“That’s a lethal magic,” said Kazin uncertainly. “I don’t know if I’m ready for it.”
“You won’t need it for many years,” said Tyris, “but use it you will.”
“How do you know?” asked Kazin.
Tyris merely smiled. “I can’t tell you. Just take my word for it.”
Kazin took a deep breath. “O.K. Let’s get on with it.”
Tyris turned to the others who were watching. “I have had a wonderful time with you all. My time here is finished, so I must go now. Take care in your journey wherever it takes you.” He waved.
The others waved back.
Tyris turned back to Kazin. “Incidentally, Kazin, I may not appear the same when next you see me.”
Kazin gave Tyris a quizzical glance.
The fire elemental touched his hand to Kazin’s staff to perform the enchantment. Then his whole body was sucked into the staff and the elemental was gone.
Kazin looked at his staff and waited for something special to happen. When nothing transpired, he walked back to the others. “Let’s get ready to go.”
“It’s about time,” muttered Alric. He led the way to the supplies building.
Sherman gave Kazin a questioning glance. “What’s got into him?”
“I have a feeling I’ll find out fairly soon,” said Kazin slowly.
Chapter 35
It was early in the afternoon when the dragon circled the square to search for a suitable landing spot. The journey had gone much more quickly because Mara had offered the services of the grey mages to cast a ‘haste’ spell on the dragon and his passengers. Kazin had gratefully accepted the offer, and had flown away from the Tower of Hope with incredible speed.
Now Kazin landed amidst a handful of concerned-looking people. The dragon allowed his passengers get off with all the gear before turning back into human form. While the others shouldered the packs of gear, the island residents quickly informed the arch mage of the dead island sentries and how no one had left the tower since the previous day. Two of the shop keepers reported seeing an unusually large number of mages entering the tower sometime after midnight.
Kazin thanked them and led the others to the tunnel entrance. Here he sheathed his staff in his specially designed holster and turned to face them. “Only spell casters can enter the tower. Non magic wielders will simply not be able to penetrate the opening. Spell casters not authorized to enter the tower will get past the opening, but will be magically transported to the detainment cells where they will be interrogated.” He looked at each of them. “With special magic, I can take three of you with me. Alric, you and Vera can cast spells, so you will have to go through on your own. As soon as I enter the tower with the others, we’ll go down to the cells to free you. Alright?”
Everyone nodded.
Kazin cast the spell and took Rebecca and Della by the hand. Cyril held Rebecca’s hand. Then they stepped through the magical barrier and disappeared from sight. Alric and Vera looked at each other and then followed.
Once within the tower’s entry hall, Kazin let go of the others and led them to the right into a tunnel that wound down under the entry hall. Another turn to the left guided them to a hallway with steps that went down to the detainment cells. When they entered the cell room hallway where cells lined both sides, they stopped abruptly. A ringing noise was sounding from the end of the hallway signaling the intruder alarm. Kazin was surprised no one had turned it off. The reason for this became apparent when they saw two mages on the floor ahead of them. Kazin hurried up to the first one and rolled him over. The mage was dead.
“She’s dead,” said Rebecca, examining the other body. “Some time ago, I’d guess.”
“Vera!” called Cyril anxiously.
“I’m here!” said Vera from further down the hallway.
Kazin grabbed the keys from the dead mage and he and the others hurried to the cell where Vera was trapped. They released her and found Alric directly across the hall from her. When he was released, Kazin went to the room at the end of the hall and canceled the alarm. Something was amiss. If the guards were overcome, someone would surely have come along by now and turned off the alarm. The rest of the tower would have been alerted and the bodies would have been removed.
“I don’t like it,” said Kazin grimly. “Something is seriously wrong.”
“Then let’s investigate,” said Alric. “Ughh!” He paused to wipe some rat droppings off his shoe.
“Follow me,” said Kazin. He led the others back up to the main hall and chose the left path. At the end of that path, they arrived at another intersection. They went right and passed several classrooms. These rooms were eerily empty.
“Where is everybody?” asked Della. Her voice echoed in the emptiness.
“I’m guessing most of the sick mages are in the residences,” said Kazin. But he was proven wrong when they reached the next classroom. Cots lined the floor from wall to wall. Dozens of patients lay in those cots, and a handful of clerics moved between the beds, making their patients as comfortable as possible. They looked up with surprised expressions when Kazin and the others entered.
One cleric came up to Kazin. “Have they been stopped?”
“Has who been stopped?” asked Kazin.
“The intruders,” said the cleric as though Kazin should know what she was talking about.
“I don’t know,” said Kazin. “We just got here.”
The cleric gasped when she saw the cyclops. “Don’t hurt us!”
Cyril looked away so the cleric wouldn’t accidentally become paralyzed.
“We’re not here to hurt you,” said Vera, stepping forward. “We have the cure for the disease.”
“The cure?” said the cleric suspiciously. She took a step back.
“It’s true,” said Vera. She unshouldered her pack. “We must work quickly to save all the people we can. Which of your patients are the sickest?”
The cleric seemed to be coming around. She pointed. “In the corner.”
As Vera headed for the spot, Kazin asked, “Which way did the intruders go?”
“They were looking for the arch mages,” said the cleric. “There were at least thirty of them.”
“Do you know who they were?” asked Della.
The cleric shook her head. “They were dressed in dark green robes. Their faces were hidden.”
At this Alric looked uneasy.
“Which way did they go?” asked Kazin.
“I sent them to the inner chambers,” said the cleric. “I don’t know if they succeeded in accessing that part of the tower, but ever since they came by, no one else has come along until you arrived.”
A chill ran up Kazin’s spine. If the intruders made it to the inner chambers, they could potentially access the magic artifact stores. That could be devastating. There was no time to lose.
“Vera,” called Kazin.
Vera was in the corner preparing to heal one of the patients. “Yes?”
“Can you teach these clerics the spell quickly? We have to move on and I need you with me.”
“O.K.” said the cleric. She readied the dwarven ale and faelora and called the other clerics to observe. Then she chanted her magic and healed the first mage. To the amazement of the clerics, the mage awakened from his coma and sat up groggily.
Then Vera let another cleric try the spell. She coached the cleric through the spell and the next mage was healed. After that, Vera was able to let the clerics continue healing on their own. Vera left most of the spell components with them and instructed one of the clerics to take some of the components and pass the spell on to the other clerics within the tower. The more clerics who learned to cure the disease, the better. Then she left with Kazin and the others.
Kazin took a short cut through the tower by cutting across the cafeteria. Alric instantly recognized the room. He shuddered at the thought that he was again within a stone’s throw of the spark that had set all these events in motion. The spark that he himself h
ad ignited. He set his jaw. He was determined to make that right again, now more than ever. He wasn’t sure he would find the elusive lizardmage, but he was puzzled by the description the cleric gave of the intruders. They wore dark green robes. Were the intruders dark elves? If so, that would explain why they were looking for information pertaining to the human’s black magic. Alric ground his teeth. He had supplied some of that information too. Was he being used by the Dark Magic Society? He hated being used. He preferred to be in control. The evil lizardmage wore a dark green robe. Was there a conspiracy within the dark magic society? Was the Dark Magic Society being manipulated by the lizardmen? Were they in cahoots with lizardmen? It hardly seemed possible. Alric vowed to get to the bottom of it.
As the group passed the entrance to the kitchen, a fat cook sprang out at them with a frying pan in one hand and a cleaver in the other. He yelled like a crazed lunatic, swinging his arms in a threatening manner. At the last moment, he recognized Kazin’s robe and stopped himself before any damage was done. “Uh - oh - sorry,” he said bashfully. “I thought you might be the creature coming back to cause trouble in my kitchen.”
“That’s O.K. - creature?” exclaimed Kazin.
The cook opened the swinging door to the kitchen area, revealing a scene of utter devastation. Dishes, food, baking ingredients, overturned pots, and all sorts of other paraphernalia were strewn about the entire kitchen.
“What happened here?” asked Rebecca.
“That hideous creature did this!” exclaimed the cook. “All three of its heads ate everything they could clamp their jaws on! Mages cast all sorts of spells trying to make it stop, but to no avail. I had to swat the creature on the behind with my cast iron frying pan to get it to leave! It’s going to take days to clean up this mess!”
“Three heads?” asked Della.
“Yeah!” said the cook. “It was the most hideous creature I’ve ever seen!” He marched back into the kitchen, complaining and muttering to himself.
“What kind of creature do you think it was?” asked Rebecca.
Kazin looked grim. “By what he described, I’d say it was a hydra.”
“A hydra?” exclaimed Vera. “But - but, that’s terrifying!”
“What’s so special about a hydra?” asked Della, “other than it has three heads.”
“Hydras are magic resistant,” said Kazin. “They’re extremely difficult to kill.”
“Have you ever encountered one?” asked Cyril.
Kazin shook his head. “Not yet.”
Alric started forward. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
On the way, the companions encountered a pair of clerics carrying a stretcher with a body. As they neared, Vera asked, “Plague victim?”
The cleric in front shook his head. “No. He’s injured from the fight with the elves.”
“Elves?!” exclaimed Della. “What do you mean?”
The clerics stopped. “The elves are attacking the mages. Didn’t you know?”
Everyone exchanged glances. “No,” said Kazin slowly. “We just got here.”
“Follow us,” said the cleric. “We’ve got proof if you don’t believe us.”
Kazin and the others followed the clerics to a lecture hall where injured mages were being treated for injuries. A few black mages standing guard snapped to attention upon seeing the arch mage.
“What’s going on here?” asked Kazin.
The youngest of the mages stepped forward. “We’re guarding the clerics and patients so they can do their jobs. Master Mage Linnal put us in charge.”
Kazin knew Master Mage Linnal. He was a younger mage who had taken the mage test a few years ago and was eligible to become an arch mage. If he was in charge, that meant there were no arch mages around to issue orders.
“Are there any elves present?” asked Della.
The young mage nodded. “Yes. We have a few prisoners.”
“Show us,” ordered Kazin.
The mage led them to a back room where a couple more mages stood on guard. When they saw Kazin, they immediately released the magic on the door so Kazin and his people could enter. Curious stares followed the cyclops as he walked past.
The room had a number of beds where clerics fussed over a handful of injured patients. Kazin walked up to one bed occupied by an elf. The elf glared at Kazin as he approached.
“What’s your name?” asked Kazin.
The elf scowled.
“Why are you here?” asked the arch mage. He had a firm edge to his voice.
“To rid the world of those who poisoned the water and land!” snapped the elf.
“You think it was us?” asked Kazin in surprise.
“You humans always experiment with things of this nature!” spat the elf, “especially the arch mages!”
“That isn’t true,” said Kazin flatly. “It was the lizardmen. Thankfully, we put a stop to it. With the help of the water elemental - who the lizardmen had originally used to create the poison - we were able to come up with a cure. The lizardmages’ plan to take over our land has failed.”
“I don’t believe you,” spat the elf.
“You have been misled,” said Kazin. “This fight must stop. Who is your leader?”
The elf didn’t answer. His eyes stared and he did not blink. At first, Kazin thought the patient had perished.
“Oops!” said Cyril quietly. “He looked into my eye. Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” said a nearby cleric. “This way he won’t be in pain for a while.”
A patient in another bed moaned and motioned for them to come closer. The companions neared the bed and saw a beautiful female elf with her right arm wrapped in bandages. Alric was instantly smitten by her clear hazel eyes and chestnut brown hair. The smell permeating from her bed was strangely familiar.
“Hi,” she said. She looked at Kazin. “Are you an arch mage?”
“Yes,” said Kazin.
The elf motioned him closer. When she spoke, she almost whispered as though afraid of being overheard. “I’m sorry this whole thing is happening. What started out as a misunderstanding has escalated out of control.”
“Continue,” said Kazin quietly. He could sense a strong perfume on the patient and only his expert training kept his mind on the subject.
The elf took a deep breath. “The elves attacking you are dark elves. Dark elves operate independently of the rest of the elves. They believe in the use of offensive magic for the benefit of all elves. Most of the other elves love peace and non-violent magic. The king enforces strict rules of conduct limiting the use of offensive magic. The Dark Magic Society believes otherwise, and operates in secret places unknown to the king. Anyhow, the dark elves have never liked human black mages and were planning some sort of attack to discourage humans from pursuing black magic. When news came of poisoned water and most of the first casualties of the plague had originated in the Tower of Sorcery, the dark elves determined that a more serious thing had to be done to punish the human black mages - particularly the arch mages. A direct assault on the Tower of Sorcery had been planned. All arch mages were to be killed. That leads us to the present.”
“Why are you telling me this?” asked Kazin.
“I - can’t go into details,” stammered the elf.
“What about the hydra?” demanded Della. Her dislike of dark elves was obvious in the tone of her voice.
The patient shook her head. “I’m not sure where it came from. I didn’t even know it was part of the plan until I heard about it from one of the clerics.” She gave Kazin a sad look. “I was injured not long after leaving the cells. Some mages took me to this place and I’ve been here ever since. I would have put a stop to this if it hadn’t been for the damage to my hand and arm.” The elf studied the faces of Kazin’s group, wisely avoiding the cyclops’ eye. “You see, I lost my -.” Her voice broke off and she sat up in alarm. “Where did you get that?” she demanded in a loud voice.
Kazin stepped back, prepared to use magic to
defend himself. He didn’t complete the spell when he noticed the elf looking at Alric.
Alric came out of his trance. “Huh? What?”
“That ring!” pressed the patient. “Where did you get that ring?”
Alric looked at his hand which wore the green ring. Then he remembered where he had encountered the female elf before - in the dark magic meeting hall. “What, this ring?” he asked innocently. “I found it somewhere,” he lied.
The female elf knew Alric was lying. She desperately looked around at those assembled with pleading eyes. “I need that ring! Please! It can stop all of this!”
“I don’t think so,” said Kazin sternly.
The patient froze for a split second and then fell back against her pillow. “No!” she moaned. “No, no, no!” She shook her head and wept. “This can’t be happening!”
Kazin and the others exchanged curious glances.
“Let me talk to her for a moment in private,” said Alric quietly.
“Help yourself,” said Kazin. “But don’t let yourself get seduced by her perfume.”
“I won’t,” said Alric.
“And don’t let her get hold of that ring,” admonished Kazin.
“Don’t worry,” said Alric.
Everyone withdrew a short distance while Alric had a talk with the elf. He found her more than attractive enough without the perfume. With the perfume, she was virtually irresistible.
“Why do you want the ring so badly?” asked Alric gently.
“It will help put an end to this nonsense,” said the elf.
Cloak & Dagger: Book II of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 39