With renewed determination, everyone picks up speed as they crash through the underbrush, heading to the southern docks. James takes a turn at carrying the comatose Nate, giving Essen’s arms a break.
When they come to the smelter area, there’s a flurry of activity going on as the people there load what looks like long bars of iron onto wagons. Some wagons have already been loaded and are on their way to the southern docks.
“There must be a ship there,” figures Jiron, “and they’re trying to save as much of the iron as they can.”
“Then we’ll just have to convince them to take us along,” James says as they remain in the forest and skirt around the buildings.
“Do you think they will?” asks Essin.
James just looks at him and shakes his head. “It’ll end up being us or them,” he says.
“Oh, right,” he says.
Once around the camp and come to the road, they no longer try to avoid being seen as they race onto the road and make a break for it to the south. A cry goes up behind them from the drivers of the wagons currently on the road but they are slow and there are no guards with them. Not paying them any heed, they continue racing toward the docks and their only chance to make it alive off the island.
“How far is it?” Jiron asks.
“Not sure,” James replies as he begins to get a stitch in his side, “maybe another mile or two.” Then turning to Essin he says, “Here,” as he hands the unconscious Nate back to Essin. “I may need my strength when we get to the docks.”
Once Nate is back upon Essin’s shoulder, James is better able to continue running. The ground begins to once more tremble as shockwaves ripple outward from the mine. “It’s not going to be much longer!” he yells.
Suddenly, the road opens up on a clearing, the dock lies on the far side over a hundred yards away. Two wagons are being unloaded as a dozen people transfer the iron bars to the only ship docked there. A dozen guards stand watch.
When they enter the clearing and have covered half the distance to the docks, one of the workers sees them and gives the alarm. The twelve guards turn and draw their swords as they move to intercept them before they can reach the ship. Iron slugs begin flying toward the advancing guards, taking out five before they take a dozen strides. Using a tactic he saw in an old war movie, James takes out the ones in the rear to keep the advancing ones from realizing their number is decreasing.
Then he let’s loose more of the power as the ground erupts, throwing another five into the air.
Jiron advances upon the remaining two, knives at the ready. The first one closes with him and he deflects the sword thrust with a knife as he follows through with the other. The guard dances back as his slice misses the guard’s chest by bare inches.
The workers on the dock, having seen the guards taken out so readily, and the ground erupting before their eyes, turn to flee for their lives away from the wagons and the dock.
The ship’s captain begins barking orders as he attempts to move his ship away from the dock before they have a chance to approach.
Essin lays Nate on the ground and grabs a nearby stick as he goes to aid Jiron. He comes up behind the second man Jiron is engaged with and strikes him in the back of the head. The man staggers a few steps before dropping to the ground.
Jiron glances over to Essin and gives him a slight nod as he continues the fight with the remaining guard.
Miko sees the boat begin to pull away and hollers over to James, “The boat is leaving!”
Looking over to the boat, James realizes it’s already a good five feet from the dock and departing steadily. The magic surges out of him as he creates an invisible tether from the dock to the boat. The ship suddenly lurches to a stop, the captain shouting orders to his crew but nothing he does moves his ship one inch further. Beginning to pant with all the magical exertions, James begins to shorten the tether and the boat is slowly brought back to the dock. Spots dance before his eyes as he sinks to one knee from the effort of drawing the ship back to the dock. He glances over to Jiron and watches as the remaining guard falls to the ground.
After his remaining opponent falls, Jiron turns to find James at the edge of the dock on one knee. He runs to his side while Essin and Miko bring forward the unconscious Nate.
As the boat pulls up to the dock, James sees the captain and crew there with swords drawn ready to sell their lives dearly if they must. “Request permission to come aboard captain,” James hollers to him.
“Why should I let you?” the captain yells back.
“Because your ship isn’t going anywhere until we do,” James tells him. “This island is about to erupt in a volcanic explosion of immense proportions and we all need to be as far away as possible.”
As if to add credence to what James is saying, the ground begins to shake violently, dropping everyone to the ground. Trees in the forest are heard toppling over and from the mine area, another blast erupts into the sky.
When the ground once again calms, they return to their feet. The others gather around James as he stands there before the ship. When Essin and Miko bring Nate close, the captain sees him and says, “Nate?”
James looks over to Nate and then back to the captain, “You know him?”
“Aye,” he replies, “he’s my cousin.” Turning to his men he signals for them to lower their weapons and then returns his own sword to the scabbard on his hip.
“Permission granted,” he says, “hurry and come aboard.”
As they begin moving toward the ship, a mob exits the forest behind them. Consisting of both slaves and guards from the compound, they swarm into the clearing, hell bent on reaching the ship and safety.
“Come on!” the captain yells and then begins barking out orders to his crew as they once more get the ship ready to sail.
Suddenly a hail of hot stones falls on the ship and those getting aboard from where they had been belched from the belly of the emerging volcano. One stone strikes James in the head, causing him to falter and fall to the ground. Jiron helps him to his feet and then half carries him across the gangplank to the ship’s deck.
Miko turns and gasps when he sees one armed Black Tooth in the fore of the advancing mob. From somewhere he’s acquired a sword and has it gripped in his remaining hand. When their eyes lock, an evil grin spreads across his face as he quickens his pace to reach Miko.
“Miko!” James yells from where he stands on the ship. “Hurry up!”
When Miko and Essin reach the gangplank, the captain is there and he takes Nate from them as they board the ship. Two crewmen pull in the gangplank as the wind fills the sails and the ship begins to back away from the dock now that James is no longer holding it captive.
Before the ship is able to put enough distance between them and the dock, a few of the people running toward them try jumping the distance between the dock and the ship. Most land in the water but a couple manages to reach the deck, Black Tooth is one of those to make the ship’s deck.
Crying out as he lands on the deck, he turns toward Miko who’s only a foot away and raises his sword to end his life. Miko looks up at death coming for him and then closes his eyes as he braces for the end.
As Black Tooth strikes down at Miko, he suddenly gasps and falters. Miko opens his eyes and sees a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, blood beginning to flow down the front of his body. Staggering to the side, he looks down at the bolt sticking out of him. With a cry of animal ferocity, he again lurches toward Miko, intent on killing him with his last ounce of strength.
Another bolt strikes him in the shoulder causing him to drop his sword. Coming forward with the crossbow still in his hands, Essin approaches and says, “This is for killing my crew!” Using his right foot, he kicks Black Tooth in the butt which causes him to stumble over the ship’s rail. Leaning over the rail, Essin watches as he hits the water and proceeds to sink beneath the surface.
Only one of the others who made it to the ship still lives, another slave Essin knows an
d will vouch for his good behavior.
As they continue to pull away, the others remaining at the dock cry and plead for them to return, but the captain orders his men to make all speed to open water. “Put this god forsaken island behind us!”
“How is he?” the captain asks Miko as he comes over to see how his cousin Nate is doing.
“I don’t know,” replies Miko. “He was poisoned, the others who were poisoned are all dead, but he didn’t drink as much as they had.”
“Guess we’ll know after awhile,” states the captain. “Never thought to see him alive again.”
James comes over to the captain and offers his hand. When the captain takes it, he says, “Appreciate you allowing us on, captain.”
“Didn’t do it for you,” he says, “though after what you did to the guards I was of a mind to allow you on anyway. But when I saw Nate here, that clinched it.”
“We appreciate it anyway,” he assures him. Suddenly from the north end of the island, a gigantic explosion throws a tremendous volume of rocks and magma into the air. Several other spots on the island begin to erupt as well.
Steam rises from the ocean off the northern point of the island and soon, magma can be seen shooting upward through the water.
“Damn!” the captain exclaims at the sight.
“Full sails!” he hollers up to the men in the rigging. To the man at the wheel he shouts, “Straight away to open water!”
“Aye, aye captain,” the man at the wheel replies as he alters the ship’s course accordingly.
As the ship sails away, James can see several different areas where the magma is bursting through the surface of the sea. A whole chain of volcanoes is being created and the heat from them can be felt even from this distance. He feels bad, everyone that had been left on the island is most likely dead or will be. He can’t conceive of anyone surviving what’s happening.
He goes over to the captain and asks, “Where do you plan to take us?”
The captain looks at him for a second and then says, “To the city of Corillian, it’s where Nate’s family still resides. They should take you in and help you for saving his life.”
Corillian, he ponders as he watches the volcanoes erupting in the distance.
Epilog
Standing there, staring out his window from the highest room of the tower, he again burns with anger at the destruction that has been wrought.
A day ago, smoke rose from the Iron Mines at Sorna just before it was engulfed by a series of erupting volcanoes. Shortly afterward, a great wall of water surged out of the sea and washed away a good portion of the dock area here at Tiru Stali.
Burning with impotent rage, unable to vent it upon the one that had brought this into being, he stands there. A mage! he rages within. A single mage and so much destruction. The last several days rumors have come to him of strange occurrences to the north, some hardly credible. A demon walks from an oasis which had dried earlier the same day and then water pours from the ground miles away.
Even here in Tiru Stali, a giant with a flaming sword supposedly went walking down the street. What is going on?
From everything he has been able to gather, these things have been occurring since the fall of the City of Light. He knew that venture had been ill fated, but his counsel hadn’t been heeded.
A noise behind him causes him to turn and the sight both fills him with anticipation and dread. A small creature, only a foot in height sits on the table behind him. It’s scaly, somewhat man-like form is bent over as if from carrying too much weight. Red eyes aglow with an inner light stare from its gnarled head at Abula-Mazki with cruel intelligence.
“A Hikuli!” Abula-Mazki exclaims aloud.
The Hikuli stares at him for a second longer before vanishing. Abula-Mazki instantly understands the significance of such a visit. Only one person on this world commands the Hikuli.
Looking back toward the destruction wrought under his dominion, he realizes there can be only one reason for him to be summoned to the High Temple.
With a thought, he summons one of his acolytes waiting in the adjoining room who immediately opens the door and enters. “A Hikuli has come,” he tells the acolyte.
He can see the fear and uncertainty in the man’s eyes. The acolyte nods his head in answer and then leaves, closing the door behind him.
Abula-Mazki turns back to the window, contemplating the summons until the door again opens. The acolyte returns with others bearing Abula-Mazki’s armor and sword. He remains still as he allows them to put the heavy armor upon him and strap his sword belt around his waist. As his acolytes prepare him for his audience with the High Priest of Dmon-Li, he continues to stare out the window at the destruction.
When the last strap has been secured, they quietly turn and file out the door, leaving him once more alone.
Turning from the window, he walks over to a nearby wall and says “Hirun alib Mugana” and a section disappears, leaving a doorway open into an adjoining room.
No one but Abula-Mazki has ever been within this room, at least none living at this time. Stepping within, he walks to the center where a raised dais lies. Upon the dais is the symbol of the Warrior Priests of Dmon-Li, three dots forming the points of a triangle with connecting lines in between.
Stepping upon the dais, he activates the magic within and suddenly he’s standing upon a matching one in the middle of a small, dark room. A solitary candle burns in a nearby wall niche doing its best to keep back the shadows of this grim place. The room is cold, cold to the skin and cold to the soul. A cowled figure stands waiting, and as soon as Abula-Mazki’s eyes fall upon him, turns to leave without a word.
Without hesitation, Abula-Mazki steps off the dais and follows the cowled figure out of the room and down a long corridor.
He’s passed this way several times before, but never with the dread filling him now. As he walks, more of the Hikuli pop in and out as they see who has come and then go to inform their master. None can walk the halls of Ith-Zirul without gaining their notice.
They finally come to the entrance to the Halls of Despair, the audience chamber of Ozgirath, High Priest of Dmon-Li. The cowled figure that had led him here waits until he passes into the room before he turns around and leaves.
If the rest of Ith-Zirul was cold, this room is absolutely frigid. Across the room from where he enters, lies a seat made entirely out of bones, some human, others not. On either side of the dark throne are two braziers burning with a purplish glow which seen to suck the warmth from Abula-Mazki as he approaches. Seated upon the throne is a dark figure. Glowing eyes, yellow and piercing, stare out at him from the shadows surrounding the throne as he approaches.
When he reaches the requisite distance, he falls to his knees and bows his head. “I have come, great one,” he says in reverence to the figure before him.
“Arise,” he hears Ozgirath’s command, though it isn’t so much a voice, as a thought.
Coming to his feet, he stands there in humility, waiting.
“The Star shines again,” the voice says.
Gasping, Abula-Mazki lifts his head and looks directly at Ozgirath and says, “The Star of Morcyth?”
“Say not that name here,” the voice commands.
“I plead forgiveness master,” he says, again bowing his head.
“But, yes,” the voice replies, “it again moves across the land.”
“I had thought all were destroyed during the great purging,” he says.
“No,” Ozgirath replies, “they were not. Some escaped and have never been found.”
Fear of being chastised for the destruction in his dominion begins to leave him. If he was here for that reason, they would hardly be having this conversation. “What would you have me do, master?” he asks.
“Hunt for the one wearing the Star,” he replies.
Abula-Mazki raises his head and stares into the glowing eyes as Ozgirath says, “And bring him to me.”
FB2 document info
Document ID: fbd-b307e4-67c9-f24d-28a1-37b0-ee5e-47ade1
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 10.03.2012
Created using: Fiction Book Designer, FictionBook Editor Release 2.6.3 software
Document authors :
About
This file was generated by Lord KiRon's FB2EPUB converter version 1.1.5.0.
(This book might contain copyrighted material, author of the converter bears no responsibility for it's usage)
Этот файл создан при помощи конвертера FB2EPUB версии 1.1.5.0 написанного Lord KiRon.
(Эта книга может содержать материал который защищен авторским правом, автор конвертера не несет ответственности за его использование)
http://www.fb2epub.net
https://code.google.com/p/fb2epub/
Fires of prophesy ms-2 Page 40