A minute later Xandra reached another arching doorway, and when she did, Xandra paused, looking around in curiosity, followed by concern… then shock.
The walls of the dome-shaped room, which was over twenty paces across, were covered in intricately carved magical diagrams that were filled with a deep red light, as was the floor itself. Around the edges of the room were dozens of alcoves which had similar diagrams, along with crystals that glistened purple. That she recognized, and it shocked her to see so much adamantine in one place. There had to be hundreds of pounds of it, and that was enough to drive some kingdoms to war. In the center of the room was a pedestal, on which she could see a gemstone, one that was perfectly clear, almost like it was made of glass. However, the runes around the pedestal made Xandra wary.
“What was I doing here?” Xandra asked herself, stepping to the left so she could approach the nearest alcove with adamantine in it. She reached in to take a crystal… and the moment she touched it, the crystal collapsed into dust, causing her to stare in surprise. “What in all the hells?”
Adamantine was one of the hardest metals in the world, created by iron transmuting after centuries in an earth node. While it was brittle until smelted into an alloy, it wasn’t so weak as to collapse into dust at the touch of her finger.
Xandra paused, then murmured her spell to allow her to see magic again, and when she did she flinched. The walls were almost blinding, and she cringed, but in particular she noticed that the adamantine was completely inert. Then, almost afraid to look, she turned slowly, watching from the corner of her eye… and was nearly blinded as she caught a glimpse of the gem in the middle of the room. Before it could sear her eyes for more than an instant Xandra released the spell and blinked rapidly, rubbing her eyes as tears prompted by pain trickled down her cheeks. It took a minute to recover, but when she did, Xandra looked at the crystal in the center of the room, complex feelings welling up inside her.
“Oh, Xandra… what were you thinking? What were you doing?” Xandra asked her younger self. Worse, she thought about the arrogance of who she’d once been, and she almost grew afraid. Not afraid enough to leave the gem, though.
She approached one step at a time, then reached out and picked up the gem. It was tiny, barely a half-inch across, and it felt almost weightless in her hand. It looked nothing like something that had so much magic in it that it’d almost blinded someone like her. She looked at it, then shrugged, slipping it into her belt pouch.
“I’ll have to study it later. For now… it’s time for me to leave,” Xandra whispered, looking around and shrugging. “It appears there’s nothing for me here. Or anywhere else, for that matter.”
So she turned to leave. It wouldn’t do to have Vanreth find her.
Chapter 12
“…no sign of her in the ruins of the town, though I saw some tracks that matched her boots there and in the ruins of her tower. I don’t know what was done to the adamantine, but with how the door was left open, I suspect she didn’t care if anyone found what was left behind,” Vanreth said, and hesitated before admitting, “I’m afraid of what she might have planned for whatever it is she found, Your Excellency.”
High Priest Quentin was looking out the window over Lothdar, his back to Vanreth as he stood there with his hands folded behind him. That concerned Vanreth, as it meant he couldn’t tell what his superior was thinking, and Quentin rarely kept his opinions to himself through an entire report. That reaction was a good part of why Vanreth hadn’t kept part of his final conversation with Xandra to himself, as he didn’t want to upset Quentin by making him think Vanreth was lying.
The trek to the valley had been punishing, more because of all the signs of Xandra’s passage that Vanreth had seen than anything else. The woman hadn’t even tried to hide her trail, though the times that she’d teleported had made things frustrating. Only when she’d left the valley had Vanreth finally given up the chase and admitted that he wasn’t going to be able to hunt her down. That was galling, and he wished that they’d confiscated every piece of equipment the demon-bound sorceress had brought out of the Domain of Ashen Hopes.
“I’m disappointed in you, Vanreth,” Quentin said, sounding weary, and panic rushed through the paladin.
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency,” Vanreth said, falling to a knee on the carpets as he saluted. “Give the word and I’ll set out to find her at—”
“No,” Quentin interrupted, his head shaking slightly. Vanreth froze, waiting for the high priest to elaborate, but he didn’t. Eventually Vanreth couldn’t handle the silence, though.
“Your Excellency? What do you mean?” Vanreth ventured, swallowing nervously as he remained on a knee.
Quentin turned, and when he did, Vanreth inwardly recoiled at the anger he saw in the man’s eyes. He’d rarely seen anger on Quentin’s face, and never as stark as this time. It reminded Vanreth that Quentin had participated in the wars that had secured the Phoenix Queen’s reign over the cities and lands surrounding Lothdar, where once they’d been ruled by demonic cults.
“I told you to accompany her, and keep an eye on her. I told you to only strike her down if she turned evil. I didn’t tell you to alienate her,” Quentin said harshly, looking down at Vanreth in a way that made him feel like he was only a few inches tall. “I shouldn’t have had to tell you not to. You’re a paladin of our goddess! You’re supposed to represent Her in all things! And yet you did, and I will not allow you to make this still worse.”
“Y-your Excellency? What do you mean?” Vanreth asked, worry coursing through him even more strongly than ever before. Possibly even more than when he’d been dying in front of Lady Alexis.
“When I learned who Xandra was, I was troubled, much as you were. However, I prayed to Our Lady. I asked Her for guidance,” Quentin said, reaching up to rub his eyes. “She answered my prayers. Not in words, of course… just feelings. She could have become an ally, Vanreth. She could have stood with us against a great darkness that is coming. She and Jasmine are connected by the fickle finger of fate, and even now, she may help us in our darkest hour. However, that is only if we do not anger her further.”
Every word sounded in Vanreth’s ears like a hammer, driving humiliation and fear into him, deep and hard. He’d been a follower of the Phoenix Queen for most of his life, and having her respond to prayers… something as clear as what Quentin described was incredibly rare. For her to give a message like that was a warning sign that they couldn’t afford to ignore… and it meant that what Vanreth had done could put all of Loth in danger. Even if they didn’t know what this darkness was yet.
“I… I’m sorry, Your Excellency. I didn’t realize, and… what would you have me do?” Vanreth asked, flushing guiltily as he looked at the ground.
“There’s nothing you can do. As that is the case, I wish for you to spend some time in reflection, while strengthening your skills for the future,” Quentin said, his voice turning a bit wearier. “We very well may have need of your sword soon. See that it does not dull with disuse. Ah, and do not tell Jasmine about Our Lady’s revelation. It will unduly worry her.”
“As you command, Your Excellency,” Vanreth acknowledged, saluting, then rose and turned to leave the room. He carefully didn’t meet the high priest’s gaze, not with his shame rippling through him.
Perhaps he hadn’t known what Quentin did about Xandra, but… the high priest’s admonishment had struck home. Vanreth had a great deal of reflection to do.
He simply had to wonder what sort of connection Xandra and Lady Alexis could possibly have.
“What happened?” Jasmine demanded, shock rippling through her.
“Vanreth alienated Xandra, so she decided to leave, and he attacked her. He failed to injure her, and she disappeared,” Quentin said tiredly, shaking his head slowly. “That was not how I hoped for her expedition to go. With everything that she’d lost, I was hoping she’d make her new home here in Lothdar.”
“I…” Jasmine paused, completely
at loss for words, and surprised at the disappointment she felt at Xandra’s departure. She frowned for a few seconds, but pushed the feelings to the back of her mind as she focused on the high priest’s more surprising admission. “Why would you want her to live in Lothdar? I thought that a lot of the priesthood didn’t like or trust her.”
“They didn’t, and still don’t. However, just because they don’t like her doesn’t mean that she couldn’t be an incredibly valuable resource,” Quentin said, giving a slightly lopsided smile as he looked at Jasmine affectionately. “Can you think of a single person, aside from the Karakar, who is likely to be more knowledgeable about the nature of demons than she is? If only for that alone, I believe that she would have been a wonderful woman to consult, and that doesn’t even consider her skill with manipulating mana. It’s so rare to see those who can reach beyond the fifth circle of a sphere, let alone in a sphere like energy. Besides, if she could be redeemed…”
The man paused and let out a sigh, shaking his head slowly. He looked quite regretful, which Jasmine understood, thinking about what he’d said.
They were in the temple gardens, listening to the birds and drinking tea together while the gardeners worked, trimming hedges and bushes as necessary. The city was so peaceful, in Jasmine’s opinion, and it helped calm the ripples of worry that occasionally washed through her. Sometimes she wondered how much of her worries were things that had been done to her, and how much was just her fears welling up again.
That didn’t matter where their conversation was concerned, though. Jasmine thought about it, then shook her head.
“Adrian is going to be so disappointed,” she murmured, smiling slightly. “He likes her more than I think he’s willing to admit.”
“Did he? Well, that is a shame,” Quentin said, smiling wryly. “He’ll eventually get over it. He always does.”
“Indeed. I just… I wonder if we’ll ever see Xandra again?” Jasmine said, deliberately ignoring how much she hoped that she would.
“If fate wills it, I’m certain that we will,” Quentin said, and smiled at her as he added, “In the meantime, you focus on getting better, hm? That and properly studying the Phoenix Queen’s Canon. I don’t want you getting captured again.”
“As you say, Your Excellency,” Jasmine replied, and smiled more widely again, basking in the sea breeze.
The city was so peaceful, and she loved it here.
Chapter 13
Three Years Later
Jasmine quickly formed the hand-seals she needed, her fingers shaking as she did so. Pouring the mana into the spell was difficult under the circumstances, but every moment that passed was almost too long.
In front of her the last of her guards were fighting desperately against the plant-like monstrosities that were attacking them. Thorns sprayed through the air at them, and a man to her left fell as he failed to raise his shield in time, a cluster of thorns penetrating in one side of his neck and out the other. Jasmine desperately wanted to help him, but she left it to Naomi instead, hoping that the younger priestess could save him.
Fire was raging inside her, and Jasmine focused on the mantras she’d learned over the last few years, drawing it out as quickly as she dared. If she made a mistake… Jasmine refused to think about that, and instead focused on the battlefield.
Hundreds of the creatures were swarming toward them, and Jasmine knew that she didn’t have good odds of getting them all. They were each close to seven feet tall, covered in thorns and with at least a dozen limbs, capable of tunneling if they were allowed enough time, and they could throw thorns over a dozen feet. Worse, the horrible things wouldn’t stop moving if you didn’t destroy their cores, which were buried deep in the mass of vines. Destroying them without magic was difficult, and they tended to come in swarms.
“Phoenix flames, obey my call!” Jasmine exclaimed at last, spreading her arms wide as mana flooded out of her, and the fire within burst out of her in a flood.
Blue fire rose around her like the very image of a phoenix, its heat scorching enemies and comforting her allies. As Naomi knelt over the fallen guard, the thorns in his throat burnt to nothing, while the plants recoiled as they began to smoke. Jasmine didn’t give them time to flee, as she pointed her arms at the ravine ahead of her.
The fire surged forward like an unstoppable torrent, accompanied by the screech of some immense bird. The flames washed over Jasmine’s allies without harming them, but where it struck the plant-monsters, the creatures caught fire, most of their bodies incinerated on impact, and the surviving tendrils continued to writhe until the flames reached their cores. The rest of the landscape was scorched as well, but Jasmine couldn’t worry about that, not as she watched the wave of fire weakening the farther it went.
The last handful of plants caught fire just as the wave petered out, prompting Jasmine to sigh in relief as they flailed, rushing toward her and the others. She felt almost empty, which didn’t surprise her. This was at least the fourth time she’d used the Phoenix Queen’s Canon since leaving Lothden, and she was essentially out of mana, save for her last remaining mana potion.
“How is he?” Jasmine asked Naomi, wiping her forehead as her anxiety spiked. The creatures had a vicious poison in all of their attacks, which had to be neutralized before healing their victims. Somehow it fed on healing spells, which made healing someone without removing it almost invariably lethal.
“I got to him in time, if only just,” Naomi said, wiping sweat from her forehead as she cast another spell, closing the wound in the man’s throat in a couple of seconds. “I’m really low on mana, though.”
“Yes, well, hopefully as we approach Evren things will get easier. And with them off…” Jasmine began, only to have her voice trail off as she looked back toward the ravine again and blood drained from her face.
The ravine was clear save for a handful of the plant monstrosities, but cresting the ridge were more of them. Not one or two, but dozens more came into sight with every passing moment, and Jasmine felt despair ripple through her. They were exhausted, and she’d thought that they had drawn in all of the creatures in the area to get rid of them in one attack. Unfortunately, she’d been wrong.
“Bradley, you’d better get up,” Jasmine said, looking at the man whose eyes were fluttering open now. He looked at her in confusion, but she just gestured at the ravine as she added, “We have to run again, and I don’t think we’re in any shape to carry you.”
“Got that right. Lady of Embers preserve us… how many of those things are there?” Charles demanded, and Jasmine glanced at the current leader of her guards with a tight smile. She didn’t appreciate the oath, but she understood the sentiment.
“More than we thought, apparently. Let’s see if we can’t lose them, please?” Jasmine asked, turning to leave as quickly as she could, while Bradley climbed to his feet slowly.
They were a motley lot, Jasmine reflected, and inwardly she wished they had Adrian with them. The mage was rather skilled with fire magic, and his help would be wonderful. Unfortunately, she and Naomi were the only casters left, and the four guards she had left were armed with swords, rather than the axes that would’ve been more useful.
The others followed her as she rushed down the switchbacks that led toward Evren. The town was at least fifteen miles away, according to the last mile-marker, which meant that their chances of making it there before being overrun were minimal. Oh, how Jasmine wished the plants would get tired.
No one had the breath to talk, not anymore, so they just continued to move as fast as they could. She thought they were about halfway down the hill when there was an odd sound, then Emily shouted, “Milady!”
Jasmine barely had a second to look before the guard slammed into her, sending her sprawling into the dirt… and there was a dull thud behind her, accompanied by a squelching sound. She glanced back, and her eyes widened in horror as she breathed, “No…”
A battered, damaged plant creature had landed directly on the spo
t where Jasmine had been a few moments before… and directly on top of Emily’s body. Perhaps Jasmine could have saved her if she’d had mana for a revival, but she didn’t, and the creature was unfurling its limbs. Not fast enough as Charles and the others cut into it, destroying its core before the monster could move much.
Above them, Jasmine saw the plant creatures ignoring the switchbacks and rolling down the hillside, ignoring all the damage that they took in the process. It was terrible, and her eyes began to burn.
“Emily! Milady, what do we—” Naomi began, only to have Charles interrupt.
“Go!” the man spat, spinning and unlimbering his shield. “We’ll hold them off for as long as we can!”
“But, I can drink the mana potion and—” Jasmine began, only to see the man shake his head.
“No, you won’t be able to get them all!” Charles said, slamming his sword into his shield to draw the creatures’ attention. “Get moving! Maybe you can lose them if it’s only the two of you, or maybe they’ll bypass us. Tell His Excellency we did our best.”
Jasmine’s throat tightened, and she couldn’t force herself to speak. What they were about to do almost made her heart break. Instead, Naomi was the one to speak.
“May our goddess grant you strength. Thank you,” Naomi said, whispering the words of a spell that caused each of their blades to burn with an inner fire.
Then Naomi grabbed Jasmine’s arm and began to rush down the mountainside once more. Jasmine ran alongside Naomi, desperately hoping that the guards would make it out alive.
Dusk Gate (Soul Bound Book 1) Page 10
