Cadmus opened the heavy doors and found himself in the castle's Lord's Hall. A throne could be seen above the steps; it was a normal stone throne. It was a hall that every lord, no matter how small, would have a similar one.
In this era where the king's power is not centralized, all nobles were small kings within the Seven Kingdoms. The king was just the most powerful noble and nothing more. If it were before Aegon's Conquest, these Lords would even have a crown, and some still did, especially those Noble Houses that fought in the Era of the Hundred Kingdoms, where kingdoms were destroyed and created every year.
With a wave of Cadmus's hand, all the torches around lit up, illuminating the place. His dark green eyes swept the environment with an amused look. Taking a step forward, he said in a playful tone. "You are here, aren't you, Little Mouse?"
Cadmus's answer was silence as his own footsteps reverberated through the Lord's Hall; the sound was particularly clear.
"Let me guess what you're thinking." Cadmus said with a laugh. "You think you can't face me with magic, so you decided to fight me in hand-to-hand combat. Smart, I don't look physically strong or like I've thrown a punch in my entire life."
Opening his arms and bowing in an exaggerated and comical way, Cadmus said with a provocative tone. "I am entirely at your disposal, my dear friend from afar."
With Cadmus's words, the shadows around began to move, and in a mere instant, they transformed into shadow spikes, dozens advancing towards Cadmus. The intention was to impale the mage alive.
But clearly, Cadmus would not stand still and wait to be impaled alive; he Apparated away and watched the shadow spikes hit the spot where he had previously been.
"You missed; you should aim better." Cadmus said with a particularly audible laugh in this silent environment. The enemy's response was a wave of darkness heading towards him, where the shadows touched, they were swallowed by the shadows.
Cadmus Apparated again, this time, he appeared behind the stone throne, and an invisible blade pierced the stone seat. The sound of tearing flesh hung in the air as drops of blood appeared on the invisible blade.
"I found you, little mouse." Cadmus whispered with a happy smile. "Our little game of cat and mouse is over."
However, the shadowbinder did not think the game was over; a human shadow rippled on the stone throne and quickly hid in the darkness. The flames of the torches went out, and darkness reigned over the environment.
"You hid again, you're a sore loser." Cadmus said and wiped the blood on the invisible blade on his clothes. However, the smile on his lips said he was having fun. Fighting a shadowbinder was quite interesting. He was a mage focused on sneaking, hiding his own presence, and elemental attacks at long and medium distances.
Cadmus saw that the mage had systematic training, or he would not be so competent, showing that Asshai was indeed a good city to teach its mages.
The royal mage did not use Lumos and walked in the dark, only the sound of his footsteps echoing in the place.
Suddenly, a cold wind advanced against him, and Cadmus did not hesitate to cast a spell. "Expelliarmus!" The red light shone in the air, and the sound of a body colliding with the wall was heard.
When the red light disappeared, the environment became dark again.
"Don't be afraid, little mouse," Cadmus said with a low, cruel laugh. "The voices in your head are ordering you to kill me, but I advise you to run away. I'm particularly hard to kill."
The shadowbinder's response was a storm of spikes, fired from all directions. The magical fluctuations in the air alerted Cadmus at the exact instant of the attack.
"Maximus Protego!!!"
A shield of intense blue formed around him, shining like a beacon and illuminating the surroundings. Cadmus looked up and smiled as he saw hundreds of spikes collide with the magical barrier, but being repelled without even scratching it.
"Now it's my turn."
A red flame crackled in the air before him, expanding until it took the form of a huge fire serpent. The creature seemed alive, hissing, writhing, and opening its incandescent mouth as if it were about to tear its prey apart.
With a single movement of the serpent, the flames spread, engulfing the entire Lord's Hall. The fire covered the floor from end to end, turning it into a burning sea.
Seeing no sign of movement among the flames, Cadmus raised his head and cast his gaze towards the ceiling, letting out a satisfied laugh.
"I found you again, little mouse." With Cadmus's words, the fire serpent hissed menacingly and advanced towards the ceiling, carrying an unbearable wave of heat.
The shadowbinder, knowing he was in danger, covered his body with shadows and advanced against Cadmus, ready to initiate hand-to-hand combat. Two daggers made of shadows appeared in both hands, and he propelled himself using the shadows.
Cadmus felt no fear and attacked head-on; an invisible blade blocked the attacks of the shadow daggers. Looking at the shadowbinder for the first time in his eyes, he spoke with a provocative tone:
"I don't know if you know a mage named Gandalf, he taught that when magic can't solve things, the fist is still the best dialogue that can happen between mages."
Spinning his body, Cadmus simply kicked the shadow magic user's chest. A pained groan escaped the shadowbinder's lips.
However, Cadmus did not stop; he Apparated behind the shadowbinder and once again plunged the invisible sword into the shadowbinder's body. A glimpse of blood appeared in the air before being evaporated by the high temperature covering the place.
This time, Cadmus pinned the shadowbinder to the ground, using his sword, which pierced the enemy mage from one side to the other. "Finally got you, little mouse."
"Who got who, you arrogant fire mage." The shadowbinder spoke for the first time; he showed a victorious, conspiratorial smile. With his words, spikes made of pure darkness emerged from him, just like a hedgehog.
The shadowbinder was confident in this attack; he had killed countless enemies with this attack. There was no person who would not relax after seeing that they had defeated their opponent. However, his smile could not remain on his face; a blue barrier blocked all the shadow spikes.
Looking at the shadowbinder's face full of confusion and disbelief, Cadmus said with a laugh. "Are you stupid? What kind of foolish mage can't conjure a defensive spell? The mages you fought must be stupider than you."
Honestly, Protego has always been an essential spell for any mage; most mages used it to protect themselves against all types of attacks, especially because of the spell's quick conjuration.
Pointing his hand towards the shadowbinder's head, Cadmus said in a gentle tone. "Have a good night, Cinderella."
"Stupefy!" With a white flash, the spell hit the magic user's head squarely, stunning him instantly, and with the force of Cadmus's magic, the shadowbinder fainted directly.
Making a sliding gesture with his hand, the flames around disappeared, leaving behind a charred and blackened place.
Removing the invisible blade and making the sword return to a simple button on his clothes, Cadmus grabbed the shadowbinder by the collar of his clothes and dragged him across the floor without caring about anything else.
Looking at the shadowbinder, Cadmus was really curious how Balon convinced this mage to work for him. There was no reason for such a dangerous mage to work for someone as poor as Balon IX Greyjoy.
This was not a normal mage; he was an experienced and powerful mage. Although it did not seem like it because of the beating he was always taking from Cadmus, he was facing Cadmus, a complete aberration and a monster among monsters. Any other mage would be at a great disadvantage against such a sneaky, hidden, and murderous mage.
Leaving the castle, Cadmus used his hand to block the dazzling glare of the sun, and when his eyes got used to the environment again, he looked at the wall and saw Mitra staring at him with her red eyes.
"We will stay in the city for a while until the king's army comes to take care of things." Cadmus said in a calm tone.
Remembering something, Cadmus looked at the city and spoke, his voice spreading throughout the city through magic.
"The army of Zombies and Ghouls has been killed, and even the mastermind of the entire attack has been captured. Survivors must come to the castle for shelter until the arrival of the Royal Army."
"The army of Zombies and Ghouls has been killed, and even the mastermind of the entire attack has been captured. Survivors must come to the castle for shelter until the arrival of the Royal Army."
"The army of Zombies and Ghouls has been killed, and even the mastermind of the entire attack has been captured. Survivors must come to the castle for shelter until the arrival of the Royal Army."
Cadmus spoke three times so that everyone understood and waited for everyone to arrive.
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Read my other books:
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos (500,000 words written).
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King's Court Wizard