Delver Magic Book I: Sanctum's Breach

by Jeff Ianniello

  Mappel stood firm with his weight pressed against his staff. He listened carefully to the words and the tone of the mayor. He watched even closer. Even as he stood within a whirlwind of an emotional tirade, he found it near impossible to develop a true assessment of this man.

  The elder elf could read nothing beyond the mayor's immediate concerns. His worthiness as a person, his tendencies toward righteousness or malevolence, remained well disguised by a veneer of self-importance. The arrogance of the man drew clear by the objects in which he surrounded himself. The desire for control became evident by his outbursts. Unfortunately, neither characteristic assisted Mappel in making a moral judgment. Such characteristics are present in almost every leader of every race.

  "What you face, we all now face," Mappel spoke in earnest. "The humans are not alone in this plight. Every creature that lives in the land faces the same danger. It is not madness that overtakes you or your people. It is a challenge to all, to human, to elf, to dwarf, to algor, to even the great cliff behemoth."

  The mayor nearly laughed with exhaustion. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? That's just great. I can go out and tell my people that everything is fine because we're not alone. The elves and dwarves are facing the same problems."

  "I don't think that is what he meant," Matthew offered.

  "I know what he meant!" Consprite shouted. His expression turned cold as the crimson hue ran from his face like water from a tap. His fists tightened to stop their trembling and he took hold of the situation with all the resolve left within him. He would no longer allow anyone but himself to dictate the subject of this meeting. He narrowed upon their presence in his office and his focus turned upon their reasons. "Now listen to what I have to say and know that I mean it. I want to know why you're here. As far as I'm concerned you may be responsible for all that's going on. You came here with something to say, and you'll say it to me now. If you don't, I'll lock you up and you'll never see the light of day again. I don't know your two friends here, but I know you and your place in this community. No one, other than your own followers, is going to even notice if you drop off the face of the land. As for these two elves," he said the word with near disdain, as if it were a foreign virus that had no business in the land of Uton. "I doubt if anyone around here will miss them if they disappeared. People around here don't believe in elves and dwarves."

  At that threat, Lief moved forward with an agile step. His hand disappeared beneath his cloak where it found the hilt of his two edged sword. He side stepped Mappel with casual grace, the folds of his cloak barely rustling. He bore down upon the mayor with a fiery anger of his own.

  The elf's intentions were not lost upon the mayor, and Consprite's cold calculating confidence took flight as his pallor turned grey. He sank back deep in his chair, searching for protection and a retreat. His feet dug into the floor as he propelled the chair back away from the oncoming elf. Beads of sweat rolled down his temples. The only noise which erupted from his mouth was a low groan.

  Matthew called out for Lief to contain his actions, but it was Mappel who stopped him. He merely lifted an arm from his staff and swung it out like a gate which crossed Lief's path. By itself, the thin aged arm could not have held back the younger, more powerful elf. Lief would have plowed through that arm as if it were a thin rotted pine branch, if it belonged to anyone else.

  It belonged to Mappel, however, and Lief submitted to its authority. The angered elf left his sword sheathed under his cloak. He even stepped back away from the mayor in acceptance of Mappel's silent request.

  The mayor coughed in uneasy relief, but maintained a watchful eye on the younger elf. He pulled his chair back to his desk before wiping his head with a clammy hand. The room now felt much too small for Consprite. He now felt trapped, the only exit blocked. He rubbed his hands together, hoping to warm them and dry the perspiration he had wiped from his temples. He gathered himself, drawing upon all his experience. In his best fashion, he flushed signs of weakness from his expression. He continued to remain watchful of Lief, but he finally set his attention back on Matthew.

  "Now you look here," he mumbled, somewhat unsteady but not lacking in bitterness, "I have had enough of this. You will speak now."

  Matthew shook his head almost apologetically. He remained firm upon his earlier stance. "I would rather speak to the whole council."

  "Are you deaf man?" Consprite bellowed. "The council can not convene today. I've already said that."

  "Why not?"

  "Because there is no council anymore." The mayor dropped his forehead into his left hand. "Elizabeth Bent was killed by that thing in the barn. I had to inform the entire council of what was going on, didn't want to face it by myself. She wouldn't believe me. I took her out to see it for herself to convince her. Samuel Cofort went with us. Pig headed woman, she wouldn't listen. She just about laughed at me when she threw open the barn door, told me it was a spooked horse. It ripped her throat open. That's when I ordered the men to destroy it. I had Bent's body burned. I didn't want to see her rise up like that other thing. Cofort didn't stick around. He got sick right there and took off. I've sent people to get him back here, but they can't find him. He's left town for sure. When I finally told the other two council members of what happened they walked out. Last I heard, they locked themselves in their houses. So there is no council. I'm in charge here. Me, alone! Got it?"

  Matthew stared at the mayor vacantly before finding his voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

  "Well, now you do. So whatever you have to say, say it to me."

  Matthew faced this prospect with confusion, uncertainty. He tried to form his own alternatives as he mumbled a response. "I don't know. It still affects the whole town. Perhaps a new council should be put together, an emergency council."

  Consprite nearly fell out of his chair. "Are you out of your mind?! To do that I would have to tell people what's going on. Do you have any idea what that will cause? Panic! Riot! We'll lose control of everything. I've had enough trouble keeping a lid on this as it is. I only use people I can trust. Everyone here has sworn their secrecy to me. I intend to keep this a secret until I can figure out what to do. Now you want me to just announce a need for a new emergency council?! Forget it! The rest of this town knows nothing so far and that's the way I intend to keep it."

  "You will not be able to keep this a secret for long," Mappel said stoically. "I understand your desire to maintain calm among your people, but there is no way it can be accomplished. Very soon, they will all see things with their own eyes that you will not be able to explain away. They will realize that the land is changing. I would suggest you inform them as soon as possible."

  "Just like that, huh?" Consprite laughed sarcastically. "Maybe I should just go out in the street with a bell and tell them that the dead are rising, there are monsters in the rivers, and elves in my office. What kind of response do you think I'll get?"

  The humorous image was lost upon the elder elf. "I can not say. I have little experience with your people."

  Consprite laughed again, as if he finally found an escape from his inner turmoil. "Well, I have a lot of experience. First they'll have me locked up; they won't believe any of it until some of these things come marching up Main Street

  . Then, they'll all panic. They'll run in every direction at once, not caring who or what they run over. They'll take what they can from wherever they can. They'll fight over horses and food before they leave this town a burning cinder."

  "That may happen regardless," Mappel proposed. "Who can say when a goblin raiding party might target your town, or when a mountain shag wanders forward in search of food. The changes around you are vast. The people of this town will see them. You may temper the panic if you warn them."

  Consprite bit down slightly on his lip. He exhaled heavily before casting a determined stare at Matthew. "I will not talk in circles any more. You came here to tell me something. I want to know what it is. What do you know about this?"

 
"I know what these elves have told me," Matthew said honestly.

  "And what is that?"

  "I would rather they tell you."

  Consprite grimaced before turning his head to the elder elf.

  "Well?" he said with an expectant tone.

  Mappel did not hesitate in responding. "Whether you or your people wish to accept it, the land is changing. The time you have known is over. If you doubt my word, simply consider what you yourself have already seen. These things will not go away. They will, in fact, get worse. You will not be able to hide the truth from the humans within the structures of this camp, or in any other. You, however, will have to face these changes more quickly than others. Connel has been selected as a meeting place for representatives of other races. It is very possible that even this day living creatures strange to you will indeed be walking down your main street. We have come to warn you now so that you may take any necessary precautions to avoid the panic you speak of. As to whether you accept this or not, that is beyond my control. It is not beyond my control, however, to reveal myself to your people right at this moment. My very existence will create a stir you will not be able to silence."

  "I see." The mayor paused to consider thoughts of his own before proceeding. Quite distinctly, the elf just posed a challenge of authority, a challenge this mayor was accustomed to meeting. Consprite finally took hold of something of comfort. He now viewed Mappel as a political adversary, and he attempted to create an atmosphere of conflict. First, he decided to gain more information before deciding a course of action. "You still haven't told me what's going on. You say the land has changed, but not why. And why is Connel being used as this meeting place?"

  "Connel was selected for its history. It was the battle ground of the Wizard War, the last place all the races worked together."

  "Sounds like a fairy tale to me," Consprite added, hoping to goad the elf into revealing something he might have wished to keep hidden.

  "Then I would also be a character in one of these tales. Yet, I stand before you now, do I not?"

  Matthew decided to add a fact which might add at least a shred of substance to the story. "It also has a lot to do with Ryson Acumen," the reader revealed.

  The mayor did not move his head. He only shifted his eyes toward Matthew. "That's the delver we sent out to check the damages by the earthquake. What's he got to do with this?"

  "When I saw he was about to explore the lands after the quake, I asked him to send reports back to me as well. I wished to know what caused the quake. As it happens, Ryson was the first to come across these elves. Apparently he has assisted them. He also spoke of me and thought I might help them."

  "Why?"

  "Because I am a follower of the Church of Godson. I would be most willing to accept them for what they are."

  "No, that’s not what I asked. Why do they need help? No one has told me what's causing all of this. All you've said is why they came to Connel. That doesn't explain ... Wait a minute!" He made a sideways glance at Matthew. He sized him up and read the meaning within the unspoken words. "The quake. You sent Ryson to check out the quake and that's when he came across these elves. It was after the quake when things went haywire around here. That's the link, isn't it? This has all got something to do with that quake, if it was a quake."

  "What else could it have been?" Matthew posed with a nervous tone.

  "Something that might explain what's going on here," the mayor said flatly. He noted the reader's nervousness and grasped it. "I think you know, and I want you to tell me."

  "The forces at work here are beyond one man's understanding," Mappel interceded, hoping to quell the mayor's interest with the tremor. The elder elf was not sure of this man's character, but he was sure he did not want to reveal the source of the quake, or the fact that the sphere existed within the walls of Sanctum.

  Consprite, however, honed in upon Mappel's words. Forces. The word blinked in his mind. It meant power, and power of this magnitude interested him. He considered his options, weighed them carefully, and finally spoke with cold calculation.

  "It may be beyond my understanding, but I wish to know more of what caused this quake. I have a feeling it may shed some light on what I've been facing and even why you're here."

  "We are here as the first representatives from other races to come to Connel." Mappel spoke with careful conviction. He hoped to make it clear his intentions should not be questioned. "It is here we will decide how to deal with the changes we all face."

  The mayor failed to accept the elder elf's authority. In Consprite's world, power created authority, and as of yet, the struggle between them had not yet been decided.

  "That doesn't tell me what caused this change," Consprite persisted. He decided to play an ace. "Now, I want to go back to this quake. It seems you're rather uncomfortable talking about it. I can't make you tell me what it is you know, but I can do this. There are other delvers here in Connel. There are also human trackers which I trust very much. I might simply send one or more of them out just as Acumen went out. I can get the answers myself."

  Mappel stood silent. He turned to Matthew, then to Lief. Dealing with humans was foreign to him. Dealing with humans that made a career out of reading, understanding, and even redirecting the wants and desires of others, posed a challenge for which he was not prepared. The elves of his camp accepted his word and authority without challenge. This human would not.

  Consprite noted the uncomfortable gaze of the elder elf. He sensed the confusion and concern like a shark senses the distress of another fish. He wanted to smile but he kept his emotions hidden. This was a battle he was determined to win.

  He did not allow the elf time to regroup his thoughts, he pressed the elder. "Now that I think about it, it's very clear that the quake which rolled past this town must be directly related to the events of the past few days. But I don't think it's the quake itself that disturbs you. It's the secret behind the quake. It's big enough to cause you elves to come out of hiding. It apparently is important to others as well. Something about dwarves, and algors. You said yourself that there are other representatives coming to Connel. I'm beginning to think that you're trying to keep something from me which I should know about."

  Consprite watched the elf carefully. The pained reaction he witnessed informed him his calculated assumption was correct. He now stared expectantly at Mappel.

  Mappel moved his hands slightly about his staff and repositioned his feet as he weighed his response. He now believed that meeting with this man was a mistake. He considered simply turning and leaving.

  Maybe Connel was not the place for this. Perhaps they would have been better off in a town closer to the wilderness, closer to the forest. Pinesway. Or Burbon, where the goblins already attacked twice. Maybe if the elves had been there to fight them off they would have gained the trust and acceptance of the humans. At least the humans of Burbon would already have witnessed the existence of creatures far stranger to them than dwarves or elves. Yes, Burbon now seemed a welcome retreat, an escape from this walled chamber where he now stood, an escape from this man that now asked the wrong questions.

  Only one thing held Mappel in his place, the hope that he was directed to Connel for a reason. Ryson Acumen, the Reader Matthew; these men were assets to his cause. He realized this. And Connel; Connel was a place of legend with its ancient wall still mostly intact. To give up on Connel meant giving up on a larger hope. Leaving meant accepting their fate was in their own hands, with no outside force guiding their actions.

  "No," Mappel said to himself.

  It was barely above a whisper but all heads turned toward him.

  "Does that mean you're not hiding something from me or that you wish not to tell me what is truly going on?" the mayor questioned with a raised eyebrow.

  "It means simply that I can not base my decisions on the accepted ways of the past," Mappel said with renewed strength in his voice. "The age of separation is over. The elves can not hide from the humans any longe
r. Neither can the dwarves, nor the algors, nor any other race. We must learn to deal with humans and humans must accept us and the new way of life we all face."

  Mappel's fateful decision was made. To leave for Burbon or the wilderness meant accepting that Ryson's appearance in the forest was nothing more than coincidence. It meant that Connel held no significance. Mappel could not accept that.

  The mayor, however, maintained a challenging tone. "Does that mean you're going to explain to me what this new way of life is and what's causing it?"

  Mappel went forward with his decision. He remained, however, cautions in his response.

  "You are correct in your assumption Mayor Consprite. The earthquake you felt signified something much more important than a simple shift in the land itself. You may not yet understand the scope of my explanation, but if you consider your own experience I expect you will. Magic is again free in the land."

  The mayor scoffed but kept his attention locked upon the elder elf.

  Mappel continued unfailingly. "I do not know your concepts of magic. It must be foreign to you for it has been absent for many of your generations. Your own history, as you understand it, is probably devoid of the true nature of what existed before the humans took command of the land. From what Matthew tells me, only a mere handful even respect the Book of Godson. That in itself tells me that the main body of your race will most likely doubt the truth. They will resist what they will see, but they will not help seeing it.

  "And they will see this new age. Whether it is an age of destruction or an age of rebirth is yet to be seen. But none of your people will be able to hide from the truth. The magic is returning. It is the source of all these reports." Mappel waved his hand over the mayor's desk.

  "Your stories of the undead and of levitation are but the beginning. If you wish to deny the existence of magic, how will you deny the consequences? Spell energy spills over the land. In ways, it can be used, as seen by the boy that discovered the spell of levitation. It has also brought back the creatures of dark wishes, such as the river rogue and the goblins.