The Star of Morcyth: The Morcyth Saga Book Five (58 page)

The mage’s soldiers are keeping guard
against the appearance of James’ comrades, the crossbowmen and
soldiers lining the streets.

Crumph!

A massive explosion rips apart the street
upon which the mage is standing, several of the soldiers adjacent
to him are thrown into the air. The others stagger from the
concussion of the blast.

When the dust clears, the mage is standing
unscathed.

Crumph! Crumph! Crumph!

Three more explosions erupt beneath the
soldiers this time, James targets them to better enable his friends
to come to his aid.

A sudden spike in the tingling and an
explosion similar to those he used on the soldiers erupts beneath
him. His shield protects him from the brunt of the impact but he’s
still thrown to the side. Landing on his injured leg, he drives the
bolt deeper into his thigh, eliciting a cry of pain.

Using the side of the building for support,
he works his way back to his feet as he turns to see the mage
approaching. Behind the mage, Qyrll suddenly appears on horseback
with Jiron right behind. They begin wading into the men disoriented
from the explosions, Qyrll’s swords from the vantage of the horse’s
back are deadly as they fell man after man. Jiron, though only
having his knives and tied to his saddle, is just as deadly.

At the sound of combat behind him, the mage
turns and sees his men beginning to be cut down. From the other
side, Miko and Fifer join the battle as they begin taking out the
remaining crossbowmen before they have a chance to unleash their
bolts.

James sees the mage turn toward his friends
and raises the Star.

Crumph!

He unleashes the magic and the building
beside which the mage is standing suddenly explodes outward. A
shimmering field immediately encircles the mage as the building
sags and then finally collapses on top of him.

The mage taken out of the battle, James
turns his attention to the remaining soldiers. Despite the increase
in pain, he bends over and picks up stones and begins throwing
them, taking out soldier after soldier.

He’s takes out his third when the rubble
covering the mage suddenly explodes upward and the mage comes to
his feet, again unscathed. A large section of stone wall comes
flying toward him from the blast and he dodges out of the way to
avoid being crushed. The stone smashes into the building right
where he had been leaning and creates a large gaping hole.

Fifer is fending off the attack of one
soldier when the eruption takes place. He’s hit by one of the
flying stones in the side of the head. Stunned, he’s unable to
counter the sideways slice which strikes him just above the knee,
severing his leg. Crying out, he topples to the side.

Jiron, momentarily free of attackers, sees
him fall. Kicking his horse, he lurches toward the soldier moving
to finish off Fifer.

James struggles against the pain the bolt in
his leg is inducing as he tries to remain on his feet. Turning to
face the mage, he again feels the tingles just before a fireball
roars to life over the mage and comes hurtling toward him.

Unable to move fast enough to avoid the
impact, his shield flares once again into being. With a roar the
fireball impacts with the shield and he’s immediately engulfed in
intense heat. Every breath is agony as the heat from the fire
coating his shield burns his throat with each inhalation. Changing
the aspect of the shield, the interior begins to cool as the shield
counters the effects of the fire. With a sudden pulse, the shield
emits a blast of frigid cold and dispels the fire coating it.

As the flames recede, he sees the mage with
the Star ablaze in his hand. A frown crosses his face as his eyes
narrow and the tingling once again spikes.

“Fifer!” Jiron exclaims as he rides to his
rescue. The soldier stands ready to meet his charge and at the last
minute, Jiron throws one of his knives. The soldier dances back to
avoid being struck by the knife only to be bowled over by the
horse.

As the soldier falls to the ground, Jiron
takes his remaining knife and cuts the rope securing his broken leg
to the saddle. Swinging off his horse, he lands on his good leg
just as the soldier regains his feet.

Smiling, the soldier advances on this man
with only one good leg who’s only wielding a solitary knife.

Nearby, Fifer groans as the blood is pouring
from his severed leg rapidly.

Jiron makes ready to meet the attack,
realizing he’ll not likely survive it. From behind him, he hears
the roar of a Parvati war cry as Qyrll races from where he’s just
finished off his opponent and is coming to his aid.

The soldier’s eyes widen when he sees the
Parvati bearing down on him. He slices out at Jiron who manages to
deflect the blade and then Qyrll is there.

Lashing out with his small sword, he draws
the soldier’s sword to the side then follows through with his
longsword and the battle is joined.

Leaving Qyrll to finish off the soldier, he
hobbles over to Fifer. From the looks of it, he’s already lost a
lot of blood, a pool has formed on the ground at the base of the
stump of his left leg. His face looks ashen as he glances at
Jiron’s approach.

Kaboom!

A massive explosion erupts from over where
James and the mage are battling, the concussion knocking him to the
ground. Glancing back, he sees several buildings in the vicinity
beginning to collapse. Whatever is going on over there, he hopes
James is able to deal with it or they’re all dead.

He crawls over the rest of the way to where
Fifer lays and removes the belt from around his waist. Securing it
around the severed stump, he cinches it as tight as possible to
reduce any further blood loss.

“I think it’s too late,” Fifer says.

“Nonsense,” Jiron says. “You’ll be fine.

“Liar,” he replies with a weak grin.

Jiron glances around the battlefield and as
far as the mage’s soldiers are concerned, the battle is over but
for the one Qyrll is fighting. Miko is nowhere to be seen, he hopes
he isn’t lying dead among the others in the street.

“Just hang in there,” he says to his friend.
He and Fifer have known each other many years, both grew up in the
fight pits of The City of Light. Reunited shortly after the fall of
the City, they’ve been together ever since. A stalwart companion
and one Jiron would hate to lose.

From the battle between the mage and James,
a crackle and sizzle can be heard. Then another explosion followed
by the collapse of yet another building. Smoke begins issuing from
the area as the buildings start to be consumed by flame. He longs
to go to James’ aid but he knows there’s little he can do with his
leg the way it is.

A cry rips through the air and Qyrll’s
opponent falls to the ground. Pulling his longsword from the dead
man, Qyrll surveys the battlefield. Seeing Jiron with Fifer he
moves toward them.

“Go help James!” yells Jiron as he points to
the swathe of destruction the magical duel has produced.

Nodding, he wipes his swords on a dead man’s
shirt and then puts them in their scabbard. He then races toward
the budding inferno to see what he can do to aid against the
Empire’s mage.

Jiron glances to Fifer and fears he may be
dead when he sees his eyes are closed. But the rise and fall of his
chest reveals he still lives.

Since this duel with the mage began, James
has done little more than be on the defensive. The power of the
Star gives the mage incredible power and endurance, by rights he
should be all used up. Instead he acts as if throwing all that
magic around has had little effect upon him.

Around him several buildings are aflame and
the heat is beginning to become unbearable. Through the heat’s
haze, he sees the mage approaching, the Star raised up before him.
So intent on James is he that he fails to notice a figure emerge
from a nearby building being consumed by fire.

The figure runs directly toward the mage and
strikes out with his sword, only to encounter the shield
surrounding him. His sword strikes the shield and rebounds sharply.
The unexpected resistance causes the sword to fly backward out of
Miko’s hand.

Turning to greet this new threat, the mage
sends a wave of energy toward his attacker and tosses him backward
into the burning inferno. He then turns back to James, the Star in
his hand.

The Star’s light sparks a memory, one from
an earlier time when he met the shade of the long dead priest of
Morcyth:

The ghost nods its head and replies in a far
off sounding voice, “Greetings, fellow priest of Morcyth.”

James glances at the medallion he’s holding
and replies, “I’m not a priest.”

The apparition reaches out, almost touching
the medallion he’s wearing. “The glow only comes from his priests,
it manifests for no others,” the ghostly voice says.

And then another:

“
That should hold for now,”
Fifer says. “A priest could do a better job, but we’re lacking one
just now.”

“
You could do it,” Jiron
says.

James turns his attention back to Jiron and
sees him staring at him. “I’m no priest,” he protests.

“
Didn’t you say that the
spirit of the long dead priest of Morcyth called you one?” he
asks.

“
Well, yes he did,” he
replies. “But he was mistaken.”

“
I don’t think so,” he says.
“You’re in good with Morcyth, after all you bear the

Reaching into his shirt, he pulls out the
medallion and holds it up. “Morcyth! Lend me your aid!”

Just then the tingling sensation spikes
again and a beam of light flares from the medallion. Shooting
forth, it impacts with the Star and the spell the mage was about to
cast fails to materialize. Keeping the medallion before him, the
beam of light remains constant as it goes from the medallion to the
Star.

The mage cries out as a glow erupts from the
Star in his hand and then begins coursing down his arm. A scream of
pain is torn from his throat as the glow continues to advance down
his arm and to his torso, just as the darkness had moved down
Dave’s.

In seconds the mage’s entire body is
engulfed in the glow. One final scream, a blinding flash and the
glow disappears. The Star falls to the ground. Nothing of the mage
remains, no clothes or anything. It’s almost as if he vanished.

Getting to his feet, James shuffles over to
where the Star lays in the street, making sure to keep his
distance. He doesn’t want to suffer the same fate as Dave. “Miko!”
he cries out when he remembers him being thrown into the burning
building. Glancing in that direction, he sees the building suddenly
collapse, the fire having destroyed its load bearing beams.

“Miko!” he cries. Leaving the Star where it
lays, he moves as best he can toward the raging inferno. Suddenly
from around the building, he sees Qyrll emerge with Miko. Hair
singed off in two places and covered in soot, he has an arm around
Qyrll’s shoulder for support and gives James a grin when he sees
him standing there.

“Is it over?” he asks.

“Looks like it,” James replies.

“James!” Jiron yells.

He turns to see him there by Fifer. They
make their way over to them and he asks, “Is he alive?”

Nodding, he replies, “Yes, but not much
longer.” He looks pleadingly at James.

He knows what he’s going to ask but this is
something he dares not mess with. Jiron can see the denial in his
eyes and grows crestfallen.

“The Star could save him,” Miko suddenly
announces.

“What?” Jiron asks.

“The Star,” he repeats. “It comes from the
gods, it should be able to.”

Hope rekindled, Jiron looks to James. But
James shakes his head, “I dare not touch it.”

“But…” he begins then once more becomes
quiet. Perking up again, he glances to Miko. “You can do it!”

“Me?” he asks incredulously. “Are you
crazy?”

“You’ve held one of these before,” Jiron
says. “If any of us can make it work, it’s you.”

He glances to James who shrugs, “I don’t
know. If we do nothing, Fifer will die. Healing comes from the
gods, at least I think it does. Here on this world anyway. I can’t
touch it so another must try and Jiron’s right in that of everyone
here, you have the best chance of making it work.”

“But what if it kills me like it did with
your friend Dave?” He glances down the street to where the Star
sits in the dirt.

“It won’t,” replies James. “Of that I’m
positive.”

Just then Fifer gives out with a groan and
his chest stops moving. Getting up, James says, “Move!” to Jiron as
he makes it to Fifer’s side. Hoping he’s doing it right, he begins
CPR. A series of presses upon the breastbone and then breathe air
into his lungs. After breathing into his mouth the first time, he
starts pumping his chest again and looks to Miko.

Miko returns the gaze and nods. Getting up,
he hurries over to the Star. Before he reaches it he slows down,
fear making him hesitate. “Hurry!” he hears Jiron holler. Heart
beating fast, he takes the last few steps and then reaches down.
His fingers hesitate a moment before grasping the Star.

Frozen in place, he waits for death to take
him but nothing happens. Sighing in relief, he turns around and
hurries back to Fifer. “What do I do?” he asks as he kneels next to
him.

“Grasp the Star, pray that he will live and
that his wound will heal,” James says. “Be sure to invoke Morcyth’s
name.” Bending over, he grabs Fifer’s nose as he breathes air once
more into his lungs.

Taking the Star in both hands, he glances
around at the others then closes his eyes. In his mind, he
beseeches Morcyth to come to the aid of his friend, to return his
life and heal his wound.

The others watch as he sits quietly with
eyes closed. His lips move silently as he prays for Fifer to live.
A gasp from Qyrll brings James’ attention to Miko and he stops what
he’s doing when he sees a shining nimbus surrounding him.