Saul’s mind flashed back to the Queen’s hall. To the left of the throne, a tall, thin, man with pale blue skin and piercing eyes that glowed lilac.

Saul had hardly noticed him at the time. He’d observed him, of course, but had then dismissed him as an obedient courtier, not worthy of further attention. He’d turned his attention to the queen.

No doubt about it. This was Raznak Deskai, who had been introduced to Saul as a traveling mage from the northern lands of Styllin.

Saul knew little about Styllin. It was a land that might be found if one sailed north and west over the great sea from the coastal cities of Keldor; a great distance away.

Saul had never been there himself, but he had read accounts of the place and had met some of the people from the land in his old life.

There had been several of these Styllinese people at the Queen’s court, he remembered now. They had been distinguished by the blue tint of their skin, but most had been dressed humbly. None displayed as much obvious wealth as Raznak Deskai.

There are a hundred questions I would like answers to, he thought, but I have no time. Raznak must be a master of Old World magic, and have placed this curse on Jillin for some reason of his own.

Raznak was rising out of the water as if levitating, with his arms extended on either side of him. He was wearing the same opulent robes as before, but the rich fabric was now sodden with the muddy water of the pool, and it dripped and sloughed off sheets of gray, silty water as he appeared.

Saul and his friends stood looking on in horror as Raznak’s mouth opened in a wide, evil grin. His mouth was full of sharp teeth, very unlike those of any human. Blood stained his rich robes, and darkened his chin, the vivid red a sharp contrast to the gray and brown of the rest of the scene..

“What is he?” Brand gasped, his voice trembling. Even in the fights at Harkin’s Holdfast with the warlocks and their monsters, young Brand had never faced a nightmare vision such as this before.

“Easy, Brand,” Saul said, his tone reassuring, though he felt far from certain himself. “He’s a mage from Styllin. He was in the Queen’s courtroom when we were introduced. I don’t know why he’s here, but I guess he’s the center of all the trouble, and I know what to do with him.”

As Saul spoke, Raznak’s feet appeared, dripping, from the water. His arms were outstretched as if crucified, the hands dangling loose. His nails were unnaturally long, and the unsettling violet of his eyes gleaming in the gloom of the woodland clearing.

His head was thrust forward, his hungry gaze fixed on the trio, his mouth frozen in a nightmare grin, but after that initial smile he had not moved a muscle. Reznak Deskai was a vision of horror, like a living corpse, or a statue animated by some evil spirit.

Then he spoke, but his mouth didn’t move. His gravelly, metallic voice echoed inside their minds, reminding Saul of the huge black crystal skull through which the voice of the Seven Elementals had spoken at the time of his banishment.

“Saul Kramitz,” the voice said. “Saul of Ryllin in the coastal cities, Saul the orphan, Saul, Grand General of the Empire, Saul, Soul User of the System of Sarkur. Brand of Harkin’s Holdfast, holder of the first sword enchanted by Saul the Reborn, Brand, he who shall know the future. Brand, father of the Great Defender. Zorea, apprentice of Nala the High Priestess of the Old World Dynasty, holder of the Soulstone Sword of Krell Myr, heir to the dynasty of Light of the Old World.”

The gravelly, monotone voice rhymed off titles and facts they didn’t even know about themselves. Saul felt the power of the strange mage echoing off his mind. The feeling set him on edge straight away.

He glanced at Zorea and Brand. They were standing still as statues staring at Raznak, watching him with horror mixed with fascination.

Raznak was using some power on them to capture their imaginations. What were these impressive titles? Who would not be tempted to learn more instead of fighting?

As Zorea had explained, this was magic beyond the realm of the System, beyond the realm of Sigils, Channelers, and Anchors, beyond the realm of the magic that he had come to know.

This was older magic, magic from the deep past of the Old World.

Saul had no counter for it. Or at least, he had no ability to use this kind of magic against itself.

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The magic was running swift fingers over himself, Zorea, and Brand, feeling its way through the connections that bound them together, searching out their weaknesses, their fears, probing down through them to the depths of their souls.

The spell was foul, and while Saul might not have been able to counter the spell with Old World magic, he was not without options.

Fireball

The System option flared as Saul selected it, and a welcome tingle of power rushed to his hands as the spell activated. In that moment, the power flashed along the connection to his Squad members, shocking them from their fascinated paralysis as well.

White blasts of lightning shot out from the edges of the fireball, and the white light cleansed the clearing. The fireball cut a swathe through the water as it flew over the surface, but at the last moment when it was about to slam into Raznak, a shield shimmered into place in front of the creature.

Flames burst out across the space in front of Raznak as the fireball impacted the shield. There was a screeching sound like metal on metal, and the spell dispersed.

Raznak remained, undamaged, but for an instant Saul spotted something peculiar. The mage quivered, his image flickering as if he was reflected in a mirror that was being moved.

It was only for a moment, but Saul’s suspicion was triggered.

His magic had stirred Zorea and Brand to action. They had been mesmerized by Reznak, but now leapt back and moved round to guard Saul.

Brand raised his left and hand and fired his own spell at the apparition. Again, the magic washed across the shield and dispersed harmlessly.

Again, there was a flickering shake in the apparition.

An apparition, literally, Saul thought. The creature is not real!

“Stop fighting it,” he commanded his companions. “Don’t waste your energy. It’s an illusion, a trick.”

The others snapped out of the spell at the sound of his words. they all felt the wavering influence of the magic that was coming out of Reznak.

“A trick!” Brand said as he half-turned toward Saul. “I see it now. But what…?”

There was a sudden harsh command from the trees behind them. Figures moved in the trees. Then an animal roar from further back was followed by a very human scream of pain, cut off short.

“The raptors!” Zorea said. “The raptors are under attack!”

“From the sound of it, the raptors are doing the attacking,” Saul said. “I’m not worried about them, but who are these soldiers? I didn’t think there was anyone out here but us.”

A volley of arrows whizzed past them, splashing into the pool. Some flew through the vision of horror that still hung suspended over the surface of the water.

That confirms it, Saul thought. If it needed confirming. That thing in the pond is just an image put up to scare us off, and to scare anyone who comes up here too, I guess.

“These are the real attackers!” Brand yelled. “Let’s get them!”

He waved his enchanted sword in the air. Trails of flame ran from the blade, lighting up the clearing.

Zorea rolled her eyes and then fell in behind him, a half smile on her face.

Her eyes flickered toward Saul, a moment of acknowledgement. Brand was ready to rush into the fight, and she would back him up, but she had not forgotten that their ultimate goal.

They just needed to locate the true source of the spell to break the curse of Jillin, as clearly it was not the image in the pool.

“I’ll scout,” Saul said, and moved off to the right of Brand and Zorea as the young people nodded their agreement then charged off into the trees to find the enemy.

Saul cast a swift glance behind him. The illusion still hovered above the pool. The human archers up in the enormous trees were stranded and without any way of climbing down. Then he ducked into cover and moved swiftly through the undergrowth.

Saul would let Zorea and Brand take the lead. He would bring up a flanking attack and find out the nature of this attack if he could. He wanted to find out who was in charge here.

They were under attack from an organized and careful force, that much was clear from the fact that they had sent their archers out front and hid their true capability with this trap.

Who could it be?

Saul went around to try to see where the enemy were coming from, but the trees were too thick to see clearly. Off to his left he could feel Brand and Zorea, his awareness of them coming through their Squad connection.

Brand let out his battle cry.

So, the two young people had engaged with the enemy. Good. That would keep the attention of the attackers for the moment and would give Saul the time he needed to find out what was going on.

Moving quietly, but without activating any extra stealth magic, he searched the forest for enemies.

There. Shaded figures skulked through the trees, crouched low with the same shortbows the men in the trees had been carrying.

So, they were a unified force. The men were wearing dark ranger greens and browns, and here and there there was a slash of gold or white on a shoulder or an upper arm. The mark of an officer.

Saul activated Hunter’s Sight, the spell that allowed him to see through the trees and uncover the hidden foes that were concealed there. He saw a group of swordsmen coming up behind the screen of archers, with one, larger, taller figure at the corner of the unit.

Well-organized, Saul thought approvingly. They at least have trained their people and they know what they are doing.

They acted with a degree of military strategy.

They will be expecting a flanking attack, Saul thought, but not a surgical strike.

He deactivated the spell that allowed him to see through the cover, and prepared to test out his new Glade spells.

They had always been his favorites when he had been the battle commander of Baraz Karak’s imperial conquering armies. Back then, he had not always had that many chances to use only magic. He had often been required to stay at the command post and direct the movements of the troops.

Now, he was a one-man army, a force unto himself.

Unstoppable, he thought, and with the thought he activated Gladesword.