Champion of the Gods Box Set

by Andrew Q. Gordon

  “As you command, Chosen.”

  The near-blind obedience still bothered Farrell, but he didn’t have time to object. Neither the shore defenses nor the Arlefors were going to be able to take down the shield. Even working in tandem, it was unlikely they could break through. He could do it, but the effort needed required he prepare for an attack from Zargon.

  A new assault struck the enemy’s defenses, and it wasn’t one of Kel’s preset spells. The strike came from Samruel, who had left the safety of his cloak to attack the enemy.

  Farrell tried to shout a warning, but seawater, not sound, spewed from his mouth. He called out mentally as he cleared he lungs. “Sam, stop! They’ll target you!”

  “They started this!” Samruel upped the intensity of his assault. “They can’t get away!”

  “Stop!” The familiar sound of a massive power surge sent Farrell airborne.

  Farrell flew toward his cousin. He didn’t have time to prepare a real defense, but he needed to do something or Samruel would be incinerated. Hopefully they wouldn’t both end up dead.

  The wizards on the remaining ship launched a barrage of new attacks at Samruel. Unlike Tilerstig’s defenses, a wizard was easy to see and target. Defending himself, Samruel appeared oblivious to the real danger coming from Zargon.

  Farrell saw something moving fast at the edge of the southern horizon. He landed in front of Samruel and ignored his cousin’s look of shock.

  “What…?” Samruel tried to move to the side, but Farrell blocked him.

  “Strengthen your shield as much as you can. Now!”

  He erected a new defense for this type of attack. Pointed at the top, he designed it to split the energy in two and shunt it the sides. Assuming they survived the first strike, he’d construct something better for the next one.

  A series of attacks from the ship exploded against his defenses, threatening its integrity. Farrell hadn’t designed it to withstand strikes from multiple sources. He repaired the damage and grabbed for the nearest preset spells.

  The time Farrell had spent studying Kel’s combat magic paid off. He recognized the spell and altered it to his use. A large burst of power erupted from the ground and slammed into the enemy vessel. Had Farrell followed up with a second strike, the shield would have shattered. But Meglar’s attack needed his full attention. The massive ball of energy struck his improvised defenses a second later.

  Fire exploded around them, but the shape of Farrell’s shield did its job. The majority of the force washed away to either side. The remainder was still powerful, and it leaked through the weakened outer protective layer. Farrell’s personal shield withstood onslaught, but Samruel’s flickered under the strain.

  Samruel screamed as tendrils of energy squeezed his defenses. He gritted his teeth and his shield stabilized. Farrell could see signs of power burns and knew his cousin was unable to continue the fight.

  Working quickly, Farrell replaced their defenses with a stronger one. The attacks from the ship had ceased, and he spared a glance in its direction. It hadn’t moved away, and the deck teemed with activity. The wizards focused their attention on the water, but their efforts seemed ineffective.

  Farrell heard Meglar launch another assault. A moment later he heard someone use high magic somewhere in Tilerstig. Something rumbled underneath Farrell, and he watched the spell spread out around them.

  The defenses sprang to life again, only stronger and more focused. Farrell couldn’t watch the result because Meglar’s next attack drew nearer. After making certain there’d be no feedback, Farrell created a bowl to catch the energy. The blow struck like a tree falling onto him, but he kept control of the energy. Once he sealed the ball, he pivoted to send it against Meglar’s ship but paused before he released it.

  Kel’s new attack sent dozens of red ribbons to wrap around the vessel. They squeezed the shield, and sparks flew from the friction. Preoccupied by threat to their shield, the wizards no longer paid attention to Farrell.

  Using the distraction, Farrell released the ball of energy he stole from Meglar. The shield survived the explosion but burst apart a moment later. A blast from below ripped through the deck and broke the ship in half.

  A few wizards managed to save themselves, but a series of new attacks from the shore targeted them. One by one their shields failed under the barrage. When the last lifeless body sank into the ocean, the spells went dormant again.

  Samruel groaned and Farrell realized he’d forgotten his cousin’s injuries. Several angry burns marred his face and neck. They probably hurt more than they were life-threatening. The ones on his torso, however, concerned him.

  A wound the width of Farrell’s hand bled profusely. Samruel leaned on his staff and nearly collapsed from the pain.

  Farrell kept alert for further attacks and used magic to support his cousin. “I’ve got you, Sam.”

  “Chosen?” Hteber’s head poked above the surface. “My wizards stopped the other two shells while you were distracted.”

  “Thank you for your help, but I need to take my cousin to the healers. Please give my thanks to King Clayden for his help.”

  “We will pray to Arritisa for your cousin’s speedy recovery.”

  He barely heard the words as Samruel looked deathly pale. “Hang on, Sam, I’ll get you home.”

  Samruel tried to nod, and Farrell saw more burns on his back and neck. Farrell hid his work and opened a Door. “Grandfather, Sam’s hurt. It’s bad. I’m taking him to Haven. Can you explain it to Pertrice?”

  “I will when we get a moment.” Kel sounded distracted.

  “What’s happening?” His fear froze him and he stopped working. When he got a jolt from the feedback, he focused on finishing the portal.

  “Ervend anticipated we might discover he turned the spells off. He gave Meglar a few details about what to expect. We are changing the defense to compensate.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “See to your cousin,” Kel said. “As I told you before, Beatrice and I didn’t tell them everything we did. There are more than a few surprises Ervend didn’t warn them about. We’ll be fine, just busy for a time.”

  Farrell finished the spell just as Kel’s presence left. The Door opened to Haven’s infirmary, startling a pair of young healers. Samruel was in shock, so Farrell scooped him up and carried him across the threshold.

  By design, the Door disappeared the moment they arrived in Haven.

  “Fetch Master Heather. My cousin is injured.” He didn’t wait for their answer but went straight to a healing table.

  Samruel stirred, but Farrell placed him on the bed. “Easy, Sam. We’re in Haven. Master Heather will take care of you.”

  “What’s going on?” Heather asked. There was no rebuke, just her clinical need for details.

  “We were in a fight. Samruel was burned when Meglar tried to kill us both.”

  “Samruel?” She raised her eyebrow. “They said it was your cousin. I expected King Markus.”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Not in the least.” Two more healers emerged, and she directed them to the other side. Heather snapped her fingers at a novice, and the young man rushed over. “Find Masters Yubel and Murta.”

  “At once, Master.”

  “You.” She pointed to Farrell. “I need you to describe what happened and anything unusual you saw, felt, or suspect.”

  Heather and her assistants examined their patient as Farrell explained the fight in detail. Halfway through the story, Masters Yubel and Murta arrived. Farrell was surprised to find Murta was a wizard healer. As a wizard she didn’t have enough talent to train. But it was more than enough to supplement her considerable healing gift.

  “Murta has declared the wounds free of magic,” Heather said. “But I want you to check again. You’re more attuned to Meglar’s spells than she is.”

  He’d been so focused on explaining the fight that he hadn’t seen them removed Samruel’s clothes. They’d stopped the blee
ding, but there were more burns than he imagined. He closed his eyes and concentrated on finding anything that didn’t belong. Then he double- and triple-checked his work.

  When he opened his eyes, the healers stared at him. “Nothing.”

  “You took longer than we expected,” Heather said. “Did you see anything of concern?”

  “No.” Even unconscious, Samruel was in pain. “Sorry it took so long, but given the number of injuries, I didn’t want to miss anything.”

  “Understood.” She returned to her patient as if Farrell wasn’t there.

  Farrell moved away and called for Miceral. After the third attempted he reached out for his adoptive father.

  “What are you doing back, youngling?” There was a note of admonishment in his voice. “I know Nerti has not come back with you.”

  “My cousin was gravely injured, so I brought him here.”

  “Which cousin is that?”

  Rather than try to explain everything, Farrell opened his memories to Rothdin.

  “Do you know where Miceral is?” Farrell asked when his father withdrew from his mind.

  “He is in Honal helping King Christian. I can contact him if you like.”

  “No.” Farrell wanted to see Miceral, but he didn’t want him to come home for a five-minute reunion. “I need to return to Tilerstig and help Kel. If you could let him know I was here and asked for him, I would appreciate it.”

  “You will be home for good soon enough.”

  Farrell didn’t answer. When he and Kel finished their travels, it would be time to confront Meglar. That wouldn’t leave time for much other than preparing for the final battle.

  Heather appeared, and he held up a finger. “Thank you, Father. Master Heather has an update, so I’m going to go now.”

  “Be safe, child of my heart.” The parental concern gave Farrell a lump in his throat.

  “Thank you, Father.” He closed the link and made eye contact with Heather. “Sorry, I was speaking to Rothdin.”

  “Nothing to apologize for. I wanted to let you know that your cousin is going to be fine with some rest and a few more treatments. You were wise to bring him here. Having treated you often enough, we are well trained to deal with this level of power burns. The healers where you came from might not have had the knowledge to save him.”

  “They’re also likely to be busy by now with other casualties.”

  “That is also true,” she said. “He’s asking for you. You may see him, but be brief. He’s weak and we want to put him back to sleep.”

  “Thank you.” He didn’t wait for her to change her mind.

  Samruel’s eyes were closed, so Farrell let him sleep. The flesh where his wounds had been was pink but healed. Farrell had had enough burns to know they had to repair the skin in stages. Once the body had a chance to rest, the healers would work on reducing the sensitivity.

  Samruel stirred and opened his eyes. He managed a thin smile and tried to raise his right hand. Farrell reached for it and gently placed it back on the bed.

  “Rest, Sam. I’ve had enough of these injuries to know that’s the best thing now.”

  “Thank you,” he whispered. “If I don’t make it—”

  Farrell put two fingers on his cousin’s lips. “Shh. It might not feel like it now, but you’re going to be fine. Master Heather and her staff are the best healers on Nendor. Now all you need to do is rest.”

  “You don’t have to pretend. I know how bad my injuries were.”

  “That’s why I brought you here,” he said. “I’ve had worse and Master Heather has brought me through them. You’ll be better soon.”

  Samruel perked up a bit. “I’m glad you’re not just my friend anymore.”

  “Me, too.” Not that blood made people closer. “But cousin or not, you were always there for me. I finally got to be there for you.”

  He smiled and closed his eyes. Farrell squeezed his hand gently and put it down on the sheet.

  “Farrell?”

  “Yes, Sam?”

  “I lied.” He opened his eyes. “I like the new Farrell better.”

  Farrell smiled. Sleep finally claimed Samruel, and Farrell left.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Queen Pertrice stared at Farrell from the other side of the Door, her arms folded across her chest. He forgave her stern expression given her son had nearly died, but it did little to endear her to him, especially not when he was about to pull every wizard and soldier Haven could spare. Troops and magi he could have sent to help a true ally instead of Tilerstig.

  He crossed over and hoped Lieutenant Greigel listened to him for a change. Pertrice was difficult enough without her son’s injury.

  “Is he all right?” she asked.

  “He’ll be fine in a few days. Right now he’s resting.”

  Pertrice watched him for a few seconds before she licked her lips. “Is this where you remind me you told me not to send him along?”

  “What would be the point of that?” That she said it proved she knew it was true.

  She shook her head. “You’re quite taken with yourself, aren’t you?”

  “Me?” Farrell laughed and had to motion to his guards to stay in Haven. “I’ve nothing to prove.”

  He wanted to point out that she was the one who had a false sense of importance but held back. Her life partner was dead after betraying her, her son almost died, and enemies threatened the kingdom on three fronts. A true ally didn’t kick his friends when they were hurting.

  “Sam’s sleeping, but I can take you to him if you like.”

  For a moment Farrell thought she’d be a mother first, but she shook her head. “I can’t. I need to be here.”

  Farrell motioned for Greigel to come through. Once he was in Berstig, Farrell redirected the Door to the infirmary. “It will only take a minute to see him, and I will use the time to assemble my people.”

  She still hesitated. When an orderly arrived, Farrell drew her attention to the open Door. “Please take Queen Pertrice to see her son.”

  “Of course, Your Majesty.” The young woman bowed respectfully.

  Farrell stepped aside and waited. Her conflict was clear, so he moved closer to her. “Go. Reassure yourself he’s going to be fine. You can be his mother for few minutes and still be the queen.”

  Her hard exterior cracked a bit, and Farrell worried he’d made a mistake. Perhaps being just the queen and not his mother was all that held her together. As Kel had said, the isolation had not prepared her for this type of crisis.

  She nodded and the tiny hint of a smile emerged. “Thank you.”

  She started to walk through but paused by the entrance. “When Sam came back, he talked nonstop about you. He was always worried about whether you’d be okay, would that other student hurt you, or who would watch over you when he left. Or he was telling us how brilliant you were even at thirteen. If you’d been older, I’d have suspected he had a crush on you. Matyhis said he loved you like a brother. Nothing more. Now I understand why. Unlike his mother, he was always a good judge of character.”

  She left to see her son. Ervend’s betrayal was going to linger for a while. He hoped Samruel could help his mother move past it.

  “How long are we going to wait here?” Greigel asked.

  “Sam’s in a healer-induced sleep, so I don’t think she’ll be too long.” He glanced down and noted how tightly Greigel gripped his weapon. “Why?”

  “I’m sure you didn’t miss it, but she doesn’t like you.” He scanned the room. “I’d rather not be here if her staff comes in and she’s gone.”

  It was something Farrell hadn’t considered. “Point taken. Would you prefer to be on that side of the Door?”

  “I’d prefer if you hadn’t come here without your guards.”

  “Take that up with Kel. He’s picked the place.”

  “Funny how you always end up somewhere just as all Neblor breaks loose.” Greigel frowned.

  The observation caused him to pause befo
re he responded. “I believe it comes with being Champion of the Six.”

  “Humph.” Greigel slid the handle of his weapon into its slot and slammed it home. “You don’t help the situation.”

  The tacit acknowledgment of the situation didn’t require an answer. Instead, he opted to get an update on the situation.

  “Grandfather?”

  “How is Samruel?”

  “He’s going to be fine. Master Heather did her usual excellent job healing a damaged wizard.”

  “Your cousin owes you a debt for giving her so much practice.” Kel chuckled at his joke. “I assume you want an update?”

  “That would be helpful. I’m assembling what forces we can spare to assist.”

  “I would hold them back for the moment. The fighting is almost over.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “You possess the Eye; shouldn’t you be able to find out?”

  Farrell instinctively reached into his pocket. “I could, but it would be quicker if you told me.”

  “Of course. Where are you?”

  He searched the room. Where was he? “The palace somewhere. I used the Eye to find the queen and opened a Door to her.”

  “Why don’t you ask her where you are?”

  “She’s visiting Samruel in Haven.”

  “Ah.” Kel paused for a moment. “Stay where you are. I’ve sent a seeking spell.”

  He didn’t wait long before the small puff flew through a window, circled him, and left the way it came. Greigel jumped at the intrusion and looked at Farrell.

  “That was Kel trying to find me.”

  He smiled, but he never relaxed.

  “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be there,” Kel said.

  “Farrell?”

  He looked and found Master Heather at the Haven side of the Door. Her faced matched the angry tone of her voice.

  “Yes?”

  “I know she’s Samruel’s mother, but the next time that woman comes here, she’ll need a healer for herself.”

  “What happened?”

  “You’d better come here and explain to her that no one orders me around in my infirmary.”