“The queen said that you could teach me some more techniques with the axe?”
He smiled savagely and clapped us both on the shoulder. “Lad, for the gift ye just gived me, I will show ye both me clan’s secret technique. Who would have know’d that Dwarves of the age’d fear magic? Strange lot. Oh well, least ways we can bring this to rights.”
“What is it?” I had to admit, my gamer mind was reeling. Secret techniques were serious game changers, and we needed every advantage.
“I’ll shows ye.”
He stepped out into the center of the practice floor and brought his axe to bare. He snapped his fingers, and a dummy appeared to stand twenty feet away. He threw his axe at the dummy, and it hit home with a thunk. We waited quietly while he grinned at us. Then he blurred out of existence and appeared with his hand on the axe.
“Now faster!” he said and snapped his fingers again. This time, it sprouted forty feet away on the opposite side. He threw the axe, and as it sailed, he disappeared and came back holding the handle once more. He crushed it into the dummy and growled in satisfaction.
“What was that?!” Balmur asked in wonder. I wanted to be able to do that.
He said it was called something that sounded like two rocks cracking against each other. That wasn’t traditional Dwarvish. I looked at Balmur, and he was just as lost. We asked him to repeat it while Balmur had his Language spell active.
“Blade Shift?” he puzzled out.
“Not so artsy as me own, but sure.” The older Dwarf grunted.
“Well, how do we do it?” I asked.
“Be takin’ yer shirts off, lads,” he said and went through a door off to our right.
Balmur and I looked at each other than complied. When Thogan returned, he had a medium-sized box in his hands.
He snapped his fingers again, and an earthen table formed beside us. The Elven servant brought out a chair for him to sit on. He motioned for Balmur to lay down first and then got to work.
Thogan either wasn’t one for conversation while he was working or couldn’t afford the distraction because he was focusing all his effort on tapping the little inked needle into my friend’s skin. He used a small ruler for reference, inking every line perfectly straight. After half an hour, a few sips of good mead, and a few grumbled curses from Balmur, the majority of the work was done, and I could see the outline forming. It was a pentagram about the size of a mayonnaise jar lid, but it looked different, like it was clearly missing one of the points of the star, specifically the top one. It was closed; lines closed each point, isolating them from the base of the star, but the missing portion was left incomplete. Bare.
With the amount of concentration he had for his work, I doubted that Thogan would mess up. I resolved to ask him when he stopped anyway, just to be safe.
After a once over with the ruler and a final, critical glare from the stone-skinned Dwarf, he nodded at his work.
“Excuse me, Thogan? Why did you leave one of the pentagram’s points off?”
“That be what I’ll use as the focal point of the spell, lad,” he explained. “See here, now. Let me do me work. Ye’ll see it ‘fore long. Gimme yer weapons, cousin. No, no, not the wee ones, the main ones ye be usin’.”
Balmur pulled out his Mountain Fangs and sat them in front of Thogan on his self-made work bench. The Dwarf picked them up and whistled in admiration at the craftsmanship of each one.
“Damned fine hammering there, cousin. Damned fine.”
Thogan pulled a diamond-tipped chisel from the box and began to carve the opposite of the same pentagram into the metal back of the first weapon where the axe was widest. Rather than filling in the pentagram completely like the other, he left the other points and the base of it blank, then filled in the top point of the star.
“Together, they make a whole. This way, when ye activate the spell, yer body goes to the missing piece furthest from yerself. Beautiful magic it is.”
He finished carving the first one, then handed it to Balmur. After that, he came to stand before my friend and whispered a short phrase in the grinding, earthy language he spoke previously, then touched his forehead to Balmur’s for a moment.
“Now, do what I telled ye, and hold it to the mark.” He crossed his arms as he waited.
As we watched, Balmur pricked his right thumb with the weapon, then pressed the thumb to the carved pentagram on it before pressing it to his chest. A blinding light flashed, then nothing.
“Good,” said Thogan. “Now, the runes be attuned. Ye can cast the spell. Throw it, cousin.”
The dummy that hadn’t been destroyed was still standing off at the other end of the room, so he took aim and threw the Mountain Fang. It hit the dummy and stayed in, and after focusing, he blurred and reappeared with his hand on the grip.
“Wooooah,” he breathed. He looked at me, and we both laughed.
“Ye do tha’ ‘til it becomes second nature.” He made a shooing motion at several more dummie’s across the way that had joined the one he stood by. “I’ll get yer other one done fer ye an start on Zekiel. Gimme a minute.”
True to his word, he carved into this one twice as quickly as he had the other and put it in my friend’s hand. He did the same thing he had to attune it but with his left hand getting pricked.
“Now mind, ye can only use one of ‘em at a time.” Thogan wagged his finger at Balmur. “The spell will only look for the furthest one away from ye. Use it wisely. I don’t know many Dwarves what use dual wieldin’, but it canna hurt to try it.”
Thogan rested for a few seconds while we watched Balmur get used to the spell. He was learning much quicker than I thought I would have. It could have been due to the fact that he already had spells he could use to move instantly. Or he was just that damned good. Either way—he made it look easy.
“Lay on down, Zekiel.” Thogan wiped his hands on a cloth he produced from his pocket. “And assumin’ ye have a human form?”
I took the hint and shifted into my human form. I lay down on the slab and let the Dwarf do his work.
The ink he used for me was white and stood out in stark contrast to my dark skin. It stung, but having a few tattoos myself in my own world, I just tuned it out. Getting a tattoo in a lot of ways was a rite of passage in some cultures. Taking the pain to outwardly show what you had on your inside. Enduring. That my be true, and part of me really believed it because right now, this absolutely was.
The spell itself required it, and this was very much so a rite of passage to do it. And here was Thogan giving me mine. This Dwarf, who had missed his people so much, missed the chance to grow old with his clan—to die an honorable death. This Champion of the Unseelie who had fought gods know how many battles was passing on his clan’s probably-forgotten spell. The thought of it made me proud. It also added one more name to the long list of people I was trying to protect by doing what my friends and I were attempting.
After I don’t know how long, the pain in my chest subsided and Thogan grunted as he looked over his handiwork. He held out his hand, and I produced Storm Caller for him. He took it into his hands almost reverently, admiring the work of a skilled craftsman. He didn’t even try to make conversation over it. He kept muttering that he wouldn’t harm it and the same to that effect.
He carved the mate to the rune on my chest with the greatest of care. I watched as he did it. Occasionally, gently, brushing off the metal shavings from the spot on the haft where he made the mark, he masterfully executed his art.
Soon, my great axe was back in my palm. I pricked my right thumb, touched the bloodied rune to the one on my chest and thought as loud as I could, BOND.
CONGRATULATIONS!
You are now bonded by blood to your weapon with an ancient form of Dwarven magic!
“And now to pass on the learnin’,” Thogan said. He had me kneel and put his forehead against mine and began speaking in, what I assumed to be, Ancient Dwarvish. I didn’t understand, but I received a prompt asking if I wanted to learn
the spell.
Uh, hell-the-fuck yes I did!
CONGRATULATIONS!
You’ve learned an ancient spell. The practitioners of this spell have been gone for more than eight thousand years, and here you are, learning it. Amazing.
The realization that the Dwarf before me was around one-thousand six-hundred years old and that everyone he loved and probably their great-grandchildren were dead hit me hard. I looked, stricken, to Balmur, and he simply shook his head. I understood, though. There was no point in crushing the man. He didn’t need this weighing on him, too. Instead of breaking, I stayed strong, and I read the other prompt.
NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED!
Blade Shift – Caster uses his weapon as a focal point for an instantaneous lesser teleportation. Range: 120 feet. Cost: 20 MP. Cool Down: 6 seconds.
Damn. For that little amount of mana, I could really fuck shit up. Six seconds in combat was a decent amount of time, though. I would have to either plan carefully, or see where I could go with it and what I could do.
“Ye be knowin’ what ta do lad?”
I nodded, selected a dummy, and threw Storm Caller; it flew true and hit the target. Then I activated the spell. I felt a tug, and then my hand was on the haft of the axe. My grip was a little loose, but I could fix that by gripping as soon as I felt my hand touch the weapon.
The transition was smoother than what I had expected. Balmur and I spent a few hours with Thogan, perfecting the skills necessary to use the spell as best as we could, and then we had lunch before practicing some more. Balmur was much better at it than I was, but hey, we can’t all be good at everything.
We made decent headway when the queen herself opened the door. Thogan dropped down to his knee with his head bowed, and when Balmur didn’t join him right away, Thogan dragged him down to a knee, too.
I went to, but the queen raised her hand and said simply, “No.”
“Yer majesty,” Thogan said from his knee. “It be rare to see you so often. What can this ol’ Dwarf do for ye?”
“I came to collect my friend,” she informed us. “There is much I must do yet, and I would ask his company.”
“So ye were truthful then, lad,” he spoke in awe.
Balmur just glanced at me and shrugged. To him, this was kind of par for the course. I was a naturally friendly person. He knew I would explain things when I could. I hoped.
“Of course, my Lady Queen.” I smiled at her. “Thogan, thank you for blessing me with your spell and your help. I appreciate it in the fight to come.”
He nodded and smiled back, “Lad, ye gived me the best gift of me life. Ye did me the honor. Yer kin ta me. And Balmur too. If ye could come back again and share a drink or out there in the hall—I’d be happy.”
“Of course. Balmur, I’ll join you and the others later. Okay?”
“Got you, man.”
The queen allowed me to exit, and we walked to her room once more. On the way there, she told me about some of the preparations that had come to pass. Food was made and the throne room cleared. I asked what she did with the people, and she explained that she had a room for them to be stored.
“You said that they were no longer as interesting to you, right?” I asked, reaching that she was feeling generous.
“Yes,” she answered as she put some leafy greens on her own plate from a platter brought out by one of her shade goblins.
“Why not free some of them?” She stopped to look at me for a moment, so I continued, “Not the ones who did something truly bad to you or yours—I’d never think to release them—but what about some of the others whose crimes were minor enough to be forgiven?”
She placed her hands in her lap and stayed silent still. Either I had her interest, or she was trying to decide if there was a hidden agenda on my part.
“Everything I told you thus far has been truth. I want your friendship, but I also want to have you seen in the right light or shadow if you prefer. This is the new age you so desired, right? Why not thin your art collection of the less desirable pieces and focus on the future? Your cold night in Prime? Ushering in a new era. From what I gathered on our way here, everyone assumes that you’re crazy. Evil. Vile. I know that you don’t mind that, but what if you could show them better, that you are what they need. How many more Fae would swell your ranks from the enemy if they knew you were capable of such cruelty to those who cross you and forgiveness for those who are deserving?”
Before she could answer, I said what I thought could possibly sway her, “Wouldn’t it drive that Seelie bitch insane to know that even in secret, her people might prefer you?”
“Oh, you are good,” she said simply. Her smile was slight, but it was there. “Cunning minded, my friend. Very cunning. Oh, but were you here a century ago, we would have had our fun. Come.”
I nabbed a plate that had been made for me by the shade goblins and hurried along after her. We walked for possibly fifteen minutes until we came to a large room, larger than the throne room that was full of the living sculptures. We walked in, and she lifted us with a pillar of ice so that all of them were visible.
She held a hand out and flippantly waved to our left then our right. Rows of the sculptures began to crack and shatter. There were groans and rumblings of some of the larger creatures accompanied by the flutterings of the smallest creatures. Fairies and pixies, I thought.
“Speak to them on my behalf, Zeke,” she said with a smile. “Tell them of my—how did you say it?—ushering in of a new era?”
I sighed. I hadn’t seen this coming at all, and I hated public speaking. I was never all that good at it. Shit.
I looked out at the now thawed creatures sprinkled amongst the still frozen creatures. They looked up at us, some with hatred in their eyes, many with confusion, and a few with hope. Hearts and minds, win the hearts and minds.
“Eyes!” I spoke loudly, accidentally falling back on the first word that got my attention for some time in the Marine Corps. I took a steadying breath, then used my chest to amplify my voice. “All of you who now move freely have earned something I’m certain you never thought you would—forgiveness! Today, the day of your freedom, marks the beginning of a new era for the Unseelie Fae. Your crimes—whatever they may have been—are forgiven, and for that, you have Queen Maebe to thank. In the coming days, no, hours—change comes. With her leading the way into a new era of prosperity and power, you will all gain tremendously.”
Some grumbled so low I couldn’t hear them, but one of the Elves who looked like the queen spoke up quite loudly. He just looked like a jerk and carried himself like one too. “And what kind of power would she offer us? Frozen, watching her languish over these last centuries, I have my doubts that she could provide anything.”
Dude, I’m trying to do you a solid here, I thought anxiously. If I don’t come off hard enough right now, she may just say fuck it and freeze them all or worse, kill them and none of them will be spared. Time to talk tough.
“The power to keep your life, should you but hold your tongue and do as you’re told, asshole.”
Some of the others laughed, and the Elf just snickered and made a rude gesture. I saw movement to my right, and suddenly, Maebe was standing in front of the offender. She thrust her palm forward and plucked it back almost faster than I could follow. The Elf before her fell to the ground, horrified with his mouth agape. She put something in his mouth, and then he froze solid once more. The queen looked over her freed subjects with a cruel smile, then leapt onto the pillar with me once more. She pulled a handkerchief from nowhere and wiped her palm and fingers clean.
“His heart,” she said by way of explanation when I looked askance of her.
After a second, it hit me that she had fed him his heart. I looked at the ground and saw the small smattering of fresh blood and the frozen pool of it inside the ice. I looked at her, and she smiled sweetly.
“He will make an excellent centerpiece for the feast later.” She looked back over her subjects, then back to me.<
br />
“Go back to your homes and families, if you have them. Those of you who don’t may see the queen’s folks and see about work that needs to be done. When the call comes, answer it,” I pointed to the newest addition to the art, “or end up like that.”
They fled. Hell, I didn’t blame them; I would have too. If it did come to that, could I back it up? I thought back to the little boy that Rowan had slaughtered to send us here. One who had been close to my own son’s age. That was someone’s kid. If I had to be a little harder—more brutal and savage than was normal for me—so be it. If a few needed to pay for their inability to cooperate just to keep more safe, I would have to live with that. I didn’t have to enjoy it—just endure.
“Will you accompany me to my throne room?” she inquired brightly, despite the grizzly act.
“Sure?” I answered with a shrug.
We walked back slowly; she was going over the things I had said. She praised me for using the Fae love of power against them while making her appear generous.
“You would have made a wonderful, terrible Fae.” She chuckled throatily. “That threat at the end? Delectable.”
We came to the throne room, entering by way of the same door we had used the day before to leave. Inside, it looked much the same as before, but empty except for the giant Dragon with the throne in its jaws.
We walked to the front of the giant beast. Maebe snapped her fingers, but rather than the simple sharp pop the action would normally give, it sounded like an iceberg breaking in half. The ice on the Dragon’s body begin to cloud, then crack and fall away in great chunks.
The Dragon’s eyes opened behind the ice on its head. Great orange orbs focused on Maebe and then myself. A rumble and a crash, then the Dragon shook the ice off its body like a dog might shake after a bath. Ice flew at the walls before falling harmlessly to the ground to shatter. Her throne it sat down gingerly.
“Messy as ever, Snowball.”
The Dragon raked her with a look of annoyance and yawned to the point that I found myself joining in. It smacked its lips, then reached a fore claw up to scratch its chin. Now that the ice was gone, I could see that the scales weren’t what I thought they’d be—smooth and rounded until the point at the bottom. No, these were jagged, white scales that looked like flat icicles, some at least several feet wide at the largest coming down to a point almost like a rapier on some. His jaws were covered in some more jagged, long scales that dripped cold water that froze before hitting the ground as ice shards. Now that he was here, the pleasant warmth of the room had dropped to what one might expect in a palace of ice.
Into the Light (Axe Druid Book 1) Page 38
