by JA Andrews
The other animals crept forward. The snake slithered toward them and dropped to the ground, coiling itself into a loose pile. Milly held her torch out toward it, pushing it back against the rock as it hissed.
“Keep the bear back,” Alaric called to Douglon and Brandson.
The two of them stepped toward the boulder with the bear, holding their torches out ahead of them. The bear swung its head back and forth, watching them but shying back from the fire. Alaric held his own torch up toward the lynx. Before the cat could spring, Alaric broke the Shade Seeker’s hold on its mind. He shoved the torch toward it until the cat turned and jumped down the other side of the boulder.
He turned to the other two creatures, doing the same thing until they disappeared into the woods as well.
Alaric’s hands were burning. He picked up the leather pouch Gustav had dropped and followed Douglon to the gap between the rocks where Gustav had left. Warily, Douglon stepped out. Nothing moved in the woods. The others followed him out, gathering their horses and weapons.
There was a loud rustling in the trees, and Alaric spun toward the sound. Nox’s head pushed out from the undergrowth. He shook his head, shaking a vulture feather off onto the ground. I followed the elf’s scent to the keep. She is there.
“Let’s go,” Douglon said.
Nox led the way up the valley through the forest. Alaric moved up next to Douglon to check his arm. The cuts were deep and the dwarf grimaced in pain.
“Where’s the stupid elf when you need her to heal something?” Douglon asked.
Chapter 48
Alaric pulled out some of the cloth strips he had leftover from when he’d bandaged Brandson. He looked ahead, searching for any sign of the keep. The way things were going, no one in the group was going to make it there unharmed.
Several times, Alaric caught the sound of creatures skirting the forest near them, but it seemed that Nox’s presence deterred them. Whether they were intimidated by the fire lizard or whether they thought Nox was escorting them to the keep, he didn’t know.
The keep is just ahead of us.
Almost immediately, the path turned sharply and they found themselves at a large tower at the corner of the keep, crumbled off above the first floor. Nox stood quietly by the door while Alaric opened it.
Good luck, Keeper, Nox said, hanging back.
“Will you come with us?” Alaric asked.
The lizard shook his head. I don’t think I can help beyond this. I want to leave the valley before he calls us all to the sacrifice. I have spent too many years being the Shade Seekers’ slave.
“You weren’t their slave this morning,” Alaric said.
For that, I thank you all. I am free, but I have forgotten who I am, and I’m not sure I want to remember. I do not think I was good even before the Shade Seekers enslaved me. And by now, I have done too many dark things for them to forget. I just want to leave before the Shade Seeker has the chance to enslave me again.
Alaric nodded. “Thank you for your help.”
“Yes,” Douglon said, motioning to his arm. “Thank you.”
“A friend of mine told me that we’re not defined by the darkest parts of our past,” Alaric said, remembering Ewan’s words. “We can leave them behind as easily as we leave our best moments. We’re not confined to be what we have been.”
Some things are too much to come back from, he answered. That’s a very pretty idea. I’m not sure it works that way, but it’s a pretty idea. Good luck to you all. And Keeper, I’m glad you are here. Your presence here brings hope.
“Don’t get too excited,” Alaric said. “I’m a terrible Keeper.”
Well, we’re not confined to being what we have been, you know. The lizard’s laughter echoed in Alaric’s mind. Good luck to you.
Nox turned and disappeared into the trees, and Alaric entered the tower. It consisted of a large circular room with several old chairs. Stairs reached up toward the broken roof. Across the tower, another door opened into the keep. The tower was so large that they brought the horses in and closed the door behind them.
Brandson sagged down against a wall and slid slowly to the floor. Milly rushed over to him and lifted his pants again. Dark streaks of red radiated up his leg.
Douglon fell heavily into a chair of his own, his arm held protectively to his chest.
Alaric looked at the two of them. “You can stay here with the animals,” he began.
“Shut up.” Douglon shoved himself back up and walked over to Brandson, offering his good arm. Brandson took it and tried to stand.
Alaric sighed at their stubbornness.
“We’re not staying behind,” Brandson said.
Alaric nodded. “Then let’s go find Gustav. And Ayda.”
With no way of knowing where they were headed, Alaric randomly picked the corridor to their left. The walls around them were crumbling, and water ran in little rivulets along the floor of the damp hall. They crept stealthily down hall after hall, but the keep remained silent.
After several more turns, a large archway appeared ahead of them. Alaric paused a little back from it and cast out into the large room beyond it. The room was empty. They walked into the silent room and looked around. It was a great hall. It was deserted and, like the rest of the keep, in the process of crumbling to dust.
Alaric looked around, comparing it to the Stronghold, which would probably last for centuries. He couldn’t imagine this keep lasting more than a few rainy seasons.
Sunlight fell on the floor from open doors at the end of the hall.
As they approached, they could see a large courtyard.
Outside, someone was grunting and swearing.
They crept forward until they reached the door. Alaric peered out.
The center of the enormous courtyard had been hastily cleared of leaves and twigs so that the area around a white altar was clear. At this distance, the sides of the altar looked lumpy, but Alaric couldn’t quite make out why. There was a circle of runes on the ground, drawn in black winding around the altar. The noises were coming from the other side of it. Gustav had to be over there, although Alaric couldn’t see him.
On top of the altar, set far to one corner, were Gustav’s medallion and the Wellstone, which was glowing and humming gently. Sparks sputtered between the two. Alaric studied the Wellstone. It didn’t seem bright enough yet for Gustav to have filled it. The flashes of light were normal. Gustav must be planning to fill it once the spell was begun. Alaric blew out a quick breath in relief. The cure was still there.
A loud grunt came from the other side of the altar. Gustav’s head came over the top as he strained to lift something. The top of another head came briefly into view before Gustav swore and the head fell out of view with a thunk.
Gustav stood, breathing heavily, and gave the body a kick. A foot flipped into sight around the end of the altar. Gustav stomped off past the altar, leaving the body where it had fallen against the altar.
“Is that…Mallon?” Brandson asked quietly.
Alaric bit his lip to keep from laughing.
“He is a little bit of an idiot,” Douglon whispered.
“Those markings on the ground are runes,” Alaric told them. “They form a circle around him. Gustav will use them to store the energy of the spell while he creates it. He’ll be relying heavily on them. If we erase a couple, he might not be able to complete the spell.”
The others nodded.
“Once he begins the spell, the circle of runes will glow blue. From that point on, they’ll have a life of their own. We won’t be able to damage them any longer, nor will we be able to take away any of the things he’s using. It will all be tied together. So we need to stop him before he begins.” Alaric peered as far around the door as he could without stepping out. “Anyone see Ayda?”
Douglon’s brow contracted. “I think she’s past the altar.”
“How do you know that?”
Douglon cringed. “What did she do to me? I can feel her.�
� He shook his head. “Sort of.”
“I haven’t heard any noise from her,” Milly said.
“Wouldn’t blame him if he gagged her,” Douglon said.
“There’s no way Gustav got a gag on Ayda,” Brandson whispered.
Gustav returned to Mallon’s body. He unrolled a bundle of fabric spilling out a flash of green and something bright red. Kordan’s emerald and Alaric’s ruby.
The fury Alaric had been feeling since Gustav took the ruby rose again.
Gustav bent down, out of sight behind the altar. When he stood back up, the stones were gone.
Alaric imagined the ruby sitting on Mallon’s chest, swirling slowly. He took a deep breath, forcing the emotions back and watching Gustav closely.
“Let’s go,” Alaric said.
Gustav dusted off his robes and looked around critically at his runes. He stepped over Mallon to look closely at the medallion on the altar. Gustav took a deep breath, shook out his arms dramatically, raised his voice, and began to chant.
Alaric stepped out into the courtyard.
In that moment, he saw two things.
The first, with the circle of runes stretched out awkwardly to include her, was Ayda.
Sort of.
Anchored firmly in the rocky ground of the courtyard stood a tree with pale green leaves and glimmering silver bark.
The second was the dull bluish glow of the runes as Gustav began the spell.
Chapter 49
Alaric’s stomach dropped as the circle of runes glowed blue.
The runes stretched around the Ayda-tree, standing still and bright in the courtyard. How had Gustav managed to get her to change?
Alaric strode out toward the wizard.
Gustav’s head snapped up. His mouth froze open in the middle of a word. Shutting his mouth and swallowing hard, he looked down, finished saying the word, then carefully set his foot next to one of the runes on the ground to mark his place. Finally, he looked back up at Alaric, glaring.
“Good morning,” Alaric said. He walked along the circle of runes, studying them. They were redundant to the point of being ridiculous. “I see you’ve decided to be overly cautious. Most of these runes are unnecessary, but”—the smile he flashed at Gustav felt vicious—“every little bit helps, I always say.”
Douglon stomped out into the courtyard, his face set like stone, and Gustav’s gaze flicked to the dwarf. Douglon looked at Ayda. “Stupid elf. No wonder I can feel her.” Douglon cocked his head to the side. “She is really angry.”
Gustav darted a nervous glance at Ayda.
Douglon made a little strangled noise, and Alaric looked at him quickly. The dwarf’s face was twisted in revulsion, and he was looking at the altar. Alaric followed his gaze, realizing that the sides of the altar looked lumpy because they were composed entirely of bones. Skulls of different shapes and sizes leered out in all directions across the courtyard.
“That is unnecessarily creepy,” the dwarf muttered.
Milly came up beside him, letting Brandson lean on her shoulder. Brandson stared hard at the wizard. Gustav met his gaze for only a moment before dropping his eyes back down to the string of runes.
“Nice to have the group back together.” Douglon pulled his axe out.
“How exactly did you get Ayda to change into a tree?” Alaric asked conversationally, knowing Gustav couldn’t stop the spell to tell him. Alaric kept walking slowly around the circle of runes, deciphering each one.
Saying that Gustav had been overly cautious was an understatement. Any other time, it would have been funny. Runes were double and triple written to make sure there could be absolutely no doubt as to their meaning, yet each individual mark was sloppy.
“You really aren’t very good at runes, are you?” Alaric asked. “You weren’t pretending with Douglon’s map. These are awful.”
Gustav glared harder, then turned and looked intently at the runes directly before him and began to mutter again.
“Afraid to talk to us, Shade Seeker?” Douglon asked.
“He can’t,” Alaric said, smiling. “He’s begun the spell. If he does anything besides read these excellent runes he’s worked so very hard on, the spell will unravel. Or worse, mutate.”
Douglon sniggered. “Maybe I should throw my axe at him. Think he can read and dodge at the same time?”
Gustav’s head whipped up again, and he pointed frantically to some runes set off from the others.
“Ahh,” Alaric said, glancing toward the runes. “He has put some protection in place. You probably can’t actually touch him. Even with your axe. Were you nervous someone would disapprove of what you’re doing here, old man?”
“Gustav, what are you doing?” Brandson asked quietly. “Mallon killed my parents.”
Gustav looked up at the smith and a flicker of doubt crossed his face. But he brushed the doubt away with a scowl and turned back to reciting his spell.
Douglon growled and threw his axe straight at Gustav. The blade hit an invisible wall and rang out, bouncing away from the wizard and landing near Douglon’s feet.
Gustav jumped back, glaring at Douglon.
“Yup,” Douglon said, picking up his axe. “He’s protected.”
“Why are you doing this?” Alaric asked Gustav. “Everyone was perfectly happy thinking Mallon was dead and gone. What possible reason would you have for raising him?”
Gustav narrowed his eyes, then went back to work.
“I’m actually interested,” Alaric said. “Power? Prestige? Did Mallon promise you a dukedom?”
“You had better things than that when you had these people’s friendship,” Milly said. “Somehow, I doubt you’ll get that from Mallon. You picked the wrong side.”
“Mallon just needs a puppet,” Douglon scoffed. “Most people would have been smart enough to cut the strings when Mallon disappeared.”
Gustav’s face was red. He clamped his mouth shut and shook his head vehemently.
“Do you hate the entire world so much you just want to see it die?” Brandson asked. “Even those who thought of you as a friend?”
Gustav opened his mouth to Brandson, then snapped it shut in frustration. He turned toward Alaric and stared at him intently. He pointed to his own head, then to Alaric’s. The old man was pointing and staring so frantically that Alaric almost laughed.
“You want me to read your mind?”
Gustav nodded vehemently.
“Okay,” Alaric said, “I can’t say I don’t have a morbid interest in what I’ll find.”
He closed his eyes and reached his mind out toward Gustav. The wizard stood perfectly still, his mind still focused primarily on the rune at his feet, but there was one image sitting prominently in Gustav’s mind. A tall, angular man stood on a hill, the Greenwood spread out before him. It was Mallon, his glittering black eyes looking impressed and pleased. The Rivor’s face showing clearly that he saw Gustav as useful—valuable even.
Alaric pulled back out of Gustav’s mind and opened his eyes. The wizard stood before him, chin raised, eyes blazing defiantly. He looked old, and Alaric was struck by the great loneliness that Gustav carried within himself.
“There are better things to crave than being useful to a man who sees everyone as a tool,” Alaric said.
Gustav looked at him for a long moment, his face indecipherable. Taking a deep breath, he continued to read the runes.
“I need some time to read all these runes,” Alaric told the others. “Distract him. Do anything you can think of that will slow him down. But don’t get too close. I don’t know what other sorts of protection he’s set up.”
Douglon grunted and moved directly across the runes from Gustav, training his gaze at the wizard and pacing him step for step. Gustav attempted a sneer, but it looked rather sickly.
Milly and Brandson whispered together for a minute before Brandson sat down with a groan and Milly ran toward Douglon and Gustav, tossing something shimmery on the ground near the runes before grabbin
g Douglon’s arm and scooting them both back. Brandson tossed a small rock to the same place. Flames burst from the ground, shooting higher than Gustav’s head. The wizard jumped back.
“This fire powder is great,” Douglon said. “You could have saved Brandson a lot of work, though, by lighting his forge with it every morning.”
“What’s the word he used when he pretended it was magic?” Milly asked.
“Incende!” Brandson shouted as he tossed another stone into some powder.
Gustav leaned forward, trying to concentrate on the runes amidst their distractions.
“Can you read through fire?” Milly said. She walked close to the next rune past Gustav and threw some fire powder directly on in. Brandson grinned and threw a rock, sparking a flame that obscured the rune for several seconds before beginning to die down. Gustav snarled at Milly and had to wait until the flames were low enough for him to stomp out so he could see the rune again. Meanwhile, Milly moved to the next rune and sprinkled on some powder.
Alaric continued to decipher runes until he reached those that stretched out around the Ayda-tree. The more runes he read, the more his sympathy for the wizard disappeared. “So this is how you chose to name Ayda?” he asked, joining the efforts to distract Gustav. “‘The enclosed creature’? That’s vague. Really, all you needed to do was assign an energy rune to Ayda near the beginning, then refer to it here. You should rely more on your mental focus and less on descriptive runes. Let’s erase these and start over. We could probably use a third of the runes you’ve scribbled here.
“And watch this one. It looks a bit like ‘pig’ instead of ‘blood.’ That could make things interesting.”
Gustav slapped his hands over his ears as he leaned down closer to the runes and kept muttering.
“Will it work?” Milly asked from across the circle.
Alaric sighed. “Surprisingly, it will.” He pointed to the rune about Ayda. “He must have originally meant the dragon when he wrote ‘creature.’” Alaric turned to Gustav. “Where is your dragon, by the way?”
