by Dean Cadman
“So you’ve seen it before?” asked Lusam.
“Yes, I have. We encountered it during the first few weeks after The Rift was torn open, and it was quite a problem for us too until we discovered how to counteract it,” he replied, taking a step back from them. He held out an upturned hand and spoke several words of power, and an apple-sized clear globe began to form in his palm. He then spoke, even more, words of power, causing it to levitate a few inches into the air and a miniature storm to erupt inside. Tiny streaks of bright lightning leapt from its outer edges into the centre of the globe, and the air around it began to crackle with energy. The energy continued to build, and Lusam soon felt the hairs on his head begin to stand on end.
Arlo waited until the globe’s energy had built up to a sufficient level, then released it towards the inky blackness and watched it vanish below its undulating surface. For a moment nothing seemed to happen, then they began to see small flashes of light from within the black mist. The flashes grew in frequency and intensity, and very soon the once random swirls of blackness took on the appearance of a miniature tornado. A tornado that reached down into the centre of the globe. Tiny energetic streaks of lightning continued to flash inside until the last of the blackness had been sucked in. Arlo spoke a single word of power, and the globe instantly solidified into a solid black ball. All signs of the miniature lightning storm now gone from within.
Renn whistled. “Nice trick.”
“Thanks. I’m glad someone here appreciates me,” Arlo said, giving Lusam a sideways glance. “It was quite simple to achieve once we knew what we were dealing with. The black mist is linked directly to the Netherworld, and actively seeks out any power that it can find to send back there. The sphere contains a highly concentrated power source, which attracts the mist into it. Once it’s fully contained within the sphere it’s a simple case of sealing it, which in turn severs its connection to the Netherworld.”
“And that kills it?” Alexia asked, looking nervously towards the small black sphere.
“Well, I’m not really sure it was ever alive in the first place, but yes. Now that its connection to the Netherworld had been severed, I suppose you could say that it’s effectively dead.”
“Shouldn’t we be trying to close that, instead of just standing here chatting?” Lusam asked, pointing towards the swirling dark patch hovering a few feet above the ground.
Arlo nodded. “Yes, of course, you’re right. After the count of three, just as we practised,” he said, beginning his countdown. A moment later two blindingly bright beams of light shot towards The Rift, sizzling loudly on impact. Its swirling mass writhed and twisted violently under their combined assault, as Aamon attempted to counteract their efforts from within. Fresh waves of fear, far more powerful than the ones they had become accustomed to, broke over everyone in camp. Fortunately, Arlo had taught Lusam how to resist such a mental onslaught, but many of the others were not so lucky. Even several of the veteran paladins found themselves susceptible to its overwhelming effects.
Alexia dropped to one knee under the sudden ferocity of the attack, but was soon on her feet again issuing orders to stop the affected paladins from running blindly into the surrounding forest. The howls and screams of Netherworld creatures echoed from beyond the treeline, but few ventured out into the open. Those that did were swiftly dealt with by Ryuu, or one of Alexia’s blessed arrows.
Beads of sweat formed on Lusam’s brow and ran freely down his face as he continued to expend vast amounts of power towards The Rift. The previous time he had caught Aamon unawares, and The Rift had all but collapsed instantly in size. But this time Aamon had been ready for them, and it quickly became a battle of endurance and strength.
Lusam glanced at his father and could see the strain on his face. The beam of energy flowing from his hand dwarfed that of his own, but still, it seemed not to be enough. Seconds felt like minutes to Lusam, as the brutal drain on his power reserves continued. He could sense the immense strain Aamon was under in the Netherworld, but he was equally sure that he could sense theirs too. Just as doubt was beginning to creep into Lusam’s mind, The Rift seemed to suddenly collapse inwards on itself. Instinctively he increased his efforts, and sensed his father do the same. The air around them positively hummed with power, but instantly he knew something had changed. Before, he could clearly feel the force that Aamon exerted as he pushed back against their assault. But now it felt as if they were trying to push against an immovable mountain.
Lusam’s legs trembled beneath him and he gasped for air. His vision swam with bright spots of light, and his head began to throb as the familiar signs of magical fatigue made themselves known to him. He turned to look at his father and found him already looking in his direction. His father slowly shook his head, and the beam of light from his hand abruptly ended. In that moment, Lusam knew they had failed. Even before he cancelled his own beam of light, he felt a wave of desolation descend over him. He felt like falling to his knees, but refused to allow Aamon to see his weakness. Instead, he stood where he was, swaying, and gasping for breath.
Arlo stared at The Rift intently, as if he was trying to peer beyond its boundary. After almost a minute, he removed the sword from his back and plunged into the ground between himself and the others. The weapon immediately burst into life, bathing them all in Aysha’s light. He then placed a hand on the hilt and whispered a single word or power, causing the light to suddenly intensify tenfold.
“We can speak freely now without the risk of being overheard,” he said, when he noticed Lusam’s questioning look.
“What just happened?” Lusam asked, breathlessly.
“I’m not sure, but I believe Aamon plugged the opening from the inside to prevent us from sealing it completely. He’s weak. I could sense it. He must have known that we would eventually prevail, so he did the only thing that he could to prevent himself from being trapped inside again.”
“I don’t understand,” Alexia said. “If he’s sealed himself inside the Netherworld, doesn’t that mean it’s over?”
Arlo glanced towards the small dark spot and shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. We have to assume that if he’s capable of plugging the gap between worlds, he’s also capable of unplugging again.”
“Isn’t there a way we can break through it and finish the job?” Lusam asked, swaying slightly.
His father smiled at him. “I don’t think either of us is in any fit state to try that right now. But even at full strength, I doubt that we could do it.”
“Then what? We can’t just simply walk away from it. There has to be a way to blast through and close it once and for all,” Lusam replied, angrily.
Arlo stared silently towards The Rift for several more minutes, but eventually, he turned and nodded at Lusam. “One guardian alone cannot break through, but I believe two could if they worked together.”
Lusam let out a manic laugh. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we seem to be a little short on Guardians right now,” he replied, sarcastically.
Arlo’s grin returned. “Tell me again, how many Guardian books have you read?”
“You know exactly how many…” Lusam began to say, then his eyes went wide as he suddenly realised what his father meant. “Wait… of course, you could easily kill Lord Zelroth. Then I could read the final Guardian book.”
Arlo shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, Lusam. Yes, I could kill Lord Zelroth, and for what he did to your mother, I’m more than happy to do so. But it wouldn’t do you much good. You still couldn’t read the final Guardian book.”
“Why not? I’ve read all of the others haven’t I?”
“Yes you have, but reading the final Guardian book is very different from reading the others. It requires something extra. Something that cannot be overcome by any amount of training, or even sidestepped by receiving extra help.”
“And what’s that?” Lusam asked, testily.
“A dragon,” Arlo replied. “You must be bonded
to a dragon, or the final book will kill you.”
“Is that even possible?” Neala gasped, looking between him and Lusam.
“Theoretically, yes. Ryuu assures me that my blood runs through Lusam’s veins, and as such, the dragons should recognise him as a Guardian.”
“But?” Renn ventured.
Arlo smiled at him and nodded. “But—it won’t be easy. Convincing any dragon to bond freely with a human after what happened the last time might be problematic, to say the least. Then there’s the distinct possibility that Driden could forbid it altogether, or even kill us for attempting it at all.”
“Are there even any dragons left in the world?” Renn asked, then quickly added, “Present company excluded, of course.”
Arlo chuckled. “Of course,” he said, inclining his head. “And yes, there are plenty of dragons left in the world. But since there are no longer any Guardians in Afaraon, it’s doubtful that the people here have seen any in quite some time. Their homeland of Eindryl is far to the north, in Podrana, and they don’t often venture far beyond their borders.”
“And what will happen if the dragons don’t recognise me as a Guardian?” Lusam asked, even though he wasn’t really sure that he wanted to know the answer.
Arlo shrugged and a wide grin spread across his face. “Then I guess they’ll just try to eat you.”
“Oh… great!” Lusam replied, finally collapsing to the ground.
***
Acknowledgements
Thank you for reading LUSAM—The Dragon Mage Wars—Book Five. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I very much hope that you will join Lusam and his friends again in Book Six.
I have to admit that I had a lot of fun writing this book. I always knew that the hidden realm would give me an opportunity to explore certain characters that would otherwise have been out of place in Lusam’s world. One of my personal favourites was the chubby fairy, who I modelled on a good friend of mine—although once he’s read this, that might change.
Book Six will be the final book in this series, and I can promise you that I have saved the best until last.
A big thank you to everyone who left me a review for the previous books, and I hope very much that you will do the same again for this one.
I really would love to hear your thoughts about the series of books, because you, the reader, are the most important person to any author, and without you, there simply would be no point in us writing anything at all.
www.deancadman.com
Once again, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you again soon.
Check out my website for current competitions and giveaways.