Mr. Vander grimaced at that. “Lord Elf. God, I hated that.”
“Er,” I said. “Should I call you…Lord Vander, then?”
“Just Mr. Vander,” said the Elf. He sighed. “That’s the happiest I’ve been in my life, as Mr. Vander. I teach shop and I work at Sergeant Bob’s. I go out for a fast food hamburger on Friday nights. There’s no death camps, no altars to the Void, no blood rites and spells.”
“You were an Archon,” said Riordan.
I looked at him, eyes wide. Nadia had killed an Archon during the attack in September. Two more of them had attacked the Marneys’ house, and they would have killed us all, but Lord Morvilind had slaughtered the Archons as easily as killing an annoying insect.
“Yes,” said Mr. Vander. “I was. I wore the three-headed dragon on my uniform proudly. I used to believe all of it. That we would throw down all false nobles and false priests, and create a world where all Elves would be equal. But I saw the truth. We killed millions, and all for nothing. The Archons have become worse that the nobles and the High Queen ever were. I was sick of it.”
“You helped the High Queen,” said Riordan.
“Yes,” said Mr. Vander. “I turned my coat. I spied for the High Queen. The Archon attacks in Houston and Seattle five years ago? The reason they failed so badly is because I gave the plan of battle to Lord Mythrender. After that, I was discovered, and I had to flee to Earth. I couldn’t settle among the other Elves. Both the common Elves and the noble Elves on Earth hate the Archons for our crimes. In reward for my services, the High Queen forged the Ghostwright Mask for me and allowed me to live as a human here.”
“Then…you’ve been an Elf this entire time, Mr. Vander?” I said.
“Yes, Russell,” said Mr. Vander. “My whole life, I’m afraid.”
“It’s a good story,” said Riordan, “but it has two holes.”
“Really?” said Mr. Vander. “I was unaware that my life had holes, but go ahead.”
“First, what were you doing to that woman?” said Riordan. “You were casting a spell on her. Second, why didn’t the High Queen just kill you? She hates Archons, and forgiveness is not in her nature.”
I started to say that was elfophobic, and I stopped myself.
“Ah,” said Mr. Vander. “Those are good points. Fortunately, both questions have the same answer. I’m too valuable to kill.”
“Because of your charm and good looks?” said Riordan.
“I would like to think so, but no,” said Mr. Vander. “I’m afraid I’m a bloodcaster.”
Riordan’s eyebrows climbed halfway up his forehead.
“Pardon my ignorance,” I said, “but what is a bloodcaster?”
“A kind of wizard,” said Riordan. “A magical talent. Bloodcasters can manipulate the flesh and blood of living creatures. It makes them very dangerous.”
“I try not to be dangerous,” said Mr. Vander. “That’s one of the reasons the High Queen granted me parole here. Human medical science has rather drastically improved over what it was before the Conquest, and many another Elven wizards and magi know at least rudimentary healing spells. But occasionally someone important is injured badly enough that only a bloodcaster can save them…and then I get a ride on an Inquisition helicopter to the hospital.”
An idea started to stir in my head.
“So, you can heal people?” I said.
“Sometimes,” said Mr. Vander.
“Can you heal illnesses?” I said.
Riordan gave me a sharp look.
“On occasion,” said Mr. Vander.
“Could you heal frostfever?” I said.
Mr. Vander hesitated. “Well…yes. But there is a complication.”
“What is it?” I said.
“Frostfever isn’t natural,” said Mr. Vander. “There are natural diseases, and magical diseases that occur naturally, but frostfever is neither. The frost giants created it to use as a weapon against their enemies, and humans are particularly susceptible to it. Frostfever is extremely difficult to dispel, and it usually takes an archmage to cure it. Which is why I suppose your family is in service to that old madman Morvilind the Magebreaker. Not a man to cross.”
“But you could cure frostfever?” I said.
“Yes,” said Mr. Vander, “if I had a dragon pearl.”
I blinked. “A dragon pearl? There are such things as dragons?”
“There are,” said Mr. Vander. “Not native to Earth, though. Or to the Elven homeworld. I don’t know where they come from. The old ones learn magic, and the older they grow, the more powerful they become. They can shapeshift when they feel like it, and I know that there are at least a few in disguise on Earth.”
“What is a dragon pearl?” I said.
“Dragons can create them,” said Mr. Vander. “They use them as repositories of magical power. They’re extremely rare, extremely powerful…and tapping the power of one is the only way I know of curing frostfever.”
“Okay,” I said. “That’s the deal I’ll make with you. I won’t tell anyone who you really are. In exchange, when I find a dragon pearl and bring it to you, you’ll use it to cure my frostfever.”
Riordan looked at me, and Mr. Vander laughed.
“Russell,” he said. “You’re a smart boy, but where are you going to find a dragon pearl?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’ll work on it.”
Because if I could find one, then Mr. Vander could cure my frostfever. If Mr. Vander cured my frostfever, that would remove one of the holds that Lord Morvilind had over Nadia. I doubted that Morvilind would let her go, but it would give her room to operate, maybe even to negotiate, knowing that if she failed one of Lord Morvilind’s missions that it would not mean my death.
Mr. Vander shrugged. “All right. If by some miracle, you walk up to me with a dragon pearl, I will cure your frostfever.” He looked at Riordan. “Can I put my Ghostwright Mask back on now? If someone happens to walk back here, it will be awkward.”
“Undoubtedly,” said Riordan. “However, once you do, you’re going to help us find the cognophage. If it keeps attacking, sooner or later, it’s going to draw the attention of the Inquisition or the Elven nobles.”
“It has,” said Mr. Vander. “You’re here.”
“I’m a contractor,” said Riordan. “Right now, the Inquisition only cares that the cognophage is stopped. If I fail, they’re going to show up in person. I imagine getting involved in anything suspicious would prove unfortunate for your parole.”
He stepped back, and Mr. Vander sighed and put the bracelet back on his wrist. He blurred, and the Elven version of Mr. Vander disappeared, replaced by the illusion of his human appearance. He got back to his feet with a grunt, and Riordan dismissed his blade of shadow.
“All right,” said Mr. Vander. “The cognophage. We…”
Right about then, the cognophage attacked.
To this day, I’m still not sure why the cognophage chose to attack at that moment. It had crept up the corridor while we were talking, and it must have decided that we represented a threat. It also had decided that Mr. Vander, as an Elf, was the most dangerous threat, and it tackled him first.
There was a screech, and the creature bounded forward, slamming into Mr. Vander and driving him back to the floor. The cognophage kind of looked like a leech, albeit a leech four feet long and three feet thick with spindly arms and legs. Its mouth was a pit lined with spikes, and as its mouth moved towards Mr. Vander, it started to ripple and flicker with white light as the creature sucked on his memories.
It had assumed that Mr. Vander was the most dangerous threat, but that was a mistake.
I pointed the gun and squeezed the trigger, and put five rounds through the side of the cognophage. It let out a squealing shriek and flopped sideways off Mr. Vander, and Riordan took one sharp step and brought his sword of shadows down.
The cognophage’s head rolled off, and the creature shuddered and went limp.
Mr. Vander scrambled b
ack to his feet, breathing hard, and we stood in silence for a moment.
“I really hate those things,” said Mr. Vander.
###
Later I walked Riordan to his car.
“I need to go back to New York,” he said, “but I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.”
“Nadia will like that,” I said.
Riordan hesitated. “We shouldn’t tell her about this.”
“Probably not,” I said.
“This business with the dragon pearl…”
“You know why I’m doing it,” I said. “It’ll help her with Lord Morvilind. And if we can find a dragon pearl, it might save her life.”
“We?” said Riordan.
I smiled. “You want to save her too, don’t you?”
Riordan snorted. “You are your sister’s brother, aren’t you? Thank you for the help, Russell. I will see you later.”
I watched him go and went back to work.
It had been a good day. We had saved some lives, and I now knew how to save my sister.
All I had to figure out was a way to do it.
THE END
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Other books by the author
The Demonsouled Saga
MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK is a wandering knight, fearless in battle and masterful with a sword.
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The priests of the San-keth plot and scheme in the shadows, pulling lords and kingdoms upon their strings. The serpent priests desire to overthrow the realms of men and enslave humanity. Unless Mazael stops them, they shall force all nations to bow before the serpent god.
The Malrag hordes are coming, vast armies of terrible, inhuman beasts, filled with a lust for cruelty and torment. The Malrags care nothing for conquest or treasure, only slaughter. And the human realms are ripe for the harvest. Only a warrior of Mazael’s power can hope to defeat them.
The Dominiar Order and the Justiciar Order were once noble and respected, dedicated to fighting the powers of dark magic. Now they are corrupt and cynical, and scheme only for power and glory. They will kill anyone who stands in their way.
To defeat these foes, Mazael will need all the strength of his Demonsouled blood.
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Read Demonsouled for free. Mazael's adventures continue in Soul of Tyrants, Soul of Serpents, Soul of Dragons, Soul of Sorcery, Soul of Skulls, and Soul of Swords, along with the short stories The Wandering Knight, The Tournament Knight, and The Dragon's Shadow. Get the first three books bundled together in Demonsouled Omnibus One.
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Once CAINA AMALAS was the shy daughter of a minor nobleman, content to spend her days in her father’s library.
Then sorcery and murder and her mother’s treachery tore her life apart.
Now she is a nightfighter of the Ghosts, an elite agent of the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar. She is a master of disguise and infiltration, of stealth and the shadows.
And she will need all those skills to defend the Empire and stay alive.
Corrupt lords scheme and plot in the shadows, desiring to pull down the Emperor and rule the Empire for their own profit and glory. Slave traders lurk on the fringes of the Empire, ready to seize unwary commoners and sell them into servitude in distant lands. Yet both slave traders and cruel lords must beware the Ghosts.
The Magisterium, the Imperial brotherhood of sorcerers, believe themselves the rightful masters of the Empire. With their arcane sciences, they plan to overthrow the Empire and enslave the commoners, ruling all of mankind for their own benefit. Only the Ghosts stand in the path of their sinister plans.
And the Moroaica, the ancient sorceress of legend and terror, waits in the shadows, preparing to launch a war upon the gods themselves. She will make the gods pay for the suffering of mankind...even if she must destroy the world to do it.
Caina Amalas of the Ghosts opposes these mighty enemies, but the cost might be more than she can bear.
Read Child of the Ghosts for free. Caina's adventures continue in Ghost in the Flames, Ghost in the Blood, Ghost in the Storm, Ghost in the Stone, Ghost in the Forge, Ghost in the Ashes, Ghost in the Mask, and Ghost in the Surge, along with the short stories Ghost Aria, Ghost Claws, Ghost Omens, The Fall of Kyrace, Ghost Thorns, Ghost Undying, Ghost Light, and Ghost Dagger, and the prequel novels Blade of the Ghosts and Champion of the Ghosts. Get the first three books bundled together in The Ghosts Omnibus One.
The Ghost Exile Series
Caina Amalas was a nightfighter of the Ghosts, the spies and assassins of the Emperor of Nighmar, and through her boldness and cunning saved the Empire and the world from sorcerous annihilation.
But the victory cost her everything.
Now she is exiled and alone in the city of Istarinmul, far from her home and friends. Yet a centuries-old darkness now stirs in Istarinmul, eager to devour the city and the world itself.
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Read Ghost in the Cowl, Ghost in the Maze, Ghost in the Hunt, Ghost in the Razor, Ghost in the Inferno, Ghost in the Seal, Ghost in the Throne, Ghost in the Pact, and Ghost in the Winds along with the short stories Ghost Sword, Ghost Price, Ghost Relics, Ghost Keeper, Ghost Nails, Ghost Lock, Ghost Arts, Ghost Vigil, Ghost Mimic, and Ghost Vessel.
The Third Soul
RACHAELIS MORULAN is an Initiate of the Conclave, the powerful order of mighty mages. But to become a full Adept of the Conclave, she must first survive the Testing. Those who survive the Testing never speak of the trials they endured.
Those who fail the Testing are never seen again.
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And creatures that yearn to devour her soul.
If Rachaelis survives the Testing, she will face even more dangerous foes. The demons of the astral world watch the world of mortal men, desiring to rule it for themselves.
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Read The Testing for free. Rachelis's trials continue in The Assassins, The Blood Shaman, The High Demon, The Burning Child, The Outlaw Adept, The Black Paladin, and The Tomb of Baligant. Read the entire series in The Third Soul Omnibus One and The Third Soul Omnibus Two.
The Frostborn Series
A thousand years ago, the last grandson of Arthur Pendragon led the survivors of Britain through a magical gate to a new world, a world of magic and high elves, of orcs and kobolds and stranger, darker creatures. Now the descendants of the exiles rule a mighty kingdom, peaceful and prosperous under the rule of the High King.
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RIDMARK ARBAN was once a Swordbearer, a knight of renown. Now he is a branded outcast, stripped of his sword, and despised as a traitor.
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CALLIANDE awakens in the darkness, her memories gone, and creatures of terrible power hunting her.
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Read Frostborn: The First Quest, followed by Frostborn: The Gray Knight, Frostborn: The Eightfold Knife, Frostborn: The Undying Wizard, Frostborn: The Master Thief, Frostborn: The Iron Tower, Frostborn: The Dark Warden, Frostborn: The Gorgon Spirit, Frostborn: The Broken Mage, Frostborn: The World Gate, Frostborn: The High Lords, Frostborn: The False King, Frostborn: The Dwarven Prince, and Frostborn: Excalibur, and the prequel novel Frostborn: The Knight Quests along with the short stories The Orc's Tale, The Mage's Tale, The Thief's Tale, The Assassin's Tale, The Paladins's Tale, The Knight's Tale, The Soldier's Tale, and The Soldier's Tale. Read the first three books combined in Frostborn Omnibus One.
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MAZAEL CRAVENLOCK has prevailed over terrible foes and now rules the Grim Marches with firm justice. Yet ancient evils are stirring in the shadows, freed at last by Mazael's own hand. Unless Mazael fights with all his strength, the world will fall.
SIGALDRA is the last holdmistress of the Jutai nation, the final defender of her people. Now the darkness comes to devour the final remnant of Sigaldra's home and family. Even Sigaldra's courage may not be enough to turn aside the darkness.
Read Mask of Swords, Mask of Dragons, and Mask of Spells along with the short stories The Ransom Knight, The Bronze Knight, The Serpent Knight, and The Rune Knight.
The Tower of Endless Worlds
THOMAS WYCLIFFE just wants to finish his dissertation in peace and quiet. So when a man in a black robe appears in his closet, claiming to be the last of the Warlocks, Wycliffe figures it is a bad joke.
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