The Magic Thieves (15 page)

"I certainly am not. I'll beat you in a fight, if I have to.” Elryk's hands fisted in silent rage.

Kaythan admired his mate's ability to keep a fairly cool head. If he opened his own mouth again, he'd be yelling at the pompous idiot.

"Oh, but you're wrong about that, too.” Rhunnyt cackled, his laughter sounding as bad as his screeching voice had earlier. “I've decided it's time I take over. The Xoh'kas haven't done a very good job at running Tah'Nut while I was away. They're so ineffective that they
still
haven't been able to squash all resistance. Now that I'm back, this will change, and Tah'Nut will become truly great."

"What do you mean ‘become truly great'? We'll never amount to anything if we continue as is.” Elryk shook with anger. “What Tah'Nut needs is more cooperation, not more people telling others how to run their lives."

"Cooperation is vastly overrated.” Rhunnyt grinned. “My new-found powers will ensure that control is absolute. Once that is achieved, I will turn my attention to other planets."

Oh, fuck no
.

"Other planets?” Elryk took a step forward. “What have they ever done to deserve your attention? It's bad enough you've still got Tah'Nut in your clutches after all this time."

"It's not up to you to tell me what I can or can't do.” Rhunnyt frowned. “And you have no idea what's good for Tah'Nut and what isn't. You're not even a century old and you think you can tell
me
what to do?"

"You can think whatever you want.” Elryk took a second step towards the other lightning wizard, clearly refusing to be intimidated. “There are many people who don't agree with you, me included. And I can't accept your plans without trying to stop you."

"I'd like to see you try,” Rhunnyt snarled.

Kaythan squeezed his mate's hand for moral support.
Damn it
! Why couldn't he do more to support him? But without any magic at all, he couldn't see how he could be of any use. The best he could hope for was staying out of the way so he didn't interfere. After all, how was he going to fight if he didn't have what it took to counter this wizard's attacks? How was he going to protect his mate, for that matter? He couldn't just stand by and watch Elryk fight for their lives. He was a soldier, damn it!

"Wow, that really helps!” Elryk's voice was a low whisper, the look the other man gave him was heated. “Keep touching me, Kaythan. The physical contact makes me feel energized, like I can stay strong for longer."

"Anything. I'll do anything in my power to help you.” Kaythan moved behind Elryk and slid his arms around his mate's chest and belly for maximum contact and protection without being in his way. Maybe there was something he could do for him after all?

"Thank you.” Elryk had barely murmured the words when the first bolt of lightning flashed across the room.

Elryk raised his arms and made a defensive motion, deflecting the crackling electricity into the wall. Rhunnyt screeched and threw bolt after bolt at them, almost faster than Kaythan could follow with his eyes. The evil wizard was clearly angry that his first attempt hadn't succeeded.

Elryk kept deflecting the bolts by hurtling them into the wall, the floor or even the ceiling. It looked as if he was gaining confidence with every blow. When his mate started throwing bolts of his own at Rhunnyt, the other wizard looked shocked.

Kaythan silently cheered Elryk on. Rhunnyt deflected bolt after bolt, not even breaking a sweat. From the way he kept grinning, it almost looked as if he was enjoying himself. For a long while both wizards appeared to be pretty evenly matched. But then Elryk started slumping, clearly exhausted. Sweat ran down his temples and his breath was ragged.

Kaythan wasn't sure what to do, so he tightened his grip and imagined sending his mate more energy. It seemed to do the trick because Elryk perked up and the battle continued.

When Rhunnyt started spitting strange sounding words into the air, which seemed to add colour to his lightning bolts, Kaythan suspected they were in even bigger trouble.

"Shit!” Elryk panted with the effort of speaking while keeping his magical defences up. “Somehow he's using the fragments of the Magic Shield to help him become more powerful, even though they're almost useless as far as I can see. I have no idea how to stop him without being able to draw energy from them like he seems to be doing."

Cackling with glee, Rhunnyt drew a circle around himself with one of the green bolts and a shimmering energy shield sprang up around him. Elryk's attacks were completely deflected after that and Rhunnyt gained back the strength he'd lost in the fight. He looked as fresh as before they'd started.

"I've got you now!” Rhunnyt pulled back, took a breath and flung a multicoloured ball of lightning into the air. The colours spread out, coating the walls, the ceiling and even the floor in hues of shimmering energy. He made another ball of multicoloured lightning and threw it in their direction.

"Fuck!” Elryk panted, sweat running down his temples. “I can't stop that ball of lightning, I can only try and save our lives."

Elryk leaned his head back against Kaythan's shoulder and closed his eyes. A wall of wet mud surrounded them and started growing into a dome above their heads. Little flames danced on the walls, helping to deflect the multicoloured lightning bolts from the outside and adding some light on the inside as the walls around them rose. It all happened too quickly for the eye to follow. When the dome was completed, there was a loud bang, probably the ball of lightning hitting their protective shell.

Nothing happened.

The sudden silence was eerie. The crackling attacks had stopped and so had any kind of sound that might hint at what was going on outside.

"Enjoy your imprisonment.” The grating voice was loud enough to penetrate the layers of mud around them. “It should only last for the next five thousand years or so. That'll give me enough time for to get Tah'Nut back into shape and build my empire across space."

There was a loud roar and the floor shook. Then the silence returned. The evil wizard had apparently left.

"I'm so sorry.” Elryk shook in his arms. “I've failed utterly. We're stuck in this chamber. There's no way out."

Kaythan turned Elryk around so they were facing each other in the dim light of the little magic flames. The other man hung his head. Kaythan put a finger under his chin and pushed until his mate looked up.

The despair in Elryk's eyes was heart wrenching.

Elryk tried to break eye contact by looking down. When that didn't work he attempted to wriggle out of Kaythan's embrace. He didn't let his mate go. They were in this together, and it was time Elryk started to believe that.

"There is
always
a way out.” He brushed his mate's sweat soaked hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. “We only have to find it."

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"I like your optimism.” Elryk smiled at his mate who hadn't let go of him no matter how much he'd wanted to hide his shame. Losing a fight like that, even to a wizard as powerful and experienced as Rhunnyt, wasn't fun. Having his mate support him through it was an amazing feeling.

"It's not optimism.” Kaythan smiled as his hand moved from forcing Elryk's chin up to cupping his cheek. “I trust you. Just look how well you protected us against the most powerful lightning wizard known today. That wasn't easy and I think you did a brilliant job!"

"I did all right, didn't I?” He hadn't had time to think about the hopelessness of the situation, he'd just reacted and done what was necessary to protect them. “But you do realise that I couldn't have managed it without your help, don't you?"

"Is that a problem for you?” Kaythan raised his eyebrows.

"No, but I'm very conscious of the fact that I need you. I'm not going to be able to get out of here or defeat Rhunnyt on my own.” He didn't mind working with Kaythan, it was nice to have a partner he could rely on.

"I'm here for you. You're no longer on your own.” Kaythan smiled as his thumb caressed Elryk's cheek. He wanted to kiss his mate for being so supportive and helpful. “And it's not all one-sided, you know? I need you just as much as you need me."

"You do?” He leaned into the caress, trying to keep his brain working when all he wanted to do was give in and make love again. “But you're so strong and independent. What could you possible need
me
for?"

Kaythan tilted his head, raised both eyebrows and waited.

Was he supposed to figure out the answer himself?

Then it came to him.

"The magic.” He nodded.

"
Yes
, the magic!” Kaythan laughed. “Do you really think any of my physical strength would have helped me even one bit when Rhunnyt started throwing bolts of lightning?"

"I guess not.” He felt stupid for not having thought of that. He only had his exhaustion as an excuse.

"You're right. I would have been useless on my own.” Kaythan slid his hand behind Elryk's neck and caressed his nape. Tah', that felt wonderful!

"It's a good thing we're mates then, huh?” He grinned.

"Now you've got it! I don't know who or what determines the partners for a mate bond, but looking at our experience, I'd say it's a winning formula. At least in our case, it's already saved our lives a few times.” Kaythan bent his head and kissed him, tongue claiming his mouth until he saw stars.

He pulled back with an effort when he needed to breathe more than to feel Kaythan's amazing kiss.

"And then there's the incredible sex.” He blushed at his own words.

"Elryk! You amaze me.” Kaythan's grin was as wide as his face.

"What? It's true.” He may have blushed, but there was nothing to be ashamed of. It did take some getting used to talking about it, but he was sure that wouldn't last very long.

"Yeah, it is. And I want to have a lot more of it with you, but I really think we should focus on getting out of here first. Who knows how much damage Rhunnyt is going to do now that he's free to terrorise Tah'Nut again. We can't leave him unopposed.” Kaythan frowned.

The man was right.

"The real problem is that Rhunnyt is a stronger lightning wizard than I am.” Elryk sighed. “We may have been able to defend ourselves by pooling our resources, but those lightning balls are way beyond my current abilities. Since one of them is now preventing us from escaping, I don't see how we could possibly break through. He's used it to seal this whole chamber, and it looks very effective to me."

"We won't know whether it's hopeless or not until we've tried” Kaythan pulled him closer for a moment, squeezing him for reassurance. “So, why don't we get out of this earthen igloo you've built and have a look around the whole chamber? We might find something we can use to help us."

Elryk nodded. He really didn't want to spend the rest of his life in here. And it wouldn't hurt to check their options. Who knew? Maybe the broken pieces of the Muyd'Othar would be good for something other than bringing the bastard back to physical life.

With a sigh he waved their protective shell back into the magical realm. They were immediately bathed in the eerie glow of the multicoloured ball of lightning that had spread out across every available surface to seal them in. With Kaythan's words ringing in his ears, he decided to try all five types of magic on it, just in case.

Earth magic didn't do a thing other than slightly dim the colours’ brightness for a few seconds before the protective layer was back to normal.

Water magic made everything sparkle and hiss, but nothing happened that made it look as thought they'd be able to get out.

Air magic didn't do anything at all, other than provide a nice cooling breeze when it was reflected back at him.

Fire magic made the entire chamber so unbearably hot that he had to use air magic to cool them down again.

He was very careful with the lightning magic, remembering the protective shield Rhunnyt had pulled up around him and how it had reflected Elryk's bolts of lightning straight back at him. If he used too much force here, he might get both of them killed. So the lightning he threw at the wall was very weak, more of a test than an attempt to break through.

As soon as he'd let the bolt go, he got ready to protect them against the backlash. It was a good thing he'd done that. The lightning that came back at them was ten times stronger than what he'd sent out. He barely managed to deflect it, having to send it straight into the shards of the Muyd'Othar that still lay quietly on the pedestal in the centre of the room.

"Nothing.” Elryk felt so tense he thought he'd burst. “It only reflects my magic back at me. It's as though the lightning acts as a mirror."

"And there's no hole anywhere that you could use as leverage?” Kaythan stood next to the pedestal and examined the chamber with narrowed eyes.

"No, it's solid all around us. It goes underground as well, I've followed it all the way.” Elryk shrugged, feeling more helpless than before.

He stared at the dimly flickering shards on the pedestal. Something about the Magic Shield and its properties was nagging at the back of his brain, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Okay, so how do you destroy a mirror?” Kaythan tilted his head in thought.

"Huh?” Elryk looked up from his contemplation. “You do ask the weirdest questions."

"Not weird.” Kaythan grinned. “I just don't think like a wizard, I guess."

"Hm, that may actually be the key to getting us out of here.” Elryk nodded. “Keep thinking. There's something about that Magic Shield that's bugging me, but I can't figure out what it is, exactly."

"All right, so we've got a ball of lightning magic surrounding us which acts like a mirror to other kinds of magic.” Kaythan started pacing. “To answer my earlier question, the way to destroy a mirror is to shatter it with physical force. Would that work on this—thing, whatever it is?"

"That's a good idea except we don't have anything here that we could use to throw at it with enough force, right?” Elryk glanced at Kaythan.

"Unless we can use our bodies?” Kaythan looked ready to jump.