by James Wisher
“I never should have let you go in there.”
Marie-Bell turned back to her former mistress. “It was fate. If it hadn’t been that day it would have been another. The angels had decided to make me their agent well before you sent me to clean the chapel.”
“Why? You were just a servant girl.” Commander Kendy almost pleaded for an explanation she could make sense of.
Unfortunately Marie-Bell had nothing to offer her. The will of the holy ones wasn’t shared with mortals. The angel that bonded with her offered her only the hints she’d already shared. “I’m sorry, Commander, I have no idea why they chose me. I like to imagine they wanted to send a message.”
“What message?”
“That goodness and honor belong to everyone, not just those who train for it. After all, if a serving girl has the potential to become a paladin, anyone does.” She offered a bright smile as she shared her personal theory. That theory was also the reason she decided to leave the fortress and explore the kingdom. If she couldn’t share her story it couldn’t inspire anyone.
Commander Kendy blew out a breath. “More likely you’re a prank the holy ones decided to play on us. Come on.”
They left the chapel, made a right, and stepped into the commander’s office. She closed the door and sat behind her ornate walnut desk. “All right, let’s hear it.”
There were no other chairs forcing Marie-Bell to stand before the commander. She briefed her on everything that had happened since she met Damien and Jen. When she reached the part about Damien banishing the demon Commander Kendy let out a disbelieving snort. Marie-Bell didn’t blame her. If she hadn’t seen Damien do it with her own eyes she wouldn’t have believed it either.
When she finished Marie-Bell said, “So do you know anything about the Kingdom of Alexious or The Harvest?”
The commander had a faraway look as she stared at the ceiling. Marie-Bell frowned, but held her peace.
Finally Commander Kendy shook her head as if to clear it. “The Kingdom of Alexious is the old name of the haunted lands. If a warlock is indeed active out there it would explain the strange energy we’ve been sensing. It was a weak new source of corruption until a day or so ago when the power spiked. That corresponds to the time your companion was captured.”
Marie-Bell grew excited. Maybe Damien was in the haunted lands. Jen would be so happy to hear he might still be alive.
Commander Kendy broke the seal on the king’s letter. Her frown grew as she read it and when she finished she crumpled it up and threw it in the basket beside her desk.
“Commander?”
“Just politics, nothing you need to concern yourself with. I will have someone look up The Harvest in the archives. When we know something you can take a message back to the king. Why don’t you go rest? Help yourself to one of the guest rooms.”
Marie-Bell bowed. “Thank you, Commander.”
Chapter 6
Morana wiggled the blue ring on her right middle finger. It fit her perfectly. How had Connor known? Probably the same way he knew everything: he was a genius. She’d been practicing with her new toys out in the hot, dry air for the past half a day. About twice each hour a massive spike of corrupt energy came from the cave and she knew Connor had created another pair of soldiers.
She returned her attention to training. Getting the constructs to march was simple enough. She suspected if she ordered them to kill they’d know exactly how to do it.
Time to get back at it. She focused on Big Eyes and mentally commanded it to stand with its back to Broken Fang. Broken Fang picked up on the order and twisted around to make it easier for the first construct to obey her command. That was both useful and a failure. Her goal was to gain precise control over the two constructs. She couldn’t do that if they both reacted to her orders even when she only wanted one to. Her thoughts were too unfocused.
When Fang and Eyes stood back to back Morana tried to really focus her will just on Eyes. She commanded it to walk in a circle around Fang. The construct obliged and Fang didn’t move. Morana grinned at her success before she realized the only way Fang could have helped was by standing still, thus rendering her experiment useless.
Morana was about to try another command when something dark appeared in the distant sky. She couldn’t make out much at this distance, but it looked a great deal like a demon and it was approaching fast. With the corruption from the crystal overwhelming her senses she couldn’t tell how powerful it was, but even a weak demon wasn’t something she wanted to handle on her own.
As she watched a second and third figure appeared in the air beside the first. A minute later she counted ten demons flying toward her. That was enough for Morana. She ordered Fang and Eye to guard the cave entrance and ran inside to find Connor.
She reached the portal chamber just in time to watch a burst of soul force fire into the portal and forks of black lightning come out and strike a pair of constructs that resembled shoulder-high wolves. Connor stood bent at the waist and gasping for air.
Morana doubted he’d be thrilled that she’d seen him in such a weakened state, but there was nothing to be done about it. “Connor.”
He spun to face her, straightening as he moved. “I told you to guard the entrance.”
“About that. There are at least ten demons flying this way in a hurry. While I don’t underestimate my new powers, that’s a little much for me to handle.”
“Ten?”
She nodded. “At least.”
Connor grimaced. “Let’s go see.”
They flew down to the cave, constructs converging on the opening. A few seconds after they landed a dozen of the creatures had gathered behind them. Connor stepped out onto the gray sand. About a hundred yards from the cave a line of twenty demons stood waiting. Morana didn’t know a great deal about demons, but that struck her as odd behavior.
“Connor?”
“They want to talk.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because they’re not trying to kill us. Let’s not keep them waiting.”
They could have waited until hell froze over for all Morana cared, but she walked along beside Connor like she was confident they weren’t about to be rent to pieces. Even with the constructs and their combined power twenty demons was a lot.
Connor stopped ten feet from the center of their line. One of the demons, a massive creature fully nine feet tall and five feet across the shoulders, stepped in front of the group. It had bat wings, the head of a praying mantis, and shiny black plates covering every inch of its body. Morana could feel its power now and she shivered. It nearly matched Connor all by itself.
Her master showed no sign of concern as he bowed to the monster. “Welcome. I am Connor Blackman, a humble servant of the Horned One. How may I help you?”
“We have felt your conjuring and wished to discover what was happening.” The lead demon’s voice whined like a high-pitched vibration. It hurt Morana’s ears to listen. “Little enough happens out in this wasteland. You roused our curiosity.”
Connor briefly explained his intentions, speaking calmly for all the world like the demon standing before him was just another person. “If you would like to join my army I’d be honored to have you. We have no flying troops so your help would be a great boon.”
“You’re ambitious, mortal, I grant you that. We swore to never again be bound in the service of a master, but when you attack I and any of my companions that wish it will fight your enemies.” The massive demon flexed hands bearing six-inch talons. “It has been far too long since I have torn flesh and feasted on blood.”
“I thank you. I assure you if you fight beside my army there will be plenty of tearing and feasting to enjoy. Will you join us here? There’s plenty of space in the cavern.”
“No. We are flyers and don’t care for closed spaces. Never fear, little warlock, we will be close by.”
The demon leapt up, lashed its wings, and sent sand blowing every which way. Morana instinctively raised
her arm to protect her eyes even though her personal shield kept out all the dust. When the sand finally settled there was no sign of the demons.
She glanced at Connor and found him smiling. Morana had expected the monster’s insults to have put him in a bad mood. “Not very friendly, was he?”
“For a demon that was downright cordial,” Connor said. “They don’t understand the crystal’s power which makes them hesitate to simply kill us. My confidence in the face of their superior numbers and power reinforced that hesitation. By offering them an outlet for their desire to destroy I provided the excuse they needed not to simply attack us.”
“How did you think of all that so quickly?” Morana stared at him with open awe.
“I’ve dealt with enough demons to understand how they think. The more intelligent ones can, at times, be reasoned with. Nevertheless I’ll be happy to have several hundred crystal soldiers at my side the next time I encounter our new allies.”
Morana heartily seconded that plan.
Chapter 7
It was so late when the reply from King’s College arrived that Jen ended up spending the night at The Tower. It sounded like the old professor was out in the field exploring a recently discovered ruin. The administrators had provided a rough location and the Headmaster promised to assign someone to fly her there. That offer was enough to make up for any discomfort she might have felt at the sleeping arrangements.
Ann had conjured her a bed in the conference room and provided linens. When Jen asked Mariela why she was allowed to have an actual room upstairs the scholar replied that since she worked with sorcerers so often they considered her an honorary member of the family. Not that Jen especially cared about her sleeping accommodations, she’d slept far rougher than what the sorcerers provided. The Headmaster’s discomfort at her situation amused her no end. He was like an innkeeper who ran out of rooms and was forced to put guests up in the stable.
After a good night’s sleep Jen left her makeshift bedroom, her pack slung over one shoulder, and crossed into the foyer. Ann was waiting with a plate of food which Jen gladly accepted. She’d eaten most of it when the Headmaster emerged from the direction of his office with two women in tow.
In the lead was a lean woman in her late twenties. Her cheeks were sunken in and she had fine wrinkles around her eyes that gave the impression of an older woman. Beside her was a young woman around Jen’s age with bright red hair wearing an acid green dress.
The younger woman brushed past the Headmaster and marched right up to Jen. “You’re Damien’s sister. I’m Amanda, we were yearmates. I’ll do my best to help you find him then blow up whoever took him.”
She thrust her hand at Jen who shook it. Her brother hadn’t mentioned Amanda, at least not that Jen remembered. The woman was blunt, but she seemed to mean well.
“I’ll take all the help I can get, thanks.”
The older woman grabbed Amanda by the collar and yanked her back. “Don’t mind her. Amanda often leaps before she looks. I’m Kat Gentul, her mentor. We’re at your service for as long as you need us.”
The Headmaster looked from Kat and Amanda to Jen then back again. “I guess that takes care of the introductions. Kat can send updates to me and I’ll pass them on to Lidia. If you need additional resources please don’t hesitate to ask. Finding and recovering your brother and the other missing sorcerers is our highest priority.”
“Thank you, sir.” Jen bowed to the Headmaster. Even if he did think Damien was dead, at least he was making the effort to find out for certain. She turned to Kat. “You know where we’re headed?”
Kat nodded. “Approximately. Once we get close we should be able to sense his soul force.”
“And if we can’t we could just burn down the forest until we spot the ruins.” Amanda smiled at the prospect in a way that made Jen question her sanity.
Kat grabbed Amanda and forced the younger woman to meet her gaze. “Remember what we discussed. You don’t blast anything unless I say so, got it?”
Amanda pouted for a moment then said, “Fine. Can we go now?”
“I’m ready,” Jen said.
Kat led them out into the empty courtyard. “Good luck!” the Headmaster shouted after them.
Kat conjured an oversized chariot that would easily fit all of them and Jen stepped aboard. It reminded her of the transport Master Shen used, only a bit smaller. When Amanda had joined them the chariot shot into the air and turned south and a little east.
They hadn’t gone far when the Great Green appeared below them. The huge forest soon covered everything for as far as they could see in every direction. How could anyone find anything down there? The trees grew so dense the ground only rarely appeared through the canopy. Jen tried to catch a glimpse through the gaps, but even with her enhanced senses all she made out was leaves.
They reached the target area around midmorning and began circling. Everyone remained silent, straining with all their senses to detect some sign of the professor.
After almost an hour of circling Amanda said, “I sense something down there.” She pointed a little to the left of their current course.
Kat looked in the direction her apprentice indicated then nodded. “I do too, but I’m not certain it’s human.”
Amanda frowned. “I sense no corruption.”
“No, it’s not a demon either. I’m not certain what it is.”
Jen had heard enough. “Why don’t we go down for a closer look? If it’s the old man, great. If not we can keep searching.”
Kat nodded and a golden dome formed over the chariot as they descended toward the trees. The chariot crashed through the canopy, sending branches falling to the forest floor. It was a good thing they weren’t trying to sneak up on anyone.
Once they smashed through the canopy there was plenty of space between the massive hardwoods for them to land. “There’s the ruin,” Jen said.
It really was a ruin too. Tumbled stone from what she guessed was once a crude fort lay scattered amongst the trees. The most intact bit of construction looked like a doorway. Since most of the building behind the opening had collapsed she couldn’t imagine where it went. There was no one immediately visible and no sign of a camp. Jen wanted to call out for the professor, but didn’t dare after Kat’s mention of something nonhuman in the area.
“The soul force I sense is coming from over there.” Amanda pointed at the opening then walked toward it.
Jen shrugged and followed along behind. When Amanda reached the doorway she conjured a ball of light and sent it through. “There’s an opening in the floor with a rope dangling down it.”
Jen reached the opening and sure enough someone had tied off a knotted rope to a boulder that probably weighed three tons. She didn’t know what the sorcerers sensed, but that rope was exactly the sort of thing a human explorer would have with him.
“Looks like the professor’s here after all,” Jen said. “Let’s see if we can find him.”
Jen grabbed the rope and swung over the lip of what looked like an old trapdoor to the cellar. She climbed down hand over hand while the sorcerers floated along beside her providing light. When she’d gone thirty knots down it became clear that this was no basement.
“Can you summon a little more light?” Jen asked.
Amanda conjured a light that resembled an underground sun and sent it floating away. A massive cavern spread out around them for hundreds of yards in every direction. Jen shivered. It seemed her lot to spend her time crawling around underground. She finally spotted the floor about ten feet below. It had to be fifty feet back up the opening. She was impressed an old professor could manage the climb down, much less the climb back up.
When they reached the floor Jen asked, “Can you still sense whatever you sensed up above?”
Amanda shook her head. “I sense something, but it’s not the same as before.”
“No, this is human for sure.” Kat turned to her right about thirty degrees. “It’s this way.”
T
hey walked along behind Kat across the smooth stone floor. They didn’t light up the whole space, but here and there hints of tumbled buildings appeared in flashes. This felt a great deal like the ruined city under Port Valcane. It was too remote to be of any great use to the cult, but that didn’t mean something else didn’t live here.
The three of them made their way through the darkness for half an hour before Kat stopped and directed her light globe up and off to one side. Hanging fifteen feet above them, an indistinct shape struggled in a crude net suspended from a mostly intact tower.
“Professor Dorius?” Jen asked.
The trapped individual stopped struggling. “That’s right. Good to see a human face down here. Surprising, but good.”
“Hold still and we’ll help you down.” Kat conjured a disk under the net and Amanda severed the rope holding him up. When he was free Kat lowered him to the ground. “There you are.”
Jen helped him free himself from the net. When the last restraint was gone Dorius stood up, brushed his khaki trousers off, and peered at them through filthy spectacles. He had white hair jutting out from under a broad-brimmed hat, a scruffy beard covering a deeply lined face, and a lean, muscular build. A long knife hung from his belt and he had a satchel over one shoulder.
“You three are certainly the most attractive rescuers I’ve ever had. Thank you for your assistance. I assume the college sent you.”
“In a manner of speaking,” Jen said. “They provided your location. We need your help on a very important matter.”
“Really? It's been many years since I was asked to consult. Perhaps this isn't the best place to discuss it.”
Amanda popped up and spun around slowly. “Master?”
“I sense them too. We’ve got company.”
“Ah, yes,” Professor Dorius said. “I forgot to mention there are goblins in this ruin. I've been dodging the little buggers for a day and a half.”
