Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (49 page)

"Exactly seven," said Calador, bringing both
of his blades to bear and bringing them together. However, instead
of the usual clang of metal meeting metal, something that one might
expect to hear as two swords met, the blades produced a soft
hissing, followed by a swirling wisp of sapphire smoke as they
melded into one. The hilt of the newly-formed longsword changed and
reformed, taking on a more intricate pattern, yet still appearing
incomplete. The blade changed as well, elongating, gaining a soft
blue glow.

Syndil's smile softened in the face of the
display, from surprise or fear, Danny didn't know which.

"Most interesting," said Syndil.

Reaching behind him, Calador pulled another
blade from the sheath on his back, the lowest on the left. Slightly
smaller than the new sword in his opposite hand, the hilt of the
third carried a similar pattern to the other, the engraved lines
cut off as if it belonged to a larger whole.

"You had the seven pieces of your Bonded
re-forged into seven individual swords," said Syndil, putting the
pieces of the puzzle together. The Elf's smile returned to its
former glory as he angled his Bonded to the left side of his body.
"I am impressed, Calador, but it will not save you. Sever,
Kryssagrim," he whispered. He leapt to the right and leveled his
Bonded for three quick slashes, creating nine waves of silvery
light that whistled through the air, aimed directly for Danny.

Danny attempted to roll out of the way; he
closed his eyes, knowing that he would never make it in time.
However, just when he expected to feel the first of the nine surges
upon his back, he heard a loud series of pops and felt nothing more
than harmless puffs of air flow around him. Opening his eyes and
inching his head upward, to see what had happened, he saw Calador
standing in front of him, both blades angled in a defensive
position.

"Calador," Danny whispered, as he noticed a
splash of crimson plummet to the right of the Elf's feet. He
followed the trickle of red to a gaping wound that ran from
Calador's right wrist to his upper bicep.

"Most impressive, Calador," said Syndil in a
mocking tone. "Your skills have definitely improved, you managed to
block nearly all of them. However, I knew that you would not allow
the last to hit the squire and that you would shield him with your
body. You always were so predictable."

Danny had never felt so helpless. Syndil was
using him to distract Calador. The wound on the Elf's arm was his
fault.

"…Calador!"

"Never mind me, Danny," interrupted Calador,
bringing his two swords together, melding them into one. A wisp of
dark energy formed around the newly-created blade as it grew
slightly longer and became a dull black, seeming to draw in the
light around it. The pattern on the black hilt shifted, causing the
engraved grooves to twist and turn, yet still they appeared
incomplete.

"Blind, Enigmir," said Calador, angling the
sword before him.

Danny shifted his eyes to Syndil, yet he was
too slow to see the surprise upon the Elf's face as a large sphere
of utter darkness engulfed him.

Reaching behind him, Calador unsheathed a
fourth blade from the scabbard on his back, stepped into his own
globe of blackness and disappeared from sight.

The rounded edge of darkness stopped a few
feet from where Danny crouched, appearing almost as a solid but he
knew otherwise, Calador had stepped through it without the
slightest resistance. Although he couldn't see beyond the black
curtain, Danny heard the sounds of combat echo from within the
blackness.

Feeling more helpless than ever, he
unsheathed the dragon-hilted dagger he'd received from Tyramear.
The blade felt good in his grip and brought him some much-needed
confidence. However, after investigating the dagger, peering at the
distant Gran Shadows and then looking from blade to Shadows once
again, Danny returned the small brand from whence it had come, it
was useless. He needed a real weapon. In that instant, a distant
longing called to him from behind. Looking up, he met the solid
stone eyes of a statue, one of the four sculpted Knights of the
Light that watched over the Pool of the Mageknight.

The Bonded of the Mageknight.

Standing up, he leapt to the edge of the pool
and peered down into the crisp, clear water. The familiar sight of
the sapphire-hilted sword floated just beneath the surface. For a
moment, Danny found himself lost in the swirl of the blade, its
edges crafted to sleek perfections, the blue brand's soft inner
light beckoning him into its depths. It felt as if the blade was
calling to him.

"You can do this," he told himself as he
inched his right hand toward the calm water. A series of ripples
swelled out from the point of contact as he lowered his fingers
into the water, the waves distorting the image of the sword. Seeing
his chance, Danny spread his hand wide and reached for the hilt,
only to feel the flow of water filter through his fingers, the
Bonded of the Mageknight was now just to the left of his grip.

Yanking his hand from the pool, Danny cursed
himself. The draw of the blade increased, yearning for his touch.
He didn't quite understand what he was doing wrong. If he truly was
the Mageknight, then only he could pull the sword from the water.
Why can't I do it?

"Think," he whispered.

Behind him, somewhere within the globe of
darkness, the sound of combat continued, the Gran Shadows stood in
an unwavering vigil.

"I have to do something," Danny whispered
with new-found confidence. "Calador needs my help. My father needs
my help." Focusing his concentration, he entered into the trance
that Syndil had taught him, controlling his breathing, clearing his
mind. The Ghostsight settled over the Bonded within the pool,
causing
a silhouette to appear around the sword, which seemed to
waver backward and forward as the ripples in the water began to
settle.
Taking a deep breath, he leveled his right hand over
the water once again and reached down for the second time. The
water stirred in response to his touch, causing the reflection of
the blade below to waver and warp. Putting his hand farther into
the tepid water, Danny gasped with surprise as
the ghostly image
of the blade dodged to the right of his fingers
, while the real
image remained in place, inches from his grasp.

Ignoring the impulse to keep moving toward
the obvious reflection, Danny shifted his grip to the location of
the Ghostsight's image, hoping the actual sword would appear there
momentarily. Closing his hand around what appeared to be nothing
but water, he felt the cool touch of something solid. Then, within
the blink of an eye, the Bonded of the Mageknight appeared within
his grasp, the ripples of the water lapping at his bicep.

In one smooth motion, Danny pulled the blade
from the pool, freeing it from the depths as the water dripped down
his arm. Holding the blade before him, he tested its weight and
found it much lighter than expected. It almost felt as if it
weighed nothing at all, it was light as a feather. Taking a couple
of practice swings, the blade whistled as if it were cutting the
air itself.

"I did it!" Danny said to no one in
particular, and then…

Greetings, Danny Firoth,
said an
unfamiliar voice that seemed to echo from all around him.

Danny turned in every conceivable direction,
but found no one. "Who's there?" he asked.

You may call me Magear,
said the
deep-toned voice.

"Where are you?"

I am here, Danny,
the speaker said in
unison with a soft pulse of light that emanated from the Bonded of
the Mageknight.

Danny pulled the blade closer to his eyes,
entranced by the beauty and intricacy of the sapphire sword.
"You're… in the sword?"

A light chuckle echoed all around him.
No,
Danny, I am not in the sword. I
am
the sword. I am your
Bonded and you are my wielder. Together, we are one.

"You're Magear Rolk Knight, Mageknight of the
Light," Danny declared, adjusting his grip, holding the sword at
arm's length.

Danny felt an odd sensation, a feeling of
sadness not his own, creep over him.

I have not heard that name for some time.
However, I am afraid I am a mere shade of what I once was. The
transition of affixing oneself within a Bonded is most taxing. I am
afraid I remember very little of my past life.

"I'm sorry, Magear."

Danny felt the mood of the blade brighten.
Do not be sorry, Danny. This is something that I chose.

"How is it that I can feel your
emotions?"

As I said before, Danny, we are now Bonded.
You can feel my emotions, just as I can sense yours. You are the
only one who can hear me because I am speaking within your mind.
Simply think your responses and I will hear you.

Like this?
Danny thought.

Yes,
the blade said within Danny's
mind.
However, now is not the time to practice. I believe you
have a friend who needs your help.

Faster than Danny could think, two pressure
waves whooshed out from the sphere of darkness. Danny spun,
avoiding the first as it traveled past him and severed the stone
statue behind him cleanly in half. Reflexively blocking the second
with Magear, a surge of air swelled around him as the wave of
silvery energy dissipated harmlessly across the sapphire edge of
the sword. Less than a moment later, Calador came crashing to the
ground beside him, thrust out of his own dark creation by an
unknown force. The globe of darkness wavered for a split-second
before disappearing, revealing a tired-looking Syndil. His
shoulders seemed to sag, and his breath came in heavy waves. His
armor, marked with various slash marks, suggested that Calador had
landed several blows.

Looking down at Calador, Danny noticed that
the Elf appeared to be in worse condition, his robes were populated
with various slashes and stained with crimson from a series of deep
cuts.

"A most interesting trick," said Syndil, the
sure smile once again appearing across his face, despite his
apparent exhaustion. "It might have been more useful if you had a
proper suit of armor." Caught up in his gloating, the Elf hesitated
as his eyes moved from the sullen Calador to the bright sapphire
blade in Danny's hand. "So, it is true, you are the Mageknight. You
have pulled the fabled sword from its watery keep."

"So, that's who you were talking to," said
Calador, making his way back to his feet, using the dark sword in
his right hand as a crutch.

"Are you alright?" Danny asked, never taking
his eyes off Syndil.

"I will live," said Calador, tearing a strip
of fabric from his robe and wrapping it around a cut on his
forearm.

Syndil's smile widened. "I would very much
like to put your new sword to the test, Mageknight."

"Your duel is with me, traitor!" Calador
yelled, taking a wobbly step forward.

"I am afraid our duel is over, my old friend.
You are in no condition to continue."

"We have unsettled business, you and I,"
argued Calador.

"As far as I am concerned, it is quite
settled." Syndil swiped Kryssagrim through the air. "Sever," he
said, creating three gleaming waves of energy.

Danny bounded forward, stepping in front of
Calador, as the Ghostsight, which seemed to activate instinctively,
alerted him to Syndil's attack. Now, the vision appeared crisper
and slower, as if he was looking through a new set of eyes. Magear
felt like a gentle breeze in his hand as his Bonded whistled around
him, cutting Syndil's energy waves out of the air one by one.

Syndil's smile remained fixed upon his face,
yet there was surprise in his eyes. "This is most curious,
indeed."

"Return the Bonded of my father."

"I have already given you my word, Squire
Firoth. You shall have the blade returned to you once it has served
its purpose."

Danny was about to take a step forward when
he felt a heavy hand upon his right shoulder.

"Get behind me, Danny, you are no match for
him," Calador recommended.

"And neither are you, in your current
condition," said Danny, refusing to take his eyes off his
opponent.

Get ready,
Magear said, his calm voice
coinciding with the movement of Syndil's ghostly outline,
predicting an attack.

Following the foretold pattern, Syndil
flicked Kryssagrim in a series of lightning-quick swipes, slashing
relentlessly through the air.

"Shred, Kryssagrim," he whispered, sending a
relentless assault of glistening energy waves shrieking through the
air. For every swing of the sword, three more waves appeared.

Shrugging off Calador's restraining hand,
Danny leapt forward, intending to meet the swelling number of force
waves head-on. With his heightened Ghostsight, he parried each wave
in turn, causing them to dissipate harmlessly around him in silvery
puffs of air. However, there seemed to be no end to them as Syndil
weaved Kryssagrim in an endless pattern of destructive force.

You cannot keep this up much longer,
Danny
.

I know,
Danny thought, beginning to
feel the effects of his exertion. His lungs yearned for air and his
muscles began to burn with exhaustion. In addition, he could feel
his body begin to slow from the recent wounds gained from his
confrontation with the Gran Shadow and its blue energy orbs; he
felt a series of sharp pains, beginning in his chest, running up
his neck and down through his right arm. His movements began to
slow. He barely blocked a string of three energy waves, three more
quickly taking their place. Danny panicked, he managed to take out
the first wave and the second, but he over extended, allowing the
third to slip through his defenses and arc upward toward his chest.
Knowing that he couldn't reach it in time, he prepared for the
impact.