Spellscribed: Conviction, page 28
A haggard and battered looking soldier burst into the room. Everyone turned to glare at him, and he skidded to a stop. “Oh thank the gods!” he blurted, dropping to his knees. “You’re all alive!”
“What’s the situation?” Endrance asked. “Everyone all right?”
The man nodded. “We only took minor casualties.” He said. “But I have to apologize on Lady Alana’s behalf.”
Endrance raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” he asked.
“It seems that this is the fault of one of our men.” He explained. “Not only did he abandon his post on watch, which is meant to prevent these kinds of things; he abandoned his post, stole your horse, and rode into the desert.”
“He stole my horse?” Endrance asked, puzzled.
“Yes, Sir Mage.” The soldier replied. “He and the horse were torn apart by those things before you could say your name three times, and then they came right at us like they were on a mission. I’ve never seen them behave like this before.”
Endrance shook his head. “I have no idea why they would.”
“I have to report to Dullahan immediately.” The soldier rose. “Stay here. We will come clean this mess up and put you in a more secured room.”
After he departed, Endrance turned back to Tanya. “Wait.” He said, shaking his head. “Did you say I was magically delicious?”
Chapter 16:
“I apologize for the disruption; we’ve never had that happen before.” Alana said apologetically, bowing her head.
The night and morning had passed after that without further incident, and in the early afternoon, Wizard Alana invited them up to her chambers for a meal. Her room was the same as all the others, save for Alana’s decorative rugs and tapestries depicting different fantastical creatures. That effectively changed the décor from cold stone to a warmer environs. She even had doors to the room, which looked custom-made for their increased size.
They sat around a large table that she most likely used for her alchemical work when she wasn’t hosting guests. Endrance ran a finger along a strange yellowing spot on the wood, and wondered which mixture caused that kind of discoloration.
“You’re just lucky I was on watch.” Joven said. “Or they could have hit us before we had a chance to defend ourselves.”
“Yes…” Alana said, looking concerned. “I am fortunate you distrusted me, or else we would have lost our elven ambassador before he could even start his first day on the job.”
“Were those the insects you mentioned?” Joven asked. “They’re quite dangerous.”
Alana frowned into her wine glass. “Sand hornets. Those were them, but I’ve never seen them behave quite like that.” She admitted. “Those are the females; they have wings. The males are faster diggers and tend to be smaller. They consider anything larger than a field mouse edible, and I’ve seen them attack whole platoons of men, even if they’re outnumbered.”
Alana set her glass down. “But they always have attacked the first person they encounter. My reports say they had been trying to get past my men to get to you.”
“I think it’s cause he’s magically…“ Tanya started to say.
“Stop that!” Endrance interjected. “That sounds ridiculous.”
“Delicious.” Tanya spouted right after. Selene giggled.
Alana snickered, trying to control her laughter. “I’m sorry, Endrance. I don’t mean to mock you.”
Endrance’s face flushed red. “It sounds preposterous.” He muttered, looking away.
“I don’t think that is the cause either.” Alana said. “I haven’t been singled out on any of my encounters with them. Though, now that I think about it, perhaps it has to do with your horse.”
“My horse?” Endrance asked.
“Yeah, I think the horse had your scent on her, and they locked onto you through that.” Alana said. “That must have been what happened.”
“Has there been any news on why the watchman rode off into their territory in the middle of the night with my horse?” Endrance inquired.
“I am sorry, but no. It seems so out of character for him.” She admitted.
Giselle, whom they had found hiding underneath their packs after the attack last night, spoke to Endrance.
“She smells like stuff now.” She said, tearing into a slice of ham with gusto.
Alana blinked, looking at her curiously. “Is she your… pet?” she queried, confused.
Endrance shook his head. “No,” he answered. “She’s technically an adopted daughter. We had an exchange of cultures, and each culture has the responsibility of raising a child of the other’s.”
“So this puppy is the proof of your peace with the wolfmen?” Alana asked, nodding. “That is wise of you to bring her along with you to the elves. I have learned over my years in this position, that they respect people who can prove their ability. Raising a member of another species must be hard.”
“He’s doing really well at it, though.” Tanya said, taking a sip of water. “He’s got her doing all kinds of things that seem strange to us, but make sense to her. I think he’s got an extensive understanding of how the wolfmen work.”
Endrance felt the need to steer the conversation away from his ability to drain the impressed memories from a dying subject. “It’s only because I bothered to learn about them, instead of just killing them.”
“Yeah.” Joven said jokingly. “It’s not like you had a problem doing that. You should have seen the pile of wolfmen he left us, when we were besieged earlier this year. It was huge!”
“Oh my.” Alana said. “Do tell me.”
Endrance knew she’d get a better idea of his capabilities if Joven continued, but it was a better option than her finding out about his other abilities. He let Joven tell the story about what happened, interjecting an explanatory statement here and there, whenever his companion’s exaggerations got out of hand.
“So you replicated the effect of a multi-stage spell by firing them off in rapid succession.” Alana said, nodding. “That’s effective, but very inefficient.”
“Tell me about it.” Endrance proclaimed. “I was wiped out after that.”
He looked around the table. “All right,” he said. “We’re ready to get going. Tell us what we need to know about the desert.”
Alana pointed to one side of the room where several leather wrapped metal canteens were hanging from hooks. “You’ll need to have water.” She started. “Three times more than you are used to drinking. Those will refill every day when the sun sets, and when it rises, but any water not consumed will vanish.” She said. “They will last for two weeks. They’re not enough for your full day, but they’re enough to help keep you alive.”
She shrugged. “You’ve already seen firsthand what the insects are like.” Alana stated. “And those were the biggest of the species. They tend to move about in hunting clusters of three to six individuals. You can hear them coming from a long way away, if you know what to listen for. If you do hear them, I suggest hiding as quickly as possible.”
She noted the singe marks on their packs. “They’re also highly flammable, so I would not recommend using fire or electricity to kill them, which I’m sure you have already noticed.”
“Is there anything about these things that isn’t completely horrible?” Endrance asked.
Alana paused, thinking about it. “They can’t tolerate fresh water very well. It seems to be highly painful to them.” She explained. “I suppose if you want to summon up a rainstorm to help you cross safely, that would be perfect.”
“I didn’t do much study in weather magic.” Endrance admitted. “Sorry.”
“Well, I don’t know if they are on the other side of the River of Glass, but I don’t suspect you’ll have a problem with them once you get past it.” She said, nodding. “The elves are very good at… regulating their habitats.”
“Oh, I see.” He said. “Perhaps you could tell me more about the elves?”
“You know,” Alana admitted, leaning with one elbow on the table. “I’ve been overseeing the embassy here for ten years, and the only elf I’ve met this entire time is some foppish rich brat.”
Endrance’s brow furrowed as he made the connection. “You mean… Valzoa? Heir to the Alastrel banking family?”
“I’m not sure if that’s the proper way to pronounce the last name, but yeah, Valzoa.” She said. “He seemed relatively harmless, though the elven idea of average competency is what we would consider highly proficient. He said he only dabbled in air magic, and yet he could do more than I can, and I studied up for the next time I saw him.”
“You saw him recently?” Endrance asked.
Alana nodded. “Came through here about… oh, I’d say ten weeks ago. Said something about heading home to prepare something.” She said. “I take it you know him, too?”
Endrance nodded. “He’s been a friend to me, though we have only met in person once. We exchange messages.”
“You can send a message across the boundary?” Alana asked, her attention piqued. “Their elemental wards shouldn’t allow it.”
“I… deploy a messenger?” Endrance tried to explain. “I give an elemental sprite the power to hold a physical form, and send it to deliver my messages. Valzoa has been sending them back, so he must think it works.”
“What do you talk about, if you don’t mind?” Alana asked.
Endrance ran his finger over the stain in the wood. “Just talking about our day to day things. He talks a lot about duels he’s been in, and I tell him about my travels mostly.”
“Oh.” She seemed slightly disappointed. “You actually are an elf-friend. I should have figured that out when I saw your Grandstaff.”
“I didn’t know that being an elf-friend was a thing.” Endrance admitted. “But I’m his friend, and he is mine. He actually helped me regain Bridget the use of her arm, and I’ve told him about some of the famous duelists in Ironsoul he should have matches with. Of course, this is stretched out over the weeks, and I’ve not had the chance to speak to him during the time I was imprisoned at the Archmagus’ tower. I had told him that I was being taken for trial, and I had hoped he would have been able to show up.”
“I think he must have had something very important to do, if he had to leave you here.” Alana said. “But it means you can look him up when you get to Salthimere.”
“Yeah.”
“If they actually let you go anywhere, or do anything.” Alana added. “They’re very strict about preventing us humans from going sightseeing around their cities.”
Endrance shrugged. “I’m going to be there for three years.” Endrance said. “I’m sure that would be plenty of time to get to see something, especially if Valzoa is an ally.”
Alana nodded. “I wish you luck.” She said. “However, it seems it is closing on time for you to leave. Remember what I said about travel time. Make sure to conceal your tents and avoid fires whenever possible. There are worse things out there than just the sand hornets.”
They stood, collecting the canteens and shouldering their packs. “Thank you.” Endrance said, nodding to Alana.
“Don’t thank me.” She said, shaking her head. “I’m just following orders to ensure you have no reason to fail, other than your own incompetencies.” She explained. “Which reminds me…”
She went to her desk and withdrew a hard leather scroll case, detailed with silver entwining around the caps, and several gold studs along the thick leather strap. She walked up to him and set it in his hands.
“These are your specific orders.” She declares. “I know not what Mastadon has in store for you in this case, and you alone are allowed to read it.”
Endrance swallowed, slinging it over his shoulder. “Got it.” He said, giving her a thin smile in response.
“Do not let the elves read that.” Alana continued. “Not even Valzoa. This is kingdom politics you are playing with now, no longer just the domain of barbarians.”
Endrance nodded. “I know.” He said defensively. “I got it.”
“And one last thing.” The other wizard said, putting her hands on her hips. “When you get to the Sea of Glass, don’t walk.” She leaned forward slightly, putting emphasis on her statement. “Run. Don’t stop for the day, don’t slow down, and don’t even think you have the time to stop to take a piss. Just… just run.”
“Oh… uh… okay?” Endrance said. He was already stressing out about the sand hornets, but now he had more dumped on his plate.
“If you hit the river and it’s during dawn, just wait the day there.” She insisted. “If you hit it and it’s dusk, press on, but hurry. The sand hornets will not follow you across the river.”
“All right.” He snapped in reply. “I got it. River is bad during the day. Right.”
Captain Dullahan escorted them out of the tower, and pointed them in the right direction.
“You go that way. Straight that way, and you will hit the river at its thinnest point.” He said encouragingly. “You’ll all make it across if you go that way, but you will want to make sure you have rested up before you try.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Sir Mage. Do you have a compass?” Dullahan asked.
Endrance looked to Joven, who nodded to him. “Yes.” He replied.
“The desert looks the same once the tower falls out of sight.” Captain Dullahan explained. “Keep heading south and you’ll stay more or less on course.”
Endrance thanked the man again, took up his staff, and the six of them set off into the late afternoon light. The suns were setting on their right, and he could feel the cool of the night sky consuming the heat of the desert radiating up from the hot sands. They trudged on, keeping the tower at their back, knowing they had a long trek ahead of them. Gullin followed overhead, having been on top of the tower the night before, as he was now too big to remain indoors. Endrance tried to figure out how he was going to house his familiar if he continued to grow in size.
Two hours later, they settled down to make camp. Endrance suggested they pull the tents together and share as much space as possible, in order to make building up and tearing down the camp faster. They could also keep an eye on each other more readily. They made a small fire, cooked their meal quickly and then put out the flames, burying it under the sand.
Endrance sat in his tent, sandwiched in with Bridget and Selene. Joven’s tent was strung up so the foot of his tent was pressed up against theirs, essentially making one extra-long tent. Tanya and Giselle shared Joven’s tent, since there would be more room in that arrangement. Endrance lay in the center, surprisingly comfortable laying between both women, from his many months doing the same in Balator.
He had his spellbook open, and a tiny speck of light bobbed in the air over the pages as he studied his warmth spell. He had a piece of parchment he was using as scratch paper, jotting down possible changes to the spell to make it useful in the desert climate. Selene was snuggled against his left side, her eyes looking at him work, while Bridget was watching his scribbles with interest.
“You know that light might be a problem.” Bridget said, not looking at all concerned. She had her head propped up in both hands, her elbows digging into her bedroll.
Endrance gave a half-hearted frown. “I think this is important enough to be worth it.” He whispered, jotting down another formula with the charcoal stick he was using for writing. “I might be able to ensure we can travel during the day.”
“That means we could make more time on the move.” Bridget said approvingly. “At least during the day. I don’t want to risk drawing the attention of the sand hornets during the night.”
“Yeah, I think one encounter was enough nightmare fuel to last me a year.” Endrance muttered, making an adjustment to what he had just written. “Aha!”
“Aha, as in you figured it out?” Bridget asked. Selene was holding her head against his shoulder, drifting off. Selene had acted perfectly normal the whole day after their communal dream; behaving as if nothing spectacular had happened. He had spent some time looking her over, and saw that her beautiful normally brown eyes had what seemed to be a permanent reddish tint to them, and her pupils only turned square when she was using the abilities of her demonic half.
“I figured out part of the problem about the spell that I had used.” Endrance explained. “Before, I was using an air magic spell that used my own breath to make an area around my skin that would mimic the properties of the breath I exhaled when I completed the spell. However, I think the most effective means to change the spell…” He trailed off, remembering he was speaking to non-mages. “Uh… I mean that…” he tried to mentally reach for a simpler term to explain it.
Bridget put her human hand on his back. “I understand this.” She said. “Keep talking.”
Endrance blinked at her. “You do?”
Bridget rolled her eyes. “Well yeah,” she said. “I just had to start actually listening when you talked about this stuff. Before when you started talking about magic, I’d just think ‘blah blah blah magic,’ ‘blah blah blah magic,’ ‘blah blah, kill that thing.’”
“Oh.” Endrance muttered, surprised.
“But I realized that if I really cared about you, and I’m grown up enough to admit I do, I needed to think about what you feel is important.” She explained, her hard face showing a warmth that seemed unusual, but pleasant. “And you have more than done so with what I love. You brought my arm back, better than the original. You gave me armor, a new weapon. You knew what we barbarians loved, and tried to support me; even when I refused to recognize it. If trying to understand this magic nonsense you go on about is the best way I can support you, then it’s the least I can do.”
Endrance blinked several times, more awestruck than anything else. “I’m… I’m glad to hear that.” Endrance stammered. “That means-“
“So what were you going to do with the spell?” Bridget interrupted.
Endrance looked back down at the page. “Where was I… ah yes.” He muttered. “I realized that I could make the spell less dependent on the environment by removing the breath component, and instead, setting the spell to use a small predetermined temperature range.”
