Summoner School 7: A Reverse Portal Fantasy, page 23
The fire mage grinned sadistically and then snapped his fingers like he was calling for more reinforcements, but instead I found myself back in the south forest behind Magia Schola. Buttery light cascaded through the tops of the trees, and peace washed over me like I hadn’t felt in months. It was so serene and beautiful that all I wanted to do was lay down and take a nap, but there was something important that I needed to do, and I just couldn’t put my finger on what that had been.
Something slapped me hard in the face, and the vision dissolved around me to reveal Wisp right in front of me with an irritated expression. The will-ó-wisp flapped her gossamer wings, and light cascaded around me like a shield. I blinked a few times as my pet spun to glare at Jason as if he’d just kicked her favorite person in the world, and hunger raced through our connection as she darted forward.
I shook the last of the illusion from my head and forced myself to focus on Wisp’s irritation as an anchor. The will-ó-wisp was in the middle of a battle with Jason as light pulsed between them like they were trying to figure out who could cast a stronger illusion. I stumbled forward a few steps and then managed to regain full control of my body right as Jason cast a fireball in my direction.
The blast singed my shoulder as I dodged to the side, and the fire mage cursed under his breath as Wisp used the momentary distraction to slice into his chest. Glittering black mana like I’d seen on the cursed ring rushed to fill the injury and cure him before my will-ó-wisp could even hit him again.
I closed the distance between us and punched Jason as hard as possible in the jaw and then crushed his left kneecap under my foot. The crunch wasn’t nearly as satisfying as the scream that burst out of the traitorous mage, but more of the black mana snapped the broken appendage back into place like nothing had happened. I could see the blood from where I’d broken his nose with my fist, but that was the only sign that he’d been hit in the first place.
“What the hell are you?” I gasped and jumped back as an ice blade formed in Jason’s hand. “How--”
“How can I use so many elements?” he sneered and grabbed Wisp by the ankle.
Flames climbed up Wisp’s body as she tried to escape, but the fire mage had too good of a hold on her, and soon my pet went up in smoke. There would be no way to summon her again before the fight was over, and a glance over my shoulder showed that the last ogre had managed to stab Abby right between the eyes. Two of my pets had already been taken down, and Storm had been in battle all day without a chance to rest, so that only left Flop Flop and me.
“I’ve been around a lot longer than any of you realize,” Jason said and brought my attention back to him. “Do you really think that I escaped the purgatory realm just to come here and hide for the rest of eternity? Of course not. I will have the immortality spell, and the resurrection spell, and then I’ll do what Morgana never could. I will rule the nine realms.”
Realization struck me like a punch to the gut, and my mouth went completely dry as I stared into Jason’s crazed eyes. If what he said was true, then he wasn’t Jason, or Joseph, he was Kruwyn himself. A shudder washed over me as I remembered what Professor Edinbock had said about the powerful mage, and he’d only grown stronger over the last hundred years.
“I’m not going to give you the last spell piece,” I said and lifted my chin defiantly. “And you won’t make it out of here alive. I don’t care what kind of black magic you have to heal you.”
“Black magic?” he laughed and glanced down at his torn clothing. “I suppose the unenlightened would call it black magic. But the shadow creatures are as old as time itself. They were here even before the Wild Hunt began. How can what they do be called black magic when it’s as natural to them as breathing is to you and me? I felt that mardrom that you called earlier. And since you’re standing in front of me with almost no injuries, then I can bet that he shared mana with you… just like my children share with me.”
Kruwyn flicked his wrist, and the ice blade shot miniature versions of itself forward so fast that I only managed to dodge two of them while the other two embedded into my chest. Icicles formed over my clothing as pain shot through my body like I’d been out in a snowstorm for a week. The evil mage sneered and stalked forward as if he was a lion on a hunt, but I refused to back down.
Storm floated around behind Kruwyn, and Flop Flop quietly snuck forward and lowered his massive head to ram the bastard with his antlers. It was a good idea, but I had a better one, though that would require me to play bait for just a little while longer. Both of my pets paused as I sent a picture of lightning and blades through our bond, but then they nodded as if they understood their assignment, and I fought the urge to sigh with relief.
Every muscle in my body ached as the ice slowly spread toward my neck and torso, but I could still move around, and that was all that mattered. The future of the nine realms depended on me, and I wouldn’t let them down, not when so many had already given their lives just to get me into the same room as the evil mage. Even if I had to die it would be worth it, though that was the last resort since the girls would probably use the resurrection spell to bring me back. But there was no telling what kind of damage that thing would do if it was actually used, so I had to stay alive if I wanted to be sure it was never used.
“You’re a real piece of work,” I managed to bite out.
“You’re one to talk,” Kruwyn said and then grabbed me by the neck.
Heat pulsed through me as the fire mage melted the ice and then started to burn my flesh. I punched him hard in the sternum, but the evil mage still wouldn’t let go. Pain seared through me as the fire licked my skin, and it took all of my willpower to grab the small knife in my pocket.
The little pocket knife was the same one that my grandfather had carried his entire life, and I barely ever had any use for it in the modern world, but at the moment, I was glad that it stayed with me every day. I flipped it open and then jabbed it into the side of Kruwyn’s neck, brought one knee up, and kicked him as hard as I could in the crotch. The blade was still stuck in the evil mage as he fell backwards and released me, and black mana bubbled out of him instead of blood like it was trying to patch the hole.
“Now!” I gasped and brought a hand to my throat. “Do it now.”
Flop Flop had managed to quietly charge his antlers with lightning and raced forward to slam the pointed ends into Kruwyn’s back. The strike wasn’t as powerful as it would’ve been if we were outside, but the razor-sharp antlers pierced the evil mage’s flesh like it was tissue paper, and the blue electricity raced up his chest to connect with the pocket knife that I’d stuck in the old man’s neck. My jackalope hopped up and down as another blast of lightning raced across his fur.
Storm raced downwards with her wind in full force to slice off Kruwyn’s arms, and I looked around for anything that I could use to help them. One of the ogres had dropped a wooden club, and it was just the right length to keep me away from Flop Flop’s lightning while I pummeled the evil mage’s insides. I rushed forward and slammed the heavy wood into Kruwyn’s ribs while my wind elemental tried to cut through his legs.
Black mana bubbled up through each of the wounds as it tried to heal him, and Kruwyn jerked in every direction in a desperate attempt to find a way free, but we surrounded him on every side. Blood finally started to drip down the old mage’s body as the dark magic ran out, and I stumbled backwards as he collapsed onto the cold stone floor. Glittering black mana oozed into the cracks with Kruwyn’s life blood, and Flop Flop dissolved as the rest of his energy was spent.
I sank down to the floor as the adrenaline flowed out of me all at once. Kruwyn’s lifeless eyes glared up at me as if the evil mage was promising to come back from the grave, but that wouldn’t happen without the resurrection spell, and I’d already promised to give that to the dragons. I had no doubt in my mind that the three dragon kings would keep the immortality and resurrection spells under wraps for the rest of time.
Kruwyn was dead.
And he would stay like that forever.
All there was left to do was find the spells before someone else did.
Chapter 16
A soft click sounded behind me, and I slowly shifted until I could see the door burst inward. Atlesia and Sarya raced toward me with more cuts than they’d had when they’d been locked out. It was clear that the girls had been fighting for their own lives, and I flashed them a tired smile as they squatted on the floor in front of me.
“Hey,” I said and reached up to brush the hair out of each of their faces. “Did you miss me that much?”
“Where are you injured?” Sarya asked and started to pull my shirt up. “What is this? It looks like burns. Did Jason do this? I’ll kill him.”
“Too late,” I chuckled and jerked a thumb over my shoulder. “Already did that. And you’ll never believe who he actually was.”
“Joseph, right?” Atlesia asked as she went through my bag for more healing potion. “Your grandmother told us about him. And you said that he’s been using the age refinement spell.”
“He was Kruwyn,” I said and then gulped down the small vial of potion that my girlfriend handed me. “This stuff gets worse the more I have it. Or maybe it just tastes worse when I’m more injured.”
Both girls shared a look like they weren’t sure if they should yell at me or hug me, but then they turned at the same time to look at Kruwyn’s corpse.
I looked over my shoulder at the body of one of the most evil mages of all time, and I watched it so long that I almost thought that he moved. If it wasn’t for the fact that his arms and legs were no longer connected to him, then it would actually seem possible. I’d already seen Kruwyn use one powerful illusion to fake his death, but this time there was no escape, and we’d burn his body just to be sure.
“Sarya,” I said and then cleared my throat as my voice broke. “I want you to burn it. Do you have enough mana to use your blue flames?”
“Yes,” the fire mage said.
Sarya lifted her delicate fingers, and blue flames burst out of them to consume what was left of the Kruwyn’s body. My grandfather’s blade melted out of the side of the evil mage’s neck, but it had served its purpose, and I knew gramps would have approved of how it went out. My mate burned the corpse until there was nothing left but ashes, and then Atlesia gathered all of it into a leather satchel.
“We need to keep this safe,” the flower nymph said. “If a nymph gets it, then they can use it to grow some of the most evil plants in the nine realms. If you think the corpse flower is bad, then you should see what happens when an evil mage’s body is burned and used as garden soil.”
“That’s one of the reasons that the magical council consigns evil mages to the purgatory realm,” Sarya said.
“Speaking of which,” I groaned as I climbed to my feet. “I think it’s time we go meet up with the others and find your parents.”
“I need them to be okay, Andrew,” my mate whispered.
“I’m sure they are,” I said with a reassuring smile. “Kruwyn was a smart man. He wouldn’t kill them when he still needed them as a bargaining chip. And if I died and took my blood with me, then they’d be the only ones that might be able to help him replace the last piece of the immortality spell.”
I slipped my fingers through Sarya’s, grabbed my bag, and then followed Atlesia as she led the way through the maze back to where Mike and Stacy were guarding Charles. It seemed like the trip back was even longer than the one to get to Kruwyn in the first place, but that was probably because I was so drained that each step felt like it required every ounce of my energy. I’d probably sleep for days after everything was said and done, but for the moment, there was still work to be done.
“What?” Atlesia gasped as she walked back into the vaulted room where we’d left everyone. “Mike! Stacy!”
I glanced over at Sarya and then took off in a run. There hadn’t been anyone left to fight when we’d left them, but that didn’t mean that reinforcements hadn’t come in. I skidded to a halt the second that I came into the room and almost fell as my foot hit a puddle of blood.
Stacy and Mike groaned as Atlesia released a pollen in their face that smelled like a smelling salt. There was a burn mark from a taser on each of their necks as if someone had snuck up behind them, and Charles was nowhere to be seen. My roommate came to first and blinked in the low light as if his memories were slowly coming back to him.
“He got away,” Mike growled and reached up to touch his neck. “He used some kind of device on me. I-I don’t know how I didn’t realize that he was awake. He shouldn’t have been. My sleep bomb went off right in his face. It’s not… it’s not possible.”
“He must’ve used some kind of mask,” Stacy said and ran her hands over her face. “There was a prototype a long time ago for underwater breathing. It only worked half the time, but it went right up the nose so that no one would be able to accidentally snort it out. There’s no way you would’ve seen it. If he managed to get that thing working…”
“Then he could’ve easily pretended to be asleep,” I said and glanced around the room to make sure that no one else was missing.
The bodies of the technomages were still scattered everywhere, but Joe’s body was the only other one that seemed to be missing. There was a void in the puddle of blood where he’d collapsed, and bright red footsteps led through the carnage toward the door to the outside. Charles must have taken his lover, but he wouldn’t get far with the dragons and the rest of our army outside.
“Storm, follow that trail,” I said and helped Mike up while the girls helped Stacy up.
We were covered in so much blood it looked as if we’d rolled around in it instead of mud, and we stank like the back part of a butcher’s shop. But none of that would matter if we couldn’t stop Charles from using the resurrection spell on his lover. It would be useless without the immortality spell, but the technomage was determined. He’d do anything to bring Joe back from the dead, though the results weren’t likely to be what he hoped for with only parts of the evil spell.
“He’ll do whatever it takes to resurrect Joe,” Stacy said as if she could read my mind. “Even if it means destroying everything and everybody in the nine realms.”
“Then we make sure that he doesn’t get it,” I said and took off after Storm.
The visible trail ended after only a few twists and turns, but my wind elemental was able to track Charles deeper into the maze than we’d been so far. Most of the traps had become inert as if Kruwyn’s death had deactivated them, and I wondered how many of them had been illusions. It would make sense since his own people had to come through the hallways, and it wouldn’t be much of a power base if the place was filled with deathly traps that had to be deactivated every time someone wanted to meet with him. On the other hand, the evil mage wasn’t above killing his own people, so maybe the traps were fed by his black mana.
I was so lost in the puzzle of the traps, that when Storm stopped suddenly, I walked right through her. I turned around as I sent her a sense of confusion, and she sent a picture of a portal through our bond to let me know that Charles had gone back to the human realm.
“Damn,” I swore and kicked the wall. “He’s gone.”
“Do you think that he got the spell?” Atelsia asked.
“I don’t know,” I sighed and ran a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. “Storm just says that he used a portal right here. Fan out and look for any doors. There’s probably a trap or an illusion to protect it, so be careful.”
We all spread out in the thin corridor and started to run our hands over the wall. There was a small chink in the stone right above my head, so I took a deep breath to steady myself and then pushed my finger inside of it. The wall hissed like the hydraulic brakes on a semi truck, and then a door popped open and slid back to reveal another dimly-lit room.
“Who’s there?” a familiar voice called from inside. “If it’s you, Jason, then you can just go ahead and leave. None of us are going to make a deal with you. You’ll never have the immortality spell.”
“Dad?” Sarya whispered.
Tears spilled down my mate’s face as she rushed into the room before any of us could stop her. It could’ve easily been another illusion from one of the mages working with Kruwyn, but since the last vision hadn’t spoken, I hoped for all of our sakes that this time it was the real thing. Sarya let out a strangled cry and ran straight up to the long cell on the other side of the room.
I followed after with the others right behind me, glanced to my left and right for any signs of an illusion, and then sighed with relief when there weren’t any. The two most powerful illusion users were already dead, but I’d already been thrown for a loop a few times that day by some very impressive spells, so it was better to be safe than sorry. I kept my head on a swivel as I walked over to join Sarya at the prison cell, and Mike walked over to retrieve the keys that hung on the wall to the right.
”It’s about time you showed up,” Lord Nadouk said with a sideways grin. “I was starting to think that the Kaylens had a wimp for a son-in-law.”
“It wouldn’t have taken so long if your seer didn’t insist on us making friends with the dragons,” I responded and then burst into laughter. “It’s good to see you, too, Lord Nadouk. Prison clearly agrees with you. Maybe we should leave you here?”
“I do like a small, clean cell,” the old dwarf said with a glance at Mike as he unlocked the door. “But I can’t say I like the company. Much prefer to have my wife around than these council members.”
“We feel the same,” the elder tree-man said and then bowed to Mike. “It is good to see a fellow tree-person is here for our rescue.”
“There are more of us,” Mike said and puffed his chest out with pride. “We rallied everyone to come to your rescue. Everyone is outside waiting. Even the ancients.”
The council members all exchanged looks like they weren’t sure if they should believe that this was real, and I motioned to the blood that covered me. It was clear that we’d all been in an epic battle, and I could still hear the roar of the dragons outside as they finished off whatever remained of Kruwyn’s men. Of course, the evil mage had probably tricked them with illusions a few times over the last few days, so I forced a reassuring smile and made space for them to come out and join us.
