The Warrior Mage (The Power of Three Book 2) Page 24

  “So here is the plan,” said Alicia. “Theodore will cover me with an illusion so complete that I will look like one of Vindha’s mages. He will hold that spell while I go inside. Kayleb will provide me with a protection shield. I don’t want to waste even a bit of my power as I will need it when I start the spell. Once I am inside and start the spell, these two will sense it as they will be bound to me with the protection they give me. Then, two of you will distract the mages. Set off explosions inside both ravines. The mages who are outside will go to investigate. Once the earth inside is closed, I will come back out and we will leave the same way we came.”

  There was a brief silence as everyone pondered over the plan. Theodore coughed. “Ah, Princess. What happens if you are attacked while you are inside?”

  “They will never know who is spinning the magic.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it. It will take them just a moment to figure out that something is amiss and find the source of it when that damned spell of yours starts working,” Kayleb hissed. “You’re planning to die in that temple, aren’t you? Don’t you dare lie to me.”

  “Your protection shield will hold strong. It will protect me, and I will be out of there in no time.”

  “We will all go with you,” said Theodore.

  “Too much magic and it will alert them even before I begin my spell. That is exactly why I didn’t agree to bring more people with me. We need stealth, not sheer power, if we want to win. You will all protect me. Your protection shields will be enough for me to do the job.”

  “I am going with you,” declared Kayleb.

  “Don’t be silly.” A wave of fear crossed across her eyes. “You will just be in my way.”

  Kayleb crossed his arms at his chest. “I guess you will just have to deal with that, then.”

  “No,” she said forcefully.

  “Princess, I think Kayleb is right. You should have another person with you inside, just in case, you know,” said Maya.

  Alicia chewed on her bottom lip, looking agitated. “It will be dangerous.”

  “It’s dangerous for you also,” Kayleb countered.

  Alicia looked from face to face, noting the way everyone averted their glances. She was outvoted. “Fine,” she hissed. “We will need someone to cover Kayleb with an illusion.”

  “I’ll do it,” said Cora. “I am good at it.”

  “Jeye can protect you, and Maya can give me a shield.”

  “No. You will need two shields as they will attack you when you unleash your spell. No one will notice me as I won’t be doing any magic. Both Maya and Seth will protect you. I will develop my own shield along with Jeye’s help,” countered Kayleb.

  “Alright, but promise me, that once inside you will not interfere in my spell. No matter what, you will let it run its course.”

  Immediately, Kayleb was suspicious. What was she really up to? Seeing no other recourse, he shrugged. “Of course. I promise.”

  Seth had already described the mages that patrolled around the clearing. Theodore and Cora began their spell. As the air around them frizzled and shimmered, bit by bit, Alicia and Kayleb’s appearance changed. Kayleb watched intently as Alicia’s clothes changed color and became all black. Her skin lost its glow, her cheeks were hollowed, and her eyes shadowed.

  He probably looked the same.

  Seth muttered an incantation, opening the way through the boulder. “Just walk through it,” he reminded them.

  Once they were finished, Theodore and Cora sat back against the wall, keeping their eyes closed so they could concentrate on the spells they created. Jeye, Seth, and Maya equipped the two with protection shields. Kayleb boosted his own shield.

  Finally, they were ready. Their companions all sat and watched as they crept sideward until they saw the boulder. Kayleb raised his hand to touch the boulder, but his fingers passed through it. Gingerly, he stepped inside and emerged on the other side. Alicia followed him.

  Now, they were on their own.

  Ahead, they could see the temple, its walls and roof shrouded in the dark of the night. It was hard to see if any smoke issued from its chimney.

  The night was silent. It was easy to believe that they were the only ones on the mountain, but most likely they were surrounded by Vindha’s mages who patrolled the clearing all day and night, according to Seth. Alicia strode forward, boldly making her way to the front of the temple, as if she belonged in this cursed place. As agreed, Kayleb would follow after a few moments.

  Only time would tell if their plan would withstand the assault of the dozens of mages who stayed inside and outside the temple. Only time would tell if they were successful or failed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Alicia marched forward with deceptive confidence. The night was dark and quiet, devoid of the presence of another living creature. No crickets chirped in the underbrush and no predators roamed looking for an easy prey. Even the animals seemed to have deserted this particular spot.

  The round-shaped temple loomed ahead, casting an ominous, bulbous shadow on the ground. Its stony exterior gave no hint of the nefarious activities that reigned within. As she turned a corner, to her far left, Alicia saw a tall, shadowy presence. Another mage was on the prowl, probably keeping an eye out for intruders. She didn’t receive as much as a glance.

  Clearly, the illusion spell was doing its work. Her heart thumped in her chest. Surely everyone could hear it, and yet no one challenged as she turned another corner, and walked over to the black wooden doors that barred access to the inner sanctum. After a brief moment of hesitation, she pushed the doors, and walked inside.

  Two mages stood at another door at the far end of the narrow, curved foyer.

  “Who are you?” said one of them. “What are you doing here?”

  “I need to talk to whoever is in charge. It’s a matter of grave urgency.”

  “Who has sent you? We didn’t receive word that someone would be arriving here,” said the guard, his tone suspicious.

  Kayleb walked inside. His measured glance took in the guards, then he sneered at her. “Why are you standing here wasting time? Come on.” He strode towards the other set of doors.

  “No one is allowed inside.”

  He didn’t break his stride. “Fine. You can tell King Vindha that when he questions as to why you didn’t let us through.”

  The two guards exchanged glances. “Why don’t we call Ara outside? He is inside monitoring the mages.”

  “We have been told to observe the spell during its progress, and make our report. We will talk to Ara afterwards. Step aside.” He stood right in front of the guards, looking bored and irritated. “King Vindha doesn’t like any alterations to his orders. And you know that.”

  The guards hesitated, unsure of their next move.

  Kayleb sighed with impatience. “Fine. We will wait outside. You call Ara. He will contact the king, and let him know that his instructions were not followed because you both have the brains of two peacocks.”

  The guards bristled with anger, but Vindha’s name appeared to rattle them more than Kayleb’s insult. One of them opened the door. “Ara should be at the back of the temple.”

  Kayleb walked inside, and Alicia followed, marveling at his brilliant strategy to intimidate the guards. It was good that he was there with her; she might have hesitated and given the guards cause to be distrustful of her true motive and purpose.

  The hall was sweltering hot and humid. In the center of the room, dominating the confined space, was a circular, deep pit. A black cloud hovered over it. The edges of the cloud were speckled with gold lights. Loud noises emanated from the depths of the void, as if thunderclouds were trapped within. A bitter, pungent smell assaulted her senses. As her eyes accustomed to the dim, red glow that was the only source of light in the room, she saw three concentric circles of mages, clad in black robes, standing around the pit.

  Each mage appeared to be engaged in a furious, silent spell that was taking up all of his or h
er attention. Alicia stepped forward, her pace cautious. She didn’t want to attract any unwanted attention. At the edge of the pit, half-hidden by the mages who lined the hall, she saw a figure…a person lying on the ground. It was a corpse. They had walked right into the middle of a summoning. She was pleased; their timing couldn’t have been better. Everyone’s attention was fixed on the motionless figure, and there was a good chance they would remain undetected.

  It was time to do some real damage to Vindha. This place was the hub for all the activity that threatened the sanity of their world. This was the place where the demons were being given a physical form. If they managed to close this abyss, humanity may have a chance to exist in peace.

  Alicia glanced at Kayleb. Clad in the illusion, it was impossible to read his expression, but she sensed her determination mirrored in his eyes.

  “Find this Ara, whoever he is,” she whispered. “We don’t him to interrupt us before I am done.”

  Kayleb walked away. Was it the last time she would ever see him? Regret panged in her heart. There was so much left unsaid. Had she found the right man at the wrong time? If only, destiny had some plan for her…but Alicia knew the path she needed to walk.

  Fortifying herself with a deep breath, she pushed all such thoughts out of her mind. This was the moment of truth. If she failed now, she would subject her world to an eternity of tyranny. Alicia’s plan was simple, she was going to sacrifice her life to close the lava pit.

  Long ago, Alicia had realized that the earth wouldn’t close so easily because the demons within would resist all attempts to close the pit. It was their only chance of escape from the ferocious depths of lava, and they would fight all attempts to close this entrance. Not only that, Vindha’s dark magical spell that created this pit was so strong that even her twin elements would not be enough to return the earth to its previous pristine state. The energy required for this particular task was momentous. Only by depleting herself of her life force would she be able to complete the job.

  She had entered this temple willingly, knowing full well the consequences of her action. Her death would return life back on earth. Her death would give a chance to all those who fought against Vindha. And if she failed, it would erase all chances of their success. Now, of all times, she needed to be focused.

  It was a secret she’d held deep inside the recess of her heart. Her siblings would not have allowed her to come here had they known her true intentions. But Alicia was well aware that there was no other choice. She would not have embarked on this journey, if there was an alternative to her plan. Only her death would ensure that the deep crevice within the bowls of earth was truly closed.

  If she even left a thin scar on the earth, Vindha would be able to open the tear with another simple spell. Only her sacrifice would ensure that it would take him months, if not years, to renew the spell, and she was sure that her siblings would not give him that amount of time or opportunity again. They would make sure he was unable to ever perform such a malicious act again.

  She wished she could have shared this with Kayleb, but he loved her. Knowingly he would not allow her to do such a job. He would try to stop her so that another way could be found. But there was no other way. Since her twin powers were not enough, she would have to borrow from her life force to achieve what she had come here for.

  Today of all day, she couldn’t falter.

  Alicia took a deep breath, and pushed all thoughts away from her mind. With a firm resolve, she put her fingers through a pouch that hung off her belt and pulled out thin, green sticks that were each two inches long. As she walked around the round pit, Alicia carefully disbursed the sticks, letting them drop on the ground, at a certain distance apart from each other. As soon as a stick hit the ground, it wiggled inside the stony floor.

  Once her circle was complete, she came to a stop beside Kayleb who had walked in the opposite direction.

  “Ara has been dealt with,” he whispered. “He was too engrossed observing the spell to notice me.”

  Alicia nodded. At least one obstacle was out of their way; the other mages were too entrenched in the spell to give them any trouble. The corpse on the ground twitched and moved. It shuddered and uttered a groan. It appeared as if the spell was close to finishing. She didn’t have much time.

  Alicia started her incantation. After weeks of studying and experimentation, she had devised this spell. It would take a lot more than simple earth magic to complete this task. First, she would have tear down the original spell of Vindha, the one that created this malevolent pit. The sticks she’d thrown were already dissolved inside the ground. The magic within them would aid her verbal spell in closing the earth once she began her final step.

  Her mind set, she started the first spell in her series of planned magic. With careful snipping, she managed to break apart Vindha’s enchantments. The earth shuddered as the forces that held it open ripped at their seams. People screamed, sensing a disruption in the magic that had sustained their efforts for so long. A few of the mages standing in circles fell on the hard ground.

  The spell the mages were casting crashed, and the demon that was still not completely trapped shot out. A large, shadowy shape attacked the mage standing closest to it. The scream that mage uttered was so long and terribly drawn out, that for a moment everyone paused, terrified by his depth of pain.

  Horrified, Alicia paused for a moment. But she didn’t waste time. The sticks thrown on the ground had burrowed deep inside the ground, and were now pushing and pulling the underground rocks, causing the crevice to grind shut. The noise was deafening. The floor of the temple vibrated with the movement of the rocks. Alicia muttered another spell, unleashing a great deal of her energy as she forced the earth to seal over the abyss.

  The lava within raged and boiled. A large fountain of bubbling lava shot high up in the air and fiery drops fell on a few mages. Their protection shields prevented injury, but chaos ruled as everyone jumped out of the way. Now, on the alert that something was truly amiss, the mages cast their spells about, searching for the source of this mayhem.

  Outside, explosions rocked the two ravines. The mountain trembled and shook at the extreme magical activity that was loosened on its peak.

  There wasn’t any more time to waste. If she intended to put an end to it, this was the only time to do something. Alicia opened herself to the spell. This wasn’t the time to hold back. Soon, she would be dead and the earth would be closed.

  Behind her, the door burst open, and more people poured in the hall.

  -----------

  While Alicia was busy putting her spells into place, Kayleb was intently watching her. He wasn’t going to take any chance with her life. The moment anyone tried to harm her, he would step in and protect her at all cost.

  As the mages screamed and fell, he kept his glance fixed on Alicia.

  To his utter astonishment, a faint mist appeared to cling to her feet. As he watched, not sure if it was an aftereffect of her spell, or something that intended to harm her, the mist crept across the rough, stone floor and moved towards him. Cautiously, Kayleb took a few steps back but the mist was faster than him. Within moments, he was trapped in its shadowy depths, unseen by all, his own vision blocked by the fog that threatened to smother him.

  He tried to gather his energy but was unable to summon his magic, his ability blocked by an unknown force. What was happening? Were these the spirits again? Had they followed him from the moor? Why were they trying to prevent him from saving Alicia?

  Frustrated and scared, he tried to gather his energy again but his magic failed to respond.

  “What do you want?” he yelled. Fear churned inside him; not for himself but for Alicia who was all alone, fighting the battle without him by her side.

  “See us. Use us,” muttered the faces that appeared out of the mist.

  “Who are you?”

  “We are always with you. Use us.”

  “You…” Kayleb stopped, his mouth hanging open in astoni
shment. For in the mist he saw his best friend, Sia, who died on that fateful day on the battle field. Sia had fought Vindha’s mages by his side, his sword stained with their blood, his own wounds open and bleeding. And now his spirit commanded Kayleb’s attention. And he was not alone, along with him were Kayleb’s friends, and loyal fighters, all those who battled beside him. “Sia? I can’t believe…is it really you?”

  “We will never leave you.”

  Guilt gnawed at him. “But, don’t you hate me? I led you into a battle and caused your death.”

  The spirits hissed. “You fought for our right to live, for freedom, and justice. You are not responsible for our deaths. Vindha is. Find him. Kill him. Destroy him. Justice will be served only when he is defeated.”

  “I wish I’d died alongside you,” he said. Guilt overwhelmed him.

  “Your death will serve no purpose. If you want us to find peace, you must do all you can to thwart Vindha,” his friend’s spirit told him. “Every little bit counts.”

  “What should I do? Where should I start?”

  “A new beginning must be made here. By destroying his plans to create an army, you will begin another battle. You must seek revenge for our death. Only then we will be free to join our loved ones in the underworld. Use us. For you have the power to do so. Take our power and make it your own,” the spirits hissed.

  Tears filled Kayleb’s eyes. He had not cried before, not when his friends died in front of his eyes, not when the succubi tortured him and not even when Alicia was at death’s door. But now, realizing that despite his failure to save them, those he’d loved and cared for were still willing to give him a chance to win this particular battle, Kayleb was humbled. “You honor me,” he said. Tears ran down his cheeks.

  “Defeat Vindha. Seek revenge. Use us,” the spirits repeated.

  Kayleb now understood that it wasn’t the spirits in the moor that haunted and instructed him. It was these spirits, of people he loved, for they traveled with him wherever he went. The moor only gave them the power to communicate with him. And now, here in this place, where magic permeated the air, they were once again able to communicate with him.