by B. J. Beach
She pushed the pouch deep into her bag and gave an assertive nod. “There, that’s done. All that remains now is to destroy it. I think the empty hall where we had our practice sessions would be best.”
In an attempt to lighten her mood, Karryl gestured towards her bag. “I must say I’m impressed. That’s the first time I’ve seen that done.”
The attempt failed, as Mordas gave him a tired look. “It’s also the first time I’ve done it. It took me most of the night to locate a containment pouch, but I’ve been carrying the crystal round for years. Now I have to get rid of it. Then I have a meeting with Lady Evalin.”
Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder, Mordas strode out of the room and stopped in front of Symon. “You may think you’re back to normal, but I can assure you, you’re not. You’re going to need a lot more rest. I trust that Karryl will see you get it.” She reached down and patted the little magician’s hand. “I’ll come and see you later this afternoon.”
Symon was unable to disguise a look of amused tolerance as he acknowledged her remark. “Thank you, you’ve been most kind. Er…how will you dispose of the crystal?”
Mordas tightened her grip on her bag as if she suspected Symon might want to steal it. “I shall attempt to create a resonance that will shatter it. If that fails then I must find a way of getting far out to sea and drop it overboard. Now, I have to hurry. Remember what I said.”
By the time she had reached the anteroom she was almost running. The two magicians winced as the outer door slammed shut behind her.
“Definitely snippy.” remarked Karryl.
“I’m inclined to agree.” replied Symon.
* * *
While Symon settled down by the fire with a cup of tea and a book, Karryl applied himself to writing out the words which would hopefully lead him to the second artefact, the one Slanvir had called ‘the Navigator’. As he worked, he wondered what the islander and his people would make of all this, and made a promise to himself to return sometime and tell them the full story. It took no more than a few minutes to write down the words. As he studied the cryptic result, he felt nothing but admiration for the legendary first Mage-Prime.
After making as much sense of it as he could, Karryl picked up the word-covered parchment and took it into the sitting room to show Symon. The little magician was intrigued as he read the words Karryl had copied.
no steps are there into my place but downward steps are nine to find within a lattice ward bound by a candles time
mind what is written there will fade dark sighted eyes will see old bones descry as low they lie awaiting what must be
“It would seem that Master Keril has set us a riddle to solve, although, as you say, some of it speaks for itself.” He sat thinking for a while, eyes closed and forefingers against his mouth.
Eventually he looked up. “I wonder what ‘candle’s time’ he means. A one hour candle would mean you’d have to work rather quickly to undo a lattice-ward in the time.”
Karryl started to pace the room. “It’s not the undoing of it that’s the problem. It’s finding the foundation threads, then working out which direction it’s been woven in. But, all that aside, have you noticed the biggest problem of all?”
Symon held up the parchment and sat peering at it, long enough to read the entire riddle slowly.
Karryl paused in his pacing and raised a questioning eyebrow. “Well?”
Symon looked slightly alarmed. “We’ve no idea where it is!”
Karryl banged his fists together. “Exactly. All we know of its location is that it’s under the palace, and we can’t dig down to it because it’s protected by a lattice-ward.”
Symon chuckled. “And His Majesty’s ire.”
Karryl returned a wry smile. “Yes; that as well. So, we have to find an entrance somewhere near the palace. It might even be in the palace.”
Inspired, Symon’s grey eyes twinkled as he raised a finger. “You know the approximate position of the artefact itself. Why not work backwards?”
The young magician thought for a while then shook his head. “We’ve nothing to tell us which direction to go in. Also, is it nine steps just to the lattice-ward, or nine steps to the artefact itself? And where do the ‘old bones’ come into it?”
He started pacing again while Symon closed his eyes and folded his hands, obviously giving the matter some very deep thought.
Karryl’s voice broke into his reverie. “I think I’ve got it.” He crossed the room and sat down in the armchair opposite Symon, elbows on knees. “When I located the artefact back in ancient Vellethen I detected the strength of the warding, but it was D’ta who confirmed it was down there. I think that means that the lattice-ward is more than likely a circular one surrounding the artefact. What do you think?”
Symon tilted his head as a little smile played at the corners of his mouth. “Carry on.”
Karryl took a deep breath. “So-o-o-o, if I mark out a circle eighteen steps in diameter with the artefact at its centre, somewhere on the edge of that circle should be something that looks like an entrance.”
Symon raised an eyebrow. “As a theory it works pretty well. But the riddle says ‘downward steps are nine’. I understood that to mean it was nine steps deep. But it doesn’t say how far away from the entrance it is. For all we know the entrance could be under our feet! No. We’re going to have to look at it again. We’ve missed something. If you go and make us a cup of tea, I’ll have another look at it. Perhaps something will suggest itself.”
A little disconsolate, Karryl headed for the kitchen while Symon picked up the parchment and began to study the riddle yet again. He was looking very smug when Karryl came in with the tea-tray. “I think I may have solved it; at least the problem of finding the entrance.”
Karryl put the tray down on a side table, the tea instantly forgotten. Symon’s eyes twinkled as he raised a finger as if to impart some profound knowledge. “The first part says ‘no steps are there into my place’ so naturally we assumed it meant the place where the artefact was actually hidden.” Karryl nodded and waited.
Symon patted his palms together as he warmed to his subject. “Suppose instead, that it means Keril’s place. If the place where Keril lived had no steps, all we have to do is discover whereabouts in the old city Keril lived.”
Karryl threw his hands in the air. “That was a thousand years ago! Until recently Keril was only a legend with no written record of his existence, so how …?” Realisation struck him like a hammer-blow and he dropped into the chair opposite Symon. “I was in the Vellethen of a thousand years ago. It’s more than likely I walked past the house where he lived!”
Symon tilted his head to one side. “Well. You’re the one with total recall. What did you see?”
Eyes closed, Karryl cast his mind back to the streets of the ancient city. One by one he recalled the buildings he had passed as he made his way up to the hill where Vailin’s palace now stood. Even then he almost missed it. At the time, he had given the house set back from the road little more than a cursory glance. He was in danger of doing the self-same thing again. Now, something about it caught his eye, something which had not registered at the time but had nevertheless been captured by his retentive memory. He knew his search was over.
As he opened his eyes it was all he could do to stop himself from imitating Symon and patting his palms together. “I think I’ve found it. Now, at least I know where to start looking. I expect the place has been altered a lot, but hopefully the original foundation will be there, like many of the buildings in Vellethen.”
Symon raised an eyebrow. “Do you think you’ll need any help?”
Karryl grinned. “If you’re thinking of offering your services I’d advise against it. You know what Mordas told you. Speaking of Mordas, I wonder how she’s getting on with destroying that crystal.”
The little magician looked pointedly at the forgotten tea-tray. “Well, perhaps after you’ve made some fresh tea, you can go and find out. I’l
l be alright here. It’s not as if I’m an invalid.”
Looking suitably contrite, Karryl picked up the tray and headed back to the kitchen.
10 - Cleansing the Crystal
The unmistakeable prickling of his skin told Karryl that Mordas was still working. He waited outside until he could sense the spell was complete, then banged on the door with his fist. Minutes trickled by until he heard the sound of bolts being drawn. The latch clicked and the door swung partly open. Inside the massive hall, Karryl secured the bolts before turning to look at Mordas. What he saw filled him with dismay. Usually elegant and serene, the physician-mage gazed at him in despair, her green eyes dark with anguish. Her long auburn hair clung to her flushed cheeks and scalp in lank, sweat-soaked strands. Her shoulders drooped as her arms hung limply at her sides, and it seemed to Karryl that she was about to burst into tears. Throwing propriety to the wind, he stepped forward. With both his arms round her, he placed his hand on her damp hair and pressed her head against his shoulder. She offered no resistance as Karryl slowly allowed some of his power to flow into her trembling body. As he held her he looked over her head, across to the centre of the hall. On a slender stone pedestal sat the crystal, its shape revealed by the dark cloth that covered it, showing quite clearly that it was still whole.
Mordas pulled back a little, looked into his face and gave an embarrassed little sniff. “Thank you for that. I’m so sorry. That was never meant to happen, but I felt so totally drained and disheartened.” She gestured towards the crystal. “The spell isn’t working. I can’t seem to get the resonance right. The one time I did manage it, I couldn’t sustain it.”
Karryl crossed the room and lifted her cloak and bag off a large wooden peg set into the wall. “I suggest you leave it now. Go home, have something to eat, and rest.”
Mordas nodded mutely as she slung her bag onto her shoulder. Her cloak draped around her she walked slowly to the door. With her hand on the latch she looked back at Karryl, her eyes imploring. “Would you try?”
Karryl folded his arms and gave her a knowing smile. “At the risk of offending you, I was going to anyway. Now go.”
She opened her mouth to say something else, but Karryl’s dark eyes challenged and she slipped quietly out. Karryl shut and bolted the door behind her, then leaned against it. For a few minutes he stared down the room at the crystal, his agile mind rapidly assessing the dozen or so resonance spells stored indelibly in his memory. He was almost certain he knew which one Mordas had been using. He also knew that it was only suitable for a female voice.
Taking a few steps down the room, Karryl knelt down on the cold flag-stoned floor and folded his hands. His voice barely rose above a whisper. “Blesséd, beloved and all-knowing D’ta, to whose graciousness we owe our power, please hear me in this time of need.”
He waited, his hands still folded, his head bowed.
“That was very nice Karryl but I’m rather busy at the moment. Can it wait?”
Karryl smiled to himself. “How long were you thinking of?”
“About two days.”
The young Mage-Prime stood up and pushed his hands into the pockets of his robe. “I could probably stretch to two hours, but that would be the outside.”
There was a long silence before the amethyst-eyed goddess spoke again. “What is it you’re doing exactly?”
“I’m trying to devise a way of augmenting a resonance spell to shatter a containment crystal. It’s completely defeated Mordas. I had to transfer some of my power to her; otherwise I think she might have collapsed.”
There was another long silence. “Can it possibly wait, at least until tomorrow?”
“Not at all, I’m afraid. It should really have been done by now.”
D’ta’s curiosity was obviously piqued. “What is it that’s contained in the crystal?”
Karryl played his trump card. “Essence of Wraith.”
There was a sound in his head like a muffled explosion. He grinned, and stood in contemplation of the cloth-covered crystal as he waited.
D’ta’s voice entered his mind once again, her tones carefully measured. “Father says that if you will open your mind he will give you the formula of a spell. You will be able to remember it until your task is complete. Then it will be erased. We wish you well.”
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Karryl prepared to receive the spell. He didn’t have long to wait, and he recognised the entity’s voice immediately. Without any kind of preamble the deep baritone filled his head with the words of the long and complex spell. For a full five minutes Karryl’s retentive memory stored every harsh, guttural syllable, every inflection and nuance while his blood chilled in his veins. The spell was Vedric.
The hollow sensation in his head told Karryl that the entity had withdrawn, and he sat quietly for a while, pondering the necessity for using a spell from the most hateful and reviled of the four disciplines. Having reached a satisfactory conclusion, he stood up and moved to stand near the pedestal which held the crystal. Holding the dark blue cloth between thumb and forefinger, he drew it smoothly away and let it fall to the floor. The crystal had darkened, the streaks and patches coalesced into a dingy blackness which lurked brooding in its lower half. His lip curling briefly in disgust, Karryl took two paces backwards and began to vocalise the spell, closely watching the dark crystal as he pronounced each abhorrent word. Gradually he moved away from the pedestal, his voice becoming louder, his tone more harsh as he drew away from the stone. Echoing and re-echoing, the final emphatic words filled the hall with a tremendous crescendo. Then all was still. In the sudden and oppressive silence, nothing moved. His heart thumping with trepidation Karryl approached the pedestal. The crystal appeared intact, untouched by the power of the spell.
Without warning, a blinding incandescent light flared outwards and upwards from the crystal, sending the gathering darkness into full retreat. In the time it took Karryl to raise his arm to shield his eyes, the light had already faded, leaving only a tiny glowing nucleus. Taking a moment to let the after-image clear from his eyes, Karryl hurried forward. He reached the pedestal just as the miniscule glow finally winked out. As if made from clear glass, the stone glinted in the half-light, its purity unmarred by any alien colour or markings. What had once been a receptacle for evil was now a thing of beauty and perfection. Taking advantage of what little daylight remained, Karryl picked up the dark blue cloth from the floor and wrapped it around the crystal. With the object tucked carefully into the deep pocket of his robe, he stepped out of the hall. Through the gathering darkness of the winter evening, he cut across the palace grounds to Lady Evalin’s cottage, tucked away just a few yards down a little lane just outside the perimeter.
* * *
Karryl was hardly surprised when the footman who answered the door informed him that the Lady Evalin was expecting him, and showed him into a small but comfortable room with a log fire crackling in the grate.
Karryl stood warming his hands at the cheery blaze until Evalin’s strong vibrant voice made him turn. “Master Karryl. ‘Tis indeed a pleasure to have you visit me.”
Seating herself elegantly in a tastefully upholstered chair a little away from the fire, she gestured towards a similar one beside it. “Sit yourself down and we’ll exchange gossip. Mallen will be bringing tea shortly.”
Karryl smiled and gave her a short but respectful bow. “Thank you Lady Evalin, but before I sit down perhaps you could tell me what I should do with this.”
Removing the wrapped crystal from his pocket, he unfolded the dark blue cloth and held out the sparkling stone towards her. Evalin stood up, and Karryl’s skin prickled briefly as she gazed at the crystal and assessed it.
She sat down again, her dark eyes alive with amusement. “Well, if it’s yours I suggest you lodge it in the treasury and get a receipt. Where did you get it?”
After placing the stone in her outstretched hand, Karryl sat beside her and was about to relate the events of the afternoon when Mallen
the footman came in with a tea-tray, placing it on a small low table in front of them.
Evalin held up her free hand. “Thank you Mallen. I’ll pour. There’ll be nothing else for tonight.”
Mallen bowed. “Thank you my Lady. Goodnight.”
Once he had left the room, Evalin placed the crystal on the table and poured tea while Karryl told her about Symon’s collapse, Mordas’ attempt to destroy the contaminated crystal, and finally the spell the entity had given him which had resulted in the clear and shining stone which now sat on her table.
She sat, thoughtfully sipping tea while she contemplated the crystal, then putting down her cup, turned to Karryl. “‘Tis a pity I have to tell you that Mordas is now the owner of what is probably the largest diamond in the world. Did you know?”
Karryl nearly dropped his teacup as his eyebrows rose to their limit. He gulped down the rest of his tea and stood up. “I’d better return it to her and give her the good news.”
As he reached down to pick up the glittering gem, Evalin leaned forward and placed a restraining hand over his. “Wait a while. It’s quite safe here. I’ll find something suitable to put it in presently.”
Karryl sat down again and Evalin looked at him intently. “I understand now why Mordas failed to keep the appointment. But tell me if you can, why she wanted to see me this afternoon.”
