Michael Manning - The Archmage unbound

“If you’ve injured either of those women I will rip that head right off of your shoulders!” he growled through clenched jaws. Turning his head he addressed the two men carrying Penny and Miriam, “Put them down or I kill this bitch.” They stared at him helplessly, unsure what to do.

Ruth glared at them while her face grew red and her eyes bulged. Her mouth gaped as she struggled to speak. Thinking she might give the order Dorian loosened his grip enough for her to breathe. “Release me fool or I’ll have them killed…,” she choked out but Dorian never gave her a chance to finish the sentence. With two long strides he lifted her up and slammed her against the stone wall.

“Then you die first!” he roared. He was beyond madness now and the men holding Penny and Miriam began to lower their captives to the ground. Then Dorian heard strange words and a sledgehammer blow of pure force struck him behind his knees sending him to the ground again. In the course of the fall he lost his grip on Ruth’s throat, but his gauntleted hand left deep bloody gouges on her neck as she fell free and went tumbling away.

Rolling over Dorian rose up again. The balding man, the wizard, was facing him again while Ruth choked and gasped ten feet away. Dorian leapt at him but struck an invisible shield that barred his path. Searching with his hands it seemed to block the width of the corridor. Penny and Miriam were on the other side of it… along with their enemies.

The wizard, Walter was what Ruth had named him, smiled and began backing slowly down the hallway. Ruth was rising unsteadily to her feet, still gasping for air, and the two remaining soldiers they had brought lifted Penny and Miriam again. Desperate Dorian slammed his fist against the invisible barrier in front of him. Walter winced visibly at the force of the blow.

Two steps and Dorian recovered his sword. He had spent enough time with Mordecai to know the effect enchanted blades could have, even on a wizard’s shield. Turning back one swing cut through whatever held him back and then the resistance was gone. Walter’s eyes grew wide in fear.

“Run!” shouted the panicked wizard. “I can’t hold him!”

Dorian had almost made it to the spell caster when another bolt of lightning struck and stunned him momentarily. His entire body was tingling and pain robbed him of his senses for a second, and then he began to advance again. “You’re going to regret that,” he said in an ominous tone.

Walter stumbled back, fear written on his face. Dorian could see the front of the man’s shirt was covered in blood where the dagger had struck him earlier. In desperation the wizard uttered a sharp phrase in an unfamiliar language and Dorian braced himself, but nothing happened. With a cry he leapt forward to grab the older man, but his feet suddenly flew out from under him and he fell to strike the floor, a floor that was now as slick as ice.

The wizard moved quickly back, following his companions, and as he went he repeated his incantation… ice now covered the floor for thirty feet between himself and the almost helpless Dorian.

“What the hell?” Dorian shouted as he tried unsuccessfully to lever himself up onto his arms and legs again. He struggled desperately but only managed to flounder more spectacularly, his frenzy making it even more difficult to find purchase on the ice beneath him. Every second that passed Penny and Miriam were being taken further away as their attackers carried them down the hall.

In frustration Dorian slammed the floor with his fist, sending splinters of ice flying every direction. His hand found solid purchase on the stone underneath. Inspiration struck and moments later he was beating the ice with both fists to clear the ground. Within a minute or less he was past the ice and running after them. Rounding a corner he found nothing but an empty hallway, his foes were nowhere to be seen.

He bounded in the direction he assumed they would have gone, the stairs… still he found no sign of them. Looking back he scanned the floor and considered the doors he had passed. He could see blood on the ground, probably the wizard’s. It appeared he was losing a fair amount of blood. The blood stopped a good twenty feet from the entrance to the stairs.

Squinting he examined the floor there, hoping to find some clue, and as he stared at the area a second spot of blood appeared, as if by magic. He glanced upward, suspecting they had somehow climbed the walls, yet he saw nothing above. Dorian took another step, getting closer to the mysterious area. He could hear someone breathing heavily… perhaps several some ones.

Suddenly the light changed and standing before him appeared the entire group. Ruth appeared to be helping to keep the wizard on his feet. Said wizard chose then to speak, “Why the hell won’t you just give up!?” Another strange word and lightning enveloped Dorian again, sending pain shooting throughout his body. This time the surge of electricity didn’t end immediately, it continued for what seemed an eternity as the wizard focused his fear and desperation on him. “You should be dead already!” cried the man, almost sobbing with emotion.

Yet Dorian did not fall, though smoke rose from his armor and his body had begun to shake uncontrollably. More and more the electricity seemed to be affecting him, though the armor blunted the majority of its deadly effect. Eventually it was too much, and losing his balance he collapsed onto the stone floor. His body grew still, as if after the constant spasms his muscles seemed content to rest at last. Dorian struggled to maintain consciousness.

He could hear the woman drawing the exhausted wizard away, toward the stairs. The man seemed to have lost control of himself and was crying uncontrollably now. “Shut up you damned coward!” Ruth yelled at him. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’ve never killed anyone before,” the wizard answered in a voice that sounded devoid of hope.

“Nothing’s changed then imbecile!” she shouted back at him. “He’s still breathing.”

Their voices grew more distant as they descended the stairs and Dorian struggled to move. Though his body felt like it was made of jelly he was desperate inside. Move damnitt! Move!! he yelled inwardly at his stubborn muscles and slowly but surely his limbs began to obey him again. Several minutes passed and finally he began to drag himself forward, working his way to the stairs.

Within five minutes he was walking, trying to navigate the steep staircase leading downward. More than once his legs gave out on him, sending him tumbling down five or ten feet before coming to a halt again, yet he refused to rest. He wanted to know why I won’t give up, he thought, recalling the wizard’s panicked question… because you have my friends.

By the time he reached the bottom his legs had become significantly more reliable. He noted that there were still spots of blood scattered along the way, which made his task much easier. “You should get that looked at,” he said quietly to himself, thinking grimly of the wizard he had wounded. “Man could bleed to death like that.”

He followed the path out into the castle yard; there the blood and heavy footprints of the men carrying Penny and Miriam were even easier to follow. No one along the way seemed to have seen them. “Rouse yourselves! Enemies in the keep! Close the gates!” Dorian shouted. “They’ve taken the Countess!”

Men began running as he yelled. Guards came alive on the walls, manning the battlements and scanning the surrounding area. Others approached Dorian as he walked steadily across the yard, following the trail of blood. Questions were asked but he had no time for them. “Close the damn gates, they might still be inside!” he shouted.

As he drew closer he could see that the trail had not yet reached the gate. They were moving slowly, invisibly, and trying to avoid detection. Yet his eyes spotted the end of the trail, and more fresh blood as they moved again. They were almost through the gate now. A large collection of guardsmen had gathered beside him now. “They’re right there, in front of the gate!” he yelled. “Fan out and search the area till you lay hands on them. They’re invisible,” he ordered and men moved to obey.