Good Ogre (22 page)

Max wasn't about to let them have another shot at summoning something else, however. “Vacuity!” he yelled.
Vacuity—to empty.
Max had used the spell in a very subtle way once before to plant a suggestion in the minds of the students at the Wizard's Tower. This time he raised the spell like a giant hand, sweeping it across the ice where the necromancers were preparing their next spell. Like so many toys cast off a child's table, they were flung into the air until they fell from view.

“I'd say those guys got a little
carried away
,” Dirk exclaimed. He turned and lifted a high five to Melvin. Melvin slapped palms, but without much enthusiasm. Dirk frowned. “Classic eighties movie line—adds insult to injury.”

“What now?” Puff yelled back to Max. The dragon had been circling the two armies below.

“Take me higher,” Max replied, a new idea forming in his head. There were three or four huge floating islands of ice, the largest serving as the battleground where the knights fought with the Shadekin. The spectral knights had taken the upper hand now that the enemy was deprived of reinforcements, leaving the bulk of the Maelshadow's army spread across the other islands.
And as long as they remained, the techrus was at risk.

“The knights have won,” Melvin announced as he watched the last of the battle below. “Too bad they're stuck there.”

“Not for long,” Max replied.

CHAPTER TWENTY

FACING THE MAELSHADOW

M
AX WISHED HE KNEW HOW
much time he had left. It couldn't be much, he figured. He just needed a little longer to do what he intended.

“Max!” Dirk yelled. He turned to find that one of the islands had drifted close enough to the portal that Shadekin archers were firing on his friends.

“Panoply!” Max yelled. The Prime Spell flew from the
Codex
and followed the path Max directed. The world buckled for a moment, before the Prime Spell fell across his friends, covering them.
Panoply—to cover and protect.
He watched as the enemy arrows bounced harmlessly from the invisible shield—large enough to protect them and the bound Princess.
Only five spells left
. Max hoped it was enough.

“Be ready to head to the portal,” Max called out to Puff. The dragon nodded.

“What are you doing?” Dirk asked.

“Endgame,” Max said. He reached into the
Codex
and found the remaining Prime Spells. “This is going to be a big one,” he announced to his friends. “Hang on.”

“Careful,” Puff cautioned, sensing what Max had in mind.

“Unity!” Max shouted. In his mind's eye he envisioned the spell around all the floating islands of ice. He stretched it further than any spell he'd attempted before, willing it to do as he commanded. The very power of it nearly swept him away, and he was reminded just how powerful the Prime Spells truly were.

The shock wave that exploded from him ripped across the eye of the storm between the worlds, slamming into the churning clouds and scattering them for a moment. For an instant Max saw a blackness devoid of stars or light. A sudden cold filled him before the clouds rushed to fill the gaps, pinching off whatever nothingness lay beyond. The storm redoubled as lightning crawled along the spinning clouds, but was moving faster now, growing in intensity. Max remained focused on the Prime Spell
as it encircled the islands of ice. Then the great floating islands began to move, slowly accelerating toward the black castle.

“Max?” Dirk asked, watching in astonishment.

“He's bringing them together!” Melvin shouted.

Max continued to drive the islands forward, bound by the power of the Prime Spell. They watched as the first two collided into each other with an explosion of snow and frost. Then the spell wove through them, sealing them together. Max continued to steer the massive islands, and one by one they crashed and joined together, gaining speed with each collision.

“Now!” Max shouted. “To the portal!”

Puff dived toward the portal, which was moving like everything else, floating just above the ice island where his friends waited. As they passed over the spectral army, Max drew another spell: “Parity!”
Parity—to balance and make equivalent.
Max wrapped the spell around his remaining forces as the island of ice crashed into one containing a sizable contingent of Shadekin. He stretched the spell to the space between the Shadekin and the portal, and suddenly the knights were split into two equal groups. The second half materialized on the ice and
immediately moved forward, unfazed by the maelstrom of magic happening around them. The ranks of Shadekin were in disarray, however, and the knights fell on them with a deafening clash of steel. Max felt the spell leave as he leaned toward Puff, his heart racing. “Hurry! Take me to the castle!”

The dragon raced across the moving islands of ice as they continued to careen into one another. They were moving fast—maybe even too fast. But Max couldn't help that now. He was about to try something as dangerous as he'd ever attempted with a Prime Spell.

“Futurity!” he shouted. He flung the spell away from him, and even through his armor he could feel Dirk tense behind him. Futurity was the spell he'd accidentally cast so long ago when they'd first brought the
Codex
to Dwight. They'd had no idea what it was then, or all that would follow. Futurity was the spell that had moved him and his friends forward in time—and they very nearly hadn't made it back.

The resulting explosion echoed all around them, like the sound of a jet crossing the sound barrier. Puff was tossed in the air so violently that Melvin was forced to drop his bow in order to grab hold of Dirk.

“Hang on!” Dirk shouted, struggling to keep himself from sliding off the dragon's back. But Max kept his focus on the two armies. It was a dangerous move, but he needed the path cleared to the Maelshadow's temple and there were too many of the Shadekin scattered about to contend with. Max focused the Prime Spell on the thousands of Shadekin ahead of him, and in the blink of an eye they were gone.

“Whoa!” Dirk exclaimed, looking around the now empty fields of ice.

“What did you do, Max?” Puff called back to him.

“I sent them forward in time.”

“Very dangerous,” Puff warned. Max understood, but the existence of everything he cared about was at stake.

“Couldn't you have just done that from the beginning?” Dirk asked him.

Maybe,
Max thought.
Maybe if I was more experienced and knew what I was doing. Nobody seems to realize I'm having to figure this out as I go.

Dirk accepted the silence and didn't press further. “You're probably not going to be really good at this stuff until you're like level thirty,” he added, hoping it made his friend feel better.

It didn't.

Only two spells left,
Max counted to himself.
Will they be enough?

They arrived at the Maelshadow's castle just ahead of the massive ice island barreling toward them. Max didn't need to tell Puff to stay in the air—getting on the ground before the impact seemed a dangerous proposition. Max's mind raced as he tried to think about what could go wrong. It made sense at first, but everything was happening so fast. And before he realized it, he was out of time.

The impact almost seemed to happen in slow motion: The massive new island struck the ice castle island with a tearing sound like the very fabric of the universe had been rent apart. Great blocks of ice exploded, and the impact caused a massive fissure to erupt, crawling its way toward the black castle like cracking glass.

Max's friends were thrown forward, and with them the portal took flight as well. Another explosion sounded as a great portion of the castle split away, the expanding fissure ripping through the structure and sending it tumbling into the storm. For a horrible second Max feared the whole castle would collapse, taking Sarah with it.
But what remained of the Maelshadow's temple held fast, despite being ripped in two.

Max drew the next Prime Spells from the
Codex:
“Gallimaufry!”
Gallimaufry—to create a mixture of diverse things.
Earlier he'd filled his mind with images of weapons but now he thought of mattresses—hundreds of them. They popped into existence all around the base of the castle, four or five feet thick, just as his friends careened into them. They bounced several times on impact, only Ricky somehow looking graceful as their flight came to a sudden end. The portal kept going, however, tumbling end over end and growing to the size of a highway billboard. It smashed through what remained of the castle's entrance and disappeared inside.

Max shuddered, whether from adrenaline or nerves or the fact that he'd only just managed to save his friends. Even Princess bounced safely across the mattresses, her eyes burning at the indignity of being captured and tossed around. Puff gently landed on the thick pile of mattresses—he was too large to get through what remained of the castle's entrance.

Max and the others slid off the dragon's back. Puff folded his massive wings and regarded the gray-haired boy
in wizard's robes. “If I were to put the fate of the world in anyone's hands, I would choose you, Max Spencer.”

“Sounds like a compliment at first,” Glenn said from Dirk's back, “until you realize he doesn't know anybody else.”

The dragon scowled, an expression considerably more impressive coming from a giant, fire-breathing dragon than a sheep-sized ball of fluff. “I will prepare the transformation to my human form,” he announced. “I am too big to go further.”

“I understand,” Max replied.
If I fail, I need you to protect the others.

Max strode toward the ruins of the castle, climbing several steps and turning to address his shaken but otherwise uninjured friends. “Ricky, you and the other wrestlers take Princess to the portal and get her through. Dwight and Dirk, I need you to come with me and find Sarah. While I deal with the Maelshadow, get her free and take her home.”

“You can count on us,” Dirk replied.

“Well
me
, anyway,” Dwight added.

“What can I do?” Megan asked, stepping forward with her staff in hand.

“You go home with the others, okay? Keep your sister safe.”

“Okay, Max,” Megan answered, barely managing to keep her emotions in check. She had a dark suspicion that she might never see him again.

“What about me?” Sydney asked, joining her sister.

“I need you to do something very important,” Max said. He motioned to Moki who was jumping up and down on one of the mattresses. “Watch over my friend here, and when Ricky and the others have gone through the portal, you follow right after them. And once you're home, stay by Ricky and Puff—they'll protect you.”

Sydney smiled. “Come on, Moki.”

“And Melvin, I know you'd follow me in an instant, but I can't be worrying about you when I face the Maelshadow. You have to return with the others and keep them safe.”

“Without a bow I wouldn't be much good to you anyway,” Melvin said. “Max, I just want to say I misjudged you. You are more a hero than anyone I've ever known.”

“Again, just his imaginary friends we're talking about,” Glenn piped in.

Max ignored the lute and looked over the ragtag group. Here they were, living the roles of the characters they'd only imagined before, caught between two realms and about to face the greatest evil imaginable. And Max knew each of them wouldn't hesitate to follow him—no matter the danger. They weren't just a bunch of nerds who played fantasy games for fun, they were the very essence of those characters: brave, heroic, and honorable. It just so happened they'd been born in a world of technology. Totally not their fault.

“Follow me, then,” Max said. “I guess it's all or nothing now.”

The Maelshadow sat on his throne, his temple split in half and open to the churning storm outside. He was in the form of a man, but his features were lost in the folds of a long, hooded robe. Nearby, the portal lay wedged between two massive pillars, its smooth surface a pattern of red swirls. Max walked toward him, down the center of what remained of the Lord of Shadow's shrine.

Then Max saw Sarah, bound to one of the throne's jagged spikes and looking defiant. Wayne stood over her,
his shield in one hand and his axe in the other. And for some reason there was a monkey watching them from a small black cage.

“I thought the girl should witness your demise,” the Maelshadow announced.

“Max, is that you?” Sarah called out, seeing him in his armor for the first time.

“Yeah,” he answered. “Are you okay?”

“I will be when you get me out of here.”

Max heard the sounds of Ricky and the others dragging Princess into the room. He turned his attention to the Maelshadow. “Close the portal and return to your realm,” he demanded. “I've destroyed your army and I will do the same to you.”
One spell,
Max thought.
And my sword—it's all I have left.

“You have merely helped pass the time until the Cataclysm is permanent,” the Maelshadow answered with a dark laugh. “And as for my army, what you have destroyed is but a handful of what I possess. There are legions that serve me in the Shadrus, despite your most entertaining efforts to the contrary. You did not defeat an invading army. All of it was simply a test to see if
you were worthy to face me. And look what it cost you. Did you not know you would lose the Prime Spells here? What have you left? Anything?”

“I don't need them,” Max continued, hoping it was true. He drew Penumbra from its sheath. “One form of shadow to destroy another.”

The Maelshadow laughed again. “Old words, but their meaning is lost to you. You are an infant with a wand, knowing not what you do. But you have fulfilled your purpose and done all that I needed. Farewell, Max Spencer. Go to your grave knowing you have doomed your world.” The Maelshadow turned to Wayne, pointing at Dwight and Dirk. “They will try and free the girl. As you have served me well, so as a reward I give you the pleasure of killing them.”

The Lord of Shadows rose from his throne, and Wayne put his shield on the floor and shifted the axe from one hand to the other. The large boy stepped down from the dais where the throne rested and moved toward Dirk and Dwight.