Rise of the Blade - Charles Moffat [91]
Chev felt the beam shrudder beneath his injured legs and knew he only had a split-second to act. He charged forward across the slowly descending beam and knocked aside Pierce's saber.
With one hand gripping a north-south beam above him, the Doctor took his feet off the beam below him and kicked out at Chev wildly.
The warrior took both feet in the chest and fell backwards on top of the beam. That sudden impact ended the beam's slow descent and crashed downwards through the ceiling of Marque Draque's alchemy shop. Chev dropped his sword and scratched desperately at the air as he disappeared into the darkness below.
Pierce breathed heavily and dropped his saber, taking the beam above him in both hands and holding on. With slow, deliberate movements, the veteran climbed across the beam to the safety of the supporting studs. He was thankful it was his arms that had carried him to safety and not his legs for he was certain they would have given out on him.
A moment later an explosion shook the studs and Pierce grabbed hold of the wooden supports for fear of falling to his death. Looking at the hole in the floor two stories down, he saw white glowing mist rising upwards out of the hole like smoke. "Marque Draque, where are you when I need you," he grumbled.
Chapter 13
Shaking off the pain, Chev felt a sudden awareness unknown to him. He could sense every molecule in his body flex and move, and understood all too clearly how they worked. Normally, when a muscle flexes the individual cells move at separate time sequences resulting in a constant power. Reaching out with his mind, the fighter understood that by flexing all of them at once he was capable of incredible strength and speed.
With little effort, the rock and debris pinning the warrior went flying across the room with the strength of ten men. It crashed through the stone wall like it was a catapult boulder. The whole chamber shook and Chev ignored the debris that fell around him.
Sitting up and looking at his numb legs, the fighter opened his eyes to the power surrounding him. He was bathed in an aura of white and green light. Even as he watched, the blood covering his legs were absorbed through his flesh until he was whole again.
"Magic," he murmured slowly to himself, half in fear and half in intrigue. Looking about the broken chamber, he felt the magical energy present. It flowed around him and through him like a swirling river of yawn. "The magic weave," he said aloud in understanding. The magical weave revolved and flowed around the world like a ocean of magical energy. Wizards used its power to access energy that was normally beyond mortal ability.
The glowing man looked beyond that simple, and it did indeed feel simple now that he understood it, and knew that this was also a source of power used by the gods. The warrior smiled, the light around him shining even brighter as he did so. Reaching out a hand, he grasped a magical strand and felt the raw energy passing between his fingers.
Looking down at himself, Chev saw strands that were not moving. Yellow strands interlaced with red ones in an intricate pattern. Swallowing, the warrior studied the strands closer and felt himself getting drawn into them. Strands of magical energy gathered around his eyes like a lens at his will.
The farmer at the Bravepike ruins. No, not a farmer, a wizard, Chev decided mentally. A moment later he broke through the magical enchantment Korehren had cast on him and understood how he had been duped.
Duped? Chev could scarcely believe it, but there was the proof right before his eyes like some holy vision. It was not the Harpers who had instigated his lover's capture. That had been merely an excuse for the wizard to start Chev's killing spree.
Magical adrenaline composed of weaved strands coursed not only through Chev's veins but all around him as his fury mounted. To have been trapped within a statue for over a century was one thing, but to be so