The Enemy of an Enemy by Vincent Trigili - HTML preview

Chapter Thirty-Three

We gathered around for the trip through jump space, this time knowing that it was not what was in jump space that we had to worry about, but what was on the other side. As the blueness of it wrapped around us I looked for the spirit of light that had been following us, and he was there in his customary place, smiling and looking friendly. “Who are you?” I asked.

“Keep following the narrow path of light, and you will find me,” was his answer.

We again came out of the jump with no post-jump effects; apparently we had grown enough in our powers to move in and out of jump space without issue. As soon as we returned to normal space I took out a scroll which I had created some time ago. I opened and read from it. As I read each word the scroll started to burn up, and when I was finished the scroll was completely consumed. In its destruction it released a powerful concealment spell that would wrap our ship in a cloak of invisibility which not even the Council of Sorcerers could penetrate. This would guarantee that we could attack on our timing and terms, not theirs.

I switched the view mode on our observation deck viewing screens to show tactical information about the battlefield. I saw the Dragon Claw and her fleet slipping into a very standard attack formation that appeared to be focused on the station.

On the other side I saw a huge army of demons, spirits, and other foul creatures that had somehow created spiritual spacecraft to fight in. When they saw the fleet they began to redeploy to counter the attack formation they saw.

“Vydor, it looks like he plans to attack the station. He must have decided not to follow your plan,” said Darnath.

“Studying the captain’s battle strategies was a required course in the Academy. His plans are the best I have ever seen. He knows exactly what he is doing, and he knows that we are dependent on him to handle his part of the plan. I suspect that he will bring some firepower against the station in order to help hide the fact that they are not attacking the station directly,” I said.

As the enemy redeployed the captain rearranged his fleet, this time into an inverted crescent. When the sorcerers saw this, they moved their forces again. Back and forth went the dance for a while. “He is stalling,” I said to the others.

“Why?” asked Kellyn.

“Well, if I know him as well as I think I do, he plans to attack about one hour before the first of our reinforcements arrive. Look at all the patterns he is using. They are not random, they are carefully chosen to test the speed and mobility of the enemy, as they constantly have to move to adapt. The sorcerers continue to focus their positions on perceived weaknesses in the captain’s formations, and since they are focusing heavily this is constantly opening large weaknesses in their own lines. Their inexperience is showing and the captain is using that to his utmost advantage,” I said.

While watching the dance, I heard the captain speak a single word over the intership communication link: “Deploy.” That was all that was needed. Suddenly all the large ships moved to the back of the line and the smaller attack vessels moved to the front. The fleet then arranged its pattern into a very solid and aggressive attack formation. I knew this one well. It was the subject of one of my papers at the Academy. Once the ships were arranged he issued another one-word order: “Launch.”

Suddenly Ravens, Falcons, and all other kinds of craft started launching from the larger ships. Everything from single-pilot fighters up to the biggest war vessels that could be carried in a ship’s bay was launched. They all moved out to form a line in front of the fleet, and it was an impressive show of force.

I felt fear coming from the enemy as the captain skillfully moved the final pieces of his attack plan into place. The enemy’s forces pulled back into a tighter, more defensive stance. Memories of a speech the captain gave to my class came back to me. In that speech he explained that he was never in it for the long run. A battle is won by bringing your full might to bear all at once in the opening move. He went on to say that anyone who has a long-term plan for a battle is a loser and a failure. His record backed up his boast; he never lost.

Then the final order came: “Attack.” And the entire fleet moved forward with every weapon firing. As they did, I felt Kellyn cast her power over the fleet twice. The first time was a protection magic of some kind. It bolstered their resistance to spiritual and magical attacks. The second one increased the power of their weapons against spiritual creatures. Somehow, with those two spells she increased the overall power of the fleet by twenty-five per cent.

“Commander, move us in close to the station and hold us there. Time your men’s entry on to the station to coincide with the second fleet’s arrival,” I said via the comm.

“Yes, Grandmaster,” he said.

The Dark Knights were already aboard their three ships, and the bays were already depressurized. They were very anxious to bring the fight back to those who had killed their squadmates. I could sense the eagerness and anticipation emanating from them.

Around us the battle raged on. The captain was using a lot of different methods at once to attack the creatures, most probably trying to determine which was most effective. “The fools think they are fighting on the ground,” I commented, as I noticed the enemy formation was fairly linear. The captain must have noticed this too, because he forced his own formation to match.

Any ensign looking at the battle would have been baffled at the captain’s arrangement, and screaming for him to take advantage of the enemy’s weak formation, but they would have been wrong. Right on schedule, the second fleet came out of jump space, not behind the enemy, but on a plane perpendicular to the captain’s attack, catching the enemy completely off guard.

Although every one of their crew would have been out of commission for a while after the jump, the ship’s computers were already linked to the Dragon Claw’s and they automatically began targeting and firing all weapons. Once the crew recovered from the jump they would take over control.

I checked the station on our tactical monitors and I saw the Dark Knights already punching a hole through the outer layer of the station and pouring in. Excellent, so far all was going as planned. I turned my attention back to the battle, and the second fleet had begun deploying their fighters and smaller craft. The enemy still greatly outnumbered us, but the numbers were much closer now. I felt Kellyn cast her beneficial magic on the second fleet and they, too, grew in power.

“Everyone, prepare for our attack on the station. This is how I want it to go. You will break up into groups of two and each pair of you will drop in to assist one of the Dark Knight squads. You will be facing mostly lower-level sorcerers at that point, and you should have no problem. Once the six of you are fully engaged I will land on the station to hunt their primary control group. Our presence there will do one of two things. It will either grant us victory, or draw out the Seven. Since they think we are still too weak to beat them, I am counting on it drawing them out. When that happens, all come to me and we will stand against them. If in our attack we end up weakening the shields enough for the fleet to destroy the station, then everyone huddle close to Darnath and he will shield us until we can jump out of there.” Each of them indicated that they understood, then I said, “It is time,” and they all disappeared.

Via our link I was able to track their movements. As they hit the station I saw a chunk of the enemy spirits disappear from the army. Good, we got their attention. I waited back on the Nevermore. I knew that my entry into the battle would have a drastic impact on the outcome and I wanted to time it for maximum impact.

All three groups of Dark Knights were pinned down under heavy fire from what appeared to be a mix of journeyman and apprentice sorcerers. I watched as Kellyn and Jerran joined the first group. Kellyn got right to work healing the wounded, while Jerran took a moment to evaluate the battle. Soon he stood up and created a wall of fire between the two forces. Then with a push from his hand the wall went traveling towards the sorcerers with great speed. They tried to turn and run but were too late and the fire consumed them.

Luke and Gafar were with the second group and I looked over just in time to see something I had not expected to see on a space station. A dark cloud had formed over the sorcerers’ heads, and then suddenly lightening rained down from the clouds and completely wiped out the enemy position.

When I looked over to Andreya and Darnath’s group I saw that Darnath had summoned creatures made of pure stone that were mercilessly pounding the sorcerers.

Outside the station, the third fleet arrived. It was the Crusader and her support fleet. She was an older ship with a smaller fleet, but it still gave the Navy forces a boost in number of about twenty-five per cent.

Back on the station, Kellyn and Jerran’s group met up with an elite sorcerer, much more powerful than what they had fought before. He chanted a command and slashed his hand through the air, leaving a blade-like arc of energy behind, which flew at Jerran. Jerran was undaunted and blocked it with his staff, then fired a blast from his staff in return. The blast hit the elite sorcerer square in the chest, but had no effect.

“Fools, you are mere children to me, now die!” he shouted at them and began to weave a deadly spell.

Then Kellyn jumped to Jerran’s side and said, “I do not think so!” and placed her hand on Jerran’s shoulder. Jerran grinned, and with their powers combined he blasted the sorcerer again, this time ripping through his shields and killing him.

Then across the station Andreya and Darnath’s group came across a group of three elite sorcerers. I became very worried, as I knew they would be no match for three, but before I could go to them, I appeared in the corridor. This sent the enemy sorcerers into full retreat. I laughed as I realized that Andreya had tricked them.

I judged the time had come for me to join the battle. Soon the enemy would begin assembling their elite sorcerers to bring against my wizards, and that would turn the tide of battle back in their favor. I scanned the station and found what I was looking for: a group of elite sorcerers completely focused on the war outside the station. They were in a shielded room in a remote arm of the station.

Before leaving I sent Rannor instructions on where to find the box of training materials, just in case he was the only survivor. I stressed to him the importance of carrying on no matter what happened. Then I wrapped myself in power and teleported directly to the elite sorcerers that I had found, easily passing through their defenses.

When I appeared they were sitting at a table with crystal balls in front of each so that they could see the battlefield. They gasped as they looked towards me, but it was too late for them. I chanted a spell and traced an arc through the air. Behind my finger leapt out a bright arc of energy that pounded into their group, sending them all flying into the wall. Before they could recover I spread out my fingers and sent a wave of energy bolts into their group, killing them all. Outside the station I knew another large chunk of the enemy had just been wiped out.

I walked out into the hall from that room and a group of sorcerers was waiting for me. They opened fire with their wands and staves as soon as they saw me. Undaunted, I turned to face them, their bolts having no effect as they were completely absorbed by the energy I had around me. The scene reminded me of the battle back on Arken IV between my first squad of Dark Knights and the sorcerers, but there was a distinct difference. Unlike the Dark Knights, who stood their ground when facing the overwhelming power of the grandmaster sorcerer, these pathetic excuses for Magi were pale with fear at the sight of a grandmaster wizard, and as I looked them over they were turning to run.

I lowered my staff and fired a single bolt into their group that ripped right through them and put a large hole in the side of the station, sucking any possible survivors out.

Air rushed by me, leaving through the hole I had made, but my shielding held and I was unaffected. I reached out with my power and crushed the passageway, sealing the hole completely. “Someone please remind me not to cheat at chess with him any more,” said Luke via our connection.

I began looking for another group of elites, and soon I found them. This time they were ready for me when I arrived. They greeted me with a large number of summoned creatures that instantly leaped to attack as I appeared. I quickly spun my staff to an upright orientation and slammed the butt of it into the floor. A crack appeared where I had hit the floor and spread in both directions. Soon the room broke in half, and the rush of air out into space pushed the sections apart and sucked out all my enemies to their death. The sorcerers did not yet understand the dangers of fighting in a space station and this group never would. Across the entire station the enemy was in full retreat.

With half the room gone I could look out over the battle that was raging outside the station. The captain had moved the fleets so that they completely surrounded the enemy in a sphere of death. All weapons on all vessels were firing at once. The bolts came so thickly and fast that they looked like solid sheets of destruction.

As I watched the battle rage on, a lesson from the Academy came back to my mind. The professor was trying to get across how big the universe was and he said, “Even if all the ships in the fleet were to join in battle and fire all their weapons at once, the amount of power they generated would be so minuscule on the universe’s scale that it would not even be noticed.” Now that I could see such an example first-hand, I was in awe of the majesty of the universe.

I noticed that the Dragon Claw was in trouble. She was beset by a very large number of enemies determined to destroy her. I reached out with my power and slammed the group of demons with a fist of pure power. With that single blow I wiped out the entire force attacking the Dragon Claw. It was then I began to truly understand the power that I wielded. To think that not much more than a year ago I was worried about looking good enough to keep my job, and now I stood in the hard, cold vacuum of space wielding a level of power that made the Dragon Claw look like a toy. That must be the most terrifying thought of my life.

The Imperial Navy continued to push hard towards the station, its shield glowing from all the hits it was taking. Inside, the Dark Knights and wizards continued to keep the enemy on the run. On every front it seemed the battle was ours.

Then I felt a shift in the balance of power, and not in a good direction. The shields on the station suddenly got stronger. The sorcerers rallied in defense and the fleet began to be pushed back.

“Finally they come,” I said, moving to a larger room on the station. I reached out to the commander of the Dark Knights and said, “Pull your men out, and do all you can to destroy the station from the outside. Should we fall, guard Rannor with your lives, as he will be our last hope.”

I waited in the large room, gathering all the power I could from the battle around me. Then he appeared. He was an old man with a sunken, almost skeletal-looking face; there was more bone about him than skin. By the power he commanded I knew he could only be the grandmaster sorcerer. The room literally crackled with his energy and the walls seemed to retreat in fear. There would be no simple defeat of him like I had used against others of his army. His shielding was far greater than mine.

“So we meet at last, foul one,” I said. I stood proud and strong with the full authority of my position and said, “Leave this realm now if you wish to survive this day, and never return.”

That failed to shake his confidence at all; he had utterly no fear of me. He smiled and said, “This day shall mark the end of the era of wizards and a return to the time of sorcery.”

Then one by one each of the six wizards stepped forward out of a concealing shield I had put up, and collectively said, “Not today, and not ever.”

“Good, I will kill you all with one fell swoop.” And he attacked with all his might.

Had I stood alone I would have been completely and utterly overwhelmed by his opening attack, but with the unified power behind me I was able not only to resist, but to send a counter-attack. We struggled back and forth with magical attacks and defenses flying all around us, neither making headway for a long time.

Anyone watching the fight from outside would have seen some amazing things. The station itself twisted and bent and stretched as if a great monster was inside it trying to escape. Then, in a brilliant flash of light, the station ruptured, spewing debris in all directions. The destruction of the station wiped out the remaining sorcerers and their summoned armies at once, but the battle between light and dark carried on without them. 

When the flash finally cleared, two great beings in a death match could be seen. One was pure black; so black that the mind had a hard time registering him, and if not for the contrast with the other he could not have been seen. The other being was pure light, so bright that it should have been blinding to look at, but there was an odd quality about the light that made it almost comforting to see.

Looking closely at the being of light, he only had one face, but in some strange and odd way seven distinct faces could be seen in that one face, each concentrating fully on the being of darkness. The seven faces each resembled one of the great wizards, but were somehow perfected. This was what they would have looked like in a perfect universe free of evil and darkness.

The two great beings were locked in the exact same stance, perfect mirrors of each other. The look on their faces was one of pure concentration and control. Each had both his hands forward, held in a claw-like shape, with the right hand slightly forward of the left. From the great wizard’s right hand came a beam of pure light that the great sorcerer was blocking with his left hand, and from the great sorcerer’s right hand came a beam of pure darkness that the great wizard was blocking with his left hand.

While all this was going on, none of us noticed that the station was destroyed; we just kept fighting there in the hard, cold vacuum of space. We just kept at him, all our powers combined as one pouring into his defenses, and doing all we could to survive long enough to outlast his shields.

Then the unexpected happened. A bolt of energy came in and hit the old sorcerer, then another, and another. Soon there were hundreds upon hundreds of bolts of energy pelting him, overpowering his defenses and utterly destroying him.

The seven of us stood there floating in the hard vacuum and looked around to see what was left of the three fleets arrayed around us. I saw the Dragon Claw, heavily damaged, but intact and I teleported our group to the command deck.

Upon arriving I saw the captain in his chair, and he stood and said, “Sorry to break up your party, but it was getting awful stagnant.” I realized what had happened. When the station was destroyed, the summoned army must have been wiped out. That freed up the Imperial forces and he brought them to bear against the old sorcerer. Even he could not stop that much power.

I reached out and cast my voice on every ship that was left while Andreya put my image on every screen. I simply said, “This day we stood united, and have claimed victory over the greatest power of darkness ever to be gathered together.” This brought cheers and much joy to the men, but I could not share in it. The burden of the death toll was too great to bear. I did not want to know the numbers; seeing the remains of the battle was enough.

The captain walked over to me, put his hand on my shoulder and locked eyes with me. “Vydor, I said you would be a great leader one day, and today you proved it. Forget not the price we paid this day, but do not let it burden you. Everyone who came to this battle knew it could be their last, but they were willing to stand and fight for the vision you created. Today you led the combined forces of wizards and men to fight a foul disease that could have destroyed everything we stand for, and you did it well. Focus on the victory, not the cost.”

“Thank you, Captain. I must go contact Mantis and see where the other six master sorcerers are,” I said.

“Which did we kill?” he asked.

“The grandmaster,” I said with a grin I did not truly feel. Then all the wizards and I returned to the Nevermore, and the Crystal Room. As we entered the room a call was coming in from Mantis. “Come,” I said in reply.

He appeared looking tired and battle-worn. Kellyn quickly gave up her chair for him. I was sure we looked just as bad as he did. I surely felt like it.

Once he settled in I said, “We have defeated the grandmaster.”

This brought a light to his eyes and a smile to his face. “That explains their retreat in our realm.”

“So you are victorious there?” I asked.

“Yes, apparently thanks to you. We were very hard-pressed, and faced overwhelming odds. I do not know how they raised such a huge army so quickly. We fought with everything we could. Our only hope was that we could hold on long enough for you to win here and send help to us. We managed to lock them in a stalemate, and suddenly their numbers starting dropping off, and their power started to fail. We moved to take advantage of this weakness and started to regain some lost ground. It was not long after that they withdrew completely from the battlefield,” he said.

“Any idea where the other six are?” I asked.

“No. They were with the forces that retreated. They must have stayed in our realm to keep us busy, believing their grandmaster could take you alone,” he said. “I must say, I am very impressed you were able to take him.”

“We could not have done so alone. We were locked in a stalemate with him for a long time; how long I do not know. The stalemate ended when every ship we had left turned its power on him, and our united attack was far too great for even him,” I said.

“Amazing. Simply amazing, that in the end it was the mundanes who won the greatest war ever fought between sorcerers and wizards,” he said. “With your leave, I must return to my realm and bring them this information.”

“Yes, go, but be sure to keep in touch, as we have only pushed back the darkness. It is not yet defeated,” I replied.

###

I hope you find as much enjoyment in reading these stories as I had living them. If you enjoy the books, please spread the word about them and please post a review to whatever store you purchased this book from. As an independent author, word of mouth is the only marketing I can afford. Thanks!

To be informed when new books are released:

Visit our website: http://losttalesofpower.com

Follow us on Twitter @LostTales

Sign up for Email notices via http://eepurl.com/w3xWz

Lost Tales of Power Series:

Volume I - The Enemy of an Enemy (Nov. 13, 2010)

Volume II - The Academy (June 13, 2011)

Volume III - Rise of Shadows (Mar. 24, 2012)

Volume IV - Resurgence of Ancient Darkness (Jan. 19, 2013)

The First Quartet - Special Edition (Apr., 2013)

Volume V - The Sac’a’rith (Dec. 13, 2013)

Volume VI - Spectra’s Gambit (Sometime in 2014)

Volume VII and beyond - TBA