Vault of Silence (The Hidden Wizard Book 2)

  Vault of Silence

  Book two of the Hidden Wizard

  Vaughan W. Smith

  Fair Folio

  Contents

  1. A New Fire

  2. Brangtur

  3. Tracking the scarf

  4. An Unusual Challenge

  5. The Fallen Monk

  6. An unexpected reunion

  7. A Test

  8. Diamonds are forever

  9. Setting Out

  10. In the Shade of a Blaze

  11. Alternate Paths

  12. The Quiet Road

  13. An Old Friend

  14. Going with the flow

  15. Investigation

  16. Dark Tidings

  17. Denied Entry

  18. A New Lead

  19. Enter the Desert

  20. An Important Lead

  21. The Mirage

  22. An Offer

  23. Impending Danger

  24. Sand and Water

  25. Bunkering Down

  26. Key Finding

  27. The Desert Temple

  28. Wavering

  29. Entering the Temple

  30. The Trial

  31. The Vault of Silence

  32. Time and Time Again

  33. A Losing Battle

  34. The Crossroads

  35. Infected

  36. Recovery

  37. A New Dream

  38. Epilogue

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  About the Author

  1

  A New Fire

  Lara crept up to the edge of the hill and peered over. She could see a large mass of Blighters, all of them hunched over and roaming in no discernible pattern. The terrain was a mix between rocky and sandy, with very little vegetation. She shielded her eyes from the harsh sun as she scanned the entire scene. Her nose wrinkling as she caught the putrid smell coming off them.

  "It's as you expected, we have a whole barrel of them down there," she said.

  "Blighters?" Alrion said.

  "Looks like it. But there are others too. I think we should go around them." Lara swept her head over to take in the view and plot a course around the mob.

  "Aren't we close to Brangtur?" Alrion gestured into the distance to emphasise his point.

  "Yes, really close. If we avoided them it may take another day to do so safely."

  "I don't want to waste the time, and we've dealt with Blighters before. This can be a fun romp." The young wizard had a mad grin on his face, which made Lara annoyed.

  "Fun? There's an awful lot of them. I really think stealth is the preferred approach." It didn't make any sense to willingly take on such a force. Not when it could be avoided.

  "Not this time. I want to make a statement. I need them to know I'm not the same person they encountered before," Alrion said.

  Lara looked at him and sighed. He had certainly awakened to his power following his near-death confrontation with Branthor. But she wasn't sure this new Alrion was necessarily better equipped. Not yet. "So just because you defeated a wizard you think you're the king of wizards now?"

  "Not yet. I still need you to watch my back," he said as he pushed off and starting jogging down the other side of the hill. "It's not as bad as you said," Alrion shouted as he descended.

  Lara could see him working himself up. How much did he really want this, and how much was he just playing the part?

  "Time to announce ourselves," Alrion said gleefully. He created a giant ball of flame and kept it right in front of him.

  Lara staggered back for safety. "You better know what you're doing," she said, shielding her face with her arm. But instead of just throwing it, Alrion gave it a great push. The giant sphere of flame tumbled down the hill towards the seething mass of Blighters. Within seconds there were cries of concern and surprise. The Blighters started to move away, but there were huge clumps that had nowhere to go and were pummelled by the rolling flame. The smelled of charred Blighter smelt even worse than Lara had expected.

  "You better keep them contained if you want this to work!" she shouted over the carnage.

  Alrion nodded and brought up a tall wall of fire from the left, boxing in the Blighters. The ones nearest the wall couldn't stop in time and were caught by the flame. Alrion launched another ball of fire into the air, and had it hover over the middle of the pack.

  "You're just showing off now," Lara said. Now the flames were further away, she could stand beside him.

  "Not really, I'm just letting loose. It feels good." Alrion concentrated and the ball of fire split into many smaller parts, showering fire over the Blighters. "That should be enough to scatter them," he said.

  The Blighters were running in all directions, the scene was total chaos. But there was a change, and they began to reform.

  "There's something organising them. Leaders?" Lara said.

  "There must be. I'll have to take them out," Alrion said.

  Lara could see the determination on his face. She had to dissuade him from taking this too far. "You know I would like nothing more, but is it really worth it? It's one thing raining fire on them from here, but that's a huge pack. You would have to go amongst them to identify and eliminate their leaders. It's too risky," she said.

  "Don't be so shy, we'll be fine." Alrion’s face lit up with what Lara could only define as intense hatred. It seemed at odds with his light banter.

  "If you insist," Lara said. There would be no way to turn him away now. The two of them descended the hill and Alrion raised another wall of fire.

  "Is there any limit to how much of that you can do?" she said. It did seem like a ridiculous amount of magic.

  "Yes, but I haven't found it yet. Don't worry there's a fair bit left in reserve."

  "In that case, you better box them in on three sides. We can funnel them into a smaller space to make it easier."

  "Done," Alrion said with a smile, raising the third wall of fire. Lara watched him work, and noticed a steady stream of sweat beading around his hairline. The fire was too far away, was the sweat from something else?

  She watched the Blighters react, and the more they were confined and the fewer the number, the more controlled they appeared to be. Many streamed forward away from the fire, but most stayed within the walls of fire, just far enough away to be safe.

  "I don't like this. It's as if they're inviting you in," Lara said.

  "I wouldn't want to keep them waiting." Alrion threw out a wave of fire to burn those that had advanced.

  Lara dashed ahead and dealt killing blows to those still standing.

  They waited for a moment, to see what was next.

  "No more are coming over. We can still walk away," Lara said.

  "This is interesting, I haven't seen this level of control yet."

  "Let's save that for the post-battle discussion. Keep your wits about you. This could be a trap." Lara knew to trust her instincts, and something within that swirling dust bowl was making her unusually uncomfortable.

  "If it's a trap I will destroy it." Alrion clenched his fist as if to demonstrate.

  "Less talking, more doing.” Lara didn't want this to drag on too long. Alrion already looked weakened, despite his previous comments. The wizard nodded and started walking towards the smaller, but still significant mass of Blighters.

  "Call out any you think are leaders. Better yet, take them out," he said.

  "I'll do what I can," Lara said, scanning them. She had a few potential targets picked out, but wanted to watch their behaviour first. To give themselves an opening Alrion sent out a force wave that
knocked over the first few rows of Blighters. He followed it with streams of fire that dispersed those standing behind.

  "There." Lara pointed at a heavyset man with dark features surrounded by Blighters. Alrion sent a spear of fire over. A Blighter tried to block it, but it pierced through and burned its target.

  "Nice one," Lara said. There was a chance that this would work. Provided that Alrion kept his head and stuck to the plan. The Blighters rearranged themselves, and all those Lara considered to be leaders moved further back, surrounding themselves with Blighters.

  "They're on to our plan and have protected themselves. At least we can confirm who the leaders are," she said.

  "Then let's finish this quickly. Follow closely behind me." Alrion ran forward, throwing out waves of force to clear the path in front of him.

  Lara kept pace, throwing daggers at key targets as they went. The leaders amongst the Blighters appeared alarmed, as they had nowhere to escape to. Then, they all closed their eyes and looked downward. Alrion continued forward, but Lara felt that something was off and she slowed down. Looking around she could see the Blighters rearranging again. They were making space. "They're up to something. I don't like this. Pull back," she said.

  "It won't matter soon enough." Alrion paused briefly to concentrate and created a ring of fire above the leaders.

  "They're going to surround us. Be quick before it's too late!" Lara shouted.

  "This is over," Alrion said. The ring of fire descended swiftly, capturing all the leaders. Then the ring slowly constricted, pushing the trapped leaders into the middle and catching them in the fire.

  "All done," Alrion said. "Now they're broken."

  "I'm not so sure about that." Lara could see that the Blighters weren't fleeing. They cried out in anguish and lost control. She didn't hesitate. She threw daggers and followed up to cut down those that had managed to get closer. Alrion just stood and stared.

  "Snap out of it!" Lara shouted.

  Alrion blasted two back. They knocked over the Blighters behind them and he ignited the whole group at once.

  "I'll make a path out." Alrion threw out a wave of fire that swept along the ground in continuous motion. "This way!" he shouted over the roar and followed his wave of flame.

  Lara cut down a Blighter and turned to run alongside. They trailed behind the wave of fire, pushing aside any Blighters that managed to come close. The fire died out and they continued running, leaving chaos and confusion in their wake.

  Lara took the lead and headed for a neighbouring hill, hoping to drop down the other side and out of sight. Alrion was looking back, trying to gauge if they were being followed.

  "Eyes in front!" Lara shouted. There was a group of five Blighters blocking their path. Alrion turned quickly and threw out another ball of fire. But it was weak and slow, only catching one of them. He stopped in his tracks, surprised.

  Lara bounded ahead, aiming straight for the leader. The Blighters swarmed to attack her at once. She grabbed one and bounced off its shoulder, flipping over the Blighter and into a tight roll on the ground. She rose and dispatched the leader from behind. The Blighters had ignored her however, and were now after Alrion. His hand was covered in flame, and he used it to attack one and push it into the rest. While they were off balance, Lara swooped in and put them all down with accurate strikes from her twin daggers.

  Alrion took a few steps away from the fight, and staggered. He dropped to his knees and took in some deep breaths.

  "We barely made it. And you look half-dead. More than you bargained for huh?" Lara could feel the dryness in her throat and her limbs crying out. She could only imagine what Alrion was feeling.

  "You could say that. I've never pushed that hard." Alrion was bent over, drawing shallow breaths.

  "Was it worth it?"

  "We're still alive, and well, they're defeated and broken," Alrion said, looking over at the survivors. They had finally broken rank and were fleeing in groups of ones and twos.

  "True, we got the result. Bit too close for my liking. And not worth it."

  "Would any fight in the open be to your liking?"

  "Probably not, you know I prefer to operate in the shadows. But a little planning to stack the odds in our favour never hurts. You should remember that."

  "The odds are already stacked in our favour, but I'll consider your idea of planning," Alrion said, throwing her a smile. Despite her reservations, she couldn't help but get caught up in his smile. But she had to make sure he understood the seriousness of what had just happened.

  "Is that the first time you have run out of power?"

  "Yes."

  "Something to keep in mind. Especially if we keep getting into these kinds of situations."

  "Yeah, I know, I'm on it." Alrion put his hand on her shoulder. She wasn't sure if that was supposed to be reassuring, but it was.

  "Good, let's leave this mess behind us." She waited for him to take his hand back then stretched.

  "You have to admit you were impressed though," Alrion said, giving Lara a cheeky grin.

  "Yes, I was impressed. But no more ridiculous stunts. I'd rather we didn't die."

  "I'll try," Alrion said and started to walk away. Lara jogged after him and they cut downhill and across the plain they were on to get back to the main road. Alrion started to see buildings rising in the distance.

  "Is that it?"

  "Yes, that's Brangtur." Just the sight of it, brought back the strong scents of sweat, steel and hides for her.

  "Have you been here before?"

  "Not for a long time. But I'm sure it is the same. Did your father say where to meet him?"

  "No, but he's a blacksmith. It should be easy," Alrion said.

  Lara laughed and smacked Alrion on the back.

  "What's so funny?" he said.

  "This is the city of blacksmiths. It will be like finding a needle in a haystack."

  "We'll figure something out," Alrion said.

  She could see the embarrassment on his face and decided not to take the joke too far. After a few moments, she changed the topic.

  "I have another question. You know how you showed me that notebook a few weeks ago?" Lara said.

  "The one with the strange message in it?"

  "Yes, that one. Now that you've had a chance to think about it, do you have an idea of who left that message? It has to be a wizard, right?"

  "It has to be, I can't think of another way. Nobody else has had proper access to it. And I even tried writing in it. I couldn't leave a reply message."

  "So, who do you think it is?"

  "I have a theory, but it's a bit crazy."

  "Let me hear it. Can't be crazier than what we just did." Lara wanted him to open up a bit, to see if this had anything to do with his reckless behaviour.

  "What if my mentor Falric survived? Maybe he's trying to contact me from afar. He knows about the notebook, he saw it before."

  "That does sound possible, since he's a wizard, knows about it and wants to help you. But aren't you sure he died?" Lara could see a possible connection to Alrion's new attitude. He was still obsessed about Falric's death. And by his own admission he had been unable to do anything. Was he trying to overcompensate?

  "I was sure, but who knows. He was a master of magic. Anyway, like I said it was a crazy theory. It seems better than the alternative."

  "The alternative that he actually died and you need to deal with that," she thought.

  "Which is?" Lara said.

  "That some wizard I have never met is following my progress. That just creeps me out," Alrion said.

  Lara didn't reply, looking out into the distance. That did seem like the scarier alternative. "Take a look now," she said.

  They could see the city better now, giant stone walls topped with immense bronze domes. The walls seemed to be decorated with intricate metalwork with huge metal doors hanging off the main gate.

  "Wow," Alrion said, taking it all in.

  "I forgot how big it all is
. Makes sense for a city of blacksmiths no?"

  "Definitely. Although I'm surprised the whole walls aren't made of metal." Alrion had a thoughtful look on his face.

  "Good point, we'll have to find out why. Maybe they ran out?" Lara said.

  Alrion laughed. "I could imagine my father designing such a city. Although I doubt he would have gone for the entirely metal design. He always harps on about harmony between different materials."

  "He's been to Brangtur before, right?"

  "I'm sure of it. He's such a passionate blacksmith that this seems like the perfect place for him. Why did he ever leave?"

  "You'll have to ask him," Lara said. But she knew that finding a blacksmith in Brangtur would be difficult. For now, there was no need to burden Alrion with those details. She looked over at him and saw the bravado of the fight wearing off. It was being replaced by the look of a boy eager to see his father.

  "What is it?" Alrion said, turning back to her.

  He must have noticed her staring. "Oh nothing, just taking in the scenery. Let's get a move on," Lara said, picking up the pace.

  2

  Brangtur

  The giant gates towered over them as they walked into the city. Streams of people were travelling in both directions. Alrion could smell the smoke and steel being worked. It was strange, smelling it outside of the workshop.

  "It feels like a blacksmith workshop, and we are outdoors," he said.

  "Not surprised that you get that impression. There's a lot of workshops here. They can make some seriously massive things."

  "Do you know where the main workshops are?"

  "I think they are this way. I'm sure you can follow the sounds and smells though," Lara said.

  "You're probably right," Alrion said. They continued along the dusty path and turned right down a major road.

  "The people seem busy, but happy," Alrion said as he took in the surroundings.

  "I agree. I guess it's a safe and prosperous city," Lara said.

  "Prosperous? What have you stolen from here?" Alrion was instantly suspicious.