Warded Mage (Reawakening Saga) (14 page)

The fire began spreading quickly
and then came the screams of the warriors as it quickly burned away clothing and hair. Within a few moments, at least ten of the Brotherhood lay smoldering on the ground and many more had sustained minor wounds from the hot flames as they tried desperately to put them out.  Though the fire had disorganized them for a short time it was obvious they were well trained as they quickly reformed and continued tightening the circle around them.

“Can we use another magical attack?” Thad whispered in his mind.
No there is not enough space between the dead zones for another attack to be worth the effort. Keep sending me a small amount of energy if I find an opening I will unleash it.
Thad laughed earning him confused looks from the soldiers and concerned looks from his friends. His sword held firmly in his right hand and his staff in his left Thad felt nearly invincible, though he knew that one of the white swords could make easy work of his armor.

Trusting in his friends Thad let his full attention go toward the enemies at his front. Though his magical attack had taken out a good number
of enemy, they were still greatly outnumbered but if they trusted each other and fought close together, only a few could advance on them at a time, reducing the danger. Thad kept alert as the first came within range, striking with a regular steel sword. Thad turned and intercepted it with his staff, which released a blot of energy knocking the enemy back.

While his first move had been a success, more swords than he could keep track of were quickly pressing him. Two of the flashing blades were pure white and each time them came into his sight he tried his best to intercept it with his sword
, though a few times he was forced to use his staff. Each time one of the white swords struck his staff Thad could feel, more than hear, the yell of pain that seemed to come from his staff.

The air was filled with the noise of steel on steel and the crying voices of those who had been unlucky enough
not to block one of the companion’s attacks. Thad was relieved that he had not yet heard such a scream from one of his friends but he had little time to worry about what was happening behind him as another blow swept so close to his face that a few strands of hair were trimmed from the top of his head.

With each passing moment the danger was increasing even as
the number of attackers was gradually reduced. Each dodge and parry slowly forced Thad and the others away from each other. Each step they were forced apart was paid for in the blood of their enemy, but it would matter little if they died before the last of the Brotherhood fell.

A sweeping strike came from Thad’s left too far back for him to block it forcing him to crouch low to avoid it. As soon as the blade passed inches above his head another blade came swooping in toward his head. Thad
jumped forward between two of the soldiers dodging death once again but now there was two Brotherhood soldiers between him and his friends. Thad had little time to contemplate the fact he was cut off as four of the Brotherhood soldiers quickly moved toward him their weapons held at the ready. Knowing that each second that passed he would be put in further danger Thad charged at the nearest opponent, letting his momentum carry him as he slid under a strike aimed at his head, as he slashed the soldier’s stomach with his own blade. Slightly off balance, Thad didn’t have time to move before he was covered in blood and gore from the now dead soldier. The blood splattered on his face blurring his vision and covered his hands making his sword slip slightly in his grasp.

Seeing Thad was alone all the free soldiers began to advance on him. Thad knew that if he was surrounded no amount of skill would keep a blade from finding a spot in his exposed back. Looking around for any option available to him
, Thad noticed that while the sun was still up it had dropped below the tree line layering the area with thick and dark shadows. Taking a deep breath Thad let himself slide into the nearest shadow. The Brotherhood soldiers looked shocked as he disappeared from where he once was. When he reappeared from behind the farthest soldier the flash of his blade sending the man quickly to his grave a look of true fear began to appear on many of the soldiers.

Thad grinned, if they were afraid their movements would be slowed and their attacks would be even easier to dodge. Not wanting to let the soldier regain their composure Thad once again stepped into the cold shadows appearing behind another one of the soldiers. A flash of lighting cut into the man blasting him forward into one of his comrades. “Can you tell how many of the white sword wielders are left?” Thad asked his staff silently within his mind.
All the swords are still there but two of them have not moved for some time.
Thad hated not knowing when and where one of the white swords would appear. Above all else, they held the most danger to him.

With little choice, Thad continued to jump through the shadows killing anyone who stood alone. A few times, he was able to sneak behind one of the soldiers fixated on one of his friends killing them quickly. With the use of his shadow walking, the enemies were quickly being reduced and winning no longer looked like a dream
, but Thad was tiring fast. Unlike in the Underearth, the darkness element wasn’t as prevalent, making it harder to move around between the shadows. Sweat dripping from his forehead and his breaths coming harder with each moment Thad knew, he could shadow walk two more times and even then, it was a risk. If he didn’t collect enough darkness element there was a chance he would be lost to the darkness. It simply wasn’t worth the risk.

The
soldiers quickly noticed that Thad was no longer hopping around and the fear on their faces quickly disappeared but they still advanced toward him cautiously. Thad risked a quick glance to see how the others were doing and was relieved to see that none of them had fallen, though it looked as if none of them had escaped completely unscathed, even Avalanche was limping slightly, most likely having been hit by one of the white swords. While each showed signs of damage none of them looked to be in danger of losing their lives, and the Brotherhood soldiers had dwindled greatly, they were still outnumbered three to one, the momentum of the battle still looked to be in their favor.

The leader of the Brotherhood soldiers who had been standing back while the rest of his men fought moved into action, his white blade drawn
, he moved on Thad. The leader was far more skilled with a blade than any of the others he had faced thus far, and within moments, Thad was having a hard time getting his own sword up in time to block the incoming blows. If Thad had been at full strength he was sure he would have been more than able to match the leader’s sword play, but the truth was, he was tired and his sword felt heavy in his hands.

As a quick
thrust snapped toward Thad’s chest he jumped back slipping on the blood stained earth falling down to one knee. Thad’s breath was coming harder and his vision blurred as if he was trying to look through water. Thad reached his hand up to support his head and a wet sensation ran down his fingers. He could feel the blood dripping from his elbow. Thad wasn’t sure when he had sustained the injury and he was surprised he hadn’t noticed it before. Thad tried to rise to his feet but his head begun to spin and he soon found himself on both knees staring at the armored boots of the Brotherhood leader. Thad forced himself to look up though every muscle in his body seemed to work against him. He saw a blurry streak of white descending toward him and instinctively tried to roll away but was only able to fall to the ground and roll onto his back.

Thad
tried to push himself into a sitting position but his arms had no strength left in them. Thad watched as the soldier walked over him and shifted his blade directly over his heart. Thad’s mind screamed for him to move but his body didn’t respond. He felt as his eyes began to grow heavy, and darkness began to encroach in on him. His mind blank and his body heavy Thad waited for the descending strike that would end his life, but he never felt it come. He could hear voices and screams around him but his mind couldn’t tell if they were from his friends or from the enemy. The last sensation he felt before he slipped into unconsciousness was of something warm dripping onto his forehead.

CHAPTER XVIII

Thad slowly opened his eyes. He wasn’t sure where he was but the fact that every part of his body seemed to scream out in pain let him know he was alive. Slowly his senses began to clear, and he could hear the faint sound of Crusher snoring off in the distance. Looking up Thad could see the light clouds floating above him. From the looks of the sky, it was still early morning, meaning he had slept for a good amount of time.

Thad slid his hands to his side and pushed himself into a sitting position. Sharp pains ran though his right arm, head
, and chest with each movement. Thad slowly ran his left hand over where the pain was coming from and found that he had many bandages covering his body. “Ya looked quite the mess when we found ya. If it weren’t for that mutt of yers you’d have been worm food.” Thad turned his head slowly, his eyes squinting in response to the pain that ripped from the small movement. Brianna stood to his left carrying a small bowl in her hands. Her right shoulder and left leg were heavily bandaged but other than that, she looked as if she had fared well in her own fight.

“How is everyone?” Thad asked his voice sounding weak even to his own ears.

Brianna sat down beside him and placed the bowl on his lap. Gruel, not his favorite meal but it was better than nothing. “Yer mutt took a few nasty blows and Arianna has been fussin over her all night. Crusher took a couple hits here and there and a fierce blow ta tha head but thankfully he’s got boulders fer brains.” Brianna said laughing at her own jest.

It was good that everyone had made it out of the battle alive
, but Thad knew that it was due to luck as much as it was skill. Thad had to figure out a way to fight against the Brotherhood and their white swords otherwise eventually he knew their luck would run dry. His first thought was of the glass orbs that he had used back at Southpass Fort. While the white swords could absorb the magic the force behind the blast should still be able to take out the ones unprotected and even those with swords should take a fair amount of damage, but there was also a large possibility of hurting his in the process. There had to be something he could do, the problem was he had too little experience with fighting against the Brotherhood and their swords. “Did we get all of the Brotherhood?”

“A few were able
ta scamper off but I don’t think they will be coming back anytime soon.” Brianna replied her voice showing her displeasure.

“Can you bring me some of the white swords the Brotherhood uses? Even if we can’t find a use for them
, getting as many away from them as we can, has to be a good thing.” Thad said despondently, as his mind began to sort through different things that might work against the swords.

“Brianna simply nodded her head and walked away from him. Thad didn’t bother to follow her with his
eyes, he knew she would do as he asked. That was one of the good things about Brianna, she seemed to know what he was thinking when it was important.
I don’t like the idea of having those cursed swords around, they make me feel uneasy.
Thad looked to his side where his staff rested against a tree. “We need to find a way to fight against them otherwise we won’t last long.”
I can understand that but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
Thad laughed silently; though he had to agree with his staff, having the white swords around wouldn’t be pleasant.

A short time later, Brianna returned carrying four white swords. He was sure there had been more than that but four was more than enough for him to start experimenting.
Remember what you were told, it’s dangerous to play around with those swords.
Sae-Thae’s story quickly came to the forefront of his mind. He had completely forgotten about it before now. He would have to be careful but he still had to find a way to counter the white swords. Painfully, Thad scooted toward his pack and began rummaging through its contents until he pulled out a bundle of parchment and quills. The first step to anything should be planning. Thad had already learned firsthand the dangers of rushing ahead, where magic was concerned.

Thad closed his eyes and tried to remember his few encounters with the white swords. His first encounter was the only time he had really tried to use magic against the wielder. None of his direct attacks or defensive spells had worked then
, but he had been able to suck the man into the stone below his feet. Thad couldn’t remember how he had performed the magic exactly, but he was sure he could reproduce the effect though affecting a large area would be extremely draining. If he could think of other ways to use his magic to indirectly attack the wielder he wouldn’t be as limited during the battles. Thad quickly began to write down any ideas that came to his mind that might work but he quickly found himself staring at the page with nothing more coming to mind.
How about shooting things forward with your magic?”
His staff interjected after a few moments.

Thad was shocked at the simplicity of the idea. Thad quickly picked up a stone that lay beside him and launched the stone forward with a blast of energy. The stone flew straight and imbedded itself in a tree more than fifty yards away. It looked like the basic idea would work but that didn’t mean that it would work against the white swords. Painfully Thad pulled himself to his feet, picked up one of the white swords, and stuck it in the ground in front of the tree he had hit with the rock earlier.

Once the sword was in place Thad began to gather up stones until he had a nice sized pile stacked out in front of him. Thad closed his eyes and examined the white sword. There was a foot on either side of the sword’s blade that absorbed the magical energy. As long as his rocks were able to pass that area and still maintain enough force to do damage, then his test would be a success.

First Thad picked up a single stone and launched it directly at the blade. The stone rushed forward faster than a bolt from a crossbow, when it struck the air was filled with the ringing of
metal, that told the sword had been solidly struck. So far, everything was going well, the stone had struck the sword hard enough to pull it from its place in the ground, and it now lay on the ground near the tree. Thad replaced the sword in its originally place and retook his place in front of the pile of stones.  This time he tried to fire as many stones at once as he could manage. Fifteen stones flew forward with eerie speed and accuracy striking the area around the sword without touching its blade. The wood of the tree splintered and burst flying in all directions. Thad had gotten plenty of practice with using projectiles during his time in the Underearth but Thad had never considered using them against the Brotherhood.

Reaching into his pack, Thad pulled out of his pouches of magical stones out. It had been a while since he had used them but they felt comfortable in his hand as he rolled them through his fingers. Thad launched one of the magical orbs at the sword and listened to the sound of the metal reverberating as the sword was lifted once again this time throwing it hard against the tree behind it.

Thad slipped on the ring that went with the stones and tried to recall the one he had shot but nothing happened.  Thad slowly began his search and after a half hour, he found where the magical orb had found its resting spot. It was still in one piece but Thad could no longer feel any of his magic within it. Therefore, while it had struck the sword, it had been stripped of all its enchantments. That would make using them a waste, when a regular metal orb would do the same amount of damage. Just for good measure, Thad strapped the pouch of magical orbs to his belt and left the ring on. While they couldn’t be used against the Brotherhood they were still a useful weapon.

“What are
ya doing playing with those stones?” Brianna asked as she pressed her body up against his.

Thad looked down at the pile of stones at his feet. “I am trying to find a way to fight against the Brotherhood with my magic. As long as the end result of the attack doesn’t carry any magic then it can still work. That is why I was testing to see if projectiles fired, using magical energy would work. It seems they will
, but rocks won’t do much damage against strong armor and I don’t want to use up my enchanted metal orbs. It would be nice if we had some spare metal to make some more but unless there is a vein close by it looks like I am out of luck.” Thad said his brow furrowed deep in thought.

Brianna tilted her head slightly
, the way she did whenever she was thinking. Thad found the slight twitching of her mouth as she chewed on her bottom lip was cute. “I’ll be right back.” Brianna said as she jumped up and rushed off. This time Thad turned his head and watched her as she disappeared. Even injured she moved effortlessly, either she had a body made of stone or she had too much energy, especially for a dwarf.

Still
he had a few ideas to try out against the white sword. Thad was in no rush. His body was still in pain and he knew that pushing himself would only reduce his healing time. Looking around he located both Crusher and Avalanche who were nearby. Crusher was awake now and was grumbling to himself. He was always like this after a battle. Not wanting to deal with the grumpy dwarf, Thad decided to check on Avalanche.

Arianna was curled up with Avalanche. It was the first time Thad had seen the Nadirie wearing anything but a smile. She looked anxious
, making Thad slightly worried that Avalanche’s wounds might have been worse than Brianna had surmised. Kneeling down Thad closed his eyes and examined Avalanche with his magical sight. She had a number of small nicks and one rather large cut near her midriff. The magic flowing to each damaged area felt slightly off. Thad sent his own magic into Avalanche while he reached into the earth. The areas that were cut away from her slowly filled but the magical flow to those areas was still weak. Thad had no idea of how to fix the flow, he could only wait to see if it strengthened over time.

As soon as he was finished, Avalanche slightly raised her head from where it rested and looked at him with her large gleaming eyes. “Thank you for helping me out.” Thad whispered lightly. Avalanche simply stared at him for a few moments before laying her head back down. For a moment, Thad wished he could talk to Avalanche the same way he could his staff but quickly changed his mind. With his luck, Avalanche would be more annoying than his staff. Sometimes it was best just to enjoy a silent relationship.

Annoying, so it that how you view me?
Thad stopped his musings and looked around as if searching for the speaker. “Having something that can read your thoughts whenever it pleases tends to fall in that area.” Thad retorted, smiling to himself. His staff remained silent giving Thad the feeling that it was brooding over something. Ever since his time in the Underearth, Thad had known, his staff had a temperamental nature, though he was just starting to learn how temperamental it was. In a lot of ways, his staff acted like a child, in others it seemed more mature than him. In a way it reflected his own nature, though that thought wasn’t one that made him feel good.

A rattling noise from behind him caught his attention. Turning around
, Thad saw Brianna who carried three large bags, but the noise was coming from the numerous armor and weapons that were strung together with ropes that trailed behind her. “What are you doing?” Thad yelled his voice cracking slightly from the laughter that threatened to boil over.

Brianna huffing hard stopped in front of Thad, letting the bags in her arms drop to the ground. “
Ya said ya need some meta,l so I figured that using the leftovers from tha battle couldn’t hurt anything, not like tha dead need’em anymore.” Thad bent down and opened one of the bags to find it filled with small metal objects that ranged from small knives to small bags of coins. The tempered metal would be harder to mold but they would be harder once they were formed into pellets.

Thad quickly
looked in the bags noticing that one was filled with water skins and a small amount of warriors’ rations, mostly hard tack and dried meat. “Thanks this will work fine?” Thad said giving Brianna a bright smile. Brianna blushed slightly, making Thad laugh. She was a bawdy woman who wouldn’t blush even if she was stripped and forced to run through the tunnels nude, but whenever she was thanked for something, she would light up like the morning sky.

Thad quickly sorted through the bags and placed the items into three piles. One was for coins and other items that were worth keeping. The other two piles were that of small daggers that Thad wanted to try placing different enchantments on. The last pile was that of weapons and other metal items that were more of a burden to carry and he could use to make metal pellets. Thad felt a strong hand rest on his soldier, turning his head slightly he found Crusher staring at him hard. “I don’t like staying so close
ta the area where we fought. Don’t ya think we should try making it ta town as quickly as possible? Never know when tha Brotherhood will send more of their lackeys after us.”

Crusher was right it wasn’t a good idea to stay so close to the battleground, but they also had little choice. “I know you’re in a hurry to get moving but there is little we can do. None of us are really in any condition to be moving around too much. It would be better for us to rest for a few days. There is no reason to rush, if the Brotherhood had more soldiers in the area they would have come with the last group.”

Crusher rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few moments, his face wrinkled in thought. “I guess that’s true, but never know when tha next batch of them will come crawling out of tha ground.”