Secrets and Spellcraft

by Michael G. Manning

  Will was beginning to feel impatient. “Did you learn the enchantment from her?”

  His friend scowled at his abruptness. “Well no, but I did get a date!”

  Will covered his face with his hands.

  “Congratulations, Rob. I’m so happy for you. It’s amazing that a girl like that would go on a date with you!” said Rob in an overly enthusiastic tone.

  “What was all that?”

  “What you should say when you’re happy for a friend, you knob,” replied Rob darkly.

  “Oh, I see,” said Will. Then he adopted a saccharine smile and repeated the words. “Congratulations, Rob! I’m so damned happy for you! Will I be invited to the wedding?”

  Rob ignored his tone and accepted the words as his natural due. “Thank you, Will. I’ll introduce you someday, maybe after the wedding.”

  Will laughed. “So, you didn’t learn the enchantment. Are you just here to brag?”

  “No. She told me the name. It’s called a ‘glass trigger,’ or more properly a ‘destructive trigger.’ Apparently, they’re used a lot in mining and excavation when they want to release acids or set off explosions without being too close.”

  “Now I know what to look for. Is it restricted?”

  Rob shook his head. “According to Veronica it isn’t. Most enchantments aren’t, since they aren’t usually dangerous or useful for criminal endeavors. Anyway, for whatever reason, this one is so basic and common that there’s not much point in trying to put it in the restricted sections.”

  After that, Will wasted no time before going to visit the library, this time in a legitimate fashion, and just as Rob had said, the enchantment was easy to find in several of the early enchanting primers. Knowing the name of what he was looking for made all the difference in the world.

  The simplest version was little more than what amounted to a one-time use enchantment inscribed on a piece of paper and imbued with a small portion of turyn. The user could pick a command word at the time of creation, so it was possible to use different commands if separate activations were desired. The obverse was also true—multiple triggers could be made that used the same command word so that all would activate at the same time.

  There were also more complex versions that could incorporate multiple command words, in case the user wanted more flexibility, and there were other types that could be used to trigger spells built into separate enchantments. Will didn’t feel ready for any of those, but all he really needed was the simple version. He copied it into his journal and then made notes on the text before leaving the library and heading for the Alchemy building.

  He wanted to test the enchantment out on actual vials in a controlled environment, and the Alchemy building had rooms built for just such things.

  His tests went well. The enchantment was just about the simplest thing he had ever learned, and it worked exactly as he’d hoped. Will spent a few hours preparing enough triggers for the vials he had already made.

  Now I just have to make sure everything is in place for the wedding, he thought.

  Chapter 62

  Will sat on the end of the last pew in the cathedral. He was wearing his best clothing, the doublet and hose he’d had made for the Winter Ball. It was the only thing he had that was remotely acceptable for a royal wedding, but he still felt uncomfortable about the fact that he had no armor on. His brigandine was too bulky to wear with the doublet and jerkin.

  After everything he’d been through, not having at least torso protection made him feel naked and vulnerable. The fact that he was almost certain to face serious threats to life and limb didn’t make it any easier. But the armor might interfere anyway, he reminded himself, thinking of Plan C. Plan C revolved around the spell he had prepared and tucked away, though if he had to use it, he wasn’t sure he would survive.

  Best case, I walk out of here with Selene, though there isn’t really a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening. No, he would almost certainly have to rely on Plan B and hope they couldn’t catch him. His main goal was to show Selene the truth. Happily ever after would have to wait for another day.

  He had come to the cathedral the day before, so he could surreptitiously prepare the scene, and he had returned early in the morning so he could hide himself with a chameleon spell before the cathedral filled with guests. If he’d had an invitation, he would have just walked in with everyone else, but someone had neglected to send one to the princess’ illicit lover. It’s almost as if they don’t trust me, he thought sourly.

  Will had secretly hoped the goddamn cat would show himself, but he had seen no sign of that worthy being in attendance. The cat only did was suited him, and since there were no demons or fae involved in a royal wedding, it probably didn’t interest the demigod.

  Once the church had filled with those commoners lucky enough to be considered worthy of an invitation, Will had dropped his chameleon spell and mixed in with them so he could find his current seat. Trying to stay hidden would have been too risky with so many sorcerers in attendance, which is what most of the nobility were, and they were due to arrive.

  The side entrances opened, and the peers of the realm began to enter, filling one of the smaller side sections. Once they were inside, the other section filled with wealthy citizens deemed too important to sit with the other commoners. With everyone seated, the orchestra in the back began to play, and a hush fell over the crowded cathedral.

  The huge double doors of the main entrance opened once more and Count Spry marched down the central aisle to take his place in front of the altar, where the high priest waited for him. Will’s heart began to speed up in anticipation.

  A few minutes later the doors opened again, and Princess Selene Maligant stood between them, flanked by her father and backlit by a sun that seemed to have been created for only that purpose. The light yellow of her dress glowed in the light, and Will forgot to breathe. She’s more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. He was stunned for a moment, and it wasn’t until he felt a tear trickle down one cheek that he realized how utterly taken he was by the moment.

  Her dress was a work of art—simple, yet embroidered with lace and flowers that seemed to flow across her shoulders and down her arms. He could only stare as King Lognion began to slowly escort her down the aisle, and doubts began to assail him. I shouldn’t be here. I’m going to ruin everything, and she’ll hate me for the rest of her life.

  Selene smiled beatifically as she walked down the aisle, her eyes scanning the crowd of well-wishers. She stumbled when her gaze fell upon Will, and her eyes widened in alarm. He could almost hear her unspoken words: “Don’t do it. Don’t you dare. They’ll kill you.”

  Will smiled reassuringly, though he doubted his expression had the intended effect. Soon she had passed by and he was left staring at her back. The ceremony continued. The high priest opened with his greetings to the assembled crowd, and a lengthy soliloquy about the sanctity of marriage and the hallowed history of the institution. Will only wished it would go more quickly, for his heart was racing a mile a minute and he wanted to get on with his idiocy before he died of a heart attack.

  Eventually the priest reached the part Will had been waiting for. “If any man here can show just cause why—” A hush fell over the cathedral and loud gasps sounded from some of the guests as Will rose and began walking down the central aisle.

  The guests were understandably confused, and among the wedding party there wasn’t a single face that showed anything less than pure malice as they watched Will’s approach. Even the priest was furious; he didn’t bother asking what Will wanted. The cleric gestured to the wings and ordered, “Take this fool out of here!”

  So much for tradition, thought Will as two unarmed guards approached him from either side. Weapons had been forbidden inside, though the soldiers outside the building were well armed. Will caught both men with the source-link spell when they were twenty feet away, and by the time they reached him they were too weak to seize him. They grasped feebly at h
im and he pushed them away, whereupon they collapsed to the floor. “I think you should hear what I have to say!” he announced loudly.

  Selene was staring at him, her face the very picture of a human being in the throes of absolute horror. King Lognion watched him with a bemused expression, but Vincent Spry’s features had transformed to reflect the vast and uncontainable rage that had filled him from head to toe. “You dare?” screamed the count, spittle flying from his lips. He followed his expression of outrage with a hastily constructed bolt of fire, drawing from his elemental too quickly for anyone to react.

  Will lifted his hand, though it was an unnecessary gesture, and when the blazing line of flame reached him it flickered and went out as he absorbed its power. “Princess Selene does not love this man,” he said, pitching his voice so it could be heard from one end of the cathedral to the other. “She is marrying him against her will.”

  “Only legal causes can be given at a time like this, young man,” said the priest, who seemed to have decided to properly act his part. “Declarations of love are not sufficient to—”

  “Marriage is a voluntary act,” interrupted Will. “Can one who has been compelled be considered to be a voluntary participant?”

  Count Spry appeared on the verge of apoplexy, and a new spell started to appear above his palms. Selene shoved him to interrupt the cast. “Stop it, Vincent!” She turned her attention back to Will. “I’m doing this of my own free will,” she declared.

  Will drew steadily closer and they were less than ten feet apart by then. “No, you aren’t. You love me. You’re doing this because he told you it was the only way to protect me.” He accompanied the accusation with a finger pointed at the king.

  Selene’s features were desperate, her eyes full of fear. “William, you have to stop, before it’s too late.”

  “I won’t stop,” said Will calmly. “There’s nothing left for you to fear and nothing to gain. This wedding won’t protect me now that I’ve stood here and made a fool of that man.” His eyes darted toward Count Spry. “Tell them the truth.”

  “William, please,” she begged. “You have to—”

  Count Spry couldn’t take it any longer. He rushed forward. “I’m not going to stand here and listen to this fool prattling on about—”

  Selene acted on instinct. As the groom started to pass by, she caught the back of his jacket, pulling him off balance. Though it wasn’t quite intentional, she wound up throwing him to the floor in front of the gathered masses. “I said stop!” she shouted. “This is my business, not yours!” Selene stared down in dismay at the man she had just humiliated.

  The count wasn’t done, however. From the floor he turned his face to the king. “Your Majesty, I call on you to end this travesty and expel this man at once!”

  King Lognion’s face, which had shown only amusement, slowly changed to an expression of annoyance. “Count Spry, return to your place and be silent. You try my patience.” Then he looked at Will. “William, you never cease to amaze. Do you think this will earn my blessing? You cannot be that great a fool.”

  Will looked from Selene to her father. “No, Your Majesty. I only want the truth to be known. Your daughter is in love with me. She only weds the count because you have ordered her to do so.” Deep down he was beginning to worry. Things hadn’t gone terribly wrong yet, but neither had they proceeded as he hoped. If they went on much longer, he would have to abandon the attempt and move on to escape before it was too late.

  Selene’s eyes moved from the count, to Will, to her father in quick succession. Her heart and mind were a mess of emotions. Anger and frustration competed with pure confusion as she tried to decide what to do. The situation was devolving rapidly, and she knew there was no point in continuing with the wedding any longer, but what worried her most was the expression in her father’s eyes.

  The elementals hovering above the king’s shoulders were pulsing brightly, and Will could see lines of turyn being channeled from them into their master. Lognion’s eyes stared at him with cold intensity. “You should have listened to my offer, William. This was not the way, and now you will suffer the fate that befalls any man who dares anger me.” A spell began to form in front of him.

  Will started to react, but Selene stepped in front of him. “No!” she declared loudly. “If you want to kill him, you’ll have to kill me first.”

  A shocked groan came from the audience and King Lognion paused, letting his spell fade. His attention was on his daughter now, and the malice in his gaze was hot enough to melt steel. His voice emerged in a low, menacing tone. “I will say this only once, daughter. Step aside. Your pet has gone too far.”

  Selene’s jaw was set in defiance. “I won’t.” Reaching behind her, she took Will’s hand in her own. If she felt any surprise when she felt what he held in his palm, she didn’t show it on her face. She closed her fist around the object and Will wrapped his hand around hers.

  That should be enough, thought Will. He’ll compel her to move with the heart-stone enchantment and then I’ll have to run for my life. She’ll know the truth, though. She’ll know he’s been lying to her all along. A few more seconds and it would be time for Plan B.

  King Lognion addressed the crowd. “Everyone out!” No one moved for a few seconds, but after he repeated his command the people in the benches began to hastily head for the exits. Lognion repeated his order for the benefit of the clergy as well. “I said out! I want everyone but Count Spry, my daughter, and the soon-to-be-dead man out of this cathedral.” It took several minutes for the place to empty, and after it had he looked at the count. “Stand by me if you would, Vincent, so I can shield you. We wouldn’t want you dying by accident.”

  Will’s heart leapt into his throat when the king spoke again. “Very well, my willful daughter. It’s time for you to learn a painful lesson. You have only yourself to blame for this. Please kill the idiot standing beside you.”

  Selene almost laughed. “You’re insane—” but then the heart-stone enchantment in her chest pulsed, and her voice stopped suddenly. She released Will’s hand and turned without hesitation, her other hand covered by a stone spike which she drove toward his midsection.

  He was too close to dodge and too surprised to move, but a force shield appeared in front of her spike, causing it to shatter. Will took several steps back. This isn’t what I wanted, he thought desperately. “Selene, if you can hear me, try to fight it!” he called.

  King Lognion stood behind a force dome and laughed, while Count Spry looked on in confusion. Stone from the floor flowed upward to encase Selene’s body in heavy armor, while water condensed around her hands, forming deadly water blades. There was nothing in her eyes but determination.

  Will tried to think. This wasn’t one of the situations he had anticipated. But it wasn’t all bad. The king had finally given a command that would destroy her delusion. He just had to survive. It was time to run. He began backing away when a water drill speared toward him. He intercepted it with another force shield. Two more followed it in quick succession, and he stopped those as well, then the floor began to move.

  She’ll try to trap me, he realized. “Let’s start the party!” he yelled, using the phrase he had picked for his enchantments. Tiny explosions rang out at various points throughout the cathedral, as the alchemical smoke bombs he had planted the night before shattered. Worried about both himself and the crowd, he had chosen a formula that would produce a harmless gas to obscure the area. He ran to one side as smoke filled the room, adjusting his vision as he went.

  He was the only one who could see now, and all he had to do was get to one of the exits. There was nothing Selene could do to stop him.

  Or so he thought.

  When he reached the eastern exit, he found nothing but a thick stone wall. Something swept toward him through the smoke, and he only evaded it by dropping down to lie on the floor. It was a twisting, horizontal column of water that tore apart the wooden benches as it passed. Shit, shit, shit! He le
apt to his feet as it passed and ran toward the main entrance. It was probably blocked too, but it was all he could think to do.

  Will was forced to dodge another column of water as he ran, and when he reached the door he found it just as solidly blocked. Keeping his eyes on Selene and the king, he started back toward the center of the cathedral. He dodged several more water columns as he went. Selene was systematically destroying the interior of the cathedral in her efforts to kill her unseen opponent.

  Once he was close enough to be sure of his aim, Will unleashed a force bolt at King Lognion. It exploded forcefully against the dome surrounding the monarch. Will saw Lognion stumble for a moment, but he kept his feet and his defense didn’t shatter. How long can he keep that dome up? wondered Will. Then he realized that with four elementals, the king probably had the turyn to sustain it almost indefinitely.

  “That’s not very sporting of you, William,” laughed Lognion. “I’m not your opponent, Selene is.”

  He resisted the urge to reply, which would give away his position. Instead, Will fired off several more force lances, pounding the king’s defenses, but they seemed to have no effect. Then stones began to rain down from the ceiling, and he was forced to produce shields to block those that came to close to hitting him. This is ridiculous, he thought. I can’t win like this. He kept moving, firing off force lances at irregular intervals, hoping he could force the king to use up his absurd turyn reserves.

  “I think we’ve had enough of this smoke,” said Lognion. “It’s time for you to die, William.” A strong updraft swept through the cathedral, pushing the alchemical smoke up and away from the ground. Within seconds the air was clear, and the ceiling was obscured by a strange-looking indoor cloud as the king’s air elemental kept the smoke suspended. “Finish him, Selene!”

  Will tried to construct a chameleon spell, but Selene spotted him and sent a water drill in his direction. He was forced to abandon the spell construct and block her assault with a shield. He changed tactics, trying to cast a blur spell, but stones fell from the ceiling, this time with much greater accuracy.