by Unknown
Guardsmen left the large tent in droves. Jak grabbed Rainier by the arm and nearly tossed him inside. Slate passed into the tent, unnoticed by the exiting guardsmen with the aid of the Sicarius mask.
Inside, Rainier picked himself up from the ground. “What’s the meaning of this?” Jak tersely whispered.
Slate took off his Sicarius mask before things got out of hand. “If you are going to blame somebody, blame me.” Jak was startled, and he instinctively turned and swung. Slate anticipated the dangers of startling a trained Bellator Guardsman and ducked beneath the powerful blow. “We need to get to Brannon and we need your help to do it.”
Jak stared at Slate and took weight of the situation. Slate thought of his pale complexion…it was good for inspiring fear, but it didn’t encourage trust. Finally, a smile broke across Jak’s face. “First, explain why everyone in the kingdom is trying to capture or kill you. You’ve always found your way into the spotlight, but this is a bit much even for you.” Slate hoped Jak didn’t see him in the same light as he saw Villifor. “After you’ve done that, explain what you need from me.”
Slate tried to summarize as succinctly as possible. “Villifor and Magnus told a slightly modified version of the events at Minot to King Darik. That caused Darik to call for the sacking of Ispirtu to get to Brannon, but before he came here he called an emergency meeting of Sicarius. The Sicarius headmaster believed Darik was there to enlist Sicarius’ help in the battle tonight. Instead, Darik questioned the loyalty of Sicarius and ordered their deaths. The Sicarius headmaster and I escaped with our lives, but we are now the most wanted people in Malethya…besides Brannon of course.”
“Are you saying Brannon isn’t responsible for the attacks?”
Slate didn’t want doubt to creep into his answer, even if it was there. “No, I believe Brannon is not only responsible for the attacks, but that he is also a Blood Mage. I also think there is more going on between the headmasters and the King than I’ve been able to figure out.”
“Where do I fit in?”
“I need two things. Firstly, Lattimer told me to set off an exploding orb on the southwest wall and he would arrange for us to sneak into Ispirtu…”
Jak interrupted, “That will be difficult. Have you seen the large battering rams outside? Those weren’t our first options. The trebuchets and siege weapons are on their way from Darik’s palace, but they will take until morning to work their way through the narrow streets…if they can make it through the snow that is…” Jak motioned to the clouds overhead threatening to bury the city at any moment. “The archers are out of range and we tried setting off exploding orbs, but none of them worked. Being magical in nature, they were created for us by Ispirtu wizards. They must have created them in a manner in which they deactivated in proximity to Ispirtu’s walls. Maybe a wizard could make one work, but we don’t have any at our disposal.”
Rainier gave Jak some good news. “We have one with us. He may be able to help…”
Jak grunted noncommittally. “And what is the second impossible task you ask of me?”
“Villifor.” Slate stated simply. “He isn’t the war hero he claims to be. His loyalties to King Darik are suspect at best.”
“…and I’m supposed to do what with that knowledge?”
“The Sicarius headmaster is already inside Ispirtu. Can you deliver Villifor and Darik to where we confront Brannon? People have been playing their cards pretty close to the chest. If we can get them all in one place, we might discover the truth.”
Jak thought for a moment. “If we can blow a hole in Ispirtu’s walls, I won’t be able to keep those two away. I’ll send a runner as soon as your wizard triggers the explosion. Once inside, you’ll need to be quick to stay ahead of them.”
Slate, with the clock ticking in his head, asked Jak the question he came to get answered. “Will you help us?”
Jak clasped Slate on the shoulder and smiled. “Villifor has yet to earn my trust or my respect. We will be entering a very volatile situation and you’ve managed to bend in the changing winds of all three guilds ever since you came to Ravinai. I respect you and choose to fight at your side, Slate Severance.” Sufficient words of gratitude escaped Slate, but Jak spared him the awkwardness of a reply. “Here’s how we’ll get your wizard to the wall…”
Rainier retrieved Lucus from his hiding spot and changed into Ispirtu robes in preparation for success. Slate wore the Sicarius mask so that soldiers wouldn’t question helping a fugitive or try to claim the reward on his head.
Jak issued orders for his men to lift the stone canopies from all four battering rams aloft so they joined in the center, creating one massive canopy. “You three will be positioned at the center to protect yourselves from any fireballs that might splatter in your direction. It should keep you safe for a few minutes, but the Ispirtu wizards will likely concentrate their spells as you approach.”
Slate looked to Lucus. “Do you know why the exploding orbs fail to activate?”
“There are too many possibilities to speculate upon.” That sounded like a fancy way of saying no.
“Rainier, do you have the orbs?”
“I have them.” They took their positions and Jak ordered the advance. The soldiers marched in perfect synchrony, closing the gaps between the canopies. After a few dozen paces, the most powerful wizards on the wall sent spells crashing into the stone canopies. Thankfully, the stone canopies worked to shelter them even if some of the soldiers near the edges were not as fortunate.
The ground beneath their feet began to roil, signaling their proximity to the Ispirtu walls and causing the soldiers to lose balance. In some ways, the massive stone overhead helped them to maintain their footing. While the ground below them moved, the weight above was a steady reminder of the direction of gravity. Despite wobbly legs, the strong arms of the soldiers held the weight overhead and the canopies reached the Ispirtu wall.
Rainier stacked exploding orbs while Lucus sat next to the wall as calmly as if he were relaxing in a catalpa grove, thinking quietly amid the chaos surrounding him. He extended his hand to touch the wall, a gesture Slate recognized as a probing spell from the times Lucus healed him.
Around him, soldiers fell at an alarming rate because the wizards above had a stationary target. Jak sent reserves to take their places, but men fell as fast as they arrived. Rainier finished stacking the orbs, and Lucus touched one of them instead of the wall, serenity upon his face. The man would be calm in a tornado.
The canopy above their heads wavered, signaling their time ran short, but Lucus took a single orb from the pile and pointed to a location a dozen paces to the right. Slate understood his meaning, but he wasn’t sure the soldiers had the strength left to carry out the order.
“Right! Right!” Slate screamed to the soldiers, trying to get his voice above the deafening explosions. The well-trained soldiers tried to move the large canopies, but the task was too great. The stones wavered and one of them would have fallen, but Slate flashed to the inside corner in time to keep it overhead. The canopy in front of him was about to fall when Jak intervened with a group of Bellator Guardsmen. Their added strength moved the canopy swiftly to where Lucus indicated. The wizard placed the dim exploding orb in the prescribed location and it began to flash.
“Back! Back! Double Time!” Jak bellowed at the soldiers. Slate understood the urgency in Jak’s voice when the frequency of the orb’s flashing increased steadily. The exploding orb Lucus had randomly chosen had an extremely short fuse. “Prepare to drop canopies on the Ispirtu side…on my mark…” The canopies had only cleared a few dozen paces from the wall when Jak yelled, “Mark!”
The canopies dropped on the side facing the Ispirtu walls, forming a lean-to of sorts. A split second later, an explosion rocked the stones overhead. Before the dust cloud had passed, the men jumped from beyond their makeshift shelters. A hole opened in the Ispirtu wall, cracking all the way up to where the wizards above rained spells down on the men. The earthquake-l
ike event threw the wizards off balance and the air remained temporarily free of fireballs.
“Guardsmen… Secure the entryway at all costs!” Archers sprinted into range and unleashed a volley of arrows into the reeling wizards. Guardsmen scaled the cracked Ispirtu walls before the wizards could recover. Up close, the wizards were no match for the Bellator Guardsmen. A few managed to let out compression waves to stun the attackers, but that merely bought them a few seconds before they were overrun. Jak spared a second to communicate with Slate. “I’ve already sent a runner to Villifor. I’m going with you.”
After Jak had just risked his life and saved his own in the process, Slate didn’t feel the urge to argue. “Bring some of those men with you too.” Slate smiled and clasped his friend on the arm.
“You three, you and you…you’re with me. We enter Ispirtu to reach Brannon. Protect these three dressed in Ispirtu robes at all costs.”
Jak led the formation of five Bellator Guardsmen who accompanied Lucus, Rainier, and Slate into the Ispirtu grounds. Slate’s eyes searched frantically for the unknown dangers ahead while his mind wrestled with the questions he already faced. Would there be red-eyes combing the halls? Slate saw no signs of the Sicarius headmaster. Had the headmaster gone ahead to find Brannon? Where was Lattimer? Had Brannon discovered he was helping Slate?
Brannon appeared from his tower, scepter glowing. He delivered a massive fireball that encompassed the entire wall they had just passed through, leaving nothing but blackened stone and destruction behind. Wizards mobilized within Ispirtu to retake the blackened wall from Bellator control. Slate simply pointed and ran toward a basement level window. The guardsmen slid through the window, shattering glass and landing in a ready position within a research laboratory that was abandoned due to the call-to-arms. Slate moved the team before they were pursued, slipping into Primean’s darkened laboratory.
“This lab isn’t in official use. Let’s stay quiet and hope those wizards that streamed out of Ispirtu’s main entrance don’t find us.” Bellator Guardsmen were a proud group, but even they saw the benefit of letting things quiet down for a minute or two before pressing onward.
Jak took the opportunity to ask Lucus a question. “How did you activate the exploding orb?”
“I didn’t…I simply knew where to put it. There was a net cast over the walls of Ispirtu that prevented the orbs from activating within their blast radius. I never would have had time to understand the pattern sufficiently to counteract it, but part of the net had been lifted. It was only in one very small section of the wall, but by placing the security orb there, it activated.”
“So they just made a mistake and left a hole in the net?”
“I don’t think so…someone was trying to help us out. The net had been lifted. I could tell that the pattern had changed there recently.”
Lattimer’s earlier words made more sense to Slate now. “That must have been Lattimer. He said he would arrange for the defenses to be down. I assumed he meant the wizards…”
The conversation was interrupted by a sound in the hallway…footsteps, and a lot of them. Did Slate trap his party in the laboratory without planning an exit?
The noise grew louder in the empty hallway and headed straight for them. How many people were there? Five? Ten? “Prepare yourselves.” Jak’s men took up a defensive formation. Slate planned to flash into the doorway when it opened. Rainier found a recess to hide in so that he could attack unseen. Lucus hid in a dark corner.
Shadows of Ispirtu robes cast upon the laboratory floor from the light in the hallway. The door opened and Slate flashed into the opening with his staff extended to strike a fatal blow. It took all his effort to keep from striking Lattimer. Lattimer flinched and shoved Slate backwards, causing him to tumble into the darkened lab.
“For fractal’s sake, Slate…I thought you wanted my help.” Slate stood back up and brushed himself off.
“I wasn’t expecting you to bring friends.”
“You expected me to take on the most powerful wizard in the kingdom by myself? When the wall was breached and a small group entered Ispirtu, I volunteered to lead the search party. I figured this would be the most logical place for you to go.”
“This is one of the few times it pays to be predictable, I guess. I’m happy you recruited some help. Come inside…you need to meet some people.”
Lattimer formed a blue orb of light that floated into the room for the introductions.
“You’ve met Lucus and Rainier. This is Jak Warder and his guardsmen.” Lattimer was polite enough to shake hands, but he maintained his father’s brashness.
“I don’t want to waste time on pleasantries. I’ve rounded up a few Ispirtu students I trust…and a few that you do too…” Two cowls fell to reveal Tommy and Annarelle.
Tommy answered the question on Slate’s mind before he could ask it. “We were taken for questioning when the call-to-arms went up. Our small mistake didn’t warrant further investigation in light of the upcoming battle.”
“I had them placed under my command so that I could keep an eye on them.” The other wizards Slate recognized to be part of Lattimer’s sycophants. The group was smaller than Slate remembered, but maybe Lattimer didn’t trust them as much as they idolized him. “What’s the plan from here?”
“Brannon is in his office and the Sicarius headmaster is in Ispirtu. If we reach Brannon’s tower quickly, we will have the Sicarius headmaster’s aid when we confront Brannon. If we arrive too late, one of the two may already be dead.”
Jak spoke up. “I didn’t risk my life storming in here to miss out on the fun.”
“I agree. Jak, can you coordinate the Bellator Guardsmen and work with Lattimer to position the wizards?”
Lattimer interrupted. “Wizards aren’t pawns to be ordered around.”
“You’re right, but Jak has studied past battles and battlefield tactics and how to work as a team. Would you be willing to take his advice?”
His ego as a wizard properly assuaged, Lattimer relented. “What do you recommend?”
“I advise that when we encounter Ispirtu wizards, you cast weak spells as quickly as possible, just powerful enough to break the concentration of the wizards attacking us. That will buy us time to close and attack.”
“Why wouldn’t I just shoot a fireball at them and kill them myself?”
“I have no doubt that a wizard of your pedigree could do just that. Considering a Blood Mage waits for us, you need to maintain as much spark as possible through these initial skirmishes.”
Lattimer agreed with Jak as only a Regallo could. “It’s good to see they are teaching you something over at Bellator.”
Slate changed the subject quickly. “Also, I’d like to ask you to protect Lucus. He is a pacifist, but we will need his help if we reach Brannon.” Jak nodded and surrounded Lucus with guardsmen. “I will scout ahead and Rainier will guard the rear.”
Slate left the laboratory and ascended two flights of a side stairwell. On the second floor, wizards used the elevated positions of the classrooms as battlements to attack the Bellator Guardsmen in the Ispirtu grounds below. That left the hallways as a strategic thoroughfare. Wizards moved from classroom to classroom to obtain the best vantage point.
Bellator Guardsmen weren’t known for stealth, so Slate didn’t consider slipping by the wizards unnoticed. The prospect of moving from room to room wasn’t very attractive either. It would take too long and force them to clear out every wizard on this floor. Slate was still assessing his options when the scene changed dramatically.
Wizards emerged from the main stairwell halfway down the hallway. They wore Ispirtu robes but moved without the regality that Ispirtu wizards embodied, replaced with an unmistakable fierceness. The rogue wizards entered the classroom nearest the stairwell and the sounds of trained wizards in battle ensued. The flurry of activity ended as quickly as it began, but the commotion drew the attention of the other Ispirtu wizards defending the adjacent classrooms. Ispirtu d
efenders rallied to the unexpected danger, rushing the classroom door.
With the attention of the Ispirtu wizards drawn by the rogue wizards, Slate ordered, “Stick to the near wall and run as fast as you can.” Slate flashed ahead of his team. Explosions emanated from the classroom and Slate silently urged his team to run faster. With that much noise, it would draw every wizard in Ispirtu to this location.
At the main stairwell, footsteps signaled the impending arrival of reinforcements. Slate pushed a statue of some long deceased Ispirtu wizard. With his newfound strength, the stone statue crashed through the stairwell railing and the footsteps below ceased.
Slate looked back to see the Bellator Guardsmen running in formation, surrounding the wizards protectively. Lucus was unable to keep up with the younger legs of his companions, so Jak picked him up and threw him over his shoulder without breaking stride. Rainier kept pace with ease and maintained eyesight on the group’s rear.
Happy with the teamwork of the newly formed group, Slate flashed ahead again, sparing a second to look into the classroom where the action took place. Smoke, fireballs, and flying rubble clouded his view, but within the carnage he saw one thing clearly. Beneath the cowls of Ispirtu robes, the blood-red eyes of Furies were unmistakable. They cast spells as quickly as they could form them. One Fury was knocked to the ground by a fireball but managed to unleash a concussion spell before succumbing to the flames. The Ispirtu wizards were unprepared for the attack from the near-death Fury and the spell stunned them. Unable to defend themselves momentarily, the Ispirtu wizards were engulfed in flames a second later.
Furies infested Ispirtu and waged war against Ispirtu wizards. What did that mean? Had Brannon become aware of the Sicarius headmaster’s presence and released the Furies? If the Sicarius headmaster was an Ispirtu wizard, could he be the Blood Mage? The Sicarius headmaster could have released the Furies to create a distraction and an opportunity to reach Brannon. If that was the case, Brannon was the one who was in danger. Either way, they needed to reach his tower to sort through the pieces.