The War of Spells

by George Mazurek

  But in Shadowlands, without my magic, the role of the fly belonged to me.

  ~

  My brain was rushing to the maximum level. There was no place to hide and no time to flee. The beast had already registered me. And my left hand was dead calm. I had a feeling of power in my right hand, though. But I was unable to use it in a meaningful way.

  The dragon landed some thirty feet away and examined me cautiously with its amber, reptile eyes.

  “A human? Here?” He spoke in my mind. His voice was resonant and rumbling and distinctly male.

  “I'm a wizard,” I corrected him. “My name is Syrdan. What is your name?”

  “We are Gwrhl. What a wizard is doing here?”

  That was truly a tough question.

  In some other place and time, I would be fascinated by this creature. He certainly was more than a reptile. His thoughts were simple but not so different from the way wizards or humans expressed their ideas or feelings. He called himself “we”, which indicated the dragons resembled communities of ants or bees, ruled by a queen and sharing a collective intelligence. Also his appearance was astonishing; he surely belonged among the largest creatures the earth had ever seen.

  But for now, he was my enemy.

  “I became lost in this desert on my way to the Ice Sea,” I lied.

  “We don't believe a wizard.” The dragon flipped its wings and swayed his long tail. He was unsettled.

  He considers me to be a danger, that's not good.

  Unfortunately, I had no practice in calming upset dragons...

  “You should return to your stronghold,” I said. “And tell your queen that your base may be attacked soon.”

  For a second, I believed Gwrhl would fall for the bait and leave. But when he lowered his head and tiny clouds of steam spurted out of his nostrils, I knew I was doomed.

  ~

  My fingers danced in a desperate whirl to create a defense shield, a smoke screen, anything that might help me escape the troublesome situation, but again, all spells were twisted badly, and all I could do was a small vortex of dust that spurted in my eyes.

  Shit!

  In the very same moment Gwrhl swayed his tail. A hard, scaled mass struck me straight in my chest.

  I was thrown almost ten feet backwards. A pain exploded in the right side of my ribcage. I had to have broken several ribs, but at least I escaped being pierced through by the dragon's spike. I lifted to my elbows and spat the dust from my mouth.

  The dragon was moving toward me, and the ground was shaking with every step of the giant creature.

  I closed my eyes.

  Now I am going to die…

  ~

  The rescue came unexpectedly.

  I heard a familiar low-pitched growl and sounds of a mess. When I opened my eyes, I saw Skuller pestering the dragon, circling around his neck. At the right moment, the bone-dog jumped high on Gwrhl's spine and his lethal teeth ripped away a piece of flesh larger than my head.

  The dragon roared in anger and pain. Blood spurted from his back and after a while he was all red. Despite his wounds, Gwrhl remained surprisingly agile in defending and very dangerous when attacking. Skuller's advantage was his speed, while the dragon counted on his robust structure and the fact that only one well-done hit could kill his opponent.

  I was just an observer for several minutes. The surroundings of the two battling creatures was burned to ashes and the scorching air smelled badly. Through a veil of dust and sand, I saw Skuller slipping from the dragon's back and the mass of Gwrhl's body crashed on him.

  And that was the end. An almost invisible magic aura around Skuller faded away, and the beast dissolved into bones.

  Gwrhl emitted a victorious roar that deafened my ears and made me wipe dust from my eyes. He turned his monstrous head toward me. His amber eyes beamed wrath.

  I began to crawl from his reach.

  How foolish that was!

  Yet, I was not idle during the fight. I moved my fingers and the dragon's body became translucent, so I could see all organs under his skin, a brain, lungs, and veins.

  And his heart as well.

  The heart was twice of the size of my head. Its color was deep red, and it pounded in a slow, regular rhythm.

  I recalled the skewed spell that made a stone explode instead of transforming it into water. It seemed quite simple. I could only hope it would work the way I wanted.

  The earth shook as the raging dragon approached quickly. He opened his mouth to roast me alive in a stream of fire.

  I crossed my fingers in the same moment when his mouth filled with flames.

  A burning air hit me in the face.

  And that was the last thing I recalled…

  ~

  When I regained my senses, the first feeling was that of lying on something uncomfortable and bumpy. I rolled a little and opened my eyes.

  And I almost died from fright!

  Only a foot away, giant, amber eyes were staring at me!

  I gave a scream of terror before realizing the eyes were motionless.

  Calm down, he is dead…

  My wild heartbeat slowed down. I gave a laugh, getting rid of the shock.

  People should not wake up like that.

  Apparently, the explosion spell worked.

  I was damn lucky...

  A second later, and I would be only a black patch lost in a desert.

  My face was burning hot, and my clothes emitted smoke. I wiped off blood from my upper lip with a back of my palm. It was getting dark. I was unconscious for several hours.

  I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply, recalling the most recent events. I was alive, and it certainly could be called a miracle.

  I saw Deadweed, she turned to me with a smile.

  Unfamiliar footsteps interrupted my dreams.

  Someone was sniffing around!

  I got to my feet as quickly as I could.

  “You!” I hissed.

  Mouth ignored me, and continued examination of the dragon's body.

  I wanted to dress him down, but it would be to no good. He was an arrogant, egoistic coward, and he certainly was aware of it.

  “What are you looking for?” I asked.

  “You really killed him,” he replied.

  “No, he came here to die from boredom... Of course, I killed him!” I pointed to a large hole in the dragon's chest. “I forced his heart to explode.”

  Mouth nodded slightly. He peeled off one of the scales and inspected it closely.

  I stopped at Skuller's bones, bowing slightly.

  You saved me twice, my friend. I do not have a damn idea who you were, or where you came from, but I will always owe you a favor.

  “We should go,” I said after a short mourning. “We are only wasting time here.”

  “The time is what we lack,” Mouth agreed, with no sign of leaving the corpse.

  “So why do you keep us?”

  At last, our eyes locked. “We are not going to walk. Dragons plan to attack Averot'h this night. And the sunset is coming soon. We are not going to get to Belron in time, unless we fly.”

  “Fly? We don't have tephirs.”

  “But we have this,” he nodded to the body. “I'm going to transform into him, and I will take you with me. The disguise will allow us to reach Belron just after the sunset, and also to deceive their guards.”

  “I can't ride a dragon,” I murmured.

  “No need to. I will catch you in my claws. You will pretend to be a dead body.” He screwed his face in what meant to be an amused smile.

  What?!

  The plan was pure madness, and I was not particularly excited by my role in it. But it seemed the only way we could get to Belron in time.

  “Let's go.” I concluded.

  Have fun, as you wish, but I am going to be the one with the last laugh.

  CHAPTER 11

  Betrayal

  it was not the most comfortable way of travelling, hanging from the dragon's claws like a piec
e of a dirty rag, fearing every gust of the wind.

  But Mouth was right. We made it to Belron in less than an hour.

  The sun had already descended when I spotted a half mile cliff, a grey rock pointing to the sky, perforated with hundreds of dark openings. All of the structure reminded me of a beehive. We left Shadowlands and reemerged in our world again. Colors and vegetation were back.

  Mouth aimed for the hole in the middle of the hive. No one paid us attention.

  I had to admit Mouth's plan was brilliant. We passed unnoticed all the way to the hole. Mouth landed on the rock somewhat roughly, forcing me to an unwanted roll.

  But we were there!

  And I am standing on solid ground again.

  Inside the stronghold, we split, though we stayed connected in our minds.

  According to our plan, Mouth headed to the Queen, and my job was to find the magic egg. I had no idea how to destroy it, but such thoughts were premature anyway.

  First, I must find it...

  ~

  I followed a narrow corridor, probably an air shaft. The passage went slightly down, and at every crossing, I chose the way heading downwards, assuming the egg would be hidden at the base of the stronghold. A mild wind toyed with my hair and brought me moisture and odd scents, reminding me I was an unwanted stranger there. My eyes grew accustomed to the dim interior as I crossed another junction.

  All of a sudden, a pair of eyes emerged from the wall on my right side.

  I stiffened.

  The wide, wizard eyes focused on my face. A head appeared, sticking out from a shale wall. I recognized one of Elders.

  “Go straight to the third crossing and then turn to the right,” the old man said. “Do not waste time. Whatever happens in the room with the egg, destroy the relic!”

  With that, he vanished into the wall again.

  I was left dumbfounded.

  Whatever happens?

  What did he mean by this?

  Nevertheless, I followed the Elder's advice and turned right at the third crossing. The corridor's downward slope increased, and the light changed from dim to a much brighter one. I entered the hall. It was empty, only water dipping from a ceiling echoed in its walls.

  In the middle, there was a round altar made of black marble. On the altar, a round object laid. I approached it slowly, looking around, fearing dragons may come in at any time.

  I stopped at the altar. The egg was a little larger than my fist. Its color was red and yellow. Inside, under the shell, it seemed to be in fire.

  I hesitated for a while.

  ~

  Under its see-through surface, a complex net of veins pulsated. The nearer to the relic, the thicker the air became with magic. Hairs on the back of my hands rose.

  Shall I take hold of it just like that?

  And how should I destroy it?

  I reached out my right hand. The egg emitted heat. I had to be cautious not to get burnt. When my fingers almost touched the eggshell, a yell from behind stopped me.

  “Hey! Wait!”

  I turned swiftly.

  It was Mouth, rushing to me.

  “What about the Queen?” I asked.

  “The Queen is dead,” Mouth replied, his gaze focused on the egg. His eyes were hazy with uncontrolled greed. I moved between him and the egg.

  “Make way!” Mouth screeched. His hands were shaking terribly. “The egg is mine!”

  He wants it for himself! He deceived me as well as Gharib!

  I raised both hands in a warning. “Stay where you are! The egg is not yours! We have to destroy it!”

  “You fool!” Mouth screamed. “You have no idea what power it possesses! With this egg one may become the most powerful wizard who has ever lived!”

  “I don't care! The deal was to get rid of it, weaken the dragons and prevent them from attacking humans and wizards in the south. Also, I was promised to return back to my time after I fulfilled the task. And I'm going to stick with it.”

  Without uttering a word, Mouth reached to his side and pulled off a whip.

  “Planning a horse ride?” I joked.

  Mouth grinned, but his eyes were all about a murder. “It's not an ordinary whip. He unrolled it with a short swing. The whip's thread was truly exceptional, white and red, both smooth and coarse, and it waved as if it were alive.

  “This whip is weaved from threads of death alone, and a single hit by it can kill a human, or even a wizard.” Mouth said. “You see that light at the end of the whip? It illuminates the journey to the nonexistence. Move from my way, or I'm going to use it…”

  Reluctantly, I stepped aside.

  No magic could stop the death. But I didn't want to give up that easily.

  Mouth approached the egg, his stare completely absorbed by the relic.

  I have to do something! Now!

  I pounced on him with swiftness only a wizard was capable of.

  But he was faster than I expected.

  Much faster…

  He avoided my assault, spread out his arms like a bird and with one, fierce gesture hit me with his whip.

  ~

  Is that why they call death the Grim Reaper?

  The curved line of the whip reaped through the air, heading for my chest. I jumped aside as fast as a snake in an attack, but it was not enough.

  A pain shot through my left calf and heel!

  I was struck by Death itself!

  The pain changed into a weird, pleasant and calm itching, rising slowly up my leg. I sensed a sweet, sticky smell.

  It’s the touch of Death...

  I released a spell to stop it but it was in vain.

  Another blow of the whip tore my shirt on my back.

  Death broke me in my waist and stabbed me between my ribs, missing my heart only by an inch.

  My heart convulsed for a second, before it recovered and began to pound regularly again.

  But the next blow would be the last one…

  I saw Zarhan, the Spirit of the Universe. “Do you want the Egg for yourself, Syrdan?” He asked. “Do you want to be the mightiest wizard under the sun?”

  “No, I don't,” I whispered. “I just want to help humans and wizards...”

  Zarhan's infinitely deep eyes nodded and disappeared.

  I observed a spinning curve of the whip going backwards through the air indifferently. Mouth was preparing for the terminal blow. Less than a second remained to the end of my life.

  Suddenly, the whole life projected before my eyes.

  It was not bad at all…

  ~

  The whip fell to the floor as Mouth's body was pierced through by a long dagger. A stream of blood spurted out between his lips, dying his decorative bone, chin, and chest with red.

  Mouth stared at me, both shocked and frightened. A flock of ravens flashed in his eyes. And then his body dissolved into sand, as it were no more than just a bag of grit.

  A wizard, who delivered the lethal blow that sent Mouth into the nonexistence, was dressed in black and red. He was of my height, though he seemed more robust. His forehead was decorated with a silver headband, holding his long, brown-grey hair at his back. He turned to me, his look sharp as a diamond.

  Immediately, I recalled he was one of Gharib's members.

  “Er'med was his name,” the wizard said. “Once, he was an excellent man, one of the best in history of Elders. By his mouth, wisdom, truth, and compassion were spoken. That's why he was chosen to represent Gharib. But as time went on, his heart became poisoned by pride and feelings of his own importance. An ambition consumed his mind. We failed to realize that for a long time. It's our fault it went this far. The illusion of unlimited power blinded his wits, and lead him to his last betrayal...”

  He spread the sand with the tip of his boot.

  The way he spoke, his face and eyes, everything about him seemed so familiar, though we never met before.

  I gasped.

  Maybe, we did…

  ~

  “Fa
ther?” I asked with a trembling voice, struggling to my feet.

  My left leg seemed better now, the itching retreated. I was not sure whether to thank Zarhan or my magic.

  The wizard shot me a look, and his grim face eased a little.

  “How is it possible you are here? You were sent into the nonexistence!” I continued.

  “The nonexistence will have to miss me for a while,” he replied. “I just followed the light.” He pointed to the whip lying on the floor before crushing it with his heel.

  “Now, Son, give me my pouch you took from Mag'reb.”

  I handed it to him. I had already forgotten I was still bearing it. “Here you are. It's empty, though.”

  He curled his lips in a smile. “You have to know what to look for...” He put his fingers into the pouch and pulled out a tiny grain. He inspected it in the light of the Egg.

  I raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

  “It's a foundation particle of Mag'reb,” Gael replied. “The tower was built upon it.”

  “But it's nothing more than a little stone,” I objected.

  “You are right. But an avalanche also begins with one small flake that forces other snowflakes to fall.”

  “I see. What are you going to do with it?”

  “I will annihilate it.” He reached his hand to the egg.

  “Stop! Don't do it, Father!”

  His brow furrowed. “Why not? You don't want to free the world from Mag'reb's yoke?”

  “Yes, I do. But if you annihilate it now, you will change the future, all the history of Averot'h, in an uncontrolled way.”

  Gael gave it thought while our eyes locked. “You are right, Son,” he acknowledged at last. “Then, it has to be destroyed in your present.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  Gael put the grain back in the pouch, fastened it to the belt of his black trousers, and exhaled deeply. “Now, let's focus on our primary goal,” he said with his gaze fixed on the egg.

  ~