"I sold some minor works to live. Even my minor works were grand. After years, my age caught up with me. I lost my finesse of hand and eye. I sought a way to keep my youth and youthful skills. Nothing I did seemed to work. One day a Mage sought me out and commissioned an exquisite, complicated piece. I bargained with him. I would make his piece and in exchange he would conjure me my youth that I would stay young. He agreed. He worked his spell, and I became young again." The Corpse laughed at the memory.
"I made his arcane piece, and it was my best work. The best I had ever created. It was a set of rings and a bracelet, much like the one I gave you. When he came to collect his piece, I was so jealous of it I would not give it to him. I had my payment, what could he do, how do you take back a conjuring? You don't. He became furious. He said he had kept his part of the bargain; I must keep mine. I laughed at him. His body began to glow with runes, and he attacked me, planning to take my work. He cast his spells, his lightning, his fire, his ice. My creation took them all and protected me. He saw he could not hurt me, so he stopped."
"You have your payment, of youth, I give you what your greed has purchased. You shall never die and cast another conjuring. I was overjoyed youthfulness, forever." The corpse’s laughter became hysterical.
"Not quite, as you can see. I am still alive, after a fashion, but my youth has failed once again. But my time was not wasted. I figured out a way to get my youth back. The artifact you wear contains youth from those you have taken. You will give it to me, and I will become young again."
I looked at my hand. "When you have your youth back, can you make me another one?"
"Yes, I know the secret now. Return it to me and we shall both remain young."
I nodded and walked toward him. He came down from the dais. I held my hand out toward him, and he reached for it. Just before he touched me, I grabbed his wrist pulling and spinning him around. My arm encircled the top of his head. I drew my knife and with a slash cut his head off.
The head laughed hysterically, "you can't kill me." The stone Knights burst into the room. My stone dogs came up through the floor and attacked them. I dropped into the earth taking the insane head and body with me. Lightning bolts, fireballs, and ice shards hit me; my runes were ablaze protecting me. I could not kill him, in desperation I commanded, *Teach me.*
The head shrieked and vibrated the body convulsed. He fought like nothing I have ever faced. "No," he screamed. There was an explosion in my mind, and his memories hit me. His insanity hit me; his skills hit me. It was too much, all at one time. I tried to hold on, but it was all too much to absorb. As darkness began to take me, I saw someone else in the background, but I could not hold on. Darkness...
I awoke with the lifeless severed head still clutched in my arms. The lifeless body not far away.
"You survived."
I slowly turned my head to see who spoke. "I'm not so sure that I did."
He chuckled. "And your mind intact it seems."
"How long was I out?"
"A little over a month."
"A month?"
He nodded.
"Who are you anyway?"
"Oh, I'm not really here, I left this surprise for greedy guts if he ever tried to break my spell. Which I knew he would try someday."
"You're the Mage he cheated."
He nodded.
"Is there anything I can do for you?"
He smiled, "you've already done it. A word of warning be careful of greed." Then faded away.
I left the skull and body where they were. I raised up through the floor in the crypt. The stone Knights and dogs were gone back to earth. I walked over the chest behind the dais. I didn't even open it I pushed it down into the earth. I'm not that greedy. Besides, I can now make my own arcane artifacts whenever I wanted one.
I wonder, I concentrated on my hand and lifted the ring-bracelet away from my bone and up through my skin. I took it off and set it aside. I looked at my hands and arms. I didn't see any runes. I reached down and touched the ground it felt solid.
I concentrated, then pushed, my hand sank into the earth. I reached down and grabbed the chest and pulled it back up. I put my ring-bracelet back on; it sank back into my skin and around my bones. I pushed the chest back down into the earth.
If I've been gone a month, and I saw no reason for the specter to lie. Maddie would be mad. But after facing an insane undead Mage corpse, she should be a piece of cake. I opened a portal home and stepped through laughing.
Hand Made Mage Page 28
