Wizard Pair (Book 3) (38 page)

"By magic. Help me."

Rotiaqua's magic flow into Zhimosom. He drew on his own magic that was freshened in him by the dragon. He connected with Rotiaqua and stepped from Mistwind and into her chamber in Amedon.

Zhimosom was relieved to see her safe. He looked around the room, realizing that he was alone with her in her bed chamber and blushed. "Forgive me. I was excited to share the news with you, and I was worried about you."

"No need of forgiveness." Rotiaqua laughed and patted the bed next to her. "Sit. Tell me what happened. I could feel some of it, but I don't know the details."

Zhimosom looked around the room in a panic. He saw a cushioned stool near the foot of the bed. He grabbed it and slid it next to the bed, but was too agitated to sit for long.

"What happened? I couldn't connect with you all night, and then suddenly you were back."

"We went to scout out what Sulrad was doing. Helmyer and I watched from behind the rocks. Sulrad called a dragon ... and he killed it!" Zhimosom panted, rushing to tell her everything.

"Slow down." Rotiaqua said. "Just tell me what happened."

"He had two dragons. The red dragon to help Sulrad kill the other one. After that, the red dragon flew up to where we were hiding. It grabbed Helmyer and threw him down on the ground in front of Sulrad."

Zhimosom paced the room, turning sharply at the window to look out over the city below. "Sulrad killed Helmyer and took his magic ... He used that knife he has for his sacrifices, but he stored the magic in something ... an amulet of some sort."

Zhimosom heard a rustling sound, and then felt Rotiaqua put her arm around him. He welcomed her comforting touch. He needed to tell her what had happened, to get it all out. It was unreal, almost like a nightmare, but it
was
real, and he'd been powerless to stop it. He made an effort to calm himself and continue with his story.

"After that, the dragon grabbed me and carried me to Mistwind, high in the mountain, and drained my magic. That's why I couldn't contact you. The dragon said it was acting at Sulrad's command."

He felt Rotiaqua grip him tighter. He tried to relax as best he could. "How did you get your power back?" she asked.

"The monks wanted to burn me alive. I used the power in the fire to recharge my magic and was able to control the flames. I called the dragon back. I wasn't sure it would work, but when the dragon breathed fire on me, it must have created a connection between us."

"So you were able to free it from Sulrad's control?"

"Only for a little while, and not completely. Sulrad regained control and summoned it back. I think he's going to attack soon."

Zhimosom turned his head and looked at Rotiaqua. "Sulrad has summoned the rest of the dragons across the void. The ones he didn't destroy are all under his control. I don't think we have much time. He won't wait to attack. We have to warn everyone."

Zhimosom's resolve grew stronger the more he thought about their situation. He gently slipped from beneath Rotiaqua's arm and strode purposefully for the door, without turning to see if she was behind him.

Rotiaqua had told Zhimosom that the Council was abandoned, but he didn't know where to start looking for the Wizards who had stayed behind in Amedon. Zhimosom reached the Council chamber to find it dark and deserted. He had to alert everyone to the imminent danger. He found one Guard asleep at his post, sitting with his back to a pillar.

Zhimosom shook the man. "Wake up. We have to warn everyone."

The Guard snorted and looked up. His eyes blinked several times and he mumbled under his breath. "Warn who?"

"The Council ... the Wizards ... everyone! The dragons are coming."

"Dragons?" The Guard sprang to his feet, straightening his uniform. "Dragons coming here?"

"Yes, dragons. We have to warn the Council."

The Guard ran from the chambers. Soon, Zhimosom heard a bell ring out in alarm.

Ashray was the first to arrive; he was in disarray. His robe was crooked, and his hair stuck out in all directions. He flopped into his chair and fired a questioning look at Zhimosom.

"The dragons are coming, Zhimosom said.

Ashray held up his hand to silence Zhimosom. He scowled. "Wait for the rest to arrive."

Zhimosom paced in front of the table. Why was Ashray so formal? The dragons were coming. They needed to take action immediately.

Garlath entered, took a seat, nodded to Ashray, and then looked up at Zhimosom. Zhimosom was surprised to see his old friend on the Council. Garlath had steadfastly refused the seat, or so he'd been told, but it looked that he had taken on the responsibility now. Perhaps he had been elevated with the demise of the other Wizards.

Another Wizard that Zhimosom did not recognize joined Ashray and Garlath.

"You may begin," Ashray said.

Just as Zhimosom was about to speak, Rotiaqua arrived. She was in no better shape than Ashray; her robe was crooked and her hair a mass of tangles. She walked briskly down the chamber hall and stopped next to Zhimosom, taking his hand in hers.

Her power flowed into him along with her confidence.

"The dragons are coming," Zhimosom explained. "Sulrad has summoned the last of them across the void and is preparing an attack."

"Now? How do you know?" Garlath asked.

Before Zhimosom could answer, Ashray slapped his palm on the table with a resounding crack. "Wait just a moment. Do you see this table? Remember the Wizards that sat here last time you appeared before us?"

Zhimosom scanned the empty chairs. He knew that many of the Council had been killed in Ryden, but now he felt the full impact of it. The table was practically empty. "I understand. That's why we need to prepare immediately. Sulrad is on his way here."

"Young man, the Council is dead. Killed in a fight that you pushed them into."

Garlath held up his hand. "We all agreed to the plan. We believed it was the proper course of action after the dragon attack on Amedon."

"But why did they attack us?" Ashray demanded. "We never had any quarrel with Sulrad until these two arrived."

Ashray gestured at Zhimosom and Rotiaqua. He stood and leaned into the table. "We want you out!"

"Out?" Zhimosom asked.

"Out. Out of the Council Chambers, out of Amedon. If you had not come here, none of this would have happened."

"But we have to prepare for the attack. They're coming," Zhimosom pleaded.

"They're coming for you," Ashray said. "With you gone, they have no reason to come here. Get out of here this instant and don't come back."

Ashray stood up, his chair screeching as he slid it back from the table. He turned and stormed from the room.

Zhimosom shot a plaintive look at Garlath, but the Wizard simply shook his head slowly from side to side and nodded to the remaining Council member.

"So you agree with him?" Zhimosom demanded.

Garlath held out his hands. "I was overruled."

"I was able to free one of the dragons if only for a while. I still think there's a chance to save them all. I just need to find a stronger spell," Zhimosom said.

"You were instructed to leave. I cannot change that without a vote of the Council." Garlath was clearly upset by the Council's decision. It was apparent he did not agree with it.

Garlath leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat. He glanced at the Wizard seated next to him. "It is unfortunate that there are so few Wizards left. The Council would have had you escorted out otherwise. There are so few Wizards in Amedon that there is no one to stand guard duty any longer."

Garlath winked and stood. He looked to the Wizard who also stood. They walked purposefully from the room leaving Zhimosom and Rotiaqua standing there.

"Come on. We have to get to the library," Zhimosom said to Rotiaqua. "I'm not giving up yet." He tugged at her hand.

Zhimosom and Rotiaqua ran the empty hallways to the library. The stark contrast to their earlier visit was almost unnerving. "So many Wizards lost in Ryden," Zhimosom remarked angrily. "We have to find a way to defeat Sulrad. There must be something here."

There was no one at the desk to bar their way, so they continued deep into the library, searching for the spells of war.

"Did you get a sense of the spell that Sulrad used to command the dragons when you wrested Kel'hin free of Sulrad's grasp?"

"I did. It was strange; it was comprised of several different types of magic. I could feel the dragon magic and Sulrad's, but there was more to it than that, something older, more ancient than the dragons.

"When Sulrad took the magic from Helmyer, he had some sort of amulet in his hand. It looked like a jewel that glowed when he stored the magic in it. We have to find out what that was."

They searched until Zhimosom located a section in the library, far down the longest corridor, where the most ancient reference texts were kept. He pored through the texts, searching for anything to do with the amulet. One of the volumes dealt with magical artifacts from before the time of the dragons. It contained faded colored drawings of amulets with a brief description beneath each one.

"That looks like the one you described." Rotiaqua pointed to a drawing. "The Charm of Confusion."

"No ... It had a darker jewel in the middle. Like so." Sulrad pointed to another drawing.

Rotiaqua flipped more pages "Hmmm ... Is this it? The Charm of the Joiner? It is used to join another's magic to your own, sort of like the pairing, only through the amulet. It says it can store magic up so that the wearer can perform spells not normally accessible to him alone.

"The Wizards of old used to loan their power to one Wizard who wore the amulet so he could perform extremely powerful spells, like raising the Keep in Amedon."

Zhimosom carefully lay down the book that he'd been perusing. He leaned over to get a look at what she was reading. The Charm of the Joiner looked a lot like the amulet Sulrad had worn when he'd taken Helmyer's magic.

"That's it," he said. "Does it say anything about a counter spell?"

"No. It just describes what it's made from and how it's used. There's nothing about a way to defeat it. It is said to have been lost over four hundred summers ago," Rotiaqua said.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Sulrad found it, and that's how he's commanding the dragons. We need to find a counter to the amulet." Zhimosom took the book and examined the drawing. "There must be something around here we can use to defeat this amulet."

They searched for the rest of the day, but found nothing. Zhimosom was restless and kept searching, but Rotiaqua fell asleep at the table. Without the sun to mark the time deep in the library, Zhimosom lost track of it. He was surprised when, from behind the pile of books, Zhimosom heard a voice.

"Zhimosom? Are you there?"

It was Rotiaqua.

"Down here. Is it morning already?" Zhimosom asked.

"It's almost sunrise. The sky is lightening, but it looks cold. Did you find anything?"

"Just that the Charm of the Joiner was powered by a stone from the mines beneath the Friegan Mountains."

"How does that help?" Rotiaqua passed him a cup of tea and took a sip out of her own, never taking her eyes from Zhimosom.

"I found reference to a spell that can freeze one of those stones."

"Freeze, not defeat it?"

"It's too powerful to defeat. You can't destroy one with magic. I found a spell that would freeze the stone so that it is limited in what it can be used to do. With this spell, the only thing the stone can power is the last spell it was used for."

"How can that help?"

"I don't know, but it's the only thing I can find that's even remotely helpful."

Rotiaqua pointed to the spell. "This looks simple. How can it do so much?"

"It's powered by the stone itself, so it doesn't take a lot of magic to drive the spell. Once it has been invoked, the jewel itself maintains the spell. That's why it can't be undone. It will fuse itself to the stone and freeze it into the form it last took. After that, the stone is useless for anything else."

Rotiaqua found a quill and parchment and set them on the table before Zhimosom. He picked up the quill and carefully transcribed the spell from the book onto the parchment.

"Did you sleep at all?" Rotiaqua asked.

"No. I'm convinced that our leaving won't prevent another attack. We just have to make the Council see it."

"We tried," Rotiaqua said. "We'd better get out of the Keep before they find someone to escort ..."

Rotiaqua halted. "Do you hear that?"

Far off, a horn sounded. Three blasts.

Amedon was under attack by air once again.

Attack

Zhimosom rushed down the deserted hallways and out onto the road that led to the main courtyard. A dark cloud approached, off in the distance. It undulated as it drew near, unnatural, dark, and red. He reached out to it, sensing the power of the dragons.

"Come on, we have to help protect those people." Zhimosom urged Rotiaqua forward.

The surviving Wizards gathered between the Council Chambers and the gate. They had overturned carts and wagons to act as barriers against the impending dragon fire and were busy dousing everything with water and casting spells of suppression on anything flammable.

Garlath was in the thick of things, shouting orders to the Wizards. He cast spells of protection over those who were not experienced enough to fend for themselves. He pointed to a wagon where two young Wizards cowered in fear, shouting encouragement. Zhimosom wished he'd taken the time to learn their names.

The attack came on as a tidal wave of fire. Dragons flew side by side in rank upon rank. There were enough of the mighty beasts to blanket the entire Wizards' Keep with fire in a single instant.

Pandemonium broke out in the yard. Carts and wagons burst into fire even though moments before they'd been drenched in water. The fire didn't slow down as it consumed one shelter after another.

The dragons reeled in unison, turning to make another pass at the Keep grounds from the opposite direction. What little shelter remained after the first attack was of no use now.