The Young Mage Ch. 03

Then, she was unable to speak anymore. Magnus's lips were on hers, pouring all the emotions he had inside of him. Their warm bodies were touching, their skin burning with desire, but kissing was all that their souls craved. Minutes went by before their lips parted, both of them breathing heavily. They smiled at each other, their tongues tracing their own lips, hungry for the taste of the lips that were touching them.

"Come..." Magnus said, taking her hand and guiding her to his pallet. They both undressed slowly, never taking their eyes off each other.

"You are so beautiful," Magnus said, looking at her lovely, naked body. His cock was stirring, but somehow, his lust was secondary to what he was feeling. There was so much desperation and pain that he was feeling, there was such a tremendous burden pressing on his shoulders that he just ached for a sympathetic soul to connect with.

"I was about to say that," Theia said, showing her lovely smile. Magnus could see the same sadness and desperation in her eyes, the burden of a chieftain facing an existential threat that was looming over her people. At that moment, they needed each other more than anything else. They lay down on their sides, gazing into each other's eyes, their hands touching and their fingers intertwining on their own. He kissed her again, savoring her lips, his tongue gently touching hers.

"I need... a different... way... to breathe!" Magnus said between breaths.

Theia nodded, taking urgent breaths of her own, her lovely breasts rising and falling.

"I need... this night... never to end...," she said as her hand caressed Magnus' face.

"Yeah.... If only... But even if it is going to end, let's make the most of it," Magnus said and kissed her again, pulling her warm body closer and feeling her legs envelop him.

Minutes turned into hours but their bodies had stayed coupled, time losing any meaning for both of them. Magnus couldn't even say at which moment he had slipped inside her; he only knew that it had been wonderful and that it seemed to last for an eternity. When they came, their orgasms felt like stronger gusts of what was otherwise a constant warm breeze, and even after reaching their peaks, they didn't even try to uncouple for a long time. When the sheer exhaustion took them to the land of dreams, they were still holding each other, sharing their warmth and their burdens and enjoying those precious moments of comfort.

***

Rays of light pushed inside Magnus' tent, revealing two naked bodies in a tight embrace. As they both opened their eyes, they shared a quick, warm smile, before the cold hand of reality gripped their hearts.

"Hey..."

"Hey..." Magnus said, touching her hair.

"We should go and prepare," Theia said, rising slowly and reaching for her clothes.

"Yeah, let's go," Magnus said, grabbing his own clothes. In a minute, they were both outside, ready to take their roles and ready to be what the village needed them to be.

"We don't have the time for any other approach... I know it is unlikely they will make the same mistake twice, but that's all we have. We can reinforce the barricades some, but there is no time to think of some different tactics and set them into motion..." Magnus said.

"I believe so too... These tactics have served us well, although the odds are worse than they used to be..." Unnar said solemnly.

Magnus looked at the faces around the tent. Everyone was trying to put up a brave face, but the way their shoulders sat, the way their eyes avoided looking at anyone directly... It all spoke of desperation and defeat. And the battle was probably mere hours away.

"All right, then. Let's get to it, and may the Spirits of ancestors help us and guide us," Theia said, getting up to her feet.

"Bron, no recklessness today, please... Every warrior's life counts." Magnus said, putting his hand on the big warrior's shoulder.

"I understand," Bron replied. His usual boastfulness was gone.

"Damn... Everyone seems to be feeling the heavy burden," Magnus thought, walking towards the barricades. As he strolled through the village, waving to the children he was passing by, he was acutely aware of the price they would pay if they failed.

A few hours later, everyone was at their posts, waiting for the enemy to arrive and praying for a miracle. When the sun reached its highest point in the sky, a cloud of dust appeared in the south and soon, the observers on the palisade were able to distinguish enemy riders as well as warriors on foot. They watched in complete silence as the enemy approached and took position to the southeast of the palisade. A lone rider approached the palisade, stopping just outside of a bowshot.

"Villagers!" he said in a booming voice. "My name is Adar, and I am the leader of the proud Hatiti people! I have an offer for you!"

Magnus watched the enemy leader with intense curiosity. He was a tall and muscular warrior with a shaved head. Buckled around his waist was a sword as big as Magnus', but there was also something else there, something resembling a horn. His neck was adorned with some sort of a necklace, made from teeth, Magnus guessed. The warrior's posture betrayed an air of confidence but also a sense of calm. Magnus wondered if provoking him was an option at all...

"I am listening!" Theia said.

"The beautiful Owl tribe chieftain... I see that the reports I've gotten weren't exaggerated at all," he said, and when Theia didn't reply he continued. "I came here for slaves and I will have them, but nobody needs to die today. I give you my word that after I take the slaves I need, everyone else will be free to go. It is either that or we slaughter you and then take the slaves we need. It is really up to you," he said in a confident voice.

"What is your answer?" Adar asked after several moments of silence.

"My reply is: GO TO HELL!" Theia cried out with anger.

"Suit yourselves. You are throwing your lives away. My victory is assured and inevitable!"

"Adar!" Magnus called out.

Adar turned to Magnus, looking at him with curiosity.

"Ah yes... the stranger. My warriors spoke of you."

"I have a counterproposal," Magnus said.

"I am listening."

"I agree that no one needs to die today... well, almost no one. Let this be decided by a fair duel. You and me, to the death. If you win, you get all the slaves you want; if I win, your army goes back south and doesn't come back."

The tall warrior kept looking at Magnus, his face betraying no emotions.

"How dramatic. But I didn't come here for the drama, I came for coin. I refuse your offer. If you change your mind, wave a branch in the next several minutes, otherwise, prepare to meet your ancestors!" Adar said, turning his horse and riding back towards his army.

"It was worth a try..." Magnus said, shrugging. "Take your positions, they will attack soon!" he called out and took his place at the barricades.

Bron and the other warriors were there already, together with Ana and her spear-women. After several minutes, they saw the enemy move to surround the village, although the majority of enemy warriors were gathering on the eastern side. The horn sounded and the enemy advanced. A shudder of anticipation passed through the fighting men and women of the Owl tribe. The fight for their very survival had begun.

"Take cover!!" Magnus shouted when he saw enemy bowmen draw their bows. Unlike the group they fought yesterday, this one had archers.

Magnus crouched behind a barricade, taking cover from a hail of arrows that rained on their position. He heard a shout of pain to his left. Raising his head, he saw the bowmen were readying for another salvo. One of the enemy bowmen was lying dead on the ground. It seemed that Unnar's bow had sprung into action as well. After a second wave of arrows hit their positions, the horn sounded again, and Magnus saw warriors armed with axes and spears advancing on their position.

"They are coming! Be ready to give them hell!" Magnus shouted, gripping his sword tightly.

And once again, the carnage started. Magnus fought warrior after warrior until he couldn't tell them apart anymore. All he took notice of was whether he was fighting against an axe or against a spear. Time stretched, but they defended their position with the ferocity of a cornered lion. The blood of their enemies was on their faces; the grips of their weapons were getting slick from all the blood pooling there, and Magnus started to hope beyond hope that they might make it once again.

"Magnus! MAGNUS!" Unnar's voice rang above the sounds of fighting and the cries of pain. Magnus thrust his sword inside an enemy warrior's belly and then kicked him away when the warrior fell to his knees. Getting a few seconds of respite, Magnus turned towards Unnar's platform.

"We are being overwhelmed on other sides! The mobile team won't hold for long!" Unnar called out.

"Damn it! I knew it was too good to be true..." Magnus said to himself.

"Ana!" he called out.

"What?!"

"Take your team and go help the mobile team!"

"But you won't be able to hold here!"

"We will hold! You are desperately needed there!" Magnus said with irritation.

"There is no way you can-"

"GO!" Magnus growled.

"Damn it!" Ana shouted in frustration and then motioned to her team. In a few seconds, her spear-women team was running towards the opposite side of the village.

"WE MUST HOLD HERE!" Magnus roared, and Bron echoed the words in a challenging shout, swinging his axe towards the approaching enemy.

The fighting continued with even more ferocity, but it wasn't the same fight anymore. Without the support from the spear-women, Magnus' warriors were now being flanked more easily, and one by one, they started dropping down. Magnus himself was fighting against a spearman and against one of the few swordsmen the enemy had. As steel met searite, sparks flew, yet the presence of the spearman prevented Magnus from dispatching the enemy swordsman. After a wide and powerful swing to keep the swordsman at bay, Magnus lunged towards the spearman, twisting his body and barely avoiding the thrusting spear. His sword came down on the spearman's hands and a terrible scream of pain echoed in Magnus' ears as the spearman fell to his knees, blood spraying out of his wrists that weren't attached to his hands anymore... Distracted by the gruesome scene, Magnus barely managed to parry the swordsman's swing but the attack made him lose his balance and he went down to his knees. The swordsman attacked with a downward swing and Magnus parried but the swordsman kept pressing down, using his weight and momentary height advantage. Magnus gritted his teeth and pushed but he was unable to get up. The spear from the warrior he had just killed lay next to his feet, and Magnus grabbed it with his left hand while his right hand strained to the point of breaking. He thrust with the spear, puncturing the swordsman's groin, and then moved to the side, breaking the clinch. As the swordsman collapsed in pain, Magnus took a few urgent breaths...

"Bron, look out!!" Magnus called out.

The big warrior roared in pain, an enemy spear piercing his side. He turned towards the enemy spearman and swung his axe, chopping the warrior's head off with a mighty swing. The spearman's head barely touched the ground when an enemy's axe lodged itself inside Bron's skull.

"NO!" Magnus cried out and sprang to his feet, his sword point cutting the axeman's neck.

But it was too late. The big warrior stood still for a second, his eyes going wide as if in complete surprise, and then he fell forward, joining the bodies of all the fallen allies and enemies, his blood mixing with theirs. Magnus fought like a madman, dispatching enemy warriors left and right, but it was now obvious that their defenses were mere seconds away from collapsing. He pierced an enemy warrior's chest, but then a spearman came at him from the side and Magnus tried to pull his sword out, but it got stuck between the ribs of the dying warrior.

"Yaaah!" Dinah cried out, slashing the spearman.

"What are you doing here?!" Magnus said, finally pulling his sword out.

"What, you thought I was going to let you die here alone?! We die together, as warriors!" Dinah said, grinning, but her grin was cut short when an enemy's sword pierced her side... She froze mid-swing and then fell down, still holding Magnus's eyes, her face still showing a twisted grin...

"AAARRGHH!" Magnus roared, his very soul aching from the heartbreaking scene. Mad with pain and red-eyed, he fought with a craze he had never experienced before, and the enemy warriors stepped back, wary of his lethal blade. He slashed through the enemy lines, creating mayhem with his searite longsword. Yet with all the cuts and bruises his body had sustained, and after fighting without respite for so long, Magnus finally felt the energy leave his body and he fell to his knees, almost at the same time as the sound of a horn pierced the afternoon air.

Magnus was still on his knees, taking heavy breaths, when he realized he was the only man alive from his group... Strangely, the enemy wasn't exploiting the moment to kill him. He saw the enemy warriors part and behind them, he saw a man on the horse, holding a horn in his hand.

Adar.

"Stranger!" he said in his booming voice. Warriors were pouring from the sides to answer the call of the horn.

"You have fought with ferocity and skill worthy of our mightiest ancestors... I want to recognize a worthy enemy and offer you a choice!"

"A choice?! After killing all these people with such hate?!" Magnus said between breaths.

"Hate?" Adar asked, perplexed. "I don't hate any of them... I truly hoped they would accept my terms. This is about coin only!"

"What amount of coin could possibly justify THIS?!" Magnus cried out in anger.

"Look at my warriors, stranger. They are mostly armed with spears and axes, and wearing only leather armor. The kingdoms to the east have swords and shields and armor made of metal... I stand no chance against them. That is why I need coin. I need to buy enough weapons to arm the tribes and then all those kingdoms will tremble before the might of Hatiti!" Adar exclaimed, raising his hands. Shouts of approval echoed from all sides.

"It's always the same... Greed and an insatiable lust for power..." Magnus thought in anger, his mind trying to work out a path to reach the enemy leader. A mass of warriors stood between the two of them, and Magnus knew he would never be able to reach him... but at least he would die trying.

"I am offering you to join me! I need men like you beside me if I am to conquer the East! So, what do you say, stranger?!"

"I'll let you know my answer any second now," Magnus thought as his body tensed. He was about to spring into action when his eyes caught a strange old man walking among the warriors. He was holding a staff in his hands and murmuring something resembling a prayer.

"Wait, that must be their spiritual leader... their shaman... and he is much closer to me..." Magnus thought, an idea coming to his mind.

"All right, I accept!" Magnus said, climbing to his feet.

He extended his hands, palms up, his sword lying flat on the palms of his hands. He walked forward slowly, his eyes betraying nothing of his intentions. When he reached the first line of warriors, he assessed the situation with one quick look, and then his body sprang into action, using the scarce bits of energy that remained inside him. He darted right, pushing one warrior aside and cutting the next one with a powerful swing. In mere moments, he was in front of the surprised old man.

"Back away or he dies!" Magnus called out, grabbing the old man and setting the blade of his sword under the old man's throat. He dragged the shaman towards the barricade while warriors around him gripped their weapons and threw insults at him, unsure what to do.

"I sense the tides of destiny swirling around you, stranger...," the old man said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Shut up!" Magnus growled. "Adar! I have your shaman and these are my terms! Pull back from the village or the old man dies!"

Adar was watching the scene in silence for a few moments, and then he burst laughing.

"You made a grave mistake, stranger. I couldn't care less what happens to the old fool!"

"You are lying!"

"Am I?! Can you believe that the old fool had actually said that ruin awaited us if we attacked your village?" Adar said, chuckling. "But enough words. Let me show you instead!" Adar said and then turned towards a warrior next to him, giving him an order. The warrior drew his longbow, aimed, and released. Reacting on instinct, Magnus pushed the old man to the right and the arrow hit him instead, lodging itself in his left shoulder.

Crying out in pain, Magnus fell to his knees. He pulled the arrow out, gritting his teeth in anger and pain.

"Too bad about your choice, stranger. I could have used you."

Adar's voice reached Magnus' ears, but he didn't even register it. He was finally done. His body hurt all over and his shoulder was one chasm of intense pain. He was going to die right there. Would an enemy warrior cut him down? Would they rain arrows at him? Or would they simply let him bleed out? He found he didn't really care. His life was over, but more than that, he had failed. He thought about all the people in the village who were soon going to die or end up in slavery, which was probably a fate worse than death. He thought about the beautiful Theia, Ana, and Leah... about Unnar, about the now dead Bron and Dinah, and especially about little Mona...

And he thought about Lina. He wouldn't be able to find her. He wouldn't be able to save her. He wouldn't be able to hear her merry voice, always so full of life, and see the woman she had become. He had failed her too. As he watched the blood dripping from his shoulder, his vision became unfocused. Wishing for death to come as soon as possible and stop the pain in his soul, he found a strange fascination in following every drop of his blood as it came out of his wound and fell to the ground, mixing with the dirt.

DRIP

DRIp

One after the other, drops of red blood were falling out of the wound, making a small pool on the ground.

And then came a blue drop.

Magnus watched in surprise at the blue drop of blood that refused to mix with her red sisters.

"Why is my blood blue now? So strange... But... but that's not blood?!" Magnus thought as he struggled to focus his eyes. He squinted at the blue drop and when his eyes finally managed to focus, he realized that the blue drop was in fact a tiny piece of lenerium that had been lodged in the flesh of his shoulder all along.

"That must be a piece of the crossbow bolt, but how-"

And then his body shuddered, violently. He gasped like a drowning man who finally found air as a familiar sensation of magical energies coursing through his veins shook his body and mind. His body tingled all over while his cuts and bruises kept disappearing, his mind working with fervor to knit the flesh of his wound. His sight suddenly cleared and the hum in his ears vanished, the world in front of him brimming with colors and energies once again.

"...take all the young as slaves. Kill the rest!" Adar's command echoed through the air.

A few seconds passed.

"NOOO!!" Magnus roared in a magic-enhanced voice. All eyes on the battlefield turned towards him.

"NO!!" Magnus roared again, extending his hands, his eyes screaming murder.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake beneath the feet of the Hatiti warriors. In fear and disbelief, they struggled to stay on their feet as cracks started appearing everywhere. In his blind rage, Magnus had pulled immense power into his spell, the earth exploding everywhere and swallowing the Hatiti warriors, their cries of terror deafened by the deep rumbling of the earth. A huge chunk of the palisade collapsed, only to be swallowed into the ground the next moment... Tapping into his pain and anger and letting out a cry of vengeance, Magnus let out all the darkness he felt deep inside. Lightning bolts, kinetic pushes, and ice shards rained down on the terrified Hatiti warriors who struggled to escape the grasp of the hungry earth. Not many succeeded.