Sin of Mages_An Epic Fantasy Series

by A. J. Martinez

  Then Eckxio woke up from a short nap and yawned loudly, digging his knuckles in his eyes. He went up to her with a trail of kisses, from her chest to her lips, and met her eyes.

  “Are you happy now?” he asked.

  “Very,” she answered and giggled.

  A monstrous roar echoed in the forest, waking them from paradise. They rose, holding each other, and surveyed their surroundings, nude in the hammock leaf.

  “What was that?” Willow asked agape and heard every beat of her heart as goosebumps trailed up her skin.

  “I don’t know, but I am not waiting until it finds us.” Eckxio quickly jumped to the other hammock leaf and donned his armor. He readied his Tharos sword and shield, standing on the large leaf, scanning his surroundings. The trudging of a creature seemed to shake the earth and roars became louder, getting closer. It sounded like many were approaching.

  “Could it be…fiends?” Eckxio asked the unknown.

  Willow donned her clothes and drew her Dragontooth. Cracking sounds of branches echoed. As the roars and growls of the unknown creatures approached, the sound of falling trees rustled through the forest. A school of birds flew over Willow’s head.

  “They are running away from something,” she said. Then a group of four-armed apes jumped from tree to tree and passed by them. Schools of birds continued to fly by, and families of animals below ran away from the terror.

  “Willow, look,” Eckxio alerted. His Tharos sword was glowing white. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

  “Darkness is approaching. Fiends!…fiends attacking the forest too,” Willow said, seething with anger. “First, Mouah Cross and now the forest. The animals will be in danger.”

  Finally, she saw them. Between two kapok trees, a giant black creature stomped through. It had to be thirty feet tall. Its egg-shaped head glinted in the sunlight. It had no eyes, only slits for nostrils and an underbite with a long oily tongue licking its chops. Its body was shaped like a human with boils, warts, and it was burly, wielding a tremendous jagged club. Two of these terrors stomped through the forest, knocking down trees with their massive clubs. Below them marched more fiends carrying bizarre rocks in their mouths. Canines and scrawny human-like creatures with sharp, long arms like mantis.

  “Mythium,” Eckxio whispered.

  “Myth…what?” Willow misheard.

  “They are carrying mythium. I didn’t think it could be found in this forest. I have been searching for it. I wonder what they are planning to do with it.”

  “I don’t care. I am going to kill them all,” Willow rasped.

  “No! Get down. Don’t be foolish,” Eckxio said.

  Willow looked ready to battle. Then, one of the giant fiends paused and turned its head. Eckxio and Willow hid inside the hammock leaves. For a moment, nothing was heard, only the sniffing sound of the giant. After a few seconds, the giants continued to stomp through the forest. Eckxio and Willow rose from the leaves and watched as the fiends walked away with mythium. Then, a family of deers ran by the fiends. One of the giants snatched a baby deer from its mother. Willow’s eyes filled with terror as she watched the fiend bite the baby deer and pulled its flesh with its teeth, tearing off a leg.

  At that moment, Willow was enraged. Visions of the Greamos dying flashed in her mind. She hopped on the hammock leaf, putting her whole weight on it. Then, the leaf propelled her and she jumped high into the canopy. She aimed for the giant fiend, descending upon it with her Dragontooth. The fiend spotted Willow in the air and raised its jagged club. Before it could strike her, Willow fell on the face of the fiend and split its head. She stood on the shoulder of the giant and swung her sword horizontally, decapitating the monster. The giant began to fall after losing its head. As it fell, using the beak of her sword, Willow slid down the back of the fiend, leaving a long gash on the monster. Its body thudded on the ground and turned to ashes.

  Willow landed in a circle of canines. The creatures dropped the pieces of mythium they held in their mouths and growled at Willow.

  “Come at me! Bunch of mindless dogs. I will send you back to the darkness from which you came,” Willow rasped. She would fight without Eckxio. In battle, she wished for no one to help her. In battle, she was the wild girl raised in the forest. An animal, a berserker, a blood thirsty beast.

  “Terraibos beastia!” she yelled. Her roar boomed and echoed, intimidating the canines surrounding her. Her body released steam as it began to change. A tail extended from the back of her neck within her hair. Claws sprouted from her fingers, sharp teeth peaked from her upper lip, and a horn grew on her forehead. Tiger lines ran over her back, arms, and legs. She no longer stood as a human, but as an animal. Her spell transformed her into a fierce feline creature of the forest. Her eyes were a black pearl in a yellow ring. Her glower was intimidating. The fiends stepped away from her. Last time they did not hesitate to attack her, but now, they feared her.

  “My form is not very pretty, but it’s all I need to destroy you all,” Willow rasped and dashed through a pack of fiends. With a swing of her Dragontooth, she took down three canines. Three more pounced at her. Black creatures with no eyes and their backs filled with spikes like daggers. Willow was faster. Her new form made her agile and gave her strength. She caught one canine fiend with the beak of her sword and swung the creature towards another group of fiends. There were hundreds of them. It was like she was back in Mouah Cross fighting the invasion, once more, but this time, she was stronger.

  She clashed blades with fiends that had arms like mantis, the size of men. They were as fast as her, but Willow was stronger. Whenever she swung her sword, two fiends died.

  Two giants approached. Willow saw them trudging towards her with those enormous jagged clubs that cast shadows as great as oak trees.

  “Monsters of the dark realm!” she yelled. “You don’t belong in the forest. Return to the abyss.”

  She plunged her sword into the ground and yelled the ancient words of her spell, “Naturass alboss!”

  Enormous roots grew from the ground. Eight long roots circled her, growing and forming a protective cage. The giant fiends tried to smash her cage, but only the spikes of their clubs went through her defense. They continued to attack her cage of roots, their clubs thudding with every hit. No fiend could get through her defense.

  “Naturass nashazt!” she yelled, pressing more maju into her spell. This time, great vines with thorns rose from the ground, plants in a hurry to grow. They were as thick as tree trunks. Five great thorns defended her and broke through her cage. The great vines shot thorns like arrows from a bow. Hundreds of fiends died with a three-foot spike and turned to ashes.

  A giant fiend tried to stomp on Willow, but she used her thorns and wrapped them around its legs. Her great vine of thorns pierced through the giant’s chest. Willow’s lethal plants grew, coiling through the fiend’s body, piercing holes continuously. The giant gave one last growl before it died and became ashes.

  The second giant struck. Willow controlled her great vines and lashed the fiend. The vines wrapped around the fiend’s body and constricted it. All five of her vines coiled and plunged holes through the giant. The creature let go of its jagged club, fell, and turned to ashes.

  “Now that the big ones are out of the way, let’s finish the rest,” Willow said.

  Suddenly, more fiends started to appear. It was as if they were multiplying. They came from above the kapok trees, and some emerged from the ground like moles. More canines emerged and mantis fiends, the size of men. Some had animal blood dripping from their maws, and some had deer legs hanging from their mouths and feathers of birds they had eaten.

  “They are eating the animals of the forest. Good Terramus, I can’t let this happen.”

  “That is why I am here.” Eckxio’s voice chimed in from behind her. She spun around and saw him cleaving a canine fiend in half.

  “I don’t need your help,” Willow rasped in her berserker form.

  “Last time you fough
t these things, you came to Akielas barely able to stand. Do you think I will let you fight alone again?” Eckxio replied.

  Five fiends jumped to attack. With a swing of his sword, a flashing white light destroyed the fiends. Eckxio’s Tharos sword glowed like a white lantern.

  “Tharos spirit, shine my blade,” he chanted and raised his sword skyward. As the monsters ran to attack them, the light of the Tharos sword became a beacon and illuminated the forest with an angelic light. It was like stepping into the realm of light, and hearing the humming of the divine dragon god.

  All fiends turned to ashes by the illumination of the Tharos sword. A holy light that seemed to purify the forest of darkness.

  Willow gazed at Eckxio, and smiled, fangs peaking from her lips, as he held the sword skyward. He was soft, yet powerful, brave and courageous. She melted whenever she saw him so mighty. She almost did not notice her berserker form fading as she stared at her beloved vanishing darkness. He was smooth and focused. Willow was wild and aggressive. Opposites that were drawn to each other.

  When the Tharos sword ceased its light, the forest area was cleared of fiends. Willow surveyed the area and saw mythium scattered all over. She turned to Eckxio, expecting him to have an answer.

  “Mythium,” he said, lowly. “What were these creatures doing with mythium? That masked woman, Ember, is behind this, for sure.”

  “What took you so long?” Willow asked and pounded his arm.

  “I didn’t know how to get down from that umbrella tree, and then I got caught by live strangler figs and some other plants. You should know.” Eckxio then looked at Willow with a frown. “My dear, I have to go back to Evee Iris. If these fiends are searching for more mythium, then they are surely to find the Elfin village. My father collects these rare metals.”

  “I understand. I won’t hold you back, anymore,” Willow said with a sweet voice. She grabbed his face and kissed him ever so deeply before he left.

  Eckxio removed a necklace that hung inside his armor. It was a pendant made of rose quartz and jade. “Take this. It has my maju. If anything happens to me, it will let you know.”

  “Oh, it’s a soul pendant. That is…so beautiful…but how will you find me?” Willow asked, tenderly.

  “Like I said, it has my maju. It will tell me where you are. Farewell, my love.” He kissed her one last time and ran back to the pentacle portal by the waterfall.

  As she saw him running back to the pentacle portal, she already missed him and wanted his flesh, once more. Her vision haunted her and made her apprehensive. Willow faced away from Eckxio and switched her focus.

  “To Mouah Cross,” she told herself and raced through the Ougrian forest.

  Akielas

  The pentacle rose as a blue cylinder around Akielas and Auron. The sanctum disappeared before their eyes, and walls of blue light surrounded them. It was like waves from the ocean reigning over them. Akielas’s body felt nauseous whenever he teleported. Auron felt the same. The magic of the pentacle traveled at an unspeakable speed, and they could feel it like wind rushing through their bodies. Then, all that was blue switched to a blinding white, and with a flash, they teleported to their destination.

  Akielas’s became dizzy but quickly recovered. As the world spun, he staggered and found himself almost falling off the edge of a cliff. He gained balance and when he looked down the plateau, he saw his destination. Oba Oasis. The capital city of the Zolan country, where King Mahamuth resided.

  The sun blazed his skin, and a warm breeze wafted sweet aroma of delicious food from the city below. The town was only about a mile away. Auron clutched Akielas’s shoulder. Akielas looked back, and when he saw his son, Auron’s face was already red from the sun.

  “Where in Odealeous are we?” Auron asked, blocking the sun with his forearm.

  “I told you we were going to the Zolan country.” Akielas pointed at the city below. “And that is Oba Oasis, where the king lives. I am sure Ganicus should be there by now.”

  “Akielas. It is hotter than the summers of Burnahdujf. You know I don’t like the heat,” Auron complained. Behind them seemed like an endless desert, and below the plateau was a city of stone, cement, marble pillars, and palm trees. Auron stared at the desert, and could not believe that such an environment existed.

  “An endless ocean of sand,” he whispered in awe.

  “Yes,” Akielas said, “Zolan has many deserts. This country does not have four seasons like Burnahdujf; it is hot year-round.”

  “How can anyone survive this temperature, and in an endless ocean of sand with no water in sight?” Auron asked, gazing at the desert. The sun was hours away from setting in the horizon. It was a beautiful sight, yet Auron knew he would never dare enter such dry a habitat.

  “Terramus, save me from ever walking into such a hopeless environment,” Auron prayed.

  Akielas could only laugh at how new Auron was to the deserts. “Only those that live in this country know how to survive in the desert, Auron. Now, let’s go. We must see his majesty, King Mahamuth.”

  Akielas went down the cliff, following a trail of boulders. Auron followed as he looked at a cluster of bulb shape cactus fruiting white berries. He was surprised to see that any type of plant could grow in the desert.

  It had been two years since Akielas visited Zolan. Last time he visited the king, he was in search of the Golden Sun after reading about it in a scroll from the libraries of Ironside. When he thought of his last visit, he realized how much like his apprentices he was. Obsessed with hunting rare treasures.

  “So this is where that Ganicus prince lives,” Auron said, going down a slope.

  Akielas jumped down from rock to rock. He had purposely marked the cliff with his pentacle to teleport near the city.

  “Yes. In the crystal ball, we saw him losing to one of my masked apprentices. Hertha had destroyed a nearby village. Knowing Ganicus, the first thing he would do is run back to his father.”

  “I can imagine,” Auron said. “That boy’s magic is still green.”

  “Green but strong. Reminds me of a young redhead who would not listen to me,” Akielas teased.

  “As if youth knows any better,” Auron laughed.

  Akielas used an earth spell to control a boulder. “Terras rematos,” he whispered. He stood on the boulder, and using his maju, he forced it to descend. Auron used the same spell, and followed his master. When they reached the bottom, they used the boulders for sand surfing. Earth was their innate element, and their strongest magic.

  They surfed through the sands until they reached the gates of the city, and left the boulders behind. The wall of the city was nearly one hundred feet high. The dome towers of the king’s palace could be seen even from the gate. Rows of palms trees decorated the outside of the city. The top of the wall had battlements, and archers stared down at them with bows and arrows.

  Guards ran towards them with long sabres. They wore turbans, and scarves to protect from the sun. A scorpion was embossed on their chest plate as a symbol of their rank. Ten guards halted Akielas, and Auron. The one in front wore a mirthless silver mask.

  “Identify your selves! No magic is allowed in the capital city,” said the masked guard.

  “We come in peace.” Akielas stepped forward. “I am here to see his majesty, King Mahamuth. I am an old friend of his. My name is Akielas Neous”

  “You must be a foreigner.” The guard’s voice echoed inside his mask. “If you have been permitted to speak with the king, then show me his brand.”

  Akielas raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Brand?” he repeated. “Last time I came here, I needed no brand.”

  “Things have changed for the safety of the city, foreigner,” the guard replied. “It is best that you leave and return to your country. No redhead or pale face from other lands will enter the capital without the king’s brand.”

  Akielas and Auron stared at each other.

  “Your move,” Auron said.

  Akielas nodded then faced th
e masked guard.

  Suddenly, they heard a shriek echoing in the sky. They all turned their attention towards the creature that flew above; the sun irritated their eyes. Akielas thought it was a vulture, at first, but looking at its massive size, it could also be an Eedahlan. It had to be fifty feet long. At that moment, he knew who was approaching.

  The black bird descended with a gust of warm wind. It had a long bumpy beak with a naked face, and horns that twisted inwards. Its neck had no feathers, only rough red skin. It tore the stone pathway of the city with its talons, and craned its neck down for the prince. As soon as the guards saw Ganicus, they formed a phalanx, and the masked guard remained in the front.

  The black horned bird thudded its wings, gusting wind, and billowing sand as it ascended. It gave one last shriek, and as it flew into the sun, it shattered into golden dust, disappearing with a flashing white light, returning to the limbo.

  Ganicus paced towards the gate. He walked hunched as if he carried a great burden.

  “Keep walking like that, and it will become permanent,” Akielas said.

  Ganicus looked up, and when he recognized Akielas, he ran with joy towards him.

  “Golden wings of Majithus. Master Akielas!” Ganicus gave Akielas a tight hug, and lifted him with excitement.

  “You have grown so much in the past two or so years,” Akielas complemented. “Dreadlocks. A great look for you.” Akielas trained Ganicus in aeromancy and terramancy on his last visit. He helped the boy master his maju, and connect with the elements. Ever since then, Ganicus grew fond of Akielas, and saw him as a role model. King Mahamuth also enjoyed the company of the graceful hermit. Akielas befriended them in his search for the Golden Sun two years ago. The king told him that the Mahamuth dynasty no longer possessed the relic. Akielas gave up his search, and continued his hunt for other treasures.