The other teams of lancers rode past the head party. A corporal with his arm in a sling who was in charge of one of the other teams laughed and said something to Tracer as he rode past. Amir noticed his team leader’s face turn red.
“Rick!” said Tracer more forcibly. “Move it, soldier.”
The human mumbled several words of gibberish and pointed at the right side of the valley.
Amir looked in the direction the man was pointing. His outstretched arm appeared to be pointing at a spear-length wide crack in the cliff face located behind one of the hundred pace tall monoliths.
“What is he jabbering about?” asked Grapeon, who’d reined up when Tracer did.
Amir had no idea, but as he looked at the human, he sensed something reach out from the man in the direction of the crack. It’s the same something I sensed when he cooked our food last night, he thought. It’s not magic. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear it was pure Power. That’s not possible. No one can use Power directly. It has to be turned into magic first.
Glancing past Tracer, Amir saw the high priestess staring at the human. She must sense it also. That’s a relief. It’s so faint I was beginning to think I was imagining it.
A howling sound drew Amir’s attention to the mouth of the valley. In spite of the fact that there was very little wind, he noticed the tops of some of the thin mountain trees swaying.
Master Freestrod and two monks came riding hard out of the stand of trees. They reined in near Mia, Derander, and Meshanahl. The two monks turned to face down the canyon while the mage moved his horse next to the high priestess.
“They are almost here,” said Master Freestrod. “We need to join the others before we are trapped out in the open.”
The high priestess glanced down the canyon. Orcs were just starting to run out of the trees. First a score appeared, then a hundred,+ then five hundred. A company of goblins joined them as the orcs formed a double line spreading from one side of the canyon to the other. As Amir watched, a group of twenty orcs and goblins wearing elaborate headdresses walked out of the tree line led by the dark elf he’d seen earlier. The dark elf’s distinctive white hair blew in the slight breeze as the orc and goblin mages formed a triangle behind him. The sound of chanting began echoing off the valley walls.
“Mia,” said Lord Derander. “Freestrod and I will hold them here. Join the others and set up a defense at the wall.”
The high priestess narrowed her eyes and pointed the end of her staff at Lord Derander. “If you were in charge, perhaps that is what I would do. As it is, I am the high priestess, and I am ordering Master Freestrod and you to join the lancers at the wall. Set up a defensive shield. Use your entire reserves if you have to do so, but make it the strongest one you can create. The dark elf is dangerous.”
“Mia, I think—” started the elf lord.
“I said that was an order, Lord Derander.”
The unusual sharpness in the high priestess’s voice made Amir wince.
Lord Derander’s cheeks took on a reddish tinge. Before the mage could reply, Master Freestrod grabbed the reins of the elf lord’s horse and gave it a tug.
“Come,” said Master Freestrod. “We have our orders. I am going to need your help. The size of that dark elf’s Power reserve is twice the size of mine, and he has a score of shamans feeding him energy on top of that.”
Without waiting for a reply, the old elf mage kicked his mount in the ribs and took off up the trail, toward the wall. Lord Derander held back a couple of seconds, but in the end, he gave a nod and followed his fellow mage.
Mia turned to Tracer and the three monks. “All of you go with them. I will cover you. Once you are safe, I will join you at the wall.”
Amir shook his head. “We won’t leave you here alone, Mia.”
Before the high priestess could argue, the human slid off of his horse and stood facing the right side of the valley. Turning his back on the charging orcs, he began yelling gibberish and jabbing his right index finger at the cliff.
Mia was just raising her staff in preparation for casting a spell but lowered it and stared at the human. The silver flecks in her dark eyes began to churn. “Amir, he has a line of Power stretching out to the cliff. Do you sense it?”
“Yes,” Amir replied. “It’s faint, but I spotted it earlier. It leads to a crack behind the monolith that’s leaning against one of its brethren.”
The high priestess glanced back down the valley at the dark elf and his triangle of shamans.
Amir didn’t know what spell the dark elf was preparing, but he’d studied enough magic to know that from the intensity of the magic forming between the dark elf’s hands, the spell was nearly complete.
“Go with the human,” Mia said. “I will hold off the dark elf and his shamans as long as I can.” Without another word, she raised her staff and began chanting a counter-spell.
Amir eyed the distance to the part of the cliff where the crack in the stone was located. He knew it was too far to run before the orcs reached them. He eyed the human. The man pointed at the stone again. Amir sensed the faintest line of Power reach out from the human and pull at his consciousness. Understanding came to Amir. He drew Power from his reserve and chanted a one word scan spell that Mia had taught him the previous day. He let his mind follow the human’s Power, unsure where it would take him.
As his spell took him deep into the cliff, Amir heard the twang of bowstrings. He sensed a large ball of energy leave Mia. He ignored it. He was one with his scan.
Chapter 26 – The Trap
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“See,” said Nickelo in Richard’s shared space. “I told you that you could make them understand if you tried hard enough.”
“You said I might be able to make them understand, so don’t sound so cocky,” Richard said. “Besides, I wanted the priestess to come with us, not this galoot.”
“The priestess is busy keeping us alive, Wizard Scout. Based upon the Power reserve you picked up from the dark elf with your passive scan, I calculate he is no slouch when it comes to magic. I should probably point out that the dark elf seems familiar for some reason, but I cannot find information on him in my databanks.”
“Forget the dark elf,” Richard said as he continued pulling at Amir’s line of magic with what little Power he had. “I just hope Amir knows enough magic to take advantage of what we’ve found.”
“You mean what I found,” said Nickelo. “I was the one who used the sensor on your ring to spot the weakness in the stone. You merely confirmed it with your line of Power.”
Richard mentally snorted. “You call what I’m using Power? It’s not enough to do anything useful. I doubt I could make it blow my nose without having to take a deep breath first.”
“You know, Rick, on occasion you’re somewhat of a pessimist. It makes me want to reach out and slap you to your senses. That is, I would slap you if I had hands. I calculate you think you have to do everything yourself. You’re wrong. In this case, you do not need to be the one to take advantage of the weakness to make your Power be useful. You just need to show Amir the weak spot. I told you before that he has a sizeable Power reserve. I calculate he is not a skilled mage or priest like the elves, but there is a seventy-two percent probability he has enough knowledge to make our plan work.”
Richard wasn’t as confident but said nothing and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. While using one part of his mind to guide the big man toward the crack in the cliff wall, he kept the rest of his senses on the battle around him. He saw the priestess release her spell before the dark elf got his off. The dark elf was forced to convert his spell’s energy into a defensive shield. The shield turned aside Mia’s spell enough to protect the dark elf and his shamans. A score of orcs at the outer edges of the defensive shield didn’t fare so well. Dismembered arms and legs went flying through the air as Mia’s spell exploded with a violence that shook the entire canyon. As the noise of the explosion died away, it was replaced by the scre
ams of orc and goblin wounded.
Tracer and the rest of her team added to the bedlam by sending volley after volley of arrows at the now charging orcs and goblins. They dropped like out-of-shape hounds at the end of a long hunt before the foursome’s arrows. More orcs took the place of the fallen.
Meshanahl and his two brothers dismounted their horses and ran forward to meet the orcs’ charge. Weaponless though the monks were, the speed and ferocity of their attack blunted the enemy’s charge. The orcs and goblins began milling about in a vain attempt to hit the darting elves.
Richard doubted the orcs’ confusion would last long. His passive scan detected the life forces of the enemy’s main body approaching on the other side of the tree line. At best guess, he figured within twenty seconds, another three to four thousand orcs and goblins would be adding their arrows, spears, and blades to the battle. A vision of the priestess’s small force being overrun flashed though his mind.
“You have twenty-six seconds to get the job done,” said Nickelo. “Forget about the physical battle. Concentrate on the cliff. Let the others worry about the orcs and goblins.”
Doing his best to ignore what was happening around him, Richard pulled Amir’s scan into the crack behind the leaning statue. Tenuous though his connection to Amir was, Richard was still able to sense the big man’s mind through his scan. On a whim, he tried sending an emotion he hoped meant “hurry” to Amir. The big man’s scan seemed to speed up. Hoping against hope, Richard pulled the man’s scan deeper into the crack. He succeeded in taking Amir to the weakness he’d found.
“The weakness I found,” said Nickelo. “Geesh. How hard is it to give me a little credit when credit is due?”
“Grow up, Nick. What’s it matter? We’re all going to be dead in fifteen seconds if we can’t make Amir understand what needs to be done.”
“Actually, you’ll be dead,” said Nickelo, accompanying the thought with a chuckle. “I’m embedded in your ring, and it’s invisible on your finger. I calculate the orcs will not even know I am here. There is a ninety-one percent probability that I will continue to be as snug as a bug in a rug.”
“Is that so? Well then, think about this, old buddy. How would you like it if one of those orcs bites my ring finger off and swallows it for his afternoon snack? I’m sure you’ll have a great time passing through its digestive track. You’ll get a close up view of the orc’s past meals that will probably stick in your memory banks for a very long time. After that you’ll end up encased in orc poop. Think about that for a little while and see how much you wanna laugh.”
Nickelo’s nanosecond mind didn’t have to think about it long. “Why are you wasting time talking?” he said with all hint of humor gone from his voice. “Get the lead out, soldier, and show Amir what needs to be done.”
Despite the situation, Richard felt his lips curl in a slight smile. It wasn’t often he got one up on his battle computer, or at least he didn’t think it was. He couldn’t remember for sure. Bits and piece of his memory were starting to come back, but not near enough to make a difference at the present.
Forgetting about his battle computer for a second, he pulled Amir’s scan in a tight circle around the weakest area of the cliff. The weakness went deep. It had obviously been there a very long time. What started the initial damage to the cliff, he didn’t know or care. All that mattered was that over time, rain, freezing cold, and thousands upon thousands of years of natural erosion had done its job. He suspected the increasing number and intensity of earth tremors over the last couple of weeks had only added to the severity of the weakness. From what his scan could tell him, the side of the cliff nearest the crack was hanging onto the side of the mountain by a mere thread.
“It is a lot more than a thread holding the cliff up,” said Nickelo. “You certainly can’t do anything about it with the little Power you have, but I calculate a couple of exploding balls of magic put in the right place by Amir would do the job. The success of your task depends on whether the man knows an exploding spell or not.”
“I guess we’ll see soon enough,” Richard said as he waited for the big man to do something.
Amir did nothing for five seconds.
Richard was tempted to go back to the priestess and try to get her to follow him with a scan. A series of balls of magic from the dark elf exploding against her defensive shield convinced him not to bother the priestess. It’s Amir or nothing, he decided. The die is cast.
Suddenly, something reached out from the big man and joined the area of the scan. The new something wasn’t a spell. Richard wasn’t sure exactly what it was. He’d never sensed anything like it. Another something seemed to reach out from the stone and touch the something from Amir.
“If I didn’t know better,” Richard told his battle computer, “I’d swear Amir and the stone are communicating with each other.”
“Doubtful, Wizard Scout. Rocks cannot think.” Nickelo gave a laugh. “Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘Dumb as a rock?’”
“Actually, I don’t think I have,” Richard replied as he watched the exchange between the stone and the big man with increasing interest. After a moment, he began sensing a pattern in the interchange between Amir and the stone.
The something from Amir changed, seeming to ask a question. Richard wasn’t sure how he knew it was a question, but he did. The stone seemed to contemplate the request for a moment before replying in the affirmative.
They’re talking with emotions, Richard decided. Can solid stone have emotions?
Whether stone could or not, he didn’t know. What he did know was that the part of stone holding the cliff face to the rest of the mountain began to crack. The new fracture was barely perceptible, but it was there, and it began stretching out along the entire length of the valley.
Richard pulled his mind out of the cliff and back to his body. Mia had gotten off her horse at some point and stood ten meters away with arms outstretched. The gem at the top of the blackened staff she held in her right hand glowed an intense blue. The light formed a wall of magic a pace to her front. The three monks were in hand-to-hand combat with two score orcs and goblins that had already made it past the barrier. The dark elf stood within reach of the glowing wall of blue, only two paces from Mia. Richard sensed the score of shamans behind the dark elf feeding lines of magic into their leader. When the magic grew to a point ready to burst, the dark elf placed an ebony hand on the wall of blue energy. Mia groaned and fell to her knees, but she continued chanting. The wall of blue intensified.
The dark elf began shouting words Richard heard but quickly forgot. The wall of blue started to dim.
Without thinking about what he was doing or possible consequences, Richard ran forward and knelt beside the priestess. Sticking his sword into the rocky soil, he reached out with both hands and grabbed Mia’s staff just above the point where her hand gripped the staff. Magic raced through his body as the staff attempted to defend itself from the unwanted touching. Richard had a feeling the magic would’ve killed anyone else, but he sensed Power from his self-heal reserve wrapping around him, healing the damage nearly as fast as it was created.
Something like recognition from the staff’s gem flashed in Richard’s mind. The magic tearing at his body suddenly pulled back. The frequency of the magic seemed familiar.
I’ve touched this magic before.
Following the magic back to the gem, Richard sensed a previously hidden link from him. The link formed a bond to the staff, or rather to someone or something that had a bond with the staff. Which, he neither knew nor cared. Throwing caution to the wind, he found the link from the staff to Mia. He sensed the priestess converting the gem’s Power into magic for her defensive spell. He noticed loops in the spell that were unnecessary—loops that drained magic from the spell, making it less efficient. Using his link to whatever was bonded with the staff, he urged the magic to avoid the unnecessary loops. The blue wall of magic intensified.
Rising to her feet, Mia placed her f
ree hand over the top of Richard’s where he gripped the staff with his left hand. As soon as her bare skin touched his ring finger, the gem in his ring responded. As if sensing his need for Power, red energy poured out of the gem, through him, and into the body of the priestess, adding to the energy of her staff and reserve. The wall of magic blazed bright as waves of blue and red energy shimmered all across the wall’s boundaries.
The dark elf had been chanting with his eyes closed. When the ring’s energy mixed with that of Mia’s, the dark elf opened his eyes. Only two paces from Mia, he stared into the priestess’s eyes for a second before turning to look at Richard. Their eyes met.
“You!” shouted the dark elf.
Richard was close enough to see flames of hatred form in the dark elf’s eyes.
The dark elf took a step forward until he was right at the edge of Mia’s defensive shield. If not for the barrier of the priestess’s magic, the three of them could have touched.
“I understood what he said,” Richard told his battle computer. “He must speak my language.”
“Well, I would advise not getting too chummy with him. I calculate he’s draining his reserve in preparation for an all or nothing attack on you.”
Sure enough, Richard sensed waves of Power rushing down the dark elf’s link, to his Power reserve. There was a lot of Power—a whole lot of Power—and more Power was coming from the orc and goblin shamans.
With no Power of his own, Richard attacked with the only thing he had at his disposal; Mia’s staff. He stood and locked his hands over the top of Mia’s, then thrust the end of the staff forward, directly at the dark elf’s chest.
The flames of hatred in the dark elf’s eyes were replaced by fear. His eyes grew wide. The dark elf shouted a word Richard heard but quickly forgot. The Power coming from the dark elf’s reserve succeeded in forming a shield just as the staff’s blue gem made contact with his chest armor.
Boom!
Mia and Richard were thrown back by a wave of blue and red energy. Wrapping his arms around the priestess, he twisted until his body was behind her. They hit the ground hard. The sickening sound of breaking bones was obliterated by the sound of his scream. He rolled and tossed Mia to the side in an attempt to dissipate the force of the landing. He tried to rise, but his legs refused to respond to his commands.
Wizard Gigantic (Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles Book 9) Page 25
