Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1) (34 page)

Sytravious jumped from his cover sporadically to shoot a fiery blast at the advancing soldiers, but this time they knew what to expect and held up their shields to block the attacks.  However, their extra protection only worked for so long.  The soldier started tossing the shields to the ground as the heat from his enchanted flames melted the metal.

He was trapped by the continuous attack led by the archers and he knew he had to do something to escape, so he resorted to Nysight’s backup plan.  He jumped up and fired a powerful blast into the side of the mountain.  The resulting explosion caused a tremor in the ground around them, causing a massive boulder to break free and crash down between him and the elite guards.  Sytravious jumped back to avoid large rocks that fell.  It had worked.  The avalanche had interrupted their assault for the time being. 

A few moments later, Hellios and Nysight came running down the mountain, rushing to his side.  “Are you alright?” they asked when they saw the large stone blocking the army.

“I am just
fantastic
.  By all means, take your time up there,” he replied. 

The trio watched as the rest of the army arrived, and the other units spread out across the entire span of the mountainside.

“It looks like they are trying to find a different way up here.  Tell me you have good news.”

“I have news, but I would not call it good,” Nysight said, “There is a narrow tunnel right around the bend.  It leads to the other side of the mountain, but it ends with a cliff that drops into the sea.”

“So, we jump right?  We cannot get off this damned rock any other way,” Sytravious declared.

Hellios shook his head.  “I am afraid not, lad.  It is too high to jump.  When we hit the water, we would die on impact, but…”

“But what?”  Sytravious asked.  Then he saw Nysight and Hellios exchanged knowing looks. 

“
You
could survive the fall by using your magic to soften the landing.  Your mother did it once before and survived a fatal fall from a castle balcony.”

He stared at them in confusion.  Sytravious did not like the option they presented to him.  “What about you two?  I am not leaving you up here.”

Nysight answered, “Well, it is possible your spell might be enough to protect you and one other, but not all three of us.”

“How can you stand there and tell me what my power can and cannot do?  I have already demonstrated I have surpassed my mother.  If she was able to survive her fall alone, then I can protect all of us.”

“But she did not survive
alone
, you were with her.  She was pregnant with you at the time, and she barely walked away from that fall.  You and Hellios will go, and I will try to escape off the mountain another way,” Nysight ordered.

Sytravious threw up his hands in frustration, and started to walk away from his stepfather, before spinning back around to face him.  “Have we not lost enough?  Why must you rush to sacrifice yourself?  We both know you will not make it through that horde of soldiers.  There is no escape, except by using my magic.  Have some faith in me, for once.”

Nysight was about to rebut again when a magnificent blast obliterated the boulder Sytravious had brought down.  Hellios pushed Sytravious out the way as debris flew past them and Nysight shielded his face with his arms, attempting to protect himself from the cloud of dust that followed.  As he squinted through the dust and debris, Sytravious could see a brilliant light glowing at the tip of a white staff.  When the view of the path cleared up, he saw that High Priestess Jezra had joined the fight.

Xertias flanked her, along with an entire squadron of guardians.  Their armor reflected in the sunlight, but paled in comparison to the aura that was coming from their shields, which glowed with an enchantment.  Sytravious swore under his breath and readied Griever to fight the old priestess as well.

“Son, be careful! She is experienced in magic duels.  Do not be careless.”

“We do not have much of a choice now, do we?”  Sytravious replied.

She shouted to Kenshiro, “Do not worry about harming the priestess.  She is not up there.  We have found her, so go ahead, and send your entire forces up there.”

Realizing they had found Raiven after all made his blood boil because he knew it would only be a matter of time before she would end up in Kenshiro’s hands.  Especially now that Jezra was assisting him, Sytravious knew it would be inevitable.  It appeared that Jezra and Kenshiro had put aside their differences for a common goal - to destroy him.

He summoned all the power he could and ignited the entire halberd in hot, pulsing, black flames.  Sytravious aimed Griever’s blade at the center of the guardians and released a vicious attack.  Massive flames soared down the mountain right at Jezra.  A soft white dome of light appeared around her and the guardians just as his attack crashed over them.  The flame bounced off the dome.  Sytravious was astonished that she was able to deflect such magic, as it was the strongest he had ever attempted.  “Who is this woman?” he asked aloud.

“Jezra has defeated warlocks as powerful as your grandfather.  Her skills are unrivaled.  It might be a safe bet to head up the mountain now, before they figure out that we do not have much left up our sleeves,” Nysight said.

Sytravious agreed, and turned to follow them to the tunnel when he heard an odd popping sound in the sky.  He looked back to see Jezra forming a counter attack.  He powered up his weapon in preparation to block her spell, but the barrage of lightning bolts that began falling all around, stunned him.  There was too many to block, and one struck him in the arm.  Sytravious cried out and slammed back into the mountainside, dropping griever with a loud clang.  Smoke rose from the wound and his arm felt as if it had shattered.

Nysight and Hellios tried to help him, but he pushed them away.  He stood up, grabbed Griever, and shot off a hail of fireballs past Jezra and into the crowd of soldiers lining up behind her.  He yelled out in rage as he shot his flame indiscriminately.

Hellios yelled, “Sytravious, we have to go!  What are you doing?”

“She will run to tend to the wounded.  It should give us some extra time.  Now, get me off this damned mountain,” Sytravious muttered.

Nysight and Hellios helped him up the path.  There was no hiding how much pain he was in, but he knew they had to hurry because Kenshiro and his elite guard were sprinting up behind them. 

“We will not be able to outrun them fast enough.  They will get to the tunnel moments after us!”  Hellios said.

“Then, we fight!  Their numbers mean nothing inside that confined space.  Sytravious, light his blade,” Nysight instructed.

Sytravious groaned in pain and shot flames from his fingertips to Daegon’s Rage.  Hellios walked just inside the tunnel, and illuminated the space with the blazing sword.  He leaned on his halberd for support as Nysight prepared his twin swords.  He was prepared to use his magic to provide protection in the rear, while Nysight and Hellios would take on any who made it past his spells.

They surged in and squad after squad of soldiers rushed inside the tunnel.  Kenshiro commanded his men into position as he stood at the entrance.  Sytravious released his attack into the crowd of soldiers.  Some of them fell, burning to the ground, but many others pushed through where they encountered Nysight and Hellios’ blades.  The remaining soldiers’ defenses were hacked apart, until they were reduced to a pile of dead bodies.

The next wave of soldiers was even more determined to break through their formation, but Sytravious managed to hold his own despite his wound.  The soldiers were backing them up in the tunnel, and they were just as close to its exit as they were the entrance.  When the third wave of soldiers came in, they had the guardians with them.  The guardians blocked Sytravious’ flame with their enchanted shields, which allowed the soldiers to attack with their pikes. 

“Fall back,” Nysight shouted.

Sytravious let them retreat behind him, and got into a low stance before swiping his weapon in a sweeping motion at the guardian’s feet.  They screamed in agony as their legs burned with the black flame.  With a break from the ambush, they ran down the tunnel as fast as they could until they reached the cliff.  Sytravious turned back to the tunnel and took aim for the ceiling inside, blasting the tunnel walls.  The exit collapsed and sealed off the cliff from the soldiers inside.

“Is anyone wounded?”  Nysight asked through gasps for air.

They all examined their bodies, only to find minor scrapes and abrasions.  The three of them slumped down onto the ground.  Sytravious looked around as he took in a deep breath of fresh air.  A dozen ships were already out at sea.  His stare was fixed on one ship as he imagined him and Raiven aboard, and what land they might have chosen to travel to.  He thought about where she might be right now, and as much as he missed her, he was thankful she left when she did.  Having to witness the brutal battle they had just endured would have been terrible for her.  He hoped Bryce was able to stay by her side, and that Elric had provided a decent cover story for her.  Thinking of the constable reminded Sytravious of the last words between them. 

I am not a bad person you know.
 

I know what you have in your leather satchel, so forgive me if I do not believe you.

Elric’s words haunted him, and he found himself gripping the satchel close to his chest.  He was surprised he had not lost it in all the commotion.

“Sytravious, did you hear what I said?”

Nysight’s question snapped him out of his thoughts.  Hellios and Nysight stared at him, waiting for his response.

“What?”

“Kenshiro will not be held back behind those rocks for much longer and you know it.  You have to jump with Hellios.  Save yourselves.  I have a score to settle with the general, anyway.”

“Do not start this again!  You know I cannot abandon you.  I will not do it, so stop asking!”

“Sytravious, it is what needs to be done.  Would you not rather die trying to live, than allow these idiots to kill us?  Follow your general’s command!”

“He is not my general, he is---”

The loud sounds of the rocks blasting away interrupted him.  Sytravious lost his footing and fell to his knees from the force of the tremors.  The ledge of the cliff shook from Jezra’s powerful spell work.  Lightning bolts began to break through the blocked tunnel, and inside, he could hear Kenshiro urging her to continue.

“Son, you are right.  I am not your general.  No matter what Nyxseous told you on her deathbed about your real father, you are
my
boy!  You belong to me, and always have.  So please, do as I say.  My time is done, your mother has left this world, and she took my soul with her.  I am finished, but you still have so much to accomplish.  Now, go!”

He could see the tears in Nysight’s eyes as he clapped Hellios on the shoulder.  Sytravious felt helpless, and just as he opened his mouth to respond, Hellios rushed at him with blinding speed.  He yelled out to his stepfather and reached out for him in desperation, but Nysight had already turned his back.  The image of his stepfather’s swords clashing against Kenshiro’s blades was the last thing he saw before they fell off the edge of the cliff.

Then the rush of the wind filled his ears as they spun towards the crashing sea below.  Tears flowed from his eyes, and with his last bit of strength, he whispered a spell.  They hit the water hard and the sea devoured them.  The impact knocked the wind out of him.  His nose and mouth filled with water.  Sytravious watched Griever drift down into the dark abyss below, before unconsciousness overpowered him.

* * *

Epilogue

T
hat morning off the coast of Springdale, the waters were rough.  The old galleon navigated through the sea, careful to avoid the navy fleet that had arrived in the city’s port the night before.  From her view on the upper deck, Saycerach was witnessing Kenshiro’s soldiers pour off naval ships.  At first, she worried they had followed Saliz from Havencrest. 

The warlock had failed to show up yesterday morning, and they had been awaiting his arrival so they could depart.  Saycerach did not care if Saliz made it or not.  Frankly, she wished he had never came on the mission at all because he had been a thorn in her side for ages, but despite her desire to abandon him, the crew insisted they wait one more day.  However, when she saw the soldiers arrive before Saliz, she demanded they leave at once.

After observing the soldier’s actions, she was relieved to see they were not after her ship and was curious as to why such a force would venture this far south.  She sighed and sat down to watch the disturbance.  The crew had pointed out the series of lightning strikes on the sea cliffs before rocks exploded off the mountainside, into the sea below.  Whoever was on the receiving end of those spells were in for a bad day.  She snickered at the sight of two men falling from the cliff.