Spells of Old (Ancient Dreams Book 2)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Oh. I’m glad we didn’t interrupt,” Phynis murmured, her eyes wide as she looked over the spells for a long minute. Finally, she asked, “So, there are survivors? I didn’t think that was possible.”

  “It’s exceedingly unlikely. Stasis spells are incredibly unstable and consume huge amounts of mana to begin with. The Godsrage caused such immense ripples in the aether that I’m surprised that these spells survived it,” Farris commented, gesturing at the pillars.

  Sistina nodded, looking at the pillars as well as she shrugged. “Impressive spellwork. Not perfect.”

  “What would perfect even look like?” Desa asked, looking at Sistina almost challengingly. “Could you do better?”

  “Yes. With books. Would take time. A moon. Perhaps two,” Sistina replied, musing as she looked at the spells. “Still hard. Take nodes for stability.”

  “So, what are you going to do now?” Phynis asked, looking at the body nervously. “Wake them up?”

  Nodding, Sistina smiled and reached out to stroke Phynis’ cheek gently before pointing downward. “Yes. Leave, be safe. Should be fine.”

  “If it’s that dangerous to attempt to deactivate the spells, we should do as she asks, Phynis,” Desa told her quietly, looking up from where she was examining the runes on the ground. “She can survive it, even if it doesn’t make any of us happy when she’s hurt.”

  “You’re right. But what are you going to do about the vampire? Are you going to destroy it?” Phynis asked, looking distrustfully at the female figure on the floor.

  “No. Volunteered. Was looking for cure,” Sistina explained, then shrugged. “Called for deer.”

  “That’s an interesting situation for a vampire to be in,” Farris commented, looking at the body herself for a moment before shrugging. “Still, a deer would likely have enough blood to sate her.”

  “Alright. Just don’t overdo it, Sistina. I worry about you,” Phynis said quietly, reaching out and holding the dryad’s hand for a moment. “I’m upset enough over you losing one body. Don’t lose another.”

  After a moment of hesitation, Sistina smiled gently and bowed her head, clasping both hands around Phynis’ as she spoke softly. “As you wish.”

  Phynis blushed slightly, but smiled back as she murmured, “Good.”

  “Then let’s go, so she can get this over with. I’m curious if we can even understand people from before the Godsrage,” Desa spoke up, standing eagerly.

  Nodding, Phynis gently let go of Sistina’s hands, and with the other two in tow, she headed down the stairs. When they passed a confused looking deer, though, she giggled, shaking her head as she murmured, “Poor deer.”

  Sistina looked at the deer and nodded, debating exactly what order to do this in. She’d stabilized the flow of mana into the stasis spells, which would make it easier on the vampire, but even so, it wouldn’t be easy for her to wake up both the vampire and break the spell on the survivors. In all truth, she wasn’t certain that it had even been fully effective. Those put inside could actually be dead and she wouldn’t be able to know until they were removed from the stasis.

  When the deer arrived, she made her decision, nodding and reaching out to gently stroke its nose. The poor creature had no idea what was coming, but its thoughts were simple. So she gently stroked it again, and used her magic and connection to it to slowly lull it to sleep. Its head drooped and it slowly laid down and fell asleep.

  Nodding unconsciously, Sistina turned and fed mana into the circles, carefully displacing the vampire’s power. When they were properly functioning, Sistina calmly reached over, took hold of the stake, and yanked it out.

  Instantly, the vampire’s wizened eyelids snapped open and she lunged at Sistina, eyes almost mad with hunger as she hissed. Sistina barely dodged, reaching out and grabbing the vampire by the throat, holding her back. The woman’s clothing began to disintegrate under the stress and its sheer age.

  “No,” Sistina said firmly, pointing at the deer. “Eat.”

  The vampire hissed, and her claws tightened painfully on Sistina’s arm. The faintest glimmer of consciousness kindled in the creature’s eyes, though, and Sistina frowned at her. “No! Food there.”

  For a long moment, Sistina was afraid that it wasn’t going to get through to the vampire, even as her claws began to pierce Sistina’s skin. But then the creature paused, seeming to hesitate. When it lunged toward the deer after another moment of contemplation, Sistina let go of it, and winced as the vampire tore into the defenseless deer.

  It took a minute for the vampire to start to recover with the introduction of the blood. First her body began to grow thicker as her flesh recovered, then her skin began to grow smooth. Raven-dark hair regrew rapidly, and in almost no time, the seemingly human woman who pulled away from the remains of the deer looked almost normal. Her eyes were as dark as her hair, and she was taller than most of the elves Sistina had seen, better than six feet in height, with pale skin almost the color of ivory, so much lighter than most humans she’d seen. The only clue to her nature were the extended incisors of her teeth. And the woman blinked several times, before speaking the archaic tongue that Sistina remembered from her time as a gemstone.

  “Who are you? What… how long has it been?” the woman asked in confusion, and blinked again as she looked closer at Sistina. “A… a dryad?”

  “Yes and no. Am Sistina. Been millennia. You are fortunate,” Sistina quickly explained in the same tongue, not really considering how effortless it was, then gestured at the pillars. “Preparing to free. Leaving?”

  “What? You talk strangely. And no, I’m not leaving. I’m responsible for Cortin and Nora!” the vampire replied hotly, glowering. “What do you mean it’s been millennia? There’s no way that we would be left alone that long!”

  “City under mountain. War was bad,” Sistina replied, somewhat amused by the woman’s vehemence. Turning away, she added, “Shush. Difficult spell. Want to get correct.”

  “Of course it’s difficult! Headmaster Zandar did it himself!” the vampire retorted, her eyes narrowing. “What do you think you’re doing, anyway?”

  “Shush!” Sistina spoke much more firmly this time, glaring at the woman as she pointed at the pillars and enunciated clearly. “Un-sta-ble! Mistake goes boom. Shush!”

  “But—” the vampire began to protest again, but Sistina interrupted.

  “Enough! Shush or stake,” Sistina told her, raising the stake again and glowering. “Choose.”

  Opening her mouth for a moment, the vampiress examined the stake for a moment, then swallowed and went silent. Sistina nodded in satisfaction after a moment, turning back to the stasis pillars.

  The spell to free them was complex, so Sistina began to piece it together in front of her, drawing glowing runes in the air as she murmured each portion of her spell. One by one, the segments took shape, glowing in the air as Sistina concentrated on getting everything exactly right. The vampiress was standing behind her, and Sistina heard a couple of gasps from her at different points.

  At last, Sistina had completed everything but the core of the spell, the part which would initiate the dismantling of the stasis spells. In all honesty, part of what she was doing was draining built-up magic that could explode if incorrectly handled, which would also help her recover from maintaining the spells to begin with, but it truly was delicate work. Sistina examined each part of her diagram carefully, then finally nodded and began to cast the final piece of the spell.

  When she finished, the spells meshed together perfectly and began to operate like a finely tuned machine. In moments, they began dismantling and draining the stasis spells, while at the same time slowly speeding the time within the stasis pillars so that the two inside them wouldn’t die of time shock. That would be unpleasant.

  The darkness of the pillars began to waver and slowly, they began to turn transparent as time slowly returned to normal within them. In each of the pillars was an elf, each seeming almost asleep as they stood in place. T
he one to the left was a man, his hair a sandy blonde and skin rather pale, while to the right was a woman with dark brown hair and a slightly crooked nose. Each were wearing blue robes with white trim, which Sistina vaguely recognized.

  As the pillars vanished, the man was the first to move, opening his hazel eyes and blinking slightly before asking, “Did the spell just… oh, gods, what is that smell?”

  “Ugh.” The woman waved a hand under her nose as she opened her own brown eyes, her voice melodious. “That’s… oh, what happened?”

  “I’m still trying to figure that out,” the vampiress spoke first, looking distrustfully at Sistina as she added, “And I’m sorry about the smell. I woke up famished and wasn’t in any state to eat cleanly. This woman says she is Sistina, but she speaks oddly. She’s the one who woke us up.”

  “Correct,” Sistina agreed, smiling thinly. It mildly amused her that both elves were carefully avoiding looking at the vampire’s meal. “Spell difficult. Six millennia asleep. You were fortunate.”

  “Six millennia? That’s impossible! We can’t have been asleep for that long!” the male protested, shaking his head in disbelief. “We would have been found and rescued!”

  “Everium fell. Civilization fell,” Sistina replied, shaking her head. “Found by accident. Others explain better.”

  “But—” the man began, only to have the woman interrupt.

  “Cortin, be polite. What reason would she have to lie to us?” she chided, and looked at Sistina awkwardly before giving a slight curtsey. “Hello, Sistina. I’m Nora, and this is Cortin and Kassandra. Thank you for rescuing us. Where might these others be, who can answer our questions?”

  “Downstairs. Safe from spells,” Sistina explained succinctly, glancing down at the circle before adding, “Stasis unstable.”

  “Oh. Well, may we go speak with them?” Nora asked, looking at the others nervously.

  “And maybe get me some clothing? Cortin, look somewhere else,” Kassandra asked, scowling at the young man, who had the good graces to at least blush and look away.

  Smiling slightly, Sistina nodded and gestured for them to follow her, leading the way downstairs. If nothing else, she was happy that she wasn’t going to have a potential explosion in the middle of her dungeon.

  Chapter 42

  “How are you feeling, Zenith?” Elissa asked in a gentle voice, smiling at the beautiful, corrupted angel.

  The angel now possessed crimson hair rather than her previous copper tresses, and her eyes and lips were both a deep purple, while her halo and wings were a lighter shade of purple. Her body was more voluptuous than it had been before her introduction to succubus blood. In all honesty, Elissa was more surprised they managed to keep her an angel with the woman’s corruption. The vivid violet slave brand on her lower body was hidden by the toga that Zenith wore, and the angel looked back at Elissa with a brilliant smile.

  “I feel wonderful, High Priestess,” Zenith replied, closing her eyes and shivering for a moment. “Thank you for helping to enlighten me. You and the others as well. I had no idea how blind I was, but now, with my new Name and the help you’ve given me, my eyes are open. I’m ready to spread the wisdom of Tyria to help her return to what she should be.”

  “Excellent! I must say that your help will be invaluable, Zenith,” Elissa replied with an even wider smile than she’d had before. While she might not like Irethiel, she had to admit that the demon lord was considered one of the most powerful corruptors in the lower planes for a reason. To convince an angel that they’d been led astray for their entire existence was impressive, to say the least. “In particular, I have a few tasks that I could dearly use your help with.”

  “In what manner may I be of assistance, High Priestess?” Zenith asked fervently, glancing in the direction of the sleeping goddess. The cables that had channeled energy from the Enforcers to Zenith were now attached directly to the goddess, accelerating her alterations dramatically. “I am willing to do anything needed to bring Her to proper glory once more.”

  “That’s wonderful to hear. The less critical issue is that the cathedral in Kelvanath has no proper statue to Our Lady. If you were to provide a divinely crafted statue of her behind the altar, it would help greatly with providing a focus for the faithful and potential converts,” Elissa explained.

  “A worthy endeavor for a High Priestess,” Zenith replied, approval in her voice as she considered the idea. “I would have to come up with a proper statue, but I will do the best I am able. What other issues did you need my aid with?”

  “Only one other needs attention in the short term. Archon Sorvos has two former royals of Yisara as his guests, and Wenris is in the process of enlightening them,” Elissa explained, and a hint of sorrow crossed her face as she continued, “They are unfortunately reticent, and the former queen went so far as to have herself rendered barren, and while she hides it well, it causes her continuous pain. I hope to bring both of them into the fold as priestesses, and for that they must live as long as possible. Might you be able to help prepare a proper holy baptism for them? One that would rejuvenate their bodies, heal them fully, and perhaps even reshape them into a form fitting to show the glory of Our Lady?”

  “That would be difficult for me. Such magics take a good deal more power than I alone can provide easily.” Zenith’s smile dimmed and she frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. “I know how, and I would have to observe them, that I might consider how to reshape them to suit Milady’s glory, but the power is an issue I cannot solve.”

  “What of Our Lady herself?” Elissa quickly asked, suppressing a frown at the angel’s words. “Might she not be willing to donate a few drops of blood to such a worthy cause?”

  “That is possible. I will have to pray for guidance, as in her current state she is unable to offer such on her own,” Zenith replied, brightening at the thought. “Such a donation would provide ample power for everything that you requested. And they are former royalty, you say?”

  “Yes. Diane Yisara was the queen of Yisara, but vacated her throne and gave up all claims on it when she surrendered to Kelvanis. Jaine Yisara was captured in battle and kept as a prize of war. Her family has disowned her and removed her position as well,” Elissa told the angel, smiling sadly as she continued. “Neither are in the best of straits, and they could use Our Lady’s blessings, as they search for their true place in the world. And what better mistress than Our Lady?”

  “Oh, the poor things! Yes, of course they need to find their place sooner, no wonder you have Wenris enlightening them!” The information seemed to make up Zenith’s mind, and she nodded, looking to Tyria and adding, “I’m certain that Our Lady won’t mind at all. I will observe them this very night and prepare the statue, then consecrate a pool for you to baptize them.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Elissa smiled in honest pleasure. “Thank you, Zenith!”

  “Not at all! It’s only proper as a fellow servant of Our Goddess,” Zenith replied happily, seemingly blind to the smirks on the faces of the nearby succubi.

  The days and nights were wearing on Diane more than she had ever expected them to. At first, she’d thought that rebuffing Wenris would be easy, but after two weeks, she found herself exhausted from everything she was going through. In her rooms, Diane was constantly accompanied by Maria, who was a perfectly good maid. That she was assigned to Diane by Kelvanis and the slave brand taunting Diane kept her from being able to truly trust Maria and relax.

  If Diane wished to leave her wing, she was constantly accompanied by guards, even to the library or gardens. They were far more obvious than the ones she’d had as queen, which grated on her nerves still more. They had managed a few trips into the city, which proved as cramped as her first sight had implied, but they at least had a few comforts. It was the suspicious gazes of the locals and the dead eyes of the handful of elves they’d seen that had convinced Diane to stay indoors.

  Dinners with the Archon were almost worse. She and Jaine were there with h
im, and the man was so damned happy and friendly all the time that Diane almost hated him for being too cheerful. They had only had to meet with diplomats from Alcast once, and the experience had been excruciating. The look of shock in the eyes of the northern ambassador had been obvious, and Diane had longed to retreat to her rooms. Or, oddly enough, the temple of Tyria.

  The closest thing that Diane had to privacy and a chance to relax was at the temple of Tyria, the irony of which wasn’t lost on Diane. The dull ache from her stomach was a constant companion, with the pain shortening her temper slightly. Not even her sleep was free of stress, so she’d found herself spending more time at the temple than she’d expected. And it didn’t help that Jaine seemed to be adapting far more quickly to the locale than Diane was comfortable with.

  It made Wenris’ softly worded suggestions sound all too reasonable, and Diane was having to constantly remind herself that the polite, beautiful woman was a demon out to brainwash her. It was getting harder, though. At least the tea was wonderful, and was one of the few bright spots each day for Diane.

  “So, do you remember how I told you that Ulvian was encouraging me to get you to alter your appearance somewhat?” Wenris asked, stirring a cup of her own tea.

  “Yes. I’m still resistant to the idea,” Diane replied, focusing on her own cup intently. “Why do you mention it?”

  “Because High Priestess Elissa is going to offer you and Jaine a sacred baptism tomorrow, one which will also allow her goddess to remove many of your perceived flaws, and grant Tyria’s blessing on you,” Wenris explained, smiling at Diane with a confidence that Diane found surreal. “It would certainly be more pleasant than the other methods that Ulvian might use, and you seem to like Elissa.”

  “Mostly because she seems like the only person who isn’t out to get me. Oh, it’s obvious that she wants to convert me, but she isn’t pushing, unlike you,” Diane almost snapped, then took a deep breath, and sipped at the tea. “But I don’t think that I like the idea.”