Indicating inside the first circle on the ground, I created another one, thicker than the first. I repeated this layering, circle inside circle, recalling how Erdgeist used his to shut out eavesdroppers. As I made them, I willed them to protect me from heat and pressure; I didn’t fully understand the physics of it all.
I gathered that I could travel underground with no problem, but only the older elementals could travel deeper. However, the added layers, hopefully, would bolster my innate elemental magic that much more. I really didn’t know what to expect down there so I was preparing for the worst.
Ghob nodded in approval, raising my hopes a notch — yay for me.
Hearing him murmur ‘Clever girl’ raised them another notch …
Then to add an embellishment I wasn't even sure would work, I eyed the outermost circle and willed it to spin. Slowly I watched it move then pick-up speed, slightly blurring but still visible. Working on each I added a different spin angle, a different direction, motioning them with a careful gesture of my hand till all were at speed.
My thought was that the speed of them would not only enhance my protection somewhat but also speed-up my journey. I so didn’t want to be down there too long.
Ghob and Agrona both nodded in approval.
Closing my eyes in one last prayerful supplication, I glanced back down at the bracelet.
I sure hope you are worth it, I told it.
Giving them all one last nod, I breathed slowly savoring the cool night air and willed myself down into the hard earth beneath me.
I put on speed. I didn’t want to delay this journey any longer than I had to. The elemental magic kept me buoyed in the center of the circles, and my mind flashed back to my first Earth travel. It felt like a lifetime ago. I was decidedly more comfortable with the sensory deprivation, but it wasn't yet a natural process. Maybe it never would be, though I seemed to be getting a lot of practice lately.
Shaking my head slowly, I focused my journey’s destination in my mind. I couldn't fuck this up. Opening my eyes I discovered the magic had led me to an Earth road. I watched in fascination at the strata of the varying rock and earth I was passing, judging that if I could still focus on the individual stones I wasn’t going anywhere near fast enough. I willed myself to go faster, crazy fast. My magic responded to my will, speeding me up. The rock blurred into a seamless blend of browns and blacks. Pushing my mind harder I felt a slight headache building and the rocky vista around me blurred noticeably more. I was travelling at an extremely fast speed; the circles around me didn’t impede me in the least, the energy in them spinning without fault.
I added to the barriers a command to sense when we were travelling through the solid iron core. I wasn't interested in the rest. I closed my eyes pushing my speed up. I had no time to waste.
Pushing my senses out and around me I tried to gauge my distance to the center. Vague impressions flitted through my mind. I sifted through them, letting my elemental magic assist me filter the information. I was surprised to feel the inner core of the earth around me — had I really gone that fast? I’d only been travelling for a few hours.
Goddamn, my speed must be ridiculous.
In my mind’s eye I felt one of the circles slowly being eaten away; the vast heat outside it was eroding its shell — very slowly, mind, but a possible future concern.
Opening my eyes again I blinked; the area around me was a molten miasma of deep dark red, swirling around me. I realized that I was completely surrounded by vast amounts of super heated iron and traces of nickel. This information trickled though my mind. I wasn't just guessing. This I actually knew. I could feel the composition of the searing hot magma. I think Earth magic was giving me access to this information when I needed it.
Reaching out my senses even further I hit a wall, solid, impenetrable and white-hot. I felt it pulsate — what the hell? The core seemed to be alive somehow. That couldn't be right. I pushed my senses deeper into the sphere. I sensed an anomaly and my mind focused on this. Fuck, the core of the earth was hollow — wow, all the scientists have got it wrong over the years.
I started to withdraw my probe when something slithered across my mind. I was so startled my descent came to a halt. I didn’t feel the stop, but the liquid hot metal around me came pulsing into solid view.
There was something there inside the center. It had disappeared now, but I was positive it was sentient.
Nothing could survive down here, could it?
Damn, I suppose if a fledgling warder could, why not something else? I had a sense that it might be old.
I cranked on the speed again, eager to get to the Focus now. I'd deal with whatever came my way when I got to it. Feeling the first circle’s outer layer being eaten away increased my sense of urgency, willing the protection circles to spin faster. I closed my eyes and calmed myself.
This was it. There was no turning back. I wondered if my mother and subsequent/previous warders had made it this far?
I knew my powers had increased since I’d started using them more often, but my mother had had centuries of practice — how could she not have done this? There was an unknown factor here, and I fucking hated unknown factors.
I passed into the solid iron core of the earth. I felt the denseness exponentially increase around me, but my speed didn’t decrease. I knew the center was within my reach and I wanted to arrive and hopefully surprise the anomaly I was lucky enough to discern. I had a feeling that it was sheer luck that I’d picked it up, as there was a secretive taste to the strange slithering I'd felt.
Minutes later I felt the solid core disappear as I burst into the hollow center.
Seeing immediately the obsidian Focus off towards the center, I veered and headed right for it, setting my sights on it. I willed myself to go faster, when out of nowhere I, together with my protection circles, was slammed off course by a gigantic bulk of scales made of glowing hues of red, white, and magma. A serpentine body glided past me and I glimpsed a huge fiery white-eye glance at me as it veered upwards, turning around for another sweep at me.
A fucking dragon was my first thought. No, that couldn't be right, as I clumsily righted myself and initiated defensive maneuvers. I grimaced, yak, go Star Trek. What fucking defensive maneuvers? I could use Earth magic, but I'd never used anything else. Looking at the iron white-hot core, I felt it with my mind. Damn, it was from the earth, so why couldn't I manipulate it, right?
I quickly got a bead on the serpent, watching as its coils glided and scraped across each other, gathering and spitting sparks of liquid gold. I heard them as a crackling vibration along the surface of my circle, making my teeth ache.
I then realized it wasn't a dragon. It was an ancient elemental, a being of fire and liquid-hot magma. It was a freaking magma elemental of some kind, a creature so old it was probably older than Ghob. Its body elongated and it came rushing at me; its cavernous maw, filled with large slivers of sharpened molten metal, opened wide and a torrent of searing hot magma came spewing out directly at me.
I attempted to dart out of the way, but wasn’t quite quick enough. It splashed against my outer circle, scalding hot, sending out a wave of boiling steam, blocking my vision suddenly. Dropping straight down at breakneck speed, as the elemental giant glided over me, its jaws snapping empty as it narrowly missed me. The length of its body passed over, thrashing in anger. One coil managed to hit my circle, dashing me in another direction.
The steam cleared and I willed myself quickly along one sinuous passing length, keeping parallel to it and staying out of sight of the elemental’s head, travelling along its girth. I looked at the core-like inner surface and motioned with one hand for spear lengths of iron to detach themselves from the side. The wicked tines, sharp and meters long, darkened in color as though removing them had somehow cooled them. Flicking my hand, I aimed them for the side of the serpent I was passing, the coil bending as it shot past me. I turned to follow the spears and watched them as they buried themselves through the slight
gaps in the beast’s armor. I had noticed these creases, darker in color, earlier. They were created when it bent its sinuous length and I was sure it was a weakness I could exploit.
Its agony was horrific to watch. The elemental’s head came flying around to the source of its pain, aka me, but I had already darted up as high as I could go without going back into the solid core, to watch as it vainly tried to bite down on the iron javelins, tearing at them, trying to dislodge them. Some broke off, but it couldn’t remove them. They sliced its mouth up, and large streamers of dark iron-red blood poured out and rained down.
The elemental screeched its pain and anger; its enormous eyes, large and reflective, scanned furiously around for me. Spotting me hovering above, I dropped from my position startled — damn, it was quick off the mark.
Desperately, I tried to think of something else. The lava it had spewed out earlier had whittled down my first circle. There was only the barest of protection with the one left. I knew I had multiple other rings, but I'd only been here barely five minutes.
Using the iron around me again I manipulated another lot of spears out of the interior wall. Time to get creative methinks. Creating a hedgehog of spears around me, I directed the bases against the outermost wall of my circles, surgically sharp points up and out. I held them in place suddenly transforming myself into one nasty ball of death; the spears all darkened again, cooling slightly. I held my breath waiting for the next attack.
Shit, the elemental had disappeared. Looking wildly around, my vision limited due to the spears, I glanced down and to my horror saw a freaking mouth, gaping wide with lots of teeth, and one very pissed off elemental rising up directly underneath me. I think I slightly peed myself.
Moving all the spikes from above me around to bloody underneath me, I held my breath and braced myself, timing this for when I was sure he was moments from hitting. It spewed more magma, as I slammed my palms down, directing all the projectiles down in one massive spearheaded attack. Simultaneously, I created another spear from the core wall, though this one was five times the size of the others and triple the girth, directing it to attack the serpent from the other side. I prayed it would penetrate its armor as I was aiming blind on this one, just hoping that the size of it added to my luck.
The enraged elemental couldn't swerve fast enough from the sharp onslaught and dozens of lance heads drove deep into the creature’s mouth. I directed them to push deep and not to lose momentum. They dug deeper, several even going right through the soft tissue of its mouth and slicing out of its neck. Then the larger spear hit home and to my amazement pierced not only into one curl of its body but went through that and straight into another, opening multiple wounds, such was its power.
It screamed in agony, anger forgotten, eyes wide and panicked, survival seeming now it's only option. Like a gigantic snake all its curls and serpentine lengths writhed tightening and forming a massive knot; deep red blood poured from all its numerous wounds. The mighty spear still attached to its side held. The elemental roared using its expanse to try and dislodge it, but it held fast.
Coming up rapidly to it I dared to ram a few more slivers of iron into it, automatically creating more on the move, harassing it from as many sides as I could, giving it no quarter. The creature suddenly lost all fight and hung limp, it’s breathing ragged and slow. I watched its eyes dim.
This was my opportunity. I headed for the center. Seeing the Focus, I slowed, mesmerized by its ethereal beauty. It floated serenely, its faceted edges so deep black that I could see thousands of reflected mirror images of myself. Behind and above me I could also see flickers of bright hot magma and flames from the elemental’s scales. It shuddered, its undulating scales visibly darkening. It shuddered again and I watched its tight ball loosen. I thought I’d damaged it pretty extensively.
Holding my breath I reached out and gently took the Earth Focus from its resting place. I felt something click in my mind, a long awaited recognition, a relief, as if the stone was finally fulfilling what it had long awaited for. Feeling its smooth weight I wondered how the hell would it fit on the bracelet; it was palm size. As if on cue it shrunk as I set it neatly into the space made for it.
Sighing I felt a connection with the stone. It hummed in my head, a burst of power followed: mind-boggling, incandescent power. I shuddered and my eyes burned; a dark corona of brown flickered in the periphery of my vision.
Holy shit …
Closing my eyes I felt the increase of power in me. I was forever changed.
Lost in thought I gave a jump of pure terror when a meaty-sized hand landed solidly on my shoulder. Spinning around, Ghob was in front of me.
Bowing to me.
‘You have done what no Warder in existence has ever been able to achieve. Well done, Warder! Congratulations aside though, please forgive me while I attend to Vulcanus, the Magma Elemental,’ he glided up past me and came to its head.
‘Your duty is fulfilled, my old friend,’ he said gently to the injured elemental, ‘but you have been finally bested and now no longer need to guard the Focus. Rest now.’
Placing his hand on the elemental’s snout, his hand blazed and one by one in a swathe of brilliance all the elemental’s scales re-ignited, blinding hot and white, searing away the spears and his previous injuries.
Roaring at his renewed vigor, the elemental bowed his head to me. He rose up disappearing out the center of the earth.
‘Come, Warder,’ Ghob beckoned, moving though my circles as if they didn’t exist and taking my hand. I gasped as they all winked out.
‘We must be off — I sense turmoil above,’ he said.
CHAPTER 30
day seven
Arriving back before sunrise to my front lawn, after a dizzying blur of speed through countless layers of Earth, I was dismayed with what greeted us. It didn’t look like my serene property anymore. My house and land were under attack, and my scar was flaring.
I spotted Agrona, who was a blur of rock and sheer madness. She hit revenants’ heads in like a game of sport — holy crap, she somersaulted over one, curving her body in mid air. She slapped its head into a spray of gore with one dainty foot, while delicately plucking another revenant’s head off that was in front of her. It stood there stumbling, not as yet comprehending its fatal situation.
Her attacks were balanced and finely orchestrated like a beautifully played symphony.
The revenants were clambering over each other through a large hole they'd managed to tear into my Earth Circle. The edges blurred as they fluttered erratically; more undead were slowly but surely tearing away small areas in their frenzy to get through to us.
Seeing that it needed to be urgently repaired, I fixed my destination in sight and joined the fray. Whipping out my Ruger from the small of my back I calmly started firing off clean headshots. A revenant, snarling in hunger, launched itself from a tree at Erdgeist, teeth bared in a rictus of rage. Aiming slowly and clearing my mind, I took out its head on an angle through its rotting cheek, or what was left of it anyway; pieces of flesh continued to fall off like some macabre sloppy horror fest.
Erdgeist turned, slightly startled at the gore spraying back at him from the air, but on seeing my work he grunted, nodding. He spun, twirling Mahogany Death and his new silvery sword in unison, a whirlwind blur of death. With a few precise movements he decapitated three more revenants while barely looking up.
Ghob raised an eyebrow at my fancy shooting. Looking at me with a grim smile, he gestured and four small rocks hovered into view. He flicked a finger and all the stones zipped out into the undead fray popping like bullets into and out of several rotting heads. Hearing the pops and seeing them drop plastered a sloppy grin on my face.
‘Fucking show off,’ I laughed.
Within moments we were in the thick of things, willing a rock-hard sword out of the ground below into my waiting hand. It rose up with a gentle rasping. I ran my fingers along its edge willing it into keen sharpness. It glittered from the smoo
thed gravel along its length, deadly and sharp.
I wasn't an expert with a sword but my gun only had so many bullets, not enough for this battle. Running up I pierced a revenant’s head, whipped out the sword and ran to the next. My goal was to get to the circle’s breach, which wasn't too far away now, or as close to it as I could.
Circling the melee while the majority of the undead were distracted, I veered around to the edge of my circle and laid my hand flat against it.
I wanted to close my eyes to concentrate, but I didn’t think it was an option I’d want to risk right now. My three companions were keeping them distracted, but as I watched more were trying to push through the torn opening, scrabbling and snapping at each other as they attempted to push through at the same time. Dead skin was being torn and sundered; some were even biting at each other, tearing huge chunks of pus-oozing flesh away with each bite. A particularly psychotic revenant slapped its hand down, creating a globe of inky blackness. From its depths I heard shrieking and snarling. I blanched in horror as wads of flesh and congealed blood came flying out from within the globe spraying in all directions; a full arm ragged at the edge, joint ball glistening, came flopping out hitting another revenant below it in the head.
Swallowing bile in an effort not to throw up, I stared at the circle urging the breach to start repairing itself. Gasping in relief I saw that one side had melded slowly with another torn area, joining the gap instantly, melding as strong as ever. I felt the connection and was sure it couldn't be torn again —well, maybe in time, but I wasn't going to allow that time to occur.
Ghob explained previously in training that with repeated attacks a circle could be breached and that I’d feel it. I wasn't sure how I hadn’t felt this one — maybe my depth under the earth had prevented me from sensing it. The hole they made was relatively large, so they must have been attacking it for some time. Oh well, a question for Ghob at a later date, once the blood and guts stopped flying.
As I was about to fill in another gap in the hole an unusually large revenant came rushing at me. This fella was big and missing an arm, giving him a lopsided gait. He hit the ground with his free hand, creating night around him, and somehow managed to keep moving. I hadn't been attributing much intelligence to these things. Being undead, I just assumed their brains would be a mushy congealed lump of matter, but this one emerged from its circle of darkness and immediately created another in front of him, keeping himself low almost animal-like, fast even with the lack of a limb.
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