Spirit Blade: Book III of the Dragon Mage Trilogy (40 page)

If Olag could blush he would have.

“Are you ready to return?” asked Kazin.

Olag nodded. “Yes.” He shook hands with everyone. When he got to Amelia, he said, “Until we meet again.”

“Probably not,” said Amelia, “but all the best to you.”

Olag gave a sly grin. “Oh, we’ll meet again, alright. For once I can see something that even the oracle can’t see.”

Amelia looked confused.

Olag turned back to Kazin and suddenly remembered something. He removed his quiver of many arrows and held it out to the mage.

Kazin shook his head. “No. You keep it. You’ve earned it.” Then he chanted a spell and pointed it at Olag. Within a few seconds, the skink warrior faded from sight. The mage turned to the others. “Who’s next?”

Zylor stepped forward. He grinned his toothy smile. “This was an exciting quest. If you have any more adventures, let me know. I can always squeeze in some vacation time.” He shook hands with Sherman. “You can visit anytime too, Sherman.”

“I won’t be able to get through the mountain that separates us,” said the big warrior.

“You still have one of Kazin’s rings, do you not?” said Zylor.

Sherman looked down at his hand. “Oh, yeah! I guess I do!”

“The same goes for you,” said Zylor, turning to the dwarf. “We will have business issues to discuss between our races. The rings will come in handy for that.”

Harran nodded. “Right you are, Zylor. I look forward to our visits.” Then he added, “I guess you’ll have to go back to a boring lifestyle again, huh?”

“On the contrary!” exclaimed Zylor. “We’re currently preparing to dispatch a force of warriors to intercept a threat to the north. Apparently there have been an increasing number of clashes with gargoyles. While this isn’t unusual – there are often roving bands of gargoyles up there – they seem to have been getting more organized. My scouts report they have been uniting under the banner of a single gargoyle leader. There are even rumours this leader can cast magical spells! If so, we must deal with this threat sooner, rather than later.”

Harran whistled. “A gargoyle who casts magic, eh? Interesting!”

Zylor turned to Amelia and took her dainty hand in his giant one. “It was a pleasure to have known you, Amelia. Until we meet again.”

Amelia was about to respond but thought better of it. Why did everyone think they would see her again?

Then the minotaur turned back to Kazin. He withdrew the ice axe he had acquired and held it out. “I should leave this in the time it was created.”

Kazin looked at Amelia. “Will this item be missed?”

Amelia studied the axe for a moment. Then she shook her head. “It disappeared from the world around the time of the dragon wars. It hasn’t resurfaced since.”

Kazin nodded. “I thought so.” He looked at Zylor. “Keep it as a memento of your quest. It should keep your guards guessing as to how you acquired it.”

Zylor chuckled. “Indeed.” He sheathed the axe and straightened. “You may begin.”

Kazin cast a spell and the minotaur vanished.

“I guess it’s my turn,” said Harran. He handed the amulet and the ring of invisibility to Kazin. “I won’t need these.”

“Thanks,” said Kazin. He put the items into his miniature pouch. He saluted the dwarf with the dwarven salute. “You take care of yourself, my friend.”

Harran saluted him back. “Any time you need someone on a quest, don’t hesitate to call on me.” He shook hands with Sherman. “It was fun. Hopefully we see one another again soon.” Then he embraced Amelia. “It was good to get to know you, Amelia. So long for now.” The dwarf turned to Kazin. “Ok.”

Kazin chanted and the dwarf was gone back to his own time.

Kazin turned to Sherman. Tears came unbidden to his eyes. Even Sherman’s eyes were moist. He picked up the mage in a bear hug.

“Careful,” admonished Kazin. “I’m not as young as I look.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Sherman, hastily putting down the young looking old mage.

“You take care of yourself,” said Kazin. Then he snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot!” He leaned over and whispered into Sherman’s ear for a full minute.

“What?” said Sherman in surprise. “You don’t say?”

Kazin moved back. “Will you remember all that?”

Sherman nodded. “You can count on it!” He turned to Amelia. “It’s been fun.” Then his face darkened. “You take good care of my friend here or I’ll come after you!” Then he laughed and embraced her. “I’m kidding. I know you’ll take care of him. He knows who he can count on!” Then he turned to Kazin. “I’m ready.”

“Don’t forget your sword.”

Sherman withdrew the spirit blade. “It’s right here.” Then his face registered shock. “Oh, no! It’s the wrong one!”

Both Kazin and Amelia looked surprised.

Then Sherman laughed. “Gotcha! I’m only teasing. It’s the right one this time. I don’t make the same mistake twice - usually.”

Everyone laughed.

Then Kazin chanted and pointed his staff. With a deep sense of loss he watched his best friend fade away.

Then he turned to Amelia. “Well, I can’t send you back to where you came from since I haven’t been there yet.”

“That’s ok,” said Amelia. “We can go where you’ve been and you can show me around. There might be an adventure in it for us somewhere.”

Kazin laughed. “Maybe there will be. With you around, I’m sure trouble will come our way.”

Amelia punched him in the arm. Then her expression became curious. “Kazin, what do you suppose your companions meant about seeing me again?”

Kazin laughed again. “Just let it be, Amelia. Olag was right. It’s not often that anyone can predict something that the oracle cannot.”

“Who is the oracle?”

Kazin laughed again. “You’ll see in time. Don’t worry.” Then he put his arm around Amelia and chanted. In a few moments they vanished.

Not far away, in his concealed location, Paul finally relaxed. He was already thinking about the painting he would make of the strange mage and his battle with the dark wraith. It was an image, firmly imbedded in his mind, that he would never forget, and he wanted to make sure others would see it too. It would become his masterpiece.

Chapter 38

A
fter Kazin and Amelia disappeared, the world underwent a period of upheaval. Throughout the entire world changes took place. A massive tidal wave washed across the face of the land from east to west via the Bay of Barlin. Many races and people were displaced by this wave as it swept across the land. The human cities near the shore needed considerable rebuilding. Mermaids and fish that lived in the ocean were carried in the wave across the land to end up in a newly created crater. This crater was instantly filled with the water from the ocean and became a lake. It was henceforth called North Lake. The mermaids in this lake were forever separated from their sisters in the ocean.

On the northern front, the ogres had suffered the most casualties. The spell casting lizardmages had attracted the wrath of both the wild dragons and the ones controlled by the human mages. They were soon destroyed, and the ogres no longer had the benefit of magic. They were nearly decimated by the ferocious dwarves on one side and the smaller contingent of minotaurs on the other. The remaining survivors punched a path through their enemies on the northern front and fled to the relative safety of the mountains.

This left the dwarves facing the much smaller group of minotaurs. Without missing a beat, the dwarves drove the minotaurs to the base of the new mountains to the east. There were no records of whether the remaining minotaurs succeeded in climbing the mountains to reach their lands on the other side, but it was a possibility, since the dwarves gave up the pursuit in favour of a new challenge. As they arrived at the foot of the new mountains, they discovered a couple of cave entrances that were worth exploring. Scouts were sent in and quickly returned with reports of numerous caverns filled with minerals and gems. It didn’t take long to realize they had found a new home. With their old homes in the Old Dwarven Mountains mined out, these new mountains were a bonanza to be investigated. They found that tunneling into the new mountains was easy and would make a far better home than their old one, which had suffered greatly from the earthquakes. Thus, they undertook a major move, bringing all their gold and treasures from their old home to the new one. Even the golden palace was disassembled and transported to the new capital city. The move took a couple of generations, but the dwarves were motivated and meticulous. When they finally abandoned their old homes, there was little of value left behind.

On the eastern side of the new mountains, the greater forces of the minotaurs didn’t even have a chance to get involved in the war. The tidal wave that had washed across some of the human lands also washed directly into the minotaur realm. It slammed through their land and washed right up against the newly formed dwarven mountains. The entire landscape looked different from what had been there previously. It would take the minotaurs years to rebuild.

On the western front of the war, the tidal waves killed over half of the fighters on both sides. Any surviving orcs, goblins, and lizardmen, among others, were driven north into the mountains, and over a period of decades, made their homes in the abandoned areas of the Old Dwarven Mountains that had survived the earthquakes and upheaval.

On the southwestern front, the trolls did not fare well. Most drowned in the tidal waves, and the rest were annihilated by the elves. The trolls who had fought the elves south of the elven territory fared slightly better. Having lost the war, they were driven south into the dessert where they remained from that time on.

The elves fared reasonably well, considering the devastation of the tidal wave. They were able to airlift most of their surviving troops with the aid of the pegasi. Unfortunately, many of the ones riding the centaurs were washed away. The elves returned home to report to the king about the humans’ ability to control dragons using magic. When the king heard this, he was astonished by the resourcefulness of the humans. But when he heard that black magic drove dragons into a frenzy and they attacked everything and everyone in sight, he was deeply saddened. Despite the occasional dragon attack on elven villages, elves considered the great reptilian beasts sacred. So he passed a law to ban the use of black magic among his people. Not only would it no longer draw dragons in to attack villages, it would save them from harming one another.

As for the dragons, they dispersed for a time to regions unknown. Their numbers were greatly reduced, and dragon attacks on settlements waned. The human mages who controlled dragons still did so, but new ones became increasingly difficult to find.

Another thing that changed was the fact that human settlers no longer arrived from the old lands. Some ships were dispatched to find out why, but those that came back reported that the old lands were no longer there. All that could be seen was water as far as the eye could see. Some vessels ventured farther out to sea in the hopes that they could find something, but even they failed to find any land. All they reported were rough seas and giant kraken who did not take kindly to ships in their waters. So eventually the humans gave up hope of newcomers coming from the old lands. They were now on their own in a land full of strange people, creatures, and magic.

Epilogue

A
gentle breeze caused a slight stir in the pine boughs, allowing the sun to sparkle down through the needles in a shimmering of golden light. The shadows on the tree’s branches danced across the face of the headstone underlining the words and dates displayed thereon. Off to the side leaning against a tree sat a figure cowled in black, the garments of a black mage. The mage, who was much older than he appeared, sat half dozing in the warm spring air. His quiet solitude was suddenly interrupted by a whinnying noise off to his left. Through the trees he saw a white unicorn approaching, the sunlight glinting off his silvery horn in a blinding flash of light. As his eyes adjusted to the glare, the mage noticed the unicorn’s rider, a black-cloaked mage like himself. The visitor’s face was hidden within the hood, but the mage thought he recognized the new arrival when he saw the long, flowing white beard. He shivered despite the warm day.

The unicorn came to a halt as the mage rose to greet them, and snorted as he eyed the man standing there as though he were the intruder. At this point the rider dismounted, slowly and stiffly, his movements betraying great age and fragility. The mage realized the visitor was not just old, he was ancient.

The visitor turned to regard the younger mage, who could only stare at the glowing orbs within the hood. Although the body had aged, the intensity of the eyes were still sharp and alert. Then the old mage sighed and his eyes dimmed slightly.

The younger mage had a shiver run up his spine as he sensed something was wrong.

Then the old mage spoke, his voice quivering but no less authoritative than if he had been young and full of energy. “I’d like a few moments alone with my wife, if you don’t mind,” he said as he gestured toward the headstone.

The young mage nodded respectfully and stepped aside to allow the older mage to pass.

The older mage took two steps before suddenly turning to regard his counterpart. “When I am finished, please bury me next to my wife. You may use magic as necessary.”

The younger mage swallowed hard and nodded. Now he knew what was going to happen. The older mage continued to the grave site and kneeled before the headstone, his head bowed.

The younger mage turned toward the unicorn. “Is he going to -?” he began.

Frosty nodded. “Yes, his time has come. Mine as well.”

At this, the young mage looked sharply at the great white beast, fear reflected in his eyes.

Frosty snorted. “Don’t worry. It’s not quite like that.”

The mage looked confused but didn’t press the point. He turned back to observe the old mage. “How old is he?”

Frosty snorted again. “Very, very old. Do not worry. Our lives were not in vain. Kazin and I have had many adventures throughout the years and in other times.”

The younger mage nodded in understanding. Not many could comprehend the unicorn’s statement, but he could.

A good twenty minutes passed in silence before the end came. The old mage took a last breath and sagged onto his side.

The younger mage hesitated, but a gentle prodding by the unicorn behind him forced him into action.

“Do as you were ordered,” said the unicorn, his voice sounding strangely like a breath of wind.

Without looking back, the younger mage went up to the body and held his staff high. With a few chants, the ground next to the existing grave of Della the elf was torn open, leaving a man-sized hole. Another chant brought a coffin into being. Using teleport magic, the dead mage was moved into the coffin, his hands crossed over his chest in the traditional burial pose. The young mage then placed the old mage’s staff beside him in the coffin. It was then that the mage noticed the orb atop the staff. It was not the orb that surprised him; it was the fact that it gave off no light. The power within had expired. He nodded. It was appropriate.

After saying a silent prayer, the coffin lid was closed, and using teleport magic, the coffin was lowered into the ground. Another spell covered the coffin with dirt while a final one erected a ready-made headstone.

The younger mage regarded his handiwork with satisfaction. It looked as if the grave of the old mage had always been there. He turned back to where the unicorn should have been but he was gone.

Before he could think on this, he heard the snap of twigs off to his right. Suddenly appearing from behind some thickets was the unicorn. He trotted up to the mage and nuzzled him affectionately. “Sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything?”

The mage laughed, more to relieve the tension than to respond to the unicorn’s actions. Now everything was falling into place. “Let’s go find ourselves an adventure, Frosty.” He swung up onto the unicorn’s back and rode him to a nearby clearing.

The unicorn sprouted wings and soared into the air. He turned to his rider with a gleam in his eye. “I have just the adventure for us. You’ll love it!”

The mage laughed. “I can’t wait!” he cried.

As they circled away to the east, the mage couldn’t resist one last look down at the spot where the graves were.

The unicorn increased his speed. “Hang on, Kazin!”