Cloak & Dagger: Book II of The Dragon Mage Trilogy (20 page)

“Really?” exclaimed Rebecca excitedly. To have an elemental aid her in her quest was more than she could have bargained for. “We’d love to have your help, right Alric?”

“I - uh - sure!” he exclaimed with a weak smile.

Rebecca clapped her hands together happily. “Which way do we go?”

“You’re the one with the maps,” reminded Alric.

“Oh yeah,” said Rebecca sheepishly.

Chapter 16

I
can’t believe only two of them got paralyzed!” panted Cyril. He ran behind the cleric, whose staff light reflected haphazardly off the uneven tunnel walls.

“Maybe they encountered a cyclops before,” said Vera as she stumbled over some loose rocks on the tunnel floor.

Cyril helped Vera steady herself and they continued to run. “I hadn’t thought of that,” admitted Cyril. After a moment, the cyclops added, “If they keep after us much longer, we may have to stand and fight. I’m getting tired. Do you have any offensive magic?”

The question caught Vera off guard. It hadn’t even occurred to her that she could use her magic against the ogres. She quickly recalled some of her latest spells, which, when used correctly, could disable her opponents. At the tower, she had never used any of her spells to harm anyone. Her spells were meant to help, not hinder. Yet there were times when some of those spells could be used in an offensive application.

The cleric was just bringing these spells to mind when they rounded a bend and nearly stumbled into a vast cavern. A rough stone table with dwarven symbols engraved in its side was in the center of the cavern. Seated on the ground around this table were a number of ogres. The cleric and cyclops stumbled to a halt.

Cyril groaned. He turned to head back the way they had come but it was too late. The three ogres chasing them had caught up. The first ogre lunged at Cyril and the cyclops leaned toward him, absorbing the ogre’s momentum. Although equivalent in stature, Cyril was stronger than his opponent. With a mighty heave, Cyril pushed the ogre back into his companions, causing them to fall to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs.

Vera, meanwhile, could hear Cyril fending off the attackers to the rear. But her problem was the ogres approaching from the front. They looked displeased at the unwelcome intrusion. Chanting rapidly but firmly, Vera cast a sleep spell while rubbing the appropriate spell components together in her hand. As she finished chanting, some white feathers and dried leaves fell from her hand to the floor. Simultaneously, about half a dozen ogres fell to the floor, fast asleep.

The remaining ogres came forward confidently, assuming Vera didn’t have time for another spell. She proved them wrong by casting a shield spell to block the area in front of her. She couldn’t extend the shield all the way around herself and Cyril because the cyclops was in combat with the ogres behind them again. To implement a full shield could trap an ogre within the shield with them, or leave Cyril stuck outside the shield.

The first of Vera’s opponents stepped dangerously close to her when he suddenly ran into the invisible shield. With a dull thud, he bounced back into one of his comrades and landed unceremoniously on the floor. The other ogres stared at their partner as he scrambled to his feet in rage. With a wild yell, he charged the cleric with his club raised over his head. Again, he ran into the shield and bounced back onto the floor.

Seeing this, a female ogre - the first Vera had seen - cried out a battle cry and started to pound on the cleric’s shield with her club. The other ogres in the cavern followed suit.

Vera could feel the pounding from within the shield and chanted some more to strengthen the shield.

Cyril successfully brought his club down on one ogre’s head, the spiked end biting deep into its thick skull. It went down with a groan. Unfortunately, the club had become embedded in the ogre’s skull. Seizing the opening, the other two ogres threw themselves at the cyclops.

The cyclops’ club ripped free and Cyril staggered backward into the cleric, knocking her off balance. The cyclops responded by kicking back one of his opponents and grabbing the other one around the throat. Squeezing tightly, he waited until it stopped struggling before letting it drop to the floor.

Meanwhile, Vera had been knocked to her knees. Her momentary lack of concentration had caused her air shield to weaken enough that one ogre’s club managed to penetrate it. It smashed down hard against the floor mere inches from the hapless cleric.

Several bright flashes, followed by short explosions, caught everyone by surprise. A few of Vera’s attackers fell to the floor, dead. Their smoking, charred corpses were all that remained. The other ogres spun in unison to face this unexpected attack from the rear. Three more fireballs struck three more ogres in rapid succession. The female ogre’s body rolled past the cleric, its body fully engulfed in flames. It struck the wall beside the tunnel and came to a stop, still burning. The remaining ogres tried to flee, but there was nowhere to hide. Fireballs struck them wherever they ran. One ogre, the same one that had run into Vera’s shield the first time, ran at her again, thinking her shield was still down. He was wrong. He ran headlong into the shield. This time he bounced off, hit the floor, and lay still.

The battle behind Vera ended at the same time. Cyril lifted his club from the chest of his last opponent and turned to see how Vera was doing. Seeing the dead and burning bodies all over the place he asked breathlessly, “You didn’t -?!”

Vera shook her head. “It wasn’t me.”

Across the cavern, Vera and Cyril could make out a dark cloaked figure lit by a staff adorned with a bright green orb of light. As it came closer, Vera could see that it was a black mage.

The cleric did not lower her shield as she spoke. “Who goes there?” she asked in a quavering voice.

The figure continued to come closer but all they could see was a black cloak. The face was hidden beneath the hood. Suddenly, the cloaked figure threw his hood back, revealing a young man with blue eyes and blond hair. “I am Arch Mage Kazin.”

Vera gasped.

“And you are?” prodded Kazin. He stopped walking.

Vera lowered her shield and started running toward the mage, who instinctively held his staff in a defensive pose.

“Kazin!” cried Vera. “I’m Vera, Max’s sister! Remember me?”

Kazin was surprised. He allowed his old friend’s sister to embrace him before holding her back and looking at her up close. “Vera? Is that really you?”

“Yes!” cried Vera joyfully. “You came just in time!”

Kazin’s face darkened. “You shouldn’t be running around in these mountains. It’s too dangerous.”

By now Cyril had wandered up to the two. Kazin looked directly at the cyclops’ eye and nodded. “You must be Cyril. I’ve heard about you.”

Cyril, realizing Kazin was looking into his eye, looked away hastily. A moment later he returned his gaze, his eye showing surprise and bewilderment. “Hey! You’re not paralyzed!”

Kazin continued to look Cyril in the eye and smiled. “My magical training includes mental discipline. I’m not as susceptible to your magic as most people are. But I’m not immune to it either. If I let my guard down, I can be paralyzed too.”

Cyril could only shake his head in amazement. He offered his hand. “I am pleased to meet you. Vera has told me about you. You are her friend. Therefore, you are mine as well.”

Kazin shook his hand. “I’m honoured.”

Cyril’s face momentarily darkened. “I hope you were not sent to take me back.”

Kazin shook his head. “No. High Cleric Malachi wishes you were back, but he certainly wouldn’t force you to go back against your will.”

Cyril’s face brightened. “Really?” He looked at Vera.

The cleric grinned. “See! I told you Malachi liked you!”

“We’d better get away from here,” interrupted Kazin. He indicated the fallen ogres. “Some of them might wake up any time now. When they do, they won’t be happy.”

“Aren’t you going to kill them?” asked Vera.

Kazin looked at the cleric. “Why? They are not a threat to us right now.”

“But they’re our enemies!” pouted Vera. “They tried to kill us a moment ago!”

“We are the intruders here,” responded Kazin. “To kill them in their sleep makes us no better than they are. I used to be like you, but I have learned a lot in my travels. Not every creature is evil. For example, I knew a minotaur who was not evil. He became one of my closest friends. Cyril is another example. Some people think he is evil just because he is part cyclops. You and I both know otherwise.”

Vera sighed. “I suppose you’re right, Kazin.” The cleric was just frightened, and her fear made her want to lash out. The familiar feeling of compassion suddenly kicked in. “Should we try to heal the ones who are still alive? They might see that we don’t want to harm them and -.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” interrupted Kazin. He chuckled and patted the cleric on the shoulder. “Besides, there is a darker force at work here. The ogres aren’t smart enough to be behind it.” The mage turned to go and the others quickly followed.

“Where are we going?” asked Vera after they had put some distance between themselves and the cavern of ogres.

Kazin stopped and turned to face the cleric. His face looked greenish in the light of his staff. “You should return to the Tower of Hope at once. The clerics are needed more than ever with this new disease present.”

“But I can’t cure that illness,” lamented Vera. “Believe me. I tried! People were even chasing me away and calling me a fraud!”

“Don’t agonize over that,” put in Kazin gently. He held the cleric by the shoulders. “I know it can’t be healed yet. Even the expert healers can’t do it. But once a cure is found, your magical skills will be invaluable.”

“The best cure is often found at the source of the trouble,” said Vera. “Cyril and I are trying to do just that.”

“That is my mission as well,” said Kazin. He released the cleric. “But I don’t think you know how dangerous a mission this is. There are many evil creatures in these mountains, and the most dangerous ones wield magic.” He pointed back the way they had come. “You saw first-hand how dangerous it can get. If I hadn’t come along, you might have been killed!”

Vera looked crestfallen.

“Then we should join forces,” put in Cyril suddenly. He had been quietly observing the conversation until now. “My - gift - (he looked at Vera as he said this) could prove useful. I am quite strong too.” He flexed his arm, causing Kazin to grin in spite of himself.

“And I can heal your wounds!” cried Vera. She looked into Kazin’s eyes anxiously.

Kazin’s grin vanished. “Vera, I couldn’t save your brother, and I don’t want your death on my conscience as well. If harm came to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. What would I tell your parents?”

“Don’t worry about me,” said Vera. “I won’t hold you accountable for my well-being. I’ll take care of myself. If I die, it’s my fault.”

Kazin sighed. “Alright,” he said at last. “You can come with me.”

“Yes!” cried Vera joyfully. She jumped up and embraced the mage.

Kazin gently removed the frail cleric’s arms from around his shoulders and looked at her sternly. “You’ll have to pull your own weight. I can’t always watch over you and fight the bad guys at the same time.”

“Of course!” said Vera seriously. But her grin returned a moment later. “This will be so exciting!”

Kazin looked helplessly at the cyclops before turning to continue down the passageway.

A short while later, the trio arrived at a major intersection in the tunnel system. The path veered off in five directions.

“Now which way?” asked Vera.

A sudden gust of wind struck the companions from the left and echoed loudly down the tunnel to the right. The spell casters’ cloaks rippled around their ankles with the cool blast.

“We go this way,” answered Kazin confidently, following the direction of the wind. The mage made a point of marking the walls as he went.

“How do you know this is the way?” asked the cleric as she stumbled down the corridor after the mage. Her sandals slapped noisily on the floor as she went.

Kazin, whose own sandals made echoing noises, turned his head to the side as he spoke. “I’m following the wind. The air elemental instructed me to follow his wind and I don’t want to disappoint him.”

“Air elemental?” asked the cleric. She looked back at the cyclops, who merely shrugged back at her while keeping his gaze averted.

Kazin did not respond to the question, preferring to concentrate on the tunnel ahead of him.

Suddenly, a rumble echoed through the tunnel, followed immediately by a heaving, shaking motion under their feet. Vera would have fallen had the cyclops not held onto her with a massive hand. Kazin was thrown to one side and fell heavily against the wall.

“What was that?” asked Vera fearfully.

“An earthquake,” answered Cyril.

The rumbling occurred again and some loose debris fell on the companions from the tunnel ceiling. Then the rumbling stopped.

“Is everyone O.K.?” asked Kazin.

“Yes,” said Cyril.

“Let’s keep moving,” ordered the mage.

“Are you sure we’re headed the right way?” asked the cleric shakily.

“I’ve followed the wind since I entered the mountain,” explained Kazin. “The elemental told me to do it, though I didn’t think it applied to the mountain as well. At first I ignored the wind, not realizing that it was guiding me. A couple of times I chose to go opposite the wind to find out if it meant anything. The first time I ended up at a dead end wondering how the wind could have originated there. The second time the wind blasted fiercely into my face and I had to turn back. Ever since then, I followed the wind and have never reached a dead end or trap. The only time I ran into any enemies was when I had to rescue you.” The mage paused thoughtfully. “Maybe I was supposed to rescue you.”

“Because we were supposed to help you!” finished Vera excitedly.

“Perhaps,” said Kazin. He marked the wall and led the others down the tunnel again, his staff lighting the way.

“Do you want me to light the way for a while, Kazin?” asked the cleric suddenly. “Your staff probably needs to recharge.”