by Bill Albert
“Okay,” she said as she looked down. “You have your duty and I have a promise to keep. A promise to someone who was very kind to me and gave me some guidance when I needed it.” He looked at her as if he were about to ask for more and she quickly added, “It’s one of those secrets.” He nodded and she continued. “I’m going north no matter what. We can either help each other out or do it on our own. It makes no difference to me.”
He thought for a moment and then said, “I can give you some names of people who might be able to help you. Other than that, you’ll be on your own.”
“Tome, I have spent a lot of my life on my own.”
He looked at her and then bent down to the crate. He pulled out the bag of coins and jewels and gave it to her. “You’ll need this.”
She opened the bag and sifted through the contents. She took out the jewels and handed them to Tome before tucking the bag away. “Those will get too much attention if I try to use them.”
Tome took them and nodded. He was impressed by her recovery from the shock of killing a giant and glad she was adjusting to the way her views had changed.
“I should take the sculpture, idol, or whatever that is.”
“No. I want to have some scholars look at that first. If it qualifies as an actual artifact that could give us tremendous insights. Even if it doesn’t, some others should see it as well.”
“Okay,” she said reluctantly. “I want some of the stone jars to go with me.”
“Of course,” he said and stood. “If you go straight north from Atrexia, just on the edge of the Stack Black Mountains is a town called Primor. There is a house of worship there for the god Tebiet. Go there and ask for my tomb and they will help you.”
“Will I be able to get a hold of you there?” she asked quickly as she reached down to pick up the crate. He picked up his side and they started walking again. She was relieved that the temple was of her own god.
“You can leave a message there or at least some sign that you arrived okay. That’ll be the first place I check.”
By the time they exited the sewer night had fallen and there was a gentle rain falling. They dropped their torches into puddles to put them out and continued walking until they were reunited with the horses. The building gave them a break from the rain and there they divided up the rest of what they had discovered. Gallif finally took hold of Snow’s saddle and started to mount her. Surprisingly Snow snorted back at her and took a step away.
“What’s the matter, girl?” Gallif asked and tried to mount her again and again Snow snorted at her and stepped away. At a loss to explain Gallif shrugged her shoulders and put her hands to her hips. Snow carefully approached her and sniffed her leather armor and bare left arm then snorted and took a step away. As Gallif realized what was going on Tome came up behind her laughing loudly.
“I think she’s saying you stink,” he said.
Gallif took a deep breath and turned to him smiling. “I don’t suppose either of us smells particularly good right now.”
Tome nodded at the inn they were near and asked, “You think they could set us up with two baths in this place?”
She looked at him closely and considered what her next move should be. She didn’t do this often, only to people she felt confident and comfortable with; and had never done it to anyone at the school. She took one of his hands and pressed it firmly against her breast and whispered, “One bath will do.”
***
When Gallif arrived back at the inn the next morning there was a marked difference in her look, and it was impossible for people not to notice her. Thoroughly cleaned and cared for, her hair was its original bright red and flowed freely down to her shoulders. Her brown leather armor had been damaged beyond repair in the sewer battle and had been discarded. She had used a large chunk of the money they had found in the giant’s lair to buy freshly cut and tanned black leather armor instead. It fit perfectly and was loose enough that it wouldn’t hamper her movement. It had several metallic strips and studs placed in various places to make it stronger and provide better protection. The boots were also black leather with metal buckles and had no scratches or wear on them. The glove she had worn had been discarded but she decided against getting a replacement for now. She had purchased a long sword and sheath and was wearing it on her belt. Not forgetting her companion, she had washed and cleaned Snow waiting for the armor to be produced.
She also had prepared for her trip north and had purchased several thick blankets and some warm clothing to prepare for the cooler climate. All the items she had gathered plus the old armor were wrapped and placed in saddle bags.
She dismounted Snow, removed the saddle and moved hay over for the filly to feast on before they left. She entered the inn through the back door near her room and, once inside her own living quarters, she locked the door behind her. She started to sort through all of her belonging to decide what to take and what to discard.
As she was sorting, she came across the backpack that Rayjen had given her and spent a few moments with her arms wrapped around it. She still felt guilty for not appreciating it as much as she should have. She should have trusted that Rayjen would not have given it to her unless he knew, somehow, that she would need it.
She decided to use the backpack now for some of the important items she needed to carry and unhooked the metal buckle. With the backpack on the bed Gallif went to get the stone jars they had found in the crate. Out of curiosity she was examining them again for clues when a small hint of smoke caught her attention. She turned and saw smoke rising from the bed and with lightening reflexes had the backpack in her hands. She was ready to put out whatever had somehow started burning when she opened it up and looked inside.
She gasped at the fiery orange glow that came from the bag and reminded herself that jump casts could be anywhere and any size. She reached in and pulled out a flame sword. It was a long sword with a waved blade that had been cast as if it were on fire. Though the handle was always cool, and it could rest in a sheath without transferring heat, it could do considerable burn damage to an opponent in combat. She waved the blade through the air in mock parry to experience the perfectly balanced weight of the weapon.
In the backpack she also found a finely crafted wooden sheath with steel straps and hooks. She slid the sword into the sheath and the flame and smoke disappeared with the blade. She withdrew it again, made a few practice swings, and then returned it.
She gently sat on the bed and massaged the sheath with both hands. Yes, she thought, Rayjen had known exactly what he was giving her. The benefits this sword would give her in the climate of the Stack Black Mountains and the ice fields were priceless.
Out of curiosity she checked the backpack again and, though there was nothing in it, she could see there was plenty of room to store her own items. She started packing quickly, but carefully. Items inside the backpack lost almost all of their weight so the heavier items went inside. Some of the lighter items like the blankets or clothes she put in one of the saddle bags. The knife she strapped to her thigh and hung the sheathed flame sword from her belt.
Once she had everything packed, she stepped out into the main lobby of the inn. There were about a dozen people eating, drinking, and talking, but before she got to the desk at the far side of the room there was complete silence.
As Blance scratched her name off the register Gallif paid her for the meal she had eaten with a very generous gratuity.
INTERLUDE ONE:
PURE DARK
TWELVE:
PURE DARK
Zaslow sat quietly on his throne. It had been cast from natural rock and fit him perfectly so even the hardness of the seat and back didn’t bother him. It was the most comfortable place in his kingdom, and he spent a great deal of time there.
He sat waiting for his children, his wretched little children, who would soon come to pay their daily tributes to him. They were ugly little things and he sometimes could barely look at them, but their loyalty to him was
absolute. Absolute, as long as he gave them what they wanted. He had found the key to their loyalty and would use it to use them. Though he hated them, and he knew, deep down, they hated him, he needed their numbers. He would tolerate them, sometimes even enjoying the chance to punish them, until the time was right to destroy them. As an immortal, as a god, he would not need them.
He looked up and saw his closest advisor coming towards him. The advisor stopped at the edge of the stone benches that surrounded the throne and bowed his head.
“Nixa, my friend,” Zaslow smiled. “Give me good news.”
Nixa, in his flowing green and azure robes, slowly came forward and sat on one of the stones near Zaslow’s feet.
“I’m afraid I have none,” he said with a quiver in his voice.
“They were unable to find her again!” Zaslow growled and leaned forward. His eyes were dark yet, when he was angry, seemed bright enough to pierce a soul.
“No, no, no,” Nixa said. “They found her this morning as she was getting new armor and preparing to leave.”
“And they followed her back to the school?” Zaslow asked with a glimmer of hope.
“No,” Nixa said slowly. “She headed north.”
Zaslow sat quietly for a moment rubbing his hands together as he considered the news before speaking. “North. So, I presume, she’s left the school for good.”
“It would appear so. The belief is that she has graduated.”
“Very well,” Zaslow said as he continued to slowly rub his hands together. “We must focus our castings on the edge of the forest again. The instructors and faculty may be experienced at deception and hiding but soon a student will slip up.”
“Yes,” Nixa nodded. “We will double our eyes in the forest.”
“Agreed,” he said and leaned back into the stone chair. “We have to take out that school so we can move freely in the area.”
“It shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Zaslow said. Nixa froze and was unsure of what to do or say. His shoulders dropped and he took a long slow breath as Zaslow continued. “The school is made up of outcasts. People who don’t belong anywhere else. Individually they could be defeated easily but together they could be a threat to us. They are like wild cards in a game and history shows that, often times, wild cards will band together and tip the balance. That is why we must take them by surprise in one destructive strike.”
“Understood. There is one other thing,” he said slowly. “The girl from the school, she was spotted with a Giant Lord’s agent.”
“You know that contact with the spy in the sewers was lost, correct?” Nixa nodded that he did and Zaslow continued. “The timing is too close to be a coincidence.”
Zaslow stood and silently paced around the stone throne. Nixa knew better than to interrupt him while he was concentrating.
“This girl is becoming a nuisance,” he said finally. “First, she interfered with the attack on the Third Minister and now there is this loss inside Atrexia. Another wild card, but this one is already away from the deck and we could easily destroy her.” Zaslow paused and then finally turned and looked down at Nixa.
“Would you like me to send an assassin after her?”
“Not yet,” Zaslow said and Nixa’s heart skipped several beats. “But we must have one prepared. Who would you recommend?”
“Obrun,” Nixa suggested hopefully.
“Yes,” Zaslow smiled and patted Nixa on the forehead. “The invisible one. Was there any indication of where she was headed up north?”
“None specific,” Nixa shook his head. “Most people heading north this time of year visit Primor. Most likely she will go there.”
Zaslow let out a loud laugh and patted Nixa again. “Of course, the obvious has escaped me, my friend, and that is why you are so valuable. There will be special castings for you tonight.”
“Thank you,” Nixa said with genuine cheer.
“Prepare the carriage with all the protective castings,” Zaslow said as he rubbed his hands together. Zaslow could easily have cast what he needed himself, but it made Nixa feel so good to help him. Even with the resources he had Zaslow preferred to save his talents for more complicated casts.
“Would you like me to go after her?” Nixa asked hopefully. Taking the carriage, instead of jump casting, was a very rare event and he hoped to experience the outside again. Despite the limitations on the ride the castings caused there was still the fresh air to make up for the loss of complete vision.
“No,” Zaslow said. “I will go. I feel the urge to go outside for a while. Time to think and plan further would also be nice.”
Nixa hid his disappointment.
“I’m also thinking of this girl. She would be able to tell us what we need to know about the school. Some of those powders you have developed, the ones that slow the mind, prepare several bags of them for me. Remember, she is very young and small and won’t need the amount we used on the giant in the sewer.”
“I have some smaller pouches, barely the size of fingernails that can contain enough for a human girl.”
“Yes, that would be perfect,” Zaslow said as he went back to his throne and sat down. “I have a special task for you to prepare,” Zaslow said looking away. “When I get the information on the school, I will jump cast back here. Have an attack force ready.”
“I will rally several orc bands and prepare them,” Nixa reported hoping Zaslow would accept the idea. “It is so easy to control them. They are like simple puppets when I’m in their minds.”
“No,” Zaslow said. “The orcs are ferocious and clumsy brutes but even they are not enough for this. Something as big as the school needs the numbers,” Zaslow nodded and finally looked at him.
Nixa cringed and looked at the floor before speaking. “I know the focus crystals and the other cast stones can make it easier, but it takes so much to control their minds,” he said feebly.
“Three commanders, at best,” Zaslow said. He had noticed the change in Nixa after the last time he had gone into the mind of an elf. He knew his friend would never betray him but there had been angry outbursts after the castings had faded.
“You don’t know what it’s like,” Nixa said staring at the floor. Zaslow had other powerful casters but was using their talents for other projects. One was so powerful he was held captive in cave that no one was allowed to approach.
Zaslow stood and walked over to where Nixa sat. He bent over on his knees and lifted Nixa’s head to stare him in the face. “You understand we must make this powerful strike. Once they are out of the way we will be closer to our ultimate goal,” Zaslow gently put his hands on Nixa’s shoulders. “You may have to control and force them now but when we are immortal they will come and beg to serve us.” Zaslow watched him closely and was sure he saw fear in his companion’s eyes. “They are simple animals and you are smarter than their chaotic minds.”
“When I control them,” Nixa said slowly, finally telling someone what he had felt. “When I am in their minds it isn’t like the others I’ve entered. These aquilus are different from animals, humans, even giants. It’s like there’s something else there.”
Zaslow had not expected this observation and he quickly stood and walked towards the throne. He had thought his control on the primitives was complete, but what if there was some resistance in them? To be safe he would have to increase his hold on them. Another reason to go north.
He pulled two focus crystals and handed them to Zaslow.
“Prepare the carriage and Obrun. Then sleep with these. The pleasure castings on them will clear your worries.”
Nixa took the crystals and slipped them under his robe to be safe.
There was noise from outside the temple area and he looked to see another man approaching. Zaslow’s trust and confidence in this man was equal to that of Nixa, Unlike Nixa, however, this companion was a caster and there were many benefits to that. The caster rushed forward and didn’t stop until he was
up close. He was smiling and shook Zaslow’s hand vigorously.
“Malm, what is it?” Zaslow asked smiling as he was caught up in the excitement.
“I found it,” Malm said with a cheer.
BOOK TWO:
THE STACK BLACK
MOUNTAINS AND THE
NORTHERN ICE FIELDS
THIRTEEN:
NIGHT TRAVELERS
She had traveled through the flat grass lands and forests without incident and on the afternoon of the ninth day of riding Gallif brought Snow to a complete stop at the top of a tree covered hill. Other than a brief stay in the town of Benzon and its magnificent library she had been riding constantly and only stopped to sleep and eat. Ahead of her were a series of rolling hills that would take her another five days to cross and beyond that were the Stack Black Mountains.
She turned Snow to face south and then simply sat quietly in the saddle for a while as she studied, far off on the horizon, Starpoint Mountain. Even at this distance its height was as dizzying as it was mysterious. She knew from the next hill on it would be out of sight as the hills became steeper and the trees became taller. She would no longer see the Mountain.
She couldn’t remember ever having been able to say that before and she felt a bit of anxiety at the thought. She had been further away from Starpoint Mountain than she was now by many miles. It was just that the lands to the south, to the farms, and the west, to the Rainbow Mountains, were so flat there was nothing to obscure the view. Its presence was always felt. Like many people in the land Starpoint Mountain had been the only constant in their lives.
She realized she had been riding since well before dawn and decided it was time for both herself and Snow to take a break. Nights had been very short since leaving Atrexia and the lack of sleep was getting to her. She dismounted and walked with Snow a few dozen yards off of the road and started munching slowly on the dried food Brilla and Forto had given her. She knew she didn’t need to tie Snow’s reins up and just let her companion wander off to chew on some fresh grass.
