The Sorcerer's Return (The Sorcerer's Path)

by Brock Deskins

  “Fennrick, right on time as usual,” the Duchess said as he entered. “How goes your progress?”

  “It goes as always,” he answered frustratingly, “Nowhere but backward. The girl is increasingly slipping away to wherever her mind takes her even under moderate coercion, but that is the least troubling thing I have to report.”

  Paulina quirked an eyebrow at the Inquisitor. “What else occurs?”

  “It appears Lord Azerick Giles has returned from the dead and is now demanding audience.”

  Elias’ normally laconic expression vanished as he stood and leaned against his desk. “Lord Giles? Are you certain it is him?”

  “He looks exactly like the portrait I spied of him in North Haven, and I detected no illusion or enchantment of any kind.”

  “Did you read his aura?”

  Fennrick sighed. “Yes, Elias, I have been doing this for more than a few days now. Strongly sorcerous, but there was a hint of something else as well.”

  “What else?”

  “I do not know,” Fennrick admitted. “I have never encountered it before. I got a feeling it was deeply suppressed but dark and still very strong despite his attempts to hide it.”

  Duchess Paulina sat up and set her glass upon the low table before her. “There were rumors Lord Giles had an encounter with some kind of demon. Could that be the cause?”

  “It is plausible, Your Grace,” Fennrick replied. “Particularly if any sort of possession took place.”

  “I am certain his death was no ruse. Could he have truly died and yet returned?”

  “It is possible for mages of sufficient power to escape the afterlife, especially if they have the assistance of powerful wizards and clerics here amongst the living. I do not know if anyone has ever taken it beyond the theory, however.”

  Paulina paused for thought. “He does have both of those available to him. Where is he now?”

  “In the anteroom awaiting an audience with the council. Your Grace, he did inform me he had pressing issues and would wait no longer than thirty minutes before taking matters into his own hands.”

  “Well, he certainly sounds like Lord Giles. Lord Giles or no, I’ll not jump to for the dead husband of my rival’s daughter,” she declared emphatically.

  Fennrick cleared his throat. “Technically, Your Grace, this is an Academy matter for the inquisition council to address.”

  “Technically, I do not care,” the Duchess snapped. “This is my city and I will decide any matters concerning it. Now go summon the council and have them await me.”

  Seeing his subordinate about to argue, Elias ordered, “Now, Inquisitor.”

  Fennrick’s body went rigid. He bowed slightly at the waist, spun smartly, and stalked from the room with suppressed indignity.

  Paulina drained the last vestiges of wine from her glass. “I do believe the strain of the interrogations is wearing on our dear Fennrick. Maybe it is time we find another. Perhaps then we can get some results.”

  “Your Grace, if it is indeed Lord Giles, I must presume he is here for his apprentice as well as the Codex,” Elias warned.

  “So what if he is? I’ll hand over neither of those things. The Codex is mine, and the girl is a criminal.”

  Elias’s eyes shifted nervously. “I am just reminded of our reports of his activity in Bakhtaran, Your Grace.”

  The Duchess waved a hand dismissively. “He had an army with him. Does he have an army here?”

  “I imagine Fennrick has tasked a detail to look for such and would have reported anything unusual.”

  “Then I see no reason to worry myself. It is not as though he can challenge the entire Hall of Inquisition. Come, let us make our way to the council chamber and greet our young, dead lord.”

  Elias and the Duchess found the senior council already in attendance as well as several Inquisitors seated in the gallery. She took her seat in the center chair normally reserved for the Senior Inquisitor, while Elias sat dutifully to her right amongst the council. Fennrick stood below the elevated council upon the chamber floor, agitation etched clearly upon his face. His eyes continually shifted from the Duchess to the main doors behind which Lord Giles impatiently waited.

  “Your Grace, Lord Giles did express his urgency in meeting with the council, and I believe the time is near at hand,” Fennrick murmured.

  Paulina glared down at the Inquisitor. “Lord Giles has always been an arrogant little upstart, and it will do him well to learn patience, particularly when dealing with his betters,” she sniffed and turned her head to Elias. “I assume those doors are sufficiently warded to prevent even him from foolishly barging in?”

  Elias inclined his head. “They are indeed, Your Grace. It would take several archmages to unravel or bash down those wards.”

  “Good. Let the pompous little man wait.”

  The Duchess still wore her condescending smirk when the doors exploded inward with a deafening boom. Only the secondary wards and quick actions of the experienced Inquisitors prevented the wood, bronze, and stone fragments from becoming lethal projectiles. Hastily erected wards flared among the gathering even as several of those closest were blasted from their seats and sent sprawling. From the cloud of dust and destruction, Azerick strode into the chamber without a hint of fear or hesitation.

  Duchess Paulina quickly regained her composure and raised a hand to prevent the astonished wizards from striking out. “Lord Giles, I had heard you died. Was I misinformed?”

  “You were not, Your Grace. But like a bad meal, the abyss found me distasteful and spat me back out.”

  “I see death has done nothing to improve your manners.”

  “On the contrary, I have far less patience and sufferance for fools than I once had.”

  “Are you calling me a fool?” Paulina demanded.

  Azerick shrugged. “It would be the height of foolishness to try and prevent me from retrieving what is mine.”

  “Lord Giles, your reemergence intrigues me, and for that reason alone I allow you a certain amount of leave. Do not test my tolerance. What is it you want?”

  “It is my understanding this place holds something belonging to me as well as my apprentice. I will have both of them returned.”

  “Your apprentice is a criminal and has refused offers of parole. As to your property, I presume you refer to the Codex Arcana. The Codex is the property of The Academy by law, and it is illegal for an individual to possess it,” Duchess Paulina declared.

  “It is interesting you would bring Academy law into this,” Azerick responded dryly. “It is also Academy and King’s law requiring a significant separation of Academy and governmental jurisdictions. This is purely an Academy situation, so why am I discussing it with you?”

  Paulina shifted in her seat and set her chin. “The office of inquisition and I share a close relationship, given our mutual requirements for protecting the border.”

  “Perhaps too close,” Azerick responded darkly. “Ulric also shared a close relationship with certain members of The Academy; a relationship I severed.”

  Duchess Paulina pushed herself up in her seat and leaned down toward the upstart sorcerer. “You dare threaten me?” she shouted.

  “I merely voice the reality of what will occur for anyone choosing to be my enemy. Do not put yourself or these wizards in that position, Your Grace,” Azerick said without emotion.

  The powerful Duchess of Argoth shook with indignity, her rage blazing from her face like the searing heat of the desert sun. “Let me warn you, boy, only the political stability of my duchy prevents me from sending you right back to the abyss where you belong! Test my patience further, and I will have my wizards do exactly that, consequences be damned!”

  Azerick turned his stony gaze upon Elias. “Senior Inquisitor, I assume you, and probably everyone else in this hall, took in my aura when I entered. Before anyone does something foolish, I recommend you do so again and advise your Duchess accordingly.”

  With a curious look, Elias, al
ong with every other wizard in the chamber, did exactly that. Slipping into a light meditation, the wizards looked beyond simple visual sight to glimpse the invisible energies surrounding all living things. Azerick stood as before with his golden, sorcerous aura brilliantly limning his body, but he no longer suppressed Klaraxis’ terrifying power. Encasing the golden glow, a black cloud of malevolent energy nearly filled the entire room. Klaraxis’ aura washed over everyone in the chamber with so much vile power, wizards scrambled away from him, pressed themselves against the walls, and tried to flee the room. Several fell from their seats and knelt on the floor, gasping. Even the Duchess felt the deathly wave wash over her and sat heavily back upon her seat, her face paling in a fear she could not comprehend.

  “Elias, w-what is this?” she rasped out.

  “It is our death, Your Grace. We must capitulate,” the Inquisitor whispered hoarsely.

  “What you have seen and felt is the demon lord, Klaraxis,” Azerick declared as he suppressed the aura once more. “I control his body and power, but only nominally. If you force me to fight, I will likely lose that control and the demon will wreak havoc upon this city and beyond until The Academy and church can work together to banish him back to the abyss. He would eventually fall, but not before reducing this city and likely several others to ruins.”

  Paulina leaned over and whispered, “Elias, can your people not defeat him?”

  “Perhaps, if we were prepared, but even then the battle would be devastating to the city. If we were ready and had a contingent of Solarian’s Light, we could force him to return to the abyss at the least. But at this moment, it would mean our destruction.”

  She could care less about the girl other than her connection to the Codex, which thus far had proved useless, but she despised the idea of giving up the book. However, she was not foolish enough to press forward in a battle she knew she was destined to lose. It was why she was still alive and Ulric and his conspirators were not.

  Duchess Paulina straightened in her seat and did her best to regain her composure. “Very well, Lord Giles, I will have someone bring you the Codex. It is heavily secured and will take a bit of time to remove it.”

  “You have already wasted enough of my time. I will get it myself.”

  Azerick pointed his staff at the high ceiling and made a circling motion. The hall shuddered as a round section of the ceiling the size of a small dinner table broke free and descended through the floor. Story after story of the tower above sank through the floor as loud, crackling explosions resounded through the Hall of Inquisition from the multiple wards protesting their destruction. The wards protecting the Codex were the most formidable possible and would have withstood Azerick’s sorcery even with the additional power of his staff, but they were not designed to stand against the demonic power lacing his magic. When the rumbling destruction stopped and the dust cleared, the Codex Arcana sat before Azerick on its stone pedestal.

  Azerick reached out and casually tucked the tome under his left arm. “My coming here and asking for what is mine was mere courtesy. I would have forgone even that had I not a dire message to convey as well, and I hope my ridiculous display has convinced you to take me seriously. The greatest fight for our existence is dawning, and we all need to stand together to defeat it. You all have a passing knowledge of The Great Revolution?” he inquired.

  Several heads nodded numbly but only Paulina spoke. “We defeated the dragons and gained our freedom.”

  “The dragons were merely our part in that great conflict. The true battle lay with the elves and their magic. They took the battle to the beings controlling the dragons. These Scions are the original gods of this world, and they are returning to take back what they feel is theirs. Our gods and elven magic banished them, so they hate magic users like no others. They will destroy all who possess the ability to wield magic along with the vast majority of the races. You see the power I possess. The Scions and their legions will crush me like an insect if I stand alone. I plan to petition The Academy, church, and King Jarvin to prepare for their invasion. You Inquisitors are already battle trained, but it is not enough. You must train with a rigor like no other, every day, and as hard as you can stand. You must be prepared to battle against hundreds of thousands of evil creatures who have no fear of death. To fail means the destruction of all we are, with no future but one of primitive subservience for the few who are allowed to live. Now, someone take me to my apprentice. I have much to do,” he finished darkly.

  It took a moment for the Duchess to respond as she tried desperately to make sense of what the sorcerer said. “Fennrick, please escort Lord Giles to the girl.”

  The hall was quiet and all eyes followed the sorcerer as Fennrick led him from the room. They all sat in stunned silence as they tried to process the enormity of what he had told them. Could it be true? Could they believe the word of a demon?

  Fennrick fought to collect his thoughts as he led Lord Giles down the hall toward the prison cells. “I was impressed when you destroyed the doors,” he said tentatively, “but to take down the wards surrounding the Codex with such apparent ease was particularly disconcerting.”

  Azerick grinned. “Blowing apart doors is kind of becoming my thing.”

  “I have never heard of the Scions. How do you know of them?”

  “Sharellan told me, and the last remaining creature to have fought them showed me their prison. You are wondering if you can believe me.”

  Fennrick took a breath and nodded.

  “You need to. There must be something about them located within The Academy archives, no matter how passing the reference or how deeply buried it may be. We all need to be ready for their return, and that means honing our power to its highest level. What would I gain by enticing my enemies to greater power if I am lying?”

  “None I can think of, but you proclaim yourself to be a demon lord, and they are devious beyond the imaginations of most.”

  Azerick grunted in agreement. “You need to heed my warning, Fennrick, and convince the others. Many will doubt me. Probably most, but you must convince them. You must drive your people to train with fervor, for their lives, the lives of their families, and almost every intelligent creature on this world depends on it.”

  The Inquisitor ran his tongue across his teeth in thought and nodded. “Lord Giles, I must tell you that our efforts to induce your apprentice to cooperate with us have taken their toll. She is likely not the same person you remember.”

  “I think many of us are not the people we remember. For good or ill, the events in our lives shape who we are. Some events are by circumstance, others by design. You are worried about retribution?”

  “I did my duty, but I took no pleasure in it.”

  “I imagine I would have once considered punishing those who hurt my family regardless of their reasons, but so much has happened to me.” Azerick sighed. “I have come to learn that even unpleasant things happen for a reason. It may be that what she has endured needed to happen to shape her, to make her stronger and wiser. It could also be I simply have too much to do to waste my time on revenge.”

  Fennrick stopped in front of a stout door and inserted a key into the lock. “She is in here.”

  He opened the door and stepped back. Azerick looked into the room and barely recognized the wretch sitting limply on a pallet and staring vacantly at the floor. Ellyssa’s hair was matted and filthy, as was the rest of her. Her eyes were sunken and ringed with dark circles, and her whole body looked frail and emaciated. Her once fiery and defiant spirit now looked to have been shattered. Azerick hoped not irreparably. She needed that spirit to perform the duty he was going to lay upon her.

  Ellyssa looked up and her entire countenance changed in an instant. Rage suffused her body when she spied Azerick’s image in the doorway. Fennrick and his cronies had long been using illusions to manipulate and break her spirit. She had fallen for their lies in the beginning, but as more people she knew visited, she finally saw through the veils and
understood their intent. But this was the first time they had used Azerick against her, and it was more than she could bear.

  Ellyssa leapt from her meager bed with her hands twisted into claws. Tiny sparks of electricity arced between her fingers despite the wards against magic placed upon the room. “How dare you! You have no right!” Ellyssa shrieked as she tried to physically rip Azerick’s image off the imposter's face.

  Azerick grasped her wrists and held her as easily as a small child. “Ellyssa, it’s me. I am back. It is time to go home.”

  Ellyssa looked at Fennrick standing sheepishly behind Azerick. She stepped back when Azerick let go of her. Her gaze was drawn to the Codex and his staff tucked beneath his arm. She knew the Codex was real. Not only could she see it, but she could hear the book whispering to her even now.

  “H-how is this possible? I killed you,” she declared as tears sprang to her eyes.

  Azerick smiled down at his ward. “You were always good, kid, but you were never that good. My death was the result of my own choices and the designs of the gods. Had I not come for you, I am certain Sharellan would have orchestrated another method for my demise.”

  Ellyssa took a tentative step forward. “It’s really you?”

  “It is. We need to go now. We have much to do.”

  Ellyssa rushed forward, wrapped her arms around Azerick, and wept loudly into his shirt. “I’m so sorry!”

  “For what, soaking this shirt? It will dry.”

  Ellyssa coughed out a laugh as Azerick led her away. “Are we going home?”

  “Soon, but first we must go get my son before we leave.”

  Ellyssa looked up at Azerick in surprise. “Daebian is here?”

  Azerick shook his head. “No, my other son.”

  Ellyssa stopped to consider this next shocking revelation. “What have you been doing while you were gone? Or should I ask, who have you been doing?”

  Azerick laughed loudly. “It’s a long story, and I do not have time to explain it now. We need to be away from here quickly. There is much to do, and I need your help to do it.”