Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (95 page)

George waited for the next swing of the general’s hammer. As expected, Fergus raised the weapon high over his head. The mage lifted both hands. Just as the hammer began its descent, a wicked storm of lightning arced from his fingertips and slammed into his enemy’s chest, sending the barbarian flying across the room toward Senchae who sat on the edge of his throne.

Senchae, seeing that he was in the general’s path, was quick to react. As Fergus flew toward him, the king pushed himself off his chair and then jumped skyward to avoid the collision.

Fergus passed beneath Senchae’s feet and slammed into the throne that sat to the left of the fireplace that was ablaze. The general’s weight carried the throne with him as he crashed into the wall some two paces behind it. The chair crumbled under Fergus’ momentum, and the general slid unconscious to the floor as the pummeled pieces of wood landed around his massive form.

Kepler was shocked. The demon cat studied the peoples’ faces as the spectators’ murmurs filled the room. The jaguar knew his friend had stolen Amar’s power, but he did not realize how advanced George’s magic had become. The undead cat had seen other mages throughout his seasons, but he had feared none of them. Kepler needed to have a serious conversation with his partner.

“Garesh!” Senchae shouted as he released his grasp on the heavy iron chandelier that hung above the fireplace. With his feet planted on the stone floor, he turned to face George. “That was my favorite throne! You destroyed a family heirloom. It’s been in my family for over 1,300 seasons. Perhaps you could finish him without breaking anything else.”

George had to laugh. “Allow me to fix your chair, My King.” He waved his hand and the shattered pieces of wood began to float around the room.

Fear seized the crowd, and they cried out.

Annoyed, the king silenced them all with just a look.

Piece by piece, the wood came together, the magic reforming them until the chair rested in its original position. “I trust that’s acceptable, Sire?” George said as he watched the king shake his head in disbelief.

George moved to stand over his unconscious opponent. Looking around, he noticed the wooden rafters that spanned the room. He removed his dagger from its sheath and stabbed one of Fergus’ feet through his boot.

The pain woke the general as George twisted the blade. The general tried to fight back, but with a simple wave of his hand, George sent the general’s head slamming into the stone wall hard enough to render him unconscious again.

George yanked the dagger free and allowed the blood to flow. He stood, lifted his hands, and Fergus floated toward one of the wooden beams.

Again, screams echoed from the crowd.

Now, with Fergus’ body pressed against the rafter, the mage took his free hand and with a flip of his wrist, he used his magic to drape the general’s arms around it. George walked to a position beneath Fergus. He looked up and levitated toward the beam to ensure the general’s arms were overlapped. He then drifted downward just enough to touch the blood on the general’s foot and then floated back to the floor. He listened to the frightened sounds of the crowd as the general’s arms turned to stone.

Once again, the king demanded silence, and motioned for George to continue.

The mage walked over to Kepler and whispered in his ear. The cat lowered to the floor and allowed George to sit on his back. Kepler rose with his burgundy eyes glowing as he moved to a position near the throne.

The undead beast stood tall and released a deafening roar to wake the general. Everyone in the room had to cover their ears, including Kepler’s feline subjects who buried their heads under their paws.

George knew the people were soaking this up like a sponge. Once he left, gossip would spread through the city about the Peak’s events.

The mage lifted his hands. “General Fergus, you aren’t worthy to serve our king! You cannot command an army when your actions are filled with weakness! It is your moment to pass!”

Once again, a storm of lightning arced from the mage’s fingertips. He allowed the magic to flow until the general’s body was cooked. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room as Kepler called his subjects to him and instructed the cats to lay a paw on one another.

George looked at Senchae. “You might want to buy an air freshener. I’m getting the hell out of here. This place reeks. I’ll see you in the morning, My King.” The mage touched Kepler’s back and motioned for Maldwin to jump in his arms. They vanished.

Senchae moved back to his throne and scanned the faces of his bewildered subjects. The smoke rising from the general’s body was billowing along the ceiling. He shook his head. “I warned you, Fergus.”

GEORGE
and his companions appeared in Mary’s barn. The mage took one of the corgans from its stall and turned its lungs and spinal cord to stone. The large piece of meat fell over and became one big, rare steak. Before he left to find Athena, he waved his hand across the bloody scene. It vanished.

With Maldwin in his arms, he entered the house and gave the little guy some cheese to satisfy his hunger.

Lying in bed with his beautiful wife, he talked to her pregnant belly while Athena rubbed his head.

He would leave for the Barbarian King’s throne room in the morning. Despite his love for his pregnant wife, he was anxious to return to see the results of his handiwork.

SAM
was sitting with Shalee at breakfast feeding her grapes when Mosley appeared to announce that Lasidious would be holding a meeting to disclose where the first two pieces of the Crystal Moon had been hidden.

CELESTRIA
has thought of a project. She has vowed to learn how to make an ospliton pie. An ospliton tree has grown near the witches’ home, and the squirrels she has been feeding have offered to help her pick the best fruit.

SENCHAE BLOODVAIN
left General Fergus’ body hanging from the rafters. He called for the barbarian’s family to collect the body for burial on the Blood Sea. From the looks of it, there would not be anything left of his organs to harvest, since his innards had been fried to a crisp.

The Barbarian King spent many, many moments after George’s departure explaining to his military leaders that he intended to start a war. The moments have come to begin a new campaign to take control of the Kingdom of Brandor. He bragged about his new consulate’s power, using the lifeless general as a visual aid to convince his men that he was right in aligning the barbarian people with the mage. All in all, the meeting went well.

LASIDIOUS
needs to meet with George. There are a few matters that need to be discussed.

Thank you for reading this edition of the Grayham Inquirer

CHAPTER 34

No Loose Ends

Town of Lethwitch

George and Athena’s Home

The Next Morning

LASIDIOUS APPEARED TO GEORGE. Athena had just left her mother’s guesthouse to fix them something to eat. The mage was sitting in a hot bath he had conjured, and he was not fazed when the god appeared.

“Hello, my mortal friend,” Lasidious said as he looked down at the deceiver. “I felt speaking in person would be a pleasant change. How are you?”