The Quest for the Lost Shards of Power

by F M Andrews

  “Um, I still don’t think we have time for this right now!” Eva’s concerned thought broke through his euphoria as the ugly world about him came crashing in. It was time to flee.

  #

  Zail knew the instant She regained her powers, understanding immediately that he had lost his advantage. She was strong and cunning, but she still had one glaring weakness, her insane concern for others, and it was always a pleasure to use this against her. For some strange reason she surrounded herself with worthless peasants and today was no exception. All he had to do was to isolate one or two of her belly-crawling sociopaths and threaten them. It had worked in the past and he was sure it would work today. He scoffed at her weakness. He himself had never put himself in such a position of vulnerability. He had never let anyone be important to him. Her concern for others would be the only reason she was still running away from him, towards the boundary.

  Assessing the situation, he saw that she had placed a strong shield about herself and her companions. He chuckled. He had the perfect foil for that. The stronger the shield the more successful this trick became. Floating nonchalantly towards her retreating back, pinpointing the exact spot where her shield touched the ground, he activated the spell. Nothing happened for a while and the anticipation was exquisite. Here they were, still thinking that they were evading him, but in reality they were running towards their deaths.

  He smirked as the first sign that his magic was taking effect. The horses were slowing, their sides heaving as they gasped for air. Next the dragon landed heavily, unable to fly again. The witch turned to glare at him, her eyes calculating. It was scrumptious. She was caught. If she let go of her shield, her people were without protection. Keep it and they would all run out of air. He had stumbled across this little inconsequential spell on some forsaken world and stored it away for future use and now it had proved its worth. It was simple really. He had just set up a siphon spell to pump out the air from inside her shield, and all he had to do was watch and with delight. He settled back down to earth to enjoy the show.

  #

  Errin gasped for air. How had he done this? She reviewed her choices and did not like any of them. Watching his gloating face only made her seethe more. If she let her protective barrier go she was certain he would target the others. Somehow she had to give them enough time to erect their own shield as soon as hers collapsed. She needed to distract Zail. Breathing was becoming more and more difficult and it was getting harder and harder to focus.

  A small hand slipped into hers, accompanied by a thought.

  “We could use his own trick against him if we wanted to,” Lutex’s thoughts filled her mind. “Except I think it is better to give than take. Why don’t we fill his shield, rather than empty it?”

  Errin was confused. “I don't really know how he is doing this to us, and I don’t know how to access his shield,” she replied, a note of desperation in her thoughts.

  “Well, the way I see it is that he has used the join where the shields sit on the ground to pump our air out. We can do the same to him, except we could fill his shield with water? We would have to push it up from underneath, all at once, so he doesn't get a chance to move. It shouldn’t be too tricky, and it would give us the distraction we need.”

  Errin kissed the small boy's head before communicating the plan to the others. The air was getting very thin. Time was running out. For Errin’s plan to work, they needed to be coordinated, there was no room for error. “Ready?” she asked, panting. Everyone nodded. “Right, then. Let’s do this!”

  All in the same split moment, Errin let down her shield, allowing everyone to take in a precious lungful of air, pushed all the water she had accumulated beneath Zail upwards, immediately filling his bubble of protection and Myssan, Lutex, the twins and Hezrill hastily erected another shield. Zail had been poised to attack Errin’s weak companions as soon as her barrier dropped and was totally unprepared for the sudden inrush of water that flooded his shield in a heartbeat. He gasped, sucking in a lungful of water. Choking, he banished his shield and shot upward, hoping that she would not be expecting that, but as it turned out, he needn't have worried because instead of attacking she had fled.

  His quarry was getting dangerously close to their goal now. He could even make out individual trees demarcating the edge of the wastelands. A movement caught his eye. Small groups of riders were converging on his position. They were coming from every point of the compass and the line of riders he had noticed earlier was completing the circle. He snorted in derision. This was just extra icing on the cake. Once he had finished with her he would love nothing better than to have some leisurely fun with these riders. He salivated as he pictured one of his favourite games, which involved taking over the person's body but not their mind, and making them attack and kill their own comrades. It always was so satisfying to see the horror and distress this caused. Something to look forward to, he thought, before dismissing them once more and turning his concentration back to his original target. It was time to stop playing with his prey and deliver the killing blow.

  Drifting down lower, he concentrated on summoning his talent. The spell he was about to use took strength and energy but it was so worth it. Carefully he examined it, making sure that there were no weak points, making sure she could not escape. All was perfect and with a smile of pure malice he cast his net of power to fall over her shield, completely covering it, completely sealing them off from the outside world. It was transparent to allow him to witness every moment of their suffering. Slowly, evenly, he began to tighten the net, causing her shield to shrink, to compress the air trapped inside. It was such a luscious moment when she first understood her peril and he settled in to enjoy every excruciating moment of it.

  Errin stopped running. The pressure was building. Already it was getting difficult to breathe, to expand the lungs against the tightening band across her chest. It felt as if her head was being crushed in a vice and that her eyes were going to pop. It had taken her a while to work out exactly what he had done and how to combat it. Her shield was the only thing keeping his net from crushing them completely but she was finding it more and more difficult to push outwards against his spell. Even with all her recovered power she was not strong enough to hold him back. It was taking everything she had just to slow it down. She stood panting, eyes closed, concentrating, blocking out the world, but she was not alone in this and quietly the other wizards came to lend their strength. Invigorated, she pushed back against his might with renewed vigour only to find that they were still not strong enough. The end was inevitable.

  He was just too powerful. Some small part of her took a step outside her body to conduct its own little narrative. ‘So this is how it ends?’ it postulated. ‘Evil has won.’ It broke her heart that she had led so many good people to this death. He was going to win, although she was going to do everything in her power to make him work very hard for it. The pressure was almost unbearable now. Syran’s wings were crumpling against his body and their horses were all panting in short sharp breaths, unable to expand their lungs any further. Lacking the energy to stand, everyone was sitting on the ground. All knew that this fight was futile, but none would give in.

  Lutex was the first to slip into unconsciousness; for a tiny slice of time their bond was broken, and the net closed in again before Myssan grasped her free hand. This was unbearable. Next to succumb was Hezrill and Ema was not far behind. With each loss the net tightened. Syran collapsed in an ungainly heap followed shortly by the horses. Errin could feel the blood vessels in her eyes bursting and her vision blurred. Ela was sobbing. It was no good. She was simply not strong enough. It was time to end this suffering now. She had gambled everything on being able to stand up to him, on having enough power to at least save her companions but her gamble had failed and she and the universe had lost.

  #

  Zail could sense victory. His net was closing faster now as her resistance faded. Floating to earth he strode up to the net, wanting to savour
every exploding head, every collapsed ribcage in vivid detail. The end was so close, any moment now it would be all over. He could hardly believe it. All those thousands of turns worrying about her and now, now he would be free of her forever. His ears picked up the sound of hoof beats drawing closer and he quickly erected a small shield, not want anything to distract him from this glorious spectacle before him.

  #

  Errin’s reaction to the approaching horsemen was quite different. To her, they represented a trickle of hope. Through her blurred vision, she could just make out Anssan charging in from the east, and the lumbering form of Hexrick from the west. Maybe, just maybe, they would make it in time? She just needed to hold out for a few more moments. She was shaking now, dredging up every scrap of power just to hold on until the riders arrived. It was excruciating. They seemed to be travelling much too slow. She would never last. Clenching her teeth and her fists, she continued to struggle. She owed it to these brave people who had sacrificed everything for her cause to hold on for just a few more heartbeats.

  #

  Zail cried out in confusion.

  What had just happened? Between one breath and the next, his power had evaporated. Desperately, he tried to summon it again, searching for the slightest vestige, but it had simply vanished. His collapsing net had also vaporised, leaving its occupants gasping but alive and recovering quickly. He had never been bereft of his power before, and feeling vulnerable and unprotected, he nervously surveyed the circle of horsemen charging towards him. Understanding hit him like a sledge hammer. These were not all knights; those accursed blockers must be riding with them, and he was surrounded. The only bright spot was that Errin’s power would have been taken also. Cursing his stupidity he knew that he had to act decisively and fast if he was going to escape. They thought they had him. Let them be careless. Hanging his head, he held up his hands in surrender.

  #

  Massaging her head Errin sat up, taking in great gulps wonderful air, stunned that they were all still alive. She was as helpless as Zail now and would just have to put up with the pain – it was a small price to pay. Zail was standing submissively, surrounded by riders. No one had dared get close to him yet and he stood alone. Dissan nudged his sweat-lathered horse forwards and, sword drawn, he approached the dark figure. Errin noticed that somehow Zail looked so much smaller without his power, as if losing it had caused him to shrink.

  Dissan came to a stop before the wizard, glaring down at him in disgust.

  “I wish I could run you through here and now, but our code of honour prevents me doing so, yet rest assured, you will be made to pay for your crimes,” Dissan spat, his body rigid with anger. Zail lowered his arms and mumbled something, making Dissan lean closer to hear.

  “No!” Errin screamed, but she was too late. The wizard grabbed Dissan’s arm and used it to haul himself up onto the horse behind him, and with unbelievable strength he snatched the prince's sword and brought it up to Dissan’s throat. The prince was powerless, the edge of his own sword cutting a thin line across his neck. It had all happened in the blink of an eye, and had been so unexpected that everyone just stared, stunned. Surrin had muffled her short scream, covering her mouth with her hands, her wide, frantic eyes showing her fear.

  Zail stared wildly about, looking for an escape route. Now that he had an important hostage, it was a simple matter of riding back into the wild lands, away from those blasted blockers, until he could once again source his power.

  “If any one comes near me this man will die!” he threatened.

  Errin knew that Dissan was dead either way. Zail would never let him live. It was one thing to understand this, but quite another to be the one to cause the prince’s death. No one wanted to make the first move. Zail’s grin was unbearable; it held pure malus at seeing the helplessness and indecision in the eyes of the people surrounding him.

  Errin felt rather than saw movement behind her, turning just in time to see Ela dash off in one direction and Pritt stand, raise his bow and let an arrow fly. She watched its path in morbid fascination, unable to look away as it sped straight towards Dissan’s heart.

  Had the boy summed up the situation and come to the same conclusion? Even so, she could not believe he could be so cold and calculating. The arrow connected with a thud, throwing the prince backwards, his head snapping back to connect loudly with Zail’s shoulder before he slumped to the ground, leaving Zail without a shield. Instantly, the wizard flattened himself on the horse’s back to provide as small of a target as possible and prepared to ride. A stray rider-less horse galloped towards him on an intercept course. Zail dismissed it, focusing instead on finding a weak point in the circle where he could punch through and break free. The animal veered towards him and he turned to avoid it. It was then that Errin noticed a foot peeping above the empty saddle.

  “Ela!” she breathed. “No child. Please don’t,” she whispered. Ema came to stand next to her, all her concentration focused on her twin.

  Zail still had Dissan’s sword and Errin knew never to underestimate him but she also knew that he had never come up against this twin out for revenge. Unable to breathe, Errin watched as Ela rose into the saddle, a long lance balanced in her grip. Zail sat up to face this new threat, and with a single fluid motion and a triumphant scream, Ela thrust the lance straight through Zail’s heart. He died instantly. A wild cheer erupted as he toppled from his horse to thud unceremoniously in a crumpled mess onto the turf below, an expression of surprise plastered on his face.

  It was over, but at what cost? Errin raced towards Dissan’s fallen body in the vain hope that he still lived. Pritt had done what was necessary, but she was certain that the people of Feld would never find it in their hearts to forgive him if Dissan was dead. Reaching his prone body, she felt for any sign of life, and to her amazement he opened his eyes and winked at her, a cheeky grin playing on his lips.

  “What….? I don’t understand,” Errin stammered, impatiently dashing the tears from her eyes, her mind confused but her heart singing. As an answer, Dissan plucked the arrow from his jerkin. There was no tip on it – it was only a blunt practice arrow. The force of it had been enough to knock him down but apart from a pretty impressive bruise he was going to be just fine. Errin’s tears of relief and joy spilled unheeded now as she gathered the prince in a smothering embrace. It was over. It was finally over. It would take many turns for her to really understand that Zail would never, ever terrorise anyone again and she knew that from now on her work would be cut out righting his wrongs, but for the moment, all she wanted to do was be with her loved ones. She put the crippling sadness of losing Turrin off to one side, and gave into the wave of celebration that was engulfing everyone in sight.

  #

  Riding towards the boundary, Hexrick was content. It felt good to have Lutex’s small frame sitting back up on Tilda with him again, although he now had the added bonus of a large tabby cat-like creature prowling along on one side and two imposing trolls on the other. That boy had a way of collecting the oddest companions. It had been a joyous reunion, the burden of worry he had been carrying ever since the boy left, miraculously lifted, and he felt himself grinning constantly. What an outcome. No one dared hope that Errin’s audacious plan would work.

  He had understood the principle of luring Zail as close to the boundary as possible and then surrounding him with guardians to render him powerless, but the fact that it had actually worked had yet to sink in properly. He had been in charge of the gathering of guardians on the East flank and Anssan and Surrin had taken charge of the West. There had been a lot of practice and organising, using the guardian's far talk in the final phase, and it had been touch and go. If they acted too quickly Zail would escape and too late and Errin might have died. He sobered a little, reflecting that it had all nearly fallen apart anyway, as no one had understood that, even without his powers, he should not have been underestimated. Thank goodness for Ela and that bloke they brought back with them. Lutex touched his han
d.

  “It is nice to be home,” he said wistfully. Hexrick was having trouble getting used to the fact that the boy communicated through thought now but was consoled by the fact that Lutex’s perceptiveness about people's feelings and fears had not changed one little bit.

  Despite the fact that they were protected from the wild magic storms and that there would be no more troll invasions thanks to Brack’s destruction of the portal, everyone was anxious to return to the protection of the boundary. There were stories to be told and reunions to be had. It was time to celebrate properly. Looking around at his friends and companions Hexrick’s heart nearly burst with pride. These people had overcome tremendous odds to banish the evil that was Zail. Each and every one of them was a hero, although that was not why they had prevailed. They had won because they all understood that they were not alone, that others depended on them and that they were not afraid to depend on others. It was this bond of family, of companionship and honour that had ultimately made the difference.

  He ruffled Lutex’s hair, noticing that it had grown longer and even more unruly in the past twenty-two days. He had always known this small child was extraordinary, but looking at the two trolls he had to admit that he may have not given him enough credit. It was unbelievable to him that Lutex had overcome hatred and prejudice to be able to persuade these arch enemies to aid their cause. Hexrick snorted at himself, totally bemused by it all, yet knowing if anyone could do it, it would be Lutex.

  #

  Fenrick brought his horse up next to Errin’s. He looked a little older to her, as if this adventure had taken its toll on him, but he was as cheerful as always and the twinkle in his eye told her that he was already composing the ballad of their triumph.