A March into Darkness dobas-2

by Robert Newcomb

  Looking closer, she saw dark vertical lines dividing the entire scroll into sections. The various parts were by no means equal in length. Numbers in Old Eutracian stood at each section’s top, identifying one section from another. Smaller numbers ran vertically down each section’s left-hand margin, referencing the scroll’s many lines.

  Curious, the First Wizard looked at Faegan. “Why have you unwound the scroll?” he asked.

  “First things first,” Faegan answered. He wheeled toward Mallory and looked at her new uniform. “I take it you are a Fledgling House girl?” he asked.

  Mallory curtsied. “Yes, sir,” she answered respectfully. “I am Mallory of the House of Esterbrook.”

  He bowed at the waist. “I’m sure they have already told you about me!” he said. Then he shot her a conspiratorial wink. “Don’t believe everything you’ve heard! Welcome, Mallory! We meet on an auspicious day!”

  “It’s time you told us what’s going on,” Shailiha demanded.

  “Right you are!” Faegan exclaimed. Beckoning them to follow him, he wheeled his chair toward the far wall.

  Mallory stared at the black panel. Its depths looked endless, seductive. Sensing her curiosity, Faegan wheeled closer.

  “It’s called a visage board,” he said. “It’s usually employed for teaching purposes. I keep one here because it helps me think. Observe.”

  Faegan waved one hand. In the twinkle of an eye, the board’s writing disappeared. He turned to look at the inquisitive group, then gestured toward the hovering Vigors scroll.

  “Very well,” he started. “We believe that at one time this scroll held every Vigors Forestallment calculation known to mankind. Some parts have been burned away. We also know that a Forestallment is a calculation of the craft, especially designed to be placed into an endowed person’s blood. Such Forestallments might be time-activated-that is, brought to life at a specific time. Or they might be event-activated-destined to activate concurrently with its owner’s performance of some predetermined deed. When imbued into the blood signature they form branches, leading away from the signature proper. Their purpose is to grant their owners immediate powers. This negates the tedious classical training usually needed to reach the same results.” Turning to stare at the unwound scroll, Faegan paused.

  “Yes, yes!” Wigg interjected. “We all understand that! Tell us something wedon’t know!”

  Returning to the moment, Faegan smiled. “I have just outlined the scroll’s positive aspects. Answer me this-what has always been the scroll’s greatestdrawback?”

  “Its calculations number in the thousands,” Abbey answered. “But they are not labeled. Nor is there any other known way to find their physical location on the scroll. Even if one knew that a certain calculation was written there, it might take years to find-if not longer.”

  Faegan triumphantly pointed a bony index finger into the air. “Precisely!” he exclaimed. “Those days are at an end!”

  “What do you mean?” Wigg asked.

  “The Forestallment Xanthus granted to my blood has provided me with the index to the Scroll of the Vigors,” Faegan answered.

  Stunned, the others looked at him in silence. Wigg seemed especially skeptical.

  “Prove it,” the First Wizard said.

  Faegan smiled. “Very well,” he said. “Wigg, please describe a power that you have long coveted, but do not possess. He gave the First Wizard a wink. “Go ahead,” he goaded him. “Tell us your oldest, deepest wish. If its formula exists on the scroll, I’ll find it. I’m reasonably sure about what it is.”

  Wigg’s answer was immediate. “You know full well what it is,” he said. “Ever since we blew up my father’s laboratory those three centuries ago, I have always wanted to be able to perform alchemy. It has long been my wish to give the results to Eutracia’s various charities.”

  Faegan smiled. “That’s right,” he answered. “Before we find out whether such a formula exists, I must call forth the index. I will display it for everyone to see.”

  Faegan turned and pointed at the visage board. Calling the craft, he concentrated mightily. To Mallory’s astonishment, azure words in Old Eutracian started forming in its depths. Soon the entire board was full, its last line literally running off the board’s lower-right corner.

  Having been trained in Old Eutracian, she read the words easily. A title lay above the index proper. It read:

  To all ye who seek the scroll’s secrets know this: Behold the index; its titles, subtitles, and formulas lay before you. Use the knowledge well, our children. These twenty-five facets of learning have been left behind as an instrument to guide you in the perfect, wondrous knowledge that is the craft.

  Pointing to the board, Faegan again summoned magic. The board’s text started rolling upward, showing ever more words. Augmenting his power, Faegan forced the lines to rise faster. To Mallory’s lesser gifts, the lines were soon little more than a continuous azure blur. Soon the text started to slow, then stopped altogether.

  Faegan walked closer to the board and used the craft to highlight a specific passage. As Mallory deciphered it she was astounded. It read:

  Various formulas for the science of alchemy. Scroll Section 19; Subsection 58; lines 347 through 954.

  Faegan immediately wheeled his chair over to the scroll. Rolling his way down the hovering scroll’s length, he found section number nineteen. After finding the proper subsection, he quickly started scanning the aforementioned lines. Suddenly Faegan whooped for joy.

  “It’s here!” he shouted. “I beg the Afterlife, it actually exists!”

  Then he backed away from the scroll. Looking toward the visage board, he waved his hands. The index promptly vanished. In its place, an azure craft formula materialized.

  The formula took up nearly the entire board. Mallory was stunned by its vast complexity. Before today, she had had no idea that such wonders existed.

  His face radiating pure joy, Faegan turned his chair around to address the astonished group. He gestured to the visage board.

  “I give you the formula for converting lead into gold,” he said simply.

  They all walked toward the board. For a long time no one spoke as they read the formula. Clearly, its solution had been formulated by an amazing mind.

  His mouth hanging open, Wigg shook his head in wonder. “Can it be true?” he whispered. He looked at Faegan with unbelieving eyes. “Have you really unlocked the scroll’s vast teachings?”

  Faegan looked up at the First Wizard. “Yes, my friend,” he answered softly. “As I told you when you first entered the room-from this day onward, our world is forever changed.”

  “Forgive me, Faegan,” Mallory said. “May I ask a question?”

  Turning his chair toward her, the crippled wizard smiled into her eyes. “By all means, my dear,” he said.

  Mallory again looked at the seemingly endless formula. A skeptical look crossed her face.

  “How is it that you could read that vast formula only once, then perfectly transfer it to the visage board? To my mind that was miracle enough.”

  Smiling, Faegan gave her another wink. “That has to do with a little gift I possess called Consummate Recollection,” he answered. “I’ll be happy to explain it to you sometime.”

  Stepping closer to the visage board, Sister Adrian looked at the glowing formula. “Faegan,” she asked, “could you please revisit the scroll’s index? When it showed earlier, something caught my eye.”

  “Of course,” he answered.

  Waving one hand, he caused the long formula to scroll downward. Soon the index reappeared. Adrian walked closer. Scanning the index title, she concentrated on the last sentence. She read a portion aloud.

  “‘These twenty-five facets of the craft have been left behind…’,” she quoted. When she turned around there was a knowing smile on her face.

  “The scroll being divided into twenty-five ‘facets’ is no coincidence, is it?” she asked.

  “Indeed not,” Faega
n answered. Delighted that she had figured it out, he let go another cackle.

  “Of course!” Shailiha said. “Each of the twenty-five scroll sections relate to a corresponding facet in the Paragon! They include the Casual, the Sympathetic, the Kinetic, and so on!”

  “Correct!” Faegan said. “The formula for alchemy comes from Section Nineteen-the Transformations Section. Now you understand that the index’s purpose is to first identify the Forestallment’s facet as it relates to the Paragon. Then it tells us where the formula one seeks can be found on the scroll. It is complex in design. But for those understanding its workings, it is relatively simple to use. It also leads me to another conclusion.”

  As Faegan sat back in his chair, it became clear that he had more to tell. Pulling on his beard, he looked up at them thoughtfully.

  “I know that look,” Jessamay said. Walking over, she gazed down at him. “What haven’t you told us?” she asked softly.

  “There is more to my new gift,” he answered. “Not only does my Forestallment grant me the index to the Scroll of the Vigors, but also the index to the Scroll of the Vagaries.”

  The room fell dead silent. For several moments the Conclave members looked at him in awe.

  “I beg the Afterlife,” Wigg breathed. Grabbing Faegan’s chair, he turned it around. “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Faegan answered. “Just as the Ones wrote an index cataloging their Forestallments, so did the Heretics. I now command each.”

  “At last!” Shailiha said eagerly. “We are finally on an even footing with those who would use the Vagaries Forestallments against us! We can choose our gifts, just as our enemies do, then use the Vigors calculations against them!”

  Faegan wheeled over to the princess. “Your Highness, as tempting as your conclusion might seem, it is not valid,” he said sadly.

  Shailiha was crestfallen. “I don’t understand,” she protested. “We have the Scroll, and we have the index! Why can’t we fight fire with fire?”

  “Because despite this wealth of new information, we still do not know how to place Forestallments into blood signatures,” Jessamay answered. “But I find it difficult to believe that the Ones would create this vast index, only to mistakenly omit the very information that makes the formulas usable.”

  Then she suddenly grasped the answer. She looked at Faegan. “You know, don’t you?” she asked. “When they created the scroll, the Ones did not forget.”

  “No,” Faegan answered, “they didn’t. Do you really believe that such inordinately intelligent beings would make such an obvious mistake? I don’t.”

  “What are your two talking about?” Wigg demanded.

  “Don’t you see?” Jessamay answered. “The instructions for imbuing a Forestallment into one’s blood were at one time indeed written on the Vigors scroll-in the area that was destroyed! Until we can somehow acquire that secret, our scroll-despite Faegan being granted its index-still has little use for us.”

  Their hopes dashed, the Conclave members regarded one another sadly. It seems that for every two steps forward regarding the craft, we must always take a step backward, Shailiha thought. Still, she believed that there had to be a way.

  “How do we go about finding this information?” Shailiha asked. “Surely beings as wise as the Ones would have created a duplicate scroll.”

  “Not necessarily,” Faegan answered. “They did not do so with the Tome or the Paragon. Worse, our world is an exceedingly large place. Much has yet to be explored. If they did produce a duplicate scroll then hid it, the odds are that it will never be found. Remember-we found the Caves, the Tome, and the Paragon quite by accident.”

  An astonished look came over Abbey. “It all makes perfect sense,” she breathed.

  Walking over to the herbmistress, Wigg took her by the shoulders. There was a faraway look in her eyes. “What is it?” he asked.

  “Don’t you see?” Abbey asked back. “Think back to that night on the palace roof when Wulfgar was defeated the first time. The scroll was partly destroyed. The Ones knew that-they were watching. Once they were finally able to commune with Tristan, they told him that he must recover the other scroll!”

  “I don’t understand,” Wigg said. “Surely the Ones know that we would never use the Vagaries Forestallments!”

  Impressed by Abbey’s reasoning, Faegan wheeled his chair closer. He looked up into Wigg’s face.

  “She’s right,” he said. “But you misunderstand her meaning. It isn’t the Vagaries Forestallment formulas that the Ones wish us to possess-it’s the information that goes along with them! Just as we assumed that the information was once written on our scroll, it must be written on the other one, as well!”

  Suddenly Wigg understood. “The spell allowing Forestallments’ embodiment into endowed blood,” he breathed. “It must be the same for both craft sides!”

  “Precisely!” Faegan exclaimed. “If we can take the other scroll, so much will become possible! Just imagine-every Vigors Forestallment finally ours to command! Our power will increase exponentially!”

  “Even so, one question remains,” Wigg said seriously. “Why would a Vagaries servant like Xanthus imbue your blood signature with both scroll indexes? It makes no sense! Surely he must know what a help they will be to us!”

  “Equally intriguing is his reason for choosing Faegan,” Jessamay added. “Why him, and not another endowed Conclave member? We were all present at the masquerade ball.”

  “The answer to your second question is simple,” Faegan said. “He chose me because I alone possess Consummate Recollection. After having read the entire Vigors scroll, I will be able to call from memory first the index, then any formula I choose-all without needing the scroll in my presence. The advantages would be astounding.”

  But as quickly as Faegan’s face came alight with joy, his expression darkened. He looked with concern at the other Conclave members.

  “There is of course another possibility,” he added, his gravelly voice trailing away again.

  “What is that?” Shailiha asked.

  “Xanthus’ unexpected gift to me could be nothing more than a cleverly designed trap,” Faegan mused.

  “How so?” Adrian asked.

  “By granting me the indexes, Xanthus has dangled a tantalizing prize before us-one that he knows we cannot afford to ignore,” Faegan answered. “Our seduction is even more enticing, given that the Ones ordered Tristan to take the other scroll. Suppose Serena has tainted the information in the Vagaries scroll, for example. Or perhaps the entire scroll we secure from the Citadel is some ingenious, spell-ridden forgery, designed to somehow harm us the moment we unlock its secrets! Remember, Krassus tried to do that very thing when he supplied us with but one small vellum corner taken from the Vagaries scroll. Just imagine what the entire document could do!”

  Thinking, Faegan looked down at his hands. “For some unknown reason, it seems that both the Ones and Xanthus share the same desire of us,” he said quietly.

  “What desire is that?” Adrian asked.

  “The answer is simple,” Faegan said. “They both want us to take the Citadel. But I cannot imagine that their reasons for wanting this could be the same. How curious…”

  Wigg looked over at Shailiha. He knew that the decision would be a difficult one, but it was hers to make. “What are your orders, Princess?” he asked.

  Shailiha turned to Adrian. “How much longer before your acolytes can fully empower the Black Ships?” she asked.

  The First Sister smiled. “Grant us three more days,” she answered. “In return, we’ll give you the fastest vessels the world has ever seen.”

  Shailiha nodded. “Very well,” she said. She looked at Wigg. “In the meantime, we are going to visit a certain Eutracian jailor.”

  Wigg smiled. “I was hoping you would say that.”

  Mallory stepped toward the princess. The look on her face was polite but firm. “With all due respect, I have a request, Your Highness,” she sai
d.

  No one needed to tell Shailiha what Mallory wanted. If the roles were reversed, Shailiha knew that she would be asking for the same thing.

  “You want to accompany the raiding party to the prison,” Shailiha said. Reaching out, she took Mallory’s chin into one palm. “Are you sure that you want to return to that hideous place?”

  Mallory set her jaw; her blue eyes grew flinty. “With all my heart,” she answered.

  For a moment her mind returned to the day the lecherous guard had abused her. In her heart she believed that until she dealt with him personally, the terrible experience would forever color her life. She also believed that he was still alive.

  “I have a personal score to settle,” she answered softly. “Besides, from what I gather, not one of you has ever been inside the prison. I can show you the way to the dungeons. I’m stronger now, and I won’t let you down. Grant me this wish and I will forever be in your debt.”

  For several moments Shailiha looked at Mallory, trying to decide. What if Mallory kills him? the princess wondered. Shailiha wasn’t convinced that the guard deserved to die. Worse, if she allowed Mallory to kill, both she and the young acolyte would carry the scar forever.

  Then she remembered something Tristan had once told her, after saving her from the Coven. True courage, he’d said, was continuing to follow your heart, even when others disagreed. It seemed that the young acolyte already understood that. Deciding to trust her, Shailiha looked down into Mallory’s eyes.

  “Permission granted,” she said. “And may the Afterlife look after us.”

  CHAPTER XXI

  SITTING BY THE CAMPFIRE, TRAAX GAZED INTO THEsky. Night had fallen, and the three red moons shone brightly across the heavens. What remained of the mountainside’s trees cast macabre shadows that reached like malformed fingers across the sloping terrain. Stirred by the wind, the smell of Minion blood lingered.