The Sorcerer's Destiny (The Sorcerer's Path) (2 page)

CHAPTER 2

Azerick lay staring at the ceiling of Brother Thomas’ infirmary. His patience for his convalescence at an end, he rolled off the bed and stood shakily to his feet. He understood the severity of the trauma Daebian inflicted upon him, but it still surprised him how long it was taking to recover. Klaraxis’ demonic body could shake off and heal a horrific amount of damage in relatively short order, but having a soul torn from his body that was as much a part of him as his own was traumatic even for him.

The sorcerer found a robe and slippers in a closet, slipped them on, and made for the door. His movements were slow, and the stab wound in his chest throbbed with every movement. Whether the pain was real or the phantom echo of his son’s betrayal, he could not discern. Brother Thomas appeared in the doorway, blocking his path.

“Azerick, you’re up. How are you feeling?”

“Restless. I have spent the last week, a week of idleness none of us can ill afford, lying useless in bed.”

The priest nodded. “You are the best one to gauge your wellness. How do you feel…spiritually?”

Azerick smiled. “Any remaining demons are all my own. It is like having a boulder lifted from my chest.”

Brother Thomas clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. “It’s good to have you back. I think everyone is probably in the main dining hall right now.”

Azerick nodded, summoned his staff to hand, and stepped out into the brisk morning air. The grounds were already bustling with activity. Classes had not yet begun, but many people were out starting their day before having to begin their regular duties. Students and workers filed into and out of the big dining halls, and guards patrolled the walls and grounds in substantial numbers. Azerick returned dozens of greetings as he made his way across the compound and approached the new tower.

He paused just inside the parlor. Everything was as he remembered it. The crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling emitting a warm light from the magical orbs set in the fixtures. The fine sofas and chairs were in the same place, and Lord Ebenezer Crowley lay curled up in front of the fireplace looking as though he had not moved since Azerick first brought him home with the exception of migrating from the old tower to the new. And yet he felt like a visitor, a stranger even. He had hoped the separation he felt since his return would vanish along with the demon, but it was still there. Azerick steeled himself as he approached the dining room. He did not have time to dwell on self-pity.

All eyes turned to him when entered the room, but Miranda was the first to react. She leapt to her feet and wrapped Azerick in a tight embrace.

“Azerick, you are up! How are you feeling?”

“I am well enough to get out of that infernal bed,” he answered as Colleen made room for him to sit next to Miranda.

“You look rested,” Allister said.

“I should. I have gotten more sleep in the past week than I have in the last eight or nine years.”

Colleen asked, “Would you like something to eat?”

Azerick was pleasantly surprised to find that he did. Klaraxis’ demonic appetite had left him bereft of the desire for normal food, but with him gone, the scents wafting from the dishes on the tables invoked a powerful craving.

“I would!”

Azerick let Miranda heap piles of food on a plate for him before they all started eating and talking about more mundane topics to cover simple breakfast conversations. He was able to learn much of how the students were progressing, political climate, and supply acquisition and distribution just by listening to everyone around him.

“Ellyssa,” Azerick finally interjected, “what do you think of our fighting strength?”

Ellyssa took a moment to compose her thoughts before answering. “Our troops are strong and disciplined. Against a normal enemy, they would far outmatch the best I can imagine. With the inclusion of the constructs, our fighters and mages are able to create an incredibly powerful bulwark against the ravagers. Whether it is strong enough is impossible to say, but we certainly have a chance. My fear is the dragons and the flying ships.”

“We have successfully repelled the dragons in our training exercises,” Rusty defended.

“We have repelled a few
illusionary
dragons with abilities we can only duplicate given our knowledge of the species. We have no idea how many they will bring or the power they can wield. I’ve seen Sandy decimate large tracts of land, and she is still considered a child amongst her kind. On top of that, we have no way of knowing what those ships will bring in the way of offensive capabilities. Even considering the additional wizards The Academy brings, if we scale up the number of dragons accordingly, I don’t think we can withstand the inclusion of even a few more. The amount of power we must expend to withstand their attack drains us too quickly. Our mages will tire before we can defeat or drive away the dragons.”

Azerick nodded as he stared at his empty plate. “I fear as much feared as and have been thinking on this while laid up in bed. You have all done an extraordinary job, and none could do better, but I do not think it is enough.”

“We can’t train any harder, Azerick!” Rusty exclaimed. “We barely have enough time to recuperate between training exercises now, and we still suffer numerous injuries.”

“Relax, Rusty, I am not suggesting such a thing. I know our people are at their physical and magical limits.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Aggie asked.

“I suggest we raise our limits.”

The assembled mages exchanged confused glances. “How do you propose we do that?” Allister inquired.

“You say our mages fatigue too quickly due to the amount of power they must draw to withstand the dragons’ assault. That being the case, we must make it easier for them to draw more power more efficiently from the Source,” Azerick explained.

Aggie furrowed her brow and looked at Azerick dubiously. “You are talking about a Source pool.”

“Every time I think you cannot surprise me with more impossible proclamations, you prove me wrong,” Allister grumbled.

“What is a Source pool?” Rusty asked.

Aggie answered, “As most of you know, the power we tap into to fuel our magic is the residual energy seeping into nearly everything in our world from what we call the Source. The true Source exists on a plane of reality far removed from our own. When we harness it for our magic, it is sort of like filling a glass by sticking your arm out of the window when it rains. It works, but it’s not efficient. A Source pool is much like it sounds. It is a direct well from where the Source springs directly into our world. It is the greatest dream of any practitioner of magic and nothing more than a theory wrapped in myth.”

“It is more than a theory or myth. I have seen one. It is what Lissandra used to extract me from the abyss. Unfortunately, it died with her. I think she may have exhausted it in her final repair of the barrier. Whatever the case, we must create another one.”

“You truly saw a Source pool?” Allister asked in awe.

“I traveled through it. It is—indescribable.”

“Even so, no one knows how to go about creating one. Not to mention, the amount of power it would take to bring one forth is beyond imaginable,” Aggie said.

“Raijaun and I, along with most of you, can do it…I think.”

“Do you still have the power with the demon purged from you?” Allister asked hesitantly. “Are you still able to tap into the power of the abyss? From what I understand, that was a significant factor in the strength of your magic.”

“I can still feel my connection with the abyss. I think because Klaraxis’ body is a construct of the abyss, it still maintains a link to that dark power. In fact, without his constant vying for dominance, I can exert myself further without fear of losing control.”

“Ah, yes, I always forget that little detail.”

Rusty’s jaw dropped. “Are you saying you are even more powerful than you were before?”

Azerick nodded. “In a sense. Technically, my power is the same, only now I can tap it to its full potential.”

“The gods preserve us,” Rusty mumbled under his breath.

“I assume you have an idea of how to accomplish this feat?” Aggie asked.

“I will have to consult the Codex more and, since this involves a great deal of transdimensional magic, I will need your help, Aggie.”

“Of Course, I wouldn’t want you to feel totally responsible for blowing us all up.”

“Could it really blow us up?” Ellyssa asked.

“There is an enormous amount of power involved, and anytime you are trying to harness that much volatile energy you run the risk of losing control,” Azerick admitted.

“How much energy are we talking about, how much damage?”

“Enough that the Scions and their minions might not have much to do when they get here.”

“Oh, wonderful.”

Aggie asked, “When are you wanting to make this attempt?”

“I need a few days to study the Codex Arcana and recover my strength. Just getting out of bed and eating proper food has made me feel better.”

“All right, then. We have a lot to do, and the Scions aren’t going to give us any more time than they have to,” Allister declared as he stood.

The others stood as well and filed out of the dining room to attend to their various duties. Azerick started to follow Raijaun to the lab until Miranda gently took him by the elbow.

“How are you feeling, you know, inside,” she asked.

Azerick smiled reassuringly and hugged her tightly. “Much better. I cannot promise I will be any less distracted, but my soul is more at ease. Hopefully, it will make everyone a little more comfortable. I’m sorry I cannot spend more time with you right now, but I need to talk with Raijaun about the barrier and creating the Source pool.”

“I understand. It’s going to happen soon, isn’t it?”

“I think so. What will you be doing today?”

“I’ve been training with the martial students.”

Azerick leaned away and arched his eyebrows. “Since when?”

“For more than a month. Maybe if you crawled out of your lab more than once a season you would have noticed,” she teased.

“You’re right, and I am sorry.”

“It’s mostly been one on one training with Alex, but recently I have been in the field with them so I can learn more of their troop formations and tactics. It’s not as though anyone is going to let me stand on the frontlines.”

“We absolutely would not. When this is over, the people are going to need good, strong leaders. You must be there to fill that role.”

“I know, but from what you have described, it is unlikely anyone will walk away with a clean blade, and I need to be as capable a fighter as anyone. Besides, it helps me take my mind away from Daebian.” Azerick made a sour face and grunted in reply. “Azerick, please try not to hate him,” Miranda begged.

“I do not understand him enough to hate him or even be angry with him. I think I understand the Scions better than I do him.”

“He’s angry and jealous. So much happened so fast, I think it was just hard for him to adjust.”

“No, acting out in jealously or anger is capricious, and Daebian does nothing without knowing exactly what he is doing and why. I have a feeling Klaraxis has been influencing him for some time, but how much of his actions were due to the demon and how much was his own devious mind is anyone’s guess. I just hope that whatever he has found to do with himself keeps him entertained.”

“I just hope he’s safe. Well, you have your things to do, and I have mine. See you tonight?”

“I will try.”

Miranda tried to put on a brave face despite the pain she felt from the rift still separating her from her husband. She understood what was at stake, and she accepted the fact the world needed her husband as much as she did, but such logic did little to ease her torment. Miranda kissed Azerick and sought out the drill grounds. Some vigorous swordplay would take her mind off her marriage and leave her too exhausted to dwell much on it later.

Azerick felt the divide between them and knew it would only grow wider despite the excision of his demonic passenger. There was just too much to do and too many things requiring his personal attention. He had lost valuable days of work recovering from the wound Daebian had inflicted. Azerick pushed his mortal concerns to the back of his mind as he descended the stairs to his laboratory, the only place he felt at home.

“Tell me of the barrier’s condition,” Azerick said as he entered the lab.

“It does not look good. There are numerous fractures and flaws throughout the expanse. It is all I can do to repair the most severe amongst them.”

“How long before they are able to create a major breach do you think?”

Raijaun sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know. They could create one now for all I know. Given what I deduced from the remnants of their previous breaches, it would not surprise me if they could cause irreparable damage. I have no idea what they are waiting for.”

Azerick looked pensive. “They are setting the board, placing their pieces before making their final gambit. Come; let us go see if we can buy any time.”

Azerick focused his will on the huge gem in the center of the chamber. The light faded and the walls shimmered until there was nothing but the blackness of the transdimensional void. The darkness quickly lightened, and the shimmering screen of the world-enveloping barrier wavered into view.

“
False guardian, you have returned. You are different. You seem to have shed your demonic parasite, yet it was no doing of yours. Betrayal enshrouds you like a voluminous robe.”

Azerick ignored the Scions’ taunting and sent his consciousness throughout the vast expanse of the barrier. What he saw shocked him despite Raijaun’s warning. Huge sections of the barrier looked like continent-sized stained glass mosaics created by webs of fracture lines the size of rivers. The sorcerer had no doubt that the fallen gods could tear a hole through one large enough to send tens of thousands of ravagers pouring into the kingdom if they so desired.

“What are you playing at?” Azerick demanded. “Why do you hesitate to unleash your horde upon us?”