Spellscribed: Conviction, page 39
Endrance. Gullin interrupted. Joven should be within my ability to carry now, if you would cast your physical might spell on me.
Endrance snapped his fingers. “Ah. Good idea. Joven, come outside.”
Endrance brought Joven outside, and Gullin stood on the grass outside the outpost. Joven’s face paled as the Fjallar bowed his head to him.
“Oh gods no.” he protested. “You want me to fly?”
“What’s wrong with flying?” Endrance asked. “I find it quite relaxing.”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with flying?” Selene added, scowling.
Joven sighed. “I know when I’m beaten.” He admitted. He turned to Endrance’s familiar. “Just… don’t drop me, okay?”
Endrance drew his Grandstaff, holding it with both hands as he drew up the spell form in his head. He had spent some time tinkering with the strength spell he had used before, which had fortified the user with earth and water magic to increase their strength. Now, he had designed a version that was a combination of life magic and smaller amounts of fire and earth magic. The spell was much more effective, and not that much more costly to cast. Endrance shared the spell form he had devised with Pentarch, and they both contributed equal amounts of power to create the spell.
Endrance touched Gullin on the beak with his staff, and the spell form executed. His familiar grew a few inches in overall size, and the bird shuddered as the sensation of power thrummed through him.
That is a pleasant feeling. Gullin observed. I am ready to move him.
“Okay Joven, you ready to go?” Endrance asked.
“Yeah.” The barbarian muttered, steeling himself.
“What about the Sea of Glass?” Ethan asked.
“Gullin can fly around the desert and make it into Ironsoul within a day.” Endrance replied. “Of course, you probably would have a more comfortable time sitting on his back.”
Joven shifted the axe on his back before walking to the side of the large bird. “Yeah.” Joven said. “Are you sure-”
Let us go. Gullin said in Endrance’s head. The bird sidestepped behind Joven, thrust his head under his legs, causing him to sit between his wings. Endrance thought that the bird was still a bit too small for someone of Joven’s size, but the Fjallar took off with the barbarian frantically clinging to his feathers in terror.
“I will get you for this Endrance!” Joven’s final cry echoed down at them, as the two swiftly dwindled into the distance.
Endrance was trying very hard not to laugh, but the only one not amused was Ethan.
“Hey! What about me?” Ethan exclaimed. “I gotta run back through that again? And past the sand hornets? And you could fly?”
Endrance shook his head. “Stick around a week. I’ll have Gullin carry you back after he’s returned and rested.”
“What about you?” Ethan asked.
Endrance waved the letters he’d been handed. “I’ve got to write responses to these, then get back to work here. There’s a lot of things I can do to ensure that our peace with the elves lasts, and I want to spend these next two years doing it.”
Ethan looked suddenly confused. “That’s… I’m sorry.” He said. “You’ve already got the peace agreement, why not return now?”
Endrance blinked, looking the man over. “My sentence was to serve as ambassador for three years, not directly to secure the peace agreement and then return. I will remain here for my three years.”
Ethan grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ugh.” He grumbled. “That sounds like a chore.”
“Are you all right?” Endrance asked. “You hurt or something? I can heal it.”
The mercenary shook his head. “No. I’m fine. Just tired and confused. You confuse me.” He said. “It was like, two years ago, when I last saw you worrying about a dozen goblins, and now here you are saving our kingdom from the elves.”
Endrance sighed, clapping the man on the shoulder. He hesitated for just a second before speaking. “It’s not that I’ve grown up all that much, Ethan.” He said, letting go of his friend’s shoulder. “It’s that I’ve learned a lot since that day. And you know how we wizards get when we learn things.”
“Yeah.” Ethan said, smiling weakly. “You get to be a big pain in our asses.”
Endrance laughed, though the Draugnoa were able to tell that he was faking it. “That we are.” The mage replied. “You go rest up, and meet me in Salthimere in two days. I’ll have these responses prepared for you.”
Ethan glanced at the Draugnoa and the elves standing unobtrusively nearby. “Sure thing.” He said with a smile.
Endrance gestured to Lior as Ethan walked back into the outpost. The Sha’hdi approached cautiously. “Yes, Ambassador?” he asked.
“I want you to keep an eye on him.” Endrance whispered. “I think Ethan isn’t all he seems to be.”
“Is he dangerous?” Lior asked, his eyes narrowing.
Endrance nodded. “Assume so, but don’t let on that you’re aware of it. I need to test something.”
Lior turned from him without acknowledging, and swiftly stalked over to a comrade to exchange whispers. Endrance looked at his Draugnoa and tilted his head towards the horses. “Let’s get going back.” He said. “But we don’t have to rush.”
They saddled up and rode out in silence, until the outpost was out of sight. Endrance rode in front, flanked on the left by Selene, right by Bridget and Tanya rode to the rear. Endrance was riding without steering, letting the two Draugnoa guide his horse. His expression was clouded with conflicting emotions and deep thoughts.
“What was that about?” Bridget demanded, her patience worn thin.
Endrance looked over to her, still sullen. “I think Ethan is working for Valeria.” He declared, sighing.
“What?” Tanya asked. “How can you tell?”
“Well, his actions have been suspicious since I was imprisoned at the Circle Tower.” Endrance started. “But, I think it all fell into place when I touched him.”
“Touched him?” Selene asked.
“You know what I mean.” Endrance grumbled. “He had a magic aura, and he was aware when I detected it.”
“So do you think he was dominated like that masked mage was?” Selene asked.
Endrance nodded. “I hope so.” He said. “I don’t want to think that he’s doing this willingly.”
“So what do we do?” Bridget asked. “Can we kick his ass?”
“Yeah.” Endrance said. “We can, once I have a plan for what to do after that.”
“Just yank out those metal things.” Bridget replied. “That should stop it, right?”
“Unless it kills him.” Endrance snapped in response. “I don’t want him to die if he’s been forced into it.”
“What about if he was doing it willingly?” Selene asked.
“Then I’m going to send him back with a message for Valeria.” Endrance said, his voice almost a growl.
* * *
Ethan rode over a hill top on Joven’s borrowed horse. He stopped as he crested the hill, and found Endrance standing on the grass at the bottom, looking up at him expectantly. Ethan frowned and rode down the hill cautiously towards him.
“What are you doing without anyone else?” Ethan asked. “Where’s your horse?”
Endrance adjusted his grip on his staff. “I let them continue home. I wanted to talk to you for a moment before things got… ugly.”
“Ugly?” Ethan said, furrowing his brow. “I don’t understand.”
Endrance shook his head. “Let’s drop the pretenses here, Ethan. I respect you too much to dance around the issues here.”
Ethan was silent.
“Are you working for Valeria?” Endrance asked.
Ethan sighed. “I knew this would happen.” He muttered.
In a flash, Ethan drew his sword and swung at Endrance, who did not move to defend himself. The sword passed straight through him like he was nothing more than smoke; the image of him distorting only slightly as the sword passed.
Endrance hung his head. “I was afraid that it would come to this.”
Ethan glowered at the illusion. “Show yourself!” he shouted.
“Sure thing.” Endrance said, he looked to his left. “Do it.” He said.
Ethan looked the way Endrance did, when he felt a sudden jarring impact and the world spun. Suddenly he realized he was lying on his back, and his sword arm had gone numb. Turning his head, he saw half the shaft of an arrow protruding from his breastplate at the shoulder, the reddish feathers only inches from his armor. The arrowhead had punched out his back plate and stuck out a good several inches.
The horse reared and trotted off several paces. Endrance’s illusion shook his head. “Damn.” He said. “I think you managed to shatter both his collarbone and shoulder blade with that shot.”
Ethan struggled to rise. “Ethan, please stop.” He pleaded.
“I can’t.” Ethan growled through gritted teeth. “I won’t.”
Endrance looked pained. “Other shoulder, please.” He stated reluctantly.
Ethan tried to pull his shield up, but another arrow appeared from nowhere, crossed the distance and hit him hard enough to knock him onto his back again.
“Please surrender.” Endrance asked.
“I can’t!” Ethan shrieked, sitting up again. He had somehow managed to not drop his sword.
Endrance appeared to dig something out of his pocket, and handed it to an invisible subject next to him. “Within fifteen feet.” He said.
Ethan was able to stand, just as something wooden hit the ground at his feet. Looking down, Ethan saw that it was a wooden disk with arcane script and sigils carved into it. There was also a red target painted on it.
“Do it.” Endrance said. Ethan lurched to the right.
Tanya’s arrow hit the wooden counter spell tablet and broke it, releasing the spell within. An immense burst of counter magic erupted out from the wooden token, the energy destroying Endrance’s illusion and knocking Ethan onto the ground again. This time, he only lay on the ground, screaming in pain.
The edge of the counter spell struck a second illusion, and Endrance dropped the camouflage he had been using. The wizard, his Draugnoa, and the horses had been hidden only a hundred feet further down the hill. Tanya was still mounted, another arrow knocked and ready to fire. Bridget walked up to Ethan, and kicked the sword from his nerveless fingers.
Endrance walked up alongside Selene. “Flip him.” He said.
“There’s… arrows in him… you know.” Selene said.
“I can heal it if I need to, now flip him please.” Endrance said, his expression surprisingly harsh and determined. Selene tried to flip Ethan onto his stomach as gently as possible, but it wasn’t going to be painless. Ethan continued to scream, his voice already going hoarse.
Endrance drew one of his antler-handled knives, and with Selene and Bridget’s help, cut Ethan’s armor off of him. The back plate gone, he slipped his knife under the mercenary’s collar and sliced the cloth away all the way down to his belt.
There were five twisted, blackened, iron bits of metal embedded in Ethan’s back. Endrance recognized them from the bits of metal Joven had shown him before; carved and empowered with symbols of domination and enslavement. Those bits would take away a person’s will, and make them a living puppet of the creator of those spikes.
Endrance reached down and touched one of them, his fingertips tingling with the magic on the spike. “It’s disrupted.” He said. “However, I don’t know if they’ll stay that way.”
“Pull ‘em out while they don’t work, then.” Bridget said.
“I don’t…” Endrance murmured. “I need to know more before…”
Bridget reached down with her wooden arm and grasped the one on the base of his neck. She yanked before Endrance could stop her, pulling the twin spokes of the spike free with a spurt of blood and clear fluid. Ethan’s voice had given out screaming, but Selene had to struggle to keep him from thrashing around.
“Shit!” Endrance cried. “Pull the rest then!” he closed his eyes and concentrated on his new healing spell. Life magic was difficult for him to cast still, but he was able to work it with Pentarch’s help. Bridget swiftly grabbed and pulled out the remaining four spikes. She checked his pant line and found one more, and pulled that one out, too. Blood and some kind of clear liquid were pooling along the line of his spine.
Endrance finished the healing spell and discharged it into Ethan’s back. Life energy, supplemented by time magic, went to work; closing the wounds and regenerating lost blood and tissue. Tanya pulled the two arrows the rest of the way through Ethan’s body, and those wounds healed, too. Ethan’s struggles stopped, and he lay in the grass, panting.
“Now what?” Selene asked, letting him go.
“He’s alive, so I guess we take him back with us.” Endrance said. “Put him over the spare horse.”
* * *
Ethan regained consciousness half way to Salthimere. Endrance left him tied to his saddle, and was able to talk to him for hours as they returned to their home. He was able to learn what Valeria had Ethan doing, and was surprised by how haphazard her orders had been. Several of the orders were countermanding a previous order, given not a week prior. It was almost like two different people were in charge.
Ethan also revealed that there was a second litch under Valeria’s control; the one that had captured him. There was a possibility of there being more, though, as Ethan had heard of more than one mage disappearing since his capture. His memory was fuzzy though, so he couldn’t provide accurate details.
His willingness to help, and the candid revelation of Valeria’s activities, helped Endrance conclude that he had could be saved. When they returned to Salthimere, he had Ethan handed over to the embassy staff for care and recuperation.
Endrance finally returned to his home, nearly three days from when he left, and was overjoyed to see that he had missed very little. Valzoa came to meet him that night, after he was unpacked.
“Endrance.” The elf said as he walked into the dining room. His outfit was gaudier than usual, and his hair was a matching emerald to his outfit.
“What… happened to your hair?” Endrance asked, dropping the apple he was about to bite into. The apple rolled over to Valzoa, who popped it into the air with a foot and caught it with his off hand.
“I had a date.” The elf said. “Glad to see you came back, though Joven seems to have lost some weight.”
Endrance chuckled and held out his hand. Valzoa plunked the apple into his hand and sat at the dining table, putting his boots up as he reclined.
“That’s Ethan, our messenger.” Endrance said. “Joven went back to Ironsoul.”
“Alone?”
“Gullin’s with him.”
“Ah. Why?”
“He’d apparently gotten someone pregnant, and he was going to be with the mother and baby.” Endrance said. “He’ll be fine.”
Valzoa nodded. “Why did you bring Ethan back with you then?” he asked.
Endrance took a bite of the apple, shrugging. “He was enslaved by Valeria.” He said. “Tried to kill me.”
Valzoa sat up straight, his boots hitting the floor. “What?” he demanded. “You brought a servant of Valeria here?”
“No.” Endrance said. “I removed the item she was using to enslave him.” He said, tossing a pouch on the table. The bag hit with a clink and sagged like it was full of irregular metal objects. “Some kind of puppetry spikes.”
Valzoa poked the bag, sensed the magic coming off the spikes, and left it on the table. “You got them all?” he asked.
“Yeah, I only sensed those.” Endrance answered. “And he became infinitely more cooperative after we removed them.”
“What are you going to do with those?” Valzoa asked, gesturing to the spikes.
Endrance shrugged. “Destroy them, I guess.”
Valzoa nodded. “Do that.” He said. “You’re going to stay here, yes?”
Endrance nodded. “Nothing’s changed. Joven gets two years to spend with his child, and I get to stay here in relative safety while I train.”
“Good.” Valzoa replied, pulling a scroll of parchment out. “Because Jalyin and I have decided on a new training regimen for the next year, and we want to start that tomorrow.”
Endrance nodded. “Now’s as good a time as any.” He said. “Let’s see it.”
Chapter 19:
Joven, bare-chested and wearing nothing but a pair of pants, looked out into the streets of Ironsoul and nodded grimly. The suns were just starting to rise in the horizon, the light spilling against the walls of the city and across the side of the mage’s tower. He had both been excited for, and dreaded this day. It was the day Endrance was to return. It had an air of change about it, and in the two years since he had been on his own, he had grown to like the peaceful life he had made.
Gwen stepped up to Joven and put a hand on his arm at the elbow. Joven looked down at her and gave her his signature smile. She smiled up at him, her hair grown out in the time since Endrance had last seen her. Her clothing was also more conservative, but only because it was difficult to find armor for pregnant women in Ironsoul. If she had been Balator, she would have found quite the array of highly effective belly armors for pregnant warriors, since the kingdom had experienced centuries of warriors too stubborn to stop fighting just because they were pregnant.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked. “I’ve seen that look on your face before.”
Joven shrugged. “Probably.”
“Yes, I have.” Gwen continued. “I remember now. It was the face you had when that huge firebird dropped you right in front of me from three stories up.”
Joven shook his head. “I don’t know how he thought I would have held on while rolling around in midair like that.”
“Well, he was being shot at.” Gwen added.
“How’s the kids?” Joven asked, changing the subject.
Gwen rolled her eyes. “I wish Daelen had inherited your temperament.” She complained. “He’s too much like me for my tastes.”
“You mean a two year old with a temper?” Joven joked, earning a punch in the arm.
