Read Online The Making of a Mage King: White Star by Anna L. Walls - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anna L. Walls
Ads: Link
have you come across any demons yet?”
“No, my lord, but then we’re not all that close yet.”
Through the link, Sean could tell that he had a vague impression of being several blocks away still, and he was sure that Cordan could tell the same way that he was within sight of the walls. “Watch for them. If they have more than two of them, they may be running loose in the streets. And be careful; they have mages too.”
Cordan’s response was a grim growl, then Sean had something else to worry about. A mage, now behind him, because he had either slipped in the water and had been knocked senseless, or because he had been pretending, was gathering up another fireball. Sean felt the gathering magic, picked him up out of the water and he burst into flames all in the span of a heartbeat. He had been powerful enough to mount a strong attack, but he lacked the skill to call the fire back. Sean should have killed him the instant he detected him, but instead he had picked him up, which meant that he used a hard shell of air to lift him from the ground. Instead of making the fire where his enemy was, he had sought to throw it like a ball. The fire couldn’t go anywhere. Watching someone burst into flame and burn to death is not very pleasant. Sean couldn’t drop him back into the water fast enough to save him from that demise.
He turned away from the sight and struggled to contain the contents of his stomach, then they were fighting again. Issuing from the garrison gate and coming at them from the other street heads that he could see, were what added up to be several hundred men with their archers and their mages. At least Sean’s appearance attracted the mages away from his other troops.
Those coming from the compound were mounted and they could cover the distance fastest. Sean knew that the archers would stop and begin firing volleys as soon as they were in range. Since the mages were advancing too, they would likely start their mayhem at the same time as the archers, though they didn’t need to close the distance.
With a long sweep of his hand, every living thing in Sean’s range of view, died. God, I’m beginning to really hate black magic .
In the face of all that death, Sean led them forward in grim silence. By the time they reached the front gate, several men on the walls had thrown their swords from the wall and knelt in plain sight with their hands on their heads. He could hear the commander inside yelling orders and it sounded like he was getting frantic.
Sean exploded the gate open and the flying shards of wood lay out another swath of death and destruction. Sean regretted that many of the men appeared to have already surrendered, but he couldn’t help that now. His men flooded into the compound and took the fight to a more personal level. He could no longer deal out swaths of death. He drew his swords and waded in along with the rest of them; this was a much more satisfactory way to wage war.
Cordan reached the back gate about twenty minutes later to find them thrown open and men scattering away as fast as they could run. He let them go; none of them were armed. Those who couldn’t clear the gates before he reached them threw themselves to their knees and laced their fingers on top of their heads.
When the fighting stopped, Sean dismounted, took about three steps away from Prince and threw up. He gagged and heaved until he thought he was going to turn himself inside out. Larry was at his side and Sean hung his weight from his shoulder and threw up again. When he thought he could stand and not puke for a while, he turned to find Tomas waiting for him.
“Is this your first battle?” he asked, sympathetically.
“Not really,” he said, and he washed his mouth out with some water another man offered him. “Using black magic turns my stomach.” Sean glanced toward the gate. “I used a lot of it out there. It’s all yours now, Ruihano , make of it what you can; I need some air.”
He
“No, my lord, but then we’re not all that close yet.”
Through the link, Sean could tell that he had a vague impression of being several blocks away still, and he was sure that Cordan could tell the same way that he was within sight of the walls. “Watch for them. If they have more than two of them, they may be running loose in the streets. And be careful; they have mages too.”
Cordan’s response was a grim growl, then Sean had something else to worry about. A mage, now behind him, because he had either slipped in the water and had been knocked senseless, or because he had been pretending, was gathering up another fireball. Sean felt the gathering magic, picked him up out of the water and he burst into flames all in the span of a heartbeat. He had been powerful enough to mount a strong attack, but he lacked the skill to call the fire back. Sean should have killed him the instant he detected him, but instead he had picked him up, which meant that he used a hard shell of air to lift him from the ground. Instead of making the fire where his enemy was, he had sought to throw it like a ball. The fire couldn’t go anywhere. Watching someone burst into flame and burn to death is not very pleasant. Sean couldn’t drop him back into the water fast enough to save him from that demise.
He turned away from the sight and struggled to contain the contents of his stomach, then they were fighting again. Issuing from the garrison gate and coming at them from the other street heads that he could see, were what added up to be several hundred men with their archers and their mages. At least Sean’s appearance attracted the mages away from his other troops.
Those coming from the compound were mounted and they could cover the distance fastest. Sean knew that the archers would stop and begin firing volleys as soon as they were in range. Since the mages were advancing too, they would likely start their mayhem at the same time as the archers, though they didn’t need to close the distance.
With a long sweep of his hand, every living thing in Sean’s range of view, died. God, I’m beginning to really hate black magic .
In the face of all that death, Sean led them forward in grim silence. By the time they reached the front gate, several men on the walls had thrown their swords from the wall and knelt in plain sight with their hands on their heads. He could hear the commander inside yelling orders and it sounded like he was getting frantic.
Sean exploded the gate open and the flying shards of wood lay out another swath of death and destruction. Sean regretted that many of the men appeared to have already surrendered, but he couldn’t help that now. His men flooded into the compound and took the fight to a more personal level. He could no longer deal out swaths of death. He drew his swords and waded in along with the rest of them; this was a much more satisfactory way to wage war.
Cordan reached the back gate about twenty minutes later to find them thrown open and men scattering away as fast as they could run. He let them go; none of them were armed. Those who couldn’t clear the gates before he reached them threw themselves to their knees and laced their fingers on top of their heads.
When the fighting stopped, Sean dismounted, took about three steps away from Prince and threw up. He gagged and heaved until he thought he was going to turn himself inside out. Larry was at his side and Sean hung his weight from his shoulder and threw up again. When he thought he could stand and not puke for a while, he turned to find Tomas waiting for him.
“Is this your first battle?” he asked, sympathetically.
“Not really,” he said, and he washed his mouth out with some water another man offered him. “Using black magic turns my stomach.” Sean glanced toward the gate. “I used a lot of it out there. It’s all yours now, Ruihano , make of it what you can; I need some air.”
He
Similar Books
