The Sanguine Scroll, page 13
Yet another left-hand turn brought them to a staircase leading up to the next floor.
Finally, this had to be what he was looking for. Otto drew his sword and started up.
At the top he found a single room that encompassed the entire level. In the center, a rolled-up scroll floated above a five-foot-tall pillar of black stone. It gave off an ethereal glow very much like the Heart of Alchemy and the Chamber of Eternity. It had to be the Sanguine Scroll.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. At last, the final piece of the puzzle was in sight. And no guardians, but he’d learned from the altar chamber, that just because the room appeared empty, didn’t mean no danger lurked.
Not one to take unnecessary chances, Otto conjured a path about a foot wide and started walking. He looked back. “Wait here until I’m sure it’s safe.”
“I’m pretty good with traps, maybe I should come with you.”
“You fell through a trapdoor in the altar chamber. The kind of traps we’re apt to run into here are likely to need a wizard to find them. Just stay here where it’s safe.” Otto didn’t add that if he fell through another trapdoor, hunting down his corpse to retrieve the dagger would be a pain.
He turned back just in time to see a second light appear on the opposite side of the room. A moment later a woman stepped through another doorway. Otto couldn’t make out many details from a distance, but he assumed it was the woman that activated the portal.
“That’s Ginevera,” Gareth said. “She’s a powerful wizard. You’re going to need my help to beat her.”
Otto seriously doubted that, but he had used plenty of magic defeating Jackal, so he wasn’t at his best. That said, she couldn’t have been at full strength either after activating the portal. Not that it mattered. Unless she’d broken through her personal barrier, she had no hope of defeating Otto.
“Just stay here.” He extended the ethereal walkway and strode out toward the Scroll.
Ginevera matched him step for step and soon they stood facing each other, equal distances from the Scroll. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the light cast by the Scroll.
They eyed each other for a moment before she said, “Since you’re here, I assume Jackal is dead.”
“Indeed. I’ll be taking the Scroll. Whether you walk away or end up a permanent resident of this room is entirely up to you. I take no pleasure in unnecessary violence, so I’d prefer to avoid a fight.”
“I’ll bet you would.” She crossed her arms. “I say with complete confidence that I am the most powerful wizard on the entire continent of Colt’s Land. Necromancy is my particular area of specialty and that Scroll contains the secrets of the most powerful necromancer in the world. It’s coming with me. I make you the same offer you gave me. Walk away now and live.”
Otto blew out a long sigh. Why were reasonable people so hard to find? “You’re no longer in Colt’s Land.”
With a thought, he sent a twenty-thread tentacle of ether slamming into Ginevera and sending her flying across the room. She landed hard and slid into the far wall close to where she emerged. His spell hadn’t pierced her shield which surprised him. She must be far stronger than any wizard he’d fought so far.
He considered simply taking the Scroll and fleeing but didn’t want to be attacked from behind. Given her determination, Otto had no doubt if he let her live, he’d be constantly looking over his shoulder. Besides, he couldn’t deny a small part of him wanted to test his strength against a truly formidable foe. Foolish, but there it was.
He was halfway to where Ginevera landed when her counter blast of lightning crashed into his shield. Sparks obscured his vision for a moment.
When they cleared, he remained unharmed and she had regained her feet. A fist of ether flew at him.
Otto dove out of the way and lashed out with an ethereal whip of his own.
She evaded the first strike and somehow summoned enough power to cut his construct in half before it hit her.
He hopped to his feet, slightly out of breath, but ready for the next round. Ginevera was panting hard, her pale skin flushed red. Whatever she expected, he doubted this was it.
“Your power is impressive,” Otto said. “But you lack the strength to beat me.”
He charged his sword with ether until it crackled.
“Otto!” Gareth shouted.
The moment of distraction cost him.
Ginevera hit Otto with everything she had.
The spell had no particular shape, it just crashed into him like a storm and sent him flying away from the Scroll.
Otto used the power he’d gathered to strengthen his shield. When he hit, the ether cushioned him and he quickly regained his feet little worse for wear.
Ginevera was on her knees, the ether unmoving around her. That fight at least was over.
He was about to give Gareth a piece of his mind when the familiar, hated voice of Eddred of Markane said, “It’s mine now. Once I take the Scroll to Lord Valtan, your quest ends. You’ll never be an Arcane Lord.”
Otto stared at the fool. How did he imagine he was going to escape this room? He’d kill Eddred and take the Scroll from his smoking corpse.
All around Eddred, the ether glowed white. Runes flared to life under his feet.
“No, no, no!” Otto ran toward the rapidly opening portal.
Lightning flew from his fingers, but the ether was too warped around Eddred and the spell fizzled. Otto hadn’t even closed half the distance between them when Eddred vanished.
When he reached the pillar, Otto looked down at the floor. If he reenergized the runes, he still had a chance of catching Eddred. He watched in horror as one by one the runes melted away, leaving blank tiles in their place.
A single-use portal? Under any other circumstances he would have found such a thing fascinating. All he could think now was that it had cost him his prize.
“It seems neither of us will claim the Scroll.” Ginevera had dropped to the floor, all signs of fight gone.
“Eddred has only delayed the inevitable.” Otto stalked over until he stood over her. “I will recover the Scroll.”
She laughed, a weak, wheezing sound that held no humor. “You will reclaim it from Lord Valtan? Ridiculous. I can’t deny your power. I’ve certainly never fought a wizard close to your ability, but the last Arcane Lord is foe too great for any mortal, no matter how strong.
“Perhaps.” Otto raised his sword. “Whatever happens, you won’t be around to see it.”
Her head landed with a little plop beside her body. Otto flicked the blood off his blade and sheathed it. They needed to find a way out of this pyramid. Ginevera wasn’t wrong about his chances of defeating Valtan. Far better if he caught Eddred and reclaimed the Scroll before he made it back to Markane.
Chapter 19
Lady White made it out of the pyramid without issue. Getting away from all the mithril made her feel instantly better. She also couldn’t sense Jackal, so hopefully Otto had done away with the hunter. She smiled to herself as she imagined Lord of the Dead’s reaction to losing his favorite assassin. He wouldn’t be pleased, that was certain.
The sun was well into the sky and she guessed they’d been inside for less than ten hours. Amazing how much had happened in such a short time. The strangest thing was she actually hoped Otto made it out safe. This might be the first time she’d ever given more than a passing thought to an ally’s wellbeing. As an undead demon worshipper, caring for others, especially a human, wasn’t normal.
Something about the young wizard drew her to him. Maybe simply the fact that out of all the people she’d known over the last two hundred years, he was the first to actually go out of his way to help her. He even went so far as to put himself in danger to protect her.
That had certainly never happened to her before. Even when she was an apprentice, Lord of the Dead had assured her that she would suffer the consequences of any failure. Was this what it felt like to have an actual friend?
If so, she quite liked it.
Now she needed to find one of the patrols Otto mentioned. Not that she felt the need for protection, but rather to let them know what was happening. Everyone had to be wondering what was going on inside.
Stretching out with her magical senses, Lady White quickly located a group of four humans. Since she seriously doubted there were any groups of random people wandering around out here, that had to be who she wanted.
A brisk walk around to the back of the pyramid brought her within sight of the patrol. One of the men spotted her and pointed. They stopped and Lady White hurried to join them.
“Is all well?” asked a surly sounding man with a beard and narrow eyes.
“Everyone was alive when I left. The enemy’s magic made me more of a hinderance than a help and Otto sent me out to keep watch for any stragglers.” Not exactly the truth, but close enough under the circumstances.
“Any orders for us?” he asked.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll join you for a while if you don’t mind.”
“And if I do mind?”
Lady White shrugged. “Then I’ll tag along behind you.”
“Figured. Come on then.”
The group set out at a slow, silent march. Each of the men watched a different direction and everyone appeared tense. Wise of them. Just because the city was quiet now, didn’t mean it would stay that way.
For her part, Lady White was happy not to chat. Back home she would often go days without speaking to anyone, living or dead.
The base of the pyramid was so wide that it took them nearly half an hour at the squad’s slow pace to make it back to the front of the structure. They were just in time to see a group of ragged figures staggering out of the entrance.
The scouts sprinted off and Lady White followed at a more sedate pace. Even from a distance she sensed Otto wasn’t with them. The thought of him lying dead somewhere inside filled her with a strange melancholy. Perhaps even sadness. Very odd.
When she reached them, the one she recognized as Otto’s brother, Axel, glared at her. “Fine lot of help you were. Where’d you run off to?”
She was under no obligation to explain herself to him, but she said, “Otto asked me to flee. With so much mithril-charged ether filling the room, my magic was of no help. I was more of a distraction than anything. What happened?”
“Hell if I know.” Axel touched his side and winced. “That pale bastard sent me flying and when I woke up, Otto was gone and the other guy was lying headless on the floor. Do you have any idea where my brother went?”
Lady White took a moment to absorb the fact that Jackal was dead and Otto likely alive. It was the best possible outcome. “Jackal’s companion was in the process of activating the portal you uncovered. Otto likely followed her in the hope that it led to the Scroll. He—”
She stopped and stared into the ether. A wave of corruption rushed out of the pyramid in every direction.
That couldn’t be good.
“He what?” Axel asked.
“It doesn’t matter. Something just happened inside and it triggered a spell. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I suggest you gather all your people near the portal. That should provide you with some protection.”
“What about you?” Axel asked.
“Whatever that spell did is likely to be far harder on the living than the undead. I’ll find a place as close to your camp as possible.” Another surge of corruption burst out, sending a shiver up her spine. “You’d best hurry. The power is building by the moment.”
Axel turned to the bearded man. “Find the other squads and bring them back to camp. Double time, Cobb.”
The scouts broke up and ran in different directions. Axel and the others limped as fast as their weary bodies allowed toward the portal. Lady White went with them until she couldn’t stand the pressure and broke off.
She levitated to a rooftop and stared over the city. In the distance, a black cloud filled the air. Peering closer, she could just make out hundreds of ghouls sprinting toward the city. Unless she was mistaken, that was the direction of the ghoul pit she crossed. The spell she sensed must have summoned them.
Definitely not good.
As soon as Axel reached their camp, he shouted for everyone to pack up and get ready to go. He didn’t know Lady White well, but what he heard in her voice was enough to convince him that whatever was coming would be bad. Fortunately they only set up the minimum in terms of tents so it wouldn’t take long to break it all down.
The bigger question was, how long did they wait for Otto before they fled? Whatever his flaws, Otto was still his brother and damned if he was going to abandon him in this place. Besides, if he did, Emperor Wolfric would have his head on a spike.
“Do we have a plan?” Hans asked.
“I don’t even know what we’re dealing with. Until some definite threat appears, I’m going to set a perimeter and keep watch.”
Corina and Jet came running up from where the scouts were taking down one of the tents.
“Where’s Lady White?” Jet asked.
“Forget her,” Corina butted in. “Where’s Lord Shenk?”
Axel’s ribs ached and his head throbbed. He didn’t have time to deal with a pair of worried women.
“Otto’s still in the pyramid as far as I know. Lady White’s back in the city.” He waved vaguely behind him. “She said she couldn’t come too close due to the portal.”
Jet stared out over the city as if debating whether to go search for her mistress. Axel didn’t care what she did, as long as she did it quietly.
“Squad incoming!” one of the lookouts shouted.
Good. The sooner Cobb found everyone and brought them to safety, the better. That would be one less thing for him to worry about.
“What can I do to help?” Corina asked.
“Some food would be great. None of us has eaten since we arrived,” Axel said.
He took a step then froze as a chill ran up his spine. A moment later Lady White’s voice whispered in his ear. “There are several hundred ghouls headed toward the city at a full sprint. The portal’s magic should keep them at bay, but if the Arcane Lord’s magic is driving them forward, even that might not be enough to stop them.”
“Forget the food. According to Lady White, we have a small army of ghouls headed this way. Give me one of those lanterns.” Axel took the artifact from the soldier carrying it and held it out to Corina. “Do you know how to turn this thing on?”
She took the lantern and looked it all over, her face scrunched in concentration. At last, she said, “No, sorry. Lord Shenk would know how, but I’m afraid this isn’t something we’ve covered.”
Axel ground his teeth and turned to Jet.
She immediately shook her head. “I can’t even use magic.”
“Of course you can’t.” Axel reclaimed the lantern and handed it back to the soldier that originally had it. “Pack that up with our gear.”
Hans had his gaze turned toward the horizon. “This doesn’t look good.”
Axel didn’t want to look but forced himself. A black cloud rose out in the desert, no doubt kicked up by hundreds of ghoul feet. Given the distance, he figured they had five minutes, ten at the most, before the monsters arrived.
Whatever you’re doing, Otto, do it faster.
Chapter 20
Otto had no idea what the pulses of corruption running out of the pyramid in waves meant, but he doubted they boded well for him. Even worse, when he tried to become one with the ether and escape, he found that avenue blocked by some spell of Amet Sur’s. Of course, Gareth had no idea Otto had tried to abandon him.
Much as he wanted Gareth’s dagger, Otto would have happily given it up if it meant catching Eddred and taking back the Scroll. Unfortunately, what he wanted and what his situation allowed were two very different things. For the moment, he was reduced to running through the halls in the hope of stumbling across an exit.
Relying on hope made his stomach hurt and he’d been doing far too much of it lately.
“There’s a light up ahead,” Gareth said.
Sure enough a faint white glow filled the end of the hall. White light implied pure ether. That should mean no undead waited to rip them to shreds.
When they stepped through the doorway at the end of the hall, the sweetest sight Otto had seen in a long time greeted them. It was a mithril rune circle. A quick study of the markings revealed that it was a perfect match to the one in the library. This was no doubt where they all would have ended up if Gareth’s dagger hadn’t disrupted the magic.
The weapon was currently firmly sheathed on the young man’s belt, so there should be no issues this time.
“Please tell me that’s the way out of here,” Gareth said.
“At the very least it’s the way back to the library where we started. The actual way out isn’t far from there. Keep quiet now, I need to focus.”
Happily, the talkative young man complied and Otto began to charge the runes. He went slow, both to make sure he made no mistakes and to conserve his strength. Back-to-back battles had left him drained. What he really wanted now was hot food and a nap. Maybe Hans would have a pot of stew going when they got back, though given the situation he didn’t like his chances.
He finished the spell and all the runes glowed strong and bright. “Step through then move out of the way. I’ll be right behind you.”
Gareth nodded, took a deep breath, and strode into the light.
Otto counted to three and followed. The straight lines of ether filled his vision and the next thing he knew, he was in the library. Off to the side, Gareth looked a little dazed but otherwise unharmed.
“Traveling by portal can be disorientating.” Likely his dagger had spared him the worst of the effects his first time through.
“Yeah. I wouldn’t mind if it was my last time using one.”
Otto chuckled and headed for the ladder. “You get used to it. Come on. Hopefully one of the patrols picked up Eddred, assuming he appeared in the vicinity of the pyramid.”
