Wizard's Sword (The Battle Wizard Saga, No.2) (15 page)

Seamus went first and threw five bull′s-eyes with three darts by scoring double bulls-eyes with two of his darts. Rick scored three bulls with two darts and threw a triple twenty. Seamus threw three twenties to close them, plus a nineteen. The Cricket match continued until Seamus won on the strength of his original bull′s-eyes.

Rick chose "301" as the following match. Each player starts with 301 points and subtracts points scored. The first to reach zero exactly wins the game. The trick being that the final points subtracted had to be from the doubles ring. Rick won that match. Needing forty points to zero out, he managed to double out by throwing a double twenty.

Seamus drew first throw for the last match. Rick picked the game. He announced loudly, "301. Leprechauns are terrible at math. Comes from not needing to count their money."

"301 is based on luck. Cricket requires true skill."

"Hurry up Leprechaun before someone steals your lucky charms."

With a sour smile, Seamus toed the dart line.

The throws were very close, but Rick managed to land the winning dart. He threw his hands up and shouted, "Irish whiskey for everyone, in honor of my noble competitor… on me." Then he turned to Sig with a crooked smile. "Well for everyone old enough to drink."

Sig laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as he said to Andrew, "Make mine a Fresca—on the rocks."

†††

A large crowd stayed until closing time. Rick spent all of his prize money and the Professor, surprisingly, stepped in to make up the difference.

Dean Heathcoat and Dmitri stayed until almost the end. Dmitri left, but Dean Heathcoat remained until the party broke up.

As everyone streamed out of the bar and down the hall toward their cars, one of the Amazons rushed back in from the parking lot. "There′s some idiot kid riding a pony out in the parking lot." Sig and Rick looked at each other. Rick mouthed, "Crap!"

Sig turned and ran toward the back of the building. Rick watched him leave with chagrin before hurrying out the front with the rest. He emerged in the middle of a milling group of inebriated patrons watching Andras and his wolf pace back and forth between the exit and the cars.

"That′s not a pony. What′s that funny helmet he has on?" Seamus asked.

Andras stopped the pacing and thundered, "Bring me the boy. This time he is mine."

One of the Amazons, standing next to Rick growled, "I′m not giving any baby to that freak."

Rick said to her, "He eats babies."

"That bastard! Amazons—to me."

Rick found the witches in the crowd. "That freak wants to hurt a kid."

 "Not on my watch," hissed the witch Amalia.

Andras raised his sword and hurled a flaming ball at the crowd. "Bring him to me."

The Professor, arriving after settling the tab, raised a shield. The flaming ball smashed into and goblets of fire splattered throughout the parking lot, sizzling while they dispersed.

"Where is he?"

"Right here." Sig, in Battle Wizard form, stepped out of the dark behind Andras and sliced off the rear half of the wolf.

Andras turned to look at the back end of the wolf twitching on the ground behind him. The wolf′s head turned to look also.

Sig sliced at Andras, but he blocked Sig′s blow and leapt off the wolf.

Andras attacked with a flurry of slashes and thrusts. To the onlookers, it appeared that a steel whirlwind attacked Sig.

To Sig it seemed like he battled multiple Amazons, something he′d done in his other form, successfully. He blocked every hack, dodged every thrust. It felt like déjà vu, all over again, except he held his ground this time. However, although he could defend, he couldn′t mount an attack. He couldn′t defend forever against a demon with an infinite life.

He sought an opening in the curtain of steel whirling in front of him and couldn′t find one. He backed up, seeking opportunity. Andras backed Sig against a car. Sig sought a break from the whirlwind in front of him, and then vaulted over the car.

Andras leaped on top of the car in pursuit.

A stream of water blasted, sweeping Andras off the car and across the parking lot. He screeched as he tumbled. His rejoined wolf ran to him and the torrent caught it broadside. They both slid toward the street.

The water died down and Andras leapt upon the wolf. It reared and charged Sig. The wolf leapt and crashed into an invisible barrier, falling to the ground on top of Andras. He shoved the wolf away.

Sig stood over Andras and chopped down. Andras blocked the blow and rolled away. He sprang to his feet in time to take another blast of water, knocking him onto his back.

Sig lunged forward, ready to chop again, but had to block a fireball Andras hurled at him, and then slapped another away with his sword. The fireballs flared and splattered blindingly over the cars in the lot.

He whirled to defend against the next attack. None came.

Sig′s eyes recovered from the flares in time to see Andras leap on his wolf and race away.

He heard clapping. The Professor led the crowd in applause. Rick laughed as he walked toward Sig. "With a little help from your friends, even you can kick the ass of a Marquis from Hell."

Sig spun, sword up, head swiveling, searching for danger.

"Hey, we kicked his ass." Rick gestured toward a gushing fire hydrant, "Luckily our new friends, Amalia and Rebecca are water witches. They blasted Andras with a water jet and kept him off balance. The Professor chipped in with an energy shield at the opportune moment. Voila, Andras ran."

Sig kept scanning the surroundings. "Don′t forget, he ran last time too—and came back to attack us. Let′s get everyone out of here in case he returns."

Rick glanced at the chattering crowd outside the club. "Maybe there′s strength in numbers. That helped last time."

"I don′t want anyone hurt because Andras is trying to kill me."

"Maybe he′ll stay away if we′re all together."

"C′mon, let′s get them out…"

A shape dove off the roof into the crowd. Andras on wolfback hacked left and right with his sword. One of the Amazons fell, cleaved in half, top to bottom. He sliced through another sideways. The screaming crowd scattered.

Sig ran toward Andras. A huge wolf passed him. Rick went in low, slashed at Andras′ wolf legs, dashed out, and whirled to slash at the wolf again. He darted away again, just in time for Andras to miss a cut aimed at his back.

Sig prepared to hack at Andras′ head, but heard a crackling roar from above. He raised his sword just in time to block a lightning bolt aimed at him from the shadows of the roof. The bolt, deflected into the parking lot away from the crowd, slammed into a car, igniting it. The gas tank exploded, showering the parking lot with flaming debris. The combined smell of burning gasoline and hellfire made Sig gag.

Andras and the wolf spun toward a group that included the water witches. The Professor stepped forward and threw up another energy shield. The wolf crashed into it. Andras slashed at the Professor. His sword penetrated, but the shield stopped his hand. The tip missed the Professor by inches.

Andras drew the sword back and, with the other hand, cast a fireball that splashed against the shield, showering stragglers in the escaping crowd with molten fire. He threw his sword at the Professor. Sig managed to deflect it before it plunged through the energy shield. Instead of penetrating the Professor′s chest, it sliced his arm. He fell to the ground and his shield faded.

Andras gestured with his fingers and the sword leapt into the air and flew towards him. Sig lunged and grabbed it out of the air. Andras squealed.

Sig advanced with both swords, but his hand began to sizzle. He almost dropped Andras′ sword. He grimaced as he raised the burning sword high and then jammed it into the pavement up to the hilt. He shook his smoking hand after releasing it. Intense pain throbbed. He held it up and saw the imprint of Andras′ sword hilt charred into his palm.

He turned back as Andras gestured for the sword to fly to him. The hilt trembled, emitting a twang like a colossal guitar string, but remained jammed into the parking lot.

Sig ran toward Andras, but the wolf spun and bounded, carrying him away. Rick followed, tearing at the wolf′s legs, until Andras cast a fireball at him. He dodged, but the fireball set the fur on one side aflame. Rick rolled, extinguishing the flames, and rose to his feet in human form.

Sig ran back to the three bodies lying by the club. Two Amazons were dead. One of the witches used her jacket to staunch blood from the Professor′s arm.

Arianna knelt and looped her belt around his arm above the wound, pulling it tight to stop the bleeding.

Sid knelt, lifted the Professor, and turned toward his Jeep, "Crap." He could just make out the Jeep′s shape through roaring flames. He remembered slapping the lightning bolt away from the crowd. "Can someone drive the Professor to the hospital?" He shouted

The witch said, "I′ll call 911."

Rick, now clothed again said, "Don′t do that, he needs to go to the university hospital."

"We don′t want to have to explain this to the police. They′ll never believe it. I′m here and I don′t believe it," Arianna said.

The witch shut her phone. "But there are two dead people."

"We′ll take care of them, they′re Amazons."

Another Amazon raced up in a pickup. Arianna looked at Sig. "Will you help?"

He nodded and picked up the dead Amazons and placed them gently in the back of the pickup. It pulled away.

Amalia pulled up in a convertible. "Put the Professor in. I′ll take him to the hospital."

Sig lifted the Professor into the back and Rick jumped into the passenger seat. They sped off.

The remaining witch turned a stream of water from the fire hydrant onto the blood in the parking lot, washing it toward a sewer grate.

When he heard sirens approaching, Sig changed back to normal.

Thunder rumbled. Sig cringed. When the patter of rain followed, Sig relaxed.

Sirens wound down as a fire truck pulled up next to the still gushing fire hydrant. Firefighters spilled out and unwound their hoses. They had to shut the hydrant off before attaching them.

A police vehicle pulled up. The police officer got out and walked over to Sig. "What happened here?"

Holding an umbrella, Arianna strolled up to Sig. "It′s too bad about your car, but you′re lucky you weren′t in it when the lightning struck." They huddled under her umbrella.

The police officer looked back and forth between them. "Lightning struck the vehicle? It′s your vehicle?" He pointed his pen at Sig.

Sig nodded.

"May I see your license and registration?" Water dripped off the brim of his hat as he held his hand out.

Sig pulled out his wallet. "Here′s my license. I′m sure the registration is crisped by now." He nodded towards the Jeep as the firefighters sprayed it.

The officer nodded and copied information from Sig′s license. He looked at Arianna. "And you are?"

"Arianna duMayne, I′m a student at Northwestern and a friend." 

"How do you spell that?"

Arianna handed him her license. He copied her info and handed it back. "You saw the lightning strike the vehicle?"

"Yes, a tremendous flash lit up the parking lot. When I looked up, flames covered Sig′s Jeep, and then it exploded."

The officer took notes. They watched the firefighters spray water until the Jeep stopped burning. The asphalt around the Jeep had charred and blistered.

The police officer handed back their licenses. "Sorry about your vehicle, Sir. Act-of-nature. Can′t do much about it. Here′s my card, you can call for the incident report tomorrow after noon. You′ll need it for the insurance company."

Sig took the proffered card and nodded. "Thank you officer."

"Do you need a ride anywhere?"

"No, I can drop him off," Arianna said.

Sig responded with a wan smile. "Thanks."

She returned his smile warmly. "It′s the least I can do."

After Sig got into Arianna′s car, he called Rick and found that the Professor would be OK. The University hospital ER physician finished stitching up the wound in his shoulder. Rick would bring him home along with pain medication the emergency room supplied.

Arianna dropped Sig at home. By the time Rick arrived with the Professor, Sig was sound asleep on the couch in the parlor.