“You have nowhere to run this time.”
The human demon grinned. “I think you’re remembering our last confrontation a little differently than I am, and this time, there’s no one to save you.”
Jez tried to call the binding again, but all his efforts had gone into crafting it the first time. He couldn’t do it again, not and make it strong enough to do any good. The way Sharim was panting said he wasn’t in much better condition, no doubt a result of all the summoning he’d done. Neither could hurl magic at the other. This would be decided with blades.
They circled each for several seconds before exchanging half a dozen blows. It was odd for their combat to be so ordinary, but they were both at the limits of their strength. Jez prepared to launch himself at his foe again just as Besis came through the door holding a shattered piece of stone that Jez recognized as a broken demon cage. The protection master spread his arms, and a distortion of air rushed toward Sharim. It impacted the demon and carried him through the wall.
“We should’ve known you wouldn’t listen. Let’s go. Lina and Osmund are already at the spire.”
“But Sharim...”
“Sharim won’t survive much longer. That earth shaker amulet you used made the area unstable. Mount Carcer will erupt within the hour.”
CHAPTER 25
They neared the central spire, and Jez saw an opaque blue dome around the lower floors and the courtyard of the tower. He’d seen that before. It was a nearly impenetrable ward. As they came close, he shed Luntayary’s form, and a hole appeared, just large enough for them to pass through. Jez was stunned. People crowded the area. Some were students and mages, but many, Jez recognized as townspeople from Tarcai.
“How are we supposed to get off the mountain?” Jez asked.
“Let’s get to the spire,” Besis said. “Rael has a way, but she’ll need the strongest mages to form a contingent. That means you.”
“But I haven’t practiced that,” Jez said.
“You recall how you beat Maries in Rumar?”
“Sharim burned a thought into our minds. He wanted to use it to trap us in a nightmare, but we used it to form a contingent.” Jez paused. “Are you saying Rael can do that?”
“We’ve learned much from the library. I just wish we had more time.”
The crowd parted for them, and they made their way into the spire. Unlike the courtyard, the first-floor chamber had been kept clear of the common people. Six masters, along with Ziary and five other mages, stood in a circle. Horgar wore a green crystal around his neck. It glowed steadily as it helped him focus his power. None of the others had a focusing crystal, though Rael had a black feather nearly a foot long in her hand. The others made room for them, and Jez joined the circle. He looked at Besis who had stayed by the door.
“Aren’t you coming?”
The protection master shook his head. “I need to counter Sharim. We can’t have him redirecting the power of the explosion.”
“No,” Jez said. “I should do that.”
Besis smirked. “Do you know how to interfere with something like this?”
“Well, no.”
“Don’t worry. You’ve done your part. He’s off balance and severely weakened. There’s no way he’s had time to craft a circle strong enough to aid him. Without that, I should be able to counter him for the few seconds it would take for the mountain to erupt.”
He spoke with perfect calm, but the words almost made tears well in Jez’s eyes. Besis gave him a weak smile, but they all knew what was about to happen. If Rael got them off the mountain, there would be no one left to interfere with Sharim. Besis was giving his life for this.
Rael nodded and met Jez’s eyes. Suddenly, he was standing before Chancellor Lacel. The doors and walls couldn’t quite keep out the wintery chill. His back ached from having to stand so long as the chancellor performed the proper rites. His throat felt dry, and his lips had cracked. Lacel held her hand on Jez’s head and spoke words he didn’t recognize. When she was done, Jez felt a smile split his face. He was now the master of secrets.
Jez took a deep breath as he was thrust back into the central spire. He realized he was still looking Master Rael in the eyes. That must’ve been her memory of being raised to her rank before Balud had been made chancellor. The heat was a stark contrast to the cold that had permeated the vision. He closed his eyes and shook his head. It was so vivid. He could remember every detail, which was the point.
Rael nodded at each person in turn. Jez focused on the memory. Having an identical thought was essential for forming a contingent. Normally, the initiating thought was simple since complex thoughts were virtually impossible to get to match. With Rael’s memory still burning in everyone’s mind, that wasn’t an issue.
Rael’s power joined with Jez’s and everyone else’s. The swell of power within her blazed against every one of Jez’s mystical senses, even those he had little training in. The ground beneath them started to shake, and though Jez’s sense of protection magic was blinded by Rael’s working, he knew this was not the direct result of a working. The mountain was about to explode.
Besis’s eyes widened. “I’ve lost it.”
Then, everything stopped.
The master’s exchanged glances. Each, aside from Rael, who was caught up in the working, wore shocked expressions. It was impossible. Suddenly, Linala went pale.
“He’s summoning something. It shouldn’t be this powerful, not even with the fire mountain.”
A terrible thought popped into Jez’s mind. “The circle we drew six months ago, the one the void beast used. What happened to it?”
“We disabled it but...by the seven.” The blood drained from Besis’s face. “We haven’t been holding them at the wall. They’re staying there deliberately. They’ve been altering the circle. Rael, you have to stop. We can’t let him complete this.”
Jez didn’t wait for an answer. He forcibly tore his magic from Rael and rushed outside. He transformed and soared over the crowd. He slashed at the barrier with his sword, but it had been crafted specifically to repel spirits, and his sword clanged against it. Given time, he could break through, but there was no time left.
Through the barrier, he could barely make out Sharim floating above them, glowing with power. The circle Sharim had altered spanned the entire Academy grounds. Right now, he was only using the tiniest fraction of the potential of the circle in order to counter Besis. It would take an almost unimaginable amount of power to use it in full measure. Such as was contained in an exploding fire mountain.
The ground boiled as demon after demon emerged from the earth. In a matter of heartbeats, the grounds were full of the creatures. Sharim’s losses were wiped away as his army grew tenfold. A hundredfold. Enough to threatened Ashtar itself.
Again and again, Jez banged on the barrier, sending out surges of power in an effort to break through. He lifted his sword to strike again, but then everything vanished. For an instant, Jez and all those nearby were surrounded by fog, but the next thing he knew, everyone was on the shores of the Lake of Hiranta. He landed and returned to human form. He turned back to the masters just as a being with black wings and a face made of shadows appeared out of nowhere and stalked toward Master Rael. Though he was a great distance away, Jez could hear what it said.
“Who are you to presume to use one of my feathers to travel through Between?”
CHAPTER 26
The pharim focused his attention on Rael. Shadows congealed around them, and Jez felt certain that had there been any cover at all, the pharim’s power would’ve hidden them completely. As it was, however, it just made them stand out all the more. The secrets master took a step back, but she steeled herself and looked the being in the eye.
“You’re a Darkmask?” Rael asked
He narrowed his eyes but didn’t answer. Though his face was obscured by shadows, Jez felt certain that the being had focused on the feather that was even now crumbling. Rael cleared her throat and shook the dust from
her hands.
“Master Guevar was given that feather when the Academy was founded. She was told it was the responsibility of the master of secrets alone to use it.”
“Yes, I remember that, but the question remains, why did you think you could use it?”
She blinked at him. “I am the master of secrets.”
Jez stepped forward. “I thought the high lords of the pharim forbade you from coming into this world.”
The Darkmask glared at him. The pharim had empty eyes, though as Jez looked at them, his mind was filled with images of stars and planets. Those eyes spoke of knowledge beyond comprehension. They beckoned to him. If he allowed them, they would draw him in, wrapping him in secrets and mysteries until he couldn’t find his way back. For just a moment, he considered allowing it. Then, he blinked and took a step back. The world snapped back into focus. The pharim’s shadowed face remained deadpan, though Jez had the impression he was hiding a smile.
“Jezreel.”
Jez blinked at him. Almost every time he’d encountered a pharim, they’d referred to him as Luntayary. He’d never met one that would call him by his human name unless he forced the issue.
“You called me Jezreel.”
“Of course.” His voice had that hollow sound that indicated he was hiding their words. “That is the name you choose to go by. The other is a secret, and I am well versed in the keeping of secrets. It is my language, my breath. My charge is to work in secret, and that is a duty far older than the edict of the pharim high lords.” He flapped his wings once. Instead of rising off the ground, a wisp of shadow drifted forth, winding around Rael for a second before dissipating. When he spoke, his voice was back to normal. “That one used my power in the open. I would know why.”
To her credit, Rael did not flinch from his gaze, though Jez was sure she knew just how much danger she was in. Pharim normally couldn't interfere in mortal matters unless mortals interfered with them. If Rael had truly used this creature’s power, she had crossed that line. Pharim who thought their domain was being impinged upon could be terrible enemies, and Jez couldn’t even begin to guess what a pharim of secrets could do.
“The being that drove your kind into hiding invaded the Academy,” Rael said. “We were forced to flee.”
“Forced?” the pharim asked. “Did it not occur to you that this creature must be preventing from claiming the power of the Academy?”
Rael spoke quietly. “Did it not occur to you that with one of the most powerful demons of the abyss loose on the world, it might be a bad idea to withdraw from it? You can hardly lecture us on fleeing.” The pharim stiffened, but Rael continued. “When it became clear that our plan wouldn’t work, it was too late to stop the working so I redirected us here, instead of a hundred miles away. We fled, but we will strike back.”
The pharim started to reply, but Jez spoke up.
“What is your name?”
“You know better than that. I’m not about to give you my name.”
“Give us your name or leave,” Jez said. “We don’t have time for this.”
The Darkmask huffed. “I am not surprised that one of your kind should speak and act so bluntly. You never learned subtlety.”
“My kind?” Jez asked. “You mean humans?”
The Darkmask gave him an expressionless smirk. “No, your other kind. In any case, it doesn’t matter what you have time for. The master of secrets has violated the purpose of my power.”
“Says the being who just appeared in the middle of the crowd.”
The Darkmask looked around. Though his face was shrouded in shadows, Jez thought he was surprised, as if he hadn’t realized that a few hundred people were staring at him. He turned back to Jez, and a wave of anger rushed over him as the pharim met his gaze. Jez didn’t believe the act for a second. He didn’t know what the Darkmask was doing, but they couldn’t afford to be distracted right now. The pharim had a grievance against Master Rael, and Jez needed to do something about that.
“Master Rael is under my protection.”
For a moment, the crowd went silent. Most people wouldn’t understand the implications of what he’d just said. Those that did gaped at him. Lina’s face was twisted in horror, and red flame flickered around Osmund’s right hand. The Darkmask looked pensive. Jez was a Shadowguard, and his purpose was to protect. If the Darkmask continued to act against Rael, he would put himself in direct conflict with Jez. Jez had a very limited idea of how pharim interacted with each other, and he had no way to know where the Darkmask stood in their hierarchy. Still, what little he knew about his own position said he stood fairly high in their ranks. It was at least reasonably possible that he outranked this Darkmask.
The Darkmask inclined his head. “Very well.”
“You’ll leave her alone?”
“For now.”
Jez stiffened and almost forced the issue, but it wouldn’t do any good. The pharim might very well pretend to accede to Jez’s demands. Unlike their counterparts, the Lightgivers, Darkmasks could lie, and they did it easily. Jez didn’t harbor any illusions that he’d be able to see through such a deception. He let out a breath.
“What is your name?”
“Luven.”
Jez had no way of knowing if that was his actual name, but he nodded in acceptance.
“Luven, you can stay and help us, or you can leave. It’s up to you.”
The pharim nodded. “What do you want me to do?”
CHAPTER 27
Horgar, along with some of the other masters and several beast mages, gathered in a small tent with Jez, Osmund, and Luven. Everyone looked at Jez. To his surprise, it felt natural. A part of him wondered when he had become accustomed to the idea of men and women older and wiser than he looking to him for direction.
“Sharim has the Academy. We have to stop him from getting into the library too.”
“I placed wards on it, but they won’t stand up to a sustained assault,” Besis said. “Odds are he’ll be able to get past them by the end of the day.”
Jez bit his lower lip before responding. “That’s why we have to destroy it. We attack from the air. Osmund and I will form a contingent. The rest of you hold them off of me. As soon as I get close enough, I’ll reduce the library to rubble and burn the books to ash.”
“The library is no mere building, boy,” Horgar said. “The Zandrans had a mastery over magic that we can scarcely imagine, and they built protections into the very stones. If not for the demons invading, it’s entirely possible that it would still be standing in Zandra today. They’ve weakened over the centuries, but not enough for destroying the library to be a simple matter.”
Jez glanced at Besis who nodded. “That’s not entirely accurate. I linked my wards to the existing ones in order to strengthen them. Sharim can’t break through my wards without damaging the Zandran ones. They should be rather weak by the time an assault force arrives.”
“Weak enough to make a difference?”
Besis spread his hands. “I don’t know. Even if it was unwarded, the library is as big as a couple of city blocks. That’s a lot of stone.” He eyed Jez. “Can you do it?”
“It would be nice to have a few other mages to bolster the contingent with, but last I checked, only Osmund and I can craft workings while we’re flying.”
Fina and Horgar exchanged glances.
“A shifter’s bond?” the destruction master asked.
“Maybe. We certainly are desperate.”
“What’s a shifter’s bond?” Jez asked.
“It’s a sort of wartime crafting. We don’t generally discuss it unless it’s needed. It brings to mind too many images of the evil mages of stories. It involves forming a contingent then having someone else transform the contributors. They stay near the prime mage, but are generally dismissed by others as mere animals.”
Jez looked from one to another. “I thought you couldn’t transform other mages without damaging their mind.”
Horgar shrugged and
grinned at Besis. “That’s true, more or less. It takes a great deal of training to be able to maintain your mind during a transformation. I won’t let any mage even attempt transformation before they mastered that particular mental discipline. Once they have it, though, it doesn’t really matter who performs the change.”
“So you can transform a beast mage?”
Horgar nodded. “It takes substantially more power to transform another than it does to transform yourself, so there’s generally not much point. If their power is tied up in a contingent before they’re transformed, however...” He eyed the room. “There are a few here who are skilled in protection or destruction that know beast well enough to keep their mind.”
Jez nodded. “That could help.” He pursed his lips and turned to Horgar. “You should probably be ready to carry me back down if I pass out. This could take everything I have.”
Lina opened her mouth to say something but caught herself. She moved closer to Jez but didn’t say anything as her fingers brushed the back of his hand. Jez turned to Luven.
“Can you think of anything?”
“It is forbidden.”
“Forbidden to attack?”
“Forbidden for me to help you plan.”
Jez sighed. “Interference with mortal matters?” The Darkmask nodded. “But you’ll be able to help us with the attack?”
“I am able to attack a stronghold of demons. It only makes sense to do so while they are distracted by a mortal attack. You will not see me, though. I will have to tread carefully to avoid breaking the restriction.”
“We won’t count on that then.” Besis glanced at Horgar. “What about keeping Jez healed? If he’ll be using that much power, it could burn through him. With a little help, he might be able to keep going longer.”
Horgar shook his head. “Maybe one of the beast men could manage it, but even working with them, we haven’t been able to learn to craft any workings while transformed.”
“That would’ve been useful,” Jez said, “but I can live without it.”
Darkmask (Pharim War Book 5) Page 10