Gryphon (Rise of the Mages Book 2)

by Brian W. Foster

  “As the lord Gryphon commands!” Gregg shot Robyn a glare. He didn’t like anyone being as informal and arguing with Xan as Robyn did. “I recommend fifty men-at-arms and two dozen mages, sir. They’ll be saddled and ready in an hour.”

  Xan grimaced. What good would mundane troops do? Besides, he couldn’t carry so many, and travel by horse would take forever. And he didn’t want to drag mages away from crucial duties at Eye Lake. “The queen only sent half her army and no mages that we’ve detected. I can handle that many by myself.”

  Robyn just looked at him. Gregg shook his head.

  They were being so overcautious. Easier to give in sometime, though.

  “Fine.” Xan paused, thinking. “How about taking maybe … five mages with me? Two death mages. That way, if I need to incapacitate the entire army, it’ll take a third of the time.” Though he hated to consider the crops that wouldn’t be grown while they were away. “And three others of types not being used around here. Bolts, maybe? They’re not useful for anything other than fighting.”

  Though they were quite useful for that. Xan loved calling lightning from a clear sky and having it strike wherever he wanted.

  “Constance and Olga could be spared from their duty with the crops,” Gregg said. “Jobe, Vance, and Kay are my best bolts. Do those selections meet your approval, my lord Gryphon?”

  Xan nodded. He had several transports available that were much improved from his initial design, at least as far as comfort for the carry-ees were concerned. With any luck, they’d be back before the end of the day.

  “My lord wizard Gryphon,” Marco said, “perhaps it would be … w-wise … to bring a page with you. Just in case you need … page stuff … done?”

  Xan stifled a grin. He could imagine being in the boy’s shoes and how exciting it would be to see the encounter with the queen’s army. “Hmm. Maybe you’re right. How about Billy? He’s done a good job doing … page stuff … for me.”

  Marco’s face fell, and Xan almost laughed.

  “My lord wizard,” Robyn said. “Maybe bringing boys to a potential battle isn’t the best idea.”

  Marco’s face grew even longer.

  Xan frowned. He didn’t think there’d be any real danger. Then again, he’d had a seed recently, and sometimes, his judgment wasn’t the best under the influence of the drug. “We’ll let Hosea make that decision,” Xan said. “That is if Marco wants to be the one to go with me?”

  Marco bobbed his head up and down so hard Xan worried he’d hurt himself.

  “Alright,” Xan said. “Let’s go see your father.”

  * * *

  Xan held his breath.

  He’d never seen Hosea frown like that. The man wasn’t given to anger, but his face made it seem like he might be tempted this time.

  “No,” Hosea said finally.

  “But pa,” Marco said, “I’m almost eleven. When do I get to decide for myself?”

  “In a little over four years.”

  Poor Marco, so desperate not to be left out. Xan couldn’t help but recall all the times he felt like his friends had abandoned him. All the times girls had rejected him. Why not just let the boy have his fun?

  “It’s just a parlay,” Xan said. “There’s no danger.”

  Hosea raised his eyebrows.

  “If they wanted to fight,” Xan said. “They would have sent mages. I can’t imagine they’ll do anything besides posture, and I promise to hold my temper.”

  “I reckon that armies and mages mixing tends to result in battles, no matter what anybody intends, my lord.”

  “I’ll deposit Marco far away from the meeting. High on a ridge somewhere. Even if there is a battle, he’ll be nowhere near it,” Xan said. “If we’re lucky, this will be an historic moment, the start of treaty between Eye Lake and Bermau.”

  “But …”

  “Really,” Xan said. “What harm could it possibly do?”

  “You’d place him far from the army, my lord?”

  “I’ll bring a spyglass for him because that’s the only way he’ll be able to see what’s going on.”

  Hosea rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Marco is my page,” Xan said. “What if we have a treaty signing? I’d need his services.”

  “I reckon I can’t keep him tied to his mama’s apron strings forever.” Hosea sighed. “If I allow this, my lord, you’re responsible for him.”

  Marco grinned.

  “I swear to you,” Xan said, “I’ll keep him safe.”

  66.

  Xan plopped the transport on top of a ridge.

  A flat, grassy plain lay a hundred yards below—a perfect place to meet the queen’s army. Brant’s dad taught that choosing the right ground was half the battle, and Xan would need all the advantages he could get.

  Hmm. Like being at his absolute sharpest.

  While his six passengers unloaded, he walked a short distance out of sight, ostensibly to attend nature’s call, and popped a licuna seed in his mouth. When it hit his stomach, he hesitated. Last time, he’d enhanced its effectiveness about eighty-five percent, but if anything justified a full boost, it was facing an enemy army. He’d need all the extra focus he could get.

  Xan poured in as much magic as he dared.

  Every muscle convulsed at once. He collapsed, his legs no longer able to support him. His mind, however, soared, making the suffering of his body a distant concern.

  Any possible problem was his to solve. No force could stand in his way. He grinned. What chance did the queen or Dastanar have against a being both omniscient and omnipotent?

  The twitching continued, not allowing him to rise. No matter. He plotted his conquests. First consolidate his forces in Eye Lake. Then, should Queen Anna not accede to his demands, conquer the whole of Bermau, starting with Escon.

  Yes. King Barius would tremble before the might of a wizard.

  A mental image of the three monarchs kneeling before Xan as he hovered above them struck him as funny, and he laughed. And once he’d released the laughter, he couldn’t stop it, ending up wheezing from not being able to catch his breath.

  By the time he’d recovered, the quivering in his limbs had subsided enough for him to get up and walk back to the transport.

  “Are you okay, my lord wizard?” Constance said.

  “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  Her eyes moved down his body, and he looked at his clothes. Dirt covered him.

  “Took a tumble.” Xan chuckled. “Becoming the most powerful man alive didn’t make me any more graceful.”

  He kinetically propelled the soil from his knee, one of the worst stained spots, leaving unstained black fabric. Perfect. Several repetitions of the process left him spotless. “There. Now, what do we think about this location?”

  It was almost exactly what Xan had wanted—rocky heights providing the opportunity to secret his mages away looming over a plain large enough for the queen’s army to muster. One problem, though. He’d promised Hosea that Marco would be so far from any potential battle that seeing it would require a spyglass.

  The ridge was much too close, and no other vantage points overlooked the plain.

  Xan had searched for the perfect spot before landing with the transport, but none provided maneuvering space for the army.

  Hmm. Despite not meeting the letter of his promise to Hosea, the ridge kept the spirit. It was too high for arrows to reach with large rocks for cover. Marco would be safe enough on top.

  Hosea would surely understand and agree.

  “Marco,” Xan said, “when I meet the army, you crouch behind those boulders. You can peek out to see what’s going on, but that’s it. Do. Not. Move. From. There.”

  “Yes, my lord wizard.”

  With that matter settled, Xan considered where to put his forces—if, you know, three slight women and two guys past their prime could be considered “forces.” Hiding them would both keep them safe and give Xan the benefit of reserve troops that would remain unknown
to the enemy. He just had to find a spot.

  The two death mages’ ability to sense their opponents meant they didn’t need to see the battlefield. Neither did the bolts, really. Their skills targeted an area instead of a person. As long as they knew the general direction of the battle, they’d be good.

  Distance affected the magic, though, so closer was better. A concealed cave anywhere near the bottom would be optimal, but none were visible. His mass sense didn’t reveal any, either. Not even a crevice large enough to cram a person into.

  Leaving Marco at the top, Xan flew the mages down to the grass. The plain abutted the base of the ridge. At each end, rock jutted out at the bottom, and game trails led up into the outcroppings. The whole setup gave the appearance of a half oval, rising in a taper to a flat area above.

  Hmm. What to do?

  Though there were no big fissures, the rock wall wasn’t as solid as it appeared. Years of dripping water had hollowed narrow gaps inside. With his ability to manipulate mass and kinetics, making the cracks wider wasn’t a difficult task, so he spent a few minutes creating large holes on each end of the half oval.

  Perfect. He rested for a moment and admired the fantastic hiding places he’d created.

  “My lord wizard,” Constance said hesitantly, “may I ask the purpose of the two holes?”

  “Three of you will go into one of them, and two into the other.”

  “Why, my lord wizard?” she said. “Couldn’t the army arc arrows over the sides?”

  “Not after I cover the top with logs and put rock and dirt over that.”

  The structure would be impervious to conventional weapons. He just had to leave plenty of air holes, though not directly over the mages, and not overload the wood like he did when he buried Tina.

  Yes. Overall, an elegant, workable solution.

  Constance, however, looked appalled. “Uh, my lord wizard, what happens if ... uh, maybe ... something happened to you?”

  Something happen to him? What could possibly happen to him?

  “Exactly, my lord.” Olga’s face was sour. “None of the five of us have any way to get out from under a ton of rocks. We’d die a long, slow death.” She shuddered. “Dehydration. Starvation.”

  “You doubt me.” Xan snarled. “You dare doubt me.”

  Olga stepped back. “I didn’t mean ... Please, forgive me.”

  “First, you doubt. Then, you deny me my rightful title.” Xan called a bolt from the sky.

  A mighty roar of thunder sounded. Brilliant light flashed, crashing into the ground a dozen yards away.

  All the mages except Constance distanced themselves from Olga.

  “I am the most powerful man in the three kingdoms. Rulers tremble before me. An army is nothing to me. Nothing!”

  She paled and fell to her knees.

  “Should I desire it, your life is mine. All your lives are mine.” Xan rose his hand to ... hit her?

  Stupid for a wizard to hit with mere flesh. Strike with magic. Smite. With ... Heat? Fire? Light? Sound?

  “My lord wizard! My lord wizard!” Olga screamed. Tears ran from her eyes. “Forgive me!”

  Constance moved her body between Xan and Olga. “Please, my lord wizard. We are but scared children before you. She didn’t mean to doubt you. Fear. That’s all it was. Just fear.”

  Fear? Yes. That made sense. Regular people grew afraid. He remembered the feeling. Distantly.

  Xan pursed his lips. “Rise, my child, but let neither fear nor disrespect pass your lips again.”

  Olga pulled herself to her feet, shaky, trembling. “Yes, my lord wizard. Thank you, my lord wizard.”

  Better.

  “Does anyone else object to my plan?” Xan said.

  Olga shivered, Kay swallowed hard, Vance’s hand shook, but no one said a word.

  Good. They wouldn’t be in any danger while they waited to be called into action. Not that they would be. In fact, their very presence was silly. The chances of a wizard—the wizard—needing help was too ludicrous to consider.

  But Robyn would be upset if the mages weren’t in position to be used.

  Xan sighed. The things he did for friends.

  Oh well. Making most of the army unconscious might end up being a good negotiating tactic. Maybe the death mages wouldn’t be completely worthless after all.

  He’d need a signal.

  Hmm. Slapping his hands together and enhancing the sound a thousand-fold would do the trick. Even someone buried under a ton of rock and dirt would hear that.

  “Constance and Olga,” Xan said, “at a single clap, collapse soldiers starting with the ones closest to you and fanning out. Got it?”

  “Yes, my lord wizard,” they said in unison.

  Utilizing the bolts wasn’t likely since they were both less precise and decidedly not non-lethal, but he supposed he’d better set up a signal for them, too. He enhanced the sun’s rays to divide the field into three sectors. “Jobe, you’ve got the right. Kay, left. Vance, center. Fix those areas in your head. At two quick claps, call lightning and keep calling it.”

  Vance saluted. The other two copied him.

  “Five claps is the all clear,” Xan said.

  He told Constance and Jobe to climb into the hole to the left and the others into the one on the right. Once they were settled, he buried them and launched himself high into the air. Time to find his enemy.

  * * *

  Xan scanned every officer and soldier.

  From the altitude where he hovered, the army looked like a bunch of ants.

  He grinned. They might as well be ants for all the damage they could do him. Piss ants. Especially since they had no mages other than a single blighter who hadn’t yet surged.

  Which made no sense.

  So large a group should have a dozen potential mages. Obviously, then, the queen had tested them and removed any soldiers with ability. Except the blighter?

  Probably thought the man was too dangerous to recruit into her mage corps.

  If so, she was an idiot. Sure, a blast was the most destructive force known, but it required finding a rare material and converting it through some unknown process. Absent that, the blighter was the least powerful of the mages, useful only for blocking enemy magic users.

  Oh well. She could have killed the man. That she didn’t could be construed as a good sign.

  Xan boomed his voice. “Greetings.”

  The word echoed about the countryside, and the army halted, looking for the source.

  “Up here,” Xan boomed. “You’ll need your spyglasses.”

  A man in a fancy uniform, likely the general, grabbed one from an attendant and scanned the sky. When he finally pointed in the right direction, Xan waved.

  “Take a left at the dry gully and follow it to a grassy field,” he boomed. “I’ll meet you there.”

  “Archers!” the general yelled.

  Really? Xan was ten times higher than the best bowman could reach. Shooting would simply waste arrows.

  The general must have come to the same conclusion because he never gave the order to loose. Instead, he and his aides had an animated discussion, which Xan could have listened to had he cared enough about what was being said.

  Eventually, the army moved again, and Xan hovered above them until they arrived at the field.

  Armor and weapons gleamed, and the queen’s bright purple and yellow livery shined resplendent as the soldiers arrayed themselves in perfect rows and columns on the plain. Knights took the front ranks, followed by swords and pikes, and archers in the rear.

  If he remembered correctly—which he did of course—Brant’s dad taught about using similar formations when fighting opposing armies. Against mages … Xan smirked. No possible way of arranging troops would help.

  He landed atop the ridge and, after sending Marco to hide behind the rocks, sat with his legs dangling over the edge while the army finished maneuvering.

  The general was obviously high born, both in bearing and by the fact
he’d been made an officer in the first place. Probably preferred his peasants humble.

  Xan sighed. Time to pretend to be obsequious. As much as he disdained even the thought of bowing to a blasted noble, he owed it to his people.

  Right?

  But was setting himself—their leader—below another ruler really the best way to serve them?

  It didn’t seem right. He was, after all, the most powerful man alive. No mage he’d met was his equal in even a single power, and he could use ten at once. Did any wizard in history possess the most ability for each type of energy?

  Nothing he’d read indicated that, meaning he was likely the most powerful man who ever existed. By rights, he should rule the three kingdoms. Definitely not someone to be kneeling to a mere queen, much less that queen’s flunky.

  Xan grinned. That made a lot more sense. Instead of bending knee, he’d act in accordance to his destiny and give the general a little demonstration of what a wizard could do.

  The front line of knights advanced toward the cliff. When they reached forty yards from the center of the oval, Xan called lightning.

  Thunder rumbled. A bolt arced from the sky. Less than a dozen yards from the line, the ground exploded in a shower of light, dirt, and flame.

  Two horses near the strike reared, tossing both their riders from the saddle. They landed with a clang.

  Oops. Xan had been aiming for closer to the cliff base.

  Oh well. Good enough.

  He laughed as the two men stirred. Ouch. Falling from a battle stallion while wearing a hundred pounds of metal couldn’t have been fun.

  When his chuckles ended, he rose to his feet. Time to get to work. After a stern glare at Marco to keep him rooted behind the rocks, Xan lifted above the ridge and boomed, “Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?”

  There. Even Robyn would have to praise how polite that greeting was. Perfect.

  “General Nathanial Marsh, Commander of Her Majesty’s Royal Guard, Defender of the Spiked Realm, Lord of the Ernthorpe Citadel …” The man went on with a good half dozen other titles, yelling every word.

  Xan rolled his eyes. Did the man not realize he spoke with a wizard? He thought about interrupting the string of banalities but checked himself. Be polite.