The Bard: A Story Read online

-4-

  They looked around the room and found a much smaller exit opposite the tunnel the dragon had escaped down. Silliane drew his new blade and led the way with Glorianna trailing behind him.

  The passageway was more natural stone with a few braces to keep the roof supported. Silliane crept down as quietly as he could. They came to a turn and Glorianna stopped so the light did not go past the curve. He slipped forward and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He spied an old wooden door about fifteen feet ahead of him. He signaled for Glorianna to douse her light and come forward.

  “So what do you think?” Silliane whispered once Glorianna had seen the door. “Do we bust down the door or knock like civilized folk?”

  Glorianna gave a sly smile and started chanting lowly. The door began to glow and a large glyph that had been etched into the wood came into view. She stared at it as the magic faded.

  “Step back,” Glorianna said as she stepped back as far as she could but still keep the door in view. She said a few words lowly and placed a shield around herself. Then a quick word or two sent five glowing balls at the door.

  The door exploded with a gush of energy that made Glorianna reflexively cover her face with her arms. Silliane came around the corner with his sword leading and made his way to the door trying to pick out any threats in the dust and smoke. Entering the room, he found himself in another workroom with tables and vials everywhere. This one was much bigger than the room at the top of the tower and there were more devices around the edge of the room.

  “Who dares?” screamed a gravelly, cold voice.

  Silliane turned his head towards the sound and found something he’d heard about but never seen before. A gaunt male figure stood at the far end of the room to his right. His skin was pulled tight giving him an evil grin on his grey skinned face. His red and black trimmed robes reached to the floor and hung loosely around his arms. Faint strands of hair waved lazily around as his hands weaved through the air beginning to charge it with magic.

  “LICH!” came Glorianna’s scream as she entered the room.

  Magic screamed past Silliane’s head and slammed towards the lich. The air around it sparked as the creature laughed.

  “I have been around for well over 300 years,” the lich said. “Do you think that your paltry magics could harm me?”

  “Let’s see if steel can then,” Silliane exclaimed as he charged towards his opponent.

  Silliane drove his blade into the belly of the beast. The lich screamed as the sword flared and flamed inside of the creature. Silliane was startled. He knew his sword was magical, but he didn’t expect that. The creature struck out and, with a greater strength that belied its thinness, hit Silliane hard in the jaw. He flew backwards into one of the many tables, glass shattering around him. Shaking the cobwebs from his mind he noticed that his sword was still in his hand and smoking from its ignition. Standing slowly, Silliane made to make another run at the lich.

  Hard words came from the lich’s mouth as magic erupted from its outstretched arms. The energy hit Silliane hard and threw him backwards again, his armor taking most of the blow. Then the creature swept the room with its magic and hit Glorianna full on, bringing down what was left of her magical shielding.

  Glorianna kept her feet and stared at the lich as she crouched down. Two spells left in her staff and only one would do much good in this immediate circumstance. She began chanting and weaving with one hand while the other brought her staff up. Finishing up her spell, she tapped the end of the staff forcefully on the ground. Silliane watched as two more spells erupted from his lover. The first shot from her fingertips, a blue light that sizzled out on the magical shields of the lich. The second was a more directed attack, sending a flaming ball exploding against the lich’s shield and the creature itself.

  When the smoke cleared Silliane was staring at the lich. He could practically feel the anger coming off the creature.

  “ENOUGH!” the lich cried out as it waved its arms.

  Silliane felt his body bind up and watched as he and Glorianna were thrust hard against the rough walls. He tried to move his arms but his body wouldn’t react the way he wanted it to.

  “It has been centuries since I’ve felt pain,” the lich cried out. “When I was less than what I am now, when I was known as Maelstrom, I was the one who was looked over. Now I am the one to be feared as I showed the Sunlight Empire all those years ago.

  “First,” the lich continued, “I’ll take the man and feed him to my ally Snag.” The lich walked around a table, his mood cooling as he walked. “Then I’ll take the maiden and turn her mind inside out and steal her magical secrets before I discard her spent husk.”

  If it was even possible, an evil sneer crept across the lich’s face making him even more grotesque. As he stepped closer to Glorianna with his hand outstretched, Silliane began struggling ever harder. He couldn’t stand the thought of that creature hurting, let alone touching, the love of his life. He pushed against his magical bonds with everything he had.

  a sparkling voice came to him.

  Silliane paused and looked at the fear and anger on Glorianna’s face. It wasn’t her voice he had heard.

  the voice said again.

  Silliane pushed harder than he thought he ever could. Then his sword flared again. He saw red as flames leapt up in front of his face. Then he was free and he collapsed onto the ground. Looking up, as he tried to stand, he heard Glorianna’s voice bark out a command. The lich was flying backwards as tables and vials crashed around him. Silliane lifted his sword and charged screaming as he went.

  “That’s it,” the lich said. “Fun and knowledge be damned. You both die now.” With both arms outstretched, the lich let forth another blast of magic that caught the two lovers at the same time.

  Glorianna shook off the blast of energy and put up another shield. She held back the magic and looked over at Silliane. A tear came to her eye as she saw her man stretched out and in pain. He apparently didn’t have enough to fight back now. With sadness and a smile she came to a conclusion and set the last spell in her staff in motion. She watched as a black disk with purple edges emerged behind Silliane and began to swirl.

  The pain was immense and then Silliane was being pulled backwards. He opened his eyes to find himself slowly backing down a dark tunnel with the lich’s magic retreating from his body. The last thing that he could remember, as he was pushed down the tunnel by the force of her will, was a vision of Glorianna being pulled backwards towards the lich. She had a happy smile on her face as if she knew that everything was going to be okay.

  Silliane awoke later, how long he didn’t know, lying beneath a tree outside of a farm. His sword lay in the grass a few yards away. He recognized the tree as one that he and Glorianna had spent the night beneath before they had trekked off into the wilderness to track down the goblin menace. He knew that he was a good week from the lich’s tower and he also knew that he’d never be able to confront all of the goblins, a dragon and an ancient lich all by himself. He’d need friends to help.

  Silliane stood with a small tear in his eye.

  “I’ll get you back my love,” he promised. “It might not be for a while but I’ll either get you back in my life or I’ll destroy everyone who had something to do with your death.”

  He turned his back and headed west. West to his home.