Mason’s ear perked up at that. “What can they do?” he asked. “How do their powers work?”
“Well, I’ll tell you, if you stop interrupting me. One of them can energize a small quantity of matter, like a stone or an arrowhead. But she can’t control it, and usually it explodes or burns up in an instant. Not much use on its own. But the other girl can control and direct that energy, once it is formed, long enough for her shoot it at something–and with a variety of effects.”
Mason rubbed his lips. “That sounds pretty amazing. Both of them were exposed to the energy at the same time, and now their abilities work with each other, sort of in tandem.”
Blondie nodded. “When the militia found them, they were defending themselves by throwing energized rocks or shooting them at the enemy with a slingshot they found. Since then, the militia has taught them archery, and the two of them are using arrows to deliver their powers. They can blow things up, set them on fire, create a cloud of smoke that makes people choke, zap an area with lightning, or even freeze everything solid within a fifteen-foot radius. Sounds impressive to me.”
Mason blinked. “Me, too. I’m glad they’re on our side. How do you think it all works?” He waited for Blondie’s answer. At times Blondie seemed to know more than he should. He seemed extremely knowledgeable about magic and stuff like that. Stuff just came to him out of the blue when he rambled on.
Blondie paused and thought about something for a moment. “The one girl could be a sorceress, but I’m guessing she’s a conjurer. She can summon magical energy in various forms, but she hasn’t learned the ability to direct or do much with it. The other girl is no doubt an enchantress, who has the power to control, manipulate, and direct any kind of magical energy once it is made available. The first girl summons the energy, and the second girl makes better practical use of it–a magical symbiotic relationship.”
Again, Blondie seemed to know too much about such things.
Mason began to worry more and more about what was going to happen when his friend remembered what side he had been on, before the power of the Merge robbed him of his memories.
What if Blondie’s old loyalties returned?
“I hope we get to meet them,” Mason said.
Blondie nodded. “I would like to study their abilities as well.”
Thulkara suddenly snorted indignantly next to them. “You mages can sure be a pain in the ass sometimes. But I have to admit, it’s good to have you there in a fight–especially against other mages.”
“What about me?” Mason asked. “Have you observed and studied my abilities, Blondie? What’s the ruling there?”
Blondie smiled, and something about that smile always made Mason a little uncomfortable. “I’ve watched your powers quite extensively, in fact, Mace. From my observations, you’re incredibly formidable, really. An extremely unique case.”
“What am I, then?”
“Clearly you are a sorcerer, gifted with a very deep source of Wild Magic that is part of you now, whatever your were before. And you have an extremely unique focus for all of that power–your guns. As I said, quite a fascinating case, really. And you keep changing the game with all of your experiments and alchemical, magical tinkering. I even saw you negate the magic of another mage–a feat I did not even think possible. Who knows what you’ll be able to do with it all?”
“Yes, who knows?” Mason muttered.
Captain Avery joined up with them. He appeared frustrated. “We’ve questioned dozens of the captured mercenaries. Most of them will only give us their damn numbers and say only that they fight under contract for pay. The few who do talk, won’t shut up unless we gag them after they spew out nothing but tall tales and lies. All useless.”
They rode quietly for a long while. Everyone kept to their thoughts.
Avery broke the silence.
“The militia and I are thinking about giving you and yours a command, Mace.”
“Not this again. Bill, please don’t,” Mason said.
“Why not? You deserve it. I’ll have you made a captain, equal with me. Blondie and Thulkara will make fine lieutenants.”
Mason shook his head again. “I refuse, and so do they. None of us do all of this for rank or selfish gain.”
“Then what the hell do you do it all for, Mace?”
“Because we must, Bill. Because we have to. Do you think I want to be doing this? Hell no. I’d rather be searching for Tori. But I can’t do that. None of us can do much of anything until this stupid war ends and these idiots are all defeated!”
“Then why not take a command?”
Mason looked him in the eye. “Bill, I am a lot of things, but I am not a leader. I’m not even a soldier, not even much of a follower. I’m a killer. I’m a weapon. Tell me where to go and I’ll go there. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it–just barely.”
“You’re too hard on yourself, Mace. You’re better than that.”
“No. I’m not. I don’t want power over others. I don’t deserve it. I know very well what it would turn me into, and it wouldn’t take very much, or very long for it to happen. You command us all, Bill. You’ve got a good heart, despite being a mean-spirited bastard. Tell us where to go and what to do. You’re a great soldier.”
Mason sucked in a deep breath. “Just leave the shooting to me.”
31
David squared off with the dragon and readied his blades. The enormous beast smelled horrible. The stench was quite choking–overpowering. “You will not harm her. You will not touch her.”
The deep laughter rumbled again. Its huge green eyes glowed with amusement.
The powerful voice ripped into his mind once more. Humans stink, too, my lad–and there are many more of your kind than of my mine.
“Get out of my head!” he shouted. But instead of malice, he sensed great curiosity on the part of the dragon. And continual hunger.
You are not disciplined enough to keep me out of your mind, are you? This is the only way that I can converse with you, little warrior. Dragons speak the pure language of thought. Thus we speak the language of all sentient beings in the limitless dimensions and all the innumerable worlds.
“Your thoughts are too powerful,” David said, gritting his teeth. “They hurt. Your thoughts hurt my mind, my brain.” The pressure was intense, like someone squeezing his head in a vice.
Ah, and here I thought I was being gentle. Apologies. I suppose the flesh can only endure so much. You and this world Urth of yours seem very ignorant and unskilled. The dragon sighed.
Picture an invisible barrier around your mind, your head, and then concentrate on focusing the barrier between our thoughts. Then it will be easier for us to converse.
David struggled to do so. It wasn’t easy.
Pitiful. You have plenty of will, but no experience focusing it to your purpose. I do not have all night.
Ugh. David clenched his fists.
A barrier–like one of clear steel.
The force of the dragon’s mind slacked off. The pain lessened greatly. David gasped in sudden relief.
“Thanks.” At least he no longer felt immersed in an invisible wall of liquid force, threatening to crush him like an egg.
The dragon yawned. Better?
“Yes. Much. Thank you once again.”
You are most welcome. You will find that courtesy can go a long way with dragonkind. Of course, it will not prevent them from devouring you, if they are so inclined, but it will make the interaction, however brief, that much more enjoyable. I would also advise you that dragons do not at all take kindly to commands or threats.
“Does anyone?”
I suppose not.
So dragons got off on courtesy and manners. Who knew?
But I should warn you–if several of your fellows assail me, from the way they are creeping up and planning to do–I will be forced to lay waste to this entire area. And that will most likely include you and your pretty little mate.
David spotted Pete Steiner w
ith the troops and hurried to shout out. “Pete, all of you. This is a direct order from Captain David Pritchard. Do not attack this dragon. I repeat. Do not attack this dragon. Dragons are telepathic. I am negotiating with him and he won’t harm us if we don’t attack him. We do not want him to attack us.”
Well...I didn’t exactly say that, did I? That I wouldn’t attack you? But I suppose it’s all good enough. They’ve pulled back and lowered their weapons. Thank you, most kindly.
“You’re most kindly welcome.”
You were, however, very correct on one very important point.
“And what was that?”
You don’t want me to attack you. Which still doesn’t mean that I won’t.
“You’ve made all of that very clear. You’ll have to forgive me. Fighting monsters, dealing with wizards and dragons, and creatures that use magic–I’m just not very used to it all.”
And yet, overall you seem to be doing quite well. No, really quite splendidly, I would say. Except for issuing commands to a dragon…but my appearance did startle you at first, I’m sure. So for now we’ll just try to overlook that failing. Don’t you agree?
“Certainly. That’s awfully generous and gracious of you.”
Not at all. Not at all. So kind of you to notice. And so forward with your true name and all: Captain David Pritchard. Not always a wise thing you know, to give away your true name. To know a thing’s true name gives some power over it, if one knows how to use such power.
“I have read and heard that before in stories. Yet I do have a middle name that I never tell anyone.”
Ahh...clever, most clever. A secret name? Good, very good. Dragons do the same thing.
“You seem to have me at a disadvantage here,” David said. “What may we call you, good dragon?”
The creature actually drew itself up to a dizzying height and cleared its massive throat with a few booming thumps from its vast clawed front paw.
You may call me Shavalkathar the Cataclysmic, Bane of Worlds, Slayer of Armies, Great Disaster, Source of Despair–Ruinous Beyond Measure.
“Hmm, you’ll have to forgive me. I’m but a simple soldier and that’s probably too much for my feeble mind to remember. But I think we could remember Shavalkathar.”
Oh, very well. I suppose with your limited intellect that that will have to do.
A crowd gathered around the dragon from a distance, staring at him in wonder. Stacy finally found the courage to move and pulled away slowly. Then she reached forward and retrieved her bat. She still looked ready to bolt any second.
David remained a little at a loss himself, but the initial shock of meeting an actual dragon face-to-face was over. “So, Great Shavalkathar, to what honor do we owe this visitation?”
I have grown greatly curious over the past several days. There has been a major shifting of realities. Vast cosmic energies have been disrupted and re-shaped. Parts of this world are still Tharanor–the world I was originally on. And now parts of them have changed to something else. There are many, many changes–too numerous to note. And so I am greatly curious as to how and why these changes have occurred.
David finally lowered his blades. “It’s only been a few days, and most of that time we’ve been fighting for our lives against these monsters. But my people and I do have a few questions concerning all of this as well.”
The dragon’s deep laughter rumbled again. I imagine you do. Your world was very different. I can sense that in all of your minds. These changes come as a great shock to you all.
Definitely an understatement.
“Our world–Urth–relied on technology and science. We did not use magic very much, or at least not the way that you and Jerriel do.”
Shavalkathar snorted indignantly, and a blast of sulfurous smoke engulfed the area, causing everyone, including David, to choke.
The dragon’s voice grew deadly serious. Dragons are unique, David Pritchard. Let me inform you that it is vastly insulting to us to spread such ignorance. Dragons do not “use magic” as you put it. Dragons Are Magic. They were created from the One Source of All Power. They are wild and free and unchecked, a force of nature throughout all the universes. They do not use anything. They are as they are. They are what they are.
David bowed. “I beg your forgiveness. As I said, my people and I are almost completely ignorant concerning both magic and dragons.”
Yes, I see that now. I smelled the presence of a powerful Tharanorian wizard among you, and thought that she might be able to answer some of my questions. Too bad she is dying.
David nearly panicked. “Dying?”
Yes, I’m afraid her internal injuries are too severe. She might linger for a few more hours before she succumbs. A pity. I really wished to speak with her. There are no other mages about for many leagues, currently. There’s a demon nearby, but you can never count on any real help or even a straight answer from one of those foul deceivers.
David knelt down and stroked Jerriel’s face, ignoring most of what the dragon rambled on about. His hands trembled
Jerriel. Dying. And he was helpless.
“Shavalkathar, I ask you plainly: Is there any way that you know of that I can save her?”
The dragon deftly stroked his chin with a great claw. Hmmm...that depends. Perhaps the medical skill of your people can help her–perhaps not.
David suddenly noticed that the rain stopped once more.
There is one thing you might try, but it would be desperate. Who knows if it would even work?
David lifted his head. “Tell me. I am desperate. I will try anything that might save her life.”
The dragon shook his massive head. I see. Even if destroys you both?
“She is dying, great dragon. What choice do I have? What would you do if it was your mate?”
Their eyes locked for a moment. The dragon nodded.
I would do all that was within my power. Very well, Captain David Pritchard. Have you seen any of the glowing pools of magical energy, or the glowing flowers?
“Yes, but we weren’t sure–”
Some of them are Wild Magic. Most of them are some weird concentrated, random enchanted essence. Even I don’t know what that is, but this new combined world seems to be swimming in it. They are highly charged, especially after thunderstorms.
“We found some of them. Jerriel used them to recharge her staff. We kept more to study later.” He called to his troops. “Hey, get some of that pink magic liquid stuff up here.”
He realized that he still had some himself, in one of his canteens.
Don’t bother, David Pritchard. I can smell that stuff on you. It does possess some lesser healing properties. The Wild Magic in general was yet another very curious thing that I wished to speak with the wizard about.
“What do you mean, don’t bother? Can it heal her or not? Do I pour it on her or make her drink it?”
Neither. It has no major healing properties for anything beyond that of treating topical cuts, scrapes, and bruises, I’m afraid. Now, a competent healer might be able to find a way, in a few years, to concentrate that essence to perhaps–
David closed his eyes and clenched his fists at his side. He let out a deep breath. “I do not have a healer, or a few years to figure out anything like that. If you want your long conversation with the wizard, perhaps you can tell me what would save her?”
Hmmm…I suppose that would serve my purposes as well as yours. If she survived I mean. I seem to recall drinking from a magical pool a day or two ago that did have many amazing healing properties. Was it pink? Or was it blue? Yes…it only glowed at night, and it was twilight, after all, but I’m sure now that it was bright blue.
“Great. Now if you can just recall where this pool was?”
Oh, yes, of course. I recall exactly where it was. But of course—I drank it all.
David stamped his feet. “And so how does that help us?”
Shavalkathar yawned. I suppose not every much. But if you find another blue one like
that, you could pour some of it into her or immerse her in such a pool briefly. I mean, I wouldn’t drown her in it. I suppose that much intense magical energy might do something beneficial. Or perhaps not. She’s a wizard, and it might affect her differently. Or, you know how fickle Wild Magic is–it might simply destroy you both…or do nothing at all.
The dragon reared up again and spread its immense wings. Even the night grew darker. Well, I must be going. If the wizard survives, feel free to seek me out a few days west of here for our little chat. My lair is in the mountain of bones, but you might want to beware of my neighbors in that area. They’re not nearly as sociable as I am. Farewell, little warrior. We may yet meet again.
Shavalkathar took to the air, launching himself in a tempest of wind, heat, and dragon stench.
“Thank you,” was all David could muster, trying to keep his thoughts clear of any bitterness or resentment. In its way, the dragon had helped him…at least somewhat.
He turned to his troops. “Send for the mappers. In the meantime, I want every available trooper combing the area looking for glowing pools of water–especially pools that glow blue. Locate them, but don’t touch them. I say again. We are especially looking for any pool that glows blue. Bring Jerriel along on a stretcher. Put her in a padded wagon if you have to.”
They searched the area and fanned out west, south, and north into the forest. Messengers brought word from the mappers. They sent him the location and description of every known mysterious pool that had been reported and recorded in the area. Several of those were said to be blue.
“Another glowing pool close by, sir,” one of the scouts reported “Very small. According to the reports, this one glows greenish-white, just like the other five we’ve come across.”
David shook his head. “According to the dragon, that’s not what we need. Keep looking. Mark the others on the map and keep searching.”
“We’ve found a whole meadow full of those glowing flowers, sir. Will they do anything?”
“It’s worth a try and it’s on the way. Let’s find out. Guys, let’s take her there.”
They went to the field nearby. The entire area lay blanketed in a swath of the small, glittering white flowers that illuminated the area in the darkness. They smelled fragrant and sweet.
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