The Phoenix Ring(51)

The smoldering coal in Aidan's stomach became a burning one, until he started to feel the magic coursing through his body.

"Bring her to my lodgings. I will deal with her there."

The wizard turned and walked swiftly away, followed by the three amoghs, the last carrying the sack that could only contain one thing.

Aidan followed them more slowly, though every molecule of his body told him to let forth a volley of spells. As powerful as he was, Aidan would never be able to take on three trained amogh assassins and a wizard at once.

They took a twisting path through the streets and side alleys of the city, leaving Aidan hopelessly lost. As they travelled deeper into the heart of the city, Aidan began to see that the massive, richly built houses were vastly outnumbered by small shacks and huts that were built from cheap, rotten materials. They finally stopped at a squat, one story house made of stone that was slightly smaller than the orphanage where Aidan had grown up.

The wizard murmured a spell and the door, which radiated with a strange spell, clicked open.

"Bring our guest downstairs," the wizard said, "And then go recheck the woods. You probably stumbled over them and didn't even notice it."

"I'll warn you, she's a fighter," said the amogh who had been carrying the sack, after he had deposited it inside, "You might want one of us here."

The wizard laughed. "I can take care of myself. Go do your job, and let me do mine."

The assassin shook his head, but didn't try to argue. As soon as all three were gone, the wizard disappeared into the house, leaving Aidan alone.

The boy breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know how he had managed to stay unseen, but now he felt fairly certain he could handle the wizard. The man was far less powerful than a warlock or dragon, and Aidan had already defeated both of those.

The young mage pointed his staff at the door and closed his eyes. He could feel some sort of locking spell, but didn’t know what it was.

"Mahor yok wenne."

The spell flowed out of the wood with only minimal resistance. Aidan hesitantly pushed on the door, which creaked open on rusted hinges. The young mage squeezed the Phoenix Ring against his staff and stepped into the dark house.



"Why hello, Aaliyah," said a sickeningly familiar voice. "You've turned out far more… attractive than most of my experiments."

The girl's head snapped up. She was chained to a chair, gagged but no longer blindfolded. She was in a torch lit room built of stone, with cluttered tables lining the walls. She noticed her bow and other weapons lying on a table tantalizingly close.

A few feet in front of her was a face she had hoped to never see again, unless it was decorating a sharp stick.

"We don't have much time to talk, your mage boyfriend is almost here. It took a lot of spellwork to keep him hidden from your assassin friends, but it was worth it. Can't have them taking all the credit for his capture, can we?" the wizard laughed. "I'm going to take this gag off, but if you scream then I will be forced to remove your tongue. Are we clear?"

Aaliyah nodded her head. The wizard stepped forward and pushed the cloth down just far enough for the girl to be able to speak.

"If I recall correctly, the last time we were in the same room I received these," the wizard said, pulling down the neck of his robe to reveal huge burn scars.

"They're an improvement," Aaliyah said.

She saw the wizard's fist a moment before it slammed into her cheek.

"Ow, that tickled," she said, giving him a cocky smile.

The man's eyes narrowed. "You've been trained well. In fact, I'm quite sure that nothing a human could inflict on another human would make you talk. But as we both know, I am well aware that your kind is far from human."

He walked to one of the tables and picked up a jar full of red liquid.

"You remember this stuff, don't you? It's been perfected now. And I am the only person in all of Sortiledge that knows the antidote. One sip and you'll be… dying to tell me your secrets."

"That was the worst play on words I've ever heard. And you told me some bad ones," Aaliyah said, the smile never leaving her face. But for the first time in nine years, she felt truly afraid.

The wizard smiled and poured some of the vile liquid onto the gag. It was at that moment that they heard the door open upstairs.

"Aidan, don-" Aaliyah was cut off by the soaked rag, which had been thrust back into her mouth. The wizard smiled and leaned back into the wall, whispering a spell that made him shimmer and almost disappear.

"Let's see what happens when the bearer of the Phoenix Ring meets the amogh slayer."





Aidan had only been in the house for a few seconds when he heard his name being screamed. The home, if it could be called that, had no windows, no bed, and no fireplace. The only objects Aidan could see were a table with two chairs, three torch hooks holding lit torches, and another door, far more protected than the first.