by David Ekrut
He sat up and peered toward Jesnia. She was awake, sitting cross-legged. Though partially turned away from him, Jax saw a metallic object in her lap. Intrigued, he shifted to a crouch to get a better look.
Jesnia didn’t notice him. She studied the item as if in a daze.
Jax stood and, picking his path carefully, walked on the balls of his feet toward her. Seeing that bow of hers within an arm’s length of where she sat, he decided this was not the wisest idea he’d ever concocted. Still, he was curious.
Keeping his shadow away from her field of view, he angled himself to get a good look. Glyphs and symbols covered the metallic scale. A dark spot stained the flat disc atop it. Curse it all, this was the artifact Tessaryn wanted. Had she stolen it?
Jax raised his hands in a show of surrender and cleared his throat, before asking, “Where did you get that?”
As he’d expected, her hand shot toward her bow. She’d half notched an arrow before recognition shone in her eyes.
“You trying to get yourself thumping killed?”
“I knew you wouldn’t shoot me. What is that?”
“Shh,” she said, rising from her fire. “Let’s move away from the ducklings.”
When they reached his camp, she asked, “Where’s Daren?”
“We had a disagreement. He’ll be back in the morning. Don’t change the subject. Do you know what that artifact does?”
She stuffed it in the fold of her cloak. “None of your concern.”
“We are working together, remember? I saw the glyphs. You looked mesmerized by them.”
“Don’t be a dullard,” she said, sitting next to the dying embers. “I’m just trying to figure it out.”
“Figure what out, exactly?” He sat across from her.
She studied him for a few seconds, then shrugged. “Fine. But you cannot speak of this to anyone. I’m only telling you, because you aren’t half-stupid for an ex-lordling.”
“Fine. Yes. I promise. What does it do?”
Jesnia leaned forward and said, “It turns stones into gold.”
Jax sat up straighter. “It what?”
“I saw it with my own eyes.”
She offered him the artifact. He looked at the symbols, which made about as much sense as any of the glyphs he’d seen on touched items. But if this thing turned rocks to gold …
“Wait,” Jax said. “Are you telling me these coins are fakes?”
“No. I mean, sort of. They are, but they aren’t.”
“Are you mad? The Lenders will have us hanged, burned, and beheaded.”
“Bite into one.”
“I don’t want anything to do with this.”
“Curse it all,” she said, digging a coin from her trousers. She flicked it to him, forcing him to catch it or be struck in the eye. “Thumping bite it.”
He’d been ready to throw the cursed coin back at her, but its weight felt right. He bit into the edge. The taste and consistency was that of gold. Pure gold. In fact, the coin was more pure than Alcoan roses.
“What in the abyss?”
“Exactly. These are the best quality coins I’ve ever seen.”
“The bounty you were chasing. That’s what this is all about, right?”
“Yes. I was contracted to capture Coin. The Lenders believe her to be a counterfeiter, but these coins are made of real gold.”
He held up the scale. “This belongs to the magi. A group called the Circle of Makers. They might even be the Lenders. Tessaryn Carpeci is after this. She wants you dead.”
“Carpeci?” she said, voice intrigued. “Good. Each member of the Carpeci family has an outstanding bounty on their heads. When she comes for it, I’ll collect on her.”
“Are you thumping kidding me? Did you not hear me. She is a magus.”
“An arrow in the heart will kill her as well as anyone else. Trust me.”
“You don’t understand,” Jax said. “She ambushed me a few days ago and told me about this artifact. She knew you would have it and that I would find you.”
“That is ridiculous,” she said, but he saw the doubt in her eyes.
“Is it? You said they can turn stones into gold. What else can they do?”
“Aye. I saw it. I also saw that magus bleed. She ran from me. And if Carpeci knew I would retrieve the artifact, why didn’t she come for it herself? Eh? Thought of that?”
He had asked the same and gotten a bogus answer, but none of that mattered. He’d been placed in the middle of a feud he wanted no part of. The only way out was to hand this artifact over to Tessaryn.
“What about the Makers,” he pressed, “or Lenders or whatever they are?”
“What about them?” she asked. “We can make our own gold with that thing. We can hire bodyguards for our bodyguards.”
“These people aren’t like you and me. The magi have the same power the dragons do. I’ve seen what they can do.” Tucking the artifact beneath his arm, Jax picked up his sword belt and strapped it on. Then he grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder.
“Hold on,” Jesnia said. “You can go. But you aren’t going anywhere with that.”
He gestured with the artifact. “This belongs to the Lenders. Or Tessaryn. Either way. I’m doing you a favor.”
Jesnia sat up straighter, head cocked in the way she did when lining up a shot. “No. It belongs to me. And you’ll do yourself the favor of returning it.”
“I thought you never broke a contract. You would steal from your employers?”
“Not at all. They commissioned me to capture the counterfeiter. The contract says nothing of artifacts. I am fairly certain, they do not even know of its existence. If you want to leave, fine. Go. But if you try to steal from me, we will have a problem.”
“Steal from you?” He shoved the scales into his cloak’s inner pocket. “You promised me a lot of gold without telling me it’s all fake.”
“It isn’t fake. Curse it all, Jax. Don’t make me stick an arrow in you.”
Jax looked at her bow, twenty paces away, next to her sword belt. Jesnia followed his gaze and frowned. She probably still had a dagger on her somewhere, but he had his saber. Cursing, she spun. The second she twitched toward her bow, Jax grabbed his pack and ran.
Guessing which direction was north, he pushed his arms and legs, sprinting at his full strength. Moving this fast at night was foolish, but safer than getting caught in the open. He wanted to place as many trees as possible between him and that thumping bow. Sword against sword, he could hold his own, but no one on Arinth was a better shot than Jesnia.
What was he thinking? She was a Life-cursed bounty huntress. She could track him to the edge of Arinth. He considered tossing aside the slender artifact but decided against it. Jesnia had promised him gold and given him a certain death at the hands of the Lenders instead. The Seeker only knew what Tessaryn planned. Maybe he could give this to the Lenders and explain its function. With any luck, that would put Jesnia in the clear with Carpeci and the Lenders. She was blinded by greed, but when she calmed, she would understand this was for her own good.
“Jax,” his name echoed from far to the southwest. “Come back. Let’s talk about this.”
She’d gone the wrong way. He slowed to a steady jog. If she wanted to hunt him, she would need to go back to the camp, which gave him a nice enough head start. He kept moving.
A few minutes later, he heard, “Curse it all, Jax! I don’t have time for this!”
The voice was even farther away this time. Jax slowed to a walk. He’d gotten away. But what now?
Then it came to him. How had he been so stupid? This must have been what Tessaryn had seen. He’d taken the artifact. Now, Jesnia would hunt him. He would be forced to kill her or be killed. This had been what Tessaryn planned. Curse him for a fool.
There had to be a way out
of this. He just needed to think. And move. He would not stop. Daren was out here somewhere, going after the kid, most likely. Dragons take him, but he never should have left them. But he was only half-a-day behind.
If he pushed hard, he could catch them before they reached the ruins.
~
As the sun showed its first light on the horizon, Jesnia stopped and slung her bow over her shoulder.
She turned west, walking back toward her camp. Jax was gone, but she knew where he was going. She had trusted him, and he had stolen from her. He could not talk or gamble his way out of this one. He would die. The only question was, would she put an arrow through his eye or stab him in the gut. Definitely the gut. He deserved to die slowly. How could he thumping steal from her?
Landryn was up with the rest of the ducklings. Upon seeing her, Britonya’s little face showed instant relief.
“Let’s go,” she said.
“Jax’s gone?” Landryn asked.
“Aye.”
“Are we going after him?”
“I am. You are taking the little ones to Norscelt. I have an estate there. You’ll be safe.”
“You can’t just leave us. There are undead everywhere. You promised.”
“And I’m keeping that thumping promise and then some. This is a fortune I’m leaving in your care. Take it, and get to Norscelt. I have an estate in Karsdale. If you get there before I do, tell Helgina ‘The fat hog skewered the golden roast.’ She will give you rooms. I’ll come as soon as I can.”
“What about brigands?”
“Avoid them. You only need to reach Iremine. Charter a boat to Karsdale. You will be fine.”
“Just let them go.”
“Can’t. He stole from me.”
Landryn let out a slow breath. “Fine. I’m going with you.”
“So am I,” Britonya said.
The others voiced their agreement.
“You won’t be able to keep up. Following me will only make you lose time.”
Jesnia turned and sprinted away, ignoring their calls for her to wait. Before going a quarter mile, she heard Landryn calling the younger ones back.
“Good boy,” she whispered. “Get them to Karsdale.”
She’d followed her word. They would be safe. Pushing them from her mind, she focused on her hunt. Jax would never reach Abadaria.
Chapter 56
The Lost Road
Dearest Lendantis,
I can only assume you are to blame for Anetia’s disappearance, and that you have somehow convinced Galivant to turn against me. By the time you read this, I will have escaped.
I am coming for you.
Sincerely,
~Ricaria Beratum, 2998 A.S.
~
The flickering flames cast odd shadows across the broken cobblestones next to Elwin. Weeds worked their way through the loose bricks. The lost road, as Daki had called it, wound its way through the forest around them and led the way to Abadaria. They were close.
Elwin muttered the words he’d been studying several times before checking them against the book resting in his lap. It was still right.
He’d learned several incantations over their days of traveling, but he felt far from ready to face a fully-trained magus. Knowing the proper words while sitting on the road did not make him battle-ready.
And though he felt comfortable with many of the incantations from elementism, he couldn’t test any from the school of telepathy without an opponent. For example, mind fog sounded useful. It would confuse a target by overwhelming his thoughts. Others were still far beyond his skill. Time gait sounded like what he could do by taming all the Elements. It would allow him to go more quickly, making those around him appear to slow down. He’d tried and failed it many times.
Also, little of this book explained how to counter another person incanting, as the dragon had done to him. He’d memorized one of the five. It would stop a transmutation that turned flesh to stone. According to their other text, many of the traps in Abadaria would cause that.
Time to practice.
He stood and, holding his hands out in front of him, incanted the flame burst. He continued speaking the words, spending his will on the desired shape. A sword appeared above his hands. Still saying the words, he performed his favorite kata. It was called, Wind Sweeps through the Mountain.
He felt the heat of the sword as he moved through the maneuvers. This wouldn’t likely do much against a dragon, but the forms relaxed him. Shoving Abadaria, magi, and dragons from his thoughts, he pushed himself until he felt the ache in his head. Finishing the form, he bowed and stopped incanting.
The flame vanished with a whoosh.
Daki looked up from his tome on Abadaria. “You are improving.”
“The form is meant to be performed with Air. Taming would be better. Levitation is a poor substitute for flying.”
“How so?”
“It’s too slow.”
“You will get faster with practice.”
“We are running out of time, and I am no match against a real magus.”
He lifted the tome. “At least we can navigate the traps.”
“Can we?” He sat next to Daki.
“Aye. I believe so. Which artifact should we retrieve?”
Daki flipped to the front. There was immense detail on the contents of each aerie. The Farseer who had scried each trove signed the accounting.
“Wait,” Elwin said. “It only discusses two swords, these heartblades. The Order of the Sun and Stars said there would be three.”
“That is odd,” Daki said, flipping through the pages. “It has a color index on the value of each artifact. Few others carry the same value as the blades.”
“This Orb of Incantus has a different color than all the rest. It isn’t on the index.”
“What do you think it means?”
Daki shrugged, flipping the page. “According to this, the orb allows any who wields the artifact to awaken his own essence. So long as he holds the Incanter’s Blade, any may tame the Elements. Those who can already tame will grow immensely in power.”
“Are you certain the book doesn’t speak of another sword?”
“It does not. Just the heartblades and this orb, the Incanter’s Blade.”
“We aren’t after a sword at all. They want this orb.”
Daki nodded. “I agree. What is wrong?”
“It seems too obvious.”
“Do you think they want a heartblade instead? After all, these are the only swords capable of piercing the scales of a dragon.”
“It is the orb,” Elwin said.
“How can you be certain?”
“I can’t. I just feel it.”
“We could take all three,” Daki flipped back to the map of the city at the beginning. “These two aeries are not so far apart.”
Looking at the schematic of the city, Elwin felt a sense of overwhelming dread. “There are so many streets. How could a city of this size remain hidden from the outside world for so long?”
“Incantations in the wall send out a subtle compulsion for those coming near to turn back. Only those strong of will can resist.”
“How?”
“Being aware of it is half of the battle. We have great purpose here. It is unlikely to affect us, only those wandering here.”
“What else should we expect? What is our first trap?”
“It depends on where we begin. First we need …”
Daki frowned.
“What is it?”
“There are pages missing.”
“Are you certain?”
“Aye. Jax must have taken them.”
Elwin inspected the tome. The loose leaflets were wedged into a leather binding. Any number of pages could have fallen out over the years. “How can yo
u tell?”
“The map. This aerie is labeled with the number one, which corresponds to this page of traps and counter sigils. The same for these others, but the leaflet for forty-two is missing, as are these others. I can see a description of the Orb of Incantus, but this next page where the aerie should be is gone. The same is true with the heartblades and these other more expensive items. The rest of the descriptions for these minor artifacts are complete.”
Taego grumbled.
“No,” Daki said. “We could not have known Jax and Daren would steal the pages.”
The bear raked his claws across the dirt, moving a stone from one paw to the other. Then he snorted.
“Yes. We did know they were rogues, but their cause is noble. They have placed their own ambitions and needs ahead of our own. As we have done to them.”
“I should have known,” Elwin said. “When I met them, they were robbing a lord’s manor. I was a fool to trust them.”
Taego nodded, but Daki shook his head. “You see the good in the hearts of others. This is a virtue not many possess.”
“Some would call that gullible.”
Again, the bear nodded.
Daki looked pointedly at Taego. “Such people are pessimists.”
Taego snorted.
“They are long gone,” Elwin said, pulling out his book of incantations. “I need to keep practicing.”
Daki opened his own tome once more. “And I will look through these other wards. Perhaps some of these will be similar to those we find around the orb.”
“It’s worth a shot,” Elwin said, moving onto the road.
Maybe standing would allow for swifter movement. Levitation was still slow in comparison to flying, but he could go as high as he wanted. He levitated several dozen paces and peered into the distance. The forest gave way to flat plains. A few miles ahead, he saw the dark outlines of tall structures.
He lowered himself and returned to his camp.
“What is it?” Daki asked.
“There are buildings a few miles up the road.”
“Ah. Then we are closer than I thought.”
“I didn’t see any aeries.”
“No. It is not Abadaria. This place was once called Tarthinius, city of the dragon’s people. Once the dragonkin fell into their slumber, much of this country was abandoned. From what I have read, there have been few attempts to settle here, probably due to the Keepers compulsions. The buildings were crafted by the Elements in a time when magi and elementalists worked together, which is why they remain.”
