Free Master of Hawks by Linda E. Bushyager Page A

aid, the falcons were swiftly destroyed .
    Gradually Jaxton grew more accustomed to the power of the Thantos spellstone and managed to maintain the shield while his horse trotted toward the woods. He saw Lord Ramsey and a few horsemen break through the York lines near the inn's entrance. They headed into the forest.
    Then the enemy sorcerer attacked them. The earth opened in front of the fleeing men, and from the crevice surged a beast of earth and magic towering over the party—a dragon of mud and malice, pouring forth rocks instead of flame. Terrified of the sorcery, most of the soldiers scattered, but Lord Ramsey stood his ground. He twisted in his saddle to face the beast's master.
    Jaxton followed Ramsey's gaze back toward the inn.
    Focusing on the Pendant, he sensed Ramsey's opponent. He had some difficulty adjusting to his newfound abilities, but suddenly he could mentally picture the man. He recognized the enemy sorcerer immediately, although he knew him only by reputation—it was Derek S'Mayler. S'Mayler stood atop the inn's courtyard wall, pointing his right hand toward Ramsey. Faintly visible violet beams poured from his ring of multicolored spellstones.
    Lord Ramsey retaliated, sending red and black spears of energy against his foe. Occasionally the bolts reached the wall, tearing out small chunks of stone; but most burst against a shimmering force field that protected the building, and exploded in harmless streamers of light.
    A short, brown-haired man stood next to S'Mayler. Without knowing how, Jaxton sensed that this was the hawk-telepath he'd fought. Looking at the man gave Jaxton an unsettled feeling. His skin crawled, as though he'd stepped through a spider's web. He shrugged off the feeling. It was just, he thought absently, that his enemy was a bird-path like himself.
    Having perceived enough, he released the image and looked around. The great earth-beast menacing Ramsey's group had dissolved into a dusty cloud that spread and darkened, obscuring the men. Jaxton spurred his horse and rode after them.
    Then one side of the inn rippled as though the stone and timber were liquid- It began to crumble. The earth shook and fissured in reply.
    Jaxton's horse stumbled and fell, tossing him to the ground. When the land quieted, he ran toward the black cloud. A horse hurtled through it, heading toward him, so he concentrated on the Pendant of
    Thantos and spoke. The terrified animal slowed and came to him, dazed and made docile by the spell.
    Grabbing the reins, Jaxton turned back to the tavern and pointed, murmuring the fire spell again. The flames touched the stable and the cupola on the top of the main building, but before they could reach the inn proper, S'Mayler countered his incantation, turning back the flames so that they engulfed Jaxton, causing him to draw all of the Thantos's power to block the fire and protect his horse.
    Finally he managed to mount and ride into the black dust, which had thickened into a fog. Dark trunks loomed out of the mist as he entered the woods behind the inn. Iridescent lights flickered in the darkness ahead, indicating the continuing battle between Ramsey and S'Mayler.
    As Jaxton headed in that direction, a freezing wet wind suddenly blew through the trees, coating them with ice. The cold filtered through his shield with numbing intensity. Dust and sleet like leather whips scourged his hands and face.
    Abruptly the ice storm ended and the dust cloud evaporated. The sunlight revealed a spring-green forest entombed in bright white sheaths. Icicles hung from every bough and twig.
    Ahead stood two ice sculptures that nature could never have carved. Two of Ramsey's men and their horses, frozen solid in their tracks, sparkled and began to melt.
    Jaxton looked away and prodded his horse around them. When he reached the Tompkins Road, he saw the remnants of Ramsey's party just ahead. They were still in the center of a whirlwind of sorcery.
    Crevices formed and trees fell to block