by Randal Sloan
The assassins had limited magic abilities, but they were especially strong in null magic. Not enough magic to be sorcerers but enough to challenge most. Their leader had more than the rest, although not enough that Ulrik feared him. Well, only enough that he knew to be careful. Although apparently his analysis of the current situation didn’t go over well with the man.
He shook his head angrily. More than once he’d thought about just killing the sorcerer and going on without him. He’d resisted to this point, but this was almost too much.
“Don’t ever insult us like that again, Dark Lord, or we might well have to see if you’re strong enough to defend yourself against us. That fortress is only a small obstacle that we have to plan around.” He smiled an evil smile. “We’ll attack at midnight. You just worry about your part and we’ll worry about ours.”
Ulrik just shook his head. For now he needed them, but as soon as this thing was done, he was going to have to do something about them. He still had a bad feeling about the upcoming attack. Something told him it wasn’t going to be as easy as the assassins believed.
Maybe some of them wouldn’t survive. That would solve one problem for him.
The attack began silently. The team had known the assassin group was close, having felt and repulsed their magical probes. Knowing that Raamial had the most experience, Jailyn had put him in charge of their defense and he had assigned different areas to members of their group. Kynin, as the most physically capable, he’d put out in front and center with Carisa and Jesse so as to have the two strongest wizards on either side of him. Kelsey was behind him with her bow at ready. Corrie and Gavriel were placed on perimeter points to watch for sneak attacks, with Jailyn taking the spot to the rear. Once they were all in place, he moved to stand beside Kynin. He intended to be the one to respond to whatever would be their weakest point during the battle. He knew without a doubt it would be a real battle.
Raamial’s choice of weapons was the desert sword. Smaller than the swords preferred by the wetlanders, he carried one in each hand and would wield the two simultaneously. The others had their own version of their physical weapons, but the team expected that their primary defense would be their magic.
Raamial had his doubts about that and he deployed their defenses assuming they would need a physical defense, but he kept it to himself so as not to worry the others. He prayed that the others would be able to hold them off long enough for him to be able to respond to any weaknesses the assassins might find in their defense.
They would never know how they did it, but a team of three assassins appeared in the courtyard in front of their defensive group, somehow completely bypassing the chasm in front of them. The assassins immediately each threw a knife at each of the three in front of them, knives covered with some kind of dark magic that probably was supposed to go through normal shields. No doubt then, they were surprised to see those magically enhanced knives bounce off the shields in front of them, but that didn’t slow them down. They immediately advanced.
They were also not expecting the three fire javelins launched back at them, but each of the three managed to deflect them with varying degrees of success, each taking at least some injury but none out of the fight.
One of the advantages the attackers seemed to have over their defenders was their speed of movement, some aspect of their use of null magic Jailyn would suspect later, for they managed to avoid the next set of javelins entirely. By this time they were close enough to the defenders to attack them with their swords, just as Raamial had suspected would happen, not that he was pleased to be right. In an instant the ones in the front were sorely pressed, with Jesse being forced to move up to face the man nearest to him, who raised a wicked-looking sword in response. Raamial moved to take the one in the middle, the man he suspected was the leader. That left the last one to Kynin, who raised his own sword in defense.
Raamial’s worst fears had already come to fruition.
At first the defenders were hard pressed and could only meet blow for blow the attacks against them, not really able to gain an advantage. They couldn’t help but take injuries in the vicious battle that followed, a glancing blow here, a cut on the leg, all the effects from a one-on-one desperate live or die fight.
Those standing behind were afraid to launch a magical attack for fear of striking their own. In their favor, it appeared the assassins were limited in their ability to use their enhanced speed, for they showed very little of it in their up close fighting, perhaps the only reason the defenders were able to survive that initial onslaught.
Always a strategy of the assassins, they used such a violent initial attack with the intent to quickly overcome their quarry before they could raise a defense. But their initial expenditures of magic had used up most of their reserve, so they were forced to follow it with a pure physical attack. When the ones who stood against them survived those first moments, slowly the tide began to turn. Gradually, the defenders began to press back, forcing their attackers to switch to defensive mode.
Raamial was the first to draw blood, his opponent able to shrug it off, but it was obvious he was hurt. Raamial quickly pressed his attack, knowing that keeping the attack close actually benefitted him by not allowing the man to get a full stroke with his larger sword. He was able to cut him more than once, but still he was unable to make that fatal blow. He could tell his opponent was really good with the sword, but the man obviously had never fought against a man with two swords at once. For Raamial, even as he blocked a strike with one sword, the other hand was pressing an attack.
Finally, his opponent began to show signs of weakness, so Raamial pressed him all the more. It ended as quickly as it started, with Raamial thrusting one of his swords into the man’s heart. Turning away from the look of surprise in the man’s eyes before he collapsed to the floor, Raamial immediately looked to his companions to see if they needed any assistance.
In particular, Raamial had expected the young man Jesse to need assistance, but he was entirely surprised to see the young man not only holding his own but pressing his man hard. He had never seen one handle the sword as well as he at such a young age. Surely the boy has been trained from birth by some of the best!
Before Raamial could intervene in the least, both of his companions managed to dispatch their opponents, each turning to check on the others. Each was hurt and bleeding but neither had suffered anything close to a fatal injury, especially with Jailyn’s magic to protect them.
It was at that moment the other two assassins struck, dropping in from the left side of the fortress in an attempt to catch the defenders by surprise. Instead, it was they who were caught by surprise, the first one finding himself met by a fire javelin thrown by Gavriel and the other met by an arrow from Kelsey, the warning being flashed to them by Corrie, who had sensed the danger. Both assassins managed to dodge the missiles, but that had been expected.
The assassins threw their own set of daggers, but those didn’t fare any better than the first group. More missiles were sent back by Gavriel and Kelsey. It was all a distraction, which the assassins found out as they dodged those also. Hidden by Corrie’s strong magic illusions, the area in front of them was covered with pits dug there by Jesse’s and Jailyn’s earth magic. Although the fall onto the stakes awaiting below would not have been fatal, the fire javelins Gavriel sent instantly after and the arrows sent flying in almost the same instant by Kelsey quickly dispatched the two of them.
That left only their leader, the sorcerer who had used what he believed to be the distraction of the attacking assassins to get in behind the group. Lord Ulrik had an ability to hide within the shadows, shadow walking he called it, and he used the distraction of the attack by the assassins to approach from the side.
His ability to see magic told him what the assassins would never know as each went to his death. The magic shields they were attempting to overcome were unlike anything he’d ever seen. They had multiple layers, including a shield against null magic, which was why the
magic daggers were all failing to cause injury. He wondered again at just what Lord Melthevis had sent them into. But he suspected that not even the Dark Lord knew what they were facing. Prophecies of Doom indeed!
Nevertheless, he had his own plan that he still believed would lead to success. With his magic, Ulrik was able to sense that one of the group was stronger than the others. His one chance would be if he could get to her and catch her by surprise. If he could eliminate her, those shields would collapse and the others would be much easier to handle.
Ulrik’s shadow walking should have made him invisible to them in the dark shadows of the night, but he didn’t know about Carissa’s night vision. Instead, they had all been able to see him the whole time. Even more so, to Jailyn’s dragon sight he was shining as bright as day. The others had been warned to not attempt to engage him except in defense if he attacked, so he passed harmlessly by them, not aware that everyone knew of his presence. He held a wicked knife in his hand, a knife that gleamed not with light but with the darkness that it carried inside itself.
“Tell the others to drop their weapons, and I’ll let them live,” he said as he drew near to her and dropped the shadow magic. He held the knife in a threatening position. She was sure he would strike in an instant if she allowed him to and obeying him would probably have drawn that attack, not that she was even contemplating doing so.
“No, I don’t think so,” she answered him, raising her full shields and summoning the dragon fire. With a flick of her finger, she burned the dagger out of his hand and with her shield she stopped the magic spell he tried to throw at her.
“It is you who will surrender to me. I have questions and you will answer.” She waved her hands and strong bonds sprang up from the floor to wrap themselves around him.
Ulrik couldn’t believe it. This young girl was unlike any wizard he had ever met before. Now, all the magic he’d been sensing made a lot more sense. He noticed the young man who’d come to stand beside her was also gleaming with dragon magic, although he was only supplying her with power at the moment.
When he looked in her eyes, he realized his doom. Burning deep with them was a strength and depth beyond what he’d ever seen before, touched with more than a little anger. He knew in that instant he’d never stood a chance. Plus, she had just used the dragon fire. No sorcerer had ever found a defense against dragon fire; only the dragons few numbers protected the Dark Council. She must have read his mind.
“You will tell me of the Dark Council and perhaps I’ll let you live,” she told him, her voice demanding.
Before he knew what was happening, Ulrik answered, the compulsion in that voice too strong for him to resist. “It is a council of thirteen, headed up by Lord Melthevis, as evil a man as ever lived. I had hoped to eventually turn the council against him, using the opportunity the current events have precipitated to take his place, but he outmaneuvered me, instead sending me here to die. Him and his Prophecies of Doom — I should have listened.”
Ulrik smiled a nasty smile. “He should at least give you a fight, possibly even will be able to defeat you. Of course, he’s very lazy, or merely foolish, depending on how you look at it, sending others to do his dirty work. Perhaps he will give you enough time to gather your own skills and you will be able to defeat him. It may be his Dark Prophecies will doom him after all.”
Concentrating deep within himself, Ulrik used the last trick he had. Despite the control the girl had on him, and even her use of dragon magic, it was not her that he feared but Lord Melthevis. Even death at her hands would be nothing compared to what the Dark Master would exact were he to prevail in their conflict. He knew he only had one chance, not for salvation but at least an easy death. Pulling upon the null magic, even knowing the cost, he pulled himself free from those magic bonds, tearing his flesh as he pulled free. He did not rush forward in a last fatal attack as one might have expected, but to the open space in front of them, casting himself out into the chasm with one final scream of defiance.
Jailyn would have no more answers today.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The Badlands
THE SMALL GROUP remained in the fortress all the next day by necessity, Kynin treating himself and the numerous small injuries to the others who had fought face-to-face with the assassins. He’d immediately used the healing rings as he knew the assassin blades were probably poisoned. Only their magical protections had blunted the early effects those poisons would have exacted. But even the uninjured needed to rest.
Jailyn herself was distraught with her failure to obtain the answers she wanted from the Dark Sorcerer, mostly driven by her failure to conceive that the man might prefer death to her plans for him. Deep inside she knew it wasn’t her fault, knowing that the real motivation for his actions was his deep fear of the Master of the Dark Council. But nevertheless, she chaffed at the results, the few answers she’d gotten having raised more questions than they answered.
Finally, Gavriel came to her, taking her hands in his and looking her in the eyes. “Stop worrying about what might have been, my love. The sorcerer as much as told you the Dark Master wouldn’t be coming to face you any time soon.”
That got her attention. Gavriel went on, “So knowing he will send someone else instead, you know who that must be. Best we prepare for that, rather than worrying about what’s already done.”
Jailyn immediately saw his point. “You’re right,” she replied. “Lord Vipero. That’s who he’ll send! Most likely he’ll get here just about the time we reach the entrance to the valley. We will indeed need to be ready for that.”
She pulled him closer, giving him a kiss. “Thank you, love. Thank you for helping me to see the bigger picture.”
Her face grew hard. “Yes, indeed. I need to prepare for this. Soon it will be time for the one who killed my parents to pay. This time I won’t be holding back. I’m going to be in there with the rest of you.”
No longer did she worry about the failure with the sorcerer. No, I know what I have to do. Lord Vipero will rue the day he came after me and my friends.
Despite their victory over the assassins, they still had a quest to complete. The next morning the considerably refreshed party resumed their journey. That meant more desert.
Before they set out, Raamial had Jailyn summon the map again. “After our little detour to this fortress, instead of returning to the main trail, I would suggest we continue following the path we traveled to get here, the northernmost loop of the northern passage.”
He indicated a thinly shaded trail on the map. “This path has been seldom traveled,” he explained, “partly because it crosses close to the Callisto Mountains in more places than one, and my people more or less consider those mountains off limits. The other reason is the path is slightly more difficult, but I believe this group can handle it.”
He smiled at Jailyn. “Especially with your ability to control the beasts. I’ve never seen a more well-behaved team of camels.”
Jailyn smiled. “They only want to be treated with respect, although I will admit they’re trying to show off for me, I think.”
She looked out toward the mountains that could easily be seen to the north of where their fortress sat. “I like it. There’s something out there at the edge of those mountains that seems to be calling me, although I have no idea what it is.”
She shook her head. “That’s still a lot of desert. How long do you think it will take us?”
“Probably three days for this group. I don’t want to push you very hard. A couple of stops along the way and we’ll try to set up camp early every evening so you’re not working in the dark.”
Jailyn nodded. “That should work out about right. That’ll leave us a couple of days when we get there to prepare for the eclipse; that and make ready our reception for Lord Vipero.”
Glancing around at the group, she went on, “I’m planning to make it a warm one,” she said with a smile.
Their travel over the next day was very much as Raamial
had described. At times Jailyn regretted her decision to follow Raamial’s advice and continue along the course he’d recommended, but mostly she was glad of her decision. The sections of the desert covered by the dunes were harder for them to handle because of their seemingly endless nature, so at least this way it was broken up more. The oases still were few and far between, so they took advantage of every one they came to.
The sections they had to cross at the edge of the mountains were difficult in other ways, though. The land was just as barren here as within the dunes and at times they had to travel single file along ridges with a steep drop-off on either side. Nevertheless, the group persevered and finally they reached their campsite for the night.
“I see what you mean about this trail,” she told Raamial as they ate their dry rations. Their campsite was just as barren as the rest of the area, just a little more sheltered. They had no wood for a fire, but Carisa had produced a magical one for them; at least it gave off heat and light.
“Tomorrow will be worse,” he warned her. “We’ll stay right at the edge of the mountains for most of the day.”
Gavriel shook his head. “I probably flew over areas like this all the time.” He smiled at Jailyn. “Ker'ferfyre, the capital of our Dragonian Empire, is deep within the Western Mountains and the area east of it is just as barren as this. Someday we’ll make it back there and you’ll see it. But I can tell you, flying over it is nothing like being down here in the midst of it.”
It was Jailyn’s turn to shake her head. She reached out to grab his hands, the tears trying to work themselves into her eyes, but she forced herself to hold them back. “I’m so sorry that you had to give that up, love. I’m not sorry about us, but flying in the Dream World is still not the same as being able to do it here.”