“You are testing my patience,” Kalam angrily growls.
“I told you that she would,” Trinity reminds him cheerily.
Kalam looks at the chaos elf and strokes his beard. “So you did. You know her well.”
“Far better than either of us would like to admit,” the chaos elf says, sneering at the dangling half-elf.
“I detect a sense of longing,” Kalam declares.
Trinity shrugs nonchalantly and turns to examine the gypsy. “I only wish that our fight had lasted longer. It felt empty and anti-climatic.”
“If I am unable to do anything worthwhile with her then I will repair her and let you battle her,” the necrocaster promises with a cunning smile. “For my amusement, of course.”
“What are you trying to do with her?” Trinity asks, gently touching Sari’s burned shoulder. Making sure Kalam is no longer looking at her, Trinity spreads a thin layer of healing salve on the wound.
“It is none of your business,” Kalam replies, turning to face her.
“Excuse me for being blunt, but it is my business,” Trinity informs him. She strides toward Kalam and looks into his cold, reptilian eyes with a stare that makes the fireskin grin in amusement.
“You’re not as menacing as you think,” Kalam calmly states. “How is this any of your business?”
“It’s very obvious, scaly,” Nyx declares. Her voice is weak and edged with the pain coursing through her body. “I am her rival and she wants to revel in my pain. She will take every opportunity to gloat in my face about how she beat me. My existence has become her obsession because she feels we are connected.”
“A battle between this generation’s most powerful prodigies? I can see how that would perk your interest, your majesty,” Kalam says, chuckling to himself.
“You are far too dramatic for my liking, fire bitch,” Trinity growls.
Nyx swings herself like a bored child. “I have to entertain myself somehow. So, what do you plan on doing with me?”
“There are so many things. I don’t know where to start,” Kalam admits.
“Sew her mouth shut,” Trinity happily suggests.
“Go suck on a bog rat,” the half-elf retorts.
“I’ll kill you right here and now!”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“The hell I wouldn’t!”
“Killing me like this would be too easy for you,” Nyx triumphantly points out. “You’d be disgusted with yourself before you left the room.”
Trinity grinds her teeth and glares at the half-elf who continues to grin at her. The chaos elf turns away and kicks a nearby stool against the wall. Trinity angrily mutters to herself for a few seconds before breaking into a maelstrom of swearing in elven. She suddenly grows claws, dripping with poison, and turns to Nyx. They lance out at the caster only for them to be caught by Kalam’s tail. He snaps the claws off Trinity’s fingers and tosses them to the ground at her feet.
“You will not harm her until I get what I want. She has important information about my enemies. Killing her will prevent me from getting this information,” Kalam says. He steps closer to Trinity and whispers in her ear. “I will not be happy with you, which means your master will have to find a new puppet from your precious people.”
Trinity’s face goes pale and she begrudgingly promises, “I will not touch her.”
“You should kill me, Trinity. He won’t get anything out of me,” Nyx proudly claims.
“How are you able to withstand this treatment?” Trinity asks in disbelief.
“Her foolish temper is fueling her. I can see her clenched fists and the hateful fire burning in her eyes. Even her breath carries the delicious scent of rage,” Kalam says, licking his lips. “Some people are able to instinctually use their fury to resist physical pain.”
“I have friends who have suffered greatly and it has made them stronger. I owe it to them to become stronger and endure,” Nyx declares, her voice low and defiant. “Give me your best shot.”
“I warned you that she wouldn’t give in. You are wasting your time,” Trinity complains, slowly becoming bored.
“It will be easier than you think,” Kalam says, a sinister gleam in his eyes. “You simply don’t have the stomach for what has to be done.”
“What do you mean?” Trinity nervously inquires.
Kalam ignores her as he walks over to a large bag hanging on the wall. He reaches inside and pulls out a pair of iron stakes. The stakes begin to heat up in his hands until they send an eerie red glow around the room. Nyx and Trinity feel their throats go dry as they watch him turn toward Sari. The gypsy wakes up when Kalam holds a burning stake a few inches from her face. Sari’s eyes widen as she tries to move away, but she is restrained by the tight chains around her wrists and ankles.
“Get away from me!” Sari shrieks in terror.
“I would be more than happy to leave you alone if your friend answers all of my questions,” the vampire responds, baring his fangs at the gypsy.
“I’ll kill you if you hurt her,” Nyx snarls, thrashing about in the air. “You’ve put her through enough!”
“She’s still alive and in relatively good health, so I don’t see how I’ve put her through anything bad,” Kalam claims, genuinely confused. “I will admit that I’m unsure how she has stayed in such good health. I can only assume that Trinity has been sneaking her food and an occasional bath.”
“I suggest you leave her alone,” Trinity growls. Her hand grips the handle of a barbed bullwhip that is hanging on the wall behind her.
“You should learn not to reveal too much about yourself,” Kalam advises the chaos elf. He greedily looks from Trinity to Nyx and back again. “I am curious to see how much you are willing to tell me about your master in exchange for the gypsy’s safety.”
“You are cornering yourself, Kalam,” Trinity says, a wicked sparkle appearing in all of her enhancer gems. “To see if you can get information from me, you would have to prove your resolve and injure the gypsy. That would enrage Nyx who you would be forced to kill before getting information from her. By threatening Sari, you are forced to choose between the information that Nyx holds and the information that I hold. That’s if you can get anything from either of us after hurting Sari.”
Nyx clears her throat for attention. “I think she’s got you where she wants you.”
“Do I sense some admiration for your enemy?” Kalam inquires with a sideways glance at the half-elf.
“As much as I dislike Trinity, I have to point out that she’s in control,” Nyx admits with a wry smile. “Maybe you should do this interrogation another day and without an audience.”
“He won’t. Delaying the interrogation would give you time to escape or be rescued. You would take Sari with you, which means he loses his leverage against me,” Trinity explains, a magical hand appearing to pat the vampire on the cheek. “How did you get into this predicament, Kalam?”
“By not letting my actions speak for me,” the vampire answers.
Sari stops trying to squirm out of her chains when Kalam approaches her with the glowing stakes. She can hear Nyx screaming and frantically rattling at her chains. Out of fear, she closes her eyes and waits for the pain. A sudden feeling of hot metal piercing her left shoulder forces Sari to shriek in agony. Drool with flecks of blood drips out of her gaping mouth and onto her bare feet while she desperately gasps for air. Kalam gently releases the iron stake, which instantly cools, causing Sari to shiver. He is about to plunge the other stake into her right shoulder when a loud crack fills the air. Sari manages to focus her eyes through her tears and sees a taut bullwhip wrapped around the vampire’s forearm.
“That’s enough, Kalam! You’ve called our bluffs,” Trinity says with a cold voice. “I warn you that if you use the other stake, I will see it as a challenge. I have no qualms about freeing Nyx to help me defeat you. That would leave you with two angry casters to contend with. If you want to avoid that then I recommend you drop the stake.”
“It depends on the question,” Nyx answers in a low voice.
“I wish to know about the defenses of Rainbow Tower. As an apprentice, you must know everything there is to know about their security,” the vampire states, his slavering tongue snaking out of his mouth.
Nyx stares at him in disbelief and anger. “That’s it?”
“Of course, that’s it. I wish to know how Cyril keeps his home safe,” demands Kalam, surprised by Nyx’s reaction. “There must be several unique traps and spells to keep thieves away. The surrounding area has to be littered with explosive symbols or camouflaged beasts that were summoned decades before you were born.”
“You injured my friend in order to get public information on my teacher’s defenses? Are you stupid or lazy?” Nyx asks dryly.
Trinity drops the bullwhip and pushes a few strands of hair out of her face. “He could just be ignorant since he rarely leaves his lair. Honestly, I thought you might have some real questions about Rainbow Tower and Cyril.”
“This is a real question,” Kalam argues.
“Why are you two playing games with him?” Sari whines, sniffling and blinking tears from her eyes.
“Sorry, Sari, but the defenses of Rainbow Tower are rather famous. A person need only pick up a Gaian history book to get an idea of what they would have to face,” Nyx explains. She looks at the ceiling, fondly remembering her childhood at the tower. “There are illusionary walls, sleeping traps, and the usual array of wards that most caster towers have. One could even say that Rainbow Tower has less magical protection than your average tower because anyone can walk up to the front door with only a few aggressive plants to be wary of. Though, those plants were not grown specifically for defense. Willow cultivated them for their beauty and medicinal uses. The fact that some of her plants emit sleeping gases or can fire hallucinogenic thorns is coincidental. Don’t even get me started on the inside of the tower. The majority of interior protection spells are designed to keep explosions contained within a single room. You never know when an apprentice will attempt a spell that is too powerful for them to control.”
Kalam snarls at Nyx, advancing on her until his snout is in her face. “Then, why do people refuse to attack Cyril and Willow in their own home?”
“The same reason people don’t try to steal from you or send assassins into your lair,” Trinity answers, exasperated and bored. “They fear Cyril and Willow as well as the small army of caster apprentices who live in the tower.”
“Cyril always said there is no point in expensive traps and wards if your reputation can act as a powerful deterrent,” Nyx explains, a twinkle of reminiscing in her violet eyes. “Besides, he would enjoy meeting anyone who is brave enough to face him in his own home. Cyril doesn’t get out much and brave trespassers are one of the few forms of entertainment that can make him smile.”
“You mock me,” Kalam growls.
“Of course,” Trinity and Nyx say together.
“I got stabbed with a heated stake for nothing. This sucks,” Sari whimpers, trying to stop her nose from running.
“You deserved it for leading the half-elf through my lair,” Kalam snaps in a feeble attempt to salvage some of his dignity. He turns to Trinity who shakes her head in mock pity and leaves the room, laughing uncontrollably. The vampire clenches his fists as the chaos elf’s piercing cackle ricochets through his eardrums.
“I suggest you leave and prepare for your little battle, Kalam,” Nyx says, her voice slowly lowering into a predatory growl. “As much as I’m smiling at your ignorance, I really want to rip out your fangs and gouge out your eyes with them. You killed one of my friends and you hurt Sari. I have never wanted to kill anyone more than I want to kill you now.”
“I will return to finish with you,” Kalam promises. He storms out of the dungeon and slams the door behind him.
Minutes pass before Nyx gets the nerve to speak. “I’m sorry that I let him do that to you, Sari. I should have stopped him.”
“Could you have stopped him?” the gypsy asks curiously.
Nyx sighs and lets her head go limp. “I don’t know. I should have tried though.”
“I doubt you could cast anything with that bad arm,” Sari mentions, feebly trying to cheer Nyx up.
“I guess we’ll never know,” Nyx jokes half-heartedly.
Sari yawns and flinches at the pain in her shoulder. “We should get some sleep and conserve our energy for an escape. Hopefully, your phantom ally is still around.”
“Can you sleep with that stake in your shoulder?” Nyx asks, yawning wide.
“I don’t really have a choice,” Sari answers. She closes her eyes and softly falls asleep.
*****
Nyx’s eyes weakly flutter open when she hears the sound of shaking chains behind her. She tries to look around, but her neck and shoulders ache from being in the same position for several hours. Her curiosity grows when she hears another series of rattling. She kicks at the air in a feeble attempt to turn toward Sari. A violent, aching twist of her lower body finally spins her in Sari’s direction. Nyx is mildly surprised when she sees Luke examining the chains around the gypsy’s wrists. Sari is still asleep as the forest tracker lets his hand sink into the rusty metal. The chains shake as if they are caught in a gust of wind.
“What are you trying to do?” Nyx croaks, her throat dry and hoarse.
“I’m trying to figure out how to destroy these chains by merging with them,” Luke answers while circling Sari. “I did it with a bottle while I was practicing in Haven. The only problem is that the explosion would probably destroy her hands.”
“That looks so weird when you pass through the wall and come back,” Nyx admits, her senses beginning to clear.
“I’m sorry I got separated from you,” Luke softly apologizes. “This wouldn’t have happened if I was around to keep you guys safe.”
“Of course, we little girls are nothing without our big, strong hero to save us,” Nyx teases with a friendly smile. “Trinity caught me off-guard. You being there wouldn’t have made any difference. Where did you wander off to anyway?”
“It’s complicated,” Luke sighs sadly.
“I’m not going anywhere, so you might as well tell me a story,” Nyx casually suggests.
Luke blankly stares at her before he decides to share his adventure. “After we were separated, I followed a strange voice. It turns out that Kalam’s throne was looking for a powerful spirit to absorb. If it succeeded then it would gain some new level of existence. From what it said, the throne was tired of being a tool and wanted to enslave Kalam.”
“That makes sense. I have read a few documents that mention magical items gaining self-awareness and attempting to gain a mobile form. Once the spirit is absorbed, the magical item would change its shape to suit the new aura,” Nyx explains, fascinated by Luke’s story. “A legend speaks of the ancient Tivrus War being caused by a magical shield absorbing a noble. It replaced him and used his influence to rally the lesser nobles against the regional lord. It’s just a rumor though. Most people believe that it is the noble’s thirst for power that started the war.”
“You mind letting me finish, Nyx?” Luke asks.
“Sorry,” Nyx apologizes. “So, did you . . . do I really have to ask what happened? Obviously, you didn’t get absorbed.”
“It became a battle of wills and it tried to use my despair against me. I’ve spent so much time blaming myself for everything that the throne almost won,” Luke says, his voice full of shame. “Luckily, I pulled myself together at the last minute and destroyed the throne like Uli wanted me to do.”
“Great. Now, we need to get the spellbook and escape,” Nyx states, fidgeting at her chains. “I’ve had enough of this place.”
Luke
flashes Nyx a charming grin. “I should hope so.”
“Why don’t you let me down, so I can free Sari?” the caster suggests.
“Your arms and legs are going to be weak for a minute or two, so you won’t be able to break your fall. I need Sari to catch you,” Luke explains, carefully inspecting the gypsy’s injury. “This spike in her shoulder looks pretty bad, but there isn’t anything we can do now. We have to hurry back to Haven and get her lo . . . that’s odd.”
Nyx is about to ask what is wrong when Luke takes a deep breath and plunges his hand into the iron spike. It shakes violently and sparks fly from the blunt end before Luke hurls it across the room. The spike twists and contorts in mid-air and shatters against the far wall. Nyx is still staring at the twitching pieces of metal until Luke whistles for her attention. She looks blankly at him while he urgently points at Sari’s shoulder. After a minute of silence, the caster can only shrug in confusion.
“You’re telling me that this doesn’t seem weird to you?” Luke asks, surprised and frustrated.
“She was stabbed in the shoulder and there is a wound,” Nyx says, her patience beginning to erode. “That’s how pointy objects work when used to pierce flesh. You of all people should know this, mister swordsman. Stop wasting time.”
“I have a plan on how to get her out, but I still think you should get a better look at her shoulder,” Luke persistently insists.
“I can see her shoulder from here and it looks injured,” Nyx growls, her temper flaring.
Sari lifts her head abruptly and grins. “It isn’t as bad as it looks.”
“How long have you been awake?” the caster asks curiously.
“Since your invisible friend touched the spike. It stung,” Sari claims, her voice low, but happy. “What is taking your friend so long? A spirit should have an easy time with rusty manacles and chains.”
“He doesn’t want to accidentally blow your hands off,” Nyx mentions bluntly.
“Then, you go for what is holding the chains to the wall,” Sari and Luke say in unison.
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Allure of the Gypsies Page 32
