The Hero's Peril (The Sorcerer's Saga Book 5)

by Rain Oxford

  “You can’t be sure it’ll hold him.”

  “It’s completely dark. How can the Painter paint if he has no light? Besides, if it could hold Merlin, I am willing to bet it’ll hold anyone.”

  My father narrowed his eyes, silently demanding I back down. I wanted to divert my eyes, like everyone did. I didn’t want to make him angry, not out of fear but because he was my father. I wanted him to approve of me. I just wanted him to approve of me as I was. I wouldn’t be someone else for him.

  He nodded. “Fine. Do as you wish, but you are to blame if your plan goes wrong.” He started to walk away.

  “And if it goes right?”

  He paused. “We will see.” With that, he left.

  “Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I have serious doubts the syrus will hold the Painter.”

  * * *

  Merlin and I returned to the room to find Yuri sitting on one of the beds with the dragoness in his lap. He looked miserable. She was gray. “I’m so sorry,” he said as soon as we opened the door.

  “Don’t be. You gave up the paint to save your dragon. I call that a win.”

  “I’m sorry for the other part.”

  “He can’t exactly make Merlin eat his children, since Merlin doesn’t have any children.” Probably.

  “I acted like a coward.”

  “That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll tell you what Merlin told me. In order to be wise, you must first be foolish. In order to be brave, you must first be afraid. The answers will not always be easy to find and the right path is usually a difficult one to follow. I don’t know if you did the right thing or not, but I probably would have done the same thing to save Merlin.”

  “The matter at hand is dealing with the Painter,” Merlin said.

  “To defeat him, I think we need someone even more powerful than Ilvera.”

  “Can’t you send another letter to Alice?” Yuri asked.

  “What for? She couldn’t get in here.”

  “She created a world. I think that means she’s pretty powerful.”

  “You’re right.”

  “So send her a letter and ask her to help us.”

  “I can do better than that.” I grabbed the mirror off the table. “We have a magic mirror now.” I pointed my wand at it, only to hesitate. “What if she’s not strong enough to defeat him?” I asked in Merlin’s mind.

  “We will jump off that bridge when we come to it.”

  “Show me Alice,” I said. My magic flowed into it… and did nothing. “Well, that was disappointing.”

  “You have nothing connecting you to her,” Merlin explained.

  “That’s right… but Yuri does.” We both looked at Yuri, who frowned.

  “What?”

  “Alice wants you to protect her world, so maybe that is a strong enough connection to her to find her. First, you need a wand.”

  “I don’t have---”

  “You should have your magic back now that the dragoness has hatched. You have to try.” I held out my wand.

  Cautiously, he took it. “It can’t hurt to try, I guess.”

  “If you don’t believe in it, it’s not going to work. Do you feel magic in you?”

  “Yes. I’ve felt it since I woke up with immortality. I just couldn’t use it. I will try.” The dragoness made a huffing sound and then sneezed out a puff of blue smoke. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  “Good, point the wand at the mirror, focus on Alice’s face, and tell the mirror to show her to you.”

  He pointed my wand at the mirror like I had instructed and said, “Show me Alice.”

  The mirror chirped a moment before Alice’s face appeared. “Have you found my kitty?” she asked immediately.

  “No.”

  “Then get off the line. I have to find him or he’s going to get in trouble and I’m going to get blamed for it.”

  “We need your help. A sorcerer arrived. He said he was called ‘the Painter’ and that if we can’t defeat him by sunset, we’ll all die.”

  “So defeat him.”

  “He’s too powerful. We need help.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I told you I can’t go anywhere! I’m grounded! You don’t want to see my dad angry.”

  “Has he hurt you?” I asked. “Do you need us to protect you?”

  She scoffed. “He’d never hurt me; I’m his little girl. He might destroy a few worlds looking for me, though. He’s a little overprotective. That’s why I can’t risk saving you again.”

  “Then I’m not going to live long enough to be a protector of magic on your world,” Yuri said.

  Alice sighed and pouted. “Fine. I know a way to help you. You have to make the Painter bleed.” With that, Alice’s face disappeared and the mirror became a regular mirror once again.

  “How are we supposed to make him bleed?” Yuri asked.

  I shrugged. “Maybe she was about to tell us and the magic faded too quickly. Try again.”

  He did, and there was half a chirp before it zapped Yuri, causing him to drop the mirror. Fortunately, it was over the bed, so it didn’t break.

  “That is how a girl tells you she wants you to stop calling,” Merlin explained.

  * * *

  I chose to be in the room when my mother was released. Yuri, not privy to “family matters,” was ordered to stay upstairs. I suspected he was locked up there and I was grateful that Merlin was allowed to be with me.

  My father brought the syrus into the living room so we had space to fight if we needed it. I heard sharp painful whispers immediately. “Can any of you hear that?” I asked.

  “Hear what?” Even Shaerl Rynorm looked confused.

  The fairies had said that people who were pure of heart could hear the person or creature that was trapped inside. I didn’t think I was really pure of heart, especially considering the portal outside waiting for my mother.

  Merlin shook his head, unable to hear the whispers.

  “Please hurry. I don’t want to hear her in my head.”

  Malaki pointed his wand at the box and I could see a message appear on the lid, but not well enough to make it out. A moment later, the lid opened and black smoke spilled out. It wasn’t like when I freed Merlin from it.

  The black smoke formed into Ilvera, standing in front of me, and the lid snapped shut. Before anyone could say or do anything, Ilvera wrapped her hand around my throat and squeezed. “How dare you still be alive after everything you put me through?!” I struggled to pry her hand off me and tripped backwards. Instead of breaking her grip, I effectively hung myself. I kicked, but her strength was enhanced by her fury and she wasn’t letting me go so long as she had a hand to kill me with. I couldn’t even reach the wand in my pocket.

  Merlin bit her arm and I heard her bones snap before her scream drowned it out. She finally let me go and I hit the floor. Not one of the Rynorms had done anything to stop her. I coughed and gasped for air. When Merlin released her, his snout and chest were covered in her blood. He backed up so that he was standing between her and me, poised to attack again. He would go for her throat the second time.

  “I will kill you!” Ilvera screamed.

  Kille grabbed her arms to restrain her. “Save your breath. He’s not the person you’re going to fight today.”

  She tried to break his hold. At that point, I realized how different she was. She had always been immaculate. This time, however, her long black hair was a mess, her black clothes were dirty, and her bare feet were scratched and bruised. It was the deranged look in her eyes that revealed the most, though. She had lost everything. Even though it was power she was after, even after everything she had put me through, it was hard to see it.

  What made her this way? It was more than being a sorceress. It was more than having a younger sister with superior magic. It was more than having a husband who hated her. It was more than having children who obeyed her out of fear rather than respect or trust.

  Or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was the fact that she never had love,
or at least she never knew she had it. Maybe it was the fact that she never felt love for another person.

  “There’s a man called the Painter. He’s from another world, and his weakness is invisibility. He’s already seen our faces, so it does us no good. You, however, can fight him.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “If you defeat him, we will release you.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “I’m not. Of course, it won’t be on this world. I’ll take you somewhere with an entire planet of people you can torment.”

  “Until the day comes that you’re going to kill me.”

  “Yes.”

  She scoffed and jerked her arm away. This time, he let her go, but she was focused on him rather than me. “That doesn’t sound like I’m getting anything out of it.”

  “You can rule a world, just like you always wanted, instead of sitting in a prison. I know the horrors you face when you only have your mind to keep you company. What will it be like to be completely alone until the day I finally put you out of your misery? You just spent six months in there. Do you want to be trapped there for years?”

  She turned away, towards me. She wanted to argue, I could see it in her eyes, yet the words never came out of her mouth.

  “We’re going to go outside, you’ll make yourself invisible, and then we’ll summon the Painter. If he defeats you, at least you can take comfort in a quick death. If you defeat him, at least I won’t be so ashamed to call you my wife.”

  “If I defeat him, you’ll stay with me on the world. If I can’t have the world I want, I’m at least going to finally have control over you. Plus, it will keep you away from Livia.”

  “Fine,” Father said without hesitation.

  She didn’t look surprised that he had just agreed to be her slave on a foreign world. None of the Rynorms objected as Malaki led her out of the room, not even Shaerl. Right before she was out of sight, she caught my eyes and grinned. “Did you know your grandson is in love with another Sjau?” she asked Shaerl, not looking away from me.

  “What?” Shaerl asked sharply.

  “She’s trying to rile you, Mother,” my father said easily. “Ayden is barely friends with any of the Sjau.”

  “It had better stay that way.”

  While I was merely friends with Kalyn and I didn’t plan on it becoming anything more, that was between Kalyn and me. My grandmother would have no say in the matter, despite what my father seemed to think.

  “Why would you agree to go with her?” I asked after Ilvera was gone.

  “Protecting the family comes first. That is what it means to be a Rynorm. That is why we are unstoppable.”

  I definitely didn’t want to be a Dracre, but it occurred to me that being a Rynorm was not much better. I thought they fought together and protected every member of the family. Instead, when Ilvera tried to kill me, the only one who cared enough to stop her was Merlin.

  “I need to speak to you before we begin. Alone.” Merlin’s tone was resigned, as if he had terrible news.

  “Does it need to be now? Can’t we talk after the battle?”

  “I am afraid it needs to be now.”

  As the Rynorms went outside, Merlin and I went into the living room. We both sat on the couch and I faced Merlin, wondering what could be so important that it came before defeating the Painter.

  “Your trust means a lot to me, Ayden, but sometimes, I have to do what I think is best, even if you disagree. You understand that, right?”

  “I think so.”

  “Even if it means losing your trust, I will do what I have to, because your life is more important.”

  “This is starting to sound ominous.” He didn’t respond, he just stared at me expectantly. “We’ll be okay,” I said. Still, he was silent.

  By the time I realized what he was doing, it was too late; I felt pain shoot down my spine. I tore my eyes away, but it didn’t stop the shift. I fell off the couch as bones all over my body broke. Out of shock, I fought it, and that only made it more painful, itchy, and drawn out.

  When it was over, I was on my side, staring into the fire.

  “I will not let you be killed for my mistakes,” Merlin said, getting dressed. He had obviously planned ahead, because the clothes had been in a pile on one of the chair.

  “You tricked me. You could have told me.”

  “You would have argued.”

  “Maybe I would have, but that’s my right.” It was worse than my father not trying to stop my mother from killing me. It was worse because it was Merlin. Merlin was the one I could always trust.

  “Everyone has their day to die. I do not welcome death with open arms, but I am willing to face it to protect you from it.” He went outside. Once I composed myself, I stood and joined the others, who were getting ready to face the Painter. I stepped out as my father was handing Merlin the empty syrus.

  Chapter 18

  While the snow had slowed down, it still covered any sign that Merlin and I had done anything in it. I found a spot I liked and dug myself a hole in the snow, because my small paws kept trying to sink into it. Fortunately, my thick fur made for excellent protection against the cold… and since I was white, it camouflaged me.

  Exactly as we had planned, Ilvera made herself invisible and Shaerl called the Painter three times. Unlike what he had planned, he didn’t immediately appear.

  “Is he really as powerful as you made him out to be?”

  “I guess that depends on him. What I saw in my dreams was a man who would destroy worlds in an instant. How close to that he has come, I cannot say.”

  “Starting the party so soon?” the Painter asked, appearing in the middle of the clearing. “I was sure you would wait until the last minute. Well, this is more fun anyway.”

  Merlin slowly walked up to him and stopped in front of him, his hands flat and out to his side a little bit so that the Painter could see that his hands were empty.

  The Painter’s eyes narrowed, half worried, half angry. “Oh, no. No, no, no, you’re not going to surrender! I don’t want you to surrender! That’s not fair! I want you to suffer!”

  “I know. I’m not surrendering; I’m asking you to be a better man than I was. Leave these people, release them from your curse, and take your anger out on me. They have done nothing to you.”

  “This is sounding a lot like a surrender! Stop trying to ruin this for me!”

  “I was wrong to turn you away after telling you about your power in the first place. I understand that I---”

  “You don’t understand anything! You don’t know what I’ve been through. You’ve been alive hundreds of years and you haven’t seen what I saw in one day!”

  “That is the price for power.”

  “Which is something you could have taught me if you---” He cut himself off and took a deep breath. “I was wrong. This is sounding a lot like a distraction.”

  “This is not a distraction. I am trying to apologize. I cannot undo what I have done, but you can still be the person I said you would be. Entire planets, millions of people would look to you as a hero. Children would tell their parents they want to be like you. Parents would tell their children that they were safe because you were watching over them. You can turn it all around right now. It just starts with one word.”

  “What? You want me to forgive you?”

  “No, I don’t. I want you to learn from my mistake.”

  He looked at me. “How about Snowball over there? Did you tell him how great he would be?”

  “Ayden chose greatness for himself. He made mistakes along the way and he has overcome them. It does not take power to change worlds. It takes kindness. You have that in you; I have seen it.”

  The Painter focused on him as if Merlin would suddenly crack and admit it was all a lie. Merlin wasn’t lying, though. Finally, the Painter smirked. “I’m touched. I had no idea you believed in me so much. I can’t torture you after that.” He opened his book and started painting in it. “You
shouldn’t die alone. I’ll make it quick, surrounded by your friends.” He glanced at me, but his brush never stopped. “Come to think of it, I will learn from your mistakes. I’ll spare your apprentice once you’re dead. I’ll teach him myself. Wouldn’t that be a nice thing to do?”

  No one answered, because as he said it, Nimue appeared. She was dressed in her usual style of clothing, perfectly clean. The problem was that there was no life in her eyes. She stood still, staring straight ahead without seeing Merlin. Merlin blanched.

  “There we go. It’ll make your death so much quicker if you don’t fight back. Oops,” he said with a laugh. “I almost forgot.” He painted something else and a dagger appeared in Nimue’s hand. “That would have taken forever.”

  “This is a trick,” Merlin said tightly. “She cannot be here.”

  “A trick? Are you calling me a liar, Merlin? Have I ever lied to you, Merlin? No! You’re the one who lied! Nimue, kill the man you love!”

  Nimue started walking calmly, with no sign of awareness, towards Merlin.

  “Whoa, whoa, wait,” the Painter said, suddenly giddy again. Nimue froze. “Do it painlessly, okay?” Then he gave Merlin a friendly smile and raised his fists with his thumbs sticking up.

  Nimue resumed her pursuit of Merlin. I couldn’t do much unless I wanted to run up and bite him, which sounded like a good plan to me. Unfortunately, I was almost as likely to bite Merlin instead, for putting me in this situation.

  Finally, Ilvera decided to uphold her end of the bargain, because a blast of magic erupted from a spot within arm’s length of the Painter’s chest. Unprepared, the man was thrown back. Invisibility really was his weakness.

  I focused my mind, but no magic stirred inside me. Merlin had chosen his own magic over mine. It was even worse to be killed because I couldn’t defend myself than it was to be killed because my opponent was stronger.

  Meanwhile, Ilvera was hitting the Painter with everything she had before he could get a brushstroke in. He was tossed into the sky, slammed into boulders, and stabbed in the stomach with a sword. At that point, she stopped and everyone stared in shock, wondering why we thought he was so powerful.