Turning slightly to face Zokar, the mage narrowed his eyes and scowled at the Balarian assassin. The once close allies now fought, and the mage readied his next attack for Zokar.
“Move,” Alyssa screamed at him.
Zokar was one of the best assassin’s in all of Agon. He used his skill and mental acumen to time the mage’s strike. Too early and the mage would alter his aim killing Zokar. Too late and the strike would end his life. Only another Kesh wizard or mage or someone extraordinarily talented could avoid a life ending blast such as the one headed for Zokar.
“Move now,” Damien yelled.
Zokar jumped towards the balcony using the best tactic he could think off. The mage would have to track downwards and towards the balcony floor which hindered his view. The blast narrowly missed but Zokar suffered the blast’s effects worst than Damien. Over a dozen cuts and punctures where the stone shards and fragments entered his body left the Balarian bloodied and gasping for air.
“Hurry,” Alyssa urged her companions as she nocked another arrow, this time using one of her two magical arrows.
“We’re going as fast as we can,” Dour yelled at her. Azor had already reached the top of his stair case and Dour wasn’t far behind on the opposite side. The library was vast, however, and the pair of fighters were now a good stone’s throw away from each other with the mage in between. Seeing the large Northman, Amsel pointed his staff directly at him and smiled. There would be no escaping from this range.
“Get out of there,” Damien yelled in warning.
It was going to be too late. The mage focused his blast and hurled it at Azor who also had quick reflexes, but the blast caught him on his right shoulder as he tried to dive left towards the front of the building and behind the mage. “No!” Zokar yelled seeing his northern companion go down.
Damien yelled at Dour, “Get down from there.”
“I just got here,” Dour protested. He readied his hammer and when the mage turned completely around, he threw it.
The hammer flew till it hit the energy field and bounced off. “You have to get inside his magic,” Zokar yelled at his companion.
It was too late. The mage had dropped the book that they had sought and placed a booted foot on top to secure it. He then prepared another strike to defeat the nasty cleric of Akun and rid himself of his two closest adversaries. The strike never came. At the last minute, the mage caught the arrow coming at him from his right. When it never slowed down the mage tried to move out of the way and bring his staff in front of it. The magical arrow penetrated the protection spell of the Kesh mage and what was a strike to the man’s heart instead hit him in his left shoulder.
“Nice job,” Zokar said, seeing the arrow stick in the mage and draw blood.
“Time to see if that field of yours is three-hundred and sixty-five degrees in circumference,” Damien said, initiating a spell and sending his own lightning bolt at the ceiling directly over the mage. “Everyone find cover.”
Zokar was the closest to the mage and almost under the balcony which he used for cover. Dour used the distraction to move back against the wall near his staircase and pull his secondary weapon, a small hammer. Damien’s blast hit the ceiling causing it to shatter and fall in large and small pieces landing on the invisible globe and crashing down around it.
“Looks solid enough to me,” Diamedes noted again almost casually as if watching a play in a theater and not a live battle raging around him.
“Damn,” Damien said. “I thought for sure there had to be a weakness in that energy field. So much power to hold it and even more for it to be fully circular.”
The original steam had dispersed, and the mage could now fully see his attackers. Amsel seemed torn between retaliating at Alyssa or his fellow Kesh magic-user. The pulsating planet of Akun was streaming charged particles now directly through the hole in the ceiling. The mage narrowed his eyes and appeared to have made his decision on who would receive his next full attack. Diamedes spoke however and the tone of his voice caused most of his companions to turn and look at him. “I’m so sorry, it’s not me.”
He held his blue dagger which glowed brightly and foreboded the arrival of something fierce. The arrival of the black dragon was therefore not unexpected. “You gotta be kidding me,” Dour complained.
The dragon continued to flap its wings in mid-air to maintain its position and seeing the mage, it inhaled and then spat a large amount of black acid over the Kesh standing on the balcony. The black liquid splashed against the spherical protection and splattered across parts of the library. Everywhere it touched, it either started to melt the material or ignite the paper and wood objects that it came in contact with. The majority of its breath weapon ended up falling onto the balcony below and streaming down on top of Zokar.
“Zokar!” Alyssa yelled, dropping her bow and running to her companion who had been hit by part of the ceiling as well as large glob of acid and now lay unconscious on the floor below.
“This is gettin out of hand. Do something Damien,” Dour yelled from his perch on the balcony standing defiantly against both the mage and the dragon.
“Alyssa,” Damien yelled, seeing the acid eating away at the balcony. “Get out of there.”
Diamedes sheathed his weapon and ran after Alyssa. When he got there, he started pulling the clothes and cloak off of Zokar and throwing the quickly melting clothing aside. The acid worked quickly, and the balcony started to give way threatening to fall on top of the trio. “Run,” Dour yelled at his companions.
It was going to be too late. Damien saw the predicament and brought up the only spell he could think of, hoping it would work with three humans. He cast a spell of attraction normally used to bring an object to the wizard. Focusing with all his might and channeling the arcane power into his companions he pointed his staff at them and then hit them with the energy necessary to bind them to his staff. With one fell motion he pulled with all his might.
The balcony broke in several places and came crashing down right where the three companions had been. Damien had successfully pulled them out of the way but just barely. Acid was still dripping and oozing off the protective magic of the mage who had lost his footing and lay on his back on the ground below. The book had slid further down and was now in between the mage and Diamedes. The field had protected the mage, but the kinetic energy imparted to the mage and sphere was a direct result of the balcony’s structural failure.
The mage leapt to his feet and pulled the offending arrow from his shoulder. Blood flowed freely and the anger raging inside the man was clearly visible on his countenance. The dragon, however, took center stage in the man’s mind and the Kesh arch mage unleashed a bolt of lightning more powerful than his previous ones. The blast hit the dragon square on its chest knocking scales off it and penetrating deep into its body. The beast roared and the energy attack caused it to roll over on its back and fall out of sight beyond the lip of the building.
“Dour, get Azor now,” Damien ordered.
When the balcony fell, it had tipped end first and then broke. The leading edge was completely flat and fell on the first floor but the rest of it had landed at a forty-five-degree angle and books, bookcases, chairs and other papers had slid down from the second story and lay strewn in a heap around the mage and across the chamber. Azor’s body was with the debris but on the opposite side of where Dour still stood.
Damien walked towards his companions who were a mere dozen feet away from the mage. The man, satisfied that the dragon was either killed or knocked out of commission for the moment, turned his attention on his initial prey. Seeing Damien approaching his face contorted and he said one word. “Traitor.”
Damien motioned for the trio, Diamedes, Alyssa and the unconscious Zokar, to get behind him. He never took his eyes off his fellow Kesh, “You are the traitor. How dare you turn your back on our kind and unleash the draconus upon us. Curse you for a thousand years.”
The mage seemed humored and replied, allowing a sli
ght change in his facial expression as the anger displayed there softened somewhat. “In time you would have understood the grand design of the High Mage. We will defeat the draconus on their home world and suffer their domination no more. Until then, you and your feeble allies stand in the way of Kesh greatness. I will take great pleasure in killing you and reporting your demise to our illustrious leader.”
Damien prepared to die and before he could respond, a voice spoke from behind him, “There are many things you can report to your leader, but this man’s death will not be one of them.”
Damien turned to see a familiar face, “Morgan!”
Morgan walked right up to them and then whispered to Damien, “Get your friends and flee immediately.” Passing Diamedes he said to him, “Take care of my boys.”
Damien watched as the man then walked right up to Amsel stopping within striking range of the Kesh mage. He had passed the energy field without a problem. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a bear pulling Azor along the edge of a wall with Dour following quickly behind. “Time to go,” Damien hissed at Diamedes and Alyssa who were struggling to carry their heavier companion. A second bear arrived and bit Zokar rather roughly on his leg and then pulled quickly dragging the man with him.
“Oh no,” Diamedes said, looking up at the edge of the building’s wall and catching sight of the black dragon peering down at the group.
“This way,” Damien urged, backpedaling to the double doors where they had entered. They heard the druid and the mage in conversation but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
The dragon roared and Morgan raised his staff and took one moment to look back and yell, “Run.”
Diamedes ran towards his Kesh companion yelling, “Damien, the book, quick.”
Damien concentrated and used the same spell he had used to save his companions to fetch the book for himself. He forgot that finesse was necessary and instead had the same mindset he had when he had cast the spell previously on his companions. The end result was that the book almost hit him in the head as it flew so fast through the air. With one fell swoop he grabbed it.
The Kesh mage didn’t seem to notice as the two men traded a blow, staff versus staff and the dragon started to scramble over the building’s wall trying to reach the two adversaries. Diamedes saw what was coming and yelled to the group, “I’ve seen this before. Time to go, follow me this way.”
They ran down the hallway, four companions and two bears dragging one of them each rather unceremoniously. Diamedes motioned for a hallway where an ornate carved door was slightly ajar. “Come on you two,” Damien said to Alyssa and Dour who were bringing up the rear.
When they reached the door, they all looked back. They could barely see the chamber but the two men fighting were visible and they had circled slightly during combat so that the druid could see them easily now as he was facing slightly in their direction. Seeing that the group and his trusted animal companions were clear, he locked his gaze on them and his face hardened. Diamedes spoke, “Bloody hell, run now.”
They started through the door and into the inner sanctum of the Temple of Astor when the last thing they saw was the maw of the black dragon striking the two men together. At the exact same time, the druid smashed his glowing rock tipped staff against the likewise irradiating glow of the diamond topped metallic staff of the Kesh mage. The explosion blinded everyone.
The inner sanctum doors opened outwards so when the blast of the explosion reached them it had the effect to slam them shut. This muffled out the explosion and protected them from the blast that had leveled the rest of the temple. Falling on top of one another the group lay in darkness until Damien uttered a single word and a small, but potent, beam of light issued forth to light their surroundings.
“What in Agon was that?” Alyssa asked, holding her head where it had struck the stone flow on the way in. She moved to find Zokar and tend to him. “He’s bad, we’re going to need some help here.”
“Azor is almost with the Father too,” Dour said, taking a knee and placing a hand on the Northman’s forehead.
“Quick,” Damien said to Diamedes while pulling out his silk pouch. “Give Zokar one of these.”
Diamedes nodded and went to the assassin and gave Alyssa a talaman from within the pouch. Without prompting he did the same with Azor, though he had to insert the healing globe himself as Dour was deeply focused on his chanting and was paying the historian no mind.
The two bears found a wall nearby and laid one with another. They whined slightly which was disconcerting in an animal so large and fierce, but the companions knew instinctively that they were mourning the loss of their master.
It took nearly half an hour before first Zokar and then Azor regained consciousness. Both men didn’t speak but only nodded when asked a question. They were given something to drink and they had packs tucked under their heads for support and blankets covering their bodies to ward off any chill or shock. If there was any idea of fleeing no one brought it up. It was obvious that they would be lucky to simply survive through the night much less travel anywhere.
“Where are we?” Alyssa finally asked when the group had settled in somewhat.
Diamedes answered, “This is the inner temple of Astor. It is not only a holy place, but it is well built and protected. It was the only place I could think of that could survive that blast.”
“What is it with them damn druids and wizards?” Dour asked. Looking at Damien he added, “You excluded.”
“Of course,” Damien replied the usual.
“I’ve seen this once before,” Diamedes said, getting everyone’s attention. “It appears that the magic that both orders draw, druid and mage, come from opposite power sources. They do not mix well.”
“Well that’s an understatement,” Dour said, his words dripping with sarcasm.
“He sacrificed himself for us?” Alyssa asked.
Diamedes nodded, “Very noble of him.”
“How did he get out of that there siren trap with them venomous ladies of the forest?” Dour asked.
“He must have convinced his captor to let him go once they learned that we had escaped.” Diamedes ventured a guess.
“Either that or he had his own way of leaving,” Damien speculated. Turning to face Diamedes he asked, “So you said you saw this before?”
“Yes,” Diamedes said. “It was long ago in the Greenfeld Forest. The druid master there did the same thing with a Kesh arch mage and the result was predictable.”
“I do not think anyone could predict that,” Damien said, pensively. “I was not trained, nor did I study or learn, about anything that would have led me to caution when dealing with one of the Arnen. This could be interesting information.”
“It could,” Diamedes said.
“I get the feeling that we’re not supposed to be here,” Alyssa said, holding herself and sitting with her knees brought up against her chest.
Diamedes nodded and looked around, “Normally, I’d say you’d be right, but we didn’t exactly have a choice in the matter, and I didn’t see any Hand or Fist of Astor to stop our entry. In fact, I haven’t seen a single soul at all.”
“What do you think happened to everyone?” Alyssa asked.
“I don’t know,” Diamedes answered. “Last year the town was attacked by a dragon, but it had recovered well enough, or so I thought. I certainly didn’t expect this.”
“It’s eerie and creepy if you ask me,” Alyssa said.
A voice came from deeper within the sanctum. “Would you consider that rude if someone said that about your house?”
Dour jumped up and grabbed his weapon while Damien stood and gripped his staff. Diamedes motioned for Alyssa to stay seated as he did the same as well then motioned for Dour and Damien to remain still replying, “We’re sorry if we offended you. We took the liberty to seek shelter in your temple due to danger outside.”
Soft footsteps were heard as the figure walked nearby but out of sight and out of
the light from Damien’s staff. “You brought that danger here with you.”
Diamedes remained polite, “The danger was chasing us, yes. We apologize if we broke any of your rules in seeking to save our lives.”
There was a pause in both the response and the footsteps. After several long seconds, the voice said, “You are polite as we were told, Diamedes, Royal Historian of Tyniria. Other than safety and shelter, what do you seek?”
This time Diamedes took his time in answering but had to wave his hand at Dour who was hefting his weapon as if in anticipation of a battle, “I personally seek only peace for all the inhabitants of Agon. I do not wish to speak for my friends, but I believe they desire only the same since they are oath bound to assist me in my quest.”
The footsteps resumed and the voice replied, “You brought a Kesh with you.”
The companions looked at Damien who shrugged. Diamedes nodded at him and motioned for him and Dour to remain still while Alyssa sat with her legs close to her chest, her hand quivering as she controlled the urge to reach for her own weapon. Diamedes resumed his conversation, “The Kesh with us fought against his own kind. Unlike his brethren he seeks peace for our world.”
“We know, we can read his heart if not his mind.”
“We?” Diamedes asked.
“Yes,” the voice said. “The Mother and I see and feel much, especially in our own home.”
Diamedes eyes went wide and he motioned again. Dour couldn’t resist and hissed, “We got it already.”
The voice laughed merrily, “A Death Worshipper too, how quaint.”
“The Father seems to approve,” Dour said without hesitation.
Diamedes rolled his eyes and then gave up on pretenses, “Dour, can’t you see we’re not talking to a simple acolyte?”
“She seems simple enough to me,” Dour said. “Have her show herself and we’ll see how simple she is.”
The Dragon War Page 23