He turned to see Selene’s wings had grown out completely, stretching nearly twelve feet each. She folded them up against her back awkwardly, taking several attempts to get them to sit comfortably. She looked sheepishly at him.
“Sorry,” she apologized. “I’m still getting used to them.”
“You didn’t tear your skin open this time. That’s good.” Endrance said. “And I take it you could fly while carrying Bridget?”
“Yeah.” Selene said with a nod. “We had been trying to get it figured out while you were out here being stupid.”
“Hah.” Endrance half-laughed. “That’s true. Can you get back to Joven and tell him to prepare to protect the higher reaches of the mountain?”
Selene nodded. “Yes. I’ll let him know.”
Bridget walked up to Endrance and put her new hand on his shoulder. It smelled faintly of willow. She smiled, but her eyes were threatening. “You get back as soon as possible, and be careful, or I’m going to punch you again.” She menaced.
Endrance gulped.
The two women walked towards the edge of the forest, falling out of sight shortly after. Endrance turned back to Wrach and shook his head. “I… I’ve got nothing.”
“You should go.” Wrach said. “We must find and tend to our dead.”
“Thank you, Wrach.” Endrance replied. “I’m sorry about Gnaeus.”
Wrach shrugged. “He’s a tough one. If there was a chance he survived, then he is alive out there somewhere. If he didn’t, then I will take over as Alpha. Please remember his wishes when this is all over.”
“If we win this, I’ll personally ensure that the king knows that it isn’t your kind at fault.” Endrance guaranteed. “I promise.”
Wrach watched him wearily for a few seconds and nodded. “I will choose to believe you, mage. Good luck.”
Endrance walked out of the forest, unsure of what to do next.
I think I was knocked out for a while, master. Gullin said, I am sorry for that.
It’s not your fault, Gullin. I was not good enough to win.
At least you survived.
But Gnaeus died saving me. He could have saved himself more easily.
Endrance quickly relayed his memories of the events after the fireball exploded. Gullin shook his head, crooning sadly.
That was my fault. Gullin stated. They walked towards the mountain. Any Atastos that had been nearby had apparently vacated. Dawn was only minutes away. Endrance could see the sky brightening over the horizon.
It wasn’t your fault; Neither of us knew what that mage was capable of. Endrance reasoned. And you were trying to save me.
Well at least you were immune to the fire. Gullin replied.
Yeah, how did that work anyway?
You were only hurt by the force of the explosion, not the flames. Gullin replied. While you are bonded to me, you can enjoy the benefits of some of my powers, just like I can use yours.
It’s a shame I can’t fly like you. Endrance said remorsefully. I could sure use a quick way to the top of the mountain.
Have you tried? Gullin asked, his tone sounding like he was asking a question with an obvious answer.
Of course not! People can’t fly. Endrance replied.
Selene can fly. Gullin countered.
Selene has wings.
And so do I.
So are you trying to say not only can I use your immunity to fire, but I can also have wings?
Gullin gently pecked the side of his head. Took you long enough. The bird replied.
How?
You will have to activate the second circle of the familiar spell. Gullin instructed. Normally, familiar synthesis is only capable with a ritual circle and a lot of powerful foci, but you are fortunate to have the circle on your person.
Okay. Endrance agreed. I’ll try it.
Marshall your reserves of power. Gullin advised. We do not know how much you may need to cast it until you activate the circle. If you have any power left in your bracers then I suggest you use that, too.
Endrance found a reasonably flat expanse of snow covered dirt. Kneeling, he took off his coat. The front of his shirt was ruined, so he tore off the rest of it before beginning. Endrance closed his eyes and focused on the spell scribed on his back. The first circle was not responsive, since his familiar already existed. He could feel that there was a part he could activate to immediately banish Gullin, but that wasn’t important at the moment. He pushed his senses further along the spell, and found the trigger for the second circle.
He took a deep breath to steady himself, and started feeding the spell power. He had already been through so much that night; he might as well top it off with possible death by spell circle malfunction.
The snow around him melted almost instantaneously. The dirt thawed as waves of heat rolled off of him. Endrance gritted his teeth as he kept careful control of the amount of power he was feeding the circle. He wasn’t going to let it take control like it had before. The second circle shifted across his back, the inside growing new spell lines across his meridians. It must have hurt, but Endrance could only feel an itching sensation while the spell completed its design.
The lines formed a simplistic image. Split down the middle, half the silhouette was of a man, the other a bird of the same size. The lines, having been completed, started to glow with golden light. The light turned into golden flames as the circle expanded to fill the space of the entire spell on his back.
Gullin, who had been circling nearby, broke into a dive as the sigil changed into a strange rippling vortex of gold and red light. The familiar unflinchingly dove into the circle. As the bird vanished into the spell circle, Endrance felt a great heat tear through his body for a split second, rippling across his skin from his back to his front.
His body burst into crimson flames. The spell was not complete, and he was concentrating so hard he had not even noticed. As the spell wound down, the flames blasting off of him with inferno intensity tempered down into discernible form.
When the spell completed and Endrance opened his eyes, he had been transformed. His physical body was the same, but red flames in the shape of feathers covered his body. The flames weren’t very bright, almost opaque. A beak of red fire covered his lips, and his hands had birdlike talons.
Well, this is most certainly a strange sensation. Gullin observed.
Endrance looked about. Snow had melted for nearly twenty yards in every direction. The light he was giving off was dull and red, like a fire on the verge of dying. Endrance felt Gullin’s presence in the forefront of his mind.
Gullin, where are you?
I am technically home. Gullin replied. But only my physical form has been returned. You are a vessel for my essence.
So I can do what you can do?
With practice. For now, let us fly.
How?
Let me take care of the fine details for now. Gullin instructed. For now, just will us to fly!
Endrance did so. Flames erupted behind him, forming a pair of wings with an impressive wingspan. The wings beat, and he was launched into the sky like a bolt of fire.
It was frightening, but still in some ways Endrance felt a thrill as he shot into the sky. He cheered, arcing towards the mountain.
Is this what you feel when you fly? Endrance asked.
Of course. Gullin replied. It is amazing, is it not?
It’s fantastic!
Well, don’t lose sight of our goal. There will be plenty of time to soar the sky when this is over.
Oh, right. Endrance replied. He searched the mountainside as he closed in on it. Selene and Bridget must have made it to Joven, but where could they be?
An explosion rocked the streets of the seventh bowl. Endrance stared down at it, unable to see any detail beyond the bloom of the explosion. His eyes felt strange for a split second, and then suddenly he was able to see the street as if he were only a few feet above it. He spotted Joven and the two Draugnoa with two dozen warriors to support them
squaring off against several of the large Atastos Endrance had fought before, as well as the masked mage. Behind the mage were several Atastos hauling the Ewer.
Fear shot through him. How did they get that far up the mountain already? He knew that they would be overwhelmed easily.
Without thinking, he willed himself into a dive. His fiery mantle responded swiftly, and he was rocketing towards them, even as the mage was raising a hand to fling a spell. Endrance felt the synthesis drawing on his power, but it was a manageable rate. Fire built up in front of him as he closed. He came in low, streaking near the ground to hit the mage from the side.
The masked mage must have noticed the sudden increase in red light and turned to him just before Endrance hit him at full speed. He had the satisfaction of seeing the mage’s eyes behind the mask widen in surprise before he impacted. A scream of rage trailed on Endrance’s lips as he kept up the speed even after hitting him.
There was an explosion of sound and fury, and the Atastos flanking the mage were blown in every direction as Endrance carried the enemy off. Joven turned to watch the flame wreathed Spengur carrying his foe slam into the wall of the almost completely reconstructed longhouse and blow straight through it. They rocketed down the narrow stone passage, over the hot spring, and collided with the sheer mountainside opposite the entrance. The force of the impact knocked a hole straight through into the mountain.
Endrance rolled and came up to his feet, flame flickering about him. The enemy rebounded across the rough rocky ground. They had entered a natural cave chamber behind the hot springs wall. Endrance didn’t waste time, charging forward.
A bolt of lightning similar to the kind he used caught him in the chest and knocked him onto his back. The fire shielded him from most of the harm, but it had taken power from his aura to do so. Endrance picked himself up as the masked mage stood.
The mask had been shattered and his robes had been seared across the chest. He was in obvious pain, but was still able to fight.
Now that his mask was destroyed, Endrance was able to see his face. He looked familiar, but he didn’t know the man’s name. Bald, the man had a thick mustache and beard, a thin gold ring in his left nostril and a severe demeanor.
“You… you are a mage of the circle!” Endrance exclaimed. “I recognize you! You were one of Kaelob’s apprentices! You are Firion of the Amber Satrap!”
“Yes, boy!” Firion replied. “I was once Kaelob’s apprentice, just like you were. Did it really take you that long to figure it out?”
Endrance scowled. “Why are you working for Valeria?” he demanded. “What is she planning?”
Firion sneered at him. “You’ve got something wrong, boy.” He raised his hands. “Everyone dances on her strings… you just don’t know it yet!”
Firion launched a jet of fire at him. Endrance let the flames hit him straight on.
I sure hope you really do have an immunity to fire. Endrance commented mentally.
Better. Gullin replied. It is my favorite snack.
The flames sprayed against his crimson feathers and were sucked into them. Any flames within a few inches of his feathers were drawn in and consumed too. Endrance felt power restore to his aura. Even better, his body didn’t feel as worn out. When the light faded, Endrance remained unfazed.
“Hmm…” Firion replied. “I don’t know how you recovered from before, or even how you’ve gotten stronger, but it won’t be enough to save you.”
He slung a spell, flinging half a dozen translucent swords at him. Endrance had been preparing for that spell in particular. He raised his hands and conjured up a wall of stone debris. The blades bit into the stone and stuck. He released the spell, and the rock fell to the floor, dragging the spectral blades with them. Endrance walked past them, towards the mage. He drew his daggers as he did so.
“You’re going to try to stab me?” Firion replied, incredulity seeping from his lips. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“You’re a good enough mage to beat me in a duel of magic.” Endrance replied. “You’ve shared a master with me and have been operating for decades longer. I cannot hope to beat you with sheer spellcraft.”
“You’re not going to beat me with that silly knife either.” Firion replied.
“The difference between the last time and this one, is that I’m no longer trying to protect anyone.” Endrance replied, his eyes narrowing. “And I only need to kill you to stop this.”
“You think killing me will stop them?” Firion mocked, launching a blast of lightning at him. Endrance ducked, the spell glancing off his wards. “It won’t stop anything.”
“Wrong.” Endrance replied. “I’ve already set in motion the way to stop the Atastos. See, I figured out you hadn’t raised them yourself. The big ones, sure, I could see you raising those. But you’re only using the presence of the Atastos to distract them while you use the Ewer.”
“You’re bluffing.” Firion replied. “You couldn’t have figured that all out!”
“Try me.” Endrance said. In the background, he could hear the sound of horns blowing. A spear of sunlight lanced through the hole they had created, illuminating the room. Endrance smiled. “Oops.” He said. “Too late.”
An unearthly howl rose into the morning sky and Endrance, even as far away as he was, felt the sensation of a spell breaking in the rising dawn. Firion must have felt it too, because he snarled at him.
Endrance lunged forward, putting as much power into his wards as he could. He barreled through another lightning bolt, dove over a wave of stone spines and swatted a cloud of frost out of the way. He closed in on the enemy mage and slashed with his daggers.
The mage reeled back, his own protective magic deflecting most of the blade, but not preventing it from leaving a long scratch across his cheek. Unlike Endrance, Firion didn’t have spells scribed on his skin, so Endrance’s consistent assault with both blades kept him from being able to focus enough to even sling a spell. When he tried to speak a word of power, Endrance stabbed at his throat and slashed at his hands when he tried to form mudras.
Firion was able to avoid most of the harm, but he was getting nicked and scratched every time Endrance scored a hit. Endrance was finally glad he had trained so hard with Joven to use the knives. He slashed up against the man’s side and he felt the blade rattle along the rib bones as he recoiled for a follow up strike. Blood seeped from a dozen small cuts on his hands and fingers, but Firion hadn’t been fatally injured.
Still, even with the advantage, Endrance was getting tired. He had been through far too much that day and the night before and he was beyond his second wind. His strikes were getting sloppy, going wide. The flame feathers flickered and guttered as their fuel was drying up.
Endrance’s flow faltered and Firion managed to fall backwards, using the distance to get a spell out. Endrance gritted his teeth as he lunged forward to try to stop him.
He halted as a sudden shock of pain clutched his chest. Almost paralyzed, Endrance looked down. A single spectral sword was buried to the hilt in his abdomen, piercing out of his back in a spray of blood. Endrance fell to his knees, the daggers falling from limp fingers.
Firion laughed, standing. He shook his head, a smile still on his face.
“You know, you almost had me for a minute there.” Firion admitted, looking around the room. “I don’t know how you managed to cast all those spells without words or motions, but I think those tattoos of yours were probably to blame. Before you die, tell me.”
The mage kicked Endrance in the face hard. Falling back, Endrance screamed as the stone behind him pushed several inches of the sword out of his body. Firion chuckled again, walking around the mage slowly.
“I also want to know where you managed to acquire such a powerful familiar.” He said, leaning down to look approvingly over Endrance’s form. “And you’ve successfully managed to adopt its essence. Color me impressed. You were better than I had given you credit for.”
“Well, no matter. I’ll ju
st raise your corpse and you’ll tell me whatever I want to know either way.” He taunted.
Endrance had felt pain on that level before. A pain so strong it locked the body down and kept one from reacting. It wasn’t the first time he had been hurt or nearly killed. He needed to focus.
Master! Gullin communicated. I cannot come to your aid while we are like this!
I know. I’m sorry, Gullin. But I think this is the end.
Think, Endrance! You have to find a way!
Endrance looked up at Firion. The mage sneered down at him, taking the handle of the sword protruding from Endrance’s gut. He gave the handle a jerk, evoking another yelp of pain. Endrance’s mind raced. He was trying to figure out how to survive, but it seemed like he was doomed.
Then he noticed the natural crystal formations encrusting large swaths of the cavern ceiling. Deep orange, they glowed faintly with an inner light. Crystalphage! Hundreds of pounds of it, from what he could see. Thoughts started to coalesce. He just needed to steal back some time.
Endrance felt how much power he had left, grabbed most of it, and prepared it.
Gullin, you’re healed by fire, yes?
Indeed.
Then let’s warm this place up.
Firion frowned, seeing Endrance’s eye’s lose focus as he was communicating with Gullin. He crouched down near his face, slapping him.
“Hey now, don’t go dying on me yet! I wasn’t done talking to the last apprentice Kaelob will ever have.” He commanded, slapping him again.
Endrance focused on him again, aware he was bleeding out. “Last?”
“That’s right.” Firion replied. “Valeria has grown tired of the old man and is going to eliminate him.”
Endrance tried to keep his eyes open. “No…” he muttered his voice trailing off.
Firion grinned, standing. “Well, time to finish you off then. Glad we had the chance to talk before I tore everything else you loved to pieces.”
The mage grasped the spectral sword and yanked it free. He raised it over his head, aiming to plunge it through Endrance’s heart. Endrance’s eyes snapped open, and he lashed out with his right hand, grabbing Firion by the ankle.
Spellscribed: Ascension Page 33
