Sons of Ironstorm - Book 2: Griffon's Call

A Narrow Escape

Spinning around, sword at the ready, Patrik confronted the speaker. And in doing so, discovered that it was none other than the old wizard who had found them in the storm seemingly forever ago, leaning on a gnarled length of wood that served as a staff of sorts. His anger was immediate.

"No thanks to you, old man," he grated. Then the anger was boiling up out of him and he stabbed out with an open hand, his fingers bend claw-like towards the palm. The space within those fingers instantly filled with a version of the energy blast he had used on the mage earlier and, with a snarl of discharge, it darted away from his hand to hammer into a shield of shimmering light that suddenly hummed into existence at the last moment. The force of impact was great enough to force the old man to drop his staff and hold both hands up towards the shield as it bent impossibly in towards him before his magic braced it back into place.

"Hold your attack, Patrik Ironstorm, I beg you!" the old man cried, grimacing as he fought to hold his shield in place against the angry human's next blast, which followed tightly on the heels of the first. "I am not your enemy!"

"No?" Patrik snarled, hurling another blast. This one coiled around the shield and began to use tendrils of energy to peel it away, layer by layer, until it was ripped at last away with an explosive rush, the force generated by the shield's death knocking the old man to his knees.

"Then how do you explain the Chain Islanders finding us so quickly if it weren't for your duplicitous treachery? I'll tell you how: you told them where to find us; something you knew since you sent us here!" He drew back to launch a final attack, energy already gathered in his free hand.

Only to spin himself around at sensing gathering magic to his rear, stabbing his sword into the ground, tip first, then drawing in his other hand to his hip, doubling the energy blast's size before sending it howling across intervening space to slam into a Chain Island mage and his escort as they advanced. The six men and women were instantly scattered, their clothes smoldering on those that didn't have holes punched right through them at impact.

A snarl tightening his face into a rictus of rage, Patrik quickly sent out two more seething attacks, each darting unerringly through the jumbled mass of shifting soldiery filling the courtyard to strike down more mages and their escorts. A primeval howl ripped free of his clenched teeth as he sent two final blasts to cut down the last two wizards, their shields flaring briefly but ineffectually before imploding, crushing their owners in brilliant cascades of light and magic before swiftly fading.

The last of the Chain Island wizards finished, Patrik spun back around, intent on doing the same to the old man. And he felt his gathered power leave him in an abrupt rush when he found standing there, looking unnaturally calm with battle raging all around them, none other than the young woman from the boat. He could see the old man behind her, slumped on the ground in exhaustion, his strength sapped by his effort to keep Patrik's rage from consuming him.

"What, . . what are you doing here?" he stammered, his heart suddenly pounding in his throat.

"Preventing you from doing something monumentally foolish, my wielder," the woman replied in a matter-of-fact tone with a quick glance back and down at the fallen old man. "This man was a benefactor, and you treat him as foe." Her big brown eyes lifted back to him to nearly push him back with the force of their intensity.

"You went on this sojourn to learn of your destiny and how it will shape you in the days to come. You passed over the sea and through the desert into this crucible to hammer loose any imperfections you had and to learn from the visions I gave you." She frowned as her eyes searched his face for a long moment. "Yet, I come to you in a turn of need and find you preparing to slay this man, who did nothing but give you aide. Perhaps you need more time in the desert to teach you the value of life."