Mindbender (70 page)

The stone giant reached it next and attempted to grapple with the nine-foot-tall demon. They tumbled to the ground and rolled before the scourgling grabbed a single stone from its body and tore it free, tossing it aside. One at a time, the demon tore stones away until the stones that remained fell to the ground.

Mage Gamaliel stepped to within twenty feet of the scourgling and brought his magical hammer down on the ground with a battle cry. It struck with such force that Alexander staggered to keep his feet. A chasm opened up, splitting the earth from the point of impact for about thirty feet. The scourgling slipped into the crack and fell out of view.

Alexander held his breath, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the creature surfaced.

Sark’s whirlwind intensified and landed in the chasm, pulling dirt in on top of the scourgling until it was completely buried.

“Think that’ll hold it?” Anatoly asked.

“No,” Alexander said, never taking his eyes off the spot where the demon was entombed.

He didn’t have to wait long. Not a minute later, its clawed hand burst from the dirt and pulled it up out of the hole. Alexander held his ground and waited.

The scourgling started toward him again, gaining speed as it charged. When it entered the circle, Jahoda cast the spell that turned the magic circle into a device of confinement rather than a place of protection. The scourgling crashed into the invisible magical barrier as Alexander rolled aside.

It tried to push through but couldn’t.

Alexander breathed a sigh of relief.

Then the scourgling started digging next to the edge of the circle. It wasn’t a moment before the circle broke and the magic failed. The beast lunged at Alexander.

Anatoly shoved him aside and faced the beast. It swatted him in the chest, sending him sprawling. Jataan darted in and thrust so hard that his sword shattered against the creature. It brushed him aside and turned toward Alexander.

He didn’t remember drawing the Thinblade but it was in his hand. The whole world narrowed down to that moment. He was in a fight for his life and he had a blade in his hand. Everything else faded away.

The scourgling lashed out at him with one clawed hand. He danced aside and slashed at its wrist. The Thinblade bounced off it the way a steel sword would bounce off stone. The scourgling turned and backhanded him hard in the chest. The Thinblade slipped out of his hand as he tumbled to the ground. The scourgling leaped into the air in an arc that would bring its giant taloned feet into the middle of him.

Everything seemed to slow down. He saw the deadly, otherworldly monster float through the air. He heard Chloe cry out in his mind and saw her buzz into existence, apparently trying to reach the demon before it reached him. He saw Jataan stumble to his feet, trying to shake off the haze from the blow he’d taken. He heard Anatoly groan in pain and watched Lucky pour a healing draught into his mouth. He thought of Isabel as he watched his death descend on him.

Then a shadow passed overhead. The scourgling was knocked backward through the air just a few feet before it would have landed right in the middle of him. When he looked up, he saw a sky full of wyverns. More than a hundred of the creatures were making attack runs into the enemy cavalry in the distance, but a dozen or more were circling directly overhead. He looked closer and felt his heart nearly stop when he saw a hawk flying in formation with the one that had just hit the scourgling with its tail. The next in line flew low enough to whip-strike the scourgling again, sending it sprawling across the ground. The flash of sunlight off the rider’s silvery blond hair filled Alexander with hope.

The first rider wheeled quickly for another pass. He saw Isabel riding on the great beast. She reached out with her hand and sent a bolt of bright white light into the scourgling as it regained its feet. The light ran up its back but had no effect. Another wyvern floated overhead and a javelin bounced off the nine-foot-tall demon.

It started coming for Alexander again.

Kelvin used his hammer to open another rift in the earth and slow the beast’s charge. It stumbled and went to ground before bouncing back to its feet. Two more wyverns wheeled overhead and sent light stabbing into the creature.

When it reached Alexander, he dove to the side and out of reach of its clawed hand. It turned and bounded toward him, landing over him with one foot on either side. He struggled to get out of the path of the demon’s attack but he was trapped. Its hand came up poised for a kill strike and started to come down just as Isabel floated over again. This time the quality of the light that streaked from her hand was altogether different. Its color was that of pure love and life.

The argent-white light struck the scourgling square in the back. It stopped, frozen in place for just a moment before its skin burned off in a flash, leaving only a thick black smoke that seemed to flee the world of time and substance as if it knew it had no place there.

Isabel and Abigail landed in the little clearing and scrambled off their wyverns.

Alexander bounded to his feet and raced toward his wife. They crashed into each other and he held her tight as he spun her in a circle.

“I’m never going to let you out of my sight again,” he said, hugging her fiercely.

“Promise?” she whispered.

When he let go of his wife, Abigail was standing a few feet away watching with a gentle smile.

“Told you he’d get into trouble without us,” she said to Isabel.

Alexander grabbed his sister and hugged her. “I’ve missed you both so much.”

“Easy, Big Brother, you’ll break me,” she said teasingly.

He let her go and held her out at arm’s length. “Who hurt you? I saw that you were injured. Who?”

She and Isabel shared a smile before she shrugged. “Your wife already killed her.”

Alexander looked over at Isabel and nodded approvingly as he slipped his arm around her waist and drew her close.

Jack stepped up and bowed formally to Isabel. “Lady Reishi . . .”

“Don’t you start that with me, Jack,” she said.

He smiled and winked. “I’m very glad you are well and have returned to us.” Then he turned to Abigail and held out his hand. She looked a little taken aback but she gave him her hand nonetheless. He took it with a gentle smile and bowed to kiss it softly.

“There are many things I wish to say to you, Abigail,” he said. “For now, just know that I’ve missed you terribly every single day that you’ve been gone.”

She blushed. Alexander was glad. It was about time someone could fluster his sister.

Lucky came ambling up, a mixture of happiness and grief struggling to gain control of his face.

“I’m so glad to see you both, but I have terrible news,” Lucky said, his voice breaking slightly.

“What is it?” Alexander said, suddenly alarmed. It took a lot to undo Lucky’s composure.

“Anatoly has been gravely injured,” Lucky said. “I’ve done all I can, but I fear he won’t survive the day.”

Alexander was suddenly stricken with a mixture of guilt and grief. He knew Anatoly had fallen to the scourgling but his joy at seeing Isabel and Abigail had driven the worry for his old man-at-arms from his mind. He raced to the place where Anatoly had fallen. Lucky had made him comfortable and treated his wounds as best he could, but there was a lot of damage. His breastplate lay nearby, crushed and rent where the demon had swatted him.

“Dear Maker,” Alexander whispered as he knelt next to Anatoly. “You can’t die, you stubborn old bull,” he said, taking Anatoly’s hand. His emotions crashed from the pure joy of seeing his wife and sister again to finding that his mentor and protector was dying.

“You have to fix him, Isabel,” Abigail said through a sob.

Alexander wasn’t sure what she was talking about and he didn’t take the time to focus on anything other than his friend lying on the field where he’d fallen trying to protect him. The guilt threatened to crush him.

Isabel knelt next to Anatoly and smiled at Alexander. “He’ll be all right,” she said as she laid her hand gently on his chest and closed her eyes.

Alexander watched her colors turn pure white, the color of life itself, then her aura swelled and the light became visible around her hand. Anatoly stiffened slightly and then began to breathe easier as he drifted off to sleep.

“I don’t understand,” Alexander said. “What just happened?”

“She healed him,” Abigail said through her tears.

“But how?” Lucky asked.

“With magic from the realm of light,” Isabel said. “It’s a long story better told at another time.”

Lucky and Alexander both nodded, somewhat dumbfounded by the power Isabel had just displayed.

Everyone turned when Duncan, Bella, and Hanlon came rushing up. Once they were assured that Anatoly would be all right, they spent a few moments hugging their daughters while the sounds of battle raged in the distance.

Another wyvern landed not far off, sending soldiers scattering out of the way and looking at the giant beast warily. It folded its wings, and the rider waved to Isabel.

“The enemy cavalry have retreated back to the city. What are your orders, Lady Reishi?”

Isabel looked up to Alexander. “What were your plans?”

“We were trying to set Northport on fire, but it’s not working,” Alexander said. “I’ve ordered the assault force to retreat out of range of the archers for now.”

Isabel nodded and turned to the woman rider. “Have the Sky Knights land behind the army. I’ll send riders for you and Constance.”

She nodded and her wyvern launched into the air gaining altitude with each powerful stroke of its wings. Asteroth and Kallistos launched into the air just after her and followed as she ascended toward the circling formation of Sky Knights overhead.

Alexander smiled at Isabel. “I want to hear about every single thing that’s happened since you were taken from me, and I want to know how you destroyed that scourgling, but right now we have a battle to win. Let’s go back to the command tents and decide what to do next. Lieutenant Wyatt, please go to the Sky Knights and escort their leaders back here.”

He nodded and turned on his heel to tend to his orders.

“I’ll stay with Anatoly,” Lucky said. “It really is good to see the two of you. We were all quite worried when you were taken.”

They both gave him a hug before everyone made their way up the winding path to the top of the hillock where they stopped for a moment to watch the fires dying down in the city from the heavy rain that was falling out of the conjured clouds.

“I should have anticipated that,” Alexander said, shaking his head.

Isabel shrugged. “No plan ever survives contact with the enemy,” she said, smiling up at him.

“You are very wise, Lady Reishi.”

They turned away from the army sprawling before them and went into the command tent. Alexander was overjoyed that Isabel had returned. He knew he should be anxious or even worried that his plan had failed but he just couldn’t bring himself to feel anything but happiness.

It wasn’t long before Wyatt entered with two women wearing armor following behind him. They each carried themselves with confidence. Both had the colors of a witch.

“Alexander, these are Flight Commanders Bianca and Constance,” Isabel said. “Ladies, this is my husband, Lord Alexander Reishi.”

Both women bowed formally.

“Lord Reishi, it is an honor to meet you,” Bianca said. “For my part, I hope we can put any past differences behind us and join forces against our common enemy.”

“Well said. Please, sit. We have much to discuss.”

Once everyone was seated around the council table, Chloe buzzed into existence. She floated up to Isabel and kissed her on the cheek.

“I’m so glad you’ve returned to Our Love,” she said. “He’s been most distraught since you were taken, but now his heart sings.”

Bianca and Constance blinked, looked at each other and then back at Chloe.

“We heard the rumor that you had bonded with a fairy, but none of us believed it,” Constance said.

Alexander smiled, then cocked his head to the side in recognition. “You’re the one on the bridge. The one Jataan put a javelin through.”

She looked a little startled. “I am,” she said rubbing her shoulder. “That was a very dark day for us, Lord Reishi. We believed that we had failed the world when you recovered the Sovereign Stone.”

“And now?” he asked, pointedly. He saw Jataan tense ever so slightly through his all around sight.

“Now, many of us are uncertain, though your wife and sister have impressed all who live within the fortress island. Many believe that a man can be measured by the quality of the women who love him. By that standard, you have earned our respect.”

“Good enough, for now,” Alexander said. “In time, I hope to win your friendship as well.”

Both women seemed surprised by his response. Their colors shined with uncertainty.

Alexander smiled more broadly. “Not what you were expecting?”

“No,” Bianca said. “Most who seek power tend to lord it over others, yet you speak of friendship rather than command. We expected you to demand our obedience and press our forces into service.”