The four looked at each other, none fully able to believe their good fortune.
“Go on,” Rendal urged. “Work to be done and such.”
Patricia turned first, and the others followed, making their way toward the door.
Another man stood up. “Can I go with them?”
“Certainly. Separate ways sounds like the best idea.” Rendal nodded toward the door with a smile. “Hurry now.”
The man caught up with the other four.
“One more thing.”
The five stopped walking, quickly turning to look at the mage.
“Ah, never mind. You wouldn’t care. Good luck to the five of you.”
Patricia only paused for another moment. She obviously wanted out of this man’s presence.
She reached the door and pulled the handle. The door swung open.
Three men clad in armor and wearing red necklaces stepped through. Their necklaces weren’t lit up, although their faces were focused.
“What’s this?” Patricia shrieked.
It was the last thing she ever said.
The three men cut down those trying to leave.
They lay dead on the floor, and the three armored men stepped back out and closed the door behind them.
“I forgot to tell them,” Rendal said as he looked back at the rest of the table, “that the guards outside were under strict instructions to kill anyone who walked through if Harold or I weren’t with them.”
He smiled.
“You all, of course, are free to go, just as they were. Unfortunately, those men out there are still there and have the same instructions.”
Terry looked at Rendal. “I’m perfectly fine right where I am.”
“That’s the spirit, Terry!” Rendal sounded positively gleeful.
“Me too.”
“Yeah. No need to go anywhere.”
The entire table agreed with Rendal. That was how he’d planned it, of course: agree...or die.
“Now,” Rendal began. “The Prefect and I, of course, have great respect for his advisors, those of you remaining. We want to share our plan with you because make no mistake…we’re going to conquer New Perth and then the entire continent.”
Rendal and Harold stood on the tower’s balcony. It circled the entire top of the structure, offering a truly stunning view.
Rendal looked down at the lights below, the wind rushing across his body.
“How many days have we been here, Harold?” he asked.
“Five, sir.”
“And in five days, we’ve conquered the entire kingdom. We’ve got a military lumbering into action, and a school training mages.” Rendal grew quiet as he stared forward.
“Yes, sir. It truly has been awesome to watch,” Harold answered.
Rendal turned around, leaning on the railing. “There’s more, Harold. I haven’t even begun to use my powers yet.”
Harold said nothing, only looked at his master.
“Artino…,” Rendal mused, looking wistfully up into the air. “The man is a genius. If he had an ounce of ambition besides toiling away in his laboratory, he’d rule the entire world.”
Rendal reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny orb. Green stones exactly like those in the necklaces circled the outside of it in two perpendicular circles.
The orb fit into the palm of his hand.
“This is just a tiny bit of what Artino is creating. Sidnie has a whole host of engineers, and Artino is putting them to work. He tells me they’re smart enough people, and once he showed them his plans, they started replicating it en masse.”
Harold stared at the small globe. “What is it, sir?”
“An explosive. Given Sidnie’s reliance on magic, they’ve spent a lot of resources finding amphoralds beneath the ground. They have entire warehouses full of the things, and Artino is making full use of them. That’s what makes this explosive possible.”
“Excuse me, sir?” Harold asked, unable to take his eyes away from the tiny black orb.
“Think about a bomb, only much smaller.” Rendal looked down at the object too. “There are mechanisms inside it that will inflict fire and pain on anyone near it. He’s creating thousands of these things, some larger.”
“Won’t that destroy New Perth, sir?” Harold asked.
“It depends,” the mage responded. “If I use them directly over the kingdom, yes. They could very well demolish the place. I only plan on doing that in a desperate situation, however.”
“Sir, if I may ask, where do you plan on using them, then?”
“Here, Harold. There are huge swaths of this kingdom that house only the indigent.” Rendal turned around so his back was to Harold. He looked out at the kingdom once again. “These are a deterrent, Harold. I’m going to use them against Riley. Very soon she’s going to see how little I care about the lives of others. They are expendable. They all serve a greater purpose.”
Harold nodded, although remained silent.
“I’m concerned with what happened when you met William,” the mage commented. “I thought you could handle him, Harold.”
The head guard frowned. “I can, sir.”
A light tone of mockery underlaid Rendal’s voice. “Is that what you call what I saw? My side is still healing, and from what I can tell, the Right Hand raced off across into the kingdom. Tell me, am I wrong about any of this?”
“No, sir.”
Rendal nodded. “No, I didn’t fucking think so.” Anger ripped through Rendal’s voice. “You’re an important part of this, Harold, as long as you prove beneficial to the end goal. If you can’t, there are people I can replace you with.”
Rendal turned around and looked at his head guard.
“Tell me, how do you plan on stopping this Right Hand? He has the ability to use magic and you don’t. What are you going to do?”
Harold matched the mage’s gaze. “Use those.”
“Use what?” Rendal asked.
“That little orb in your pocket.”
Rendal’s still face slowly spread into a grin. “That’s good thinking, Harold, but it won’t work. The explosive triggers are inside the device. You have to use magic to operate them.”
Harold nodded but didn’t look away. “If Artino is the genius you say he is, it shouldn’t be much of a problem to put the trigger outside.”
Rendal’s grin turned into an out-and-out smile. “Oh, Harold, perhaps you’re the genius. I’m sure Artino could do that for a brother-in-arms; certainly for one as important as you.” Rendal reached into his pocket and pulled out the black orb once again. Looking at it and still beaming, he said, “You warm my heart with your devious ways. I think the next time William shows up, he’s going to be in for a big surprise.”
Chapter Four
“You’re so slow, Worth.” Riley grinned as she spoke. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d already be in Sidnie.”
“If not for Worth, you be dead. Lucky Worth slow you down,” the tent leader responded.
Riley kept on, ignoring his comment. “I mean, I could basically fly there. Just use my sword and catapult myself into the air. Land, and do it all over again. But no, with you here, I have to ride this damn camel. It’s really cumbersome.”
Worth took the pack off his back. He’d been working on a new contraption to help him drink wine, and Riley was actually impressed with it. He didn’t need to open the pack anymore and dip a chalice into it.
Instead, he had a straw that he’d sealed with wax poking from a hole he’d cut in the top. He simply put his mouth to it and sucked, the paper straw turning purple as wine moved up it.
When he finished, he put the pack on his back and said, “Worth break your sword. Then you ride camel forever. Camel not like you either. Told me last night. Said you smell bad.”
Riley grinned. She glanced at Eric, who was grinning as well. The three of them were riding behind Thomas, his camel in the lead. They’d been riding for two days, sleeping a few hours each night before waking and starting again.
And Worth?
Well, the lovable bastard was stubborn.
“Savior,” Thomas called from up front. “May I have a word?”
“Ha!” Worth laughed. “He funny, huh, Eric?”
Eric said nothing, only grinned at the bald man’s jesting.
“Thomas, please call me Riley. There’s no need for ‘Savior’ or anything else resembling it,” Riley told their guide.
“I apologize, Riley,” Thomas responded. “I cannot promise that it won’t happen again.”
Riley sighed, knowing that Worth was going to pick at her about it. This shit better end before they got to William or Riley would never hear the end of it. “What’s going on, Thomas?”
“I thought you might want to know that there are raiders ahead. I don’t think they’ve spotted us; their attention is on a piece of a caravan that’s been separated from the rest.”
Riley closed her eyes, feeling the camel rocking beneath her as it walked forward. She tried to reach out and see what Thomas did, but wasn’t able to. She saw only darkness.
She was mastering other areas of magic, but the Psychic kind was still beyond her.
Riley opened her eyes. “Are they out of our way?”
“Some, yes.”
She sighed. She needed to get to Sidnie above all else. Her friends needed her. Mason needed her.
But what would Mason say if she skipped out on helping the innocent in order to save him?
“Also,” Thomas interrupted her thoughts. “I think they can use magic.”
“Ha!” Worth shouted again. “Told you. Told all of you. Worth said we leave, we going to die.”
He was grinning widely, his lips purple. He was either kidding, or the sun was making him lose his mind; Riley couldn’t tell which.
“Thomas, is there any way we can send Worth to fight them alone while we wait here? Maybe build a tent to keep us out of the sun?”
Thomas turned around on his camel, his eyes narrowed and his face serious. He nodded slowly. “It’s possible.”
Riley tried to hide her grin. She needed to remember that these people thought she was a god of some sort, and would literally do anything she asked—including sacrificing Worth to raiders while they rested.
“I’m just joking, Thomas. Let’s go see what we can do to help these people. How many raiders are there?” Riley asked.
“Ten to twenty. It’s hard for me to tell.”
“Worth, can you see any more?” Riley said to the tent man.
“Worth see everything, but Worth not tell Riley. She mean.” He winked.
Riley knew that was his way of saying no. Another reason she chose Thomas was that he possessed some of the strongest Psychic magic of the Chosen. If he couldn’t tell, Worth wouldn’t be able to.
“The only thing Worth sees clearly is the bottom of a bottle so he knows when to buy more,” Riley jested before turning her attention to Thomas. “Let’s get there as quickly as we can.”
“Yes, my Savior,” Thomas responded.
Riley shook her head and caught Worth chuckling out of the corner of her eye.
The camels walked onward, with Thomas veering their path to the north some.
The sun beat down as the crew rode in silence. Riley kept trying to focus her mind, to see the raiders up ahead. It was no use; she couldn’t reach that part of her magic.
Riley’s eyes caught the raiders before anyone else. “That’s them.”
“I can’t see them yet, my Savior,” Thomas answered. “Only with my mind.”
“Eric, can you?” Riley asked.
“I think so. I’m not sure.”
“Worth, I’m sure you’re too drunk to see anything farther than five feet in front of your camel,” Riley joked.
“Worth see everything, all time. You wish you have Worth eyes.” The man’s lips were purple, but he wasn’t wobbling on his saddle. Riley thought he might actually be able to outdrink William.
They rode a bit farther. “See them yet?” Riley asked.
Everyone nodded their affirmation.
And how could they miss it? The part of the caravan that had been broken off from the larger group was in flames. Riley saw two wagons, one of them on fire. People were strewn across the ground; Riley couldn’t tell if they were dead.
The raiders were much closer in number to twenty than ten.
“We’ve got to hurry,” Riley whispered, her mind snapping into warrior mode.
They were still a half mile away, but the raiders saw them now. They were walking away from the caravan, forming a line as they peered at the coming strangers.
“Oh, you so fast,” Worth interjected. “You go. Hurry now, Queen of Questions.” He grinned.
Riley looked at him. “Same bet William and I make?”
“What bet?”
“I kill more than you,” Riley answered.
“I’ll kill more than both of you,” Eric snapped with a wild smile. He spurred the camel beneath him, and the creature bolted forward, heading across the expanse and leaving the others in the dust.
“He cheat!” Worth cried as he kicked his own camel.
Everyone raced across the sand, and Riley kept her eyes on the raiders. They understood what was happening now: the raiders were about to be raided.
“To the right!” Riley shouted, sensing the coming wind before anyone else.
Sand was blowing toward them, and Riley saw the perpetrator—a woman standing in the center of the raiders’ line, her eyes bright red.
Worth saw the same, and he raised his hand up in a sweeping gesture from his waist to above his shoulder.
The sandstorm slammed into an invisible barrier, millions of tiny specks scattering across an unseen wall.
Eric was still in front, and Riley knew she wouldn’t beat him there on the camel. She wanted to win this damned bet.
Riley stood up in her saddle, then placed one foot on the camel’s back, carefully steadying herself.
Her eyes lit up as she unsheathed her sword.
She touched it lightly to the leather saddle, and at the same time pushed down with her legs, her focus on reaching the raiders before anyone else.
Riley leapt into the air, soaring through space and passing everyone beneath her.
She looked down at the rapists and murderers, four of their pairs of eyes red now as they stared up at her.
She hit the ground with one knee down and sand billowed out from her landing place, smashing into the raiders running for her. The tiny specks of sand flew with such force that they sliced her enemies’ flesh, creating strips of red across their faces and arms.
Riley looked up, still on one knee.
She was immediately able to tell that some of the tent people were dead, but not all of them.
“Care to fuck with someone who can fight back?” she asked as the sand fell away.
The raiders had stopped running and were now staring with real fear at the person in front of them.
“She’s just a girl!” someone shouted. “And a hot one at that! I’ll take her over the trash back there!”
Riley smiled. She was going to love this, and everyone else was still a quarter mile away.
She stood.
The raiders rushed toward her.
Riley threw her sword forward while she remained in place.
She closed her eyes, not worrying about the possible death coming for her.
Riley focused on the sword, directing it as she willed. She saw it slicing through the raiders, cutting their necks and stomachs, severing spines.
She felt heat; some form of fire rushing toward her.
Water, she thought—the first time such a magic idea had occurred to her.
She brought her arms up, palms fac
ing outward, and spread them to the right and left.
A shield of water manifested from the air. Riley opened her eyes and watched the fireball slam into it. The water sizzled and steam rose into the air, the shield bending as the fireball tried to force its way through.
Riley didn’t budge. She watched as the water extinguished the flames.
She dropped her hands to the side, the shield falling to the ground.
Men and women lay dead in front of her, only a few left.
“Please. Please don’t kill me,” a man in front of her begged.
His eyes were red, though. Riley knew he was begging for time, not his life. He would attack the moment he thought he could get away with it.
“The people behind you,” Riley said. “Did they beg you to let them live?”
The man shook his head quickly, but Riley saw the truth on his face.
He threw his hands forward, hoping to get a fireball out of them in time, but for the raider, there was no more time.
Riley’s sword, floating in the air behind him, plunged into his back.
His red eyes faded and his hands fell to his sides.
He collapsed face-first into the sand.
Riley turned and looked at the three now arriving. Her sword removed itself from the dead raider and floated through the air to Riley’s open hand. She grasped it, feeling complete as she did.
“Glad you could make it.” She grinned as her eyes turned to their usual color.
“Damn it, Riley.” Eric dismounted his camel, looking at the group of dead behind her. “You couldn’t save me a couple?”
“You cheat.” Worth landed with a thud on the sand.
“Well done, my Savior,” Thomas commented, remaining on his camel.
Riley turned around to look at the caravan’s damage.
“Thank you,” a woman whispered. She was hiding behind a camel but peeking her head out at Riley from the other side of the burning wagon.
“I’m sorry we were not faster,” Riley responded. She looked at the dead tent people, tears coming to her eyes. “Truly. I’m sorry.”
People started climbing out of the wagon that wasn’t on fire.
“A lot more of us could have died.” The woman stepped out from behind the camel now, revealing herself fully. “You made sure that didn’t happen.”
Hand of Justice Boxed Set Page 43
