The Mists of Sorrow: The Morcyth Saga Book Seven (72 page)

Ozgirath unleashes a massive surge of magic
toward James which grips him in absolute agony. Every nerve ending
on his body flares pain, his muscles begin to twist beneath his
skin. A cry of pain is ripped from him as he drops to his knees.
Responding with magic of his own, he thrusts the invading magic
from him and the pain diminishes.

Grinning, Ozgirath raises his hand and
blackness surrounds it. A blackness so total that is seems as if
the light around it is being drawn within. Before he’s able to
complete the spell, a knife is thrust to the hilt in his back.

Ignoring the blade, he launches the
blackness toward James then turns his attention to Jiron who is
striking him with his other knife.
Fool!
Ozgirath says to Jiron. Lashing out with his arm, he connects with
Jiron and sends him flying toward the dome. Striking it, he
disappears.

“Jiron!” yells James when he sees him
vanish. Unable to dwell more upon the fate of his friend due to the
approaching bulbous cloud of black, he strikes the cloud with a
wave of magic and shatters it.

“
Ahhhh!”

Suddenly Miko cries out in pain. James turns
in time to see the light of the Star diminish greatly as the sword
from a warrior priest severs the arm holding it. Blood spurts out
from the stump as he staggers backward.

Brother Willim moves in with his staff to
engage the warrior priest, allowing Miko a chance to withdraw. “Get
the Star!” he hollers to James.

Then a wave of darkness seems to roll over
them all as Ozgirath stands there with arms upraised. James moves
toward the Star and is almost upon it when he sees Miko’s blood on
the ground. It’s moving across the ground as if of its own
volition, and it’s heading for the dome.

Unable to worry about the ramifications of
that, he reaches where the Star is lying on the ground. Then he
stands there in indecision. He knows it’s his death for him to lay
hands upon it, even to save it from the minions of Dmon-Li.

Brother Willim notices his hesitation and
yells, “The shadows! Get the Star or all is lost!”

James turns and sees the shadows that had
been held at bay by the Star moving quickly toward them. Then out
of the corner of his eye, he sees Tinok where he is still encased
within the barrier he put around him. “That’s it!” he cries.

Casting a spell he’s cast hundreds of times
before, he encases the Star in one of his barriers. Bending over he
picks it up. He hesitates only a fraction of a second once it’s in
his hand before raising it high. “Morcyth, lend me your aid!” he
hollers and the Star bursts to life.

As the light of the Star blazes forth,
screams rip their way through his mind as the light burns the
shadows. The pain from the screams forces him to close his eyes.
When he reopens them, the shadows are once again a good distance
away.

He then turns to Miko and sees him on the
floor awash in his own blood as he holds his severed arm to the
stump. A glow forms where the two ends meet as the power of Morcyth
works to reattach the limb. “Are you okay?” he asks.

Face displaying the pain he’s feeling, he
fails to answer other than a shake of his head.

Whack!

Brother Willim strikes the helm of the
warrior priest he’s facing. Bringing his staff in for another
strike, the warrior priest’s sword unexpectedly strikes the center
of the staff and cleaves it in two. Now unable to adequately defend
himself, Brother Willim is helpless to stop the next attack.
“Asran!” he cries out as the warrior priest’s sword penetrates his
stomach.

Suddenly, the cavern is filled with the
angered screams of Little Brothers. They launch themselves at the
warrior priest. Now in total disregard for their own safety, they
swarm the warrior priest with a viciousness one wouldn’t expect
from such shy creatures. The warrior priest’s sword moves rapidly
as he strikes one after another, but the deluge of bodies is simply
overpowering.

James rushes to his side and can see the
green glow already surrounding him. “Brother Willim!” he says but
the brother is too deep in healing concentration to hear him.

Then all of a sudden, there’s a subtle shift
in the feel of the cavern. Turning his gaze to Ozgirath, he sees
him radiating darkness as he faces the dome. “Oh no,” James says as
he sees the top of the dome beginning to sink toward the floor.

The dark ritual has been completed. The gate
is now ready.

He was surprised when the knife he put in
the back of the High Priest did little to hurt him. Then when
Ozgirath turned and struck him, he was even more stunned by the
sheer strength with which he was struck. There was very little time
for him to dwell on this as he flew through the air. Then all of a
sudden, he was elsewhere.

When he came to land, the first thing he
felt was fear. More fear than he’s ever felt in his life. Barely
able to move, he looks around and realizes he’s no longer in the
cavern. A dark haze lays over the land, the ground cracked as if
all the moisture was taken from it. The air tastes different and
it’s difficult for him to take a breath.

His gaze continues to turn and he knows he’s
not alone. There’s something here with him, something of
immeasurable evil and power though his eyes cannot see it. Pain
erupts in his head as a malignant presence voices strange words in
his mind. Putting his hands to his ears, he tries to shut them out
but can’t.

The dagger Jiron!

Another voice enters his mind and alleviates
in part the pain the strange words give him. This voice gives
reason instead of madness and curbs in part the fear he’s felt
since passing through. A feeling of imminent danger comes over him
as the malignant voice suddenly ceases.

Take the dagger!

Again the soothing voice comes to him and in
his mind’s eye he pictures golden hair, a memory of long ago. Then
his eyes see it. Not more than three feet away lays the dagger he
knocked from Ozgirath’s hand.

Yes

Lurching forward on his hands and knees, he
grabs the dagger by the hilt and a searing pain courses through his
hand and up into his arm. The touch of the dagger is almost more
than he can bear, but he holds onto it tightly.

Flee!

The fear rises within him, as does a feeling
that his imminent death is nigh. Rising to his feet, he turns
around and sees a dark red area that almost perfectly matches the
appearance of the dome in the cavern he just left. Only this area
is flat.

Evil washes over him as he moves toward the
dark red area. Falling to his knees in panic, he cringes. Then he
looks up toward the dark red area and against all logic, sees the
shimmering image of a woman with golden hair. He blinks his eye
twice but the image of the shimmering woman remains. Beckoning to
him, the image gives him strength to once more rise to his
feet.

Then as he takes a step forward, a wave of
force passes him and strikes the shimmering woman. A shriek is
heard as she disappears. With the indomitable will that has carried
him through many times of crisis, he forces first his right leg to
move forward toward the red area, then the left.

Around him, it almost feels as if evil is
assaulting him from all directions. The dagger in his now all but
numb hand shines darkly with power. Step by small step, he forces
his legs to obey him as he draws closer to the dark red area. When
at last he’s near enough, he gathers his courage and jumps…

My lord, the way is ready.

Ozgirath stands there in the cavern before
the gate. The dome has collapsed now until only a dark red,
shifting flat area remains. The gate stands ready and he awaits his
lord’s coming.

The gate suddenly bulges upward as sparks
dance across its top. Then Jiron vaults out from the bulge and
lands before Ozgirath. Behind him, the gate settles down and the
sparks disappear.

Ozgirath’s yellow eyes flash as Jiron
appears from out of the gate with the dagger aglow in his hand.

Jiron sees Ozgirath standing there before
him and doesn’t hesitate in leaping forward. With a mighty cry, he
plunges the dagger with both hands toward the High Priest’s
breast.

James sees him attacking and sends a bolt of
white light from the Star to strike Ozgirath a second before Jiron
does. The bolt of white light explodes when it hits him, disrupting
the spell Ozgirath had planned to use in his defense.

The dagger in Jiron’s hand strikes the
breast of Ozgirath and sinks in to the hilt.

An inhuman cry is torn from Ozgirath as the
runes on the blade flare. At the same time, James turns the full
might of the Star upon him and drives him to his knees.

My lord! Your servant needs your aid!

Then the gate begins to once again bulge and
the sparks appear as they dance across its surface.

“He’s coming through!” yells Brother Willim.
“Forget Ozgirath. You must destroy the gate.”

James understands the logic of what he says
and stops the beam of light going to Ozgirath. Instead he sends the
magic toward the gate and works to prevent the crossing of Dmon-Li
one way or another.

Jiron sees the Little Brothers racing for
the stairs, fearful at what is coming through the gate. The six
warrior priests are gone, now nothing but piles of blood and
shredded meat remain. The shadows are still held at bay by the
light of the Star. Brother Willim has Miko’s head cradled in his
lap and things don’t look very good.

He finds Tinok lying not far away and runs
over to him. The barrier which James had around him is gone.
“Tinok!” he says as he comes to kneel at his side. When he doesn’t
respond, he puts his ear to his chest to see if he’s still alive. A
very faint lub-dub is heard as his heart still beats within his
chest.

Giving him a gentle shake he says again,
“Tinok! It’s me, Jiron.”

His eyes flutter open and at first he is
unable to focus well enough to see. Then the sight of his friend’s
face comes into clarity and he smiles. “Jiron, thank god you found
me,” he says weakly.

“Can you stand?” Jiron asks.

“I think so,” he replies. With Jiron’s help
he makes it to his feet. “Oh man,” he says as he sees James there
struggling to keep the gate closed.

Jiron turns and sees the Star shining with
incredible brilliance. The bulge within the gate moves outward,
then recedes. Outward, then recedes again as James struggles to
keep it closed.

“I can’t stop it,” James says. “Even with
the Star, I can’t prevent him from coming through.”

“What can we do?” Jiron asks.

“Get everyone out,” he says. With sweat
pouring down his face, he adds, “Fast.”

Tinok leans on Jiron’s shoulder as they
hurry over to where Brother Willim cradles Miko’s head. “We’ve got
to go,” urges Jiron. He sees the blood covering the front of his
robes and the two halves of his staff lying on the ground
nearby.

“Miko’s lost too much blood,” he says. “He
can’t make it by himself and I am not strong enough to carry
him.”

“Can you help Tinok?” he asks.

“I’m alright,” Tinok says as he lets go of
Jiron’s shoulder. “My strength is coming back.”

“Okay.” To Brother Willim and Tinok he says,
“You two help each other.” Bending over, he picks up Miko. The hand
that had held the dagger is still a little numb, but serviceable as
life returns to it. Turning back to James he hollers, “Let’s
go!”

James turns his head toward them and they
can see the strain etched across his face. “I can’t go,” he says.
“If I do, he’ll pass through.”

“You said he’s going to pass through
anyway,” he yells back. “We failed.”

Shaking his head, James says, “If the gate
is no longer here, he won’t be able to pass through.”

“You mean…?” he asks.

James nods and says, “I’m going to destroy
it.” When Jiron hesitates, he says, “I can’t hold this for long.”
Reaching into his pouch, he removes the medallion with the warrior
priest symbol and tosses it to Brother Willim. “You don’t have much
time.”

Brother Willim snatches the medallion and
puts it in an inner pocket of his robe. He nods and with he and
Tinok leaning on one another, head for the stairs.

Jiron remains motionless as he stares at
James.

James meets his eyes and says, “It’s been
fun.”

A tear runs down the face of the battle
hardened pit fighter.

“Go,” urges James then turns his attention
back to the gate.

“Come on Jiron!” Tinok hollers from the
stairs.

With the unconscious body of the High Priest
of Morcyth in his arms, he hurries after the other two. Moving to
the stairs, he begins climbing up. He only pauses a moment when he
reaches the point where the stairs leave the cavern. Looking down
at his friend, he sees the light from the Star still shining forth.
Completely surrounding James is a ring of shadows, not nearly as
far back as they had been. “Goodbye James,” he says then continues
up the stairs.

“Jiron?”

Stig comes over to where Aleya is lying on
the bed. Her eyes are open and she sits up abruptly when she
realizes that Stig, Shorty, Reilin and Aku are the only ones in the
room.

“What happened?” she asks. When the others
fail to answer, she understands. “No!” she cries. Rising from the
bed, she starts to head for the door.

Stig steps in front of her and says, “It’s
too late. They’re already in the temple.”

From where he stands looking out the window,
Shorty says, “The whole temple area is swarming with guards and
soldiers.”

Aleya rushes over and looks out across the
dark city. Unable to see the temple well from here, she turns to
them. “How could you let them go in there alone?” she demands. They
can barely meet her accusing eyes let alone answer. “How could he
do this to me?” The last question is more to herself than anything
else.