Dragon Rider (DragonMage Saga) (54 page)

‘We had better check and see what
he’s done. I think we had better go and see.’ He looked around to make sure
Gavrie was not around before they moved off.

They moved over to the side by
the next deck but could not go for there were too many wizards and students
looking. They had to have a distraction and very soon for they could not let
the Renegade carry on if he was responsible for that ripple in the magic.

Angel looked around his thoughts
working hard to find a way to distract the other wizards. If only we could get
the creatures to attack, then we could get away, but how to get them to attack.
There must be a reason they have not attacked. ‘Aura are there anymore
creatures coming, can you see?’

‘There is a big group still
climbing up to the top of the mountain, they are the last of the ones that
tried to fight the Wizards and Dragon Riders. They should just about be over
the top now.’ She was following them at a distance when Angel spoke to her.

Angel moves out of the cave and
looked up and could see the dot of the creatures coming down from the top of
the mountain. ‘There are more coming that’s why they are waiting just out of
range.’

Gavrie came out to stand beside
Angel and the others, looking up and seeing them coming down. ‘There must be
another couple of hundred coming and with those that are waiting there will be
about six hundred. They will attack when the others get here so be ready.’

Angel looked at Medwin who gave a
nod and the girls doing the same as they slowly moved to the side closest to
the door they need to go through. They would only have a short time to get
through the door with out being seen. That will be our only chance, but the
creatures need to attack soon.

No sooner than he thought that,
when the creatures attacked with the new lot joining in. They came in mass and
tried to swamp the wizards but with the spell on the walls working and the
wizards working spells as well, they were taking toll of the creatures.

They moved with their shields up,
for the spell on the walls could not tell them from creatures. They ran very
quickly and getting to the gate opened and got through it. They had taken
several hits on their shields as they got through the door, other than that
they were fine.

*

They were sure that when they ran
for the gate no one had seen them so they run across the deck to the next door
and going through waited for their dragons. But what Angel had not seen was
Gavrie looking at them just as they made the dash for the gate to the other
deck.

He was just keeping a check on
the students and looked at Angels little group when they had made the dash for
the gate into the next deck. What are they up to and were are they going. I
think it might be time to find out exactly what they are up to.

He was just about to go and
follow when the creatures started to hit the wall spells and it had knocked
them out. There was a sudden surge of creatures and Gavrie had to help now that
the spells on the walls were knocked out they were going to have to go back to
what they use to do.

They at lest had the new lances
even though there were not many of them yet, but they did have wizards in the
back of the cave working on modifying the old ones. These new lances were a lot
better and the creatures are stopped good and proper. They had students going
back and forth supplying the wizards.

Gavrie looked back at the gate
but there was no way he was going to be able to get to see what they are up to
for a long time yet. I just hope they know what they are doing as I am not
going to be able to help them should they get in any sort of trouble. As soon
as I can I will find out just what is going on with that four.

*

Contents

The Old Spell Ripples

The four were waiting for their
dragons that were on their way now, they had stayed to make sure Angels mother
and brothers where ok. They having met up with the Wizards and trying to get as
many Renegades as they could. They were now on there way back and the Dragon
Riders stayed with the Wizards.

Aura come flying up from under
the deck followed by the others. They alighted just in front of them and gave
each other a good welcome. They were just about to climb up when there was
another ripple in their magic, this one was not quite as strong as the first
one but it was scary as they did not know what was coursing it.

‘Come on I think it time we found
out what our Renegade is up to, this is getting me worried?’ He climbed up onto
Aura as he spoke to the others.

‘It must be him as the ripple I
think is centred on the old spell and we are in tune with it at the moment.’
Medwin was already sitting on WhiteMoon ready to go.

Shylyn looked at Maive and nodded
to each other. ‘The Renegade is responsible for the ripple, we know it is a
ripple in the magic and Maive and I think he is mastering his spell a lot
better.’

‘We need to check the hole but I
think you will find it will be bigger as we think the old spell is sending us a
warning. Shylyn and I think the old spell has become attached to us as we have
tried to heal it and when Angel nearly got drawn into the spell we think there
was a link formed with the spell. The spell is sending out a warning and I
think we had better listen to it.’ Maive gave WhiteFire a gentle nudge with her
knee and he lifted.

The others followed suit and
speed off over the edge of the deck and down and under. They came up past the
deck the Renegade is working on and landed on the next one. The dragons were
going to stay hidden in the cave just out of sight while the others went to see
how the spell was.

They walked to the door leading
into the next deck and stopped to make sure there was no one. Opening the gate they
looked but finding no one they move through and go into the cave where the
dragon of the Renegade is. They sense he knows they are there.

The cave is dark at the back and
that's where the dragon waits, he moves about as they come into the cave. Angel
goes to him while the others wait and keep an eye out for the Renegade. Moving
over to him Angel calls to him.

‘Will you talk to me?’ As he
stands there the dragon moves and comes out as far as he can without dragging on
the magic chain that is around his leg.

‘When will you free me?’ His head
came down to be level with Angel.

‘I think it is going to be soon
for the spell is warning us that something is happening. I will go and see the
old spell now and then we decide what must be done but I think the time is very
near. Stay ready.’ Angel looked him in the eye as he spoke, and deep down he
knew it was going to happen soon.

The dragon moved back into the
back of the cave without saying anything else. Angel walked back to the others
and they moved over to the mouth of the cave but not so they could be seen.
They moved against the wall and crept to the gate leading into the next deck
knowing the Renegade was just up stairs in the tower.

They went through and close as
they could to the area where the hole in the spell was. Angel walked up to the
spell while the others kept a lookout. Medwin went to the door of the tower and
stayed by the door listening out for the Renegade.

Shylyn and Maive stayed just
outside the door ready to worn Angel if he came. Angel was as close as he could
get without being seen from the room in the tower. Placing his hands up in
front of him he moved them so as to just slightly touch the old spell. He then
let his magic gently touch the spell as he did not want to alert the Renegade.

Letting his magic sense move
lightly over the spell he found the hole and could see it was bigger and more
ragged. The healing spell they had used the other time that let it work on the
repair was still working but was having trouble holding the Renegade spell
back.

As he watched he could see the
edges getting eaten away slowly before his eyes. He knew he had to work quickly
and called up his magic and drew on the others. Then he gently, so as not to
disturb the spell and alert the Renegade what was happening, he used his magic
to again enhance the repair of the old spell.

He just encouraged the spell to
repair itself and as he watched, it seamed to glow ever so slightly. Then it
began to push back the Renegades spell just a little first and then seamed to
hold there for the moment as it worked on the edges of the hole. That’s all he
could do at the moment.

Angel went back to the others as
they waited by the door with Medwin just inside it. ‘I think it time we had a
look at the spell he is using; we will just have to be very quiet as we climb
up.’

They went through the door and
joined Medwin who was at the foot of the stairs. They slowly climbed and
listened as they did so, for they did not want the Renegade to suddenly come down
as they went up. Shylyn was in the middle with Angel in front and Medwin at the
back. Maive was beside Shylyn as they crept up the stairs.

‘What do we do if he comes out
while we are here in between floors; it’s not the best place to be caught in.
We need to, on the next level find a place we can hide in if he happened to
come out?’ Shylyn looked all around and up to see when the next level would be
here.

‘Ok good idea when we get to the
next level we find a room very close to duck into if he happens to come out.
Shylyn when we get to the next level you find us a place we go to if needed,
then catch up to us.’ Angel gave her a reassuring look as he told her.

They came to the next level and
Shylyn peeled off and hunted up a room if they needed it. When she found
something she would go and catch up and that way if the Renegade did come out
she would go to that place with them following. If Shylyn was still not with
them when they get to the next level then Maive would look on that level while
Medwin and he would carry on.

By the time they got to the next
level Shylyn had caught them up and nodded her head to indicate she had found a
place. At the next level Maive looked for a place while the others carried on
up. The tower had about six levels and at each level one of them would look for
a place to hide.

At the fifth level they all went
to the room they waited in the other time when he never came. They closed the
door so there was just a gap, for if anyone had come up the stairs while they
were in there and had the door been open they would easily be seen. But with a
slight gap then they could keep an eye open for anybody.

They sat in a circle where Angel
drew their magic to him, but not their dragons, that was just in case they
needed it. But their dragons were in their minds as they sat to get themselves
ready to study the magic.

Sitting just under the room they
could literally feel the magic in the very air around them. With a floor
between them they felt the spell the Renegade was using was very, very strong.
It was the strongest spell they have ever felt before even that of a portal.

They could feel this spell was so
old for the magic in the very air was so strange. It was magic that felt
different to what their bodies have been using and the only other magic close
to it but was still different from, was the old spell. They could sense a
little of the old spell about it but then something has changed it, something
with different magic to what they use.

‘This magic feels so weird we
will need to let our magic go and feel the spell itself instead of what we feel
here now. I will go up there now with the magic sense and see if I can pick up
what the difference is.’ Angel took a deep breath and relaxed so the magic
would flow freely through him.

Sitting there he allowed his
magic to gently drift up to the next floor where the Renegade was. There he
slowly went near the Renegade and the spell he was trying to cast. He could
feel the effort the Renegade had to cast the spell, it just would not work
right and he had to keep working on it as he sent it against the old spell.

He could feel the pattern and
could feel in places it did not feel right; also there was something different
in the magic behind the spell. He found it so frustrating just not being able
to figure out what the difference in the magic was. It just niggled at the back
of his mind that something about it was not right but just could not work it
out.

As he tried time after time to
see into the magic the difference would upset what he was doing and he would
come back out of the spell, or it pushed him out of the spell, that was it
pushed him out for his magic was not meant for this spell nor was the
Renegades. That’s what had been niggling at the back of his brain, the magic
was not meant for his magic ether.

‘That’s it I must go and have a
look at the spell he is trying to cast for that is the centre of the problem. I
must go up there now; you stay here and wait for me. I will show you how to
watch what happens with the spell and the magic so you can disrupt it if the
Renegade sees me. That might just distract him enough so I could get away.’
Angel looked at them knowing when he told them what he wanted to do, they would
object.

Medwin was the first to voice his
doubts. ‘You can’t it would be just asking for trouble and we are not ready yet
to fight him.’

‘It would be plan stupid to go up
there and look, you might as well knock on the door walk in and ask if you can
watch just plan Stupid if you ask me.’ Shylyn just gave him one hell of a look
as she spoke.

Angel turned to Maive and gave
her a look of, (well your turn now). She did not disappoint. ‘If he sees you,
us disrupting the spell want stop him from getting you and as Medwin said we’re
not ready for him yet.’ She knew as she spoke Angel had made up his mind and
with us trying to talk him out of it, made him more determined.