The Vengekeep Prophecies (28 page)

Xerrus turned to look at the pack of jackalmen to the side. “Some of my experiments have been highly successful, yielding creatures of intelligence and usefulness.”

“Brilliant,” Talian said. “I can see why you left the Palatinate. They wouldn't condone illegal experiments such as these. I assume you control the creatures through that amulet.” Talian indicated the medallion around Xerrus's neck. As Xerrus regarded his own amulet, Talian gave Callie and me a quick look. I instantly knew what he was telling us: the key to escape was getting the medallion away from Xerrus.

Once more, Xerrus seemed to eat up the compliments. “Correct again, Master Strom. You were taught well. Yes, the amulet allows me to exert my will on anyone wearing a complementary talisman.”

Talian leaned in, carefully studying the etchings on Xerrus's medallion. “That must be exhausting. Magic use can be draining.”

Another clue from Talian. He was telling us that Xerrus was probably exhausted from controlling the jackalmen. Indeed, when I looked at the older mage closely, I could see signs of fatigue.

Xerrus waved his hand. “It can be quite taxing, but I'm close to developing a way to control vast armies with hardly any effort at all.”

While Xerrus went on about his experiments, I began to drift toward him slowly, my eyes never leaving the control medallion around his neck. If I could just get close enough …

Xerrus clapped his hands together. “Your arrival was fortuitously timed. I believe I'm ready for my greatest experiment yet.” He turned to address Callie and me. I froze in place. “I have the perfect use for you both. I've wanted to try mixing a person with a gexa. Having a servant who can run as fast as a gexa would be very useful.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Talian slip his hand to touch the spellsphere. Then I heard in my mind,
Don't react. You're supposed to be under a thrall. Just play along for a mite more. I'll figure something out.

Aloud, Talian said, “Of course, Lord Xerrus. These two would be excellent subjects. How may I assist you?”

Xerrus turned to Talian slowly. “I'm afraid you don't understand. I'll be using
all
of you as part of my work. I can't run the risk that you're a spy for the High Laird.
You
intrigue me most of all, Master Strom. I'm quite eager to see what happens when I combine a mage, infused with magical energies, with a sanguibeast. I'm sure the results will be most fascinating....”

“If marks were legal tender, we would all be rich indeed.”

—
Zepherax Grimjinx, Castellan of Blackfalchion

E
verything happened so quickly. Talian pulled the spellsphere from his pocket, glowing and ready for a fight. I made a move for the medallion. But I stumbled and fell into Xerrus instead. In the blink of an eye, the older mage threw his arm around my neck, closing off my air supply. A second later, I felt the sharp point of a dagger against my temple.

“Make any sound,” Xerrus rasped at Talian, “and I will kill the boy.”

Talian's eyes darted from me to Xerrus. He remained poised, glowing spellsphere at arm's length, prepared to strike. But the hesitation on his face told everyone that he wasn't about to risk Xerrus killing me.

Instinctively, my hand reached for the blinding powder in the pouches at my waist, and then I remembered they were back in Cindervale. And empty besides. I kept still, feeling as helpless as I had back in Vengekeep when the fake prophecies began coming true.

Xerrus's head snapped around to Callie. “You, girl! Take his spellsphere.”

Talian cursed under his breath as Callie moved reluctantly toward him. Relaxing his defensive stance, he held out the spellsphere, its inner glow dying. Callie drew her hand from her pocket and took the spellsphere from Talian. She looked to Xerrus for more instructions.

“Over here,” Xerrus ordered, nodding to the cauldron filled with boiling acid. “Drop it in there.”

Callie walked to the cauldron and held her hand over the bubbling liquid. When she hesitated, Xerrus jabbed me with the dagger and I cried out. Closing her eyes, Callie dropped the spellsphere into the acid, where it disappeared with a hiss.

Growling, Xerrus shoved me toward Callie as Talian went to her side. Touching his medallion, Xerrus uttered a magical command. The air filled with a high-pitched whine as the companion amulets around the necks of the jackalmen sparkled. Their ears perked up and, hands raised, they advanced on the three of us.

We backed up to the giant window overlooking the gorge. Talian and Callie searched for an escape route. Me, I was more concerned with what I saw out the window. A distant black cloud told me that all was not lost yet. I just needed to distract Xerrus.

As if reading my mind, Callie provided the distraction. She stepped forward, met Xerrus's eye, and said, “Can I talk you into letting us go?”

Keeping an eye on the black cloud beyond the window, I tried to read Callie's face. Why was she so calm?

Xerrus sneered. “Nothing you can say would make me do that.”

“Oh, really?” Callie asked. “How about this?” She held out her arm, opened her clenched fist, and revealed Talian's spellsphere. “Ta-da.”

She tossed the sphere to Talian. Before Xerrus could react, I shouted, “Duck!” Talian and Callie hit the floor as I picked up the nearby chair and sent it through the huge window.

The sound of shattering glass filled the room. Xerrus cursed and ordered the jackalmen to attack. But as the beasts moved to pounce, the black cloud—a swarm of spiderbats—flew in and attacked our would-be captors. The jackalmen howled, swatting at the spiderbats, who fought back with impressive fangs and the occasional claw.

Callie and I dove under the desk as Talian ran for the far side of the room.

“You switched the spellsphere with your souvenir,” I said, recalling the obsidian stone I'd given her. “If we make it out of here, you're definitely an honorary Grimjinx.”

As the sound of fighting grew louder, I peered out. Talian was weaving through the melee, trying to get to Xerrus's spellbook. But the older mage spotted Talian and moved to intercept.

Before Xerrus reached his spellbook, Talian shouted a command and a burst of light from his spellsphere blew the door off the cage holding the spiderbats. The rest of the queen's subjects poured out of the cramped quarters, creating a barrier that kept Xerrus from getting to the podium.

“You know,” I said to Callie over the sounds of spiderbat chatter and jackalmen howls, “for a couple of heroes, we spend a lot of time hiding.”

Just then, the spiderbat queen landed on the floor next to us, surprising Callie and making her squeak. The spiderbat chirped and even though the spellsphere was across the room, we heard the translation.

“You have held up yourrrr end of the barrrrgain,” she said directly to Callie. “Now I will honorrr mine. Come with me.” The queen flew through the only doorway leading from the room.

Callie gave me a queasy look that said
She wants to do this now?
Shrugging, I passed her the empty glass vials from my pack. She hunched over and followed the queen. Hoping to help Talian, I scurried out and hid under the nearby tables, waiting for a chance to strike.

Backing away from the spiderbats, Xerrus roared and closed his fist around the amulet, chanting and spitting at the same time. The high-pitched whine returned to the air and I turned to see what the jackalmen would do next. But Xerrus's magical command had done nothing to the jackalmen, who continued to fend off the aerial attacks of the spiderbats. Instead, I heard a faint rattling sound that quickly grew louder.

As I looked around, my blood froze. The balanx skeletons were
moving.
Their massive bone wings spread out as the creatures stood upright, flexing their skeletal legs and clawlike arms. The bones flapped as if the balanx were trying to fly. Without any membrane between the bones, I thought this would be impossible. But as the gold medallions in their skulls glittered, the balanx rose up into the sky, sustained solely through magic. The largest of the skeletons threw its head back and dropped its jawbone, emitting a terrible, earsplitting screech that was echoed by its brethren. Soon all twelve skeletons were flying near the roof of the sanctum.

At a word from Xerrus, they dove, clawing down with their bony talons, aiming for the spiderbats and Talian. Caught off guard at their agility, Talian spun as a sharp bone toe sliced across his face, leaving a deep gash. He fell to the ground, dropping his spellsphere, which rolled over near the cages. The animals within were going wild, squawking and bleating as if cheering us on.

Xerrus ran toward the tables. I crouched near his feet where he couldn't see me. He took an empty glass jar and began filling it from the cauldron of acid. I jumped out from under the table, pulled the amulet from around his neck, and dropped it into the cauldron. A plume of black smoke and fire rose up as the amulet blistered and dissolved.

I retreated from Xerrus's reach as the horrified mage realized what I'd done. He whirled, raising the jar of acid to throw at me. But before it could leave his hands, a thick jet of something wet and white hit him squarely in the face. More sticky strands descended, forcing him to drop the glass to the floor. I looked up to find a group of spiderbats, squirting Xerrus with webbing. Its magic-resistant qualities had an immediate effect. Xerrus doubled over weakly as the spiderbats continued to subdue him, gluing him to the spot to ensure he couldn't escape.

Callie reentered, bearing the vials filled to the brim with a viscous, pink liquid.

“You got it!” I cried. “You know the answer: How
do
you milk a spiderbat?”

“Sorry, Jaxter,” she said with a smirk, carefully depositing the sealed vials in my backpack. “That's between us girls.”

The sounds of battle faded. With the amulet destroyed, the jackalmen had stopped fighting. They dropped to all fours and cocked their heads, as if listening for something that was no longer there. Most whimpered and cowered, unsure what to do now that they were no longer under Xerrus's control. When the fight left the jackalmen, the swarm of spiderbats had turned their attention to the balanx skeletons in the air near the ceiling.

But the skeletons were also feeling the effects of the medallion's destruction. Their attacks ceased as they hovered above the sanctum, great bony wings rattling with every flap. The largest balanx turned its head to scan the room, as if determining its next target. But the eyeless sockets of the skull came upon the shattered window and lingered there. The jawbone dropped and it let out another eerie squawk. The creature turned and dove toward the floor, pulling up just in time to fly out the window, bearing due south.

I watched as one by one, the other skeletons did the same, screaming before escaping out the open window. And as each one did, numbness drained the feeling in my arms and legs. I knew where I'd seen them before. These were the creatures on the tapestry, the ones that were destined to attack Vengekeep. The scariest of all the prophecies was about to come true … and it was all my fault.

“Zoc!”

Talian's curse snapped me out of my horror. He'd snatched his spellsphere from under the cages and was now racing through the pages of Xerrus's spellbook. Callie and I ran to join him.

“The balanx!” Callie cried, pointing out the window.

“I saw! I saw!” Talian grunted. He held one hand to his face where the balanx had sliced open his cheek. The bleeding had nearly stopped, but the wound looked deep and painful. “I'll give you one guess where they're headed.”

“We could get some mangs,” I said. “The balanx don't have real wings. They can't fly that fast. If we rode mangs, we could beat them back to Vengekeep—”

Talian shook his head. “Look at the jackals!” The jackals had all lain down like docile dogs, and some had dozed off. “Destroying the medallion broke the magical hold on the jackals. It should have done the same with the balanx. They should have just collapsed. Something else is keeping the skeletons alive.”

I couldn't bear to look at either of them. “The tapestry. It's my fault.” I suddenly understood how Ma felt when all the trouble started in Vengekeep. It was her tapestry that brought the problems to town. It was my stupidity that had sent the worst of those prophecies charging to Vengekeep's door.