The magnitude of the damage settled on Alexander. “What happens when the heartstone fails?”
“It will fall and shatter,” Balthazar said. “The Keep will lose all of its magical protections and weapons, but it will retain its natural fortifications.”
“How long?”
“Depending on the degree of wobble, a few months, maybe a year,” Balthazar said.
“Will it degrade gradually or will it all go out at once?”
“Bits and pieces will begin to fail, sometimes sporadically until the heartstone topples and shatters. Everything will stop working at that point.”
“What would it take to fix it?”
“An arch mage enchanter with the right instruction,” Balthazar said. “I can provide the instruction, but you must provide the enchanter.”
“The Guild Mage is an enchanter. Can you help me help him become an arch mage?”
“If you have a sufficient quantity of Wizard’s Dust,” Balthazar said.
“I don’t at the moment. But Lucky is a master alchemist,” Alexander said. “How can I help him become a mage so we can make the Wizard’s Dust we need?”
“That is much easier, although not without challenge. I can teach you a series of exercises for him to perform that will expand his understanding of his link with the firmament. If he practices diligently, he will be able to advance.”
“Good, let’s start there,” Alexander said.
Balthazar taught him a single exercise and drilled him until he could repeat it verbatim without error.
“When you leave here, go to a quiet place and write this exercise down for your friend. Once you’ve related the task to him and he’s practicing the exercise, I will provide the next in the series.”
“Very well, although I may need to leave Lucky to his studies here in the Keep,” Alexander said. “If that’s the case, I’ll need all of the exercises before I depart.”
“Of course, but these things are best done at a measured pace and in the correct sequence,” Balthazar said.
“Lucky knows what’s at stake, he’ll do what he must.”
So much had happened since he last spoke with the council. He wanted to make sure he consulted them on every matter of importance. Their counsel might provide some vital bit of knowledge but it all hinged on giving them complete information and asking the right questions.
“Isabel has become a Sky Knight and one of the triumvirs of the Reishi Coven,” Alexander said. “She’s brought the forces of the fortress island to our side in this war and they’ve already proven invaluable. They helped sink a fleet of Lancer transport ships from Andalia and they delivered the weapons that destroyed the legions dug in at Northport.”
Balthazar smiled with satisfaction. “Well done, Alexander. Choosing the woman you will spend your life with is the most important decision any sovereign, indeed any man, will ever make. It sounds like you’ve chosen well.”
“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, but that’s not why I’ve mentioned her. Prior to being taken by the Sky Knights, she had been poisoned. We used a potion made with fairy dust to stay the poison for a time but it wasn’t a cure. Mage Gamaliel found an item in the stores within Blackstone Keep that he believed was her best hope and had it transported to the fortress island.
“It was made by an arch mage named Desiderates.”
Both Constantine and Darius sat forward with increased interest.
“As Isabel explained it to me, the item was a wish spell.”
Constantine tipped his head back and laughed with pure joy.
“He was finally successful? After all those years of failure,” Constantine said, shaking his head. “He never did know how to give up. I always admired that trait in him.”
“He asked Isabel that I relay a message to you that he won your bet.”
Constantine laughed again.
“He was never satisfied with success until others knew that he had succeeded,” Constantine said. “I am curious about the workings of his spell.”
“Apparently, he bound the essence of his consciousness and soul to a small box. When Isabel invoked the spell and opened the box, she found herself within a place out of the world of time and substance where she had a conversation with Desiderates. He looked into her mind and then offered to help her in every way he could.
“He cured her poison. For that I’m forever in his debt. But he did much more. The Guild Mage had given Isabel a necklace that allowed her to talk to animals with her mind. Desiderates amplified the power of the necklace and bound it to her so that she can not only communicate with animals but command them as well.
“Unfortunately, during the journey to the Valley of the Fairy Queen, we were attacked by a demon possessing a big cat. Once the cat was killed, the demon possessed Isabel’s horse. When she tried to calm her horse through the power of her necklace, the demon touched her mind, opening a rift to the netherworld within her unconscious and drawing her into the darkness. I followed her in and brought her back out, unknowingly freeing the shades in the process, and leaving the rift to the darkness present in her mind.”
The sovereigns stared at him silently.
“Desiderates gave her conscious control over the passageway so that she can keep it closed and prevent the darkness from using her ever again.”
“A connection to the netherworld is as dangerous as it is powerful,” Balthazar said. “Has she attempted to use it for anything?”
“No. Magda, one of the triumvirs of the Reishi Coven, warned her to keep the passage closed.”
“Good, I would suggest you reinforce her warning,” Balthazar said. “No good can come from the darkness, no matter what the denizens of the netherworld promise.”
Alexander nodded. “There’s more. When I became bound to Chloe, the Fairy Queen demanded that I sire a fairy child through Isabel. The conception opened a conduit within Isabel’s psyche to the realm of light. Desiderates made this conduit accessible at will, rather than only subconsciously.”
The Reishi Sovereigns sat in dumb silence for a moment before Constantine smiled and shook his head. “I’d say my old friend outdid himself.”
“I would tend to agree,” Balthazar said. “An active connection to the realm of light has the potential to be magnificently powerful.”
Alexander nodded. “After Isabel survived the mana fast, she was able to tap into the realm of light to heal others and even created a spell that channels the Maker’s light into a beam capable of banishing a scourgling.”
“Impossible!” Malachi protested.
“She saved my life with it,” Alexander answered. “I’m telling you all of this to provide background so you can help me save her. Phane has been busy. He’s created a unit of soldiers bound with creatures from the netherworld—they’re called wraithkin.
“These men have powers like nothing I’ve ever faced before. They can teleport short distances, healing any injuries they’ve sustained instantly each time. I’ve only succeeded in killing them by attacking the head. They bested the Commander of the Reishi Protectorate, a battle mage, and killed another mage in our first encounter, not to mention nearly a dozen Rangers.
“I was injured during that fight and Isabel tried to heal me, but failed. We’ve since come to understand that the wraithkin’s daggers are enchanted to infect the wound of those injured so that any attempt to magically heal the wound will fail. Ultimately, I was healed through the use of fairy dust, but they tell me it stopped my heart for a time before the taint was eliminated.
“More importantly, healers who attempt to use magic on the injured are infected with some form of dark magic. We’ve already lost one wizard who tried to heal an injured soldier.”
Alexander took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out all at once.
“Isabel’s colors are tainted with darkness. It doesn’t seem to have any effect on her connection with the firmament but her link to the realm of light has been compromised.
I’m terrified that the taint might spread.”
Malachi started to laugh slowly and deliberately. “My son will be victorious in the end. He’s taken your Keep. He’s taken your woman. It’s only a matter of time before he takes your life and the Sovereign Stone with it.”
Demetrius sat forward, scowling. “You are my own son, Malachi, and I count Alexander as a far better addition to this council than you.”
Malachi started to protest but Alexander stopped him with a raised hand.
“You’ve caused so much suffering, so much pain, so many lives lost and all for your petty self-importance. Be silent. Nobody cares what you think anymore.”
Malachi sat back, brooding with rage, but said nothing.
“Have you examined the weapons responsible for her condition?” Balthazar asked.
“Mage Gamaliel has. He reports that the dagger acts as a conduit for the darkness within the wraithkin rather than causing the taint itself.”
Balthazar frowned. “Dark magic is insidious. When I first became aware of its potential, I began to study the netherworld but quickly discovered the cost of such magic. Once I realized how dangerous it was, I stopped my studies, destroyed all of my research, and forbade all Reishi-trained wizards from pursuing any form of dark magic.
“Unfortunately, it would seem that my precautions have rendered me ignorant of the capabilities and workings of netherworld magic. I’m afraid I can’t offer any insight into the nature of the taint within Isabel. I’m sorry, Alexander.”
Alexander nodded slightly as his gaze fell to the table. He needed something—anything to help Isabel. The men at this table had more collective experience and magical knowledge than Kelvin’s entire guild. If they couldn’t offer a solution, or at least a line of reasoning that might lead to a solution, then no one could.
His eyes came up quickly when the thought occurred to him. He turned toward Malachi with a humorless grin.
“You know something about this, don’t you?”
Malachi’s face contorted with rage but he answered nonetheless.
“Of course I do, you simpleton! Who do you think taught Phane the dark arts?” Malachi spat with open derision. “His knowledge is so far beyond you that I could explain it to you in minute detail and you still wouldn’t even understand it, much less be able to help your wench.”
Malachi started to laugh at the look of smoldering anger clouding Alexander’s face.
“She will die badly, which I suspect is Phane’s plan. He was always one for making his enemies suffer before he dispatched them.”
Alexander reined in his anger to clear his mind. This was no less a battle than any sword fight he’d ever been in. The world faded away and the details of the battlefield came into sharp focus. He needed the information that Malachi possessed but he was quite certain that the Sixth Sovereign would resist at every turn, offering him no information that he wasn’t specifically asked for and Alexander had no idea what questions to ask.
As he thought over his dilemma, a smile spread across his face.
“Malachi, I command you to answer fully and truthfully any and all questions posed by any of the other sovereigns at this council table.”
Malachi snarled a curse as Alexander turned to Balthazar.
“Question him and obtain the information necessary to offer me a solution to Isabel’s condition. Take all the time you need and be thorough in your interrogation.”
Balthazar smiled, openly appraising Alexander for a moment before turning to Malachi.
What followed was nearly incomprehensible to Alexander. The five sovereigns loyal to the Old Law interrogated Malachi for several hours, extracting esoteric and complex magical concepts from their reluctant subject, asking questions in multiple ways to ensure they had a complete understanding of the idea they were attempting to understand before discussing each concept amongst themselves.
Alexander was patient, even though his emotions bubbled under the surface. The complexity and intricacy of the ideas these ancient arch mages were discussing simply surpassed him. He would need a lifetime of study and experience to begin to grasp the concepts being bandied about, let alone employ them in any meaningful way, and that was assuming he had the necessary calling in the first place.
He began to feel a weight of despair settle on him as he realized the magnitude of the magic that created the taint working within Isabel. At first, the five sovereigns struggled to understand the principles of dark magic they learned from interrogating Malachi, but after some time and discussion they began to seem more sure of their understanding.
While Alexander didn’t comprehend much of what they said, he tried to follow their line of reasoning as much as possible. The despair he was feeling began to morph into a kind of visceral terror as he realized that Isabel was once again at risk of being claimed by the darkness, not simply killed but taken heart and soul.
He pieced together a few details but reserved judgment because he was out of his depth. He trusted Balthazar and the other sovereigns. If there was a solution to the threat Isabel faced, they would find it.
The interrogation ebbed and flowed, sometimes the sovereigns peppered Malachi with questions one after the other, other times they discussed what they’d learned, piecing it together with what they had already surmised.
After they were confident that they had drawn all of the necessary information from Malachi, they began to discuss options for healing Isabel of the netherworld magic. Alexander listened with rapt attention. They argued and debated possibilities until they finally had a working theory.
The table fell silent and Balthazar fixed Alexander with a firm but empathetic gaze.
Chapter 12
“I must preface what I’m about to say with the caveat that this is all speculation, albeit quite informed speculation.”
Alexander nodded for him to continue.
“We do not believe that the wraithkin could exist and function as they do in the world of time and substance without an active connection to a creature of the netherworld … specifically, a wraith.
“Wraith are insubstantial creatures that feed on the life energy of their victims. It is for this power that we believe Phane has summoned a wraith and bound it to his will to be used in the creation of his wraithkin. How he has accomplished such a thing is beyond our understanding, but one thing is certain, the taint of the wraithkin’s magic draws its dark power from the presence of the parent wraith within the world of time and substance. Eliminate the parent and you will undo both the wraithkin and the taint they’ve left through their daggers.”
“How do I destroy it?” Alexander asked.
“Much like a shade, it cannot be killed, only banished,” Balthazar said. “There have been many spells created for just such a purpose but most require the power of a mage to be successful.”
“Where can I find a banishing spell?”
“There were three variations contained within the private library in the Reishi Keep,” Demetrius said.
Malachi chuckled but said nothing.
“Why do you laugh?” Alexander demanded.
“I moved all of the spells capable of combating dark magic out of the Keep and into my Wizard’s Den,” Malachi said with a smirk. “You have exactly what you need dangling from your neck and yet it’s quite beyond your grasp.”
Alexander felt frustration begin to build within him again, but he shoved it aside with ruthless severity. He needed to remain calm and focused.
Be driven by emotion but ruled by reason.
“How long before I can access the Wizard’s Den?” Alexander asked.
“That I do not know,” Balthazar said. “It has been different for each of us, but in each case it required a period of several months after bonding with the Sovereign Stone. You will know the time is near when the Stone begins to pulse with light. Within a day after it first pulses, the Wizard’s Den will open spontaneously. You will be able to control it at will from that point forward.”
&n
bsp; “How long does Isabel have?”
“We cannot know,” Balthazar answered. “The taint could work very quickly or take years to do its damage. Much depends on Phane’s intent when he created the wraithkin. Most likely, the taint will advance more quickly if she uses her magic and especially her link with the realm of light.”
“Is there any way to cure her without destroying the wraith?”
“Perhaps, but it will require much and may not work in the end,” Balthazar said.
“Whatever it takes.”
Balthazar nodded with understanding. “I believe a potion could be concocted that would banish the darkness from within while preserving the flesh. In the past, most such potions have failed, killing the subject in the process. In Isabel’s case, given her unique connections to the light and the dark, it is impossible to know how such a potion would affect her.”
“I’d rather banish the wraith but that may prove impossible,” Alexander said. “I have no doubt that Phane’s taken precautions against such an attack and I’m no match for him.”
“I’m not sure I agree,” Constantine said. “With Mindbender, you may be able to defeat Phane in a direct confrontation. However, I doubt he would ever risk such an engagement.”
“Regardless,” Alexander said, “I need to be prepared for the possibility that I can’t banish the wraith. What do I need to create this potion and why is it so dangerous?”
“Darkness is insidious,” Balthazar said. “When it invades a person, it works its tendrils into their very soul. Power great enough to rip it free and cast it away is also powerful enough to leave the victim’s soul in tatters and their consciousness scattered in the firmament. However, it has been done.
“As I neared the end of my reign, a distant cousin of mine, Reishi-trained and quite powerful, began dabbling in the dark arts. I discovered his treason and destroyed him but not before he tainted one of my nieces with darkness. She was young and innocent, which is, I’m quite sure, why he chose her. Darkness loves nothing more than to corrupt the pure of heart. His curse didn’t allow a demon to possess her but instead opened a passage into her unconscious mind through which voices from the darkness could whisper to her.
Blood of the Earth Page 10
