”

  Mirano nodded. “I understand. Good luck, you two.”

  Ricky smiled. “Stay safe, Mirano.”

  The healer laughed. “Who is the one who keeps needing my healing? Go follow your own advice, but I know you’ll ignore it to get the job done.”

  ~~~

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  ~

  A fter linking with Kened to say they could commence operations to invade the city and take over Crespi Field, Pira and Ricky flew over the bridges. Zaria’s battle sorcerers covered both bridges. The smoking hulk of the burned barrier hadn’t been moved out of the way, but right now it represented a barrier to keep the Sealians from damaging the westernmost bridge.

  Ricky motioned to Pira as they approached the area around the castle. They kept away from the University towers. More guards seemed to walk around the castle, but as they approached Crespi Field, guards still trained. Ricky couldn’t detect any increased activity.

  “Let us scout my warehouse tunnel,” Pira said. “We have hours before the army crosses the bridges.”

  They set down in the old warehouse. Ricky couldn’t detect any magical traps. The closet door had been nailed shut. Ricky blasted the door apart, revealing a brick wall.

  “Let us see how thick this is,” he said, just before he sang the spell collapsing the mortar, a spell that Siria Lonsi taught him at the Applia Juvenile Home.

  A pile of sand built up at the wall’s base. Ricky and Pira began to pull bricks out to reveal another wall. Ricky started over again until they had a pile of bricks stacked next to the doorway.

  “At the very least, we can put these in sacks and drop them on guards,” he said.

  “Or on University sorcerers,” Pira said. “Not our sorcerers.” She smiled and looked into the darkness of the tunnel. “Shall we proceed?”

  “Not yet. Let’s rummage around for sacks,” Ricky said as he walked to the pile of j
unk in the far corner of the warehouse. Pira leaned over to move a board, but Ricky pulled her away. “I can see magic here. We can’t disturb the pile.” He shook his head. “They put up a brick wall, but don’t spell it, but they spell the tools most people would use to break down the wall. Sounds like something you might do, my princess.”

  “Or you, my knight.”

  Ricky linked to Mirano to tell him about the trap. They left the warehouse for later and decided to check on the streets leading to the castle from Crespi Field. Gruntal fliers had just arrived at the fields and gathered around Ricky, who pointed down to them and had them assemble at a small square. Ricky counted ten fliers, including Pira and him.

  “Keep the streets clear of guards. It looks like the castle is already increasing their guard activity. When we cross the bridges to the south of the city, I am sure the call will go out.”

  “Stop anyone running towards the Field from the castle, as well,” Pira said.

  “We have our strongest fliers bringing troops to defend this route,” one of the Gruntalian flyers said.

  “I don’t know what your orders are, but put them closer to the castle first, and then post them farther out,” Ricky suggested.

  “The guards are better than most soldiers,” Pira said.

  “But better than Gruntalians?” The fliers guffawed. “Except for Lord Valian, of course.”

  Ricky gave them a bow. “You know what to do.”

  They nodded, and all took to the air. Ricky looked north and saw more fliers heading their way, holding onto troops. He hoped they were strong enough to bring a few hundred men to keep reinforcements out of the castle.

  He glanced at the University towers and thought a bit before he talked to Pira. “How do the sorcerers get to the castle?”

  “There is a tunnel—” Pira said. She looked down at the street leading to the fields.

  “We should do something about that. It would have been nice to know about it sooner.”

  Pira’s lip turned into a pout. “You never thought to ask, and Nemo didn’t either. Nania probably didn’t know.”

  “Have you ever walked through it?”