Lusam: The Dragon Mage Wars Book Three (2 page)

“Normally I would agree with you, but as you’ve seen, each time I use my magic they attack us. They can’t see my aura, but they can see me when I use my magic. I’m not sure if I could protect us all with my magic shield against another sustained attack. There are at least twelve of them down there, maybe more. And each time they attack, I have to use at least twelve times more energy than each of them do. I have been wondering why they haven’t pushed us more over the last few days, and I think I may have worked out why,” Lusam said wearily.

“What do you mean? They have been matching our pace ever since we started climbing this mountain path,” Neala said looking confused.

“Yes, they have been matching our pace, but for the last few days that’s all they have done. At first I thought they knew something we didn’t about what lies ahead of us, maybe a dead end or something worse, but I think I finally worked out what they are doing. They are simply trying to exhaust us, or more precisely, me,” Lusam said.

“But I thought we agreed that they were even less prepared for this journey than we were. They must be in just as bad shape as us, if not worse,” Neala said, again looking down into the darkness towards where their enemy would be.

“Maybe at the start of this journey we
did
have a slight advantage, but no longer. I have been watching them closely today using my mage-sight, and what I saw will certainly swing the advantage back in their favour very quickly. As you all know, during the day while we’re travelling I have to position myself within our group so that my shield will protect our vulnerable spots. At first the lack of missiles coming from them was a welcome relief, but keeping my shield active all day while travelling is extremely tiring in itself. Although I began to notice a while ago that when I use my magic more often and push myself, I seem to be able to do even more later without feeling as tired. A bit like when you overuse your muscles, it hurts while you are doing it, but later you’re stronger for it. The problem is, I don’t have enough time overnight to fully recover my energy reserves, so each day I grow weaker and weaker.

“Today I noticed that none of the agents were using a magical shield any more. They are rebuilding their magical reserves, albeit slowly without food, but the result will still be the same. At some point there will be at least twelve magi who have full power reserves, and myself with a very depleted one. I’m sure they intend an all-out assault on us within the next day or two, and I’m also sure it’s going to be a very one-sided battle when they do,” Lusam said in a very sombre voice.

“Then we better convince them to start using their shields again, lad,” Renn said, obviously paying attention to their conversation, whilst keeping a lookout for any activity below.

“I thought about sending a fireball or two at them today, but I decided against it. I figured it was just a pointless waste of energy. Whatever I sent their way they would see in plenty of time to erect their shields and block it. It would only weaken me, not to mention they would surely fire back at me, sapping my strength even further.”

“I see your point, lad. I guess if you tried to drop your shield during the day they would more than likely send another missile at you, forcing you to use it, or killing you if you didn’t,” Renn said.

“Then we need another way to persuade them that not using their shields is a bad idea. Alexia, could you hit them from this range with an arrow?” Neala asked.

“No, I’m afraid not. I’ve been watching them closely, and they have never come within my bow range. That was one of the reasons why I asked if your knives would fly further, but then I remembered they had shields anyway, so I never mentioned it,” Alexia replied.

Lusam sat up straighter as he thought about the possibility of enchanting Alexia’s bow for increased firing range. He knew he could enchant the bow easily enough, but he was also considering the arrows. If he could increase the range of both the bow, and the arrows, it should be enough to make the agents of Aamon use their shields at all times. If they didn’t, and they dropped further back out of range instead, they risked losing sight of Lusam’s party altogether, and he doubted very much that they would want to do that.

“Alexia, did you see where the agents set up camp tonight before we lost the light?” Lusam asked.

“Yes, I always look, just in case they did come close enough for me to take a pot-shot at them. Why do you ask?”

“Tell me, if I enchanted your bow to reach their camp how many arrows could you get into the air at once?” Lusam asked. Alexia looked back down the hillside, as if judging the distance to where she last saw the agents before the failing light had hidden them from view.

“I think four or five, but in the darkness I probably wouldn’t hit anything,” she replied still looking in the direction of the agent’s camp.

“Hmm, I’m sure you wouldn’t, but if we attacked them at first light we might just kill or wound enough of them to even the odds a little. As soon as they realise what’s going on they will resume their shields immediately, but maybe we can thin them out a little before that happens. If I enchant both the bow and the arrows, it will vastly increase their range and killing power. If I can increase the range of your weapon enough so that it makes it impossible for the agents to remain out of its range, whilst at the same time maintaining sight of us, they will have no choice but to use their shields at all times, even while they sleep,” Lusam said.

“That might just work, lad, but you can bet they will likely send an awful lot of missiles our way when they realise their current plan will no longer work. Are you sure you can handle such an onslaught in your condition?” Renn said, sounding a little concerned.

“No, I’m not sure I
can
handle it. But the alternative will mean certain death for all of us if we just continue to wait and play into their hands. At least this way we get to choose when and where to make a stand. Besides, every one we kill is one less that can fire at us later, and any that are injured would either have to be healed or left behind. Healing someone takes a lot of energy, so if they did heal any of their wounded it would also weaken them further. A win-win situation if you ask me,” Lusam replied. The others remained silent for a few minutes, each obviously playing out the various scenarios in their minds, and the lack of alternatives available.

“If we can survive the initial retaliation I think we might have a chance,” Renn said breaking the silence. “We need to plan our departure from here carefully though. Every wasted missile from them is good for us, but any that find their mark will reduce our chances of surviving tomorrow. Lusam, could you erect your magical shield around me, but leave my shield outside your protection?”

“I don’t see why not, but what good will that do?” Lusam asked.

“I propose a two stage retreat after we attack tomorrow. As soon as the arrows find their targets, the two girls will run as fast as they can, and put as much distance between themselves and the agents as possible. I will face the incoming missiles with my shield, hopefully neutralising most of them before they even touch your magical shield. If we stand back to back so I can see the incoming missiles, you can guide me backwards along the path as we also retreat. Hopefully the agents will waste a lot of energy before they realise the futility of their attacks,” Renn said.

“I’m not running away and leaving Lusam alone,” Neala said firmly.

“No, it’s okay, Neala. I think Renn’s plan might actually work. Especially if I expose my aura to them. It would be like waving a red rag to a bull. I’m sure they wouldn’t be able to resist a chance to finish me off, and hopefully waste a lot of energy in the process. In fact, if I stayed very close to Renn and projected my aura just in front of him, I doubt they would even be able to tell that Renn was even there, and if they thought it was just me with my magical shield, they would likely throw everything they had at me,” Lusam said, grinning at the imagined looks on the agents’ faces when they realised their costly mistake.

“Yes, you might be right, lad. If you did project your aura in front of me, it should be more than bright enough to blind them to my lesser aura. Like I said, I’m sure they will throw everything they have at us once we attack them, especially after they realise their original plan has failed. It would have been nice to know how exposed we will be further up this path before we made our move though, but I guess we can’t have everything,” Renn said.

“Maybe we can,” Lusam replied grinning.

“I don’t see how. If we move they will see us and think we are attempting to escape. All that would achieve is another sleepless night for all of us,” Renn said.

“Not necessarily. I’ve been partially hiding my aura since we entered these mountains, so the agents couldn’t tell from a distance who I was. I could hide my aura completely, then go alone to scout the path up ahead without being seen easily enough,” Lusam said.

“It would certainly help knowing what we’re likely to come across tomorrow before we commit ourselves totally. But it might be too dangerous for you walking on this narrow path in full darkness,” Renn said.

“Don’t worry about me. Even if I fell over the edge I would just levitate myself back up again,” Lusam said laughing.

“That’s not what I meant. I was referring to any night-time predators out there, like mountain lions or wolves. You can’t use your shield because you would be seen leaving. In fact, now that you mention it, if you did fall over the edge and levitate yourself back up again, the agents would see you the instant you used your magic, and likely fire at you with everything they had. You would have to be very careful out there, lad,” Renn said.

Lusam wondered to himself just how likely the threat of an attack by a predator actually was this high up in the mountains, but he realised that he didn’t have enough experience in this type of environment to make an educated guess.

“Lusam, do you mind if I ask you a question about your aura. I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a long time, but never seemed to get the chance,” Neala said, breaking the silence.

“Of course not. What did you want to know?” Lusam replied.

“You told me that everyone has an aura, and certain people like you and Renn can see them in others. I also remember you telling me of your promise to your grandmother, to hide your aura at all times,” Neala said, trailing off into silence.

“Yes?” Lusam asked, prompting her to continue.

“Well, if you always hide your aura from others, doesn’t that make you very conspicuous? What I mean to say is, if you don’t have an aura, but everyone else around you does, surely that would make you more of a target and easier to find in a crowd,” Neala said.

“Yes, you’re right, that would make me very conspicuous. My grandmother also realised that potential problem when I was young, and had me adjust my aura so that I appeared no more powerful than a normal person, instead of hiding it completely. The best way I can describe it is like a shutter on a lantern. Normally I leave a small amount of light visible to others, but hide the full strength of my aura behind a barrier, so that nobody can see my full magic potential,” Lusam replied.

“Ah, that explains a lot then. I was wondering why that agent we first came across in Helveel didn’t confront you,” Neala said. Lusam was about to announce he was ready to go and scout the path up ahead of them, when Renn spoke first.

“I was also there when you encountered that agent. I was secretly observing him from a window above, when I saw you both walking up that cobbled street holding hands. I checked your auras and found you both devoid of any magical abilities, so I continued to observe the agent instead. What you don’t know is that when you left the street, he reanimated the corpse that had its throat cut. Then he sent the abomination out into the streets to find and kill you. Of course, at the time I didn’t know it was you, but luckily I was able to find it and destroy it, before it did any harm.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you did. He was creepy enough while he was breathing. I’m glad I never had to meet him face to face when he was dead too,” Neala said, shuddering at the thought.

“Yeah, thanks, Renn. Meeting him once was enough for me too, but how can anyone reanimate a dead person though?” Lusam asked curiously.

“It can only be achieved through the use of necromancy. A vile and dark magic known only to the followers of Aamon. Its very existence is an affront to Aysha and all that she represents. It’s the main reason why the paladins were created, to fight the evil of Aamon’s followers, and their undead minions,” Renn replied.

“How can you kill something that’s already dead?” Alexia asked, with revulsion clearly evident in her voice.

“It’s almost impossible for a non-blessed weapon to kill an undead minion. Fire of course will eventually burn it away to nothing, but regular steel weapons are almost useless against them. If you cut away a hand, it will still grasp at you. Remove a head, and the body will continue to advance on you. They have little intelligence, but they do possess great strength and can easily kill a man. If you’re ever unlucky enough to be confronted by such an abomination, my advice would be to run. They may be strong, but they’re not fast, and you can easily outrun them. Just remember they don’t ever need to eat or sleep, and they will never give up chasing you until they are destroyed, or you are dead,” Renn replied.