Shadow Mage (Blacklight Chronicles) by John Forrester Read Free Book Online Page A

shoved it back in the wall and the door sealed shut.
    Talis sighed and allowed himself to rest against the stone wall. What had just happened? Did the gods attack the Order, did they really kill Master Viridian? All because Master Viridian had tried to banish the darkness. The image of his old master’s charred body flashed in Talis’s mind. He found his heart racing as he leaned back, listening to the muffled sounds of soldiers’ boots clacking against stone floors outside. This was the end of their peaceful city. Certainly House Storm and House Lei would be officially at war… And Mara, how would she take all this? Would he ever see her again?
    The tunnel was completely dark and the air smelled of dust and rat droppings. Talis summoned a tiny amount of Light Magic, enough to faintly illuminate spiderwebs and rats scurrying down the tunnel. Where did the tunnel lead? Talis suspected it was built years ago to protect against the peoples’ suspicion of magic. Always have a way of escape , Master Viridian had said. Talis couldn’t believe he was really gone. His old master dead…slain by the gods. It was so sudden and unexpected. He thought of Zagros, Lord of the Underworld, and frowned, believing he was behind all this….  
    Why did Mistress Cavares have to create a trap and summon the gods? Maybe when the gods came they stayed around and followed Talis to Naru. Or maybe only the dark gods.  
    Talis reached a winding stone stairwell leading down and around, ancient runes engraved in each step. He must be somewhere near the massive walls of Naru on the north side of the city. The way had to lead outside. He thought he knew all the secret entrances, but here was one hidden right inside the Order. The same Order that wanted to put him to death, thought Talis.  
    At the bottom of the stairwell Talis followed a narrow corridor. Beams of late afternoon light stabbed the stone wall through slits. He was deep within the northern wall. He peered through one of the slits and gazed out over the vast Nalgoran Desert. The northlands, barren and cold, filled with memories of their expedition. He shuddered, picturing Rikar and Zagros and the Underworld, but forced himself to continue on.
    He reached a dead end, with the only exit through a narrow archway leading to a ledge outside. Talis stared down. The cliff fell more than two hundred feet to the desert below. How was he supposed to escape? Off to the left, the Temple of the Sun shone under light piercing through the clouds. He could feel the magic of the black crystal from here. It was close enough for Talis to channel its power. But he doubted he could survive such a fall without knowing the flying spell that Master Jai had refused to teach him.
    A sudden gust blasted Talis, pushing him back then pulling him dangerously close to the edge. His heart pounded and a chill prickled his skin. One more inch forward and he’d fall to his death. Or would he? Since Mistress Cavares had taught him to control the wind, could he use it as an ally and help soften his fall? Then an image flashed in his mind. The characters on the rune for slow fall. Even though he didn’t have the rune with him, he was determined to try and write the characters on the ground and cast the binding spell anyways. A sudden thrill went through him. What if it worked?
    He bent down and traced the characters on the sandy floor. Focusing his intent, he cast the binding spell over the symbols for slow and fall. Nothing happened. The wind picked up again and blew the stone floor clean. He sighed, and wracked his memory to recall any hint that Mistress Cavares might have given him in the past. Out of the corner of his eye the Temple of the Sun sparkled. Maybe if he drew from the power of the black crystal, the binding spell might be strong enough to work.
    So he tried again, desperate to escape to a place of safety. He drew the characters, summoned the energy from the black crystal, and focused with all his willpower