“I’m about to hang your daughter out the window by her ankles,” Selenia tells Kevin with a stern expression. “I know you want me to be nice, but she’s just like her mother. Defiant, arrogant, and wasting my time. Make her behave or we’re going to have problems.”
“This brings back some memories, but none of them are very good,” Kevin mutters, glaring at the silent observers until they go back to their breakfast. He places a callused hand on Nyx’s shoulder. “I know Delvin and he’s a good man. He’s honorable, an excellent warrior, and usually smart enough to know when to keep his mouth shut. I have no problem if you want to have dinner with him. Besides, you’re a grown woman, so I lost my chance to be an overprotective father long ago.”
“There’s also the fact that she can level half a city if she gets angry,” Sari chimes in with a smile.
“An entire city if you really make her mad,” Luke adds, matching Sari’s teasing smile.
Nyx points at her chuckling friends with two fingers, which she taps together. Luke and Sari’s heads knock together with a dull, echoing thud. They yelp and rub at their sore temples and fight he urge to fling mush at her. Kevin crosses his arms and eyes Nyx with the best disapproving look he can muster. It is an expression that makes her curl up in her chair like a scorned child.
“Sorry, dad,” Nyx mutters, uncurling and going back to her food. She can feel Selenia watching her. “What’s there to discuss about the Caster Swamp anyway? The Lich has two armies and we have a small force of warriors. We’re horribly outnumbered, so we need a way to gather more warriors, priests, and casters.”
“Normally, I would agree,” Selenia says. She pushes her plate away and leans her elbow on the table. “The problem is that I think we have a week at most and that’s being optimistic. The Lich’s armies are already sending scouts into Visindor Forest. A few of them have appeared within a two mile radius of the academy, which is how I discovered the danger. I want to march within two days, but that means we will only have a few teachers, those of us at this table, and the handful of warriors I’ve recruited.”
“What about using senior students and highly skilled younger students as archers?” Luke politely asks. He holds up his hands before Selenia can argue with him. “I know you want to protect your students and I agree with you. Yet, they would be safe if they stayed away from the battle and peppered the larger groups of enemies with arrows. The casualties for your students would be non-existent if we keep them at longbow range.”
“The orcs have archers too,” Selenia contends with a deep scowl on her face. “Contrary to some stories, I can’t block arrows and crossbow bolts out of the air.”
Nyx raises her hand, getting help from Timoran and Sari pointing in her direction. She bows her head to Selenia as she explains, “I won’t be running into the battle, so I will remain with the archers. I can put a minor one-way wall around them too. This would allow their arrows through while blocking the enemy’s attacks. The only problem is that I would have to use myself as a piece of the wall, so I wouldn’t be able to move and I’d be exposed.”
“You can drop the wall and put a protection dome around them after the armies are routed,” Delvin suggests. He takes a slow sip of milk as he collects his thoughts. “If we break the armies into disorganized groups using magic and archers then our enemies will be more manageable for our smaller force. Once the armies are splintered, the archers are no longer needed and Nyx can leave them under magical protection.”
“I don’t have a head for strategy,” Sari groans, rising from her chair and going to sit in the window. “None of us know what we’re walking into. There’s also the force coming from Gaia and Fizzle, which you need to factor in. Couldn’t you have Fizzle use his magic to protect the archers, freeing Nyx to cause as much destruction as she wants?”
“You mean the drite that lives in Visindor Forest?” Delvin asks with a sudden burst of excitement. “I haven’t seen him since my first semester. I didn’t know he got involved in stuff like this.”
“Fizzle took a liking to Luke and traveled with him until returning to the forest for his slumber,” Kevin replies. He puts his bum leg on the table and massages it, much to Selenia’s scowling annoyance. “The gypsy has a point, woman. Those extra warriors will give us a higher chance of success and Fizzle would give us another caster. His magic has always focused more on defending than attacking, so he would be the better choice for protecting the students. From her stories, Nyx is a full combat caster. I’d recommend using her to make the initial strikes on the armies and throw them into chaos.”
“I don’t like the idea of being idle while we wait for the soldiers,” Selenia admits with a voice that is not as stern as before.
“I can help the students work on their archery skills while we wait for the Gaian force to arrive,” Delvin proudly offers, taking a handful of plump berries. “It isn’t my specialty, but I know enough to correct basic mistakes.”
“Timoran and I can scout in the forest to look for enemies and find more clues about their forces,” Luke says, remembering how well they worked together in Hero’s Gate. “We make a great team with my tracking abilities and his sense of smell. If you want, we can venture into the Caster Swamp to check out the armies in person.”
“Don’t go overboard and get into trouble,” Sari lazily warns. She yawns and looks like she is about to fall asleep when she abruptly shivers. “I don’t think I can be much use before or during the battle. I can help Selenia with paperwork and keep morale high, but that’s all I’m good for.”
Nyx walks over to the lethargic gypsy and puts her hand against Sari’s forehead like a mother checking her child for a fever. She notices Sari looks a little pale and does not try to push her away. Her forehead is cool to the touch and there are no other signs of sickness. Nyx feels Sari’s throat, the gypsy eventually taking her hands and holding them to her chest.
“I’m not sick,” Sari whispers into Nyx’s ear. She makes a quick spell, creating an illusion of the friends talking about indigestion. “I was alone last night. You were with your father and Luke was in detention. I . . . had nightmares and they were really bad. I want to take Luke away for a few hours to help me sleep if that’s okay with you. All I ask is that you don’t tell anybody about my problem. I don’t want them to worry.”
“I’ll keep it secret,” Nyx whispers back, stroking the gypsy’s hair. “You were fine in Hero’s Gate when you were pretending to be a thief. Luke was in the mercenary camp and I was in Timoran’s room, so you couldn’t get to us. Did you avoid sleeping that entire time?”
“Don’t be foolish, Nyxie,” Sari snaps with an amused smile. “You think I couldn’t get a lonely stranger to share a bed with me? I didn’t even have to promise sex as long as I gave them someone to cuddle with for a night.”
Nyx squeezes Sari’s hand and she is about to return to the table when a blurry figure plummets past the window. The two women stick their heads outside to watch a male form make a jerky stop in the air and collapse on the ground with a wet smack. His clothes are shredded and they can see patches of glistening blood on his bare skin. With a loud hiss, a sword plunges from the rooftop and slams into the ground next to the still form. The ordinary-looking bastard sword is still quivering in the dirt as Sari scrambles onto the window ledge.
“That’s Kayn!” she screams, stepping off the ledge to slowly float down. Nyx jumps onto her back, magically pushing them to the ground. A pile of grass appears to cushion their landing and Sari scrambles to kneel by Kayn’s side.
“Get the healer!” Nyx yells at some nearby students when she sees Kayn take a shuddering breath. “He’s going to be okay, Sari.”
“I was so cold to him when we parted ways,” the blue-haired gypsy says through sobs and gasps.
Nyx sees Selenia, Kevin, and Timoran running around the corner of the building. She feels relief at the sight of a portly man in green robes hurrying from the infirmary. Two students are a few steps behind him, struggl
ing to carry boxes of potions and bandages. She is about to call out to the healer when a familiar laugh trills through the air. Nyx is immediately on her feet with a churning fireball held over her head. Her eyes scan the area for the source of the voice as everyone stops. All of the students in the area are nervously staring at the caster while her allies mimic her cautious searching.
“Is that the best assassin you could find?” the Lich asks, appearing on the roof of the administrative building. He casts a spiral of ice to freeze Nyx’s fireball, the heavy object pinning her to the ground. “If you want to have a full-scale duel of spells then I’m more than ready. I’m sure the students would appreciate being caught in the crossfire and Selenia will enjoy seeing her academy burn.”
“What do you want and how did you get through my wards!?” Selenia shouts, brandishing her longsword and aiming it at the Lich. “I had one of them made specifically for you, so you shouldn’t be in here.”
“A friend decided to help me with your quaint wards,” the necrocaster retorts with an evil shimmer in his crimson eyes. “Don’t mistake this for an attack, little heroes. I merely wanted to return your property.”
“I want him dead!” Sari screams, leaping to her feet and putting her hands on the ball of ice pinning Nyx. The gypsy forms thick ice armor around her body with a torso covered in spikes. A roar of water erupts from the distant fountain and a weaving snake of water rushes toward Sari to lift her into the air.
“Impressive, but easily undone, child,” he scoffs with a sneer. A bolt of lightning lances from his hand, striking Sari in the chest and sending her back to the ground. The water serpent retracts into the fountain, hissing at the necrocaster. “Ice beats fire and lightning beats water. Simple elemental magic is all I need to handle the two of you. If only I had thought of this earlier instead of wasting my time on extravagant spells.”
Nyx dives to catch Sari, her body heating up to melt the spiked armor upon contact. The gypsy is breathing and conscious, but she is barely able to control her twitching limbs. Everyone helplessly watches the Lich rise above into the sky, the academy’s wards visibly shimmering in the morning sun. Selenia curses under her breath when a hole appears above the Lich. He grins down at her until a screeching roar erupts from behind him.
Delvin hangs onto the griffin’s fur and pulls his longsword back to deliver a mighty swing at the Lich. Bolts of lightning and orbs of raw aura speed toward them, but the agile beast gracefully flips and weaves around them. The dangerous spells crash into a smaller barrier around the academy, which Nyx struggles to maintain. The Lich stops passing through the hole in the wards, his robe turning into a metallic shield. Delvin’s sword bounces off the solid defense, his arm aching from the impact.
“Another one,” the Lich hisses, watching the griffin come back around. He is preparing another spell when the wards hum and the hole starts to close. Tendrils of energy leap out from the magic barriers and lick at his body, preventing him from escaping the closing gap. It slowly slices the Lich in two with his bottom half erupting into pink flames and disintegrating. His top half becomes a swarm of flies and races toward the Caster Swamp, their path erratic due to the severe injury.
“Kevin, help me get Sari and this boy to the infirmary,” Selenia orders before she notices the healer coming up behind her. She pats the portly man on the back and snaps her fingers at the two students. “I’m sorry about that, Mel. Treat the boy here until it’s safe to move him. Kevin and I will go prepare the beds in the infirmary. I’ll send Thomas and Duggan to help carry your patients.”
“I can help too,” Timoran mentions, bending down to lift Sari.
“No!” the headmistress snaps. She puts a gentle hand on Timoran’s wrist and looks into his eyes with a stern expression. “Go to the cafeteria and pick up two apple pies from Betty. Don’t ask me why because I don’t want to waste any more time. Trust me when I say that the pies are necessary.”
“What can we do to help?” Delvin asks. He leaps off the griffin while the beast reverts back into Luke’s form. “Luke and I can give chase.”
“Say the word and I’ll start flying,” Luke declares. He kneels next to Sari, who gives him a shivering hug and uses him to get to her feet.
Selenia rubs her eyes and takes a deep breath to shout, “Shut up!”
“We just want to help our friends,” Nyx says in a soft, kind voice.
“I know, but I need you and the boys to do something very important,” Selenia patiently announces. “We need Fizzle and we need him now.”
*****
After hours of aimlessly wandering around Visindor Forest, the four adventurers stop to get their bearings. Delvin slumps against a tree, yawning and stretching his arms until he feels his shoulders pop. He smiles at Nyx, who is balancing the warm, aromatic apple pies on her magically heated hands. Nyx refuses to smile back as she angrily glares at Luke and Timoran. They are several yards ahead, staring at the trees and whispering among themselves. The barbarian continues to sniff at the air while emphatically pointing to the northeast. In contrast, Luke bends down to check the grass and points to the southwest. Their voices remain too low for Nyx to hear, but the exaggerated arm gestures and occasional finger jab to the chest tells her they are arguing. She is mildly amused when Timoran pokes Luke with enough force to knock the half-elf over. The forest tracker is immediately on his feet and ready to swing at Timoran, who looks at him like a giant would glance at a yapping puppy.
“No fighting!” Delvin shouts as he approaches. He places a hand on their shoulders and sighs heavily. “Getting into a fight will waste time and energy. I know we’re all worried about Sari and Kayn. They’re in good hands with Selenia protecting them. Now, what’s the problem?”
“I smell dragon musk coming from the northeast,” Timoran calmly replies.
“I’m finding signs of Fizzle passing this way,” Luke says, pointing at a small pile of dull purple scales. “These would have been shed before he went to sleep and there are more piles leading to the southwest.”
“It’s like a crossroads,” Delvin mentions, stroking his chin and turning in tight circle. He notices the trees to his right are very old and the ones to his left are rather young. “Maybe he’s down the middle.”
“He could be in one of these trees,” Luke suggests.
“The pies would have caught his attention,” Timoran points out, shaking his head.
“Could we be too early?” Delvin asks, leaning against another tree.
“This is around the time he would wake up,” Luke answers, looking at the intertwined branches above their heads. “Timoran is right. Fizzle would wake up once he smelled the pies even if it’s a day or two early.”
A clap of thunder erupts and a distant flock of crows caw in fear, their flight hidden by the thick canopy. The three warriors turn to Nyx, who is tapping her foot in frustration and fighting to keep her temper in check. Her arms glow with intense heat that stops at her elbow, but the magic occasionally tries to surge forward, threatening to burn the precious pies.
“You really need to get a hold of your temper,” Delvin says with a friendly smile.
“My little sister is injured and crying. I’m a little on edge,” Nyx snaps, her voice slowly softening. With a deep breath, she gets herself under control. “Now, has it crossed any of your minds that we’re tracking a drite?”
“Of course,” all three say in unison.
Nyx narrows her gaze at the trio until they shift uncomfortably. “Don’t lie to me, boys.”
“I know what Fizzle is, but I don’t see what you’re getting at,” Luke sheepishly admits. He suddenly raises his head and laughs. “I get it now. Fizzle has magic and drite’s love using illusions. I should have factored that in when I was following the trails.”
“There’s a good chance that most of the signs you found were fake,” Nyx claims with a victorious grin. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Visindor Forest is filled with decoys. The trees might even be covering for him cons
idering his age.”
“So, he cannot be tracked,” Timoran mutters, crossing his arms and sniffing at Fizzle’s fake scent.
“Take these pies please,” Nyx politely requests. She holds out the warm pies to Timoran and Delvin. “I can try to track him, but I won’t make any promises. This might also put me out of action.”
Delvin is about to say something when Luke whispers in his ear. “Don’t worry. Nyx says that all the time and the spells don’t even get a yawn out of her. It’s either some weird form of humility or an attempt to appear fragile. Just go along with it and pretend to be ready to catch her.”
Nyx takes several deep breaths and crosses her arms over her heart, her fingers beating a steady rhythm on her shoulders. She closes her eyes and lets the soothing magic of the autumnal forest wash over her. When the caster opens her eyes, her pupils are gold and peering at the aura of everything. The glowing forms of birds and rabbits flit across her vision as they go about their lives. Leaving her body, Nyx’s gaze travels the sky where the sun nearly blinds her with its pulsing, surging power. She carefully examines the forest beneath her and notices a hiding form in a distant birch tree. The creature stands out because it is the only purple aura in the forest and the steady pulsing gives her the sense that it is sleeping.
With a victorious grin, Nyx’s eyesight returns to her body and she starts to tell her friends what she saw. The moment her aura-viewing eyes land on Delvin, she is blinded and releases a scream of surprise and panic. She feels a brief sensation of pain in her skull before she turns off the spell and everything goes black. Nyx gropes and flails around, eventually feeling a familiar hand taking her by the wrist. She lets Luke ease her to the ground, leaning her against the rough trunk of an old oak.
“What happened, Nyx?” Luke asks, his voice trembling with concern. Her eyes are bleached white and rapidly blinking as if she has lost control of her eyelids.
“Fizzle is in an ancient birch tree about ten miles to the northwest,” she answers, putting her head between her knees. There is a dull ringing in her ears and she feels like her aura is about to violently throw up, if such a thing is even possible.
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Family of the Tri-Rune Page 49