The Sword of Elseerian: The White Mage Saga #2 (The Chronicles of Lumineia)

by Ben Hale

  All the regions contained a fort of some kind. The water refuge stood on an island at the center of the lake. The rock building was a bunker at the top of the plateau. A glimpse of strait lines indicated that a building lay within the darkened forest.

  Unlike the others, the building on the tundra was highly visible. It was also larger, and more fortified than the others. Invisible within the fog, the mist region hid the last fort, and was her destination. Tess flew through the trees and fog, squinting to see. When she spotted the fort she flew up the side and alighted on the top. "Looks like they took the bait," she said to Shorn.

  "Good," he said, and threw a glance at Derek. "You were right."

  Derek grinned. "Warren was right. I'll take third team and see you in fifteen minutes."

  "We'll hold them off until then," Shorn said, and Derek slipped from view. Ten of their original fifty went with him. Shorn then turned to Tess. "We've lost twenty-three, so it's going to be close. Are you ready?"

  Tess gave a curt nod. "I'll take the left flank."

  "I'll hold the center. Kyle, take the right."

  Tess gathered the remaining members of her team and slipped into the trees. As they moved into position she was struck by how much the Melee had changed. Nearly the entire school had turned out to watch the Friday and Saturday games. Although it wasn't a tournament, the winners of several contests had vied for a chance to play each other. The directors had relented, and whoever won this engagement would join the other top-ranked teams tomorrow.

  Tess was grateful that Shorn had requested to be assigned with her and her friends. With most of the Tempest team as part of their squad, they had yet to lose a contest. What surprised her was how quickly some of the teams had excelled. Many kids came to watch, but the respective squad leaders were there to learn. In just two days the disorganized conflicts had evolved.

  At the end of every contest rankings and results were posted in the meal and leisure halls, and had quickly become a focal point of the school. Victorious squads gained instant notoriety, and their leaders as well.

  Tess frowned as she slid into her position. More than once she'd gotten the impression that the Melee had become a battle, even if the directors insisted it was still a game. Each successive engagement felt more and more like a war. Some were brutal affairs with kids painting themselves in camouflage and assaulting the other squad's position in a frenzy of magical attacks. Squads had proven early if their leaders had any brains at all.

  The only bright note was the diminished attention on Tess—to a degree. Shorn had led them to two victories already. Derek and his roommate were part of that success. Derek was smart and quick thinking, and Warren was a huge fan of Stratos. Although he wasn't a very good player, he made up for it by his brilliant strategies.

  Tess just wished it wasn't having such an impact on the school. In her last quad the Magic Melee had been something fun and harmless. Now it was getting serious, and she wasn't certain she cared for the change.

  "Tess?" Rox asked.

  "Yeah," Tess said. "Just thinking about how serious this has become."

  Rox sighed. "I miss the fun too."

  Tess didn't respond. Is this what Hawk had intended? Turn the school into battle training? How could he have even gotten the directors to do it? There was no way that the parents and professors would have . . .

  People react poorly when they're afraid.

  Her dad's words came back to her in a rush, and she realized the truth. Hawk was retaliating. The Harbingers were spreading fear in order to prepare a war. Hawk was using that same fear to get the Tryton's students trained for the coming conflict—and in a way that the Harbingers wouldn't protest. They would want the Tryton's students prepared as well. Tess twitched as she realized that for once, the Harbingers and the Guild shared the same goal. The only difference was which side they wanted the students to fight on.

  "Here they come," Lisa whispered. "Flyers first, as they said."

  Tess used her recently learned light spells to shroud herself, Rox, and Lisa. She wasn't good enough to make them invisible, but it was enough to obscure their forms. Only a careful observer would see them.

  Then they waited. The first thirty minutes of today's game had been leading up to this moment, and Tess wasn't about to fail in her role. The squad they were playing against was the Wraiths, one of the other undefeated squads. This was mostly due to their general's precision tactics.

  Each game the boy had gathered his entire army into the highest fort in the arena, the stone refuge. He would then fiercely defend the top of the plateau from any attempts to take it. Then he would send his flyers as scouts as he systematically swept the arena. His strategy had been effective enough that other squads were adopting it. Kids had even taken to calling it Jake's Gambit.

  Warren, Derek, and Shorn had put their heads together and come up with a counterattack. It was risky, and depended greatly on Derek's skill with his team. Made up of six earth mages, three light mages, and one body mage, the team was the sole chance they had at defeating the Wraiths.

  Shorn had led them into a calculated retreat. Acting unsure and desperate, they had fallen back when under the Wraith's advance, and had retreated into the fog region of the arena. In order to make it believable, they had sacrificed almost half their team as they fell back. With only four casualties, the Wraiths were advancing with confidence and had followed them into the fog.

  Tess gathered an orb of fire magic into her palm as the flyer scouts appeared in the mist. Soaring just out of range, they scanned the scattered trees, searching for the position of their foes. She waited until three more appeared before shouting her order.

  "Now!" she barked, and launched her energy orb.

  True offensive spells were strictly forbidden in the Melee, so the only way to tag someone was by striking them with a pure energy orb. Unable to cause more than a minimal burn, her fire orb struck the lead flyer in the chest. Her team took out the other three with deadly accuracy.

  Beside her, Mike and Laura argued over which had won their most recent bet. It sounded like Laura had, but Mike stubbornly refused to admit that she had better aim. Grinning to herself, Tess ended it.

  "Laura, excellent job. Mike, you need to work on your aim."

  Laura laughed under her breath and stabbed a finger at Mike. "See?"

  Before Mike could protest the rest of the Wraiths appeared. Confident that their flyers would warn them, they advanced in a ragged line, magic already lit in the palms. Her tension mounting, Tess slid deeper into shadow and counted the seconds. The five on her team did the same, and silently they counted down.

  On the opposite end of the Wraith formation Kyle bellowed a command, and a flurry of orbs split the fog. Despite their greater numbers the Wraith's faltered. Then they returned fire. Tess and her team unleashed a barrage of magic orbs into the left flank, taking two down before they could react.

  At the center of the line Jake ordered his own attack, and his team charged, launching balls of energy into the fog. In seconds Tess and her team were overwhelmed. Mike and Rox were struck at almost the same moment, followed by Lisa. Down to three, Tess was forced to withdraw.

  Come on, Derek, she thought. She launched another pair of orbs and ducked behind a large stone. Laura and Tom dived to her sides as a massive volley impacted the stone. All three of them were breathing hard. Tess knew what was coming and growled. Then she had an idea that would buy them some time.

  "Tom, hold your position," she said. "When they take you out we'll detonate a trap here."

  Without waiting for a response she gathered several magical orbs in her palms and stuck them to the back of the rock. Then she grabbed Laura and retreated once more. Tom sighed in resignation but didn't argue. Casting orbs over the rock, he waited for them to attack.

  A moment later the Wraiths dodged out of the fog and struck. From both sides they assaulted the space behind the rock, catching Tom several times. Wincing as the energy balls exploded across
his body, he collapsed. A handful of Wraiths stormed the makeshift barricade. By unspoken accord, Tess and Laura exploded their traps in unison. Purple and red light erupted at the stone, enveloping the Wraiths in a burst of energy. Out of the fight, they sank to the ground.

  But it was too late, and the Wraiths were too many. Forced to retreat, Tess fell back to the small hut that was the fog refuge. Together they flew to the top and joined Shorn, Lisa, and Kyle.

  "Any sign of them?" Tess asked as she ducked behind the parapet.

  Kyle jerked his head in the negative. "He's late."

  "He'll be here soon," Shorn said. He peeked over the parapet. "Here they come. Get ready."

  Tess again moved to the left side and pulled magic into her hands. The purple orbs pulsed as she held them, and on Shorn's order they rose to defend themselves. At least thirty Wraiths launched a furious volley, forcing Tess to duck.

  Tess knew that they were no match for the Wraiths, not outnumbered as they were. She clenched her jaw and hoped Derek would get there in time. Rising just long enough to throw, she caught a glimpse of two Wraiths going down. Struck in the back, they were out so fast that none of their companions saw where the orbs had come from.

  Grinning, Tess began to toss orbs indiscriminately over the battlements. As fast as she could she threw them in the rough direction of the Wraith line. Shorn and the others followed suit. Remaining behind the parapet, they were temporarily safe from the Wraith's positions.

  Then Tess heard a shout of protest. Rising just enough to get a look, Tess saw that over half of the Wraiths had been tagged. The remainder must have realized where the attacks were coming from, and had turned to fight Derek's team. Covered in dirt from tunneling beneath the arena floor, Derek's team leaned out from rocks and trees to attack.

  "Advance," Shorn barked.

  Leaping off the battlements, Shorn threw orbs as fast as he could make them. Tess and Laura took his left side, while Kyle flew on his right. Caught between them and Derek's forces, the Wraiths dissolved into confusion. Some attacked Derek, some tried to defend against the flyers. None escaped.

  In less than a minute a furious Jake was tagged by Laura, and the Wraiths were defeated. Tess, Shorn, and Derek had all been taken out, but there had been enough left of their squad to finish the Wraiths. As Jake sank to the ground, the magically enhanced voice of Director Grayson filled the arena.

  "Congratulations, Tigrons, you are the victors." There was a hum that released every tagged player from the binding. Tess removed the inert bracelet that had held her still and strode to Derek.

  "You were late," she said.

  "The dirt was solid clay at one point," he said, wiping the mud from his face. "But we got the job done."

  Tess grinned and wished Iris had decided to join them. For some inexplicable reason she'd disappeared, and Tess hadn't seen her since Friday morning. She sighed. Tomorrow was Tess's sixteenth birthday, and she was supposed to spend it at the Guild with Alice. Then she was to train with some of the Guild members before returning to school.

  She grunted in annoyance, wishing she could remain and keep playing the game. As much as it had changed, it still offered a welcome respite from her overwhelming schedule. She just wished she could savor the feeling of victory, even if it was just a game.

  Then she noticed the other students. In the first few engagements the students had congratulated each other after each conflict, and the spirit of unity had prevailed in spite of the disparate teams. Today the Wraiths and Tigron squads ignored each other or cast baleful glares.

  The pride of their victory dissipated as she witnessed the change the Melee was having. She knew that the students needed to be prepared for what was coming, but her doubt refused to budge.

  What would be the cost?

  Chapter 19: Archives

  While the games of the Magic Melee continued Saturday night, Iris strode through the doors to the library and came to a halt in front of the massive bookshelves. Derek followed her in and closed them behind himself. Then he moved to Iris's side.

  "Are you sure this is necessary today?" Derek asked. He was rubbing a healed burn from his encounter with the Wraiths. "I want to get back to the Melee."

  "Just give me an hour to set things up, and then you can go," she said. "Then I can keep watch myself."

  She was wearing her beanie so she could focus, and resisted the urge to take it off. She knew without checking that there were hundreds of pressing messages she needed to look at. Unfortunately she didn't have the time to work on them. Tess had asked for information, and that was exactly what Iris was going to find.

  A grunt of exasperation escaped her throat as she looked at the rows and rows of books. In spite of the things she'd set into motion she'd been unable to breach the Mage Technology Bureau. Now run by Harbingers, the Bureau had no idea that they were expending so much energy just to block her. Iris estimated that at least thirty master level mages were being employed just to keep her and her friends out—a fact that she would have been proud of, except it had stopped her cold.

  Since the start of the quad she had been blocked at every turn. Everything from the monitoring motes to the director's messages were being enchanted with increasingly complicated protection charms. Given enough time she had no doubt she could break their systems, but time was exactly what she lacked. Even with the rapidly growing resources she had begun to gather it wasn't enough. She doubted it would be until it was too late.

  "You know," he said, "you're almost normal when you wear that hat."

  Her lips thinned in annoyance. "I'm not as bad as Mom," she said tersely.

  "True," he said. "And I hope you never are."

  His expression softened her heart. "I would have been, without your help."

  He smiled at the comment and gestured to the books. "So why are we doing this on the mid-quad holiday?"

  "So no one is here," Iris said. "Not many students use the library anyway, but from Friday until tomorrow it's pretty much deserted—especially with the Melee going on."

  Derek issued a resigned sigh. "And everyone who didn't go home is at the Stadium. Even Tess is leaving tonight to go to the Guild, getting to know Alice and training with Hawk. It is her birthday tomorrow, after all." He sniffed, obviously annoyed.

  "You can give her your gift later," she said, a trace of annoyance in her voice. "But why didn't she go home to her parents?"

  "Hawk said the Harbingers are still looking for a chance to catch her out of a mage city. As long as she is here, she is supposed to be safe."

  Iris frowned, but didn't comment on the doubt and concern in his voice. "Are you ready?"

  Derek shrugged. "I'm just supposed to keep an eye on the door. How hard could it be?"

  Iris stabbed a finger at the door. "Warn me if anyone is headed this way. Use that trick of yours where you listen to the vibrations in the ground. I will need at least thirty seconds to conceal my work."

  "I know what I'm supposed to do, but what about you? You didn't exactly tell me what we were doing here."

  "We're here for information," Iris said. "Now stop talking so I can focus."

  Derek issued an annoyed sound but lapsed into silence. Iris turned to the first row of books and peered at the first one. She'd tried repeatedly to find information about the Oracle's Crest on the mage net, but for the first time in her life the mage net had failed her. She had found bare morsels of information regarding the four objects Tess needed. Eventually she'd decided that she needed to look elsewhere. Then she'd had an eye-opening thought.

  What if the library wasn't entirely on the mage net? After some searching, she'd decided there was only one way to find out. In the hope of avoiding detection, she'd waited until the mid-quad holiday six weeks into the quad. Between the Melee and the holiday, she hoped she could get things in motion undisturbed. She'd used most of her time in the last three weeks preparing, and she didn't want to get caught.

  Activating the techno threads connected to her b
eanie, she checked on the three spells she had created to do the necessary task. A fifty foot blob of pale purple faded into her vision and floated a few paces from her. Stretching to the ceiling, it passed through the bookshelves like they weren't even there.

  She checked the exterior of the blob first. It had taken her weeks to weave enough memory charms to create such a thing. Most techno mags had several memory charms floating around them, and used them as reservoirs of information. A reservoir this large would be too taxing for her to maintain once it was full—and it would be far too noticeable. It would be like the Library of Congress following her around. The sheer energy drain to hold that much would have also made her catatonic, hence the creation of the exterior reservoir.

  Satisfied that it was complete, she gave it a mental nudge and pushed it into the floor. A handful of threads extended out the top as it lowered, and she attached three to the fireplace. It was as good a place to hide the energy sources as any, and few techno mages would notice them behind the brightness of the flames. She adjusted the remainder of the strands to float through the room in random directions.

  Steeling herself, she removed her beanie for scant seconds to check her work. A cacophony of voices, text, and signals instantly bombarded her. One floated a few feet away, flashing bright red with urgency—

  "I'll get to you later," Iris snapped to Uri. "I know you need my help—yes Malik, I also know you are having trouble setting up the coreless, but you are the only one—no guys, I can't play Warcraft right now. No I won't be on later—I'm right in the middle of something. Seriously, some of you are thirty years old, you don't need me to hold your hand—ˮ

  She blew out her breath in exasperation and several messages reacted to her outburst. "Of course it was my idea, but we are doing it together—then get Isaac to help, he's great at setting up coreless—fine, but I have to go. I will be back on in a few hours."