The Shattered Shards

by Stephen J Wolf

  “No good,” Gabrion groaned. “That green light is dimmer but still shining through. I can still see you.” He waited as Quereth sent another spell toward the acolytes, then asked. “What do we do?”

  “Do as Dariak bid,” Quereth hissed. “Flee. It is our only hope for survival.”

  One of the acolytes escaped the swarm and ran forward, arms pinwheeling as he launched a series of fire darts. Unlike Dariak’s usual fire dart spell, these were loaded with small cutting knives. Gabrion ran forward, determined to end the mage’s charge, but though he managed to avoid the brunt of the spell, a number of the blades still cut him. Moments later, he was disoriented, too. Apparently, the blades were also poisoned.

  Randler sent an arrow back in response and would have killed the acolyte if he didn’t have a protective shield around himself. His comrades freed themselves from the swarm and as a team they bore down on the intruders. Quereth coated the floor with grease, which made the unsuspecting acolytes slide in a tangled heap. Randler grabbed a torch from the wall and threw it toward the grease pile once Gabrion was away.

  The acolytes screamed in pain and the others turned to flee. The mages weren’t badly hurt, just stunned. Their protection spells were strong indeed, and one of them was already upright and countering the flames with a water spell that quenched the heat.

  Quereth grunted angrily and tossed another frog tongue into the fray, but this time he laced it with a bit of acid so that when the swarm hit, their bites would be stronger. He grabbed Randler and Gabrion and pulled on them to run. “These are only acolytes! What chance is there against others? We do not have a choice. We must go!”

  “But Dariak,” Gabrion complained.

  Quereth’s thick voice was panicked. “I know your strength and your bravery, Gabrion, but I am telling you that we are not capable of surviving this place. If you think the energy unleashed in the Prisoner’s Tower was great, then you have no idea what these mages will be capable of. Let us flee, lest we die.”

  “Down!” Randler shouted as a series of ropes flew overhead. They hit the wall and stuck there, instead of falling to the ground. Clearly, if they had been struck by them, the ropes would have bound them solid. “Gabrion, this is madness.”

  “I do not wish to leave Master Dariak behind,” Quereth assured. “But I am no match for such a horde as this. Please see to reason.”

  One of the acolytes broke ranks and charged the team. Gabrion raced to meet him, reaching out his mighty fist to knock the wind from him, but instead it felt like he had punched a castle wall. The mage merely laughed and started chanting. Randler shoved the mage aside, just barely, and pulled on Gabrion’s collar to hurry him along.

  “Gabrion, Quereth is right. Let’s move!”

  “After what he just went through to save me, I—” the warrior started, then he grabbed for Randler and yanked him out of the path of a lightning bolt. But his hand was in terrible pain after striking the mage’s protective shield, and the searing agony told him that he really was no match for this fight. “If only Kitalla—” he started, then he rolled aside and avoided a glowing ax that whirled through the air toward him.

  Quereth was already tiring and Gabrion realized that the mage didn’t have an endless supply of spell components in his robe. He couldn’t pull the spell energy from a jade like Dariak had been doing for a while now, and there certainly wasn’t time to try. Thinking of the jade gave him an idea though, so he dragged Randler over to Quereth and screamed for help from his jade. The only effect he knew he could summon was that of sharpening, and so the three of them became a rending force that was able to cut through some of the spells coming their way. The warrior knew he couldn’t sustain it for long, so he tugged on the others and ran.

  “No, this way,” Quereth guided, tugging toward the right. Gabrion let him lead, keeping his mind focused on the jade as much as possible. Angry, the acolytes followed, casting their energies toward them repeatedly.

  They reached a stairwell and Quereth stumbled as he tried to descend. He fell from Gabrion’s grasp and rolled down the stairs, ending in a glowing, green heap at the bottom. Randler disengaged from Gabrion and went to the mage’s aid, glancing about and seeing chaos everywhere.

  Mages were battling fiercely from every direction. In most cases, it was five or six mages to one glowing intruder. The odds were clearly insurmountable, and seeing the green light from every one of their army’s forces made Randler realize that they had absolutely no chance of rescuing Dariak. They might not escape with their lives. Gabrion came to the same conclusion as he pulled out his sword and shield, then refocused the jade’s energies on them. He ran toward the nearest group of mages and felled two of them who were too focused on their own foes to turn and protect themselves.

  Others did not fall so easily. The room was a frenzy of magical energy and even when spells were not specifically targeting him, it was nearly impossible not to sustain damage. Gabrion blocked whatever spells he could, trying to take down some of the mages when opportunities arose. Most were protected front and back, though, so his efforts were often in vain. An ice dart seared his arm, but he channeled his thoughts away from the pain and turned them toward survival.

  He broke up a couple of groups and the glowing mages he had saved were grateful, turning their healing spells on him or their offensive spells against the enemy. Quereth received enough healing to rise up and support the flanks. And just when they thought they had a chance to turn the tide, reinforcements came.

  Fifty war hounds pounded into the room, howling like tigroars and stomping like giants. Three mages controlled them from the entryways, that much Gabrion could see, but they also had a flank of other mages protecting them. The war hounds raced into the room, growling and biting angrily. Despite their demoralizing appearance, Gabrion was grateful for their arrival, for they were not magical beasts and his sword would be effective against them. He needed the rush of success to bolster him, so he swept the legs out from under one mage but then abandoned the magic-users altogether to take down the other creatures.

  Randler’s mind took a similar path and he turned his attention to the war hounds as well. They were large dogs and would be at least as tall as he was if they stood on their hind paws. They were powerfully strong and fast. Randler recalled a song with a rapid tempo and used it to keep himself focused on a dance of dodge, parry, and strike. Whenever possible, he blinded them with the shadow jade, but he found that the magical green light emanating from his skin seemed to pass through even that. Soon, he stopped spending effort on the jade.

  Quereth ran off to a corner to catch his breath, but there was no hiding place for them. Their glowing skin was a truly effective beacon and no amount of coverage blocked them from view. Quereth noted, in fact, that as he looked up and down, he could see nearly two dozen other green masses on different floors. It was terribly unsettling, especially as he watched one verdant light wink out.

  Gabrion and Randler took down nearly all of the war hounds and were ready to turn their attentions toward the mages again, but the beastmasters summoned more monsters into the fray. Reptigons joined the war hounds, as did some sandorpions. No, this was an endless army, and they had to flee. Gabrion raised his voice as loudly as possible, “Kallisorians, retreat!”

  It was as if the glass jade allowed his voice to cut through the entire tower. All the green blobs of light seemed to take notice and they stopped trying to fight back. Each looked for the nearest exit and ran. Gabrion made sure that Randler, Quereth, and the other mages they had traveled with were at the exit before he dove down the stairs. The mages gave chase, ushering all the forces to the lower floors.

  Green comrades raced along and Gabrion called out to them, urging them to escape. His sword and shield deflected whatever spells they could, but the warrior couldn’t fight back against such a wave of magical energies. Even as his companion mages came together, they were no match for the extraordinary forces within the tower. Floor by floor they raced, losin
g some of their friends along the way, but pressing ever onward, desperate just to live.

  The lower floors of the tower had more novice mages than the upper floors. This allowed more of the fleeing forces to survive as they neared the exit. The verdant group banded together on its way out the main gate and into the night air. Quereth called a halt before they reached the giant mage barrier that surrounded the tower. Considering the barrier had claimed them on their way in, he assumed the mages could use its energies to entrap them once again. He had no way of knowing that the mages empowering the barrier were focused on maintaining the life force illumination spell, and so there was no danger of being whisked away, but he found Frast and Lica, both of whom were badly injured, and enlisted their help.

  The three Pindington mages combined their efforts and erected a force tunnel that bore through the mage barrier, after which the survivors funneled through to relative safety on the other side. Once they passed the barrier, the odd green glow faded. The mages turned and added their support to Quereth’s spell, widening the path and allowing everyone to get through before the mages in the tower pursued them. They needn’t have hurried, for none of the mages actually left the tower, as if doing so would weaken them and render them vulnerable to attack.

  Once they were on the other side, the mages collectively combined their healing powers and bolstered the group as much as they were able. They were down to less than twenty of them, plus Gabrion and Randler, but at least they had survived. Dariak was lost to them, but the warrior and the bard knew there was no way to have rescued him. The only recourse left to the group was to rejoin their fellows back at Marritosh.

  Chapter 23

  Randler’s Advice

  Sunlight seeped in through the window, waking Gabrion reluctantly. His body ached with the hurried flight from Magehaven, not to mention the countless wounds he had taken in the battle leading to their escape. Quereth and Lica were nearby, clearly exhausted after the frantic journey and hurried healing they had administered with the help of the others. They had been pushing themselves hard and weren’t accustomed to so much activity at once.

  As quietly as possible, Gabrion tiptoed from the room, following the scent of food wafting through the air. The next-door bakery was already cranking out pastries for its morning patrons, and the warrior couldn’t resist the allure. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight at first and then made his way over the dirt path and into the small hut across the way.

  “Good dawn,” greeted the matron of the place. Her hair was tied up in a funny bun above her head, keeping it clear of the food but looking more like a misshapen beehive than anything else. Gabrion made his way to the counter and peered around for a selection of wares. The woman smiled warmly. “Only breakfast rolls with jelly this time of day. Would you like one? We also have some apple-berry tea to go with it.”

  With a nod, Gabrion passed over some coins and stalked to a seat, where he tried to clear the grogginess from his head. He wasn’t accustomed to being so tired, but as he reflected on it, he knew he had been in worse shape along the journey. His adventure had truly taken some unexpected turns, and now he was missing the two companions who had been with him since the beginning. The more he thought about it, the more he felt as if his life was doomed to loss in every regard.

  “Such a sad pout,” admonished a welcome voice. Gabrion looked up to see Randler striding in to sit with him. “We’ve been in better predicaments than this, but with that scent in the air, how can you possibly be so gloomy?”

  “What do you have to be happy about today?” the warrior grumbled. “Everything is lost.”

  Randler reached across the table and clapped Gabrion’s shoulder. “All is not lost, Gabrion. We aren’t finished yet.”

  The matron brought a pair of pastries and tea for them, hovering politely until Randler paid for his. Gabrion took a quick swallow of the sweet tea, choking as it was scalding hot.

  “Careful now,” Randler warned needlessly. “If you’re too rash, you’ll hurt yourself.”

  “You’re rather cheerful this morning, considering we left Dariak back at the tower to die.”

  The bard’s grin faltered for a moment, but he pasted it back on promptly. “He will be fine. They need his knowledge before they kill him, don’t they? They may have turned against him and his father, but they still know the value his knowledge brings. No, I think Dariak has some time before they turn him into one of the border guardians.”

  Gabrion scrutinized the man for a moment. “You almost believe it, don’t you?”

  Randler sighed. “Almost,” he admitted. “So that’s me. What’s wrong with you?” He lifted his pastry and bit into it heartily. It wasn’t the most delicious thing he had ever tasted, but it was pleasant in its own right. The tea was much better by comparison.

  The warrior lowered his gaze for a moment, but the bard wouldn’t let him remain silent. After some prodding, Gabrion finally relented. “Everything has been slipping from my grasp. It started with friends I knew dying in Savvron the day Dariak swooped in. My mentor, Andron, died saving my life. Mira was taken. Later, Savvron was sacked and my mother was lost. All those people in Pindington when the Prisoner’s Tower fell. Crazy Heria. Then Kitalla ran off. Now Dariak is lost to us. And you’re mad at him, on top of it, because of me. I feel… cursed.”

  “I—” Randler started, then shook his head. “Well if you’re going to put it that way, sure, sulk.”

  Gabrion looked up at him, brows furrowed. “That’s helpful.”

  “No, no, don’t let me bother your darkened thoughts. Keep at it and maybe you’ll make it rain, or perhaps you’ll find an answer when you stop beating your head against the wall.”

  “It’s too early in the morning for this, Randler.”

  “Gabrion, you have an army here at your disposal. Your beloved Mira is thought to be at the palace. Go and get her. It seems simple to me,” he said, popping the last bite of pastry into his mouth.

  A glimmer of hope flickered into the warrior’s eye before clouds whisked it away. “They follow Dariak and his mad quest for the jades.”

  “Ah, you’re wrong there. Most of the fighters here follow you or Ervinor, truth be told. And if the young man is right, the troops are most eager to be off doing something. They might as well seek out your princess.”

  “Princess?” Gabrion echoed with a laugh. He then stared intently at the bard for a moment. “Ah, Randler, you always manage to break through our armor and earn a chuckle.”

  “We are all on this journey for different reasons. For some of us, our reasons have changed along the way. Take me, for instance. I wanted at first to find the jades and secret them away. I haven’t always gone about it the right way, like when I gave the lightning jade over to the mages in Pindington.” He shook his head. “At the time, it seemed the best way to keep them busy while I looked for the other jade in the city. Then I ran into you, and you reunited me with Dariak. Now I’m trying to help him fulfill his dream of uniting the lands with the jades.”

  “Even though you’re mad at him?”

  Randler frowned and fidgeted with his tea mug. “I was hurt initially that he threw himself at you, so to speak.”

  “That’s hardly what happened,” Gabrion scoffed.

  “Well, he declared that he loves you and would enjoy your physical company if given the chance. Besides, it wasn’t like he said anything about me then. That doesn’t exactly do much for my self-esteem.”

  “As if you need to worry, Randler.” Gabrion now reached across and grabbed the bard’s shoulder. “I assure you that his love for you and his feelings for me are two totally different things. Randler, he was inside my mind, surrounded by all my own thoughts and emotions. I sensed him as much as he sensed me. He might like who I am and what I look like, but you make his heart skip a beat.”

  Randler couldn’t help but smile. “Skipping a beat isn’t usually good in my profession.” Yet as the words sank in, he found his grin remained.


  “Randler?” Gabrion stared hard at the man and tried to choose his words carefully. “I think you’re right: I need to go after Mira. My quest has gone on for so long. I need to see it through so I can start living properly, whatever that is. If I find Mira, we can start a life together. If I find she’s gone—”

  “Don’t say that, Gabrion. Keep hope.”

  “I am hopeful, but it’s something I have to be prepared for, Randler. If… if I can only see her, alive and well. Then I’ll know everything is going to be fine. Then I’ll know that all these trials were worth it in the end.” His eyes lost focus as he pictured her glowing face. “To have her nearby again. To hear her laugh and sing. It’s that hope of having her with me again that keeps me going on. It’s that part of me realizes that it’s been about a year now since she was captured and there is a good chance I won’t ever see her again.”

  Randler stayed quiet for a moment, eying the warrior as he spoke. “I think that’s it, then, Gabrion. Just now, as you spoke of seeing her, you were alive and vibrant. The thought of being without her, and you fall into shadow again. So, I urge you: go. Rally the men and go to the castle. Find her if you can. It’s clear that you need to.”

  As he thought about it, a sense of calm washed over the tormented warrior. “It seems a crazy thing to bring an army to the king’s doorstep.”

  “Perhaps. But you aren’t likely to secure an audience or to make your request unless you have strength to support you. Besides, I doubt they are enough to seriously pose a threat upon the king’s own forces, so it isn’t like you’re announcing war or trying to bring down his castle. You’re simply there with support, showing your strength so that he will take you seriously.”

  Gabrion nodded. “It does make a bit of sense.”

  Randler tapped his finger on the table, biting his lip gently. “I regret to mention it, but would our king have imprisoned you and Dariak if one of you had forces waiting outside the castle gates? I would wager that he would have bargained on better faith than he did if he felt any sort of threat of retaliation from your supporters outside the walls.”