Free The Wizard's Council by Cody J. Sherer

other pirate and spun to face his captain. She thrust her hand toward him, releasing the spikes at him. The pirate captain attempted to block the spikes with his sword. He knocked aside four of the seven projectiles. Of the remaining three, two hit him in the shoulder and one in the face. He staggered backward, releasing Janessa and nearly dropping his sword. Janessa spun to face her former captor and unleashed a large jet of water at him. The force of the blast was enough to send him back over the ship’s guardrail before plummeting down into the water below.
    Fear gripped the two dozen pirates that were left on the boat. They began to slowly back away from Emily. She regained some of her composure and was preparing to drive them off when she noticed the horizon.  In the midst of the battle, they had managed to arrive at the edge of the Gloomvale waters. The dark clouds seemed to come out of nowhere and envelop everything. What had formerly been a bright day now looked like night. Emily rushed to Janessa’s side as the pirates scrambled back to their ship in hopes of escaping the perilous waters. She helped her somewhat shaken companion to the wheel.
    “What do we do?” Emily asked as the ship sailed further into the darkness.
    “We’ve entered from an unfamiliar heading, be prepared for anything. Just know that it will be a rough ride.”
    *
    William spurred his horse onward. The others were scheduled to meet him at the agreed upon location in less than an hour, and he wanted to scout out the situation before they arrived. He jumped off his horse and cautiously made his way to the rock outcroppings at the top of the hill. The enemy camp was at the bottom of the hill, not too far from the edge of the forest. Something isn’t right , William thought as he surveyed the camp. There were no guards to be seen and, other than the banner in the middle of the camp, there was no indication that the Holy Order had been present. The others arrived sooner than expected and joined William in examining the camp from their hiding spot.
    “Why aren’t there any guards?” One of the thieves asked.
    “I don’t know, but I mean to find out.” William rose from his spot and motioned for the others to follow him down to the camp.
    The camp seemed empty, but there were several tents to examine. “Watch out for traps,” William said as he headed for the main tent. He threw back the flap to find it completely empty. As he exited the tent, he lit the banner next to it on fire. The thieves and mercenaries started to argue , and William nearly lost it. Flames whipped up from his hands as he stepped in between the two groups. Just as he was about to scold them, three men in cloaks approached the camp. William instantly recognized their leader as the mage, named Kristof, whom he had met in the tavern. The others stopped arguing and watched as the three magicians approached William.
    “What is the meaning of this?” William asked, pointing to the empty camp.
    “The Wielders are the main power here. Go back to your leader and tell him that the Warlocks have no place here,” The leader of the small group of Wielders said.
    “I think not!” William yelled as he raised his right hand.
    His men followed his lead and rushed forward. A fireball materialized near William’s hand and shot toward the three Wielders. Kristof stopped the fireball and enlarged it before sending it at the charging troops. His men supplemented the attack with their own barrage of fire arrows. All three of the Wielders kept throwing spells at William’s men, slowly wearing them down. William did his best to put up a fight, but he was only able to protect himself and the leader of each faction. The three surrendered after their small army was defeated by the Wielders.
    “Consider yourselves fortunate to be alive. The Wielders rarely let their enemies survive. I don’t want to see any Warlocks in these parts again. No matter how many allies you gather, we will