Dragon Blood 5: Mage (14 page)

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ronan asked.

Amber grinned when she saw Kade and Rian do the same. “Learning the pathway.” She held his gaze, her chin rising when he glared at her.

“There’s no one in the Void around here,” Crystal said, then grinned. “Well, not now anyway.”

Amber bit back a laugh when she met Crystal’s eyes.

“Do you still want me to search the area?” Miles kept looking around as if expecting something to jump out at him.

“Yeah,” Amber said.

“I’ll make sure you’re safe while you’re gone,” Cooper said.

Miles nodded, sitting on the ground. “It makes it easier.” He was silent for several minutes. “I’m above you now. You do know that I can’t see if anyone is in the Void, don’t you?” His voice had a hollow sound to it.

“Just tell us what you can see.” Amber tried to keep the impatience from her voice. She wasn’t sure if she completely succeeded.

“I’m entering a building. Well it’s actually a building built inside the hill. Maybe it’s a cave carved out to look like a building.”

“This isn’t an architectural show. Tell me about people and defences only,” Ronan growled.

“I can see four people. Once you enter the building, or the cave, there is long tunnel before you reach the main room where they are. There are two side rooms, but no one is in them. A bunk room and a kitchen with a bathroom off it. That’s it,” Miles said.

“What’s in the main room?” Ronan asked.

“I thought you didn’t want me to describe the place,” Miles said.

“That didn’t stop you from telling me there was a kitchen. Now tell me what’s in the main room,” Ronan ordered.

“A big rock thing. A bit like a bird bath, but bigger and deeper and chunkier looking. Not a sculpture, but it’s all carved like it’s some kind of decoration. It’s right in the middle of the room.”

“Are you sure there is only four people in there?” Rian asked.

“No. There might be people in the Void,” Miles said.

“Can you tell if it would be impossible to stay in the Void?” Amber asked.

“No.”

“We’re going in. You stay in that area and let us know if any of them move or if more arrive.” Ronan turned to Cooper. “Help him up.”

“But we’re not armed,” Cooper said.

“Did someone cut off your hands?” Ronan demanded.

Cooper shrank back from him. “N… no.”

Amber stepped between them. “Leave him alone.” She held Ronan’s gaze for a moment before she turned to Cooper. “All you have to do is protect Miles. If anyone attacks, you ice them. We’ll take care of the ones in there. You and Miles keep a look out for any others that might arrive.”

Cooper nodded, helping Miles to his feet and keeping an arm around his shoulders.

“We need to go straight ahead and slightly to the left to find the entrance,” Miles said. “I think there might be a camera at the entrance.”

“You think or you know?” Ronan demanded.

“Uhmm… Possibly?”

“Don’t go getting us killed, boy.”

“I’ll fly ahead.” Amber turned into a goshawk and flew in the direction Miles had given them. It didn’t take her long to spot the security camera, hidden in the rocks above some large shrubs. She was able to dislodge gravel and pebbles so they fell in front of it.
“It’s safe now.”
She landed beside the shrubs, turning human. Mentally searching the area, she found they were still alone. She kept track of her companions as they came closer, continually searching the area and wishing she could check the unsearchable space behind her.

“They haven’t moved. They’re all still in the main room,”
Miles said.

While she waited for them to reach her side, Amber had a look behind the shrubs. There was a heavy timber door that when she tried to open it she found it was locked.
“I’ve found a locked door.”

Ronan was the first one to reach her side and had the door open in minutes.
“Are they still in the main room?”

“Yes,”
Miles said.

Ronan stepped into the narrow tunnel, Amber directly behind him. She hoped the people stayed in the main room because there wasn’t space for fighting in this tunnel. She stayed close behind Ronan, sensing Kade directly behind her. Next was Crystal followed by Rian and well behind him was Miles and Cooper.

As they reached the end of the tunnel, Amber sensed a Pliethin. The four people in the room drew swords as Ronan stepped into the main room, followed by everyone but Cooper and Miles. Seeing one of the men reaching for the caged Pliethin hanging at his neck, she turned into a goshawk, flying across the room. Turning human, she grabbed hold of him, plunging her fingers into the cage of her own Pliethin, fighting to keep him there. It felt like the air was pressing in, trying to crush her.

Then Kade was at her side, wrenching the Pliethin from the man who staggered back from them. He quickly regained his balance and attacked. Amber dropped back, unable to hold her own against the Knight Mage. Ronan joined Kade and Amber glanced around the room. Seeing Crystal and Rian outnumbered, she crossed the short distance between them, attacking the only woman in the room. Like Crystal, she used her mage powers. Then she worried she’d kill the Knight and instead drew one of her daggers and threw it at her, hoping to wound her. The woman dodged, but she was unable to avoid Amber turning into a goshawk and coming up behind her as a human. Amber hit the woman hard on the back of her head with the hilt of her sword, watching her crumple to the ground.

It didn’t take them long to subdue the other two Knights and, collecting her dagger, Amber turned towards Kade and Ronan who still fought the Knight Mage. Ronan had him by the throat while Kade had half his body pinned to the wall. Drawing back his sword, Ronan stared into the man’s eyes.

Amber flew across the room, landing near Ronan. “Don’t kill him. At least not yet.”

Ronan’s hand remained around the man’s throat, his sword still drawn back. “Get out of the way.”

“Not until he answers some questions.” Then she spoke directly to Ronan.
“I want everyone else to believe you about this.”

“What about you?”

She held his gaze.
“I already believe you.”

Ronan lowered his sword. “If you can’t make him talk, he dies.”

Rian strode forward with grey metal chains. The Knight Mage fought against wearing them and Amber wondered if they actually worked on them. She knew they didn’t work for Dragon Mages. Or at least they certainly hadn’t worked on her.

“You’re wasting your time. I won’t talk.” The man stared at her defiantly, his hands cuffed.

Amber gestured towards the carved stone in the middle of the room. It reminded her of a large bowl on a stand. The pedestal like stand was carved to show Knights, dragons and Hell Hounds fighting. “This won’t last.”

“You know nothing,” the man said.

“I know that you sacrifice dragons to keep three worlds bound together so the Hell Hounds can’t come here. And I know that the binding is becoming weaker all the time, never lasting as long,” Amber said.

“What did you do to Jonah? We’ll kill you for this. Don’t think we’re the only ones,” the man warned.

“Jonah didn’t tell us anything.”

“We’ll find him and take him back. You can’t keep him hidden forever.”

Ronan laughed. “Are you saying you can find someone who’s hidden in the Void?”

“No, but you have to bring him out occasionally. We’ll be waiting.”

Amber wanted to ask why Ronan was keeping Jonah in the Void and if he kept the other two in there as well, but they didn’t have time for that right now. “The binding will fail.”

“No. All we have to do is find dragons that are from a pure Gold line,” the man said.

“Ariana, the last dragon you used, was from a pure line,” Ronan growled. “The binding is failing, like my grandfather told the ones who built it.”

“I don’t know her name, but she couldn’t be. The binding was weak from the very start this time.” He glanced towards the kitchen doorway. “We’ve got photos. You can see for yourself who she was. See that she wasn’t pure.”

“Trophies?” Amber demanded.

He shook his head. “No, nothing like that. So none were forgotten. Their sacrifices kept us all safe. A memorial. On the wall in the kitchen. Some are drawings, the modern ones were taken by camera.”

Ronan pushed the man towards the doorway. “Show us. And don’t even think about trying to escape. I know all I need to. Even to humour my mage I’m not about to let you escape.”

Amber sent Ronan a daggered look. He intercepted it with an amused one.
“Don’t patronise me, Ronan.”

“I’m not, kitten. But I won’t show them weakness or let them think they have something I need,”
Ronan said directly to Amber.

She stared at the wall when they stepped into the kitchen. It was covered in pictures. From oldest to newest, starting at the left and travelling down the wall in columns. Hand drawn, painted, photographs. Some were smudged and faded. Rows of black and white photos eventually gave way to colour. The final picture was halfway down the wall. Amber looked into the defiant gold eyes, bronze hair tangled around her face while two hooded figures held her captive.

“That’s Ariana.” Ronan jabbed his finger at the picture.

Kade stared at the photos. “They’re Gold. Many of them pure Gold.”

The man shook his head. “Impossible. They can’t be.”

Ronan slammed him against the wall beside the pictures. “Take a closer look. They’re Gold. Most of them the purest of Gold. Their sacrifices were worthless. They gave you a handful of years in exchange for hundreds of their own years.”

“It can’t be true. The binding can’t fail. You don’t know what that means if it fails.” The man struggled to escape Ronan.

“Then how about you tell me,” Ronan said.

“We’re dead. All humans are dead. Humans, Knights, Knight Mages. Dead.”

“What about the dragons?” Amber asked. “You didn’t mention the dragons.”

The man met her eyes. “Because they can win against them. They can turn into their dragon form, strike then retreat. Hell Hounds can’t fly. They can move fast, but they can’t fly.”

Before Amber could ask another question, Miles said,
“More are coming. They’re running up the hill. We’ve got maybe a minute. There’s fourteen.”

She felt Cooper and Miles move into the main room. A moment of panic hit her. How were they meant to face another fourteen? And how many of them were Knight Mages? They’d barely taken this one. Meeting Ronan’s steady gaze, her panic receded.

“Destroy the binding,” Ronan said.

Amber nodded, turning into a goshawk and flying into the main room. Behind her she could hear the man screaming that they were making a mistake. She landed in the stone bowl, turning human and drawing her sword. The bowl was as large as a double bed and in the centre was a jagged hole, barely big enough to put her hand into it. Remembering the instructions she’d read in the book Ronan had given her, she called flames to her sword before plunging it into the hole.

“No!” People burst into the main room, a woman with a caged Pliethin screaming at her.

Amber could barely focus on her surroundings. It felt like her entire body was engulfed in flames. She screamed, her head thrown back as the bowl shattered, falling to the ground in large chunks, only her sword keeping her from falling too. She tightened her grip on it as she fought to stay in place.

The flames died down and Amber slumped forward, the jagged hole and the pedestal all that was left of the bowl. Hands grabbed her as she started to fall, Kade pulling her sword from the pedestal. Arguments raged in the background. Guns and swords were drawn and she noticed her people had their backs to her, facing the Knights in front of them, the shackled man now with his own people. It took her a moment to realise that Rian was gone. She drew away from Kade and Crystal, who’d helped her to the ground, and drained power from one of her bracelets before she took her sword.

“Where’s Rian?”

“Bringing an army,” Ronan said.

“How long until they’re here?” the shackled man asked.

Ronan grinned, his predatory one. “You’re too late. Do you think you can do much with this handful? I have an army out there waiting for me.”

“They’ve got to get to you first. No one can enter here through the Void.”

Amber automatically searched the area, looking for the army Ronan had mentioned. She couldn’t find them, but realised she could now search outside the area they stood in. “I wouldn’t be too sure of that. This building has changed since the binding was broken.” She frowned. “Actually, there’s something odd with the air. Like a wave of something.”

“Fear.” The shackled man held out his hands. “Let me go. Don’t leave me to die chained.”

Ronan shook his head. “Do you take me for an idiot? Then what? Give you a knife to stab me with?”

“No. You haven’t got a clue what you’re about to face. Can’t you feel the fear building? By the time they arrive we’ll barely be able to fight them. We’ll be fighting against our urge to run every bit as hard as we’ll be fighting against the Hell Hounds.” Continuing to hold out his hands, he took a step towards them, the grey chain rattling at his movements. “Let me go. Please.”

Amber pushed past Ronan, sheathing her sword. “What’s your name?”

The man stared at her like she’d gone mad. “We don’t have time for this. The hounds are coming.”

A shiver passed through Amber as she heard the echo of Vikki in his words. “I know. So you better tell me quickly.”

“Simon.”

Amber took another step closer to him. “Can we trust your word?”

“More than you can trust the word of a dragon.”

“What are you doing, kitten?”

She ignored Ronan. “If we let you go to fight against the Hell Hounds, you have to come with us once we defeat them. Not all the Hell Hounds, just the ones that are coming right now.”

A woman moved to stand beside Simon and grabbed his arm. “Don’t do it.”

“Why would you trust me to keep my word?” Simon pulled his arm from her grip.

Amber held his gaze a moment, feeling the sensation of fear slowly increase. “Because we have Jonah and Wayne.” She didn’t bother mentioning Stanley as he obviously wasn’t important to them. “All we want to do for now is talk.” And hopefully find a way to call a truce so they could all work towards getting rid of the Hell Hounds.

“What happens if I don’t agree?”

“Don’t give in to them.” Again the woman grabbed Simon’s arm.

He shook her off like he had before. “Let go, Hannah.” His gaze remained on Amber. “We’re running out of time. Can’t you feel it?”

“What do you think will happen? If you lie to us, what do you think we’ll do to Jonah?” She didn’t have a clue what she’d be capable of doing, but doubted it would be anywhere near what Ronan would do.

“If I come with you, will you set Jonah and Wayne free?”

Amber shook her head. “No.”

“If you come with us after this battle we will keep you for no more than a week. Providing you don’t try to escape and your people don’t try to find you,” Ronan said.

Simon didn’t even glance towards Ronan. He continued to hold Amber’s gaze, ignoring the warnings from his own people. Finally he held out his hands. “I give you my word.”

Ronan took a key from his pocket and unlocked the shackles, letting them drop to the ground. Stepping back, he withdrew his phone and made a call. “It’s time. Only a handful.” He hung up.

“What’s going on?” Hannah demanded.

“Reinforcements,” Ronan said. “Even I can feel the change in air pressure.”

Rian brought Daray into the room for a moment. When Rian let go of him, Daray disappeared. Rian did the same and they both reappeared with Alsandair and Chait.

“Looks like I broke more than just the binding,” Amber said.

“How many more are you bringing in here?” Hannah demanded.

“That’s enough for now. We need space to fight. We’ll see how many hounds come through,” Ronan said.

“They must be getting closer.” Cooper rubbed his hands up and down his arms.

“Are we just going to stand around here, waiting?” Crystal asked. “Isn’t there anything we can do?”

“Practice trying not to run,” Hannah said.

She felt a large wave of fear rush over her. Cooper whimpered beside her. It was a familiar sensation. One she’d lived with for months. The exact sensation she felt every time she faced a battle. A smile formed and her shoulders straightened. She was more than ready. This was what drove her. This sensation.

“Can’t you feel it?”

She glanced towards Simon, nodding. “Yeah, but this is what makes me fight. Fear for those I need to protect.”

Ronan laughed, gesturing towards her. “She is what mages once were. They thrived on the fear the hounds brought, leaving death in their wake.”

Amber opened her mouth to argue. Three creatures came out of the Void, each seven foot tall, snarling, with large fangs visible. They looked like upright, rabid dogs with clawed hands and heat emanating from them, waves of terror preceding them.

Cooper shrank back, whimpering again. Amber stepped in front of him and Miles. “You back with us, Miles?”

“Yes.” There was fear in his voice.

“Good. Then stay out of the way.” She ran towards the closest Hell Hound, who was already under attack from some of her people. The rest helped the Knights fight the other two. Turning into a panther, she launched herself at the hound. They crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs and she turned into a goshawk, flying away as he tried to crush her. He was on his feet before she landed and became human again. She barely managed to dodge his attack and it was only because the hound also fought Kade and Ronan that he missed her. She had to learn how to move faster.

Becoming a goshawk, she darted in behind him, landing and becoming human as he spun to face her. By the time her daggers were in her hands, flames bursting along the blades, the hound was facing her. She plunged the daggers into his body, one into his stomach, the other in his chest. The smell of burning flesh filled the air around her as she let go of the daggers to again turn into a goshawk and fly out of the crushing grip of the hound.

He roared, clawing at the daggers that were embedded in his body, swatting at the blades that Ronan, Kade and Rian attacked him with. Landing, Amber drew her sword, wondering how much it was going to take to kill the beast. She drew fire to her blade, attacking him with it. He howled, blocking her with his razor sharp claws. When he turned to meet Kade’s blade, she plunged her sword into his side. He barely faltered.

“Here!”

Amber turned towards Kade, catching the sword he threw to her, calling flame to his blade as she drove it into the hound. The beast roared, molten blood pouring over her hands as he fell towards her, Kade and Ronan dragging him off her.

She stared down at the beast as she healed the blisters his blood had caused on her hands and arms, taking the weapons Rian had retrieved for her. Looking around, she saw there was still one hound fighting. He was surrounded. Scattered around the room were unmoving bodies. A glance showed that none of them were her people, but she had to look. Had to see if they were alive or could be healed.

Most of them had minor wounds, one was dead, and one looked like he wouldn’t last much longer. She tried to heal the man, but the dragon bone still wasn’t enough. She called Rian to her.
“I want to give him some dragon blood, but I’m not sure if I should use Gold blood.”

“I will bring Maira.”

Rian disappeared before she could say anything. Pressing her hands against the torn flesh of the man’s chest, she tried to slow the bleeding. It didn’t help. Her hands were immediately covered in blood.

Rian and Maira came out of the Void and Maira knelt beside her, dripping blood into the Knight’s wound. Amber felt the life ebbing away and she frantically tried to knit together the torn flesh. She vaguely heard Simon and Hannah arguing with Rian, while Kade and Ronan kept them from their companion. Drawing power from another bracelet, she continued to try and heal the Knight.

“Maira, more blood, please.”

Maira came forward again, dripping more blood onto the man’s wound. He opened his eyes to stare up at Amber. His blue eyes were filled with confusion, then panic. He began to fight against her hands, trying to pull away.

“Rian!” Maira called out, pinning one of the man’s arms down. Rian knelt at the other side of him to do the same.

“Don’t fight me,” Amber said softly. “You’ll tear open what I’ve repaired.”

“You’re poisoning me.”

“It is the dragon blood. You will recover from it,” Rian said.

“Why?” The man continued to look up at Amber as she crouched over him.

The wound finally closed and she sat back on her heels, drawing power from two of her bracelets. “I’m a healer.”

Cooper knelt beside her, a bowl of water held out.

She gratefully rinsed some of the blood from her hands, trying not to focus on the colour of the water. Rian helped her to her feet and she stepped out of the way as the Knights crowded in to check on the man.

Kade joined her, sliding an arm around her waist. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Tired.” She looked around the room, her eyes pausing at each of the Hell Hounds. “I just want to go home.”

Ronan crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Not yet. I’ve got a job for you to do.” He headed for the closest Hell Hound, glancing over his shoulder to her. “Well?”

Sighing, Amber joined him, staring down at the hound. It was the one she’d helped kill. “What?”

He held out a piece of paper that had been folded into quarters.
“If you speak one word, I will take you to the crypt and leave you there without a Pliethin.”

Recalling how he’d said he wouldn’t show the Knights any weakness earlier she guessed she wasn’t about to appreciate what was written on the paper. Reluctantly taking it, she unfolded the paper, reading over the words. Her anger grew as she read through the lines that covered a third of the page. Reaching the end she shoved the paper back at him.

“Burn it.”
Ronan continued to hold the piece of paper out.

Calling a fireball to her hand, Amber smiled slightly as she pushed it against the paper, hoping it burned Ronan too. It burst into flames and Ronan dropped it to the ground.
“What are you waiting for?”

Sensing Rian and Daray come closer, Amber waved them back. She crouched by the hound, wrapping her hand around the still warm arm, pressing the fingers of her other hand into the Pliethin cage. Shuffling backwards slightly she moved into the Void, watching as Kade stepped forward, stopping just before he reached where she was. She was relieved he didn’t step through her. It was one of the worst feelings.

Looking down at the hound she concentrated on trying to follow the instructions Ronan had given her. It took several minutes to find the pathway. Still holding onto the hound’s arm, she searched for more threads. There were none. And the one leading to this Hell Hound was slowly fading. But if the rest of the mages could learn how to do this than they wouldn’t be caught unprepared.

She couldn’t see why they’d be unable to. Dragon Mages had been able to do it centuries ago. With the help of their dragon, who would take them into the Void, they would choose the pathway leading to the Hell Hound and their dragon would take them to it. Shuffling back slightly, she came out of the Void, bringing the hound with her. Rising to her feet she glanced towards the kitchen wanting to wash her hands again.

Chait picked up the Hell Hound and disappeared into the Void.

“If you’re planning on using it to teach the other mages, you better hurry. The thread is fading,” Amber said.

“Rian, take Crystal and organise the rest of the mages.” Ronan turned to Alsandair. “Return Cooper and Miles to the castle, let the army know to remain on standby, then return here.”

Simon and Hannah joined them. After cutting off Hannah’s complaints, Simon said, ” There’s no need to keep your army here. I’m ready to go with you.”

Ronan reached for Simon. Amber beat him to it, grabbing his other arm. “I’m sure I can offer him more comfortable accommodations than you. Besides, the Knights already know where I live.”

Ronan held her gaze for a moment before he let go of Simon’s arm. His gaze fell on Simon. “Jonah and Wayne are in my care. Don’t forget that.” Ronan disappeared into the Void.

Amber doubted he’d left the area. “Are you ready to come with me now?”

Hannah said no at the same time as Simon nodded. Hannah grabbed Simon’s arm, glaring at Amber. “If anything happens to him.”

“Don’t come after him and nothing will.” Amber glanced towards Kade and nodded at the question in his eyes. Pushing her fingers into the Pliethin cage, she stepped into the Void taking Simon with her. She drew the thread of the pathway to the planning room to her, stepping out of the Void before she could be pushed from it. She let go of Simon’s arm.

Both Kade and Daray arrived in the room.

“Can I see Jonah?”

Amber shook her head. “Not now. Maybe tomorrow. Daray will show you to one of the guest bedrooms. Let him know if you need anything.”

“I am to watch over you, not your captives,”
Daray said directly to Amber.

“I have others who can do that. I’m not planning to go anywhere other than bed. Well, after I wash. I don’t want anything to happen to Simon before we’ve had a chance to talk to him.”

Daray nodded and reached for Simon.

Simon stepped away from him. “I can walk.”

Daray grinned. “The Void is quicker and you’ll be less likely to make a map of it.” Again he reached for Simon this time managing to take him through the Void.

Amber checked the location Daray had taken Simon to before she turned to Kade, sighing. “I feel like I could sleep for a week.”

“I doubt Ronan will let you.”

“So do I.” She reached for Kade, linking her blood stained fingers through his before she took them through the Void to their bedroom.