Delver Magic: Book 04 - Nightmare's Shadow

by Jeff Inlo

  Enin could not imagine a worse fate. He might have actually taken his own life at that moment, but he could not escape, even in that way.

  Baannat drew closer to the wizard, touched Enin's spiritual form with a claw that flashed in and out of existence. A the sharp nails slowly sliced through Enin's soul, the wizard experienced an entirely new sense of torment.

  "The delver is out in the desert," Baannat hissed. "I can sense him. He will fight with the algors. Maybe I can catch him there, maybe I can't. It won't matter if I can catch the woman. She's the one I want to bring here next. Once I control her, I control him. Where is she, brother?"

  Enin didn't want to answer, but he was now powerless against the ghoul. It would only be a matter of time before he broke.

  Chapter 21

  Holli felt her connection with Enin break. It didn't shatter like exploding glass, or slowly fade like light after sunset. It just ended, as if it were cut by the fall of an axe blade.

  The insight temporarily staggered the elf. Reality shifted and little else mattered. She stared off into space, searching desperately, trying to reestablish the link. Her reach, however, was limited. It was his power that fed the connection, that allowed it to exist beyond dimensions. He had promised to maintain that link, and yet it was most certainly gone.

  Possibilities dwindled. Holli faced a certain horror. The break was now crisp in her memory—a moment in time captured with extreme clarity—it was as if it happened over and over again. It went beyond the diminishing end of a spell or the passing of some powerful barrier. There was sheer certainty captured in the severity of the disconnection and very few things in life held to such conviction. Aghast, she found one explanation defying all others. She believed Enin had died with that break, as she could not imagine anything less causing such a definite fracture, and the magic within her seemed to reinforce that conclusion.

  A colossal sense of loss flooded her being. The sudden grief crippled her thinking as if a massive void opened at her core and then filled with unimaginable sorrow. She did not wish to jump to such a devastating assumption, but with each passing moment, she was more certain that Enin's consciousness had moved completely out of existence. She did not need someone to knock upon her door to deliver the news. The magic itself was the messenger making the declaration clear.

  The world around her turned gray, losing not only joy, but purpose as well. She swam in uncertainty as the bond she had grown accustomed to had simply vanished.

  The grief went beyond losing their intricate magical connection. Enin had allowed Holli to touch the core of his spirit, and once she had, she no longer held any doubts as to the benevolence of his intentions. She could not imagine a better soul to carry the great power that was within him.

  She had become a part of that benevolence, sharing in the desire to be worthy of such a gift, such a blessing. Losing that was like having the light of hope extinguished by a demon's laugh. Shock and agony mixed together in a swirling current of emotional upheaval.

  Along with a great sorrow came great apprehension. With her understanding of Enin's power, she previously believed him near invulnerable to any attack. Yes, she was his guard—as well as his apprentice—but she long since accepted there was very little she could do to protect him that he couldn't do himself. She could not imagine the kind of power required to end the wizard's life.

  While she could never dismiss the loss, she remained an elf guard. Fighting through her incredible grief, the elf grasped hold of her own inner strength. The loss to her was immeasurable, but the immediate dangers grew exponentially. Enin entrusted her with a mission of vital importance before leaving to face Baannat, and even as she believed the wizard had somehow fallen in his battle with the slink ghoul, her task remained.

  With all of the crushing emotions encumbering the elf, Holli did not yet suffer from a sense of failure, but that might come as well. It was now her duty to complete the plans of her mentor. If she failed at Pinesway, then she certainly would have failed Enin, and that was something she would not accept.

  Unfortunately, while she could maintain the inner resolve to contain her grief, there were others around her that might not share her tenacity. She would need them and she could ill afford any rebellion at such calamitous news.

  All of the spell casters preparing to defend Pinesway were human. All other elf sorcerers remained in Dark Spruce prepared to protect the forest. Although elves were more adept at utilizing the magic as a race than humans, human individuals were the most prone for reaching the ultimate heights of ability. The magic casters gathered at Pinesway were some of the most powerful in the land, and the need for the sum of their talents was at hand.

  These humans deferred to Holli's authority because she represented Enin and he was superior to them all. While they might profess some deep obligation to redeem themselves as magic casters for the sins of a generation from another era, they were held together by Enin's edict. If they believed he was dead, some—or perhaps most—would simply abandon the town.

  She would not reveal the news to them, but such an announcement might not even be necessary. They were all attuned to the magic. They might notice the abrupt absence of Enin's power without any declaration on her part.

  How long could she maintain her authority?

  It was not a question she could answer on her own. Instead, she called upon Heteera immediately.

  The young sorceress entered the abandoned home that Holli used as a command post and she was already distressed.

  With one look, the elf was certain Heteera had sensed the same calamity.

  "What do you believe has happened?" Holli commanded with an even but authoritative tone.

  "He is gone." Heteera whispered. "Enin... the magic is still there, but he is not."

  This did not surprise the elf. Of course the magic would still exist. Magical energy did not die with its host. It returned to the land in some form, ready to be used by another. Heteera, with her vast reservoir of magic and her ability to absorb energy across the land, would be the most sensitive to Enin's loss. It was her control over magic that was lacking, not her connection.

  "Do you believe any of the others have sensed it?" Holli asked, hoping to determine the extent of the revelation.

  "Some probably do, but... I'm not sure."

  In a heroic effort to ignore her own inner pain, Holli brushed back the sorrow and focused on Enin's wishes. She needed to maintain control of the spell casters in order to defend Pinesway, and all of Uton. There was only one way to do that.

  "I need to tap into your energy. You have to open yourself to me."

  Heteera immediately stepped back and away from the elf and showed no sign of apology. The thought of turning her power over to the elf both angered and frightened her. She could not argue with Enin, for he could force her obedience. The elf guard, however, had no such power over her.

  In Heteera's eyes the battle was now lost. Enin was her one true hope. At the beginning—when she decided to seek out Ryson Acumen—she believed only the wizard had the power to reverse her mistake, a mistake that seemed to expand with each passing day.

  It seemed everything since then had spiraled out of control. Yes, she had convinced the delver and his wife to assist her, but where did it lead? She discovered that it was Baannat that she had recalled to the land, not Lief Woodson. As for the delver, he had unwittingly aided the slink ghoul when he destroyed the vessel created to capture dark magic.

  Still, she always believed Enin had the power to rectify each misstep, each mistake, but that was no longer the case. She revealed as much in her answer of defiance.

  "The wizard is gone!" she repeated. "It's over."

  The issue of Enin's fate stung Holli, created even more anguish, but she buried the pain. The elf guard revealed no animosity toward the sorceress, no hostility. She would not take out her grief on Heteera, but she would not accept her assertion of futility.

  "No! It is not over. Enin commanded us to do ba
ttle in this town, and that's exactly what we are going to do. All of us. If you think that Enin's fate somehow releases you from your obligations, I suggest you think again. I will fight on and my loss is the greatest. Nothing is over. We didn't simply come together in this abandoned town because a wizard ordered us to. We did so because it was necessary. It is still necessary."

  Heteera, filled with remorse, sensed a hidden meaning.

  "Why? Because this is all my fault? Is that what you're saying?"

  "Forget fault... and blame. Your very honor is at stake here, not for what you've done, but for what you will do. No one has said your help is no longer required. You were not bound here simply because Enin demanded it of you. You agreed to assist, if not by word then by action. You are released from nothing."

  Holli stepped forward to remove the distance Heteera had put between them. She made no threats, she only spelled out a simple truth.

  "Forget what you have done or what you've failed to do. Those moments are gone. It is this moment that matters—this decision, this action. I could care less what regrets you have. It does not change what we face. I only care about how you will hold to the commitment you have made here. Will you keep it or not?"

  Heteera looked to the ground with uncertainty. She did not answer.

  Holli stepped even closer. "I do not wish to argue. I need an answer, and I need it now."

  Heteera did not wish to debate, either, but all seemed so futile. Her mistakes only served to compound previous actions. She did not wish to make another error in judgment, and so, she searched for something, a ray of hope that deep down she did not believe existed.

  "What do you think you can accomplish?" the sorceress asked. "Even if I give to you all of the power within me, you can't match Enin. How can you succeed where he failed?"

  "I do not know if he failed or not. And neither do you."

  "But he's gone, I know he is."

  "And I sense the same thing. We assume he is dead, but perhaps the slink ghoul has also died."

  "I didn't think of that," Heteera confessed.

  "An important detail, and if true, one that could turn the tide to our advantage. Wouldn't you agree?"

  Heteera nodded.

  "The truth is that we are unsure of what happened. We are unsure of many things, but there is one certainty. We are bound to carry out Enin's will, and it was his wish to save the land. We will make our stand in Pinesway. We will defend the path to Connel and the eastern plains. Even if Enin has passed to a new existence, even if Baannat still lives, it does not change this. If the creatures of nightmare come into this land, we will fight them."

  "What is it you intend to do?"

  Holli would not try to conceal her intentions. She needed the sorceress to open herself completely. There could be no doubt—no mistrust—between them.

  "I'm going to probe the energies, but I need to reach beyond the emerald power of nature. I need access to all magic, and so I need help. I need to know how many spell casters have already sensed what has happened and how they might respond. I also need to reach out toward the portal and determine if our foes are advancing. Only when I know the true strength of our position and the nature of our challenge will I be able to determine what to do next."

  Heteera remained uncertain, but as Holli only appeared to seek information about their situation, she eventually submitted.

  "I will do as you ask."

  "Cast no spell of your own," Holli advised. "Do not attempt to alter the magic in anyway. I will create the link and then utilize that which is within you. Throw up no barriers—no restrictions and no alterations."

  Heteera nodded and cleared her mind. The sorceress closed her eyes and let the darkness swallow her thoughts. She focused on the emptiness of a dreamless sleep, the nothingness of a forgetful pause, and the utter void of complete indifference.

  Holli had become well versed in creating the link she now needed. She had done so many times with Enin. He had taught her the way, and though this link would not be as intimate as the wizard allowed, it would enable the elf to connect to power far beyond her own natural reserves.

  As the energy surged into the elf, she quickly felt the dramatic increase in power. At first, it was almost frightening. It did not match the depth that she experienced from Enin, but it was raw and almost bubbling with ferocity. The untamed fury almost shattered the link before it was even complete, but Holli fought against the billowing flood. She managed to control the tide as it coursed into her being, and she placed limits on the flow so that it would not overwhelm her.

  With a conduit to a power source of immeasurable reserves, Holli focused on her main concerns. Remaining as inconspicuous as a candle flame held up in front of a roaring bonfire, Holli's consciousness probed the various magical waves to all of the spell casters throughout Pinesway. She did not wish to invade their conscious thoughts or unconscious desires, but she probed for an awareness that would be impossible to hide. If any of the sorcerers knew of Enin's fate, it would be through a perception of these very same magical waves.

  It was clear that only one had perceived the loss. She would deal with that later. She needed to move her consciousness further out of Pinesway. She needed to determine the extent of the threat at the portal.

  The rift itself would serve as the anchor point. Enin had cast the spell to create a new portal, and she was very familiar with his energy. Though her link to the wizard was lost, she could ride the waves of energy to his spell and utilize her past links with Enin to gain the focus required.

  As she reached out toward the badlands before the Lacobian, she grasped echoes of the wizard's magic, except they were stronger than she expected, as if they were more than memories. She attributed this to Enin's strength. Though she very much wanted to linger in the familiar strands of her mentor's power, she kept following the trail to her ultimate goal.

  She quickly located the portal with her mind's eye and the sight did little to alleviate her fears.

  The rift had expanded far beyond the edges of Enin's barrier that once sealed it. The obstruction hung in the center, but it only served to block half the opening. Dark creatures flowed out of the elongated portal like a never ending swarm of angry bees exiting a hive of limitless size. They rushed out into two groupings; one headed southwest toward the desert and the other moved to the trees of Dark Spruce. The barrier served only to slow their progress, not stop it.

  With her main objectives met, Holli almost broke off the connection, but the vibrations of Enin's magic kept her attention. With the aid of Heteera's power, the elf reached beyond the portal, probed into the dark lands until she reconnected once more with Enin's power.

  And it was Enin. She was certain of it, but a mystery remained. She followed the strands right to Enin's body, but it was somehow... empty. It was more than the wizard simply being asleep, or even separated from his consciousness in order to explore some distant dimension. It was as if the magical energy remained in his body, but the essence of his soul had been completely removed.

  Still, she now had hope. Enin's spirit was somehow absent, separated in some strange way she could not conceive, but he was not dead. Of this, she was now sure.

  The revelation traveled through the link to Heteera's energy and it caught the sorceress' attention. She drew the same conclusion. While Enin's link to the magic of this land was somehow severed, he was not dead. Unwittingly, she joyously reached out through the magic to more closely inspect the body of the wizard.

  Once more, her lack of control forced unintended consequences. The power surged through Holli and the elf fought to contain the heaving rush. In pure desperation, she pulled her focus away from the dark lands and placed it once more on the anchor of the portal.

  Holli's spell of reaching sight tangled into massive disorder with no set objectives or limits. It exploded around the rift causing two dire results. The barrier that Enin placed to restrict movement of the dark creatures disintegrated in the expulsion of uncontroll
ed magic. The blockade was already weakened and unstable from the extension of the portal beyond its borders. It could not withstand the jolt. With the barrier destroyed, the dark creatures had unobstructed access to the entire rift.

  Beyond that, the creatures themselves took heed of the disruption. Some of the monsters with magical powers of their own, quickly followed the spell back to its source. They in turn now spied upon Pinesway and learned of the waiting magic casters.

  Holli managed to cut off the link between herself and Heteera, but the damage was done.

  Heteera babbled words unintelligible and then let out a cold sob.

  For a brief moment, Holli ignored her. She moved to a window and considered the entirety of what she had learned. Even with the accidental discharge of magic, the most important aspect was a dramatic improvement.

  Enin was not dead.

  She could not imagine what might have placed him in his current state, but as long as the wizard remained alive, there was hope... hope that Baannat could still be defeated, as well as hope that Enin would return. She could use that to bolster her forces.

  Heteera managed to speak more clearly as Holli mulled what tactics to employ over the forces they would engage.

  "I'm sorry. It all got away from me. I know you told me to clear my mind, but when I saw Enin..." she could not continue.

  Holli grew weary with the sorceress.

  "Yes, you're sorry. I know, but what are you sorry for? Are you sorry you have no control over the magic or are you sorry that you failed to follow my instructions? I can accept the first, but not the second. If you saw everything I saw, then you know what's coming at us. I'm going to need your power when they get here, and I can't allow you to continue making the same mistakes."

  Heteera almost recoiled from the harsh words... almost. But it was true. Being sorry was not helping the situation. She could not control the magic within her, but she was not being asked to control it. Her power could help win this battle, but only if she allowed others to use it. In the very near future, she had to do more than just be sorry. If not, they would all be dead.