Spells of Old (Ancient Dreams Book 2)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “You’re as daring as ever, dear. May I hope that you at least used an assumed name?” Ulvian asked, wincing slightly. Halstad was nowhere near Kelvanis, but with the plans he was preparing, the last thing he needed was the wealthy kingdom taking offense at Elissa’s presence.

  “Of course I did!” Elissa looked scandalized at the thought, glaring at him. “Now, why don’t you tell me why you called for me to come here? I still haven’t found a way to gain eternal youth, so please don’t waste my time.”

  “More to the point, what would you do for eternal youth, Elissa?” Ulvian asked, grinning broadly.

  Sitting up abruptly, Elissa’s eyebrows rose for a moment, then dropped as she studied him carefully. It took her a long moment before she spoke, her tone thoughtful. “You don’t look like you’re lying, exaggerating, or trying to joke around. So, I suppose I’ll answer. I’m not going to be one of your Lady’s direct servants, and I want to remain human. But aside from that? I would give nearly anything save for my own magic. You should know that.”

  “Indeed, that I do. But I had to be certain that you hadn’t changed your mind,” Ulvian agreed, and stood again as he smiled, offering a hand to help her to her feet. “Come with me, if you would? I have something I need to show you and an offer, but I can’t tell you here.”

  “Now you have my curiosity positively piqued. Why me?” Elissa asked, taking his hand to stand gracefully.

  Ulvian opened the door and offered his arm to the elegant sorceress, then began leading the way down the hallway. He didn’t reply until they’d passed into halls guarded by his own magic, as he reached a doorway that was sealed by as much power as he’d been able to muster, and his voice was grave. “Because you’re the only one I trust to do it right, and who I trust to actually do the job, Elissa. Out of your own self-interest, if nothing else.”

  “That seems fair. Just as I know you’re going to keep building up Kelvanis because of your own ambitions,” Elissa agreed, her eyes narrowing as Ulvian laid a hand on the doorway and slowly unsealed it. “This is heavier security than I expected.”

  “You’ll understand in a few moments,” Ulvian assured her as the door opened at last, eerily silent when they could see the metal core of the wooden door, solid steel that was three inches thick. They stepped through and he closed it behind them with a strangely final tone.

  Leading the way down the hallway and downstairs, Ulvian stepped into the room where Medaea lay, gesturing grandly at her and turning to Elissa with a smile. “I present unto you the goddess Medaea. She has been branded to serve My Lady, and is currently being gradually corrupted. Next year, she will be at a sufficient stage that we can reveal her as a newfound deific guardian of Kelvanis. However, for that I need a new name for her, and a church to the faith of our Goddess in Chains.”

  Smiling broadly at Elissa’s stunned expression, he finished. “All we need is a new High Priestess who can shape her new religion, and who can make people trust her. Interested, Elissa?”

  The sorceress paused for a long moment, and then a slow smile grew on her face. “A captive goddess, corrupted to your will? How very daring. I love it. Tell me more.”

  Chapter 17

  Located at the northern end of Yisara’s most fertile farmland, Golden Vale was a lovely forest valley with an entire community dedicated to serving the annual visits of the country’s nobility. The entire town seemed to have built everything around only two weeks each year, an aspect which always made Beryl feel a little uncomfortable. She felt that the town really should rely on more than just the annual gathering, but there was little she could do to encourage them to branch out. Maybe once she was queen, but not before.

  “Come on, Beryl, we need to get going! We’re almost there,” Jaine urged after they’d been looking over the valley for a minute. The younger princess flicked a lock of her golden hair out of her face, adding, “I want a bath and a good bed tonight, not a cot.”

  “We’ll be to the manor soon enough, Jaine,” Beryl replied gently, shaking her head at her younger sister. “And we’ll be here an entire week. You don’t need to be in such a hurry.”

  “Maybe we will, but Daren said he’d be here a day early,” Jaine replied somewhat tartly, glowering at her sister. “I’d rather get there sooner.”

  “Daren? Which one?” Beryl blinked in mild surprise, giving her sister a speculative look. “I can think of no less than three people by the name of Daren who’ll be here this week.”

  Jaine gave her a weird look for a moment, then her eyes brightened. “Oh, right! You were at that trade conference with the representatives of Sirshif for most of the past couple of weeks! Daren Silverwood. I met him at Lady Redwood’s ball, and he was really nice.”

  “Ah, yes… second son of Earl Silverwood, yes?” Beryl paused, considering what she remembered of the young man in question. He was modestly handsome, spirited, and vain, but that put him in a better light than about half of the noble sons she’d met. Looking at her sister with a raised eyebrow, Beryl asked gently, “I presume that father and mother know?”

  “Uhh… not yet. I wasn’t sure how much I liked him, so I didn’t bother telling them,” Jaine admitted, looking away as her horse shifted beneath her.

  “Jaine… you should know better.” Beryl sighed, looking up at the sky as she counted slowly to ten. “Be careful, and tell them when we get home, please? They’ll be understanding.”

  “I don’t know. Dad can get pretty over-protective.” Jaine hesitated, but as Beryl gave her a hard look, the younger woman’s ears drooped slightly as she sighed and nodded. “Alright, alright, I’ll tell them. But can we get going?”

  “Just make sure you have an escort and I won’t interfere,” Beryl told her sister with a slight smile, shaking her head again. “But yes, we can. Captain? If you’d lead the way?”

  “Of course, Your Highness,” Captain Cebine replied, and gestured the guards forward down the trail toward Golden Vale.

  “Finally!” Major Thompson couldn’t stop himself from speaking as they finally reached the temple. His reports of the path had described the route as if it were easy, but his own force didn’t have ten Enforcers, and he’d found that the trip was far more difficult than described.

  There hadn’t been any individual creature or group that had made the trip more difficult, either. It was probably the sheer size of his force that had drawn the attacks, like the mountain viper that had slipped into the camp and killed a soldier before being found, or the mountain lion which had ambushed a scout. It had just been slow, steady attrition, ending with him having lost nearly twenty soldiers just through random minor attacks. But at long last, they had reached their objective.

  Priestesses in the valley fields were harvesting, and the women seemed startled as the soldiers began to stream toward their temple. They quickly retreated toward the temple, and Thompson sighed, looking at the Enforcer and asking, “Would you mind going and getting the priestesses under control?”

  “Certainly, Major.” Corvek nodded and smiled slightly. “At least we know they’ll all obey. Just be certain that the soldiers know that they are not for sampling. Kelvanis could use the income these ladies will provide.”

  “Of course, Enforcer. I intend to make it crystal clear,” Thompson replied, suppressing his annoyance at the slight on his competence.

  “Excellent.” Corvek smiled before he began to jog down the mountainside, adroitly avoiding rocks in a way that Thompson could only envy.

  Shaking his head, Thompson began leading his horse down the path carefully. At least they were here. A day’s rest, and then they could commence the attack on Golden Vale.

  Chapter 18

  “Sistina? What are you taking me to see?” Phynis asked, looking up at the taller dryad.

  Looking down, Sistina smiled and patted Phynis’ arm where it was looped through the dryad’s elbow. Her voice was soft as she spoke warmly. “Surprise.”

  “Oh? Is this the surprise you mentioned before?�
� Phynis asked, raising her eyebrows.

  “No. Different surprise,” the dryad replied, shaking her head with a mysterious smile.

  “Hmm… well, is this surprise far?” Phynis asked, looking around speculatively.

  They were in the main cavern of the dungeon, only a dozen yards from the dryad’s tree, following a small, scenic path down the small hill. Sistina had indicated she wanted to show Phynis something, and they hadn’t gone far just yet.

  Shaking her head, Sistina smiled and pointed ahead of them. Blinking in surprise, Phynis’ eyes narrowed at the sight of a new, stone-lined path off to the left side of the path they were on. It led toward the side of the next hill over from Sistina’s, and she glanced at the dryad again, teasing. “You’re showing me that you put in a stone-lined path? How impressive.”

  Sistina sighed, then led the way along the path. After a half-dozen yards, it came to an end, this time as it stopped in front of a doorway piercing the side of the hill. Phynis paused for a moment, frowning. The door hadn’t been there the day before, she knew that much, which made this stranger, though considering that Sistina could alter the dungeon, not that strange. The door was simple, dark-hued wood, but it had a brass handle and keyhole. Sistina offered Phynis a key with a smile on her face.

  Looking at the key dubiously, Phynis took it and inserted it into the lock. The lock turned over quite smoothly, surprising her at how easy it was. Most of the time, she found locks weren’t very smooth in locking or unlocking. Removing the key, she cautiously opened the door, stepping inside, and paused as surprise almost overwhelmed her.

  The interior of the hill was almost completely hollow. All the walls were covered in wood paneling, and a wall with a door set into it cut them off from about a third of the hill, leaving a chamber about thirty feet across. A glowing orb hanging from the ceiling emitted soft golden light through the room as well. Thick rugs covered a polished wooden floor, and to the left was a large bed made with soft-looking pink sheets. Near one wall was a copy of the wardrobe from her current room, along with a vanity complete with a mirror, a writing desk, a table with four chairs, and a sofa as well. Phynis blinked, stepping into the room with some trepidation.

  She slowly approached the wardrobe and opened it, only to find that it was filled with dresses and other clothing the right size for her. Closing the wardrobe, she checked the door. On the other side was a tiled room with the soft echo of flowing water. A large pool of steaming water was set into a marble outcropping, fed by a stone urn on one side, and seeming to be drained by a series of small holes on the other side of the pool. On the wall were another set of shelves and a mirror, where a basket of toiletries was resting, along with several towels.

  “Sistina? What is this?” Phynis asked, turning to look at the dryad, who was standing in the doorway.

  “Your room. Present.” Sistina’s voice was soft as she shrugged, but Phynis felt an undertone of nervousness to the dryad as she added, “Nearby. Like?”

  “That… I mean, I love it, but I thought you were saving mana for important things,” Phynis protested, gesturing around her in combined shock and embarrassment. At the same time, her cheeks heated and warmth welled up inside at the evidence of how much Sistina cared. “Why this?”

  Sistina looked at Phynis for a moment, then slowly walked into the room. Stepping up to Phynis, she pulled her into a hug, taking a deep, obvious sniff of Phynis’ hair. Blinking, Phynis relaxed into the hug, letting Sistina’s calm warmth and affection wash over her. And when Sistina spoke, she flushed. “You are important. Others… I want. You? I need. Want to make happy.”

  “You’re embarrassing me, Sistina,” Phynis mumbled, burying her face in Sistina’s shoulder.

  Giggling, Sistina put a finger under Phynis’ chin and gently drew her gaze upward. Looking into the dryad’s deep green eyes, Phynis blushed again as the dryad drew her into a deep kiss. For a long minute, there was nothing but the warmth of one another, and the kiss came to a gentle end.

  “I love the room. Thank you,” Phynis spoke shyly, happiness permeating her as she smiled, closing her eyes as she leaned into the dryad and sighed.

  Adjusting the sensor’s position slightly, Albert nodded politely as a group of adventurers who’d arrived with him headed down the hall toward the dungeon proper. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, Guildmaster,” one of them replied, nodding slightly as the man readied his machete.

  The group hardly paused, though, and Albert didn’t mind that at all. He was in the entryway of the dungeon, maybe a half-dozen steps inside. It allowed him to take a few readings of the mana levels inside the dungeon, though getting a reading of something from much deeper inside would be better. On the other hand, he had an idea for how to get a proper reading from deep inside the dungeon. He wasn’t sure it would work, but there was no harm in trying.

  A chime from his recorder made him nod in satisfaction, and he dislodged his sensor, folding the legs carefully. Then he walked down to the storage room and tested the handle. The door opened easily, and he stepped inside, raising an eyebrow at what he found.

  The room was lined with shelves, and had a large counter in front of a rear door as well. It was mostly empty, and an elf sat in a chair behind the counter, looking down at something in his lap until he noticed Albert. The elf sat up quickly from his slouch, and the guildmaster suppressed a smile at how plain the dusky-skinned man was. So many people assumed that all elves were enormously attractive, and this man, who Albert assumed was Ilmas, proved them wrong.

  “Hello, how can I help you?” the elf asked, setting aside a thin book as he stood.

  “Are you Ilmas? I’m Albert Windgale, guildmaster of the new Adventurer’s Guild outside,” Albert offered politely.

  “I am. It is interesting to meet you, Mister Windgale.” Ilmas frowned slightly, studying Albert. “Aren’t you a little young to be a guildmaster, though?”

  “Yes, yes I am. However, I’m also an accomplished alchemist and artificer, so my superiors wanted me to cease risking my neck in dungeons and focus on those talents,” Albert told him, grinning. “Which is why I have a request for you.”

  “Oh? What might that be?” Ilmas looked intrigued, but cautious despite that.

  “I’m trying to take some readings of the dungeon, to figure out some of the dimensions and power of it,” Albert began to explain, holding up the sensor. “This is an aetheric sensor, which can sense the various levels of—”

  “Wait a second!” Ilmas interrupted hastily, looking quite confused. “Look, I know almost nothing about magic. So just tell me what you want, please?”

  “I… alright.” Pausing, Albert considered for a moment before simplifying greatly. “I want you to take this staff and recorder to as close to the center of the dungeon as you can and stab the bottom into the ground. Wait until the recorder chimes, then bring it back to me.”

  “Hmm. Simple enough, but I’m not sure I can do that. I mean, how do I know it won’t hurt the dungeon or something?” Ilmas asked, frowning deeply.

  “That… well, you might have a point.” Albert frowned deeply. “It’s just a sensor. It can’t even map out the dungeon chambers… that takes a much larger series of sensors acting in concert.”

  “Well, I suppose I could go ask Sistina if she’d allow it,” Ilmas offered dubiously. “That’d take about an hour, though. It’s a fairly long trip each way.”

  Albert blinked, then smiled slightly. “I’d be perfectly happy with that. I’m surprised it’ll take you that long, though. I’d think that you’d have faster ways through the dungeon.”

  “You would think that, wouldn’t you? But no, it’s considered a vulnerability, so while there are a few ways to move a little faster, it still takes a while.” Ilmas sighed, shaking his head. “Would you like to stay here while you wait?”

  “I can do that. Hopefully she agrees,” Albert replied, his spirits rising somewhat. He’d been half afraid of being told no at the elf’s worries.
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br />   “Alright, I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Ilmas told Albert, opening the door behind him and stepping through it. A moment later, the door locked, and Albert was left alone in the room.

  For a minute, Albert just waited, before he finally approached the desk, murmuring, “I wonder what he was reading?”

  Picking up the book, Albert flipped it open, and then he suppressed a snort of laughter as he looked at the spelling primer. Apparently Ilmas was trying to learn to read.

  Sistina was carefully carving a tunnel near the periphery of her domain when she sensed that Ilmas was approaching her tree, looking for her. Setting the project aside, she quickly inhabited her body again.

  Phynis’ body was warm against her own, the sleeping woman’s skin soft and silky. In spite of the need to speak with Ilmas, Sistina was tempted to not leave. But at last, she gently slipped out of Phynis’ sleeping embrace and the bed. Quickly getting dressed, she slipped out of the room and locked the door behind her before heading for her tree at a brisk pace.

  “Sistina, there you are!” Ilmas looked relieved as he saw her approaching on the path. “I was wondering where you got off to. I just had a question for you.”

  Raising an eyebrow, Sistina waited patiently for Ilmas to explain. He took a breath and explained swiftly. “I had the leader of the Adventurer’s Guild come to me. He wants to hire me to use a magic staff to examine the dungeon, or something like that. He said it couldn’t map out rooms or anything, but I wasn’t sure what to do.”

  “Wait,” Sistina told him, then retreated almost entirely from the body, focusing her sense back toward the dungeon entrance.

  A group of humans was busy fighting their way through the first floor, and were doing well enough she imagined they’d reach the second or third floor. They were new, so they must have talked to others about what they were going to face. Past them was a single human in the room she’d created for Ilmas, and whomever else went to offer services to the adventurers. But the man made her eyebrows rise slightly. Undulations of well-controlled mana surrounded him, and virtually everything he wore was enchanted, from the tailored coat down to his boots.