Cloak & Dagger: Book II of The Dragon Mage Trilogy

by Carey Scheppner

  “What is it?” asked Vera, watching the dwarf’s movements curiously.

  Rebecca withdrew the key and held it aloft. “This key matches the emblem on the door!” whispered the dwarf excitedly. She carefully slid her arm through the cell doors’ grate and reached for where the keyhole should be. Then she groaned in dismay and pulled her arm back. “I can’t reach that far.”

  “Let me try,” offered Vera. “My arms are longer.”

  Rebecca handed her the key. “Don’t drop it,” she cautioned.

  Vera nodded and slid her arm slowly through the grate. Consternation marked her features as she tried to plug the key into the key hole. “I - I think it’s in the hole,” said the cleric finally.

  “Turn it and see!” whispered Rebecca excitedly.

  “Just a minute,” said Vera. “I need to get the circulation back into my arm.” She pulled her arm back and shook it to restore blood flow. “O.K. now,” she said, returning her arm through the grate. She felt for the key. “Oh, no!” moaned the cleric.

  “What is it?” whispered Rebecca, her eyes wide.

  “I can’t find - Oh! Here it is!” There was a loud click and the cell door opened.

  “You did it!” cried Rebecca, embracing the cleric even while she was still trying to disentangle her arm from the grate.

  Then the dwarf slapped the cleric’s arm. “Next time don’t scare me like that!”

  “Sorry,” said Vera sheepishly.

  The escapees quickly opened Cyril’s cell. They removed the sack from his head, but discovered that Rebecca’s key would not unlock the chains binding the cyclops’ arms.

  “What do we do now?” asked Vera.

  “We’ll have to go and find the shackle keys,” stated the dwarf.

  “Don’t worry about me,” said Cyril. “Save yourselves.”

  “We’re not leaving you,” said Vera flatly.

  “We’ll come back for you as soon as we can,” added Rebecca. “We have to find the keys first.” She looked at Vera, who nodded.

  “Sit tight, Cyril,” ordered the cleric.

  “Do I have a choice?” said Cyril.

  Vera giggled.

  The dwarf led the cleric from the cell area and together they slunk along the torch-lit hallways. Before long they found the guardroom where three guards sat at a table. Peeking around the corner, beyond the guards on the floor, lay the companions’ packs and weapons.

  “Did you hear the air elemental has been contained?” asked one guard.

  “Yes,” said the second guard. “I heard they used the earth elemental to create a wall of solid rock to imprison it.”

  “Ingenious!” declared the third guard, a female with bluish lips and an ugly wide grin. “That way the magic needed to control it is minimal.”

  “My cousin is part of that group,” said the first guard. “She told me there is a mysterious force pulling at the air elemental. They can’t seem to get it to do what they want because it keeps phasing in and out of our realm. She thinks someone else may be trying to summon it.”

  “Who could possibly be capable of such magic?” asked the second guard.

  “I think the black mages may be trying to summon it,” said the female guard. “The humans claim they aren’t capable of such magic, but I wouldn’t put it past them. Remember the human necromancer a few years back? Humans weren’t supposed to have an understanding of necromancy either.”

  “You’re probably right,” admitted the first guard.

  “I wonder how Brind is doing with the fire elemental?” asked the second guard, changing the subject.

  “If anyone can catch it, it’s Brind,” said the female guard dreamily.

  “You’re just in love with him, aren’t you?” nagged the first guard.

  The female guard spun on him. “He’s the best fire mage there is! I wish I was his apprentice!” Then she calmed down a bit. “Besides, that klutz Lynch couldn’t cast a spell if his life depended on it.”

  The guards laughed.

  The dwarf and cleric withdrew from the scene to converse.

  “What now?” whispered Vera. “How do we get our packs without the guards noticing?”

  “We need to create a diversion,” whispered Rebecca. “You have to get them to chase you while I sneak in and grab my weapons.”

  “Why me?” asked the cleric. “Why don’t you get them to chase you? Once I have my staff and components, I can stop them with magic.”

  Rebecca considered. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you will have a better chance of stopping them than I will. It’s difficult to get close enough to lizardmen to fight them in close combat.”

  Vera nodded.

  The plan started out as expected. Upon seeing the dwarf, the lizardmen sprang to their feet and ran after the escaped prisoner. On cue, Vera virtually flew into the guard room and grabbed her spell components and staff. Then she was off to aid her companion. She followed the noise of the pursuit and quickly caught up, thanks to the slow, awkward gait of the lizardmen. When all three guards were in sight ahead of her, she cast her spell. It had the desired effect. All three guards stopped in their tracks.

  Vera was jubilant at her success, but it was short-lived. One of the lizardmen suddenly turned around and cast a spell in her direction!

  There was no time to react as a fireball struck Vera full in the chest. Miraculously, it fizzled out as though it wasn’t even there, thanks to the pendant that had saved her life a number of times now.

  Vera prepared a chant to retaliate, when there was a savage cry followed by a grunt. The dwarf had jumped the lizardman from behind.

  The cleric approached the struggling combatants and pointed her staff at the lizardman’s head. When Rebecca saw what Vera was up to, she tried to hold the lizardman still.

  The cleric chanted and the lizardman stopped struggling.

  Rebecca rose to her feet and they looked down at the victim. It was then that they noticed it was the lizardwoman. Her face was contorted in a scowl, and her lips were an even darker shade of blue.

  “She looks frozen,” panted Rebecca as she endeavored to catch her breath.

  Vera nodded. “I cast a freeze spell on her. It didn’t succeed the first time, so I tried again just to see if casting a spell twice would work. I figured that if it didn’t work I had time to try something else.”

  Rebecca examined the remaining two guards who were frozen in place. Then, satisfied the danger was over, she checked their pockets for keys. The only ones she found were the same as her own.

  Vera stood up after examining the lizardwoman for keys. “Any luck?”

  “No. You?”

  “No.”

  Rebecca cursed under her breath. “Well, I’d better get my pack and weapons. I feel naked without them.”

  Vera accompanied the dwarf to the guard room and they picked up their belongings, including Cyril’s large pack.

  “I might be able to free Cyril,” said Rebecca suddenly.

  “How?” asked Vera.

  The dwarf pulled out her dagger. “With this magical dagger.”

  “Let’s try it!” said Vera.

  “There’s only one problem,” said Rebecca. “This dagger could kill him if it gets too close.”

  Vera turned pale. “What do you mean, too close?”

  “It’s a long story,” said Rebecca. Then the dwarf looked at the cleric. “Can you shield him from magic?”

  “Yes,” said Vera. “But I learned at the Tower of Hope that some magical artifacts are more powerful than defensive magic.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” said Rebecca. “Maybe I can cut the chains from the wall. The wall isn’t part of him.”

  “I’m willing to try that,” said Vera.

  “Let’s go.”

  On the way, Rebecca dispatched the guards in the hallway using her dagger.

  When Vera saw the magic of the dagger, she had second thoughts about using the dagger to free Cyril.

  As the companions
neared the cell, they stopped in horror.

  “Did you leave Cyril’s door open?” whispered Rebecca.

  “No!” hissed Vera.

  They looked at each other in alarm. Tiptoeing slowly, the dwarf and cleric approached Cyril’s cell. Looking through the doorway, they could see a lizardman standing with his back to them. There was no sound or movement. Rebecca and Vera gave each other a curious glance. It was too quiet.

  After an agonizingly long pause, Vera suddenly giggled. “It’s safe.” She walked into the cell and stepped around the prone figure. “Good work, Cyril.”

  Cyril looked at Vera for a split second and then looked down. He noticed that she had met his gaze again without getting paralyzed. He wondered if the effect of his ability was wearing off.

  Rebecca looked at the paralyzed guard uncertainly. He held a water jug in his hands. Hanging at his waist was a set of keys.

  “Hey!” cried the dwarf. She grabbed the keys and examined them. “Those look like they just might work!” She went over to the cyclops and with the third key the shackles came undone.

  Cyril stretched his arms and stood up to his full height. “That feels better!”

  At that moment, the mountain rumbled and shook vehemently.

  “Let’s get out of here!” cried Vera.

  They locked the paralyzed lizardman in the cell. Vera spell-checked the water in the jug and discovered it was good, so they poured it into their flasks and hastily made their departure, happy to be free once again.

  Chapter 25

  You have no right to do this!” hollered Lynch. His face was livid and his words were spat out with such gusto that Brind had to wipe the irate lizardman’s saliva from his face.

  “Graf told me to take over this task and I’ll do it,” said Brind calmly. He wiped his scaly wet hand on his dark red cloak.

  “But I was the one who caught it!” protested Lynch. “I’ll not have you receive credit for capturing the fire elemental!”

  “I’ll be sure to mention it to the council,” sneered Brind.

  “I don’t believe you,” snarled Lynch.

  “Believe what you like,” growled Brind. He turned to the contingent of lizardmen who were chanting around a large box that undulated with a bright orange glow. The fire elemental was trapped inside. “Follow me,” ordered the red-robed mage.

  Lyrr leered at Lynch as he passed the angry lizardman and followed Brind and the others down the passageway. Lynch ran behind, still protesting.

  Moments later, the passageway became dark.

  No sooner did the darkness prevail when a greenish light began to materialize at the passageway’s other end. Soon Kazin and Alric came into view.

  “They’re not far ahead!” whispered Alric.

  Kazin held up a hand. “Let me rest for a minute,” he panted. He leaned against the wall and tried to catch his breath.

  “You must be poisoned,” said Alric anxiously. “We need to get you back to the others. Maybe Vera -.”

  Kazin shook his head. “She may not be able to help. I think it’s the same poison we’re trying to stop. The only way to help me is to stop the lizardmen. Our best chance lies with the fire elemental. We have to free Tyris not only to help us, but to prevent all four of the elementals from causing the destruction of the world.”

  As if in response to Kazin’s words, the mountain rumbled ominously. A gust of wind surged past the human and elf down the passageway.

  Kazin’s eyes widened. “Let’s hurry! The druids are still fighting for control of the air elemental! That means that all of the elementals are not entirely under the control of the lizardmen yet! If the druids stop or take a break before we free Tyris, it could all be over!” With a surge of renewed strength, Kazin sprang down the tunnel after the lizardmen. Alric followed, not entirely sure what Kazin meant about druids and the like, but understanding the urgency of the situation.

  As luck would have it, Lynch had stopped Brind and the others to argue with the stubborn lizardmage.

  “I won’t let you get away with this!” bellowed Lynch. He began to chant.

  His chant was only partially completed when Brind leveled him with a thrust spell, sending the hapless lizardman tumbling unceremoniously down the passageway. “Get away from me!” he snarled.

  Lynch amazingly recovered enough to complete his spell. He aimed his staff at Brind and a lightning bolt surged toward the lizardmage.

  Brind was not prepared for this comeback, and dove to the side just in time to avoid being singed. Unfortunately, the lizardmen who held the box with the elemental were directly behind him. The lightning bolt struck the two lizardmen in front and they let go of their end of the box as they fell, shrieking in agony. The box fell to the ground, but miraculously remained intact. The other lizardmen chanted frantically as they surrounded the box, trying to contain the elemental inside.

  Lyrr stepped around the commotion to help Brind to his feet.

  Brind glowered at Lynch. “You fool! You nearly allowed the fire elemental to escape!”

  Suddenly, a sharp cry sounded from the circle of chanting lizardmen and women. Rapidly, one lizardman after another fell to the ground as a hail of magic arrows and fireballs struck the occupied party. The magic holding the elemental wavered and the box began to shake and rumble.

  “The elemental is escaping!” shrieked a lizard woman. She sprang away toward where Lyrr and Brind stood.

  Seeing the imminent explosion, Lyrr chanted a haste spell on those closest to him. “Let’s get away from here!” he cried. Without waiting for the others, he fled down the tunnel as fast as he could. The expected explosion threw him off his feet. A strong gust of fire and heat surged over his head. A shower of rocks and boulders fell all around him. Moments later, all was still. Coughing in the dusty air, Lyrr rose shakily to his feet. He looked around. A moan nearby told him that someone else had survived the blast. Tracking the sound, he discovered the individual’s arm and pulled him to his feet. It was Lynch.

  “Lynch?” said Lyrr in astonishment. He was surprised his spell had reached Lynch, who had been way down the passageway when his spell had been cast.

  Lynch coughed. “I’m all right,” he mumbled.

  Lyrr knew better than to expect a ‘thank you’ from Lynch. He looked around as the dust settled, and his eyes became accustomed to the darkness. He spotted the female lizardwoman under some debris and went to see if she was still alive. She was. Some investigation proved that her leg was broken. “Come give me a hand,” said Lyrr. “She needs healing. We’ll have to carry her between us.”

  Lynch grumbled under his breath but assisted anyway. “At least we’re rid of Brind,” he muttered.

  “You wish!” snarled a voice behind him.

  Lynch spun around to face the speaker. “Brind!”

  Brind appeared from out of the gloom, a luminescent shield surrounding his body. His red robe was amplified by the shield, lighting the caved-in passageway with a flickering red light. It appeared as if the walls were flowing in blood.

  “You really messed up this time,” spat Brind as he approached the others, stumbling over rocks and boulders.

  “I thought it was your job!” put in Lynch slyly. “I caught the elemental, but it was in your custody when it escaped!”

  “You’re the one who helped it escape, you idiot!” retorted Brind.

  “Enough!” growled Lyrr. “Let’s take care of our injuries and regroup. If we work together, we can catch the elemental again. Then Graf doesn’t need to know of anybody’s failures.”

  Brind and Lynch glared at each other.

  * * * * *

  Alric called a halt to the party and lifted Kazin’s arm from around his neck. He gently lowered the mage to the ground with his back leaning up against the wall. “We should be safe for the moment.”

  The fire elemental watched anxiously. “Is there nothing you can do?”

  Alric shook his head. “No. This poison is undoubtedly the same as the one affectin
g the mages in the Tower of Sorcery. There is no cure unless the lizardmen have an antidote that we don’t know about.”

  “So what are we going to do?” asked Tyris.

  Alric suddenly realized that he was being looked to for leadership. Kazin was too weak and barely conscious. The elf clenched his jaw. That was why he preferred to work alone. No one got in his way that way. He looked at the helpless mage. If Kazin wasn’t so important in his quest to find the lizardmage responsible for this entire mess, he would consider leaving the mage behind. The mage’s ability to locate and open the hidden portals used by the lizardmen was without a doubt his greatest asset. Even if there were someone else to take care of the mage, Alric could only explore the tunnels and caves he could see. He could end up walking right past the enemy’s lair without even knowing it. The elf looked at the elemental. Tyris was unable to take care of the mage. A simple touch would set the mage’s cloak ablaze. That left Alric. He was now the leader and caretaker all rolled into one. He sighed. “We have no choice but to go on, Tyris. That may be the only way to help Kazin and stop the lizardmen.”

  “Which way do we go?” asked Tyris. He pointed to the junction ahead.

  Alric hesitated. He had absolutely no idea. A sudden gust of wind whipped past the trio and down the right passageway. Tyris’ flames momentarily flared up.

  Remembering what Kazin had told them about the wind, Alric said, “we go right.” He turned to help the mage to his feet but was surprised to see Kazin already standing.

  The mage winked at the elf. “That rest was nice. I should be able to move under my own steam for a while. Lead the way, Alric. I’ll let you know if we encounter a portal.”

  Even Tyris was surprised. “Just when I think you can’t go on, you get another burst of energy, Kazin.”

  Kazin smiled wryly. “The dragon inside of me is trying to take control. Every time it starts to gain strength, so do I. Somehow I’m deriving strength from it. I just have to be careful that it doesn’t take over completely.”