by C. Gold
“What?” she blurted out a little too loudly. She plastered on a fake smile and shrugged when Leilani raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry. Amira’s gut churned. Does he know what I did to him?
Radcliff stared at her wistfully. “I wrote it all down, knowing I’d read it this morning. Though I wish I could truly remember it.”
Amira’s eyes widened as a surge of lust came across the link. It sparked her own.
His eyes glowed with need. “That spell must still be active, I can feel your desire.” Then he frowned. “Why did you leave? We could have done that again.”
Amira coughed and struggled to concentrate. “I actually need to talk to you about last night.”
“Yes, let’s!” Radcliff’s smile twisted her heart around like a leaf in a gale.
As they rounded the next bend, Amira felt a rush of air pass by. Radcliff and the twins went flying backwards and smacked hard against the wall. Any lustful thoughts Amira had vanished instantly as she automatically whipped out her dagger and crouched into a defensive stance. A quick glance back alarmed her—the twins were plastered to the wall by some kind of invisible force. Radcliff growled under his breath and something in the air snapped. The twins slid down to the ground, stunned but breathing.
Reassured that they were ok for the moment, Amira scanned the dark corridor and saw Kira stalking towards her holding a short sword. Farther back, a black robed man stood partly in the shadows. His palms were turned up and pointed right at her but he was frowning as if displeased by something.
As Kira was the closer threat, she focused on her. “What do you want, Kira?” Of course she knew the woman wanted her death, but getting her to talk might give her time to come up with a plan.
“I want you to watch as we correct your mistake.”
Amira shifted slightly so she could keep Radcliff in her peripheral vision. His face was strained as he stared intently down the hallway at the robed man, muttering a constant stream of indecipherable words. She frowned in concern when she couldn’t feel the link between them. Her worry intensified when she realized he must be using magic. Not good. “You know Radcliff’s important,” she tossed out while angling to place as much of herself between Kira and the wizard as she could without blocking his line of sight. The robed man was currently on the other side of a shimmering barrier and looked apoplectic. He kept punching at it but so far it was holding.
Now she realized what Radcliff was doing. He was keeping them safe from the other man’s magic. She needed to end this confrontation quickly before he burned himself out. Unfortunately, she left the blasted staff behind because she didn’t trust it. A knife was a poor weapon to bring to a sword fight, even if it was magical.
“Get the wizard!” The man’s voice was muffled, but the anger was crystal clear.
Kira ignored him, intent on stalking her prey. “I know you lie.”
The twins began to move as they recovered. She needed to keep Kira distracted. “My visions are real. You know that.” The needling worked if Amira went by the sudden heat blazing in Kira’s eyes.
“Hah! You are worse than the seers. At least they lied to maintain their control. You’re just lying to yourself.” Kira tested Amira’s defense with a fast diagonal slash.
Amira arced back and let the sword pass harmlessly by. “They weren’t lying,” she shot back.
“Yes, they were. Their sight went dark long ago, but they hid that from us. Made up false visions. And you wanted to be part of that?” she asked with utter disgust.
“You’re just saying that. There’s no proof.” Amira was forced to dodge another swing. Each was driving her closer to the wizard. She’d have to make a move soon to protect him.
“No?” Kira waved the sword about. “Then why was there no warning when Westbrook was destroyed? Hmm?”
Amira didn’t have an answer for that. She’d secretly wondered that herself.
“We beat the truth out of them after Westbrook. Something’s been blocking their visions for years. You shouldn’t have betrayed us.” Kira thrust straight on with the sword.
Amira sidestepped once again, though she was beginning to see a pattern to Kira’s attacks. She watched for the next opening.
“Stop toying with her and take care of the wizard!”
The man’s voice sounded clearer and Amira snuck a quick glance. Sure enough, the barrier looked thinner and the twins were still recovering. And Radcliff… he’s in trouble!
Distracted, Amira didn’t dodge fast enough and the flat of Kira’s blade caught her in the temple. She crumpled to the floor and tried to roll away but a boot connected with her stomach, launching her several feet and taking her breath away.
“Now to finish this once and for all.”
When Kira stepped over Amira, she tried to raise the hand that still gripped the dagger but her muscles wouldn’t obey. Gasping for air that refused to come, she could only watch helplessly as the woman raised her sword over an incapacitated Radcliff.
No! She looked on in wide-eyed horror as the sword slowly swung down. Radcliff! She closed her eyes in denial. When the blood splattered her cheek, Amira’s heart broke into a million pieces. This was the end of her long struggle. The end of the entire world. But that paled in comparison to losing the man she loved. If only she’d have brought the stupid staff, he might still be alive. When she finally sucked in a lungful of air, all she could do was cry.
“Are you ok?”
Leilani’s voice filtered through Amira’s fog of grief.
“I’m sorry I killed your friend, but I couldn’t let her harm the wizard.”
What? Amira wasn’t sure if she heard that correctly. Squashing the spike of hope before it could rise and get cruelly crushed again, she turned her head in Radcliff’s direction. At first all she saw was the blood still burbling up from Kira’s chest. Hope surged. If she was dead that meant... On the other side of the body, Radcliff’s eyes were open and staring past her. He was alive! She crawled around the body to reach him, not caring if she got blood on her clothes.
Radcliff struggled to speak. He had a gash on his forehead that was leaking blood and his eyes had a frantic, pained look to them.
“Shh, don’t try to speak.” She touched his chest, just to verify he was really alive since she still couldn’t feel him through the bond.
Instead of being soothed, Radcliff became more agitated. Then his eyes rolled into the back of his sockets and his body began convulsing. “Help!” Amira shouted as she threw herself over his body to keep him from injuring himself. Leilani grabbed his legs. Pika staggered over to hold his arms. Amira’s ears popped as the air in the room redistributed. Whatever magic Radcliff used was gone.
“Finally!” The strange man shouted. His thunderous voice echoed in the hallway.
Forgotten about until now, Amira turned to watch him spread his hands out. Something vaguely tangible shot from his hands and slammed both twins to the wall. When Amira stood, the man growled.
“Why are you not affected?”
Amira glanced at the dagger and smiled. “Who are you and what do you want?”
“I want Radcliff. Give him to me and your friends live.”
She looked back to see the twins’ faces turning purple as they were being suffocated. Radcliff too was in trouble. Well, the best way to end a spell was to end the wizard. As she lunged at him, Amira quite enjoyed the sudden wide-eyed look of fear in his eyes before she plunged the dagger in between his ribs, straight to his heart.
“How is that poss…” His voice trailed off into a gurgle and Amira took savage pleasure in watching the life fade from his eyes.
She withdrew the dagger and let his body fall to the ground. Wiping the blade clean on his tunic, she couldn’t resist a parting jab. “Should’ve learned some hand to hand combat instead of relying on magic.”
A groan off to the side drew her attention. There, she saw a black lump slowly rising. She stalked forward with intent to stab it into oblivion when the form tu
rned around and Elden’s pale face came into view. He squeaked in alarm and stumbled back against the wall.
“Relax. I thought you were with them.” Then Amira narrowed her eyes. Did he lead them into the ambush? “Why didn’t you warn us?”
The man shrunk against the wall. “I was s… spelled.”
Amira scowled at the cowardly man. Not so arrogant now, was he? Two other moans caught her attention and she saw the emperor’s guards lying in a heap. So, the weasel was probably telling the truth.
“We need to get moving if we want to save him,” Pika said as the twins came up behind her dragging an unconscious Radcliff between them.
“Let’s go,” Amira ordered, unwilling to wait for the guards to recover.
Elden jumped forward and led them at a brisk pace down unending, dark corridors before finally stopping at a door that looked like any number of ones they’d already passed. Upon entering, Amira saw the emperor standing next to a man with a straggly brown beard, greasy hair, and oversized clothes. The man’s eyes darted nervously around the room but fixated on Radcliff as soon as he was carried in.
“Put him on the bed,” the man ordered.
The twins dragged him over to a sick bed which took center stage in the cramped room and carefully lowered him onto it.
“What happened to him? I can’t reverse the spell if he’s dead.” The straggly man sounded agitated.
“Relax, you’ll get your freedom if you do as we agreed.” The emperor’s sonorous voice filled the small room.
Amira studied the man. It was hard to believe he was responsible for the spell on Radcliff. He looked nothing like the cold, arrogant councilors at the wizard’s trial. Maybe if she squinted hard enough and tried wiping away the facial hair, he might look vaguely familiar.
“Which one of the council were you?” she asked.
The man stood straighter, chin up, and replied, “I am Archmage Candlass.”
Amira vaguely recalled him at the trial. He’d certainly seen better days.
The emperor took one look at Radcliff and turned to Elden. “What happened?”
“Andurel ambushed us on our way here.”
The emperor made a motion with his hands and two guards Amira hadn’t noticed stepped away from the doorway. “Secure the outside.” After they left, the emperor asked, “Where is he now?”
“Dead.”
The emperor merely nodded in satisfaction.
“I need silence. This is a delicate matter. I cannot be responsible for his mind when he’s brought to me this far gone.” Candlass looked pointedly at the emperor.
“Do it,” he commanded.
The archmage wasted no more time. He placed both hands on Radcliff’s forehead and closed his eyes. Nothing happened for several minutes. Then, the wizard began to thrash. “Hold him down!” Candlass ordered.
Amira and the twins took up the same positions as last time and held him down. She felt his pain through the bond and winced at the severity. What Radcliff felt must be a hundred times worse. The thrashing went on for several minutes. Then he cried out in pain and mercifully went still.
“It is done.” Candlass examined the wizard. “I must be gone before he wakes up.”
“How is he?” the emperor asked. He began pacing in the two steps available. Every time he stepped closer to Radcliff, he’d stop, look at the wizard, and then start back up again.
“I make no guarantees. He was under the spell too long.”
“I need him whole.”
Candlass snorted and muttered, “Good luck with that.”
The emperor slammed him up against the wall. “You best hope for your sake that he’s ok.”
“You promised to let me go,” Candlass wheedled.
“You have your freedom, but I’ll never forgive you for doing this to him,” he snapped back.
“It was her idea.” Candlass shot a heated glare at Amira.
Amira was poleaxed. He was right, this was her doing.
The door opened and a young boy stepped in. His face was flushed and his eyes were lit by a combination of fear and excitement. “They’re here! The enemy is here!” he blurted, then blushed when he realized he spoke without permission.
The emperor let go of Candlass and smiled at the boy. “It’s ok. You did well. Now go, warn the others.” When the boy left, his face turned solemn. “Everyone in this room is needed at the wall.”
“But what about Radcliff?” Amira crossed her arms. No way was she leaving him alone.
“You are needed as well. We’ll have to hope he recovers soon.” The emperor sounded apologetic but firm.
“I need a moment alone with him.” This she wouldn’t be denied.
He nodded and ushered everyone out of the room. Amira could hear Candlass arguing, “But I was to leave the city.” She didn’t hear the emperor’s reply.
The room looked spacious without everyone crowded in. She stepped next to the bed and ran her fingers down Radcliff’s cheek. Her eyes began to water. “I’m sorry,” was all she got out before her throat closed up. It hurt seeing him like this; it hurt worse to leave without knowing if he was ok. She bent down and kissed his forehead. “I love you.”
She refused to look anyone in the eye as she came out. “I need to stop by my room to collect my staff.” Despite not liking the thing, it made a better weapon than the dagger. Amira was rather surprised at the quick agreement; others had things they also wished to get before heading out. Before long the group worked their way through the fortress. When they got close to the entrance she was astounded by the press of people jammed into the open area. Thousands of people from the city were being directed by stressed out servants as they streamed through the double-door entrance.
They pushed past the crowd and into daylight. Amira was shocked to realize it was close to noon. Right on cue her stomach rumbled.
The emperor must have heard it. “We’ll eat at the mess hall before we get our assigned duties,” he reassured them.
As they entered the main thoroughfare, it was packed with more people waiting to get inside the fortress. Men, women, and children, some crying, all had their heads down and were huddled together as if the enemy was already nipping at their heels. A few struggled to push through the line, but the emperor’s guards kept them in check. Nobody noticed the emperor in their midst, except for a few guards who gave respectful nods before returning to their work.
Once they got farther away, the city became deserted. Only the discarded scraps of paper or stray clumps of dropped cloth indicated people still lived there. Several doors were left wide open, but most were neatly closed up, as if the owners were just going away for a visit. Amira didn’t hold out much hope that they’d be left untouched.
Nearer the wall, soldiers scurried around like disturbed ants as they carried rocks, crates, boxes, and even dragged wagons to the middle of the road, forming a makeshift barrier to stall anything that made it over the wall. Others were busy setting up rallying points with additional armaments. The ringing of pounded metal drove home the knowledge that they’d be fighting soon. There was nowhere left to run.
When they reached the mess hall, it was only half full, and they got through the line rather quickly. Amira examined the beef stew and fresh bread before digging in. While bland compared to the food served to the emperor’s guests, it sure beat the dried out stuff they had at the end of their journey. The twins were also enjoying the food and even the emperor made no complaint. Candlass was like a starving man seeing food for the first time. Amira wondered just what happened to him in the dungeon. With the emperor as an enemy, she couldn’t imagine he was treated well. Troubled, she looked away. That could very easily be her for what she did to Radcliff.
The emperor finally left them in the hands of Commander Brenn who wasted no time placing them among the ranks. The twins were rejoining the rest of the Shae who would be at the top repelling anything that scaled the walls. The archmage was sent to stand with other mages to add ranged suppor
t. Amira was ordered to report to Ekewaka.
Ekewaka smiled when he saw her climbing the last step. “I’m glad you could make it. I specifically requested you in case you had any insights.” He waved at the distant horizon which was taking on a sinister blackish tinge. “It won’t be long now.”
Amira walked over to where he stood atop the wall. The height commanded a stunning view, marred by the faint smudges in the distance which were rapidly growing larger. “My ability might not trigger. It’s erratic, you know.” She was still uneasy about the staff and her visions while touching it. But she dared not ignore its warnings either.
“A chance might make all the difference.” Ekewaka stood relaxed as if there wasn’t anything to worry about.
She nodded even though she didn’t share his view. The horde was close enough now that she could make out individual creatures and yet, looking at the far distance, she could see more coming. The endless numbers were going to overrun them, she just knew it deep in her gut. And what did they have to counter this? A wall, which her vision already showed they could bypass, an army of limited numbers, and a broken wizard who, as far as she knew, would still have no clue how to save them even with his memory restored. No, there was no coming out of this unscathed. At best, they could delay the inevitable. “Well,” she thought as she swung the staff around to loosen up. “They won’t take me down without a fight.” And despite how dire things were, she still had faith in her vision and Radcliff.
“Fire!” At the order, magic streams of fire and lightning poured harmlessly over the squirming mass. The arrows had a much better effect, pin cushioning several. Yet the ones pinned to the ground tore free, leaking fluids, and kept on coming. More arrows rained down at will. Another barrage of magic, this time containing airborne projectiles, was more successful, slicing their marks to pieces. While most creatures kept coming despite missing various limbs, the decapitated ones slowly dissolved into a puddle of black ichor which pulsed several times and then shaped into a new creature to take its place.