Dragonvein - Book Three

by Brian D. Anderson

  “Then how will you use them?”

  “There is an ancient magic known only to a few. If used properly, it will weaken him long enough for me to destroy him.”

  “And what will happen to the others?”

  “If they do as they are told, they should survive.”

  Renald got up and stood beside him. “But you are not sure of this.”

  “There are few guarantees in life. You know that as well as anyone.” He shot the old man a sideways glance. “The magic I speak of is dangerous. And yes, they may be killed. But one thing is certain. If we fail, everyone will die. The armies marching on each other are inconsequential. For Shinzan, it is nothing but a game. He could not care less about the outcome.”

  “And I suppose you do.”

  “More than you know. The stories you have heard about me…many are true. But in war a person must be ruthless, even when fighting on the side of good. I will ensure that Shinzan’s armies are defeated. However, this will have no impact whatsoever on the outcome of the real war. I do this only to save the lives of those who have lived under the rule of a monster for far too long.”

  “I wish I could believe you. I dearly want to.”

  “You do not have to believe me. You need only to remain silent.”

  Renald sighed. “I am sorry. I cannot. What you have done…are doing...it is wrong.”

  “And I suppose freeing your son would be wrong as well.”

  “My son? What in the name of the spirits are you talking about? I have no son.”

  “Of course you do,” Martok said. “I can only assume that you have erased him from your memory. But you do have a son. I saw his likeness projected from your ward.”

  Renald waved a hand. “This is sheer nonsense. No one could cast such a spell on me.”

  “They could if you were to allow it.”

  Before Renald could react, Martok pressed his palm to Renald’s forehead. The old mage went instantly rigid.

  “Do not be alarmed,” Martok told him. “This will not hurt you. I am only showing you what it is you need to see.”

  * * * * *

  Renald had no idea of how long he had been standing there. He could not tear his eyes away from the crystal. Encased within was the most important person in his life. He reached out and placed a loving hand on the cold hard surface.

  “I am truly sorry, Lynial,” he said. “But I just couldn’t let you go through with it. This is the only way I could stop you.”

  He bent down to kiss the crystal, then, with one final tender look, exited the chamber.

  The powerful wards he had cast just a short time earlier still glowed with a pale green light. He pushed open the iron gate at the end of the corridor and snapped the lock shut. It was done…almost.

  The sound of soft footsteps approaching made his heart pound. It was now that his resolve would be fully tested. Could he go through with it? He had thought so. But when actually faced with it…

  “I am here, Renald.”

  Her voice was like a crystal chime in the summer breeze. The scent of her perfume instantly created thoughts of the carefree days of his youth. He turned slowly and smiled. “Illyrian.”

  Even when wearing the worn pants and ragged shirt she put on so as to travel without attracting attention, she was still a true beauty to behold. She moved closer. “Have you secured Lynial?”

  Renald nodded. “I have. The wards are in place. Not even Praxis could undo them.”

  “And you are sure this is what you want to do?”

  “I can see no other way. I will not allow him to go off with my brother to fight Shinzan. It is a fool’s quest doomed to failure.” Realizing that his words were upsetting her, he quickly softened his tone. “I wish I could have changed Praxis' mind. I tried, but it is firmly set.”

  “I know.” Her eyes were sad and her voice a mere whisper. “And you are right. It is a fool’s quest. The time for action is long past. Even if we had fought Shinzan the moment we became aware of his threat, it may still have only hastened our defeat. Soon he will control everything. And when he does, he will hunt us down and kill us all.”

  There was a long silence. Renald knew she was right. Once Shinzan defeated Praxis and the remaining members of the Council, he would slaughter every other mage who still lived. Not even the healers would be safe. “What will you do?” he asked.

  “Should Praxis and the others fail, I will take my son to Elyfoss and pray that their gates are strong enough to hold the beast at bay.” She forced a smile. “At least there I will have a few luxuries to enjoy. I’m afraid I have become a touch spoiled of late.”

  After a brief pause, she blew out a cleansing breath. “I suppose we should get started.”

  Renald’s nerves instantly began to unravel. This was it. “I’m…I’m ready,” he said.

  Illyrian touched his cheek. “There is nothing to fear. You are doing the right thing.”

  “It’s not that. It’s just that you will see…everything.”

  “And I will not whisper a word of it to anyone,” she promised.

  Allowing this to continue would expose all of Renald's deepest secrets. Mostly, this was not a problem for him. He would willingly share his innermost thoughts with her. It was only the most private secret of all that he longed to keep to himself. But there was no other way.

  He nodded his consent and closed his eyes.

  The spell was subtle at first. He felt only a slight tingling on his face where she had placed her hands. Then, gradually, it became much more intense. Soon it felt as if tiny needles were probing their way all around his brain. He sucked his teeth, trying not to cry out. Flashes of his past raced randomly through his mind. Some he remembered. Others were of days long forgotten.

  A minute later, the sensation began to ease and then ceased completely. He opened his eyes. Illyrian was standing a few feet away, her hands folded at her waist.

  “It didn’t work,” Renald said, disappointment immediately tearing away at his soul.

  “Oh, yes it did,” she corrected. “In three days you will remember none of this. That will give you enough time to be well away from this place. When you wake on the third day, the secret of your son’s location will no longer be yours to keep. In your mind, it will be as if he had never existed.”

  The thought of this forced a tear to run down his face. Three days. It would be torture. But should he be captured, Shinzan might very well find a way to force the information from his mind. That was a risk he was unwilling to take.

  He lowered his head. “Thank you.”

  Illyrian touched the back of his hand. “I should go. And so should you.”

  “In a while. I need to be alone.”

  She nodded understandingly. “Very well.”

  She started toward the exit, but paused a few yards away. “I already knew,” she called back without turning around.

  Renald looked up.

  “I already knew that you were in love with me,” she continued. “And I must admit there were times when I thought I might have chosen the wrong brother.”

  Without another word, she carried on walking until out of sight.

  * * * * *

  Renald stumbled backwards until thudding into the cabin wall. Had it been just a few inches to the right, he would have crashed straight through the window. He slid down into a seated position, weeping uncontrollably.

  “So now you see why you will keep my secret,” Martok told him. “In return, I will save your son. Are we understood on this?”

  Renald was unable to speak. His body shuddered violently as all the memories came flooding back in.

  The front door opened and Markus stepped out onto the porch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Ethan? When did you get back?”

  Martok gave him a warm smile and a friendly slap on the shoulder. “Just a few minutes ago.”

  Markus nodded over at Renald. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “He has just learned that he's a father.�
�

  “A father?”

  “It’s a long story. One I think Renald should tell, not me.” He reached down and offered his hand to the old mage.

  Renald looked up into Martok's eyes for a long moment before accepting his help. Once on his feet, he wiped his face on his sleeve. “Yes. Thank you…Ethan.”

  He turned to Markus. “I will explain it all in the morning. For now, I think I need to go to bed. This has been quite an ordeal.” He tottered inside, his posture bent and looking far older than only a few minutes previously.

  “Is Kat with you?” asked Markus once the old mage was gone.

  Martok nodded. “She's back at the dock.”

  The door opened again to reveal Lylinora. Her sleepy expression quickly turned to a smile of welcome on seeing Ethan. “You're back,” she said, embracing him fondly.

  Martok regarded her with no small measure of appreciation. A beautiful figure of a mage, this one. And from the memories he had seen in Ethan’s mind, strong and passionate. Only Katyana could compare.

  Deciding that sleep would be out of the question, they soon decided to join Kat and the others at the dock. After Markus and Lylinora had quickly changed, the three of them set off.

  “Does all this walking not become tiresome?” Martok asked irritably after only a few yards.

  Markus laughed. “Sorry. No horses.”

  Martok waved his hand in a grand sweeping gesture. Three black stallions, all with saddles invitingly upon them, flashed into existence. “Then what are these?”

  Lylinora eyed him cautiously. “You think to ride them?”

  “And why not?” he asked.

  “If you can maintain the spell long enough for us to reach the dock, then that would truly be a feat. Clearly the lessons with Martok have gone well.”

  “He is an amazing teacher,” he responded, doing his best not to sound overly prideful.

  “Indeed he must be,” she remarked.

  They mounted the steeds and rode at a quick trot to the dock. Kat was talking quietly with the others on the bow of the first boat, but her relaxed look quickly changed to one of complete astonishment on seeing the three horses. Even more so when they were made to vanish in a puff of black smoke.

  “When did you learn that?” she gasped.

  “I’ve been practicing,” he said, grinning boyishly. “I wanted us to be able to take rides together.”

  After kissing him on the cheek, she whispered, “And horses will make it easier for us to find somewhere private.”

  Martok feigned a shy grin. But the thought of this had his heart pounding.

  For the rest of the night, he recounted the events leading up to their return. Even David was impressed that he had been able to escape from Shinzan’s palace.

  “So do you think Martok has found a way to beat him?” asked Markus.

  He nodded. “But he will have to tell you about it himself.”

  “When?” asked Lylinora.

  “Once Renald is awake, I will allow him to come out,” he told them.

  By now, dawn was beginning to break. Markus and Lylinora decided to return to their bed and grab another hour or two of sleep before Renald woke. Once they'd departed, Kat and Martok strolled along the beach together until Val called over to say that breakfast was ready.

  It was around mid-morning when they arrived as a group at the cabin. Renald was sitting on the porch, his eyes glazed and the lines on his face carved even more deeply. He seemed oblivious to everyone around him.

  “How long has he been like this?” Kat asked Lylinora.

  “Since he woke an hour ago,” she replied. “He just keeps muttering to himself – though I can’t make out anything he’s saying.”

  “Little matter,” said Martok. “His presence is not required.”

  Kat flashed him an angry look, but then the arrogant expression on his face told her that she was no longer speaking to Ethan.

  “Ah, my dear,” he said, smiling. “You are the vision of loveliness.”

  Kat sniffed and sat down beside Renald. “I must get Ethan to warn me before he lets you out.”

  Martok did his best to look as if the comment had made no impact. “I need you all to listen to me very carefully,” he announced, then waited until everyone was gathered in front of him before continuing. “I shall be instructing all of you from now on. The good news is, there is a way we can defeat our enemy. But only if you do exactly as I say.”

  “I suppose I will still be instructing Ethan,” Kat said.

  “Ethan will not be involved any longer,” he told her. “The magic needed to end this is beyond him. When the time comes, I shall be the one to destroy Shinzan.”

  He could see the objections rising up in Kat. And Lylinora was suddenly stone-faced. He pressed on before either of them could interrupt. “There is an incantation that can weaken Shinzan sufficiently for me to be able to kill him. But the death of his body will not be enough. His spirit will live on and simply inhabit another. To prevent this, his essence must be contained.”

  “But I thought we had to destroy the source of his power,” said Val. “That’s what Renald and Lylinora have been telling us.”

  “This is true,” Martok agreed. “But we do not know where - or even what - that source is. Once he is trapped, that will give us the time we need to find its location. If we simply kill him, there will not be enough time.”

  “So how do we trap him?” asked David, not hiding his contempt. “With our bare hands?”

  “You are a simpering little dog, aren’t you?” Martok chided. “But there is a way. It is a device made long ago by the dwarves. It can contain Shinzan long enough to give us the time we need.”

  “And where is this device?” asked Lylinora.

  “Do not concern yourself with that for now,” Martok told her. “Yours is to simply listen and learn. Once I am satisfied you can all accomplish your tasks, then I will retrieve it.” He looked over the group. “If you have questions…keep them to yourself.”

  Closing his eyes, he muttered a short spell. In response, a patch of ground a few feet from the front porch bubbled up and then melted into a pool of black liquid. From out of this quagmire arose a superbly crafted, ten-foot diameter round table of polished onyx, along with eight matching chairs.

  “I will need parchment and a quill,” Martok commanded. “Renald!”

  Renald snapped to attention, all trace of his stupor suddenly gone.

  “Parchment and quill, if you please.”

  The old mage nodded and hurried inside.

  “When can I learn to do that?” asked Jake, clearly impressed by the display of magic.

  “In time,” Martok said. “Once our enemy is vanquished, you can spend the rest of your days exploring wonders beyond your comprehension.” He waved for them all to join him around the table. “Come. There is much to do today. And I cannot remain here for very long.”

  As soon as Renald returned with the writing material, Martok wrote down a long incantation that covered two entire sheets of parchment.

  “Each of you should copy this,” he told them. “You will need to memorize it thoroughly before we can move on to the next step.”

  Martok could feel Ethan pressing in, trying to regain control. Rising up, he rubbed his temples and staggered back.

  “I think it’s time you were going,” Kat told him.

  “You are right,” he replied. “For now, there is nothing more for me to do. But know that I will miss your company while I am away.”

  He thought he saw a faint smile creep onto the corners of her mouth. But he couldn’t be sure.

  “Will this really work?” she asked. “Can you really defeat him?

  Martok stepped closer and lowered his head. “I will kill Shinzan. Even at the cost of my own life, and that of my entire family who dwells with me. The people of Lumnia will be free once more. This I swear.” He took her hand. She did not resist. “Until the next time.”

  Having made this v
ow, he dropped to his knees, acting as though suddenly overcome by a great bout of dizziness.

  After a few moments he looked up, blinking. “What…what happened?”

  Kat helped him to his feet. “Come inside. I’ll tell you all about it.”

  Martok allowed himself to be led inside the cabin and helped onto the couch. As she brought him up to date on what had been discussed, he pretended to be hearing it all for the first time. Through the window he could see Renald eyeing him with a combination of anger and desperation. The old man would keep his secret. That much was clear. But Martok knew he would need to start doing a much better job of behaving like Ethan.

  “Are you all right?” Kat asked, once she was finished.

  He pulled her close, resting her head on his chest.

  “I'm fine,” he assured her. “Trust me. I have never felt better.”

  End Book Three