***
A mechanical box began to rattle and chime. Cecht opened his eyes, turned off the box, and rolled out of bed. He dressed, checked on the ring and scroll tube once more, and left.
Outside, Saccius walked with the master down the path to the gate. He waited back until they entered a carriage outside the iron gates before he walked down to the gate and stepped outside. Another carriage pulled up and the driver nodded his hat to the boy and hopped down, opening the door for him. Cecht climbed inside and the driver drove the carriage toward the arena.
Cecht sat still, deep in thought for the entire ride. For the first time since he challenged the Master's claim to servitude over him, doubt began to seep into his thoughts. Cecht was betting his entire life on this night. Failure would seal his fate. He wouldn't be allowed to duel for his freedom again if he didn't beat Saccius, and then he’d have to resort to measures best kept secret in order to escape, risking his entire plan.
Cecht brushed off the doubt soon after it appeared, citing Saccius' inexperience with battle casting and his ring as two reasons he was sure to succeed.
How can I expect to rule the world if I let someone like Saccius unnerve me?
He drew back the drape over the window and peered out; the town was quiet, the streets empty. The only sign of life in the city was the din of noise coming from the arena.
The carriage pulled up along a throng of citizens. The driver hopped down and opened the door for Cecht. He stepped out into the night, and the throng separated before him, creating a path to the wooden dome's grand archway. He strode down the aisle with confidence as citizens either cheered or jeered at him. Up ahead, Saccius and the Master disappeared around a bend inside the arena.
Cecht remained rigid until he reached the archway where a girl his age with sandy blond hair came up to him. She led him around the opposite bend he had seen Saccius round, down a wide, curved hallway made of stone and wood. Torches spread evenly along the wall in sconces kept the path well lit. The girl stopped next to a door at what Cecht figured was the northern side of the circular building; opposite of Saccius. Above, the thrum of the crowd was pressing down as they took their seats.
The girl handed him a vial filled to the rim with a vibrant, purple liquid. She informed him that it was a restorative potion to ensure that both sides were ready for the night and ensure a good show.
Cecht shrugged and popped the stopper from the top, letting it fall to the ground. He gulped the potion in one go and shuddered at the bitter taste. Finished, he handed the empty vial to the girl who then opened the door for him.
Inside was a small room, barely large enough to stand in. The stone walls were pure white and sanded down to a smooth shine. When closed, the door blended in with the wall so well Cecht could not say where it had been.
Reaching into his pockets, Cecht pulled out the unicorn ring and slipped it over the middle finger on his right hand. He looked at it and admired the craftsmanship of the gold and ivory. He directed a small trickle of magic into the ring to test his training. A smile appeared on his face as a square wall of opaque light appeared before his palm.
He fell in on his thoughts and ran over several of his favorite battle tactics and spell combinations. He also went over some of his movements spells. Saccius' strength was in his raw magical power. A direct hit or two from the senior apprentice would surely finish him off. He needed to be on his toes, able to dodge any spell at a moment's notice.
Without warning, a door along the opposite wall appeared and swung open. The roar of a drunken crowd rushed in and startled Cecht. He straightened his back and threw out his chest before striding out into the arena.
"From the northern door we have Cecht Angrove, the apprentice-slave who seeks his freedom!" the announcer said, his voice magically amplified to reach the whole crowd over their roar. The southern door swung open and Saccius strode out, the crowd going wild again. "And from the south we have Saccius Venning, our wizard lord's chosen champion to defend his hold over Cecht. Both wizards to the center!" Cecht and Saccius strode to the middle of the circular arena, their boots kicking up dust. They stopped within a pace of each other and clasped hands. "Return to your sides!" Cecht and Saccius turned around and headed back toward their doors, stopping on a small X marked in the dirt. "Face each other!"
Saccius stared down Cecht across the floor. Cecht returned the stare with an expressionless face.
"Fight!"
Cecht pointed a finger at Saccius and uttered a phrase in a lofty tongue. A multi-colored ball of light zipped from the tip of his finger, trailing a tail of glittering light. It grew until it was the size of a large man's fist before slamming into Saccius and exploding. A bright flash and a dust cloud engulfed the wizard which quickly cleared to reveal the black haired wizard unhurt. His hands were folded in front of him and his head bowed. He chanted a spell in a deep voice that grew more and more gravelly until it became indecipherable from a rock slide.
Two more balls of light zipped forth from Cecht's outstretched finger. Both slammed into Saccius with little effect, his body now harder than stone. Cecht noticed a grin on his face.
"See what I mean, dog?" Saccius asked. "Without proper studying and casting, your spells are insufficient." Cecht ignored the taunt and weaved his hands in a pattern consisting of many circles and triangles. No words flowed from his mouth but a hum buzzed in the air where Cecht's hands started to glow green. The hum hit a crescendo and his hands glowed fiercely. He pointed them at the ground in front of Saccius.
The earth beneath Saccius erupted into bullet-and-arrow-like projectiles.
They failed to harm him. However, the explosion threw a large amount of dust into the air, blinding Saccius. Cecht took the opportunity to chant a spell that made the air around him shimmer and fold, hiding him from sight. Saccius took a deep breath and blew away the debris with a gust of wind.
Invisible to the naked eye, Cecht watched as Saccius took his fingers and pressed them into his eyes, chanting a quick phrase that would give his eyes magical sight. Before Saccius could finish, however, Cecht unleashed yet another spell. Sinewy strands flew from his fingertips toward Saccius, binding him where he stood. He had acted quickly enough to bind the other caster with his fingers still in his eyes, completely blinding him.
"I'll give you credit for the tactics, worm, but you're a fool if you think these weak webs of yours will hold me." Saccius' muscles pulled at the webbing. Several strands snapped.
Cecht had started casting another spell before the words left his opponent's mouth. He finished with a flourish of his hands, his invisibility fading. Jets of water shot from his hands, soaking Saccius and the ground beneath his feet. The stone-skinned wizard sunk up to his knees in mud.
Cheers erupted from the crowd at the display of clever spell combinations that completely immobilized Saccius. At the same time, cries of outrage erupted from patrons with bets on the trapped wizard.
Saccius broke the webbing around his arms and pulled his fingers out from his now purple-glowing eyes to look down at the mud he was sinking into. He snapped his arms in anger and tore free of the remaining webbing. Foregoing grace and power he worked his hands in quick gestures, the high tongue of magic flowing from his lips. Blue lightning crackled around his hands which he thrust into the stream of water pooling at his feet.
Electricity raced along the stream toward Cecht who quickly dropped his water spell and, with a booming word of power, teleported himself back several feet, breaking all contact with the water, successfully dodging the electrical attack. Cecht feigned disorientation from the sudden teleport.
Saccius' stone skin protected him from the lightning and he yanked free his feet. Standing on solid ground, he worked his hands in a wide arc. Magic coursed through his limbs as a spell of titanic strength poured from within him. Magical flames coalesced around his arms, gathering strength before launching forth, taking the shape of dragons and flying toward Cecht.
The air around Cec
ht fried as he let the twin dragons barrel over him. Then he poured magical energies in the unicorn ring to enact its first function. A large, circular wall of opaque light appeared before him, cutting the flaming dragons in half, but not before they had done damage, more than he anticipated. He collapsed to his knees and struggled to keep the wall up between him and Saccius. When had Saccius gotten so strong? Had he also been downplaying his strength? The flames subsided and Cecht dropped the spell.
"A unicorn ring?" Saccius asked. "That must have cost you a hefty sum of gold. I wonder who would donate so much."
"What can I say?" Cecht asked, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm a lovable guy."
Both wizards dove into casting motions, weaving blue sigils in the air and chanting the same verse; the phrases puffing out in a cloud of frost as tiny icicles flew from their fingertips. The icicles slammed into Saccius with little effect, only one embedding itself in his stone skin. Cecht on the other hand, tumbled to the side, avoiding the whole barrage.
Cecht started a circuit around the arena while he worked another spell. He stopped after half a circuit and pulled forth a tooth from his robe. He poured magical energies into the canine then thrust it into the ground. A trail of waist high, razor-sharp teeth burst from the ground, speeding toward Saccius.
Saccius
The Wizard Duel Page 4
