Tides of Faith: Travail of The Dark Mage Book Two (77 page)

“James? Jiron asked.

The mage stopped ten yards
from the trees and stood waiting for him. The yellow protective
shield had been deactivated. Now, only a yellow glow emanated from
the mage’s left hand. Something clutched therein inexplicably drew
James’ gaze.

Understanding came. Not a
mage
…
a
priest!

“
James,” Miko said as he
laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “What is it?”

“
He..,.” James began but
the rage threatening to consume him made it difficult to speak. All
he wanted was to destroy that priest and vent his pent-up
frustration and fear for his family.

The tonsured one’s gaze moved from
Captain Anyn to him.

“
The priest’s glow is the
same as the one who attacked my island.”

Every eye turned to the
priest.

“
He the same one that led
the attack?” Jiron asked.

The face of the man that invaded his
island was indelibly etched into his memory. “No,” he said, shaking
his head. “It was an older man.”

Scar spat. “But this one should know
who it was.”

“
We need to take him
alive,” Jiron said.

Pragmatism won out over
vengeance

The priest laid hands on the magical
device and swiveled it on its base so it aimed toward James. A
second later, the crystals upon the device flared and James reacted
instinctively. A barrier sprang to life between them and deflected
the beam.

“
Hikai,” James
said.

“
Yes, Master.”

“
Change of plans. Target
the masts.”

“
As you wish,
Master.”

The first strike slammed into the main
mast. Timber blasted apart and rigging burst into flame. Those
standing nearest the base were thrown back. Over a dozen didn’t
move again.

A second beam shot for him and James
easily deflected it. About to attack in return, he saw a flight of
arrows launched into the air.

“
Azhan!” he yelled then
deflected yet another blast from the magical device.

“
On it, Master.”

At the apex of their arc, a gust of
wind knocked them off course to strike harmlessly into the
water.

“
Next time,” Scar said to
the young mage, “send them back to their owners.”

Captain Anyn raced toward them with
several sailors in tow. “What are you doing?”

Jiron, Scar and the other pit fighters
drew their weapons and created a barrier between the sailors and
James.

“
Protecting your ship,
Captain,” Jiron said.

“
I demand you stop this
immediately!”

Scar laughed. “I don’t think so.” Then
he sobered as he raised his sword. “Stay back, or die.”

One sailor armed with a short sword
rushed forward. A single pass of arms left him falling to the deck,
blood gushing from a gaping wound where Tinok’s knife had been but
a moment before.

White light sprang to life as Father
Vickor leapt forward and caught the sailor before he could hit the
deck. Morcyth’s glow flowed from Father Vickor to the injured
man.

Several of the sailors gasped upon
seeing the glow.

“
These are not our
enemies,” cautioned Miko. He turned to Tinok. “Death is not their
due.”

The pit fighter met the high priest
gaze without flinching and without remorse. Only when Hikai’s
lightning slammed into the other masts, splintering them and
killing more sailors did they look away.

“
Will he live?” Kip asked
from where he knelt next to Father Vickor.

Though in deep concentration, the
priest turned to the novice and nodded. “Yes, Kip. Now leave me to
my work.”

Attacks from the magical device came
one after the other. James had little difficulty in deflecting
them. Summoning magic, he envisioned the magical device blasting
apart, then released it.

A sphere of magic sprang to life
surrounding the mage and the device, blocking the
attack.

Another volley of arrows arced toward
their ship and as Scar suggested, Azhan grabbed hold of them with
magic and sent them back to their owners. Men cried as arrowheads
pierced flesh.

James tested the priest’s defenses,
discovered the reach of the protective shield. Then he created his
own spherical shield, one that completely enveloped the shield
protecting the priest and his device.

“
Azhan, Hikai,” he
hollered. “Here’s a lesson, boys.”

Two shields now glowed upon the deck
of the enemy ship, one inside the other. One keeping magic out, the
other keeping magic in. James subtly altered the aspect of his
shield and could feel deck planks part where they intersected
it.

Then while maintaining the sphere, he
created a secondary spell and his apprentices gasped in awe as the
sphere with priest and magical device, rose from the ship’s deck.
He glanced to Azhan. “Sink it. Leave none alive.”

Grinning, his apprentice slapped Hikai
on the back. “Ready to have a little fun?”

“
This is for
Sami.”

The vision of the young mage’s dead
body on the derelict ship quickly sobered Azhan. He nodded. “For
Sami.”

James didn’t pay his two apprentices
any further attention despite the cries of men and splintering of
wood as the two young mages made short work of the other ship. No,
his attention was on the sphere containing the priest and his
magical device.

Captain Anyn stood aghast as the other
ship was sundered and lightning struck water full of sailors. When
a final crack split it from keel to stern and the ship sank beneath
the waves, he turned to James, “Who are you?”

James kept focused on the sphere
containing the priest until it came to rest upon the deck not far
from him. Then with eyes never leaving the priest, he said, “I, am
The Dark Mage.”

The priest made no indication he
recognized the name, his attention was drawn to where Father Vickor
worked to save the life of the fallen sailor. Captain Anyn on the
other hand, went pale and took two steps back.

“What…” the captain began then licked
his lips. “What do you mean to do?”

“To you and your men?” James replied.
“Nothing, Get underway and let’s get out of here before any of his
friends show up.”

The captain bobbed his head and
shouted orders to his men. Sailors climbed the rigging, sails were
lowered, and the ship got underway.

“Azhan, bring the wind if you
would.”

“Yes, Master.”

The sails filled and the ship flew
across the water.

His two apprentices stood nearby,
looking anxiously at him.

“You did well.”

They grinned.

“Thank you, Master.”

“Yes,” said Azhan. “We thank
you.”

Miko came to stand beside him.
Gesturing to the priest in the shimmering sphere, he asked, “What
do you plan to do with him?”

“Get some answers.” He glanced to the
two Pit Masters. “Ready your darts.”

Scar held up his hand and showed the
one already prepared. “Way ahead of you.”

The enemy priest remained at the
device, his hands gripped firmly upon it. Eyes moved from Father
Vickor to James and back again, he finally settled upon James. The
gaze he shot him would have killed him in his tracks if such were
possible.

James stepped toward the
sphere-trapped priest.

“Who are you?”

“The bane of all who serve the Unclean
One.”

“I serve no one but myself,” James
replied.

The priest looked
unconvinced.

“Do you know me?”

“Yes, you are an usurper, a perverter
of all that is good and holy. One who seeks to defy the laws set
forth by the one most high.”

Miko joined James before the priest.
“What god do you follow?”

“He who would bring light and goodness
to the world. He who battles against all that is evil. He who would
balm all hurts. He that is supreme in the heavens.”

Scar nudged Potbelly, “He that is way
too full of himself.”

Righteous anger overcame the priest
and in a flash, he swiveled the magical device toward
Scar.

“Don’t!” James cried.

The crystals flared and the beam shot
forth. It hit the inside of James’ shield and ricocheted back,
striking the priest. The man’s painful cry was cut short as he
burst into flames.

James dropped the sphere and Miko
rushed forward with glow ablaze. He enveloped the man with the
power of Morcyth as he knelt beside him and the flames
vanished.

The smell of burnt hair and flesh was
strong as the others gathered close. Most of the priest’s chest was
gone and several of the ribs poked through.

Sighing, Miko released the glow and
stood. “He is gone.”

Furious, James rounded on Scar. “We
needed to question him!”

“How was I to know he would be so
touchy?”

“There will be others.”

Turning to Miko, James asked,
“What?”

“I said,” Miko replied patiently,
“there will be others.” Gesturing to the smoldering remains of the
priest, he added, “It is hardly conceivable that he is alone. He
had to come from somewhere.”

Slowly, James nodded. “You’re
right.”

Pulling out his mirror, he searched
the surrounding ocean for signs of other ships. Three, identical to
the one the priest had been on, were sighted coming from the
south-southeast. Zooming in revealed that they, too, carried a
tarp-covered object at the bow that James was certain hid another
of the magical fire-beam devices.

“We can take ‘em,” Azhan said with
utter surety.

“No doubt,” agreed Jiron. He eyed
James, “Do you plan to?”

He zoomed out and continued his
search. “If we must. But a single ship would be better.”

Scar glanced to the mirror, then out
to the ocean. “Which way were those ships?”

James pointed to the south-southeast.
“That way.”

“That’s what I thought.”

Unsure what his friend was getting at
at first, understanding dawned on Potbelly when he realized James’
arm aligned with the keel of the ship. The enemy ships were dead
ahead. And if that were so, they had to be coming from the general
vicinity of…

He turned a worried look to Scar who
nodded. “Exactly. Corillian.”

The enemy ships vanished from view as
James hurriedly altered the spell to bring Meliana into view. The
mirror went black.

“What happened?” Jiron
demanded.

The black was not absolute as
indistinct shadows could barely been seen with the greater
darkness.

“I don’t know…,” James began, then a
sliver of light appeared as a door was opened.

Kendrick, Meliana’s father, stood at
the door, peering through to the other side. One hand was held up
as if to demand silence; the other held a sword. Several moments he
stood there, eye pressed against the opening then he thrust open
the door and waved for the others to follow.

Five men whom James recognized as
sailors and two of Kendrick’s merchant captains followed him out.
Each carried a weapon; three held the sailors’ preferred short
sword, one a stout cudgel and the rest carried crossbows. After
them came over a dozen civilians including Meliana, Kenny, and
Aleya.

Rushing out onto the street, they
followed Kendrick through a mob of terrified citizens. He thrust
them aside, making a path through for the others could follow. If
people did not get out of the way fast enough, they got an elbow.
Any that argued got a fist, but move they did.

Meliana clutched a small bag, as did
all but a few of those who followed Kendrick. Fear was clearly
evident upon her face.

Aleya had her bow slung across her
back along with a quiver of arrows. Where Meliana wore fear, she
looked nothing but determined.

“What is going on?” Shorty
asked.

They passed a familiar eatery, one
that Meliana had taken him to many times. “They’re heading for the
docks.”

“Fleeing?”

James glanced up to Miko and spat,
“Yes.” The anger he felt before was a candle to the inferno that
filled him now.

“Is the island under attack?” Tinok
asked.

Though he was loath to abandon
Meliana, James expanded the image.

Warships of Warlord Azkimal were
locked in battle with the enemy off the coast of Corillian. Several
were aflame and others were in the midst of either boarding the
enemy, or exchanging arrow fire. Beams of yellowish light were
hitting those that had yet to engage. Masts exploded upon impact
and sails burst into flame.