Death Mages Ascent: Revised Edition (Death Mage Series Book 1) (19 page)

“Not yet, My Lord, but the day isn’t over. How are you set here?” Nelix asked.

“What you see is what you get,” Wilbrin said, waving his hand at the line of soldiers. “We have four mages with us, including Magus Jaxom here. Do you know how many the enemy has and how far behind they are?”

“At least three from the ice, fire, and earth schools, but there could be more,” Nelix replied. “They’ve been after of us for three days, so they will be tired. That could give us the advantage.”

“Do wish to take command?” Wilbrin said.

“No, I will reform my men who are not too injured to fight and send the rest on. Celia, will you see to it?” he said looking to her. She brought her fist to her breast plate and moved her horse off toward where the new arrivals were milling about and catching their breath. In that simple gesture of respect, Jaxom could see how much she had changed in the last few weeks. “We will support your line wherever it falters, but I am afraid my men are in no condition to lead a charge.”

“I think you and your men have done enough, General. We can handle it from here. Maybe they will decide that they do not wish to fight today,” Wilbrin said, saluting again before riding away to the center of the formation. Nelix nodded at Jaxom then rode off to join his men.

When Celia and Blackburn had reformed their men, Jaxom estimated that over half had continued north, which left around two hundred and fifty to stay and fight. Horns blew all along the line, giving the signal to ready themselves as the first of the enemy soldiers moved out from the trees to form a line of their own. Jaxom did a rough count and concluded that the estimations of both Adriana and Nelix had been off. Over twelve hundred southerners in black armor stood facing them across the narrow clearing. Horns blew again, and the enemy began moving their horses forward. The Ale’adarians moved to meet them. Jaxom kept pace with the men in front of him, realizing that he would have to be much closer to be of any use. Urging his horse to a faster pace, he drew his skull-hilted sword and moved into the rear of the line. Two men made room for him, nodding their approval.

The horns sounded again, and the men on both sides roared as they charged at one another. The clash of steel on steel was deafening. Pressing forward, Jaxom swung his sword at any of the enemy who came close. The charge quickly changed into hundreds of duels as men on horseback fought back and forth. One enemy soldier, seeing him wearing only his black shirt and pants and thinking him an easy target, rushed forward swinging a sword at Jaxom’s chest. Jaxom parried the blow, throwing it out wide then whipping back to cut deeply into the chainmail-covered arm of his opponent. Screaming, the man thrust the tip of his sword at Jaxom’s stomach. With no other choice, Jaxom pulled back on the reins, forcing his horse away and avoiding the blade. The southerner had overreached, allowing Jaxom to swing and connect solidly with the man’s chest, knocking him to the ground where he lay unmoving.

Seeing one of his men being pressed hard by two attackers, Jaxom urged his horse forward to strike a blow on the back of one of the men. The chainmail he wore deflected most of the blow, sending small metal links and blood flying through the air. Spinning his horse, the enemy soldier brought his mace down to crush Jaxom’s skull. Blocking the strike, he pushed the heavy weapon back and plunged his sword into the man’s chest. Withdrawing the bloodied blade, he looked to see the soldier he had tried to help fall right before his killer was impaled by a short spear.

The ground beneath him began to shake rhythmically, and he spotted a rock golem ten feet in height moving towards the fight on his right. When the animated stone was no more than a few of its large paces from the embattled men, vines sprouted beneath its legs, growing quickly up the rock body and slowing its approach. The golem tore at the plants, ripping them away only to have more replace them. More of the animated plants wrapped around its large arms. Like long green worms, they burrowed into its body, cracking the stone in many places. A few of the Ale’adarian soldiers began smashing the entangled creature with maces. Soon the whole thing crumbled to rubble.

Jaxom spotted the earth mage in brown robes, casting his hand downward. The ground in front of him began to buckle as he raised another golem. Cutting his way through two more of the enemy cavalry, Jaxom was ready to charge the earth mage when a shadow passed over him, quickly followed by two arrows streaking down from the sky. The first struck the mage in his shoulder while the second hit the neck of his horse, causing the animal to rear and throw him backwards to the ground. Recovering quickly, the mage slammed both hands into the dirt, causing it to erupt and form a dome of stone over him. Jaxom watched as Adriana loosed another arrow at one of the Southerners, taking him from the saddle before moving on. He could not help but smile at the woman’s prowess.

Returning his gaze to the fight around him, Jaxom was just in time to find three men rushing towards him. Releasing the reins he raised his hand, and the blight flowed forth. The dark, smokey tendrils wrapped around the men and their horses, and they collapsed, screaming, to the ground. Glancing around, Jaxom saw that they had lost many men near the center, and each of the Ale’adarians were fighting two or more Southerners. He cast again, and ten of the fallen rose to take up weapons, attacking the enemy soldiers.

Balls of fire began striking men all around him, one at a time. The enemy fire mage was singling out the Ale’darian soldiers from astride a dark brown mare. Looking almost bored, calmly flinging her hand out again and again, striking men down. Heeling his horse to speed, Jaxom charged. The fire mage fired three times in his direction, but Jaxom intercepted each cast with his sword. The blade pulsed with the energy it had just absorbed, and her expression quickly changing to one of worry.

She changed tactics, and a long cord of flame spilled from her hand all the way to the ground. She brought her hand back and then forward quickly, cracking the flame whip and forcing Jaxom to block it with his sword. The end of the whip burned a swath through his shirt and his shoulder. His sword could not absorb magic that was still directly under her control, a flaw he wished he had discovered earlier. Pulling back, she prepared for another strike, but Jaxom poured the blight forward, forcing her to create a shield of flame to burn away his cast. Her defensive move bought him the time he needed to retreat to a safe distance. The fire mage swirled the whip, waiting for him to advance. Raising his hand, Jaxom cast the black veil, filling the area around them till nothing could be seen save the glow of her weapon. When he was certain she could no longer see him, Jaxom circled to the right just as heat from a jet of flame filled the space he had occupied. Casting blindly, she had come close to burning him. Jaxom struck above the glow feeling the edge of his sword cut through flesh. The fire mage screamed. He struck again, higher this time, and the scream cut off abruptly as the light from the fire died with it.            

Banishing the veil, he found the dead mage lying on the ground with a deep rent in her chest and one arm half severed. Looking back to the men fighting, he saw that the situation had not improved. The fire mage had done a lot of damage before he had taken her down. Half of the risen soldiers were down again, their heads destroyed or bodies chopped apart. Jaxom cast at the unmoving mage. She regained her feet, but the arm he had cut hung limply at her side, attached by a thin flap of muscle and skin. He quickly repaired the limb enough to make it functional again and commanded her to join the fight. He had expected the risen mage to charge forward, but instead it surprised him, using memories of who she had been to cast her own magic. Burning missiles began landing among the men again, this time striking only enemy soldiers. In a matter of seconds, the Ale’adarians had the upper hand and confusion took hold of the Southerners.

Jaxom turned his attention to Darian and Danika. The stone mage, still encased in a dome of stone with a small opening that allowed him to see, had raised half a dozen smaller golems. Much quicker than their larger cousin, they were causing havoc, attacking the horses and then the dismounted soldiers. Danika was having a difficult time countering them because they were too fast for the vines to be effective. Darian was battling another ice mage. Both had lost their horses, and neither seemed to be gaining an advantage. Bolts of ice smashed into each other midair, and streams of frost were met by more of the same.

Riding round the center of the fight, Jaxom moved into position behind the enemy ice mage who seemed only aware of Darian. Charging forward, he readied his sword to finish the distracted man and had to pull up short when a wall of ice sprang up in front of him. Circling around the obstruction, he gained more ground, and the enemy ice mage was forced to turn and face him, flinging two bolts of ice in his direction. Jaxom pointed his sword at the bolts and released the trapped energy. Balls of fire shot out in quick succession. One collided with an ice bolt, and the other two sped toward the mage, who was forced to block them with another wall. Jaxom ducked low against his horse as the second bolt flew above him, tearing a shallow cut along his back. Sitting back up, he saw the mage shudder as a blue crystalized sword erupted through his chest. Darian stood behind him holding the other end. The Ale’adarian ice mage let the body slide to the ground in a heap.

Darian wore a grim look of satisfaction. “I thought you said you would not seek out the other ice mage,” Jaxom said.

The other man looked at him and shrugged. “I didn’t. He sought me out, and I was happy to oblige,” Darian replied.

Jaxom nodded and cast down to the dead ice mage. Darian jumped back, readying his ice sword, as the risen stood and awaited a command. “This one will help Danika with the earth mage,” Jaxom said. “Simply tell it what you want it to do.”

Darian nodded and looked to his new ally. “Follow me,” he told the risen unsteadily before heading toward Danika.

With a moment to think, he looked for Celia and Nelix and located them on the other side of the fight. A majority of the enemy had shifted in hopes of collapsing the flank. Adriana’s and Brenin’s arrows rained down on the enemy combats from above. At the center, the battle pressed towards his risen fire mage. Some Ale’adarians had encircled the risen mage to protect it from the enemy who were trying to destroy it. As the fighting continued, the Ale’adarians steadily gained the advantage.

Deciding that Celia and Nelix needed his help most, he moved his tired horse toward the thickest part of the battle. The animal labored for breath, and its movement had grown sluggish from fatigue. He braced himself then charged into the fray, swinging his sword in controlled strikes at any who came near. He was just finishing two enemies when Jaxom’s progress toward the center was stopped by a skilled adversary wearing silver decorated plate armor. The man fought calmly, as if he and Jaxom were simply sparring. His strikes were measured and never gave Jaxom an opening while his parries perfectly aligned to stop Jaxom’s attacks. Becoming frustrated, Jaxom considered casting the blight but could not gain a moment to do so. The Southerner kept his horse moving, forcing Jaxom to move with him or risk a blow from behind. Controlling his horse with one hand and wielding his sword with other, Jaxom could not find an opening to cast his magic.

From outside of Jaxom’s vision, another sword came down, landing a heavy blow on the back of the foe’s armor. He staggered then whipped around to face his new attacker. His calm attacks became faster and less precise in anger. Jaxom could see that Nelix had saved him, but the general was now hard pressed. The long days of fleeing were taking their toll. Jaxom dropped the reins and sent the black and grey twirling blight to wrap around the armor-plated man’s upraised arm and chest. It seeped through the spaces in the armor to find the flesh beneath, but even the magic did not stop him from fighting as his body rotted. He screamed as he swung his sword until finally he could fight no more. His shiny plate armor fell to the ground, an empty shell.

“Thank you,” Jaxom said. Nelix looked even wearier than before. The man had a deep gash almost exactly where his old scar was, and the blood flowed freely down his face.

“Thank me when it’s over lad,” he said, looking about. “For now, follow me.”

Jaxom followed the older man deeper into fray until they found what he thought was the center. At its core stood Tamrick. Around his horse, a thicket of green plants had sprung up and seemed to be keeping the enemy soldiers away. One of the plants stood on a thick green base from which four vines tipped with barbs lashed out any unfortunate enough to come to close. Another plant looked like a bush covered with large red flowers. From the center of those flowers, thorns the length of a man’s hand shot forth, embedding themselves in armor and flesh. Several other plants lay hacked to pieces on the ground.    

Jaxom could feel exhaustion creeping in. Jaxom and Nelix positioned themselves near the green mage, who nodded at them with a look of relief on his tired face. Jaxom sheathed his sword and stretched both hands out toward the many dead on the ground. Almost as one, fifteen dead soldiers stood and began attacking the Southerners with an abandon and ferocity that living men rarely showed. Jaxom commanded them to attack with hands and teeth as they leapt upon the mounted men and pulled them down to the ground. They gouged out eyes with dead fingers and tore out throats with bared teeth, hammering with fists or stomping on those who had fallen to the ground.

It was pure carnage.  Jaxom’s risen killed one after another in the most horrific manners possible. In the end, it was too much for the Southerners. They began fleeing, first individually, then in mass until it was a full retreat. The Ale’adarians gave chase, and all along the line, the remaining enemy ran for their lives as they were cut down from behind. Finally, a loud, long horn blew, calling for a halt. Jaxom saw a flash of red in the forest. The risen fire mage would have not heeded the call. He called it back to him and soon saw the risen mage walking out of the trees. Reanimating so many at once had drained him quickly. He felt that any minute he would fall from his saddle. He cut the flow of magic to the remaining risen soldiers, and they dropped to ground, still once more. The relief was immediate. He steadied himself on his horse. Only then did he start to hear the sound of men crying out in pain. Those who were able began helping the injured, binding wounds and getting them back on to horses or pulling them up to ride double.