“That’s a difficult question to answer. That she can even make golems is impressive entirely on its own,” Desa admitted, frowning as she thought.
Golems were a lost craft from before the Godsrage. The current constructs she’d heard of were powered by mana which had to be infused at regular intervals to keep them functioning. On the other hand, golems could draw mana from the air around them and even absorb part of spells used to attack them. Their mana was usually used to repair themselves and remain functioning, but a few, like Sistina’s, had also been designed to use magical effects with the mana. Because of their power most had been built as mobile siege engines, and not on the scale of an individual person. Rarely, war golems had been found patrolling ancient ruins, or even more rarely, had been found dormant and ready to be awakened by a new owner.
If Sistina called the new golem a masterpiece, Desa wasn’t going to argue with her. And what she had said before, about a soulgem… Desa considered before answering slowly. “She indicated that it was once used to house a priestess’ soul when I saw her bringing it back. I don’t know about that, but maybe she’s intending to use it as a spare body? She said she was trapped in a soulgem for a long time, if I remember right.”
“I suppose we’ll just… have to wait and see. That doesn’t feel right to me for some reason,” Phynis murmured, frowning more. “She seems too serious about that. Like she has to get it perfectly correct.”
Looking at Sistina’s steady gaze, Desa considered before nodding, her voice soft. “I think you’re right.”
Setting down her twig, Sistina examined the gemstone carefully. The last thing she wanted at this stage was to have made a mistake in the inscriptions.
The reason that neither of the other women could see what she was doing was because she was using carefully controlled threads of mana to make the inscriptions inside the gemstone itself. While Sistina could create a gemstone easily with the power over her domain she possessed, such fine details as the runes within this gem were beyond her abilities. They were too intricate and carefully crafted. Much like the golem itself, if she were being honest. The golem was a masterpiece of magical engineering that she couldn’t comprehend being made without the aid of direct divine inspiration. Her own golems were like the playthings of a child next to it.
Nonetheless, that didn’t mean that Sistina didn’t understand what the golem did. If Desa or Phynis could see the interior of the golem, they would truly be aghast at the sheer complexity of the spell-forms that had been carved into it. Bones of adamantine, nerves of gold, and muscles of mithral all were perfectly formed inside the golem, with living stone ‘flesh’ layered over the exterior of the figure. The enchantments were built to allow a soul to inhabit the golem like an immortal body, and to make it functionally the same as a true living body.
Like she had told Phynis, it was an absolute masterpiece.
Integrating the soul was the difficult part. She needed to get the gemstone right so that it could interface and allow the soul within to control the body. But finally, she nodded and slotted it into the waiting socket in the golem’s chest. The jewel gleamed in place, and Sistina retreated from her body for a moment to more thoroughly examine the connections. Everything looked good, but she wasn’t certain yet. The moment of truth would be when she placed Farris’ soul within the soulgem.
“Are you done?” Phynis asked, and Sistina reinhabited the body again quickly and shook her head.
“Wait. Last thing,” Sistina told her, then frowned. “Hope got correct.”
“If you are hoping you got it right, I don’t think the entire Vara’Sel Academy of Magi could manage it,” Desa interjected, her voice dry.
Sistina simply shrugged, turning back to the golem and reaching into her sea of consciousness to gently call for Farris. Farris’ soul resisted her call for a moment, seemingly enraptured by the knowledge she was studying, but after a moment, the elven soul reluctantly allowed herself to be drawn out once more. The soul took shape in her hand, a glowing green orb of light that would quickly dissipate if not held by her will and domain. And so she gently guided it into the soulgem, which accepted it willingly.
Feeling the mana begin to flow through the golem, waking it from its long sleep, Sistina smiled.
“What is…?” Phynis began, her voice trailing off as she stared at the green glowing orb that Sistina had just guided into the gemstone on the golem’s chest.
The gem glowed, and she saw threads of green light stretch out across the golem’s body for a moment, and suddenly the golem’s chest rose as if it were taking a breath, and dust blew from its mouth. The skin of the golem seemed to soften, and the lights began to fade. But it was Sistina’s soft voice that truly stunned Phynis into silence. “Wake up, Farris.”
Looking at Desa, Phynis’ eyes went huge as the eyes of the golem opened, revealing glass orbs with a spark of green light reminiscent of irises in them. And it licked its lips for a moment, coughing before it spoke in a familiar voice.
Farris may have been left within the region of Sistina’s sea of knowledge that encompassed magic, but she didn’t stay there. She had drifted through the fragments of knowledge that Sistina had recalled, her mind and knowledge expanding almost explosively as she absorbed lessons that had been slowly learned over thousands of years. She caught hints of Sistina’s prior personality, and thought she might have gotten a few clues of who she might once have been.
Despite those tempting hints, Farris had focused on furthering her knowledge of magic. It was obvious to her that Sistina had forgotten far more about magic than Farris had learned in her entire life. The formulae and spells that Sistina used, the theory behind it, was as instinctive to Sistina as breathing was to anyone else. And yet… oddly enough, Farris now knew that Sistina was actually slow at casting spells. Saving Phynis had been a near thing, in part because Sistina had cast the spell slower than Farris would have been able to, had Farris possessed the power and knowledge necessary.
The deceased elf’s magical knowledge had increased explosively, and thus she was somewhat reluctant when Sistina had gently called for her to come out again. It had been a mental struggle, but finally, reluctantly, Farris had let go and allowed herself to be drawn into the world once more.
Her sight was disorienting at first. Without a body, she could see in all directions at once, so it was bizarre. Desa and Phynis were nearby, as was Sistina, but nearest was the golem body. Farris only knew a little about the body, but she knew enough to be startled that Sistina was offering it to her.
Slipping into the gemstone effortlessly, Farris shivered as she felt the spells designed to sustain her come to life, and then… then she was connecting to the golem, and it became her in truth.
Magic flowed through it like blood through her veins. It drew in mana like a mortal would, allowing her the full capabilities of her magic, and it softened to allow her to move normally, not with the cumbersome steps of other golems. She shivered as she felt the slave brand appear on her lower body again. That it hadn’t vanished was somewhat worrying, but now at least she knew why that was.
“Wake up, Farris.” Sistina’s voice was a gentle reminder that she shouldn’t get lost in the sensation of having a body again, and she slowly opened her eyes, blinking and licking her lips. It was odd, but considering how long the golem body had been sitting, she shouldn’t be surprised that her mouth was dusty.
“Hello, Sistina,” she spoke, then saw the shocked expressions of the other two, and she felt that if they could have, her cheeks would have colored as she added hesitantly, “Umm… hello, Desa, Phynis. It’s nice to be back.”
“F-Farris? That’s… how? How did Sistina…?” Phynis gasped, looking at the dryad, who blushed slightly herself.
“Complicated. Have considered. Explanation… difficult,” Sistina replied, frowning. Farris shook her head, slowly standing up.
“I can explain for you, Sistina. While you held me, I learned what I could,” Farris interjected
, examining her slate-gray arms and testing her fingers. She was much heavier now… she’d have to be careful about sitting in chairs.
“Then you’re really Farris? What happened?” Desa asked, her eyes narrowing slightly. Farris smiled at the suspicion in her eyes. Even now, Desa was willing to defend Phynis, which was reassuring.
“Yes, I’m really Farris. Not a copy or something, either,” Farris replied, frowning. “As to what happened… the Adjudicator cut my throat and I died. Pretty damned simple, and stupid from my perspective. I know I was being drawn to the afterlife, when I realized that the brand was still on my soul. It was drawing me to Sistina, while Ryala’s realm was calling to me. I could choose which I wished to go to, in part because Sistina wasn’t pulling on it. If she had, I would have gone to her without a choice. I feared that the brands do this as well as everything we’ve known. A fear that was borne out by what I learned when I chose to come to Sistina, and she chose to let me learn among her own memories.”
“The brands are demonic in nature. If they draw us to whomever ‘owns’ them, doesn’t that mean that when slaves die, they go to the demon that owns the brand?” Desa asked, her voice growing ugly at the implication, and sounding like she was sick to her stomach. “Oh, those Kelvanian bastards.”
“Oh, gods above…” Phynis prayed, shivering as she understood as well, scowling. “And they do this willingly?”
“Actually, I doubt that they know. At least, not all of them,” Farris corrected, frowning. “The command sigils are a version of the slave brand, and should have the same effect. As such, I truly doubt that Kelvanis could have kept this secret if every person with a command sigil knew. I suspect that only the highest authorities of the country know, and that they don’t care.”
“Shit. That’s almost worse. Even if we told them… I doubt they’d believe us. They would just think we were making it up for our own benefit,” Phynis murmured, obviously speculating. “I don’t know what we can do with the information. And how can it be broken.”
“We already know that answer. Kill the demon behind it,” Desa spoke up, her eyes hardening as she stood up. “And it gives additional impetus to our research. I need to help Ellis and Zarenya. But there’s one I need to ask as well.”
“What’s that?” Phynis asked, frowning and obviously nervous as she thought on the subject.
“Sistina now owns your brand, mine, and those of every priestess in the dungeon,” Desa explained, looking at Sistina as she took a deep breath, and asked, “Sistina… can you promise that you wouldn’t try to hold onto any of us if we died?”
Phynis looked about to say something, but Sistina raised a hand to quiet her. Farris watched the dryad, growing worried as she saw the pensive look on Sistina’s face. The dryad seemed to be uncertain, and after a minute she spoke, her voice less sure than normal. “Unsure.”
Desa took a breath to speak, but Sistina continued looking at them almost sadly. “Was alone. Content. Before Lily. Grew comfortable. Grew… empathy. But tree. Two alone. Then Desa. Phynis. Ilmas. Sina. Crowded, loud… comforting. Phynis approached. Feelings… changed. Need Phynis. Lonely.”
The dryad reached out and caressed the tomb that contained her namesake, considering a long moment, and then nodded slightly as she spoke calmly. “One solution. Kill demon first. Then decide.”
“No!” Phynis cried out, jumping to her feet angrily and glaring at Sistina, tears in her eyes. “That is not a solution! Killing you won’t help a damned thing!”
Desa quickly interrupted, her voice gentle as she could manage. “Phynis, Sistina is the one who suggested it, but please, think about this logically. You were forced to love her, and she’s trying to give us a way out. All of us.”
“I don’t—” Phynis began, but Farris took that moment to clear her throat and speak.
“If I may interject… actually, that isn’t true, Desa. Not anymore.” Farris spoke calmly, and nervously. She was stunned that Sistina would even consider such a possibility, but… there were those strange fragments from her previous lives to consider.
“What are you talking about?” Desa asked, taking a step away from Phynis, whose hands were clenched. Phynis looked conflicted between anger and curiosity… and Sistina had turned away and was carefully studying the tomb’s door.
“When Sistina healed Phynis… I studied the spell when I was in her mind, and her memories of it. For an instant, Phynis died and her soul detached from her body. During that instant, Sistina could safely fully regenerate Phynis’ body and remove the modifications without destroying Phynis’ mind. So she did. She used a regeneration spell to return Phynis’ body to what it should have been,” Farris explained, choosing not to explain how the dryad had also removed all the imperfections from Phynis’ body as well as she continued. “And when she returned Phynis to her body, Sistina chose to let her decide what her feelings were. If she fell out of love with her, Sistina would have accepted it.”
“What? I… I didn’t…” Phynis looked at Sistina, stunned. After a moment, she asked, “Sistina? Is this true?”
Sistina took a long moment to reply, then bowed her head and nodded slightly. “Yes.”
“Then why? I’ve kept getting closer to you, and you’ve been so, so… receptive. Why would you be willing to die?” Phynis demanded, tears sparkling in her eyes.
“Am old,” Sistina spoke simply, turning to look at them, her eyes showing her age once more as she nodded at Desa. “Had life. Lived long. You? Deserve life. Deserve choice. Will consent. All must decide.”
“But… but…” Phynis tried to speak, but the young woman couldn’t seem to get out her words, her eyes bright as tears began to stream down her face. “This isn’t fair! Just because a demon is using the power to do horrible things doesn’t mean that… that…”
Unable to continue any further, Phynis turned and ran toward the bedroom Sistina had made for her, tears streaming down her face as she left them behind, and with Desa staring after her in a daze. Farris heard the mage mumble under her breath. “I didn’t know. I thought it was completely manufactured. Not… not real.”
Sistina sighed aloud, and her voice was soft. “Miscalculation. Should have explained.”
Farris looked between them awkwardly, and shook her head. Then she spoke sharply. “Then the two of you should fix it.”
Both of them looked at her in surprise, and the newly reborn elf let out an exasperated sigh. Why were they so dense at times? She glared and pointed after Phynis. “Go after her and talk to her. Now.”
Sistina hesitated, then nodded and started following the princess, and Desa swallowed, speaking softly before following her. “Thank you, Farris.”
“You shouldn’t thank me,” Farris muttered, then looked down at herself and scowled. “Who picked my clothing, anyway?”
Chapter 34
Standing in the circular teleportation chamber, Diane squeezed Jaine’s shoulder gently as she glanced around at the pair of guards accompanying them, as well as the array of runes on the ground, glowing as they prepared to send them out of Westgate.
Jaine had long since exhausted her tears, and Diane was putting a brave face on their situation to try to keep her daughter’s spirits up. That they hadn’t been mistreated so far had calmed the younger elf, but Diane had simply found it making her more tense and suspicious of what was to come. It had taken several days for them to travel from the border to Westgate, but they had reached Westgate the previous night. The Justicar had left them alone until morning, and he’d looked somewhat irritated about something before he’d sent them off.
Anything that annoyed the Justicar led to Diane feeling a little more optimistic, so she could only hope that it would lead to a setback for Kelvanis. For the moment, though, she wasn’t feeling much in the way of hope.
The teleportation platform finished charging, and the runes flashed with light that enveloped those standing on it for an instant. It took a few moments for the side effects of the instant transport
ation to catch up with Diane, and she felt her stomach heave at the abrupt sensation that felt like she’d suddenly been dragged across a room in an instant. It was disorienting, but she suppressed it with practiced ease, only wincing slightly. Fortunately, Jaine managed to maintain her own composure as well. Both of them had experienced teleportation before, so it wasn’t a surprise.
Appearing in a nearly identical chamber on the other end, Diane looked at one of their escorts and asked, “Now where?”
“We should be met just outside, Lady Diane,” the woman replied politely, nodding her head as she approached the door and opened it.
On the other side of the door was a short hall that was heavily fortified. Many nations fortified their teleportation nodes, especially when they connected to nodes outside of their own borders. Yisara was largely no exception, except that the node that had been used had been believed to be utterly inaccessible. Diane suspected that Beryl and Torkal were fixing that already, but she couldn’t be certain.
Passing through the halls of heavy stone and metal-reinforced doors, Diane barely suppressed a flinch as she stepped into a broad chamber where a handsome human man in a purple robe waited, his hands folded behind himself and a confident smile on his face. Behind him were a pair of plain-looking men, each with short blades at their sides and dark armor, and a full platoon of soldiers. The dark-haired man looked at her, blinking once before he smiled.
“Ah! Queen Diane Yisara and her lovely daughter, Jaine, I presume?” the man asked, stepping forward with a broad smile on his face.
“Former queen. And whom might you be?” Diane asked, glaring at the man.
“I am Archon Ulvian Sorvos. It’s a pity that you had to step down, but I’m not surprised that you chose to do so,” the man replied, giving a slight bow.
Spells of Old (Ancient Dreams Book 2) Page 23
