Battle Mage by Tim Niederriter

Author:Tim Niederriter [Niederriter, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mental Cellar Publications
Published: 2018-08-06T22:00:00+00:00

The first room in the tower at the top of the pyramid was lined with sputtering candles, and more burned in the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Voices he could not trace and did not understand reverberated through the room, shouting in rage. Edmath peered through the shadows. The voices echoed around the chamber, incoherent, and ghostly. Across the room the huge circular shadow of the sphere of humanity loomed, visible through a partially translucent white curtain.

On the left, a set of red curtains glowed in the candlelight. On the other side of the room, green curtains lay in tatters with small fires burning upon them. In the center of the piles of torn green fabric, lay a small shape, yellow hair gleaming in the candlelight.

“It’s his Grace’s Saale,” Edmath said as he and Chelka approached the girl on the floor. She lay on her back with a long black burn on her forearm. Her other hand clutched a stethian but her eyes were closed and she shook with pain.

“Keve?” He crouched beside her. “Keve Zasha?”

“Edmath Donroi.” The girl’s voice showed no pain, only deadened resolve. “Where is Emperor Loi?”

“I don’t know. We need to find him.”

“Yes. They came here. Akalok Roshi is with his Grace, behind the white curtain. You must be careful, Saales. There are more on their way.”

Keve Zasha propped sat up, head waving with dizziness, and propped herself on her stethian. The ball of the device trickled white smoke like Chelka’s. Edmath looked past Keve to a burned body lying against the wall. The bulging remains of a protean sphere told him the thing had not been human when it died.

“How many are with them?” Chelka approached the white curtain, stethian arm out-stretched. She stared straight ahead and kept a pace as Edmath helped Keve stand up.

Keve looked at Chelka’s back and Edmath followed her trembling gaze. Chelka’s shoulders were exposed by the cut of her dress. She glanced over her shoulder at him and Keve.

“How many?” Chelka asked again.

“At least three, though there were four.” Keve staggered away from Edmath and lifted her stethian. “The three of us should be able to save his Grace if we hurry.”

“Right.” Chelka threw back the side of the white curtain with her free hand and slipped past it.

Edmath followed her with Keve beside him. The young Saale girl whimpered with pain every few paces. Edmath saw blood in her hair, hair the same color as his. He turned toward Chelka as her lighted stethian cast the large shadow the sphere of humanity across the walls.

“This is it.” She breathed a sigh. “I wish we had Brosk. His whale tosh’s echolocation could find anyone hiding here, no problem.”

“I know.”

Edmath blinked. Brosk could be dead by now. He remembered his promise to Yezani not to let his friend fight Ursar Kiet. Even beyond the duel, the memory stung. He started past Chelka and to the altar at the back of the sphere of humanity’s alcove. A figure detached itself from the shadows quickly followed by three more.

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