Chapter 8 Part 8

When Tyson reappeared in the forest, he immediately turned to see Morteous and Armegon talking. They were probably throwing insults at each other.

Tyson was terribly worried about Ultrecht. That a trap had been set was no secret. Tyson knew them too well. But where was the elementalist? His power was greater than any single one of them. Tyson was not about to fight with such an opponent at his back.

"All right, Ultrecht, where are you?" he said to himself as he watched Morteous inch his way closer to Armegon. What was the warlock up to?

"Actually," Ultrecht's calm voice whispered much too close for comfort, "I am right here."

Tyson stiffened and mechanically turned around. Ultrecht stood a scant dozen paces away and had the drop on him, of that there was no doubt. He knew that he had to try to buy time to attack or escape. "Ah, comrade," he said with a silky voice. "I was looking for you. You’ll note that I have delivered your enemies. If we strike now, we can take them out together."

"Save you lies," Ultrecht told him. "You have cried 'wolf' once too often. This time you will not wiggle out of my grasp. For Sam, for Mestys, and for Avery's wife, I am going to make you suffer long and hard. You will beg me to let you die and I will finally grant your wish out of the memory of our one-time friendship."

Tyson stepped back in spite of himself. Ultrecht's confidence was so strong that he forgot himself. Tyson knew deep down that he had only one chance. He had to attack Ultrecht in hand to hand combat. There Tyson had the advantage. After all, he was a grandmaster monk of the Dragon Brotherhood, Ultrecht was barely skilled at defending himself at all.

Tyson slowly tensed his body. Ultrecht just stared at him. The hate seared the space between them. Tyson was careful to watch the mage's hands. He would spring into action at the first sign of Ultrecht's attack.

Ultrecht read Tyson's movements. He was not a strategist nor a fighter. Should Tyson attack and get to him, Ultrecht knew that he would lose and most likely die, but the risk was necessary. Ultrecht was using himself as bait to trap Tyson. When Tyson attacked, he would be in for a surprise, it was just a matter of getting the monk to charge.

Tyson faced Ultrecht and slowly began to circle to the left. Ultrecht did likewise keeping the small clearing between them. Tyson gauged the distance, he calculated the leaping point and angle, he turned his mind inward to release the adrenaline necessary to push him onward to victory, and when he felt he was ready, he crouched.

"Well?" he asked Ultrecht, "what will it be?"

Ultrecht grinned and snapped his hands up into a somatic gesture of spell casting. It was a fake move, but it had its desired affect.

Tyson immediately reacted and launched himself. Muscles trained to decades of precise motion and conditioning reacted with speed and accuracy that would do a viper credit. Tyson flew across the clearing, his outstretched hands aimed flawlessly towards Ultrecht's throat. In less than a heartbeat, the mage's neck would be snapped.

Ultrecht watched Tyson fly towards him across the clearing. The monk's trajectory was perfect, a marvel of ballistic physics. The glide path took him directly into the center of the area Ultrecht had earlier outlined where time was presently suspended.

Tyson stopped in mid air as he flew and hung above the ground. The monk was unaware of the trap, because he himself was not passing through time. Ultrecht found it a fitting trap considering that Sam too had been similarly trapped.

Tyson floated within the invisible bubble while Ultrecht made the appropriate preparations. Because it was his spell, Ultrecht could move within the effected area. He quickly worked a set of shackles on Tyson's wrists, neck, and ankles. Then he conjured up a generous amount of dung and sewage in front of the monk's head. It too appeared within the area of halted time, and hovered eerily in the air.

Ultrecht stood back to critique his work. When he was satisfied that Tyson would be bound and helpless, he canceled the time spell. Immediately Tyson resumed his leap and crashed into the falling mass of filth. Monk and sludge both tumbled to the ground in a heap.

Ultrecht gloated momentarily as what had transpired dawned on Tyson. "You trapped Sam in time, and held Nikki in such filthy condition that she was often sick. I thought it only appropriate that you get to taste a little of your own medicine before," and he drew a long knife from his sash, "I repay you for your treatment of Mestys."

Tyson saw that he had been beaten. Ultrecht had been in charge of the entire encounter. Tyson had walked into the trap and Ultrecht had obviously been long planning his revenge.

Ultrecht came closer testing the edge of his knife against his thumb. It was obvious Ultrecht meant to do him in, and with the shackles on him as they were, he could not work magic enough to escape.

Tyson glanced about in panic. Ragnera and Avery were no where to be seen, and Morteous and Armegon were still talking. Morteous was much closer.

Suddenly Tyson remembered the bracelet, that Blackheart had given him. It was primarily for communication, but Miguel had once confided in him that if he twisted the bracelet twice in one direction, and thrice in the opposite direction, it would teleport him to the nearest member of the Blackheart blood, and at that moment, Tyson could really use Morteous' help. Besides, it did not look as if a fight were going on between Morteous and Armegon.

Tyson manipulated the bracelet and before Ultrecht's very eyes, he vanished from the mages trap.