“I’m going to write a book about the trip.” He laughed at Otto’s expression. “With what you’ve paid me, I have plenty of wealth to hold me over for years. When you need us, me and the Sea Star will be ready.”
“Good enough. But I will thank you not to mention where we dropped off Lady White.”
Wainwright nodded. “I will be circumspect with the details. When I’m finished, perhaps you’d like to read it before I hire a printer.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Farewell, Captain.”
“Smooth seas, Lord Shenk.”
Otto climbed down the gangplank and joined the others. The group set out for the portal at a brisk walk. It seemed they were all as eager to get home as he was.
After a good night’s sleep in his own bed and so much food he could barely walk, Otto set out for the palace. It was time to put the Heart of Alchemy in place. He also needed to check in with Allen and Sin. He didn’t hold out much hope that they would have found any assassins, but you never knew.
The chill air and quiet streets of Gold Ward soothed him after the heat and crowds of Port Han and the Celestial City. No one looked at him as a potential target here either. Until he left, Otto hadn’t appreciated how nice it was to be known and feared.
At the palace gate, the guards on duty snapped to attention and hastened to raise the portcullis. As it clanked up Otto asked, “How fares the emperor?”
The men shared a look then the elder shrugged. “We see little of him, but the rumors are that he’s shaken off his melancholy. At least he’s attending court again.”
Otto nodded his thanks. He’d get a full report from Draken later, but it was nice to hear his friend had beaten his depression. Nothing like getting betrayed by someone you thought you loved to sour your mood.
He crossed the courtyard and entered the main keep by a side entrance. A handy guard directed him to the library. When he arrived, he found Wolfric seated in a leather chair, book in hand, and a glass of brandy at his elbow. The familiar scent of paper and leather brought a smile to Otto’s face.
“Good morning, Your Majesty.”
Wolfric jumped and peeked over his book. “Otto!”
He leapt to his feet and embraced Otto like a brother. Fortunately, there was no one around to witness the inappropriate reaction.
“I had word you were back, but I didn’t expect you this early. You look tired.”
“I am, my friend. But I couldn’t wait to put the second piece of the engine in place. Would you like to see it?”
Wolfric smiled. “Indeed, I would.”
Otto pulled the Heart out of his pocket and held it up to glitter in the light. “Here it is. The Heart of Alchemy.”
Wolfric looked the Heart all over but made no attempt to touch it. “I thought it would be bigger.”
“Its power is considerably greater than its size. Shall we go put it in place?”
The question was largely rhetorical and they were soon on their way to the basement room where the Chamber of Eternity rested.
“Are you well?” Otto asked as they walked through the quiet halls surrounded by a squad of royal guards. “I know Jade’s betrayal was a hard blow.”
“It was and I am. Annamaria has been a great help. So has Abby.”
Otto glanced at his friend and tried to imagine what his wife and supposed daughter had to offer the emperor. He hadn’t even taken time to say hello when they got back.
“How did they help?”
“Annamaria helped by showing me that kindness and friendship were still a thing. And Abby’s innocence warmed the chill in my heart. She’s started walking, you know. The sweet thing.”
Otto was pleased that the two of them were good for something besides making his life difficult.
At the sealed door Otto deactivated the wards protecting the room and entered. The guards remained outside. The seven-foot glass cylinder looked exactly as he left it after saving Wolfric’s life. In his pocket, the Heart grew warm as if knowing that it was close to its partner piece.
Otto ran a loving hand over the smooth glass. The moment over a year in the making had come at last. Using a tendril of ether, he lifted the Heart up into the mithril tripod at the top of the Chamber. The moment the red crystal made contact, the mithril changed shape, wrapping around the Heart like vines locking it in place.
Any doubts he might have harbored were washed away.
Otto breathed out a sigh of satisfaction. Two pieces down and one to go.
Chapter 45
A phantom pain ran through Valtan as he paced in his private library. It wasn’t physical pain, but a tremor that ran through the ether. The tremor held a unique pitch, one he’d felt only once before, when his former love, Karonin, had been chosen to make the transformation to an Arcane Lord.
How he wished he could have gone back and stopped her from agreeing to the offer. Or better yet, never making it at all. He hadn’t fully understood what the transformation meant. After he saw what it did to the sweet, eager young woman he’d fallen in love with, Valtan knew the engine could never be used again. It was then he’d begun planning his ultimate betrayal. The horrors his fellow Lords had committed before he figured out how to stop them had only driven home the importance of his act.
And now someone else had assembled both pieces of the engine. Otto Shenk was moving far faster than he’d ever dreamed possible. It seemed like the young man had a single thought and it drove him every moment of every day. How well Valtan recognized that drive. Every great wizard had it.
Now all he needed was the final piece of the puzzle. Once he got that, only a miracle would stop Otto from becoming the most powerful wizard in the world. And there would be no one capable of sending him to the netherworld. He would rule for all time, slowly becoming the worst sort of despot. Valtan had seen it all before. Somehow, he had to keep the past from repeating.
And the only tool he had, Eddred and his companions, wanted to give up the fight. Well, Eddred did anyway. Uther wanted only revenge, but in its own way, that was as problematic as Otto’s quest. Hate, anger, revenge, all they brought was suffering.
Valtan drew himself up to his full height and projected his consciousness into the ether.
A moment later he formed an illusion of his body in the center of a modest village on South Barrier Island. He found Eddred puttering in an early spring garden. A pair of little girls crouched beside him, pointing and asking questions. The former king smiled and answer, seeming happy.
The girls spotted Valtan and fled toward a nearby cabin. Eddred turned and his smile faded. “Lord Valtan. Have you come up with a new strategy? It’s been nearly a year.”
“No. But Otto has returned and completed the Immortality Engine. He’s closer than anyone has ever come since I banished my former comrades. In another year, he’ll be unstoppable. Will you help me stop him before then?”
“Can he be stopped? We’ve tried everything you suggested and only made matter worse. Maybe it would be better to stay out of it and see what happens. He’s only one man in the end. He can hardly destroy the world on his own.”
“Do not underestimate the power of an unbound Arcane Lord. He may lack the power to destroy the world, but that doesn’t mean he can’t make life miserable for much of it.”
Eddred stood. “What do you suggest?”
“Go to the City of Coins.”
Eddred turned away in disgust.
“Hear me out. Hire mercenaries and travel into the desert. I have magic you can use to keep the undead at bay. I know where he’s going. You can beat him there and seize the item he seeks. It will buy time at least. Bring it to me and I can protect it. If you can kill him, so much the better.”
“If you knew where to find the artifacts, why not send us to find them to begin with?”
“Knowing where they are and claiming them are two very different things. All of them are protected. The danger is immense. If there were any other way to stop him now, I would gladly try. But t
his is the best I can come up with. Will you go?”
After a long pause Eddred said, “Very well, but after this I’m done. I want to live out the rest of my life in peace.”
“Thank you, Eddred. The whole world would thank you if they knew the threat they faced. I will prepare a map and transport it to your ship. The sooner you leave the better.”
Valtan vanished before Eddred had a chance to change his mind. If this worked, it was only a half measure. But a half measure was better than nothing. Deep inside, he feared he was only sending the king to his grave.
Even so, the chance had to be taken.
Epilogue
Otto allowed himself another full day of rest before heading to the hidden tower to report his progress to Lord Karonin. During his absence, it seemed Abby had learned some self-control as she didn’t scream nearly as much. And thank heaven for that. A brief conversation with Edwyn confirmed everything was progressing as well as possible with the business. As far as he could tell, his being gone for a year had done the empire not the least harm.
He found that both encouraging and a little depressing. It seemed he was no longer essential to the running of things. In truth, it was more of a relief. It let him move forward without having to worry about his base falling apart.
So after a fine breakfast he became one with the ether and traveled to the tower. When he appeared in the unchanging chamber, he found his master’s smiling, disembodied face filling her magic mirror.
He bowed. “I apologize for my long absence.”
“Your idea of long and mine are vastly different. More importantly, you succeeded.”
His brow crinkled. “How did you know?”
“When you placed the Heart in position, a ripple ran through the ether. I felt it even this far away.”
The burst of power had been so overwhelming up close, Otto hadn’t realized how far it extended.
“The pig Valtan would have sensed it as well. He will grow desperate now. You must be prepared for him to make all efforts to stop you.”
“He’s trapped in Lords. What can he do from there?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “But under no circumstances can you underestimate Valtan. We did, and look what happened.”
Otto nodded. He had no intention of underestimating anyone. “And the final piece?”
“The final piece isn’t a piece at all.” Seeing his confusion, she continued. “You must recover the instructions on how to weave the ether. Amet Sur kept it. He called the directions the Sanguine Scroll. It’s far more than just a manual. He hid many of his greatest secrets in the scroll. You can’t succeed without it. Even I don’t know all the spells necessary to complete the transformation. Why are you smiling?”
“I’m just pleased that I guessed correctly. My assumption was that Lord Sur would have wanted to keep the final piece under his personal protection. I’ve already sent an agent to locate his capital. My plan was to travel by portal with a search force, but now I wonder. If any undead snuck through, Garen would be in trouble.”
“Have no fear,” she said. “Undead can’t use a portal.”
Otto’s eyes widened. “Of course, the mithril.”
“Exactly. Amet may have had uses for his creations, but even he didn’t fully trust them. In fact, you can use the portal to generate an energy field that will repel undead for a great distance. There’s a book in my armory called Undead Creation and Domination. You should study it before you set out. But don’t take too long. The less time Valtan has to plot, the better.”
“One more question if I may. Do you know how to use someone’s true name to control them?”
“You’ve been dealing with the demon binders.”
“Yes.” Otto told her everything that had happened. “I don’t trust Lady White. If there’s some way to make sure she can’t betray me, I’d like to take advantage of it.”
“I’ve always thought giving power to your true name was a stupid idea, but they use them to make contracts with demons and amongst themselves. I suppose it must work for them despite the disadvantages. You need to prepare a gold amulet set with a mithril band in the center.”
An image of the amulet formed in the mirror where her face had been. He memorized the design.
“And when I’ve made the item?”
“Return here and I will guide you through the process of empowering it. Make haste, Apprentice. At this late juncture, any delay could mean failure.”
Otto nodded, his mind reeling with the work ahead of him. Determination steeled him. Whatever it took, he would find the scroll and gain the power of an Arcane Lord.
And nothing—not Valtan, not Eddred, not Lady White—nothing would stop him.
Author Note
Thanks very much for reading The Heart of Alchemy. I hope you enjoyed Otto’s adventure in the far east. Things don’t get any easier for him as we head into the final book of the Portal Wars Saga.
* * *
I hope you’ll join me again when The Sanguine Scroll is finished.
* * *
As always thanks for reading.
* * *
James E. Wisher
About the Author
James E. Wisher is a writer of science fiction and fantasy novels. He’s been writing since high school and reading everything he could get his hands on for as long as he can remember.
To learn more:
www.jamesewisher.com
[email protected]
Also by James E Wisher
The Portal Wars Saga
The Hidden Tower
The Great Northern War
The Portal Thieves
The Master of Magic
The Chamber of Eternity
The Heart of Alchemy
The Sanguine Scroll
* * *
The Dragonspire Chronicles
The Black Egg
The Mysterious Coin
The Dragons’ Graveyard
The Slave War
The Sunken Tower
The Dragon Empress
The Dragonspire Chronicles Omnibus Vol. 1
The Dragonspire Chronicles Omnibus Vol. 2
The Complete Dragonspire Chronicles Omnibus
* * *
Soul Force Saga
Disciples of the Horned One Trilogy:
Darkness Rising
Raging Sea and Trembling Earth
Harvest of Souls
Disciples of the Horned One Omnibus
Chains of the Fallen Arc:
Dreaming in the Dark
On Blackened Wings
Chains of the Fallen Omnibus
The Complete Soul Force Saga Omnibus
* * *
The Aegis of Merlin:
The Impossible Wizard
The Awakening
The Chimera Jar
The Raven’s Shadow
Escape From the Dragon Czar
Wrath of the Dragon Czar
The Four Nations Tournament
Death Incarnate
Atlantis Rising
Aegis of Merlin Omnibus Vol 1.
Aegis of Merlin Omnibus Vol 2.
The Complete Aegis of Merlin Omnibus
* * *
Other Fantasy Novels:
The Squire
Death and Honor Omnibus
* * *
The Rogue Star Series:
Children of Darkness
Children of the Void
Children of Junk
Rogue Star Omnibus Vol. 1
Children of the Black Ship
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