Blinded by Power: 5 (The Death Wizard Chronicles) Read Free

it?—scheming behind my back. Perhaps when our task here is finished and we return to Uccheda, I will have you tell me what you know of Vedana’s plan, after all. If you do so, without resistance, I will reward you.”
    “Reward me first, and then we shall see.”
    “Ha!” Then, “Maybe  . . . but only if you behave until then.”
    “I’ll be as obedient as a whipped dog.”
    “Yes, you will.”
    WHEN THEY FINALLY arrived at Nissaya, Invictus watched the proceedings unfold far below. It wasn’t so much what he saw as what he felt that disturbed him. Just as Torg had a psychic connection with the Tugars, Invictus had one with Mala—and he could sense that his pet was faltering.
    Of all the rage Invictus had ever experienced, none compared to what he felt now. If the Maōi wielded by this new snow giant had the power to defeat Mala, might it not also threaten even him? Barely realizing it, Invictus’s body began to glow so brightly that the entire sky became filled with yellow light.
    Bhayatupa howled and reared, but not before Invictus unleashed a beam of magical energy as torrential as the vomit of a star. The great dragon, no match for such a godlike expenditure of power, was pummeled backward; and the two of them tumbled across the sky and then fell for a long, long way before smiting the base of a mountain many miles north of the fortress. Afterward, both lay still.

2
     
    HEEDLESS OF THE quicklime dust that poisoned the air, a company of monsters tore through the portcullises, boulders, and debris that clogged the entrance of Hakam, the largest of the three bulwarks that guarded the fortress named Nissaya. But it was taking longer than Mala expected. Some of the stones were too heavy even for the Kojins and trolls to lift. And the iron gratings in the interior of the gate were crafted in such a way that not even the three-headed giant could break them. Again and again, Mala was forced to blast the most difficult obstacles with golden beams from the tines of his magical trident.
    The thick iron gratings, never before assailed, put up an admirable fight. But eventually they grew red hot, liquefied, and sank into the ground. The most troublesome boulders also succumbed, splattering like clods of dirt. Even then it took from midafternoon until well into the evening to clear a sizable opening through the gate’s long tunnel. When only about twenty cubits of debris stood between Mala and his enemies, Mala impatiently unleashed a continuous stream of power that seemed to shake the very bedrock of the fortress. Finally, the rubble could no longer tolerate the abuse, and it blew apart.
    With the ruthlessness of a conqueror, Mala entered Nissaya. Behind him came the snarling newborns, angry and oh, so hungry.
    At first the smoke and dust obscured Mala’s view, but soon it became evident that a sizable force of Nissayans had been strategically arranged in a courtyard that lay beyond the gate of Hakam. Thousands of torches were raised in challenge. Polished blades glimmered in the moonlight. Much to his dismay, Mala sensed little fear.
    The defenders immediately loosed a locust-swarm of arrows, dozens of which struck him. Even without his magic to protect him, the arrows would have done Mala little harm, but the essence of the ring Invictus had named Carūūl formed a magical sheath over Mala’s flesh that was impregnable to ordinary weapons. The newborns also remained unharmed, their metallic flesh far tougher than the finest armor.
    The arrows signaled the beginning of a ferocious battle. Mala stomped forward, prepared to crush anything in his path. In no way would he be a passive commander, cowering behind his troops while they did the dirty work. What pleasure would there be in that? Murder and mayhem were Mala’s favorite pastimes, and he would take on any and all challengers, including the Death-Knower, if he dared to show his annoying face. With the addition of the trident and the ring, Mala had grown beyond