Donovan tried to calm the young monk. “I kept an open mind to the teachings of the Divines. I even dared to believe they truly existed and guided the lives of men.” Donovan shook his head. “But I am convinced now more than ever before that the Divines do not exist. I do, however, believe that there is some divine being who created our world and sustains it all. But I do not think we can really know that being.”
The old man’s honesty not only checked Calderon’s anger, but it also left him without words. It was as if Donovan had looked into Calderon’s own soul and put into words how he felt. Yes, he was angry that Donovan could take the vows of their brotherhood with no faith in them, but was he mad at Donovan specifically or at the possibility that all he claimed to believe could possibly be wrong? He didn’t have time to delve any further into the conversation as Cygnus strode into the room, preceded by ten wizards. Two men followed behind that Calderon assumed were either bodyguards or more wizards.
“Donovan, I need you on the walls with me. Your companion should stay here and seek shelter in his room.” Cygnus made a motion with his hand and five of the people with him rushed out of the door and into the city.
“What’s happening?” Donovan asked. Cygnus paused as the horn sounded again. “The armies of Talvaard are before us. There is something … ominous … in the air,” the half-blood said. “Did you find the truth of our assumption last night?” he asked. Donovan didn’t know how to answer the question. The mirrors had showed him many things, but he did not know what was real, and what was a possibility. “I am led to believe that the dragon has indeed possessed the prince of Talvaard.”
Cygnus drummed his fingers in the air, something he did when he was thinking. “Did you have Antimodus strengthen the magic of the sphere?”
“We don’t have it. It seems to be missing, possibly stolen by thieves while we were on the road traveling here.”
Cygnus, despite the disappointing news, did not show any emotion or frustration. He continued drumming his fingers in the air. “This will make things difficult. If the dragon comes here in his borrowed body, we will not be able to capture him. You know as well as I do that we cannot replicate the magic of the sphere.”
“Could you not expel the creature from the man’s body?” Calderon chimed in. “Force the dragon out? Then the prince could call off his army. Is that possible?”
Donovan looked to Cygnus. The half blood stopped drumming his fingers. “It is possible, but I do not know that the cost is worth whatever the gain might be. And there is no guarantee that the creature will not simply take another body. It can possess anyone.”
“Anyone except you,” Donovan said.
“We don’t know that for certain.”
“What do you mean he can’t be possessed? Why not?” Calderon asked.
Cygnus pulled the sleeve of his robes up, revealing countless symbols tattooed into his skin. Calderon looked them over but could not read any of them. “The elves of the Deadlands have very unique practices,” Cygnus explained. “They tattoo spells into their skin with special ink. The flesh must heal before the spell can be used, and the spell is limited to only a few uses before the tattoo fades from the skin. The longer the tattoo stays in the skin without being used, the more powerful the spell. It is believed that there are spells that can keep one from being possessed as there are many dark creatures that walk the Deadlands with the elves who have that ability.” Cygnus paused. “But dragons are not from our world, thus there is no guarantee it will work.”
The horns sounded again, but instead of the two notes, it sounded three. “Our enemy nears,” Cygnus said. “We must decide on a course and act quickly.”
“I think we should take whatever measure necessary to expel the dragon from its host. It is a risk, true, but with the prince free to think on his own, he should cease the actions of his army,” Donovan decided. Cygnus looked to Calderon. “You are not a wizard, but I find that there is much wisdom in the counsel of many. What say you?”
“I agree with Donovan’s logic,” the young monk replied. “Remove the leader.”
“I will do what I can,” Cygnus said. “Let us survey this army.” Cygnus led the way out of the antechamber and out into the city. Calderon headed back to his room, hoping he could navigate the unfamiliar halls himself. There was no panic or discord in the streets. There really weren’t many people out, and the ones that were seemed to be heading to safety. “We have seen many battles, and our walls have never been breached,” Donovan heard someone say.
“We have never fought a dragon,” Cygnus said in rebuke. “Do not let your pride affect your decisions.” The man took the reproof in stride. They made their way through the empty streets and to the front of the city, then climbed the steps that led to the parapets.
“War machines,” one of the guards reported as they looked over the wall. Tall structures jutted up from among the ranks of soldiers. The number of troops was incalculable, their line slowly stretching out around the walled city. As they marched closer, the defenders of the city could begin to make out formations. Most of them were ten men across and ten deep, with a captain leading each group.
“Steel your hearts,” Cygnus bade them. “We slaughter innocent people driven by a fiend. If you have any hesitations, remember that you defend our own innocent people against the cruelty of a foul beast.”
When the first rocks began to crash against the walls of Palindrom, all doubts of whether or not what they did was right quickly fled.
“The Guardians work to keep the balance of the world.
We never take sides.”
- Jerik
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
The Abyss swirled past her. The clawed hands of demons reached out for her, wanting to tear her flesh off. She could feel the heat of the hellfire and hear the screams of the tortured. The faces of her attackers glared at her. Thankfully the magic kept them at bay. It was the fastest way to travel, but it was also the hardest. Jovanna feared very little, but every time she traveled this way, she felt like a small child scared by the unseen monsters under her bed. Only for Jovanna, they weren’t unseen. They were very real, and if she were to make even the slightest mistake in the magic, there would be nothing separating her from the demons that desperately wanted to feast on her.
She felt a shudder as the magic ripped a hole in the ground above her and thrust her up ten feet into the air. Her arms and legs flapped about wildly as she attempted to right herself. She twisted her body and managed to land on her feet with a jarring thud. Several soldiers stood nearby, staring dumbly at her. She drew her sword and rushed forward. The sight of the ground spitting out a woman had momentarily distracted them, but they were trained men of war and quickly gained focus and drew their own weapons.
There were six men, all fitted with heavy armor and ready for battle. Jovanna knew she wouldn’t be able to fight them all at the same time. She could use her magic, but that would alert the wizards in Palindrom and she couldn’t risk it. That left fight or flee. She growled in frustration as she dodged past the soldiers. She sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her, trying to put some distance between them and herself. Luckily the magical tunnel had put her out toward the outer edge of the army and gave her a chance to hide. The wide valley would have left her out in the open, but since she was nearer to the forest, it offered her a chance to hide. She turned a corner and dove headfirst into a thicket.
The soldiers rushed by a few moments later. She waited to make sure they weren’t coming back before she climbed out of the bushes. “Easy enough,” she boasted, still breathless. She walked deeper into the forest, looking for a suitable spot for what she would need to do. Seeing a small clearing among the trees, she made her way toward it. As she neared it, she could hear what sounded like voices. Using the trees as cover, she stepped lightly, avoiding stepping on anything that would alert whoever was ahead. She stopped when she saw two men. They were talking, but she couldn’t make out what was being said.
Jovanna reached into her leather bag and produced a small stone. It was a dull grey and polished to a smooth shine. On one side was a symbol that had been painted with some sort of ink. It was one of the trinkets she had taken from Cygnus before she left. She pressed her forehead to the stone until she felt it warm up. She looked to make sure the men were still there before she hurled the stone into the air. Her aim was true and it flew through the branches of the trees without hitting anything. It hovered in the air high above the men, but the magic was linked to Jovanna and she could now hear them talking.
“The creature has possessed Ranaan, the prince of Talvaard. And he walks among the troops now, commanding the assault against the city. The dragon is a mighty foe. The wizards will be hard pressed to win this battle,” this from the taller of the two men. She couldn’t make out their details as they were both wearing hooded robes. The shorter figure had a raspy voice that reminded Jovanna of an old man she once knew when she was young. “What of the sphere?”
“It has been taken from the monks that guarded it. They do not seem to know where it may be. Should we intervene?” The raspy voiced man didn’t respond immediately. “Let us see how it plays out. If all seems lost, we will step in. But we mustn’t be seen. We only keep the balance, nothing more.”
“He didn’t keep the balance,” the tall man said. Jovanna wanted to try to see their faces, and she began slowly moving closer. She pressed her hand against a tree. Its bark was old and rotted and chunks of it fell off and noisily hit the forest floor. The two men whirled about and Jovanna almost gasped audibly. The taller man wasn’t a man at all. He was an elf. The other man seemed more like a man, but his face was wrinkled beyond anything Jovanna had seen before. The elf drew up his sleeves revealing tattoos that covered the lengths of his arms and began to trace his finger along them. The smaller man slapped the elf’s hand. He shook his head and in a burst of light, the men were gone.
She wasn’t sure if they had actually seen her or not. She thought she was well hidden. Who were those people? And what were they talking about? The shorter man mentioned something about a balance. A balance of what? She stayed put for what seemed like an eternity before she was sure that she was alone.
Jovanna stepped out from the trees and retrieved the stone before moving to the clearing and pulling the halves of the sphere out of her bag. She laid them on the ground beside each other and produced a small pouch. She opened the flap and reached inside, dipping her finger into a thick, liquidy substance and coating the edge of each piece. She used a leaf to wipe her finger clean, then tossed it aside. She sat down cross-legged and closed her eyes. She concentrated on the symbols drawn on the inside of the piece to the left. She could see the symbols were dim, hardly glowing at all. The magic was very weak. Using her mind’s eye, she could see the fragments of magic that floated about the world, and lifting her hands, began to sweep them toward the sphere.
When she had gathered numerous pieces of the fragments, she began to hum softly. The humming helped her to keep her concentration and had nothing to do with the magic. She began to touch the fragments, gently pressing them into the symbols. It was a time-consuming process, as it was difficult to grab hold of the fragments. After roughly twenty minutes, the magical symbols began to glow brighter. Slowly at first, but as she added more fragments, it began to glow all the brighter. Once she was satisfied that the spell was strengthened sufficiently, she began work on the other piece. This was the skill that the other wizards didn’t understand. They didn’t believe that she could see the magic. When she was young, she believed the fragments of magic were fairies that wanted to speak to her.
Jovanna finished the task and placed the two halves together. She grabbed a few more fragments and used them to ignite the substance on the edges. The sphere flashed brightly and then went dark. She opened her eyes and lifted the sphere up. It was almost impossible to see the line where her sword had cut. She smiled, pleased with herself.
She would need a way to get close to the prince. That was her objective, but she couldn’t help thinking about the elf and the man. Why were they here in the woods? She put everything back into her leather bag and stood up. She forced the thoughts of the men out of her mind. It was time.
• • •
“She has the sphere,” the elf remarked. They were surrounded by an invisible barrier that kept them from sight and muted their words. The shorter man nodded, watching her with interest. “They say she can reconstruct spells created by other wizards,” the man rasped. “What do you think she plans to do with it, Jerik?” the elf asked.
The shorter man, Jerik, shook his head. “That remains to be seen.” He turned his gaze to Cahenrair the elf. “Be prepared,” Jerik warned.
“For what?” Cahenrair asked.
“To set the balance, whatever must be done.”
• • •
Jovanna stood at the edge of the forest. She could see stones flying through the air, flung from giant war machines. Thousands of soldiers were spread out before the city walls. “Fools,” she said to herself. If they thought throwing rocks against the walls would knock them down, they would surely be disappointed. No army had breached those walls in the history of the city.
It would take much more than catapults to bring them down. She knew Cygnus would not offer a counter attack. He was too weak to use force. She was extremely surprised when, a moment later, a bolt of lightning blasted forth and struck one of the catapults, sending splintered wood everywhere. She fell back a step as the air reverberated with a resounding boom. It would be difficult enough to reach the prince with all the soldiers protecting him, and now the wizards were launching magic from their walls!
She growled in frustration. She didn’t have any other choice. She would have to use magic to reach the prince. She pulled the sphere out and held it in one hand, and with the other she drew her sword. She was done hiding. She was done running. She was different.
She cast her magic quickly and furiously, weaving layer upon layer around herself, fashioning a thick shield of magic. She closed her eyes and waved her sword about, gathering fragments into her spell, causing it to fluctuate and tighten. Jovanna opened her eyes. She rushed across the valley, heading straight toward the army. The first few groups of soldiers had no idea what hit them. She hurled bolts of lightning from the tip of her blade, sent blasts of scorching fire from the other hand holding the sphere.
When they struck at her with their swords, they were flung back by her shield. She was unstoppable, a raging force of burning hatred. And she was headed straight for the prince.
“I will take what I please in any manner that pleases me.”
- Jovanna
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
“What in the Abyss is that?”
Cygnus looked to where one of the guards was pointing to see a form running through the soldiers on the field below, waving a sword and surrounded by blue pulsating light.
“Anton,” Cygnus said, “She is here.” Donovan and Anton looked down to see Jovanna dealing out death and destruction to everything in her path. “She looks angry,” Donovan observed. “She’s always angry,” Cygnus replied. “We must stop her from whatever she is plotting. Send the guards.” Anton looked at Cygnus warily. “Send them into that?” he said, motioning toward the army at their gates. “We will create a diversion,” the half-blood said. “She must be stopped. Send them now.”
Anton bowed and rushed off to obey. Moments later, a handful of men were seen running from the gates out into the valley. Donovan moved over to where Cygnus stood. “What makes her so dangerous?” he asked.
“Many things, but specifically her lack of concern for anyone or anything other than herself. She has passion, but it is not tempered with responsibility.” The old monk nodded and looked back toward the building where Calderon was. He hoped the young man was okay.
• • •
Jovanna was laying low everyone that came against her. She was vaguely aware of her surroundi
ngs. Her sole focus was reaching that blasted creature. Her blade bit into the flesh of a soldier who got too close to her. Her shield was holding strong, but her strength was beginning to fail her. It was only adrenaline and anger driving her actions, causing her to move one foot in front of the other in a determined pace. She did take notice of the four guards of Palindrom moving to intercept her. She cursed silently, knowing she couldn’t keep up her rampage.
She could see the prince, see him waving his men toward her. They didn’t seem to want to obey, but their fear of him had them moving hesitantly toward her. The guards were also closing the distance. She was running out of options. She was tired of running. This was supposed to be her moment. She mustered her last bit of strength and hurled herself magically into the air, narrowly missing a rock launched from one of the few remaining catapults. Jovanna flew through the air, siphoning off some of the magic from her shield to give her the distance she needed. She landed a few feet away from the prince. His eyes widened when he saw what she held.
“Now I have you!” she shouted triumphantly. The possessed prince rushed her. She tossed the sphere onto the ground and watched as it began to glow. An unearthly growl issued from the man’s mouth. Jovanna ducked as a spear was thrown at her from one of the nearby soldiers. The glowing sphere seemed to falter and change colors. “No!” she shouted, knowing the magic was not working properly. She came at the prince with her sword, slashing this way and that. Ranaan moved fast and dodged her attacks, sending his foot out to try and take out her knee. She managed to twist out of the way and avoid impaling herself on the sword of another soldier.
Dragonsphere (The Fallen King Chronicles Book 1) Page 20