God of Magic 7

by Logan Jacobs

  It wasn’t as small as I had feared, but it was definitely on the cozy side with the entire guild plus our guide, and our expert crammed inside. Emeline’s mage light revealed more of the intricate carvings, and a small fountain in one corner that still spewed water into the basin. There was no time to look at anything else. We dropped everything but our weapons and waited for the shade jackals to either stay or go.

  We didn’t have long to wait. The rabid barking turned to howls just outside the building. It was hard to tell exactly how many there were though I guessed there were at least eight.

  “Why are they following us?” Lena asked. “Don’t they usually avoid large groups?”

  “They can probably smell the food we’re carrying,” Imogen replied.

  “Not to mention Dehn’s assorted souvenirs,” Lavinia added.

  “Maybe if we just toss the snake head out there, they’ll take it and leave us alone,” Yvaine suggested.

  “Doubtful,” Imogen replied. “They know how many are in our party, and they’ve decided the risk is worth the opportunity. I don’t think a snake head is going to satisfy them.”

  “You make them sound smarter than your average dog,” I said.

  I could hear the jackals as they circled the building now. Their feet scuffed through the layer of humus while they sniffed along the edges of the wall.

  “They are,” Imogen replied. “Which is probably why someone was trying to breed them for dog fights.”

  “There’s only one way in, at least,” Aerin said.

  “Which they know,” Imogen pointed out. “You’ll notice they didn’t come charging in here like your average dog would.”

  “How long will they wait?” I asked.

  “Don’t know,” Lavinia said. “But if they can figure out another way to get in, they’ll take it.”

  “Can they get to the roof?” Lena asked nervously as she looked at the ceiling.

  “Look, we can’t go anywhere until daylight,” I pointed out. “So, we’ll just take turns standing guard tonight and find a way to tackle them in the morning. In the meantime, keep your weapons close.”

  Sleeping in an upright position isn’t easy or comfortable, but the tight confines of the temple didn’t leave much room for stretching out on the floor. I was more than happy to give up my small spot in the middle of the night, even if it did mean staring at the door and listening to the restless prowling of the pack for a couple of hours.

  Merlin and I shared guard duty with Emeline, who kept jumping every time one of the jackals barked. At one point, she launched a small fireball out the doorway when she thought one of the jackals was trying to come inside. She didn’t hit any jackals, but she did manage to take out a banana tree. The whole temple soon smelled like ripe bananas and crispy fried leaves.

  As dawn broke, the jackals stopped their pacing and their barking. It was positively eerie after we’d spent the entire night listening to them. Without warning, one of the jackals suddenly leapt through the doorway. Shade jackals, it turned out, were more wolf-sized than jackal sized, and carried a very impressive pair of fangs. The one that sailed through the door had a brown and black coat that was heavily matted. The stench of decay rose from its fur, and I realized that the black fur was actually dried blood.

  Maruk, who was on guard duty, had his shield up in a heartbeat, but an arrow zipped across the room and pinned the creature to the wall. It struggled against the arrow, sending blood pouring down the wall and starting a new frenzy of barking outside.

  I tried to close my fist around its mana, but I felt my own hand go numb instead. I stepped back in surprise and nearly knocked down Emeline.

  “What’s wrong?” the panthera asked.

  “It can block me,” I replied.

  “But, it’s just a wild animal,” Emeline protested.

  “Shade jackals aren’t just wild animals,” Cat stated.

  “He’s right,” I said. “It’s not like the dark magic Pebbles used or even what a manipulator does. But it can stop me from closing off its mana.”

  “Great, more weird magic,” Dehn grumbled. “You know, for a guy who comes from a place without magic, you sure do attract an awful lot of it. Especially the weird kind.”

  “We have to get past them,” Yvaine declared as she cut the throat on the dying jackal. “Or we’ll be stuck here forever.”

  “We need a diversion,” I agreed. “Something to draw their attention long enough for at least some of us to get outside. Once we do that, we can attack them.”

  “The only thing that will get their attention is blood,” Imogen said as she kicked at a large snout that had ventured across the threshold.

  “Dehn, where’s that snake head?” I demanded.

  “Ah, man,” Dehn groaned. “I was gonna have it stuffed.”

  “That may not be enough to draw their attention,” Cat pointed out. “Not when they know how many people are in here.”

  “Then we toss out the jackal as well,” I said.

  “Actually,” Lena offered. “If we could soak up some of this blood, we could toss it in all different directions. That way they’d have to go investigate.”

  “That’s a surprisingly good idea,” Aerin remarked.

  “If we have some cloth, I have something that will harden it a bit,” Lena continued. “Turn it into a stinky, bloody rubber ball.”

  “Perfect,” I said. “Though why would you want to turn fabric into rubber?”

  “Later!” Lavinia warned as the jackals began pacing outside the door again.

  “I know who has plenty of fabric,” Aerin chortled.

  “No!” Maruk exclaimed. “Haven’t I given enough to this mad woman’s experiments?”

  “I think two shirts will be enough,” Lena mused. “We can rip them into long strips, wipe up the blood and then ball them up. I’ll add my potion, and then all we have to do is find a way to toss them into the jungle.”

  “I can do that with some of the air magic I’ve picked up,” I said.

  “Let’s use the orange one,” Aerin declared. “Maruk looks terrible in orange.”

  “I just bought that one,” Maruk wailed as Aerin dug through his pack and pulled out the orange shirt.

  “And the pink one,” Lavinia added. “I hate that check pattern.”

  “Got it!” Aerin squealed as she pulled out the pink-checked shirt.

  “How can you be so cruel?” Maruk moaned.

  Another jackal stepped halfway through the door, bearing its long fangs at us. It took in the sight of its brethren pinned to the wall and let out a long howl. Dehn swiped at the creature with his mace but the jackal backed away just in time. It stood just outside the door, glaring at us with two hate-filled eyes.

  “That’s creepy,” I murmured as the jackal watched our every move.

  “Some people claim they were created during the civil war,” Cat replied as we started to tear up the shirts. “Manipulators would use them to hunt down other mages.”

  “So they can tell who’s a mage?” I asked.

  “They have some sort of basic magic,” Cat explained as he looked at the jackal that stood just outside of our range. Lavinia had already tried to shoot the thing with an arrow but the jackal had managed to avoid her shot with surprising ease.

  I opened up my mana to study the jackal, and bizarrely, it felt like the jackal studied me as well. As soon as I had called on my mana, it had growled, and now it stood with head lowered, a trace of drool dripping from its mouth, as it stared directly at my heart.

  I ignored the pair of demonic eyes that had latched onto me and took a long, hard look at the creature. I could see its mana clearly, but there was something about it that reminded me more of a mage than a wild creature. I realized that its own mana was reacting to mine, and every time I started to cast a spell, the jackal’s mana would quickly adapt to whatever I did. I shivered and shut down my mana. If someone had created these things to hunt mages, they had done an excellent job.

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nbsp; Dehn and Aerin were sopping up the blood with the strips of cloth and then balling them up as tight as they could. Lena then added a few drops of clear liquid. Within seconds, the balled up strips were, if not exactly rubber balls, at least something that could be easily tossed.

  “That’s the last one,” Aerin said as she handed the cloth to Lena.

  “Let’s get rid of the body first,” I said as I opened my mana again. The jackal outside the door reacted instantly and several of the others began barking.

  Lavinia retrieved her arrow, and then Dehn dragged the carcass near the door. The jackal on the other side was in an attack stance and his very long and very deadly looking teeth glittered in the sunlight. I tossed my hand into the air, and before the animal could move forward, I sent the body of his brother flying out of the temple and into a mass of ferns and banana trees well beyond the path.

  Three of the jackals immediately tore off in pursuit and two more hesitated near the edge of the path, but a quick bark from my nemesis kept them near. Next came the bloody balls. Lena tossed each one into the air, and I sent them sailing off in different directions. It was too much for the remaining five jackals, who ran after the gruesome toys with enthusiasm. That just left the one jackal.

  “Persistent fellow, I’ll say that,” Maruk noted as he eyed the last shade jackal.

  “We can take him,” Dehn declared as he charged towards the jackal.

  The jackal leapt nimbly out of the way and sunk his teeth into Dehn’s right arm before the halfling had a chance to turn around.

  “I just fixed him,” Aerin grumbled as she saw the halfling stumble for a moment and then swing blindly in a circle.

  “Maruk,” I sighed.

  “Yes, yes,” Maruk sniped. “Save the halfling, fend off the vicious wild creature, hold the line until someone figures out what we’re doing. Perhaps you’d like to destroy another one of my shirts while I’m otherwise engaged.”

  “I told you they don’t use plans,” I heard Imogen whisper to Cat.

  Maruk had stepped outside, drawing the jackal’s attention. It snarled at the orc as the two circled each other. Lavinia released three more arrows, but the jackal dodged each as easily as it had the first one. I watched its movements with my mana, and I was impressed. The thing could sense what we were doing almost as soon as we decided.

  This jackal was clearly the alpha dog, and apparently better able to understand what it was sensing. It was no wonder this pack had managed to escape, and I wondered if any of the humans who had been trying to keep it captive were even still alive.

  “Emeline, I want you to draw its focus,” I said. “If it senses you trying to use your magic, it will turn on you.”

  “Oh,” Emeline squeaked as she watched Maruk try to hold the jackal at bay with his shield while he pulled Dehn back to his feet.

  “Don’t worry,” I assured her. “Lavinia and Yvaine will keep you protected. Aerin, get over to Dehn and make sure he’s okay. If you need to use magic, that’s fine, just make sure Maruk can cover you.”

  “And the rest of us?” Lena asked.

  “The more magic we can throw at this guy, the harder it will be for him to keep track of what’s going on,” I replied. “But we need to do this before his pack returns. Merlin, I want you to go out there and just keep shifting shapes. Keep him guessing as to what you’re doing.”

  Merlin chirped in response and scurried outside in mouse form. I saw the jackal’s eyes shift towards the puca for a moment, giving Maruk a chance to swing with his shield. The jackal ducked low and nipped at Maruk’s ankles.

  “Come on,” Lavinia called. “Now’s our chance.”

  Lavinia and Yvaine ran towards a spot far enough away from Maruk that the jackal was forced to back away in order to watch their progress. They dragged Emeline with them, and the panthera tripped over an old stone nearly taking all three of them down. Lavinia fired another arrow, and the jackal backed away. Emeline regained her footing and launched a fireball towards the jackal as well.

  “Right,” I said as I glanced at the remaining members of our group. “Whatever distraction you can offer will be good.”

  “We still have the fire sticks,” Cat replied. “Now seems like a good time to use them.”

  “Let’s get to the roof,” Imogen suggested. “We can keep an eye out for the other jackals while we’re up there.”

  “And I have some poppers I’ve been working on,” Lena added.

  “Poppers?” I asked.

  “Or maybe bangers,” Lena mused. “I haven’t decided on a name yet. But they make a really loud noise.”

  “Uh, okay,” I said. “That will definitely do something. All right, let’s go.”

  The rest of us burst into sunlight. I found a spot that formed a rough triangle with the other two groups while Imogen and Cat scrambled to the roof. Lena stood just inside the doorway and dug through her satchel. A moment later, she pulled out a paper tube which she tossed into the air just as Emeline launched another fireball.

  The jackal dodged the fireball but the clap of thunder that suddenly filled the area caught the canine off-guard, as well as everyone else. I nearly lost my footing and I saw Emeline fall butt-first into a mud puddle.

  “Shit!” Imogen blurted out as she peered over the side of the roof.

  Another crack sounded as Cat took aim at the jackal with his fire stick. The jackal howled and turned its hellhound gaze on the roof. I saw a thin trail of blood along one haunch. There was another crack of the fire stick, but the jackal had seen what was coming this time and it moved quickly, using Maruk as a shield. Maruk swerved, keeping his shields pointed towards the jackal. Aerin had Dehn on his feet again, and the halfling was trying to find a spot to swing his mace.

  A black jaguar suddenly appeared behind the jackal, and the canine whipped around. It lunged forward, and only a quick shift into hawk form saved Merlin from a vicious bite.

  Both Lavinia and Emeline let loose another volley, and this time, one of Lavinia’s arrows hit the mark. As the jackal snarled at the women, I sent one of my doubles behind the jackal. The jackal barely spared a glance at the figure and instead lunged towards the three women.

  Emeline squealed as she tossed another fireball and Lavinia fired two more arrows. In a move so fast that I knew it was magic enhanced, the jackal veered off into the bush.

  “We need to kill it and the rest of the pack,” I yelled. “That thing will kill everyone around here if we don’t.”

  A series of deep, rapid-fire barks erupted from the brush. A few seconds later, the rest of the pack responded.

  “He’s calling them back,” Imogen warned.

  “At least we don’t have to try to track them,” Lavinia responded as she scoured the jungle for any signs of movement.

  We didn’t have long to wait. The barks grew louder and faster, and we all started to back towards the temple. When it seemed that the whole pack was surely about to burst out of the jungle, they went quiet again.

  “Damn, these things are creepy,” Aerin mumbled as she sliced the air with her axe.

  “They’re coming,” Imogen cried out from the roof.

  I heard the sound of both fire sticks firing, and then the jackals burst from the jungle. Another one of Lena’s poppers-maybe-bangers went off, but the jackals weren’t as discombobulated this time. We were in the thick of it then, using every weapon we had to fight these creatures.

  I spotted the alpha male as he ducked beneath Maruk’s shield and bit the orc on his leg. Maruk brought the shield down hard but the jackal had already slipped away, his eyes focused on Emeline. Emeline had a fireball that she was about to launch at one of the other jackals, and I could see the alpha male’s gaze lock onto her mana. Emeline tossed her fireball, and the alpha leapt at her.

  I threw a mana shield around Emeline, and the alpha crashed into it with a thud. It dropped to the ground and searched the area until it spotted me. With a snarl it started to lope towards me, and even one of Lavin
ia’s arrows and another round from the fire sticks didn’t slow the thing down.

  “You should have left while you had the chance,” I said to the jackal as we stared at each other.

  The jackal snarled and lowered its head. I could see Maruk’s blood on the fangs and smell the tang of death as the thing stepped closer. I opened my mana and sent a small burst of wind towards it, and as I had anticipated, the jackal was able to stay just out of reach. I kept sending little bursts of wind and sometimes a small flame or two towards it, letting it think that it was winning this little showdown.

  I saw the moment when the jackal decided that it would attack just as clearly as when it read our mana to anticipate our attacks. I stayed put, not letting it see that I could now read its patterns and mana as well. The damn thing actually grinned for a moment and then it threw itself towards me, jaws opened wide, ears laid flat. I waited until those teeth were nearly around my neck, then I drew my mana blade and plunged it deep into the chest.

  The alpha managed to make a startled yelp and then it collapsed to the ground, still and silent. A howl went up from the remaining members of the pack and two of the jackals tried to dart into the jungle. One went down with an arrow in its back and the other to the sound of a fire stick.

  The rest of the shade jackals fell quickly. Without the alpha male’s guidance, they were little more than wild dogs. Wild dogs with really big teeth and a thirst for blood, maybe, but at least they couldn’t predict what we were going to do.

  The blood quickly attracted the local bug population, and we cleaned up as well as we could in the nearby waterfall and its stream. Maruk pulled out his last bit of bug spray, and we coated ourselves with a thick layer before we returned to the trail.

  As the day wore on, the ground began to slope downwards, and the plant life became less dense. Palms and banana trees gave way to conifers and prickly briars. The path widened out as well and eventually became a small road with a battered sign that informed us we were on the TransCaaldir Highway.