Balestone (14 page)

Chapter 19

A shielding spell enabled Tiberius to go back down among the storm of coins. There were so many gold and silver pieces flying or bouncing around the room that it seemed to Tiberius that he was being swarmed by bees, but once he left the treasure room the attack ceased.

Going back through the rancid kitchen made his eyes water, and then he was in the library. Tiberius wanted nothing more than to spend days or even weeks pouring through the books. He had never considered himself a good student, but here was something he actually wanted to learn about, and he simply couldn’t get enough. Still, there was no time for browsing through the leather-bound volumes. He needed to find weapons and go in search of his friends.

Another half-hour passed as Tiberius searched room by room, but finally he found their weapons dumped haphazardly in a storeroom that was filled with clutter. Rafe’s rapier and spear were there, along with Lexi’s Wangorian dagger. His own dagger and whip were there, too, along with the spear he was using to fight the dogs. Tiberius tied his whip back to his belt and used his dagger to unlock the shackles on his wrists. Once the chains dropped to the floor, Tiberius slid the dagger into its sheath, then he gathered up the other weapons and hurried back to the spiral stairs that led to the tower.

He was just coming out of the dungeons when Rafe slammed the door to the tower closed and dropped the heavy locking beam into place.

“What do you mean?” Tiberius asked his friend as he handed over the weapons. “Why can’t we get out that way?”

“There’s an army of bronze statues out there.”

“Statues?”

“Yes, statues that are alive somehow. It’s some sort of foul sorcery.”

Tiberius hurried over to the tower wall. He propped his spear against the wall and tucked Lexi’s curving dagger into his belt at the small of his back. Then he started climbing. The wall of the tower was sturdy enough, but there were plenty of hand holds and gaps in the masonry where Ti could stick the toes of his boots.

Soon his head peeked over the edge of the wall, and what he saw was astounding. All around the tower were bronze soldiers, at least one hundred of them, each with sword and shield. They stood unmoving, their bronze eyes unseeing. It was clear they were waiting for someone to show themselves before springing into action, cutting down anyone who came within reach of the bronze blades.

Tiberius climbed back down. He was both fascinated and frightened. It was clear that Gunderlyn was a powerful wizard, although why he had run from Tiberius was still a mystery.

“I got Olyva to safety,” Rafe said to Tiberius. “Where is Lexi?”

“Gunderlyn still has her. He used her to try and make me talk,” Tiberius said.

“Talk about what?”

“He had questions about Princess Ariel. He thought she had sent me to kill him.”

“He knows about the princess?”

“Yes, apparently he knows quite a bit. He kept babbling on about how foolish she was and how she doesn’t know the powers she’s dabbling in.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I don’t know what to believe.”

“Well, we’ve got to find another way out of here,” Rafe said. “I’m not fighting statues.”

“You may have to,” Tiberius said.

“Ti, I’ll fight any man, but I can’t kill a statue. My sword wouldn’t even penetrate — much less kill — something made of bronze.”

“There’s no other way out of here,” Tiberius argued.

“There has to be.”

“I’ve been all through the dungeons. Looking for you, then looking for our weapons. And Gunderlyn wouldn’t put his strongest soldiers here if we could just go around them.”

“You really think there’s no other way out?”

“No, and I don’t know how we get out of this, either.”

Rafe looked at Tiberius. They had been friends since childhood and they knew each other well. Tiberius knew that Rafe understood the gravity of their situation.

“Come on, Ti. Use one of your spells and get us out of this.”

“I don’t know any spells that would stop bronze statues,” Tiberius argued.

That wasn’t exactly true, but Tiberius was afraid of working the powerful magic. The focusing light spell could cut through the bronze statues, but it would be a slow process, and Tiberius honestly didn’t think he was strong enough to wield the magic successfully for so long a period.

“You don’t have anything?” Rafe asked. “It’s life or death here, Ti. If those statues work together, they can tear down this stone tower. And every minute we wait trying to figure this out could be the last minute Lexi has.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Tiberius said angrily. “She wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for me. You think I don’t wrestle with that truth every night? You think I don’t care? I can’t just wield magic that I haven’t mastered. There’s so much I don’t know.”

“But you can do amazing things,” Rafe replied. “I’ve seen you do it.”

“There is one spell, but it’s advanced. I don’t know what will happen if I try it. I could end up killing us all.”

“The way I see it, we don’t have much choice.”

Tiberius knew that Rafe was right, but he was afraid. He was tired and hungry, his mouth was dry, and his guts felt like water. He needed to do something.

“Let me try something first,” Tiberius said.

“What?” Rafe asked.

“The cloaking spell is simple. Perhaps we can slip past the statues without even being noticed.”

“We’ll be down two horses,” Rafe said.

“Better walking than stuck dead in this tower. Besides, once we find Gunderlyn and save Lexi, we might be able to retrieve the horses.”

“All right,” Rafe said. “It sounds good, but let me go.”

“No, if it doesn’t work, I don’t want to put you at risk.”

“I’m in less danger than you in a fight,” Rafe argued. “Besides, if something does happen to me, you will still have a chance to try something else. If they get you, I’m doomed.”

Tiberius realized his friend was right, but he still didn’t like putting Rafe in danger. He nodded, and Rafe drew his sword. He waited by the door of the tower while Tiberius cast his spell.

“
Abdidi Incantatio
,” Tiberius said.

The magic started to form over Tiberius, but he directed it with his mind around Rafe instead. He had only to think of moving the magic, although a normal thought comes and goes like a breath of wind, while willing his magic was more akin to walking through water that was up to his knees.

“We good?” Rafe asked.

Tiberius nodded, and Rafe threw back the locking beam. It was a heavy piece of wood, but Rafe was obviously feeling his oats as he removed the locking beam and opened the door just a crack, then a little more. Tiberius moved around where he could see out the door. The ranks of bronze soldiers stood waiting, their faces impassive, their weapons held ready.

There was just enough space between the soldiers for a person to slide through sideways. Rafe stepped forward cautiously, and Tiberius kept the cloaking spell over him. Rafe took another step, then another. He was almost an arm’s length away from the nearest soldier when the statues suddenly sprang to life. A sword chopped down, causing Rafe to dodge back. The nearest statue took a lumbering step forward.

“It’s no good!” Tiberius shouted, letting the spell break.

Rafe could have fled, but instead he stayed and fought back. His sword came up to parry the next blow, but the bronze sword was unstoppable. Either the statues were extremely strong or the weight of their metal bodies was overpowering. Tiberius saw his friend fall, knocked flat by the powerful strike.

Tiberius bolted forward. Rafe was lying dazed in the dirt. His sword had been batted easily aside, and the dull bronze blade had ripped a shallow gash across Rafe’s chest. The soldier raised his sword, preparing to drop the killing stroke, but Ti grabbed Rafe’s free arm and pulled him away. Once they were out of reach, the statue returned to its original pose and waited. The other soldiers hadn’t moved.

“It didn’t work,” Rafe said.

“Yeah, I noticed.”

“Thought I’d see what they were made of,” Rafe joked as Tiberius pulled Rafe back into the tower.

“Bronze, you idiot,” Tiberius said.

“Yeah, that’s the stuff.”

“How bad are you hurt?”

“It’s just a scratch, really. If their weapons were honed, I’d be a real mess.”

Tiberius threw the locking bar back into place, although he guessed that it was merely a symbolic gesture. The bronze soldiers could batter down the door easily enough, although they seemed content to just sit and wait.

“What now?” Rafe said, struggling to sit up.

“Don’t move. Let me help you.”

Rafe didn’t argue, a fact that revealed to Tiberius that his friend was in more pain than he was letting on. Tiberius ripped Rafe’s shirt open and mopped away as much blood as he could.

“It’s not deep, but it hurts,” Rafe said through clenched teeth.

“
Sano Grasilis Abscido
,” Tiberius began chanting.

The spell was the first magic the young wizard had ever used. He remembered sitting alone in his room and practicing the spell on fruit. He felt the ever-present magic swirling around him, and within a few minutes Rafe’s wound was completely healed. There was not even a scar to show he’d been cut.

“How’s that?” Tiberius asked.

“Much better, thanks.”

“Well, we know sneaking out isn’t a possibility.”

“No, it isn’t. So where does that leave us?”

“I’ll have to cast a very strong spell,” Tiberius said. “It could be really dangerous. “It might be best if you go back down the stairs.”

“Tiberius,” Rafe said, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I have faith in you. I won’t hide. We’ll face things side by side. Win or lose, I’ll be right beside you.”

“You have more faith in me than I have in myself.”

“I’ve always had faith in you. You’re better than the rest of your family put together. You stood by me when Leonosis betrayed me. You’ve been fighting with me, or for me, my whole life. I want to thank you for that.”

“You’re the greatest friend and warrior I’ve ever known.”

“I couldn’t ask for a better compliment,” Rafe said.

“And I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

“So what do we do now?”

“I want to find a place on the tower to cast this spell. I want to be able to see what I’m doing.”

“Okay, so we climb up.”

“I might be a little shaky up there. If you could hold onto my belt or something, that might help.”

“I can do that.”

Tiberius wished he had as much faith in himself as Rafe did. The thought of casting an advanced spell of the Fourth Order frightened him, but he knew they had no other choice. He had wanted to be a wizard, and he couldn’t shy away from working magic now, not when it was their only hope of escaping the dire predicament they found themselves in.

“Okay,” Tiberius said. “Let’s do it.”

Chapter 20

The moment Gunderlyn had cast his spell on Lexi, she had lost all ability to resist the wizard’s will. The old wizard forced her out of the room she’d shared with Rafe and Olyva, then he moved her down a long hallway. They stopped outside a door, and the old man stood listening for a long time. Lexi could do nothing but stand still and watch. She saw everything happening around her as if she were in a dream.

When the old wizard finally went into the small cell, he forced her forward and hid behind her like a coward. Lexi’s heart ached as she saw Tiberius chained to the wall. She heard herself screaming as Gunderlyn wrenched her arm behind her back. She felt the heat of Tiberius’ fire spell. Gunderlyn had mumbled and cursed as he pulled Lexi back into the long hallway. She had followed him despite the reaction in her mind to run away or attack the old wizard. Her body simply wouldn’t obey her.

They hurried through the various rooms of the wizard’s underground lair and then stopped just at the foot of the spiraling stone staircase. The wizard cast another spell, and somehow Lexi knew that it was a trap for Tiberius. She wanted to scream, to warn Ti of the danger, but she couldn’t. Then they were climbing up and out of the tower.

Lexi heard Dancer trilling excitedly above her, but she couldn’t look up. Gunderlyn was hurrying out of the tower and now through the dirty streets. His filthy bare feet kicked up dust as he hurried across the ancient city. Lexi could hear Dancer following. The little animal was gliding from building to building, landing lightly on the ruins of the ancient structures, running and bounding along to keep Lexi in sight.

They moved through the maze-like city until they came to a huge building. Lexi thought it must have been a temple of some sort. Stairs were built into the side of the triangular structure, which was made of smooth stones that were lined up like blocks to make a stepped pyramid. Lexi followed. She was breathing hard by the time they reached the small balcony near the top of the temple. Turning, Lexi stood behind Gunderlyn, who was already chanting another spell.

Lexi saw Dancer. The little animal had jumped from a tall building and was now rising through the air high above. Gunderlyn paid the wind glider no attention. He was focused on the temple’s twin entrances on either side of the wide stairs that led up to the balcony. Lexi looked down and saw scores of soldiers marching out of the temple. She felt a stab of fear as she watched the soldiers. They moved stiffly and had a strange look to them that Lexi couldn’t quite place. Then it hit her — the soldiers were actually statues. Gunderlyn continued to chant his spell, and Lexi wanted to hit him. She wanted to lower her shoulder and ram the old wizard hard in the back, knocking him down the stairs to his death, but she couldn’t move. She was frozen inside her own body, forced to watch as the wizard sent living statues to destroy the people she cared about.

From their place high up on the temple, Lexi had a relatively good view of the city. She could see the ragged top of the tower where Tiberius, Rafe, and Olyva were being held captive. Then her head began to buzz in the familiar fashion that meant Dancer was linking their minds to share what the little glider could see. Lexi couldn’t move any part of her body except for her eyes. She couldn’t tilt her head up to see Dancer or bow her head to see what was happening on the ground below the temple, but she could move her eyes and close her eyelids. When she closed her eyes, she could see the entire city and beyond.

What first caught her attention was a person in the wide plain beyond the city. It took Lexi a few moments to make out what she was seeing. There was a horse, several smaller objects, and a person laying on the ground. Then Lexi saw Rafe. The young warrior was unmistakeable. She watched him creeping back toward the tower.

If Rafe and Olyva were free, that only left Tiberius in the tower, and Lexi remembered how he’d looked as she stood in the doorway of the little prison cell. He had been chained to the wall, a look of desperation on his face as Gunderlyn questioned him. Lexi felt her anger and hate for the old wizard rising within her. She struggled to regain control of her body, but it was a wasted effort.

Then she saw Rafe fighting the dogs. She opened her eyes when Gunderlyn cried out. He wasn’t in pain, but there was a look of tragic grief playing across his wizened features. She realized the dogs had been his pets, his companions, and now they were dead or dying. Lexi closed her eyes and felt a sense of dread as the bronze warriors approached the tower. Rafe was just getting back inside when she saw movement inside the tower.

Dancer was high above the city, and details were hard to make out, but she felt a thrill as she realized that Tiberius had escaped the dungeon.

“Damn fool,” Gunderlyn muttered.

He was speaking to himself, but they were the first words that Lexi had understood.

“We’ll see how they like my surprise,” he continued.

Lexi looked at the old wizard. He had a smug look on his face. There wasn’t even a trace of doubt that he had won. The only thing left to do now was wait for Rafe and Tiberius to fall into his trap.

Time passed. Lexi continued to watch the city through Dancer’s eyes. The little animal seemed to be waiting for something. Lexi could sense an eagerness in the small animal, and it somehow gave her hope. Then she saw the city growing larger and realized that Dancer was descending. Her body tensed; even though she couldn’t control herself, she still felt a nervous energy cascading through her.

“Soon this will all be over, my sweet,” said the old man. He was leering at her now, groping her body hungrily. “I shall make that boy’s head into my footstool, and you shall be my wench. A queen among the dead.”

He cackled his insane laughter as Lexi struggled to regain control of her body. The old wizard was behind her now, his hands on her shoulders as he whispered his foul breath into her ear.

“You shall make me happy, and I dare say I’ll satisfy you more than that whelp you came here with.”

His breath was as fetid as the rancid smell from the kitchen. He seemed giddy at the prospect of slaying Tiberius and making Lexi his slave. She wanted to scream and vow to kill him, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. She had screamed when he’d wrenched her arm in Tiberius’ cell, but that had been her body’s reaction to the pain. She wondered what sounds she would make if the old wizard had his way with her.

Just then a single thought seemed to appear in her mind.
Escape.
She didn’t know where the thought had come from. Of course she wanted to escape the old wizard, but she also wanted to make him suffer, to foil his plans to hurt Tiberius. The single word resonated in her mind over and over. She wasn’t sure what to do, and then she saw Dancer. The little animal was diving right toward her. She wanted to wave off the sweet little wind glider. The last thing she wanted was to see Dancer hurt trying to help her. But the fearless animal swooped down, all four feet pointed forward, and little needle-like claws that Lexi had never seen before extended from the glider’s feet. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Dancer landed on Gunderlyn’s face, the little legs scrambling as she slashed the skin around his eyes and across his forehead to ribbons.

Lexi felt the spell over her break. Her body sprang into motion, and she bounded down the stone stairs. Behind her Lexi could hear Gunderlyn screaming in pain and rage. Lexi wanted to look back over her shoulder to see what had become of Dancer, but she was afraid she would miss her footing and tumble down the steep side of the temple. She was leaping down three and four steps at a time, her heart hammering in her chest as she ran.

When she got to the bottom of the temple she looked back, but neither Dancer nor Gunderlyn were in sight. Lexi knew she couldn’t wait. She had to get out of the city. She was terrified for Dancer, but she couldn’t waste the little animal’s sacrifice. Lexi had saved Dancer from the snake, and now Dancer had saved Lexi from the wizard. The animal had repaid its debt to her, not that Lexi had ever considered Dancer to be in her debt. Still, she felt a pang of regret and loss over the cute little wind glider. She had felt a friendship with Dancer that she had never experienced before. It was more than owner and pet, more than she could even imagine feeling for another animal. Lexi was fond of the horses and had found a great satisfaction in helping with the animals when they were with the Hoskali, but her connection to Dancer had been much deeper.

Tears filled her eyes as she ran through the deserted streets. Her breath was short, and her shoulders shook as she cried. Still she ran, ducking from one space to the next, falling back into her natural patterns of evading and hiding. She had slipped through the streets of Avondale for years, making herself invisible, hiding in the shadows, moving from place to place and always alert for any signs that she was being watched. Lexi kept glancing back over her shoulder expecting to see the old wizard in his filthy patchwork robes sweeping down from the temple to make her his slave again.

Her grief and fear of what lay behind her were so strong that she didn’t notice the huge beast sleeping in the alley she ducked into. To either side of her were tall walls, and the alley was filled with a deep shadow. She stood for a moment panting, glancing back toward the temple, fearful of seeing Gunderlyn and hoping to see any sign of Dancer. What she didn’t see were the eyes that opened behind her.

Suddenly, tentacles that were covered with a sticky, viscous slime, wrapped around her. One coiled around her waist, another around her leg. She screamed as she was jerked backward into the dark alley. She felt a hot puff of foul breath, and then she was enveloped in a leathery pouch that was filled with even more of the viscous slime. There was no light. Lexi couldn’t see anything but she could feel the walls of her new prison contracting around her. She felt the beast purring. She kicked and screamed, but there was no escape. Her mind forgot the wizard, forgot about her friends and even little Dancer. She was consumed now with just one thought — survive.