Fires of Prophecy_ Book Two of the Morcyth Saga - Brian Pratt [111]
James takes a slug and throws it at the mage who erects a barrier, causing it to ricochet off harmlessly.
The mage just smiles, as he makes ready to cast a spell. James counters with a spell he’s been devising for just such a time and is able to release it before the other can cast his. The mage knows James has done something but can’t detect anything. He releases a bolt of power and the shield he erected around himself to ward off the slug suddenly turns orange as the bolt of power bounces off the shield, turning back onto the mage.
With a scream of pain, the bolt blasts through the mage before hitting the shield again and then bounces back. The bolt then proceeds to fly from one side of the shield to another until finally running its course. James releases his spell on the shield and the mage, now a charred corpse, falls to the ground.
In stunned silence, the guards at the gate stare for a second at the smoking remnants of their mage lying there in the street and then a cry erupts from then as they charge forward.
Crumph!
James releases the power again and the ground under the approaching men explodes upward, tossing bodies and debris in every direction. A few men were forward of the area that erupted and are thrown forward by the blast. Jiron and the other pit fighters quickly take them out before they have a chance to recover.
Behind them, they can hear running feet as hundreds of guards and soldiers, who had been in the inner area of the city, race to catch them. “To the gate!” James cries as he begins running through the devastated area littered with dead bodies before them.
“But it’s closed!” Delia cries as she hurries behind him.
“Leave that to me,” James tells her as they race toward the gate.
From atop the wall, crossbowmen begin raining down bolts at them. But by luck’s good grace, they all fail to hit their mark.
At the gate, they turn to see the courtyard beginning to fill with soldiers, hell bent on engaging them. “There’re too many!” shouts Scar.
“James hurry!” Jiron yells as he and the other pit fighters turn to face the oncoming men. Being so close to the gates, the crossbowmen on the wall are no longer able to fire upon them. He glances back and sees James standing next to the gates with his hands resting upon them.
Then with an ear deafening crash, the gates fly open and James sags to the ground. On the other side, two guards stand in stunned amazement at the opening of the gates. Scar and Potbelly quickly turn and move through the gate, taking them out in short order. Jiron helps James up and half carries him as they hurry through the gate.
Behind them, a swarm of men armed with swords fill the streets as they race for the broken gates, hot on their trail. Crossbow bolts fly at them from the walls again once they’ve passed beyond their protecting cover, but none find their mark.
Suddenly, they hear horses approaching from the southwest, hooves thundering toward them across the bridge that spans the river. Getting set to sell their lives dearly, they’re stunned to see Shorty and Yorn racing toward them. Behind them are Ezra and Stig, as well as extra horses for each of them.
“Come on!” Shorty yells as they race toward them. He gets down and helps assist Jiron in getting James in the saddle as everyone mounts. Once done, they quickly get in the saddle and then begin racing back toward the bridge. Potbelly cries out from his saddle as a bolt strikes him in the side.
“Potbelly!” Scar yells as he slows to come to his friend’s aid.
“I’ll make it!” he yells back to his friend as he holds his side, bursts of pain exploding from where the bolt is sticking out with every stride his horse takes.
As they cross the bridge, James slows his horse and then comes to a stop. He begins to dismount when Jiron hollers to him, “What the hell are you doing?”
“Delaying them,” he replies. “I may not be good for much after this, so be prepared for that. I need a few minutes.”
Looking back at the mass of soldiers running