Spirit Blade: Book III of the Dragon Mage Trilogy (35 page)

“That’s strange,” commented Olag.

“Very,” said Zylor. “Maybe we should follow it.”

Olag agreed and they turned to pursue it at a safe distance. Before long, it met up with a creature that limped toward it out of the darkness.

“Is it you?” asked the cyclops.

“Yes,” responded the limping creature. As it came into the torchlight, Zylor and Olag were shocked. It was the minotaur that Olag had shot!

“Couldn’t you find a better host?” asked the cyclops.

“I didn’t know until it was too late,” said the minotaur. “But it doesn’t matter. I can get another one soon enough.” He turned and looked over to where Zylor and Olag stood watching. It was too late to duck out of sight, so the companions were shocked again when the minotaur gave no sign of recognition at seeing them.

As the cyclops and minotaur wandered out of sight, Olag muttered, “OK. If that doesn’t qualify as something unusual, I don’t know what does.”

“That doesn’t make sense!” exclaimed Zylor. “There’s no way that minotaur could have ignored us like that! We weren’t that far away that he couldn’t recognize us - not after what you did to him! His damaged honour would be foremost on his mind!”

“You heard what the cyclops said about finding a host,” said Olag. “Maybe one of the ones we’re chasing stole the minotaur’s body.”

“That must be it,” growled Zylor. “Let’s see if we can catch up to them. They might lead us to the rest of their group.”

Olag agreed. “But let’s make sure we’re not spotted this time.”

“Agreed,” said Zylor.

*      *      *      *      *

Meanwhile, Harran was given the amulet so he could be turned into his orc form without Kazin having to maintain the spell. Then Kazin turned Sherman, Amelia and himself into orcs and they entered the encampment. No one at the entrance even looked at them twice, and the lizardmage in charge didn’t think it was worthwhile to question a small group of orcs who had somehow found their way outside the perimeter.

No one paid any heed to the four orcs who wandered through the encampment.

“No one is paying any attention to us,” observed Amelia.

“That’s not surprising,” said Kazin. “You’ve got to be one of the ugliest creatures I’ve ever seen.”

Amelia glared at the orc next to her.

Sherman guffawed, spittle dripping from the place where his bottom orc teeth protruded. “Oh, I don’t know. She looks like just your type!”

Kazin laughed, drool dripping from his own mouth. “You don’t say!”

Finally, Amelia had to laugh as well. They all looked disgusting. “I guess I know how Zylor must have felt going around like a human all the time.”

Harran shook his head, spittle splattering left and right. He growled. “Here we are, going into a hornet’s nest of enemies, and you guys are busy admiring each other’s appearance. No wonder no one is taking us seriously!”

Everyone laughed, drooling as they did. Looking at each other’s ridiculous faces only made them laugh harder. They didn’t stop until they noticed a few nearby lizardmen staring at them suspiciously. With some difficulty, their laughter subsided and they shambled their way deeper into the encampment.

“This army is much larger than the human one,” commented Sherman. “I don’t see how the humans can win this.”

“I don’t know,” said Kazin. “History doesn’t tell us who won. I don’t think either side won, because the world somehow fell apart before the battle ended. There was a major disaster around the time of the war. The earthquakes we’ve been experiencing are only a foreshadow of things to come.”

Before long, the companions discovered the yard where the dragons were being held. Numerous lizardmages surrounded the yard and no one was given admittance. Kazin sensed the magical warding and steered the others away so they would not set off any kind of magical alarm.

“That’s not good,” said Sherman. “If this army has dragons under their control, the human army won’t have a chance.”

“Those dragons looked kind of dazed,” remarked Harran. “Do you suppose they’re hypnotized or something?”

“They could very well be,” said Kazin. “That’s what it felt like when they brought me down. My mind was becoming very sleepy.”

“They don’t have very many dragons,” said Amelia. “I only counted about ten or twelve.”

“That’s good,” said Sherman. “The human army had about three times as many. Hopefully that can make up for the smaller army.”

“Don’t forget about the random factor,” said Harran.

“Random factor?” asked the big warrior.

“The wild dragons,” said Harran. “The wild dragons are drawn to magic. They were a problem for the dragons in the north who were battling the ogres. I suspect there will be many more of them involved in this battle with so many spell casters on either side. Don’t expect the dragon riders to be as effective as you think. They’ll have their hands full dealing with the aerial threat.”

“This is going to be one heck of a battle,” commented Sherman. “From what there was left of the history books, you’d never guess the size and scale of the dragon wars. It was obviously a lot bigger, and more devastating than I would have guessed.”

“And we’ll be right in the middle of it,” said Kazin.

At that moment, an earthquake could be felt deep within the earth. Creatures everywhere scrambled to keep their balance. Tents collapsed. Occasional cries could be heard as minor injuries were sustained. Even the dragons shifted about nervously.

Kazin and his group moved out of the light to a shaded area away from any torches.

“What does your orb show?” asked Kazin, looking at Amelia.

Amelia opened a pouch at her side similar to what orcs often used. The orb was a bright red and it vibrated in her hands. She examined it quickly before replacing it back in the pouch and closing it up so as not to attract attention. She looked at Kazin with fear in her eyes. “That’s it! History has been changed! Whatever we were supposed to stop has occurred! There is no way to change it! Whatever happens from here on has the capacity to affect the future!”

Kazin swore and looked around. They had been so close!

A horn sounded, followed by others. Creatures everywhere sprang into action. The order to move out was issued. Groups and battalions formed as they prepared to march. Commanders ran past and entered the dragon pen. They selected their dragons and mounted in preparation for take-off.

Creatures ran helter-skelter, going about their tasks and finding their battle groups. A weapons cart rolled by, with orcs handing out weapons to those who had none. Another horn sounded. A large figure appeared, wearing a shimmering metallic blue cape. He ran toward the dragon pens. As he got there, he barged through the lizardmages who guarded it. He flung them aside like toys if they got in his way.

Another rumble was felt. This time the ground seemed to shift. Very few of the creatures standing on the ground, including Kazin and his group, kept their balance this time. The stars above seemed to fly past with dizzying speed, while a sudden, deafening wind roared out of the east. A loud crack was heard, followed by a crunching noise that deafened the ear drums. Then the stars stopped moving very suddenly, as did the ground, throwing everyone to the ground again. The wind also disappeared.

As everyone regained their footing a second time, they were astounded by what they saw. Directly east of their location was the human army encampment! The entire terrain that had divided them had been swallowed up, and now they were face to face with their enemies! Only a band of loose gravel and mud separated them!

From his vantage point, Kazin could see that the human encampment was in a shambles, not being immune to the changes in the earth. The whole human army was struggling to get organized, especially in light of the fact that the enemy was suddenly right on their doorstep.

The warlock had finally mounted his dragon and rose into the air with a few of his fellow dragon riders in tow. They turned east to combat the human dragon riders who had already launched themselves into the air a few moments earlier.

Battalions of orcs and other creatures formed and began to march out toward the human encampment, while the human forces who had recovered first formed into tight ranks to meet this assault.

“Kazin, what do we do?” asked Amelia anxiously. The tide of creatures grew as they got organized and followed their comrades into battle. “According to the orb, the monsters will win this war and drive the humans from this land! The balance has been upset!”

By now the dragons in the pen and the lizardmages who guarded them had dispersed. Everyone was concentrating on the battle before them.

“Follow me,” said Kazin. He led them into a nearby unoccupied tent that had withstood the earthquakes and wind. Once inside, he negated the spells on them and they resumed their normal appearance.

At that moment Zylor and Olag appeared among them.

“What did you find out?” asked Kazin.

“We found a couple of the evil spirits you told us about,” said Zylor. He quickly related the mysterious actions of the minotaur and cyclops. They had followed them to a spot where a group of assorted creatures huddled around a human with a long black mustache. “He looked kind of familiar,” said Zylor. “He was apparently giving them orders. We tried to get closer to see if we could listen in on their conversation. That’s when the big earthquakes hit. After the earthquakes ended, we decided to check on the rest of you to make sure no one was in trouble.”

“Can you lead us to them?” asked Kazin.

Zylor nodded. “I think so. They were headed in this direction when we left.”

“Ok,” said Kazin. “Our priority is to destroy them before they alter things any more than they already have. But first there is something I have to do.” He led them to the entrance of the tent. Just inside, he stopped. Then he told them to stay back while he prepared to do a spell.

“What are you doing?” asked Amelia.

“You said history has been altered and the balance has been upset,” said Kazin. “It that’s true, then my actions won’t make a difference, so I’m going to attempt to restore the balance so history can be restored. The time to intervene is now. We haven’t got anything to lose.” He braced his feet and jabbed the end of his staff into the ground. The orb atop the staff glowed with a brilliant white.

Unlike the other spells Kazin had been casting, this spell was far more complicated. He cleared his mind of everything around him. Then he drew from deep within himself and chanted the ancient words to the spell. His voice was low and almost inaudible, and rose in pitch and loudness as he chanted. As he finished the spell, he was almost yelling. At the conclusion, he let out his breath as though he had just lifted a very heavy object. The orb brightened and turned a bright yellow in colour. Rising from the orb was a wisp of white smoke. It gained intensity and became larger and flame orange in colour. It gradually coalesced into the shape of a face with eyes that were blinding to behold. A mouth formed and emitted a moan that sent chills through everyone’s spine.

“Who summons me from my slumber?” it moaned.

“I do,” said Kazin. “I am Arch Mage Kazin.”

The face moaned again. “I do not know you. How did you learn the spell to summon me?”

“You gave it to me,” said Kazin.

“Impossible!” moaned the voice. “I do not remember giving you that information.”

“That’s because you have given it to me in the future,” said Kazin. “It was in exchange for our collaborated efforts. I am now in the past, so you won’t know this yet.”

The face shimmered for a while. Then it responded. “It is possible. You do not belong in this time. But you must prove your statement. You would have known my name.”

“Your name in the future was Tyris,” said Kazin. “I do not know what you call yourself now.”

“You speak the truth,” said the face. “That is one of my names. Tell me, why are you in this time in history?”

“I am here because history has been altered,” said Kazin. “Someone has altered it and I need to correct things or history will be rewritten or possibly erased.”

“That is a grievous crime!” exclaimed the face. “I will help you in this!” There was another pause. “It is not too late to correct things, Arch Mage Kazin, but we must act quickly.” Suddenly the face grew into an entire body. It was the body of a woman, engulfed in flames. Her hair was long and flowing, and was extremely graceful in form.

Kazin was startled. He had expected a male, not a female.

Sherman gave a low whistle. “Not bad!” he whispered.

Tyris actually smiled at this comment. “A beautiful woman is often most dangerous, warrior.” She turned to Kazin. “What must I do?”

Kazin pointed through the tent opening to where the first ranks of soldiers were already battling creatures. “For one, I need to even the odds. The creatures are too numerous for the humans to hold off for long.”

Tyris nodded. “I can do this.”

“I also have to find a way to fend off the threat of dragon flame,” said Kazin, pointing to the dragons in the air. Already dragons had appeared and were engaged with dragon riders from both sides.

Tyris looked up. “Ah! Magnificent creatures! They are my favourite among those who roam the world!” She looked at Kazin. “These I will not destroy.”

“Can you protect the humans on the ground from their flames?” asked Kazin.

Tyris nodded. “This I can do.”

“Many thanks, Tyris,” said Kazin, bowing.

Tyris moved a hand close to Kazin’s cheek. The hand felt warm to the touch, and didn’t burn as expected. “You are a handsome creature. You are new to this land. What do you call your race?”

“We are humans,” said Kazin.

“Humans,” repeated Tyris slowly. “I welcome our interaction in the centuries ahead.”

“If history doesn’t alter that,” said Kazin.

Tyris withdrew her hand and her face darkened. “Not if I can help it.” She examined Kazin’s group. “Interesting companions you have,” she commented. “Different races working together to a common goal. You humans have much to offer.”

“We still have a long way to go,” said Kazin.

“Then we should begin,” said Tyris. She turned to face the battlefield. Then she changed form into a river of fire and rolled out of the tent in the direction of battle. As she caught up to the back of the monsters’ army, she ejected hundreds of tiny fire elementals into their ranks, burning and causing chaos wherever they went.