by Unknown
“She’s right! I have about thirteen thousand coins,” Joy said, grinning broadly. “I’m thinking I want the big gardening book and the architecture one. They seem like they’d be the most fun, and they’d be useful once I become a queen. I can always get the others later if I want them.”
Cora stared at Joy for a moment before reaching up to rub her eyes, chuckling softly. “I’ll never get over an apis being the wealthiest one of us. I suppose there is something to be said about not caring for most luxuries. Or food.”
“Ah, to be able to subsist on honey,” Stella teased, and Brianna made a face.
“Thank you, but no. I like the variety of food I get to eat,” Brianna said firmly. “I’d get sick of eating the same thing all the time.”
“I get sick smelling your food,” Joy replied, blushing despite herself as she looked away. “But that’s what I want to do. Buy those two books.”
“Then buy them, once she’s back. Just remember not to tell her how much coin you have,” Cora said, rolling her eyes. “Mostly, I’m amused that she didn’t really need to leave, even if it was polite.”
“Sure she did. I was serious about wanting a holy text of Mother Moon,” Stella interjected.
Joy giggled at the look on Cora’s face, her smile growing even wider. About that time Angela returned, a book in one hand, and a soft cloth in the other which she was using to gently wipe off the blue-dyed leather cover.
“I was able to find one! It hadn’t been touched in some time, so I’ll have to go through it and make sure the pages are in good condition, but I’m fairly confident that it’s intact,” Angela said confidently, a smile on her face as she glanced around at them. “While I’m doing that, have you decided if you want any of the books?”
“I have! I’d like the architecture book and the big flower book,” Joy told her, bouncing a little as she admitted, “I’m really looking forward to going through them!”
“I’m glad to hear that. Now, let’s go through this book. I don’t want to sell anything in poor condition,” Angela said, visibly relaxing as she sat at a desk.
As Stella edged forward to look over the shopkeeper’s shoulder, Joy stepped back to give more room. While she was curious about the book, Stella was the one who wanted it.
Besides, if Stella bought it, she could always ask to look at it later. For now, Joy was looking forward to reading her own books.
Chapter 25
“I think we’ve found it, sir,” Reska said, her voice barely audible over the breeze, and Alethus suppressed his sigh of relief.
He’d underestimated the Shimmerwood, and Alethus had determined that far later than he’d ever admit. Not to anyone, and especially not to Minna, since she’d never let him live it down. But to be perfectly fair, he’d never encountered an environment like the Shimmerwood before.
At first glance, the forest looked positively benign, if a little brighter than Alethus liked. Flowers and berries shone with internal light that sparkled in the day, and at night they provided illumination that was enough to travel by. The trees and foliage were also brightly colored, either in vivid greens, but also ranging into pastels and warm colors of orange, red, and pinks, while the breeze carried odd waves of pretty pollen through the air. It was lush, pretty… and utterly deceiving.
The lights and pollen had lulled him into a false sense of security, and it’d taken Alethus half an hour to realize that he’d completely lost track of where the sun was. The innate magic of the Shimmerwood refracted and scattered the light of the sun, hiding it from sight. Even worse, that same magic made it impossible to keep track of landmarks, since it made trees and plants appear to change positions after as little as ten paces. Beyond that, the forest’s inviting appearance hid other dangers as well.
An hour before, Alethus had almost lost one of his soldiers to a strange wolf which melded into the magic of the world around them, turning almost entirely invisible until it attacked. Its fur had been a ghostly, almost crystalline white, and it’d almost taken Yord’s arm off before Alethus had killed it. That had been only the first danger, as they’d almost blundered into a field of poisonous flowers, which fortunately Reska had realized were dangerous beforehand, and that had only been two of the problems. If Alethus hadn’t been here, he was grimly certain that he’d probably have lost at least half his soldiers. Possibly more than half.
Alethus had even been forced to use one of the artifact pieces he already had to home in on the location of the last one, something he suspected that the defenders didn’t realize was possible, or they’d have increased security on the one near Bearton far more heavily to begin with. It took one of his precious abilities for the day, but it was well worth it, especially since he was going to replace it the next day… assuming that they retrieved the last fragment today. With that in mind, he carefully looked over the fallen tree Reska was crouching next to.
The first thing Alethus noticed was that the magic of the forest was making it difficult to see the people in the clearing, as well as their fortifications, but that went both ways. He couldn’t make out details, but the short palisade that had been built in the clearing was obvious either way, as was the ground that had been cleared around it. Someone was standing in what looked like a short watchtower, something that almost made him snort in derision, since keeping watch here had to be a nightmare. He suspected ranged weapons weren’t terribly useful in the Shimmerwood.
Far more surprising to him was the body which was a dozen paces outside the palisade, at least that was what Alethus thought, with the way distances were distorted. The huge, bison-sized body was black, with red and black fuzz on it, and he clicked his tongue internally at the size of the giant bumblebee. It was a little on the small size, but he certainly wouldn’t have wanted to deal with one of the flying beasts, not without a significant level advantage. He’d heard that they were incredibly tough for their levels, but at least they were few and far between.
“Can you get any sort of count on how many people are in there?” Alethus asked softly, nodding toward the palisade.
“Not with the way the forest is screwing with my senses, sir,” Reska said, a scowl on her face as the demoness glowered at the palisade, tapping the tree slowly with one claw. “I think that it’s about forty feet across, but it could be twenty or sixty, for all I know. The tower helps a little, since it obviously only holds a single person, but there’s no way to tell about anything else. It could be anywhere between five and fifty people.”
“I sincerely doubt fifty, but I take your meaning,” Alethus said, inclining his head as he considered the palisade again, then snorted. “I’m not sure why they bothered with the tower. Do you think they can see through this… warping?”
“I doubt it. I know some people at high levels can pierce illusions easily, but at this level? No way. Maybe at your level…” Reska said, smiling wryly at Alethus, which made him chuckle.
“Ah, I only wish I could. This entire forest is… obnoxious. Too bright, and nothing is quite as it seems. The way it nearly tricked Daven into stepping off a cliff was nasty,” Alethus said, his smile vanishing. “Still, we do have a couple of options that can use this to our advantage. If they can’t see clearly, do you really think they have good odds of seeing someone from stealth?”
“Most likely not. I know the idea of having someone sneak up on me here gives me the creeps. That wolf was pretty much a wolf rogue, if you ask me. Or assassin,” Reska replied, shivering visibly. “I swear, no wolf should be that silent.”
“Agreed, but… Quin?” Alethus asked, turning his head to look at the soldiers behind him.
Alethus had only brought ten people with him, since he wasn’t confident that they’d be able to get more people past Duke Dorma’s patrols. As it turned out, he probably could have made it past with more, but it was a little too late by the time he found that out. However, those he’d brought with him were among the elites in the army, none of them below level twenty, and most of them were l
evel twenty-five.
Quin was one of Alethus’s quieter soldiers. A slim, dangerous half-elf, she wore drab leather armor and simple daggers, but those belied her skill, as she was also one of the best scouts Alethus had, at least at her level. If anyone could get in close and take a look around, it was her. She looked at Alethus and arched an eyebrow, then bowed her head. It was a shame she didn’t talk more, since he thought she had a beautiful voice.
“Would you investigate?” Alethus asked, jerking his head toward the palisade. When she nodded, he quickly added, “Be careful, though. It isn’t worth risking your life over, since I doubt they have anyone inside who can rival me.”
That caused Quin to smile, though the smile was small and brief. She simply bowed her head, then she seemed to fade into the background as she started moving toward the palisade.
It only took her a few moments to move past Alethus, and a few moments later he lost track of her entirely, which startled him as he looked around, pursing his lips. If it only took that much movement to lose Quin when he knew she was there…
“I doubt they’ll see anything at all,” Alethus murmured, prompting a smile from Reska.
“Agreed. She’s usually hard to spot, but this is ridiculous,” the demoness said, turning back to the tree and waiting. “Now, we just have to wait.”
Alethus nodded and fell silent, trying to set a good example for the others. It also allowed him to think about everything else regarding the invasion and what they’d seen. Watching a small, bright purple dragonfly flit past, Alethus couldn’t help a smirk. He’d heard that there were apis in this forest, but at least his agents indicated that they hadn’t been in contact with the city, and had been rather standoffish in general. That was a relief, after the hive near Bearton had very nearly ruined his plans entirely.
The problem was that there was no guarantee that would remain the case. The last group had been brought into the fray by apis, and his agents also had informed him that the apis from the southern hive were moving to visit the others. That could very easily turn disastrous for him, no matter how much Alethus wanted to keep it from happening. The only way to make certain they couldn’t ruin his plans was to strike so quickly they didn’t have time to interfere. That was a large part of why he’d come ahead of the army, if Alethus was being honest. Well, that and the fact that bringing an army into the Shimmerwood likely would have been an absolute disaster.
It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but it helped keep Alethus focused on his goals. Then he heard a shout from inside the barricade, causing him to tense, ready to draw his sword. Beside him, Reska had her hand on the hilt of a wand, staring at the walls of the palisade cautiously, and he thought he heard the scrape of a sword clearing its scabbard behind him. None of them moved forward, though, sending a wave of relief through Alethus. The last thing he wanted was to have them blow their cover early if it wasn’t the alarm being sounded by them spotting Quin.
Then a blue bird the size of a horse came flying down out of the sky and slammed into the tower. At least, he thought it was the size of a horse, as it knocked the person in the tower off it, then the tower began to collapse.
“I… sir?” Reska asked, looking at him in shock, and Alethus looked back at her, then at the compound, where he heard shouts, along with the beating of wings and some bird’s deafening chirps.
“Well, I supposed that with so many giant insects here, it stands to reason that the giant birds would come here for meals. Not something I considered before this, but it’s reasonable,” Alethus said, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. “Hold steady, though. I don’t want to jump into the middle of a mess like that… especially if the bird might do our job for us.”
“Yes, sir,” the others chorused quietly, putting their weapons away.
Alethus waited, listening to the sound of battle, including cursing and multiple spells. Then he jumped as Quin appeared next to him.
“The defenders are occupied fighting a giant bluebird, which is doing appreciable damage, but will not be victorious. There are twenty of them, including three magi and a priest, the rest are a variety of skirmishers and warriors,” Quin told him in her quiet, smooth voice, then slipped back with a bow. Alethus let out a sigh, shaking his head as he thought, then shrugged as he came to a decision.
“Right, well, at least it’ll make this easier. Alan, how easy will it be for you to break the wall?” Alethus asked, looking at another soldier, and the man eyed the wall for a moment, then shrugged.
“Depends on the wood and how deep they’re embedded, but I think I can topple them with one spell… well, a five-foot chunk or so,” the blond man said confidently.
“Good. Then everyone, get up to the wall. Leave a five-foot gap in the center for Alan to drop, everyone else, be prepared to rush the guards,” Alethus said, looking them all over. “Me and the warriors in the front, followed by archers, then magi. We’re to take them alive, I’ll remind you. Knock them unconscious or disable them; we don’t want Clarion to know they were defeated until we’re out of the area.”
Another chorus of acknowledgement came in response, and Alethus smiled, gesturing them forward as the battle raged, not bothering to draw his sword this time.
After all, if he used it, he’d cut them in half, and he didn’t want to violate his own orders.
Twenty minutes later, Alethus let out a sigh of relief, stepping away from the unconscious priest. He’s poisoned the man with a spell, leaving him writhing in agony, so he suspected the man was far happier unconscious, especially since Alethus had removed the poison as well. The other defenders were all alive as well, all but a woman who’d been thrown from the tower by the bird. That adventurer had died before they even got through the wall, so Alethus was confident she wouldn’t be able to warn anyone in Clarion about what had happened.
The other guards were in varying states of unconsciousness, and as Alethus watched, Reska was hurriedly ensuring that a human woman she’d mauled didn’t die. He found it ironic that her eagerness to show off her skills had come the closest to killing the defenders, though admittedly most of those unconscious weren’t in much better shape… and they’d given a surprisingly good accounting for themselves, considering how badly the bird had mauled them. A bird which had managed to escape before they killed it, prompting Alethus to scan the sky for it warily. He did not want it to ambush them while they were cleaning up.
“How’s Aline?” Alethus asked, frowning as he realized that he couldn’t see nearly enough. He couldn’t wait to get out of this damnable forest.
“She’ll live, if only just,” Selvert said, the dark elf priest looking up from the fallen woman with a wry smile. “Avelin must’ve been fond of her, since that sword would’ve killed her if it was even a tiny bit higher.”
“It was that close?” Alan asked, his eyes widening. “I know gut wounds are bad, but…”
“The rapier nearly punctured her liver. If that had happened, I doubt I’d have gotten to her quickly enough. As it is, I wouldn’t expect her to be at full strength for a while,” Selvert said, shrugging and standing up, his brown skin looking unusually bright due to their surroundings. “She should wake up in a minute or two.”
“Excellent. In that case, please keep watch while I retrieve the artifact,” Alethus said, lowering his gaze as he smiled. “We don’t want to have a bird distract us, do we?”
“No, definitely not,” Reska said, looking up nervously. “The wounds that thing’s beak left are nasty.”
Alethus chuckled and turned his attention to the rock outcropping that was in the middle of the palisade. It was surrounded by several tents, some of which had been knocked over or burned in the fighting, but for the most part the camp had survived intact. He ignored the tents as he approached the outcropping, feeling the faint pull of the artifact fragment. It led him to the wall where the entrance had to be hidden, and Alethus examined it for a few seconds.
The stone looked completely featureless except for natural w
eathering someone might expect, though it was smoother than normal. In that regard it was much like the one he’d found in the Blackstone Mines, and Alethus couldn’t find the trap it likely bore, let alone disable it. That wasn’t to say he couldn’t deal with it, though, and he extended a hand, holding it only inches away from the stone.
“Boneshatter,” Alethus said simply, feeling mana rush through him, then out of his hand and into the wall. Despite the spell being designed to maul nearby creatures, it worked perfectly fine on the stone.
Cracks spread outward from his hand across the wall, taking the shape of a small tunnel’s outline, and Alethus smiled still more, lowering his hand and taking a step backward. Then he kicked the middle of the door firmly, making certain to retract his foot quickly as the shock caused the barrier to fall apart in a rumbling cloud of dust and stone.
Light rippled out of the cave as the dust settled, and Alethus couldn’t help a wince as he felt the holy energy radiating out of the chamber, energy that was painful for him even at the best of times. It wasn’t enough to keep him out, but that didn’t mean he liked it. Still, he also wasn’t suicidal, so he waited, curious if the defenders had taken the time to set up traps or place another guardian inside the chamber. The pure white light seemed to shift as he watched, filtering through the dust… and he was able to see the chamber fully at last.
Much like the first one he’d seen in the Blackstone Mines, this one was filled with huge crystals that seemed to have been formed of luminous titansteel. Alethus had briefly considered trying to destroy the ones in the Blackstone Mines but had decided not to risk what might happen if he did. Anything that could maintain the ward on the monster ever since the fall of Tarngard had an incredible amount of power, enough to easily kill Alethus if he wasn’t careful. While he’d likely resurrect afterward, it wasn’t worth risking permanent death off a temptation.
