“Stop!” Nelson shouted.
The baron twisted around and took in what had been happening behind him in an instant. He saw his daughter in a heap on the floor and the wizard stalking toward the Well. Already, magical ribbons flowed from the wizard toward the cage.
The baron howled and abandoned Hugo. He thundered toward the wizard.
Hugo rushed over to join them. “You guys, you really care. Thanks for the rescue, but I was doing just fine. Really had the baron on the ropes.” He shadow-boxed for their amusement.
“The wizard has to free the ghosts. We need to stop the baron.” Lou took off toward the Well.
“How?” Nelson asked, scampering after her.
“Bring our magic together. Face him as a family.” Lou’s ghost form glowed as she took to the air.
Nelson reached inside and felt the magic tucked away just to the right of where he imagined his heart to be. He marveled at its magnitude. He pictured it rushing forth and joining with Lou. The magic leapt free and dove into Lou’s back.
Surprisingly, Nelson came along for the ride. He was piggybacking on his neighbor, seeing the room from her airborne perspective.
He sensed her, their thoughts and feeling merging but not mixing.
Seconds later, Hugo’s presence joined them.
Let’s do this. It was impossible to tell the originator of the message. It felt like it came from all of them.
Nelson caught a glimpse of his physical body lying face down behind them. Hugo’s body was there as well, his fallen pose looking like he was giving pony rides, as his face and shoulders were smushed into the floor while he had fallen on his knees, and his rump stuck high in the air.
Gauntwings approached, uncertain who to engage.
Lou’s thoughts flooded their shared mindscape. If they think you two are out cold, maybe they’ll leave you alone.
The gauntwings surged past their abandoned bodies, their focus on Lou floating above it all.
The snakes and bats took flight, soaring at her with malice.
Nelson felt all three of their minds submit the order to evade, although Hugo urged them to scram.
They flew toward the baron.
Baron Orb wrenched another spirit, a mummy, from the Well. It fell into the villain, and Orb’s energies swelled. He swatted the wizard with a wall of magic, driving Itzel into a throng of gauntwings.
Orb shouted at his army, “Stop the golem!”
Every shadow creature in the chamber converged on the wizard.
Hugo’s thoughts swam to the surface. We need reinforcements. Hugo registered Lou’s agreement and fired off a powerful broadcast to his army. Any and all with tooth and claw, we need your might to aid our fight.
Lou had something to say about that. Really? Rhyming?
Hey, I think maybe it makes the magic more powerful, maybe.
Lou solidified her body and enlisted them in also urging her spirit to become more solid.
Their appearance grew denser, but still white. Color didn’t resurface, but Hugo felt like they were operating out of a near-actual physical form.
Lou rammed herself into the baron, sending him tumbling into a portion of his army.
At that very second, their animal soldiers arrived. They spilled into the room and attacked the gauntwings with a fury.
The wizard waded past several gauntwings and flung wave after wave of magic at the cage.
The baron shoved some of his own army out of the way in an effort to clear a path. “No, you will not deny me!”
Baron Orb wretched another ghost from the Well. The centaur flew across the room, vanishing inside the baron.
Roots emerged along the villain’s arms and legs, stretching into numerous tentacles. He roared and began gathering a massive ball of magic from within himself.
We can’t let him hurl that at Itzel.The frenzy that provoked Hugo’s plea was blatantly obvious.
They shot toward the baron.
What can we do? Nelson did a poor job of hiding his own panic.
It was weird being merged. None of them could access any memories other than their own, but Nelson could feel their overall demeanors and the emotions of the moment.
Baron Orb flung balls of energy at them. They dodged each and smacked into him hard.
The villain wrapped his arms around Lou as they rolled end over end together.
Orb’s face was inches from Lou’s. His manic roots, especially the longer ones that radiated from his cheeks, slapped at her face. Some roots ghosted and sunk into her skin.
The invasive roots burned.
Orb’s thoughts entered their shared mind. You are such novices. Your combined magic is nothing compared to what I control.
There was an ear-splitting crack followed by several lesser cracks.
The baron jerked backward.
The cage over the Well was split in two. The wood was now a bright orange. The wizard had reversed the petrification.
Lengths of wood peeled back, causing more cracks to the base of the cage. The upper half fell to the floor, and the spirits shot out of the Well.
Hundreds of ghosts poured out. Every magical species, and a few more besides, crammed up tight against the ceiling and overflowed downward. With their shared knowledge, they recognized unicorns, orcs, vampires, imps, naga, harpies, gargoyles, and so many more. Even a giant, who Hugo couldn’t figure out how had fit in the Well in the first place.
Orb didn’t release them but staggered to his feet, still pressing Lou’s ghost to his chest.
Hugo threw out a strategy. Try to ghost free. Get immaterial.
Nelson urged his magic to do just that, knowing the others were doing the same. While Lou’s body grew slightly more transparent, they couldn’t slip loose. More of Orb’s roots lanced into Lou’s face and now her neck, sending agony through all three.
The freed spirits didn’t leave, but at least Orb couldn’t use them if they were no longer in the Well. The ghosts descended on the gauntwings, aiding the animals in their battle.
Orb howled at the sight of the onslaught. How dare you?
That’s right. We dare. We totally double-dog dare. Hugo’s enthusiasm overflowed.
Nelson fretted that his friend always took his comments a step too far to where they made little sense.
Orb tightened his grip and sent more roots stabbing into Lou.
Their screams merged into one.
I still have enough magic to deal with you three. You are nothing like Neruno.
Hugo felt Lou push down the pain. Her strength not only dampened the agony for her but for both Hugo and Nelson.
We have something the elf doesn’t. Despite the pain, Lou’s words were brimming with emotion. Each other.
The baron laughed.
You think a bond with others magnifies your magic, expands your reach? It doesn’t. There is no advantage to trusting others. They only betray you.
Family is important. Hugo’s presence lessened the root’s pain as well.
Family makes you weak.
Then why did you have a daughter? Nelson was genuinely curious. If your own family cast you out for having no innate magic, why risk having a baby that would be just as empty?
The baron’s rage spilled over them in waves. Twice, Nelson felt himself forced out of Lou’s body, but both times he worked his way back. Much the same happened to Hugo, but he also returned, eventually.
The magic of the centaur brought me enough dark magic to end you, almost.
The baron concentrated, and the gauntwings still fighting suddenly froze and then whisked toward him. Their shadowy selves fell into the baron, and his appearance changed yet again. More roots emerged along his limbs, and now thick ones sprang from his chest and back. They slithered around Lou, locking her even more in place.
Baron Orb stabbed his magic into Lou. The assault was so intense, it knocked Nelson loose. Hugo flew out a second later but clawed his way back in.
Nelson was about to do the same, when Wiz
ard Itzel called out to him.
“Drive him into the Well. I can reconstruct the cage.”
How will that help? He’ll just tear it down.”
The wizard shook his head. “I don’t think so. He is mostly propping himself up with spirit magic. I sense he’d burned through the fraction of the power he drew from the rest of Perpetua. If I’m right, he’s mostly spirit and the wood will hold him.”
“Are you sure?” Nelson stared at Lou who was kicking and screaming but unable to break free. The roots surrounding her formed a cocoon with only her feet and head still showing.
“Certainty is in short supply, but I have faith in my magic and in you three.” The wizard’s face switched to abject fear. “What? Where am I?” He looked around. When he spied the baron and his hideous tangle of squirming roots, he lost it. “Oh no. This is not what I signed on for.” Georgie dashed toward the exit.
Vua jumped in his way. She looked groggy and still unsteady. “Not so fast. You have to finish what you started, wizard.”
“You, my dear, are so very mistaken. I am a golem, servant to a wondrous wizard who I haven’t seen in ages. I might not even be employed by him anymore, come to think of it.” He tried to sidestep her.
She kicked him to the ground and pressed her boot down hard on his chest. “Wizard assert yourself.”
“As I’ve stated, I’m not a wizard.”
She dug her heel into the golem. “Your wizard is inside you, sharing your body. That’s why you keep having blackouts. Now please let him out to play. He has unfinished business with . . . my father.”
Georgie looked aghast, but then he rolled his eyes back, allowing Itzel to emerge.
The wizard swatted at Vua’s foot. “I’m back, just don’t know for how long. Georgie’s a mess. He might work up the courage to boot me out entirely now.”
“Finish my father’s story, wizard.”
Itzel rushed over to the Well and began casting his spell.
Vua looked up at Nelson. “You’re not made to be a spirit away from your body for so long. Help your family before you fade away completely.”
Nelson shot his arms forward and zoomed toward Lou, trying to ignore just how see-through he was. He saw his true body still in one piece and lying unconscious. Their animal army, along with the Well ghosts, lingered near their bodies, safeguarding them even though the gauntwings were gone.
Nelson dove in and was instantly assaulted by a wall of pain. He added his screams to those of his friends.
Orb gloated. How noble. Rejoining your friends to experience your ends together. I can make that happen.
We have to send him into the Well. The wizard can trap him within. Nelson wasn’t sure if Orb could register his thoughts. He felt he had shielded them enough to keep the villain in the dark.
Lou quelled their screaming with a blanket of support. We are stronger than him.
Hugo sent out a plea to the animals. Drive us into the Well.
Lou’s next thought cut through the plan with its logic. Wait, if we fall in there with him, we get trapped, too. We have to get free.
Nelson broadcast their predicament to the spirits, apprising them in an instant of their situation.
The giant’s thoughts entered their minds. Leave that to me. The giant sent out a warning to the rest of the spirits. No one else is required. I will see this through.
The animals surged around them, pushing Orb back. The baron just laughed.
The giant snuck a quiet thought into their shared mind. The shock of all my magic entering him will give you the window you require to escape. Leave and have the animals overwhelm him. If they hesitate, he will have assimilated my essence and be too much for any of you.
The pain returned as the baron concentrated on Lou, sending even larger roots into her torso and legs.
Your animal army is sad. Orb sent blasts of magic at the surging critters, driving several back.
The Well was close. The wizard had reassembled the cage, and the wood appeared dark, petrified once again.
Wizard Itzel looked lost.
Not now, Georgie. Nelson knew the golem couldn’t receive his mental plea, but he offered it up just the same.
Determination swept over the wizard’s face, and, once again himself, he flung the last of his magic at the reconstituted cage.
At the same time, Lou shot a thought at the villain as the giant dove toward Orb. It would all be over in seconds, or not. You are alone.
Hugo telegraphed to the animals amid them to give one final push.
The giant plunged into Orb. The baron fell on his back, and the animals latched onto him by claw and tail and dragged him forward.
A white-hot explosion of magic stunned the three.
The baron released Lou as he basked in the wealth of magic entering him.
Lou flew back.
The animals rushed over the baron and shoved him into the Well.
The wizard paused, but then executed the final part of his spell. The cage dropped onto the Well and secured itself to the stone foundation by magic. The structure glowed.
The baron fell out of view as the animals escaped the cage with ease.
The chamber grew quiet.
The golem broke the silence with a huff. He waddled over to them and sent Lou a withering look. “I don’t like it one bit.” He pointed to his head. “I can feel him crawling around in here.”
Lou drifted toward the Well.
Nelson worried the baron had somehow slipped free without them noticing.
Suddenly, the baron flew up into view, slamming his bulk into the cage. It shuddered but didn’t break.
He pounded at the wood and howled. With the addition of the giant’s magic, his appearance had grown even more extreme. Every inch of him was bursting with roots, some as thick as rope and nearly as long as his arms. They thrashed against the cage, but not a single one pierced the magical barrier.
“Release me!” He wore a beard of roots that gesticulated madly with every syllable that escaped from his lips.
Vua approached. “No.”
The baron looked at his daughter. “My dear, you can get them to free me. Do it.”
Vua stared at him with pity. “No. I don’t wish to be alone anymore. I will find my own family.”
Nelson felt dizzy and queasy. Hugo must’ve felt the same as he let out a mental groan.
Lou broadcast her thoughts to both her passengers. Abandon ship. You need to get back to your own bodies. No more free rides.
Hugo left first. Nelson watched his ghost bob and weave as he struggled to head back to his rightful body. His spirit fused with the physical Hugo, and he stood, rubbing at his temples.
Nelson forced his mind to settle. He felt Lou waiting for him to act.
He sent her a final thought. I’m sorry about your father.
Lou didn’t respond, but he felt a warmth rising within her. He left before it enveloped him.
Back in his body, he joined Hugo, who was whacking Lou’s back and raving about their teamwork.
Hugo looked over at Nelson. “Get in here, you dope. If I hug Lou without you, she might get the wrong idea.”
Lou threw a punch at Hugo, making her fist immaterial at the last second so it just passed neatly through his head.
Hugo shook his head and exclaimed, “She gives me the tingles.”
Nelson joined in the hug. It felt awkward but nice. Maybe if he engaged in a few more it would become second nature.
Lou dropped her mouth down to his ear. “I’m glad to call you friend.”
Hugo apparently had excellent hearing as he pulled out of the embrace and said, “Hey, what about me?”
Lou considered her options for a few seconds. “I’m glad Nelson’s your friend, too.
Hugo wagged a finger at her and then waved at several animals nearby. “Attack the mean girl!”
The soldiers, two ants and a squid wolf, gave Lou a half-hearted look and then walked off.
Nelson said, “Let�
�s go home!”
Lou smiled and squeezed him even tighter.
Epilogue
Horvuk paced back and forth in front of the campfire. They’d set up camp outside of the baron’s stronghold despite Vua offering them rooms for the night. The baron’s daughter sat across from Hugo, preparing the next hunk of meat for the fire. She’d been mostly quiet, watching and listening to how they interacted, with a faint air of envy.
The orc thumped the cover of his journal. “And you’re sure you’ve left out no details?”
Hugo pried another strip of meat from the skewer and chewed it several times as he talked. “I think you’ve got everything. Can we all agree that your two-hour interrogation was plenty?” He looked at Nelson and Lou.
They nodded.
Lou, now back in her body, wiggled herself in tighter against the side of Silurf’s closed wing. The dragon had insisted she rest on his much softer wing over cozying up to his scaly underbelly.
Two ants hung well away from the fire, while the rest of the animals had been thanked and sent home. The ants would take them to a specific meadow in the morning, and the three would pull up plenty of grass blades for use in their brood chamber, per their agreement.
Nelson ate a few more berries and looked into the woods. “The wizard and Neruno should be back soon. He said it wouldn’t take long to fetch his body.”
The warrior elf, still a ghost, had left a few hours ago with the wizard to help him. The golem kept asserting himself every few minutes now, and Itzel had requested an escort that would keep Georgie in line. The golem trusted the noble hero and was amiable to the journey, at least when they’d left.
Lou looked at the dragon. “What happens with the magic Orb took from everyone?”
I wouldn’t know what he has left of that. He seemed to be relying on the spirits he’d trapped, so my guess is he’d already used it up before facing you three. The dragon made sure his answer could be received by all.
“What does that mean for your son? Will he get wings?” Hugo asked.
The baron required us to hand over a certain amount of our magic almost every year. Since that tithe will no longer be happening, our magic will grow. Eventually, those with wings will fly again, and that magic will be passed down to any born after that. But as for my son and his generation, he will never know the joys of flight.
Heroes of Perpetua Page 29
