Mickey Zucker Reichert - By Chaos Cursed

Read Mickey Zucker Reichert - By Chaos Cursed for Free Online

Book: Read Mickey Zucker Reichert - By Chaos Cursed for Free Online
Authors: By Chaos Cursed (v1.0)
directly at them.” Taziar had gotten his share of practice at finding wards that day, including the one he had accidentally triggered to an explosion that seared his arm and chest, sapping him of consciousness. Now, in the forests south of Cullinsberg, Taziar winced at the memory, focusing on Astryd’s explanation: “Magic, by its nature, functions best against creations and users of magic. The ward which harmed you might have killed a low rank Dragonmage. And most of our spells work only when used for or against sorcerers.”
    I’m the best one to spy on Bolverkr’s fortifications. Any defenses Bolverkr created will prove far more dangerous to Silme and Astryd, and possibly to Allerum, too, since elves might be considered creations of magic. Taziar considered this new thought, wondering why he was rationalizing a scouting mission that needed no justification. Because I know my friends will be furious when they find out I left without telling them. He continued through the woodlands. And they’ll be right. I’d be mad if one of them went off alone, too. Taziar shook the black strands from his eyes. This is stupid. Of course I’d be mad at them. I’m the only one who knows Cullinsberg, and scouting is what I do.
    Still, Taziar could not banish guilt. In his days as the Shadow Climber, his feats had put no one but himself in danger. Since he had climbed the Bifrost Bridge on a dare and accidentally loosed the Fenrir Wolf on a world unequipped to handle it, his love for impossible tasks had placed others in jeopardy as well. Mostly Allerum, Astryd, and Silme, the people I care about. He considered how Bolverkr had drawn him and his companions to Cullinsberg by threatening to destroy Shylar, the underground, the street orphans and beggars, the men and women Taziar had helped establish and learned to love. Maybe it’s time to stop accepting every impossible task for the challenge and start considering consequences. I am, after all, a “team player” now.
    Taziar’s first warning that something might be amiss came in the form of three dead rabbits and a sparrow. He stopped, head cocked, gaze perpendicular to the line created by the corpses. His off-center glance gave him a perfect view of magics twisted into shimmering, parallel bands that arched into the woods as far as he could see. The lowest braid hovered at ankle level. Nine higher ones rose in increments, the upper one at twice Taziar’s meager height. They were spaced widely enough that Taziar considered trying to slip between them. He traced the lines with his vision, suspecting each made a perfect ring. A walk around the perimeter confirmed his guess.
    Whether or not I can slip through here, I know Silme and Allerum don’t have a chance. Silme was tall for a woman and, though still slim this early in her pregnancy, carried a third again Taziar’s weight. Larson stood a half head taller than his wife, and Astryd, though a bit smaller than Taziar, had little experience wriggling through tight spaces. No matter how lightly, touching the wards meant triggering them, and Bolverkr wielded more than enough power to make his sorceries fatal.
    Choosing a sturdy oak with branches that overhung Bolverkr’s defense, Taziar climbed. Seated in the V formed by trunk and branch, he examined the magics again. His aerial view allowed him to see something missed on first inspection, a second row of wards circling within the first. He nodded at the genius of Bolverkr’s arrangement. Had Taziar used any less caution, he might have slipped through or over the outer wards and skidded or fallen into the inner ones. Cued, Taziar scanned for a third ring of magics. Seeing none, he edged out onto the branch. Passing over and beyond the wards, he sprang to the ground, thoughts on his companions. He imagined they could all jump from the tree without injury, though he made a mental note to bring rope just in case.
    Now on Bolverkr’s territory, Taziar discovered a random array of

Similar Books

A Breath of Scandal

Connie Mason

Perfectly Normal

Jaden Wilkes

Dinosaur Blackout

Judith Silverthorne

Steam

Lynn Tyler

The Wayward Godking

Brendan Carroll

Winterton Blue

Trezza Azzopardi