Wrath of the Dragon Czar: Aegis of Merlin Book 5

by James E. Wisher

  “Wolf,” Prime said.

  Conryu ignored him and flew at full speed back to where he left the masked wizard. Two puddles of mud and a few footprints marked the spot where he’d left her. He very badly wanted to punch something. Instead he took slow, deep breaths.

  Prime flew down for a closer look. “I’d say she used water magic to soften the stone. Not a bad idea since Dispel wouldn’t work on it.”

  “Please don’t compliment the enemy. I was sure we’d get something useful out of her. Damn it! We’re no better off now than we were.”

  “You did save the vampires, the soldiers, and ended a war,” Prime said. “That’s not so bad.”

  “I meant with the Society. You’re right, of course. I’m glad we kept the deaths to a minimum.”

  “Are we going to return home now?” Prime floated at his shoulder so they were eye to eye.

  “No, not just yet. I want to try something.”

  “I’m not sure this is a good idea, Master.”

  “Since when has that ever stopped me?”

  10

  Fallen Empire

  There was nothing more to be found at the site of Lady Wolf’s escape so, after taking a moment to recover her mask, he returned to the enemy camp. The vampires kept a close eye on the disarming soldiers. From a few of their expressions it looked like they’d rather be chewing on their necks, but so far everyone had respected Talon’s decision.

  “Conryu!” Anya ran up and hugged him. She’d made the trip from their hiding place with her mother.

  He gave her a pat on the back. “I think we can assume you’re safe from the czar.”

  She glanced over at the body and shuddered. “Is it bad that I’m relieved he’s dead?”

  “I don’t think so, not considering what he put you through. Where’s your mom?”

  “Off with the others. What are we going to do now?”

  “I’m going to have a look at those unconscious witches. I want to see if I can wake them up.”

  Anya moved away from him and frowned. “Why would you want to wake those horrid women? Better to let them die in their sleep, at least then they won’t be able to do any more harm.”

  “It wasn’t their fault.”

  Conryu crouched down beside the woman that had been operating the crystal. Speaking of which… A quick look around revealed the orb sitting in the dirt about ten feet away. He snatched it up and slipped it into the pocket of his robe. Wouldn’t want the wrong person picking that up.

  He put a hand over the witch’s head. “Reveal.”

  The glow of light magic surrounded her. No visible injuries. Maybe Prime was right and it really was a backlash from the czar’s death.

  “Here goes nothing. The gentle light of Heaven washes away all wounds, Touch of the Goddess.” He tapped her forehead and the healing energy surged into her.

  The woman gasped and sat up. “No. Please. I don’t want to. Majesty, I beg yo—”

  She fell silent and looked around the dim camp. Her gaze settled on Conryu.

  He smiled. “Hi. Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”

  She shook her head. “Where am I and how did I get here?” Her English had a worse accent than Anya’s, but he could still understand her.

  “That’s a long story. Why don’t you tell me the last thing you remember and I’ll try to fill in the gaps?”

  “I was in the palace with the czar. He said I was to become a White Witch. I didn’t really want to, but he wasn’t asking my opinion. He grabbed my face, forced my mouth open, and cut his finger. That’s the last thing I remember before you woke me.”

  “What year was that?” Conryu asked.

  “1490 A.E. Why, what year is this?”

  “1501. For the last eleven years you’ve been a White Witch in the service of the czar. When he died it appears everything that happened during that period was wiped away.”

  She didn’t immediately faint, which he took as a good sign. She did sort of gape and stare off into space. Off to one side Conryu spotted Talon watching and given the vampire’s enhanced senses probably listening as well.

  Conryu went over to him. “You heard?”

  He nodded. “Remarkable, if she’s telling the truth. Shall we find out?”

  Talon moved so smoothly he might have been floating on air. He paused beside Anya and the witch looked up at him. The moment their eyes met her expression went slack. They stayed that way for half a minute before Talon withdrew.

  “Well?”

  “She’s not lying. There’s a huge gap in her memories that has been snipped out. I never imagined such an incredible reaction to Roman’s death.”

  “Yeah, me neither. How many White Witches are there in the Empire?”

  “I have no idea. Hundreds I’d guess. Why?”

  “Right now they’re all lying as helpless as she was. We’ve got to get them out of there.”

  “We? They’re not my people. I owe them nothing. Let the former witches rely on the kindness of their victims.”

  “You’re missing the point.” Conryu’s frustration grew as he talked. He knew Talon wasn’t stupid therefore he was being intentionally difficult. “They were every bit as much victims of the czar as the poor bastards they oppressed. Hell, if things had worked out differently Anya might have been one of the women in need of saving.”

  They both looked to where Anya was talking quietly with the still-dazed woman. They’d tried to enslave her, but she seemed to hold no grudge against the amnesiac witch.

  “You said you owed me a debt you could never repay. Now’s your chance to make a down payment. Help me save as many of them as I can.”

  “What did you have in mind?” Talon didn’t dismiss the idea out of hand which was a good start.

  “I need to know where I can find the bulk of the witches and I need some of your people to help move them through Hell, preferably tonight, before anyone realizes what’s happened.”

  “I fear when witches and dragon-blood warriors start dropping like marionettes with their strings cut, people will notice. Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll ask for volunteers, but I won’t order anyone to help. It’s their choice.”

  “Fair enough, but can I have your assurance that if I bring them here they’ll be safe?”

  “You have it. We are not given to attacking helpless women.”

  “No, just to leaving them to die where they lie.” Conryu bowed. “Excuse me, I have preparations to make.”

  He stalked off, leaving Talon staring at his back. Let him stare. Conryu didn’t care. He needed help, but the vampire lord didn’t seem inclined to provide it. Well, to hell with him. He had resources of his own, hopefully enough to get the job done.

  “Was that wise, Master?” Prime asked.

  “Probably not. I was thinking of opening a Hell portal here and leaving it open, then making a new one when we arrive wherever the witches are. Maybe I can load them on Cerberus and have Anya take them off.”

  That wasn’t going to work. Anya didn’t have the muscle to unload a hundred plus unconscious women by herself and he might need Kai to help him deal with any dangers on his end.

  Damn it! He needed at least one more person, preferably two.

  “There’s another matter to consider, Master,” Prime said. “You haven’t slept in a day and a half and the only thing you’ve eaten is a roasted rabbit. And don’t get me started on the number of spells you’ve cast. You’re running on fumes.”

  “I know, believe me I know, but if I don’t do this a lot of people will die. I’m almost hoping someone tries to stop us so I can get an energy boost from them.”

  “Didn’t I warn you about that, Master? You’ve already used Reaper’s Grasp once, using it again in such a short period isn’t a good idea.”

  “Conryu?” Sasha appeared a little ways away sparing him from having to continue his argument with Prime. Just as well since it wasn’t one he could win.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Talon
told us what you’re planning. I studied the locations of all the Dragon Temples, that’s what they call the barracks where the witches live, during my time with the resistance. I’d be happy to guide you to them.”

  “Thank you. That would be a huge help. Just out of curiosity, why are you offering to help the witches?”

  Sasha let out a long sigh, probably a leftover habit from when she still breathed, and looked back at Anya. “I heard what you said to Talon, about how if things had turned out differently it might have been Anya lying unconscious somewhere, in need of help. It’s so easy to think of them as monsters, an enemy that needs to be killed. That’s how the resistance always thought of them, but they’re also someone’s daughter. Every one of those poor women has a mother that misses them. That’s reason enough for me.”

  Conryu grinned, leaned in, and kissed her cheek. “I see where Anya gets her big heart.”

  Talon formed beside them. “None of the others are willing to help. I guess it’s just the three of us.”

  Conryu cocked his head. “Three? You’re volunteering?”

  Talon nodded. “Your determination has moved me. What’s the plan? We only have five hours before sunrise.”

  “Reveal the way through infinite darkness. Open the path. Hell Portal!” The black disk appeared and Conryu led Sasha and Talon through. Lucky for him they didn’t require any protection from the dark magic permeating the realm.

  Once they were through, he continued to maintain the portal. Focusing his will, Conryu called out, “Dark Lady.”

  While he waited for his agent to show up, Cerberus came trotting up to the group. All three heads sniffed Talon, who didn’t bat a glowing eye, and Sasha, who flinched but didn’t complain. Seeming satisfied with what he found, Cerberus ignored them and came over to Conryu.

  “Seriously? You snarl at Kai, but not so much as a bark for two vampires?”

  Cerberus panted, unconcerned by Conryu’s teasing. He rested his head against the demon dog’s massive chest and accepted the power that flowed into him. He’d counted on that boost to get him through the night.

  Through their link he sensed the Dark Lady approaching. Conryu gave Cerberus a thank you pat and floated around him.

  He spotted a point of light in the distance. That was her. It would only take a minute or two for her to reach them.

  Talon joined him beside Cerberus. “Friend of yours?”

  “My guardian demon. Cerberus has saved my life more than once, haven’t you, boy?”

  Cerberus gave his happy bark, but kept an eye on the approaching Dark Lady. He’d assumed the two demons had worked out their mistrust, but perhaps not.

  “I haven’t traveled through Hell in centuries,” Talon said. “I can see the borderlands haven’t gotten any more interesting.”

  “Nope, and that’s fine with me. Interesting, in my Infernal experience, consists of some demon trying to rend me to bits.”

  The Dark Lady stopped with a lash of her wings. She looked every bit as beautiful as he remembered with her barely there black dress hugging every curve.

  “You look terrible, Master. You haven’t been resting enough.”

  “Thank you,” Prime said. “I’ve been trying to tell him that, but he refuses to listen. Too busy trying to save everyone.”

  “Enough,” Conryu said. “You can both nag me later. Right now we’ve got work to do. Can you maintain this portal for me?”

  The Dark Lady studied it for a moment. “Certainly, you’ve done all the hard work, I just need to provide a flow of dark magic. How long do you need it open for?”

  “However long it takes me to rescue over a hundred unconscious women and ferry them through.”

  “That’s rather vague.” She smiled her wicked smile. “Very well, but it’ll cost you a kiss.”

  “If we get through the night in one piece, you can have two.”

  The Dark Lady swirled her hand around until black flames burst to life. “I have it.”

  Conryu released the spell and felt better at once. “Okay. Sasha, focus on the nearest temple.”

  Conryu put a hand on her shoulder and another on Cerberus’s flank. A couple seconds later Cerberus gave a bark.

  “Got it, boy?”

  Another bark. Good.

  “Everybody get on. It’s time to hunt.” Sasha and Talon settled on Cerberus’s back behind him and they were off.

  It seemed almost no time had passed before Cerberus pulled up. Conryu flew down and opened a viewing portal. On the other side a large white stone building decorated with dragon statues came into view.

  He eased closer. No one outside, that was a relief. A set of glass doors led to the interior. He took a step and the view shifted to the inside.

  A woman in white lay on the floor, still but breathing. With small movements Conryu scouted the rest of the building. Thankfully no one was up at this time of the night. By the time he finished he’d located nine unconscious witches.

  He opened a portal in the lobby and the three of them stepped out. Talon scooped up the unconscious woman and took her back through. It was a risk, sending them back with no protection, but no way could Conryu cast as many Cloak of Darkness spells as he’d need to protect everyone.

  While Talon made the first trip, he and Sasha went upstairs. Room by room they collected the witches and ferried them down to the portal. It hadn’t taken more than half an hour to clear the building. At this rate they might just finish their mission before morning.

  They repeated the process at twelve more temples, rescuing ninety-six witches altogether and meeting no resistance. A throbbing backlash headache built behind Conryu’s eyes and it took all his focus to keep from trembling. Even with the energy Cerberus shared with him, he’d nearly reached his limit.

  “There’s one more place we should check,” Sasha said.

  Conryu groaned but moved away from Cerberus, “Where?”

  “The palace. That place was always crawling with witches.”

  Probably guards, generals, and lots of other people he didn’t want to run into as well, but in for a penny in for a pound.

  To call the Imperial Palace huge would be doing it a grave disservice. It made the Kincade Mansion look like a cottage. It would take forever to search it, especially since someone had placed wards that kept him from opening a portal inside. Instead, he traveled around the perimeter and found a servant’s entrance well away from the front door.

  Opening what he hoped would be his last portal for a while, Conryu stepped through with Sasha. He tried the door and found it unlocked. No great surprise. Who’d be stupid enough to break into the Imperial Palace?

  Beyond the entrance, a long, door-lined hall ran as far as he could see. Everything was painted white with gold accents. He pushed open the first door they reached and soft snoring emerged. He looked inside and found rows of bunk beds barely visible in the dark, servants’ quarters most likely.

  “Any idea where we should start?” Conryu asked.

  “The resistance had a man on the inside, but if he ever sent a floor plan I didn’t see it.”

  “Swell. Prime, can you sense anyone nearby? Maybe we could get some directions.”

  Sasha choked on a laugh. “Are you planning to just ask?”

  “No, I thought you could do it. You’re a vampire right? Can’t you read their minds?”

  “Not yet, I’m new to all this.”

  He clenched his jaw against the scream of frustration building in the back of his throat.

  “Master, there are many humans clustered together at several points throughout the building. It’s impossible for me to say which ones are the witches.”

  “Of course it is. Let’s try the middle. That’s where the important people usually sleep, right?”

  When no one argued, Conryu led the way down the hall past door after door until it widened out into some sort of ball room. A woman in white with brown hair sprawled on the parquet floor. His first witch. Of even more interest to Conryu wa
s a table against the wall with covered trays of cookies on it.

  Sasha must have noticed. “I’ll carry her back to Talon. You have a snack.”

  She picked up the unconscious witch and a long slender piece of wood lined with crystals fell out of the folds of her robe. It looked like a testing device. Conryu pocketed it and turned his attention to the food. As Sasha disappeared down the hall with the unconscious witch, he sat beside the tray and picked up a cookie. It wasn’t one he’d had before, but it smelled like molasses and at this point he’d have eaten anything not totally covered in mold.

  After his third cookie Prime said, “Master, someone’s coming.”

  He didn’t even have time to stand up before two men in white uniforms carrying machine guns entered the room.

  The barrels went up.

  A black sword appeared out of nowhere and sliced the weapons in half. Kai fully emerged from the border of Hell to strike one in the temple with the hilt of her sword and kick the second between the legs. They both collapsed and she silenced the softly moaning man with a second kick to the head. She didn’t kill either of them which he appreciated.

  Kai sheathed her sword and approached. “Are you well, Chosen?”

  “Thanks to you. How did you get in? I couldn’t open a portal in the palace.”

  “I walked in and once inside, the wards didn’t seem to prevent me from entering the borderlands.”

  “Perfect. I’ve got a job for you. Scout around and find all the witches so we can collect them without searching every corner of this place on foot. We’ll wait here for you.”

  “I would not leave you unguarded.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t be caught off guard again. Hurry now, we don’t have long before dawn.”

  Kai bowed and disappeared.

  “Who was that?” He hadn’t noticed Sasha’s return.

  “That was Kai. She’s my death-worshipping ninja bodyguard. And yes, I know how crazy that sounds, but it sort of encapsulates my life for the past year and change.”

  Kai emerged from the borderlands a little while later and said, “I’ve searched the palace and located twenty-three witches, all unconscious. None of them are under guard at the moment, but there are roving patrols. I’ve taken out three of them between us and the bulk of the witches. Follow me.”