Light in the Barren Lands: Travail of The Dark Mage Book One (8 page)

“It’s not the men I’m worried about,” replied James. “The average man-at-arms can be dealt with readily. But they have a mage with them. One that blew through my outer defenses with relative ease.”

Moving in for a closer look, the image drew closer to the deck.

“Empire soldiers,” observed Jiron.

“So it would seem,” agreed James. The men were clearly of the Empire, everything about them screamed that fact.

“Any idea who they could be working for?” asked Jiron.

“Any number of people I would think. Last I heard, Lord Cytok was still offering a reward of twenty-five thousand golds for anyone who showed up with my head.”

The image scrolled across the deck as they scrutinized the men more closely. When the image reached amidships, they saw one who was not dressed in armor, nor was he armed.

Brown hair with a touch of gray and standing a head taller than the men, he had on rather nondescript clothes such was common to find on any street in the Empire. James was certain this was the mage as the man had a certain air about him that spoke power. His assumption was verified when the man raised his head and looked up, directly into the eyes of those watching him.

“How…?” began Jiron when suddenly, the man gave a half-grin and raised his hand. Yellow light flared from within his clutched fingers and the image went blank.

Ahhhh!

Crying out in pain, James stumbled backward as the backlash of the sudden cessation of the scrying spell ripped through his mind.

“James!” Moving to his friend’s side, Jiron caught him before he could fall.

“My god but he’s powerful.” With vision blurred and balance unsettled, he fought for equilibrium. Shaking his head seemed to help and the affects of the backlash quickly subsided.

“A ship is at the dock.”

The creature was again before them, still clutching the spear.

“Activate the island’s defenses,” ordered James.

“Yes, master,” the creature replied then disappeared. A second later, an explosion could be heard coming from the direction of the dock. Then another.

“Come on,” James said as he moved to leave the study. Pausing only a moment in the hallway on the other side, he glanced back to his friend, “We can’t leave any alive.”

Jiron knew how hard it was for him to say that. But unless he wanted further unwelcomed visitors, he had to ensure the full wrath of The Dark Mage fell upon those who came unbidden as a warning to others. Mercy could no longer be allowed. And it ate him up inside that it had to be this way. Nodding, Jiron followed his friend into the front room.

Another explosion came from the dock area.

Meliana looked toward her husband with fear filled eyes. “James?”

“Stay here with the kids,” he replied. “Once we’re gone, activate the protective shield.” He came to her and gave her a kiss. “It’ll be alright.”

“Are you going to fight, daddy?” asked Kenny.

His father nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

Aleya had her bow in hand with quiver across her shoulder.

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

“My bow will be needed,” she argued.

Jiron shook his head. “You must stay here with the others,” he explained.

“I am not staying here like some helpless woman,” she said. “I can fight.”

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he said, “I know. But should the worst happen and James and I fall, you will be the only protection our daughter will have.”

Conflicting desires warred for dominance, but that of motherhood won out. “Don’t you dare make me a widow.” Then grasping him in a hug, she gave him a quick kiss.

“We’ve been up against worse than this,” Jiron assured her.

“Much worse,” agreed James. After giving his wife a peck on the cheek and patting his son on the head, he headed for the door. “We’ll be back shortly,” he said before heading outside.

Chapter Five

________________________

More dockside explosions shattered the peace of the island as James and Jiron left the manor house behind. James paused by the mouth of the pathway leading to the docks to watch a pillar of black smoke rise.

“Is there going to be anyone left?” Jiron asked, as he too gazed at the dark cloud.

“I hope not.”

Over the past two years, he had “mined” the major beach areas with magic powered crystals that would remain dormant until he activated the island’s defenses. Once activated, they would remain dormant until an intruder's proximity set them off.

Boom!

Another of the mines blew.

“Come on,” said James as he broke into a run toward the dock. More smoke could be seen billowing above the treetops.

Jiron drew his knives and followed.

Boom!

Racing down the path, he felt the use of magic further ahead, but whether it was due to the mines going off or the mage on the ship, he couldn’t be sure. The prickling sensation grew as the distance to the dock narrowed.

A crashing sound to the right announced the appearance of Rocky. A tree toppled as the stone construct smashed it aside in its haste to reach the dock.
Whump! Whump!
Its every stride sent tremors rippling through the ground. Ignoring the pair as it came onto the path, Rocky turned and began moving toward the dock area with a speed impossibly fast for so massive a construct.

James sent his senses out and found the other golems, still much too far away to make any difference. Then he cast his senses forward toward the beach just as another mine went off. Nothing living remained on the beach. Scanning farther, he could tell that the ship still held many bodies. About to release the magic and return his senses to normal, a white hot spear of pain blasted into his outreached senses.

“Ahhh!” he cried as the spear of pain traveled back along the path of magic and slammed into his mind. Reeling from the shock, James hit the ground.

“James!” exclaimed Jiron. Coming to his friend’s side, the one-time pit fighter found him unconscious. “Come on man!” he shouted as he gripped James’ shoulders. Giving them a sharp shake, he tried to bring him back around.

Boom!

Another explosion rocked the beach area. Jiron couldn’t make out what was happening there, but hoped that whatever defenses James had in place would take care of the situation. “Wake up,” he urged the unconscious man as shook him once more. Such was the urgency that James awaken, Jiron twice slapped him hard across the face in quick succession. About to land a third blow, he saw his friend’s eyelids flutter open. Though they didn’t appear to be focusing very well, it looked like he was regaining his faculties.

“Thank the gods,” he said. Bringing James to a sitting position, he raised his friend’s head so that their gazes could meet.

Pupils began dilating as James brought the world back into clarity. Blinking several times, Jiron’s face finally came into focus.

“What happened to you?” Jiron asked.

“The mage,” replied James. “Hit me with a magic blast of some kind.” Shaking his head, he tried to rid himself of the residual affects of the enemy mage’s attack.

Boom!

“Can you do magic?”

James raised his hand and though the effort did little to quiet the throbbing in his head, made the orb appear upon his palm. “Yes.”

“Good.” Coming to his feet, he helped James to stand and they began heading once more toward the beach. “I thought you had a handle on this magic business.”

“I do,” he replied. “To a point.” Still a bit shaky, he worried that his legs would give out at any minute. “The last time I went up against another mage was back when we rescued Tinok.” He cast a sidelong glance to his friend. “And you know how that turned out.”

Jiron nodded grimly. Five years ago, James had all but wiped the presence of Dmon-Li off the map, and in the process had left behind a massive area where the Mists of Sorrow had once been that now killed anything that came near. Empire trade routes had suffered immense damage until the logistics of their new reality were worked out. James explained that what killed everything was something called radiation, but Jiron never had completely understood his friend’s explanation as to what it was.

As they made their way along the trail toward the dock, James’ head began to clear and his legs grew steadier. When rubble appeared strewn across the trail ahead, he brought them to a halt.

“Hold up,” he said.

“What is it?” asked Jiron, scanning the trees on either side for signs of the enemy.

James indicated the rubble. “I think this was Rocky.”

“Rocky? But we are not even close to the beach yet.”

“I know.”

Boom!

The explosion caused Jiron to instinctively turn his head toward the noise and see a dark shadow move among the trees. “Shhh!” he whispered as he pulled James behind the shelter of a nearby tree. With a nod of his head in the direction of the shadow, he mouthed,
“The enemy”

James nodded understanding. With great care and caution, he peered around the trunk and saw five distinct shadows moving their way. When one passed through a ray of sunlight streaming through a break in the canopy above, they saw it to be a soldier. Then movement in the trees on the other side of the trail drew his attention as more soldiers emerged into view. None were on the trail; instead they were making their way stealthily through the trees.

Any break from behind the tree would be instantly discovered. Jiron quietly drew both knives from their sheathes while James removed four slugs from his belt. And with their backs against the tree, they waited.

They didn’t have long before they heard the sound of soldiers approaching through the undergrowth. A snap of a twig, the rustle of leaves as a soldier brushed against a bush in passing, the enemy drew ever nearer with seeming exorable slowness.

Heart pounding, James glanced questioningly to Jiron, who shook his head.
“Wait”
he mouthed. James trusted Jiron’s judgment in all things martial, so remained still.

The seconds ticked by and the sound of those making their way through the trees grew closer. When a step was heard just on the other side of their tree, Jiron burst into motion and sank his knife into the man’s chest. So fast had he moved, that his second knife took out another before the soldiers knew what was happening.

Crumph!

Using his well used, battle tested spell, James caused the earth to erupt, throwing men into the air and the battle was joined.

The trees swarmed with men, far more than what he would have believed the single boat could carry. His four slugs flew into the men in quick succession while Jiron waded into them with his knifes.

“Come on!” Jiron taunted as his knives felled yet another. Armor was useless against a knife fighter of his caliber. When a soldier attacked, he would parry the blow to the side with one knife while sinking the blade of the other though a gap formed between interlocking folds of armor.

Crumph!

Men screamed, bodies flew through the air, some crashing into trees to the sound of shattering bones. And still soldiers came forward.

James called upon the magic of the island’s grid and spheres began to appear. The nearest soldiers paused at this new manifestation. But when one of the spheres let loose with a beam of bright red light that burned a three inch hole clear through a man, chaos erupted. Men fled.

Jiron finished off his man then watched the soldiers flee. “Not very sporting,” he said to his friend as more flashes of red felled more men.

“Isn’t supposed to be,” James replied.

Already half the attackers were down and the rest were dropping like flies. Not every beam would drop a man. Often as not, when they struck, they wouldn’t hit anything critical; men were beginning to be hit multiple times. The odor of burnt flesh and hair soon permeated the forest.

But then, James felt a shift in the grid. Spheres were disappearing and the remaining soldiers were able to flee into the forest.

“Aren’t you going to finish them?” asked Jiron.

“
I’m
not doing this,” replied James. A sudden shiver ran through him and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as the rest of the spheres abruptly vanished from sight. Removing one of the powered crystals from his slug belt, he slowly made his way back onto the trail.

It was deserted. No enemy soldiers were in sight. Moving to the middle, he peered down its quiet and still length toward the dock.

Ping!

A protective shield sprang to life around him, followed instantly by a crossbow bolt being deflected from off its surface. A lifesaving measure, whenever the crystals in his slug belt detected an incoming projectile, they deployed the shield automatically. After a period of five seconds passes with no further projectiles, the shield would deactivate and the crystals would revert to dormancy until another threat manifested.

“Stay back,” he warned his friend as he sought the source of the bolt. As his eyes searched the trees, he very carefully sent his senses out to check on the island’s grid. Everything appeared to be functioning properly.

“I think the mage may be off the beach.” Glancing over to Jiron, he could see the concern in his eyes. Concern not so much for himself, but for the wife and daughter left behind at the manor.

Jiron remained sheltered behind the bole of a tree as he too sought the presence of the enemy. “Are they coming this way?” he asked.

“Not sure,” James replied. Realizing he had to know despite the possible risk, he sent his senses forward into the trees. Lasting only a fraction of a second in the hopes of escaping the notice, and retaliation of, the enemy mage, he found the enemy gathered near the trail just out of sight.

“They are holding their position.” Pointing down the trail, he added,
“There.”