“Chief,” Arash said to Fahad. The muscular man was looking through a wooden window, toward the street, as if something or someone had caught his attention.

“What’s wrong, Arash? Did the soldiers find us already?” Fahad asked, moving toward the corner and preparing his sword.

“Not yet,” Arash said. “But there’s an old man out there, looking straight at the window. It’s the old man the thief attacked, in the white robes.”

“He’s a sorcerer!” shouted Razam, approaching the window and confirming it was the same man. He wore white robes and held a wooden staff, perhaps of oak or maple.

Fara shook her head. “How are you so sure that he’s the one?”

“I saw him making signs and speaking to his staff.” Razam explained. “That voice in the cavern, there was someone behind it. You heard it, right? It was an old man’s voice.”

“I saw you talking to him,” Fara said with her arms crossed. “What did you find out? Did he have the same voice?”

Razam clenched his fist. “He said he wasn’t behind that creature. But that’s exactly what a sorcerer would say. Sneaky bastards.”

Fahad lowered his face. “You mean he might summon another monster of mud to kill us?”

“Maybe he’s casting a spell as we speak!” Razam said. “We ought to be careful.”

“Whatever he is, he gives me the chills,” said Arash, hefting the side of his iron whip.

“Then go get him,” Razam said.

“What if he pulls out his magic and raises another monster.” Arash shouted.

“You can handle that, can’t you?” Fahad asked the older man.

“I would usually say let’s not be superstitious,” Fara retorted. “But after what I just saw, I’d take some explosives with me. I still have a few blasters.”

Razam cleared his throat. “I’ll go.”

Fahad turned abruptly and pointed a finger at him. “You’re going to keep quiet and stay in here.”

“I’m just trying to help,” Razam said with a shrug.

“I’ll go get him myself,” Fahad said, walking toward a cupboard and extracting a long hooded robe. He donned it and approached the door. He looked at Arash.

“Brother Arash, you know the access points in this room in case we get attacked.”

“I do, brother Fahad.”

“I trust we will not need to use them.” He looked at Razam. “If you try to flee again, I have entrusted my colleagues to incapacitate you or kill you on the spot.”

Razam opened his eyes wide and looked at Fara. Her eyes were expressionless. Was she so blindly devoted to that organization that she’d be willing to do that? Razam doubted it. She was loyal to it but not stupid. Anyway, Razam didn’t care for escaping in that particular moment. But the sorcerer did worry him. Fahad exited the room, closing the door softly.

“Well?” Razam broke the silence. “So, what’s the next step in the plan?”

Arash had his arms crossed and glanced at Razam with a deep frown and a snappy tone. “None of your concern.”

Razam sighed and leaned his back against the wall.

“If you’re not going to let me go and you don’t want me to help you. I can and will remain silent if there’s pay involved.”

Fara was the one to answer: “Razam!”

“What?” Razam said, shrugging. “I told you what I was after. Even if you want me.”

Arash chuckled. “You, work for us?”

“Well, I just so happen to have a dragon that is interested in helping me.”

Arash’s glance didn’t shift.

The door opened immediately, and Fahad stepped in, holding the old man by his coat. He pushed him in, the man stumbled forward before regaining his footing with the staff.

“Alright,” Fahad said. “He does claim to be a magician, but he says he didn’t do it. We can confirm it here.”

Razam fixed his eyes on him, preparing to unsheathe the sword in case of trickery. But there was no fear in the old man’s eyes. Nor defiance.

“Arash. What are you waiting for? Bring the ropes,” Fahad declared. Arash nodded and extracted a set from his pocket. He advanced without a word, reaching for the old man and preparing to tie his hands.

At that moment, the old man spoke firmly, with a deep baritone voice.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Suddenly, the ropes caught fire. Arash gasped, stepped back and dropped them. Razam, Fara and Fahad rushed to unsheathe their swords and daggers, forming a circle around the sorcerer.

“You’re the one who attacked us, didn’t you? Sorcerer.” Razam gritted his teeth. “Admit it once and for all!”

“Thief! It was your idea to bring him in!” shouted Fahad.

“I mean you no harm!” declared the old man, with a serene voice, hand still on his staff. “I was not the one who summoned the Incarnation.”

“Stop lying, sorcerer,” Razam exclaimed. “I know your kind. Your kind is devoid of any morals, and you’ll all be better off dead.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

The sorcerer snickered. “If I wanted to kill you or capture I’d have you burned to a crisp already.

Suddenly, the sorcerer twisted, raising his hand, lifting his index and pinky finger. The curtains burst out of their holders and whirled around them, catching fire mid-air and flying dangerously close to each of them.. Razam cursed and tried to slice through the flaming curtains. But a tear in the fabric did nothing, as it closed in on him. He shut his eyes and raised his arms defensively. The fire brushed past him, not touching him in the slightest, and descended to the ground, fire consuming the curtains in an instant.

Razam looked up in horror. The old man had lowered his shoulders, raising his head and opening his arms wide, holding his staff vertically. His posture was anything but threatening.

“I am Shams al-Buni. I only want to help,” the old man said.

But the tension remained, four warriors circling one lone sorcerer.

“Help?” Fahad said. “You didn’t do anything against the monster.”

“I arrived much too late,” he responded. “You had already defeated it. But I am not responsible for what happened there. I am a sorcerer, yes, but, let’s just say I’m from another team. I came because I felt that an evil magic had been summoned in the city.”

Razam relaxed slightly.

“That ritual,” Shams explained. “Is called the Incarnation. It is very ancient black magic, something horrid that had not been seen in centuries. The fact that it exists proves that there is a really powerful jinn out there, trying to capture you.”

He pointed at Razam.

“If not you, who did it?” Razam asked.

“I cannot tell you exactly, for he may be far away. But whoever he is, the demon who bonded with him is one of the most powerful princes of hell, so it is urgent for us to stop him as soon as possible.”

“Why do you want to stop him?” asked Fahad.

“Oh, boy,” the old man said. “If you knew one third of what I know, you’d be locked up on your knees, begging the creator to forget all that you knew. That this jinn in question is bonded means the man has carried out a lot of bloodshed. He has killed innocents.”

“Alright, cut with the crap, what are you talking about?” asked Fahad. “And how can you help us? Are you going to help us with this fire-magic of yours? Is it even going to work against the stone monster?”

“That is another question. He seems hell-bent on catching you,” he said, pointing at Razam. “I’ve seen your likeness plastered across the city since last night. What have you done.”

“That is none of your business,” said Fahad.

“I bonded with a dragon,” Razam said.

The old man gritted his teeth. “It’s worse than I feared.” He looked up. “Is the dragon here with us?”

“He’s coming to take me away,” Razam said.

“Be very careful! This sorcerer must be regrouping, finding suitable victims for his next Incarnation. I’d say get out of this place now.”

“Victims?” Fara asked.

“It’s a gruesome thing to talk about,” said Shams. “But his kind of magic, the blackest magic, involves the spilling of blood of innocent victims, or forcing them to perform unholy acts. Each time he Incarnates, he must sacrifice a few people, under certain circumstances that may not be ever be described by civilized society. And then time his Incarnation summons a force or energy, he must take a life.”

Razam shook his head, suddenly feeling a cloud of uneasiness in him. He had seen people die, he had killed many, and the mere thought of visualizing that made him feel queasy. And there was something else to that conversation, something dark that seemed to drain the light and joy around him.

“He sacrifices people?” Fara asked.

“Mostly women and children.”

“And what about you?” Fahad asked in an accusative tone. “Where do you get your magic?”

“My kind of magic is called theurgy. I am bonded to an angel of the Creator.”

Fahad snickered. “Yeah, right. It’s all devil-worshipping to me. How do you achieve it.”

Shams sighed. “You wouldn’t get it now. But let’s get to the important part. I have placed a protective seal around you.”

The group exchanged glances.

“Which will be enacted only when you are within my reach, in other words, when we know where you are. But if he finds you first, even through the spirit world, he can keep me from finding you.”

“If I hadn’t seen that trick of yours and the curtains,” Razam said. “I’d say you sound like you’re just nuts. Now, Shams, can you help us fight? With what you’ve just told me I really want to give this other sorcerer you talk about a good beating.”

Fahad furrowed his brow.

Shams continued: “And whatever this sorcerer is looking for, it has to do with the Murlian Empire.”

“No way,” Razam said sarcastically.

“I’ve seen General Firazi being praised as a hero throughout the street. It seems like the first step…”

“He’s obviously under Murlia’s payroll,” Fara said through gritted teeth.

“I believe this sorcerer is working from within the Murlian Empire, among its ruling class.”

Razam sighed.

“That’s obvious, and, well, of course, that’s where we took the dragon. I freed him from Murlia. Now he’s coming here.”

“Where is your dragon?” Shams asked. “Where is he now? We must shield him too, or else he’ll be coming.”

Razam looked around. He shut his eyes.

“Where are you?” he asked in his mind. “Tell me, Vrarog.”

“I’m coming, I’m riding the wind, I’ll be there before sunset.”

“That doesn’t help me much. Come on, there’s a sorcerer who wants to help you.”

“Another sorcerer?” Vrarog thought with disdain.

“This one says he’s good.”

“If I were you I wouldn’t trust a sorcerer,” said the dragon.

Razam looked back at Shams. “He doesn’t trust you.”

“My guardian angel can’t find him,” Shams declared. “I think our enemy is already around him. He knows his location.”

“Does that mean that first thing that happens when he lands is that we’ll be face to face with a monster again?” Razam asked.

Fahad sighed.

“Fara,” Fahad said. “We better leave them alone. This is of no help. We’re wasting time. We’d be better off leaving the city and finding points of support in the provinces before news of the rebellion reach.”

Fara looked at Razam.

“Fahad,” she said. “We have a bigger chance with Razam by our side. He and the dragon…”

Fahad shook his head. “Fara, that’s foolish. This man and this dragon have brought us nothing but trouble.”

Razam tried to focus his attention on the sorcerer. “What else can you do to help us? And to find this dark sorcerer. Is there some magic we can use to track him? And don’t tell me he has more tricks under his sleeve.”

“If my guardian angel or his angelic helpers can’t track him, we’d have to do it the old-fashioned way.”

“And that is?” Razam inquired.

“Go to Murlia and investigate, find out who he is.”