The Sorcerer's Return (The Sorcerer's Path) (42 page)

Raijaun’s teeth rattled in his skull as Drak’kar repeatedly brutalized him. Something finally yielded and he was relieved to realize it was the wall and not his body. Raijaun crashed through the
stone and found himself in an empty space between walls. He struggled to his feet and launched another spell at Drak’kar through the gaping hole in the wall. Drak’kar deflected it with a conjured ward.

“I
know your tricks, boy. You cannot surprise me with it.”

You stand within the house of your father. Claim your inheritance.

Raijaun heard the soft voice inside his head and immediately understood its intent if not its source. He had felt the power of the souls trapped within the black stones when he touched them. It was vile and evil, but they belonged to him and he would not die here. He had far more important things to deal with, starting with his brother.

Raijaun
sank his claws into the stone, took a deep breath, and glared as rage filled his body. “You know my father’s magic? Then let me show you something from my mother.”

Raijaun tapped into the stored power of the citadel
. Dark energy poured into his body and he merged it with his Guardian and sorcerous magic to create a spell of colossal power. Drak’kar gazed uncomprehendingly at the strange triad of magic the child demon wrought. He suffered only a moment of confusion before the world exploded in a supernova of light and sound.

Sharellan stepped from the black cloud of dust and smiled as Raijaun furiously sped through the massive hole in the fortress. “So much like his father.”

Daebian paced the reddish landscape in search of the portal that would take him home. He gripped the chit his brother had given him in his hand as he searched, but if it knew the way, it was being obstinately silent.

“Where did he hide that damnable portal? I really should have paid more attention.”

Daebian felt the ground tremble beneath his feet a moment before a concussive force reverberated through him. He turned just as the sound from a massive explosion reached his ears. A huge cloud of dust now obscured the entire citadel from view.

“
Wahoo! Give ‘em hell, little brother!” Daebian crowed and danced a jig. “Uh-oh.”

Daebian began running and leaping to avoid the rain of massive black stones plummeting from the sky like meteors, throwing up clouds of dust and shaking the ground as they struck. The
hail of rock continued for several seconds before ending as quickly as it started.

“Well this is not going to make it any easier to find,” Daebian said, looking at the scattered boulders as he began walking in an
ever-expanding spiral.

Daebian turned toward an odd flapping sound just before a large object struck him at great speed. He felt himself flying upward for a moment before plummeting back down and smashing into the ground. The force of the impact drove the air from his lungs and sent pain shooting throughout his body.

“You left me to die, you wretched, selfish bastard!” Raijaun screamed as he pressed down on his brother. “What have you to say to me before I kill you?”

Daebian opened his eyes and looked upon his brother’s seething face. He slapped at Raijaun’s wrist and felt the pressure ease enough for him to draw a shuddering breath.

“Um, you’re welcome?”

“What?” Raijaun exclaimed, taking a step back at Daebian’s totally unexpected response.

“You were weak and too afraid to use your power to its full potential. Until you stopped being such an incredible wimp, you were next to useless. I had faith in you. You just needed the proper motivation to embrace your inner monster.”

“You consider death a motivator?”

“I cannot think of a better one. So, you’re welcome. Now you say…”

Raijaun stood in stunned silence. He could not deny his brother’s words, but he could not help but doubt his intent. Daebian was a selfish narcissist who did nothing that was not to his benefit. Still, what he said was true. If Raijaun continued to balk in the face of his own power, he would be little help when it came to helping Father battle the Scions.

“Thank you?”

“There you go. And people say I’m the one lacking in manners.” Daebian extended his
hand. “Now help me up. I think you shattered my spine, you savage brute.”

Unable to respond any other way, Raijaun pulled Daebian to his feet. As his anger ebbed, the
agony of his conflicting magic began to take root. His blood felt as if it had turned to acid and every muscle in his body tried to peel away from the bone and jump through his skin.

Daebian looked at his brother. “You all right?”

“No. Let us be gone from this place.”

Raijaun limped a ways away and gesticulated. Black flames flared up and outlined the hidden glyphs of
the transport spell. Daebian followed and stepped into the circle.

“So that’s where it was.”

Raijaun fought through the overwhelming pain and fed power into the runic circle. The black flames erupted all around them but did not burn. Upward they grew until they reached the dreary sky and tore a hole through its encompassing veil. The brothers flew skyward, bursting through the breach between dimensions. Blackness surrounded them once more until a faint nimbus of light slowly formed around them and they once again stood within the summoning circle beneath the old tower.

“I must go and rest,” Raijaun said as he staggered toward the door.

Daebian held his prize in his hand and looked at it longingly. “Yeah, you go do that.”

Raijaun dreaded the walk to his room, and it took every ounce of his will to force his legs to navigate the stairs. He lacked the strength to pause when he saw Azerick waiting in his
chambers. He walked past his father and dropped heavily onto his bed.

“You and Daebian have been gone for over a day. Where have you been?”

Raijaun stared at the ceiling through his closed eyelids. “Likely making an enormous mistake.”

Azerick swallowed and forced calm into his voice. “What have you done?”

“Daebian wanted to help us. He told me he knew of a sword that would make him useful in battling the Scions. He said the sword could kill a god.”

‘
With that sword I can trap the soul of any creature, even a god.’
Azerick shuddered as Klaraxis’ words echoed in his mind.

“I discovered a way to the abyss and got the sword.”

“Raijaun, how could you be so foolish? You could have been killed! You are too important to risk on such foolish adventures!”

Raijaun summoned the strength to turn his head and look at his father. “
I
am too important. What of Daebian, Father? Is he not too important to you for him risk his life as well? You see, that is why I had to help him. You look at him the way everyone else looks at me. You are his father, and you should be better than that.”

Azerick turned his eyes to the floor. “Perhaps you are right, but you trust him too much.”

Raijaun nodded and closed his eyes. “You are probably right.”

Azerick crossed the upper hallway connecting the two towers and ran down the stairs in hopes of catching Daebian. He did not know what his son intended to do with the sword, but he knew it could not be good. He loved his son, but he knew too well what he was. Daebian was crossing the parlor when Azerick reached the main floor of the old tower.

“Daebian, I know what you have done, and I cannot allow it.”

Daebian stopped and turned toward his father. “Cannot allow what, Father?”

“I cannot allow you to possess that sword. It is too dangerous to let loose in this world, particularly in the hands of someone like you.”

“Like me, Father? All I ever wanted was for you to be proud of me, but you only cared about Raijaun because he had the power to help you. Now I have the power to be of use to you
, and you want me to give it up? Why, so I can go back to being as useless as you told Mother? Why would I do that?”

“Daebian, I never meant what I said in that way. You may not be able to help me the way Raijaun does, but you are far from useless. You are smarter and more skilled than hundreds of thousands of men who will soon be fighting this war,
and who will all be making a difference. If you truly want me to be proud of you, then show me you can think beyond your own desires, and give me the sword.”

Daebian stroked the black ge
m set in the handle of the sword and nodded. “You are right, Father.” Calling upon Klaraxis’ abyssal power, Daebian moved faster than Azerick thought possible and plunged the soul blade into his chest. “The sword is dangerous in the hands of someone like me. More dangerous than you can possibly comprehend.”

Azerick’s body
went rigid. He could not even force a scream as the evil blade tore his soul apart. Klaraxis cried out in exultation as he felt his soul being freed of the sorcerer’s damnable prison. It was a horribly painful endeavor, and he rejoiced in the agony.

I told you I would destroy you one day, human! I corrupted your son, and soon his body will be mine. I will devour his soul before stripping and dining upon yours bit by delicious bit!

Klaraxis laughed as he felt his spirit leave Azerick’s body and slide into the blade where it would soon be pulled into the boy’s body. His laughter ceased when he reached out with his consciousness and found himself locked within a prison even smaller and more desolate than the one within the sorcerer’s mind.

What are you doing? You have no need of the
soul stone any longer. Take me into your body and my full power will by yours, as well as that of your father’s! You will be like a god!

“Take you into my body
, so you could be a constant annoyance like you were to my father? I think not. I could never tolerate your constant yammering. Did you truly think I would be foolish enough to let you into my body so you could steal it for your own? You thought you were using me, but I had you outsmarted when I was just a child. You are pathetic, Klaraxis. Besides, if you found my father’s will difficult to tolerate, you would find mine insurmountable. Would I be godlike if I took in you and Father? Perhaps, but I cannot imagine an eternity of listening to him remind me of how disappointing I am. Besides, I think I will be able to torment him far better by leaving his soul right where it is. Now shut up and let me think.”

Klaraxis’ furious keening cut off abruptly when Daebian sheathed the blade and took his hand off the black jewel that now housed the demon’s soul. A new source of anguish filled his ears as Miranda shrieked and ran to Azerick’s side.

“What have you done?” she wailed as she cradled her husband’s head in her lap.

“It appears I have stabbed him, Mother.
Do you really need me to explain the obvious, or are you just being needlessly rhetorical?”

“Why, why would you do this?”

Daebian shrugged. “It seemed the thing to do at the time. I hate such emotional scenes, so I shall leave you to your grief.”

“
Daebian, wait. Where will you go?”

“I do not know for certain.
I always wanted to be a pirate,” he mused.

Miranda looked at her son as if seeing him for the first time. “I do not know where we failed you,
Daebian, but I pray you come back to us some day.”

Daebian smiled down at his mother. “The day I return, it will be at the head of an army the likes of which you cannot imagine to conquer this pathetic kingdom.” He then turned and walked away.