The Sorcerer's Vengeance: Book 4 of the Sorcerer's Path (43 page)

“Very well, Magus. Prepare to advance, man the ram!”

The ram consisted of a stout log suspended by ropes like a massive pendulum from a wheeled and covered frame. The roof was made of heavy timbers covered in animal hides soaked with water to prevent defenders from setting it aflame. Dozens of men hid inside the contraption, pushing its bulk forward until they nestled it against the gates. They would then grab a shorn limb or affixed handle like an oarsman on a ship, swinging the massive log back and forth until it battered the gates into submission.

The ponderous siege engine creaked forward on its eight large, wooden wheels. Archers and footmen marched beside and behind it, firing arrows at any defenders that appeared atop the walls. Lightning and fireballs rained down upon it but the wards the dark wizards cast upon it shielded it from much of the damage.

It was slow going but the ram was finally into position and beat a steady, pounding rhythm against the stout wood and iron gate. Footmen threw grapnels over the wall and attempted to scale them by rope but quick-acting defenders hacked the ropes off with axes as quickly as they appeared.

The defenders’ vigilance often put them in danger of the attackers’ arrows and they began suffering casualties. The noncombatants pulled the wounded from the walls and hurried them to the keep upon litters.

The thick wood of the gate cracked like a toppling tree under the relentless pounding of the ram. The horde of mercenaries roared in triumph as they saw the gates giving way.

***

Azerick and Alex saw that the gate would not hold much longer. They had already suffered over a dozen casualties and Azerick knew that at least a few of them were beyond any help the Chosen could give them even with the healing potions the wizards had crafted, though their quick use upon the wall undoubtedly saved several lives already.

“Move everyone off the wall and have them prepare to defend the courtyard. Allister and I will be going to do our part now,” Azerick told Alex.

Alex nodded. “Fall back to the courtyard, fall back!”

Azerick met Allister below the northeastern corner of the wall.

“Are you ready, lad?” Allister asked as he hurried to the wall.

“Ready.”

The archmage open a shimmering portal through which they could see the trees through the solid stone wall before them. Azerick stepped through with Allister right on his heels. The gate snapped shut the moment the magus stepped through into the tree line three hundred yards north of the citadel.

The two spell casters shook off the disorienting effects of gate travel though it barely seemed to affect Azerick at all. He was pondering the meaning of this when Klaraxis invaded his thoughts.

See, there is some benefit to having me around. Maybe now you will appreciate me and not keep me locked up so much.

Do not count on it, demon. You are foul, vile, and evil. I will never
appreciate
anything about you though I will use you as a means to an end.

So as long as I get to enjoy the slaughter of these lesser creatures you may justify all you like.

Azerick ignored the rest of Klaraxis’s repugnant thoughts as Allister prepared to open another gate that would bring them within striking distance of the opposing wizards.

This was likely to be the most hazardous part of his plan, at least so far as the two magi were concerned. There were still about fifty soldiers guarding the wizards and what they assumed to be the command element. They would be disoriented for a moment after stepping through the gate but that seemed to be of a lesser problem for Azerick now.

Azerick and Allister appeared less than a hundred feet behind the group of enemy that were watching the battle unfold before them. Sensing that the gates were only moments from giving way, they had just begun moving closer to the forward line of battle to better support and command the bulk of the invaders that attacked the tower.

Magus Bauer and the other two wizards must have sensed the flare of magic behind them and spun about, spells of death already forming on their lips.

Azerick knew that it was going to take Allister a crucial moment to clear the fogginess from his head, so he sprinted forward in hopes of buying the archmage the time he needed to compose himself. Azerick could afford to take no chances. Each of these three wizards was likely archmages themselves and was far more experienced than he was. The sorcerer’s eyes glowed a fearsome red as he allowed Klaraxis to come far to the fore of his psyche.

Azerick heard the demon’s gleeful laughter of delight echoing through his mind as he reached into the abyss for his infernal power, reveling in the chaos he was about to unleash.

Klaraxis opened his human mouth wide and a massive cone of scarabs spewed forth into the ranks of men and wizards, their powerful, needle-like mandibles scouring the soft flesh from the humans’ bodies. Many of those who lacked the magical protection of the wizards were nearly stripped of flesh to their very bones, their agonizing screams cutting the air for far too long in Azerick’s ears. Their armor was useless as the beetles found every opening, scurried inside, and devoured them.

Magus Bauer managed to shield herself from the horrifyingly unexpected attack. The other two wizards were not quite as swift. A large part of a wizard’s ability to counter the spell of another was by either seeing the somatic gestures or hearing the verbal components of a spell being cast, or by sensing the way that the Source was being tapped and shaped by the opposing wizard. However, Klaraxis did not use the Source as other spell casters did. He had some access to it, but his greatest power came from the dark energies of the abyss.

Several of the plum-sized beetles pierced the wizards’ wards and sunk their mandibles into their pasty flesh, interrupting the lethal spells they were casting. Only their training and concentration saved them from even more grievous damage. The two archmages put the painful bites to the back of their minds long enough to cast another spell. The black scarabs that sought to burrow their way through the wizards’ flesh burst apart with small flashes of flame before the wizards bent their minds back towards blasting the upstart sorcerer to bits.

Magus Bauer completed her spell with a sneer of contempt for the former academy student. A dozen luminous orbs flared into existence around her and streaked out at the sorcerer. Missile after missile slammed into the possessed sorcerer. He lost count of how many had gotten through his wards but it felt like the punishing barrage was never going to end as the bolts of energy pounded into his body, driving him to his knees.

Azerick was barely able to keep himself from falling face first into the cold, sodden ground. His entire body ached as if he had been trampled by a herd of horses then thrown down several flights of stairs. His eyes could not even focus on the ground just an arm’s length from his face. His lungs battled to pull in some air before he lost consciousness but they seemed determined to disobey his mental commands.

Klaraxis, if you want to live long enough to kill these people you had best do something quickly.

You will have to give me more control, human. Let me off my leash and I will show these mortals the true meaning of pain!

Azerick had already given the demon all the freedom he was comfortable with, far more actually, but he was going to die here if he did not let Klaraxis have his way. Azerick knew he was too beaten to defend himself on his own.

He felt his senses sharpen and his body gain unimaginable strength as he slipped off the demon’s mental leash. Klaraxis rose to his feet with a laugh so loud, evil, and full of such dark hatred that the soldiers who were beginning to advance balked under his malevolent glare. Death radiated from his body like an icy cold wind.

The soldiers charged at him once more but a dark red pulse of pure hate surrounded him and beat with the rhythm of his own heart. Several of the soldiers that stepped within its pulse dropped dead with a rictus of horror and pain frozen onto their faces. Those of stronger heart and constitution died upon the tip of Azerick’s staff or had their skulls pulped by a single powerful blow from his bare hand.

Allister was suddenly standing near him with a look of concern and fear for his young friend and former pupil, but he could not afford to spare him much thought as the wizards prepared unleash more powerful and lethal spells.

The two tower wizards relied upon their Academy associate to deal with the young sorcerer and focused their attention onto the old archmage. Twin beams of brilliant death lanced out and struck the wizard’s wards with incredible force. Allister was almost blinded from the flash of his own wards as they struggled to stave off the death-dealing beams of power.

Showing remarkable agility for a man his age, Allister dove and rolled to his left away from the rays. He did not bother to attempt to stand, instead unleashing a powerful blast of lightning that forked to strike both opposing wizards, causing their own wards to flare brilliantly under the assault.

The demon stretched his fist out and pointed it at Captain Crayhill. With a splaying of the demon’s fingers, the enemy commander’s body burst apart. The bone fragments and concussive explosion struck a dozen men and sent them sprawling to the ground all around the floating red mist that was all that was left of the captain’s body.

Klaraxis’ glare blazed red behind Azerick’s once hazel eyes, fixing Magus Bauer in place with his malevolent stare, the words of her incantation freezing in her throat that suddenly went dry. The wizard’s chin quivered in terror as she felt the demonic presence destroy her will. In the very last agonizing moments of her life, she realized what she stood against and knew they had never stood a chance.

Klaraxis raked his fingers through the air before him. Though he was still several yards from the magess, her flesh was shredded with every swipe of his hand as if an invisible lion were raking her with its claws. Her throat loosened enough that her piercing shriek of unimaginable pain cut through the din of battle even as far away as the keep itself.

The demon lord tore strip after strip of flesh from the wizard as if he was pealing an orange, slowly and methodically savoring the pain and terror he could feel deep within his black soul. Soldiers began to turn and flee but the two dark wizards made one more attempt to destroy the two men against them.

The tall, black-robed wizard stretched his hand out towards Allister to release arcane destruction upon the archmage, but just as he was about to utter the final word of command, an arrow sprouted from his thin neck. The wizard looked about dumbly, not quite comprehending what had just happened for several seconds before folding to the ground.

The shorter, heavier archmage released his spell just before his companion toppled but was thrown off his aim when a streak of blackness struck him in the chest and clamped its jaws around his throat. Ghost tore the man’s throat out with a quick jerk of his head before sprinted after a fleeing soldier and taking him down from behind.

Wolf gave chase along with Ghost, sending arrow after arrow streaking into the backs of the fleeing men faster than he drew breath. His packed quiver was nearly drained of the score of arrows it usually held in less than a minute, every one of the steel-headed shafts finding the flesh of the fleeing men.

Allister sent fire and lightning after the soldiers that fled, leaving none of them alive to ever do harm or threaten another again. He turned to Azerick, his eardrums ringing with the shrieking of Magus Bauer’s agony. Her robes had been stripped from her body along with nearly every square inch of pale, white flesh. Her blood melted the crushed snow beneath her body and soaked the earth until it was as black as the demon’s heart yet still she lived and still she screamed in an agony so great that the gods themselves must be cringing in their celestial palaces.

“Azerick,” Allister cautiously addressed his young friend. “Azerick, listen to me. That is enough. Let her go, let her die. Azerick, I said that is enough!” The old archmage shouted, strode forward, and grabbed the sorcerer’s arm.

The pulsing ring of evil and hate still surrounding Azerick caused the old mage to gasp and clutch his chest but he did not let go of Azerick’s arm. The screaming suddenly stopped and the magus’s body collapsed to the ground in a raw heap of flesh when the demon spun on Allister and struck him in the chest with the palm of his hand, sending the archmage sprawling in a heap several feet away. Klaraxis took two long strides forward and raised the spear-headed staff, poised to pin the foolish old man to ground.

“Azerick, get control of yourself,” Allister told him calmly, looking up into the burning red eyes of the demon. “Do not let him control you, you are stronger than him. It is your body and your mind, not his. Do not let him take that from you.”

Allister could sense the battle that was taking place behind the eyes of the young sorcerer. He knew that as long as Azerick could fight there was no force that could subjugate him for long, and he breathed a sigh of relief even before the internal battle was ended.

All right demon, get back in your cage. You have done quite enough.

That is where you are wrong, little sorcerer. It will never be enough. There is not enough blood in the world to slake my thirst, but it will suffice for now. It was a good fight.

Azerick looked around with and saw Wolf, Ghost, and Allister staring at him expectantly. He reached a hand down to help Allister to his feet, which the old wizard gratefully accepted.

“I am sorry, Allister,” Azerick said abashed and frightened at his actions. “There are things I have neglected to tell you.”

Allister embraced his friend and clapped him on the back. “We will speak of it later, son. Let’s go help our friends first.”

CHAPTER 21

The gates split asunder under the relentless pounding of the ram at almost the same moment Allister and Azerick gated behind the wizards and their guard element. One-half of the gate tumbled to the flagstones with a heavy thump, the other managed to cling tentatively by one hinge near the top.