As sand billowed through the chamber, Timmy sent his three remaining zombies at Merton. If they managed to capture the man, so much the better, but he needed to know the limits of what Merton could do with his magic. Hidden in the sand, Timmy put as much focus and energy into guiding his zombies as he could spare to help them avoid the portals. His zombies moved like lightning, dodging back and forth, their movements aided by the fact that Timmy was able to sense the trajectory of the portals through the sand they teleported while shooting through the sandstorm. Merton summoned even more portals, but even as the zombies continued to dodge and work their way closer, the number of portals never rose above thirty-two. It had to be his limit: thirty-two active portals. At least, Timmy hoped it was Merton’s limit. If it wasn’t, then he was in big trouble.
Those portals weren’t only aimed at Timmy’s zombies. They were aimed at Timmy too. Somehow, Merton had managed to locate him through all of the sand. Timmy dove to the ground to avoid one portal and then leapt to dodge another. He couldn’t see the portals very well – they were coming in too fast – but his sand let him know what paths they were taking. As the next portal streaked toward him, he drew his anti-magic shovel and lashed out at the edge of it before returning his anti-magic shovel to its holster on his back. He smiled. The anti-magic shovel was completely intact. The portal had not been able to teleport it. It was possible that Merton could make a portal strong enough to overcome the protective runes and seals on the shovel, but his usual portal had not been strong enough.
It wasn’t much, but it was something Timmy could work with.
As the sandstorm continued to rage through the chamber, the portals finally hit home and teleported the last of Timmy’s zombies away. He drew some pebbles out of his pocket and launched them at Merton one after the other. The Lord of Magic didn’t bother to move. Instead, he used a single portal to deal with all of the pebbles.
“Is that all you have, necromancer? I haven’t moved even a single step since we began. Surrender and perhaps the emperor will show you mercy. Men with your talents are always useful to have around, especially when war is near.”
Timmy didn’t reply. Whatever method Merton was using to locate him, it wasn’t exact. Not all of the portals aimed at him had gotten close, and he wasn’t about to give his position away by speaking. Instead, he fired three pebbles – the last of his pebbles – along the exact same trajectory, but with a reasonable gap between them. The portals Merton had used so far had only lasted a short time after teleporting anything larger than Timmy’s sand. If that was the case…
This time Timmy heard a muffled curse and the sound of boots scraping across the floor. But the second pebble – the one he had thought would hit – had not landed. Somehow, it had gone right through Merton instead of being teleported, at least that was how it had felt to Timmy’s magic. Intangibility? Possibly, but it was only temporary. Merton had dodged the third pebble.
“Clever,” Merton spat. “But are you out of pebbles? You might have been able to hit me just now if you’d thrown a few more. Of course, now that I know what you’re up to, I can simply use more of my magic to defend myself.”
Timmy smirked. He knew what to do now. He let the sand recede and put a vicious glare on his face. It was best to keep up appearances, to let Merton think he was winning. “You’re good, but I know how to beat you now.” He fell into a rough stance with his shovel. “All I have to do is close the gap, and you lose. You can only summon thirty-two portals at a time, and you can’t see through my sand. If I attack while my sand hides my presence, you’re finished.”
“You arrogant fool!” Merton thundered. Timmy bit back a smirk. It seemed like he had touched a nerve. Good. The angrier Merton got, the less clearly he would think. “I’m impressed that you managed to learn so much about my magic so quickly, but it won’t help you. I might not be able to see through your sand, but I know you felt my secondary magic when you threw those pebbles at me. Even if you get close enough to hit me, my intangibility will ensure that your blows do no damage whatsoever. And if you commit to an attack at close range, there’s no way you’ll be able to dodge my portals.”
Timmy did his best to maintain his glare. So many powerful mages had a tendency to talk far too much when they fought. There was nothing wrong with talking if it served a purpose. When he talked, it was usually to buy time or to wheedle information out of his opponents. In comparison, he always did his best to hide or confuse people about his own abilities. He didn’t have the luxury of having ridiculously overpowered magic like Vicky. He put on his most determined expression. “We’ll see about that. Here I come!”
Timmy somehow managed not to cringe at that last line. Was he laying it on too thick? Maybe he was, but Merton only seemed to get more enthusiastic. The other man must have liked crushing people’s spirits when he fought. Timmy waved his shovel again, and the sand rose once more, swirling around the chamber. Portals immediately began to rain down on him. They could only travel in straight lines from what he’d seen, so he dodged as best he could, careful not to step where a portal had hit the floor. It would most likely result in him getting teleported away. It was at times like this that he was almost grateful for his master’s brutal training regime. To improve Timmy’s ability to dodge, his master had thrown knives and other projectiles at him whenever the opportunity had arisen. He’d even gotten a zombie hydra to spit acid at him, so Timmy would have no choice but to get even better at dodging.
As the onslaught continued, Timmy reached into his pocket for Rubens. It was time for the rat to do his thing. With a burst of effort, Timmy twisted away from a pair of portals and rolled to one side. He drew his anti-magic shovel, which left him with a shovel in either hand. He really, really hoped this worked. Otherwise, this fight was going to get very, very ugly for him. He flung both of his shovels at Merton, the normal one first and the anti-magic one second.
“The same trick?” Merton laughed contemptuously. “Using your shovels won’t make any difference. I’m ready this –”
Merton never finished his sentence because although the first portal teleported away Timmy’s normal shovel, his anti-magic shovel sliced right through the second and third portals. It was to Merton’s credit that he had the skill and speed to turn intangible almost immediately, but he must have been worried that even his intangibility wouldn’t work on the anti-magic shovel. The Lord of Magic flinched away, and the anti-magic shovel flew past him and buried itself in the far wall of the chamber as Merton became tangible again. The sand raging through the room fell to the ground as Timmy’s magic slipped out of his control. He still had one shovel on his back, and he reached for it. This shovel wouldn’t be nearly as good as his usual one – it was the one he’d designed for use at sea – but it would have to do. Reaching out with his magic, he ordered the shovel that had been teleported away to self-destruct. It would not be good to leave it in the hands of his enemies.
Merton was breathing heavily, and beads of sweat dotted his brow and trickled down his temple. He chuckled. “What a brilliant plan. I truly praise you from the very bottom of my heart. You almost beat me.” He shook his head. “I still can’t believe you came so close to winning, but it’s over now.” He raised one hand, and portals shimmered into existence around him. “It’s –”
“You can surrender now,” Timmy said.
“What?” Merton gaped. “Me? Surrender? Have you lost your mind? I’m the one who’s winning!”
“No, you’re not. Look on your shoulder.”
“That is the oldest trick in the book, and I am not going to fall for it.” But Merton couldn’t resist taking a quick peek, which was when Rubens appeared, fading into view as he let his invisibility recede. He held a dagger in one hand, only a hair’s breadth from Merton’s throat, and his other hand clutched a handful of needles. “What? You expect me to be afraid of a little rat with some toy needles and a tiny dagger? I don’t know where it came from, but –”
“I expect y
ou to be afraid of a ninja rat, and those weapons certainly aren’t toys. In fact, they’re coated in a rare poison that his clan came up with. I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but I can say that the poison involves some hydra blood, some manticore venom, and a whole lot of other nasty things designed to leave you in hideous, screaming agony the likes of which you could not possibly imagine.”
Merton swallowed thickly. “You’re lying.”
“Show him,” Timmy said to Rubens.
Rubens shook one of his needles. A small drop of clear fluid dripped onto the floor. It hit the floor and hissed and bubbled while giving off acrid fumes.
“You won’t kill me,” Merton stuttered. “You need me to get to the Eye. And if your friends are somehow still alive, the only one who can bring them here is me.”
“I’m sure they’re all still alive.” Timmy’s lips curled. “And I’m sure you have ways of ascertaining the location of intruders on this island. Go ahead and check. You’ll see that I’m right. What you’re going to do now is to open portals near them that will bring them here. Oh, it’ll probably take you more time and magic to create these portals, but I’m certain you can do it. After all, you had such a nice trap for us at the entrance.”
“Why should I? You can’t kill me. This is all a bluff.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I can kill you. Have you forgotten whom you’re talking to? I’m a Grand Necromancer. I can kill you and bring you back as a zombie, so you have no choice but to obey my orders. I can condemn you to an eternity of horrible, endless servitude.” Timmy wasn’t about to do that, and even if he’d wanted to, it would have taken him far too much time – time he didn’t have. But he was betting Merton wouldn’t know that since necromancy had been largely illegal in the Eternal Empire for centuries and they’d burned most of their necromancers centuries ago too. Plus, Timmy’s master had one of the worst reputations in necromancer history. If Merton had learned about Timmy from Jonathon Riven, then he would have heard all about what a monster Timmy’s master had been. He would likely assume Timmy was the same. “It’s your choice. Go on. Try me.”
“I…” Merton looked frantically between Timmy and Rubens. “I… how… how did you get the rat onto my shoulder?”
“He hitched a ride on the second shovel I threw. Of course, you didn’t see him because he was invisible.” Timmy flared his magic. “Now, I’m done talking. You’ve got until the count of three. One. Two. Three –”
“I’ll do it!” Merton blurted as Rubens prepared to strike. “I’ll do it! Call off your rat!”
“I thought you’d see things my way.” Timmy smiled sunnily and walked past Merton to pull his anti-magic shovel out of the wall. He would have danced a merry victory jig around the other mage, but he had an image to uphold. Although his anti-magic shovel wasn’t as versatile as his usual one, it would still be better than his other shovel, especially since he was all out of zombies until Gerald turned up. “Get to it. I want you to open portals for all of them as quickly as you can. Otherwise, my rodent friend there will be very happy to get to work with his dagger and his needles. Believe me, you don’t want that.”
To help things along, Rubens gave a sinister chuckle. Well, Timmy assumed that it was supposed to be a sinister chuckle. Coming from the rat, it came across as more cute than threatening. Merton, however, was suitably concerned, and it wasn’t long before the others were in the chamber beside Timmy – most of them, anyway.
“What is taking you so long, Avraniel?” Timmy shouted through the portal.
The portal’s ability to transmit sound both ways was extremely impressive. Likewise, Timmy was amazed by how long Merton had been able to keep it open. It seemed like the more time and effort Merton put into creating a portal, the longer it could stay open. Old Man, Katie, and Rembrandt had joined Rubens in keeping an eye on Merton while a very hungry Spot eyed the other man like he was the next thing on the menu, which led to no small amount of stress for the unfortunate mage. Not far away, Amanda was keeping a watchful eye on Jonathon and another man. Timmy grimaced. From the expression on Katie’s face, the two of them would have to talk about whatever had happened down there. Jonathon had gotten to her, and although there wasn’t a scratch on her, not all wounds were the kind that people could see. “Gerald, what’s taking you two so long?”
“Give us three more minutes.” Avraniel waved at him from the other side of the portal. “There’s some great stuff in here.”
“Good grief,” Timmy muttered. They must have found the treasury. It would explain all the valuables around them that were rapidly disappearing courtesy of Gerald’s magic. Honestly, if Gerald had ever gone into crime, he would have made an incredible thief. His magic would have let him steal almost anything as long as he could get close to it. He glanced at Amanda. “You seem to be wearing someone else’s cloak. What happened to your clothes?”
“I am afraid I have been rather careless again. I had to deal with someone in fairly… direct fashion.” She nodded at the unconscious man next to Jonathon and then looked at Merton. “Your part-demon friend had quite the collection of followers. It is a shame they all tasted so horrible.” She bared her teeth. “I shall have to find something sweeter to wash the taste out of my mouth.”
Merton looked like he was about to faint, and Rubens slapped him across the face with his tail. There would be absolutely no fainting until they were finished here. Finally, Avraniel and Gerald came through the portal… along with a three-headed dog the size of a warhorse that Timmy had somehow not noticed earlier.
“What is that?” Timmy asked Avraniel as he pointed at the dog. “Never mind. It’s you. I should be glad you only have one of it. Just make sure it behaves. Anyway, now that we’re all here, we should go get the Eye.” His gaze drifted to the doors at the far end of the chamber. “I’m going to guess that it’s through those doors, Lord Merton. I’m also going to guess that it’s protected by magic only you can undo. Naturally, you’ll be undoing that magic if you want to live. But before you do that, where are we? We must be in the tower, but where, specifically, in the tower?”
“Near the top,” Merton growled before giving a better description. The whole ordeal must have been incredibly humiliating, but Timmy found it hard to feel too sympathetic. Merton had brought it on himself. If Timmy had been in charge, he would have flooded the lower levels with monsters and barricaded the upper levels to buy as much time as possible. The other Lords of Magic should have been at Merton’s side, not elsewhere.
“Thank you,” Timmy said. “Now, disable the defences around the Eye.”
Merton’s magic flared, and the runes and seals in the chamber and on the doors deactivated. “I’ve disabled the ones I can, but only the emperor himself can remove the Eye from this place. Not even I can take it from here.”
“You know, I think you’re telling the truth. Like I said, I’m not going to kill you. You’ve been quite cooperative.” And didn’t that say a lot about the Eternal Empire? Timmy nodded at Rubens. The rat darted forward to hit a few pressure points, and Merton dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. “Gerald, can you and Old Man make sure those three Lords of Magic are properly restrained? Be especially careful with Merton. Use twice as many magic suppressors as you think you’ll need. Trust me. His magic will be a pain to deal with if he catches us off guard.”
Timmy closed his eyes and reached out to the zombie kraken. It had taken considerable damage, but it had also helped their forces outside take the docks and the fortress. Frankly, however, they’d be lucky if it lasted another two or three hours, but that was okay. They wouldn’t need it for much longer, and it would make for an excellent distraction when reinforcements arrived. There was a crash, and the zombie kraken heaved itself up onto the island and smashed a tentacle through the side of the tower and into the chamber. “Right. There’s our way out. Let’s go get the Eye.”
The Eye was in the middle of the next room, a circular shrine. It was an orb roughly a foot
in diameter, and it was a deep, limitless black within which shone a single pinpoint of light that defied easy description. It was simultaneously every colour in the world and no colour at all. The Eye radiated dark and terrible power. The stories of its divine origins must have had some truth. There was no way this thing was completely mortal in origin. A barrier of powerful magic surrounded the Eye, one that matched the divine energy rolling off it.
“The barrier around the Eye draws off its power,” Amanda murmured. “It’s the same as when I helped create it. The barrier naturally nullifies virtually all forms of magic. Even if you can get past it, there is also a spatiotemporal element built into it as well. While passing through the barrier, you age thousands of times faster than normal while the apparent distance to the Eye increases at a similar rate. You can imagine what happens then. You die after what feels like an eternity of being stuck in the same place. It is rather clever.”
“I’m hoping you have a way of dealing with it,” Timmy said.
“Indeed, I do.” Amanda took a deep breath. “I helped create the Eye. I understand how its power produces its defences.” She paused. “My magic was used to create several of the original components. Now that I am here, I should be able to use that connection to make the Eye’s defences vulnerable to magic. It was how I was able to damage it the first time, and I am hoping you can help me, Old Man.”
The swordsman reached for his weapon. “My magic should allow me to cut through the spatiotemporal part of the barrier, but the backlash will be tremendous. Any normal person trying to pass through it would be killed, even with the barrier down. You would need someone who could regenerate fast enough to ignore even severed limbs.”
Everyone turned to Amanda.
Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire (The Unconventional Heroes Series Book 3) Page 47