Agamori peered from behind the tree and whispered to Daniel. “They outnumber us three to one, Daniel. Perhaps, we should think of a different plan.”
A huff shot from Daniel’s throat, then he drew up his face at the silliness of such an idea. “No, it will work.”
The icy blue eyes squinted and took another look. “It’s my job to tell you when the odds are not in your favor.”
Daniel surveyed his men awaiting their orders as he rested against the tree. They were his kin, his brothers and he would never send them into a battle he wasn’t prepared to walk into himself. He hardly needed to even see with his eyes anymore; his mind laid everything out clearly and he was well aware of what they were up against. “You’ve lost your faith in me already, have you?”
Leaving his defilade to join his men, he rubbed Daniel’s messy, black hair as he walked by. “Not at all, but my sister will have my head if I bring you back all scratched up. She likes you pretty.”
Speaking out to them in their minds, Daniel gave the command and the archers positioned themselves in the safety of trees as the others prepared to follow.
Even in their dark leather and chainmail, the wizard army crept silently through the dark night to the town below the castle.
They swept through the brothel, and there was scarcely a sound as they killed every living soul inside. When the last man cleared the building, Daniel squinted his eyes and the wooden shack of sin exploded into flames.
When the alarm was raised inside the castle, a soft hum began beneath their feet that soon became a thunderous quake as the feet of at least a hundred men and wolves came charging at Daniel and his family.
He could have laid them all to waste right there on the hillside, but these were men, not goblins or trolls. They deserved the honor of dying on his blade.
While the burning building lit up the night sky, Daniel sauntered towards the incoming squad. His fingers slid down the center of his back and wrapped around the hilt of his sword, then with a snap, he freed it from its sheath.
The vortex of cold air being sucked from the space around him fed the flames as Daniel’s hair lifted from his head and danced upon it. The blue blaze rose from his pores as he brought his sword to his shoulder, then spoke out to his men in his mind. “Kill them all.”
Their faces lit up in the orange glow of the cleansing inferno as they met the castle’s inhabitants on the makeshift battlefield.
The first man ran at him, and Daniel caught him by his throat and slammed him to the ground before he sank his sword into the man’s chest.
With Agamori and his men close behind him, Daniel spun to his right and plunged his blade into the heart of the next unfortunate soul. Kicking his blade free, Daniel’s eyes snapped up to see a wolf lunging through the air.
The evil grin on Daniel’s face fell quickly as Agamori’s knife land in the beast’s skull. The sorcerer glared over his shoulder at the white-haired commander and sighed in annoyance. “That one was mine.”
“Thank you will suffice.” Agamori stalked past Daniel, then kneeled by his kill. The squelch of the blade leaving the thick skull was instantly replaced by the murderous howls that pierced the air.
Pushing his lips together, Agamori lifted his brows and jutted his face forward as he swept his hand towards the approaching pack. “Can you just get this over with? We’ve had our fun; let’s claim your throne.”
An annoyed puff of air left Daniel’s mouth as he flung his hand in the air like a spoiled child. “Fine.”
A rush of wailing air swept through the battlefield as Daniel’s blue flame exploded into a brilliant white halo that swallowed him whole, and the bodies rushing towards him fell to the ground like pillars of sand.
While they advanced on the castle, Daniel’s men moved through the halls and slaughtered all who remained.
“Are you disappointed?” Agamori crossed his arms as he walked beside Daniel and assessed his new home.
Sliding the sword back into its sheath, Daniel shrugged. “A bit. I expected more; we could have done this ages ago.”
Walking among the filth and garbage piled along the halls and the ancient tapestries in tatters on the walls, Daniel’s mind flashed back to a slice of an ancient memory as a voice whispered out to him in the old language.
He lifted his finger for Agamori to be still, and Daniel’s eyes searched the air as he strained to hear. “Do you hear that?”
Agamori twisted his lips and paused for a moment. “I hear nothing.”
Daniel closed his eyes as he tried to concentrate on the voice that filled his ears. “Buíochas a ghabháil leat…” His fingertips touching his forehead as the visions of other lifetimes shot through his mind like a bolt of lightning. “agus comhghairdeas a dhéanamh.”
Smirking to himself as Daniel finished his communion with the ancient ghosts that haunted that place, Agamori placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “They are congratulating you on your win and thanking you for recovering their lands, your lands.”
Daniel’s eyes searched the air about him with his hand over his heart. “I will see it returned to its glory, I swear it.”
As they made their way to the castle’s bed chambers, Daniel was suddenly punched in the gut by his memories and a blast of cold blew over his skin. The forces pulled his finger into the air and pointed to the end of the hall. “Here. We slept here.”
Pushing the door open to the suite that used to house him, an audible groan fell from his throat as the stench was released into the air. Agamori leaned in over his shoulder and drew up his face in disgust, then backed away. Daniel blew out hard through his mouth and shook his head as he turned away. “It’ll take me years to clean up this place.”
When they came to a rounded wooden door, the voices called out to Daniel once again. Following their demands, he pushed against the door, but it wouldn’t budge. As he tried to unlatch the bolt, the voices lashed out with a warning that sent him across the floor on his ass.
Agamori doubled over with snorty laughter before he helped Daniel back to his feet. “Well, I certainly heard that.”
Daniel dusted off his hands and pants and rubbed at the elbow that smashed against the stone floor. “What did he say?”
Agamori nudged Daniel’s arm with his elbow. “He wants to know her name.”
He placed his hand over the door and spoke the most beautiful name he ever breathed from his mouth. “Rosemary.”
The click of the bolt unlatching made both men flinch, and the door popped open.
The stale, dusty air carried with it the musty smell of old books as it leaked from the room. The stained glass window that faced them was the only one he saw left unbroken, and it occurred to him that the inside of the room had seen no one in a thousand years. “No one’s been in here all this time. Amazing.”
As he passed the ancient books and scrolls, Agamori slid his fingers over the spines and huffed out through his mouth as an icy sensation spread through his hand. “A miracle that is, truly.” Looking over his shoulder, Agamori shuddered in dread of what could have happened. “I hate to think of what this world would be like had this library been discovered by one of those people.”
Daniel came to his side and narrowed his eyes as he examined the books. “Why? What’s so important about these things?”
He caught Daniel’s hand before he placed it on the old manuscripts. “You shouldn’t touch them, not yet. You need Rosemary to help you.”
Even though his palms ached to feel the books, Daniel crossed his arms and backed a step away. “No one wants that more than me, but why?”
As he rubbed his hands together to wipe away the dread, Agamori stepped back from the shelves. “This is the darkest of magic, Daniel. You need Rosemary to balance you so you do not become consumed by it. It is too powerful to wield alone.”
Pulling Daniel along with him as he backed away and nodded his head in respect to the presence before them, Agamori whispered to Daniel. “That’s why the door asked for her, Daniel. This is too great a dominion to rule alone. We must make ready for her quickly.”
Before Daniel closed the door behind him, he looked over his reclaimed antiquities again. “I’m home.”