Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book Five

by Dean Cadman

  Tiana knew there was no escaping their situation. In fact, she had thought about nothing else for the past two days. There simply was nowhere else to run or hide. She was confident that she could defend herself with magic against a single assailant, or even two or three if they were not as powerful as she was. But according to Avril, the street gangs hunted in greater numbers than that, as did the rival clans. So, it was only a matter of time before they would be cornered and killed—or even worse. But if there was one thing that her husband had taught her, it was never to give up hope. He had often told her that no matter how dire a situation seemed, there was always a way out, you just had to find it. Trouble was, she didn’t think like her husband… but maybe it was time that she did. She decided at that moment, one thing was certain—she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  Above all else, Tiana couldn’t understand why the women of The Badlands allowed themselves to be seen only as property, and not as real people. After all, when it came to magic, a woman could be just as strong as any man. And even though they were not trained in offensive magic to the same degree as the men in Thule, they were still considered a valuable asset to the Empire.

  Tiana’s husband had secretly taught her many spells to defend herself and the children against would-be attackers, many of them forbidden to magi not chosen to serve as part of the Empire’s forces. Their small farm had been very isolated, and he had been concerned for their safety during his extended periods away from home. He could never have imagined when he taught her that she would have to employ those skills to defend herself and their children so far away from the safety of that home.

  “So, how do we stop this?” Tiana asked, breaking the long silence. Avril turned and gave a look of pure contempt. “Come on, there has to be a way to challenge this. I can’t believe that every woman in The Badlands bows down to these ridiculous laws. Surely someone has fought things like this in the past?”

  Avril laughed manically. “Who do you think you are… Dyah?”

  “Who’s Dyah?” Tiana asked, ignoring the barbed comment. Avril gave her another scathing look. She was obviously contemplating not answering Tiana’s question, but a moment later she relented, sagging into another chair at the kitchen table. She sighed loudly, as if exhaling her last hopes.

  “Dyah was a powerful clan leader of The Badlands, or at least that’s what she eventually became. Her husband was killed during a raid on one of the northern border towns inside Edrana. After he died, her husband’s clan claimed ownership of his land and property and she was condemned to death on the streets, just as we are now. But instead of accepting her fate, she chose to challenge her clan’s claim over her property. The legend says that she challenged and won a duel against the current clan leader, and that after doing so, she took control of the clan for herself—as the unwritten laws of The Badlands allow.”

  Tiana nodded slowly to her words. If there was even a remote chance of success, she knew she must take it. She had no idea how powerful this ‘Draek’ was, but she knew enough of The Badlands’ history to at least give her a sliver of hope that she might prevail against him. Long ago, the first warlords of The Badlands were the magi who refused to serve Lord Zelroth after he took control of Thule. Since then, however, the Empire had long since weeded out any weak or non-magi from its population, making the average citizen of today far more powerful than those of ancient times. The Badlands, on the other hand, had not, and therefore magical ability amongst its population was far less prevalent—or potent—as a general rule.

  “Then I too will challenge the clan leader to a duel,” Tiana said, holding her chin up high. Avril laughed mirthlessly, shaking her head as she did so.

  “I’m sorry, Tiana, but you wouldn’t stand a chance against him. You don’t think he’s called Draek, The Mighty, for nothing do you? He’s a powerful and ruthless man, who crushes anyone who gets in his way or threatens his position. He’s already ruled over the Kraell clan for more than two decades, and that’s no small feat in itself, I can assure you.”

  Tiana’s anger began to rise at Avril’s defeatist attitude, but somehow she managed to maintain control of herself. “I will not allow my children to die without a fight,” she said, through gritted teeth. “If Draek does kill me, then so be it. At least I’ll leave this wretched life knowing that I’ve done everything I can to protect my family. And that includes you, Avril.”

  Avril’s eyes once again filled with tears, as she reached across the kitchen table and took hold of Tiana’s hand in her own. She nodded slowly and mouthed the words, ‘Thank you,’ but neither woman was under any illusions about the likely outcome of what they were about to do.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tiana didn’t sleep at all that night, and by the time the first light of day began filtering in through her bedroom window, she was thoroughly exhausted. She had held Gia and Rylee close to her all night, shedding silent tears over their coming fate. The same awful questions kept running through her mind over and over, often accompanied by torturous images. What would happen to her two children once she was dead? Would they be killed quickly and mercifully? Or would they be… used, as slaves, or even worse?

  When Gia and Rylee finally stirred from their slumber, Tiana greeted them as calmly as she could. She didn’t want their final hours to be lived in fear, watching their mother fret over what was to come. Instead, she steeled herself against her own, and her children’s fate and vowed to treat this day just like any other. If she could shoulder the burden of their final day alone, it would be the least she could do for her children.

  When Tiana went to the kitchen to make breakfast, she found Avril already there. The dark patches under her eyes suggested that she too had not slept much, and she paced backwards and forwards across the room like a caged animal. Tiana sent the children into the back room to play whilst she prepared them some breakfast. She stoked the fire, coaxing it back to life with a few well-placed logs and kindling, then went to fill the kettle with fresh water from the well outside. She heard Avril gasp as she lifted the wooden bar from the back of the door, but she knew there would be no one outside waiting for them yet. A sunset deadline had undoubtedly been chosen for several reasons, not least of which was that they would be evicted onto the streets just before nightfall, making it far easier for them to be preyed upon by the street gangs who operated after dark.

  Tiana wondered if anyone was secretly watching the house as she lowered the bucket down the well, but decided not to give them the satisfaction of looking if they were. She would not show them any fear, even if she keenly felt it inside. She calmly raised the half-full bucket of water and filled her kettle from it, then without even looking up, she turned and casually walked back towards the house. When she re-entered the kitchen she found Avril staring wide-eyed at the open door and frozen to the spot with fear. Tiana calmly closed the door behind her and replaced the wooden bar, her heart hammering hard in her chest. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, then went to place the kettle over the crackling fire. She glanced back over her shoulder at Avril and found her still staring at the door.

  “They won’t come until sunset,” Tiana said, poking at the fire and adding a little more wood to it. Avril never replied, but a few moments later Tiana heard her resume her pacing backwards and forwards across the small kitchen.

  The day dragged on like no other Tiana could ever remember. The children, thankfully, were oblivious to what would soon befall them and played happily together as they always did. Avril, however, withdrew even further into herself, and by the time the day began to wane, she had not spoken above a dozen words all day. Tiana had kept herself busy at first doing menial tasks, such as cleaning or darning the children’s socks, but that had only worked for so long. She soon found that her mind wandered, often revisiting those dreadful images of the previous night, and she was forced to meditate to stay calm.

  Tiana was meditating on the kitchen floor with her legs crossed when a loud knock at the door s
tartled her. Avril let out a muffled squeal and began to breathe rapidly as her rising panic took control of her. Tiana could see that she was physically shaking from head to toe, but she knew there was no longer any time left to comfort her. She looked towards the window and was surprised to see that the sun had not yet begun to set. Strangely, that angered her, knowing that she’d been denied the time they’d promised, but a moment later she calmed herself and stood up from the kitchen floor. She glanced towards the room where her children were playing, but knew she neither had the time or the strength to say her goodbyes.

  Anger welled up inside Tiana, fuelling her desire to kill the men who had come to end her children’s lives. She remembered her husband’s lessons well and spoke the words of power he had taught her. A magical shield sprang into life around her, quickly followed by a raging fireball in her right hand. Tiana knew that she couldn’t survive a sustained attack for long, but she fully intended to kill as many of them as she could before allowing them anywhere near her children. Avril had already collapsed to the floor and was sobbing loudly in the corner of the room. Tiana gave her a slight nod to say goodbye, unable to trust her own voice not to fail, then turned back toward the outer door. She could hear the faint sound of men’s voices outside as she lifted the bar from the door. She took a deep breath, prepared to launch her fireball, and threw open the door.

  Zedd’s eyes went wide in shock and the colour instantly drained from his face when he saw the fireball in his wife’s hand. He had fully expected her to be upset with him, having had to leave their home behind and flee to The Badlands, but he had never expected her to try and kill him for it. Cole took an involuntarily step backwards, unsure what to do about the sudden threat to Zedd’s life. He was about to take control of the woman’s mind when she suddenly extinguished the fireball and launched herself at Zedd. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, crying uncontrollably into his shoulder. It was at that moment, Cole realised it must be Zedd’s wife, and suddenly considered himself lucky that he was still a single man.

  Zedd breathed a sigh of relief but recognised that his wife must have been expecting someone else to be behind the door. He scanned the streets around him, but they were devoid of any life. Then another thought struck him as to why she might be so upset.

  “The children… where are the children? Are they safe?” Zedd asked, frantically. Tiana continued to sob and cry into his shoulder, but she alleviated his fears with a definitive nod. Zedd knew there was something obviously very wrong, and he also knew the street was not the best place to discuss whatever it was. “Come inside, so we can talk,” he said, scanning the area once more for any signs of danger. As Zedd entered the kitchen, he was greeted enthusiastically.

  “PAPPA! PAPPA!” the children both shouted excitedly, running towards him and wrapping their arms around his legs. Zedd bent down and picked one up in each arm.

  “My, you’ve both grown so big,” he said, kissing their heads in turn. It was then that he noticed a woman cowering on the floor in the corner of the room. She looked terrified of something and refused to even make eye contact with him. He guessed it was his wife’s cousin, and had his assumption confirmed a moment later when Tiana spoke to her.

  “Avril, this is Zedd, my husband. He won’t hurt you, you’re safe,” Tiana said, but Avril didn’t even appear to hear her words. Cole too must have sensed that something was wrong, because he closed and barred the door again, then went to the window to check outside.

  “What’s going on?” Zedd asked, looking at his wife. Tiana shook her head slightly, then looked at the children in his arms, letting him know that she didn’t want to discuss it in front of them. Zedd bent down and placed Gia and Rylee back on the floor, before reaching into his robe and retrieving two long sticks of candy that he’d bought for them earlier. They were more than happy to take the delicious candy into the back room and eat it there, whilst the grown-ups talked with one another in the kitchen.

  It took Tiana quite a while to regain control of her emotions enough to be able to speak freely. She was obviously overwhelmed with relief that Zedd had arrived when he did, and when she finally managed to tell him the reason why, he was stunned by what she had to say. If he had arrived any later, both his wife and his two children may have already been dead. The anger within him threatened to boil over at any moment. How dare these people threaten his family? These weak, insignificant people of The Badlands. He would crush them under his boot like the cockroaches they were.

  Zedd had intended, over time, to unite the warring factions of The Badlands under one banner—his banner. Then with his new-found power and the dragon heart shard, he would take his new army and destroy Lord Zelroth’s forces, and ultimately take control of the Thule Empire for himself. Zedd was aware that Lord Zelroth had also read the Guardian book at Coldmont, but he was the one with a dragon heart shard and the extra power reserves that came with it. He had thought long and hard about how powerful he was now, compared with Lord Zelroth, and whether or not he could defeat him. And the conclusion that he eventually reached, was that he could. He knew Lord Zelroth had recently failed to acquire the Guardian book at Lamuria, and he also knew from the historical records that he had failed to find the island depicted on the ceiling of Azmarin. It also stood to reason that Lord Zelroth didn’t know the location of the Guardian book the boy-mage had first read. If he did, surely he would have put in place the same warning spells to alert him of someone’s presence there, just as he had done at Coldmont. And even if Lord Zelroth had discovered the whereabouts of that particular Guardian book recently, it would have been an even higher priority to acquire it than the one inside Lamuria, for surely it would be far less well protected, and therefore easier to obtain as a result. With all that in mind, Zedd had come to one stark conclusion; they had both only read the Guardian book in Coldmont, but he had a dragon heart shard, making him the most powerful of the two.

  Zedd’s overall plan was simple. First, he would unite the clans of The Badlands, destroying any that refused to join him. Then he would use his vast new army to capture the border towns of Thule. The citizens there would be given a choice to serve him or die. In exchange for their servitude, he would remove their Necromatic rings, freeing them from their bonds to the Empire. Lord Zelroth would, of course, send his forces south to meet the new threat, and he would crush them all. He would then continue pushing north, taking town after town and increasing not only his lands but also the size of his army, as he absorbed the citizens of Thule into his own forces. He would become stronger, whilst at the same time, the Empire’s forces would be diminished. He knew it might take years to achieve his overall goal, but eventually, he would arrive at the gates of Azmarin—and he would not be alone.

  Thinking of Lord Zelroth reminded Zedd about the Necromatic rings that his wife and her cousin still wore. The rings marked them as citizens of the Empire and left them vulnerable to any Empire soldiers that they might encounter. But even more concerning was the possibility of the Empire forces locating them by homing in on the rings. There was no doubt in Zedd’s mind that Lord Zelroth would have already sent someone to kill his family, and if they had managed to track his wife and children to The Badlands, it would be a relatively simple task to locate their exact position through her Necromatic ring.

  “Give me your hand, Tiana,” Zedd said, pointing to her ring hand. She gave him her hand without hesitation and he spoke the words of power to render the ring inert.

  “What did you just do?” she asked, examining her own hand.

  Zedd smiled and nodded toward her ring. “You can remove it now,” he said, holding up his own ringless finger for her to see. Her jaw fell open at the sight of his empty finger.

  “How? How is that even possible?” she asked breathlessly, staring at her own ring in disbelief.

  Zedd leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “Look at my aura.” He watched her facial expression go from a look of confusion to absolute astonishment in a
heartbeat, and his smile grew even wider. She shook her head mutely, her hand firmly clenched to her chest as if trying to steady her own heart. She knew in that instant that Draek and his clan no longer posed any threat to her or her children. In fact, judging by the incredible strength of her husband’s aura, she doubted that anyone ever could.

  Almost an hour passed before the shouts were heard coming from outside. It didn’t go unnoticed by Tiana that the men had waited until well after dark to arrive, meaning that if they had indeed been forced out onto the streets, they would have stood little chance of survival. Avril had long since calmed down, and after Zedd had removed her Necromatic ring and she’d witnessed the strength of his aura for herself, she had all but returned to her normal self. That was until Zedd revealed his plan to them all. A plan which involved Avril facing down the men outside alone—or at least apparently alone. Then her nervousness returned in abundance. Tiana had already told Zedd the story about Dyah and how she had challenged her own clan leader’s position, and he intended to do just that. It meant taking control of his first clan sooner than he had planned, but the end results would still be the same.

  Zedd realised that there would be no point simply killing the men that Draek sent to evict them. Nor was there any point stepping outside himself so they could see the strength of his aura. If he did, Draek would never accept the challenge to his leadership. Instead, Zedd would send Avril to make the challenge and protect her within a strong magical shield of his own. If they attacked Avril he would simply kill the men and wait for their replacements to arrive. But if, as he suspected, they simply returned to Draek and delivered the proposed challenge instead, it would only be a matter of time before Draek arrived to accept that challenge. And when he did, he would no doubt have with him a large number of his clan members who would all bear witness to Zedd’s challenge, and his ultimate victory over Draek.