Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book Four

by Dean Cadman

  Zedd had no idea, but ever since he had asked Cole to demonstrate his mental abilities in Coldmont earlier that year, Cole had maintained a tenuous connection with Zedd’s mind. Cole had been shocked at how weak Zedd’s mental capabilities had been compared to his own, and had taken the opportunity to ensure his own survival if Zedd ever threatened him again. He knew that because Lord Zelroth had promoted them both to the rank of Baliaeter—as part of his own sick joke—Zedd could no longer instantly drain him by using his Necromatic ring. But magically, Zedd was still far superior to Cole, and could easily kill him by using the brute force of his magic if he chose to do so. What Cole had done in Coldmont, was ensure that he could take instant control of Zedd’s mind, and therefore survive a potential attack by him. But he knew if he ever did, he would have to kill Zedd, or be killed himself, and now was not the time.

  He continued as if Zedd had not even spoken, calmly informing him about the Carazhal. “The scroll mentioned a rare creature that emerged from the Netherworld called a Carazhal. It was different from all the other creatures they had catalogued, because it was seen attacking other Netherworld creatures. There was even an eyewitness account of one inadvertently saving a man who was being attacked by a smaller Netherworld creature. Apparently it ignored the man completely and attacked one of its own instead, killing it, then feasting on its remains. Whoever wrote the account believed that it hunted other Netherworld creatures even in its own realm, but of course, that was never proven.”

  “That’s all very interesting, but you still haven’t explained how it can still see us in here,” Zedd replied sarcastically, brushing the dirt off his robe. Cole thought about it for a few moments before replying.

  “I don’t know, there was nothing in the scroll to suggest why that might be the case. But there again, the circle of protection was conceived after that time period to study captured Netherworld creatures in safety, so the magi of the time probably never even knew themselves.” Cole watched the creature carefully as it continued to assault their magical barrier. As it opened its huge jaws to scream its frustration, it seemed to emit a low light from deep within its throat.

  No, not a light… an aura!

  When the Carazhal closed its mouth, all signs of its aura were extinguished once more. Whatever its black carapace-like skin was made of, it seemed to have the ability to hide it from the magical scrutiny of others. Cole suddenly realised that the Carazhal would be completely invisible to any other Netherworld creature that hunted by detecting magic, making it the perfect predator within the Netherworld.

  Cole was about to inform Zedd of his discovery, when his new theory suddenly became fact right in front of his eyes. Three smaller Netherworld creatures raced towards their circle of protection, no doubt drawn by the commotion of the Carazhal. At first the Carazhal didn’t seem to notice the approaching creatures, and it was obvious that the smaller creatures hadn’t seen the Carazhal either, as one of them collided heavily with it.

  The Carazhal spun in the direction of its assailant, bringing forth a panicked shriek from the smaller creature, as it suddenly realised what it had collided with. It tried to flee, as its brethren were already doing, but it was too late. The Carazhal grabbed the smaller creature with lighting reflexes, sinking its long razor-sharp claws deep into its flesh. The creature screamed in pain, as one of its limbs was ripped clean away from its body, spraying a black liquid in a wide arc around the clearing. The Carazhal then turned its attention back to Zedd and Cole, using the broken body of the smaller Netherworld creature to hammer against the magical barrier.

  Several other Netherworld creatures appeared, and just as quickly vanished again when they saw what awaited them in the clearing. After several more minutes relentlessly hammering the smaller creature against their magical barrier, it abruptly stopped. Amazingly the smaller creature still lived, but Cole could no longer identify its broken body.

  The Carazhal opened its huge jaws and let out a terrifying sound, something between a howl and a scream, that seemed to pull at their very souls. It opened its jaws still further, reaching such an unfathomable size, that neither Zedd nor Cole could have ever imagined possible. Then striking as fast as a viper, it bit the head clean off the smaller creature. Its massive jaws worked, crunching through the bone of its skull, whilst its body still twitched violently in the hands of the Carazhal.

  A moment later the Carazhal roared loudly towards the night sky once more, then violently discarded the dead creatures carcass, throwing it with great force across the clearing. The creature’s body impacted a nearby tree with a sickening crunch, then slumped to the floor beside it.

  Zedd heard, rather than saw something approaching from above them. When he looked up, his jaw fell wide open at what he saw. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, but he still barely had time to react, as a large branch slammed into the ground right where he had been standing only a heartbeat earlier. He heard the sharp intake of breath from Cole, as he too realised the fallen branch had breached their circle of protection, rendering it useless against the Netherworld creatures. Dozens of Netherworld creatures shrieked and howled as Zedd and Cole suddenly became visible to them, resonating the whole forest with a cacophony of soul-rending sounds.

  Zedd’s mind froze, unable to command his body to do anything against the combined mental pull of so many Netherworld creatures. The Carazhal had yet to notice the absence of their magical barrier, as its attention had suddenly shifted towards the sounds of the approaching mass of Netherworld creatures.

  Cole could feel Zedd’s paralysis through the tenuous mind link he still had with him, but he dare not speak, or indeed, reveal the link to him. If he or Zedd moved, the focus of the Carazhal would likely shift back to them, and that would mean certain death for them both. They needed only a brief moment to clear away the fallen branch and repair their circle or protection, but the Carazhal would tear them apart in a fraction of the time they would need.

  Gently, Cole reached out towards Zedd’s mind, being very careful so as not to alert him to his presence there, and started to calm his thoughts. All Empire magi were taught mind control techniques, which theoretically could be used in situations such as these, but Cole had to admit, even he was finding it difficult to block out everything right now. As Cole’s calming influence began to take effect on Zedd, he also subtly suggested a course of action to him. One that he believed gave them their only chance of survival.

  Zedd took a silent and quivering deep breath, as he finally began to quell the intense waves of fear that were washing over him. He had never felt anything like it in his life, and doubted that anyone else had either. If they had, he felt sure they would never have lived to speak about it, given the sheer number of Netherworld creatures that must have been in the local vicinity. His mind was in complete turmoil at what to do next, fearful of even moving a muscle in case he drew the attention of the Carazhal back onto himself. As his thoughts began to clear, a distinct plan began to form within his mind. He didn’t have time to inform Cole about it, nor did he have the inclination to do so, even if he had dared to speak.

  ‘If he isn’t ready, and the Carazhal kills him, then so be it,’ Zedd thought to himself, as he launched two of his undead-minions at the Carazhal.

  The sudden movement snapped the attention of the Carazhal back in their direction, and it screamed as the two undead-minions wrestled it away from their circle of protection. The inhuman strength and momentum of the undead-minions was enough to carry the Carazhal several paces away from them, before the creature managed to get its feet back under itself, and begin to retaliate. Zedd wasted no time and dived towards the fallen branch, but Cole had already beaten him to it. He lifted the closest end, and heaved it clear of the magic circle. Zedd was already busy reinstating the broken lines of their circle, as Cole re-entered its confines and began to lend a hand without saying a word.

  Zedd glanced up just in time to see the first of his undead-minions torn apart by the Carazhal, leavi
ng the second an easy target now that it had one of its massive clawed hands free. A split second later, and the fight was over. Moving body parts littered the ground all around them. The Carazhal turned, and in one fluid motion leapt towards them, razor-sharp claws outstretched ready to disembowel them both on contact. Zedd contemplated severing his connection with his mutilated minions, but he need not have bothered, because an instant later there was a brief flash, and his connection was broken by the newly reinstated circle of protection. The Carazhal crashed into the invisible barrier, screaming in frustration at being thwarted once more.

  Cole breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t understand how the branch had passed through their barrier and broken the circle. The enchantment the circle provided was designed to specifically stop just about anything from passing through it. In fact, it should have been effective against everything that contained magic, and not simply restricted to the Netherworld creatures. Cole scanned the fallen branch for any signs of magic, but confusingly, he found none. He looked up towards the darkened sky and scanned the tree canopy above, but it was far too dark to see clearly. Then the terrible truth hit him.

  “Oh, no,” he muttered quietly to himself.

  “What?” Zedd hissed, following Cole’s gaze upwards, and half-expecting another branch to come crashing down on them.

  “Look at the branch that fell on us. It’s completely devoid of any life or magic, that’s how it passed through our barrier,” Cole replied quietly, even though their voices could not be heard beyond the circle.

  “So what?” Zedd spat at him.

  “Don’t you see? When that big tree fell over and cleared this area, it must have broken off many of the branches from the surrounding trees. Once those branches died, they lost all of their magic. I think it was one of those branches that just fell on us, and if there’s one, there might be more up there just waiting to fall.”

  “I think that might be the least of our worries right now,” Zedd replied, as the air temperature began to plummet rapidly around them. The constant noise and activity of the Carazhal had attracted a vast number of Netherworld creatures to the area, but thankfully, most of them seemed to be too scared of the Carazhal to come any closer. That didn’t seem to be the case, however, for the gathering Shades. They simply ignored the presence of the Carazhal, even as it futilely tried to attack their ghostlike forms.

  Zedd knew the Shades could not detect them inside their circle of protection, but the constant aggressiveness of the Carazhal towards them and their magical barrier, along with its blood-curdling screams and wails of frustration, was more than enough to keep them from leaving the area. The extended close proximity of a single Shade would have been enough to drop the air temperature to dangerous levels. But now there were three Shades outside their barrier, and none of them showed any signs of losing interest in whatever the Carazhal was hunting.

  The vegetation surrounding their circle of protection glistened with a thick carpet of frost. All except for where the Shades had touched, which was now blackened and shrivelled, and devoid of all life. Both Zedd and Cole pulled up the hoods on their robes, but it did little to stave off the bone-chilling cold of the Shades’ presence.

  It wasn’t just the sudden drop in temperature which concerned Zedd, but also the intense feelings of sheer panic and fear that the Shades were causing him to experience. Like all Empire magi, Zedd had been trained in various techniques to resist the effects of a Netherworld creature’s influence, but never had he experienced the combined power of three Shades before. He felt the overwhelming urge to flee for his life, but knew that if he took a single step outside the circle’s protection, it would be the last thing he ever did.

  Zedd held his head in his hands, and fell to his knees, struggling to control his thoughts and calm his ragged breathing. He knew that he would soon succumb to the freezing cold if he couldn’t calm himself enough to create some kind of magical heat source. A few moments later he’d almost regained his self-control, then all hope of maintaining that control suddenly fled him once again, as two more Shades appeared out of the darkness, and headed directly towards their circle. The sudden spike of fear he felt, threatened to undo him. And if it had not been for the fact that he could no longer feel his own legs due to the incredible cold, he felt sure he would have fled straight into the waiting claws of the Carazhal.

  Cole smiled inwardly, as he watched Zedd struggle under the powerful influence of the Netherworld creatures outside. He could feel the echoes of his sheer terror resonating along the tenuous mental connection he had with him. He wouldn’t allow Zedd to flee their circle of protection and be killed by the waiting Netherworld creatures, but neither would he help him until he really had to.

  It felt good to watch him suffer for a change.

  Cole would have preferred to make him suffer for much longer, but the temperature within their circle was now dangerously low, and unless they created a heat source soon, they would both certainly die. Although Cole found it simple enough to block out the mental effects of the Netherworld creatures, he knew that he didn’t possess enough magic to maintain a heat source—and a magical barrier to contain it—throughout the entire night. Unfortunately, he needed Zedd for that.

  Cole reached out along his tenuous connection towards Zedd’s mind, intending to block the effects of the Netherworld creatures, but suddenly pulled back. If he wanted to, he could help Zedd without him even knowing. But why should he? He had absolutely no doubt that Zedd would berate him for the fact that he would have to create the heat source, and maintain the heat containing barrier throughout the coming night, simply because Cole was too weak to do so. “No… if Zedd wants my help, he’ll have to ask me for it,” Cole thought to himself, with a wide grin spreading across his face.

  “If it gets too much for you to handle, I can help you block out the effects of the Netherworld creatures. All you have to do, is ask,” Cole said, trying hard to not to let his teeth chatter too much and give away his own desperate need for warmth. As he spoke, Cole reached out along his tenuous mental connection with Zedd, and revelled in what he sensed there. Zedd’s mind was in complete turmoil. Not only through the effects of the Netherworld creatures, but also at what Cole had just said to him. His pride warred heavily against his need for self-control and self-preservation. Cole couldn’t believe that Zedd would actually contemplate dying, rather than admit mental inferiority and ask for his help.

  “It seems he needs a push in the right direction,” Cole thought wryly to himself.

  “Oh, that’s not good,” Cole said, “I think we might have another couple of Shades out there in the treeline, and they seem to be heading our way.”

  “Yes!” Zedd half-screamed. Cole knew exactly what he meant, but he wanted to hear Zedd say the words himself.

  “Yes, what?” Cole asked, faking his ignorance.

  He almost heard Zedd’s teeth grinding, as he forced the words out of his mouth. “Yes, you can help me block out the Netherworld creatures.”

  “Of course. If you need my help, I’m only too happy to oblige,” Cole replied, hoping he hadn’t gone too far this time. He walked over to where Zedd was still kneeling on the ground, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Of course, he didn’t need to make physical contact with him, but he didn’t want Zedd to know that. Even though Zedd attempted to erect mental barriers around his own private thoughts, Cole bypassed them as if they weren’t even there. He had no intention of being subtle about his ability to block out the Netherworld creature’s influence, and slammed up a mental barrier against them, instantly removing their effects from Zedd’s mind. Cole saw the look of awe on Zedd’s face, as his mind suddenly became insulated against the effects of the Netherworld creatures outside.

  Cole didn’t expect any thanks from Zedd, nor did he receive any. Zedd slowly got back to his feet, obviously feeling the ill effects of the bone-chilling temperature as much as Cole was. It took Zedd three attempts to correctly speak the simple incantation for
heat through his chattering teeth, and a further four to call forth a magical barrier around them to contain the heat. But once he had, neither man felt much like talking, both happy to simply absorb as much heat as they could from the newly summoned heat source.

  The Carazhal continued to violently assault their circle of protection, drawing ever more Netherworld creatures to their vicinity with each passing hour. Cole just hoped the Carazhal wasn’t smart enough to figure out how their circle of protection had been breached earlier, or accidentally cause it to happen again. He wasn’t sure if they would survive the coming night, but one thing was certain if they did, it was going to be a very long night.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  As the first rays of light filtered through the forest canopy above, the Carazhal screamed in pain, as its shiny black carapace-like skin began to smoke and blister. Every other Netherworld creature had already sought refuge underground against the approaching daylight, but not the Carazhal. Instead, it had continued to relentlessly hammer at their magic circle’s barrier, obviously unaccustomed to ever being denied its prey before. Eventually, it retreated into the shade of a neighbouring tree, but not before it gave one last blood-curdling scream of frustration at its intended prey.

  Zedd and Cole watched silently as the Carazhal began to sink deeper and deeper into the ground, eyes unwaveringly locked with theirs as it went. To Cole it seemed like it was burning their image into its memory, and issuing them an unspoken promise to revisit them again, just as soon as the sun set once more. And as if to confirm Cole’s thoughts, it gave out one last shriek of defiance, as its head finally vanished below the surface of the ground. Cole shuddered.

  Neither man moved or said a word, but continued to stare at the spot where the Carazhal had vanished into the ground only a moment earlier. There was no sign of its passing. Not even the fallen leaves seemed to be disturbed by its subterranean retreat.