A Dragon's Ascension - Ed Greenwood [63]
With a snarl of rage that was almost a shriek of fear the wizard sprang into the air, his Dwaer-Stone spiraling around him, and let his shield fall away into nothingness. Let the regent try to reach him now! He'd bide his time, and return to-
Another figure was in the sky with him, rising from the field of armored men and shouts of "For the Risen King!" and "Down the regent! Bloodblade for king!"
Blackgult, trailing flames of red and black, his Stones whirling around him!
Jhavarr snarled again, fear overmounting his fury. The Dwaer were just too strong! He needed two Stones, too, for his spells to have any good chance of reaching Blackgult, to slay…
And for the first time that day, the young wizard began to wonder if the man with no escape from this battle might be-Jhavarr Bowdragon.
"That's the last of them?" Bloodblade snapped, his eyes on the sky above.
"Yes, Lord," the swordcaptain panted, reining in. "We don't think any reached the woods. Those who took their stand yonder are all dead-I've set men to walking among the fallen to slay the wounded and any who feign death."
"Good. Scour me this field," Bloodblade said slowly, all his drought on what befell overhead. He waved a vague and bloody-gauntleted hand at a hilltop. "Keep back from those shimmerings, there-that's some evil Blackgult worked, some slaying magic that can do nothing if we go not near. Search everywhere else."
He frowned, and waved his hand again, back and form. "All others: scatter, that no great whelming of men be in any one place-at least until that is done."
The swordcaptain knew very well what "that" was. Two tiny figures stood on empty air above, flashes of magic streaking betimes between them-and one of the two had begun to blaze with light, like unto a star in the night sky. He turned his horse towards the nearest armsmen, to relay the Lord's command to spread out, glanced up at the blazing star overhead, and swallowed. Against whatever might stab down out of the sky, a soldier had no good shield.
Hmmph. No wonder so many priests insisted their god was up in the sky, always watching.
You'd think some of them might stir themselves to help, from time to time.
Or wait; would that be the worst doom of all?
"What are you doing?" Jhavarr screamed, as his Dwaer slowed around him and he started to fall-so had Blackgult's; he was falling, too!
Frantically Jhavarr clawed at his Stone with his mind, abandoning the spell he'd been going to cast. Move, bebolt you! Move, and give of your power again, unto me…
There! Hah! Torn from Blackgult's clutches, whatever his crazed plan!
"Were you trying to kill us both?" he shouted. "Tired of life at long last, Regent of Aglirta?"
"It will be some years," Blackgult said, his voice sounding calmly right beside Jhavarr's ear despite the goodly span of empty air between them "before you gain wits enough to battle me with words, Bowdragon. Didn't your sister ever get tired of your endless shouting?"
Fury flamed in Jhavarr once more, white-hot and so bright that for a moment-just a moment-the air around him blazed like fire, too. It had been some time since he'd been able to see Blackgult, but the starry rathance cloaking him could only be another Dwaer-trick, after all…
When his throat loosened enough that he could form words again, he spat, "You dare to mention Cathaleira? To taunt me with what was done to her?"
"Young mage," Blackgult reminded him coolly, "you've dared rather a lot of things, since arriving unheralded in fair Aglirta. As regent, I'm sworn to defend this land-and if I have to dare things and taunt you to best do that, be assured that I will."
Jhavarr's Dwaer slowed again, his rathance winked out, and he fell again-not so far, this time, but enough to choke him once more. "W-what are you doing?" he screamed in bewildered rage, when he could speak.
"Taking control of your Dwaer, if I can," Ezendor Blackgult said in a voice of iron. "I've no more time to spare for yapping young puppies who think sorcery is all lording over others