Spell Fade

by J. Daniel Layfield

Shuffling footsteps drew Dartan’s attention to the door. It sounded like someone being dragged against their will, but he could only make out one figure in the doorway. His breath caught in his chest as Aliet appeared from the shadows. The dirt and grime from their travels had been washed from her body and hair. Dartan looked down at his soiled hands, suddenly self-conscious of his disheveled state.

  Aliet was cradled by a dress that revealed curves and shapes Dartan had only seen hints of before. Her dark hair, smooth and straight, framed a face he had seen a thousand times, but never quite like this. A hint of red on her cheeks led to a deep crimson across her lips, and that was where he first saw her distress. Her normally full lips were tight and thin, showing the strain she was under. His eyes were then drawn into the dark circled grey-blue of hers, and it was in that moment when she finally saw him. Her will loosened the spell, and her plea for help in that instant was unmistakable.

  “Come now, dear,” Jarel called to her, removing a dragon tooth hidden beneath his shirt. “We don’t have all day.” His grip on the tooth tightened and he mumbled something too low for Dartan to hear, but he saw the effect all too clearly. Aliet’s eyes turned vacant, her face slacked, and the shuffling became a smooth glide directly to his side.

  “Now,” Jarel asked, “shall we discuss a trade?”

  “Consider that she is only one person,” Alain advised, “while Jarel’s plans threaten everyone in Pavlora.”

  Dartan glared back at him. “She’s more than just one person. She’s the one person I care for the most in all of Pavlora. He can have whatever he wants for her.”

  “Let me guess.” Jarel still wore his smile and held the tooth loosely in his hand. “Alain is giving you some speech about how her life isn’t worth the lives of everyone else. Right?”

  “Something like that,” Dartan said through clenched teeth.

  “Dartan, don’t,” Aliet started, but was stopped by Jarel. He touched the tooth, mouthed some words, and the vacant stare returned to Aliet’s face.

  “We discussed this, remember?” Jarel scolded. “It’s seen and not heard.”

  Dartan’s hands balled into tight fists, his face grew hot, and he took two steps towards Jarel.

  “Not a smart move,” Alain cautioned. “I warned you about your emotions. You’ll most likely strike Aliet with anything you throw at Jarel.” Dartan paused.

  “Is that the sound of a tightening leash I hear?” Jarel mused with a smile. The anger renewed within Dartan and he reached out with it towards Jarel. What he found made him pause again. The emptiness of the dragon artifact Jarel held radiated in a cloud around his entire body. What could he use against something he couldn’t even feel? And why hadn’t Alain prepared him for fighting against this?

  “It’s too bad, really,” Jarel broke into Dartan’s train of thought. “I was beginning to think you were actually going to stand up to the all-knowing Alain.”

  “He hasn’t changed my mind,” Dartan said.

  “Then perhaps there is hope for you after all,” Jarel said with an approving nod. “If my parents had been so bold then we wouldn’t be in this situation now.” He added it almost as an aside, but it grabbed Dartan’s attention.

  “What do you mean? Who were your parents?”

  “He didn’t tell you?” Dartan shook his head, and Jarel mirrored it, adding a disapproving grunt. “Add it to the list of things you’re not worthy to know, I suppose.” He released the dragon tooth, letting it hang loose from the chain, and stepped towards Dartan. His control over Aliet eased, and Dartan saw some of the fear creep back into her eyes.

  “What don’t I know now?” Dartan asked, backing away from Jarel, starting a slow circle that would eventually put him next to Aliet.

  “Let me ask you a question,” Jarel began. “Do you two plan on having children?” Dartan froze in place. His eyes shifted rapidly between Aliet and Jarel, while his mouth opened and closed but refused to voice any of the thoughts racing through his mind.

  Aliet did not fare much better. Her eyes widened and a flush of red covered her cheeks, ran down her neck, and disappeared into her dress. Dartan wondered if his own face was a similar shade. He also wondered just how far down her dress it ran, but he quickly forced that thought from his mind.

  “Awkward,” Jarel noted in the silence between them. “I had no idea it was an unprofessed love between you.” He paused a moment, shifting his gaze from Aliet to Dartan, who now seemed too embarrassed to look at one another. “I don’t think there’s any other kind of love that is so hopeful, sad, optimistic, and pathetic, all at the same time.” He focused on Dartan as he added, “It’s also the most potentially tragic.”

  “Since we only know for sure how one of you feels,” Jarel continued, still staring at Dartan, “and in the interest of moving this along, let me change my question.”

  Yes, please change your question, Dartan thought, although he dared not look up. He was certainly sure of his own feelings, but this was neither the way nor the time he had imagined Aliet finding out.

  “When you have children, with whomever it may be,” Jarel emphasized. “Who decides which one of them rules after you?” Silence fell again, and it was a few moments before Dartan realized Jarel was waiting on an answer. He looked up to find Jarel staring at him, and all he could do was shrug.

  “Fate, right?” Jarel answered for him. “It is the birthright of the eldest offspring, is it not?” Dartan nodded, and now that he was no longer studying the floor, he found his eyes drawn to Aliet. He was powerless to stop himself from stealing a glance at her. She was staring at him, but he could not bring himself to meet her gaze, afraid he would see pity, or even disgust, in them. Jarel continued on, oblivious to this brief, agonizing exchange.

  “This was not the case where it concerned the ‘Great Wizard’ Alain,” he proclaimed with an irreverent emphasis on ‘great wizard’ Dartan had not heard before. “He decided I wasn’t fit to rule, and instead named my younger sister successor.”

  “And your sister was?”

  “Elainya.”

  Dartan looked back at Alain, wide-eyed. Had the old wizard told him anything at all? Alain met his question with a nod, affirming the truth of Jarel’s words.

  “That would make you my uncle then?”

  “Why, yes. I believe you’re right, Nephew.”

  “And the Northern Kingdom?” Dartan asked.

  “A consolation prize from my father,” Jarel answered with a sneer. “Before that it was all Pavlora. I think he felt remorse for listening to the wizard, which is why I recommend you think for yourself.”

  “Actually,” Alain chimed in, “his father saw the evil in him long before me and wanted him locked away for the rest of his life. It was I who persuaded him to create the Northern Kingdom for Jarel. Just another of my many regrets.”

  Regrets. Something Dartan certainly didn’t want to have here. “You’re right, Uncle. I am thinking for myself. And I think we each have something the other wants.”

  “Indeed,” Jarel said with a smile. He held out his hand. “The stone, if you please.”

  The stone. Of course it was the stone, but why hadn’t he been able to figure that out? What else could it have been? There was a small laugh from beside him. Alain.

  “Give it to him,” Alain said. Dartan could only stare in silence. “At least make it look like we’re arguing.”

  “I don’t care what you say,” Dartan said a little woodenly. “I’m giving it to him.”

  “Don’t worry,” Alain said. “The stone isn’t the fourth part.”

  “Oh, really? Is that right?”

  “Yes, it is one more thing I haven’t told you, but I promise I will tell you everything, once you and Aliet are out of this castle.”

  Dartan slowly removed the stone from the pocket he had hidden it in before entering the city. He placed it in his palm, holding it out for Jarel to see. Something so small, with so much power, and he could feel nothing from it.

 
; “Well, there’s nothing you can do to stop me, old man,” he finished the fake argument. He then turned to Jarel. “I give you this, and Aliet goes free?”

  “Exactly.”

  “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “I have no further use for the girl. She served her purpose of bringing you here, and the last thing I need is another mouth to feed.”

  “Go ahead,” Alain said. “As long as I’m alive, the stone will be useless to him. I had hoped to keep it in your possession, but right now it’s more important we get you out of here before he realizes his mistake.”

  Dartan nodded slightly then tossed the stone in a high arc towards Jarel. As Jarel focused on its tumbling path through the air, Dartan moved in front of Aliet’s still rigid body. The stone landed neatly in Jarel’s outstretched hands, and he gave it little more than a cursory glance before snapping his fingers.

  “The girl may go,” Jarel said. At the same moment, Dartan felt Aliet’s warm body collapse against his back and her arms encircled his waist.

  “If you have children with anyone,” she whispered, “it had better be with me.” He felt his face flush, but would not let the broad smile surface. He still had to get her out of here. Alain knew it too.

  “Let’s save the celebration until you are both out of the castle,” he suggested, trying to encourage Dartan to get moving while Jarel was preoccupied with the stone.

  Dartan closed his eyes. He was enjoying the feel of Aliet. Her arms trying desperately to tighten their grip on him, the rise and fall of her breasts against his back with each breath she took, the smoothness and warmth of her skin as he placed his hand on hers. He savored all of her, as long as he could, before answering Alain.

  “That wasn’t the deal.” Alain stared quizzically at him, while Aliet held her breath, and Jarel looked up with a crooked smile. “It was Aliet for the stone,” he explained. “She’s the only one he will allow to leave. Isn’t that right, Uncle?”

  “Nice to see you inherited some intelligence from your mother’s side,” Jarel answered. “Honestly though, would you really just walk out of here now? Aren’t you the least bit curious about my plans?”

  Alain began, “You have to leave. You don’t understand-”

  Aliet unknowingly spoke at the same time. “If you think I’m going anywhere without you-”

  Dartan stopped them both. “I knew what I was agreeing to, and he’s right. There’s no way I could leave now.” He turned to Jarel. “Go ahead. Use the stone and release the dragons. I’ve seen what one dragon slayer can do, and I can’t wait to see your face when a town full of them rises up to defend Pavlora.”

  There was a confident fierceness in Dartan’s eyes that remained strong, until the laughter started. It began low, but grew steadily louder, stealing Dartan’s sureness in the process.

  “No wonder the old fool let you give me the stone,” Jarel finally stopped laughing long enough to say.

  “What do you mean, ‘let me’?” Dartan challenged, trying to gain back some of his confidence. Jarel merely laughed again.

  “If it makes you feel better,” Jarel offered, “we can pretend he didn’t tell you to give it to me. The result is the same either way – I have the stone.”

  “Dartan, I’m begging you,” Alain pleaded now. “You and Aliet need to leave.” It fell on deaf ears.

  “Then use it,” Dartan taunted, anxious to see Jarel fail.

  “I can’t use it, boy. It’s not my stone. Didn’t Alain teach you anything about how spellstones work?”

  “The stone isn’t the fourth piece you need to unlock the portal?” His shaken confidence was practically gone now.

  “Of course not.”

  “But you said I would provide you with the final piece.”

  “And so you shall.”

  “Why?” Alain said to no one. “Why must the only one who can hear me also be the one ignoring me?” He tried once more. “Please, Dartan. I can’t help you here, and I fear you and Aliet are in very grave danger.”

  “But, the stone,” Dartan was sure he had misunderstood. It was the only thing he possessed Jarel could possibly want.

  “Is just the beginning,” Jarel finished with a smile. “This stone contains every spell cast by the mighty Alain, including those used in rebuilding this land after the dragon wars. It holds them for the wizard, like a dam preventing a flood.”

  “And when the wizard dies, all of those spells fade,” Dartan interrupted. “Alain told me all of this. What I don’t understand is why you would risk destroying everything, maybe even yourself?”

  “If I’m going to build a new world in my own image, I have to destroy the old.”

  “Seems to me all you have is his stone, but what you need to accomplish that is for him to die.”

  “Do you know the other peculiar thing about spellstones?” Jarel asked, moving towards the fire. Alain glided in beside Jarel, following the stone. He placed the stone on the hearth then looked back at Dartan with raised eyebrows, waiting. Dartan, in turn, looked to Alain.

  The old wizard was looking down at the stone, perhaps thinking upon all the magic he had cast into it over the centuries. He looked smaller, Dartan thought. Or maybe he was just slumped over, tired, and nearly defeated. He was a far cry from the figure that led them from his farm what seemed so long ago.

  The silence caught Alain’s attention, and he looked up to find Dartan staring at him. His eyes brightened a bit, but there was no hiding the sadness lurking at the edges. What did he already know?

  “There is at least one more thing I know I have forgotten to tell you,” he said with a small quiver in his voice. “It is perhaps the most important thing I could have ever told you.” Dartan held his breath. “I love you, son.” A light sheen of tears covered his eyes and a broad smile beamed from beneath his thick, white beard.

  Dartan could only blink, stunned and silent. Love? He had felt anger, betrayal, and maybe even pity for the man who was his father, but was there also love? He hadn’t even considered it until now. He opened his mouth, but all he could manage was, “What?”

  Jarel, unaware of the exchange between father and son, took this for his answer. He grasped the dragon tooth in both hands and raised it above his head. “Dragons eat them,” he said, plunging the tooth into the stone, sending shards of stone and magic out in every direction.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Watching these oblivious people go about their pointless and pathetic lives had to be the most torturously boring thing Roal had ever experienced. Only one thing (aside from Jarel’s explicit orders to do nothing) stopped him from leading a full-scale homicidal rampage through the heart of the city. The shield.

  It covered the city like a clear shell, and most of its citizens had no idea it existed. Even worse for Roal, he knew it existed, but had no idea how it worked. He knew only that while honest and nefarious citizens alike were able to pass freely through without so much as a tug, he and his soldiers stood no chance of penetrating it.

  For the past hour he had amused himself by skipping fireballs across the shield. He found bouncing the balls at different angles and heights produced varied tones and notes. He had never had an ear for music, but began to think himself a great composer. His piece was reaching its epic conclusion when the notes suddenly stopped.

  Roal blinked. When his eyes opened, the small fire below remained. It was no illusion. In fact, even as he watched, it began to spread, much like the smile across his face. He threw another, larger ball of flaming hot death into the middle of the market square. Upon impact it sent wood, stone, earth, and bodies flying into the air. The screams that followed became his new concerto.

  The shield was gone. It was a sign. Not the sign, but with the maddening idleness he had already endured, Roal decided it was close enough. It was time to tighten the circle.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Dartan pulled Aliet behind the raised platform on which the throne sat, shielding his eyes from the shower o
f stone. A blinding light flashed around the edges of his hand, forcing his eyes shut. When he opened them again and looked around, Alain was gone.

  “What have you done?!” Dartan exclaimed, suddenly very sure of exactly what his feelings were for Alain.

  “I’ve taken the first step towards removing the tyrannical bonds placed upon us all by Alain.”

  “So you can replace them with your own?”

  “Well, we can’t very well have anarchy, now can we?”

  Neither man moved, but Dartan was measuring the distance to the door. “You’ve got to get out of here,” he whispered to Aliet. Her response was a set jaw, narrowed eyes, and firm shake of the head. “Please, Aliet. I don’t know if I can protect us both from whatever Jarel has planned.”

  “I know I can’t protect you,” she countered, pulling his sword from its sheath, “if I’m not here with you.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him with her lips. “Whatever we do, we do it together.”

  Dartan nodded, squeezed her hand, and kissed her again. Her lips, soft and firm at the same time, made his head swim and body warm. As they pulled apart, he stared into her eyes. He had looked at them thousands of times, but had never peered into them until now. She did love him, and always had, even when he was nothing more than a farmer. He wondered if she saw the same reflected back in his eyes, and her smile told him she saw something.

  “Now save us,” she whispered. “Save us all.” He nodded, took a deep breath, and turned his attention back to Jarel.

  “What now?” Dartan called.

  “Now you give me the final piece to this spell, and I complete the overthrow of the great wizard Alain.” He had moved from the fire, closer to them now. Dartan poked his head up just far enough to see Jarel. He was removing the dragon parts from the case.

  “I’ve already given you the only thing I had of Alain’s. Whatever it is you’re looking for, I don’t have it.”

  “What I need is something you got from your mother.” Jarel closed the dragon skin case, placed the items atop it, and carried it towards the throne. “And before you deny it, I know you carry it.” He flashed a smile at Dartan. “It’s the reason I knew you existed at all.”