“I remember?”
Maslah patted Arran on the back and headed toward the camp whistling a tune.
Arran stopped again to watch Teoni. She had stripped down to her underclothes and was splashing the freezing cold water on her arms and legs. Without her robes and the like, he could see the outline of her figure. The witches of the citadel taught him it was not polite to stare but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. It wasn’t a feeling of lust or perversion, it was admiration. She might not be the ideal beauty in most men’s eyes but the longer he was around her the more her looks grew on him. The familiarity of her face and smile began to excite an attraction to her he didn’t know before.
“Don’t break your neck trying to get peek under her clothes, pervert!” A feminine voice said.
Arran whipped his head around to see a beautiful blonde woman wearing white standing slightly behind him. She almost seemed to glow in the morning sun; her skin was smooth and fair, and her blue eyes sparkled with some kind mischievous intent behind them.
“I wasn’t! I wasn’t trying to see anything. It wasn’t that kind of stare.”
“Oh, then what kind of stare was it?”
“Not the kind you are probably used to.”
“What?” She suddenly seemed angry.
“I was admiring her. She is always so guarded and layered in robes. I was admiring her feminine features, of which I am seeing for the first time. You’re probably used to being stared down. I mean, look at you.”
“I’ll pretend you are trying to give me a compliment so I don’t have to tear your head from your perverted shoulders.”
“Don’t call me that. I was not raised that way. I respect women. I was raised by some very powerful, strong women, believe me.”
“I’m Fia.” She stuck her hand out for a shake.
“I know. I could tell by the way your father described you.” He took her hand and kissed it on top instead of shaking it. he knew he had impressed her by the wide smile on her face.
“Did he tell you not to ogle me?”
“Indeed, he did.”
Fia giggled, “That’s father.”
Teoni had dressed and was walking along the river bank to join them. When she was close enough, Arran formally introduced her and himself, “This is Teoni and I am called Arran.”
Fia genuflected, “Nice to meet you both.”
“Likewise,” Teoni said.
Fia turned to Arran, “Father told me in the camp a few moments ago that you seek the Burning Rocks.”
“If that’s where the fire demon who guards the book of the blue mages, then yes, I do seek the Burning Rocks. Your father said you know where they are.”
Fia took a deep breath, “I do. I can’t say I am excited or willing to guide you there.”
“What can I do to convince you?” Arran asked. He purposefully gave her his most pleading facial expression.
Fia stared at him for a long moment, “I will take you there, but I will only show you where to go when we are near the place. I won’t go down near where the rocks burn.”
“They actually burn?” Teoni asked.
“Not like with flames or anything, they glow orange and are really hot. It’s a doorway to the first hell, you know.”
“You don’t believe that do you?” Arran asked.
“I do completely believe it. Why do you think there is a fire demon there?”
“This is why I think it’s a trick.” He pointed to a large rock near the river bank and concentrated on fire. The rock got hotter and hotter and began to glow orange. Steam from contact with the water began to rise up from the stone. “I can heat up all the rocks around that one too if I wanted. A blue mage like me hid that book. It could all be trickery.”
“Suit yourself,” Fia said. “I’ll not be traveling north to the mountains until after I visit with my father. I’ve got some business with him on another matter. I will take you to the Burning Rocks the day after tomorrow.”
“I am fine with that,” Arran said. “I will find something to keep me occupied in the meantime.” He looked at Teoni and blushed. “I mean…”
Fia rolled her eyes, “I will catch up with you two later.”
Arran and Teoni returned to camp and went to breakfast. Most of the bandits had roused themselves up from their drunken slumber, probably at the smell of coffee brewing and also the smell of bacon and eggs cooking.
Arran watched as Fia flitted from one of the able-bodied men to the other. They almost seemed to fall over themselves when she appeared. Occasionally she would look back at him to see if he was watching her. He tried to turn his head before she saw that he was watching her. He didn’t want to give her the satisfaction.
Chapter 9 – Burning Rocks
“Let me remind you, it’s not a pleasant place, Burning Rocks. Like I said, it’s part of a pit that leads down into the first hell.” Fia said.
“Are we close?” Arran asked.
“You will be able to smell it long before we can see it. There is a rotten egg smell depending on which way the wind is blowing. Sometimes you can see smoke rising up through the rocks too. The entrance to the pit is down behind a boulder with the danger marking of one of the tribes. I think it was marked long ago.
“It’s such a nasty sounding place that it gives me hope,” Arran said.
“How?” Teoni asked.
“If the blue mage, King Thaegar was the last one to use the book or if he was the one who put it there, I would assume he had to defeat or control the demon in some way. Since I am the blue mage, something I can do must bind it somehow.”
“How are you going to test that?” Fia asked, “Send bolts of lightning at it or something? You’d better hope whatever you do works before it kills you!”
“I would think fire is out since it is a fire demon. Maybe water will do the trick.”
“I have never seen any sources of water near the Burning Rocks. If there were any it would have boiled off.”
“At any rate, the two of you better stay behind or at least keep your distance. I fear this is something I must do myself.”
“That’s idiotic!” Teoni said, “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
“That’s fine, you can keep your eyes on me just stay far enough away not to interfere.”
“The point is moot,” Fia said to Teoni. “When he goes down into the pit the only way for you to keep your eyes on him will be to follow him down into it.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Arran said, ‘I’ll not have you on my conscious too if something goes wrong. Besides, if anyone tries to help me get the book it will be destroyed, according to the old witch seer who told me about the place.”
Arran reached the entrance and descended down, carefully placing his feet on solid rocks while avoiding the smaller loose gravel. The place was dark except where the glowing rocks illuminated the passageways.
The hair stood up on the back of his neck as Arran saw the visage of the creature as it slithered up the rocks to get a better look at him. To Arran, it looked like it was wearing a bone mask with blood trickling down it from the eyes. When he finally got a good look at the thing’s eyes, fear gripped his soul. They were red and yellow and wide. They peered right into his very soul. Arran had to look away. As it left the rock it was slithering down, it’s snake-like body changed to something more human.
“Why do you look away?” It said. Its voice sounded sweet and angelic, Arran wasn’t expecting that. “Am I not beautiful to you?”
Arran didn’t know what to say. A weak gurgle was all that would part from his lips.
The thing twisted and tried to get its face in front of Arran to look him in the eyes. Arran resisted and turned his head. He didn’t want to look at it.
“Why will you not look at me?” It pleaded.
Fear still gripped Arran like a snake coiling around his chest and squeezing, “You are difficult to look at.”
“Touch my face.”
“What, no.”
“Touch me. I know you want to. I know you want to feel of me. You want to put your hands on me and know me as you know yourself.”
“What are you talking about, you filthy thing?”
“Touch my face, feel my scaly skin against your hand.” It said sweetly. It took his hand.
“Eww, no. Let go of me. What are you doing.”
Against his will, the demon put his hand on its face. Arran felt something soft and gooshy. He tried to pull back but the demon held his hand fast. It started making cooing noises and Arran opened his eyes to look at what he was feeling with his hand. To his horror, his hand was inside the demon’s face. He was feeling the eyeballs and flesh under the bone mask that the thing had removed. He pulled his hand back, falling to his backside as he pushed backward away from the creature. It put the bone mask back on and slowly walked toward him. he held up his hand, the one that had been in the demon’s face, to warn him off. He stared at his fingers. They appeared to be slowly melting, like candle wax, down his hand. Arran yelped in surprise.
“You want to touch me some more, don’t you.” It said, moving closer to him.
“No, I don’t. I really don’t. You hideous thing, get away from me!”
“Don’t you think I’m beautiful? Look into my eyes. Am I not everything you desire?”
Arran closed his eyes again and the image of Teoni passed before him in his mind’s eye. He opened them again and the demon looked like Teoni, exactly like Teoni. “No, that’s not you! You’re not real.” He closed his eyes again and opened them but Teoni remained. “No! he raised his hands and let a torrent of lightning pass from his fingertips. Teoni gasped and stumbled back and fell. Arran’s eyes averted to a shadow in the corner. The demon emerged and moved toward him. He quickly looked back at Teoni, who was still unconscious on the floor.
“See, you thought I was her. You thought she was me! I am everything you desire.” It moved closer to him. You killed her for me, you want me. Touch me again”
Arran felt the bile collect in his throat. He pushed the demon back and went to Teoni. He slung her over his shoulder and rushed from the pit as fast as he could.
When he exited the pit, Fia saw him and rushed to help him get Teoni to safety, “I told her not to go in there but she couldn’t stand your screaming.”
“I was screaming?”
“Yes.”
Arran looked into Teoni’s face, “It’s a wonder I didn’t kill her.”
Fia glanced at him, “You couldn’t kill her.”
“I almost did.”
“No, that would be impossible.”
What is that supposed to mean? The demon tricked me. I thought she was the demon.”
Fia rubbed Teoni’s forehead, “I only meant that you would never allow yourself to do such a thing. By the way, what happened down there? Did you defeat it?”
“No, once I saw that Teoni was real, I grabbed her and ran. That demon! It was trying to get into my head.”
“Maybe you should touch me then.”
Arran stared into Fia’s face, “What? What did you just say to me?”
“I asked if you are going to try again?”
Arran stood and looked all around him. He found a rock, out his hand on a nearby boulder and slammed it with the rock. He opened his eyes, stricken with pain, and glanced at Fia.
“What in the two hells are you doing?” She said condescendingly.
“I am making sure I am really here and that the demon isn’t still in my head.”
“And?”
“Hold that thought. Watch Teoni and make sure she doesn’t follow me.” Arran took the rock and made his way back down into the pit. He saw the demon with its back turned. It appeared to be looking at something. He rushed to it as it turned to face him, “Here, let me touch you!” He slammed the rock into the bone mask the demon was wearing; It shattered into pieces. He pulled the rock back and then jammed it inside the demon’s head and pushed it all the way to the back of its skull and left it there. The thing fell to the floor writhing. Arran saw that the demon had been staring at the book. It was flat on a stone alter. Arran reached out and took the book, tucking it under his arm. The demon stopped squirming and Arran left it there in the pit to rot.
Chapter 10 – The Sound of Thunder
When Arran reached the top of the pit, Teoni was conscious and rubbing her head. Arran ignored her angry expression and held up the book, “I got it and I defeated the fire demon.”
“That’s great,” Fia said. “What now?”
“Gather your things, the both of you, I want to get as far away from here as we can as fast as we can.” Almost as an afterthought, he turned to Teoni, “I’m sorry, the demon was disturbing and it tricked me into hurting you.”
Teoni nodded without saying a word, obviously still angry but not willing to fight about it yet. She began to prepare to leave.
You fool, what have you done?
Arran jumped, “Who said that?”
“What?” Fia asked.
Arran looked around but saw no one, “Never mind, I must be hearing things. You don’t understand what I was face to face with only a few moments ago. I’m sure it will pass.”
“We had better get you away from here then,” Fia said.
You can’t be rid of me so easily!
Arran froze and stared at Fia. Obviously, the voice was not feminine. It sounded like the fire demon, “Get out of my head!”
“What did you say, Arran?” Fia asked. “Are you talking to me?”
“No,” Arran said, “but something is wrong. I am hearing the demon’s voice in my head. He is talking to me.”
“He really did shake you up,” Fia said. “It’s just your mind playing tricks. Try to ignore it.”
Try to ignore it! Hahaha!
Arran followed Fia away from Burning Rocks down the mountain. The voice in his head tried over and over to rattle him but Fia was right. The more he ignored it the less frequent it became until it was gone. Once they were far enough down the mountain to set up camp, Arran took out the book and thumbed through it. “Listen to this.’ He said to Teoni and Fia after they had all eaten and settled down by the fire for the evening. “The quickest and most profitable way to train your powers is the four trials. You may use your abilities over those who possess it naturally. It won’t hurt the creatures but it will allow you to practice and gain control. First, you must beat the fire demon. His weakness is water or more specifically, ice.”
Uh oh, you forgot to use water or ice on me didn’t you!
Arran ignored the voice, “Next, you can practice lightning on the Thunderbirds of the upper mountains. They will be vicious and will attack you back with claws as well as with lightning, but they are vulnerable to fire. In the western desert of Asirad, you can find the strong winds of the west. Learning to manipulate the currents and control the speed of the masses of air is easy in this region where the wind virtually never stops blowing without causing harm to any living creature. And finally, seek out the living waters for the final trial. This one you must locate on your own but I offer you a hint. You also have to learn control over the movements of the element of earth. Once you have conquered earth, the living waters will become clear to you.”
“Interesting,” Fia said, “Once you practice these things you will be trained for the tournament?”
“It seems to me that the elements I use from the suggestions in this book are just practice locations where I can train on each without causing any more harm. So far, my life has been filled with tragedies of my own making. Tragedies because I could not fully control myself or my abilities.” He thumbed through the book. “There seem to be several missing pages though.”
Fia chuckled and gave Arran a pat on the back, “You almost seem excited. I’m glad for you. Maybe the missing pages will turn up.”
“I hope so,” Arran said. He noticed Teoni sitting on a rock outcropping just above camp. The night was falling over the mountains and off to the we
st, a storm was brewing casting flashes of lightning across the darkening sky. Arran decided to join her. He climbed up the spot and plopped down beside her.
“Watching the storm coming?” He couldn’t think of anything better to say.
Teoni nodded.
“It seems really peaceful.”
“Until it gets to us and then I doubt you will think so.” She said.
“Well, have a good night,” Arran said and started to get up.
Teoni reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him back down to sit beside her. “Don’t go. Sit here for a while.”
“All right,” Arran said as they both watched the storm draw nearer.
You really are an idiot, kiss her! She wants you to kiss her! Lightning flashed in the sky followed by the rumbling of thunder.
“I don’t know what it is, but I love the sound of thunder,” Teoni said.
“What? Most people and even most animals are scared to death of it.” Arran said.
Oh, you are such a damned fool! Arran tried to ignore the demon but it seemed to be getting louder inside his head.
Teoni stopped looking at the sky and was now staring directly into his eyes.
Now!” do it now!
“Fine! I will!” Arran blurted out.
“What?” Teoni looked confused for a split second before Arran planted his lips firmly on top of hers. She resisted for a moment before she gave in and kissed him back. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in closer to her.
Arran opened his eyes when Teoni pulled back to see her smiling, “It’s about time. I was beginning to wonder if you really liked me or if I was getting the wrong signals.”
Arran smiled back, “I was thinking something similar, especially after the feast. He moved forward into another kiss. He caught the sight of Fia off to his left as she moved from watching them to behind a tree. She didn’t appear upset from what he could see. Why would she? Fia was almost like a sister to him. Still, it bothered him that she had seen the kiss. He soon forgot about it as Teoni’s warm mouth continued to press against his.
Blue Mage Equinox: Book 2 of Tournament of Mages Page 5
