Mason shook his head, not being able to work out the enigma, and gazed down instead towards the floor, catching a glance at the man’s boots as he did. Several seconds passed, as something further played on his mind, and he felt irritated with himself for not working it out. Something was staring him in the face, something was not right, “Boots,” he mumbled to himself looking back up at the man in question. He then turned to a few of the other royal staff, and noticed the difference; Royal staff did not wear boots, they wore shoes, which meant the two men in the room with them, “Are not royal staff,” he mumbled again, quickly getting to his feet.
All hell broke loose in the room, as one of the men realising he and his colleague were about to be rumbled, pulled a dagger, concealed within his tunic. Mason, without actually thinking what he was doing, instinctively threw up a shield, as the attacker leapt across the room, towards the unsuspecting king still sat minding his own business as his desk. The man hit the barrier and was stopped in his tracks, bouncing to the floor with a thump.
Jake turned quickly to see what had happened only to see the other man leap towards Mason. Instinctively, he thrust his hand forward sending forth a barrage of energy bolts, most of which smashed into the far wall, almost hitting one of the other royal staff members. The attacker was no more than a few feet from his friend as Jake finally made the telling strike, as two bolts of raw power took the man down, sending him to the floor in an instant.
As the smell of burning quickly filed the room, the first attacker tried to get to his feet, but was quickly dealt with by a very annoyed looking King. “Bloody cheek, trying to sneak in posing as my own staff,” he said pulling his dagger free from the man’s back, before wiping it on the dead man’s uniform. With his hands shaking, Jake slowly lowered them down before looking at the man he had just killed, lying on the floor with fine tendrils of smoke drifting gently upwards. He turned sharply as he felt a hand on his shoulder, “Good work lad,” he heard the king say smiling at him. “First time you ever killed another man?” the monarch asked seemingly very calm despite what had just happened. Jake nodded, “Yes Sire,” he replied.
“Come on, sit down over here, what you need is a drink,” Haldar told the young apprentice sorcerer, gesturing to one of the other serving staff to fetch him one immediately.
The drink was not long in coming, as a young serving girl brought over a small silver tray with a single glass upon it. The king picked it up and passed it to Jake, “Here get this down you,” he said, handing the glass over. Jake, not realising the glass contained brandy swilled the drink back in one, almost choking on it as he felt the immediate effects. After a coughing fit of several seconds and the king laughing at him, Jake finally managed to get his breath back, “Feel better?” the man asked. Jake nodded, even though he didn’t, just in case the king offered him another drink.
Daron positioned himself on the wall over-looking the southern gate, as this is where he was told the greater part of the enemy force appeared to be congregating. After dozens of imps bounced forward launching fireballs, most of which merely slammed into the wall, he watched as the skills of the young rangers nearby sent many of them to their deaths. Aside from throwing up a shield to cover a group of soldiers to his left, from two fireballs, Daron used none of his vast resources of power; this he knew could and would be put to better use later in the battle.
He soon realised the plan of those attacking was to get the defending sorcerers to use up power by making them shield. He was caught a little by surprise as several volleys of exploding arrows were sent up one after the other, forcing him to shield once more, although many hit the gates and wall. He tried to look down to see of the explosions were big enough to cause any significant damage, with his greater concern being the cladded wooden gates, and duly received his answer as he watched dozens of small splinters thrown up in front of him. He pondered a while, wondering how long the gates would last against such an attack, before trying to judge the distance to the enemy archers, still sending the arrows his way.
As a man of great power, Daron could cast his spells much further than a regular sorcerer, and thought if needed, he could reach the enemy with the right kind of attack. As a tester he raised his right hand and thrust forward a volley of energy blasts, small in power, but he hoped sufficient enough to kill or maim a man if he was lucky enough to hit. No sooner had he fired, when the first of the enemy magicians threw up a rather poor excuse of a shield. Although the barrier was enough to repel the energy blasts sent forward by Daron, he was certain he could break through them with a little more effort.
Despite having a much greater source of power at his disposal than most, Daron was only too aware that he, like any other magician, could exhaust himself if he did not manage his resource properly. Firing off blasts of energy without thinking, was a sure way to drain himself to exhaustion; something neither he nor Caldronia could afford in their current predicament.
With Daron nearing his later years, he also knew that although he was still more powerful than the average sorcerer, he was not so strong as he once was. With the attacks going on around him, his mind strangely turned to Leo of all people, and thought that in hindsight, perhaps it would have been better keeping the lad here to help protect the city. The decision to move him from the city had seemed a good one at the time, especially with the tension between the guild and city guard as it was.
Daron watched on as several enemy magicians rode forward with magical shields covering not only themselves, but also two men pushing a cart. He was puzzled as to the purpose of the move, and wondered why they would expend so much of the magical power protecting the small wooden wagon. No matter he thought, as he sent down a blast of energy, a little stronger than normal, only to see it shielded away. It took a few moments to realise what had just happened, and was dumbstruck to how these weaker sorcerers could possibly repel his much stronger attacks.
After several seconds of musing over what had just happened, he kept a close eye on the small party as the wagon was pushed ever nearer their southern gate. How had the enemy managed to repel his attack? It was then the answer came to him, and he cursed himself for not thinking of it straight away. The enemy were using an old trick, one he knew about, but rarely used and not even taught in the guild because of the dangers. The sorcerers were each casting a shield, but one over the other, so he was effectively firing at several shields over lapping as opposed to just one.
The practice was an old one, used in scenarios where weaker sorcerers could overcome a much more powerful one, but was not without its drawbacks. With the shield basically being several layers thick, it required great concentration and practice on the sorcerer’s behalf to keep his or her layer in place. Any misjudgement would see the shields fight against each other, and would effectively drain the sorcerer in seconds; and if one failed it was quite common they all would.
With Daron assuming the cart they were pushing nearer and nearer, being of some significant purpose, he took a deep breath and focused his will. With both hands pushed outwards he sent forth a massive burst of energy, so bright those around him were forced to avert their eyes. For a moment it looked as if the shields would hold against his attack, but as one they faltered causing each of the sorcerers to slump to the ground exhausted. The soldiers and rangers did not need a second invitation, as they quickly fired down the short distance, killing not only the enemy magicians but the two men pushing the cart as well.
With the wagon just a short way from the southern gates, now surrounded by the dead of the enemy, Daron was still unsure as to its purpose. What would be so special the enemy would waste half a dozen of its sorcerers protecting it? The answer soon came to him, although not in the way he would have wanted. As another batch of arrows was fired towards the gate and walls, several of which fell much shorter than that, hitting the cart in question.
Daron, despite all his power, could do nothing as the wall beneath his feet fell away, and even though he shielded himself and t
hose around him from the falling masonry and wood, he could do nothing but tumble helplessly backwards with the others. With his ears ringing from the massive explosion, the old sorcerer hit the ground with a thump, and despite trying to keep the shield maintained, as much to help the others as himself, all went black.
As a mountain of stone and splintered timber came crashing back down to earth, a big cheer erupted from the attacking force, as through the clearing dust they could see a breach made in the wall. Where once stood the southern gates, now was a huge gap, and with the defenders in total disarray, there would be little to stop the enemy from breaking through.
Chapter 22.
Leo and his small group had made good progress on their way back to Surmont, with Sasha now all but glued to his side, things were certainly looking on the up. Over the next brow, Ruben reckoned they would be able to see the capital, and Leo was already thinking of all the things he needed to tell his friends about. He wondered what they would make of the young female ranger who was now insistent in snogging his face off at every given opportunity, not that he minded, although for some reason everyone else appeared not so keen.
His day dreamy state was soon disrupted as a rumbling sound filled the air, “Is that thunder?” Kindra asked from her position just behind.
Ruben however, did not hang around to answer the question, as an almighty bang reverberated, echoing across the valley.
Leo was taken by surprise, as without warning, Sasha kicked her heels and shot off after her fellow ranger, and after watching Samuel and Kenton do likewise, he felt the need to do so as well. Despite his awkwardness riding a horse, especially when at a faster pace, Leo pushed the creature as fast as he dared to do so. With the horse’s hooves thumping into the soft turf, kicking up sods of earth behind him, he clambered up the hill and reached the top.
Just on the brow he found the others all stopped staring into the area below, and looked up to see a most unwelcome sight. Surrounding most of the city were hundreds, possibly he thought, thousands of soldiers, but that was not the worst of it. Clouds of smoke and dust were billowing skywards around the southern entrance, “They’ve breached the wall,” he heard Ruben say to no one person in particular.
As further small explosions rumbled across the sky from the city, Ruben waited for the rest of their group to catch up. “Kindra please follow at a safe distance, with the two injured men,” he told the healer. “The rest of us head for the north of the city, it does not seem quite so chaotic,” he added kicking his horse forward, not even waiting for any response. Sasha of course was first to dutifully follow her fellow ranger, and Leo once more found himself galloping across the fields and farmland surrounding the capital, playing catch-up to the rest of the group.
Despite heading slightly northwards, Leo held tightly to the reins of his horse as he bounced about the saddle, glancing every now and then to the southern part. He wondered what kind of magic had caused such destruction, before his thoughts became more morose, as he feared that perhaps some of his friends may have been hurt. He tried to tell himself that surely all the apprentices would be safely in the guild building, yet something niggled away at the back of his mind telling him this may not be the case.
Having to take a wide berth around the city, more to avoid any unnecessary contact with any enemy as anything else, it took far longer than Leo thought it might to get around to the north gate. As they approached he could see figures walking about nervously across the top, and wondered what they were doing. Ruben pulled up just short and shouted up for them to open the gate, as Leo recognised a familiar face amongst them. Ayleen waved a hand to him in greeting which he quickly returned, but was quickly ushered along once more, as Sasha shouted for him to move, as the gates were slowly open just very slightly.
“Why are you all stood about here, you need to move to the south gate, it has been breached,” Ruben shouted rather than asked. With his frustration clear for all to see, it was the sorcerer Ayleen who answered, “Calm down young man, we have been given orders to remain here, no matter what,” she said calmly but firmly. Leo watched as the two stared at each other for a few moments, and was beginning to think they might make more of the situation, but Ruben quickly apologised.
Ayleen however was clearly as frustrated at not being in a position to help as the young ranger, “Take my sorcery apprentices, go and help where you can,” she eventually said, despite knowing she was disobeying the very orders she had sworn to obey. Ruben nodded his head in thanks before waving the four sorcery apprentices his direction, “Come on we can carry you,” he said, indicating he wanted each apprentice to ride up with those on horseback. It was only when the young sorcerers moved nearer, did Leo recognise one of his friends. Ben looked up at him casting him a nervous smile, as Leo watched him clamber awkwardly up on to Samuel’s horse, positioning himself just behind the young warrior.
Leo felt the horse difficult to control as they manoeuvred through the city streets. Fortunately, most people had taken to locking themselves indoors, although an increasing numbers seemed to be moving towards the gate they had just left. Leo was beginning to think that perhaps things at the southern gate were far worse than they had expected, and were themselves heading into extreme danger. As they moved further south, with explosions still ringing out in the distance, he felt fear starting to take hold. This though, was strangely not a fear for his own life, but instead for the friends and colleagues riding at his side, with an increasing doubt his lack of skill will likely let them down if it was needed.
Daron struggled to his feet, cut and bruised, with an arm that was clearly broken, he looked around at the destruction. There were several others around him, either moving about aimlessly and lost or just standing as he was. As the thick dust started to settle, Daron could see several shapes lying still amongst the rubble, some of whom were little more than children, young apprentices from the guild.
Despite his pain he looked up at the gaping breach where the gates had once stood, only to see the enemy clambering their way in. With a struggle, he lifted his good hand and immediately threw up a shield spanning the opening, stopping any more from progressing further. However, he soon noticed a score or more had already passed his temporary stopgap and had spotted him being the cause of not allowing any more through.
Daron stumbled slightly as an arrow was sent his way, but thankfully his uneasiness on his feet ensured it whistled harmlessly past. With his power focused on making sure the breach in the wall was blocked, he was left open and vulnerable to attack, and with him barely able to concentrate fully, even his barrier was a struggle to maintain. He could do little but watch two of the enemy archers who had made it through the gap, raise their bows his direction and pull back their bowstrings preparing to fire.
Daron knew he had to make a quick decision, risk bringing the shield down to protect himself, or hope the archers missed. The decision was however made for him, as from somewhere behind him a volley of energy blasts fired towards the enemy soldiers about to fire his direction. He watched on as one of the attackers was hit, taken down by the impact of the blast, and the second was forced to dive for cover. He looked quickly over his shoulder to see a dusty looking black robed figure stood there, with a blue belt, indicating a second year apprentice.
With it being a struggle to remain stood and keep the barrier up, Daron could only manage a slight nod of the head in way of thanks, and even afforded a small smile as the youngster stepped forward repeating his skills of earlier. Several of the enemy, still a hundred paces away from them were forced to take evasive action, as a multitude of energy blasts were fired their direction.
Any thought that Daron had of gaining the upper hand however soon vanished, as the youngster was struck in the chest by an arrow. He could do little more than watch as the life drained away from the fresh faced youth, as the boy clutched vainly at the arrow shaft protruding from his young body, before slumping down into the rubble.
Daron looked over to where
the group of attackers had gained access to the city, to see them spreading out, and looked on in horror as a robed figure stepped across the rubble looking his direction. He knew that if this was a sorcerer of any skill, he would have no option but to drop the barrier currently keeping the other invaders out of the city, and although he could feel his energy being depleted at a far higher rate than he would normally expect, he felt he could hold it a while longer yet. With those outside trying to get in attacking his magical barrier, he was having to feed the shield to stop them.
The old sorcerer winced in pain as he tried to move his other arm in a bid to try and stop the approaching sorcerer, but no matter how much he tried he was unable to do so. With his options fast becoming very limited, Daron could do little else but change his tactics. Rather than keep the defence up for as long as possible, he decided to take the fight to the enemy, using what power he had left to take down as many attackers as he could, hoping it might be enough for those defending elsewhere to hold firm.
With the enemy sorcerer now near enough to attack him, Daron released the barrier covering the breach where the gates had once stood. He did not wait to see the impending hordes making their way through, but instead focused his attention to the urgent matter of self-preservation. With a flick of his hand he quickly sent forth several bolts of energy at the enemy sorcerer, who was taken a little by surprise, and was forced to defend himself with his own shield. The first three bolts fizzled out to nothing as they struck the man’s magical barrier, but Daron sent several more in quick succession that soon burst through, with the last hitting the man in the chest.
The Apprentice Sorcerer: The Caldronian Guild Page 19