by Jon Bender
“You allow them to stay here?”
“Do not worry,” Alimar said, that small smile of amusement returning. “They have all gone south to aid Dradon and Azuria in their conquest. I was not privy to the details.”
“What are these ‘faithful’? I have never seen their like before.”
“They are mages, in a sense, but much more limited. Like the old gods, Or’Keer wanted to give his followers an advantage. He imbued those he found worthy with his own power over the darkness. The book you read does not mention that not all men can be made into mages. Only one in fifty survived the transformation, but the darkness infused in the faithful is far less potent than the magic within a mage. As such, Or’Keer is able to create many more of them.”
Corin would not stand a chance against an army of shades. Jaxom had to get back to warn his friend before it was too late. “Is there anything else I should know?”
Alimar stretched out his hand towards Jaxom, and the bands around his wrist dissolved. “Only two things. Do not underestimate Or’Keer. He is young, but he is still a god. And be watchful of those around you. Many serve him in secret throughout the kingdoms, and they will take any opportunity to further his will.”
Underestimate a god? Of all the things Jaxom was foolish enough to do, that did not rank among them. The second warning, though, had struck home with him. Or’Keer could have agents within Corin’s court or army.
With the bindings gone, Jaxom filled himself with magic, the power flowing into his body felt like a drink of water after days of thirst. Lifting his right hand in a direction away from Alimar, he cast the veil as Katia had described in her journal. Bringing the other hand forward, he cast the holding to secure the veil in place while his right continued to produce more of the dark mass. Jaxom sustained the flow of magic until the entire other side of the table was hidden from sight. The veil floated in the air before them, and Jaxom felt a surge of pride at completing it on the first try.
Alimar waved his hand, scattering the veil. “I was not aware you knew that,” he said.
“I have never had cause to use it,” Jaxom replied.
“You are full of surprises,” Alimar said, his voice flat. “I have something else to further build trust between us.”
Alimar led Jaxom outside to a stable. At first, Jaxom thought perhaps the man would give back their horses. Instead of horses, however, these stalls held three of the six-legged creatures Jaxom had learned of from the wolves, but these had large, black feathered wings furled at their sides. Jaxom was certain that the ones the wolves had seen did not have wings. Other than that, the creatures had the same black and grey fur, short snout lined with teeth, and clawed paws.
“These are durgen,” Alimar said. “You may have run into them on your way through the forest.”
“They did not have wings,” Jaxom replied.
“The wings are my doing. I added them to the creatures.”
Looking closer, Jaxom could see the joints where the wings met the torso of the animal. Then Jaxom noticed that their eyes emitted a faint white glow, and he understood then how it was possible. “They are risen.”
“Risen? Is that what you call the reanimated?” Alimar said thoughtfully. “I like that. Yes, they are risen. I could not have melded the wings had they not been. It took me two weeks to create these three. I fashioned the wings from those of many great birds, and I had to reduce the density of their bones to allow flight. Though less sturdy than their living cousins because of it, they can now carry two people in flight.”
“You can change the form of a risen?” Jaxom asked, feeling dumb for asking a question for which the evidence stood in front of him.
“If you know what you are doing. It takes a lot of practice, and you must know the anatomy of the man or creature you wish to alter. With these, for example, I was forced to add extra muscle to the back and joints of the wings,” he said walking up to the animal and stroking the area he spoke of. “Otherwise, they would not function properly. Attaching new tissue can be difficult. It was only through experimentation that I got it right.”
Jaxom marveled at the man’s creations, wondering if he could accomplish such a feat. “Thank you,” he said, not knowing how else to respond.
“You are welcome. You may take control of them, if you wish. I do not currently have hold of them.”
“If you do not…” Jaxom trailed off, confused. How could they be standing if Alimar was not supplying them with magic?
Alimar pulled a small black stone from his pocket and showed it to Jaxom. “When implanted in the body of a risen, this gives it power without having to be supplied by a constant flow of magic from the mage. It is how I can control so many risen at once. You are not the only death mage who is skilled at enchantment,” he said, smiling broadly this time. “I will leave you now to do as you need. I will not see you again unless you and your friends are victorious against Or’Keer.”
Without another word, he left Jaxom in the stables with his new mounts. Casting to the nearest of the durgen, he took control of the animal. Because of the enchanted stone, Jaxom discovered that he only needed to make contact with the creature to control it. Looking through the beast’s eyes, he walked through the stable doors into the sunlight. Unfurling his wings, Jaxom tested their strength by flapping them up and down, feeling his weight shift from his feet to the heavy muscles at the joints of the wings. Having gotten the feel for the unusual body, he increased the speed of the wings until the six paws left the ground. He hovered several feet above the ground as he adjusted to the sensation of flight. He had animated birds in the past, but that had been nothing like what he now felt. The strength of these creatures combined with the ability to fly would make them deadly advisories. A wonderful gift indeed.
Flying higher, he gazed in appreciation at the orderly city, which the aerial view showed to great advantage. Three concentric walls connected by six more running from the outer ring to the inner, evenly divided the city into controllable sections. Jaxom thrilled with the sensation of flight, diving hard to the streets and weaving through the buildings. The durgen was amazingly maneuverable and agile. Landing on the cobblestone street, he tested the animal’s ground speed. Pushed to its limit, the risen animal easily matched a horse at full gallop. Leaving the ground once more, he returned to the stables where his own body stood in a trance-like state.
Once the durgen was back in the stall, Jaxom found his friends near the well. They had already washed and stood nearby talking to one another. Taking his shirt off, he cleaned himself as best he could from the bucket.
He then pulled the dirty shirt back over his head and joined the others. “We leave today.”
“Thank the goddess,” Da’san said.
“What did Alimar say?” Jerup asked.
Jaxom went over everything the older death mage had told him, telling them of the shades and Or’Keer and what the god had planned for Ale’adaria. Da’san seemed particularly interested in hearing of this new god. He asked many questions, most of which Jaxom couldn’t answer.
“We have to get back to the capital as soon as possible. King Corin needs to know what is coming,” Cribble said. Jaxom thought he seemed in a better mood now that he had sobered up. “Do you know where our horses are?”
Jaxom smiled.
Chapter 16
They found the horses in a stable nearby. Retrieving their supplies from their former mounts, the group found a way to fit the gear securely to the durgen. None of his friends were keen on the idea of trusting their lives to the risen creatures, but after a quick demonstration that the animals could really fly, they grudgingly agreed. They all felt the urgency of returning to Ale’adar as quickly as possible.
Jaxom was pleased when Adriana claimed the seat behind him. Jerup, wanting to have as little to do with the durgen as possible, rode behind Brenin, letting the young guard handle the reigns. That left Da’san to ride with Cribble. Once they were all settled, Jaxom commanded the durgen to leave
the ground.
Jaxom instructed the risen mounts to respond to the reins so his friends would be able to control their own mounts. Rising above the palace, he flew them in several small circles to allow Cribble and Brenin to become accustomed to their new mounts. When he felt they were more comfortable with this new mode of travel, Jaxom turned them south toward Ale’adar. They quickly passed over the abandoned city and the empty grassland, and soon they were soaring above the vast trees of the Teriken. From the high vantage point, the forest looked almost peaceful. With the wind whipping past them and the sun on his face, Jaxom took in the view for a long moment before turning his thoughts to what he must do when they got back. He had to tell Corin what they, and the rest of the world, were up against. This god was not only influencing events in Ale’adaria but other kingdoms as well. Or’Keer’s endgame was obvious--he wanted men to worship him. What Jaxom didn’t understand was how beginning these wars helped him achieve that goal.
Half of the day had passed before the durgen cleared the forest and they found themselves flying above rolling hills. Jaxom had the durgen land, so their living riders could take a break and eat a hasty meal of dried meat before resuming their flight. When they reached the spot where the fire mage had attacked them, Jaxom decided to make camp for the night. The group set up their camp near a grove of trees, and soon they were all settled around a cozy fire. Durgen circling the area removed the need for a guard.
Leaning against a log near the firelight, Jaxom pulled Katia’s journal out of his bag. Opening the small leather-bound book, he perused the next entries. After Katia mastered the veil, her mentor wished her to learn a defensive spell. He explained that the earth everywhere holds the bones of many creatures covered up by time. Katia’s instructor demonstrated by casting into the earth for a suitable example. Finding the remains of a small hunting cat, he had pulled the bones of the small animal from the ground and reformed them into their original shape. He then proceeded to manipulate the reconstructed cat, to imitate its lifelike characteristics. Katia had been able to produce the same results only after several days of trying.
After she had mastered the fundamentals of the cast, Katia wrote that her mentor demonstrated a more advanced form of it that had left her awestruck. Thrusting both his hands downward, he channeled into the earth. The ground beneath her feet shuddered as the bones of hundreds of animals erupted in a spray of rock and dirt. Spinning about the mage, they collected on his body until the man was completely covered by a suit of white armor. Following the demonstration, the mentor asked her to perform the cast only on her arm, binding the bone armor in such a way as to protect the limb fully while allowing for normal movement.
Katia had not succeeded that day or the day after that. She could form the bones to her arm but had difficulty binding them correctly. They had practiced until the sun set. It took her two weeks before she was able to master the bone sleeve. When she finally accomplished the difficult cast, her writing became hurried with excitement. She had discovered that the trick was to fit the bones to compliment the natural curves of the arm and shoulder. She used large scapulae to form the chest and shoulder plates, then smaller bones, such as the carpals of the hand, to form around the shoulder and elbow joints. Larger bones then created the majority of the armor.
Jaxom couldn’t wait to try the cast for himself. He walked away from the others and found a flat, empty space. Starting small, he copied the first cast, bringing a single skeleton to the surface. Feeling below the earth with his magic, Jaxom found a set of remains that would meet his needs. Concentrating, he began to extract the long dead animal from the ground. Recognizing the skull of a doe, he quickly reassembled the bones into their proper place. The experience made him thankful he had spent so much time studying animal anatomy.
Once completely reformed, Jaxom animated the dear, mimicking how a living deer would act. He watched with delight as the doe bent her head to tear grass away from the earth, then looked up quickly to scout for danger before leaping gracefully away at full speed. Very little power was required to hold the bones in place, the magic acting as artificial ligaments. However, controlling the hundreds of small bindings connecting each bone took a large amount of concentration. Keeping the individual pieces together while allowing enough flexibility for movement was a challenge unto itself. He now understood why Katia’s instructor had begun the young mage with this exercise. If Jaxom was going to maintain a suit of armor, he would need to be able to do exactly as he was now, holding the bones in place while allowing himself the mobility to swing his sword or run. He released the hundreds of tiny bonds, and the skeletal deer fell apart mid-run, scattering on the ground.
After taking a minute to rest from the mental exertion, Jaxom prepared for the next part of the training. It had taken Katia weeks to master this, but he did not have that time. Calming his mind and stretching out a hand, he channeled again into the earth, and a mass of bones and bone fragments erupted, flying toward his outstretched arm. Dirt rained from the spinning remains. Recalling Katia’s description, Jaxom arranged them on his body. He fit larger bones to areas that needed little movement and formed the smaller ones around his shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Fortunately, a man had died nearby, and his skeletal hand formed perfectly over Jaxom’s own, the carpals and phalanges binding together to give him a skeletal grip.
As the last bone settled onto his forearm, another donation from the dead man, Jaxom flexed his hand to find it moved normally under the white armor. Rotating and bending his arm, he found little restriction, far less than normal chain or plate mail would have caused at half the weight. Drawing his sword, Jaxom practiced attacks and defenses, testing the limb’s maneuverability while fully encased in its new protection. Satisfied, he returned the blade to its sheath. He released the magic, and the armor dropped to his feet in a rough pile. Yet another useful feature, he mused. He could call the bone armor when he needed it, and shed it even more quickly if speed was crucial.
Turning around, he found Adriana sitting on the grass nearby, a look of wonder on her face. “How long have you been there?”
“Since the deer… The way you made it move was so graceful, almost beautiful.” Jaxom had not thought of the risen deer as beautiful. He had only tried to imitate life as best he could to test his control over the magic. He smiled to himself, thinking that she was probably the first person in history to describe a death mage’s magic in that way. “Thank you. What did you think of the other part?” he asked, curious to know what it had looked like from the outside.
“That was probably the most terrifying thing I have seen you do. Can you do that to your whole body?” she asked. He thought for a moment, then nodded. She surprised him by breaking into a mischievous grin.
“Anyone who meets you in that outfit is likely to soil themselves before running away.”
Jaxom chuckled. “Were you looking for me?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said hopping to her feet. She walked over to him and held out a hand. “You owe me another four gold, as we agreed.”
Jaxom laughed, pulling the gold from his coin purse. As she slipped them into a pocket, Jaxom remembered the rest of their bargain. Upon reaching the city, his debt to her would be paid. The thought of never seeing her again bothered him immensely.
“What do you plan to do in Ale’adar?” he asked.
“I do not know. I really have not thought that far ahead. What will you do?” she asked.
Jaxom only had a general idea. “Tell the king what we learned,” he said. He really had not planned much beyond that, and trying to find some way for Alimar’s plan to succeed.
“Ever the tactician. Do you just make this up as you go along?” she said jokingly. “I had thought of opening a trading post. I know a lot of people in Chams’Dell who would sell me furs to sell in the city, but that will be much harder to do if your friend loses this war. If that happens, I might hire on to the army as a scout.” She paused to look into his eyes. “Unless you can think
of another job I should consider?”
Jaxom racked his brain for a suitable position, anything that would keep her near him. He realized he was taking too long with a response. Before he could say that he would talk to King Corin about finding her a job, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. All thoughts flew from his head as his arm encircled her waist, pulling their bodies closer together. When she finally broke away, Jaxom didn’t know how much time had passed.
Adriana took a step back. A little out of breath, she adjusted her hair and smiled at him. “You are not much of a planner. Good thing for you, I am. I hope you will talk to your friend about finding me a position where I can be of use,” She said suggestively before turning away.
She left Jaxom standing in the dark, unable to gather his thoughts as he watched her walk away and admired that side of her. Shaking his head, he dragged himself after her, deciding on the way that Corin could wait just a little bit longer to hear about this enemy god. The first thing the two would discuss was Adriana’s assignment to the scout unit.
The following day went much the same as the last except that the land became increasingly populated. Watching the villages and scattered houses pass quickly beneath them made Jaxom wonder what the people below thought of the flying creatures. He allowed himself a small laugh at their expense. He imagined them running around, panicked at having seen monsters in the air. Riding behind him, Adriana held tighter to his waist than she had before. They did not speak that night after she had kissed him. Jaxom had lain in his bedroll, staring at the stars and reliving that brief moment. He had no idea where it was going, but he was excited to find out.
They set up camp the second night in an empty field with no buildings around for miles. Even knowing what they would be facing when they arrived, his friends were all in a good mood at being so close to home. It had been a long trip. Brenin chattered excitedly to Jerup about the lady friends he intended to visit once they were back. The older guard, in return, lectured the young man, claiming that the quantity of women who took you to their bed was less important than how enthusiastic they were when doing so. Jerup bragged that his wife wouldn’t let him out of the house for three days once he walked through the door. He followed that up with an invitation for them to visit him any time after those three days, saying that his wife was the finest cook in the city. Even Cribble smiled at the invitation.
