Amethyst of the Gods Page 14

  The elves shouted commands and the archers concentrated their fire at the enemy surrounding the fallen dwarf. Fredrik realized that the only hope for Zemo was to swiftly cast an illusion on the poor dwarf. He discarded the thought of making the dwarf look like an ogre or a goblin as he would probably end up getting shot by his own people. In desperation, Fredrik cast a spell to make the dwarf appear as a scaling ladder.

  "Excellent!" shouted Newt as he saw what Fredrik had done.

  The fairy darted over the wall and hovered over the ladder-image. While the ogres and goblins searched in confusion for the dwarf, Newt cast a levitation spell on the ladder. The ladder rose high into the air as the elven archers directed their fire at anyone who was in a position to harm the dwarf. A few tense minutes later, Newt deposited the ladder safely behind the wall. Fredrik dropped his illusion and Zemo grinned broadly. Several elves slapped the dwarf on the back before returning their attention to the battle.

  Far to the rear of the ramparts, Tanya appeared at the top of her mage tower. A few moments later, Jenneva appeared in her tower.

  "Let me send forth the trembling ground a few seconds before your wind," Jenneva called out as she tried to regain her breath after the long flight of stairs. "That way both spells will reach the enemy at the same time."

  Tanya nodded as she waited for Jenneva to regain her composure. Her eyes scanned the battlefield, eventually focusing on the western wall.

  "Let's start with the west," she shouted to Jenneva. "It will split their army in two."

  Jenneva nodded and then suddenly screamed. Tanya turned just in time to see Jenneva's tower disintegrating. Her mother's body fell towards the ground in a flurry of stones. Out of the corner of her eye, Tanya saw dozens of fireballs streaming towards her own tower from inside the city. She screamed helplessly as the tower crumbled beneath her.

  The crumbling towers thundered throughout the area between the new wall and the defensive wall. Everyone turned to watch in horror as the stones and bodies tumbled to the ground and clouds of dust rose in their places. Alex leaped off the defensive wall and ran across the open area. He arrived at the same time as King Arik, who had come from a different direction. The king immediately started digging through the debris that once was Tanya's tower. Alex did the same with Jenneva's tower. Elves, dwarves, and humans left the defensive wall and helped with the search for the mages. As Alex uncovered Jenneva's body, Zalaharic knelt alongside him.

  "Don't move her," warned the elven healing mage. "Let me check her condition first."

  Alex fought the urge to grab Jenneva and hold her tightly. He knelt silently, his balled fists beating the ground before him. A feeling of helplessness raced through his body, and Zalaharic frowned deeply. The elf looked around and saw King Arik uncover Tanya. He rose swiftly and raced to Tanya before she was injured further. He knelt next to Tanya and placed a calming hand on King Arik's shoulder.

  "They are both in dire need of healing," Zalaharic said as Alex knelt alongside him. "We need to move them to someplace where I can tend to them."

  King Arik reached for Tanya, but the elf healer shook his head. "They cannot be moved as you would like to," he said. "The fairies will need to levitate them. They must not be jostled."

  Prince Midge, who had come out of Arik's pocket, whistled sharply. A swarm of fairies darted to their prince.

  "To the Royal Palace?" asked Prince Midge.

  "Too far," frowned Zalaharic. "There is little time if either one of them can be saved. I need to attend to them immediately. Where can they be taken?"

  "The Gateway Inn is not too far," suggested Sheri. "The common room is large."

  Alex turned to several Rangers who were standing nearby. "Go and clear out the Gateway Inn," he commanded. "Be quick about it."

  The Rangers ran towards the gates in the new wall and the inn just beyond them.

  "What do you mean by either one of them?" Alex demanded of Zalaharic.

  "They are both near death," the elf healer replied softly. "I do not see how I can save them both. It is a terrible decision to make, but it must be made, and made quickly."

  Alex and King Arik exchanged worried glances while the fairies started to levitate Tanya.

  "Why can't you save them both?" asked the king.

  "I am not sure that I can even save one of them," frowned Zalaharic. "There is only so much a healer can do."

  "What will it take to ensure success?" asked Alex.

  "Nothing will ensure success," Zalaharic shook his head. "Even if I had a dozen healing mages to assist me, the chances are not good. Plus there are no healing mages available. Every one of them is needed along the wall or the city will fall."

  "Take whatever mages you need," ordered King Arik. "You will save them both."

  "The city will fall," warned General Gregor. "As soon as the Black Devils find a hole in the shields, our defenses will be overwhelmed. You cannot save them by losing the city."

  "You heard the king," snarled Alex as the fairies began to levitate Jenneva. "Have our defenders fall back to the new wall. That will require less shields to protect."

  "I will get some dwarves into the tunnels," offered Prince Darok. "We will seal the current entrance and extend the tunnel under the new wall."

  "I will see to the moving of our own siege engines," offered David Jaynes as he nodded to one of the Red Swords standing nearby.

  "I will send the Rangers through the tunnels and attack the enemy from the rear," declared Mitar Vidson. "We may be able to distract the Black Devils enough to stall their attack."

  "That would be suicide," warned the general.

  "Perhaps," nodded Mitar as he looked at Alex and then King Arik, "but these are desperate times. I will ask only for volunteers."

  "That would be all of us," declared Randi Witzak. "There is not a Ranger alive who would not give his life for King Arik or Alexander Tork."

  Tears welled up in Alex's eyes as he rose. He tried to smile and nod to the Rangers gathered around the collapsed towers, but he failed at both. He turned and walked towards the Gateway Inn.

  "Do whatever you must," King Arik said to General Gregor, "but the healers that Zalaharic needs will not be available to you."

  The general nodded as the king rose and followed Alex. Arik hurried and caught up to Alex as they entered the Gateway Inn. The benches in the common room had been moved against one of the walls. Two large tables were centered in the room. Each of the tables held one of the Tork mages. Zalaharic entered the room and moved swiftly to Jenneva. He frowned with concern as he walked over to Tanya.

  "Which one do I start with?" he murmured to himself as elven mages began to file into the room.

  "Do not ask me to make that choice," sobbed Alex. "I would gladly give up my life for either one of them."

  "Start with Jenneva," decided King Arik as he walked over to the table holding Tanya.

  King Arik opened his pouch and brought out the small box that had been sent to him by Master Khatama. Zalaharic watched curiously as the king extracted a vial of amber liquid and held if to Tanya's kips. He poured the amber liquid into Tanya's mouth.

  "What is that?" Zalaharic asked with alarm.

  "I am not sure," admitted King Arik. "I am told that it is a potion that will extend her life. It was given to me by the Mage."

  "You may be wasting it," frowned the elf healer. "You cannot extend a life if there is none to extend."

  "It is not a waste," the king replied defiantly. "If there is one person who deserves the vial, it is Tanya."

  "Thank you," Alex said softly. "I know what a sacrifice that is to you. It was intended for your mate. The vial is irreplaceable."

  "So is Tanya," sniffed the king. "She has always been there for me. Perhaps because she was always there, I never had the chance to understand how much she means to me. None of what we are doing is worth doing without her."

  "You must care for her a great deal," comforted Zalaharic as two-dozen elven healing mages gathered
around Jenneva.

  "I care more for her than I care for myself," declared King Arik. "I love her."

  A sad smile came to Alex's face as he put his arm around the king. "I could not hope for a better mate for my Tanya," he said softly.

  "I doubt that I will be her mate," frowned King Arik. "She wants nothing to do with me, but that cannot change my feelings for her."

  "Nonsense," Alex shook his head. "You were both born for each other."

  "Perhaps," the king replied, "but from her own lips sprang forth the statement that she has no desire to be the queen. She plans to travel the world when this war is over. I do not care much for her decision, but I will respect it. Whatever makes her happy is something that I will have to accept."

  "Get me the unicorns," demanded Zalaharic. "I will need their healing powers before we are done here."

  "I will get them," volunteered Sheri who had entered unobserved.

  "Work on Tanya first," Alex suddenly said.

  Zalaharic turned towards Alex with a questioning glare. "Why?" he asked.

  "The mention of unicorns for healing brings back a memory to me," explained Alex as he recalled Tanya healing Jenneva when they were delivering the Unicorns' Opal. "Tanya has some significant healing abilities. She can work with the unicorns to help heal Jenneva."

  "Then Tanya will be first," nodded the elf healer. "Now I want both of you to get out of here. As much as you want to help, you are nothing but a distraction right now, a distraction that Jenneva and Tanya can ill afford."

  King Arik opened his mouth to object, but Alex gently grabbed his arm. "Zalaharic is correct," he declared. "As we had to step away when Tanya healed Jenneva, so must we now do the same. We are only in the way here."

  The king nodded sadly and allowed Alex to steer him out of the inn. They passed Sheri as she escorted the four unicorns into the Gateway Inn.

  "I know that we were in the way," admitted King Arik, "but I can think of little else until they are healed."

  Alex led the king across the street to a bench in a small park. He drew his sword and removed a small sharpening stone from his pouch. "There is something else we can do," he stated as he began sharpening his sword. "I do not know how Sarac's Ravens managed to destroy those towers, but I am sure now that they are in this city. Make sure your sword is sharp, for we have many heads to sever."

  "There is no need for me to sharpen the Sword of Heavens," shrugged King Arik. "Its blade never seems to dull. Where do we look for the Ravens?"

  "We start by finding Colonel Nolan," declared Alex. "Finding the Ravens was his job. I hope he has managed to narrow the search."

  "If he hasn't," scowled the king, "I shall find someone to replace him."

  * * *

  Bin-lu removed the coil of rope from his shoulder and lowered it out of the window. Wylan immediately grabbed the swaying end and began to climb up to the third story window. When he entered the room through the window, he recoiled the rope.

  "You must have found something," Wylan whispered to Bin-lu. "What is it?"

  "This is Duke Everich's estate," answered Bin-lu, "or at least it used to be. The last time that I was here, we destroyed all of Colonel Salvo's men. Unfortunately, the colonel was not here at the time."

  "You think he has returned?" asked Wylan.

  "I do not know if Colonel Salvo has returned," shrugged Bin-lu, "but somebody is living here. In fact, a large number of people are living here. I only checked the rooms on this floor so far, but all of the rooms are in use. What I need for you to do is to go across the hall and keep watch on the gates to the estate while I check out the other floors. If anyone comes through the gates, let me know and then head out the window to the sewers."

  "You said the rooms were in use," frowned Wylan. "Are there people in them now?"

  "No," Bin-lu shook his head. "I meant that people are living in them, but I have not seen a soul since entering the building. I listened for any noises and heard nothing. Still, I want to check the rest of the estate to determine how many people are living here."

  "All right," nodded Wylan as he opened the door to the room and crossed the hall to a window overlooking the front of the estate.

  Bin-lu slipped silently down the staircase to the next floor. Keeping his ears alert, he started checking the rooms one by one. He was just heading down to the ground floor when he heard a noise above him. He tensed and cupped a Lanoirian star in each hand.

  "People coming," Wylan whispered from the stairwell above Bin-lu's head. "Lots of people."

  "Get yourself to the sewers," warned Bin-lu. I will join you in a minute. Take the rope with you. I will not need it."

  Wylan nodded and headed for the closest room facing the rear of the estate. Bin-lu raced down the stairs and hastily checked the rest of the rooms. As he stepped out the rear door of the estate, he heard the front door open. He pressed his ear to the door as the men entered the mansion. There was not much talking to be heard, but two men spoke loudly. Bin-lu listened carefully before scampering across the lawn and into the sewer grate. As he entered the sewers, Wylan looked at him questioningly.

  "You were cutting that close," Wylan sighed. "Was that wise?"

  "In this case it was," Bin-lu whispered as he led the way through the sewers. "I found out that Klarg is one of the men in the house. We have found Sarac's Ravens. We need to report this to Colonel Nolan before they do something to aid the attackers outside our walls."

  "Then let us be off," nodded Wylan. "I heard the battle alarm earlier. I would wager that we are already fighting the enemy."

  * * *

  "But I saw both towers disintegrate," argued Klarg. "There is no way they could have survived."

  "I agree," countered Calastano, "but I demand verification. I must see their dead bodies for myself. I will not leave our men open to Jenneva's attacks when we strike from the rear."

  "Well I will not let you go alone," retorted Klarg. "If you must truly go, then we go together."

  "You loyalty to me is most impressive," frowned Calastano. "Why do you feel obligated to go with me?"

  "I cannot afford for anything to happen to you," shrugged Klarg. "I do not look forward to trying to handle your mages without your powers to keep them in line."

  "Your honesty is touching," laughed the Black Devil. "Very well, let's go now while we have confusion on our side. If they survived, it will be easy to determine where they are held."

  "They will be taken to the Royal Palace," frowned Klarg. "There is no way that we will be able to get in there."

  "There is no reason to carry bodies back to the palace," Calastano shook his head. "Besides, if they did, I will find a way into the palace. Almost everybody is manning the walls. Perhaps we can obtain some of those Cordonian uniforms that we saw earlier. Certainly their faces are unknown to the guards."

  "That could work," grinned the Dark Rider. "And once we are in the palace, we can complete the task that brought us into this foul city."

  Chapter 12

  The Magic of Love

  King Arik and Alex walked into the office of Colonel Zackary Nolan. The spymaster showed no emotions when he asked his visitors to sit down.

  "I can assume that you have heard of the attack earlier," King Arik began in a frosty tone.

  "I have," nodded the colonel. "I was just about to send for you."

  "Do you have any idea where the Ravens are located?" asked Alex.

  "In fact, I do," replied Zackary. "Bin-lu and Wylan discovered them not long ago. They are staying at the old Everich estate."

  "Let's go," scowled King Arik as Prince Garong and Prince Darok entered the room. "I want them dead before they kill someone else."

  "As do I," nodded Alex, "but we should not rush into a situation where you will get killed as well."

  "You are not going to exclude me from this battle," retorted the king as the two princes looked on with concern.

  "I am not suggesting any such thing," replied Alex. "You must remember
that the Ravens have around forty Black Devils in their number. We are currently short on mages to counter them."

  "Then I will pull more mages off the wall," countered King Arik.

  "That would not be wise, Valon," interjected the elven prince. "Things are going poorly with the war as it is."

  "One of the tunnels has been discovered," explained Prince Darok. "We managed to collapse the tunnel, but three hundred Rangers are stranded outside our walls."

  "Are they dead?" asked Alex with concern.

  "We have no way of knowing," frowned the dwarf prince. "They understood that we would seal the tunnel if it was discovered. We could not chance opening a highway into the city."

  "You said the tunnels could not be used against us," interjected the king. "How has that changed?"

  "It hasn't changed, Garala," answered Prince Darok. "We could slaughter any goblins trying to use the tunnel to gain entrance to the city, but our only course of action now is to seal the tunnel. The entrance was discovered by the Black Devils. Their magic would detect all of our traps. The risk was too great."

  "I agree with your solution," offered Alex. "We cannot take any chances with their mages right now."

  "You seem to fear their mages now that we do not have the skills of Jenneva and Tanya," stated King Arik. "We cannot allow their loss to paralyze us."

  "We will not be paralyzed," retorted Alex, "but we will tread more carefully. I want to attack the Everich estate after dark. Remember that the Black Devils in the city are most likely to be revenants. We must decapitate each and every one of them. That will not be difficult to do if we catch them napping. It will be impossible if we barge in during the daylight hours. Nobody is more anxious than I am to end the Ravens once and for all, but I will not be goaded into a foolish act by attacking prematurely."