“I see. That was the last thing I needed.” He gave an evil grin. “Almost the last thing.”
Agony erupted from Jez’s body. There was no part of him that didn’t hurt. Luven arched his back and whimpers came from his shadowed face. Suddenly, the water was gone, and they were back in the central spire. The other mages were still trapped by the sharieks, though the one that had held Jez was nowhere to be seen. Sharim still held his throat in one hand. His other clutched Luven’s robe, whose shadowed form lay on the ground, unmoving. In the next instant, both Jez and the Darkmask were covered by a transparent film. Jez sent his power in all directions, as he’d done before. The binding stretched, but it did not break.
Sharim deposited them in the center of the circle. Then, he walked to the focal point and knelt. Jez’s blood went cold as he recognized what the human demon was drawing.
The rune to the Keep of the Hosts.
Desperately, Jez drew on Luntayary until his flesh screamed in pain. His power went out in a wave so thick that it distorted the air around him as it bent the binding outward. For a second, Jez thought it might work, but then, the ward snapped back, hurling the protective magic at Jez. If he had been less fully pharim at that moment, it would have consumed him, but he was a Shadowguard, and protective magic could not easily harm him. Still, the magic slammed into him, and the next thing Jez knew, he was back in human form. Sharim finished the rune and stood in the focal point of the circle. He raised his hands. Pain surged inside of Jez, and his power was drawn out of him and into the circle. Indigo light ran over Luven. No doubt Sharim was using him for the same purpose.
The runes of the circle grew brighter. Even through the binding, Jez felt their power tingling against his skin. They reached into the Keep of the Hosts itself, intending to force some of its inhabitants fully into the mortal realm, where they could be killed.
Again and again, Jez tried to break out of the working as he had done when imprisoned by the hagine, but Sharim was either much stronger than Jez, or he had used an entirely different type of working, one only meant to impersonate what Jez had seen before. His efforts accomplished nothing.
Sharim reached into his robes and pulled out an obsidian disk. It was no wider than Jez’s hand and less than an inch thick. The surface of it shimmered in the light of the runes. It was completely smooth aside from the gash that ran along one side. Without knowing how, Jez recognized it. He looked down at the being who was supposed to have been watching the item, desperately hoping he would wake, but Luven just lay there, seeming to be dead, though Jez knew that couldn’t be the case. Jez lifted his eyes, hoping he had been wrong, but as soon as he saw it, he knew that wasn’t the case. Sharim stood at the focal point of the circle, holding the disk that had been the cage of Marrowit.
The power in the circle increased a hundredfold. The barrier between worlds screamed as Sharim tore through it. There was a flash of light that blinded Jez for several seconds. When he could see again, seven men had appeared around him, all on the ground, unconscious. Each was in their own circle, with runes so complex Jez couldn’t imagine the scope of them. One of the prisoners was a man with tanned skin and gray hair. Another wore green robes and had dark skin and hair. Jez had met these before. Sariel and Aniel. The other five could only be their peers. Sharim had summoned the seven high lords of the pharim into the mortal realm.
CHAPTER 35
Jez lashed out against the binding, but it was like attacking a river with a sword. Sharim didn’t even look in his direction. He walked around each of the pharim high lords with a smile on his face. The runes around them grew brighter, and brilliant lines appeared between them, crisscrossing each other and forming a pattern that seemed almost familiar to Jez. The last line formed between a scarlet-robed man whose clothes made Jez think of armor and an orange-robed man with golden hair. The pharim screamed, and Sharim began to glow. A chill ran down Jez’s back. Sharim was tapping into the power of the most powerful beings in all of creation. Abruptly, the ground shook. Sharim glanced at the door before spreading his bat-like wings. He grinned at Jez. His voice seemed to be the only thing that could cross the barrier of Jez’s prison ward.
“Your friends seek to take this place back from me. Let’s see how they deal with someone who has access to the power of all seven pharim high lords.”
He flew out the door. For a moment, Jez could only look at the room with mute horror. The binding Sharim had placed on him resisted all efforts to break it. Ziary and the beast mages were still held by the sharieks. Luven lay unconscious next to him. The pharim high lords were starting to rise, but they were all trapped within their individual circles. If there was a speck of hope left in the situation, Jez couldn’t see it.
One of the high lords, garbed in violet so he could only be Daziel, lord of the Veilspeakers, said something. The one in yellow robes, Gayel of the Lightgivers, nodded and also spoke, though his eyes scanned the room as he did.
Abruptly, the chain demon holding Ziary slid off of him. Its form writhed, and after a second, it became a woman with raven black hair, scarlet robes, and a burning blade. Jez gaped at her, hardly able to believe that she was really here. Some of the sharieks took a step back. The closest demon, one wrapped around a slim mage with pale skin, squeezed until its prisoner fell unmoving to the ground. It unraveled itself and leaped at the Shadeslayer. It reached the pharim and vanished. At first, Jez thought Nakel must’ve had some kind of ward around her, but then the image of the pharim rippled and disappeared. Osmund stood there, with two sharieks wrapped around him. He struggled to stand under their combined weight, but then, his eyes blazed.
Brilliant flames surrounded him. Both the sharieks glowed cherry red. Their forms seemed to meld into each other. Black smoke rose from where the heated metal touched Osmund skin, but it only lasted a second before his robes began to shimmer. The sharieks exploded outward just as wings emerged from his back and a burning blade appeared in his hands. He struck out with his sword, slicing through the nearest shariek before it had a chance to react. The mage it held became a huge tiger before she’d even hit the ground. Some of the sharieks began squeezing their prisoners, but Ziary and the tiger were too fast. In less than a heartbeat, they downed two of the demons, freeing their prisoners to aid in the escape. Jez hardly had time to take a breath before the rest of the demons were taken down.
Sariel said something and the air in front of him shimmered. Lina appeared. For a second, Ziary just stared at her. Then, he laughed. Some of the beast mages who were skilled in protection gathered around Jez and Luven. A few seconds later, the binding around the pair shattered. Sound rushed back to Jez’s ears, and he collapsed to the ground, no longer having the strength to stand. People cried out, but a gentle voice sounded over them. Someone picked Jez up and carried him a short distance. There was a brilliant orange light, and the next thing he knew, he was in the circle with one of the high lords. The orange robe identified him as Aphlel, lord of healing.
“I have repaired as much as I could, but you are near the limit of what even my power can do. Mortal flesh was never meant to have such power go through it.”
Mutely, Jez nodded. Then, he turned to Lina and gaped at her for a few seconds before erupting in laugher and taking her into an embrace. After a second, she pulled back and jabbed him lightly on the shoulder.
“I told you not to get captured by the evil demonic mage bent on conquering the world.”
“I’m sorry,” he said still laughing. “I promise not to do it again.”
She glared at him. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“How did you do that?”
She pointed at the imprisoned high lords. “I came into the city with Balud. When I saw you, I followed. They told me what to do.”
Daziel inclined his head. His voice sounded like a whisper though Jez had no trouble hearing it. “I knew she was there and told the others in the pharamic tongue. The demons didn’t understand.”
“When I
spoke to her,” Gayel said in a way that made Jez feel like he was remembering the words rather than hearing them, “they didn’t know to whom my words were intended. Shariek bind the powers of those they have entangled. When one wrapped around another, its ability to cancel out the mongrel’s power was suppressed.”
Ziary stiffened. “Mongrel?”
“It is an accurate term.”
“I prefer limaph.”
“That means half-blood,” Gayel said. “I could not refer to you in such a way even if I wished to.”
Jez sighed. “It’s not really important.” He looked at the downed beast mage, and his throat went dry. “Is he…”
“He’s alive,” Horgar said. “Thank the seven…” He hesitated and eyed the pharim high lords before continuing. “If that thing hadn’t been in a hurry, it might’ve killed him. He has a few broken bones, but he’ll live, if we can get him help.”
“Bring him to me.” The high lord of healing spoke in an almost musical voice.
Horgar nodded and brought the mage into the circle. Aphlel placed a hand on him. A second later, the mage opened his eyes and blinked. He looked up at the pharim and yelped before moving out of the circle. He looked around in shock.
“I can see.”
Aphlel nodded. “You were born with an eye that was too long. I corrected it when I healed your injuries.” He winced. “He is drawing power from us.”
Jez nodded. “How do we free you?”
“You cannot,” Sariel said. “This is a complex binding with layers upon layers of protection. Even if you had the power, you lack the skill.”
Jez considered. “Does Luntayary have the skill?”
“He did before he was bound away, though he lacks the power.”
Jez hesitated. “Can you let him out?”
The bluest eyes Jez had ever seen focused on him. “Jezreel, you know how much stronger his mind is than yours. You would be overwhelmed.”
Jez pursed his lips. He glanced at Lina before looking back to Sariel. “Sharim has the seven. We can’t let him keep you, not if we’re going to have any hope.”
Sariel nodded. “Come into my circle. My power cannot extend beyond its reach.”
Lina grabbed his shoulder as he started to move. “Jez, no.”
“I have to.”
“No, you don’t. You said the Shadowguards standing over the greatest demons remained in this world when the high lords shut everyone else out. Call one of them. Call Shamarion.”
“Do not dare to do this,” Sariel said.
Jez paused. “Why?”
“Because Andera is free and at the height of his power. If you were to distract Shamarion, Andera may well be able to free Maries.”
Lina glared. “We beat him once.”
“You beat him when he had just been summoned with a bare fraction of his forces while he still had to focus on protecting Andera’s human form. That is no longer the case. You cannot imagine what would happen if Maries was unleashed and put in command of the forces Andera has now.”
“Then call some other Shadowguard.”
“Would that I could, but only the strongest Shadowguard would have the skill to undo something like this. Those few that are in this world already watch over demons as strong as Maries. The rest are still in the Keep of the Hosts, and our prohibition from entering this world is still in effect.”
Lina gaped at him. “You can’t be serious. Undo it.”
“If we were out of these circles, we would. Andera has bound our power too completely.”
“So then we’re back to me,” Jez said as he stepped into the circle. He tried to keep his voice from cracking. “Will there be anything of me left?”
“This will not destroy you,” Sariel said. “It will simply give you the ability to call Luntayary forth.”
Jez hesitated. “Isn’t that what I do now?”
“You draw on his power. You even have some of his instincts, but you are not him. If I do this, you will be able to summon his mind.”
Jez took a deep breath and nodded. “Will I be able to put him away?”
“No. He will remain in control until he chooses to retreat.”
Jez nodded. “It’s still better than I expected. Do it.”
Sariel put his hand on Jez’s forehead and closed his eyes. Pain erupted in Jez’s head. Somehow, it was both more and less than other times he’d been mystically given knowledge. He felt the barrier in his mind weakening. It was still there, but it was no longer a solid wall preventing any from crossing. Instead, it was a door, impregnable by any force or magic. It could only be opened if he chose to. He reached for it, but a hand touched his shoulder. He looked up to see Sariel staring down at him.
“Not yet. He has the skill, though not the power. Find a source before you call him forth.”
Jez’s head was spinning, but he nodded and stepped out of the circle. “What do we do, then? We can’t just let Sharim use you.”
Suddenly, the door burst open. Captain Narva stood there, her gold veined sword glimmering. She stared at the scene for a second before calling over her shoulder. “I found them!”
Before anyone had a chance to say anything, half a dozen soldiers poured in. As one, they saluted Jez before getting into a protective formation around the doorway. Jez gaped at them.
“Go!” Sariel said. “Andera is battling your forces. You must stop him.”
Jez nodded and headed toward the doorway. Then, he paused and looked back at the high lords. “Can memory shadows hurt demons?”
“Not the strongest of them unless they’re caught off guard.” Manakel, the lord of destruction, smiled. “They would not be expecting such an attack.”
Jez looked at Horgar. “I need to get into the lower levels.”
Horgar looked like he was going to argue but nodded. “We are fortunate Sharim didn’t know he’d captured me, or he might’ve forced me to open the way down.” He gestured to his mages. “Go. Join the battle.”
They nodded and those who still wore a human form shifted and charged past the stunned Captain Narva. Horgar motioned for her to follow them, but she took a deep breath and shook her head.
“That sword won’t do much good against memory shadows,” Jez said. “You’ll be able to do more good out there.”
She bowed slightly. “With respect, Baron, I can do the most good keeping you alive.”
“There’s no time to argue,” Horgar said. “Come with us. Stay close. Do whatever I tell you. The rest of you,” he indicated the other soldiers. “Stay here and guard the door.”
Narva opened her mouth to argue, but Jez cut in.
“It’s that or stay behind.”
Horgar was already disarming the ward on the door that led to the level beneath. Narva clenched her jaw and nodded before coming to stand next to Osmund. The door shimmered blue. Horgar opened it, and the four of them followed the master down into the depths of the central spire.
CHAPTER 36
The levels beneath the central spire felt empty. The previous times Jez had been down here, he hadn’t noticed the gentle hum of power that had permeated the area, but now its absence grated on his nerves. With the removal of the demon cages and most of the objects of power, this place was little more than an empty shell.
They descended slowly. Lina summoned a ball of light, but even that felt pitifully small compared to the oppressive darkness pressing in on all sides. Their footsteps seemed to echo forever. Eventually, after passing more wards than Jez could count, they came to what seemed to be the end of a passage. A cavernous room stretched out to the left. Lina’s light only illuminated a few yards, but large shadows beyond said the room hadn’t been entirely emptied. Still, Jez’s attention was focused on the stone wall in front of him. Horgar ran his fingers down it, and the wall split open to the grating sound of stone on stone. Behind was a room of pure darkness. Narva stepped back, and Lina paled a little. Even Osmund shivered as an inky tentacle reached toward them. Jez turned to Horgar.
“Can you disable the wards holding them here?”
He looked to the room on their left. “Yes. If we all go in there and form a contingent, we might be able to protect ourselves. You may need that sword of yours to defend us from any that get past our wards, though.”
“Sharim invaded my mind,” Jez said. “If I go in there, I might be able to dangle the memory of that in front of them. All his memories and experiences would seem like a feast. They could go after him. If I can shape them to that task, it might be all we need.”
“Assuming it all goes well. Jezreel, last time you went in that room, these things almost killed you.” Jez shrugged, and Horgar sputtered for a second. “You can’t just shrug that off.”
Jez let out a breath. “Master, do you have any idea how many things have almost killed me over the past couple of years?”
“That’s no excuse to take unnecessary risks.”
“If I can set a hundred memory shadows on Sharim, it’s not unnecessary. These things can’t be fought with power directly. They won’t care that Sharim has the power of the seven. Enough of them might drive him insane or even kill him.”
“You can’t seriously believe that,” Horgar said. “His will is strong enough to fight off a legion of them.”
“If he’s expecting them.”
Horgar sighed. “They could just as easily drive you mad, you know.”
“Not if I’m ready for them.” Jez took a step forward, but a hand gripped his shoulder. He turned, expecting to see Horgar, only to find Lina staring at him.
“I’ll go,” she said as she stepped up next to him.
“What? No.”
“Jez, you know I’m better at mental magic than you are. Unless you’re going to call that pharim that lives inside of you, I’m the one best qualified to do this.”
“Lina—”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but she may have a point,” Horgar said. “They can’t exactly be beaten with magic, but training in that area does tend to build a resilient mind. If the stakes were lower, I would never consider it, but if you’re determined to do this, shouldn’t it be done by the person most likely to succeed?”
Darkmask (Pharim War Book 5) Page 14