God of Magic

by Logan Jacobs

  “Gabriel--” Aerin warned.

  “--I think you’d better come back with us. At least as far as one of the towns on the main road.”

  “Hey, no, we’re bounty hunters,” Lavinia protested, “not bodyguards.”

  “After all we did to save her, you’d leave her out here alone?” I asked. “We’re better than that, aren’t we?”

  “I agree with Gabriel,” Maruk said. “At least then we don’t have to rescue her again.”

  “Okay,” Aerin chuckled. “Just how many free rescues are we offering here? It’s not like we got paid for this.”

  “That’s my point,” Maruk said, “we won’t have to rescue her again if she comes with us.”

  Aerin considered that for a moment, then sighed. “Fine, I vote marchi-whatever stays. After all, it’s always good to have someone owe you a favor. Especially if they are rich.”

  “Excuse me,” Yvaine scoffed. “Vote? Whether or not I stay with you is my decision, not yours.”

  “I’m on your side!” Aerin reminded her, but then she whispered under her breath, “or at least your money’s side.”

  “I don’t think--” Lavinia started, but she was cut off by an enormous splash at our backs.

  At once, we all turned to the river, cast gold in the late afternoon light. A stream of bubbles burst along the surface, and beneath them, a dark shape passed through the water. While we had been too preoccupied figuring out what to do with the beautiful noblewoman, sunset had come, and so had the Dovar-cu.

  Chapter 11

  “Yvaine, get back,” I warned, and for the first time in our short acquaintance, she had no argument as she fled to the relative safety of the tents.

  “Here we go,” Lavinia said as she nocked an arrow and took a few steps back along the bank.

  Maruk hefted his shields, and I heard Aerin mutter a quick prayer as first the Dovar-cu’s wide head and then its body broke the surface of the water.

  Then the monster climbed up onto the bank.

  The Dovar-cu was like some terrible cross between an otter and a catfish, only it had to be close to twelve feet in length from the tip of its blunt nose to the end of its finned tail. Its nose was wide and hairless and fringed by clumps of thick whiskers, and the long, graying hair beneath its jaw streamed water as it raised its chin to scent the air.

  Its eyes were blood-red, perfectly round, and bulged out on either side of its nose. They didn’t fix on us, and there was something about the way they stared so blankly that made me wonder if the creature was blind. Perhaps that was why these dwarves had been sacrificing victims to it if it couldn’t hunt on its own. Still, blind or not, I had no doubt about the kind of threat the Dovar-cu posed to us when I caught sight of the rows of sharp teeth that were crowded inside its mouth. A scrap of cloth caught between its teeth suggested that it had already begun to feed on the dwarves whose bodies we’d left in the river.

  It didn’t seem to have much trouble breathing the air, but I could see the slits of gills on its long neck, though they were almost hidden by the wet drape of its flesh. Long, thick brown fur grew all along its back down to the base of its fishy tail, but its heavy belly was hairless and instead shimmered with scales. Similar scales covered the Dovar-cu’s four wide, webbed paws, each of which was tipped with claws as long as my hand. All over, its body was covered in thick scars, and in a few places, the remnants of some previous opponents’ weapons were tangled in the creature’s fur or else caught in the thick skin of its hide.

  It was really, really, fucking ugly.

  For a moment, the only sound except for the patter of water onto the mud as it streamed from the Dovar-cu’s flanks was the monstrous creature’s own rasping breaths, but then Aerin cursed in a hushed whisper, and I caught the sound of Lavinia fitting an arrow to her bowstring.

  The Dovar-cu’s tiny ears twitched, and it turned toward the sounds, and its nostrils flared, though its eyes appeared as unfocused as ever. The mud squelched softly beneath the monster’s feet as it took one step forward, then another, and its ears flicked about to catch the slightest of sounds. Maruk hefted his shield and moved forward to meet it, and the Dovar-cu’s head swung around as it tracked the orc’s movements.

  Lavinia’s bowstring twanged, the shot aimed for one of the Dovar-cu’s bulbous eyes no doubt, but the Dovar-cu whipped its neck around right in time that Lavinia’s arrow instead sailed harmlessly over its head and stuck into the grass on the opposite bank. Only a magical creature could have acted so quickly, and I could see how this monster had instilled such fear and reverence in the dwarves. Still, if the Dovar-cu’s magical nature was behind its incredible speed, that meant I could affect it with my own magic.

  As Lavinia nocked another arrow, I raised my hand toward the beast and listened for the sound of its mana. It wasn’t as obvious as that of a mage when they would cast, but it was there. For the Dovar-cu, it was a deep and rushing sound, an underwater current, old and powerful.

  I met the creature’s staring red eyes and willed it to be still, but for the first time, I felt something like a barrier. It was as though I could feel the Dovar-cu’s will straining against my own, the clash of our mana as I fought to control it. There had been no resistance like this with the wraith, and though Allowen had obviously realized what I was, that was only after I’d used my magic to stop him. The Dovar-cu was fighting me now, even as I tried to manipulate it.

  Had it faced manipulators like me before? That would make it hundreds of years old, but I didn’t know if that would be an unusual lifespan for a creature like this.

  My hand was tense as I held it out and stared into those blank eyes. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lavinia take aim and the faint gleam of her mana as she focused on her shot.

  Be still, I ordered in my mind, and for a moment, the Dovar-cu froze. Its lashing tail stilled, it even seemed to stop breathing for that moment, with its terrible face turned toward mine.

  I heard the twang of Lavinia’s bowstring, saw the arrow embed itself in the Dovar-cu’s throat, and then all hell broke loose.

  Whatever control I had over the monster evaporated as it let out a terrible rattling wail and reared up to claw at the air.

  Maruk stumbled back out of reach of its claws as the Dovar-cu writhed and slammed its head forward onto the ground. There was a snap as the shaft of the arrow broke, and then the Dovar-cu hissed as it prepared to retaliate against its attackers.

  Despite what appeared to have been a solid hit in the creature’s throat, Lavinia’s shot wasn’t enough to fell the Dovar-cu, and if anything, seemed only to have succeeded in making it angry.

  The monster lashed out with one enormous paw and Maruk barely moved his shield in time to deflect the blow, but as he did, the spark of his mana glowed brighter. I saw the muscles in the orc’s shoulders tense, and then he bashed the larger of his shields into the Dovar-cu’s blunt snout, and the monster staggered back from the force of the blow as waves of residual magical energy rippled out between the two of them.

  The Dovar-cu yowled and turned in a circle, but it was back on the offensive in moments, and Maruk wasn’t fast enough to block its second swipe, and I heard him cry out as the Dovar-cu’s claws tore through his armor and into his shoulder.

  As Aerin rushed to Maruk’s aid, Lavinia shot again, this time, a volley of three arrows that struck the Dovar-cu in the face. It screeched and twisted in a dance of rage and agony as it swatted at the arrow shafts that stuck out of its nose, but once again, it seemed more aggravated than truly injured, and apprehension twisted in my gut at the idea that Lavinia might run out of arrows before we could take down the beast.

  I raised my hand toward it again, but in its current state of frenzy, it was even harder to control than it had been before. Maybe I couldn’t control it, but it must have sensed me trying because at that moment, the Dovar-cu whirled around to face me and flecks of water from its dripping beard rained down over my head. For a heartbeat, all I saw were the creature�
��s rows and rows of dagger-sharp teeth and the red of its tongue. Its breath was hot and sticky and had the odor of rotting fish, and as I fumbled for my knife, I wondered miserably if that was going to be the last thing I’d ever smell.

  Then the Dovar-cu’s jaws snapped shut mere inches from my arm, and I caught a flash of black fur as the puca landed on its head and grabbed a fistful of the monster’s whiskers. The Dovar-cu roared and began to reel back, but I finally succeeded in yanking my dagger free from its sheath. As the monster’s head whipped back, I saw my opening and drove the dagger forward into its pale throat.

  It was as if I’d struck solid rock. The shock of the hit ran all the way up my shoulder, and I stared blankly for a moment at the splinters of metal as my blade shattered up to the hilt. As for the Dovar-cu, my attack had left barely a scratch amongst the many scars on its tough skin.

  The monster snapped its jaws and tossed its head around violently in an attempt to throw off the puca, which, to its credit, had somehow managed to keep its hold on the Dovar-cu’s whiskers and chattered angrily as it was jostled about.

  Aerin and Maruk were crouched on the bank as the elf used her magical prayers to heal the orc’s wounds, and Lavinia moved into position for another shot. My heart hammered as I followed the arc of her arrow to where it embedded itself in the Dovar-cu’s hide, but like the arrows before it, like my dagger and the countless other weapons the Dovar-cu’s previous victims had tried to use against the beast, this arrow was nothing more than an annoyance.

  It was clear to me now that the Dovar-cu’s hide was somehow impervious to damage from most weapons, but what was less clear was what we should do with that knowledge. Lavinia had about six arrows left, and unless she managed to hit the Dovar-cu in a vulnerable spot, we would soon be without a means to attack. Even if I could try again to use my magic to hold the creature still, I didn’t like our odds of trying to fight it up close.

  My hand was slick with sweat around the hilt of my dagger, and I stared at the place where the blade had broken off. Our regular weapons weren’t enough. Perhaps that was because the Dovar-cu was only susceptible to magical attacks or enchanted weapons. As soon as I’d thought it, I was sure that had to be the case, but the realization brought me little comfort. We didn’t have any enchanted weapons, and I couldn’t kill the Dovar-cu with an illusion.

  Lavinia loosed another arrow that struck the Dovar-cu in the flesh of its cheek, and as the beast whirled around, the puca finally lost its grip, flew through the air, and landed with a splash in the river.

  I threw a glance back over my shoulder at the camp. The dwarves had had only their axes and clubs and a few knives, nothing that had seemed to possess any magical properties. There was the totem that the dwarf leader had carried, but Aerin had taken it... I turned back to where she and Maruk were on the bank and had opened my mouth to call out to her when the Dovar-cu swung its open jaws back toward me with a ferocious hiss.

  I didn’t have time to form a plan. I simply reacted on pure animal instinct as the monster’s broad muzzle opened up before me again, my thoughts a jumbled mess. Part of me meant to shove the hilt of my dagger down its throat in the vain hope that I might be able to choke it, and part of me was still thinking about the totem and wishing we’d had some sort of magical weapon.

  That was when it happened.

  As the Dovar-cu made to close its enormous mouth over my arm, the rush of my magic flowed through me, and a blade of bright blue light shot up from the hilt of the dagger that was still clutched in my hand like a Jedi light saber. The light pierced through the roof of the Dovar-cu’s gaping mouth, and it let out a blood-chilling screech. The beast swayed slightly, but there was no resistance against the blade in my hand. The light cut through the Dovar-cu’s flesh as easily as air, and after a beat, the beast slumped down into the mud, dead.

  The blue light faded as quickly as it had appeared until once again only the broken dagger’s hilt remained in my hand, and it was only then that I noticed the deep grooves the Dovar-cu’s teeth had torn into my arm and the streams of dark blood that flowed freely from the wounds. Then, as the rush of adrenaline and mana faded, normal feelings began to return. First was the pain in my arm, bright and terrible, but it was nearly eclipsed by the sudden draining sensation in my gut a heartbeat later. Spots clouded my vision, and I stumbled back a step before Lavinia caught my shoulder and guided me over to where Aerin and Maruk were.

  I could hear them speaking, but a ringing had started up in my ears, and I couldn’t make out all the words. I felt dizzy, and for a moment I thought I might faint, but then I felt Aerin’s hand on my arm and heard the gentle sound of her magic as the warmth of her healing power spread up my arm and through my entire body. Gradually, my vision cleared and the ringing in my ears abated, and when Aerin stepped back, I realized that she, Maruk, and Lavinia were all staring at me with a mix of wonder and fear.

  “You didn’t say you could summon magical weapons,” Aerin said, her voice hushed.

  “I didn’t know I could,” I answered. Already Aerin’s magic was making me feel better, but my voice still sounded far away.

  The elf frowned. “Here, let’s have you sit back against this tree. You’re still looking pale.”

  She led me over to a spindly birch, and I slid down to sit in the grass as I leaned against it. Aerin poured some water over my arm to wash off the blood, and I saw that the bite wounds had closed completely, and all that was left were a few shiny scars.

  “That’s incredible,” I said quietly, “how you do that.”

  It was hard to tell in the fading light, but I thought Aerin’s cheeks turned pink as she put the canteen in my hand. “Drink some water,” she said quickly.

  I did, and my head felt a little clearer. I wondered somewhat vaguely if the Dovar-cu had a venomous bite, or if what I was feeling now was the result of using my magic in a new way. Aerin had said on that second day that using magic would have a physical toll on me until I’d grown accustomed to it.

  “How’s Maruk?” I asked. He and Lavinia hadn’t followed us to the tree.

  “He’s fine,” Aerin assured me. She glanced up. “He’s over with Lavinia, they’re getting the blood for Magdalena.”

  I took another drink and then handed the canteen back to Aerin before I made to stand. The elf put a hand on my arm to help me, but I waved her away. “I’m fine now,” I said. “Thank you.”

  She tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and bobbed her head in a nod. “Of course, my hero.”

  “Dunno if you can quite call me that,” I chuckled.

  “Uhhh, we were all about to die, and then you saved us,” Aerin said, and her fingers moved to trace the side of my neck. Her touch sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine, and I turned to stare into her green eyes. She was looking at my lips, and a smile slowly stretched across her face when she noticed me notice her gaze.

  “That feels good,” I whispered.

  “This?” she said as she began to rub my neck.

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “That.” My eyes moved down the front of her neck and then settled on her robe. The material there was tight across her chest, and the cut showed the perfect roundness of her breasts and the smooth cream of her skin tone.

  “You have hungry eyes, Gabriel,” Aerin whispered.

  “So do you, Aerin,” I whispered back.

  “What are we going to do about it?” she asked, and her cheeks reddened more as she leaned down toward my mouth.

  “Oh! There is some!” Maruk’s voice cut through the air a second after Aerin’s full lips touched mine. We both started and then turned toward where the big shield carrying warrior stood over the Dovar-cu’s limp body.

  “By the cut Gabriel made.” The archer drew a knife of her own and stuck it in the beast’s mouth, then gathered the blood that flowed from the wound in a vial, and I realized that I hadn’t noticed it bleed from the cut my magical blade had made. Before I could wonder much about that, however, Lavinia stood
, and she and Maruk made their way back over to where Aerin and I waited.

  “So it’s okay,” the redhead elf asked as she cleared her throat and rubbed the sides of her robe nervously.

  “Got the blood,” Lavinia reported. Then, to my surprise, she heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of her neck. “And not to start sounding like Aerin, but I think we should charge extra. That was way more work than a stupid map is worth.”

  Aerin grinned. “I’ll see if I can renegotiate for our troubles when we get back.”

  “Yeah, you’d better,” Lavinia replied, then she turned to me and raised her eyebrows. “So… magical dagger, that’s new.”

  “It certainly came in handy,” Maruk put in.

  “Can you do it again?” the archer asked with genuine interest. “It was amazing.”

  I still had the dagger hilt in my hand, and I held it up as I attempted to summon the magical blade again. I could feel the mana coursing down my arm, though not as powerfully as before, and I stared at the empty hilt and envisioned the blade of blue light that would spring from it.

  A spark shot up from the hilt, and then the glowing dagger formed again, a little smaller and more transparent than it had been the first time. I wasn’t sure what kind of demonstration the others were expecting, but I turned the blade in my hand and drew it across the trunk of the tree behind me, where it cut a dark slash into the wood that smoked slightly.

  Maruk gave a low whistle, and Lavinia grinned, but then all of a sudden my stomach lurched so violently that I nearly gagged. A renewed wave of nausea rocked me, and the light of the dagger flickered out abruptly.

  Aerin placed a cool hand against my cheek. “You’ve been using your power a lot recently, it’s draining your mana. You have to let it regenerate,” she warned.

  I nodded as my head cleared again.

  “You can try again later,” Lavinia said. “I want to see what other sort of shit that thing can cut through.”