Gryphon (Rise of the Mages Book 2)

by Brian W. Foster

  Xan grimaced. When his friends had left him alone in that cell in Asherton, he’d felt miserable. And he was doing the same thing.

  “Your pa is a wise and honorable man, but he’s mistaken.” Xan rose and descended steps from the dais to kneel before the boy, bringing himself to eye level. “It is I who owes you an apology. Friends are important, and one should always make time for them even when things get … busy. I am sorry.”

  Marco nodded.

  “I tell you what—let’s make it easier for us to do stuff together,” Xan said. “Miss Robyn?”

  “Yes, my lord wizard?” She held her face tight, obviously trying not to smile.

  “Marco has my official permission to see me anytime, even if I’m in conference with the queen herself.”

  Marco grinned.

  “Hey,” Xan said, “speaking of being busy, I need to check progress on the new fields. Want to come with me?”

  * * *

  Xan examined a row of broccoli.

  “Do you hate this stuff as much as I do? We should plow it under and grow something else.”

  “I reckon I like it okay, my lord,” Marco said.

  Xan pretended to mull over the matter. “You really think we should keep growing it. I mean … yuck!”

  “Even Dea eats it. Calls it ‘min tees.’ ”

  Xan sighed. “I guess we can keep planting it, then … as long as Robyn doesn’t make me eat any.”

  He glanced back at her and winked. She stuck out her tongue.

  Marco nodded solemnly, like he’d just solved the greatest problem facing Eye Lake.

  As they walked, he opened up about how life was treating him. Most stuff was pretty great, better even than when he’d lived on the farm, but he hated school. The other kids wouldn’t believe he was friends with the Lord Gryphon, and Xan not visiting him at all hadn’t helped with that!

  “Well,” Xan said, “maybe I can drop by the school sometime and prove it to them.”

  “Really, my lord?” Marco smiled wide, probably imagining the looks on his little friends’ faces.

  Xan laughed and turned his attention back to the fields. The corn grew in well, as did the potatoes and carrots. Great news because the number of mouths he had to feed kept increasing, nearly seven hundred, and they weren’t just drawing in refugees displaced from Truna and Vierna. People traveled from the far reaches of Bermau and Kaicia.

  At first, Xan had suspected those people of being spies, but as more and more of them came, he’d realized that most of them were just seeking a better life.

  A small group of workers gathered around a young woman who dipped water for them, and Robyn walked ahead to take a drink.

  “May I serve you, my lord?” The girl said, smiling, as Xan reached her.

  The last time he’d accepted water from someone he didn’t know hadn’t gone very well, but developing a reputation for being paranoid would be a bad thing. Besides, he’d just seen a dozen people take drinks. “A lovely idea from a lovely girl.”

  He had no idea where that comment had come from. Not that she wasn’t pretty. Blonde hair flowing down her back. Sparkling blue eyes. Short.

  Reminded him of Tasia.

  At the thought, he sighed. Where was she? Hopefully safe somewhere. Happy.

  Hmm. With him establishing Eye Lake and recruiting so many mages, Asher and the queen would have to treat with him at some point. They might send their own magic users, right? Maybe, possibly, he would see her again?

  His heart thudded against his chest.

  Best not to get his hopes up. There were no guarantees. And even if he saw her, she probably hated his guts, considering how he’d handled things when last he’d seen her.

  The serving girl blushed as she handed him the cup. “Thank you, my lord.”

  Distracted, he simply nodded.

  Their walk took them to the stables, and Xan inspected the livestock. Or at least, pretended to. He knew little about animals. Since they provided milk and eggs and transport for his troops, though, they were kind of important, so he made the effort, checking the health of random ones. Everything seemed to be in order.

  Xan bent to check the hoof of a young horse. He really had no idea what he was looking for, but he’d seen Brant do the same dozens of times.

  “My lord wizard!” The call boomed from all around.

  Xan spun to locate the source of the shouting. Ah, Sherry, one of his harkens, on duty in the watchtower.

  “Enemy sighted, my lord,” her voice boomed, “wearing brown Dastanarian mage uniforms.”

  “Where?”

  “The south pass, my lord wizard.”

  It took about a half day to ride from the pass to town.

  “How many?” Xan said.

  “One hundred, my lord wizard.”

  Not good. With the teams away on missions, only forty-seven mages remained available for defense. A number that had seemed so formidable earlier became completely inadequate. Even counting himself as ten, Dastanar outnumbered him almost two to one.

  He’d never prevail against those odds. So much for being ready to take on all comers.

  58.

  Xan searched his mind.

  He needed a plan. Any plan. A hint of a plan. Anything to save his people.

  Half a day. Hours.

  Such a short amount of time when it might be all you have left. He had to figure something out. There had to be a way to beat them.

  Think.

  Okay, first the resources at his command. One hundred men-at-arms, plus one and a half times that many partially trained militia members. Forty-seven mages. A wizard.

  A formidable force … if he weren’t so blasted outnumbered.

  Not only did the enemy have more mages, they were almost certainly more experienced than his own. The Dastanarians would instantly block Xan’s forces, occupying little more than half their own. Leaving the rest to wield magic unopposed.

  There was simply no way for him to win. No tricks. No plan.

  The only thing that could possibly stop them was … a blast?

  He had the five metal boxes containing the mysterious material, and presumably, each one possessed enough power to level the entirety of Eye Lake.

  But therein lay the problem. The box might destroy the opposing mages, but at what cost? His people and all he’d built? Could he take that chance? But then again, how could he not?

  None of his considerations would matter, though, if the tactic couldn’t work, and if the enemy brought a blighter, there was no way it would.

  That factor, at least, didn’t have to remain unknown. Xan sent a microburst of nuclear magic toward each of the rapidly approaching enemies.

  No resonance.

  Thus, no blighters, which made sense. They were rare, and Xan doubted any of the monarchs trusted anyone with that much power. Besides, they were kind of worthless except for the one big thing.

  Xan’s mind whirled as he made his big decision. He’d risk all he’d built, but he’d not risk his people. The enemy approached from the south pass on the far side. They’d have to come down the mountain and circle the lake. His people had a straight shot to the north pass, several hours shorter distance, which would allow them, hopefully, to get clear of the blast.

  He grimaced. Not enough horses for everyone, meaning not all his people would make it to safety. Maybe, though, he could protect them somehow while still taking out the enemy.

  Either way, it couldn’t be helped.

  “Is Gregg in the tower?”

  “General Rocha just arrived, my lord wizard,” Sherry said.

  “Evacuate everyone to Heart Harbor,” Xan said. “Limit magic to the greatest extent possible. Absolutely no use like flying that would get a mage killed if blocked. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir, my lord wizard.” Sherry paused. “Only mages to stay behind, correct.”

  “No! Mages are the highest priority to move out. Gregg must get every one of them over the north mountain before the enemy
gets to the bridge.”

  “General Rocha asks if you’re evacuating, too, my lord wizard.”

  “No.”

  There was a pause. A long one.

  “My lord wizard, the general advises you—”

  “Does the general understand the concept of an order?” Xan said.

  “Yes, my lord wizard. Sorry, my lord wizard.”

  “Send the fastest available rider to the armory for one of the metal boxes stored there,” Xan said. “Have a small fishing boat brought to the north base of the bridge and tie it off. The rider is to place the box in the boat and put a tarp over it. Hurry! We have little time.”

  The mountains mostly hid Eye Lake from the approaching enemy. Xan’s only hope was for the rider to accomplish his mission before they closed to within sight.

  “Yes, my lord wizard,” Sherry said. “It shall be done immediately.”

  Moments later, she boomed out orders loud enough for everyone in town to hear. “Evacuate. Evacuate. This is not a drill. Take nothing with you. Get to Heart Harbor. Now!”

  No sooner had the echoes of her voice died than Eye Lake stirred like an ant pile. Walking, running, riding, people by the score headed for the north road.

  He turned to Robyn. “Take Marco and go.”

  “No!” Marco yelled. “Don’t leave me!”

  Xan kneeled before him, once again getting down to the boy’s eye level. “Do you think I’m powerful?”

  “Yes, my lord! I reckon you’re the best ever.”

  “Would I let those guys beat me?”

  “N-no, my lord. But I reckon it’s a hundred against just you.”

  “I know. Hardly seems fair.” Xan smiled. “For them.”

  Marco grinned.

  “I’ll be fine as long as I know you and your family are safe,” Xan said. “Now, get!”

  Marco dashed off with a man-at-arms at his heels. Robyn stayed behind.

  “If everything goes right,” Xan said, “I’ll incinerate every single one of those blasted mages before they get anywhere near town.”

  “And if things don’t go well?” Robyn said.

  “Then no one can help me, including you. Leave. Now.”

  She didn’t move, though. Not a muscle.

  “Robyn …”

  “Yes, my lord wizard?”

  “Didn’t you swear to follow my orders?”

  “Of course, my lord! Anything.”

  “Leave. Now. Get over the mountain as fast as you can.”

  She didn’t budge.

  Xan sighed. “Fine.”

  He spun and sprinted toward the watchtower. When he finished climbing the endless steps to the top, he found Gregg, Sherry, and Alton Terr, the glamour on duty, there as well. Gregg opened his mouth, probably about to offer an excuse why he, too, had disobeyed orders.

  “Don’t bother,” Xan said. “But if we survive this, we’re going to have a serious talk about discipline.”

  He looked out over Eye Lake, already almost empty. On the other end of the bridge, the rider placed the box in the boat as instructed. Xan sent a microburst of kinetic energy to pop open the lid as soon as the rider was clear.

  Xan shivered. Was he truly contemplating a blast? How did he even start it? Could he control it? Would it destroy everything, him included?

  During the Wizards War, many cities had been blighted, wiped from existence using similar weapons. Nothing left but blackened earth and what stone structures happened to be strong enough to survive.

  If his people didn’t clear the pass before he set off the blast, he’d likely end up killing them all. Best case, most of them would make it over. Unlikely that they all would.

  He’d be murdering his own followers.

  But if he didn’t use the weapon, the enemy would kill or enslave every person who served him. There was no other choice. If he ran, they’d kill his people and his mages and keep chasing him until they got him. He’d just have to do his best and hope things turned out okay.

  Great plan.

  After another half hour, the first of the mages’ horses came into view nearing the base of the south mountain. Xan had to decide when to detonate the explosion. Setting it off immediately would take out the enemy, but more of his people reached safety with every minute he gave them.

  Of course, the extra time also gave the enemy a chance to discover Xan’s plan and enact a countermeasure. If they discovered the box, a kineticist could make it fly out of range. Or a heater melt it. Or a masser crush it.

  But without a blighter, it seemed unlikely they’d detect its presence.

  A more real danger was them blocking Xan’s magic. The difficulty increased with distance, though, and the box was more than a mile from the tower. He couldn’t block from that far away, so as long as none of the opposing mages were significantly stronger than him, waiting appeared to be the right move. Worth the small risk to allow more of his people to escape.

  Hours passed, at once seeming both to fly by in the space of a single moment and to stretch into years. The enemy continued their advance, clinging tightly to the lakeshore as they circled around to the bridge.

  Good that. He’d feared they’d break off and gallop toward the north pass. If they’d pursued his people, Xan would have had to detonate the blast before the Dastanarians reached the hills. Instead, he waited so more could clear the peak.

  The dust cloud created by the enemy horses drew closer and closer, and Xan walked a fine line between giving his people more time to get to safety versus letting the opposing mages near enough to block him.

  Further. Further. Just a little more.

  The first rider reached sight of the box,

  Xan could wait no more. He surged magic into the material. As he’d suspected, triggering it only required a tiny flow.

  The magic started a chain reaction.

  Insane levels of light, heat, sound, kinetic pressure, and radiation erupted from the box, overwhelming his senses. No time to think. Just do.

  Instinctually, he created a bell-shaped barrier around the explosion, encompassing about a half-mile radius. Instead of using it to build up power like he’d done to kill the bear, he cast energy that touched the shield into the ocean of magic.

  The bell went dark. There was no life inside. He’d destroyed his enemy.

  If he could just hold back the forces he’d unleashed, he’d win. Save his people. Save his city.

  He pulled at the energy, emptying it into the magic.

  Or tried to.

  So much light. And heat. And sound. And pressure. And radiation. So much energy.

  His head swam.

  The magnitude overwhelmed his ability to eliminate. Intense light flared from the barrier.

  Xan dropped it and created another one the length of the island. That allowed the remaining effects from the blast to spread freely in every other direction. He could only hope the last of the evacuees had gotten far enough away.

  The energies hit his new shield.

  He strained to hold enough back so that the town wasn’t destroyed. That Robyn wasn’t killed. That Gregg and Sherry and Alton weren’t killed. That he wasn’t killed.

  Again, the forces overwhelmed his abilities.

  An instant later, a wave of heat struck him. He swayed on his feet.

  Spots swam before his eyes. His thoughts clouded.

  Couldn’t keep going much longer, but he had to keep trying. To do otherwise meant death. He pulled and pulled and pulled at the energy.

  A blast wave knocked him down, but he kept pouring energy into the ocean of magic.

  Until he pulled at nothing. There was nothing left.

  Which was good because he had nothing left. He laid back and let out a long breath. His arms and legs trembled from his efforts.

  He felt empty. Drained. But alive.

  Definitely alive.

  “Everyone okay?” Xan said, once he’d recovered enough to speak.

  Robyn picked herself up off the floor and nodded
.

  Xan scanned her and the others. They’d all been exposed to radiation. Lots of radiation.

  Without help, they’d die.

  Good thing they had that help. His death mages would have their work cut out for them healing the five of them, but they’d recover.

  “Order our kineticists to bring three of our death mages back. Assign one to stabilize us, and the other two to the livestock. Have the other seven see to any evacuees who didn’t clear the peak in time. The rest of our people should continue on to Heart Harbor until I can make the area safe.”

  “Yes, my lord wizard,” Robin said, nodding to the harken to carry out the orders.

  Xan groaned. Since they hadn’t found any blighters, he was the only one who could remove the radiation from Eye Lake. Days and days of removal. Maybe weeks.

  Ugh!

  No matter how much he wanted to crawl into his bed, duty called. Leaving the others behind, he dragged himself to his feet and up the stairs to the roof. He looked out over the parapet. The fields were a blackened, burning mess. No crops survived.

  So much lost. They’d have to start over. So much work, and so many people to feed.

  He’d kill to see a speck of green. Even broccoli.

  So tired. How was he going to find the will to overcome such a setback?

  His hand went to a bottle he kept in his pocket.

  No. Bad idea. He hadn’t eaten any seeds for days. Best not to start again.

  But he needed the energy. And he’d done well saving everyone. He deserved a reward.

  Yes. That was it. A reward. One seed wouldn’t hurt anything.

  He popped one into his mouth and, soon after, enhanced the effects. His body jerked. Euphoria overwhelmed him.

  When he could think again, he stared at his city. He’d saved it. All the buildings stood. None burned. And with any luck, none of his people would die.

  They’d survived, and a hundred enemy mages had been destroyed. Literally vaporized.