by Jeff Inlo
For the wizard, the magic swirled about in all the various hues. Blue appeared to be the dominant color, but only marginally. Red, orange and violet rushed into Jure's body with near equal potency.
The two slowly began to stir, but the algors held them still until they completely healed even the smallest injury. When the magic finally stopped, the algors rose up from the desert as one. They all began to speak simultaneously, but not the exact same words.
Ryson managed to catch several statements, but not all of them.
"You are well again."
"The wizard has quite a reserve of magic."
"All of the colors."
"The desert is a difficult place for an elf."
"They brought the dathit."
"They should leave."
The rest of the declarations blurred together into one indistinguishable mumble of intertwined voices.
"Thank you for your help," Ryson offered, as he raced over toward the elf and wizard and helped his friends from the ground. He looked back to the algors and revealed an honest desire. "I wish there was something more I could do for you, someway to repay you."
The algors responded in unison.
"You are delver, and you are algor—one of us, but not one of us—and so you understand what it means to be algor. When we help you, we help ourselves."
They said nothing more, they simply turned around as a group and walked back to their sanctuary.
Holli could not ignore the algors, but their presence as well as their hasty departure left her confused. She recalled little of what had happened. She remembered returning to the desert with Neltus. She also recalled his assault and the blurring of her surroundings caused by a wave of sand. Realizing she had been attacked by the crimson casting wizard, she prepared to defend herself. Unfortunately, the rotund wizard was no where to be seen.
"Where is Neltus?!" the elf guard demanded.
"He teleported away," Ryson offered.
"Fire upon the fool!" Holli cursed, but she knew her worries did not end with Neltus. "And the dathit?"
"It walked off to the west."
"Still carrying Enin?"
"Yes."
"What of the doppelganger? And who is that... the human woman?"
"The doppelganger was buried right along with you and Jure. I was told it changed into a rock beetle and has burrowed away. The woman appeared after Neltus left. She's a spell caster. She removed the sand that Neltus used to bury you. She's also the one who told me about the doppelganger turning into a rock beetle."
The elf offered a nod of thanks to the petite sorceress, but nothing else. Holli had little time for pleasantries, and though she had a multitude of questions for the stranger, she needed to make a complete appraisal of the dangers and challenges she faced.
She stalked angrily across the desert, analyzing the tracks in the sand. As she moved without pain or stiffness from her previous injuries, she examined the claw marks of so many algors leading to and from the sandstone cliffs. She knew their arrival had been fortunate.
"The algors came to help?"
"I called to them," Ryson admitted.
"It does not appear you left this area. I see their tracks leading from the stone cliffs, but not yours."
Vraya decided to offer an explanation.
"That was me again. I carried Ryson's request to the algor's home with a spell of my own."
It was Jure's turn to enter the conversation with an observation he made from the remnants of Vraya's castings.
"I sense your spells. You cast in ebony magic."
"I do," Vraya admitted.
"And your spells are quite controlled. You cast in a circle, don't you?"
"Right again."
The revelation proved to be yet another dagger into Holli's evaluation of their situation, and despite the other issues she faced, she immediately needed to assess the danger posed by the potentially powerful sorceress.
"Why are you here?"
Vraya sensed the suspicion in Holli's voice and in the elf's icy stare, but she disregarded it and answered without apparent insult.
"I've sensed some staggering changes in the land."
"She said she was watching us," Ryson offered before the sorceress could continue, making sure Holli was given all available information.
Vraya corrected the delver just as quickly.
"Actually, I have been focused on the delver, not all of you." Knowing the elf would require further explanation, Vraya continued willingly. "He's been at the heart of some rather important events lately, events which have altered the land in many ways. I've already told the delver of a few, but there are more. A spirit warrior protects his home. That is no small event in its own right, but there are other things as well. All of them revolve, in some way, around Ryson Acumen."
Jure saw clarity in the sorceress' claims. He offered his considerations based on his appreciation of her magic.
"Her essence would be drawn to events causing certain transformation," Jure suggested. "Ryson has been in the middle of some important incidents. Even spell casters who don't cast in ebony have probably felt the impact of some of his actions. For a sorceress with a core of black energy, it would be almost impossible for her to ignore."
Holli would not accept the simple explanation.
"We have not heard of her until this moment... a spell caster capable of casting ebony magic in a perfect circle. Suddenly she appears in the desert just when our situation becomes dire. Do you not find that strange?"
Jure looked at the sorceress and considered the basis of Vraya's abilities. He did not find her sudden appearance surprising at all.
"Actually, that's when someone with her capabilities would most likely appear, when things are in turmoil. She's the essence of alteration... not stability."
"And she did save you," Ryson added. It was not his intention to defend the sorceress, but he felt obligated to offer a full accounting of her actions. "I admit I don't like the fact she's been watching me, but she cast the spell that dug you out of the sand. She also helped me call for the algors. If she wanted to hurt us, she's been acting awfully strange about it."
Holli remained uncomfortable with the arrival of such a dominant spell caster under such uncertain circumstances, but she could not afford to be distracted or allow for hesitancy.
"And for that I thank her, but now we must deal with more pressing problems. Ryson, show me where Neltus stood when he teleported away."
The delver moved swiftly to the exact spot where Neltus cast his spell of teleportation. He pointed to the crimson wizard's tracks in the sand.
"He stood there when he cast his spell. The air seemed to twist and turn into a hollow tube. It was like he made a tunnel in the air."
The elf guard examined the tracks in the sand and then felt the air. She nodded grimly and called for one she knew could follow the remnants of the spell.
"Jure, where does it lead?"
The elder wizard reached out and took hold of the magical strands which allowed Neltus to escape.
"To Portsans, the coast," he stated with certainty. "He didn't arrive in the center of the city, but on the eastern outskirts... further from the sea."
"We have to follow him," Holli declared.
"What about Enin?" Ryson asked. "I could follow the pit demon's trail. There's not much I can do once I find it, but then again, there's not much I can do about Neltus. If I follow the pit demon, at least we'll know where Enin is."
"No, I will need you to follow Neltus' trail. Portsans is a busy city. Neltus has had time to move. Once he is within the crowds, it is less likely he will use a spell which Jure can sense."
"Remember, I'm not good at tracking things, especially in a new city. I haven't spent much time..."
"Do not worry about your drifting curiosity. I will keep you focused." The elf then turned to the elder wizard. "Jure, teleport the three of us to the same destination Neltus utilized for his escape."
"Just three?" Ryson
questioned. "What about Vraya?"
"We do not have time to deal with a mystery," Holli stated sharply. "We have other concerns."
"I'd like to continue to help," Vraya offered.
"No."
"That's it? Just like that, you refuse my aid? I didn't hear you say 'no' when I pulled you out from all that sand."
"That is true, but you hear me now. If you truly understand what is happening here, then you must appreciate why I must find Neltus as quickly as possible."
"I do understand," Vraya responded, " and there's something else that's painfully clear. Neltus won't allow himself to be captured. He has regained what he lost, and he will not allow it to be taken again. You should be able to appreciate that. And I would think you would want all the help you can get."
"What I know is that you cast ebony magic in a perfect circle. You are powerful and unknown to me. That makes you potentially dangerous."
"The ebony magic again? Are you all so ready to judge me?" Vraya already understood the reasoning, and she spoke of it with a hint of disgust. "You see me and you think of Ansas. That's your issue, not mine. I have nothing to do with the sorcerer. I am not his twin sister here to obtain vengeance. I'm not even related to the sorcerer. I must admit I've studied him, but that's the extent of my connection to him."
"That could be," Holli stated with equal anger, "but I have not the time nor the resources to substantiate your claims. I have already made two mistakes this day. I allowed Enin to be captured and Neltus to escape. I must rectify these matters. Remain here, return to whatever place you call home, do what you wish, but do not follow us!"
Ryson considered every word and action he had seen. He believed Vraya was right about Neltus; the spell caster wasn't going to just surrender. There was something different about the crimson wizard, something he saw right before the wizard attacked Jure and Holli. It wasn't desperation. It was more like confident determination. Neltus would fight to the death before he allowed his core to be taken again.
"We may need her," Ryson suggested to Holli.
"Jure and I can handle Neltus," the elf stated firmly.
"Maybe, but wouldn't having a third magic caster make it easier to handle him... and safer?"
"I will not allow Neltus to escape." Holli snarled with controlled but venomous anger.
It was Vraya who heard the defiance in the elf's voice and sensed the resentment in Holli's essence. The events of the day were causing a change in the elf guard, and the sorceress saw no further need to argue the matter.
"That's alright, Ryson," Vraya stated. "I will see you again soon. A great transition is occurring, far greater than anyone expects, and once more, you will be at the center of it."
Chapter 13
Jure's teleportation spell swiftly placed Holli, Ryson, and Jure at the eastern outskirts of Portsans. They arrived near a seldom used warehouse which had once served as a holding facility for surplus goods. Despite standing at Portsans' eastern edge—which was on the opposite side of the city from the coast—Ryson immediately recognized the obvious scent of the sea, and Jure felt the powerful surge of magical energy coming from the vast body of water to the west.
The distinct potency of the sea stood in direct contrast to the warehouse grounds. A sense of irrelevance hung over the storage facility like a burial shroud. It was a lonely and isolated place, especially at night. Far from the docks and away from the port city's bustling market district, the neglected warehouse waited like a long forgotten trunk emptied of all its contents and abandoned in a musty attic. While the sounds of larger crowds—music, talking, and laughter—drifted in from the distance, no such joyous activity existed within the confines of the facility or its surrounding grounds. Instead, a sense of seclusion lingered in every dark and dusty corner and upon every still shadow.
Unwilling to accept the silence as an indication of security, Holli swiftly removed the bow from her shoulder and prowled the area. She motioned for Ryson to do the same. There was little light, but it was not quite as dark as the desert. Her elf eyes cut through the shadows as she scanned the area for threats of any kind. She found nothing which might endanger them, but her inspection of the grounds offered signs of intentional mischief. As she examined certain markings, the glowing embers of frustration which were smoldering in her soul ignited into a burning flame.
"There are dozens of trails all over, but they are identical!" the elf exclaimed. "They are false trails, created by Neltus."
Ryson reviewed the tracks as well. He could not argue with the elf's finding. There was magic at work, and carefully staged. Though based in deception, the spell which created the false trails did not rely on tricks of shadow and light. Instead, it was fashioned in such a way that it would be impossible for the delver to find Neltus' one true path.
The soil itself had clearly responded to the crimson casting wizard's request to hide his trail. But rather than cover his footprints or erase them, the ground replicated Neltus' tracks. The dirt and dust shifted at the influence of the red magic to create hundreds upon hundreds of matching footprints all around the old warehouse, creating trails in every direction.
As Ryson dropped to the ground to closely inspect several markings, he reported a painful truth.
"None of these are an illusion. They're all actual depressions in the ground. I can't tell any of them apart. They're all the same... the same impression, the same depth, and all made at the same time. Trying to find which path is genuine would be like trying to find a particular pumpkin seed inside a hundred pumpkins. They all look alike."
"I can sense the spell," Jure added. "It's devious in design. Neltus forced the ground to mimic his tracks. He must have believed there was a chance we would survive his attack. If we did, he knew we would follow him. He didn't take any chances. He can't hide his teleportation spells from me, but these magical trails go everywhere. He made sure we couldn't follow him beyond this point."
"Is there no way to follow his scent?" the elf demanded of Ryson.
"His scent is in every trail," the delver revealed. "It's coming up from each footprint. The ground is replicating every aspect of the original track. He had to have done that on purpose."
"Of course he did," the elf guard growled. "He knew you survived. He probably had this planned all along."
Holli glared at the numerous trails, her fury seething. She even kicked at the dirt in disgust. As she considered her options, she became clearly defiant in her tone and expression.
"No! I will not give up so easily. There is a reason he chose this place. He wouldn't just teleport anywhere. His spell of deception is a clear indication he knew we would survive and that we would follow. Otherwise, he would not have wasted the energy. He knew of this location. It is perfect for what he planned. It is isolated and empty, so he must have visited it before. There are other ways to find him. Follow me."
Since she knew she could not trust any of the markings left by Neltus, the elf guard ignored the tracks on the ground. Instead, she focused on what she could see and hear at that very moment.
She placed an image of Neltus in her mind, focused on his personality and his physical traits. She imagined how he would move, what would entice him. Painting a picture of his character heightened by his flaws and tendencies, the elf guard used her training to pick a path of escape the wizard would most likely choose.
She moved like a large cat on the prowl as she turned down one alley and then another. She continued to ignore any signs on the ground. She would not take any chances in allowing an illusion or deceptive trail to sway her path. She relied entirely on intuition. After but a few twists and turns, she led the group to a wide and heavily traveled street.
There were a number of people out and about. They walked past with hardly a care for the strangers. If the citizens of Portsans noticed the elf's pointed ears, they ignored them.
Holli believed the people of the port city had probably seen and encountered various races since the return of the magic. Elves
were always curious about the sea, and the dwarves found the coastal mountains filled with treasures, especially gold. She imagined a number of visitors from both races had already traveled through Portsans.
She had also heard stories, many of which had been confirmed, that the more devious yet intelligent dark creatures took to the coastline the way the goblins and river rogues assembled in Dark Spruce Forest. Cunning dark creatures, like serps and swallits, did not even hide their presence in the port city. They were willing to deal with humans openly, and humans hoping to profit from any endeavor accepted their presence without much complaint.
Once out of the quiet alleys, Holli was forced to cope with the citizenry of Portsans. As the number of humans in their path increased, so too did Holli's pace. She kept her mind on her objective, looking for a particular haven.
Ryson kept up with ease, but Jure struggled to match the elf's speed. He was about to call for Holli to slow down when she stopped in front of a busy tavern.
"Here!" the elf guard stated firmly.
There were two windows, but both were shaded. It was impossible to see into the establishment from the street, but the reverse was also true. If Neltus was indeed inside, he would not realize he had been followed.
"You think he's in there now?" Ryson asked.
"That is my question for you and Jure. Can you sense him at all... his scent or his magic?"
"I don't sense any spells," Jure noted. "There's a strong flow of magic in this city, but it's coming from the sea, and it's overwhelming everything else. It would be hard for me to pinpoint Neltus based on his crimson magic alone."
"Ryson?"
"Same problem. There are so many smells here. I could try to isolate them, but it would take all night. He could be inside, but I wouldn't be able to tell, not from outside."
"Then there is only one way to find out," the elf declared.
Holli stepped back and reviewed the building as a whole. She gained quick glimpses of the interior when patrons entered and exited through the large oak door at the front of the establishment. Based on the limited information she could obtain, she envisioned the layout of the interior and formulated her plan.
