The Destiny of Amalah (105 page)

‘What the hell?’ Luxor asked out loud.

‘It’s your cage,’ Zach answered him. ‘It’s the cage where you will all remain.’

‘And its the cage where you shall die,’ Luxor raged, as he attacked Zach with a volley of energy balls.

Zach deflected most of them but a couple of energy balls hit him; one hit him in the shoulder and another hit him on his left leg, and he fell to the floor. He was only feet away now from the barrier but it looked as though Luxor would have his way too. Zach made one last attempt to get to the barrier that was now forty feet high and he began to speak in Latin:

‘Power of the earth I call on you
Wind of the sky I call on you
Take this thing from my sight
And carry him away with all your might.’

A gust of wind began to grow and it grew between Zach and Luxor; Luxor knew what the wind was for and he made a last ditch attempt to get to Zach and take him with him. Luxor fought through the wind and grabbed hold of Zach but Zach was ready for him, he quickly broke free of Luxor’s grip and delivered a kick to Luxor’s middle, sending him flying and before Luxor could recover from the kick, the gust of wind had picked up enormously and it picked up Luxor and carried him over a twenty feet through the air before it died down and dissolved; dropping him to the floor far away from Zach but still within the magical barrier. When Zach had freed himself of Luxor, he ran towards the pink bubble and ran through it.

By now many of the sorcerers, guard and islander were on the other side of the force field and when the soldiers tried to follow them, they were held back by it. Amara had left Rufus and exited the field and as she departed, the magic that she had used to bind him dissipated and Rufus was now free from it.

As soon as he was free from Amara’s bind, Rufus made his way to the force field to do everything in his power to take it down but he could not. He looked around him to see that the field encircled them for at least a mile and that there was no way to escape. The force field was now over fifty feet high and he attempted to levitate but to his surprise he could not. He tried repeatedly but had no luck and so he went back to the force field and tried once again to escape it but this time, he found that his power simply bounced off the field. “It’s grows stronger,” he thought to himself.

Rufus stepped back from the force field and this time he surveyed all that he saw properly; only his soldiers remained, most of the guard and sorcerers were on the other side of the barrier and he watched as they miraculously stepped through the field that was holding him and his army hostage.

‘They knew,’ he said out loud. ‘They knew Cador was coming from the east.’

He walked to the centre to be with his men and they looked to him for an answer.

‘We will be free of this, I tell you,’ he said to them. ‘Three of the Azari remain on the outside and they will do all that they can to free us. For now, now we wait. Tend to the wounded and organise yourselves. Sharpen your weapons and clean yourselves up and then – then be ready, for this fight is far from over,’ he told them.

The men cheered and then they set to work doing as Rufus had commanded them. While the army were carrying out their orders, Rufus went in search of Luxor who he found at the north of the force field.

‘What happened?’ Luxor asked.

‘They trapped us in this force field,’ Rufus said, in a tone, which was free of sarcasm.

‘Can we get out?’

‘I have tried all the magic’s I know and the field still remains impenetrable. I cannot even make a small hole.’ he told Luxor. ‘The power of the field grows with each passing second. At first, it absorbed my magic now my magic simply bounces off it.’

‘How did they…?’ Luxor began.

‘They must have known about our soldiers from the east, for they were prepared and when I saw the guard retreat, they stepped through as though no magic barrier were in place.’

‘Then they must be wearing something,’ Rufus gave Luxor a strange look and Luxor continued to explain. ‘A charm, an amulet – or something that lets them pass through the field, it can only be,’ Luxor said thoughtfully.

The two men walked back to where their men were and they came across Bryce who was still bound. The two of them tried to unbind him but it was of no avail and so they left him where he was, promising to return.

‘He will not be bound forever,’ Rufus said. ‘I am sure the magic will wear off.’

‘Good then, let us search for whatever it is that frees the guard from this cage,’ Luxor replied.

The two men searched the dead guardsmen and islanders who were on the ground and before long, they were stood next to each other as each thought they had the answer.

‘The amulet!’ Luxor said, holding up an armband made of gold and adorned with an onyx, a ruby, and a diamond.

‘Each and every one of them wear this,’ Luxor said.

‘All stones of great power,’ Rufus said nodding his head in agreement. ‘And they have undoubtedly cast a spell.’

The two men put the amulets on and when they reached the force field the attempted to go through it. But the amulet did not work and Luxor and Rufus remained trapped.

‘Damn it.’ Luxor raged.

‘The power of the amulet must die with them,’ Rufus observed.

‘Damn them,’ Luxor said, still raging.

‘We underestimated them,’ Rufus said, appreciating his enemy for their cunning.

‘I don’t care now we estimated them, but I care that we are in this cage.’

‘You don’t do very well in confinement, do you?’ Rufus asked, in a wry tone.

Luxor glared at Rufus and Rufus simply raised his eyebrows at Luxor, which only enraged him more.

‘I think our only hope is Rakan.’ Rufus said.

‘If they haven’t captured him by now,’ Luxor said.

Rakan had not been captured – he was the only remaining Azari who was free and he continued to fight in the forests. He was having a hard time, even though the cloak had made him invincible; for even though the cloak stopped him from coming to any harm, it did not stop others attacking him or trying to bind him and they had learned by now, to attack him in great number – making him go on the defensive rather than the offensive.

Twice now they had trapped him in nets and twice, he had barely escaped, using his sword and his dagger to frantically cut himself free. In the forest, the guard were faring well; the dark army were depleting in their number and there were no reinforcements from the east. The dark army still pushed south and Rakan joined them.

As they were making their way through the forest, Rakan became aware of the vibrating sound and as it grew louder, his curiosity grew. The army were now at the edge of the forest and were about to enter the city and so Rakan left them to fight and went to investigate what the noise was and when he reached the edge of the forest he could see the hills where his soldiers were fighting and he saw the beginning of the barrier.

‘Rufus! Luxor! Bryce!’ he said out loud.

He rushed forward and broke into a run as soon as he was free of the forest, He kept on running and then he willed the cloak to take him further and faster of which it did. When he arrived closer to the field, he looked around and saw that the guard and sorcerers were making their way back to the forest. He left them to make their way, not knowing that Waldon and Kenaz had already been captured and he concentrated on the field. He knew if he entered, he would not be able to leave for if Rufus and Luxor could have, he knew they would have done by now. He looked at the force field and then used his magic on it but it did not work and after a while he gave up on the idea. Rakan stepped back and thought for a while.

‘
Rope,
’ he said to himself.

He closed his eyes and concentrated and then he thought of thick rope at least sixty feet in length and as he concentrated, the rope materialised at his feet. Rakan opened his eyes and looked down at the coil of rope and smiled. He picked it up and slung it over his shoulder and then turned to the force field. He looked up and saw that the force field was still over sixty feet high and he pulled a strange face and then levitated up in the air.

He levitated over sixty feet and above the force field and then he made his way to the centre of the field, which was still an open space. He took the rope from his shoulder as he hovered in the sky and he dropped down into the field below, holding firmly onto the other end.

‘Hold!’ Rakan commanded, after which, he slowly let go of the rope and the rope remained rigid and vertical from the ground up to where he was. Rakan smiled to himself and he looked down at Rufus and Luxor who were now at the bottom of the rope.

‘
Climb!
’ he shouted to them.

Rakan looked down and saw Luxor begin his ascent upwards and waited in the air for him. Amara and Michael had seen Rakan fly into the air and hover above the field.

‘He’s trying to free them,’ Michael said.

‘And I am going to stop him,’ Amara said in a determined voice.

She ran back toward the field and allowed the cloak to help her levitate high into the air and come face to face with Rakan.

Rakan looked up, surprised to see Amara standing opposite him. The two removed their hoods and stood facing each other.

‘Well, Well, well,’ Rakan said smiling at Amara. ‘Have you come to try and stop me Amara?’ he asked.

‘Not try,’ she replied confidently.

‘We never finished this last time,’ Rakan said, thinking back to that first magical fight they had in Amara’s study.

‘Last time I would have taken you.’

‘I doubt it, last time I was holding back.’

‘Regardless Rakan, the force field grows quickly and will seal completely. You have to deal with me before you can get to them and I have to say; I don’t like your chances.’

‘They don’t need my help anymore,’ Rakan said in a self-
satisfied tone.

‘Oh that,’ Amara said as she looked at the rope and then back at Rakan before she raised an eyebrow in indifference.

Amara reached for the chevron that Gaerwen had given her so many years ago and she felt its power increase as it’s stone began to glow. Incinerate!’ Amara bellowed, as she hurled the chevron at the rope that was held in mid air. The chevron turned into a glimmering fireball and it hurtled towards the rope. Once there, it attached itself to the top and sent its scorching flame downwards incinerating Rufus and Luxor’s only chance of escape. Soon,

‘No!’ he shouted, as the flames shot down and dissolved the rope and as the rope burned, it dropped Luxor to the ground.

‘Yes, they do nee your help,’ Amara replied tartly, in response to Rakan’s prior statement. ‘But as I said before – I don’t like your chances.’

Rakan threw a bolt of energy, which Amara dodged, and she threw one back of her own, which Rakan also dodged by levitating further and higher into the air. As he rose he noticed the force field enclosing and coming closer to where he was; he knew that the force field was going to cover everyone below and he knew that once it sealed, there would be no way out for his friends and his army.

He looked at Amara hatefully and then hurled fire and energy at her, which she deflected and dodged. The two of them continued to hurl fire and energy at each other, attempt to bind each other, or throw the other far from the barrier; but they were just as strong and skilled as each other and that led to a fantastic magical battle in the air which those below looked up and watched.

They dodged and defended, attacked and deflected and they spun themselves and each other through the air. They attacked each other with conjured animals and conjured elements, which they used to devastating effect and just when those below thought the fight was over and one of them was truly done for – they were surprised to see them fight back. By now, they were close to exhaustion but neither Amara nor Rakan would give into it and that saw them continue on relentlessly.

‘You’ve been practising,’ Rakan said to Amara as they once again stood hovering opposite each other.

‘Yes, I had a good teacher,’ Amara replied.

‘Who?’

‘Gaerwen.’

‘It’s a good thing I killed her when I did then,’ Rakan said with a supercilious smile. Amara’s eyes widened with rage and her face hardened. ‘Don’t tell me you’re surprised.’ Rakan said. ‘After all of this time and after everything else that’s happened. Besides – who else would have done such a wicked thing?’ He said facetiously. ‘She was a screamer, her begging and crying alone was enough for me to put her out of her misery. Although; when I snapped her neck, that was rather fun.’

Amara stood hovering and staring at Rakan as the rage within her built up and when she could contain it no, more she let out a powerful and piercing scream and as she screamed an immense surge of energy left her body which she directed at Rakan; Rakan was not expecting that amount of energy and Amara’s power hit him full on and drove him through the air.

He went flying through the air spinning in back flips and summersaults as the power took hold of him and dragged him to the outer edge of the force field. Amara went after him and as she pursued him, by now, the chevron had completed its task and flew back to Amara. Amara caught it firmly and began to chant as she went along and the stones in the tiara began to glow brightly and then she pointed it at Rakan.