Richard didn’t see any reason to make a fuss. Nickelo was his battle computer, and Richard had begun to think of Nickelo as a friend. I don’t think it’s a big deal, Nick. We’re a team, right? We need to be able to trust each other. Besides, you trust me every time you turn control of the battle suit back over to me, don’t you?
I think most people would argue that is different, said Nickelo. They’d say it’s different because I am a computer. But you don’t see it that way, do you? That’s what makes you unique, Rick. And, although you didn’t ask, I want you to know you can trust me, Rick.
I know I can, Nick, Richard said as he hastily put on his battle suit. Once he had finished, he said, Seal it up, Nick, and let’s get this over with. I really hate wearing this suit longer than necessary.
When the battle suit was sealed, Richard thought the command to activate the suit’s override. Then he sat next to the sorceress and held the first leather sack in his hand once again. As soon as the sorceress saw the sack, she started furiously double-blinking her eyes. Through the suit’s audio pickups, Richard heard the thud of her heart. She wasn’t just nervous. She was scared.
Richard opened the bag and pulled out the sphere. The sorceress’ heart slowed as her eyes transfixed on the sphere. She no longer blinked, and her eyes took on a glazed look.
Go to a clear visor, Nick, and let me look at it. Give me about five seconds and then revert back to a filtered visor.
Roger that, Rick.
The reddish tint of Richard’s visor disappeared, and he found himself looking at a beautiful sphere of yellow-marbled light. Various hues of yellow swirled with a hypnotic effect pulling Richard’s consciousness ever deeper into the sphere’s interior. Richard felt at peace with the world. He was content.
The battle suit’s visor turned red once more. When it did, the sphere lost its hypnotic effect. For a moment, Richard felt a little resentful that Nickelo had followed his commands and activated the battle suit’s filter. His mind was no longer at peace. Once again, all the petty problems of life were swirling around in his head. It took a few seconds before Richard was in total control again.
That could get addictive real quick, Richard said.
Your girlfriend certainly seems to think so, said Nickelo.
Richard glanced down. The sorceress’ eyes were staring intently at the sphere. He could hear her heart beating at a slow and steady pace. She seemed at peace. Richard put the yellow sphere back in its leather pouch. Within seconds, the sorceress’ heartbeat increased, and her eyes took on a wild and frantic look.
“That was interesting,” Richard said to the sorceress. “It’s very pretty. Do you mind if I look at the other one?”
The elf gave numerous double-blinks.
“No, you don’t mind?” Richard said with a slight smile behind his visor. “That’s very kind of you.”
The sorceress’ heartbeat escalated, and her eyes took on a frantic look again. She began blinking her eyes so fast that Richard couldn’t decide whether she was trying to communicate yes or no.
I never knew you were so mean, Rick, said Nickelo with a chuckle. Why are you teasing her like that?
Because, as you’ve undoubtedly surmised well before me, Richard said, the odds are our mission is to give this sorceress the blue sphere we found. We mapped the lower levels of this place. We found the blue sphere. So, all we have left to do is give it to someone. This female, or sorceress as you call her, has two spheres already along with a bag for a third.
Then why not just give her the blue sphere and be done with it? said Nickelo. Why ask her fake yes and no questions?
I want to see her reactions, Richard said. Just because ‘the One’ wants me to give her the third sphere does not mean I should give it to her. What if she wants to use it to kill people? Or what if she needs it to destroy an entire civilization? By gauging her reactions, I’m forming an opinion about her.
Well, I have an opinion of her, said Nickelo.
What’s that? Richard said eagerly. He was definitely interested in hearing his battle computer’s opinion.
In my opinion, said Nickelo with a knowing laugh, as soon as she can move, she’s going to take her staff and beat you over the head with it. Or, maybe she’ll turn you into a newt or something.
You think you’re hilarious, don’t you? Richard said.
Doesn’t everyone? Nickelo asked innocently.
Whatever, Richard said.
Richard took the second leather bag and pulled out a red sphere. The sorceress went into a peaceful trance once again. Richard opted not to shut down his filter this time. He just had Nickelo confirm the color for him. Then he put the sphere back in its bag.
“Hmm,” Richard said to the sorceress. “You’ve got a yellow sphere and a red sphere. That’s two of the three primary colors. You also have an empty leather bag. By any chance are you looking for a third sphere? If so, would that sphere happened to be blue?”
The sorceress’ eyes did not blink, but she stared at Richard hard, and her heartbeat increased rapidly.
“It does no good to discuss it now,” Richard said, “but once you can talk, perhaps we can talk about it more. Personally, I have no interest in any of those spheres other than you obviously want them. Consequently, you don’t need to worry about me trying to steal them from you. Therefore, I would appreciate it if you refrained from trying to harm me when you are able to move again. I’ve got no doubt you are more than capable of killing me if you so desire.”
The look in the sorceress’ eyes conveyed to Richard that she had no doubt either. Richard decided it might not be the best time to continue snooping in her pack. He made it a point to let her see him placing the two leather bags with their contents back in her pack. Then he placed her pack back on the bench and made a graceful retreat to the far side of the room to start cooking their supper meal.
Chapter 20 – The Elf Speaks
_______________________
Richard came alert immediately. Something had changed enough to disturb his light sleep. He did not move, although he did tighten his grip on the plasma rod under his pillow. Richard sensed nothing amiss with his passive scan. He visually checked the room in the dim lantern light to make sure nothing was amiss.
Nick? Are you there?
I’m here, Rick, Nickelo responded mentally. Everything’s fine. The sorceress just moved her arm and head. The ghoul’s poison must be almost out of her system.
Shifting his head to look at the sorceress, Richard saw two silver eyes staring at him. Her arm had moved from its position on her chest. It now drooped off the side off her makeshift bed.
“Are you all right?” Richard asked. He watched her eyes to see her reply in the dim light. He got a surprise instead.
“Yes,” she said. It was really more of a croak than a word, but Richard knew what she meant.
“You moved,” Richard said. “That’s good. Do you need anything?”
“My nose,” the sorceress said.
Her answer confused Richard. “Your nose? I don’t understand.”
“It itches,” she said with her voice getting stronger as she spoke. “I was trying to scratch it, but my arm just fell off the bed.”
Just thinking about having an itch he could not scratch made Richard’s own nose start itching. He resisted the urge to scratch out of respect for the sorceress. Richard rose from his cot and turned the lantern up slightly. He then sat down on a stool near the sorceress’ head and gently lifted her dangling arm until her hand was positioned just above her nose. Her fingers started moving. She scratched herself for several seconds before stopping.
“Much better,” she sighed. “That spot has been driving me crazy the last couple of days. Thank you.”
“Sorry,” Richard said. “I wish I had known earlier. Is there anything I can do for you now? Is there anything you want?”
“Water, please,” she said. “My throat is so dry.”
Richard poured some cool water into a cup
and added a straw. He held the straw to her lips, and she drained the cup dry.
“More?” he asked.
“Not now, thank you,” she said.
The sorceress surveyed the room.
“Where did you get all this equipment?” she said.
Richard wasn’t sure how to answer her since he didn’t really understand himself. In the end, he decided if she was from the plane of magic as Nickelo had implied, then a magical answer would probably suffice best.
“I summoned it from my pack,” he said keeping it simple.
“Ah,” she said. “Then you are a mage. I had convinced myself you were not.”
“Actually,” Richard said, “your first guess was right. I’m no magic user, mage or otherwise.”
She started to say something but seemed to change her mind before the thought came out. Instead, she said, “Could you please help me sit up? I’ve been lying down so long it hurts.”
“Of course,” Richard said. “You’ve probably got bed sores by now. I tried to move you around some, but I guess it wasn’t enough.”
Richard placed his arms around her and gently lifted her into a sitting position with her back braced against the wall. He used pillows to wedge her in place. Through the whole process, he went to great lengths to make sure her sheets stayed in place to protect her modesty.
At one point during the maneuver, he must have wrinkled his nose, because she said, “I know. I stink. I can smell myself.”
“Sorry,” Richard said. “I tried giving you a couple of sponge baths, but I didn’t want to get too detailed if you know what I mean.”
There was an awkward silence.
“Ah,” Richard said hesitantly. “Do you need to take care of your morning business? Or do you want to wait until you can do it yourself?”
The sorceress turned a little red, but she quickly composed herself. “That could be hours yet. I don’t think I can wait. Perhaps you can assist me one more time. After that, let’s make a pledge we won’t ever speak about it again.”
A little red himself, Richard said, “I would appreciate that.”
After her morning business was taken care of, Richard sat the sorceress back on her bed with her back against the wall again. Then he busied himself with making a hot porridge for their breakfast. Once they had eaten, Richard put the dirty dishes back in his pack. He wasn’t sure what happened to them after that. He’d learned quickly enough that when he put items back in the pack, he got a portion of the Power back it had taken to summon them. He had a fleeting image of some irritated person having to do his dirty dishes. Richard hoped he was an understanding person whoever he or she was.
Once he was finished with cleanup, Richard sat on a stool near the sorceress. She eyed him closely, but said nothing. Her long silver hair was a tangled mess, but that did little to detract from her beauty.
“We didn’t have time for formal introductions before,” Richard said. “My name is Richard, but you may call me Rick if you’d like. My friends do.”
She appeared to compose her thoughts for a few seconds before answering, “All right, Rick. I have a lot of questions, but maybe it’s best to start off simple. My name is Shandristiathoraxen. I can see you’re not an elf, so perhaps it is best if you just call me Shandria. That’s the name my friends call me.”
“So, you’re an elf?” Richard said. “Nick, the one who read us the story, said you were an elf. I wasn’t sure I believed him. I’ve never seen an elf before.”
“Well, Rick, now you have,” the sorceress responded graciously. “And, you’re a human. There are only a handful of humans in my land, but I have seen a few. Those round ears would stick out anywhere. Have you thought about growing your hair long to hide them? You’d probably be moderately handsome if not for your ears.”
Richard unconsciously touched one of his ears. “I kind of like my ears,” he said a little offended.
“It was just a suggestion,” she said. After a short pause, she said, “You have me at a disadvantage, Rick. I’m obviously convinced you don’t mean to kill me since you’ve certainly had the opportunity. But, at the same time, I am still at your mercy, and I hesitate to ask questions which might, shall we say, cause you to have second thoughts.”
“I’m actually pretty thick-skinned, Shandria” Richard said, “so ask away. I give you my word of honor, I won’t blow a gasket.”
“Blow a what?” she said.
“Never mind,” Richard said. “It’s just a saying. It means I won’t lose my temper.”
“Fine, then Rick,” she said. “You’ve been honest up to now. So I’ll start with this. I am well aware you saved my life at the risk of your own, but how dare you rifle through my pack. And, I’d like to know your interest in my spheres?”
“Sorry about that, Shandria,” Richard said. “Nick said you’d probably beat me over the head with your staff for doing it.”
Richard thought he saw the faintest smile on the sorceress’ lips, but it quickly disappeared. “I’d probably do worse if I could get hold of it. Perhaps it’s fortunate I’m still partially paralyzed. Now, let’s get back to the spheres. What do you know about them, and what is your interest in them?”
She sure is bossy, isn’t she, said Nickelo privately. His battle computer giggled and said, Maybe you should take her staff and beat her about the head and shoulders while you have the chance.
Be nice, Nick, Richard told his battle computer.
“I really have no knowledge or interest in your spheres or any other spheres for that matter,” Richard said. “You can believe that or not. I’ll admit, I suspected you had a couple of spheres in your pack. I recognized their Power signatures.”
The sorceress looked hard at Richard for a moment. “So, you have seen another sphere. You implied as much earlier.”
Richard considered sidestepping the truth a little, but he decided against it. He’d always been more of a frontal-assault type of person, so he figured why stop now.
“Yes,” Richard said. “I saw a blue sphere not long before I met you upstairs.”
“Where,” she said. Her silver eyes lit up with excitement.
“May I ask you a couple of questions first?” Richard said.
The excitement went out of the elf’s eyes. “Perhaps,” she said. “It depends on the question.”
“Fair enough, Shandria” Richard said. “I would like to know two things. First, why do you want the spheres? Second, why am I on the kill list of some demon out of my worst nightmares?”
“Oh,” Shandria said. “I’d forgotten you’re involved deeper than I would have wanted. Maybe I should answer the second question first. The demon’s threat is indeed serious. Because you were with me, it assumes you’re involved with the taking of the spheres. No amount of pleading or attempts at explanation on your part will convince it otherwise. The demon’s name in my language is Efrestra. It is one of four brother demons. They will hunt you down until the end of your days. They are not demon lords, but they are still very powerful. You will need your strongest magic possible to protect yourself.”
Nick, are you getting this? What have I gotten myself into?
It is what it is, Rick. We’ll do whatever we need to do and learn whatever it takes to shield you. If it can’t find you, it can’t hurt you.
That’s not a lot of comfort, Nick.
Sorry, Rick. It’s all the comfort I can give at the moment.
“Well,” Richard said addressing the elf again, “I guess I’m out of luck. Like I told you earlier, I’m not a magic user. As a sorceress, you may be able to put up shields strong enough to resist demons, but I cannot.”
“Did you just call me a sorceress?” said Shandria with a raised eyebrow and a little edge to her voice. “I’m not a sorceress. I’m a priestess. There is a difference, you know.”
Thanks a lot, Nick, Richard said. Now I’ve insulted her.
You’ve been telling me to guess a lot lately, Nickelo said defensively. I calculated an eight
y-seven percent chance she was a sorceress. She obviously fell into the other thirteen percent. Do you want me to start including percentages every time I tell you something? I can carry the percentages down to a hundred decimal places if you need me to be more accurate.
Whatever, Richard said.
“No offense intended, Shandria,” Richard said apologetically. “I really don’t know anything about magic. It’s all new to me.”
From the look she gave him, Richard did not think the elf entirely believed him.
“How can you say that?” she asked. “You’d have to be well versed in magic in order to place a shield around both of us strong enough to hide us from the demon Efrestra and his minions so long. Even at full Power, I would be hard pressed to do as much.”
“I don’t wish to contradict your faith in me, Shandria,” Richard said, “but I can barely shield myself. I’ve never tried to protect multiple targets with a stealth shield. Even if I could hide you, those spheres combined with your other magic items are giving off way too much Power for me to hide.”
Shandria’s silver eyes darted around the room. Her countenance took on a fearful look. “If you aren’t shielding us, then we must be gone quickly. Why the demon has not found us yet, I do not know. But without shielding, it will do so soon. Make no mistake, Rick. It will never stop hunting either of us.”
Richard had not meant to frighten the elf. In an attempt to alleviate her concern, he said, “Everything’s fine, Shandria. Surely you can sense the room’s shielding is protecting us even now?” He didn’t understand how anyone with her obvious capabilities could miss the energy shielding the room.
The elf’s face muscles tightened as if she were concentrating and looking places Richard could not see. After a score of seconds, Shandria said, “I can detect nothing, Rick. My body still has too much of the ghoul’s poison in it. I cannot draw from my Power reserve. Surely you know a ghoul’s poison makes even a magic user totally helpless? That is fortunate for you. Otherwise, I would have hurt you when you started rifling through my pack.”
“Actually, I didn’t know that,” Richard said. “So you can’t use your magic yet? I was kind of depending on you to help get us out of this underground tunnel system.”
Intergalactic Wizard Scout Chronicles 1: Wizard Defiant Page 18
