Read Fimbulwinter (Daniel Black) for Free Online Page A

When the troll was maybe
    twenty feet away I conjured an invisible force wall right in front of him, with a
    thin spike of force two feet long projecting out of it at chest level. The troll’s
    own momentum impaled it on the spike a heartbeat later.
    The shaman’s eyes went wide as I strolled up to the confused troll, still
    maintaining the wall and spike.
    “No way!” He exclaimed. “Die! Die die die die!”
    He hurled a flurry of little balls of lightning at me with the wand, but they
    just bounced off the force wall. I put a hand on my side of the barrier, right
    over the spike.
    “Oh, yes,” I said with a nasty grin. Then I fed power into the spike,
    making it grow into a forest of blades that forced their way out in all
    directions. The troll’s body came apart in a shower of gore, and the shaman
    fell into the blades. He didn’t fare any better.
    I turned my gaze on the edge of the woods, and the goblins there fell back
    in a panic. In moments they were gone.
    Wearily I let the spell drop, and set to work digging the arrow out of my
    arm.
    There was a rattle of chain mail nearby, and a man in armor stepped up
    beside me. “That was impressive work, sir.”
    I shrugged. “Usually I make my way as a healer, but it seems I have a
    knack for that sort of thing. Daniel Black, wandering adept.”
    According to Cerise that meant I was a formally trained wizard, but not an
    official member of any of the various factions that vied for control of the
    magical world here. Such men were rare but not completely unheard of, and
    they tended to be sought after by nobles who wanted magical services without
    too many strings attached.
    “Marcus Rain, Captain of the 5th Margold foot.”
    He offered his hand, and I shook it with as firm a grip as I could muster.
    30
    “Well met, Captain. An interesting group you have there. I take it you’re out
    collecting survivors?”
    He nodded grimly. “We were dispatched to suppress a string of goblin
    attacks, but then our priest told us the Golden City itself is beset and the
    monsters aren’t going to stop coming. A troll got him the next day, more’s the
    pity. We’ve been fighting a slow retreat ever since.”
    “Well, I’m afraid that agrees with my own information. It looks like this
    is Ragnarok, and things are going to get a lot worse before there’s any hope of
    getting better.”
    He nodded. “I was afraid of that. It looks like they’ve already gotten
    behind us, so the only thing to do is pull back to town with whoever we can
    save. You’re welcome to join us, if you like. We don’t have a court wizard,
    and I’m sure the Baron would want to consult with you.”
    “Yes, that seems wise,” I agreed. “I can’t keep fending off these attacks
    by myself forever. Ah, these are my apprentices, Cerise and Avilla.”
    The girls had drifted back over now that the fighting was done. They were
    moving a lot more gingerly now, and I wasn’t sure if they’d been running on
    adrenaline before or if they were faking it for the captain’s benefit.
    At any rate, they both curtsied prettily. The captain looked them both up
    and down with a frankness that would have gotten him slapped back in
    America, and a hint of a smile crossed his weathered face. “‘Apprentices’, eh?
    Yeah, they look pretty magical alright. Don’t worry, girls, I run a tight outfit
    here. None of my men are going to bother you, and if one of the refugees gets
    stupid just scream and we’ll take care of it.”
    Cerise molded herself against my side like we’d been lovers for years,
    and nodded gravely. “Thank you, sir.”
    Avilla laid a tentative hand on my arm, and looked up at me with
    repressed tears in her eyes. “Master Black? The numbness spell is wearing off.
    Can you... um... the arrow?”
    God, I knew she was acting and I still wanted to sweep her into my arms
    and reassure her. But I’d gathered from Cerise that this place was about as
    brutal and anti-egalitarian as you’d