“You!” he said in disgust. The giant guard that had called him in front of the Guild Council, the one who had been all too eager to take him away for reconditioning, stood there, a wry grin on his face.
“Well, I’ll give you this much,” Talon said. “I guess the girl was real after all.”
Chapter ElevenThe Great Dragon
“And this great leader
Shall be forced to fight against
Odds far greater than any man before him,
And yet he shall prevail.”
Book of Gallian, 12:6.
Year 4999 (Present day)
“Stand back or I’ll . . .” Teryn started.
Talon sneered at him. “Or you’ll what? Swat me with one of your puny spells? Please.” He was starting to really resent King Christopher for having made him watch over the boy wizard all those years ago.
“You have no idea how powerful I am or what I can do to you!” Teryn shot back.
The young mage had a wild look in his eyes like he just might do something crazy if he didn’t diffuse the situation. Talon decided to try logic.
“I don’t, do I?” He scoffed. “I know more than you think. Why else would the King of Coontan have me play babysitter for the Xerczan Wizard’s Guild if not to watch over its most powerful inhabitants?”
Teryn opened his mouth for a second, then stopped short. “Coontan? You may not have noticed, but we’re not in Coontan.”
“Heh. We’re not, true, but this is a mage province, and all mage provinces are under the control of Coontan. Even you should know that. Ever since the fall of the Druin Wizard’s Guild fifteen years ago, all mage guilds were forced to ally themselves with a foreign power or risk extinction. Surely they taught you that at least.” Talon folded his arms over his chest.
Teryn grimaced and his hands faltered in the air for just a second, then his resolve resumed. But he said nothing. Talon pressed the issue.
“King Christopher seems pleased with your overall progress, if that means anything to you.” A hint of an upward curl of the lips appeared on the mage’s face.
“Me?” Talon shrugged. “Pfft. Not so much. But what can you do?”
The young mage’s eyes narrowed, but he still didn’t do anything except take a step closer to Valeria to hide her from view. “What do you intend to do with us?”
“Meh, I have my orders,” Talon told him. “I am to take you to King Christopher so that he can pass judgement on your recent . . . eccentricities. That little teleportation act of yours really caused quite the stir. Imagine his surprise when his top general and several of the Guild’s leaders magically popped into his throne room out of nowhere.”
He paused for a moment and stroked the hairs of his beard. Teryn was starting to squirm a little, which he was rather enjoying. The kid had put him through a lot.
“Whatever happens after that is of no consequence to me, but if it’s any consolation, I doubt he’ll kill you.” A broad, toothy grin split Talon’s face. “I mean, he did beg me not when I left the palace a few days ago. Not that I agreed or anything, but orders are orders.”
* * * * * * * * * *
Teryn’s mind reeled as he struggled to process all the new information. The jeers from the guard he’d tangled with earlier weren’t helping any, either.
Whatever Coontan’s king wanted with him, it surely wasn’t in his best interest. Especially not after he’d broken into the Magic Archives and made a mess of things. His only option was to get past Talon somehow and make a break for it, but that path had its own perils.
If the tall, dark-skinned man before him truly had been sent by the king of Coontan, then he was staring at none other than General Talon.
Teryn had heard tales of Talon’s prowess in battle and was in no hurry to test them out. Sure, with surprise on his side maybe he could manage it, but on equal footing like this? His chances dropped dramatically. Plus, any direct assault would put Valeria’s safety at risk, and he had only just now found her again.
I need time to think. His eyes darted around the room while sweat poured down his forehead, threatening to blind him. And some distance from this muscle-bound freak of nature, of course.
You could always teleport, Terwain interjected, as if reading his thoughts. Honestly, he probably was.
Teleport? Teryn fired back. Even if I had some way to contact the teleport controller in Coontan or Seminary, I sincerely doubt they’d let me use it. What, am I supposed to just ask Talon if he’d do me a solid? Not likely.
No, silly. Terwain tsked. Use Tytin magic to do it, just like you did earlier to make Talon and the Guild Council disappear. Only this time, you do the disappearing act.
His dry lips cracked into a slight smile. He had to admit, the idea had merit. It would give him time to think, if nothing else, and a chance to plan. He needed that.
Are you sure that will work?
Have I led you astray yet?
Teryn had to admit Terwain had not. As a matter of fact, Terwain’s help had been invaluable. He never would have found Valeria without him. He searched his mind for the right words to say and prepared to cast the Tytin teleportation spell.
“Hold tight,” he whispered behind him. He felt Valeria’s grip on him tighten like a vice.
“MOVE MALABOHR!” Teryn shouted, calling upon the ancient Tytin magic and tossing out the name of the first location that came to mind. It was the mountain from Gallian’s book. The one where the Great Dragon lay sleeping.
“Oh no, you don’t!” he heard Talon shout as the magic started to swirl around him.
The big man lunged at him in that instant, right before the scenery around Teryn started to melt, replaced with a soft, blue light.
He instinctively hunched and shielded Valeria’s body, but it didn’t
