The manta ray circled around and dived out of sight.
“What part of ‘undetected’ was unclear to you?” I looked at the stunned Gibraltar and ran up to the bridge. “How far to Keyes?”
Fan pointed. I could just barely make out the island and the outline of Oblivion in the distance.
Ironheart raced into the bridge. “In case you haven’t noticed we’re missing half the boat and life preservers.”
“I’ve noticed,” I snapped. “Get to the bow. We need to abandon ship.”
“What happened?” I heard the tinge of fear interlaced in his voice at the prospect of leaving the ship.
“Gibraltar.”
“So much for the element of surprise.” Ironheart left the bridge and slid down the ladder. “Looks like it’s time to swim.”
Fan handed me a bag and slung one over his shoulder.
“We go now,” he said and left the bridge. “Swim.”
I looked out of the bridge windows and saw the rocky outline of Keyes ahead of us. Between the sinking tug and the outline of island, blue energy raced across the surface of the river.
“Bloody hell. I hate swimming in ray-infested waters.”
FIVE
I MADE MY way to the bow of the tug. The rest of the team stood poised to jump in the river.
“Stick, what form of attack do these rays have?”
“Central teeth and contact electrical charge,” Stick answered as he adjusted his bag. “Don’t let them get close and don’t touch. Use weapons.”
“Stick, you take point.” I reached behind me and drew one of my swords. I carried them in a double back sheath that formed an X when visible. I hoped the slight amount of energy used to reveal the sheath wouldn’t set off any more defenses. The sword produced a soft wail as I swung it through the air. “I’ll take rear. No one uses magic, understood?”
“I can cast a shield—” Gibraltar started as everyone turned to stare at him. He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Just trying to avoid us getting chewed up on the way there.”
“You’re the reason we’re swimming there.” I barely refrained from scorching him with a fireball where he stood.
“Well, technically it’s the ray’s fault…” Ironheart started when I glared at him.
“No magic, period.”
Everyone nodded, stepped off the tug, and slid silently into the cold, dark river.
I waited until everyone was in the water before I dived in. The first ray closed in and I reflexively began to gesture before remembering I couldn’t use magic.
I stabbed forward in an effort to demonstrate what a bad idea it would be to eat us. It backed off and circled around. Ahead of us, I saw Stick had convinced another ray that we weren’t on the menu for the evening.
I saw a wave of blue energy dance across the surface of the river in the distance. The air took on a coppery smell and I could feel pins and needles in my extremities. More were coming. I sheathed my sword and put all of my effort into swimming. The slight tingling around my body increased as they started to get closer.
Stick and some of the others had reached the island, but Ironheart was still in the water. He didn’t notice the ray coming up behind him and was too far away for me to use my sword effectively.
“Bollocks,” I muttered and gestured as I saw the ray close on his location. It leaped into the air. This time I realized that its graceful ascent signaled a devastating attack. Only this time the target wasn’t a tug, but Ironheart.
“Dive! Get out of there!” I heard Gibraltar yell from the shore. If anything on the island was within earshot, he just gave them our position. This was getting worse by the second.
Panic was etched across Ironheart’s face as he tried to swim furiously away from the dark ray. The paddling and splashing produced very little movement and, in that moment, I realized he didn’t know how to swim. I kept my distance, knowing if I approached he would latch on and drown us both. We both knew that diving only meant he would die underwater.
I followed the majestic track of the ray in the night sky. Blue energy outlined its body as it soared high above us. It reached the zenith of its arc and hung there, suspended in the night for a few seconds, before angling its body downward.
SIX
I FORMED AN orb of super cooled air and hit the ray mid-descent. As soon as the orb hit, a roar filled the night from island.
So much for arriving undetected.
I sent another orb of air at Ironheart and shunted him to the side. It was an imprecise shot considering I was doing this and trying to stay afloat simultaneously. The orb grabbed him and moved him out of the way as the now frozen ray collided with the river and shattered into several pieces.
I grabbed a section of the ray that appeared to be buoyant and swam over to Ironheart. I pulled him by the hair as he cried out in pain. With a section of the ray acting as a life preserver, we arrived on the island shore.
He sprawled and coughed up water as I knelt down next to him and placed a hand on the ground. The energy of the ley-line vibrated under my fingers.
“You had to pull me by the hair?” he sputtered as he got to all fours and coughed up more water. “That hurt like hell.”
“No, I didn’t have to. That was for lying to me about your so-called swimming skills. You swim about as effectively as a stone.”
“I’m…I’m sorry.”
“Get yourself situated. Something on this island sensed us when I hit that ray and I doubt we’ll be alone for long.”
The rest of the group approached.
“What happened to ‘no magic’?” Gibraltar mocked as he drew close. He glanced at the recovering Ironheart and chuckled. “Did you have a good swim?”
Anger washed over me and power flowed reflexively to my hands. Stick stepped close to me and slowly shook his head. I took a deep breath and let the power subside within me.
“It was either cast or lose our healer. I opted for keeping him with us a bit longer.”
“And let the whole bloody island know where we are in the process.”
I turned to Stick. “How many?”
“Ten or more large creatures coming to this location from over there.” He pointed to the east side of the island.
“Stick, you take Ironheart and your brother and head to the north side of the island. Gibraltar and I will give these creatures something to chase.”
Stick nodded and helped Ironheart to his feet. They headed off noiselessly into the night.
“Are they going to be fine on their own?” Gibraltar looked on after them. “That Ironheart is a bit soft if you ask me.”
I looked around where we stood for cover. Several meters away rested a large group of stone breakers. I walked over to them and motioned for Gibraltar to follow.
“As long as they remain hidden they should reach the north side in a few hours. As part of your training in the Citadel did you master simulacra?”
“Of course, it’s part of basic defense.”
“How many can you create at one time?”
His answer would determine the plan I wanted to execute. I remembered that masters of the Stone Citadel could create the illusion of an army. The elders could give those same simulacra a semblance of power and wield magic through them. I somehow doubted that Gibraltar was at that level of skill.
“Depends on what I’m copying,” he said. “If it’s something simple like a stone, thousands. If it’s people or animals, that takes up a lot more energy. Do they need to move?”
“Can you make copies of me?” I faced the water and gestured, freezing the river forty meters out and just as wide.
“Why would I want to do that? One of you is more than I want to look at.”
“Yes or no?”
“Yes, copying you would be simple, it gets hard if I have to make many copies. If the copies have to move it limits how many I can make and control.”
I heard lumbering footsteps in the distance and knew we were running out of time.
“How
many?”
“A few dozen, but I can’t give them energy signatures. I’m not at that level.”
A few dozen was still more than I expected. I nodded, impressed.
“I need you to replicate these breakers and place them on the ice over there”—I pointed to the frozen section of the river—“and place my copies among the breakers and have them move. I’ll add the energy signature.”
“How are you going to do that from over here?”
“I can’t. Do you need line of sight to control the simulacra or will they function without you?”
“It’s better if I can control them, but I can set them to move randomly. They won’t last very long that way, maybe ten minutes.”
“That’s plenty of time. How are you with camouflage?”
“Horrendous. I can barely get a passable one on myself.”
At least he was honest.
“Once I’m over there. You cast a camouflage as best you can and catch up to the others. I’ll be right behind you.”
I saw the head of the first ogre in the distance. I ran over to the ice and motioned to Gibraltar. The stone breakers appeared around me along with several dozen copies of myself moving around the stones. Some of my copies peeked around the large boulders, others stood idly picking their noses. Still another group walked around scratching their rears and smelling their fingers with looks of disgust.
I heard the laughter recede into the night as Gibraltar snuck away to join the rest of the team while I dealt with our reception party.
I saw four large ogres approach the shore. Roaming in the midst of the ogres, I counted ten werewolves. The ogres would be fooled by the simulacra, but the wolves would operate on scent.
It was the reason I needed to be in the middle of the illusion for it to work. I had no intention of facing four ogres and ten werewolves on my own, but I couldn’t have them catching up with us either. I formed an orb of flame and sent it at the group of ogres, hitting one square in the chest, getting their attention. It roared into the night and charged.
I hid behind one of the large breakers and hoped I froze the river thick enough to support its weight as it closed on my location.
SEVEN
I HEARD THE cracking sound as the ogre stepped onto the ice. Gibraltar’s illusion mimicked the sand from the shore, which must have confused the creature as it tried to walk and slipped. The remaining ogres soon followed.
Several of my copies ran off, away from the ogre, while a few stood their ground and glared. Most of them, impressively, had trace amounts of energy. More than I expected from a simulacrum. Gibraltar was more skilled than I imagined. I made a mental note not to underestimate him.
“I’m the mage that’s all the rage!” one of my copies yelled into the night. “Don’t call me a wizard you dirty lizard!”
“Bollocks!” said another while putting his hands on his hips and gyrating. “I’ve got all the best moves, baby!”
Another copy started moving around the breakers in what could only be an imitation of a chicken, arms akimbo and neck shooting forward with every strutting step. I made another mental note to flambé Gibraltar’s nether regions when I saw him again.
My attention was drawn away from my copies by the wolves who padded silently on the ice. They approached in a V-formation with the lead werewolf sniffing the air. I waited until the last wolf was on the ice and then inscribed runes into the ground. I placed my hand flat momentarily and felt for the energy of the line.
“Over here,” I whispered to my nearest copy and released a small orb of energy. The orb floated into the copy and expanded, surrounding the entire simulacrum.
“Over here,” the copy said, drawing the attention of the ogres. “I got the moves, baby!”
It started gyrating and thrusting its hips forward.
I glared at the idiotic movements for a second before sliding out of sight behind a large breaker. My copy shone with violet light as the orb gave off my energy signature. The ogres would focus on the signature and draw the wolves in with them. I needed them at the far edge of the ice if this was going to work.
I crept to the rear of the ice floe I had created and slid into the water. I was running out of time. I created an orb of air around my head, stayed under the surface, and headed back to the island.
I waited a moment before surfacing once I was clear. I popped my head above the surface, narrowed my vision, and scanned the floe. All of the creatures were on the ice. I noticed one of the simulacra fade into the night. I gestured as I stepped onto the island. The runes inscribed in the ice exploded with white light as ice sheets formed around the edge of the floe, covering the entire section with a cocoon of ice.
The ogres immediately started smashing the ice walls and discovered the futility of doing so. Their muffled roars soared into the night as their fists crashed repeatedly into the cocoon surrounding them. The werewolves snarled and raked the ice. Nothing they did changed the outcome. The walls reassembled instantly.
The river fed the spell, reconstructing the ice walls faster than the ogres could destroy it. The spell would last thirty minutes. By the time they were free, they would be too far away to do any damage. I gestured again and detached the floe, allowing the current to take it out to sea.
I ran after the others and headed to the north side. I kept to the shadows in case more welcoming parties were patrolling. The shadow of the large squat rectangle that was Oblivion sat in the night.
The rest of the team had to be in position by now. If they had encountered any difficulty, the entire island would be on alert. I could only assume they had managed to avoid contact with other patrols.
Something was off, though. I couldn’t shake the uneasiness that hung over this entire operation. I was no stranger to suicide missions. Most of the actions the Golden Circle had sent me on were considered low-survivability encounters. I understood that, thrived on, and expected it. This time it was different. This wasn’t a low survivability operation. This was a no-survivability situation.
I’d have to prove them wrong.
EIGHT
THE SHEER NORTH face of Oblivion loomed before me. At the base of the wall, I could make out the symbols. They were an older version of the runes used to create spells. I didn’t want to rush. A mistake could mean the difference between climbing the wall and exploding into tiny mage fragments.
I made sure to take my time.
“What does it say?” Ironheart asked, the impatience evident in his voice. “Can you make it out?”
I glanced over at him. He looked better after his near-drowning. They had all kept back from the wall, not wanting to trip any alarms or traps.
I nodded as I gestured. “It says…be quiet so I can concentrate and not blow us to bloody hell.”
In actuality, the runes inscribed into the wall described a method of activating what they called the celestial stairway. There were signs on the wall on how to alter the surface. Due to the age of the symbols, I needed to be certain before I attempted the ascent. Some runes had two or more meanings.
The fortress of Oblivion had no doors or windows. Without knowing the proper sequence, you would be forced to wander the perimeter of the structure until one of the patrols found and eliminated you.
If you were fortunate enough to avoid the patrols, the edifice itself contained several nasty deterrents to entry. The north face was, according to Zava, the easiest of the four. I had my doubts as I read the symbols.
“Can you do it?” Stick asked in his quiet voice.
“Yes, but there is a failsafe. The staircase only stays active for a short time.”
“How long?” Gibraltar asked, stepping close and squinting at the symbols. “You can read this?”
I ignored the obvious question and let my hand rest against the wall, feeling for the energy of the line.
“I don’t know how long. Whoever inscribed the runes used an old descriptive for time. It’s either twenty-four minutes or twenty-four hours.”
“It’s a possibility. The best translation is: ‘Once activated, don’t delay, from ground to entrance you have a day.’”
“Twenty-four hours, then?”
I shook my head. “There’s more. The second part says: ‘Treat each second as a minute and an hour as a lifetime. Hasten your steps as you ascend or you will discover death is your friend.’”
“What does that mean?” Ironheart asked.
“It means we treat it as if we only have twenty-four minutes to reach the top.” Gibraltar looked up the side of the structure.
“What is this place?” Ironheart followed Gibraltar’s gaze up the structure. “I mean I know it has to do with ley-lines, but what does it do?”
“This is a ley-line venting station, one of several. Over time, the energy from this tower seeps into the ground and makes the island toxic. Prolonged exposure to this environment will kill any magic-user.”
“That wasn’t in the briefing.” Ironheart looked around, nervous. “How prolonged?”
I get the feeling there were several things left out of the briefing.
I placed my hand on the north wall again. The thrum of energy vibrated the wall with micro tremors. Ley-lines were immense reservoirs of runic power. This was the equivalent of standing next to a controlled nuclear blast.
“At this level of concentration and proximity, a day or maybe two before we feel the effects of runic poisoning.”
“A day or two?” His voice rose an octave. “Are we being poisoned right now?”
I looked at Ironheart. “I thought I was being clear. If you’d like to ask more questions we could stand here discussing it until another patrol finds us or we collapse?”
He raised his hands in surrender and stepped back.
“No, no, please, carry on,” he said, looking up at the top of the structure. “I hate heights.”
“What configuration will this celestial stairway take?” Stick asked after a glance upward. “Can you create some kind of handhold?”
“Once I activate the stairway, a few things will occur. The stairs should protrude from the wall. The defenses will activate, and any remaining patrols will home in on our position.”
A Montague & Strong Short Story Collection (Montague & Strong Case Files) Page 9