Legends of Windemere: 02 - Prodigy of Rainbow Tower

by Charles E Yallowitz

  “Not good enough. I want you to either tell me what her injuries are or I go in to check her myself,” Luke insists. The half-elves continue to sit on the floor as a few tired sailors pass by.

  Aedyn chuckles until he groans in pain and gasps for air. “Check her yourself? Do you know anything about medicine, Luke? Being a forest tracker, you might have basic herbal and first aid skills. Unfortunately, burn salves and bandages will not help with the level of injuries that Nyx is recovering from.”

  “Come on, Aedyn. I just want to know.”

  “Do not whine.”

  “You owe me.”

  “What?”

  “I said that you owe me.”

  “How so?”

  “I saved your life from the goblins.”

  After considering Luke’s point for a few seconds, Aedyn claims, “I guess telling you the extent of her injuries will make us even.”

  “You got it. Simple deal,” states the smirking forest tracker.

  “She had a lot of cuts and bites from the goblins. These injuries were minor in damage, but they increased her blood loss from her previous wound,” Aedyn explains with Luke listening to every word. “The severe blood loss is responsible for her weakened physical condition. Obviously, the worst injury was the arrow hole through her side. It did a lot of damage to her left kidney and pierced her intestines. I am surprised she was able to walk; much less cast spells, with those injuries. Both organs are still moderately damaged because the potions we gave her were not enough to fix everything. Again, her body was too weak to handle any more than three minor potions, which healed the cuts and bites first. Healing spells will be needed to repair the rest, which I can do once I finish gathering my strength. Tomorrow’s spells will take care of the rest of her physical damage.”

  “There’s more than physical damage, right?” Luke asks, dreading the answer.

  “The spell that she used is a forbidden casting called genocide. It is a powerful spell developed during the ancient Race Wars. It was used to clear out a city of a specific race. It is considered one of the most evil spells ever created,” Aedyn answers, carefully choosing his words. He shudders at the memory of seeing illusions of the genocide spell’s aftermath. “In all honesty, she should not have been able to cast such a spell. We all know that Nyx is strong, but this spell has not been cast in centuries because the gods sealed it. Even Queen Ionia of Darkmill is unable to cast a forbidden spell and she is the strongest caster of today. This is where the mental damage comes from. I believe that she utilized her aura to open her mind and employed some level of necrocasting on the goblins. Using her own aura and their auras gave her a power boost, which she used to unseal and cast the genocide spell.”

  “So, she connected to the goblins and sacrificed them to cast the spell?” Luke asks, hoping that saying it out loud makes it easier to understand.

  “Yes and the side-effect of this was that she felt all of their pain,” Aedyn says. He sighs and thinks of a way to explain his thoughts to Luke.

  Luke sees him struggling and assures the priest, “I’m not going anywhere, Aedyn, so explain away.”

  Aedyn smiles and nods before making himself more comfortable. “Casters have always been sensitive to the destruction and twisting of auras, but Nyx became hypersensitive for the extent of the genocide spell. This hypersensitivity forced her to feel the death of every goblin. This means that she knows what she did and how her victims felt. Necrocasters always deal with this, but they have come to terms with the feelings and can ignore the emotional drain. One could say that they become numb to the feelings or even revel in them. Also, most necrocasters do not effect and kill so many creatures at once. Nyx is going to have some trouble coping with this since she was never taught how to cast necrocasting spells and deal with the mental effects. I fear that the trauma will affect her casting ability for an indeterminate amount of time. Using her magic will cause her to remember what she did to the goblins. At this time, I do not know the full extent of her mental scarring or how long it will take for her to recover. It could be days, weeks, or even years before she is back to normal.”

  “If she ever gets back to normal,” Luke morbidly adds.

  “That is a terrifying possibility too,” the priest agrees, running a hand through his black hair. “Our journey is getting too dangerous for a traumatized caster. If the Lich and Trinity attack us, they will expect her to fight back with magic. Maybe we should put her in one of the emergency rafts and send her away before she gets killed.”

  “Not an option,” Luke declares without hesitation. “Nyx is part of this group and we are not sending her away because she is having some problems.”

  “I want her to stay too, but we have to take into account that she will not be as reliable as she has been,” Aedyn argues, despising his own words. “You cannot ignore this, Luke. We will all be held to blame if Nyx freezes up in battle and it gets someone killed.”

  “You think it might be that bad?” Luke asks, feeling a lump in his throat begin to grow.

  “It is only a possibility at this point. I will know more once I regain my magic and heal her. I plan on examining her aura after the healing to see if it looks restrained or weakened. I will know the extent of the mental damage by checking her aura. I can only hope that I find her aura given the severity of the case,” Aedyn answers with a frustrated sigh. “Sadly, this type of thing is a common tragedy for young casters and I have had experience with it far too many times. A few cases lost their auras entirely.”

  “I have faith in Nyx and believe that she will still be there to help us. It wouldn’t be right of me to think otherwise,” Luke proudly admits. He cracks his shoulders and gets to his feet as another pair of tired sailors pass by.

  “I have faith in her strength as well, Luke. She will continue to help us since we have become her friends, but it is as her friend that I worry,” Aedyn emphatically says, casting a worried glance at the door to Nyx’s room. “Her weapon training is minimal at best, so she will not be much of a warrior when things get rough. The mourning star she bought is a dangerous and simple weapon, so she might get lucky when flailing about with it. This is something for us to think about after I look her over. My final judgment on her condition will be made before noon tomorrow once I finish healing her.” His eyes slowly close as he gets into a kneeling position. “I need to start my meditation and you need some rest. Take it easy for a few hours, Luke.”

  “Take good care of her, Aedyn,” Luke whispers.

  *****

  Nyx can hear Luke’s footsteps disappear down the hall as she continues keeping her eyes focused on the ceiling. Her breathing is raspy and her body aches at the slightest twitch, but she makes up her mind to attempt to uncurl her fingers. The loud cracking of her joints is startling to the caster. Her fingers finally stretch out and relax while more tears run down the sides of her face. The whimpers that slip from her mouth are the first sounds she has made since casting the genocide spell.

  “I always assumed you were stronger than this,” says a voice from the far end of her bed. Nyx’s eyes desperately remain fixed on the ceiling while a tall form quietly steps out of the shadows. A handsome man with long, black hair and dark armor leans over her to get her attention.

  “Why are you here, Gabriel?” she asks, fighting to keep her voice steady.

  “I am impressed that you already know who I am,” the god says.

  Nyx can feel a heavy weight on her chest as she replies, “I have seen you before in my . . . dreams and in my shadow. Why are you here?”

  “I came here because you used a spell that has been sealed for longer than Windemere has had its current form,” Gabriel casually says. “The other gods are worried about your actions and requested that I find out a few things. Truthfully, they want me to make sure that you will not cast another forbidden spell.”

  “I didn’t cast a forbidden spell,” the caster swears with a sudden surge of strength and confidence. “Leave me alone or I
’ll call Aedyn.”

  “Go ahead and call. He won’t hear anything because this is all in your head,” the god reveals to her. He runs his hand through the nearest wall to prove his claim. “Thanks to your friend, I had to take some precautions. Any priest would notice a being of my power if I appeared physically. So, I had to visit you in your dreams.”

  “Dreams? No! I don’t want to be asleep!” she screams in a panic. Nyx topples out of bed and scrambles into a corner. Gabriel is mildly shocked to see her cowering on the floor and looking everywhere in fear.

  “Interesting,” the god whispers with a cruel smile. “You see the results of your spell in your dreams.”

  “What spell?” Nyx cries, her body shivering.

  Gabriel tosses the fallen sheet over her and callously turns away. “You were able to break a god seal and cast a forbidden seal. This spell is capable of destroying an entire race within a city. It was used ten centuries ago during the Race Wars until the gods stepped in to seal the spell forever. They did this because it had the potential to wipe out all life on Windemere as well as open the door for more devastating spells. Also, the older gods believed that the genocide spell was the first step toward mortals being able to destroy the gods. At least, that is what I was told. It was all before my time.”

  “I didn’t cast that spell,” swears the sniffling half-elf.

  “Believe what you want, child. Your delusions are not my concern,” Gabriel states. He waves his hand to create a throne behind him and takes a seat.

  “I didn’t mean to kill them,” Nyx mutters, her mind succumbing to fear. “I panicked and they died. It wasn’t my fault. I don’t want to do it again.”

  “Such a pathetic and broken creature. You make me glad that I have long forgotten the pains of mortal suffering,” Gabriel says, leaning back in his throne and cupping his chin in his gloved hand.

  Without warning, Nyx suddenly shrieks, “Wake me up! They’re going to find me again!”

  “Your guilt and fear will fade in time. At that time, you will be able to do what I have planned for you,” Gabriel claims, rolling his eyes at the outburst. “Still, I have to admire one of my greatest creations. You are a perfect caster with more potential than any other caster since your world was changed. Well, except for the other one, but you don’t need to know about that right now. I will admit that I did not expect you to be strong enough to break a god seal, but the spell is part of your blood gift, after all. I guess even I have to be prepared for the unexpected. That is what the others refuse to acknowledge, my pet.”

  Nyx gathers enough of her senses and whispers, “What do you mean by blood gift? What do you know about me?”

  “It is nothing that you should concern yourself with,” Gabriel yawns in mock boredom. “I am sure you will find out on your own some day. You mortals always manage to discover such secrets.”

  “What do you need from me?” the caster inquires, her voice meek and soft.

  “I need you to do your job and refuse the possibility of failure. I did not forge you, so that you could cry and cower,” Gabriel says with a disgusted sneer. “I believe that I have seen what I needed to see. You will never be able to cast a forbidden spell again. The thought of doing such a thing terrifies you. Sadly, it might be some time before you regain your usefulness. If I still required such a feeling, I would take comfort in the fact that you will have the boy to protect you.”

  “I’ve seen you watching me in the past,” Nyx admits, barely noticing the smug grin on Gabriel’s face. “You were in my shadows and I want to know why.”

  “You are a necessary piece in what is to come,” Gabriel states with a curious smile.

  “What is that?” she asks.

  “To put it simply, a threat to Windemere is gaining strength. It is an ancient evil, which all of these threats tend to be. The older gods were such fools to start sealing evil instead of having it destroyed like the first days,” Gabriel answers, his anger suddenly surging through his blood. “The law of influence prevents us from doing anything more than pushing mortals to do our dirty work. If the evil is powerful enough to threaten us, we seal it because we are forbidden to kill it. It’s almost as if we enjoy being forced into cowardice. At least, this time we have had plenty of time to prepare our weapons.”

  “That’s all I am? A weapon?” the caster angrily mutters.

  “An incredible weapon, as you have demonstrated time and time again. I am very curious about the level of power that you will reach within your mortal time,” Gabriel replies, genuine curiosity in his voice. “The other one will help in testing your limits. Maybe you really will become stronger than the enemy and live beyond your destiny.”

  “You know about this great darkness that I’m supposed to fight?” Nyx asks, more desperation in her voice than she intended. “Please, tell me what it is before you leave.”

  Gabriel laughs loud enough to shake the room. “You demand information from me? I am the strongest god in the world and you make demands. Keep in mind that I saved you and forged your destiny. Without me, you would have died in your village with the rest of your family.”

  Nyx cowers in her sheet and stares at the imposing god. “I’m sorry, Lord Gabriel. I spoke out of place.”

  “I will give you a small clue about your enemy. It will make my game much more interesting,” he says, his arm stretching out to stroke Nyx’s cheek.

  “Thank you,” she whispers meekly, nuzzling Gabriel’s warm hand like an abandoned kitten.

  “This enemy has been erased from the history books even though it committed many evil deeds. The gods, hoping this being would fade away, sealed the memory of this being from all mortal minds,” the god explains, his body appearing to grow larger. “Do not worry, little weapon. Windemere will remember it again once it escapes its bonds. It will be as if an ancient dam has burst and the fear of this being will return to the masses once again. Now, I must take my leave. I have found the information that I need. I am sure that we will meet again before everything ends.”

  “Don’t leave me alone! Wake me up first! Gabriel!” Nyx screams, her fear returning with a vengeance. She scrambles toward Gabriel in hopes of him taking her with him, but he is gone before she gets close. She reaches for her amethyst necklace and rubs at the triangular gem to help ease her.

  Nyx kneels in the middle of the room as another sound starts to slip in through the open porthole. A gurgling laugh from hundreds of throats rises from all around her before claws pierce the walls. Nyx covers herself in the sheet as the invading spectral goblins tear down the room and rush to swarm over her. The sheet vanishes as if it was never there and the room melts into the street where she was attacked. Nyx looks around in a panic to see Nimby getting pounced on a few yards away. The halfling is dragging what is left of his body toward an alley, but the goblins quickly devour him. Fritz’s screaming voice catches her attention and she struggles to turn in that direction. Nyx can see that the gnome is partially eaten before the goblins cover him entirely.

  “Luke. Aedyn. Fizzle,” Nyx whispers while she struggles to her feet. She looks around for her friends before seeing a pair of sabers and a staff sticking out of the ground. Rushing to the weapons, her heart drops when she sees the broken skeletons of two half-elves. Their bones have been picked clean and are covered in bite marks. Her mind finally breaks when a gust of wind pushes a large pair of red dragonfly wings across her face and over the rooftops. With no other meals in the street, the goblins leap at Nyx with a savage bloodlust.

  “I can’t scream. Everything will die if I scream,” Nyx quietly repeats to herself as she feels the goblins tear into her flesh.

  *****

  The River Scout remains anchored as Captain Higgs and Luke survey the shipwreck in front of them. The captain makes sure to keep them thirty yards away from the capsized ship that is bobbing in their path. A gaping hole in the lower side of the ship causes Captain Higgs to believe was hit by a storm a rock and tipped over. Water occasionally
sloshes into the hole as the ship moves with the waves. There is no sign of the mast, rudder, or figurehead of the ship. Captain Higgs has already given the order to use hooks and search the water ahead of them in case the missing pieces are lurking beneath the surface. Fritz and Nimby are the only people on deck who are not rushing around and checking the water. Instead, they calmly play a game of cards while they ignore the yelling of Captain Higgs.

  “Would you two idiots move out of our way!” the sea elf hollers angrily. “We have an entire ship for you to play on, so find a place that isn’t underfoot!”

  “Any idea what caused this?” Luke asks.

  “It shows all the signs of storm damage,” Captain Higgs says while he calmly stroking his hairless chin. “Probably happened a few days ago and this ship has been floating here ever since. I still think that something looks a little off about this whole thing.”

  Luke suspiciously eyes the wreck. “What about the missing pieces?”

  “They probably didn’t get their sails down in time and the wind tore the mast off. The rudder could have cracked off on one of the big rocks that we past last night. The storm would have hidden them from view,” the captain guesses. He nods as he watches his men cast two large hooks into the water. “It shouldn’t take much longer for my men to finish checking the waters and then we can send a team over to burn the wreckage. That is unless that caster is able to do it from a safe distance.”

  “We found the mast, Captain Higgs!” reports one of the sailors. “It will take about ten minutes for us to move it out of our way due to the strong current!”

  “Proceed!” the captain orders.

  Luke swallows a ginger pill, grimacing at the taste. “Unfortunately, Nyx is still being healed by Aedyn. We will have to do this without her magic. What is the regular method of burning a ship down?”