“Promise me.”
“I promise, not until I must face the Scions. If I do not return form there then it will not matter anymore.”
Miranda pushed off Azerick’s chest, forcing aside her wifely concerns and resumed her duties as the Daughter of North Haven. “We need to get the people out of here.”
“I have addressed the issue. Get everyone clear of the area, particularly from around the gates. Tell the crowd that we are going to open another portal to get them all through, but they need to step back.”
“Can you do that?” Ellyssa asked.
“No, but I have spoken to someone who can.”
The soldiers and mages urged the pressing crowd to back away, issuing promises to any who resisted and clouts to their shoulders and bodies when words failed. They had barely cleared the area when the air tore open in a line bisecting the two destroyed gates. The rift opened wide like the mouth of a giant, invisible creature to reveal the valley hundreds of miles away. The valley defenders scurried about and formed ranks, unsure what the rift portended.
“That should facilitate our evacuation. Continue to defend the walls as best you can until the noncombatants are safely through. If we begin to get overrun, retreat to the secondary defensive line. This is not the place to stand and die. We will punish them as best we can, but reaching the valley is our priority. I have greatly expended myself of late and need to rest.”
“We can manage, Father. Where shall I find you?”
“I will take a room in the castle. Jarvin will know which one.”
Azerick opened a portal and stepped into the small room he had stayed in during one of his previous visits. He lay upon the small bed and allowed his exhaustion to pull him into a rare period of sleep. The Scions mocked him in his dreams as fire, flood, and ravagers scoured his home from the face of the planet. He fought the fallen gods in a fierce battle until only he and they remained, fighting atop a mountain made of the dead. The world below was in flames, creating a place more hellish than anything found in the abyss.
A soft wrapping at his door pulled Azerick from his nightmares and back into the forsaken world of reality. He did not startle nor wake in the cold sweat such dreams would normally induce in a person. His life had long been a thing of nightmares, and they no longer greatly affected him. Not even the awareness of his apathetic reaction bothered him anymore.
“Come in, Raijaun.”
Raijaun opened the door, ducked low to clear the frame, and entered. “Father, the bulk of the evacuation is complete.”
“What is the hour?”
“Mid-morning.”
“How do we fair at the walls?”
“Thanks largely to the destruction you inflicted upon your return, we were able to hold the outer walls for nearly ten more hours. We have retreated to the inner curtain wall and are facilitating the evacuation of our fighting forces.”
“All right. Let’s make sure we get everyone through. Our job is done here, and there is no reason to stay and fight.”
“Some would believe dying to protect their homes is reason enough.”
“That is because some people are idiots who do not see that dying wins nothing but death. Only by surviving and fighting will they earn something worth dying for.”
“You sound like Daebian.”
“There are times I feel he has the right of it.” Azerick sighed at the thought of his son. “Come, everyone will need our help to retreat through the rift. Are you rested enough to take on an entire army with me?”
“I have been resting in place and using my power sparingly for this purpose. Despite knowing the pain it will cause me, I am looking forward to giving it back to these vile creatures.”
Father and son walked through the nearly abandoned halls of Castle Brightridge, likely one of the last few to ever do so. Once teaming with court attendees, residents, and an army of servants, only the hollow sound of their feet striking stone and marble, the cacophonic war raging outside, and the pervasive smell and thin haze of smoke now took residence inside.
The fouled air grew thicker the moment they exited. Black smoke rose in hundreds of curling columns toward the sky where dragons wheeled and dived, spewing fire and hurling magic at the retreating defenders. Azerick looked into the distance and saw several black specks in an aerial duel only visible to his and Raijaun’s keen eyesight unless one had a spyglass at hand. Through the bright flares of light and the exchange of fiery breath, Azerick knew Sandy had not left them and still fought to bring even a slight respite to the humans by pulling some of the dragons away from the city.
Azerick and Raijaun did not have to travel far to reach the forward lines of battle. They held the inner curtain wall, but their defense was tenuous. The wizards’ knew they were soon to retreat and so fought with little reservation, keeping the ravagers at bay and preventing the dragons from tearing through the wards and wreaking uncontrollable havoc.
“Azerick!” Alex called out as he jogged toward the sorcerer.
Alex’s armor showed the ravages of war, what was visible of it beneath the layer of black, viscous blood. His eyes were a mirror of his armor; weary, battered, and fatigued but still resilient and refusing to yield. “We cannot hold here much longer.”
“You do not have to. Pull everyone away from the wall and move with all speed to the rift and the remaining gate,” Azerick instructed. “Raijaun and I should be able to slow them enough to give you all time to flee. Is the inner city still ours?”
“Mostly. A few bands of ravagers and an occasional dragon manage to break through or sneak their way inside, but so far we have been able to strike them down or push them back. We should have little trouble with any that might be terrorizing the city between us and the gates.”
“Good. The moment we create a break, order everyone to the rift.” Azerick turned to his son. “I know this is going to cause you a lot of pain. Are you ready?”
“I will manage, Father. Thank you for your concern.”
Azerick and Raijaun walked the parapet and took positions a few hundred yards apart to cover a wide front. Azerick sent his arcane power into the wall beneath his feet. Stone spears erupted from its face like the many spines of a hedgehog, piercing the flesh of the ravagers piled up against its surface as they fought to reach the summit. The mounds of creatures toppled as the protrusions stabbed into their bodies. He used his abyssal magic to cause the stone to weep poisonous acid that decayed the flesh of anything touching it.
Alex led the humans in a full retreat from the wall while Azerick and Raijaun tried to buy them time to get clear and reach the rift. It was not going to be an easy feat. Thousands of soldiers and wizards packed the battlements with thousands more occupying the streets and defenses in the district.
Raijaun scoured the area in front of the wall with gold and silver fire all along its vast length and for a hundred yards or more out from its base. It burned in the eyes of anyone chancing a glance its direction as if they were looking straight into the sun. Even Azerick had to marvel at the power his son was able to draw and wield until a pang of sympathy brought him the sobering reminder of the pain his craft caused him.
Seeing that the humans were fleeing once again, or perhaps the Scions knew their most-hated foes had taken the field, they began pushing their minions harder. The dragons began attacking with increased ferocity, and the ravagers ignored the death and destruction Azerick and Raijaun threw against them and charged the wall. Fire and powerful spells battered at the wards to which the wizards had to devote their full attention. Wards flared like sparks kicked up by log thrown on a fire as the massive wyrms slammed into them and tried to claw their way through despite the sharp, stunning jolts of electricity coursing through them each time they made the attempt. A huge, dusky-brown dragon landed heavily upon a parapet, shattering the heavy ballista mounted there and snapping up the crew trying to help cover the retreat.
The assault came with so much force it was almost impossible to see the sky thr
ough the bursting of magic, gouts of flame, and the dragons’ huge bodies. A dragon broke through a ward like an ice bear bashing its way into a seal den and dropped onto a mass of humans. The creature’s own ward deflected the stronger spells cast at it while it ignored arrows and lesser magic. Its massive tail cracked like a whip, bashing aside houses as if they were toys and swept away a score of soldiers like dirt from a kitchen floor.
Azerick made to strike at the beast, but Raijaun was faster. A great golden hand came down from the heavens like the fist of Solarian, plucked the dragon up, and bashed it against the castle wall until it and the dragon lay in a broken heap. As impressed as he was with his son’s spell, Azerick could not help but worry over the grimace of pain rippling across Raijaun’s face. He was not combining his guardian magic with his abyssal power, but even the amalgamation with the closer-related Source magic caused him distress. Azerick’s distraction cost him as a searing bolt of magic struck him in the side and flung him over the edge of the wall. His only good fortune was toppling off to the inner side instead of tossing him to the snapping jaws of the horde of ravagers piling up at its base once again.
Azerick rolled just as a huge forefoot came crashing down with enough force to buckle the cobblestone street. The dragon’s head snapped down with the speed of swooping falcon. A hastily cast force strike deflected the huge head and cratered the ground next to Azerick’s body. The dragon rose up and prepared to spew fire as the sorcerer began shaping a ward to shield himself from the impending flames. Powerful rays and lightning struck the dragon in its side before it could release its breath weapon against the prone human. Azerick saw the dragon stagger under the combined onslaught and turned to see who had come to his rescue.
Ellyssa, Roger, Allister, Aggie, and Rusty appeared through a wind-blown wall of black smoke like avenging wraiths. The Dragon turned, glared at the wizards who had interrupted it, and spit its fire at the newcomers. Aggie and Allister erected a powerful ward, shielding them all from the inferno, while Ellyssa and Roger struck out at three other dragons circling and strafing.
“You like to play with fire do you?” Rusty shouted. “Me too.”
A horizontal column of fire erupted from his outstretched hands with an intensity equal to that of the Dragon’s breath weapon. The dragon scratched at the air with an outstretched talon and growled. Rusty’s spell splashed against an invisible wall and spread out in a great flaming sheet. Allister turned to his offensive magic and unleashed a twisting ray of azure light. Like an auger, it bored through the magical shield and the dragon’s armoring scales. The creature roared in agony as the magic tore and seared the powerful muscles beneath the hard plates and tough skin. Azerick shaped the head of his staff into a spear and hurled it with all his formidable strength. The arcanum blade sank deeply into the dragon’s neck. Runes carved along its shaft flared and sent a burst of arcane power into its body, ending its pain and continued existence. A quick thought and the staff reappeared in Azerick’s hand.
“This place is going to hell with a quickness,” Allister said. “Let’s get out of here before your wife comes and drags us out by our ears.”
“Where is Miranda?”
“Waiting at the gate, and she won’t leave until you’re through it. It was all I could do to keep her from coming with us.”
Azerick nodded and turned to the wall where Raijaun still fought to impede the ravager’s siege. “Raijaun, time to go!”
Raijaun glanced down, conjured a rolling fog that burned like fire, and glided down to the ground. Azerick witnessed his son’s pain and fatigue when he landed a bit hard and took a few stumbling steps. Raijaun waved off Azerick’s concerned inquiry before he spoke. Already, ravagers began pouring over the distant ends of the walls where Raijaun’s incendiary cloud did not reach. It was definitely time to make haste.
“Azerick, would you like to make a gate to the rift?” Aggie asked. “It’s a bit far for us.”
The Sorcerer nodded and opened a portal to the plaza. The city’s remaining defenders still crowded the area as they continued their orderly retreat through the large rift and the remaining gate. Thanks to Ancalon’s portal, the challenge no longer lay with getting people through but trying to clear them away from the exit point in the valley so more could pass. The task was made especially difficult due to the vertigo traveling through the portals caused.
Miranda spotted the group almost immediately from her higher vantage point and pushed through the crowd to reach them. “Azerick! Thank the gods you made it.”
“We’re fine, but it looks as though we are not yet finished. This is taking too long. Raijaun and I need to buy more time.”
“I’m going with you!”
“No, you are not. You have your place in this war, but this is not it,” Azerick declared firmly.
“My place is by my husband’s side.”
“There is nothing you can do to help. That makes it more likely you will be a hindrance. I do not mean to sound callous or belittle your abilities, but your skills are not fit for this duty and could cost people their lives if you insist on applying them to the task.”
Miranda knew he was right, but hearing it burned in her stomach. She swallowed her frustration and pride and nodded. “Fine, but I’m waiting at the gate, and I will not pass through it without you.”
“Fair enough.”
“We’re with you, boy,” Allister insisted.
“I need Raijaun for what I have in mind. You all help reinforce the plaza against any ravagers that might still reach us until everyone is through.”
The archmage looked dour. “It’s been a long time since I was second fiddle in the orchestra. I gotta tell you, I don’t like it.”
Aggie threaded her arm through his and kissed him on his mushy cheek. “You are a distant third, and in the triangle section.”
“Hateful old woman,” he grumbled lovingly.
Azerick and Raijaun stood at the edge of the plaza. Many buildings already lay in ruins, but much of the district still stood proudly defiant. That was soon to change.
“I want to drop these buildings into the streets to create as great an obstacle as we can. I know it’s a poor barrier at best given how they move, but at least they will not have a clear run to us.”
“I agree, Father. We should be able to make it a greater challenge by igniting the combustibles as well.”
Azerick nodded. “This is going to require the blending of abyssal magic, and I know how difficult that is for you.”
“I will manage as I always do, Father. It is my purpose.”
Father and son began weaving the threads of a complex spell. Black fog formed around their hands and began curling through the streets and between buildings like smoke but with the sentience of a living creature. Everywhere it passed, wood rotted, iron rusted, and stone crumbled. Walls cracked and supports failed, causing the homes and businesses to topple and choke the streets. Many fell and crushed the invading army beneath their mass, killing hundreds and trapping thousands beneath the rubble. The corruption complete, arcane and Guardian magic tracked along the ebony streamers and set the ruins ablaze. What was once a skyline of twisting black columns of smoke became a curtain of flames and choking darkness, hiding the grotesque stage and actors while stagehands erected new, horrific scenes. Ravagers pushed heedlessly through the hellish destruction, driven by the silent commands of their creators and the unslakable bloodlust inherent to their existence. The death toll extracted by the defenders and Azerick and Raijaun’s most recent destruction was incalculable, but still the enemy came on. Fierce battles erupted in the clogged alleys and atop the smoldering mounds of rubble all around the plaza.
The park was nearly clear of everyone not valiantly trying to stave off the unrelenting incursion. Raijaun studied the scene and knew those actively engaged in combat would not be able to withdraw through the portals without help. Combining the three elements of his magic, he ringed the plaza in fire that consumed wood, stone, and iron as if
it were coal feeding the intense fires of a forge.
Seeing his spell was creating the opportunity for a mass exodus, Azerick focused his power on the skies to drive away the dragons’ constant aerial harassment. Rusty sent tendrils of magic into the cloying smoke, gathered it up like black snow, and created a thick screen to blanket a large section of the city and hide them from the from the dragons’ eyes. Allister, Aggie, and Ellyssa reinforced the ebony cloud with magic, giving it solidity capable of warding off the bombardment if only for a short time.
“Everyone, through the rift!” Azerick shouted with a magically amplified voice.
Scores of defenders, mostly the wizards who were using their powerful magic to hold the ravagers’ advance at bay until the soldiers could retreat, used the last of their physical reserves to sprint for the rift. Azerick and Raijaun moved in a more orderly manner, eyes peeled for any enemies managing to break through their hasty defenses.
“Miranda, go!” Azerick shouted upon seeing his wife standing next to the rift.
“I told you, I’m not going through without you!”
“Go, Father,” Raijaun urged. “I will close the rift and use the gate to make my escape.”
Azerick grimaced and balked, but he looked at Miranda and relented. “Be swift, and do not take any unnecessary risks.”
“I will be fine, Father.”
Azerick nodded, clapped his son on the shoulder, and led Miranda through the rift. Raijaun stood alone in the eye of a vortex of pure chaos and nightmare. Pushing aside the thoughts of the certain death clawing to reach him, Raijaun turned his focus onto the rift and sent his magic deep into its ethereal weave. The power of the rift and the perfection of magic used in its creation filled him with awe. It was unlike anything he had experienced before yet he felt a deep kindred within its form. He began unraveling it with his magic, taking care to avoid leaving a scar in the world for the dragons or Scions to exploit. They would face their enemies again all too soon, and he did not want to hasten that meeting by leaving a door open for them to walk through.
The Sorcerer's Destiny (The Sorcerer's Path) Page 32