To the side, Joven leaned his chair against a wall and waved a bandaged hand. If he was grinning, they couldn't see. Every visible portion of him except his eyes and hair was covered in bandages. The white linen strips were stained in a patina of blotchy, faded, bluish colors that smelled faintly metallic.
Gullin had been moved to the back of a chair near Endrance, and he tilted his head as he regarded the two newcomers with interest. Bridget leaned over to Selene and whispered in her ear. "Selene." she murmured. "It's back."
"Uh-huh." The other Draugnoa replied.
"And it's gotten bigger."
"Uh-huh."
"There are plenty of these dumplings for you two, and the stew is perfect." Endrance exclaimed, waving them to the table. Bridget walked up and picked up a dumpling. While hot, it was just the right size. It was all too familiar to her. Selene picked up a bowl and doled out some vegetable stew. It seemed something she also remembered.
"This is..." Selene muttered.
Bridget took a bite out of the dough ball. Cooked through without baking, the dough ball contained the venison’s juices and made a delicious portable meal.
"Firstly, this is one of Anna's family recipes!" Bridget exclaimed, waving the half eaten dumpling in his face. "Secondly, when did you ever learn how to cook?"
Endrance shrugged, trying a dumpling for himself. His eyes widened in surprise. "This is even better than I thought!" he responded.
"How did you know one of Anna's recipes?" Selene asked. "She never made this while you were with us."
"She taught me the recipe." Endrance explained simply. "That's all. Thought I should try it and I was really hungry."
"Mphrg." Joven piped in. As the three turned to look at him, he pawed the bandage off of his face. "Who cares how he learned it." He exclaimed. "Let's eat!"
After eating, the four settled at the table. Joven kept picking at the bandages and Endrance had to keep admonishing him. Selene was watching him with a cheerful smile on her face, and even Bridget couldn't help but smile every once and awhile, at least until she caught herself again.
"So what happened with the Ergknoa?" Endrance asked.
"Bird." Bridget said instead of answering. "What's up with the bird? I thought it died."
"I did too, you know?" Endrance replied, shaking his head. "I was premature in my conclusion. And it's a he. His name is Gullin."
"So how come he's so big?" Bridget asked.
Endrance frowned. "Something about becoming more powerful. Basically, the stronger I get, the closer to his true form he gets."
"So he becomes larger than that?" she asked.
"Considerably so." Endrance replied after a momentary pause. "Or more specifically, he says we are considerably smaller at his full size."
"Riiight." Bridget responded.
"Is anyone going to answer my question?" Endrance asked.
Selene leaned forward. "The Ergknoa are able to handle the Ascension in the case that you're not back from Ironsoul yet. However-"
"However what?" Endrance asked, curious.
Selene and Bridget exchanged a glance. Bridget nodded and Selene reluctantly nodded in return. Endrance watched the exchange quietly, though a strange shiver of concern wriggled its way up his spine.
"They want to know when you're going to make a selection." Selene concluded.
"A selection of what?" Endrance asked.
Bridget grumbled. "For a replacement for Anna."
Endrance stared at his wife for several seconds. "Replacement?" Endrance stated. "Let me guess. Tradition demands that the Spengur has three attendants at all times."
"It's a bit more complicated than that." Selene responded. "The Spengur can only ever draw the Draugnoa from a given generation of trained Ergknoa once."
"Anna and Selene were ten years apart." Endrance stated.
"Each of us were born from a separate five year span of Ergknoa." Bridget said in response. "We were the three closest generations to your age when you arrived, and so each of us was chosen."
Endrance shook his head, crossing his hands as if he were trying to ward off the concept. "This is insane! And there just happens to be a new generation available at this time?"
Selene frowned at the mage but continued. "Not yet. The newest generation will be officially ready after winter's solstice."
Endrance sighed. Winter's solstice was over a month away. He had time to figure it out. "I take it that she'll have the same expectations of me that you two did?"
Bridget half-shrugged. "I have no clue. Only thing that I know is that she's going to be younger than you."
"Or you can pick one who is a lot older!" Selene piped in. "I think the matron Ergknoa were worried you might pick them."
The wizard contemplated his options. "Fine." He said. "But I don't know how we're going to explain half of the stuff that's going on in our lives to the new girl. And that makes me uncomfortable enough as it is."
"Just don't try anything naughty, Endrance." Bridget commented. "She's going to be even younger and more innocent than you are."
Endrance's face reddened. "Just- just what kind of guy do you think I am?" he stammered.
Selene smacked her sister Draugnoa on the back and scowled at her. She turned to him and smiled. "A clever and caring man." she said. Endrance watched her smile at him, but he could swear he could feel menace behind those beautiful, dark eyes. "That wouldn't dare do anything to hurt any of our feelings, right?"
Endrance nodded. "Yeah." he replied, off his center. Already things were spiraling out of control. What was he going to do now? A new woman had to be folded into his household by tradition. It seemed so bizarre to him; he had not even known one woman when he got here and he was being saddled with three. It was not what he wanted, but he had to deal with it.
He had learned nearly a year before that these women had been born under an auspicious totem, and were raised up to be the keepers of history and custom among the barbarians of Balator. They were trained by word of mouth and forbidden from learning how to read. They were also forbidden from marrying, so long as they remained in Balator; by ancient custom the only man an Ergknoa could be bonded to was the Spengur, the kingdom's wiseman.
It was frustrating to him, because he had not wanted to be thrust into a relationship where much was expected of him from the other side; and especially not with three women instead of just one. He'd had no romantic experience whatsoever before, and had found the entire situation confusing beyond the strangest of puzzles that Kaelob had stuck him with.
Still, he would never have found Selene without that event, and he would likely have never even been aware of women for as long as he had been in Balator. They had also become his friends and confidants. Without them, he would likely not have had the support to stand up to Kalenden's pressuring.
"I'm going to have to worry about that later, ladies." he said. He shook his head, trying to get the thought of willingly taking another woman into his household from his mind.
"I've got to meet with General Rohl, and then talk with the messengers personally." Endrance replied. "From what Joven said, there is a massive wolfman incursion approaching the walls of the city, and though he told his brother and the army is mobilizing, I may be needed to help mount a defense."
"Why would you need to help with that?" Bridget asked. "We've been able to fight off the wolfmen for centuries."
"This time is different." Endrance replied. "At least I think it is." He thought hard about it. "Have there ever been attacks by strange wolfmen? Maybe some kind who are impossible to kill or are already dead?"
Bridget and Selene both looked at him seriously, their faces hardened. "Likulfr?" Selene asked.
"What?" Endrance replied. His understanding of their ancient language was sketchy at best, and the barbarian habit of naming things in the old tongue made learning some of their concepts difficult.
"Likulfr." Bridget said, her brow creased as she concentrated on a distant memory. "The corpse-wolves
. They were a horror story told to children. One day the wolves we'd slain from battles long past would rise again to face us in one final, glorious battle."
"But we hardly ever hear mention of it anymore." Selene said. "We were only told the story because of our position as Ergknoa at the time."
Endrance sighed. "Well, that definitely corroborates what Joven experienced. He'd fought through several dozen of them bringing the baby back here."
"Several dozen? That explains the bandages." Bridget commented. Joven grunted.
"Where's the baby now?" Selene asked.
Endrance held his hands out at his side. "Asleep in our room."
"Ah." She replied.
Joven, who had been silent for the whole conversation, grunted and leaned forward. "I don't know about you three, but I'm tired; and that sounds like a good idea to me, too." he stood and strode over to the door. "Good night."
Joven left, and the moment the door closed Endrance sighed and leaned back in his chair. "The gates are closed now, so the messengers couldn't leave right now even if they wanted to. If this turns into a siege, we won't be able to leave for a while."
"Shame." Bridget replied.
"Yep." Endrance agreed. "Damn shame. I just hope that General Rohl can get here to reinforce our defenses before it gets out of hand."
Chapter 08
The next morning, Endrance rode down into the first bowl of the city. His horse was already behaving skittishly, something he'd only seen her do when they were being chased by wolfmen a long time ago. She must have smelled their presence in the wind.
Endrance followed the directions Joven gave him earlier that morning to the house where the messenger and his men had been staying. He only got lost once this time, and he felt rather proud of himself for that. Despite his mastery of the inestimable forces of the cosmos, the wizard still had an abysmal sense of direction.
Endrance arrived at the front of the house only a half hour later than he intended. He dismounted, tied off his horse near the stables and walked over to the front. He didn't hear any activity from within, but it was still early and the men weren't as hardy as the barbarians; they could very well be sleeping in.
He pounded on the door with a gloved hand and waited. No one answered the door after a minute, and Endrance furrowed his brow. He took a second to focus his mind before continuing, and tried the door latch. It popped open without any resistance and he was able to nudge the door forward.
It swung forward with a creak that seemed amplified in the unnatural stillness of the house. Endrance felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he stepped over the threshold. Some scent, weak with the cold air, tickled his nose.
He froze, his hand locked on the door handle. He had smelled the scent before, in great volume on several occasions. Blood.
Gullin! He called.
From over a mile up the mountain, Gullin replied. Yes, Endrance?
The house the messengers were in smells of blood and there's no motion inside. He stated. Can you alert the others?
They can not hear my voice like you can. Gullin replied. But I can try.
Do it. I'm going to try to secure the home.
I will be on my way soon. Don't do anything risky. Gullin replied.
The inside of the home was a broken pattern of light and darkness as he entered into the main room. The faint smell from before had become oppressive. If he hadn’t taken control of the blood tiger’s impression in his mind, he would have been losing control. As it was, the mage had to watch his step coming in. He almost stumbled over the first body he found..
Too late. Endrance replied.
A barbarian man lay on the floor, his bare chest cut open from collarbone to abdomen. The wizard stooped to examine the first victim. Little of his blood spilled on the floor, or out of the wound. In addition to his chest wound, the man's forearm, shoulders, and leg had been mangled by something with teeth, and his face had been slashed by claws. Endrance grimaced, looking up and around the room. He knew then he was in grave trouble.
The mage's concern barely saved his life. As silent as the shadows it sprang from, a blood-soaked wolfman slipped around the nearby corner and closed on him. Endrance looked up and saw gnarled and desiccated claws sweeping towards his face.
The mage ducked, the claws slicing four gouges in the wood corner post of the adjacent wall. Endrance popped upright and backed away from the wolfman. The thing had not made a single sound, nor did he hear its breathing. It was Atastos.
Wolfman! He called in a panic. There’s a wolfman here!
Endrance bolted towards the door, and rocked back from a sudden assault of silent fury. A second Atastos slipped in from the open front door and slashed Endrance across the chest as he turned right into the attacker. Its teeth barely missed his throat as he reeled from the first strike.
Tiny metal links from his fine chain shirt twisted through the air as the wolfman's claws shredded through his underclothes and into his flesh. Burning agony shot through his body.
The mage stumbled back, screaming in pain. The wolves leapt at him in unison. Endrance threw his hand out, channeling power into the spell scribed on his right hand. Entwined around the first and middle fingers of his right hand, the lightning spell lit up with power and lightning erupted from it in the space between seconds.
Outside the house, the sky turned reddish orange.
The wolfman on his right caught the lightning in the chest, the bolt punching clean through and burning a neat hole half an inch across in its sternum. It leapt onto him completely unfazed, sinking its teeth into his outstretched arm. The wolfman on his left dug his claws into his left arm, pinning it to his side as it bit into his shoulder near his neck.
Endrance screamed in pain as their jaws tightened on his body. He felt the bones in his collar crack and then snap under its teeth. Blood poured down his side.
Endrance! Gullin cried inside his mind.
He had no way to fight back. They had his arms pinned and they had already sunk their teeth into him. He knew that he was dead the moment they punctured through his armor.
The reddish light outside grew brighter; and with it came a keening, tripartite screech so loud that it rattled both the rafters of the house and Endrance's bones alike. Then, part of the wall behind the mage just... went away, consumed by a ball of flames that blasted apart stone and instantly incinerated wood.
The wolfmen looked towards the explosion, fresh blood pouring from their toothy jaws. The firelight danced in their soulless eyes and for a second, they hesitated. Endrance sank to the ground, barely able to remain conscious, much less support his own weight.
GET AWAY FROM HIM. Gullin's voice rocked through his mind, rattling his thoughts and, for the moment, preventing him from blacking out.
The crimson bird rocketed into the small home, his whole body wreathed in flames as he collided with the leftmost wolfman. It was launched across the room to smash into a stone wall, flickering with incidentally transferred flames.
The second leapt towards the bird in mid-flight, trying to capture it within its claws. Gullin twisted in midair, flaring his tail feathers towards the undead as it spun. Fire, brought to life by the Fjallar's power, exploded outwards, a wave of heat and flame both brilliant and deadly. The wolfman was reduced to a smoking, blackened and warped skeleton in a second.
The first wolfman started picking itself up from the floor and Gullin screeched again, his tripartite voice pulling upon his master’s aura. Endrance, barely conscious, vaguely felt the draw of power being manipulated.
A tiny orb of fire no bigger than a thumbnail erupted from the bird’s mouth. It zipped across the intervening space faster than a crossbow bolt, shrieking like nothing he'd ever heard before as it caught the wolfman in the abdomen. Instead of searing through the beast, or setting it on fire, the ball exploded. A split second of ear shattering force and flame utterly destroyed the wolfman as well as the wall, floor and ceiling for several feet around him.
&nb
sp; Silence, wrought equally from great noise and great violence, reigned in the shattered remains of the house. Endrance, delirious from loss of blood and pain, as well as disoriented from the cataclysmic noise, watched his familiar with interest. He could swear he remembered it being a cute and relatively harmless little puffball of a bird that was fireproof. The circle on his back had been a great deal more powerful than he had initially estimated.
"Huh." he managed to mutter. "I didn't know you could do that."
Endrance! Gullin spoke into his mind, the only thing he could hear in the ringing silence. How are your injuries? Can you rise?
Endrance tried to pick himself up from the floor. The moment he tried to push off the floor with his hands he howled in pain and crashed back down. His collarbone was broken and his right forearm had been nearly crushed under the wolfman's jaws.
No good. Endrance gasped. It's too severe.
I will help you cast the healing spell if you need it. Gullin offered, hovering in midair with powerful strokes of his wings. Behind the bird, Endrance could glimpse the shapes of men and wolfmen battling through the smoky ruins of the house.
Can't. Endrance replied. The wounds are tainted. I have to clear that out first.
Hurry. Gullin replied. The wolfmen have amassed at the gate and our defenders are outnumbered.
They're barbarians of Balator, Gullin. Endrance replied as he struggled to push the pain of his injuries out of his mind. Being outnumbered is their favorite condition to fight under.
Endrance struggled to focus, to bring his power into form. He needed to heal his injuries quickly, or else he would die.
Four more wolfmen came barreling into the light of the smoldering wreck of a house, and Gullin flew out to engage them. Endrance hurried as best he could to focus on the corruption he had detected in Joven's injuries. Even so, it took a minute for him to search for the taint of necromantic magic. The whole time he fought against the fading feeling as his life’s blood trickled out through his wounds.
Spellscribed: Ascension Page 13
