The Mage's Limits: Mages of Martir Book #2 (24 page)

“G-Get him, guys,” Gujak said, his teeth chattering. “I can't hold him forever.”

Hollech didn't even hesitate. He drew his Void metal sword, long, thick, and sharp, and ran at Uron with all his might. Durima realized too late that Hollech was gone, so by the time she reached out to stop him, he was out of her reach.

Uron struggled against the roots, even breaking apart a few of the weaker ones, but his progress was slow. Soon Hollech was before him and, in one smooth motion, shoved his sword directly into Uron's heart, pushing it in all the way up to the hilt. The snapping of wood signaled that the sword had even pierced through Uron's back, though Hollech did not cease pushing down on it.

“Die, you wicked otherworlder,” Hollech said, his voice clear and hateful. “I may not be as strong as Skimif, but this Void metal sword should certainly be more than enough to end your pathetic little life once and for all.”

For a moment, Uron's facial expression was genuinely shocked. He coughed, and some kind of liquid, maybe blood (although Durima didn't know if he had blood), came out of his mouth. The half-gods, meanwhile, watched the whole event in silence, though how long that would last, Durima didn't know.

Did Hollech actually succeed?
Durima thought, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Did he
actually
kill Uron?

Then Uron's lips twisted into a smile. “Nice … try, Hollech. You genuinely … hurt me. But I am no mere mortal. A sword through the heart means nothing, for I have no heart.”

That ominous pronouncement was followed by the bursting of wood, which Durima realized too late was the God-killer breaking through the root cocoon wrapped around Uron. The fingers of the God-killer wrapped around Hollech's neck, causing Hollech to whinny in fear as Uron lifted him up off his feet.

“Don't be afraid, Hollech,” said Uron, his breathing somewhat ragged. “You will soon join your two sisters in the afterlife. Isn't that wonderful?”

Hollech kicked and brayed, but Uron didn't let go. He merely tightened his fingers around Hollech's throat; the next moment, Hollech slowly began to disintegrate just like the Spider Goddess had. The disintegrating effect started at his shoes and slowly began making its way up Hollech's legs, until soon it reached his waist, and then his chest.

The banished god did not get a chance to say his last words. The disintegrating effect soon consumed his chest and head, leaving nothing except a pile of dust before Uron's root cocoon.

“Master Hollech!” Gujak screamed. “No!”

Durima didn't scream, mostly because she knew that that would be useless. Instead, she drew upon what little magical energy she could and summoned a burst of bright, white light that blinded her and, from the sound of it, everyone else as well.

She heard Uron breaking through the root cocoon and knew he would be free in minutes if not seconds. So she dashed by him, her eyes closed to avoid getting them harmed by her own light, and grabbed Gujak, who was still screaming Hollech's name. She hauled him over her shoulder and then took off in a random direction, barreling past the slimy body of a half-god that shrieked in surprise when she knocked him over.

Durima didn't have a particular destination in mind, largely because the flash burst she had set off was still in effect. She just ran and ran, hoping to get out of the reach of Uron and his half-gods, willing to go anywhere that they weren't.

Even so, she could not help but feel that with Hollech out of the way, there was literally nothing to stop Uron and his half-gods from destroying World's End now.

And even worse, there was nothing she or Gujak could do to warn the Martirians of their impending doom. Nothing at all.

Chapter Sixteen

One month later …

E
ver since achieving Limitlessness, Darek didn't know how he had ever lived without it. Whenever he woke up in the morning, he didn't drag as he usually did. He got up, went down to the prison yard where breakfast was served (nothing more than slop and some kind of mystery meat, although it was good enough for him), chatted with a few of the other soldiers, and then found a partner and began another long day of training in the Limitless Army.

Much to his surprise, it had only taken him one week after arriving on Rock Isle to achieve Limitlessness. He had been training with Aorja, under the careful supervision of Jakuuth, when he broke through the ceiling again, but rather than fall unconscious, his high had stuck with him.

That was exactly what being Limitless felt like: An endless high. As a Limitless, colors such as Jakuuth's red robes were vibrant and richer, sounds were amplified so well that he could hear even the heartbeats of his fellow soldiers during training, and even the subtlest changes in temperature did not escape his notice. Not only that, but he could go much longer without food; once last week, he trained the whole day without eating so much as one morsel of mystery meat.

He now understood why the Limitless Army was so organized and disciplined. When you looked at the world from the perspective of Limitlessness, all of those petty disagreements and arguments that divided people no longer seemed quite as important. He almost began to feel a kinship with his fellow soldiers, as if they weren't guilty murderers, thieves, and rapists, but brothers-in-arms who would do anything for each other.

Except for Aorja. Though his Limitlessness had made him feel closer than ever to the Army, Aorja still treated him like the spy he was. She always avoided him whenever she could, even at mealtimes, and glared at him every time she saw him.

Granted, Darek would sometimes return the glares, as he wasn't exactly fond of her, either. Still, sometimes, when he was lying in his cell at night, trying to go to sleep over the snoring of his cell mate (a former murderer who called himself Slash), he found that he wished he and Aorja got along better. Yet she clearly didn't want to rebuild their friendship, so most of the time he forgot about it in favor of focusing on his daily training.

So Darek was quite surprised when he felt someone shaking him awake and, upon opening his eyes, saw Aorja standing above him. Her blonde hair was tied back in a knot behind her head, putting her impatient features into sharp relief as she stopped shaking him.

“Aorja?” said Darek, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with a yawn. “What are you doing here?”

“Jakuuth told me to wake you,” said Aorja. She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Today is the first day of the invasion. He told me to make sure that every soldier was awake and ready to leave for North Academy immediately.”

Darek craned his neck. “Aren't we going to invade World's End, too?”

“Yeah,” said Aorja. “But not you or me. He wants us specifically to join him on the assault on North Academy. He probably wants to have our knowledge of the school on hand so we don't get taken by surprise by any unexpected traps set by the students and teachers.”

“How could they possibly set traps for us?” said Darek. “It's not like they know we're coming, right?”

Though Darek said that, he knew it was probably false. The Ghostly God had most likely told Skimif and the other gods about Jakuuth's plans. Darek did not know for sure, but he could see Skimif or one of the northern gods going to the Magical Superior and warning him about the Limitless Army. If so, then Darek began to doubt whether the Army would win today.

We may be the Limitless Army, but that doesn't mean we're invincible,
Darek thought as he sat up and tossed the rough cotton blanket off his body.

“Go to the prison yard,” said Aorja, already heading for the open door of his cell. “Jakuuth said that that is where everyone is supposed to gather. He's going to give one last speech before we leave, so don't miss it.”

Darek watched her go, rubbing his sleeveless arms. Aorja sure seemed to be in a hurry, though he understood that completely. She most likely didn't want to be in the same room as him for even five minutes.

So Darek jumped off his cot, pulled on his mage robes, washed his face and hair in the smelly basin in the corner of the cell, and then stepped out of his cell onto the walkway just outside it.

Under the first rays of the morning sun, Darek saw that most of the soldiers were already present. Most of them stood around talking, simply passing the time until Jakuuth decided to speak. As he walked down toward the prison yard, Darek also noticed Jakuuth standing on a makeshift wooden stage, deep in discussion with his two lieutenants, the twin katabans sisters known as Rema and Gonar, respectively.

Darek slowed when he saw those three, dread rising in him despite his best efforts to hide it. As always, Jakuuth looked firm and in charge, his mouth moving quickly as the lieutenants listened to whatever he was telling them. Jakuuth seemed to notice Darek, however, because he briefly waved at him, forcing Darek to wave back to avoid raising suspicions. Then Jakuuth returned his attention to Rema and Gonar.

Over the past month, Darek had indeed grown close to Jakuuth, just as he had planned. Jakuuth had been quite pleased with Darek's progress, claiming that Darek had achieved Limitlessness faster than any of the other prisoners on Rock Isle. Darek did not know if that was true; he suspected that Jakuuth only praised him because he was Jenur's son, despite Jakuuth's obvious bitterness towards his mother.

As a matter of fact, Darek was starting to think that Jakuuth saw him as a son figure. And, as much as Darek hated to admit it, he found himself more and more looking to Jakuuth as a kind of father. It made no sense, but over the past month Darek found himself thinking about what Jakuuth would do in certain situations, as if Jakuuth was the pinnacle of purity and moral behavior.

It made some sense. Although Mom had raised Darek well and good, he had never had an actual father of any sort. He had always treated the Magical Superior as more of a grandfatherly figure than anything due to the Superior's ancient age. Even as a child, Darek had always wanted a father, but he thought he had abandoned that desire after becoming an adult himself.

I guess even adults still want parents,
Darek thought.
I wonder if Mom ever misses her father.

This was a problem, though. If Darek couldn't kill Jakuuth … well, then the entire mission was jeopardized and he would have to abort. He didn't know how to do so, however, because that would mean leaving Rock Isle and he knew for a fact that the nearest island was too far away for him to teleport to.

He didn't risk sending a gray ghost to contact the Magical Superior or the Ghostly God for assistance, either. Despite his reservations, Darek was confident that he could kill Jakuuth. He seemed to trust Darek more than anyone else in the Limitless Army, aside from Rema and Gonar. True, Jakuuth did not share all of his secrets and thoughts with Darek, but Darek knew that Jakuuth did not suspect him to be a spy, at least.

Maybe I'll even kill him today, before we leave for North Academy,
Darek thought, touching his wand, which hung off his belt.
That would be perfect … well, until the Army tears me to shreds after finding out about it, anyway.

That was another problem he faced. The Limitless Army worshiped Jakuuth like a god. Every soldier seemed to believe that Jakuuth was indeed the Son of Grinf. Not that Darek questioned it openly; he had seen one soldier question Jakuuth's true parentage, only for that soldier to be lashed to the rocks on the beach, where he was pecked to death by the sword seagulls that made their homes on Rock Isle's coves.

If Darek killed Jakuuth today, here on Rock Isle, then he would have to do it in private and find a way off the island quickly after performing the deed. If he was too slow, the Army would find out what he did and would destroy him.

Maybe the Ghostly God will provide a way for me to get off the island after that,
Darek thought, slowing his pace due to a couple of other late-comers walking ahead of him.
But I don't recall him ever saying what we'd do
after
I kill Jakuuth.

He had the sinking feeling that he would be on his own when it came to escaping Rock Isle after killing Jakuuth; assuming, of course, he succeeded in killing him today at all. He just couldn't keep thinking about what would happen if he tried and failed. No way in hell would Jakuuth merely shrug it off. Jakuuth was as justice-obsessed as your average Grinfian, perhaps more so due to his belief that he was the son of the God of Justice himself. He would not take an attempted assassination from one of his favorite soldiers well.

When Darek reached the prison yard, he was about to take up a spot near the back (as he was not interested in going to the front), when a clawed hand fell on his shoulder, causing him to whirl around in surprise.

It was Rema, the tall, skinny, red-skinned katabans lieutenant who always seemed to be at Jakuuth's side. Darek hadn't heard her walk up to him, but over the past month he had learned that katabans could move as quickly and silently as they wanted. He suspected it was some kind of magic at work, though that didn't stop him from being surprised every time Rema or Gonar appeared behind him like that.

“What do you want?” Darek asked. He knew how hostile those words sounded, but he didn't care, as Rema had always creeped him out.

“Jakuuth asked me to tell you to join him on stage,” said Rema, gesturing toward the makeshift stage at the front of the crowd. “He wants you to stand by him while he gives the Army one last speech before we begin the invasion.”

Darek groaned internally, but he knew better than to reject Jakuuth's offer. Jakuuth did not take rejection well, to put it lightly. Darek had once heard a story about how, during Jakuuth's first week in Rock Isle, one prisoner had refused to obey an order Jakuuth had given him. The prisoner had then been turned into ash and his ashes scattered over the sea.

So Darek nodded and said, “All right, I'll—”

He cut himself off when he blinked and realized that Rema was no longer there. A quick glance in the direction of the stage showed him that Rema now stood next to her sister Gonar. He hated it when she did that, but rather than complain about it, he walked around the perimeter of the Army toward the stage at the front.