by Sever Bronny
As Bridget turned, there was a ripping noise from the bottom of her rucksack. The waterskin fell out, flopping to the ground with a soggy slap. For a moment, the trio just stared at it stupidly.
“There’s a hole in the sack,” Leera said, inspecting it. The girls exchanged a sudden look before Bridget emptied the contents of the sack out onto the steps. Then all three of them frantically searched about.
Bridget grabbed her head. “Unnameables, the key’s missing …”
“You must have lost it somewhere between here and when we entered the sewer,” Augum said, unable to believe the predicament they found themselves in. An invisible key lost in the sewers would be absolutely impossible to find. That is, unless—
“Tell me that you … you know …”
“Yes, I placed an Object Track spell on it.”
Augum and Leera breathed an immense sigh of relief.
Bridget held up a splayed hand. “Vestigio itemo discovaro.” Then she too breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s behind us. Somewhere back above.”
“You two go get it,” Augum said. “I’ll work on the traps.”
Bridget placed her hands over the torn rucksack. “Apreyo,” and the rip repaired itself seamlessly. Then she glanced between the two of them. “I’m so sorry, I should have been more careful. I think I must have snagged it against a sharp rock or something while swimming.”
“Or during the fight,” Leera added. “Don’t beat yourself up, could’ve happened to any of us. But we should go. No telling how deep the reservoir tank back there is going to be now.”
Augum held up his hand, flashing the Exot ring. “Call me if you need help.”
Leera stood. “We will. And you too. But this time, don’t use the wrong ring.” She winked and the pair of them dove back into the water.
Augum turned toward the steps and took a deep breath. This was going to be dangerous work.
Burning Water
Augum worked diligently and carefully. He first swept the area with the 11th degree spell Reveal, but found no other arcane traps other than those that had been placed upon the final set of steps. Then he began preparing himself for the complex recitation of Disenchant, wondering why it was 10th degree and Reveal was 11th. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Arcanery was such a strange business.
Just before he could cast it, however, Bridget’s frantic voice suddenly chimed inside his brain.
“Hide! Something’s coming your way—”
Something? Augum quickly glanced about. Great, nowhere to hide. But then he saw it—there was a nook in the wall just at the exit point of the pool passageway. He rushed back into the water and positioned himself in it, keeping his head above water. Then he realized he still had his hand lit and quickly extinguished it, drenching him in cool darkness—and not a moment too soon, for a warm glow emerged from the narrow passageway. It slowly came toward him underwater. Strangely, he felt the water heat up as it neared.
Augum stiffened against the wall. Whatever was on its way was arcane. An underwater reaver, perhaps?
The passage brightened as if there was a fire underwater. Then some kind of burning being swam by, the water bubbling in a boil all around it. Augum felt the heat through his robe and against his skin but did not dare move. Could it possibly be a fire golem? No, water kills fire golems. This had to be something else …
The water hissed as the creature rose from the pool. It was human-shaped, taking two measured steps out of the water. The being stood motionless, rippling with fire like a burning blade. The water just behind hissed as it slow-boiled. Through the flames, Augum could barely make out the dark silhouette of a woman. After appearing to listen for a few silent moments, the burning being strode up the steps, stopping short of the alarmed portion. It calmly extended a hand. “Un vun asperio enchantus,” it said in a gurgling fire voice, a voice that seemed slightly familiar to Augum, though he couldn’t say why. After only a moment, its hand dropped. “Cursed rats,” it declared.
As the being began to glance around, Augum lowered his head below the waterline, watching the murky fiery outline from beneath the surface. It soon moved back toward the water. Augum tensed, making himself as flat as possible against the wall.
“You all right?” Bridget’s voice interjected in his head, almost making him jump. He made no reply and only watched, every muscle taut, as the fiery creature slid through the waters by him, once again warming the waters.
“Augum? Are you all right? Talk to me! We found the key and are on our way back—”
Gods, no, don’t come back yet, he desperately wanted to say. But he only dared move once the fiery light had disappeared back down the underwater passageway. Then he allowed his head to break the surface, regained his breath, and placed his lips to the Exot ring. “Contact Bridget Burns. Whatever that thing was is heading back out. Be careful and hide yourselves. It’s some sort of fire being that can cast 11th degree spells.”
“On it.”
“Cease contact.” He ascended the steps, wringing out his robe and checking over his shoulder, before returning to trying to dismantle the arcane stair traps. He first cast Reveal, a spell he was beginning to feel more comfortable performing with every successful casting. The arcane trap enchantments glowed red all over again, but this time he could see the layers of the spell—complicated interwoven silk threads he had to delicately reverse. Just as he readied to cancel the spell and move on to Disenchant, he realized something profound—the steps weren’t multiple traps, but rather one enormous trap! The entire glowing carpet was one spell!
For a moment he only stared at the enormity of the challenge, at the sheer scale of such a complicated arcane trap. Whoever had cast it had to have been a tremendously advanced warlock. Had it been that fiery woman? Or had she merely been taking orders? But thinking about the possibilities meant his thoughts had strayed too far from the spell, and the glowing red carpet suddenly vanished.
Augum moved on to Disenchant, only to accidentally mispronounce a word, causing instant failure. On the second try he misaligned his preparatory thoughts with the incantation itself, also causing spell failure. By the third go-around, his hands shook too much from nerves to even begin attempting dismantling the complicated trap, causing spell timeout. By the Fourth try, he was too frustrated to concentrate and slumped against the wall, smacking the ground with his fist.
He placed his lips to the Exot ring. “Contact Bridget Burns. Did you see the fire being yet?” but heard no reply. “Bridge, you there—?”
The pool of water burst. Augum jumped to his feet, ready to attack, only to realize it was Bridget and Leera, the former writhing with gasps and coughs.
“Storage run-off was full,” Leera explained, clapping Bridget on the back to help her with the coughing while untying the rope from their waists. “Had to swim all the way down. Lucky the whirlpool disappeared, else you’d be stuck down here. Here, catch—” She made a lobbing motion at Augum, but he only stared stupidly. Only when there was a metal clanging sound did he realize she had thrown the invisible key. He had to paw around the ground a bit before his fingers closed over the invisible iron.
“Found it on the bottom of that sludgy river,” Leera explained. “Don’t have to tell you how unpleasant coordinating that little search and rescue had been. How’d it go on your end?”
Augum had to explain everything that had happened. He apologized for not dispelling the trap, but explained why—that it was very complicated, a single trap spell spanning the entirety of the remaining steps.
Bridget ceased coughing to blurt, “Mrs. Stone—” then promptly returned to hacking away.
Leera raised a brow as she slapped her back once more. “Mrs. Stone what? Spit it out already.”
Bridget swatted her away and caught her breath. “Mrs. Stone reached me while we were swimming.” She began to wring out her hair and necrophyte robe. “She’s very weak, but already helping the academy evacuation. Told me to reach her with an update on our s
ituation.”
“Our situation is we need her help on how to get past this stupid trap,” Augum said. “Honestly I don’t see any one of us peeling back the layers of an entire stairs-worth of trap.”
Leera gave a wan smile. “How eloquent.”
“I’m serious here.”
“I know, I know, just needling.”
Bridget withdrew the Exot orb. “Contact Mrs. Stone. Mrs. Stone, we’ve managed to find that secret door, but there’s a difficult arcane trap on the stairs—” She stopped to listen, nodding. Suddenly her eyes went wide. “You, you are? Great, how can—” A nodding pause. “Yes, Mrs. Stone. Of course, Mrs. Stone, I will. Cease contact.”
“What is it?” Leera asked.
Bridget gaped a moment before a smile spread across her face. “Mrs. Stone’s coming to help us.”
The Indomitable Mrs. Stone
It took some coordination for Bridget to relay the contents of the map to Mrs. Stone while she journeyed through the sewers. Later, as Augum wondered just how Nana was going to swim all the way down through that giant overspill tank in her frail condition, her head suddenly popped up out of the water. She walked out, staff in hand, as if having undertaken nothing more than a country stroll. She gestured at her drenched robe and it immediately dried with a slurp.
“Merciful spirits, I dare say I am far too old for such adventures,” she wheezed as Bridget helped her up the steps.
“Is Leland prepared?” Bridget asked after Mrs. Stone caught her breath.
“Yes, and he is under Ms. Terse’s supervision, may the Unnameables forgive us for it.” She placed her eyes on the steps. “Now then, if we can—”
“—we’re seeing shadows, Nana,” Augum blurted, no longer able to put it off. “All three of us.”
Mrs. Stone’s cloudy eyes fell upon Leera. “Then you have all cast the spell successfully. Congratulations, you have accomplished what historically very few have been able to do. Very few.”
Augum was about to press his point when she held up a veined hand.
“You are concerned about the side-effects, as you should be. Such a powerful spell has serious consequences, only the beginnings of which you are witnessing. The more time you spend within the spell, the more insidious side effects you shall incur. From my research, beyond the shadows and body aging, it is different for all. What is nefarious about the side effects of the spell is that they hone in on one’s particular weaknesses, and worsen with each use, to the point of madness … even death.”
“Do you see shadows too, Mrs. Stone?” Leera asked, eyes darting.
“I do, but I hope you have discovered by now that the shadows can be rendered harmless with the mind, at least at the beginning. Some of the side effects can be negated, others cannot. But it is a tricky thing, for you battle against yourself.”
“But the pain is real—” Leera replied.
“To a degree. You must learn to control it, as you will have to learn to control your fears. I suppose one can say it is a lesson life itself demands of each of us. But do remember that the effects are cumulative, meaning it becomes more and more difficult to fight them off.”
“We’re not ready to face my father—” Augum said.
“Oh, but you are, and you might not believe me when I tell you this, but you have been for some time.”
She was right, he definitely didn’t believe her. By the look on Leera’s face, neither did she. Even Bridget’s brows rose a little in surprise.
“Our challenge,” Mrs. Stone said, as she leaned on Bridget’s shoulder for support in climbing some more steps, “is to make that encounter as advantageous to you as possible.” She stopped before the enchanted stairs even before Augum could warn her of them. “Which is why we are here.” She began studying the steps. “But more awaits us in this ancient castle than your mother’s body, my dear great-grandson.”
“It does—?”
“Indeed,” Mrs. Stone replied idly, wispy brows furrowed. “Now let us study this most beautiful piece of arcanery.”
Leera made a face as if someone had stepped in dung. “Are you talking about the trap, Mrs. Stone?”
“You must learn to appreciate fine arcanery like you would a fine work of art, my child. And it is quite fortunate you had not followed the instructions on the map, for they detailed on how to disarm a trap that no longer exists, it seems. Cast Reveal along with me, if you please. All three of you.”
“Yes, Mrs. Stone,” they chorused.
Mrs. Stone first cast her classic lightning globe lamp. It hovered nearby, crackling with energy and lighting up the room with blue light, inspiring in Augum strength and courage. Taking lessons from and being near to Mrs. Stone was the closest thing he felt to being in a classroom. It was calming and safe, and somehow she was able to make him feel that way in the most unusual, precarious situations, as if every place and occasion had lessons to be passed along.
All four of them splayed their palms. “Un vun asperio aurum enchantus.”
“For example,” Mrs. Stone began, making idle flicks with her fingers, “note the multiple thread layers between each step, strengthening the bond. Why do you suppose that is, hmm?”
Augum frowned trying to discern the subtleties she was referring to.
“That is because the author of this particular work has taken great care in making sure that bypassing the first layer of the spell will not nullify the entirety of the work. Whoever cast this trap cared deeply about their work. What we have here is no lazy spell casting. There are simple traps and there are complicated ones. And then there are works of art, such as this here before us.”
“What would happen if we tripped it, Mrs. Stone?” Leera asked.
“A most gruesome death, to be sure.”
“Even if we survived, whoever cast the spell would come running, isn’t that right?”
“In this case the original caster would certainly not come.”
“Why’s that, Mrs. Stone?”
“Because I vanquished him. This trap is a holdover from the days of Narsus the Necromancer.” She glanced up at the ancient moss-covered door. “This castle was once his home.”
“But you’ve been here before, Nana—”
“—when I was closer to your age. This spell was cast long after that time.”
“Can we dispel it somehow?” Bridget asked.
“Perhaps, but likely not. Narsus was my greatest foe, and some of his arcanery was even beyond my understanding.”
Augum didn’t understand. “So … what do we do, go back?”
Mrs. Stone was studying the area where the door met the floor. “I have a better idea.” She nodded at the spot. “Note where the trap ends, just below the door, which would swing outward and over the trap.”
“Yes, Nana, but how can—” Augum froze. The trap had disappeared already, for he was not yet that good at holding his concentration with such complicated spells, but he thought he understood where she was taking this.
“My eyes are not so good anymore, my child, so I am unable to see if the door itself is trapped. One of you will have to cast Reveal upon the door itself, and open it should it not be trapped. Who would like to volunteer for this quest?”
“I’ll do it,” Augum immediately said, noticing the confused look on the girls’ faces. He suspected they did not understand what she was intending on doing.
“Very well.” Mrs. Stone turned to the girls. “It is best that I conserve my arcane strength for what is to come. Would you two be good enough to telekinetically levitate Augum to the door?” She had asked it as if asking for nothing more than a cup of tea.
The girls exchanged a brief look before chorusing, “Of course, Mrs. Stone.”
“Good. Do you remember holding the stone?”
“Who could forget,” Leera muttered, promptly clearing her throat. “I mean, yes, Mrs. Stone. You held it the whole training session.”
“Then let us get to it.” Mrs. Stone looked on expectantly.
The girls positioned themselves on either side of him.
“Uh, ready, Aug?” Bridget asked.
He faced the door and took a series of deep concentrative breaths. “As I’ll ever be.”
Leera squeezed his hand supportively. “Got the key?
“In my pocket.” He could feel its weight.
There was a pause as the girls focused. Then he felt himself being lifted off the ground. As always, it was a strange sensation and butterflies zipped about in his stomach. After lifting straight up, he was carefully floated up the steps to the door where, like a general commanding troops, he immediately began ordering his brain into the complicated arcane mindset required for Reveal and then, if necessary, Disenchant.
Floating precariously over the deadly booby-trapped stairs, Augum held a splayed palm over the ancient wrought iron handle, whispering, “Un vun asperio aurum enchantus.” It lit up a toxic green, indicating it was some kind of arcane poison trap. He studied it only a short while, not wanting to strain the girls’ stamina.
Now the more complicated part. He marshaled his mind all over again. “Exotus mia enchantus duo dai ideum exat.” The glow of the green returned, showing complex depth, an interwoven web of sharp-looking arcane needles. The challenge would be to pull out the crucial ones until the spell was disarmed. But unlike the stairs, this trap was vastly smaller and thus easier to manage.
He exercised his fingers before gingerly reaching in, pulling out the first and longest needle. It disappeared as he flicked it away. He reached in with his other hand and pulled another, smaller one. Yet the pile of tiny needles refused to dissolve, and so he continued. He felt a drop of sweat trickle down his forehead. As it fell, he realized he couldn’t let anything hit the floor, and caught it just in time in his palm. The sudden action began a rocking waver in his body. The girls were weakening. He had to hurry.
Luckily, Disenchant was still in effect, and he returned to withdrawing needles. Just as the waver almost slammed him into the door, he withdrew a tiny needle from the bottom of the stack and the whole thing collapsed into a heap, then vanished in a puff of smoke. He had disarmed the trap.
