More howls announced the deaths of the bloodsuckers in closest proximity, and more screams followed as the orbs continued outward. “That spell is perfect for these things,” Laina enthused.
You can thank Linus Ethelgren for it, Will informed her. It’s one of his.
Never mind, she replied, changing her tone. Now that the orbs were out at a distance, she had her earth elemental lower the protective dome. The street appeared empty except for noxious dust swirling in the breeze.
They hurried around the corner, and at the other end of the next block, they saw what had sent some of the vampires running in fear. A tense battle was still in progress as the younger, frenzied vampires swarmed over and around a small contingent of the Driven. From what they could tell, there had been ordinary soldiers with them, but those were already face-down in the dirt. Linus Ethelgren stood in the center of the melee, untouched, his glowing white coat shedding radiance in all directions.
The coat was a potent protective spell, and while it didn’t harm the vampire beyond a short distance, it was strong enough that any that slipped past and tried to engage him quickly burst into flames.
Aside from watching, the ancient wizard did little besides cackle as men and vampires fought and died. Elementals raged, sending gouts of flame to consume some of the undead, but the creatures were unbelievably fast. The unwary were caught, but many others dodged the jets of fire. As some of the vampires slipped in among them, one of the Driven panicked, releasing a wind-wall.
The deadly winds destroyed the nearest vampires, as well as some of his fellow sorcerers. The human defenders faltered, and the vampires farther out could sense their weakness. Uttering a series of high-pitched clicks, the undead called for more of their own to join the incipient feast, and more came scrambling out into the street.
Through it all, Linus Ethelgren stood laughing, his cheeks flushed with excitement. He was having the time of his life. As the undead tide rose, threatening to overwhelm them at last, the ancient wizard lifted a hand up to the sky. Argent sparks shimmered in the air around him, becoming silver blades that danced in the air. They cut through everything and everyone near him, sorcerers and vampires alike, but those blades that struck flesh remained in their targets. Lines of silver turyn flashed back from them to their creator.
Ethelgren’s spell was just beginning.
The power coursed into him and flowed into the second layer of his spell construct. Grinning like a madman, the wizard lifted his hands and brought them together in a thunderous clap with his fingers pointing outward. An actinic beam of devastating power lashed out, cutting through vampires and buildings with equal ease.
Slowly, gleefully, Ethelgren began to turn in place while his silver beam continued to chew through everything it’s path. He seemed intent on making a complete circle.
Will couldn’t see how far out the beam went, how much it could cut through before petering out, but it was much too far for their own safety.
Laina barked a single word. “Darla!” The Arkeshi responded instantly, moving to stand closely beside her mistress. Meanwhile, Laina’s earth elemental began building another dome, thicker, denser, stronger than before. At the same time, Will dismissed the chameleon effect and started constructing a force-dome spell. Given the direction of Ethelgren’s turn, his beam would reach them in just seconds, and he doubted the earthen wall would stop it, for the silver power was already eating through stone and wood buildings with equal ease.
The wall of force appeared just as coruscating, argent power tore into Laina’s defense, which predictably turned out to be very little defense at all. In theory, force effects were utterly impervious to physical effects. Mass, momentum, inertia, these things meant nothing to force spells. They were immovable or irresistible, depending on their design.
But magical energy was a different matter. Will’s spell would require a commensurate amount of power to match the spell that was about to slam into it. Laina, I need your help. He had already extended his outer absorptive shell and started drawing in power as quickly as possible, but it was unlikely to be enough.
The earth elemental was already busy, and Ethelgren’s spell had completely disrupted its body. Laina directed the turyn of her fire elemental into Will’s spell, shoring it up just as the silver beam struck.
The world went white as the beam washed over them. The earthen dome was gone in an instant, and Will felt the force-dome shudder, signaling its imminent collapse. The power he and Laina were channeling into the protective spell was nothing compared to the power Ethelgren had sent against it, and Will suddenly understood why.
Not only was the mad wizard’s spell fueled by the turyn of those who had been impaled by his silver blades during the first phase, but the beam itself was a ripsaw of turyn currents. Power wasn’t merely flowing outward; it was flowing back in a high-frequency current of devastation. With each high-speed pulse outward, the beam destroyed whatever was in its path, and with each complementary return, it stripped away the turyn of the living and the dead in that same path, fueling its continuation.
While it looked like an ordinary—if flashy and extraordinarily effective spell—in essence it had the same terrible power as a strategic ritual performed by a multitude of casters at the same time. It was clever and devious, and the fact that Ethelgren had originally designed it only highlighted the mad wizard’s absolute genius.
They were outclassed on every level, and Will knew it down to his bones. Their defensive force-dome trembled as the fear rose within him.
Laina felt his fear, and though she didn’t understand the magic they were dealing with, she knew something deeper. Damn it, Will. You said you’d make me feel foolish. Show me what you meant!
He remembered his previous fear, and the goddamn cat’s insult. This was the same. His mind cleared, and then he remembered one of his earliest lessons with Arrogan:
“What can you do the next time someone decides to whack you with a stick?” the old man had asked.
“Make my own stick,” he had replied.
“That’s one solution, and it’s often the best one, but not always. Sometimes the other person has a much better weapon than you do.” Arrogan tossed his branch at Will’s face, and when he flinched, the old man stepped close and twisted the larger stick from his hand. “If your will is strong enough, and you have the skill, you can sometimes take the other person’s stick away from them.”
All this passed through his mind in an instant, from Laina’s encouragement to his moment of insight. Shifting his focus, Will deliberately allowed the force wall to begin crumbling, but his will latched onto the silver power that seeped through, taking hold of the turyn and bending its purpose.
He couldn’t have managed it without the momentary delay the force-dome provided, but it was just barely enough. A second later he felt searing pain tear through his/Laina’s body, not from the destruction of their flesh, but from the strain of controlling so much so suddenly. The silver beam came to a halt, arrested between Linus Ethelgren and Will, a blazing curtain flashing between their hands.
They had reached a stalemate.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” yelled Linus angrily. “You’re ruining it!”
“You’ll destroy the entire city at this rate!” shouted Laina, since Will’s concentration was entirely on his effort.
“That’s the point, you daft slut! It’s a purge! The city is already lost.”
“You’re insane!”
“No, I’m a goddamn hero, you trollop, and sometimes heroes must make noble sacrifices!”
Laina gaped at him. “Idiot! It’s only a noble sacrifice when you’re the one sacrificing. What you’re doing is simple slaughter.”
Ethelgren started to reply, but Laina hadn’t been idle while she conversed. She had been constructing a force-lance, her very first. It flashed at Ethelgren’s chest but was instantly deflected by a point-defense shield.
You’re a quick study, Will congratulated h
er internally.
Thanks.
“You asked for it, bitch!” screamed Ethelgren, and he returned fire with a high-speed barrage of force-lances. Will similarly deflected them, grateful once again that he could reflex cast the point-defense spell.
That went on for several seconds as they exchanged attacks, but it was clear that it wasn’t gaining them anything. Ethelgren was red-faced as he shouted again, “This spell wasn’t meant for dueling between wizards! As soon as one of us slips they’ll be annihilated. Do you think you’re good enough to outlast me? How long have you been a wizard? A few years? You’re nothing but a child!”
I’m going to restart the force-lance and defense battle, Will explained. Send your fire elemental out and around from a long distance. Make sure he can’t see it.
Laina understood his plan immediately and improved on it. Her earth elemental was still weak, but nonetheless she had it submerge itself beneath their feet and move forward while the fire elemental circled around.
Meanwhile, Will began sending a barrage of force-lances at Ethelgren. He kept his assault up, giving the ancient wizard no time to think as he defended himself. Laina’s fire elemental quickly moved into position, and then it sprang into action.
Surging toward Ethelgren’s back, it launched a series of firebolts. There was no way for the wizard to defend himself, given that he couldn’t see the threat, but Will felt his hopes fall as their enemy began to laugh.
The shining white coat the man wore flashed as it absorbed the fiery attacks harmlessly. “You fools! I was doing this while you were still just—erp!” Ethelgren yelped as Laina’s earth elemental seized his ankle and jerked him down into the ground.
The movement pulled Ethelgren out of line, and he lost contact with the silver river of power, which now fell under Will’s control and began ravaging outward from his hands in the direction facing where the other wizard had been. He could feel the power surging through him as it slew and harvested still more power, along with the inexorable need to turn, to continue unleashing it before it destroyed him as well.
Lifting his hands, he sent the power upward into the sky, where it slowly diminished as it crossed miles and miles of open air. The turyn gradually weakened, and eventually he was able to draw in what was left, pulling the spell to a final close. Tired and fatigued, Will sagged, leaving their shared body to Laina’s full control.
Exhausted, Laina Nerrow stood victorious, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. From the outside she cut a magnificent figure. Her hair had long since come loose, and while bits of it were stuck to her face, the rest flowed out behind her. Her dress was tattered and torn, but rather than detract from her appearance, it merely confirmed the heroic struggle she had endured. Darla knelt beside her, head lifted to gaze adoringly up at the woman she loved.
Inwardly, Laina and Will cheered each other, basking in the glow of their mutual success. Most of the vampires had fled the general vicinity of the battle by then, and some people were slowly emerging from their homes, where they had watched while in hiding. A few even cheered.
Laina reached out and lifted Darla back to her feet, and the two of them walked toward where Ethelgren had stood. Will idly wondered what he would do next. His body had been buried alive, so soon he would have to make his goodbyes.
The ground exploded in front of them, and Laina felt a powerful disruption in her link with the earth elemental. Elementals were impossible to destroy, but hers had been finely dispersed in such a destructive way that it would be hours before it could reform. Linus Ethelgren emerged from the crater, levitating on a magical disk that lifted him out and deposited him gracefully beyond the rim of ruined paving.
“You fucking asshole,” he spat. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?”
Good news, Laina reported wryly. Your body is still doing just fine.
They were tired and worn. Laina’s earth elemental was out of the picture, and with a gesture, Ethelgren caught the fire elemental in an odd cage made of flames. He was walking toward them with an evil gleam in his eye.
He’s going to kill us, Laina, Will informed her.
He’s male, she replied, and he’s already shown his weakness. He thinks with his dick. I can handle this.
What does that mean? asked Will, feeling uncertain.
Just watch and try to figure something out. I don’t know how long I can distract him.
The mad wizard stomped toward them, and as he got close his hand lifted, palm facing them. Darla started to move sideways, to circle around, but his hand moved, then changed orientation. He pushed down, and the assassin was flattened against the cobblestones. Laina didn’t move, but her breathing increased as her chest heaved.
Are you starved for air? asked Will.
Shut up and figure something out! she yelled at him internally. Her eyes widened as she watched Ethelgren approach, and then her knees began to fail. Slowly, she sank to the ground, her skirt mounding up around her gracefully. Her chin dipped, but her eyes looked upward at her oppressor, giving the impression of complete defeat. At some point, her dress had slipped off one shoulder, causing a scandalous shift in her décolletage.
When did that happen? Will wondered. Did she do that on purpose somehow?
Focus! she chided him.
Linus Ethelgren sneered down at her, then reached out and seized her hair painfully, jerking her head back. “I should kill you for this,” he threatened, but his eyes kept slipping away, distracted by other regions of Laina’s anatomy.
Will felt a sharp pain as the bastard grabbed their hair, but he was shocked when his sister lightly bit her lower lip, then followed by quickly licking her lips. Her eyes never left Ethelgren’s and they smoldered.
I’m going to be sick, thought Will.
Think! This isn’t easy for me either!
“That’s an interesting look on you, girl, but I’m too old to be fooled,” Ethelgren informed her. “This is your brother’s body after all.”
“But you aren’t my brother,” she replied, her voice shifting to a slightly different register. “And no man has ever forced me to submit before.”
“Then you have never faced true power, amateur,” replied Ethelgren, but there was a look of nervousness on his face.
Will understood the man then. Despite Linus Ethelgren’s bluff and bluster, the man was deeply insecure, and being faced with Laina’s sudden reversal, he was unbalanced. He knew it was likely a ruse, but he was torn between his desire to believe, his sense of worthlessness, and the natural taboo that most men felt when it came to violence against women.
It didn’t hurt that Laina was especially comely, and her eyes were burning with desire.
The wizard hesitated, then spoke. “I cannot kill a woman such as you, for I have rarely faced such a determined—and lovely—foe.” He released her hair. “But I cannot trust you either.”
“You will release me?” Laina responded, sounding almost disappointed. Then she hopefully added, “Or would you rather punish me?”
“Enough, temptress! I have more work to do. I know your feminine cunning.” He started to walk away. “Cross me again and I will show you no mercy.”
Will realized then that they might live, but something else occurred to him. The Ring of Vile and Unspeakable Knowledge was still on his hand, or rather, on Ethelgren’s hand. If the wizard ever activated the limnthal, he would soon discover the ring’s secret.
And Arrogan had no idea that it was no longer Will at the helm. His knowledge might well fall into Ethelgren’s grasp as well. At the very least Will needed to find a way to warn him. “Wait!” he said suddenly, taking control of their voice.
Ethelgren paused, “What?”
“You have his limnthal.”
“He had a limnthal?” asked Ethelgren, his tone changing to one of interest. “He was further along in his training than I realized.”
“There are a number of important family heirlooms stored within it,” said Wi
ll. “I beg you to return them.”
You’re terrible at this, observed Laina. You sound like you’re bartering for turnips at the market.
Well excuse me for not knowing how to sound alluring! Will bit back.
“Whatever is in there is mine now,” said Linus Ethelgren, with a tone of finality.
“Some items were purely sentimental,” he added. “I don’t want anything of value. Plus, you have no idea what was stored in there. I could help.”
“I could just empty the entire thing. Or better still, with a little time I’ll sift the details from his memory,” said Ethelgren.
“Sir, please show some mercy.”
The mad wizard paused. “What is it you want exactly?”
“He kept a journal within. It was a gift from his grandfather. In the back there was a handwritten note from his wife.”
“A spellbook?”
“Just odd spells,” explained Will. “It was his grandfather’s first spell journal. Nothing you would covet, but of great value to the family.”
“Hmm. I’ll be the judge of that,” said Ethelgren, his eyes glinting greedily. “If I see nothing of value, you may have it. Describe the journal to me; it will help me find the memory so I can summon it.”
Will described the journal carefully, and after a moment the mad wizard nodded. Raising one hand, he activated the limnthal. Now’s my chance to warn him, thought Will. “Sir, since you’ve taken control of Will’s body, is there a chance you’ll let me have some of the potions or other minor possessions he kept stored within the limnthal?” Hopefully Arrogan was paying attention.
Who? asked Laina, but before she could reply, Ethelgren stiffened. His eyes rolled back into his head, and he started to fall.
Catch him! urged Will, since Laina had already taken control of their body.
She leapt forward and rammed her elbow into Ethelgren’s jaw, then stomped on his belly when he struck the ground.
Scholar of Magic Page 44