by Peter Last
Molkekk rose to his feet and wiped at the blood running down his face. He looked at Timothy and muttered a few words under his breath. Instantly the magician was jerked upright by his hands and stretched out spread-eagle with his feet three or four inches from the floor.
“So now I have you, and without much effort either,” Molkekk taunted Timothy. “Did you really think you could defeat me singlehandedly when many magicians much better than you have failed to do so?”
“I simply do what I can with what I am given,” Timothy answered. “After that, I leave the results to Elohim. If it is His will that I defeat you, then I will; however, if His will is that I die here by your hand, then I will. In either case, I will still serve Him.”
“I don’t care whether you serve Him or not,” Molkekk said. “Never has any magician who served Him even come close to defeating me; I have killed them all, just as I will kill you.”
“Really? What about the magician Jothnial?” Timothy asked. His gaze strayed to something behind Molkekk before focusing back on the wizard’s face. “We still honor him greatly because he defeated you and confined you to your tower.”
“And yet, you see that I am here before you and not in the tower,” Molkekk retorted. “Apparently your Jothnial did not do as thorough of a job as you thought he did.”
“You say that with scorn in your voice, and yet I saw a flicker of fear in your eyes when I mentioned his name,” Timothy said in a calm voice. “I would guess that he was much more of a threat than you’re letting on.” Molkekk didn’t answer, so Timothy continued. “Would it disturb you to know that Wellter is in this city?”
“I do not know who this Wellter is, though if he is anything like you, he must be pathetic indeed,” Molkekk mocked. “Why would I be disturbed to know of his presence?”
“You don’t recognize his name?” Timothy asked. “Perhaps you didn’t see him before that reckless, inexperienced magician Jothnial rushed you. He was on the same squad and, quite frankly, the better of the two when it came to skill with magic.”
“Well, as interesting as that history lesson was, I fear that the time for your death has come,” Molkekk said and started to make a motion with his hand.
“Wait,” Timothy shouted, stopping the wizard in mid-motion. “If you’re going to kill me, I need to know one thing.” Molkekk relaxed a little, so Timothy continued. “Obviously it wasn’t you we killed in the tower, so what was it?”
“An illusion,” Molkekk answered. “A very good illusion, but nonetheless merely an illusion.”
“That was the best illusion I have ever seen,” Timothy commented, admiration shining in his eyes. “I’ve never seen anything so lifelike that could also fight so many magicians at once.”
“It was rather difficult to create,” Molkekk admitted. “Of course, when you are sitting around for so many years on end, you have time to come up with things like that. But why am I explaining all of this to you when I’m just going to kill you?”
“What if I just killed you instead?” Timothy asked. “What would you do then?”
“You’re just stalling for time now,” Molkekk growled. “There’s no way you can kill me. You don’t even have your weapons with you anymore.”
Timothy looked down to his belt and saw the empty sheaths for both his sword and dagger. He looked up and fixed Molkekk with an unreadable stare.
“I must have dropped them,” Timothy said simply.
The look of victory disappeared from Molkekk’s face, and he gasped in surprise and pain. Turning around slowly, he found himself face-to-face with Josiah, who had just driven Timothy’s dagger between the wizard’s shoulders. The two men stared at each other for a moment, then Josiah grabbed the wizard by the collar and slung him across the room. Molkekk slammed into the table and fell to the ground. With his left hand he reached for the dagger buried in his back and tried to pull it out.
Before he could do so, Josiah was on him again. This time he jerked the wizard to his feet and struck a violent blow to his stomach. Molkekk doubled over and clutched his stomach. He regained his breath and straightened in time to see the large goblet he had been using earlier in Josiah’s grip. Josiah swung the cup upward with all of his strength, catching the wizard under the chin and throwing him off his feet. The wizard struggled back to his feet only to be knocked down again by another blow from the goblet, this time to his left cheek.
“I guess now that the tables are turned, you know what it’s like to feel helpless,” Josiah snarled as Molkekk struggled back to his feet. “Now you know exactly how all those men, women, and children felt as your army destroyed their homes and killed them.”
Molkekk was again reaching for the knife in his back, but Josiah hardly noticed as he continued his tirade. “Well, now it’s time for vengeance!” He was shouting as he advanced on Molkekk, forcing the wizard to back away from him. “Now I will serve justice for all of the people you and your army have killed. Now I will…”
Molkekk had backed across the room until his back was pressed against a window. All the while he had been tugging on the dagger in his back, trying to dislodge it. Finally he succeeded, and as he drew out the weapon with one hand, he flung a spell at Josiah with the other. The spell froze Josiah in mid-step, surprising him so much that he stopped talking in midsentence. As he struggled uselessly against the invisible bonds, he was vaguely aware of a shout behind him. Molkekk cast a spell, and the shout was instantly silenced. Josiah twisted his head around to see Timothy slam into the ground with a sickening thud.
“Well, now that he is out of the way, I can give you my full attention,” Molkekk said with an evil laugh. “I was going to be content to just kill you, but since you have caused me so much pain, I think I will return the favor. Now, what do you think I should do? Perhaps rip your fingernails off; that would be painful.”
Josiah felt his right thumbnail begin to peel up and away from his thumb, but the pain only lasted for a moment.
“No, I think it should be something more painful. Maybe I’ll do something like this.” A stabbing pain shot through Josiah’s head so suddenly that he would have staggered backward had he been able to move. The pain was gone a moment later, and Molkekk paced in front of Josiah.
“No, come to think of it, that wouldn’t be painful enough either. Perhaps…” Molkekk trailed off and stared at something behind Josiah. “I think I’ve got it.”
Molkekk motioned with his hand, and Josiah heard a grinding noise coming from behind him. A sharp cracking followed, and he sensed a large object fly over his head. He found himself looking back at his image in a large mirror, probably six feet or so in height. Its edges were slightly cracked where Molkekk had torn it from its setting, but for the most part it was unharmed. Josiah stared at his reflection and wondered exactly what Molkekk was planning. He shifted his gaze to the wizard, but Molkekk simply stared back with an evil leer.
“Do you feel fear yet, human?” Molkekk asked. “Are you frightened of what I am going to do to you?”
“Not really,” Josiah admitted. “What are you doing with the mirror? I’m not as bad as all that to look at, you know. Or are you going to slam it into me? I dare say that you’ve done worse than that to me.”
“Shut up, fool,” Molkekk growled. “Your flapping tongue annoys me to no end.”
Josiah was about to answer when Molkekk looked at the mirror and motioned slightly with his hand. Josiah shifted his eyes back to the mirror and saw a slight ripple run across its length. The glass appeared to be stretching, though Josiah couldn’t be sure that his eyes were not deceiving him. The stretching continued, and when Josiah was finally sure he was not imagining it, the mirror shivered apart into a million tiny slivers of glass. A look of fear flashed across his face, and he could see a taunting leer on Molkekk’s face out of the corner of his eye.
The glass shot toward Josiah, and he had only enough time to turn his head before it hit. His armor protected him wherever it covered his body, but at all of the joints and on
the left side of his face, the glass smashed into the soft tissue, penetrating deeply. A moment later the pain seared through Josiah, driving all thoughts from his mind, and all that he could do was throw his head back and scream.
“How do you feel now?” Molkekk shouted at him. “I bet you don’t feel so cocky now, do you? Not so high and mighty and ready to take on a wizard anymore, huh? You humans are so fragile. It’s almost insulting to have to deal with you!”
The pain was slightly more bearable now, and Josiah dropped his head back down so that he could see Molkekk. Hate flowed from the wizard’s eyes, a hate that contorted his features and gave him a demonic look.
“I bet you wish that you hadn’t made the mistake of coming for me, don’t you?”
“There’s only one person here who made a mistake,” Josiah said through gritted teeth. “You! You turned your back on Elohim, and because of that you will fall. No one can stand against Him.”
“Are you finished with your useless threats, human?” Molkekk asked.
“No, there’s one other mistake you made,” Josiah retorted.
“And what would that be?” Molkekk growled, thrusting his face into Josiah’s. “I haven’t made any mistakes at all!”
“You stood too close to me,” Josiah said and swung his head forward. His forehead smashed into Molkekk’s face, crushing the wizard’s nose and sending him staggering backward. A moment later, the spell holding Josiah in place disappeared. His damaged legs could not sustain the weight so suddenly thrust upon them, and Josiah crashed to the floor.
He rolled onto his back, ready to defend himself, but Molkekk’s attention had been diverted to Timothy, who was again cascading attack after attack of magic on the wizard. The wizard had erected a shield and was currently not returning attack, but Josiah could sense that this was about to change. His brain told him that Timothy would need his help, so he forced himself to his knees and then to his feet, shunting the pain away. He staggered two steps toward Molkekk and grabbed his collar in one hand and the seat of his pants in the other. The wizard was occupied with Timothy and did not notice Josiah until it was too late. He lashed out with his fists, but Josiah ignored the blows and hurled the wizard out of the tower window. Moments later Josiah collapsed to his hands and knees.
******
Cirro stood in his tent, strapping on his sword belt. He glanced down at himself, quickly accounting for all of his armor and weapons. He was appropriately attired, so he reached for his sword and slid it into its sheath. The tent flap opened behind him, and he turned to see one of Josiah’s men standing in the opening.
“Have you mustered the men?” Cirro asked. The man nodded. “How many besides ours are preparing for battle?”
“Everyone we can see,” the man answered. “After we roused our own, we went to take the news of attack to the others, but they had already been warned and were preparing.”
“Very good,” Cirro said. “When the men are ready, have them assemble at the town square. The General will be there shortly.”
The soldier saluted and left the tent, leaving Cirro alone again. Cirro moved his hand to the hilt of his sword and took a deep breath. Slowly he let the air escape as he reached for the tent flap and pulled it aside. He stepped out of the dimness of the tent and into the brilliant sunshine, squinting as he did so. Someone was only a few feet away, but he could not tell who it was because of the sun glinting off of their armor. The man stepped to the side, and Cirro immediately recognized the man who had spoken to Josiah on the march to Rampön. His armor was golden this time instead of silver, but Cirro was sure that it was the same man.
“Greetings, Cirro, protector of the realm of Magessa,” the man said.
“Greetings,” Cirro replied. “To what honor do I credit this meeting?”
“There is a war,” the man replied. “The villain Molkekk must be dealt with once and for all, and today in this city is where we will meet him and his army.”
“You must be mistaken,” Cirro said with a smile. “Molkekk’s army is still at large, but the wizard himself has been killed already.”
“Unfortunately, that is not the case,” the man said. “The wizard is still alive and is threatening your friends even as we speak. We must move quickly if we are to defeat him.”
“Wait, you said ‘we,’” Cirro said. “Does that mean you’re staying to fight this time?”
“I am,” the man answered. “I will lead the soldiers into battle this time. Where are your men assembling?”
“In the center of the city,” Cirro answered.
“Then let us be off,” the man said. “We do not have much time.”
******
Brandon thought that he was running as fast as he possibly could, but as he rounded the last corner and finally had a clear view of the tower in its entirety, his pace quickened yet again. A figure was running toward him from beyond the tower, but he could not tell who it was. The distance between the two runners decreased until Brandon could finally recognize Petra running toward him.
Both men were in the shadow of the tower when a shattering noise was heard from above, and a body flew out of a window at the top of the tower. With a glance upward, Brandon sprinted the final steps to Petra and dove into him, knocking him backward. Even as they came to rest on the ground, he could feel the impact of the body slamming into the dirt directly where they had been a moment earlier. Slowly he rose to his feet and helped Petra up as well. Only when he was certain that his friend was unharmed did he turn to examine the body on the ground behind him. The body was perfectly still as he would have expected it to be, yet even as he watched, the man moved a finger.
“Are you hurt?” Brandon asked as he dropped to the man’s side. He was stunned that the man had survived the fall, but that was not the most important issue at the moment. “Where are you hurt? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yes, there is,” the man said as he sat up. “You can die.”
“Brandon, watch out!” Petra yelled, but his warning came a split second too late. A bolt of magic slammed into Brandon and sent him flipping through the air. He landed on the ground several yards from Molkekk with a sickening crunch, but Petra did not have time to attend to him. Already Molkekk was rising to his feet and preparing to attack. Petra pulled his sword from its scabbard.
“Out of my way, worm, or I will kill you,” Molkekk growled.
“I think you will find me harder to kill than you expect, wizard,” Petra commented softly. “Do what you will, though, for I will not move out of the way.”
“Then die like your friend!” Molkekk shouted and flung his hands toward Petra. Petra ducked and dodged away from where he had been standing. As his sword trailed through the air behind him, a shower of sparks formed around it.
“You are not as powerful as you think,” Petra said. “Your blow hasn’t killed my friend, nor will your attacks kill me.”
“You think you’re so high and mighty because you have a silver sword?” Molkekk laughed. “Not even it can save you from the spells I know.”
“It’s worked pretty well so far,” Petra taunted. “So give me your best. You might be able to catch me then.”
Molkekk didn’t say anything but began to fling spell after spell at Petra. Petra bobbed, jumped, and spun away from the magical attacks. With every move he drew closer and closer to Molkekk, but the wizard didn’t notice. The fact that the man before him was able to evade all his attacks infuriated him to no end, and he was now recklessly flinging spell after spell at Petra. In his frenzy, he didn’t notice his enemy’s approach until he was on top of him. With a quick slash, Petra opened a deep gash in the wizard’s arm but was then forced to dance away.
“Enough!” Molkekk roared, falling to one knee. He raised his fist and slammed it into the ground, forming a shockwave that spread out in all directions. The indirect attack caught Petra off guard, and he was flung into the air. The impact of his landing jarred the sword from his grip, and the weapon cartw
heeled to a spot several yards away from him. Molkekk flung a spell so powerful at his fallen opponent that it should have killed him, but Petra was too quick. He was already moving from the place where he had landed; however, the spell still caught him on his leg and flung him into a lamp post.
“Very impressive, but perhaps you would like to try your hand against a more worthy opponent.”
Molkekk spun around to see Timothy standing just across the road.
“I thought I was done with you!” Molkekk bellowed. “What do I have to do to kill you?”
“Well, I thought that I was done with you when I threw you out the window,” Josiah said as he stepped from behind Timothy. “But look at you. I guess we shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“You little worm! I’ll deal with you once and for all,” Molkekk shrieked and flung a spell at Josiah.
Timothy waved his hand and threw up a shield in time to deflect the attack. Molkekk flung another spell, but this one didn’t hit the shield. Instead it was directed toward the tower behind Josiah and Timothy. A large section of the wall broke loose and fell on the two men, pinning them beneath a pile of bricks and other debris.
A roar blasted from the sky, followed closely by a ball of fire which hit Molkekk, enveloping him and everything around him. Josiah could feel the heat from the fire and looked up to see a brown dragon circling back up into the air. A shout of victory formed on his lips, but died stillborn as he turned his eyes back to the flames and saw the figure of Molkekk striding from them. His clothes were singed, but other than that he appeared to be unharmed.
“You will have to do much better than that to kill me, dragon!” Molkekk shouted into the sky. As if in answer to the taunt, the dragon circled back around and came at Molkekk again. For the first time Josiah could see a figure on the back of the dragon, a figure with a drawn bow. An arrow flew toward Molkekk, but the wizard didn’t move. The arrow got within a foot of him before simply shattering into a hundred pieces and falling to the ground. The dragon rider loosed two more arrows, but they met with the same fate as the first. The dragon swooped over Molkekk and wheeled sharply, dropping like a stone to land in front of the wizard. The figure slid off of the dragon’s back and ran to where Josiah and Timothy lay on the ground, and Josiah was finally able to identify the rider as Senndra.