by Inlo, Jeff
He looked to his wife who was watching him intently. Linda said nothing, but he could tell what she was thinking. She always believed in him to do what was right. They struggled against so many hardships. They survived because they stayed loyal to each other.
He then looked to Stomps, just a dog, but a living being that understood loyalty perhaps more than any human. Stomps would never judge him, but Ryson knew he needed to respect the devotion that was given to him so freely. He needed to remain who he was.
"You're right," Ryson finally admitted. "It can't be me. I can't change who I am, not even to avenge Sy. It would just be another victory for the serps."
He shook his head in disgust. His thoughts were a jumbled mass of confusion and his emotions began to take over. He looked back to Holli for help. He pleaded with equal parts of anger and sorrow.
"What do we do? The serps can't control everything we do, can they?"
"No, they cannot. You have the right idea, even the right plan. We just have to adjust it so that we keep the serps from claiming victory from any potential defeat."
Ryson understood what Holli meant.
"You think you should go, don't you?"
"Without a doubt. The land is not for you alone to carry on your back, Ryson Acumen. You have your part, as do the rest of us."
But Ryson saw Holli taking on far too much, putting her own life at stake to keep Ryson from making a mistake of his own.
"And what about the rest of us? Are we supposed to just let you take that risk?"
"If done properly, there is no risk. I believe there is a way to get to Okyiq when he is alone and vulnerable. There is an avenue I can travel, but I have to talk to Enin."
"But Enin won't help."
"Nor do I want him to, but I intend to use the magical links that now exist between him and the serps. Enin and I are connected in subtle ways. It allows me to guard him and he can share his magic with me. The serps forced a second connection upon him, one that links him to the members of their council. That link includes Okyiq. If Enin allows it, I can work my way through those connections. Okyiq might as well be holding aloft a beacon stone for me, and it will allow me the anchor I need to reach him. I can cast a sight spell through the waves of energy. I can watch him and then use the same anchor to teleport directly to his position when the time is right."
"So you can catch him when he's unguarded, but you'd still have to defeat him."
"I can handle a goblin, even a large one."
At that very moment, Enin burst through the door. He nodded to Ryson but began speaking as quickly as possible, as if he had some urgent message that could not wait. He looked pale and shaken, almost unsteady on his feet. His voice was halting as he directed his attention toward his elf apprentice and guard.
"Holli, I need to speak to you about something... important. There's a great deal going on right now. Well, I guess that's obvious."
Enin had to stop. He looked away from the others in the room, stared at a blank wall.
"Are you alright?" Ryson asked.
"Are any of us?" Enin responded rhetorically, but then stiffened as he looked once more to Holli. "It just occurred to me that I never really talked with you about what happened in Portsans. That wasn't right of me. I allowed the serps to take a portion of my magic so they could watch me. I forgot that you and I are also linked in a certain fashion. You might have believed that my decision affected you in some manner, put you in danger. I want you to know that is not the case."
Enin held up his hand to make it clear he didn't want anyone to speak until he completed his thought.
"The connection we share is as much through your magic as it is mine. To a degree, I can seal that off. The magic I gave to Neltus was my own. It holds no connection to you. There's no way anyone can utilize our link to spy on you. That's very important. "
"I see," Holli responded, and she believed there was a message within Enin's declaration. "Can you tell me more?"
"Just remember that even though I might know your circumstances, even what you might be thinking, that information will remain with me and no one else. Your private considerations will not travel through the magic. That is, as long as you don't actually tell me about it beforehand. If we speak about something, then it enters my consciousness in a different way. As long as you don't say anything, your thoughts will remain private. Considering all that has happened, I thought it was important for you to know. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"I do," Holli replied, but said no more.
Enin turned to Ryson and placed a hand on the delver's shoulder.
"I know about Sy. I'm very sorry about what happened. Perhaps when this is over we can talk more about it. I believe... I believe Sy remained true to himself right to the end." Enin paused again, but only for a moment. He took a heavy breath and spoke openly about his feelings. "He battled for Burbon, and that was his purpose. I know he didn't want things to end this way, but he fought to the very end and I know that was important to him. I'll miss him."
Ryson wasn't sure what to say. He had never seen Enin so visibly shaken, so emotional. All the delver could do was reveal his own sorrow.
"I'll miss him, too. I keep thinking there was something I could have done..."
"Don't go down that road," Enin interrupted forcibly. "It's a dark trail. I know. What's important is that you found a way to escape, even after what happened. I shouldn't be surprised. You can be a most astonishing individual without changing who you are. That trait can come in handy. Remember that and stick to it. It's more important now than ever."
Enin then left the room just as abruptly as he entered, but he was followed by all his canine companions.
The delver wasn't quite sure what the wizard meant, but he believed there was a significant purpose for his brief visit.
"What was that all about?" Ryson asked of Holli.
"He was telling us to go forward with our plan," the elf replied with certainty, "but we must not involve him in any open discussions. As I hoped, I can use the magical links to my advantage and the serps will not know as long as we don't tell Enin. He will keep my actions veiled from the serps by not actively mixing his magic with mine, but I can still get to Okyiq."
The explanation seemed reasonable enough. Ryson didn't completely understand how the magic worked between spell casters, but it was clear Enin wanted to deliver a message to Holli. The delver also believed there was a message for him as well, something the wizard had said at the end.
"I don't think that's all he was saying," Ryson added. "I know you're right about Okyiq. It can't be me. Enin admitted the same thing without coming out and saying it, but he also basically said I can be a surprise. That's what I still think I have to do. Taking out Okyiq is only a part of what we need to do. I'll let you handle that, but I have to do more."
"Do you have something in mind?"
"I do. I have to talk to the algors. Actually, I'm going to do more than just talk. I want to convince them that Bol Folarok isn't their true concern. That's part of what's tying our hands. We're all afraid of a potential war between the dwarves and the algors, and it has to be stopped. I'm the one that has a chance to do it. Just like you're going to use your connections to get to Okyiq, I'll use the link I have with the algors."
"I believe the idea has merit," Holli acknowledged.
Ryson turned to Jure.
"You've been awfully quiet about all this. What do you think?"
Jure considered everything he had heard and seen. He could not deny the tension that was building all around him. Despite Connel falling under the protection of Enin, there was a growing sense of catastrophe in almost every corner of the city. He could feel it through the magic that flowed across the land.
"I think the serps have to be stopped," Jure admitted. "I saw the flood that came at Connel. I wasn't happy about that. Creatures that would endanger an entire city just to get their own way have to be dealt with harshly."
"I agree, and dealing
with the algors is a step in that direction. I think you can help me. I've watched you. You like discipline and a chain of command. You're a lot like Sy in that regard. Are you willing to take orders from me?"
"What exactly are you going to do?"
"I'm going to start turning things in a new direction. I actually want to surprise the serps, do something they would never expect. They've been holding Bol Folarok and the algors over our heads like a dagger on a thread. I want to cut that thread and let the dagger fall. Maybe it's a mistake, but at least we'll be forcing the serps to respond to us. I realized after listening to Holli that these serps have been moving us around like tokens on a child's board game. It's time I started making some moves on my own. I'm not about to say I can outthink a serp, but I know something about maneuvering. I may not be as clever as they are, but I can be faster. Let's see if they can keep up. Are you game?"
Chapter 24
Jure could not dismiss the opportunity before him. He had no doubts about Ryson Acumen's character or his abilities. The delver had been at the forefront of many significant battles, struggled to defeat malevolent forces, and often placed the safety and security of others over his own welfare. Jure not only respected the delver, in many ways, he hoped to emulate him.
There were, however, certain aspects of Ryson's behavior that the wizard could not completely condone. While Jure found solace in accepting the role of dutiful soldier and often sought guidance from the reassuring hand of providence, he noted a streak of near rebellious independence within the delver. The wizard looked upon Ryson as a mystery formed by a contradiction of ideals.
He had seen Ryson offer absolute loyalty to his friends and, at times, convey unqualified trust to a higher power, but Jure also knew the delver burned with what the wizard could only describe as a desire for unfettered comprehension and a zeal for unequivocal virtue. Those cravings often put Ryson at odds with others in authority, led him to ignore certain standards of orderly behavior, and even influenced the delver to seek answers limited to what he could uncover with his powerful senses. Jure wondered if pure faith was even possible for an individual of such demanding curiosity.
In essence, Ryson Acumen's principles and passions placed him in an interesting state of unrest. While puzzling, it almost made sense when applying it to the very foundation of Ryson's character and personality. It might have been the only state in which the delver could truly be himself. It was a state Jure wanted to examine more closely.
Based on Ryson's directions, Jure teleported himself and the delver to the eastern edge of Portsans. They entered the port city without raising attention, and Jure began to utilize his own magical gifts to analyze their surroundings. It was Ryson's hope to find Bol Folarok, and Jure believed he could assist by searching for irregularities in the surging energy.
While the wizard carefully examined the magical waves rolling across the region, the delver completed a few scouts, reviewed some maps, and talked to quite a few miners. It took some time, but the investment was necessary. With the information he obtained—as well as what was revealed to him by Queen Therese—Ryson narrowed the point of their focus to a location near certain hills to the south of Portsans. He led Jure to the entrance of an abandoned gold mine.
"I don't know exactly where it is," the delver admitted, "but I think it's very close. Therese told me SandsFine was abandoned because of human mining. This is one of the deepest mines in the area. If we find the cavern, we should find the agents the serps are using to keep tabs on Bol Folarok, and Bol himself."
"If those spies are nearby and the serps are in some kind of magical contact with them, then I can find them," Jure replied, "I've been studying the magic in the area. If there's a distinct link, I'll be able to sense it."
Jure considered what he was about to do and where it would lead them. He placed Ryson's plan in context with other events, notably the decision by Enin to accept a bargain with the serps. If he and Ryson were successful, a portion of that bargain would unravel. The move was exactly the kind of unconventional and unconstrained action that Ryson hoped to achieve, but it was also an inherently dangerous maneuver the wizard found difficult to understand.
"I know we're not supposed to include Enin," Jure noted before searching for any anomalies within the magical energy, "but this is basically what he wanted to avoid. Do you really think this is a smart move?"
"Smart? Absolutely not. It's a risky play, maybe even a stupid one, but it's one the serps won't expect."
"I'm not sure that makes me feel any better. What was it that Holli said? She said that making poor choices was just as bad as being manipulated. I don't want to make a mistake just to surprise the serps. This is starting..."
Jure stopped suddenly. He quickly realized the real mistake was questioning the delver and his plans.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I agreed to follow you here, so I shouldn't be doubting you."
"Don't worry about it. I'd rather have you speak out now... before it's too late. What are you worried about?"
"I'm worried we might be creating a bigger problem than the one we currently have. If we go through with this, we could be starting the very conflict Enin wanted to avoid."
"That could be, but how smart is it to leave that choice in the hands of the serps? I don't care what kind of deal they have with Enin, when it suits their purposes, the serps will use Bol Folarok in any fashion they want. All I want to do is take that decision out of their hands. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of them dictating every issue. Maybe it all blows up in my face, but then again, maybe I can finally do something I know the serps can't influence. Whatever happens, I'll know it's by my hand, not theirs. I can live with that kind of failure, can you?"
For the most part, Jure had been on the sidelines of the conflict. He saw the flood raging toward Connel, but everything else came to him from secondhand stories. He heard from Holli what happened in Portsans, and it frustrated him. He heard from Ryson of Okyiq's assault on Burbon, and it angered him. While he might not have agreed with Ryson's methods or his logic, he could not argue with the delver's intentions. The serps were creating chaos and conflict to suit their own selfish desires, twisting events without regard to the people they hurt or the damage they caused. It was the worse form of abuse he could imagine, and he wanted it to end.
One last time, Jure considered the possible consequences of their actions. The delver's plan was wrought with problems of its own, but they were challenges based on truth, not deception. They were going to force the issue out into the open. It was a dangerous path, one that might lead to all out war, but it was a course that broke the bonds of serp influence. Jure saw both the benefits and the risks. He knew failure might be monumental.
Could he live with it?
He answered with absolute certainty.
"Yes, I can."
"Then let's find Bol."
"I can't guarantee finding Bol," Jure warned. "He's not the one I'm going to be looking for. Dwarves are resistant to magic, and trying to find him underground would be like trying to locate a candle flame in a burning fire pit. But if the serps have someone watching Bol, then they're probably using a connection that flows over the magic. That'll stand out, unless of course they were bluffing about it. "
"I don't think they were," Ryson offered. "It's not that I think they're above lying, but this was too big an issue for them. The whole deal with Enin hinged on keeping Bol away from the algors. I don't think they could afford to make that kind of bluff."
"Well, there's only one way to find out."
Jure looked down the dark shaft of the abandoned mine, but he didn't use his eyes to seize his intended target. He reached out to the magic that flowed across the land. The energy pulsed through his essence, and he could follow along strands both thick and thin. His perception allowed him to pick through the magical vibrations, find variations within the energy. He could sense unique flows and mystical intentions, even far underground.
As h
e allowed his perception to race through the currents, he deftly plucked at the strings, hoping to discover a slight trace of serp manipulation imbedded in the magic. He did so with subtle care, flowing serenely with the streams. He left no mark of his own within the currents, nothing that might disturb the magic and alert others to his presence.
His greatest challenge involved restraining his focus to the energy streaming below the surface of the land. Across Uton, the magic flowed in billowing waves. Pure in form, it contained varied elements connected to vast foundations of particular brilliance. A great surge of power called to him from the west. It was beyond his sight, but he knew its source.
Though he achieved the ability to cast in pure white, his initial connection to the magic centered upon the blue essence of water. Jure might have reached equal proficiency in all hues, but the deep blue folds of mystical energy would always remain the inherent base of his power. So close to the western ocean, he could feel the vast accumulation of its intrinsic energy. If not for his disciplined nature, the pulsating call of the great sea would have overwhelmed him.
Carefully picking through distinct streams, Jure ultimately found the variation in power for which he searched. The energy was not imbued with a specific casting, but it held the clear distinction of dominance. One single strand of magic became a conduit for the sharing of information.
Jure took delicate hold of the strand. He took great care not to impair it in any way. Without revealing his presence, he placed a small portion of his consciousness into the flow, and he allowed his perception to travel through the conduit to its final destination.
He did not cast a sight spell, so he could not see with perfect detail, but the shadowy image of several dark creatures in a large cavern tumbled into his mind. The magical stream gave him an exact position, and he knew he could reach it.
