Shadow Mage (Blacklight Chronicles)

by Forrester, John

  “Stay close,” he said to Charna.

  “There’s nobody up there,” whispered Nikulo. “Imagine how many men you’d need along such a vast wall?”

  Talis bobbed his head in agreement and handed the flask to Mara. “What do you suppose is inside?”

  Mara took a drink and shielded her eyes from the sun as she stared through the iron bars. “It looks like it tunnels down into the earth for awhile…it’s pitch dark.”

  “Nominal security.” Nikulo squeezed himself under the grating and grinned at them from the other side.

  “Wait!” Talis hissed, and withdrew the Surineda Map. “Always be suspicious when they make it too easy.”

  Nikulo shrugged. “Simple laws of physics. When they built this the iron bars reached down into the ground. They’ve had quite a few floods here since then and the water has eaten away at the ground.”

  “Still, I trust Aurellia would have fortified any weaknesses into his domain.” Talis closed his eyes and focused his mind on revealing any dangers nearby. The map burned in his hands, and when he opened his eyes, it was filled with symbols of death and poison and fire.

  “The way is littered with magical wards,” Talis said. He called Charna and bent down to whisper in her ears. “You have to stay close to me, the way is very dangerous ahead.”

  Nikulo backed up against the bars, fear blossoming in his eyes. “I’ll let you lead.”

  “In fact, if you’d squeezed through a few feet to the left, you probably would have ignited in flames.”

  Mara peered at the map and wrinkled up her forehead. “I hope we can avoid all those traps.”

  “We’ll need to keep together. Follow my lead.” Talis bent down and slid under the sharp bars and raised the map close to his face. He stepped forward twenty paces, then went sideways until his head grazed the curving stone ceiling. Clear for a stretch, he thought, studying the map. He tiptoed forward, tripping over rocks and debris from the last flood.

  “I can’t see a thing,” Mara said, and bumped into Talis.

  “Would any of the magical wards be sensitive to light?” Nikulo said.

  “I don’t think we should risk casting any spells.” The map emitted enough golden light for Talis to see where they were going. They crept along for what seemed like an hour, descending deeper into the earth, zigzagging around danger.

  Nikulo groaned.

  “What is it now?” Talis said.

  “I…I have to go to the bathroom.”

  “Are you kidding me? Why didn’t you go outside?” Mara said.

  “I didn’t want to be shot in the arse by an archer.” Nikulo coughed and fidgeted back and forth.

  Talis chuckled and pulled Mara’s hand. “Go ahead, we’ll wait farther up for you. Just follow the wall straight ahead, it’s pretty safe around here.”

  “Can you guys plug your ears?”

  “No…no you’re not going to do it here? That’s disgusting.” Talis shuddered, unable to stop himself from imagining the hideous smell.

  “I can’t help it! When the urge comes, I can’t stop it, can I?”

  Talis grimaced and walked with Mara down as far as he could away from Nikulo. “We better cover our ears and noses.”

  “Is it that bad?” Mara whispered.

  Even though Talis had plugged up his ears, he still heard groans and explosions and exclamations echo down the tunnel. The enemy surely heard all that noise, unless they were deaf. Then the smell came. Despite having squeezed his nostrils shut, the vile smell of rotten eggs and festering wounds leeched into Talis’s mouth. He sneezed so hard snot flew out and splattered the map, causing it to dim slightly.

  “That’s so gross!” Mara yelled. “Gods…what a wretched smell!”

  “All finished down here,” Nikulo shouted, and Talis could hear the scraping sound of boots kicking stones and debris. Nikulo stumbled towards them.

  Talis wiped the map with his shirt sleeve and froze when he noticed hundreds of tiny red dots moving towards them from behind Nikulo.

  “Your shat was so loud it woke something nasty,” Talis said, “and it’s coming towards us.”

  Nikulo rammed into Talis and sent them tumbling across the ground. Charna hissed in response, her golden eyes glowing in the dark. Talis scooped up the map and listened to the chittering and squeaking and the scampering of thousands of little feet echoing down the tunnel. When the hundreds of glowing yellow eyes descended in the darkness, Talis sent a wave of flame down the tunnel, igniting the carpet of rats.

  As the rats burned, the flames sent flickering shadows down the way, revealing the bones of those who had failed to travel through here before. But more rats came, leaping over their burning brothers and sisters, intent on assailing the intruders. Talis sent a massive burst of wind, knocking the second wave of rats back and into the whipped up rat fire.

  The burning, smoky stench was horrific, and as hard as it was to imagine, worse than Nikulo’s. The rats had to be diseased because the air was filled with the smell of rotting flesh and sickness, like a pile of burning plagued bodies.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Talis yelled, and coughed hard into his arm. He sent more wind down the tunnel to cast away the smell. The flames burst up higher behind them as they stumbled off.

  Talis studied the Surineda Map for areas of danger ahead. “Keep an eye behind us and yell if they come close.”

  “I’ll handle them,” Nikulo said. “Just keep us moving!”

  They dodged wards and pits and traps lodged in the floor. The tunnel was one enormous disaster. Talis heard Nikulo shoot off a hissing blast that sounded like the poison spell he’d used on the snakes.

  “They’re not affected by the poison,” shouted Nikulo.

  Talis turned, waited for Nikulo and Mara to stand behind, and concentrated on sending heat inside all the creatures below. Thousands of pops and miniature bloody explosions echoed down the tunnel, like corn popping on a pan over the fire.

  “That’s sick!” Mara said, covering her eyes. “I really didn’t need to see that.”

  The last attack had an unintended desirable outcome. More rats scampered down the tunnel, but this time they stopped to feast on what was left of the cooked rats. Talis raced ahead, avoiding danger, and finally caught a glimpse of a faint light ahead. He held Charna back as they approached the iron bars on the other side of the tunnel.

  “There are magical wards all along the exit.” Talis stared at the Surineda Map. “How are we going to get around it?”

  “Can you toss a rock or something to set the ward off?” Mara said.

  Talis shook his head. “I doubt that would work, I don’t even think the rats set off the wards. Probably they were set to only go off for humans.”

  “So there’s no way through unless one of us sets off a ward?” Nikulo said, and frowned.

  “Yes, exactly. But whoever went through the wards would be killed.”

  “That’s terrible,” Mara said. “We’ll just go back and find another way inside.”

  “Wait, let’s investigate. Follow me.” Talis strode towards the iron bars, and stopped ten feet before the place where the wards were set.

  “So the other side of the bars is all clear as far as I can see. But the wards are set right under the bars, so to get past you’d have to activate one of the wards.” Talis studied the map again and realized that one of the wards was Fire Magic, the one along the left side.

  “I have an idea.” Talis put the map in his backpack and set it on the ground.

  “What is it?” Mara said, doubt and fear creeping into her eyes. “You’re not going to—”

  “It probably won’t hurt me… Don’t be like that, I’m not going to get killed. I said I had an idea. Master Grimelore taught me an exercise of drawing in heat from a fire and holding it inside my body, then releasing it. I might be able to do the same thing here.”

  “Wait, let me see if I have your idiotic plan right.” Nikulo grunted and wagged his head. “You’re going t
o step on the flaming ward of death and instantly channel the energy out through a Fire Magic spell?”

  “That’s basically it. You have a better idea?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. And it’s not just because it’s my idea, it’s because I’d rather not see you get roasted like those rats. That’s what friends do, keep each other from getting killed.”

  “Well, what is it?” Mara said.

  “Grab one of those handy portal runes you have. Open a portal to go as far away past those bars as you can see clearly.”

  “But I thought we could only open a portal and go to places we’ve been to before?” Talis said, but already he wondered if Nikulo was right.

  “Palarian said that as a way of talking, but he never said a thing about line of sight. And I think it will work, as long as you can see the place of your destination clearly. For instance, I doubt you could go as far as those distant mountains, well you could, but you might end up inside the mountains, or say hundreds of feet above them… You get the idea.”

  It made perfect sense, and Talis wondered why he hadn’t thought about it. Being at a place was as much seeing it as anything else. So Talis squinted as he stared outside, and fixed his gaze on an old scraggly pine tilting over sideways. A long spindly shadow was cast off to the right of the tree. A perfect place for porting to.

  He placed the rune on the ground, pictured the shadow beside the pine tree, and cast the binding. The churning shadow portal formed in the tunnel, and they all jumped inside.

  19. THE ILLUSIONIST

  Instead of stepping out from the portal onto the shadow of the pine, Talis found himself inches from the pine tree trunk itself. At least he wasn’t inside the pine. His friends bundled up behind him, and Charna dove under the branches and scouted out ahead.

  “Next time, maybe aim for something else other than a tree.” Nikulo grunted as he bent down and made his way out from under the branches.

  Talis glanced back at the great wall and realized from this vantage point that the wall wasn’t manned at all, at least not along this stretch. He swiveled around and stared at the menacing mountains looming off in the distance. Aurellia and Palarian were there, waiting for them. And Rikar, what had happened to him?

  Charna had caught a scent and dashed off east towards a thick patch of brush. They crept towards the bushes, mindful of any patrols that might be about. But the area around was wild and desolate and Talis doubted soldiers would bother defending around here. Considering all the wards and rats in the tunnel, most likely any soldiers would assume this part of the wall was impenetrable.

  They hiked across the chaparral, then climbed over boulders and trekked up the high steppes leading towards the stormy mountains. Now the sky was silver and black, and the air smelled of storm and sage and pine. They were getting closer now, as Talis realized by plotting the way with the Surineda Map. Nestled high in the mountains lay a massive multi-layered castle surrounded by ramparts and fortifications.

  Here they saw a pack of elk startled by the first patrols marching in formation: soldiers wielding short, curved blades, and wearing blood-red scale-and-bone armor. Talis, Mara, and Nikulo lay hidden beneath a large scrub brush, spying the movements of the troops.

  “Where do you think our best approach to the castle is?” Nikulo whispered.

  “Maybe down that gully to the left.” Talis checked the map. “A bit of a climb up the rocks, but I think we can do it, especially with all your new climbing skills.”

  Nikulo grinned. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “But what about any archers that might be up there above the rocks?” Mara said. “Why not take our time and head to the right through that forest over there, it would provide us with a lot more cover.”

  Talis and Nikulo looked at each and shrugged. “Valid point,” Nikulo said. “And I hate getting shot in the face with an arrow.”

  “I bet you would.” Mara scoffed, and wrinkled up her face. “So I take it we’re heading around to the forest. I’ll scout ahead and keep a lookout for patrols.”

  They had to cross under a stone bridge with soldiers tramping above as they marched in formation. A spindly river spidered down the mountainside with tufts of grass lining the edges. The day was dying by the time they reached the forest’s edge, and the sky off to the west held a luminous orange wash.

  In the twilight air the fragrance of juniper and pine and meat smoke wafted into Talis’s nostrils. His stomach complained at the smell. The pine needle floor was soft under his footsteps, and Talis imagined it would make a fine resting place for the night. If they had a roasted hare or deer for supper, then the day would be complete. But Talis knew they’d probably go hungry for tonight as their supplies were gone along with the mules.

  Mara slowed her ascent through the forest and pointed ahead at a flickering firelight splashing shadows across the tree trunks. Talis sidled up alongside her, and she whispered in his ear.

  “A band of odd warriors. They seem disinterested in the surroundings, and overly fascinated with perfecting their roasted pig.”

  “Sounds like my idea of fun,” Talis muttered. His mouth watered at the smell.

  Nikulo waddled close and flicked his eyes in the direction of the campfire. “We have the advantage for a surprise attack, and the prize is a fine roast.” He studied the camp. “And if my eyes aren’t fooled by the distance, bottles of wine to go with it.”

  Talis peeked around a trunk and discovered that odd didn’t begin to describe the warriors. They were a group of four, each one different than the other. The old, haggard looking warrior worshipping the roast was clad in wolf skin and wore an unkempt beard. He wielded a massive, jagged-edge hunting knife and looked ready to do battle with the oiled and crisped pig.

  A young woman hovered over the fire, warming her hands as she smiled shrewdly at the bearded man beginning to carve the roast. She was dressed in a scarlet tunic, cut revealingly low in the front, and tied around the waist by what looked like a belt of thorns. Her long, charcoal hair was cinched up in a twirl by a thin twisted blade.

  “The air smells foreign tonight,” the woman said.

  The bearded man frowned. “I used sprigs of new herb buds from the crags.”

  “She doesn’t mean the roast,” said a muscular baby-faced man with bushy blue hair. He wore white bone breastplate armor, and sat on a rock, removing bone leggings and wrist-guards.

  An aged hermit-looking man dressed in a tattered brown cloak lay leaning against a log, his eyes only open a sliver. From what Talis guessed, he was either gazing at the fire or asleep. But for some reason Talis felt the man was aware of everything that was going on in his surroundings.

  The listless air suddenly snapped to attention, swirled and gusted behind Talis, and sent the campfire blazing with pops and crackles and a shower of sparks flying towards the trees.

  “We have guests,” the hermit said, still keeping his eyes only open a sliver. Talis’s heart thudded ahead an extra few beats when he realized the warriors knew they were there.

  “Yes, yes, a foreign smell. The master said to expect company.” The bearded man turned the roast, and sliced a few pieces of pig onto a platter. “Come, guests, share in our wine and roast.”

  Talis and Mara stared questioningly at each other, unsure of how to proceed.

  “Don’t be shy, we aim you no harm…at least during supper.” The young woman grinned maliciously. “We like to feed our enemies first.”

  “Are they trying to bait us out into the open?” whispered Mara.

  “Well, we’ve definitely lost the element of surprise.” Nikulo frowned. “Besides, I’m hungry. Can’t we fight them after we’ve eaten? They did offer.”

  Talis stared at the roast and felt his stomach grumble. “Is your master Aurellia?” Talis shouted.

  Mara sent Talis a surprised look. “You just gave us away!” she hissed.

  But the warriors by the fire remained unmoved. The old hermit stirred a bit, and said, “He
is known by many names, and that is an old name he uses to those he tempts. But you are out of his favor and he doubts your virtue. Come and eat and drink, we mean only to ask you questions. Depending on how you answer will shape our response.”

  Talis strode forward into the light, shaking off Mara’s grasp. He narrowed his eyes at the old hermit, and ignored the cold stares of the other warriors.

  “How did you know we were out there?” Talis said.

  The old hermit sniffed. “Our senses are highly tuned to changes happening in the environment around us. Whether a doe or a squirrel or two boys and a young girl of a similar age. Your other friends are shy or simply disagreed with the idea of showing themselves? If you had tried to remain hidden, we would have simply hunted you down.”

  “Carax, perhaps that’s what they wanted,” said the young woman. She sent Talis a look that dared him to start a fight.

  “You intended to assault us?” Carax said, his face amused. “You’ll have to do better than that. Come sit, the roast is ready. And I can hear your other friend’s stomach rumbling. Our swords are sheathed, we won’t bring violence over a good meal.”

  Talis approached the fire and sat cautiously opposite Carax and the young woman. He nodded in appreciation as the old hermit handed him the platter of roasted pork. It tasted delicious, better than anything he’d had on this adventure. A cup of deep-red wine washed down the roast just fine.

  “I’ll have some roast if you’re still offering,” Nikulo said. He strode across the forest floor, glancing cautiously at the warriors. Mara followed, a vivid look of disdain on her face.

  Talis offered them the pork platter, and felt relieved at Nikulo’s thankful smile.

  “Welcome, shy friends,” Carax said, spreading his arms wide. “Time for us to parlay. I would know of your journey and know of you. The truth is best, I sniff lies like a hound sniffs the fox.”

  So Talis told them of the old sorcerer, and how Mara was kidnapped, and the journey thus far. Carax scowled when he heard the bits about Palarian.