by Jeff Inlo
"It's okay," Enin allowed. "If I'm an idiot, I need to know."
"I would not be so bold to consider a compassionate decision one of idiocy, but it would be tactically unsound."
"Fair enough," Ansas permitted. "Tell him why."
"If this is an attack by Reiculf, then it is meant to draw us out of the city and into the fields."
"At least one of you seems to understand."
"Understand what?" Enin asked.
"Objectives," the sorcerer declared. "You're an objective. Reiculf wants you. It would be easier to take you by goading you out into an open field than trying to attack you in the city. Out in the open, you would have to deal with one or more of Reiculf's pawns... and Reiculf's power. He could focus on you and not have to worry about the distractions caused by town guards, citizens, or anyone else that might be hiding in the city. He doesn't want anyone in the way. He wants you alone."
"We could go out together and deal with the inferns," Enin responded. "Surely you, Holli, and I have sufficient power to deal with this."
Ansas shook his head.
"The three of us might be able to overcome one of Reiculf's agents, if we were prepared... and lucky, but not two, and definitely not three. Until we know more, we can't afford to take such risks. They would take you, and then the game would be over."
"This is no game," Enin stated harshly.
"Then don't treat it as one," Ansas replied. "Your elf seems to have an understanding of the situation. She herself pointed out these attacks are controlled. They were not meant to create panic. Reiculf wants to get your attention, but he doesn't wish to cause complete turmoil, at least not yet."
"How can you be so certain," Enin demanded.
"If he simply wanted to cause fear and mayhem, he would have instructed the inferns to burn the fields in a much more dramatic fashion. Smoke and flames would be rising all around the city. Imagine that for a moment."
Ansas allowed the scene to catch the imagination of his hosts, but he quickly posed another question to Holli.
"What did the town guard do when they came across the inferns in the field?"
"They ensured no one was in immediate danger and then returned to the city to make a report."
"They did not engage the inferns?"
"They were only human patrols. To do so would have been beyond foolish."
"So they returned to the city to report the activities of the half-demons. That is exactly what I would have expected them to do... exactly what Reiculf hoped they would do. Is the captain of the guard preparing a counter attack with a greater force?"
"Only as a contingency plan. He believes Enin will deal with the inferns."
"The reasonable response." Ansas looked to Enin to drive home his point. "Don't you think Reiculf understands that as well?"
The logic became clearer to them all, but Enin would not settle for simply doing nothing.
"Maybe this is a trap, but that doesn't mean I have to just sit here."
Ansas could tell what Enin was considering and immediately crushed the idea.
"You wish to waste your magic by sending out spells from here to deal with the inferns? Go right ahead. You can locate them with various sight spells and then banish them to another dimension. But know this; the more spells you cast, the more inferns Reiculf will send to the fields."
"So we just let them burn the food?" the wizard asked.
"Yes."
The sorcerer finally made a statement with which Holli could disagree, and she leapt on the opportunity.
"That is not necessarily a wise decision. To do nothing would tip our own hand, reveal that we understand Reiculf's strategy. He would then change course to deal with us in a different way."
"That is inevitable," Ansas countered. "The only response we could make that would fool the daokiln is to do exactly what he wants us to do, and that is to send Enin to deal with the inferns. If we make such a clumsy error, the daokiln will claim Enin for his own. Do you really wish to see Enin's power combined with Reiculf's? If that happens, you won't care about lost food supplies. You won't be alive long enough to starve."
"Very well," Holli conceded, "but losing our food supplies is not without its own risk. The inferns may be controlled in their attacks at the moment, but if we do not act as they expect, they will do more damage, significantly diminishing our stocks to the point the city will not have sufficient food for the dormant season. Famine and starvation is one of Reiculf's great joys."
"This is what you argue over? I had greater hopes for you."
"I do not strive for your appreciation," Holli admitted, "but I do care for stopping Reiculf in every regard."
"Do you or do you not cast with emerald magic?" Ansas challenged.
"I do."
"And if fed with Enin's magic, can you not fill every field around Connel with enough food to feed the city for many seasons? You know you can. When this is all over there will be sufficient time to replenish food supplies. Stop worrying about insignificant matters."
"Then you continue to suggest we do nothing?" Enin questioned, uncertain if he could simply wait like a prisoner in his own home while half-demons scorched the lands surrounding Connel.
"I suggest we allow the captain of the guard to send a significant force to the south to deal with the two inferns. That might cause Reiculf a certain amount of confusion. He will wonder if the guard decided to handle the problem on their own without consulting you. It will give us some valuable time while we wait for additional information. If my instincts are correct, it is likely that Reiculf has just made a mistake."
"What kind of mistake?"
"If he has attacked here, he may have..."
Ansas was interrupted by a knock at the door. A guard sergeant appeared before them with surprising news. An elf messenger had been teleported to the outskirts of the city. The elf had sought an audience with Enin. Based on the activity in the farmlands, the town guard decided to react cautiously to the request.
Enin directed the sergeant to bring the elf messenger to him immediately.
"I have a message from Shantree Wispon," the elf began. He had no parchment. Instead, he spoke it from memory. "Plague magic has descended upon our camp. The disease is spreading quickly and many elves have fallen ill. We have been unable to identify the source or isolate the underlying sickness. Jure is working on a possible spell to counter the attack."
"That's it?" Ansas asked.
"That is the end of the message."
Ansas rose from his chair and moved quickly to a window. His entire demeanor had changed. For whatever reason, the news from the elf invoked far more concern than the attack of inferns. He looked through the glass, but ignored the scene in front of him. He had no interest in the city of Connel, but Dark Spruce Forest suddenly became very important.
"How many of your camp have fallen ill?" the sorcerer asked sternly.
"Over one third," the elf messenger answered.
"And your leader, Shantree Wispon, she intends to remain with your camp?"
"She does."
"Very good. Now, about this spell to counter the sickness, do you know what the old human wizard has planned... how he will counter the effects of the plague?"
"I do. He believes the sickness is designed to avoid Shantree Wispon. He is utilizing a spell to mimic the elder's energy and place it around every elf that has not yet been infected. He cast the spell upon me before I left."
Ansas turned away from the window. He looked upon the elf messenger as he considered Jure's actions. It irritated him to do so, but he actually gave the wizard credit.
"I don't like that old fool," the sorcerer admitted. "He is too sensitive and much too passive for my liking, but he has acted far wiser than I could have ever expected."
"You think Jure's plan will work?" Enin questioned.
"Yes, I do," Ansas confessed. "He can't do anything to help those who have already fallen sick, but he will prevent the plague from spreading. This will buy
us important time."
"How can you be so sure? Without knowing the source, plague magic is difficult to contain."
"Certain assumptions become obvious," Ansas revealed, his voice nearly trembling with growing excitement. "Reiculf has established the location of his objectives. He knows you're here, and he knows Shantree remained with her camp. It is clear he has chosen Gnafil to lead inferns to draw you out of the city. We might not have located the half-demon, but Gnafil is outside of Connel. I'm sure of it."
Ansas looked to the wooden slats that comprised the floor of the study. Upon examining the interlocking boards, he contemplated the surrounding lands and how they fit together. While looking at the blank floor, he placed an image in his mind of the region in question. He thought of Connel, Burbon, and the forest to the west.
"Dark Spruce is another matter," he continued. "Reiculf has decided to utilize plague magic, probably that of a draevol, to decimate the elf defenses. The difficulty is determining which of Reiculf's remaining pawns is directing the attack. It could be the serp, or it could be the elf spell caster. I have my suspicions, but I must be sure."
"But how do you know Jure's plan to help the elves will work?" Enin persisted.
Ansas glared at Enin with slight disgust. He found it tiresome that he had to explain what was obvious.
"Reiculf will not want the elf elder damaged in any way. It would only serve to weaken her, and he intends to use her—as he would hope to use you. His link to her is through the remnants of my magical energy. The plague will have been fabricated to avoid that energy. Unless Jure is totally incompetent, which I believe he is not, then he will succeed in mimicking the elder's signature. The plague will then avoid all those surrounded by such an aura. If you look closely at this messenger, you can see it for yourself. Do you understand now?"
"What of the elves already stricken?" Holli demanded.
"As good as dead," Ansas replied without emotion.
"Nothing can be done?"
Ansas groaned loudly as he peered at the elf in disbelief.
"Are you now going to be just as weak as the others?" the sorcerer questioned.
"Do you mean to ask if I will fail to keep my focus solely on Reiculf and instead concern myself with the suffering of others? If that is your definition of weak, then you may place the brand upon me. I will not simply dismiss the sick elves as the misfortunes of war. There are no acceptable casualties."
"Then you do not appreciate the foe we face."
Holli would not agree. She did not underestimate the vast power of the daokiln, and she also understood why the demon could not be allowed to win, could not be allowed to gain control of additional pawns. She also, however, realized that the line between right and wrong could never be erased without dire consequences. Every time that line was blurred or moved ever so slightly to justify some questionable action, it tended to have a permanent effect on what would be tolerated in the future. Reiculf was the essence of evil, but fighting him did not excuse deeds of dishonor or even sins of complacency
"What do we gain if we defeat Reiculf but become no better than the demon lord in the process?" Holli questioned in her own defense.
Ansas almost laughed. He had become much more animated since the arrival of the elf messenger, and he welcomed the challenge of debating Enin's apprentice.
"If you wish to have a philosophical argument, so be it. I have the time. We can not move until I am sure about certain matters. As to your question, I can not argue the point, but you begin with a false premise. You are already like Reiculf."
"I do not accept that."
"Then you do not understand the daokiln. He is nothing more than the sum of what you made him."
Enin interceded to end the argument.
"Reiculf's true essence is not the issue. We can not simply abandon the elves."
Ansas found the assertion baffling.
"You wish to waste time on insignificant matters?"
"The elves are not insignificant, and it is not a point of contention. You will do as I say, or I will return you to Baannat myself."
Ansas stared at Enin with contempt. He almost challenged the wizard, but to do so would mean losing focus on his own strategy. He would not be baited into a mistake, not when he was so close to a major victory of his own.
"Very well, but know this, I see an opportunity forming. I believe we will obtain one more piece of critical information very soon. Once I have that information, we will have a chance to severely damage Reiculf's current influence."
"How so?"
"As I said to you before, our goal is not only to keep Reiculf from gaining additional pawns, but also to take away those he already has under his control. If we can..."
Once again, the sorcerer was interrupted by a commotion at the study door. Neltus burst into the room and quickly addressed Ansas.
"He's attacking Burbon!"
The sorcerer did not have to ask who was behind the attack. Ansas immediately realized that Reiculf had also set his sights on the small human town that bordered the forest. It was what he expected. The daokiln had made a large miscalculation.
The sorcerer's pulse quickened as he knew a path was opening before him. With but a few more scraps of information, he would have his opportunity.
"What is he using in the assault?" Ansas demanded.
"He has animated the dead. It began with a legion of goblins, shags, rogues, humans, elves and some others. They surrounded the town but were stopped at the wall. An undead thrastil is lurching through the forest. I remembered what you told me..."
Enin immediately stopped the conversation.
"Ansas gave you information in secret?" the wizard questioned harshly.
"It was necessary," the sorcerer growled, obviously annoyed by the interruption.
The wizard dismissed Ansas' apparent irritation. Displeased himself that Neltus and Ansas were sharing considerations without his consent or his knowledge, Enin demanded an explanation.
"Exactly what was necessary?"
"I told him to teleport to me the moment that little town we stuck him in came under a major attack. He had to be certain it was a significant assault and not a feint. He was right to come here as he did. I now have all the information I need."
"Then tell me what's going on!" Enin insisted with outrage.
"Reiculf has made an error... one that offers us the opportunity I spoke of. Reiculf has three individuals he utilizes to spread his magic beyond Demonspawn; Macheve, Scheff, and Gnafil. Gnafil is here, near Connel. That can not be disputed. Who else would use demon flames and other inferns to attack us? But it appears Reiculf deployed the other two as well in hopes of taking his three objectives at once. It was what I hoped when I sought to separate you."
"What is the opportunity?"
"We converge on the elf camp. That is where Scheff is, and he will be the easiest to free from Reiculf's influence. He is probably struggling the hardest against the daokiln. That will help us. I also know the elf spell caster's limitations and his abilities. If we can combine our forces, we have the opportunity to remove Reiculf's hold over the elf."
"How can you be certain Scheff is attacking the elf camp as opposed to Burbon?" Holli questioned. "Is this still not conjecture on your part?"
"No, it isn't. The serp is a creature of control. Her greatest power is to take over the actions of surrogates and use them against her opponent. She might have been placed in control of a draevol, but it was unlikely. It is much more likely she would use Reiculf's power to raise the dead and use them as her army. Who but a serp would relish the chance to lead such a legion?"
"And Scheff?"
"He holds the power of the storm. What is the plague other than a storm of disease? The elf might have wanted to attack with wind and lightning, but he couldn't guarantee the safety of the elf elder. The spread of the plague is like the breath of the wind. No, I am quite certain where they all are. Gnafil is here, Macheve is striking Burbon, and Scheff is near the
elf camp. Scheff is the one I want."
"Even if he is alone," Holli stated, "Scheff is still embodied with the power of Reiculf. I doubt even Enin could stand for long against such power. You said as much yourself."
"We certainly do not send Enin alone. That would defeat everything we have accomplished. We will all go to the forest, to the elf camp. We combine our powers with those already there. We are most fortunate Reiculf deployed his minions in the fashion he chose. Jure and the elf sorceress, Haven Wellseed, are already there. Combined, we will have sufficient power to do what is necessary."
"What about the inferns surrounding Connel?" Enin asked. "We can't simply abandon the city."
"The inferns are not attacking the city," Ansas sighed. "They are in the farmlands. Tell the town guard to meet the inferns in the field."
"But soldiers will die."
"Fine, then tell them not to engage. It isn't necessary. Just do enough to occupy the half-demons, distract them."
"And what of Burbon?" Holli added. "If we all go to deal with Scheff, that leaves Burbon alone to face the undead legion... and an undead thrastil! The town will fall."
"Burbon is not our concern, but if it makes you feel any better, Burbon is guarded by a force far more powerful than any undead thrastil. That town is probably safer than the rest of us."
Holli looked to Enin for confirmation.
"Does he speak the truth?" the elf questioned.
"I believe so," the wizard admitted. "I've had my suspicions for some time, but this confirms it. Ansas' power over alteration would allow him to sense such a thing."
"Confirms what?"
"Now is not the time to discuss it."
"He is right," Ansas declared. "If this is to work, we must act quickly. Do not fret elf. You are getting your wish. If we deal with Scheff successfully, we should then be able to deal with the plague and save your precious elves, even the ones already sickened. We must not waste this opportunity."
Chapter 15
"He left," Ryson explained to Klusac as the delver leapt up to the western tower platform.
"Neltus?"
"Yeah, he teleported away."
