Sorcerers of the Frozen Isles se-5 Read online

  The castle shook as the kitchen wing collapsed.

  Maldek had to concentrate on melting the ice before it struck-and at the same time protect himself as the three Master Sorcerers launched an attack on his body, trying to stop his heart or paralyze his diaphragm so he could not breathe.

  “Fools!” Rokannia stormed at Maldek’s visitors. “You are closer than we are! Kill him where he stands before-”

  But it was too late. Maldek was calling upon the planes of power-Torio could Read a strange aura of energy around him, protecting, even absorbing the blows the others sent against him, thus increasing its own power.

  Astonishment rang from Borru. “Maldek-what are you doing? You cannot control so much power!”

  ” I am doing what you taught me, Master!” Maldek replied cynically.

  “We must stop him nowMI exclaimed the sorcerer from the far north. “Come-join with me!”

  And the three joined hands, Borru reaching for the same source of power Maldek was tapping-but with a difference.

  Maldek was using the power as an outer defense. The sorcerer from Meliard merely drew strength into his own body, as if to heal the weakness caused by the use of Adept powers. Thus strengthened, he joined his companions in the attack with powers Torio was only too familiar with.

  Searing flames rose all around!

  Hot fire of destruction!

  The tapestries went up in flames, the paneling, the wooden throne, the rugs—

  Kwinn screamed, and Gray yelped in terror.

  The doors burst into flame.

  The Readers gasped in disbelief as the very stone walls began to burn.

  They were trapped!

  Even Maldek had to have air to breathe-and the fire was taking all the air!

  Torio choked and gasped, trying to Read a way out. There was flame in every direction.

  Heat seared his flesh.

  Melissa, Zanos, and Astra fought the fire, but succeeded only in creating a flameless circle around them-there was still no way out!

  Maldek concentrated-and cold white fire leaped across the river, attacking the circle of sorcerers—

  It burned through their nerves, not healing now, but draining them with searing pain until they shriveled, agony traveling up their spines to their brains, roaring through their minds and leaving them dead-empty!

  Maldek had won.

  But his throne room was surrounded by fire, the walls, the floor, the very air aflame.

  Outside, the forest blazed.

  The City roared to the heavens!

  All the power their own small circle of Adepts could muster could not hold off the conflagration any longer-they were dying.

  “Maldek!” Melissa screamed. “Stop the fire! It will kill you, too!”

  He Read that it was destroying his castle, his City-and in pure selfishness he once again reached for that cold white flame-

  “Not more fire!” cried Torio—

  But then he saw what Maldek was doing.

  The cold fire attacked the hot-absorbed it! It spread, circling the group of visitors, drawing power from the flames it fed on and leaving only ash in its wake. Cold ash.

  Everyone stared, gasping for breath.

  Up the walls went the cold white fire, feeding on the hot orange flames, consuming them and leaving refreshing coolness.

  Melissa stared at Maldek. “Such power,” she whispered. “Blessed gods-he is truly invincible!”

  Maldek grinned triumphantly, striding down the barren steps as the fire retreated.

  About him was still that aura of cold fire.

  “Melissa,” Torio warned, “do not touch him! That power is working through him!”

  “Of course,” replied Maldek. “I am its route into this world-only I dare call up so much power. Poor Borru-all he ever tried to teach me was to control, control, never loose the true power of which I am capable. Now he knows, wherever he is, what power he could have had if he hadn’t been afraid!”

  The Master Sorcerer held out his hands, one to Dirdra, one to Melissa. “All power is mine. Rokannia, Borru, Shivahn-their lands are mine now. And you are mine. I have won the right to you-all of you.

  Please me, and I will reward you. Displease me-”

  He had no need to finish the threat. Neither woman, though, touched him. “You fear me,” he said, obviously pleased. “That is wise.”

  “I do not fear you,” said Dirdra. “Nothing has changed. You cannot do anything more to me than you have already done.”

  “Dirdra is right,” said Melissa. “What have you gained, Maldek? More power? You didn’t know what to do with what you had. Read what is happening out there-the force you unleashed may put out the fires, but it will not restore the lives of the people who died. It will not bring the forest back, fresh and green.

  Only time will heal those terrible scars-and even time will not help if you continue to destroy your land.”

  Torio recalled his prophecy. “Maldek, your land is worse off now than before the attack. Your major trade city lies in ashes. You are your land-do not think that you have any more power than it has.”

  “Do you think your nonsense frightens me, Torio? / decide my fate, not some foolish Reader who will not even see, let alone learn to use the other side of his powers. Borru tried to make me into someone like you-afraid of power-and see where he lies now. With my powers, I need have no fear of superstition!”

  “Then what,” Astra put in, “are you going to do about the power you have unleashed? Can you control what it is doing now, Maldek?”

  Everyone Read with her-and found the cold white energy drawing back toward the castle. All the fires were out-but people lay dead or dying… and as it retreated, the cold fire, having consumed its prime target, now sucked the life from anyone it met who could not shield.

  Those with either Reading or Adept power managed to fight it off-but they saw friends and family drained of life in its wake, and screams of renewed agony followed upon the sobs of the already grief-stricken.

  “No!” exclaimed Maldek-and for the first time Torio Read genuine fear grasp at the man’s mind.

  But the Master Sorcerer wasted no time on his apprehensions-he reached out with his powerful mind, drawing the circle of cold fire back toward the castle, to himself, so that he could banish it—

  Where freezing emptiness had been, cold flames flickered and leaped, eluding Maldek’s attempts to direct the fire-it seared through him, cold and deadly, tapping the power of its own plane to renew its strength.

  With a mighty effort of will, Maldek forced the white fire to retreat to the castle-where it broke forth in even greater force!

  Where orange heat had consumed before, now unyielding cold ravaged through the castle—

  Torio Read what was happening:

  Maldek was the conduit for this force from another plane of existence.

  The farther it ranged from its link with its own world, the weaker it became, and the more easily he could control it.

  But when he drew it toward himself, to force it back onto its own plane, it renewed itself by contact with its origins, and could resist him!

  ¦ Zanos, Melissa, and Astra automatically joined their efforts to Maldek’s-but their powers were nothing compared to his, and they made no perceptible impact.

  I The cold energy leaped about the castle-striking the living, drawing their life. Many of Maldek’s servants had powers. They resisted, but those who I had no defenses succumbed without even knowing what had struck them-and with every life, ¦ the draining force grew hungrier.

  “Dirdra!” Torio shouted. “Take Kwinn and Bryen I and-”

  Then he realized that they were surrounded-as Maldek closed the circle of energy, it had to travel over, past, or through all of them!

  “Protect them!” he directed, and they shoved the three with no powers to the center of their circle, Torio, Melissa, Astra, Zanos, and Cassandra joining hands around them. Gray patrolled the outside of their circle as Maldek stood
on the steps to his throne-now a pile of ashes-intent on conquering that cold energy as he had conquered every other opponent in his life.

  As he drew the cold fire toward himself, it flicked over the circle of portectors. Torio felt it tingle through his nerves, far stronger than when it was used for healing. He shivered as it tried to draw the warmth from him-but instinctively, without knowing how he did it, he let it flow through him without effect.

  So did Melissa, Zanos, Astra, Cassandra-and even Gray.

  But Dirdra could not let it flow, nor Kwinn nor Bryen-in them, the cold drained, drained-

  “Maldek-stop it!” shouted Melissa.

  He did not reply-there was no possible reply! He was struggling with all his might. Torio Read his dominant emotion: not fear, but utter astonishment.

  Never since he had come into the full flush of his powers had Maldek met a force he could not conquer!

  The more Maldek struggled, the stronger the unleashed force became. Never before had the Master Sorcerer allowed it to reach beyond his touch-and now it sought mindlessly the freedom it had briefly known, pure power seeking to consume-It broke free!

  The Adepts were blank to Reading as they struggled to aid Maldek-but their abilities were nothing to his, and he could not control the force he had set loose.

  Rampaging now, it seemed a living thing escaped from long imprisonment—

  But it was not a reasoning thing.

  There was no appeal to it, any more than one could reason with a flood or an earthquake.

  The consuming energy burned Maldek with cold fire as it poured forth from his outstretched arms, then from every pore of his body, surging outward, seeking life, sucking energy out of the very stone.

  Again the wave of life-sapping power washed through the circle of Readers and Adepts-but this time they could not protect Dirdra, Kwinn, Bryen. Already weakened, they were sucked dry, left lifeless husks… even the warmth was gone from their bodies, and they were left frozen.

  The cold spread and spread, drawing life and warmth from everything it touched, feeding itself and growing stronger.

  Shaking with the blasts of cold air, Torio turned from the now useless circle. Gray leaned up against him, seeking to share warmth, while Melissa got up from Reading the corpses of their friends, tears freezing on her lashes before they could fall. She buried her hands in Gray’s fur, also seeking warmth.

  Torio’s breath was white smoke as he shouted, “Maldek, it’s destroying your land! It will kill your people, and the very earth itself! Let go, Maldek! Cut it off from its source!”

  “How?” demanded the sorcerer, no longer seeming to stand there of his own volition, but to be suspended by the force flowing through his body.

  ” You are the avenue of power,” Torio explained. “Let go, Maidek-save what is left of your land!”

  And the Master Sorcerer, realizing that the only way to cut off that draining power was to destroy its means of access, knew: he had to die.

  “No!” he howled.

  The numbing cold crept up Torio’s legs, and bit at his Fingers. “You have no choice!” he shouted. “It will take you after it has taken everything else!”

  Cassandra fell to her knees, arms wrapped around herself, cold seeping toward her vital organs.

  “No! I will control it!” Maidek insisted, although he had no strength left.

  “It’s using you!” Torio insisted. “The only way to control it is to shut it off! Maidek-it’s going to take your life-let it go now, and save everyone left alive!”

  Zanos and Astra huddled together, slumping to the floor as the sleep before death took them over.

  “Maidek, our friends are dying!” said Melissa. “It will kill you after it’s drained everything else. Let go now, while there is some hope for your land!”

  But Maidek would not listen.

  Torio felt Melissa Reading him, Cassandra, Zanos, and Astra-all were dying. Gray dropped to the frozen floor, frost on his coat, and Torio could not keep his feet, could not even feel them.

  But Melissa did not fall. Instead she stumbled toward Maidek, pleading, “You must die for your land, Maldek-to live forever in the land itself and the memory of your sacrifice.”

  She reached toward him.

  “No! Melissa-no!” Torio tried to shout, but his sluggish body produced no more than a choked gasp as he launched himself toward her. His legs would not obey him.

  Melissa took one of Maldek’s outstretched hands. “Let me help you,” she said, her healer’s instinct reaching to aid him through the transition—

  But the moment she touched him, the cold fire poured through her body as it did his!

  Reading, Torio knew faster than thought what Melissa would do. “No! No! Let go!” he screamed, panic forcing his sluggish blood to pound through his arteries.

  This time he gained his feet, stumbled forward, reaching for Melissa to break the contact—

  He felt her surprise, her confusion, her fear-

  “Torio-oh!” she shouted, the name broken off bluntly. Then the set of her mind turned to total determination.

  The devouring force cut off, as sharply as if sliced with a sword.

  Maldek fell backward, released, a stringless marionette.

  And Melissa, loosed from his grip, dropped lifeless into Torio’s outstretched arms.

  Chapter Eight

  Time was suspended as Torio held Melissa’s body, shivering with cold and shock. Then slowly, instinctively, he Read around them.

  Maldek was alive… barely. Not only was he unconscious, but he did not Read like a Reader-there was no trace of his special powers.

  Zanos and Astra lived, as did Cassandra. Gray struggled to crawl toward Torio, whining.

  Dirdra and Kwinn lay dead in one another’s arms, Bryen fallen over them.

  And Torio held Melissa’s lifeless body, too deep into shock for tears.

  He could not have said how long he sat on the cold stone steps to the burned-out throne, frost settling onto his hair, onto Melissa… but finally Gray nudged him, transmitting urgency as he butted Torio with his great head, over and over.

  Torio looked up-and realized that although the draining force was gone, the castle was colder than any winter he had ever known. If something was not done soon, those who now only slept would slip across into death.

  More deaths to my account, he thought. There had to be something he could do.

  Even if he had had Adept powers, he could not have started a fire-there was nothing left to burn!

  Except—

  Their clothing had escaped. In fighting the fire off their bodies, they had protected that as well.

  Laying Melissa down tenderly, Torio took Gray over to Zanos and Astra, making the dog lie down against them. Then he moved Cassandra next to her daughter, and finally dragged Maldek down off the steps-only because any body warmth he might have left could serve to keep Torio’s friends alive.

  Feeling like a grave robber, he forced himself to strip the outer garments off Dirdra and Bryen and placed them in the grate in the fireplace-but there was nothing with which to strike a light.

  Fires here were started by people with Adept powers, of which Torio had none.

  The numbing cold was making it difficult to think. They had not brought a tinderbox on their journey, for Zanos, Astra, and Melissa could all start fires. But he could Read no lighted torch, no glowing coal in the castle. All had been victim to the energy-draining power Maldek had loosed upon I his land. Torio realized he was going to die. Then he would be with Melissa. Gray let out a mournful howl-right into Zanos’ ear.

  The gladiator came to sluggish wakefulness, looking around-but it was pitch-black in the windowless throne room. It took him long moments to begin to Read-and then he was as awake as possible in the unremitting cold. “Torio-what?”

  “Can you… light the fire?” Torio forced out.

  Zanos struggled to sit up, could not stand. Torio could feel his deep longing to sink back to sleep, but Z
anos had the concentration of an athlete. He forced himself to focus. Finally a small flame flickered in the bunched-up cloth.

  Zanos crawled to the fire and tried to warm his hands. “We’ll need more than this,” he said. “I’ve never been so cold in my life!”

  “I don’t know if there’s anything left,” Torio said dully.

  “You’re a better Reader than I am,” said Zanos. “You tell me where to find fuel, and I’ll get it.”

  There were some charred remains of the doors to the throne room. A wooden chest in the hallway had been scorched but not consumed, and the two men dragged that in and broke it up.

  Soon they had a small semicircle of warmth right around the fire-but ever at their backs hovered the implacable cold.

  “We’d better wake everyone,” said Zanos. “They could die in their sleep before it’s warm enough in here to protect them.”

  When her husband touched her on the forehead, Astra’s eyes fluttered open. She smiled weakly at him, then sat up and began to examine her mother. “Torio-”

  “I Read it,” he replied. “Her hands and feet are frozen. She cannot recover without healing.”

  “I’ll try,” said Astra-but her own powers were so drained that she could not produce the healing fire to restore Cassandra. “We need Melissa,” she whispered. But then she looked toward Maldek. “He has the power-”

  “Had,” said Torio. “Read him, Astra. He is more in need of healing than your mother-his whole body has been burned, inside and out. He simply refuses to die.”

  “Zanos,” Astra appealed. “Please help me!”

  Cassandra’s heart rate slowed drastically. “No!” exclaimed Astra. “Mother, I’ve just found you. We’ve lost Zanos’ brother. Don’t you leave us, too!”

  But Cassandra’s life was fading.

  Torio was used to Adepts handling such situations-but he had had emergency training in his last years at Adigia, before there were Adepts to help with healing. Any boy old enough to participate in battle was taught life-saving techniques, including how to start a heart that had stopped with shock.