Amethyst, a most rare and powerful gem.
"I need it, Bargath. May I?" Juxta asked.
Take it. It'll only serve a magi.
Simon found a stack of ingots of a metal he didn't recognize. Not exactly a stack so much as an entire alcove set in the wall. He picked one up and tossed it in the air catching it. He waved his arms in the air as he looked at Bargath. "Dragon, what's this metal?"
Adamite, it's the strongest and lightest of all metals. Forge it into swords or armor.
Simon nudged Juxta out of his trance consisting of stare at the shiny new gem. "William needs a new sword. Don't you think, Juxta?"
Juxta shook his head a bit to clear it, and then he smiled wide like the alligator. "Excellent idea! Whom are the diamonds for?"
Simon looked off into a high up place. "Teresa, whom else would they be for?"
Bargath laughed a deep wispy laugh. How long is your journey home?
Simon said, "Three or four weeks…"
We'll fly you home.
Juxta blinked his eyes over and over.
Simon asked, "How long will it take us to fly home?"
Three or four weeks by horse should be three or four days by dragon. Plus, this way we can eat your horses.
Simon said, "What!"
Bargath smiled wide showing off rows of endless sharp teeth easily six inches long each. We haven't had horses to eat in ages. We'll fly you home…
Chapter 12
Bargath appointed a dragon named Tooth to carry them home. One of Tooth's canines protruded from his mouth. Juxta looked over Tooth's wide leathery wings. "We need to stop at a small town and steal a Necronomicon."
Tooth puffed out a tiny ball of fire and smoke then he nodded energetically.
On their first day of flight, they spotted a small hamlet complete with mausoleum.
They waited in some nearby woods until midnight. Tooth flew them to the courtyard of the structure. He waited for them on the rooftop watching for trouble. They entered as quietly as they could, but the door creaked.
A startled neophyte rose to his feet. He wore a dirty grey robe with a belt holding it tight. The belt had a curved blade and a purse attached to it. Simon drew Shad-Ra and grabbed the neophyte by the lapel. The necromancer said, "What's the meaning of this intrusion?"
Simon said, "We're here for a Necronomicon."
"It's in the case next to the altar. You violate this shrine!"
Juxta ran over to the case and cast ‘true sight' revealing a strong curse on the lock and case. Juxta started picking the lock.
The priest tried to wrench free of Simon's grip. "Why do you need a Necronomicon? Funeral services are free throughout Tercia!"
Simon showed off his teeth. "Quiet you, or I'll slit your throat!"
The priest started to chant. A chant that neither Juxta nor Simon liked the sound of. Juxta continued to work the lock when he noticed Simon at his side, and that the chanting had stopped.
Juxta said, "You didn't have to kill him."
"What's one less Necromancer to the world?"
A few moments later they heard the chant begin again only louder and with a gurgle. They looked to where the priest was, and he stood in the moonlight, throat cut, still chanting.
Simon said, "Be nice if you hurried."
They started to hear low moans from all around them. The lock popped open on the case, and Juxta fished out the Necronomicon.
"Juxta, light!"
Juxta cast his simple light spell. Animated corpses approached them from the mausoleum's burial alcoves. The corpses had white linen strips wrapped around them, but their faces showed years of decay. Some struggled to stand while others drew curved blades and advanced.
Simon and Juxta ran for the main entrance. Simon beheaded the still chanting priest on the way out the door. Simon whistled for Tooth. The dead chased them into the courtyard. As they were climbing onto Tooth's back, he breathed fire on the dead stopping them in their tracks.
From there, Tooth flew through the night and into the next day. They found a good spot to camp. Tooth went and fetched a cow from a local farm, and the humans ate their fill. The dragon consumed the rest.
Simon punched Juxta on the arm. "When you proposed stealing a Necronomicon, I didn't think we'd end up waking the dead."
Juxta rubbed his arm. "I think it was your fault. The priest's chant had no power in life."
"The whole thing was your idea."
The incident woke Balron from his slumber. Now it knew Juxta's name and vowed revenge.
Within two more days they made it back to Lynken. Dragon's flight definitely had its advantages. They landed in the courtyard of the castle. Some of the guards fled while others readied weapons until they recognized Simon and Juxta. They bid Tooth farewell, and he took to the skies. Juxta planned something special for Prince William's new sword, and he set out to find his master for advice. Simon reported back to his sergeant and set off to find a jeweler willing to cut up the diamonds.
Juxta found Hebron at his home. "I acquired a Necronomicon."
Hebron's head turned until his face pointed exactly straight forward, and he stared into one of the walls of the study. "I wish you hadn't done that."
"I just want to study it. I won't incant any of it."
"Do we not have enough books here for you to study that you must steal an illegal book of black magic?" Hebron asked.
"We may have to fight them in the coming war. Wouldn't it be wise to know more about what we're up against?"
"Tercia has never fielded an army of the undead. They're not so readily controlled as a living army. We only have to fear an army of the undead if we invade Tercia, which is the only reason it's still standing, dear boy."
"Necronomicon aside, Master. Simon and I are planning to have a sword made for Prince William. I want it to cast lightning bolts at his command. Is that possible?"
"I have a book that details how. I doubt you can find the right components."
Juxta asked, "Where's the book?"
Hebron pulled an ancient, dusty book from the top shelf of one of his many bookshelves. "This is the one I think." He blew dust off the cover and opened it. He started paging through it, "Yes, here it is…" Juxta looked over his shoulder. "You need a blade forged of Adamite and Silver at a ratio of five-to-one for starters. Good luck finding Adamite."
"The dragons gave us some…"
"It also requires a diamond as big as a man's thumb. I don't suppose they gave you one of those too?"
"Bigger than a man's thumb. Dear God, Simon picked out diamonds bigger than a man's palm. What else?"
Hebron read the next line from the tome. "Two sapphires as big as the first digit of a man's index finger."
"We don't have those," Juxta said. "Maybe a jeweler will trade in diamonds for them?"
"They might at that. It seems you'll be forging a formidable weapon for the prince," Hebron said. "Understand when you enchant a weapon or create some artifact a part of your life becomes embedded in the creation. If you die, the magic will die."
Juxta looked at him.
His head bobbed up and down just a bit.
Juxta said, "Will it make me weaker?"
Hebron laughed. "No."
"I was going to cast Cut's Metal on it also."
"Good. What else did you bring back?"
"An amethyst crystal."
"Amethyst?" Hebron said. "Those only exist in legend. Let me see it."
Juxta removed the crystal from his belt pouch and handed it to Hebron.
He walked to the window and held the gemstone up to the sunlight. Purple streaks of light emanated from the gem. "Indeed it's amethyst. Hmmm, I seem to remember an ancient legend about a magi bearing an amethyst stone, but it escapes me now…"
"It was a bountiful journey, yes?"
"Let's go see the king with all this news. He deserves to know about the Necronomicon. It's his law you're violating."
The king agreed with Juxta that in light of th
e coming war it may be a good idea to research Necromancy. He was pleased that they'd acquired the components for a magical sword for the prince.
Simon agreed to contribute some of the diamonds to its construction. They found a jeweler who had sapphires of the right size who would trade. Juxta started copying the Cut's Metal scroll and memorizing the incantation to bind the lightning spell to the blade.
They went to see the smith and shared their master plan, while keeping the prince in the dark about the new weapon. Within a week the smith finished the sword. Simon tested its weight and balance, and he declared it a fine weapon. The smith also attached Juxta's amethyst stone to the top of his staff.
Juxta's first attempt to enchant the blade, named Shoc-Ra, failed, for he didn't seem capable of pouring enough power into the incantation. The spell required him to focus on two things at once: the incantation as well as concentrating lightning blasts with imaginary triangles on the three crystals in the hilt of the blade. He'd know when the spell worked because the sapphires would glow red. A seemingly impossible task. After three days Juxta knew he couldn't perform the spell. Without the fury of battle, he didn't seem capable of summoning boundless power. He went to Hebron.
Hebron pointed his finger at Juxta's nose. "You're not a master yet. It'll take a long time before you can summon power on a whim like you can in a rage. I'll help you enchant the prince's blade."
The next day Hebron and Juxta went to the smith together. Juxta started the incantation and imagined triangles around the gemstones as he did the previous days. Hebron fed him power which he in turn fed through his staff, the amethyst stone, and the Dragon's Fire ring. It quickly became more power than Juxta ever channeled, for Hebron's power flowed like a torrent. Juxta began to sweat. The gemstones flashed in brilliant static discharges. Then after what seemed like an eternity, the sapphires started to glow red. Juxta let the power bleed out of his being. He whispered, "It's done."
"Let's try it," Hebron said.
The smith watched the whole process. Hebron asked him to hold the sword and say ‘Shoc' pointing it at something. He tried it, and lightning shot from the end of the blade hitting a cup the smith aimed at. The smith laughed and returned the sword to Juxta hilt first. Juxta tried it pouring a slight amount of power into it. The sword amplified his power and shot a great bolt of lightning that sent stone chips flying off the rock wall.
Juxta did nothing but eat and sleep for three days after enchanting the sword. Then, well rested, Juxta unraveled the Cut's Metal scroll and read it upon the blade. Afterwards it sliced through chain mail like paper. Simon and Juxta wanted to present the blade to Prince William together. They caught up with him in the castle.
William's eyes made quick notice of the wrapped bundle in Simon's arms.
"We have something for you, my liege," Simon said.
William smiled and tilted his head. "A present? For me?"
"Yes," Juxta said, "from the dragons, well, indirectly."
"Tell me it's a blade you carry! That it's enchanted like Simon's blade."
"One better, my lord," Simon said. "Let me demonstrate."
Simon set up a piece of firewood for a target and unwrapped Shoc-Ra. He pointed it at the log and shouted, "Shoc!" Lightning flashed blasting the timber into pieces.
"Let me see it," William said.
"Its name is Shoc-Ra, your highness," Juxta said.
Simon handed the blade hilt first to the prince. He hefted its weight and balance. "It's a fine blade. It cuts metal?"
"Yes, twin to mine," Simon said.
"This is quite a gift, my friends. I don't know what to say."
Simon clapped his hands together. "It was our pleasure."
Chapter 13
Juxta sat at his desk in Hebron's study and opened the Necronomicon for the first time. The language was clearly common, but extra loops and slashes littered the scripting. The archaic writing aligned in rows gleamed in the morning light. The writing, in some thick ink that wasn't exactly black but a deep shade of maroon, shined with tiny glistening tints on its edges. Juxta recognized the first pages as an index. Juxta rubbed the parchment of the book between his thumb and forefinger. It reminded him of the two ancient goatskin scrolls Hebron owned. But it wasn't goatskin: it was much thinner. Juxta pulled his hands away from the book.
Juxta's power flexed in him out of instinct, and Hebron noticed the flare.
The old wizard sighed. "I warned you."
Juxta calmed his powers and hunched over the book examining the index. Every listing was either about death, the afterlife, controlling undead, or converting corpses into walking dead.
The instructions for mummifying a corpse were especially heinous. He could see why its practice was illegal everywhere but Tercia. It riddled him that it had survived in Tercia, for a thousand year old tradition must have been rooted in something. Ever so slowly, Juxta began to feel black tendrils of sickening power creep into his fingertips. He slammed the book closed and took it outside. It burned nicely.
*
The jeweler finished Simon's jewelry, and he wanted to go to Nork to deliver it to Teresa. He got permission from his sergeant, and he invited Juxta to join him. Prince William heard of the journey and wanted to go as well.
It was late summer. The king and queen sent letters with the men. They knew the road well by now. The week long trek by horseback passed uneventfully. They delivered the mail entrusted to them. Simon tracked down Teresa in her quarters. "Teresa, I bring you gifts..."
"What manner of gifts, boy," Teresa said.
He started to remove the pieces from a pouch he carried.
She blinked her eyes over and over. "How did you get all this?"
"When we visited the dragons, they gave me uncut diamonds. I had one of them cut into jewelry for you."
Her eyes stopped blinking, and they turned their stare on Simon. "Are you hoping to buy my virtue?"
Simon winked. "Would it be enough?"
Teresa's eyes began to burn with an unholy red fire. "No, beast, be gone!"
"I was kidding!"
"Be gone, before I call the king's guard!"
Simon turned to walk away. "Fine!"
Teresa pelted him on the back with the jewelry as he turned to leave.
"Give them to Princess Rubie, if they're not good enough for you," he said.
"Take it! It's not good enough for her either!"
Teresa's true beauty showed through her rage, and Simon couldn't help but stare at her. He put his arm around her and drew her in close for a kiss. The move was so sudden it caught Teresa off guard, and she found herself embracing him.
She pushed him away. "Get out."
"Or you'll call the guards?"
"Yes," she whispered.
"I'll fight all the guards in the castle for your virtue."
Her face melted into a frown. "I will call the guards."
"Fine, I'll go. Keep the jewels would you? I brought them special for you."
"I'll keep your presents. Maybe when you grow up, you'll understand how you insulted me bringing this wealth to me."
"I meant no insult."
"Still, go."
Simon left to return to the guest quarters. Juxta and Prince William awaited his arrival.
William asked, "How'd it go?"
"Poorly," Simon said. "She took it as an insult."
"I could've told you she would." The prince grinned. "The diamonds were too much."
Simon's eyes opened like expanding discs. "You could have said something!"
Juxta said, "It was more fun not to say a damn thing."
"Bastards, she hates me now!" Simon said.
William's eyebrows lifted up. "Did she keep the jewels?"
Simon said, "Yeah, I guess so."
"She must not hate you completely."
Simon took turns looking between the two smiling friends, and he couldn't help but smile the tiniest bit himself.
"On a separate note, we're invited to the king's
table for dinner," William said.
Simon closed his eyes and shook his head. "Great, dancing…"
*
After Simon left, Teresa put the jewels into a pouch and set out for the Princess's quarters. Rubie looked at the variety of pieces. "I've never seen so many diamonds in one place in my life."
Teresa shrugged.
"Where are mine?" Rubie asked.
"Pick and choose the ones you want," Teresa said. "I've no need for all this. What should I do about Simon?"
"He brought you all this, and you have to ask?"
Teresa's hands gnarled into fists, and she shouted, "I'll not be bought off like a simple trollop!"
"I traded my hand for a simple military alliance, so does that make me a trollop?"
"That's not what I meant. If he brought me a simple ring and proposed, I might marry him. I didn't know how to react to all those riches in diamonds and gold."
"What if my brother or Juxta had proposed to you? What would you have done?"
"Simon didn't even propose. All three of them are boys!"
Rubie laughed. "You'll have to choose one and make a man of him."
"Now twice today, I've been insulted!"
"There'll be dancing tonight. You could dance with all three and pick the best dancer."
"Simon's the best dancer," Teresa said. "I'm still mad at him."
Rubie's lips twisted into a vicious smirk. "You've danced with my brother?"
Teresa paused.
"When did you dance with Juxta?"
Teresa's eyes narrowed into tiny beads.
"How will you choose?" Rubie asked.
"Who said I have to choose tonight?"
"You're too beautiful not to marry." Rubie reached out to touch Teresa's hair. "You'll have to choose someday."
Juxta, Magi Page 10
