Overmage, page 21
“Some kind of bile monsters, I’m sure.” Joran opened his kit and pulled out six adhesive vials. They were so handy he’d taken to carrying more than usual. “Do you think magic will work on them?”
“Only one way to find out,” Grub said.
“Figured you’d say that.”
Mia held up her sword. “This will work on them.”
“I’m sure, but twelve against one is a lot even for you. I’m hoping we can bind a few of them before we attack. Even the odds a bit.”
Joran handed three vials to Grub and kept the rest for himself. “Smash them at their feet. If you can get more than one, so much the better.”
Extending his sight and carrying a single vial took everything Joran had. When he saw the monsters for himself, he shuddered. Grub’s description didn’t do them justice. They were even more horrifying than the tentacle-head thing.
The nearest one stared at the floating vial but made no move to attack. It probably didn’t consider the vial a threat. Joran would disabuse it of that idea quickly.
An effort of will shattered the vial directly above the nearest creature’s feet. The adhesive oozed out and quickly hardened locking the monster in place. While Joran sent a second vial floating down, Grub stuck down five with his vials. Someone took his final vial out of his hand.
He didn’t argue. Grub was clearly better at this than him.
At least he managed to hit his second target.
In the end they ended up sticking eight of the things to the floor, leaving four still mobile. Far from ideal, but better than twelve.
Joran returned his sight to his body and gasped. That took way more out of him than he’d expected. “We did all we could. Mia, Antius, Stoneheart, you’re up.”
The warriors strode toward the stairs with Mia in the lead. Joran moved to follow but Alexandra caught his hand. “They can handle it. You need to rest.”
He didn’t even try to argue. Instead, he moved to the top of the steps beside Grub and listened. The thuds and slices of combat reached them soon enough.
“You did good,” Grub said. “Didn’t figure you had enough focus for two spells at the same time. Glad I was wrong.”
“I’m not anxious to try it again. How is it you’re not exhausted?”
Grub shrugged. “Fifty years more experience than you.”
“I suppose that would make a difference.”
Everything went quiet then Mia said, “We’re good.”
Right, back to work.
Joran led the others downstairs and grimaced at the mess filling the hall. Bits of monsters and puddles of black blood covered the floor. None of the warriors had been hurt which came as a relief. The door at the end of the hall crackled with the most powerful trap Joran had seen yet.
“I’ll handle it,” Grub said.
They all moved well back and the dwarf used the same magic construct as before to grasp the handle.
This time fire and lightning exploded from all directions. When the fury subsided, only piles of ash filled the hall. Nice of her to leave a clean-up mechanism behind.
“It’s clear,” Grub said.
Inside the final room waited a crystal coffin charged with more ethereal energy than Joran had ever seen. Inside the coffin floated a vaguely female-shaped cloud of dark energy. Joran could only think of one way to do this.
“Mia, you’re up. Thrust your sword into that dark cloud and let the mithril purify it.”
She gave the crystal the side-eye. “You think it’ll cut through crystal?”
“It cuts through everything else. Only one way to find out for sure.”
Mia leapt up on the coffin and slammed the tip of her sword into it. As Joran expected, the mithril sliced right through. The only thing that had given them trouble was that Hell-forged sword the assassin used. Everything else might as well be paper.
The sword seemed to draw the darkness into it. Second by second the dark cloud grew smaller until at last the coffin was empty.
Somehow Joran had expected something else to happen. That he’d get some kind of sign that it was really over.
Mia took his hand and hopped down. “Did I do it?”
“As far as I can tell. Now we need to find Khashair’s hideout.”
“Now you need to rest,” Alexandra said in her Iron Princess voice.
That sounded good too. “Grub, can you do something to secure the fortress? I don’t want someone finding and looting this place before we get back.”
“I can ward the entrance,” Grub said. “It won’t stop a really powerful wizard, like that kid, but it’ll stop some random thief that might wander into the valley.”
“Good enough.”
Now that the immediate danger had passed, all he wanted to do was sleep. Grief and exhaustion combined to nearly overwhelm him.
Somehow Joran held it together until they made it back to the dragon ship. When he and Alexandra were alone, he cried himself to sleep in her arms.
Chapter 34
Joran didn’t know how long he slept, but when he finally woke, he felt better than he expected. Knowing Titus’s magically preserved body was lying in the hold of the dragon ship draped with a tarp put a little catch in his throat, but it was nothing he couldn’t force his way through. At least as long as he didn’t think about the conversation he was going to have to have with his family when he got home.
He rolled out of his hammock and looked around at the empty cabin. Alexandra must be on the bridge. A moment of concentration confirmed that Mia was with her. He had no idea about the others, but felt certain they’d be ready when the time came.
Assuming they found the tower Samaritan mentioned.
Joran dressed and made his way up to the bridge. It felt empty without the Iron Guards. But given what they were doing, the fewer people who knew about it the better.
As soon as he stepped through the door Mia hurried over. “Are you okay?”
He offered a weak smile. “As okay as possible considering. Did you get a little rest?”
“Yeah, I’m good, though it felt weird having the cabin to myself. I knew you were right next door, but it wasn’t the same.”
His gaze shifted to Alexandra, who kept a few paces away. “Any luck?”
She shook her head. “Nothing yet. We may end up needing the other dragon ship to expand the search.”
That didn’t especially surprise him. There was a lot of territory out here, all of it wild. Finding a single tower, especially if it was damaged and not jutting above the trees, was a big job. It still needed to be done. Having the overmage’s soul sitting out there like a delayed-action alchemy bomb wasn’t something the empire could allow.
“Has Grub been up here?” Joran asked.
“No, why?” Alexandra asked.
“Well, if this is a wizard’s tower, we might be able to see something in the ether. Some magical spark to guide us.”
“Want me to go get him?” Mia asked.
“Not right now. I can look until my eyes get tired then he can take over.”
Joran walked up to the window and shifted his vision to the ether. The instant he did, he found the usually chaotic energy field looked especially orderly a few miles further north. It was worth checking out.
“Turn north and just a little more east. I don’t know what it is, but something’s there.”
Joran caught the captain’s faint sigh before he relayed the order. Soon enough the dragon ship changed course and they were headed right toward the anomaly.
A twenty-minute flight brought them within sight of a broken stone tower. The top looked like a catapult stone had hit it full on. Rubble littered the modest clearing. Since it hadn’t been transformed to black iron, Joran figured the dragon didn’t smash it, though he couldn’t imagine what had.
Well, as long as whatever it was didn’t decide to come back in the next hour or so, he didn’t really care.
“Is that it?” Alexandra asked.
“Seems like it has to be, but there’s only one way to be sure.”
“Right, let’s go.” Alexandra turned to leave, but Joran put a gentle hand on her arm. “What?”
“Would you mind staying up here?” When she started to object, he raised his hands. “I know you want to help and I’m grateful, but if there are black iron golems down there, your sword won’t even scratch them. I’m leaving Antius behind for the same reason.”
Even scowling she was beautiful. “Fine, but if you get yourself killed, I swear I’ll find a way to resurrect you and kill you myself.”
Joran kissed her. “Thanks.”
On the way to the gondola, Joran and Mia picked up the dwarves. As they walked, Joran described what he saw in the ether.
“Sounds like a barrier,” Grub said. “Probably to stop anyone from scrying on him. Shouldn’t be a problem since we’re here in the flesh.”
Joran had about had his fill of shoulds, but doubted he’d get anything better. In the hold they loaded into the gondola and began the descent.
Mia clenched and relaxed her right hand as the gondola descended. Joran’s pain at his brother’s death had nearly broken her heart. The fact that she killed Titus made the ache even more visceral. She really hadn’t meant to do it and she knew Joran didn’t blame her. Their link revealed his true feelings and there was nothing but love for her there.
It was an extremely generous reaction.
“You alright?” Joran shifted to stand closer to her.
She forced her hand to go still. “Yeah, just ready for this to be over.”
“You said it. Though I think I’d rather face another giant serpent than tell my parents about Titus.”
“I’m sorr—”
“Stop apologizing. I know you didn’t mean to do it. And frankly, telling them how he died will be easier than telling them how he betrayed their trust.”
She stared for a moment. “You’re going to tell them everything?”
He nodded. “They deserve to know the whole truth. How much we tell Camellia and the boys is another matter altogether. That will be up to Mother and Father. My guess is that they’ll keep most of it to themselves.”
The gondola hit the ground and Mia hurried to get out ahead of Joran. Whatever happened, she refused to let him get hurt again.
Many booted feet had trod down the grass and dirt near the entrance. The clearing was absolutely silent. They were in the middle of the forest. Where were the birds and squirrels? Everything about the situation felt wrong.
“Samaritan said the artifact was in the basement,” Joran said. “Let’s see if we can find the entrance.”
Mia made sure to lead the way inside. Not that there was anything particularly threatening. A set of rickety steps led to the second floor. There was nothing that indicated the tower even had a basement.
“Grub?” Joran said.
The dwarf wizard did something, Mia couldn’t see it, but she sensed it through her link with Joran. A few seconds later a trapdoor appeared out of nowhere.
“He hid it with an illusion,” Grub said. “If you didn’t know to look, I never would have guessed it was there.”
“I saw nothing in the ether,” Joran said.
“Of course not. The illusion is useless if you can see through it with your magical sight.”
Mia ignored the magical discussion and focused on the trapdoor. And lucky she did. It slammed open and the head of a black iron golem poked out.
She dropped and slashed, cutting its head off and sending it tumbling back down the stone stairs.
“Well done.” Joran gave her a pat on the back. “Let’s see what else is down there.”
Mia closed her eyes and focused on their link. If she concentrated really hard, sometimes she caught a glimpse of what Joran did. A short tunnel led to a large chamber filled with racks that held black swords and armor. There was also a cabinet with a vial-filled rack on top. Beside the rack sat a black iron sphere. Though no wizard, Mia knew that had to be the artifact.
The image vanished and Joran turned toward her. His face was scrunched up in the expression he got when he was thinking hard.
“What is it?”
“Assuming that’s the artifact and further assuming Khashair’s soul is inside of it, he’ll likely try to kill anyone that gets close. Remember what Alexandra told us—according to the church, the artifact killed anyone that touched it. He might be able to attack from a distance as well.”
“Okay, so what do we do?”
Joran chewed his lip. She could rarely remember him being this hesitant.
“You need to go in alone and destroy the orb. Khashair uses corrupt ether, and the mithril will protect you. If any of the rest of us get close…”
“I understand. If this is something I can do, then I’ll do it.”
“I know it’s impossible for you to be careful, but please try.”
Mia grinned. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Her quip did nothing to lessen his anxiety. Mia didn’t really think it would, but she had to try.
A deep breath steadied her and she descended the stairs. A ball of white light appeared beside her revealing a tunnel that led to a cavern the size of a small warehouse. Everything looked exactly as she saw it through Joran’s spell only clearer. The black orb, despite its small size, seemed to dominate the room.
She raised her sword, putting it between her and the orb. When nothing happened, she marched forward, determined to destroy the evil thing and get out of here.
Do you truly wish to destroy me?
She frowned and paused in her advance. Was Khashair going to try and bribe her now? If he could project his voice into her mind, surely he could read enough of her thoughts to know there was no way she’d be swayed.
That’s your soulmate talking. He has power, wealth, and is soon to marry into the imperial family. All you have are the scraps he tosses you. Join me and together we could rule the empire.
She nearly laughed. Did he imagine she’d betray the only person that had ever loved her while wanting nothing in return?
Mia resumed her advance. The world would be a better place without this monster in it.
She raised her sword and brought it down hard.
A hemisphere of dark energy tried to stop her blade.
And it succeeded, for about two seconds.
Like everything else it encountered, the mithril sword cut through the spell and continued on through the orb and the cabinet beneath it.
She winced. Hopefully there was nothing in there Joran wanted.
A black cloud rose out of the destroyed orb and she got ready for another fight.
There wasn’t one.
The cloud dissipated and soon she was alone in the chamber.
Seconds passed and nothing else attacked her. Satisfied that she’d completed her mission, Mia sheathed her sword and hurried back upstairs.
As soon as she reached the top, Joran hugged her. “I never doubted you could do it.”
“I know you didn’t. Your confidence gives me strength. How about we get out of here? I want to go home.”
“Excellent idea, though we’ll have to pick up the emperor and the pope, along with their entourages, on our way.”
She didn’t care what they had to do, as long as they ended up in Tiber. Mia had had enough fighting for a long time.
Epilogue
Spring in the gardens of the imperial palace was stunning. Pink blossoms covered scores of cherry trees and every time the wind blew it sent hundreds of them swirling around. The wedding, Joran and Alexandra’s—every time he thought that it felt unreal—was set to happen at noon.
Joran stood on a little hill beside Mia. He wore formal crimson and gold robes and she had on a crisp new Iron Guard uniform. As always, the mithril sword was belted at her waist. When they picked the pope up at the Fourth Legion’s barracks, he hadn’t even tried to demand its return. Joran very much appreciated that since it saved him the trouble of saying no again. The weapon was far too useful to sit unused in the church’s basement.
And speaking of the pope, Septimus himself stood to Joran’s right. He wore his formal robes of office, including a third stupid hat. This one looked a bit like a church steeple and had The One God’s circle drawn on the front. Though Joran doubted his sincerity, Septimus did a credible job of looking pleased to be officiating over the wedding.
A crowd of nobles thronged the garden. Joran had gotten a reprieve from mingling, at least until after the ceremony. His parents and even Quintus, looking remarkably sober, were watching from the front of the crowd. When Joran told them about Titus, they’d been shocked, horrified, and saddened by his death. Once that passed, Father went straight to furious. He couldn’t believe Titus would betray them to Den March Trading, old friendship be damned. Mother had just cried softly without saying a word.
That had been nearly two months ago. They held Titus’s funeral a week after Joran got home and spread his ashes in the garden. Betrayer or not, he was still a Den Cade and received all the honor that entailed.
Father had gotten over the shock more quickly than Mother, but even she seemed okay despite the constant air of sadness that clung to her. It helped that Quintus had turned over a new leaf and was even helping with the business.
According to Father, that was a miracle on par with anything he’d ever experienced. Joran thought he was exaggerating, but it was still a surprise and a pleasant one for a change.
Somewhere out of sight, a minstrel struck a chord and everyone fell silent. The emperor entered the garden with Alexandra holding his arm.
Joran’s breath caught in his throat. She wore a crimson wedding dress that clung to her in a very fetching way. Her hair was accented with gold beads. She wore no other jewelry and needed none. She was the most beautiful woman in the garden if not the empire. From the excitement flooding their link, Mia agreed.
The emperor wore crimson and gold formal robes and the eagle crown on his brow.
