Sorcerer (The Mage Saga Book 3), page 37
The battle continued down on the plain, but the dragons’ departure seemed to have disheartened the Foslanders. The Highgate army drove them back before they finally retreated at sunset. Khaldun had half-expected to see Dredmort using the stolen carpet to attack them, but knew from experience it would take more time for him to master its use.
“Nice flying, today,” Syllith said to Khaldun. “But do you think I could have that back?” she added, nodding to her carpet.
“Oh, yes, of course,” he said with a grin, handing it to her. “I almost forgot it wasn’t mine.”
“We’ll have to ask Azure to make you a new one once this situation is settled.”
Khaldun went inside with the rest of the mages. He was famished, but Salerna had called a war council, so he headed into her conference room with the others.
“Welcome, Enigma and Sage,” Salerna said with a grin once they’d all taken their seats. “Your arrival turned the tide today. What is the status of the wards protecting Pytha?”
“We finished the critical repairs before departing,” Enigma told her. “But we’re only patching holes. The wards won’t last forever.”
“Your Highness,” said Allure, “with the dragons gone, and the wraiths hiding from Semblant, the time has come to take bold action to end this conflict.”
Salerna raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Highgate has now lost nearly half its army, so I would very much like to achieve a swift victory. What do you propose?”
Allure took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. “Together, Allison and Mira provide Fosland with an insurmountable advantage. We need to rescue them both.
“Mira must sleep at night. They’re forcing her to protect their entire army with her null during the battle every day. But in her slumber, that null becomes much smaller. Enigma, Syllith, and I can take our two remaining carpets to put Semblant and Khaldun on the ground as close to her as we can get. From there, Semblant can transform into a giant while Khaldun enters the null to awaken Mira.
“Mira can’t fly, so they’ll have to fight their way out. But she can close her channels of power to eliminate her null, enabling both Khaldun and Semblant to use magic against the Foslanders. And as a giant, Semblant can cut through the enemy forces with ease.
“They’re keeping Allison in a tent at the rear of the encampment. So, they can rescue her on their way out. We can send riders ahead of their mission to await them with extra horses. Once they’ve got Allison, they can ride. And Enigma, Syllith, and I can provide cover from the air for the entire mission.”
Salerna shook her head. “But the Foslanders would overwhelm our people by sheer force of numbers. They’re keeping Mira in the very heart of their camp. Once her guards sound the alarm, you’ll be facing their entire army, in addition to Dredmort and their remaining mages and wraiths.”
“Not if they’re all asleep,” Allure said with a grin. “I’ve spoken to Mist. She can transform and engulf their camp in a dense fog. From there, she can use a sleep spell against anyone she touches. That way, our people would meet little to no resistance on their way out.”
Salerna sat back in her chair, considering this plan for a few moments. “Azure? Enigma? What do you think about this?”
“It’s bold,” said Enigma. “But retaking both sorcerers would enable us to end this conflict very quickly.”
“It’s risky,” Azure pointed out. “We’re putting five of our sorcerers in the very heart of the Foslander army. A million things could go wrong, any one of which would cost us dearly. With the dragons gone and the wraiths laying low, we can win this battle without that extra risk.”
“And sacrifice how many more lives in the process?” asked Allure. “What I’m proposing would not only end the battle, it would take away Dredmort’s ability to liberate Nyro. We must take advantage of this opportunity.”
Salerna heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m inclined to agree with Azure. Nobody wants to spare the lives of our soldiers more than I do. But there is a good chance that we can win this battle tomorrow. We will stay the course. Thank you all very much.”
The others headed to the great hall for dinner, but Salerna asked Khaldun to remain.
“What do you think of Allure’s proposal?” she asked once everyone else had left and Khaldun had put protective spells in place.
“With all due respect, Your Highness, I think we should do it. Mira and Allison have suffered long enough. And too many have already made the ultimate sacrifice for this pointless conflict. Working together, pooling our talents, we can end this in one stroke.”
Salerna nodded. “I agree. And I would have sanctioned it were it not for one problem. We still have a traitor in our midst. It could be Allure or Semblant. Perhaps it’s Syllith. Or, hell, it may be any one of the non-sorcerer governors. And whoever it is could easily sabotage this mission. Then, you and your comrades would perish and we would lose this battle.”
Khaldun took a deep breath. He hadn’t considered this.
“Azure sustained some injuries from his fall today, so I’ve ordered him to get a full night’s sleep tonight. But I would like you and Battleaxe to keep watch from the roof again.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Khaldun left the princess alone in her conference room. He went to the great hall to eat with Battleaxe, Enigma, and Syllith, but couldn’t stop thinking about Salerna’s words. She was right—the traitor could eliminate five sorcerers in one shot by sabotaging Allure’s proposed operation. But he desperately wanted to rescue Mira and Allison. He was pretty sure that in Salerna’s shoes, he would have ordered the mission. But the decision wasn’t his to make.
After dinner, Khaldun went up to the roof with Battleaxe. She volunteered to take the first watch, so Khaldun lay down in his bedroll. But sleep eluded him. He stared up at the night sky, wishing they could have rescued Mira and Allison.
He started dozing off eventually, but started awake when someone spoke his name. Sitting up, he found Allure, Semblant, and Mist staring down at him.
“What’s going on?” he asked, getting to his feet and backing away, his heart suddenly hammering in his chest.
“Relax,” Allure said with a sultry smile, her tone disarming. “The three of us have been talking, and we want to execute the rescue mission.”
“The princess didn’t authorize it,” Khaldun replied.
“Strictly speaking, we don’t work for Highgate,” Allure pointed out. “We’re here on behalf of the university. And Allison and Mira are students. It’s our responsibility to rescue them. And if we succeed, we assure Highgate’s victory.”
This was what he wanted, no question. But it felt wrong to buck Salerna’s decision. “We don’t have a carpet.”
“No, but I may be able to persuade Enigma to join us. And failing that, Syllith might be willing to let you borrow hers again.”
Battleaxe strode over, her weapons hoisted over her shoulders. She stood by Khaldun. “Everything all right?”
“Yes,” said Khaldun, taking a deep breath. “Listen, I need to take care of something. Can you take my watch if I’m not back in time?”
“Of course,” she replied. “Do you need my help?” she added, eyeing Allure and Semblant.
“No, it would be best for one of us to maintain the watch here.”
Battleaxe nodded and returned to her post.
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Khaldun asked the others.
Allure shot him a grin, then led the way inside the keep. They made their way down to Syllith’s room and Allure knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she tried again, louder this time. All remained silent inside.
“Something’s wrong,” said Khaldun, his heart jumping into his throat. “We should go inside and check on them.”
Allure nodded. She tried the handle—it wasn’t locked. Moving inside, they found the chambers to be empty. The bed covers were pulled back and rumpled, but there was nobody here.
“Where are they?” Khaldun asked. He felt a sense of dread stirring in the pit of his stomach, worried that the unknown traitor might have done something to the two mages.
“They’ve been separated for ages,” Allure said with a sly smile, nodding toward the messy bed. “I’m betting they’ve probably gone off for a romantic flight under the stars. Let’s check back in an hour. Hopefully they’ll be back by then.”
Khaldun followed the others out of the room, closing the door behind them. But he still felt uneasy. Allure headed off with Semblant and Mist, and Khaldun started up the steps to the roof, but stopped halfway. Maybe Allure was right, but he had a sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong.
Hurrying back to Syllith’s room, he went inside and closed the door behind him. Opening his mind to the magical force, he sensed that a powerful spell had been unleashed here recently. Focusing for a moment, he swept his arm in front of him, revealing events that had taken place only minutes earlier.
Syllith was in bed with Enigma, making love to him quite energetically. Suddenly her whole body went stiff, and she moaned with pleasure as she climaxed.
“I’ve lost track,” Enigma said with a grin. “Was that your fourth or fifth?”
Syllith giggled seductively, stroking his face with one hand. “Enigma Wiseheart, I name thee!”
Enigma’s face contorted in shock and disbelief for a moment, but then he screamed in pain. The sound ended abruptly as fire consumed his body. Syllith collapsed on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. “No!” she screamed, clutching the sheets in both hands.
But then she rose from the bed, taking a deep breath and stretching for a moment, cracking a satisfied smile. Khaldun could hardly believe his eyes. Syllith had invoked Enigma’s true name? What the hell was going on here?
The witch donned her robes, then grabbed her staff and removed their two carpets from the void. She called fire to incinerate one of them, then opened a window and called air to blow the ashes out of the chamber. Hoisting the remaining carpet over one shoulder, she left the room.
Khaldun stood there for a few moments, staring at the empty room in shock, his body shaking in fear. But then he hurried out of the room and ran up to the roof. Battleaxe was lying on her back, covered in blood, her axes next to her. Salerna’s soldiers were nowhere to be seen. The wizard that had been on duty was nearby, his body a charred corpse.
Battleaxe moaned; Khaldun started—he’d thought she was dead. Dropping to his knees beside her, he took her hand and said, “What happened?”
“It was Syllith,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. “We were chatting for a moment… but then she stabbed me… didn’t see it coming.”
“Where did she go?” Khaldun asked.
“Incinerated the wizard… hurled the soldiers off the roof… then flew away.” Battleaxe coughed up some blood. “I guess we know w-who the traitor is now.”
Khaldun squeezed her hand, a tear slipping down his cheek. This was too much to take in. He couldn’t understand how this had happened. “I’m going to get Allure. She might be able to help.”
Battleaxe nodded. Khaldun got to his feet and ran inside to Allure’s chambers. She was there with Semblant and Mist. He told her that someone had stabbed Battleaxe, then she hurried up to the roof with him, the other two close behind.
Allure kneeled beside Battleaxe, placing her palm on her chest. She closed her eyes, and her hand began to glow. “The weapon missed her heart,” she told the others as she opened her eyes. “I’m going to seal your wound,” she added to Battleaxe. “But this is going to be excruciating.”
Battleaxe coughed up some more blood. “What are you waiting for?”
Allure closed her eyes again. Her hand glowed brighter than ever, and Battleaxe screamed. But then she passed out. Allure continued her spell for a few moments longer, then withdrew her hand and sighed. “She’ll live,” she told the others, standing up. Fixing Khaldun with a stare, she added, “Now tell me what the hell happened here.”
Chapter Thirty-one: Nyro
After dinner, Syllith had gone up to her chambers with Enigma. Nyro watched events unfold from inside the witch’s body. She waited until the two of them had disrobed, then took over completely. It had been centuries since she’d enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh. She pushed Enigma onto the bed and mounted him, reaching her first climax in seconds.
But then she savored the lovemaking for several minutes before allowing the host body to reach such a peak again. Thrice more, and then she decided she’d had enough for now. The witch had regained control for a few moments after she terminated the sorcerer, but that was to be expected. Overwhelming emotions still had the power to push Nyro aside temporarily.
Reasserting her control, she rose from the bed and dressed herself. Grabbing the witch’s staff, she retrieved the last two carpets from the void, incinerating the spare and calling air to blow the ashes out the window. Then she took the final one and left the room.
There were voices coming from the stairway, heading in her direction. Nyro made herself invisible and ran to the opposite end of the hall to avoid detection. That boy Khaldun and three other sorcerers walked up to her room and knocked. When there was no answer, they moved inside. Nyro ran to the far end of the corridor, tucking the carpet into the void and tethering it to herself. She hurried up the steps, producing the knife she’d stowed in the pocket of her robes.
Making herself visible, she stepped out on the roof and encountered Battleaxe, who asked her what she was doing. She spun a yarn about Salerna asking her to fly a quick patrol, then, once she was sure the sorcerer was focused on her words, stabbed her in the chest. It would have been so much easier to incinerate her, but unfortunately, this witch didn’t possess sufficient power to take out a sorcerer that way.
Battleaxe stared at her in surprise for a moment, then collapsed, dropping her axes on the stone with a loud clanging noise. The two soldiers took notice. Nyro called air, flinging them off the roof. The wizard approached, brandishing his wand, but Nyro called fire, incinerating him from within.
Retrieving her carpet from the void, she unfurled it on the stone and sat in the middle. Then she took off and flew across the city, making herself invisible. Once she’d landed out beyond the Foslander encampment, she tucked the carpet into the void and removed the pyramid. She used that to contact Dredmort through his mirror, then returned it to oblivion.
Less than a minute later, she spotted the wizard approaching, the fat mage and two soldiers close behind. Nyro made herself visible. The wizard and his entourage arrived and kneeled before her, bowing their heads.
Henry had never wanted children; he cared only about his own power and pleasure, with nary a concern about what might happen after his death. But he’d had to name someone his heir. Who better than Dredmort, the chief architect of his fledgling kingdom? Better still, the wizard had no interest in ruling himself, making the threat of assassination a small one. Of course, Henry had never imagined such an early demise for himself.
The self-proclaimed king had balked at accepting a role as Nyro’s warden in Maeda, but she had to let it go. Nyro was hardly in a position make demands as long as she was incarcerated in her elvish prison. And she needed these mortals to bring this accelerated course to freedom to fruition. She’d always known Henry would have to die when the time came, but as it turned out, the boy had done the job for her.
Dredmort was much more cooperative than his predecessor. Of course, he had much more to gain. He craved thaumaturgic knowledge and knew Nyro could teach him more than anyone else in the history of Anoria. And she’d promised to make him a sorcerer once she was free. Contrary to the witch’s doubts, this was something she could do, but she hadn’t decided yet if she would. Perhaps if he remained unwavering in his loyalty.
But Dredmort still didn’t know that he was the king. Nyro knew because the witch did. But she couldn’t risk passing the information to Dredmort. If she did, he would realize that he should know the girl’s true name, but didn’t. It didn’t matter—either one of them could still use magic to compel her to obey. She was still a new sorcerer, not yet strong enough to resist that spell. But there was no telling how Dredmort might react. If he understood that they’d reassigned her bond, he might no longer be willing to proceed with their plan. Nyro wasn’t going to allow the girl to bind her, but he didn’t know that.
“Rise, Lord Dredmort,” she said, cracking a smile.
“We are yours to command, Your Majesty,” the wizard said as he stood up.
“You have your stolen carpet with you?” she asked. He had begged her to allow him to take one for himself. Nyro saw no harm in that. And it would provide them with a spare for this journey in case something happened to hers.
“Tucked into the void,” he replied with a nod.
“Very well. And now mine is the only other,” she told him. “The rest are destroyed. We shall depart immediately for Shifar with the girl and one other mage. But not this one. He reeks.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said. “I will fetch Allison and Lane. Gunthar will remain here to command our—”
“This battle is inconsequential. Once we’re gone, you might as well send your people home.”
The wizard looked troubled but said nothing, only bowing and hurrying off with the others. Nyro removed her carpet from the void and unfurled it on the ground. Dredmort returned with the girl and another of his wizards. The girl’s eyes were red and puffy as if she’d been crying, but her expression was vacant.
“You’ve got her under your control?” Nyro asked.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Very well. Once we’re airborne, you will command her to call air to increase our speed. You and this other one shall do so as well.”
Dredmort bowed. Nyro positioned him at the front of the carpet, the girl and the other wizard at the sides, and took the rear herself. She’d put too much time and effort into this plan to risk losing it all by keeping her back turned on any of these fools. Gripping the witch’s staff, she lifted them high into the sky and then took off to the south. The others added their power to hers and they accelerated.
