She Who Has No Name (The Legacy Trilogy) by Michael Foster Read Free Book Online Page B

two much greater armies and it is evident they came prepared to kill us Lions in particular.  It seems we have been proven the fools.  We have underestimated the Gartens greatly.  Levin, you must get these three to safety,’ and Grand Master Tudor nodded.  ‘I will stay and wreak death and ruination upon these men, and give them reason to regret they found us.  They may have won the battle, but few of them will live to tell of it.’
    Gallivan stepped up to the old Grand Master proudly.  ‘And I will join you, Janus.’
    ‘Let us stay,’ Samuel implored them.  ‘We can stand together.’
    But Anthem only scolded him.  ‘Don’t be a young fool, Samuel.  We’re not staying just to throw our lives away.  We can do far more here without you three to worry about, and of most importance is keeping you out of harm’s way.  We Lions are old and have far outlasted our golden years.  You three are the future of the Order, but you will not live to see your potential if you do not live out this day.’
    Gallivan then spoke up and he was even more dramatic.  Even at such a dangerous moment, it seemed the regal Lions could not abandon their grandiloquent habits.  ‘The Lions have had their moment in the sun, and today will forever mark a place in history!  Whether we win or lose, our foe will remember this hour, and it will strike fear into their hearts forever more!’
    Shouts of panic drew their attention, just in time, to some great shape leaping upon them.  A reptilian face and a long , scaly body flashed past, crashing into Grand Master Gallivan and dragging him away with it down the hill.
    Even Grand Master Anthem was bewildered and surprised, looking utterly lost for words.  Gallivan and the creature had already disappeared into the smoke and so there was nothing anyone could do.  ‘We need a clear view of this situation,’ he finally stated.  ‘I don’t recall the Gartens ever having such beasts as this.  Something is amiss.’
    While the old man pondered further, Samuel saw the opportunity to be of use.  He slipped the Argum Stone onto his finger and summoned its strength.  A surge of adrenalin made his heart leap and at once he began throwing out the weaves and spells that would move the air and clear this smoke.  At first, it felt as though all was going well, but the magic of the ring would not be quelled when he wished it.  As he began to worry, more and more magic forced its way out and into his spells.  Too much power overwhelmed him and then the magic went wild.  He struggled desperately to regain some control, knowing the others were watching him, but it was already too late.  A spell of enormous proportions had been released , a spell of Moving of sorts, and it gripped the air above them and shunted it away with a single , colossal heave that made the hills around the valley shiver as if stricken with fear.
    The wind that hit them felt like a wall of stone and it struck with a sudden terrible violence, tearing every man on the crest from his feet and tossing them away like dried leaves, leaving only the magicians holding fast to the ground for grim fear of death.  Those on lower ground dropped to their bellies lest they share the same fate, and they were saved from the full force of the gale.  The roaring noise was deafening and it blinded them and pulled at their clothes and skin as if to strip them bare.  Sand and specks bit their faces and filled their lungs.
    ‘That’s enough, Samuel!’ Anthem screamed into his ear, digging his fingers into the earth to hold on, but Samuel still could not control his spell.
    He could feel the power of the ring burning its way inside him, creeping its way down his arm and towards his core.  Only the hardened discipline of all his years in the School of Magic enabled him to focus his mind and he began separating himself from the Argum Stone piece by piece, closing off its power as well as he could.  He had nearly met with success, when a