Shades Of The Past Part 43

A gigantic cloud of smoke and flame reaches to the sky from where James is battling Kerith-Ayxt. He, Miko and the three remaining members of the Hand of Asran stare in awe at the flame burning on the other side of the protective barrier. Using the power of the Star, James extinguishes the flames and then concentrates on the ground before the mages.

A rumbling begins and the earth cracks open. Suddenly, a gigantic rock hand emerges as Rocky begins climbing out of the ground. Eight feet high and made of stone, Rocky turns on the mages and lurches forward.

Brother Willim and the other two members of the Hand work to keep the soldiers at bay. Large patches of th.o.r.n.y vines impede their way while others actually grasp them, constricting until they're dead. The death of any man is a hard blow to the Brothers even though it is in defense of their lives.

Miko sits cross-legged on the ground with the Star in his lap clasped between both hands. The funneling of power to James is taking its toll. His system is simply not used to having so much power pa.s.sing through it for so long. Breathing has become labored and he's soaked in sweat, sort of reminds him of how James gets now and then when he does too much.

Kerith-Ayxt lashes out with power and Rocky explodes sending a myriad of rocks flying in all directions.

Just what James was hoping for, he sends out the power and takes hold of the flying debris. Stopping it in midair, he then sends it flying back toward the mages. A s.h.i.+eld springs to life to protect the mages from the barrage. It manages to deflect all but a couple which had already pa.s.sed beyond the edge of the s.h.i.+eld. One of the rocks manages to strike a mage in the side of the head. Staggering backward, the mage's legs collapse and he hits the ground hard where he remains unmoving.

A slight drop in the power coming to Kerith-Ayxt tells him the mage that was. .h.i.t is dead. Putting the fallen mage out of his mind, he brings his hands together then opens them up to reveal a s.h.i.+mmering ball. Launching from his hands, the ball flies toward James.

Using the power of the Star, he strikes the ball before it has a chance to close the distance and...

Ke-Pow!

...an intense explosion knocks him backward. A backlash of magic rips through him like a hot knife and for a moment, all his defenses are down.

"James!" yells Brother Willim. Rus.h.i.+ng to his side, he grabs him as he teeters on the brink of falling.

His mind reeling, he takes hold of Brother Willim's shoulder and rights himself just as another s.h.i.+mmering ball flies toward him. Summoning the magic, he attacks the ball.

Ke-Pow!

Again the ball explodes sending another backlash of power burning through him. His legs buckle and if it weren't for Brother Willim, he would have hit the ground. He's not sure if he'll be able to survive another attack like that. Realizing that even with the Star, he isn't going to win this battle, he mumbles something to Brother Willim.

"What?" Brother Willim asks.

"Tell your brethren to halt all magic, now," he says with more strength.

"But we'll be killed," he states.

Shaking his head James shouts, "Just do it!" Pus.h.i.+ng away from Brother Willim, he makes his way to Miko.

"Shut it down!" he yells to be heard over the roar of the battle. "Shut it down now!"

Miko is so caught in maintaining the flow that he isn't paying any attention to him. Stepping back, James kicks the Star out of his hands. When the Star leaves his hands, Miko collapses into an unconscious heap.

Another s.h.i.+mmering ball flies toward him, the mage grinning in triumph. Sending out his magic, he explodes the ball and once more he's. .h.i.t by what must be a backlash of power which sends him to his knees.

Turning back toward the mages, James gazes at the mage standing there. The look on the mage's face says he's sure of victory as another of the s.h.i.+mmering spheres appears between his hands. Using the last vestiges of power, he casts one final spell. A s.h.i.+mmering bubble leaves his hand and floats its way toward Kerith-Ayxt. As his sight fades to blackness James sees the look of victory again on the face of the High Lord Magus, then pa.s.ses out.

"Is that the best you can do?" Kerith-Ayxt asks.

With a thought, he sends the sphere to destroy the bubble. Instead of being destroyed, the sphere appears to be absorbed by the bubble. Then suddenly something latches onto the flow of magic coming from him and begins drawing magic.

The High Lord Magus tries to cancel the flow but realizes in panic that he is unable to. Growing in intensity, the bubble begins drawing more and more power from him. Behind Kerith-Ayxt, mages fall as the Lattice pulls ever more magic from them to replenish his reserves that are being drained by the bubble.

Sparkles begin dancing within the bubble from the acc.u.mulation of magic stored within. Brother Willim and the two remaining followers of Asran watch in awe as the bubble glows with growing intensity, the sparks within it increasing in number and intensity.

From across the battlefield, Jiron blocks a soldier's downward hack with the crossed blades of his knives and kicks him backward. Momentarily free of attackers, he glances around the battlefield and sees the light coming from where the bubble is growing. Suddenly, another soldier appears before him and thrusts with his sword.

Deflecting the blade to the right, he lashes out with his other knife and takes him in the side of the neck. As the man falls, his eyes are again drawn to the now blindingly white light. "Oh no," he breathes as recognition comes.

"What?" asks Stig from where he's parrying a series of attacks.

"We're all dead," he says with finality. Memories of the explosion that rocked the night when they escaped the City of Light play through his mind. Casting one more glance to the growing doom behind him, he turns back to the battle at hand.

The High Lord Magus, the most powerful mage in the Empire, is on his knees as magic continues to flow from him. Unable to stop it, he watches as the bubble before him grows ever larger. At one point, the light coming from it robs him of his sight as the brightness burns his retinas away.

As he falls to the ground he can feel his skin beginning to shrivel itself upon his bones as his life leaves him. Sadness grips him. Sadness of the loss of magical advances. Sadness over the loss of the many friends already dead behind him. But most of all, he's sad for what the future may hold. The School of the Arcane helped control and direct those who practiced magic so the world wouldn't have to endure atrocities. Now, without their influence, how many more Baerustin's will there be?

His lungs quit working and finally, his heart grinds to a stop. Kerith-Ayxt, High Lord of all the Magi, dies.

The bubble, now brighter than the sun reaches critical ma.s.s. The magic within it too great for it to last much longer. When at last the bubble gives out...

Schtk!

...and time suddenly freezes just as the magic was about to explode outward.

Men stand frozen across the battlefield. Poised to attack, their swords remain stationary in the air. Arrows are halted in midair on their way to their targets. A surreal quiet settles over the battlefield as all sound is stilled.

Moving across the field of battle, a man winds his way through the men frozen in combat. On one side he sees a Raider with the point of a sword protruding from his back from the thrust of an enemy. On the other a head that was shorn from a nearby headless torso hovers two feet from the ground, waiting for time to start again before finis.h.i.+ng its fall.

The man reaches where the Star of Morcyth lies upon the ground, still pulsating with light as if in defiance of the stoppage of time. Next he comes to Miko and pauses. Bending down, he runs his hand along the side of his face, caressing it as a father would his beloved child.

Standing up again, he continues along until coming to James. Glancing over to the bubble, frozen at the moment of detonation, the man shakes his head. "Why did you have to do that James?" he asks. "Couldn't you see another way?" Gazing at the unconscious James, a tear wells from his eye.

Of all the probably outcomes of bringing James to this world, this was one of the ones they feared the most. The only one they had feared more was his death before he finished what he was brought here to do. Now, the world stands upon the brink. Time, once a friend has become the enemy.

Returning his gaze to the man in whom the hope of the world had been placed, he just shakes his head sadly. Raising his hands, he creates a protective barrier around James and the rest of the defenders, a s.h.i.+eld against the blast. That much he is allowed to do, no more. What happens from this point on rests in James' hands.

Once the s.h.i.+eld is in place, the man straightens his blue vest and pushes back his felt hat. "Good luck, James," he says then vanishes. Once the man is gone, the pa.s.sing of time resumes.

Booooooom!

Chapter Twenty Nine.

The sky turns red as fire burns across the top of the barrier in the blink of an eye. Many soldiers of the Empire are caught on the other side of the barrier and are incinerated in an instant. The ground leaps and ripples causing everyone to lose their balance and hit the ground.

Heat from the fire burning on the far side of the barrier pa.s.ses through and is incredibly hot. Even with the protection the barrier affords, hair smokes and those caught at the edges suffer great burns.

A full minute does the ground move until finally settling down. Illan is the first to return to his feet. Staring up at the blaze which is covering the top of the dome, he asks under his breath, "James, what did you do?" In every direction, the fire burns. How are they even alive?

"What happened?" comes a voice behind him.

Illan turns to find Ceadric approaching, his head turning this way and that as he looks at the fire.

"I don't know," Illan replies. The smell of burnt hair comes to him and he looks to where the edge of the barrier touches ground and the dead men lying next to it have begun to smolder. "Get everyone away from the edges," he says. "Everyone to the center."

Ceadric nods and begins gathering men. "Up you dogs!" he yells to those still on the ground. "Pull the injured to the center. Away from the flame's edge!"

Jiron and Scar help Potbelly to the center. During the fighting, he had suffered a severe wound to the leg. A tourniquet is tied securely around his upper thigh to stop the flow of blood. "Can't take him anywhere," Scar comments to Jiron.

"Shut up," says Potbelly weakly. "Don't need any help."

Jiron sees Stig and shouts to him, "Get Miko! Potbelly needs him."

"Right," replies Stig and then hurries over to where Miko was last seen. He finds Delia there with the slingers helping Brother Willim and the rest of the Hand to organize the wounded. Miko lies there with the rest of them, unconscious.

"Is he alright?" he asks her. "Potbelly needs him."

"I don't know," she replies and then nods to where the Star has been returned to his hand. "If that can't help him nothing can."

Stig turns back to Scar and Jiron. "Over here!" he yells and they begin making their way over to them.

"Is the entire world burning?" he asks to no one in particular.

"I don't know," replies a soldier bringing a wounded comrade to the brothers for healing, "maybe."

The barrier had encompa.s.sed less than a hundred soldiers of the Empire. Hedry took it upon himself to round them up with the help of other Raiders and bring them to a central area where they could be kept under surveillance. The enemy soldiers who were too badly wounded were given a quick end.

Less than half their force remains. All the recently armed freed slaves perished in the fighting and most of the crossbowmen as well. Of the Raiders, only three hundred are left. Illan is amazed there are even that many left. Coming to where James is laid out, he asks Delia, "Is he alive?"

"Barely," she tells him. "His skin is hot to the touch and he trembles every now and then." She looks up at him and says, "I'm not sure if he'll survive."

"Can't you do anything?" Illan asks, turning to Brother Willim.

"He was the first one we saw to," he explains. "What's happening to him is beyond what we can do." Nodding to where Miko lies unconscious he adds, "Maybe with the Star Miko could do more, but until he awakens there's nothing more that can be done."

To Delia he says, "Let me know if his condition changes."

"I will," she replies.

As the fire rages across the barrier, the temperature within continues to rise. Men begin shedding their armor and soon all are wearing nothing more than their small clothes.

Half an hour later, blue sky filled with billowing black clouds begins to be seen through the top of the barrier as the fire starts subsiding. Shortly after that, Miko regains consciousness. Groaning, he opens his eyes then snaps them closed again as light stabs them like hot knives.

"He's awake," he hears a female voice say, "get Illan."

A hand touches his chest and gives a little shake. "Miko," he hears the voice say again and then realizes that it's Delia who is talking to him.

"Water," he croaks. A moment later his head is raised slightly and the neck of a water flask is put to his lips. He takes several small swallows before the water flask is taken away.

"Miko," Delia says again. "James needs you."

Coming fuller awake, he shades his eyes and then opens them a crack. The pain knifes into him again as he's helped to a sitting position. Looking around, he sees James lying next to him.

With fingers trembling from fatigue he picks up the Star from off his lap, then with Delia's help he scoots over to where James is lying. Head swimming and spots appearing before his eyes, he tries to concentrate and bring forth the magic of the Star. The trembling in the hand holding the Star increases as what little strength he's recovered leaves him. Suddenly, the Star falls from his fingers and only the quick reflexes of Jiron prevents it from falling upon James' chest. Swooning, Miko collapses.

"d.a.m.n!" curses Illan.

"At least the fire seems to be letting up," offers Shorty.

Looking up at the barrier's apex, Illan finds the fire has continued to subside even further. "That is something," he admits. Looking down at James, Illan hopes he comes out of it soon.

In no time at all, the fire upon the barrier has completely subsided. When no more flames are touching the barrier, it winks out. Cool desert air washes over them despite the fact it's the middle of the afternoon. After being in the sweltering heat contained within the barrier, even the hot summer air feels cool.

Looking around, they see an area of devastation beginning where the barrier had ended. Flat and grey, the ground looks to have been burnt clean by the blast, there are still pockets of fire scattered here and there. Of the enemy soldiers caught outside the barrier there's no sign, not even bones.

"Get the wounded in the wagons," Illan says as he begins barking out orders. "We still have a ways to go before we reach the safety of Madoc." He pauses a moment and waves Jiron over to him. "See that James and Miko are put in the same wagon," he tells him. "And post a guard."

Jiron nods and goes to see that it's done.

Potbelly is put into one of the wagons, his wound healed by the brothers. Alive and cranky he gives his friend Scar no end of trouble as he works to get him into a wagon. Jiron grins, if he's got strength enough to complain, he's likely going to make it.

It takes them an hour to be ready to roll. A couple of the wounded that the brothers said were beyond even their skill had to be put out of their misery. Brother Willim sits on the wagon carrying James and Miko as they get underway.

Illan takes the lead when they leave the untouched area where they were sheltered from the blast. His horse's hooves kick up the grey dust which soon clings to everything. They travel for an hour before the ground shows any sign of improvement. From there it gradually returns to its former state. By the time they leave the grey area behind them, everyone is coated with the grey dust. Looking back at the column behind him, Illan can't help but think they look like ghosts pa.s.sing through the desert.

When night falls, they keep going. None wish to remain any longer in the Empire than they have to, especially seeing as how close they are to Madoc. During the night, Miko stirs a couple times and by morning he awakens completely. James on the other hand continues as he has been, feverish and bothered by tremors every once in a while.

Sitting up in the bed of the wagon, he looks around in the predawn light. Not entirely sure what's going on, he sees Brother Willim sitting on the seat next to the driver.

"Where are we?" he asks.

Turning to him, Brother Willim says, "A long way from where the battle was fought."