Tak

The Gem Lords - Part 5

     The guards on duty at the city's gates let them through as normal, not suspecting that there was, or would soon be, anything amiss. Barl and Tak made straight for the palace, where again they were allowed to enter by guards who knew who they were and that they belonged to the city's ruler. Not for much longer, though, thought Tak, shivering nervously. Not for much longer.

     The other Gem Thralls were gathered in Gal-Gowan's laboratory, where they'd started an experiment that they knew, from long experience, generated a lot of magical static that interfered with other spells, including scrying devices such as crystal balls. So long as the experiment was underway, they didn't have to worry about their master eavesdropping on them. "How did it go?" asked Talpha-Ja, staring at them intently with his brilliant green eyes.

     "Cuthbert and Gal-Gowan are dead," said Barl, "but there's just a chance Cuthbert may have been able to alert Khalkedon before we got him. We were delayed in getting to him."

     "He hasn't done anything to suggest he's on to us," pointed out Enna Mael hopefully.

     "Unless he's just playing a game with us," suggested Sheena, her eyes widening with fear. "Maybe he's laying a trap for us!"

     "Let's not get carried away with paranoia," said Lan, though. "If he knew about us, he'd have done something by now. I'd bet my life on it."

     The others nodded, their master's fiery temper being well known to them all. "What about the rest of you?" asked Tak. "Everything go well?"

     They all nodded, although he noticed for the first time that Alustra was standing stiffly, as if she had bandages wrapped around her chest. "I failed to catch Sholl by surprise," she explained, "and had to fight a pitched battle with him. He got in a couple of good hits, but I got him in the end. He's dead."

     "They're all dead," added Lan. "Everything's going well so far. Now we have to take Khalkedon himself. I suggest we move immediately. Right this minute."

     "Wouldn't it be better to wait until tomorrow?" asked Barl, however. "Tak and I are tired from a long journey, we'd be in better shape to face a rak after a good night's rest."

     "What if he tries to contact one of his dead wizards during that time?" the opal eyed wizard replied. "If we move now, we've got the element of surprise. If we wait we risk losing that. May I remind you what happened to Ehr Laing?"

     They nodded reluctantly. Lan was right, they had to move now. "Let's go then," said the redhead, and the seven wizards filed slowly and apprehensively out into the corridor.

     The last time they'd tried to gain their freedom, Ehr Laing had disabled the rak for two days by blasting his undead body. A single wizard had taken him out with a single spell. They were desperately hoping it would be as easy this time, but the rak had learned not to take his thralls' obedience for granted and had erected a powerful defensive shield around himself, a shield that was invisible and undetectable most of the time and that protected his body for day after day as he went about his daily routine without any of his courtiers, advisers or wizards being aware of it. Lan's first spell was deflected harmlessly, therefore, the pencil thin line of actinic blue light being scattered into sheets and tongues of flame that set everything in the rak's throne room alight.

     Khalkedon reacted with surprise, then laughed, to the dismay of the seven wizards, while outside they heard shouted orders as the palace guard raced to the aid of their King.

     "So, you finally found the courage to try again!" the rak cried, striding forward, the aura of cold emanating from his withered, shrunken form snuffing out fires as he passed them. "My mistake. I allowed you to grow too powerful, too confident. In future I shall eliminate any thrall whose power passes a certain level. Do I guess rightly that you have killed the others?"

     Lan didn't waste time talking, however, but continued hurling spell after spell at him. "We can wear down his defences!" he cried. "He knows that! That's why he's trying to keep us talking!"

     Khalkedon roared with fury and hurled a vicious death spell at him, which was barely deflected by his own defences, and the others joined in the attack with renewed hope, all except Barl and Alustra who were kept busy holding the palace guard back. Fragments of spent and deflected spells filled the huge throne room with a coruscating maelstrom of light and fire, scorching the walls and throwing furniture around like toothpicks in a tornado. Tak was struck full in the chest by a huge crystal chandelier torn from the ceiling and thrown at him with all the force of a ballista bolt, and the impact of the solid iron framework smashed his collarbone and threw him against the wall, where he lay for a moment with stars dancing before his eyes.

     He pulled himself back to his feet and cast Dolman's Doom at the rak, the corona of released energy it generated around the rak King merging into that of the other wizards' attacks. The amount of magical destruction they were hurling at the rak would have destroyed half an army or blasted a mountain to rubble, but Khalkedon just took it, doling out attacks of his own that battered their defences to within an inch of failure. Sheena was reeling against the burning wall, holding her head in her hands, tears of agony escaping from between her squeezed closed eyelids, and Talpha-Ja's whole side was blackened and burned where the runes sewn into his robes had momentarily failed, letting the flames in for the briefest moment. Tak's head was swimming and he could feel himself close to losing consciousness. He roused himself back to full awareness with an effort. They had to keep it up. There had to be a limit to the rak King's defences. There had to be!

     It was beginning to seem that they would have to admit defeat, though, and Tak began to despair as he felt his supply of magical power beginning to run low. Finally, though, Khalkedon began to look uncertain and edged away towards a doorway behind him.

     "He's reaching his limit!" cried Lan jubilantly. "Don't flag now! Keep it up! Keep it up!" Even as he was preparing to cast another spell, though, the ceiling finally gave way under the punishment and half a ton of plaster and wood fell on the opal eyed wizard.

     Tak cried out in horror, and Khalkedon saw his chance to make his escape. He turned his back on them to run to safety, but a barrage of spells from Barl, Tak and Enna Mael, the only wizards still standing, caught him in mid step, and with a final incandescent flare the rak King's defences finally failed. The shrunken, mummified body was instantly consumed by the fires surrounding him and suddenly there was only a cloud of ashes where he'd been just a moment before. They caught, or thought they caught, the briefest glimpse of a nauseous green light hanging in the air, as if trying to hold the ashes together in a man shape, but then it faded, if it had been there at all, and all that was left of Khalkedon was whipped away by the roaring flames.

     The building was well and truly alight now, so the wizards still standing dug their fallen comrades out of the wreckage and dragged them to safety. Some guardsmen tried to take them into custody, but Tak cast them aside with a muttered word and a wave of his spectrally glowing hand and they scattered in panic. They weren't being paid enough for this, and with the palace burning down it was every man for himself. They had no further trouble from the guards, therefore, and the seven wizards, some walking, some being carried or supported on the shoulders of their fellows, limped their way back to the still intact residential wing.

☆☆☆

     Lan was the worst hurt, with extensive burns, broken ribs, a fractured skull and a lot of lost blood, and even the application of a healing potion wasn't enough to fix him up right away. Enna Mael gave him a sleeping draught, therefore, and told the others she was going to stay with him. "He'll need someone to look after him if any guards turn up," she told them, "and he may need further medical treatment."

     The others agreed, but suggested she lock herself in. "You're not in such great condition yourself," Tak pointed out, "and some of the apprentices may come looking for you. They may be young and inexperienced, but I wouldn't disregard them when they're out to avenge a dead master."

     She promised to look after herself, and so the other five left, bracing themselves for the real ordeal that was about to begin.