Metal Mage 9

by Eric Vall

  “Letter from Dorinick,” I told her as I folded it again. “He’s alerted the Elders of Aurum about the fortress, and they’re awaiting my instructions. Apparently, they tried to promote Dorinick again just for telling them about it, and he pinned the whole thing on me before he insulted their entire reign and told them he was thinking of opening a dwarven brothel in Aurum.”

  Shoshanne chuckled as she shook her head.

  “What did you want to talk about?” I asked as I reached for another slip of paper.

  “It’s probably nothing,” Shoshanne said as her brows furrowed a bit. “It’s just … Raynor has been talking about Hulsan while we worked on the brandings.”

  “Has he?” I asked, and I skimmed Jenik’s update on the Oculus.

  “Yes, he wasn’t aware until today Hulsan was in Falmount,” Shoshanne told me. “Apparently, he passed him in the lane on his way here with the broth earlier, and he was going to dismiss it until I mentioned Hulsan had been traveling with you.”

  “What’s the problem, then?” I asked, and I flipped through a couple more updates from my squire regarding the weapons training, the blacksmiths in the Oculus, and Barnik running out of ale.

  “Well, Raynor made it sound like Hulsan might not be someone you should get too close with,” Shoshanne admitted, and I couldn’t help snorting.

  “These old guys … ” I muttered. “Hulsan said the same thing about Raynor, and I honestly don’t know if I should bother taking either of them seriously.”

  “But Raynor wouldn’t say something if he didn’t have a good reason to be concerned,” Shoshanne pressed. “He’s a modest man who keeps to himself. Hulsan might be outspoken, but why would Raynor--”

  “I don’t know why either of them have an issue with each other,” I sighed as I reached for the last slip of parchment. “All I know is the drama of two old guys in Illaria probably doesn’t concern me. Did Raynor give you any solid reason why I should distrust Hulsan?”

  “He did,” the healer said with a nod. “Raynor said Hulsan was being considered for the position of head of the Oculus at the same time as Abrus. He said the two weren’t bitter about the fact they were competitors, and that they supported each other in the endeavor.”

  I glanced up. “Raynor said Hulsan was friends with Abrus?”

  “No, but they were colleagues at the Order, and both were instructors when the position opened up,” Shoshanne explained. “When Abrus was selected, Hulsan left the Oculus the next day, and he’s been retired ever since.”

  “Huh,” I said as I furrowed my brow. “Maybe he was a little bitter after all.”

  “But why would he support Abrus before that, then?” Shoshanne asked.

  I was about to respond when I unfolded the parchment in my hand, and my limbs went completely numb as I read the only two words on Pindor’s note.

  Come Now!

  My heart pounded in my ears as I realized I had no way of knowing when this message arrived for me.

  It could have been today, or it could have been days before, but the writing was sloppy and scrawling like Pindor had written it frantically.

  “Shit,” I gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” Shoshanne asked, but I was already running to the atrium.

  “Get the pistols in the Mustang,” I called over my shoulder as I pulled a pile of spare magazines from the cabinet and dumped them on the worktable. “I’ll meet you there in two minutes, and bring your healing staff!”

  I was sprinting down the lane before Shoshanne could respond, and I shoved through crowds of young mages all out and enjoying their evenings. The torches on the oak trees illuminated the marketplace in a soft amber glow while everyone drank and chatted without concern, and several eyes turned my way as I bolted through the clearing on my way to the training fields.

  I could hear nervous muttering begin to make its way from one mage to another, but I didn’t slow down for a second, and when I barreled into the training fields, Aurora and Deya were already looking at me with their brows furrowed in confusion.

  “We need to get to the Oculus,” I told them. “Now.”

  Cayla, Deya, and Aurora immediately abandoned their training as we ran back into the market, and this time, the crowd swiftly parted to let us through as everyone’s eyes began to flare anxiously.

  Then Kurna came running out of Flynt’s Pub to follow.

  “What’s going on?” the Ignis Defender demanded.

  “I don’t know yet,” I said over my shoulder. “Pindor’s in trouble, and I’ve got a feeling the Oculus is about to be raided.”

  “What?” Aurora gasped.

  “Get in the car,” I ordered as we made it to the Mustang, and Shoshanne was already waiting in the backseat with her healing staff clutched to her chest.

  Kurna dropped into the passenger seat as Aurora jumped behind the wheel, but I shoved the half-elf over as the others piled in the back.

  “I’m driving this time,” I muttered as Bobbie roared to life, and Shoshanne passed out the pistols and magazines to my women while I planted my foot on the accelerator.

  Bobbie barreled through the foothills at mach speed while everyone clutched the grab bars for support, and we tore our way to the road by the quickest route possible. Hedges of nettles and entire boulders went flying in our wake, and I could feel the channeling gem guiding me as I dodged oak trees and hurtled down rocky slopes.

  Then Bobbie burst out of the woods and onto the blackened road, and several horses threw their riders from their backs as I swerved and missed them by a few feet.

  I just urged Bobbie’s gem to give me everything she had, though, and we sped into the night as road dust billowed up behind us.

  “What is going on?” Aurora hollered above the noise of the wind.

  “Pindor sent a note, and I only just got it,” I called back. “I don’t know how long ago he sent it, but something’s wrong at the Oculus.”

  “How do you know the note wasn’t about the Baroness?” Cayla asked.

  “I don’t,” I admitted, “but I’ve got a bad feeling about this one.”

  “What Baroness?” Kurna hollered as he clutched the grab bar with both hands.

  “Baroness Batanova,” I replied. “She’s been fishing around for information about me. Pindor was trying to figure out why.”

  “Black hair and skin?” Kurna asked loudly, and I looked over as I nodded.

  “She came to Falmount a couple days ago,” he told me as he held my gaze. “I heard her asking Raynor about you in the pub.”

  I glanced back at Shoshanne, and the healer looked as confused as I was.

  “What’d he say?” I asked Kurna.

  “Nothing,” Kurna assured me. “Said he kept to his own business. Told her he was just the barkeep. She left not long after that.”

  I nodded as the gates of Serin came into view, and I turned to call back to Cayla.

  “We don’t have time for pleasantries!”

  “I’ll handle it,” Cayla hollered, and she cocked her shotgun as she leaned out the window.

  The guards at the gate looked ready to shit themselves when they realized we weren’t slowing down, and as they dove aside, Cayla fired two shots to blast the gates open for me.

  The people in the streets screamed and lunged out of the way as we wove through the tradesmen’s quarters, and Cayla delivered the same treatment to the next set of gates, too.

  By now, everyone in Serin could hear the engine roaring its way through the streets, though, and our path was clear as I floored it past the lines of terrified citizens standing aside.

  The gates of the castle were already open when we arrived, and the gaping guards flattened themselves against the ironwork as we tore past.

  Then Bobbie came to screeching stop in the castle courtyard, and we all lunged from the car while the nobility fanned themselves and gasped in shock.

  We didn’t waste any time before sprinting for the enchanted entrance of the Oculus, and the echoes of our pou
nding feet filled the blackened tunnel as we made our way to the stone doors.

  That’s when I realized there wasn’t a deadly red glow waiting at the end of the tunnel, and as we neared the torchlight, my heart shot into my throat as I turned full circle.

  There was no sign of Big Red anywhere.

  Then I sparked my Terra magic and parted the stone doors, and a torrent of screams and shattering stonework filled the tunnel.

  We came out into the Oculus to see whole buildings being torn to the ground while flames like giant serpents lashed out across the streets, and mages were running in every direction.

  And there, in the middle of it all, was Big Red as he battled three mages with Defender Urn at his side.

  Chapter 19

  “It’s Defender Flynt!” several mages screamed, and they nearly trampled us as they fled for the entrance. “They’re down there! They’re taking the Oculus!”

  I squinted into the fray as flames billowed up all across the magical city. The manmade river was funneling up to crash down into the streets, and the water sent mages sliding as they struggled to catch their breaths.

  Defenders were covered in soot and blood as they battled with sweat pouring down their faces, and Urn caught sight of me just as a flaming serpent missed him by inches.

  I could see panic etched into his face as he attempted to contain a pair of Ignis Mages, but then the front of the building at his back broke loose, and I sparked my Terra Magic as I lunged off the entrance ledge and into the streets.

  I caught the wall just before it could crush Defender Urn, and I came crashing into him as the two Ignis Mages were taken out by a fierce Flumen Defender who managed to sneak up behind them and fill their lungs.

  Big Red was cornering an Aer Mage who had three young mages suffocating at her feet, and as his arrow buried itself into the mage’s head, Urn locked his powerful grip on my shoulder.

  “It’s too late!” he hollered above the chaos. “We can’t fend them off, and half my Defenders are nearly at their limit.”

  “Don’t waste your powers on the mages!” I told him as I pulled my 1911 from my belt, and my women finally made it over to us as Kurna pelted past us. “They’ll drain you before you ever get a decent strike in. I need everyone focused on protecting the Oculus. Have them focus on countering the destruction and get those buildings in place so the streets are cleared for the mages who can’t defend themselves. They’ve gotta get out of here.”

  “But the possessed mages!” Defender Urn growled as he eyed a pair of Flumen Mages wielding a geyser at a group attempting to flee.

  “We’ll take care of the mages,” I assured him in a low voice, and as the man bolted into the fray and started belting orders left and right, I turned to my women.

  “Take out the Flumen and Aer Mages first,” I ordered. “Get to higher ground in case the whole place floods and stake out where they can’t see you from below. Pick them off as fast as you can and move on to the Terra Mages next. I’m gonna stay down here and take on the Ignis Mages.”

  “No!” Aurora said at once, “Mason, what if--”

  I’d already released the safety on my 1911 and turned away, though.

  “Get to your positions!” I growled more firmly, and the women scattered as a fresh bout of water came crashing down on us.

  I managed to keep my footing as I found a torrent of water swirling up to my knees, and I took aim at the two Flumen Mages darting for cover ahead of me.

  Two copper bullets impaled their backs in quick succession, and as searing white flames burst from their centers, they let out shrieks of agony and convulsed before they dropped to the ground. The enchanted flames ate away at them from the inside out until they were nothing but cinders on the ground, and I sighed as three passing mages stumbled and gaped in horror.

  Then I took out three more possessed mages as I dragged myself up and out of the flooded street, and I stood on the destroyed remains of a building to take stock of the mayhem around me.

  Defender Urn already managed to get the majority of the Defenders focused on countering the destruction to the ancient city, and as walls broke loose from the cavern’s heights, they were being caught and restored before they could crush the people in the streets.

  The possessed mages were too fast, though, and everywhere I looked, they wielded their elements to cripple, trap, redirect, or even kill the residents of the Oculus. Flames engulfed whole alleyways and drove mages into the open while the stone streets tore open to block their paths, and the few who managed to make a break for the entrance were doused in a rush of water that sent them sliding back to their pursuers.

  I couldn’t believe so many of the Master’s mages had made it into the magical city undetected, and by all accounts, it was impossible. As I took aim at every attacker I could catch, I scanned the entire city with my Terra powers to look for any inlet or tunnel that could have allowed for this kind of breach, but there was no other entryway. The stone gates were the only entrance, and I knew Big Red couldn’t have let so many through. His crossbow was stocked, and his metal wasn’t even dented, so how the hell did over a hundred possessed mages manage to break in?

  More importantly, how many had they branded since the attack began?

  I could tell the possessed mages were lashing out at their victims any way they could, but there was something calculated about the way they kept anyone from fleeing, and they weren’t doing this just to kill us all.

  Then my heightened vision caught a glint of glowing iron, and I fired three more bullets at a group of Aer Mages to send them convulsing into a fiery oblivion. Their victims gasped and clamored to their feet to help each other flee, and I sparked my metal magic to bring the discarded branding irons spiraling toward me.

  I could still see several fresh brandings flashing by, though, and newly possessed mages hurled cobblestones and flames around at their own comrades now that they’d suddenly joined the Master’s ranks. So, I sent my metal magic out across the city, and I could sense over twenty branding irons that were all red hot.

  With a surge of strength, I tore every one of them from the mages’ hands, and I sent them flying into the heights of the city where no one would find them in time to put them to use.

  Then I sent my Terra powers to the exact same places where I’d found the irons, and as I sensed the unbelievable speed of the mages running after their captives, I tore the ground open to swallow them up in jagged pits.

  While I worked, I sent orders to Big Red’s channeling gem where he was battling a group of Flumen Mages, and once he finished them off, he began tranquilizing any freshly branded mages who passed.

  Then copper bullets began to fly in from overhead, and the jets of water drowning the fleeing mages came crashing down hard as Flumen Mages burst into flames.

  I whipped around to be sure I couldn’t get a visual on my women, but as mages began igniting all over the place, there was no clear sign of where the attacks were coming from. The dull copper of the bullets made them impossible to track against the stone walls of the Oculus, and wherever my women were, they’d put themselves in perfect positions.

  The possessed mages had no time to react or reorganize as their numbers began depleting more quickly, and that’s when I realized the younger mages had stopped fleeing. They started pulling their revolvers out instead, and their shots resounded above the chaos as they turned on the possessed mages pursuing them.

  I raised my brows as several of them made their marks, and I recognized their sturdy stances and lethal aim from Cayla’s instructions. I saw a young Aer Mage who couldn’t have been older than fifteen plant a bullet right between the eyes of a possessed Ignis Mage baring down on her, and when she rolled out of the way of the body, she landed on her knees to send another bullet into a passing Terra Mage’s heart.

  All over the place, the tides were suddenly turning, and I had a wolfish grin on my face as the sound of my weapons started to outweigh the screams.

  Then I empti
ed the last of my magazine into a group of Terra Mages who were working together to tear the streets open, and I ejected the magazine as I jumped from the rubble and headed deeper into the magical city. I swiftly reloaded my pistol in time to send two copper bullets into the skulls of a Terra and Aer Mage, and as they burst into flames, I caught sight of Big Red up the street a ways.

  The automaton was firing more arrows into a fleet of oncoming Terra Mages while he tranquilized four new mages with the other arm, and by the time he finished, I was at his side. The glow of his red eyes made my adrenaline spike as he turned his helmet my way, and without a word, I channeled my intentions into his gem.

  Then Big Red turned his blood red eyes toward the fiery serpents still lashing out in the distance, and the flames were beginning to encircle the whole cavern as they billowed up toward the ceiling. With an ominous nod, the automaton turned to head down a side alley on his way to take down the Ignis Mages for me, but the drumming of hooves registered in my ears before I could follow.

  I whipped around to see dozens of horses galloping into the city with the Falmount mages on their backs, and they fired their revolvers as they flooded the Oculus. Then they broke away to fan out down every street, and more and more of them just kept coming in.

  “Holy shit,” I laughed as I realized how huge my army really was, and their thundering hoof falls shook the ground as the possessed mages bolted in the other direction.

  The flames were still growing higher, though, and I could tell most of them were being thrown up from the direction of the Great Library. So, I swiftly waved down one of my mages, and as their horse slowed, I vaulted myself up behind the rider and dug my heels into the horse’s flank.

  “Get us to that library!” I hollered, and the woman on the horse nodded as she fired a bullet into the chest of a fleeing Aer Mage.

  Then we leapt over the waterway to avoid a jet of flames funneling through the street, and we wove through the blacksmith’s quarters to come out at the base of the massive steps leading to the library.

  The horse panicked and reared at the sight of the flames shooting up all over the place, and I jumped from the saddle before I slapped the horse’s flank so he’d run rather than throw his rider.