Azra of the Burning Sands (Genesis Project) (22 page)

‘It’s a pity, you Humans were created so inferiorly...’

-Shakla, as he killed a Raider, during his time with them

SALLOCK – BAZRA WASTES – HALLI

K
ont and Shakla had reached the top of staircase. They were in an alcove just off the side of the main lobby of the central tower. Low level aides walked across the floor, busy on their errands, completely absorbed in their work.

Shakla scanned the room while Kont stood nervously behind him. Kont noticed one of the aides had stopped, and was looking at them. It was a pretty, purple-eyed young woman in green robes. Her auburn hair hung loosely about her shoulders.

Shakla tossed Dykyn aside like an unneeded burden, and let out a hiss, snapping his hands out in front of him. A gale of wind rippled from his hands, propelled by his Mahgic, and slammed into the young Wyzard. She was thrown off her feet and sent tumbling across the floor.

She didn’t get up.

The lobby grew very still, as aides stopped and looked at the commotion. One by one, they spotted Shakla.

Kont counted twelve aides in all.

Though not masters, they were still dangerous in numbers.

The nearest – a middle aged man with a short beard and bald head – threw his arms up and then flicked his hands towards them. Floor tiles from the mosaic rose up, and were hurled through the air. Kont dove to the side as one smashed into the wall beside him, pulverized bits tumbling down the stairs. Shakla merely flicked his hand to the left, and a wall of wind redirected the tiles toward another aide, who had started to charge them, his hands encased in fire. The tiles slammed into the charging man, and fell, tumbling along the floor, to end in a heap next to Shakla.

Kont scrambled to his feet, while Shakla thrust his hands toward the bald man who had thrown the floor tiles. Another shaft of wind cut through the space between them, and picked the man up off his feet.

He crashed to the floor, tumbling into the far wall.

Directly ahead two, young, dark-skinned men looked at each other hesitantly, before falling back a step into a defensive posture. Another four of the aides were closing in slowly from the sides. There were two women on the right, they had black hair and green eyes, and looked like twins.  To young aides were with the woman Shakla had first attacked, dragging her from the chamber. On Kont’s left was an old brown-skinned crone with purple hair, and a short man in yellow robes.

Shakla let out a low growl as he surveyed his opponents.

The dwarf-man took a firm-footed stance and held his hands in front of him. A wall of blackness formed around Shakla. There was a horrible growl from the Void Prison, as the Sorcerer tried to escape, though utterly encased.

Kont turned, slamming his hands against the dark wall of energy. He felt the unmistakable coldness of the Void aspect, and the otherworldly texture. He flooded his hands with his Energy aspect, and with an vicious crackle the Void wall wavered, and vanished.

Kont spun to face the short man, who was less steady now, having seen the aspect and power of his opponent. A bolt of inky darkness shot from the little man’s hand. Kont raised his palms, and formed a disk of light in front of him. The blot hit the disk and dissipated.

The difference in mastery was obvious to Kont, but he had no desire to hurt the Wyzard more than he had to. He threw power at the yellow robed man, who shielded himself with his arms, coating himself in smoky shadow. Kont rushed forward while the dwarf-man was distracted by his own defence. Kont placed his hands on either side of the short man’s head. Looking up in surprised, he dropped to the ground, as Kont flooded the man’s mind with a burst of power. He’d be fine, but he wouldn’t be moving for a while.

Kont turned around.

Shakla was crouched low, weaving back and forth. The other aides were throwing Mahgic blasts at him, one after another, but he was deflecting them with his wind, and dodging the ones he couldn’t. The wall behind him was riddled with scorch marks, holes, and cracks. None of them were paying Kont any heed, fully engaged in trying to subdue the Sorcerer.

Thinking quickly, Kont slid behind Shakla, raising his hands, letting forth a blinding radiance.

Kont heard the remaining aides cry in pain, and shield their eyes.

Shakla leapt toward one of the dark-skinned men, grabbing him violently by the collar. He lifted the Wyzard up, and slammed him face first into the ground. There was a wet cracking sound and a wash of blood.  Shakla effortlessly threw the unmoving form toward into the purple-haired crone. They collided violently and crumpled to the floor.

The twins threw up a wall of red stone as Shakla punched a torrent of wind into it, rocking it, but not breaking it.

‘Dyson!’ one of the twins shouted. ‘Get over here!’

The young, dark-skinned, aide leapt for cover behind the wall. Shakla lunged at him, powerful jaws clamping around the man’s neck and shoulder.

Kont looked away, as Shakla bit down.

Shakla let out a cry of pain, as the Earth users blasted the wall into a wash of gravel, knocking Shakla violently to the floor. With a roar, the Sorcerer leapt back to his feet, gravel tumbling off of him and he glared at the twins, who stood defensively, hands balled into fists in front of them. The identical girls had fury burned into their features as they stood, the last defenders.

Shakla pulled his arms close to his chest. A howling torrent swept in from behind the twins, throwing one of the girls toward him. Shakla caught her around the neck, and, with a crunch, he slammed her into the floor.

The twin still standing screamed in horror as she watched her sister crumple. She charged forward, and Shakla merely swept his hands up in front of him, launching the girl up into the ceiling, where she hit violently and then dropped, landing beside her twin with a meaty crunch.

Shakla twisted his neck sharply to the side. There was a cracking sound. The scales on his neck seemed to ripple. He turned, walked to Dykyn, and grabbed the boy’s robe, dragging him towards the exit. Kont rushed to catch up, and tried not to look into the determined eyes of the helpless Prince.

Kont glanced around the room, and quickly regretted it, instead focusing his gaze on the back of Shakla’s head, so as to not see the bodies.

He took a small solace in the fact that at least one of them, he could be sure, was alive.

*

AHAKI RESIDENCE – SALLOCK

‘Ahaki!’

Ahaki looked up from her study as Nid, her assistant, rushed into her home. She noticed his usual calm demeanour was missing.

‘What is it Nid?’

‘The Sorcerer, Shakla, has escaped! He’s making his way to Archways! He has a captive, and someone is helping him.'

Ahaki was on her feet in a flash, her old frame moving with unaccustomed speed. She made for the door, and pulled her staff from its rack on her way by. She stepped outside and stopped.

The wind was howling down the streets, a storm was brewing suddenly, kicking up sand from over the walls down into the city. She felt out the storm with her Mahgic.

‘This isn’t natural,’ she whispered, ‘the Sorcerer is summoning this.’

‘The councillors will make short work of this,’ Nid said hopefully.

‘It will take time. It’s already received the power it needs to keep going independent of him. He’s using it as a distraction, no doubt. Nid, go fetch as many combat ready Mahgic users you can, have them meet up with me.’

‘Where will you be?’

‘I’m going to the archway plaza to slow him down.’

‘Be careful, Mistress.’

Ahaki nodded, and hunched down, bracing against the wind. She bundled up her robe, but sand stung at her exposed skin. She started forward, and quickly lost sight of Nid in the flurry.

*

ARCHWAY PLAZA – SALLOCK

Kont followed behind Shakla. The sandstorm Shakla had summoned howled around them, but they were safe in a bubble of clear air. Kont was winded, having lent his power to Shakla, so the Sorcerer could summon the storm quickly.

From the central tower, they had made a straight run down one of the main streets, right to the Archway plaza. Three other Wyzards had tried to stop them, but Shakla had dispatched them with speed and violence. Blood stained the edges of the Sorcerer’s mouth. Kont suppressed a shiver at the reminder of the Sorcerers fury. Kont noticed that Dykyn never seemed to take his eyes off of Shakla, glaring hatefully.

As they had advanced, Shakla had become more and more silent. Kont felt uneasy near him now, feeling a pressure coming from the reptilian being. Still, he had to stay close enough to be in the bubble.

They reached the wall that separated the Archway plaza from the rest of Sallock. Kont rushed forward and placed his hands out, waving at Shakla to stop.

‘Wait! The plaza can be shielded in times of emergency. Let me check,’ Kont said.

Shakla’s head snapped towards Kont, and Kont recoiled from the smouldering stare. Shakla let out a low growl.

‘Just a moment is all!’ Kont stammered.

Shakla opened his mouth and tasted the air with his tongue. He let out a hiss, and seemed to relax ever so slightly.

Kont could feel his heart still racing as he moved towards the opening in the wall. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. The howling wind, and the presence of Shakla behind him, made it difficult, but he reached out and felt the space between the stones of the gateway. There was indeed a shield of Mahgic – invisible to the naked eye – but very dangerous.

‘Yes, there is a shield. I think I can break it though. It’s based on the Energy aspect. It’s designed to overwhelm the mind of any who walk through and kill them.’

Kont glanced back at Shakla to see if he was listening. The Sorcerer had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily.

Thankful not to have the eyes on him, Kont focused his powers around his hands and slowly moved towards the gateway, his arms outstretched.

When his palms reached the space of the gateway, there was a brilliant flash of light and a sound like thunder. Kont screamed in pain as his hands were engulfed in the power of the shield – it was more than he had been anticipating. He collapsed to the ground, his hands blistered and smoking. A dome of light enveloped the plaza, and then fizzled out.

Kont lay there, whimpering in pain, as Shakla stepped past him, dragging Dykyn behind him, over the sand strewn pathway.

‘Wait!’ Kont managed to croak.

The Sorcerer didn’t stop.

Wincing, he used the wall to brace himself, and pushed himself upright with his feet. He staggered through the gateway, fighting against pain as the sand storm battered against his wounded hands. He tried to shield them with his body.

Kont saw Shakla stationary in front of him – Dykyn discarded next to him – and hurried for the safety of Shakla’s protective bubble.

Then he saw why Shakla had stopped.

‘Kont Reso, I assume
you
were the one who breached the shield?’ Ahaki said.

Kont grimaced and then nodded.

‘I had strengthened it myself, hoping this
monster
would trigger it. Why are you with him?’

Ahaki was standing in the centre of the plaza, staff in one hand, and a ball of water floating above the open palm of the other. The wind was blowing her hair, and the sand battering her body, but she stood upright and proudly.

Kont dabbled in Water Mahgic, but knew Ahaki to be in a whole other league – there wasn’t much he’d be able to do with his wounded hands anyway.

He looked at her with a growing sense of dread, and answered, ‘I have my reasons.’

‘For your sake, I hope they are worth the lives of your peers,’ Ahaki sad calmly, but coldly.

Kont winced as the image of the dead flashed in front of him again. ‘I don’t know,’ he said, ‘but it’s too late to go back.’

Ahaki turned to Shakla. ‘Leave the Paltian boy behind. Return to your cell, and I won’t have to stop you.’

Kont felt a pang of sympathy for Ahaki.

Her resistance would not be met with mercy.

‘Ahaki, this is no place for a Water Master to fight. You’ll be at a disadvantage. Please, just let us past and you won't be hurt,’ Kont pleaded.

‘No.’

Shakla shook his head and let out a growl. His hands snapped forward, and a column of wind flew towards Ahaki. The ball of water over her hand expanded into a sheet, and froze solid, deflecting the wind away from her. The wall immediately started to melt away again and reform, but Shakla was already in motion.

The Sorcerer let out a guttural roar, his jaw open, as he lunged at Ahaki. Ahaki jumped to the side, and battered the side of Shakla’s head with her staff. The Sorcerer staggered on his feet and stumbled back a step.

‘I will feassst on you!’ Shakla bellowed.

Shakla lunged, but jerked to a stop. Kont saw his feet had been encased in ice. A small bit of water detached from the globe and froze into a spear. With a flick of her staff, Ahaki sent the spear hurling towards Shakla.