Chapter 8
"To arms!!" shouted Lorelei at the top of her lungs as she reached over her shoulder to draw her sword. Behind her came the hiss of steel as the Queen's Guard closed in around their liege. She heard a muffled yelp from Alyssa as the Queen dug an elbow into her guard's stomach and shoved her off. Lorelei cast a swift look over her shoulder, protecting her eyes with one arm. She saw the Queen's rich robes fall to reveal a simple white gown and a jeweled sword strapped to her hips. Her face was impassive as she drew her sword to join her warriors.
The screaming started as everybody in the hall scrambled to get out. The doors swung open as the crowd streamed relentlessly through them, effectively preventing the guards outside from shoving their way in. The birds swooped and dived all through the hall, attacking indiscriminately with beaks and talons. Then out of the dark mass of shrieking avians came three figures, walking forwards calmly. Two black mages and a figure dressed magnificently in scarlet and green.
"Lord Taren sends his regards," he said calmly as he held forth his hand. A mage bolt hurtled towards the cluster of warriors. Lorelei cried out in fury as she saw the two warriors in front crumple to the floor, their flesh sizzling. Then out of nowhere, the Alvamar leapt in front of the remaining warriors, eyes blazing as he engaged his shields. All three mages lifted their hands to fire simultaneously. Lorelei didn't wait to see more. She dived quickly behind the protections of the shields as the cadre rushed the Queen out the doors behind them. The mage bolts struck. She heard the Alvamar cry out in pain as he deflected as much of the energy as he could. Blue light rippled around his shields making it visible and showing clearly where the bolt had broken through. The mage in the middle laughed tersely, bowed to his comrades and dematerialized in a shimmering mass.
"Go!" hissed the Alvamar without looking back at Lorelei. At that moment, the guards from outside finally struggled their way into the hall, screaming their war cry. Both the remaining mages turned at the sound involuntarily. That was all the chance Lorelei needed. She grabbed the dagger hidden in her boot, stepped out from behind the shields and threw it, all in a smooth fluid motion. The female mage turned just in time to see death coming as she took the silver blade into her throat. She toppled to the ground with a horrible gurgle. The Alvamar laughed, a triumphant sound as he blasted the remaining mage with a stream of liquid fire. The dark mage brought up his shields just in time to protect himself, but it was already over for him. Their was no way to win against both the guards and the Alvamar. Lorelei grabbed the Alvamar's sleeve. "Let them take care of him," she yelled. "We've got to get the other one." Both she and the Alvamar turned in unison as the stream of guards reached the last mage.
Lorelei and the Alvamar pounded down the corridor outside the hall.
"If you were a mage working for Taren, who would you go after?" gasped Lorelei, sword in hand, as they raced for the common courtyard.
"The Prince... To destroy the Hope of the Future!"
"Right!"
"Wait!" gasped the Alvamar as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt. "Give me something," he indicated her weapons. Lorelei looked down at herself and pulled her short sword from her waist.
"Do you know how to use this?" The Alvamar took it in a practiced grip as an answer. She nodded in silent tribute.
"I'm no match for him, you know." said the Alvamar tersely as he looked back up at her. "He has the power of transmutation. That's part of Warrior Mage training. You'd best pray that your prince is still alive."
"Don't you know? All vital areas in this castle are sealed with triple level magic shields. Sandrose The Effective put them in place last year."
The Alvamar's gray eyes swung towards the Prince's Tower. "Then we're in luck!"
The Alvamar stepped silently into the room. Standing in front of him was the missing mage, his robes gleaming softly as he tried to find a weak spot in Sandrose's spell casting. At a soft sound, he turned his head to see the Alvamar.
"Are they dead?" he asked casually. The Alvamar inclined his head regally.
"You must know you're no match for me, healer..."
The Alvamar smiled like a shark.
"But I've lived a lot longer than you have," he replied in a dangerously soft voice. The other mage replied with a mocking laugh.
Outside, Lorelei dug her fingers and bare toes into the damp, mossy sides of the wall. She gritted her teeth impotently as she groped above her with one hand. Now why was it that she the one clinging to the side of a tower while he was nice and safe inside?? The wind screamed about her ears as she found another finger hold a foot above her. Suddenly she heard a loud thud as the window she had climbed out of slammed shut. Lorelei groaned, slowly banging her forehead against the cold stone. No way back. Thankfully, the window she needed was almost beside her. She could hear the two mages try to intimidate each other faintly through the glass. After she felt secure with her precarious position, she lifted one foot and placed it softly on the window sill. Slowly, she shifted her weight more onto that foot, praying fervently that the old wood would hold. Searching for another finger hold that would allow her to settle into less useless position, she couldn't help wondering what the two men inside were saying now...
"Shall we?" asked the Alvamar with a courtly gesture. The other mage bowed politely in response just before he emitted a stream of flame from one hand. The Alvamar dropped to the floor in a roll, easily getting out of the way. On the way up to his feet, he whispered a quick spell. Sticky, binding threads formed around the renegade, pining his arms to his side. They dissolved an instant later but by then the Alvamar had his shields up and was ready for a good fight...
Lorelei balanced carefully on the ledge. The wind was starting to pick up, howling like a banshee as it swept around the sides of the tower. She picked up one foot and replaced it to gain her more leverage for when she made her grand entrance into the tower room. Her bare foot slipped off the slimy wood, throwing her off balance. Her breath froze in the chest as she scrambled for her balance. Her body continued to shift backwards. No choice! She grabbed the top of the window frame with her hands and thrust herself forward towards the window.
Both mages twisted around in shock as a warrior smashed through a window with a loud yell. She fell to the floor, the broken glass crunching sickeningly under her. The Alvamar moved instinctively, throwing himself into the body of the renegade mage. The breath left the mage's body in a loud whoosh as the Alvamar's body slammed into him and knocked him to the floor. A moment later, he was wrestling with the Alvamar, surprise and sudden anger forcing all his defensive spells from his mind. Pain exploded as a fist thudded into his face. His hands found the Alvamar's neck and began to squeeze for dear life...
Lorelei climbed to her feet, bleeding profusely. Glass shards dug into her bare feet but she hardly felt them because she couldn't believe she wasn't a greasy spot on the cobblestones below. She stooped for her dagger before she remembered that she didn't have it anymore. Her long sword was all she had left and was much too cumbersome for use in these close quarters. In front of her, the Alvamar and the mage were rolling around as each did their best to kill the other. Lorelei took a precious moment to enjoy the sight...
"Do something, for Mira's sake!!" came a tortured croak from the Alvamar as he pounded the renegade's head enthusiastically against the floor.
The renegade felt cold steel slide over his throat. He could barely see because of all the stars whirling about him but he definitely felt the pressure as the flat of the blade pressed down slowly on his windpipe. Wisely deciding to cooperate, he released his hold on the Alvamar. That exalted personage scrambled off his victim, clutching his throat and gasping like a fish. As his vision cleared, the renegade found himself looking into a pair of very green, very beautiful eyes. And felt the skin beneath the edges of the blade break and begin to trickle blood.
"In a moment, your windpipe will be crushed," came a beautiful voice. "Unless you tell me everything you know about this night's work."
He croaked in assent. The pressure eased just enough to enable him to talk. The mage made an immense effort to calm himself. He needed to remember his attack spells. In the meantime...
"Taren sent me to kill the royal family. The other two were volunteered by the Old One." Lorelei cast the Alvamar a long look.
"You're lying!" hissed the Alvamar as he crawled over to crouch over the mage's face. "The Old One never gets involved in politics. All he's interested in is knowledge."
The renegade gave the Alvamar a long, measuring look. "He had something to gain this time. Your death and the guarantee that it would be done right..."
"Wonderful!" exclaimed Lorelei sarcastically. "With that nutcase on Taren's side, we're really in trouble!" She didn't see the look of concentration that entered the mage's eyes. But the Alvamar did. Moving like a snake, he slipped his hand onto the side of the mage's neck and pinched twice. The mage's eyes faded over as he slipped down into oblivion. Raising his head, the Alvamar met Lorelei's questioning eyes. He shrugged in response to the unspoken query.
"I don't think we would have liked what he was about to do."
Continued in Chapter 9
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