Ascension of the Warlock (Book 4 of the Death Incarnate Saga)

  Ascension of the Warlock (Book Four of the Death Incarnate Saga)

  Published by H. Lee Morgan at Smashwords

  Copyright 2013 H. Lee Morgan

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  Prologue

  “Captain, what are we to do?” Gregory heavily panted in a subdued voice as he rode into camp and dismounted. The team’s best and most skilled ranger, scout and tracker couldn’t hide the fear he experienced at what was coming, especially from his team.

  Captain Fredrick of the Emrocan elite royal guard looked to his most loyal men who all served with him for no less than three years and were the best he’d ever had the honor of serving with. Mentally he swore, but his expression remained neutral to the common observer, his men though knew better. Bern gave Gregory a cup of much needed hot tea to warm him, also being a ranger atop of having the best archery skills in all of Emroc. Cody, Bryan, Nolan and Luke were all deadly knights wearing some of the best plated armor ever made and stood just outside the campfire to stand guard while retaining their best possible night vision for incoming attacks. Only the dull reflection of the fire showed where each man stood. Shorty, a quarterstaff master slowly circled a tent where a valuable person and her handmaiden slept unawares of the coming threat. The veteran captain closed his eyes for a moment in consideration to ask “Gregory, how did they find us? No one could have known about our mission and we are protected by magic. Tell me again what you witnessed. Do not skip a detail.”

  The scout ranger swallowed another breath to deliver his report, trying to keep a level head. “Captain, it was two hours ago that I left them without being noticed. Up ahead of our current location I located four of the Laqura Empire’s mages, all having wolf or doglike Familiars by their side along with a contingent of thirty soldiers on horseback, armed to the teeth. My spyglass let me clearly see their pale standard outlined in grand mountains of fiery red. It is no mistake they come down from the northern road and will intercept us in no more than four hours at best. When those dogs catch my horse’s fresh scent they will certainly pick up the pace. They are traveling through the night without pause. Only fools would attempt such without a very good reason. If we do not consider a plan soon they will capture the young princess. We are not equipped to handle such a combined force.”

  “Agreed.” The forty year old captain admitted in a calculating tone. “We cannot linger out in the open since we are no longer under the stronger magical protection of Twilight and the fewer that know of our circumstance the safer the princess shall be. This is likely the cost for our foolishness. We will leave immediately. While we break camp, you and Bern make yourselves useful and devise some traps to slow the enemy down as much as possible. I’ll speak with the princess’s aid and come up with an alternative path that will thwart those bastards.” He raised his voice some for the rest of his alert men. “Boy’s, I know you heard all this. Get started. Shorty, get the princess in her carriage and try not to wake her or we’ll really be in trouble.” That got his men to finally smile some, even a little hope was what he needed to give them.

  Shorty unlocked the center of his iron quarterstaff and slid them in sleeves over his shoulders. He knocked on a wood support before entering in a code to gain access without being killed by spells, silently retrieved the slumbering princess along with her thick blankets so the cold wouldn’t rouse her and carried her without any further sound to the carriage while the three seasoned knights readied and saddled all the horses. They then took a defensive position around it.

  Thankfully the princess didn’t stir.

  Fredrick entered the tent after knocking the same code on the pole and laid a hand on the deceptively young looking handmaiden. “Wake, My Lady, I need your aid immediately.”

  The witch and a sparrow Familiar roused with his words and she sat upright instantly to demand “Where is she!?” The sparrow also chirped angrily.

  “Being placed in her carriage as we speak. The empire’s men are currently approaching from the north, Gregory spotted them while scouting and came back with great haste and risked danger by riding without torchlight. We need to leave the area and get off this road immediately while fortune still is upon us. I need you to find us a safe passage through this accursed snow-covered land. You are our only choice… unless you want the king to know what’s going on and ask for aid.”

  The handmaiden glowered for a moment before looking to her Familiar. “Go find and keep an eye on them.” The sparrow chirped and flit for the tent flap and disappeared into the night. “And Captain,” she said coolly. “we all swore to do as the princess said for her own safety and if we can avoid ruining our position, all the better for all of us. We are her protection and unless we cannot perform it you will keep such thoughts to yourself. Now leave me for a few minutes while I search for an escape route.”

  Fredrick gulped before leaving the tent to help finish camp. As he meticulously worked, he and his men noticed the closed tent glowing in an unnatural light with brief flashes of different colors. As he finished tying the draft horses to the carriage the witch exited the tent. “Our heading, My Lady?”

  Nolan and Cody immediately went to collapse the tent with all haste while Bryan collected all the bedding and stowed it inside the chest that was on the rear. The handmaiden said “There is but one pass a half hour south of here that can accommodate the carriage and be defensible should the enemy actually be coming for us and it not be a coincidence and bad timing on our part. You do what is prudent, Captain, while I check my charge.” She wrapped her robe tighter and the only aspect that she was truly worried was the white knuckle grip on her staff as her feet crunched the snow covered ground.

  “You heard her. We leave as soon as the supplies are packed. Rangers, catch up as soon as you’re done with the traps.” The men grunted while Bern and Gregory still created steaks from limbs and as many traps that could be laid in the next two hours and get out before getting spotted.

  In record time the group readied themselves and as Captain Fredrick shouted “Mount up!” the handmaiden exited the carriage with more poise and confidence.

  “Captain, give me one of your crystals so I can make an illusion of our camp further in the woods. I can make it look like we only crafted this trap in the road…” she stopped speaking as the sparrow’s chirping preceded her landing. The soldiers were silent as the Familiar chirped quickly. “She says their pace has increased and will be here in an hour, possibly more. The road is slowing them down, but the Familiars were sent ahead and will arrive in about thirty minutes.”

  Fredrick dug under his plate armor, grimacing as his frigid gauntlets brushed against a thinner piece of fabric and the opening allowed wintery air to sneak in and make him shiver. His metal armor was well insulated, but as he moved the padding for a secret pouch, the uninvited cold found a way in. He found the pocket and the solid bulge it encased. He withdrew the coin-size disc within, a clear cr
ystal with a milky interior of a dragon in flight somehow contained within. He tossed it to the first class witch and said “If you’re doing what I think you are, better take some of our old clothes so that your illusion will have our scent on the wind.”

  The witch’s eyes widened. “Wonderful idea, Captain. Hurry and do that while I leave a nasty surprise of my own.”

  “Sir, use my crystal instead. A commander must…” Cody, always the honorable knight, pulled his out and stopped as his superior held up a forestalling hand.

  “Cody, the crystals are too precious and will only slow them down. We all know all we can do without summoning help is slow them down and hope to discourage them from pursuit or hope they make the wrong turn.” Fredrick said as he sealed the breach in his armor again. “Until I say otherwise, keep the protection. We only have seven crystals among us… not including hers.” He gestured to the handmaiden staring intently at the crystal in her palm, already too focused to listen. “We’ve known each other for years so you should realize by now that you kids are all I’ve got and what father would rightly tell his children to give up their best protection and not be willing to offer his first?”

  “You’re going to get yourself killed one day, Mother!” Shorty joked as he jumped up into the coach seat as the driver after tying the spare horses to the end. The men had a slight chuckle. At last each one knew the captain truly saw these men as his own outside of being a soldier.

  “Better me than you.” Fredrick laughed and said. “We need to put distance between us as fast as possible before the hounds realize our ruse. Bern, Gregory, you boys set?” he turned to find the rangers kicking out the campfire.

  They hurriedly ran to their ready horses after checking their hasty pressure traps that would gore whoever sprung them. Bern said “Ready, Captain.”

  “Good.” Fredrick pointed towards the thick copse of trees barely visible in the waning moonlight. “We head there first to make it look like we are relying on the traps here. The mistress will follow us after putting her magic in place. Move out!”

  And they did, as quickly and safely as possible, guided by torches.

  Three hours later there came a deep boom far behind them. Shorty pulled on the reigns and stopped the carriage along with the other riders and turned to the north to see a gloomy orange glow in the distance from a ridge.

  “Think we got them, Sir?” Luke, the knight and largest of them all asked in a deep bass voice. The man would be downright terrifying if not for his kind green eyes and toothy smile.

  The strong witch opened the wooden window of the carriage to say “We must not stop. We are too exposed at the moment and I’ve looked at what happened. Those mages were ready for my trap and sprung it before one person got too close. That company will regroup soon and might somehow uncover how I disguised our tracks and scent. I’m not used to this kind of work and might have missed something they can use to track us.”

  “At least we know something important.” Bryan, the second in command announced. Before anyone could ask him ‘what?’ he stated “They aren’t using that seeker thread or sight mirror magics I’ve learned around you mages. They are being forced to track us the old fashioned way or they wouldn’t have even found the secondary trap. They would have completely passed it otherwise. How they knew we were traveling this road is of concern. Only we knew about this departure route and only fools would willingly travel it at this time of year. Either someone is a traitor, overheard us somehow, be a coincidence or were expecting us.”

  “I do not believe we’ve been betrayed.” Fredrick stated adamantly. “We all have shed blood together…”

  Bryan backtracked and held up his hands. “I wasn’t insinuating us, Sir. I mean many mages have too great a hearing and my voice isn’t timid.”

  “I always thought landslides were quiet.” Shorty quipped.

  “That’s because you’ve gone deaf with that sister of yours screaming at you to settle down and make her an aunt.” Bryan fired back.

  “Say that again?” Shorty turned his head and cupped a hand behind an ear.

  The men laughed.

  “What?... Where am… What is going on! Why am I not in my tent with a fire to keep me warm!” a voice nearly shrieked. “Who touched my person without permission! They’ll be beheaded forthwith!”

  The witch closed the door to tend to the princess as the soldiers all looked to one another and sighed. Shorty tried lightening the mood by saying “Anyone want to get swallowed by a wyrm with me?”

  “I’m in!” Nolan chuckled while Cody, Bern, Luke and Fredrick all raised a hand.

  Small smiles appeared on the soldiers as the princess could be heard delivering another one of her tirade tantrums.

  “We better press on, Men.” The captain said. “The lady was right, we’re too exposed and need to get as far as possible before first light. Shouldn’t be more than two more hours.” He clicked his tongue and led the group.

  Shorty snapped the reigns and followed while the handmaiden had her hands full trying to explain the situation to the arrogant princess.

  Sunrise allowed for faster travel and the mountainous terrain gave better and better cover. Twice did the soldiers see the sparkle in the sky from the awe inspiring dragons dance among the clouds. They didn’t even consider asking for help since it wouldn’t come from the great creatures in their current circumstance. Captain Fredrick periodically asked the handmaiden for updates about where to proceed on the unfamiliar road and most importantly, their dedicated enemy. Fredrick tossed glances to his men who didn’t cower since it wasn’t the first time an unequal situation was against them. The only thing that made the trek through the long hours worse was the high pitched shrill of the princess. All wanted to speak up but it wasn’t their place to talk against royalty, even if it meant giving away their position. They all listened to her suggestions to kill the Empire’s men, which would not only be futile, but would kill them all.

  They came around a bend on the barely maintained road as Fredrick and his men listened stoically to the witch saying that they were again being followed, but she could no longer see them by magic. The woman did find the Familiar dogs several hours back, but on their path and would likely reach them in two or three hours. The light, fleet footed canines were faster than them and were nearly impossible to slow down. These kinds of enemy raids were best used against Fredrick’s numbers and precious cargo slowing them. In this unforgiving terrain they needed everything or would freeze when nightfall arrived. Without knowing the exact location of the enemy they were in ever increasing danger since it was clear the princess was their ultimate goal. Worse yet, they could go no faster since the draft horses could only pull the carriage so fast through the packed snow.

  Overhead, Nolan spoke up “Sir, a storm is brewing. We’ll need to find cover.”

  “He’s right.” Gregory the ranger confirmed while Bern had scouted ahead to make sure the road remained clear. “We’ve got maybe three hours before it snows. Too bad we’re not in thicker mountain ranges and can use a few dragon caves to wait it out. Want me to go find Bern and look for shelter?”

  “Are you sure we cannot ride through it?” Fredrick asked.

  The ranger shook his head solemnly. “Sorry, Captain, but that storm will not only blind us, but we’ll freeze to death not to mention our horses… It’ll be bad enough that the bastards riding up our ass will be forced to slow severely and wait it out too.”

  “No other choice. I trust your judgment since it isn’t wrong in these matters. Go.” The captain ordered and the ranger clicked his tongue to go from a trot to a full run in search of shelter.

  The captain said “Thanks for the warning, Nolan.” The knight nodded in return and stayed silent, keeping sharp blue eyes out for enemy targets.

  “She finally sleeps.” The handmaiden opened a window some to speak to Cody in a subdued tone so as to not ruin the reprieve. “Go tell your captain that if we continue on this course, there is a pass in an ho
ur where I can seal the road by causing an avalanche and rockslide. The men perusing us won’t be able to follow and the mages will find it near impossible to clear it.”

  “Good timing.” The honorable knight responded. “A nasty storm is brewing.” He then kicked his horse to inform his brothers in arms about the first piece of good information to arise since dawn did.

  They continued on and found the rocky pass the handmaiden spoke of soon enough, but as they neared it a subtle rustle in an evergreen tree caught Bryan’s undivided attention. Then he saw holes in the snow only a horse’s hooves would leave. His booming voice shouted “AMBUSH!” He drew his sword and charged to the rustle.

  Trees exploded into action as eleven empire soldiers rushed out on horseback with drawn swords. Somehow ten had gotten around them without being noticed and set up a well placed trap.

  Captain Fredrick and the elite knights of Emroc drew their trusty steel and yelled as they charged their enemy. Swords clashed and rang in the midmorning light. Fredrick noticed their own plated armor was greater than the leather the empire’s men were using and drew his second sword, relying on his legs to keep balance and guide his loyal steed. The warhorses powered the knights of Emroc into battle without hesitation. The captain skillfully hacked off an arm, parting bone and flesh on a magically sharpened edge, before the first man could get his sword around and followed the hack with a slash through the man’s throat, decapitating him. He charged on, not slowing slightly.

  Bryan, the giant man drew his long handled war hammer to compliment his sword skills so his greater size and strength could be better utilized. He stabbed one man through the heart with his long claymore while felling a nearby horse with the war hammer and making it throw it’s rider off and crush him. The unnatural angle of the man’s neck and cloudy eyes showed he was dead instantly.