He cackled his insane laughter as Lexi struggled to regain control of her body. The old wizard was behind her now, his hands on her shoulders as he whispered his foul breath into her ear.
“You shall make me happy, and I dare say I’ll satisfy you more than that whelp you came here with.”
His breath was as fetid as the rancid smell from the kitchen. He seemed giddy at the prospect of slaying Tiberius and making Lexi his slave. She wanted to scream and vow to kill him, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. She had screamed when he’d wrenched her arm in Tiberius’ cell, but that had been her body’s reaction to the pain. She wondered what sounds she would make if the old wizard had his way with her.
Just then a single thought seemed to appear in her mind. Escape. She didn’t know where the thought had come from. Of course she wanted to escape the old wizard, but she also wanted to make him suffer, to foil his plans to hurt Tiberius. The single word resonated in her mind over and over. She wasn’t sure what to do, and then she saw Dancer. The little animal was diving right toward her. She wanted to wave off the sweet little wind glider. The last thing she wanted was to see Dancer hurt trying to help her. But the fearless animal swooped down, all four feet pointed forward, and little needle-like claws that Lexi had never seen before extended from the glider’s feet. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Dancer landed on Gunderlyn’s face, the little legs scrambling as she slashed the skin around his eyes and across his forehead to ribbons.
Lexi felt the spell over her break. Her body sprang into motion, and she bounded down the stone stairs. Behind her Lexi could hear Gunderlyn screaming in pain and rage. Lexi wanted to look back over her shoulder to see what had become of Dancer, but she was afraid she would miss her footing and tumble down the steep side of the temple. She was leaping down three and four steps at a time, her heart hammering in her chest as she ran.
When she got to the bottom of the temple she looked back, but neither Dancer nor Gunderlyn were in sight. Lexi knew she couldn’t wait. She had to get out of the city. She was terrified for Dancer, but she couldn’t waste the little animal’s sacrifice. Lexi had saved Dancer from the snake, and now Dancer had saved Lexi from the wizard. The animal had repaid its debt to her, not that Lexi had ever considered Dancer to be in her debt. Still, she felt a pang of regret and loss over the cute little wind glider. She had felt a friendship with Dancer that she had never experienced before. It was more than owner and pet, more than she could even imagine feeling for another animal. Lexi was fond of the horses and had found a great satisfaction in helping with the animals when they were with the Hoskali, but her connection to Dancer had been much deeper.
Tears filled her eyes as she ran through the deserted streets. Her breath was short, and her shoulders shook as she cried. Still she ran, ducking from one space to the next, falling back into her natural patterns of evading and hiding. She had slipped through the streets of Avondale for years, making herself invisible, hiding in the shadows, moving from place to place and always alert for any signs that she was being watched. Lexi kept glancing back over her shoulder expecting to see the old wizard in his filthy patchwork robes sweeping down from the temple to make her his slave again.
Her grief and fear of what lay behind her were so strong that she didn’t notice the huge beast sleeping in the alley she ducked into. To either side of her were tall walls, and the alley was filled with a deep shadow. She stood for a moment panting, glancing back toward the temple, fearful of seeing Gunderlyn and hoping to see any sign of Dancer. What she didn’t see were the eyes that opened behind her.
Suddenly, tentacles that were covered with a sticky, viscous slime, wrapped around her. One coiled around her waist, another around her leg. She screamed as she was jerked backward into the dark alley. She felt a hot puff of foul breath, and then she was enveloped in a leathery pouch that was filled with even more of the viscous slime. There was no light. Lexi couldn’t see anything but she could feel the walls of her new prison contracting around her. She felt the beast purring. She kicked and screamed, but there was no escape. Her mind forgot the wizard, forgot about her friends and even little Dancer. She was consumed now with just one thought — survive.
Chapter 21
Tiberius
The climb back up the stone wall wasn’t difficult, but Tiberius was tired when he reached the top. The bronze soldiers weren’t moving and in their static state didn’t seem all that frightening. Tiberius took his time settling in on the wall. He threw one leg over the edge and settled onto a fat block of stone.
“Okay, I’ve got you,” Rafe said as he settled in beside Tiberius. “If you need anything, just say the word.”
“I could use a hot meal, a bath, and a good night’s sleep.”
“That sounds wonderful indeed,” Rafe said. “You take out these statues, and I’ll make sure you get all three very soon.”
Tiberius chuckled and then closed his eyes. He had to calm himself down. Working magic took a great deal of mental focus, so Tiberius had to clear his mind of everything but the spell he was about to cast. Somewhere in the ruins of Devonyr, Lexi needed him, but he couldn’t think about her at that moment. The wizard Gunderlyn wanted Tiberius dead, but he would have to worry about that later, too.
He opened himself up to the magic around him. There was a slight breeze coming off the mountains, and the ancient city smelled of dirt. He could feel Rafe’s hand holding his belt, so he didn’t worry about falling of the wall. He focused his mind on magic. He could feel a strong, magical radiance coming from the bronze warriors below him. The entire troop of warrior statues were enveloped in a mysterious magical bubble. Tiberius didn’t know if that magic would affect his own spell, but he couldn’t worry about that, either. His total focus had to be on casting the crucible spell. Tiberius didn’t even know what it would do, but he knew that a crucible was used by smithies to melt metal.
“Conflo Fervefacio Aestifer,” Tiberius began to chant slowly. He was careful to enunciate each syllable. “Conflo Fervefacio Aestifer.”
He felt the portal of magic appear. The healing spells he used from the First Order of magic utilized the magical energy inherent in every living thing. Healing Rafe had drawn out the magic that gave Rafe life and used that magic to speed the healing of his own body. The spells of the Fourth Order where different. They called on a much greater power, utilizing magic that was not part of Tiberius’ world.
Tiberius continued to chant, but he was completely focused on the magic he was wielding. He didn’t feel the wind or the stone block he was perched on, not even Rafe’s hand holding him steady. There was nothing but the spell and the portal of magic. He clamped down on the portal, willing it to obey him. Immediately he felt the powerful heat — not physically, but mentally he could feel the surging power. He remembered spending time in the earl’s smithy in Avondale. The billows were pumped by young apprentices, and the forges raged so hot that he had been dripping with sweat after only a few minutes in the blacksmith’s shed. When the master blacksmith opened the door to the forge, Tiberius could see the heart of the flames burning furiously and he knew instantly that the heat contained within that forge was not just deadly, but transformative. Put in stone, and it would be reduced to liquid; put in metal, and it would be softened. He also knew that, if he were thrust into that furnace, he would be rendered to ashes within moments.
Tiberius felt that same power again, and he knew that if he unleashed that power on the world around him, it would be forever changed. Suddenly he remembered walking in the gardens of Avondale with his mother when he was just a child. He had been chasing a beautiful butterfly and had finally caught hold of the little insect’s fragile wing. He had carried it back to his mother, expecting to surprise her with his lavish gift. Instead she scolded him. He remembered seeing the color flaking away from the wing under his finger and seeing how weak the little butterfly seemed.
“You can’t touch a butterfly’s wings, Tiberius,” his mother had said. “T
hey’re much too fragile. If you touch them, they can’t fly. You’ve killed this butterfly.”
She had walked away; the disappointment on her face dashed Tiberius’ hopes and made him want to cry. Now he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when he released the magic of the crucible spell. Would his friends look at him differently? Would they turn away in disappointment the way his mother had? Tiberius felt fear rising up and sapping his mental strength. His hold on the powerful magic wavered for a split second, and Tiberius realized he couldn’t give in to fear. Nothing could make his resolve waver, not even for a moment, or disaster would overtake him and the people he cared about.
Carefully, letting his mind move the portal of magical power over the rear ranks of metal soldiers, Tiberius released a sliver of the portal. Nothing happened that the naked eye could see. Tiberius opened his eyes for just a moment. He could feel the power cascading through the gap in his mental hold on the magic, but there was no flash of light, no flames, no awesome display of his power. But then those bronze warriors underneath the magical onslaught began to bend. Their heads began to glow, their swords folded, and beads of bronze ran down their faces like sweat in the heat of battle.
“Oh my God,” Rafe whispered.
Tiberius could feel Gunderlyn’s magic rushing back from Ti’s own powerful spell. The bronze was pooling on the ground, covering the dust that had blackened and then floated away like ash. At the edges of Tiberius’ flow of magical power, they could see the thick cobblestones that had paved the city streets. Those stones were glowing and turning into gelatinous magma. Tiberius moved the spell, opening the portal a little more. It felt as if he were waving a dripping paintbrush over a masterpiece, marring the image and altering the picture forever.
Soon half of the metal army was at least in some state of liquefaction. Tiberius didn’t wait to destroy the bronze warriors completely. As long as the soldiers lost as least some of the bodily form, Tiberius knew they couldn’t attack him. He ran the portal of magical power all the way around the tower, then he focused his mind on closing the portal.
Holding the magical power in check had been difficult. Closing the portal was almost impossible. He stopped chanting the spell, but just like with the focusing light spell, the portal remained open; the power on the other side was anxious to reach Ti’s world. He had to focus his mind on closing the portal, and it felt as if he were trying to hold the raging crucible in his bare hands. Pain lanced through his brain, then down into his body.
“Aaaaahhhh!” he cried.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Rafe asked.
Had Tiberius been aware of what was happening around him, he would have felt the immense heat that was rising up like an oven from the molten metal around the tower. Both he and Rafe were soaked with sweat. When Tiberius cried out in his effort to close the magical portal, Rafe moved forward and wrapped both arms around Tiberius’ shaking body.
The pain was so immense that for several moments Tiberius could do nothing but sit frozen, completely in the grip of the all-consuming pain. He realized that working such powerful magic was changing him. It was taking all of his strength, both mental and physical, to close the portal, but he refused to give up. He knew that the power on the opposite side of the magical portal could consume not just the ruins of Devonyr, but the mountains beyond and perhaps even the entire world. He forced the portal closed. It was a slow process, and as the portal shrank down, the pain intensified, as the push of the magic to get out of the portal grew stronger.
“Noooooooooo,” Tiberius shouted, refusing to give in, even though his bones felt like they were being ground into dust and his muscles like they were being ripped apart sinew by sinew.
“I’ve got you!” Rafe shouted, and for some reason the message got through.
Tiberius felt his friend’s strength around him, holding him together. Tiberius knew he could do it — he could close the portal. He had wrestled with his brothers, struggling desperately to fend them off as they pummeled him. He had been a child then, and all his magical efforts to that point had been as a child, but suddenly he felt a new strength swell up within him. Tiberius had never been physically strong. He wasn’t athletic or a skillful warrior. He had never had much stamina, but suddenly he found a strength within himself that he never knew existed.
The battle to close the last few inches of the portal was overwhelming. He felt as if he were trying to lift the entire stone tower, but he refused to give up. And slowly, to Tiberius’ utter delight, he found himself doing what he thought was impossible. The portal snapped closed, and Tiberius’ body sagged. He was completely spent but completely exhilarated at the same time.
“Tiberius,” Rafe said with concern, “are you all right?”
Tiberius laughed. He felt so good he couldn’t contain it anymore. He had worked the most powerful spell of his entire life, but more importantly he had discovered something about himself. He could master magic. He had found a strength and resolve he never knew he had, and while working powerful magic would always be difficult, he suddenly realized to his great delight that he had the strength to do whatever he needed to do. He was, he realized for the first time in life, a true wizard. He wasn’t just dabbling in a forbidden art or an apprentice struggling to learn a skill all on his own. He was an accomplished wizard. He had no need to fear his power or shy away from wielding it.
“Tiberius!” Rafe shouted.
“What?” Tiberius said, coming back to himself at last.
“We have to get off this wall!” Rafe shouted.
At first Ti was puzzled. What was Rafe so worried about, and why was he shouting? But then he felt the tremendous heat radiating up from the ground below. As Tiberius turned, he felt the sting of sweat dripping into his eyes. Rafe’s face was darkened, the way a blacksmith often looked after hours of working at his forge. His hair was blown back and clinging to his head in wet bands. Sweat ran down the young warrior’s face and down his bare chest.
“Let’s go,” Tiberius said.
They were careful climbing down. Their hands were wet with sweat, but once they were off the rim of the tower, the stones deflected the enormous heat. It was still hot in the tower, but not as bad as above it.
As they got to the bottom, Rafe took his friend by the shoulder.
“That was amazing,” he said, “but how are we going to get out of here?”
“I have a plan,” Tiberius said.
He was tired and weak. His stomach was growling angrily, and his throat felt like leather left out for days in the sun, but he ignored all of it. Instead, he cleared his mind once more and cast a spell.
“Flabra,” he said.
The portal opened once again, and Tiberius let the wind come pouring out. He kept the magic outside of the tower, but they could hear the howling wind and see the dust being blown up in great billowing brown clouds. Tiberius was perfectly still for several moments with his hands held up as his mind directed the wind that blew across the melted bronze, powdery ash, and molten cobblestones.
“What are you doing?” Rafe shouted above the gale.
“Cooling things off.”
After several minutes Tiberius let the portal close, and the wind died down. He sagged against the stone wall of the tower, catching his breath.
“What now?” Rafe asked.
“Now,” Tiberius said with a grim determination, “we go find Gunderlyn and make sure he can never do this again.”
Chapter 22
Tiberius
Tiberius wasn’t steady riding bareback, but he had no choice. His horse and Lexi’s were still in the tower, and there was no time to go looking for their saddles, which had been left in a building near the edge of town. Rafe led the way out of the tower’s wide door, and the horse leaped over the swath of half-melted bronze warriors, who had returned to solid, immovable objects.
Tiberius hadn’t been ready for the sight that greeted him outside of the tower. The streets of the ruined city had been covered
with fine powdery dirt, but no more. The wind had swept the dirt away and left the streets as they had been centuries ago. The cobblestones had been tightly placed, and most were still in one piece. Many were black now from the intense heat of Ti’s crucible spell, but in many ways the city looked new.
Rafe led the way down the street. The dog he’d killed still lay where it had died with piles of dirt heaped around it. The effect of Tiberius’ wind spell did not go far beyond the tower. When they rounded a corner, they found the streets covered with the silty dirt again. And down the road a short way stood Rafe’s horse.
“At least one of us will be able to ride in the saddle,” Tiberius said.
Rafe didn’t reply, nor did he offer to let Tiberius take his horse. Instead he flashed his friend a grin as he slipped off Lexi’s horse and climbed up into the saddle of his own.
Tiberius took the lead from that point. He had to find the old man, and the only way to navigate the ruins of the old city was to use magic. Tiberius didn’t have a spell that would locate the elder wizard, but he could feel magic if he concentrated. The magic around them seemed dark, much like the ruined city itself, but it still moved like a brackish river around the ruined buildings and through the streets.
There was a central core to the magic of the city, and Tiberius assumed it was Gunderlyn, so they rode carefully through the town looking for the old man. Ti hoped that Lexi was all right. The vile old wizard could have done any number of heinous things to her by now, and Tiberius only hoped the old man had been kept busy with his spells and not with Lexi. They were almost to a tall triangular building that they had glimpsed between the ruins for some time, when they heard an excited trilling sound.
“Look at that,” Rafe said, pointing up to the rooftop of a building that was only halfway destroyed. “It’s Lexi’s pet.”
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