Cloak & Dagger: Book II of The Dragon Mage Trilogy (41 page)

“I’m sure it isn’t,” said Kazin humbly.

Frosty affectionately nudged Kazin with his nose and Kazin avoided the clear, white horn. Making contact with the magical tine would result in a painful, hot sensation. There was more magic stored in that horn than Kazin wanted to know.

Kazin petted the soft white mane of his familiar. “How did you know I was still alive when you came to rescue me, Frosty?” he asked.

“If you were dead, I would cease to exist,” said Frosty. “I’m your familiar, remember?”

“Oh, yeah,” said the mage.

“While I was looking for you, I was tracking your essence,” continued the unicorn. “That led me to the dragon. The dragon claimed you were dead, so I tricked it into sensing your spirit within. As soon as the dragon sensed you, so did I. Let’s just say the dragon didn’t take it very well when he found that out.”

Kazin could only shake his head in amazement. “And you determined that the dragon was my cure for the poison.”

“It was the only conclusion I could come up with,” said Frosty. “I’m surprised you didn’t make the connection yourself.”

“Nobody’s perfect,” said Kazin bashfully, using Milena’s line.

* * * * *

In the gloom below, Graf surveyed the gathering forces with satisfaction. Thousands of orcs, ogres, goblins and lizardmen had congregated at the foot of the Old Dwarven Mountains. Many more were still arriving. The scene was even more imposing with the violent thunder and lightning, and driving torrents of rain. Torches sputtered and flickered in the perpetual gloom. Suddenly Narg, the lizardmage in charge of the earth elemental, appeared. Narg’s nostrils flared under the strain of summoning magic, but he had help. He led a throng of lizardmen who chanted their magic around a large, brown, rock-like creature some thirty feet high. Its face was similar to a human female.

The creature - the earth elemental - was no longer encased in ice, and was now totally under the control of the lizardmen. As it exited the protection of the mountains, it looked up at the thunderous skies above and moaned. The moan was so loud and sorrowful that it sank deep into the earth. The resulting earthquake was so severe that most of the gathered forces below fell to the ground. Graf himself would have fallen had it not been for Slong, his general, who caught him before he fell.

Graf re-established his footing and yanked his arm from Slong. He glowered at his general with a look of hatred. “When I need help, I’ll ask for it!” he hissed.

“As you wish,” answered Slong indifferently. He knew Graf well enough to know that he wasn’t going to show any gratitude.

Though the earth elemental had a woman’s face, the rest of the body was less defined. The body was made of rocks and earth, and tended to grind and undulate as it moved forward. The arms and legs were huge, and mighty fists at the ends of the arms were like giant battering rams. The ground shook as it walked to a designated spot behind the army.

The air elemental made its debut next. If the appearance of the earth elemental was terrifying, the appearance of the air elemental was unnerving. The air elemental emerged from the mountains with a similar crew of summoners surrounding it. Emanating from a cylindrical bowl in the middle of the summoners, the air elemental seemed to be gliding along of its own accord. It wasn’t hard to see this elemental from a distance, because it stood about five times higher than everything around it except for the earth elemental. It undulated so one couldn’t make out its features clearly, and the whirlwind it emitted was so intense, the lizardmages who surrounded it had difficulty walking with their robes whipping about their feet. Upon exiting the mountains, the air elemental seemed to grow as it absorbed the surrounding air as though feeding on it. It virtually doubled in size. It was a formidable sight to those who had already been assembled. .

Following the procession was Narla, the lizardmage in charge of the air elemental. Her navy cloak with purple trim whipped mercilessly around her ankles, but she strode tall and proud. She looked up to where Graf stood with his general and grinned with her fish-like lips. She was showing off her skills as a summoner and appeared to be enjoying herself.

Graf barely grinned back and turned to his general. “How long before the forces are ready to march?”

“We should be ready by noon tomorrow,” answered Slong. He squinted into the foreboding sky. It was only a few hours after noon, but the dark skies hid any sunlight, making it seem like night rather than day. It wasn’t going to get any lighter.

“You should raze any farms and villages,” stated Graf. “Let the army seize whatever spoils they wish. Try to recruit dissatisfied humans by offering them clean water. Attack the Tower of Hope and then head east for the Tower of Sorcery.”

Slong nodded. He did not need Graf to repeat his orders.

“Meet me there as soon as you can,” continued Graf.

Slong straightened at this comment. “Aren’t you coming?”

Graf gave a sinister grin. “I’m going to soften up those puny human mages for you.”

“By yourself?” asked the general incredulously.

Graf continued grinning. “Not alone, but with some unlikely allies.”

“May I ask who?” asked Slong.

“You’ll see soon enough,” said Graf cryptically.

Slong sighed. Graf wasn’t letting him in on his plan. It didn’t really matter; as long as he succeeded.

“I have to prepare,” said Graf after enjoying his assembled army for a few more minutes. He turned and entered the tunnel behind him as another earthquake rocked the mountain. The deluge he left behind him came down even harder.

At the outer edge of the gathered forces, two sets of eyes watched with interest as Graf departed.

“He’s not going?” asked Lynch.

Lyrr shook his head. “I don’t think so. It looks like Graf has other plans.”

“I wonder what he’s up to,” said Lynch.

Lyrr looked over at Lynch. His own curiosity was aroused as well. “Why don’t we try to find out?”

Lynch shrugged. “What would it gain us?”

“We might learn something that can give us an edge over the other senior lizardmages. It might also give us an opportunity to help Graf and make him forget about your failure to catch the fire elemental.”

Lynch looked at Lyrr. His goal of moving up in the hierarchy of the lizardmen’s realm was always in the back of his mind. “Who said anything about helping Graf?” To him, Graf was just in the way of the ultimate goal – being the ultimate ruler of their kind.

This hint wasn’t lost on Lyrr. He leered.

“Let’s see what we can find out,” said Lynch. He led the way back into the tunnels nearby.

Lyrr’s leer became even wider. This was going to be fun.

Chapter 32

A
s the contingent of grey mages disembarked just west of the Tower of Hope, Jerrin, a grey mage, studied the preparations that had been made for the inevitable war. Thousands of people scurried about in various duties in and around the tower. The moat, now full of water, lay north of the tower. It spanned some fifty feet across and stretched well past the tower to the west. At various intervals, archer towers were hastily erected to enhance the protection of ground troops. Large bunkers were constructed on both sides of the moat. That meant the bulk of the fighting force would start ahead of the moat and only fall back behind the moat if a retreat was ordered. The makeshift bridges across the moat were designed to be collapsed once all allies were safely back across the water barrier. It wasn’t exactly professional looking, but it did look effective. Considering what little time was available, it was a major feat nonetheless.

Jerrin set foot on the muddy shore of North Lake and sloshed through the muck toward the tower, along with hundreds of other grey mages. It wasn’t raining at the moment, but the wind was bitterly cold as it cut through his drenched grey cloak.

At the tower, Jerrin presented a letter to the sentry at one of the check in booths. He was then separated from his companions, who were led off to the thousands of tents sprawled around the Tower of Hope. Most of the tents were set up south of the tower, away from where the fighting was to occur. A number of grey mages had provided a large supply of new tents for everyone as Mara had requested.

Jerrin was led to the tower gates where another guard, a senior ranking official, inspected the note. With a grunt, Jerrin was admitted past the portcullis into the tower’s courtyard. From here, a cleric took charge of the guest and led him to the tower itself.

The tower was awesome to behold, especially by someone who had never seen its glass-like pinnacles before. The interior of the building was spectacular in its own right, the shiny white walls lit by the shafts of light that filtered down from above. The unique design of the tower allowed it to be brighter inside than out, and even a murky day like this one provided adequate light to see by.

Jerrin’s heart filled with sorrow at the thought of this great structure being lost to the war. He resolved to do his part in trying to preserve this great piece of history.

The grey mage was told to wait in the main lobby, so he looked around at the paintings on the walls. A strange statue of an older man stood off to one side and Jerrin wondered what significance it had. His examination of the realistic features of the man was cut short as a heavy set cleric hastened toward him.

“Good afternoon!” panted the cleric. He proffered his hand. “My name is High Cleric Malachi. I understand Mara sent for you specifically?”

Jerrin shook the high cleric’s hand. “Yes. My name is Jerrin.”

Malachi nodded. “I understand you have a sound understanding of warfare and sieges?”

Jerrin nodded. “Yes. I’ve studied many writings dating back to ancient times and have some actual experience fighting at the Tower of Strength and the battle at Marral.”

“Good!” said Malachi. “Your experience as a grey mage warrior is sorely needed. It will be up to the grey mages to save the Tower of Hope. Are you aware of the fate of many of the black mages?”

Jerrin nodded. “I’ve already been briefed.”

“Good,” repeated Malachi.

Jerrin looked around. “Where’s Mara?”

“She’s on an important mission,” said Malachi. “Her services are required with the druids in the Tower of the Moon. They need her magic to help create a cure for the plague.”

“The ‘Tower of the Moon’?” asked Jerrin. “It actually exists?”

Malachi smiled patiently. “Yes. Its location is still somewhat of a mystery, but -.”

His comment was cut off when a deep-rooted tremor suddenly shook the tower and its battlements. The high cleric instinctively grabbed hold of Jerrin’s shoulder to keep from being thrown down. Minor debris tumbled from the ceiling above them.

Malachi had a look of horror on his face. “That’s the first time in a while we’ve had had such a tremor! I fear the time is near at hand.” He looked into Jerrin’s eyes. “What do you know about elementals, Jerrin?”

Jerrin narrowed his eyes. “Not much. Why?”

Malachi put his arm around Jerrin’s shoulders and began leading him away. “Because, my son, that is what we’re up against.”

“Tell me what you know,” said Jerrin anxiously. Whatever preconceived ideas he had before arriving here were about to change drastically.

Meanwhile, outside, soldiers had the gruesome task of cleaning up the bodies of several skink warriors who had fallen off the battlements during the latest earthquake …

* * * * *

The wind had diminished considerably as the spell casters gathered atop the Tower of the Moon in preparation for the summoning spell. The sky was still mostly overcast, but the twilight created by the setting sun still gave off enough light to see by. Torches were lit a short distance away from the altar to provide light when the sun finally set. The supplies of dwarven ale, wildhorn leaves, and faelora were ready beside the altar. The three druids were dressed in their usual dark blue robes. They stood around the altar, separated by each of the other mages. Vera had on her white robe, almost glowing clean since her exit from the mountains. Her robe was as white as Frosty, who stood back, well out of the way of the summoners. Mara wore her grey cloak while Kazin wore his black one. Behind the mages on the ground lay their staves, which were needed later.

“Is everyone ready?” asked Martha, who stood to Kazin’s right.

“I think so,” said Vera. She stood between Adriana and Milena, who was on Kazin’s left.

“Then let’s hold hands,” said Martha. She took hold of Kazin’s right hand and Mara’s left hand. Everyone else followed suit, taking hold of the hands of those next to them.

Adriana, who was directly across from Kazin, began a soft chant. Milena and Martha joined in. Their spell was uniform in pitch and loudness, rising and falling like a large wave in North Lake. The mood created by this was mesmerising, and made more eerie by the disappearing daylight. Kazin felt as though his very spirit was floating with the spell. Vera and Mara experienced similar sensations.

Unlike the air elemental, who was difficult for the druids to summon, the water elemental was a more familiar entity that they had experience calling to their plane of existence. Kazin half expected to see the druids sweating with the exertion of the spell as he had seen when the air elemental was called into being. But that was not the case with the water elemental.

Before long, a layer of water began to appear on the altar. It rose and fell with the chant of the summoners. With each rise it grew larger. Its form soon began to materialize. The entity’s head rose above its humanoid torso. Even its features became evident. Kazin always thought mermaids were alluring, but this elemental was breathtaking in comparison.

“Why have I been summoned?” demanded the elemental when it was fully formed. Its body melded into the pool of water that rested atop the altar. The water should have run off the altar’s surface, but seemed to be attached to the elemental by some unknown force.

Adriana stopped chanting and looked up at the magnificent being. “Greetings. We are the druids of the Tower of the Moon. We require your assistance to aid us in creating a cure for a lethal disease.”