The Wizard's Council

by Cody J. Sherer

  *

  Arcantos became increasingly more wary as they got closer to their target. He spent his days at the front of the army, checking the horizon every time he heard the slightest sound. His men watched him with an equal measure of fear and worry. They don’t grasp the importance of this moment, he thought when he caught one of their strange glances. It was the culmination of all his planning. This was the final piece of the plan that he so masterfully put together and executed. Though parts of the plan changed, the conclusion had always stayed the same. He was coming ever closer to the moment that would make or break him. His troops had nearly protested when he insisted on leaving the siege weapons behind. They asked if he had planned on using his magic, but he replied by telling them it would be a surprise. He didn’t enjoy keeping his men in the dark, but the nature of the plan required that he do so.

  Nature itself seemed to be interested in what Arcantos was planning. He often found small animals watching as his army passed. They must not be used to this many people, he thought as he watched the critters scatter. Whether by curiosity or fear, the animals kept an eye on Arcantos and his men until they were out of sight. Even the weather seemed to be changing around him. Dark clouds had rolled in with the dawn, and they seemed to be slowly following the magician and his army. Though some of his men took it to be a bad omen, he took it as a sign of the coming darkness for his enemies. An almost otherworldly passion drove Arcantos and his men could see it in his demeanor. Their stops were getting less frequent, and when they did stop, they stopped for much shorter periods of time. Kreagor approached him.

  “What is it that drives you forward at this pace?” He asked.

  “The smell of victory, it is within our grasp. I can almost taste it. You may not have had the fortune of being in such situations before, but you can ask any of my men. They will tell you the same thing. There is a feeling in the very air itself. It drives us to push forward. The moment of our triumph is nearly upon us!” Arcantos replied.

  The Galimdorian nodded, not fully understanding what Arcantos was talking about. They had a different outlook on the coming battle. As per Arcantos plan, they believed the Wizards to be responsible for their King’s death, and this was a mission of revenge against them and those who were harboring them. It served the evil magician’s purposes well, for Kreagor and his men were seen as tools to be used to fulfill the goal of revenge. Even the Wizards did not know the full extent of his role in the events that had unfolded. He knew that it would all come together for them, but it would be too late for anyone to stop him at that point. It was a thought that gave him the confidence to push his men harder than what he was used to. Their target, castle Cardinia, loomed in the distance. Though it would still take the better part of the day to arrive, he knew that the Cardinians would have spotted his army by now. A part of him wished he could be there to see the looks on the faces of his enemy as his army spilled out over the countryside. It was not as large or powerful as it had been when they attacked Carmalia, but that was beside the point. In fact, if his wishes were granted, the Cardinians would attack them on the open field.

  “Surely they will see that our forces are smaller in number than their own,” Arcantos said as one of his knights approached.

  “It is likely. The Galimdorians do not like the idea of sieging a castle without numbers. My men are having a hard time not laughing at the fools. Even if we were outnumbered two to one, our men are far more powerful,” the man answered.

  “Ah, but you are forgetting the surprise. It will be more than the Cardinians can handle. I suspect that even some of our own will cower in fear. For the best effect, we should see if we can’t get them to leave their little castle. Do you have any ideas about how we can do that?”

  “Use your magic to wash them out. They are already surrounded by the seas, it shouldn’t be difficult at all.”

  *

  James ran to the top of the wall when he heard the men calling out. They pointed out across the plain to the approaching army. His heart quickened when he looked out over the army. Smaller than I expected, he thought, but nothing to scoff at. They were out of range, but it wouldn’t be long before spells could reach them. James called for the archers and the Wizards to join him atop the wall. Even Paul joined him as they prepared a group of spells to hamper the progress of the coming army. They waited for what felt like hours until the army was within range. James looked to Paul and nodded before turned back toward Arcantos’ men. He raised his arms up and to the side, opening two massive holes in the ground just in front of the enemy. His resolve was slightly shaken as he noticed the clouds quickly rolling in from behind the oncoming army. A little drizzle began to come down as the Wizards started unleashing fireballs, lightning bolts, and icicles at the enemy.

  The enemy magicians had an answer for every one of the spells that they threw at the attackers. James ordered the Wizards to stop while the archers fired their first volley. A majority of the arrows were destroyed by massive walls of fire created by the enemy magic users. They’ve come prepared, he thought as he watched the enemy repel attack after attack. He could see that Paul and the other Wizards were getting frustrated. It was bad enough that the enemy was deflecting their attack, now they were taunting the Cardinians and the Wizards. James stood fast and ordered that the men do the same. He was not about to let them commit a foolish move such as sallying forth and attacking the enemy in the open field. It had a certain appeal to it, but he knew it was folly at best. That, however, all changed rather quickly. A loud smacking sound came from behind them. James and the others turned around to find massive waves coming up from the ocean and pelting the castle. The water rushed over the walls and into the courtyard below, causing utter chaos in the Cardianian ranks. Wave after wave came pouring in as James and his Wizards attempted to stop the coming water. The Archwizard did what little he could, but the force of the waves was more than he could handle.

  At the command of their King, the Cardinian soldiers opened the castle gates and took to the field. James turned to Paul with a look of frustration and despair. Even though they outnumbered the enemy, a battle in the open field would cost far more men than defending the castle. Paul placed his hand on James shoulder to reassure him, but it felt hollow. Somehow James knew that the enemy wanted them to take to the field of battle. His suspicions were confirmed as he watched the Galimdorians charge forward. The two armies came together with a loud crash. It was obvious that the Cardinians held the advantage, but the enemy was far too cunning to call a victory as many of the King’s men were starting to do. James did his best to keep the archers from rushing into the fray, but only a handful of them listened to his warnings.

  “The Knights of Doom are hanging back, that can’t be good!” Paul yelled as he pointed toward the group of knights that had stayed back with their leader.

  “I don’t like it one bit. Keep your eyes open, something is amiss,” James replied as he watched the two armies fighting each other.

  The Galimdorians were losing at first, but then another group of them arrived via another path and moved to flank the Cardinians. James hung his head as he watched the cavalry bearing down on his allies. Paul tapped him on the arm and pointed to another army that was approaching. The newly christened Wizard had convinced the King to let his vassals hang back in case they were needed. James let out a sigh of relief as he watched the tides of battle turn once again. As the Cardinian newcomers charged toward the flanking Galimdorians, a small contingent of lancers broke off from their main force. The lancers spurred their horses forward and took to the main portion of the battle. Their entrance into the fray tipped the scales heavily in the Cardianians favor. James watched anxiously as the two armies continued to fight. The Galimdorians had rallied around their commander and were making a last-ditch effort to avenge their King. They are pulling together quite strongly, the Archwizard thought. He was still worried about the Knights of Doom staying on the sidelines. It seemed to him that a giant game of chess wa
s being played out before him.

  “What if he is sacrificing his rook to take our queen?” He asked.

  “He can’t possibly have that many pieces, can he?” Paul asked.

  “I don’t know, but Rolin and the others greatly weakened his army at Carmalia. Somehow that doesn’t give me much comfort.”

  “They must have known that we had the ability to overpower their forces. I almost don’t want to know what he has up his sleeve next.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by a shout from the battlefield below. The Cardinians had managed to rout the enemy troops and were taking chase. It was then that Arcantos revealed his final card. The battlefield descended into chaos as soldiers on both sides began attacking whoever was within range of their swords. James peered out over the battle trying to make sense of what he was witnessing. He had heard of mind control spells, but a spell of this caliber would take an army of nearly a thousand magicians. It was his understanding that there weren’t enough magic users in the world to perform such a feat. He was about to say something to Paul when he was interrupted by a low rumble. The two Wizards began to scour the area in an attempt to find the origin of the sound. It got louder as the sky began to light up. Massive fireballs rained down from the skies, striking friend and foe alike. James was knocked to the floor by the sheer power of a fireball striking further along the wall.

  *

  Rolin slammed his fist against his cage as he saw the fireballs falling from the skies. Arcantos was laughing as he watched those on the battlefield being decimated. What foul sorcery is this? Rolin asked himself as he watched the destruction. Had he not seen Arcantos laughing, he would have thought that the skies themselves were rejecting the battle below. Instead, he feared for the lives of all involved. He knew that whatever was causing the fireballs was far more powerful than even Arcantos knew. It was often the case that those who lusted for power were destroyed by the very power they sought. Rolin was sure that this would be the case with Arcantos. He had studied the magician since before being taken captive. While cunning, the man lacked the ability to see his shortcomings. He was laughing as his own army was getting annihilated by the same force that was crushing his opponent. Rolin called out to Arcantos.

  “What purpose does this serve?” He asked.

  “You will see in a moment, Wizard,” Arcantos answered as he turned back toward the battlefield.

  As if on cue, a dragon swooped down from the clouds. Rolin could scarcely believe his eyes as he watched the beast causing even more destruction on the field of battle. It was a fire drake, one of the more dangerous species of dragon. They were supposed to be extinct, Rolin thought as he watched in awe. The dragon’s red scales almost seemed to glow as it breathed fire upon those unfortunate enough to be in its path. It landed in the midst of the battle and whipped its tail at a large group of soldiers. They were catapulted into the air as if they were children’s toys. Rolin thrust his hands forward, creating a large phoenix to combat the dragon. The near ten foot-tall bird shrieked as it flew over Arcantos and his Knights of Doom. It flew low and collided into the chest of the dragon, knocking it onto its back. The dragon, nearly three times the size of the phoenix, grabbed hold of the firebird with all four of its legs. With one fluid motion, the great beast tore the phoenix asunder.

  Rolin let out a whimper as he watched his creation meet its doom. Melissa rushed to his side and attempted to calm him down. He could see that his actions had an impact on the Wizards as numerous winged beasts began to descend from the castle walls. They swarmed the dragon, attacking it without mercy. Rolin’s demeanor changed as he watched the beast writhing in pain. The dragon attempted to claw at its opponents to no avail. It thrashed about as the ground began to shake. The earth opened into a sink hole just below the dragon, swallowing it whole. A cheer went up from the Wizards, but Rolin was not as convinced. Another hole opened up behind the mass of winged creatures. A large greenish-brown dragon came out of the hole and descended on the mass of beasts. It lacked wings, but it was nearly fifty feet in length. The great beast moved faster than its cousins, allowing it to bite and claw the Wizard’s creations before they could react. Arcantos laughed as more dragons arrived on the scene.

  The Archwizard was somewhere between awe and terror as he watched the dragons plummeting down on what little troops remained from both armies. There were more types of dragons than Rolin even knew existed. Arcantos laughed as he unlocked the wagon cage and let Rolin and Melissa free. Neither of them could take their eyes off the majestic creatures. Arcantos victory seemed to be complete. Even if the other races were to stop their fighting, they would be no match for the dragons. He plunged the world into war while he brought back the dragons, Rolin thought as he looked at his opponent. His mind was reeling from the revelation of the dragons, but that didn’t stop his thirst for knowledge.

  “How did you do it?” Rolin asked.

  “It was simple, they promised to be my weapons of war if I agreed to free them. I was amazed that they would be willing to work with me, but they turned out to be quite reasonable. Just think, the dragon emperor of Canai. It has a nice ring to it,” Arcantos replied.

  “You are playing with fire, in more ways than one.”

  *

  Paul grabbed James and pulled him down behind the parapet as a burst of flames shot up at the two. They had gotten front seats as the dragons had descended on the two armies. Now that both armies had been decimated, the creatures had turned their attention to the walls. James had successfully kept them grounded with a gravity spell. It didn’t, however, stop them from using their breath attacks. The two Wizards crept along the wall as they tried to come up with a plan. Paul grabbed hold of James as the wall shook violently. They both looked over the side of the wall to see the blue, air dragon leaping up and slamming into it. That can’t be good, Paul thought as he ducked back down. He was so engrossed in his planning that he didn’t notice that James was still peering over the edge. The wall shook again, and the Archwizard was knocked off balance. Paul grabbed James leg, but the force with which the other man was falling pulled his rescuer down, as well.

  “Tell me you know a spell for flying!” Paul yelled as the two plummeted toward the ground.

  James answered by casting a spell that slowed his speed significantly, cause Paul to zoom by him. Not what I meant, Paul thought as he continued to plunge toward the ground. The air dragon lunged upward at him, causing him to fling his body to the side. Rather than catch Paul in his mouth for a small snack, the dragon crashed his face into the Wizard’s body. The force of the collision caused Paul to cry out in pain. It was met with another cry, one that seemed to penetrate into his skull. Both Paul and the dragon crashed to the ground. The Wizard attempted to get up, but quickly found himself disoriented. His vision began to blur as he watched the red dragon jet toward James. The Archwizard threw up a magical wall, slowing the dragon, but not stopping it. Darkness began to creep into the edges of Paul vision as he watched the two collide and then plummet toward the earth. He tried to call out, but the darkness closed in on him and his consciousness slipped away.

  *

  Arcantos screamed for his knights to take care of the two Wizards as they watched the dragons crash to the ground. That isn’t possible, he thought. His knights rode forth as fast as their horses would let them. As they neared the battlefield, the dragons turned on them and began attacking with no mercy. Their leader watched in horror as the creatures he had used as a tool against his enemies had turned their wrath upon his own men. He yelled at the dragons to stop, but they ignored his pleas and continued to decimate the last of the Knights of Doom. It was more than a shock to him to see the ruthlessness with which they destroyed his most trusted men. He turned his attention to Rolin and Melissa, think that somehow they had something to do with what had befallen his men.

  “What did you do?” He asked as he drew his sword.

  “I didn’t do anything, Arcantos. Don’t be foolish, this has nothing to
do with Melissa and I,” Rolin replied as he stepped between Arcantos and Melissa.

  “You taught them, you must have. There is no way they could have done this on their own. You hid the fact that you knew about the dragons.”

  “Neither of us can even explain what happened.”

  “They were mine, tools of destruction to be used whenever I needed their assistance!” Arcantos yelled.

  The earth began to rumble as the dragons turned to face the three. While, Rolin and Melissa stepped back out of fear and reverence for the mighty beasts Arcantos stood defiantly. He stood in direct challenge of the creatures, demanding that they answer to him. It was a foolish move and he knew it, but his pride got the better of him. Even as the dragons approached, he refused to give up his stance. They approached one by one until they were all gathered in a circle of more than twenty dragons. Arcantos shook his head as the dragons refused to address him. Each of the dragons bowed its head and waited while the magician yelled at them. A great wind pushed Arcantos back and forced him to squint. He could hear the sound of wings, but none of the dragons was flying. The clouds gave way to a massive black dragon. It stood nearly fifty feet tall and had a wingspan of almost eighty feet.