Read Online Alex Verus Novels, Books 1-4 (9780698175952) by Benedict Jacka - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Benedict Jacka
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the future instead. Cinder was going to place the thing into the statue’s hand, the statue was going to activate, and—
Oh,
crap
.
I’d been hoping these three knew what they were doing. Judging by what they were about to set off, it was obvious they didn’t.
As Cinder wove a protection spell around the statue, I knew I didn’t have much time. My current location was about to become very unhealthy. I could try stepping out to give the three Dark mages a warning, but I didn’t even bother checking what the consequences of
that
would be. Pretty much every future in which I stayed in this room led to me being burnt to a crisp within the next thirty seconds.
It was time to go back to plan A. Run away very quickly.
Cinder finished his spell, placed something in the statue’s hand, then stepped back. With his bulk between me and the statue, I couldn’t see what was happening, and all my attention was going towards calculating at exactly which point I should run. There was a faint white glow from the statue, dim in the red light, then a red flicker. Then the light died away and there was silence.
Khazad spoke into the vacuum. “Is that it?”
Never
ask questions like that around active magic.
The room brightened with pale light, swallowing the red glow of Cinder’s magic in a white aura. Something large appeared in the room, just above the statue and right in the middle of the three very surprised Dark mages.
And in the moment’s pause where the three of them werestaring openmouthed at the creature in front of them, I sprinted past and down the stairs as fast as my legs could carry me.
I ’ve been involved in a good few combats over the course of my life, and pretty much all of them have either started or ended with me running away. There is a reason for this. Mages can inconvenience, immobilise, hurt, injure, stab, slice, burn, bend, fold, spindle, and mutilate you in a variety of creative ways, but pretty much all of them require that they know where you are. If you can stay out of sight it’s hard for them to know where you are, and if you can move faster than they can it’s hard for them to keep you in sight. So if you lead a lifestyle that brings you into frequent contact with unfriendly mages, and you have plans for your life that don’t involve getting turned into a small pile of charcoal, it’s a good idea to learn to run fast. To run fast you need training, fitness, and most of all, motivation.
I had three Dark mages and an angry guardian elemental behind me. I had motivation in spades.
As I tore down the stairs, I heard a shout from the woman, followed by a hollow boom and a red-black flash as at least two of the Dark mages took a shot at the elemental. A second later the stairs flashed white and there was a crack of thunder as the elemental took a shot back. I didn’t know whether I’d been spotted and I didn’t hang around to find out. I made it back the way I came into the Great Court and to the top of the staircase with a speed that an Olympic sprinter would have had trouble beating.
The Great Court showed no signs of battle; the three Dark mages had probably bypassed the doors and gated in. The good news was that there were no security guards.
The bad news was that the Council reinforcements had just turned up.
There were five of them, just entering through the front doors. The battle-mages of the Council are more of a police force than anything else, but you still don’t want to messwith them. This group was shielded, armed, and ready for trouble.
But they didn’t have advance warning and I did. As I reached the top of the staircase I pulled the crystal marble from my pocket and threw it to shatter at the foot of the stairs. Silvery vapour surged out, filling the Great Court with an obscuring mist, and the mages disappeared from view in an instant. I sprinted down into the mist, relying on my magic to avoid a fall.
If I’d been lucky, that would have been it. I could have
Oh,
crap
.
I’d been hoping these three knew what they were doing. Judging by what they were about to set off, it was obvious they didn’t.
As Cinder wove a protection spell around the statue, I knew I didn’t have much time. My current location was about to become very unhealthy. I could try stepping out to give the three Dark mages a warning, but I didn’t even bother checking what the consequences of
that
would be. Pretty much every future in which I stayed in this room led to me being burnt to a crisp within the next thirty seconds.
It was time to go back to plan A. Run away very quickly.
Cinder finished his spell, placed something in the statue’s hand, then stepped back. With his bulk between me and the statue, I couldn’t see what was happening, and all my attention was going towards calculating at exactly which point I should run. There was a faint white glow from the statue, dim in the red light, then a red flicker. Then the light died away and there was silence.
Khazad spoke into the vacuum. “Is that it?”
Never
ask questions like that around active magic.
The room brightened with pale light, swallowing the red glow of Cinder’s magic in a white aura. Something large appeared in the room, just above the statue and right in the middle of the three very surprised Dark mages.
And in the moment’s pause where the three of them werestaring openmouthed at the creature in front of them, I sprinted past and down the stairs as fast as my legs could carry me.
I ’ve been involved in a good few combats over the course of my life, and pretty much all of them have either started or ended with me running away. There is a reason for this. Mages can inconvenience, immobilise, hurt, injure, stab, slice, burn, bend, fold, spindle, and mutilate you in a variety of creative ways, but pretty much all of them require that they know where you are. If you can stay out of sight it’s hard for them to know where you are, and if you can move faster than they can it’s hard for them to keep you in sight. So if you lead a lifestyle that brings you into frequent contact with unfriendly mages, and you have plans for your life that don’t involve getting turned into a small pile of charcoal, it’s a good idea to learn to run fast. To run fast you need training, fitness, and most of all, motivation.
I had three Dark mages and an angry guardian elemental behind me. I had motivation in spades.
As I tore down the stairs, I heard a shout from the woman, followed by a hollow boom and a red-black flash as at least two of the Dark mages took a shot at the elemental. A second later the stairs flashed white and there was a crack of thunder as the elemental took a shot back. I didn’t know whether I’d been spotted and I didn’t hang around to find out. I made it back the way I came into the Great Court and to the top of the staircase with a speed that an Olympic sprinter would have had trouble beating.
The Great Court showed no signs of battle; the three Dark mages had probably bypassed the doors and gated in. The good news was that there were no security guards.
The bad news was that the Council reinforcements had just turned up.
There were five of them, just entering through the front doors. The battle-mages of the Council are more of a police force than anything else, but you still don’t want to messwith them. This group was shielded, armed, and ready for trouble.
But they didn’t have advance warning and I did. As I reached the top of the staircase I pulled the crystal marble from my pocket and threw it to shatter at the foot of the stairs. Silvery vapour surged out, filling the Great Court with an obscuring mist, and the mages disappeared from view in an instant. I sprinted down into the mist, relying on my magic to avoid a fall.
If I’d been lucky, that would have been it. I could have
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