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

  Shorty drew hidden daggers from his sleeve and threw them to another man who didn’t get crushed by his dead horse and sunk one blade in the man’s stomach and the other in his neck. With a flick of his wrist, two more thin knives dropped into his palms, waiting to get off another clear shot, but couldn’t as the four knights were hacking their way to victory.

  Luke and Nolan finished off three when they turned and saw the ambush was also a diversion. Nolan yelled “Shorty! Behind you!” While Luke shouted “Familiars!”

  A flutter of wings is all that saved Shorty as it made him drop when the handmaiden’s sparrow shot over and sunk its tiny talons into a white wolf’s hamstring as it had used the men’s diversion to silently leap onto the roof of the carriage and nearly sunk its teeth into Shorty’s neck. The sparrow fought hard against a larger opponent, unable to carry it off even with magic.

  Shorty recovered and used the bird’s distraction to draw both halves of the quarterstaff, linked them and in the same move, swung and connected with the enemy Familiar’s skull and managed to knock it off. He jumped to the roof and twirled his weapon as a tawny dog charged the carriage too fast to be natural for a common dog and as it leapt fifteen feet above the ground as if catapulted, Shorty managed to dodge and slam the end of his staff into the beast and knock it out while flipping it over the carriage. He spotted the third Familiar, a wolfhound, watching from fifty yards back and it opened its mouth to the man atop the carriage. Red energy grew in its mouth as sunlight glittered off a necklace housing a crystal and fired red lightning at the man. Shorty’s protective crystal, hidden in his leather breast pocket, activated the wards which met the opposing magic and stopped it before worse things could happen.

  The handmaiden opened a window, aimed a palm to the last and shot a silver bolt of magic that barely missed as the Familiar disappeared into the thick trees.

  Cody finished off one more and charged to the last enemy engaging Bryan. Using the hammer and sword wielding elite man as a distraction, Cody shot past and swung his sword to slice the man’s side deeply enough to give his comrade the opening he needed to cave the man’s skull in with the hammer.

  With the last of them dead, Fredrick dismounted to watch Shorty leap down off the carriage and hack away at the canines till there was no way they could follow till their masters arrived to heal them since it was impossible to end the life of a Familiar without first ending their master. “Wound check!” The captain ordered as he looked over himself.

  “Good here!” Cody admitted. “No harm done.” Said Luke. “Just a scratch.” Bryan touched his cheek where a lucky hit just grazed. “I need some help.” Nolan said through gritted teeth, holding his hip where blood seeped profusely. A mild grimace is all he revealed of the pain it really made.

  “Cody, Luke, go see what you can find out and let’s hope Bern and Gregory weren’t ambushed too. Bryan, check the dead for anything useful. Nolan,” Fredrick walked over quickly while the men went to work. “move, your hand.” The knight did so and the captain quickly surmised “Lucky stab… hit right in the joint of the armor and cut the femoral artery. Hurry, we need to get that bleeding stopped, Son.”

  The captain led the horse over to the carriage to say “My Lady, Nolan needs to be healed immediately or he’ll bleed out.”

  He heard the princess mumble “Fool shouldn’t have been so lax.” and the callousness made the officer angry, but thankfully the handmaiden opened the window completely and said “Hold still, Knight.”

  Nolan did just that and looked down when his hip itched terribly along with the telltale sign of blue healing magic. It took a full minute of fighting to not move a muscle till his hip was whole again. “You have my thanks. Captain, I’m going to that ridge and see where the remaining forces are.”

  Fredrick gave his consent and watched the man ride away as his blood soaked armor chilled the wetness till it froze. The captain turned to the fair witch to ask “Bryan saved us before we fell into their hands, but before we go into the pass can I ask you to check it for more traps. They were here and set up an attack right where we were going to collapse the road. If they did anything, I need to know.”

  “Very well.” She turned her attention. “Princess, stay here where it is safe.”

  “Like I’m going to associate with commoners? That is your responsibility. Be quick and let us be off before our time is wasted further.” The voice sneered.

  “Yes, your highness.” The witch said and exited the carriage without showing any emotion and climbed atop the ride for a better vantage. Her silvery gem atop the staff glowed as she took several rocks and branches, infused them with magic and rolled them through the narrow pass. Nothing happened immediately as the widespread debris moved further and further away.

  As the witch worked, Bryan’s deep, gravelly voice rumbled “Sir, Cody and Luke said the enemy had waited no more than fifteen minutes till we arrived. They believe Bern and Gregory are well and passed through there” The man pointed to the rocky pass. “without issue. Our enemy didn’t have long to fully prepare for us, but none carried magical protection. I believe they were just fodder to slow us down… which is what they accomplished.” Bryan also returned Shorty’s throwing knives which quickly disappeared after being wiped of blood.

  “They are well.” The witch announced. “I spelled them enough to warn me if they died at least. I know they are alive… The pass is safe.”

  “Good.” Fredrick sighed. “Bryan, go get Nolan and tell him to get back. We’re going through.”

  Minutes later they all mounted and fled through the narrow pass. The witch did as she said when they got clear, sent a blast of magic and caused a landslide more than capable of stopping their pursuers. No horse could ever cross it.

  The rangers arrived within the next hour with excitement as they located a dragon’s cave and got permission from a century old emerald-scaled dragon to take shelter.

  Just before the darkening clouds let loose the nasty blizzard they rode up to a dragon’s home and met the pale green beauty. She was very kind and had a cave more than ample to offer them, but didn’t let them deeper into her home. As the animals got used to her and the storm hit fully she took a clawed hand and pushed a stone wheel over to seal the entrance. They all thanked her and offered a leg of deer for allowing them to rest and recover, which she accepted and swallowed whole before retiring for the night. With little rest last night and the hard morning, Fredrick had everyone get all the sleep they could. The princess though refused to leave her plush carriage unless she had to relieve herself. His men preferred it that way as they favored the peace of a cheery fire over snide remarks.

  The blizzard lasted the rest of the day and most of the night, but the dragon’s cave was warm and comfortable in comparison to the rest of the week they had trekked through, but at first light they left and thanked the dragon again for the shelter.

  Two days of constant traveling later, Bern suddenly stopped his horse and stood tall in the saddle for a greater height and said “Captain, We’ve got company!”

  The group came to an abrupt halt in a wide open land to see three tiny, but clearly dog-shaped beings staring from the crest of a treeless hill. Moments later there came flashes of light and three mages Jumped to stand on the hill as well.

  “Damn, I thought we lost them.” Fredrick cursed.

  “We’re too exposed out here and there is nowhere to hide for miles around.” Bern said from his vantage of standing.

  “There is no way to outrun them.” The witch said hopelessly as she stepped outside the carriage and the graveness of her tone pushed her to further say “Worse yet, I found the twenty other empire soldiers not five minute behind those mages. They somehow found another pass to find us again. And each of those men are as powerful as I.”

  “Do not surrender just yet.” Nolan said in a tone all his friends knew too well, one that they never wished to hear. “I can buy you several days at least to reach the nearest patrol.”


  “What are you talking about, Knight?” The woman asked.

  Nolan dismounted and began unclasping his armor while his comrades watched sadly, unable to bring themselves to speak. The armor dropped loudly as the blonde man continued working along with dropping his sword. “King Skylar granted me the power to become a magician when I entered his elite guard.” He removed his gauntlets and gloves to see indigo markings swirling around his flesh. “I gained the power to protect my comrades and my friends. At least for one brief moment of glory.” He pulled off his thick woolen shirt.

  The witch gasped as she saw the mark’s swirls tattooed to his flesh with an intricate symbol of a dragon over his heart. “But that means…”

  The knight smiled with honor. “Yes, this mark will end my life to activate a forbidden magic that will trap all near me, depending on the amount of mana it has consumed. For the past twelve years I’ve lived with this burden and it covers seventy percent of my body. It will mean that all within a mile of me will be trapped for a week. The princess cannot fall into their hands.”

  “But you can’t.” The witch said with a catch in her throat.

  “Why do you think the king allowed only seven soldiers and one witch to guard the princess? He knew that I would give my life in exchange for this forbidden magic which would ultimately hold all around me should danger present itself. I could hold all of us here for a week till someone found us and readied themselves to get her.” Nolan bent down and pulled his knife from a boot and walked over to his commanding officer.

  “Sir, it has been an honor to fight with you all these years. Please see to it my family knows what happened and if it isn’t much trouble, look after my daughter.”

  Fredrick shook his head, trying to not get choked up. “Son, don’t do this. We can still fight. There has to be another way.”

  “Captain, I’m the only one with the mark here and we cannot risk the princess’s safety by having her anywhere near those cruel bastards. We all made a stupid mistake in this venture, but what choice did we have? Right now I’m choosing to give you all time to flee. Will you honor my last request, Sir?”

  Fredrick took the knife can said “You have my word. May the spirits of your ancestors show you peace.”

  “At least I can now finally see my wife again.” Nolan admitted as a lone tear escaped down a cheek.

  His brothers clapped him on the shoulder, the gauntlets didn’t feel cold on the knight as they said their goodbyes. Shorty was the last as he said “Be sure to make them see your bare ass so they have to look at it all week.”

  Nolan laughed finally. “I’ll do that.” He looked at his friends one last time before drawing his sword from its scabbard and gripping the crystal from his armor. “Go now! They come!”

  Fredrick and the others turned to see the hill showing the riders arrived. “Ride hard!” he ordered and they went as fast as the draft hoses could pull the carriage, leaving Nolan behind and watching as he stood defiantly against the charging cavalry.

  Magic from the empire’s mages shot to Nolan, but the crystal in his hand protected him. One man alone drew them all closer to a trap. As the last moment he turned his back and saw his companions were well out of range, smiled and dropped his trousers. “Final words of honor. I Nolan of the Emrocan elite guard hereby swear my life isn’t without honor!”

  That command triggered the forbidden spell as he bent over and smiled at the enemy charging and felt his heart stop a moment before he died. His last thought was; Enjoy the view you bastards!

  Fredrick and his men heard a ‘thump’ in the air and stopped to see a giant dome of clear indigo appear and was solid throughout. He had only seen the ultimate sacrifice of the forbidden mark once before being activated and hoped to never see it again. He saluted the knight as did all who befriended Nolan. Nothing within moved and wouldn’t for a whole week. “Your sacrifice will never be forgotten.” He stated and the men by his side agreed without speaking, but their tears said just how much they would miss him. “We need to get as far away as possible.” The captain turned his horse and silently led them further away and hoped nothing else occurred.

  Even inside the carriage was thankfully silence.

  Chapter 1

  “How should we begin?” Cage asked his enormous, towering Familiar.

  Daku stood well over ten stories tall ever since the encounter yesterday with the Tiaxm. The majestic white griffin inspired awe, beauty and power to all who beheld him at a glance. Nearly every inch of him was like polished pearl except for deep penetrating blue eyes that had seen millennia pass. Sunlight gave the illusion he glowed for he was pristine. His wing feathers had none out of place and the rest of his body was coated in soft white fur without peer, but in his current size the hairs were more like thin rope. Wind made the light play on the fur all the way down his enormous limbs as thick as an ancient red cedar. With claws longer and thicker than any man. The last living griffin looked down as his pallid beak parted to say “We should move from this gate should other mages or dragons need to land meanwhile.” And immediately moved over, his great weight and size made the ground tremble, easily stepping over his master and the other shorter species.

  At his sides walked his guards, two large dragons. Ulon, the pink male was careful to not step on Cage and his companions while his sterling silver mate Poli took the other. Together, Cage imagined them more like 747 airplanes in the flesh, but with a far greater wingspan and more weight. Beneath hard, supple scales they were solid muscle and bone. The dragons made the ground tremble almost continually with Daku, but their scales sparkled like polished gems beneath the sun’s rays. Cage still couldn’t believe he saw real dragons and other creatures he believed myth, but after being sucked from Earth to Raliea he had to completely reconsider what he thought he knew.

  “Watch out for their tails!” Frill warned just in time.

  Cage moved over as a pink, flat, finlike tail swept across the grassy ground and nearly got wacked by it. The flat tail helped greatly during flight and was more like a smaller wing as it had the same leathery texture as the massive ones running almost the entire length of Ulon’s muscled back. Cage smiled down at the large Maine Coon cat, but here is called a Meemthia. “Thanks for the heads up. That would have hurt.”

  Frill’s whiskers flared as he smiled his sharp teeth.

  “I’m curious about this training.” Megdline said as she traded her staff to the other hand. “I wonder why Daku is so adamant about it and how it’s different.”

  “After the attack, Daku’s never been more serious. He’s never acted this way before.” Cage said as they followed the giant beings across the open field where dragons can safely land and gain access to the council chambers. Behind them waited two elder dragons, both being near or surpassing five hundred feet in length. They and a small group of sorcerer class mages protected the gate entrance.

  Above, many watched as the five Rex’s and their mates flew from the meeting towards one of the exit areas, but two broke off and flew in a different direction before they flew far enough that Twilight’s giant trees obscured their view. Cage then noticed something and said “Leon, you’re falling behind.”

  The young wizard finally looked down and noticed the same thing and his dark features flushed before he half jogged with Colby the chipmunk holding onto his shoulder. “Sorry, Sir Cage, I’ve never gotten to personally see a Rex so close before let alone five… and I’ve never gotten to visit a private council meeting before either.”

  “Huh, so that is why the chamber was so enormous. It could hold a couple hundred dragons and thousands of humans.” Cage admitted while staring at the library of Twilight. The giant oak shot to the sky and had limbs larger than his own house. In the upper boughs were frosted with cold as it matched a mountain in height. He even caught the sight of an elder dragon lounging on a massive limb as his long tail dangled.

  “Exactly.” Megdline said at his side. “When it was publically announced you were a warlock, ev
ery adult mage and being not of dragons squeezed inside to hear my husband tell of your heritage, some of it at least. Most meetings are public, but recently the matters have been too grave to release until after the problem is rectified. Likely tomorrow or the day after the First Council will explain what happened at Vin’re and the truth of the attack.”

  “Are meetings always that quick, Granny?” Cage asked. “I told my point of view and they and the Rex’s’ got right to it. I thought it would be longer than the hour of explanation.”

  “It helped that we had many witnesses of the attack and you volunteered to be spelled to speak only the truth. I was one of the few who even managed to slow one down before it broke through my magic like brittle paper…”

  “I didn’t get a chance to say thanks. Without your quick action to place your strongest barrier between me and it, I would have been eaten… and fixing my broken body from the impact with the ground. Thanks Granny for saving me.” She smiled. “So you’re not married to just any council member are you?” he teased. “You’re married to the head honcho. I’ve heard Zikon’s name thrown around a few times by Skylar and Tate, but I didn’t even suspect it was actually Grandpa. That was certainly an experience… oh wait.” He looked down at Frill padding beside her. “So that’s why you gave me that suspicious look when I asked if any mages had dragons for a Familiar. You thought I knew about Grandpa and Theresa?”

  “I did.” Frill replied. “It was a subject I spoke carefully on.”

  Megdline laughed lightly. “We were afraid you knew more than you ought. Zikon and Theresa feared that if you knew about me being his wife you could hold me for ransom. And if you were caught you wouldn’t know I was my husband’s only weakness…”

  “I’ve learned from Meeka and Brooke that they are my strength, not weakness. You shouldn’t sell Grandpa short. How old is he by the way?”

  “Nice try, Dimwit.” She smiled while wiggling a finger. “You won’t find my approximate age that easily. All you know is Zikon is a thousand years older than me and Theresa is a fully grown elder and Daku knew him a thousand years ago before going into hiding. You won’t learn anything from me… Oh and Leon, Colby?”