Five Kingdoms: Book 07 - Wizard Falling

by Toby Neighbors

For a second she hesitated. She had several options. She could stay where she was, fighting the massive horde below, but she wasn’t sure how that would help anyone. Night had fallen, a fact that was sometimes lost on Brianna since she could see at night almost as well as in the day. Sorva would need to rest soon, the black dragon had been flying with Brianna for hours now. If they stayed where they were it was likely they wouldn’t find a place to stop and rest before it was too late. She could turn east and fly to the aid of the other dragons. Chances were high that some of the dragons could be struggling with the Leffers. Of course that didn’t help them get any closer to a place where Sorva might land and rest and it could possibly stir up more of the Leffers along the way.

  Brianna decided she wanted to move back toward Green Glenn. She needed to see how deeply the enemy had infiltrated the mountains and she also hoped she might find Quinn and Mansel had survived. She had been too busy fighting the Leffers to keep an eye on her friends, but now she held on to hope that they still lived.

  “Follow the pass,” she told Sorva.

  The black dragon complied. Sorva was tired and flew slowly, gliding as much as possible. Brianna leaned out over the dragon’s neck, watching the thick crowd of mutated soldiers funnelling into the pass. It was obvious that the mountains were more difficult for the oversized fighters to navigate. Brianna could see them struggling up the sides of the mountains. They looked like fleas crawling over a dog’s skin, and she could only really see glimpses of movement among the towering pines and snow laced furs.

  It occurred to her that perhaps their strategy to fight on the southern side of the mountains might have been a mistake. They may have fared better on the northern side, where they could have set ambushes along the passes and many of the hideous fighters might have been killed simply trying to cross the mountain range. It would have given them more time to prepare at any rate and given Zollin more time to stop the evil witch.

  She felt the tears starting to well up in her eyes and she had to shake her head to keep from crying. Even the thought of Zollin made her want to cry. The fact that the army below her hadn’t stopped made her certain Zollin had been killed in his quest. She wiped the tears from her eyes and shook her head. Then she saw something odd far below. It was a light in the middle of the eastern pass, a small light fluttering amid the throng. She focused on that area and saw what looked almost like a large stone in the middle of a flowing stream. Something, she realized, was disturbing the flow of the mutated soldiers. An image flashed in her mind. Sorva had sent the mental picture and the dragon’s eyes were even sharper than Brianna’s, zooming down as if the dragon were seeing things close up.

  Brianna’s breath caught. She saw Mansel battling three of the mutated fighters at once and Quinn stretched out on the mud beneath him. She felt terror almost like punch in her stomach and feared the worse. Quinn, Zollin’s father and one of Brianna’s most trusted friends was probably dead. This time there was no stopping the tears.

  “We have to help them,” she said.

  Sorva didn’t hesitate, the black dragon plunged into a dive, roaring loudly. Fire billowed from the dragon’s mouth, blasting a wide swath through the fighters that had been closing in on Mansel’s position. Brianna flipped off the dragon’s back and landed among the flames. She saw Mansel’s eyes widen, then a sword came swinging at him from his left. He tried to dodge away, but the tip of the rusty sword opened an ugly little gash over his ear. Brianna sent fire blazing toward the fighter who had just injured Mansel. The wretched creature was engulfed in flames and Mansel toppled over, covering Quinn with his body.

  Brianna saw the other two assailants clamoring up the bodies that were stacked around Mansel and Quinn. She dashed forward, not wanting to risk blasting them with fire in case the heat harmed her friends. She was close enough to grab the nearest fighter. The mutated soldier was twice Brianna’s size and easily four times her weight, but Brianna poured fire from her hand into the back of the towering soldier. The fighter’s body stiffened and the stench of burning flesh erupted as flames shot out the thick chest of the mutated soldier. It fell back and Brianna dodged to the side, but she was too late to stop the soldier. It had climbed atop the stack of bodies and had its sword raised, ready to strike down and impale both Mansel and Quinn on its thick, rusty blade.

  But Sorva swept down, caught the fighter in her huge jaws and bounded over Brianna. The ground shook as the dragon landed hard, but the creature’s big legs took the shock easily. With a snap of its head it flung the fighter into the oncoming horde who was just now beginning to make its way across the still burning area Sorva had bathed with dragon fire. The dead fighter crashed into the oncoming soldiers knocking several down. Then Sorva roared, spewing fire in a deadly stream that washed from one side of the wide mountain pass to the other. Dozens of the mutated fighters burst into flame and toppled to their knees, but hundreds more pushed on from behind them.

  Brianna rushed to Mansel who knelt beside Quinn.

  “Is he alive?” she shouted over the dragon’s roar.

  “I don’t know,” Mansel said. “He collapsed.”

  “Let’s get him out of the mud.”

  They pulled Quinn up. The older man moaned a little and his eyes fluttered open.

  “Are we dead yet?” he asked.

  “No!” Mansel shouted as Sorva roared again.

  “Good, I was afraid I was going to hurt like this for eternity.”

  “We have to get out of here,” Brianna said. “Can you walk?”

  “I can with some help,” Quinn said.

  Mansel took one arm and Brianna took the other. They hurried forward, leaving the pile of dead bodies Mansel had been fighting in behind them. At first the path was clear, as long as they moved at the same pace as the Mutated fighters ahead of them, but then more of the mindless soldiers along the hillsides, seeing an easier path, began crowding in around them.

  “We can’t keep this up much longer,” Mansel said.

  “Don’t worry,” Brianna shouted. “I have a plan.”

  Chapter 32

  Brianna knew that even if Sorva wasn’t exhausted from flying all day, the dragon wouldn’t be able to carry three passengers, at least not in the air. Sorva differed from the other dragons in that all four of the black beast’s legs were strong and of equal length. Sorva was just as comfortable on the ground as in the air. Brianna sent the dragon a mental image of herself, Quinn and Mansel riding on the dragon’s back as it charged through the pass.

  Sorva roared its approval. The black dragon was adventurous and enjoyed trying new things. It trotted back to where Brianna waited with Quinn and Mansel.

  “We’re going to ride the dragon like horse,” Brianna shouted.

  “We’re going to fly?” Quinn said fearfully.

  “No, Sorva can run like a horse. We’ll be on the ground and stay in the mountain pass.”

  “Is that safe?” Mansel asked.

  “More safe than walking,” Brianna said with a smile. “You two climb on while I keep these monsters off our backs.”

  Sorva laid on the ground, the thickly muscled dragon legs hunched. Quinn had to lean against the dragon, his head still swimming and his own legs barely strong enough to hold him up. Mansel climbed up the dragon’s leg and then onto its broad back. The thick, black wings were folded tightly against the dragon’s body and Mansel was careful not to put his boots on them. He and Quinn were covered with mud and blood. He leaned over, reaching a hand down to Quinn and patting the dragon at the same time.

  “Thank you,” he called to the dragon. “I’m sorry we’re so foul.”

  Sorva roared so loudly that Quinn nearly fell down. The sound seemed to shake the air around them and Mansel wasn’t sure if was a friendly roar or an angry one. He pulled Quinn up and then made sure his mentor was secure in front of him.

  “Brianna!” Mansel shouted.

  Brianna had circled the dragon, laying down a thick wave of fire to make sure that none of the min
dless soldiers came close to them. Then, when she heard Mansel call to her, she jumped high into the air, flipping and twirling until she landed lightly on Sorva’s back right in front of Quinn.

  “What do we hold onto?” Quinn asked.

  “Each other,” Brianna cried.

  Sorva stood up easily, the powerful legs and strong back seemed to hardly notice the three passengers. The dragon started forward at a walk. The ride was a little bumpy, but Quinn and Brianna gripped the dragon with their legs and all three held on as best they could. As they approached the soldiers in front of them Sorva growled.

  “Hang on,” Brianna said, “it’s going to get hot.”

  Fire billowed out of Sorva’s mouth. The soldiers hit directly with the stream of fire were engulfed and died almost instantly. They fell to the muddy ground, their bodies burning. Those soldiers to either side of the blast instinctively moved to the sides of the pass or even up onto the steep hillsides.

  Sorva sped to a trot. The heat wave was intense, but Quinn didn’t mind. He was so cold he couldn’t stop shivering. Mansel on the other hand was already hot after fighting for so long, but he hunkered down behind Quinn as best he could whenever Brianna or Sorva unleashed their fiery blasts.

  Brianna stayed busy, hurling small orbs of fire at individuals or groups that clumped together. She sent fire out to either side of the dragon, killing as many of the mindless soldiers as she could. Soon Sorva was cantering, and the heavy dragon made the ground tremble as the huge talons slammed down with each step. Quinn kept one arm around Brianna’s waist and the other had a death grip the dragon’s scales. Sorva had no bony protrusions or plates, not even small horns, but the dragon scales were rough to the touch and the riders held on as best they could.

  “If we keep going like this we might run over our own soldiers,” Brianna shouted.

  Quinn was trying to think of a reply when he realized Brianna wasn’t talking to him. The dragon growled and then Brianna spoke again as if in reply to something the beast said.

  “Quinn, I’m going to scout ahead,” she said.

  “What? How?”

  “Just let go of me.”

  Quinn let go of Brianna, and she stood up on the dragon’s back. Then she sprang into the air, summersaulting over Quinn and Mansel’s head. She was just starting to come down when Sorva’s tail whipped up. The three separate segments of the tail came together to make a wide, flat platform. Brianna landed on the tail just as it flicked up, hurling her high into the night sky and out of view of Quinn and Mansel.

  “What is she doing?” Quinn cried.

  “I quit asking that question long ago,” Mansel replied.

  Sorva kept charging forward, the pace increasing into a gallop. It took all of Mansel and Quinn’s attention just to stay on the dragon’s back. They bounced up and down, leaning forward, staying as low to the rough scales as they could. Quinn was soon sweating from the heat that washed back over them from the dragon’s fiery breath.

  Brianna hopped and danced across the thermal updrafts. In many places there wasn’t enough difference in the air for Brianna to truly fly. If she was high enough she could glide and she could move up and down in the air, on the different currents, but over the mountain pass, where the air was cold except for the rising drafts of super heated air from the dragon’s constant attacks, she was pushed higher and higher.

  She looked ahead and saw lights in the distance. They weren’t far from the front lines of the attack and it was obvious the king’s army was in fighting retreat. She also knew it was only a matter of time before exhaustion overcame them. Not to mention what would happen in Green Glenn. Once the terrain opened up from the narrow pass into the wide valley, the king’s army would loose its advantage.

  She flung herself forward, even though moving ahead of Sorva meant she wouldn’t be able to stay aloft. She angled downward, the air turning cold as she sped forward. She passed over the front line of fighting, which was just ahead of the line of torch bearers. She spun around and fell just behind the shield wall.

  “Fall back!” she shouted.

  The soldiers were moving slowly back, but they held their shields together, their discipline holding in the face of overwhelming odds.

  “Fall in behind me,” she shouted again.

  Still the soldiers ignored her. So Brianna did the only thing she could. She ran forward, hopped up onto the back of a burly looking soldier and sent a wave of fire roaring over their shields. The mutated fighters fell back a step, but their companions behind them pushed them forward almost immediately. Brianna realized Sorva was getting close. She sent the dragon a mental image and then hopped over the line of soldiers forming the shield wall.

  “Fall back!” she shouted again. This time she let her fire blaze away, the flames were so hot they were blue, and the mutated fighters burst into flame all around her. They fell in smoking heaps all across the ground of the path. Brianna could hear the excited cries of relief from the soldiers forming the shield wall, and she felt the space behind her opening up as the king’s army retreated.

  “I think we better hang on,” Mansel shouted. A mental image had popped into his head of the dragon flying up and over the front line of the king’s army.

  “What?” Quinn asked.

  “Just hang on to something!”

  Quinn had been holding tight to the dragon’s back and staying hunched over his hands, like an inexperienced rider hanging on desperately to a saddle horn. The only way to hang on any tighter was to lay flat against the dragon’s back. So he spread his arms, leaned forward and grabbed onto the dragon’s back. He was expecting to feel the back slamming up and down as the beast galloped, but as Mansel stretched himself across Quinn’s back in a similar position the dragon’s black wings stretched out and the black beast jumped high into the air.

  Quinn felt his stomach lurch and he squeezed his eyes shut. There was a feeling of weightlessness for a long second, then he heard the wings flap and they were hurtling forward. The ride was terrifying, but much smoother through the air. Sorva was tired, but the dragon only needed to get beyond Brianna so that its passengers wouldn’t be burned by Brianna’s waves of fire.

  Sorva came down as lightly as the dragon could, turning to help Brianna hold back the enemy.

  “We can get off now,” Mansel shouted.

  The two men slid off the dragon’s back. Quinn was still weak, but he could carry his own weight. He no longer had any weapons, or even the torch to carry, so all he worried about was moving. They ran toward the line of retreating soldiers. The king’s army moved more swiftly now, although they were all so tired that a fast walk was the best they could manage.

  “We’re in the clear now boys!” shouted one of the officers, trying to encourage his men.

  Quinn thought how foolish that sentiment really was. They were far from safe, far from being able to relax and rest. Brianna and Sorva were holding back the witch’s army in the pass, but how many more were climbing over the mountains at this very moment. Quinn couldn’t see up onto the dark hills, but he could feel the enemy coming, they were insatiable and unless something happened with Zollin and the Witch, the Five Kingdoms were lost.

  Chapter 33

  Zollin closed his eyes and let his magic flow out around him. He could sense the lava flow and his own movement toward the molten rock. He willed himself to stop moving and sensed his magic mingling with that of Offendorl. The elder wizard’s magic was ancient and potent, like wine that improves with age. His own magical power felt raw and unrefined by comparison, but Zollin didn’t let it deter him. He poured his power into his spell and felt his body stop moving.

  When he opened his eyes he saw Offendorl, the ancient face fixed with rage, brows furrowed, lips pulled back in a grimace revealing yellowed teeth clenched together. The wizard’s chest was heaving and Zollin could tell the older man was working harder than he should to combat Zollin’s magic.

  Then it occurred to Zollin that Offendorl wasn’t just figh
ting him. The sorceress was using her old master, controlling his power, and funnelling it into different tasks. Zollin felt his own magic churning, the familiar hot wind blew through him and he felt strong.

  “You can’t stop me,” Zollin said. “You aren’t strong enough.”

  “I am more powerful than you can fathom, boy!” Offendorl spat through his clenched teeth.

  “I don’t think so,” Zollin said.

  He wanted Offendorl, or Gwendolyn if she was controlling the ancient wizard, angry with him. He thought if he could survive an onslaught of the wizard’s power, than their control over the vast army attacking Yelsia and Baskla might falter. In that moment, when Gwendolyn fought to regain control of the army, she would be weak. It was a good plan, but it hinged on Zollin surviving the witch’s powerful onslaught of magic first.

  “That is why you will die!” Offendorl shouted.

  The magic coming from him changed. It became more powerful than Zollin had anticipated. At first he had been floating along in a slow current of magic, it reminded Zollin of being in a slow moving stream. He could feel the power of the water pushing him along, but he only needed to put his feet down to stop himself from going where he didn’t want to go. Now that current changed. He felt the powerful rush of magic, threatening to sweep him away. His own magic responded in kind, pushing back harder, lowering Zollin to the ground. He doubted that in a contest of power versus power he would emerge victorious. It wasn’t that he wasn’t as powerful as Offendorl, but the elder wizard’s magic was simply more potent, his will more decisive and firm. Doubt was Zollin’s enemy now, he couldn’t waver in his decisions, or second guess his strategy. He had to fully commit himself to the battle.

  Zollin also had the advantage of a younger, stronger physical body. Once his feet hit the floor it wasn’t just magic that kept him from being pushed backward by the ancient wizard. He leaned forward and pushed with his legs. Of course his physical strength was nothing compared to the might of the ancient wizard’s magic, but Zollin was determined to use every resource he had.