Maze of Moonlight by Gael Baudino (read with me TXT) 📕

Olten shook his head vigorously. “Please, King Yorrell, if we could return to the council chambers...The guards can take him away, and once we’ve discussed this we can figure out—”

“NO!” The king shoved Olten away with a hard strike to the shoulder, then stood and turned to me. “I should have you killed on the spot, you miserable shit!” The screech of a dozen swords being drawn rang out as the guards posted around the room all readied their weapons.

Virram’s third councilor leapt from his seat in a panic and moved to the king’s side. “Please sire, think about what you’re doing! Remember what we discussed!”

“Eppet, your king is speaking!” He waved away his advisor and took a step towards the edge of the dais. “If I give the word, my men will kill the both of you without mercy.” Virram raised his hand up over his head and looked at me expectantly.

“I’d like to avoid bloodshed, if possible,” I said calmly. “It would be a shame if I had to injure your loyal guardsmen, especially when I’m willing to cooperate.”

A look of pure puzzlement came to the young king’s face. He chewed on the statement for a moment before a twisted smile came to his face and he began to laugh. “This is the man you wanted?” Virram turned to his advisors. “Are you sure?” Another laugh seized him before he could continue. “He’s a madman!” His breath came in short, raspy gasps, and I could hear his heart pounding erratically in his chest.

“You three!” Virram pointed down to the three guards nearest the raised platform. “Go teach the prisoner a lesson in respect. Let’s try to avoid permanent injuries, but make sure he understands his mistakes.” He turned and walked back to his throne, meeting my gaze with a smirk as he sat down. “When you’re finished, we can have that discussion about how exactly you’re willing to cooperate.”

The chosen guards sheathed their weapons and made their way around the side of the dais. With a quick turn to Lia, I suffused my mana into the heavy shackles and whispered, “Shatter.” The metal surged with energy as a deep crack spread along the surface, and I easily shook free of the bonds. I placed a gentle hand on Lia’s shoulder and leaned in close to her ear. “I’m sorry about all this, Lia. I need you to back away now, okay?” I could see that she wanted to protest, but she instead gave me a small nod and shifted behind me.

As the guards came into range, I shot a quick over to Commander Savitz. He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away with a slight shake of his head. I laughed as I raised my freed hands and took a loose stance against the approaching trio. To their credit, my lack of restraints hadn’t slowed their advance, and they spread out to completely block any possible path towards the king. Behind them I saw Virram watching from his raised seat on the dais, clearly proud of his control over the situation.

Before the guards decided how to press their numbers advantage, I launched ahead towards the center target. My combat enhancements flared to life, and I reveled in the new sensation of increased strength. Having lacked the ability to fully test the new spell on our wagon ride to Yoria, I had settled on the only proof of concept test I could think of: lifting Lia. Before the enhancement it had been a simple, though slightly awkward task to pick her up in a classic bridal carry. After using Lesser Strength I could raise her up with a bicep curl, with what felt like an equal amount of effort.

The power of Greater Strength combined with my usual suite of enhancements propelled me forward so quickly, I didn’t have time to level a fist at my target’s head. Instead, I crashed into his chest with my shoulder and sent him spiraling backwards to impact hard against the dais. A dumb grin spread across my face as I processed the extent of the new power. This changes...everything! I slipped into a boxer’s stance and slid towards the guard on my right, who seemed momentarily stunned after watching his fully plate-armored companion get tossed like a ragdoll across the room.

I struck out with a quick jab and caught him in the shoulder. The metal caved in around my fist and sunk into his flesh, which drew a roar of pain. He swung back with a wild haymaker from his empty hand, but I had already moved in anticipation. The strike flew above my head and carried the man towards me as I wrenched up with a devastating uppercut to his chest. I heard ribs snap as he lifted off the ground, then collapsed into a heap.

My final opponent charged towards me and managed to connect a gauntleted punch with my side before I could reposition after the previous attack. I let the blow push me away and used the momentum to spin in a tight arc to re-engage him. I knew the punch had injured me, but between the adrenaline in my blood and the new Pain Reduction enhancement, I could hardly feel the wound. When he threw out a second punch, I caught the blow in my palm and stopped his arm easily. With a hard tug, I spun around and pulled him over my shoulder, then whipped him down to the floor with a heavy crunch. The wind hissed out of his lungs, and his limbs fell limp as he passed out.

With the first set of threats initially dealt with, I took a moment to process my surroundings. The entire combat had lasted only a few seconds, and my audience was just starting to react to the scene before them. I confirmed that all three guards were incapacitated, then moved to a quick self-assessment. My right hand was slick with