Parlan snatched the hastily scribbled note, and read:
Sire,
If you are reading this, then I know all went well and you are safe. I’m sorry to disobey your command, but I could not wait any longer. Tyler and Bekka must be saved before you attack Aurek. Do not fear for me, I am not alone I have Amber at my side and strange as it must sound, a golden eagle has joined forces with us. If you see an eagle much larger than most of its kind your men must not harm him. It seems to be my destiny that I meet the sorcerer in battle, there is nothing you can do to help me, just try and save your people and remember there is more to me than meets the eye. If I should not survive, please free Amber to return to his own kind and, if you can, send word to my parents in Ikasar, telling them how much I loved them, and how grateful I am for my happy childhood.
Wish me luck,
Nemi
“You’d never think I was the king round here,” he grumbled to himself in irritation. “No one ever listens to a word I say.”
“It seems Sire, that this girl has her own mind and way of doing things,” said Karlos, “I have never before seen anyone play with a fully grown wolf and not get eaten alive. Maybe it was fate that we were delayed in our act of piracy, to give her time to rescue her friends.”
Parlan huffed noisily, before instructing his men to mount up. Although too dark to pick their way down unlit paths and navigate night-black forests safely, they couldn’t afford to waste time by waiting for daylight. He had become very fond of the strange girl and he did not want her name added to the list of those who had already fallen to Aurek’s sword. If she died because he had delayed, the victory over Aurek would be hollow indeed. Having come across the hoof-marks and the wolf’s smaller tracks in the sodden soil, it was simple enough to follow the right direction. They travelled throughout the long night, despite the exhaustion caused by their ordeal at sea all the men wanted to save the remarkable girl, who had shown so much courage in their fight for justice. Parlan crested the high ridge, to be greeted initially by the sight of large white teeth, hostile yellow eyes and an ominous snarl; at about the same time that a furious Aurek discovered the loss of his two prize captives. When Amber’s little joke was over, Parlan was welcomed warmly by Nemeila and Tyler; Bekka was too overawed by his presence to speak. However, several hundred yards distant, below their ridge, the men closest to the wagon where only empty stakes and frayed ropes remained, suffered not a little from Aurek’s wrath. Nemeila detected the anger in Parlan’s eyes, so before he could start on her, she smiled her sweetest, most disarming smile. “I know what you are about to say, sire, but if I had waited, my friends would still be prisoners of that evil man,” she rationalised, “I am only sorry that I couldn’t free your people as well.” Taking a calming breath he forgave her disobedience, knowing the truth of her words, and let the argument pass. His anger had been that of a man wishing to protect a very special girl and a king wanting to protect his subjects, but he let it drop. As Parlan strategically positioned his men ready for the coming attack, Aurek vented his rage on those he held responsible for the captive’s escape. “Where are they?” he hissed, pointing a shaking finger at the empty cart.
“We saw and heard nothing until now, my lord. We were ordered to mount guard facing away from the wagons, to ensure no-one infiltrated the camp.”
“That’s right,” ventured a second man, “no-one said anything about stopping people leaving the camp, although we saw no-one.”
Their stupidity only served to fuel Aurek’s anger. When Aurek raised his bejewelled hands to strike them down with conjury, sparks of gold flashed in the early morning light. Trembling palms held towards the two men, the sorcerer began to mumble inaudibly as he swayed on his feet. “You are nothing more than creeping brainless fools,” Aurek burst out, strings of spittle flying from his lips, “so creep on!”
An azure glow sizzled between his fingers, and as he manoeuvred his hands down, jagged forks of white fire arced from his fingertips. As the spell engulfed the two men, they began to writhe and shriek in fear and agony. Their skin crackled and turned black, they shrivelled within their clothes, their tortured cries fading on the frigid morning air. Suddenly there was silence, with just two bundles of dirty clothing lying on the ground. Aurek kicked the filthy garments aside and two vile clicking cockroaches scuttled out, the early sunlight glinting on their armoured carapaces
“I want them found,” he snarled at the men around him, eyes flashing with barely contained fury. “If you fail me, I will make sure that you swim away from these shores wearing lead lined boots. Do I make myself clear?”
Terrified and astounded by what they had just witnessed, the men hastily gathered up their armoury and began to struggle up the hill.
The first lethal rain of arrows felled twenty-seven of Aurek’s men, but as they fell twice their number moved up to take their place. Parlan’s pitifully inadequate army was forced to fall back, or fall under the swords of the men swarming towards them whose fear of Aurek pushed them on relentlessly.
“I want that king dead,” Aurek barked hysterically up at his men, but take the girl alive. The man who brings me either will receive more gold than he could imagine in his wildest dreams.”
Hopelessly outnumbered, Parlan ordered his men to lay down their bows and prepare for hand to hand combat, fully aware that once the oncoming army crested the rise, his own band would be as good as dead. Several had already fallen, pierced by arrows fired into their midst. Grim-faced and pale with the realisation of the imminent danger they faced, he ordered Tyler: “Take Nemeila and the girl to safety, ride with all haste back to the castle and tell them what has happened here, warn them to prepare for another attack.”
Tyler knew he couldn’t force Nemeila to leave, and as for himself, Parlan was like the brother he’d never had. If they were to die on this god-forsaken ridge, then he could not ask for a better or nobler death than fighting at his friend’s side.
“You are not just my king, you are my dearest friend. We stand or fall together. I will not desert you.” He took up position by Parlan’s side, and shoulder-to-shoulder they waited for the inevitable end to their short lives.
Amber stood fur-bristling and fangs dripping saliva, alongside his mistress. A soft but menacing vibration in his throat, gave warning to all intent on harming her. But even his gallant loyalty and threat of violent death by tooth and claw would not deflect attack from the hundreds of armed men charging their defensive position.
Nemeila stood shivering with fear as the shouts and cries from the men echoed closer. She clenched her left hand into a fist and placed her right hand over the amulet on her arm, willing the stones into life. She had never tried to create a ward large enough to encompass all the men standing with Parlan, but she knew that should she fail, they all would die. It mattered not that Aurek would now feel her presence and know for certain she was there, for deep down she knew that on this day, only one of them would be leaving this spot alive.
Everyone was too centred on the forthcoming battle to take any notice of the shadow as it passed overhead. Creaking leathery wings the size of sails flattened shrubbery and snapped tender saplings as the giant creature swooped to land. Nemeila spun at the sound of whooshing flight and bushes being crushed under a massive weight. Under her feet the ground trembled and quaked as the creature stamped towards her. Its wings were clamped to its sides as its tree-trunk legs marched on; its startlingly green eyes blinked slowly as its reptilian head swivelled from side to side, surveying its surroundings. Plumes of sulphurous smoke belched from its nostrils, filling the air with the stench of Hades. If Nemeila considered the dragon she had rescued big, this one was enormous. For a moment she was speechless, and her pulse quickened, not knowing if it was about to attack her and Parlan. Lowering its reeking nose, still oozing smoke, it sniffed first at Nemeila, then at Amber. Nemi raised a hand and gently stroked the side of its scaly face as the dragon looked directly at her, its specked eyes staring into her
golden brown orbs. “These people here are my friends,” Nemeila said, indicating Parlan and his men. “Do not harm them.”
Satisfied these were not its enemies, it pounded onward towards the ridge. Parlan and his gaping, petrified men moved swiftly aside, allowing the creature free passage. As the lumbering giant reached the edge, Aurek’s men chose that untimely moment to pour over the lip of the hill, their ululating battle cries rending the air, fit to wake the dead. The leading men staggered to a halt, mouths agape in shock and terror - torn between engaging the fearsome creature before them, and facing the beast at their backs, who had commanded them up the hillside. The dragon had no such bewildering decision to make, it yawned hugely and spat a wall of living hell-hot flame at them, before trampling their scorched and sizzling corpses to reach the remaining men at the rear. No one survived the dragon’s infernal breath; the only man left standing was Aurek, safe amongst the wagons at the foot of the hill. Like all commanders who send their men to fight on the front line, whilst remaining out of harms way back at the base. Satisfied, the dragon waddled heavily back to Nemeila’s side, the smell of sulphur and crisped flesh tainting the air. Parlan’s men were all nauseous and shocked into silence, but safe. Nemeila patted the dragon’s vast scaly leg and tilted her head right back on her shoulders, so that she could meet its emerald gaze. “Thank you for our lives,” she called up to its twitching ears. The she-dragon lowered her head in understanding and homage to the human who had saved her precious offspring’s life. The debt having been paid, she padded into the clearing, spread her wings with the sound of a cracking whip, scorched a few trees that were blocking her exit, and took flight, the displacement of air kicking up a dust storm all round them. Back on the ground, the men were cheering, although more than half of Parlan’s army had been wounded, they could be patched up. Parlan draped a grateful arm over Nemeila’s shoulders, bemused by the worried frown on her face, when everyone else was grinning like an idiot.
“What on earth is up with you? Aurek’s army has been defeated, all that remains is for us to go down there and free the people tied to the wagons.”
One word summed up Nemeila’s fears: Aurek.
Ducking away from Parlan’s arm, she joined Goldie where he was perched. She ran her hand over his head and tickled his wing. “Thank you for your help,” she whispered, “without it Tyler and Bekka would not be here.” Just as Amber thought he’d get away without a cuddle this time, she knelt and pulled the worried wolf to her, allowing a tear to wet his coat. “And to you my fine friend, I owe my life. When you return home lead your pack to safety, take care of yourself, stay away from traps, bears and unfriendly dragons.” Then suddenly with watering eyes, Amber wondered if he had succumbed to the hay’s dust floating in the air.
Leaning on Amber, she slowly regained her feet and headed for the brow of the hill. This was just between her and Aurek now - never in her life had she been so afraid.
In a bid to stop her, Tyler roughly grabbed her arm. “The fight is over,” he implored, “Aurek can do us no further harm. Without an army at his back he is nothing.”
Nemeila gazed sadly at the boy beseeching her to stay, and thought what a good and decent person he was. “This is something I must do, alone,” she said trying to calm the nervous tremor in her voice, “he will never go away. There are always men out there who will follow him. It’s not only you and the king who are in danger; this man also threatens my natural mother’s life. Today or in the future, one of us has to die. The responsibility is not yours for whatever happens here. The seeds of my battle with this man were planted before I was even born, and the fruit on the tree is Aurek’s revenge. It’s all he has left now.”
Short of binding her hand and foot, there was nothing either Parlan or Tyler could do to prevent her facing the sorcerer who had virtually brought the country to the brink of war. They watched in horrified silence as the solitary figure disappeared down the hillside to where Aurek awaited her.
Nemeila noticed that even the disfiguring scar across his brow and bisecting his cheek didn’t detract from the cruel handsomeness of the man’s face. Many a silly young maiden eager to win such a prize would have mistaken the brutality and rage burning in his eyes for love. But Nemeila knew him for what he was; a scheming cold-blooded killer with a vicious heart incapable of love, who wanted nothing more than destruction, revenge and death. She knew that should he defeat her, the lives of those she held dear would be forfeit.
He smiled like a hungry tiger as she approached, tempting the young fawn with the pretence of friendship, into its deadly mouth. “We have some unfinished business,” he oozed, his voice dripping like poisoned syrup, “and I like to finish what I start. Before I release you into welcome death, I will rend your body with agony the like of which you cannot imagine, you will beg me to end your life, and I will my precious, once your mother has watched you writhe in torment and shriek like a dying banshee. When you have finally breathed your last, I will turn your friends into vile deformities who will be hunted day and night to rid the land of such monsters, until they too are dead.”
“I am not the weak child you first encountered,” Nemeila tried to keep her voice steady, her words clipped and icy. “I have grown and my powers have grown with me. Standing there so tall and arrogant, you are sure you can defeat me, but if I die it will be through my own stupidity and not your superior knowledge.”
He brought his slowly spiralling fingers up to his face, conjuring a spell to quieten the irritating yapping of the girl trying to stare him down. In a bored and languid movement, he flicked the fizzing spell at her. While he had been bragging about how he would destroy her, she had called upon the stones in her amulet, summoning their power to aid her own, which she now felt radiating through her veins. As the silencing spell struck, she merely felt a tiny vibration before brushing it aside.
“Impressive,” Aurek nodded, not in the least impressed, “but that one was just to make you sit up and take notice. The rest will not be so benevolent.”
The next spell knocked her off her feet and slammed her to the ground, but her own wards had been strong enough to prevent it damaging her. Before she had time to recover her breath and pick herself up, Aurek sent another charm crackling towards her. She raised her left arm to defend herself and the amulet deflected the spell and sent the blue aura winging back towards its creator. His reflexes were only just quick enough to divert his own sorcery, and the mocking grin on his face vanished, to be replaced by a rictus of pure hatred.
“Enough of this, I’m bored with this child’s play,” he sneered, “you are going to die today, no matter what feeble powers your mother gave you.” He reached deep within his black heart and drew upon the vilest part of his knowledge, and then another spitting ball of light shot from his fingers.
Nemeila felt as though she’d been hit by a battering ram, but she continued to battle to stay alive. The wards she created were robust enough to deflect only part of Aurek’s power; the part that ripped through her defences clawed and buffeted her with such a force, she believed herself to be on the verge of death.
Far away on the hilltop, Tyler and Parlan gazed helplessly down in stunned horror as Nemeila slumped to the ground again and again. The men who had fought at Parlan’s side watched open-mouthed in a deathly silence as the blinding flashes of dark magic lit the surrounding countryside with malevolent light.
“Are you with me?” Amber growled to Goldie.
“I’ll be right above you,” Goldie squawked.
The two creatures took off together. The wolf raced, unheeding of brambles, through the undergrowth; the eagle soared skyward. They had come too far with this girl and grown too attached to her to allow her to perish in front of their eyes, whilst making no attempt to save her. If she were to sacrifice herself, here in this desolate landscape, they would make the same sacrifice if necessary to destroy her murderer. As Nemeila shakily stood up once more, Aurek’s fingers clawed the air as he summoned up yet another bo
lt of savage spitting energy. The exhausted girl remembered all that had been rooted in her mind by her mother and Eona while she slept and she dipped deep inside herself for a stronger spell. As Aurek was about to send the charm cannoning towards his mistress, Amber leapt at his back and Goldie tore ferociously at his scalp with his talons. Aurek crumpled to the ground, attempting to ward off the dripping teeth of the wolf, whilst batting away the ripping talons and beak of the vast bird. Despite the battle with the creatures, he saw the glow engulfing Nemeila, and triumphed in belief that his last spell had finally weakened her beyond recovery. With renewed vigour, he crushed Amber’s neck in a vicelike grip, holding him at bay, while avoiding the talons that threatened to pluck out his eyes. “A man of my ability should not be fighting hand to paw and beak against creatures like you,” he snarled at his aggressors, “see how you like this.” As Goldie hovered, ready for a fresh attack, beak gaping in anticipation of a gobbet of flesh, Aurek tossed a bolt of lightning at him. Goldie screeched out in pain as he plummeted to earth his wingtip smouldering where the spell had struck him. Aurek curled his booted foot to his chest, and extended it in a merciless kick, sending Amber sprawling and whimpering in the mud.
The Wolf and the Sorceress Page 28