Delminor's Trials

by Stephen J Wolf

  Sometime later, Xervius walked into the room, his face a mask of rage and his quirkier mannerisms subdued. “Explain.”

  “I’ll tell you everything if you’ll listen. I’ve seen a pattern in the neophyte spells. They’re needlessly long and can be reduced to smaller, simpler incantations.”

  Xervius rolled his eyes. “We have no need of such a thing. Continue.”

  Delminor hesitated for a moment. “Well it seems obvious that the masters have shorter variations of the spells in the lower books. I wanted to see them. I came to the masters’ floor—”

  Xervius blew out a sigh. “You’re leaving out part of your story.”

  He considered for a moment, then realized he was automatically keeping Donya’s name out of the telling. He explained how they’d come to the masters’ floor, met Una, and agreed to work for her in secret.

  “But I didn’t know her intentions. I didn’t realize there were divided loyalties among the masters or that she wanted to replace you.”

  Xervius’ eyes shot up. “She what?”

  He blinked, surprised Xervius didn’t know. “I heard it secondhand, but that’s what she was tasking us to do; give her stronger spells than those she could handle. I honestly had no idea.”

  Xervius paced the room with a careless gait, his mind reeling. “What else? Who else was in on all of this?”

  Reluctantly, he answered, suspecting that Xervius would find out anyway. “My friend Pyron helped us decipher the gestures for the spells, but he never knew we were assisting Una. He’s innocent of all that. Gallena and Arenda are involved with masters who are poised against Una. As far as I know, they have been expelled already.”

  Lorresh tapped his foot and could keep silent no longer. “Overseer, this has to stop. We already know what’s going on and why. Things won’t get any better. I think this one may be the answer.”

  “Indeed?” Xervius asked in a doubting tone. “How so?”

  “You should have seen his performance in the battle. There is something about him. A knack, if you will. The energies seem to commune with him, like they’re connected in some way. He is a mere neophyte who has been here but a year, but he commanded earth and air both. And together.”

  “Together?” Xervius’s tone was perplexed.

  “He cracked the ground and brought forth a rush of air. It was master level, easily, but beyond that. Opposing elements, Overseer. From a neophyte.”

  Xervius considered for a moment then turned back to Delminor. “Could you replicate that spell now if I asked you to?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I was caught in the moment and inspiration hit. I can explain how I did it though.”

  He scratched his chin, humming. “You didn’t have that pre-created?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  Xervius prompted him to continue and Delminor debated how much to reveal. The Overseer was so different than the last time he had met him. There was nothing silly or quirky about him. He was wholly focused on the depths of the situation. It was unnerving.

  “I didn’t have the strength to work the fissure spell; I don’t even know all of it. And the air, I was toying with as opposition to earth, which is more my specialty. I cast parts of the earth spell in reverse to strengthen the air magic.”

  “Antimagic?” Xervius walked over to a seat and sank into it. “You’re but a boy. Where is this coming from? Who else has helped you?”

  Delminor shook his head. “I don’t know why I think of these things. Like the runes, how their placement on the page partially determines their meaning.”

  Lorresh gasped. “What?”

  He had thought the masters would already know that. “Well, it’s different based on the rune itself, but the location changes its meaning, among other things.”

  “Astounding! Xervius?”

  The older man’s face was unreadable. “Who gave you the translation tomes?”

  “Translation tomes?”

  “The ones that—” But as he watched Delminor’s face, he realized the eighteen-year-old had no idea what he was talking about. “This is remarkable, I must say. You’re reading runes on your own. Lorresh, perhaps you are right.”

  “I can think of no other way.”

  “Delminor, have you ever heard of the Red Jade? It is an ancient artifact that was the source of magic power in the land. It was destroyed by greed and broken into pieces, each shard with its own power.”

  Xervius reached into his robe and withdrew an oblong, faded yellow crystal. “This is the jade of air and has been in our possession for but a few years. Yet its presence here has been a cause of strife among the masters.”

  Delminor’s eyes opened wide as he stared at the relic. It was easily hundreds of years old, yet still intact, still radiating energy. “But why? What does it do?”

  Xervius held the pale crystal out for Delminor to take.

  He felt a cool breeze wafting around the shard and a pulse emanating from within. “It’s throbbing. And…” He closed his eyes and held the jade to his ear, then shook his head. “I feel like it’s whispering, but I can’t quite hear it.”

  Lorresh’s eyes widened but he dared not speak. Xervius took the jade and lowered his head, a difficult decision weighing on him. “Mages can use this piece of jade to discern air spells in a more direct manner. It is how Una came to some of her skill.”

  “Wait… Are you saying that the spellbooks don’t have condensed versions of lower spells? That you learn them from this?”

  “Partly,” Lorresh answered. “There are indeed shorter spells, but for an incantation like the one Una used to steal your breath, no. That was inspiration learned from the jade itself.”

  Delminor rubbed his forehead. “She asked us to decipher spells of water, earth, and fire. I had assumed air would be next.”

  “She wouldn’t need it,” Xervius explained. “We do not have possession of the other jades at this time. Some now reside in Magehaven to the south.”

  “Overseer, is that where all the magic comes from? We can’t learn magic without them?”

  “No, Delminor, that is not so. The jades merely facilitate a connection to the energies more directly. The fact that you hear the whispering intrigues me. You are a self-proclaimed earth mage, yet the air shard speaks to you. As Lorresh said, you may be the key.”

  “The key to what?”

  He stared intently at Delminor. “To fully understanding the power of the jades.”

  Delminor didn’t know what to make of it. “That’s way beyond what I want to do. I just want to learn more.”

  “And so you shall,” Xervius said. “But it will be far more than you imagined.” An awkward silence hung in the air. “Now as to the events tonight, there still must be recompense.”

  “But—”

  “There is no fighting between mages allowed within my sanctum. You and your accomplices will be immediately exiled from this tower.”

  “What? But—”

  “Silence!” He turned to Lorresh. “Fetch his other friend, Pyron, and have him prepare a travel pack. He will accompany the other two.” Lorresh left immediately.

  “But he had noth—”

  Xervius’s eyes narrowed. “Speak out of turn again and I will rethink your punishment.”

  Delminor bit his lip and tried to stop his body shaking. He had expected to be tossed out, but involving Pyron was unfair. He’d done nothing to deserve banishment. His only crime was showing kindness and support to Delminor.

  “My ruling is absolute,” Xervius decreed. “You will venture out of here and you will not return to this place unless you think you can fairly defeat me in battle.”

  “But you said battle is not allowed,” he said half-heartedly.

  Xervius stepped close to Delminor and his voice lowered to a whisper the teen could barely hear. “Take the air jade with you. Unlock its power. Your friends have already helped you decipher some of the texts, yes? You will need their help. Seek the other jades. It will not
be easy, but you must persist. With this jade gone from here, I can rein the masters back under my control for some time. But until the power of the jades is decentralized, these factions will continue to form and grow. Speak none of this within these walls. And hide this now so that none will know you have it.”

  He pressed the air jade into Delminor’s hand and waited until it was stashed away safely. Then loudly, “Delminor of Verrithon, I hereby banish you from the Magitorium, never to return.”

  Hearing the words sent shudders down his spine, though he hadn’t really been given a punishment.

  He had been given a quest.

  Chapter 14

  Pyron’s Dismay

  Delminor was escorted out of the tower in full view of many other mages, from master to neophyte. It was an embarrassing spectacle. The main doors opened and he was given a hearty shove out into the night air.

  It wasn’t long before Donya and Pyron were similarly ejected, Pyron’s face covered in tears. “You don’t understand. I didn’t do anything,” he lamented. “Why am I being sent away?”

  He banged on the wooden doors, but they wouldn’t open for him. He wailed about the injustice of it all, then turned his anger on Delminor.

  “It’s all your fault! Those spells… What were they for? Why have they done this to me? I don’t deserve this!”

  “I agree. But we need to move away from here before I can explain.”

  “We? There is no we. You’re on your own, the both of you.”

  Donya stepped toward him. “Pyron, wait. At least hear what’s going on first. You can always head out after, but if you go now then you’ll never know or understand.”

  “I always liked you, Donya, but you’ve thrown your lot in with him. I don’t know if I can trust you anymore.”

  “Come as far as Meralion, then go from there whichever way you choose.” It was the closest town anyway, so Pyron grudgingly conceded, but he walked far ahead of the other two.

  It was a solemn journey through the night. Pyron refused to stop to make camp until he was too exhausted to continue. He slept away from the others, maintaining his silence. Delminor and Donya took turns keeping watch each night of the trek.

  Four days later, Meralion came into view mid-morning and by the afternoon they were inside the hamlet looking for a place to rest. A kindly woman named Krissa welcomed the bedraggled trio into her home and offered a simple stew. They ate hungrily, and graciously accepted the offer to sleep a while.

  The quaint town reminded Delminor of home, and he wondered if his parents had made any effort to find him after he deserted them. He’d taken their supply money, and he figured they would have bartered with his flasks and jars of supplies. It would only be fair.

  He didn’t think of them with the same anger he used to and he wondered why. Had so much time passed that he didn’t remember his father striking him in anger? Or had he seen so much that it was trivial to think about? Perhaps it was his new quest.

  As he thought of the air jade, he reached his hand into his pocket to feel it. The jade had a constant sensation of air blowing around it, even when he clutched it tightly. He could hear the whispering inside as if some soul was trapped within and trying to communicate with him. It was an odd passing thought he would return to later.

  Pyron trudged over to Delminor, who was sitting in a small garden near their benefactor’s home. He dropped heavily on a bench and sat in silence. When Delminor tried to apologize, Pyron held up his hand. “Let’s wait for Donya.”

  Thoroughly drained from the journey, it took another hour before she was awake enough to join them. She took an empty space beside Delminor and stretched delicately. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “I want to know why I’m here. Why I was kicked out. Why I couldn’t defend myself.”

  Delminor summarized the best he could. “Those spells we were working on were for one of the masters who was looking to overthrow Xervius. We didn’t know that was her intent or we never would have agreed. We confronted her about it, got into a battle, and were ejected.”

  Pyron was taken aback. “You battled a master and didn’t get killed? How?”

  “I was able to use what we were learning to hold my own. Even Donya employed our findings.”

  “But how does this involve me?”

  “You helped us translate the spells. And I need you for the next task.”

  “You what? You need me? Did you ask for me to be kicked out?”

  “Hardly! I tried to absolve you, but Xervius was certain I would need you.” He pulled the jade out of his pocket. “Do you know what this is?”

  Donya and Pyron both eyed the shard agog. “That’s— How did you— Where—” Pyron stammered. “Did you steal it?”

  Delminor was shocked at the accusation. “Steal it? No, Xervius gave it to me. He wants us to figure out all it can do. This is the answer to everything that’s happened. And… and he wants us to do the same with the other jades as well.”

  Pyron stood up and paced the garden, sorting it all out. “He gave it to you? Do you know what that is?”

  Donya nodded. “I can hardly believe it myself.”

  Delminor handed the jade to Pyron. “It’s authentic.”

  Pyron closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “I can feel the air surrounding it and it pulses with energy.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe he gave this to you.” He handed the jade to Donya, who also took a moment to feel its power.

  “I wonder if that sensation of air is always present or just when we’re near it?”

  Delminor smiled, taking the jade when she offered it to him, ensuring he graced her hand in the process. “That’s one of many questions we’ll answer. But I need your help to do so. Both of you.”

  “I’m not sure,” Pyron wavered. “I was happy there.”

  “Your skill translating and sketching the gestures is vitally important, as are your inspirations when we’re deciphering the texts. Come with us to Magehaven.”

  “We’re going there?” Donya asked. “Ah, the other jades are there. Of course we’re going there.”

  Pyron frowned. “It’s not as welcoming as the Magitorium. What you were doing for that master, you can expect the same kind of bartering just for food and shelter.”

  “I’m fine with that. My goal isn’t to master these things myself. I want everyone to have access to the knowledge.”

  “Not everyone will approve of that,” Pyron warned. “There are a lot of opinionated mages who feel superior because of their gifts. They won’t take kindly to handing knowledge out freely.”

  “You’ve been there?” Donya asked.

  “My father has served on the Mage Council since I was a kid. Once I was old enough to learn magic, he stepped down temporarily to train me.”

  “Personalized training sounds great,” Delminor said.

  “Not when the master teaching you has little patience for failure. He sent me off to the Magitorium, to stay there until I could master a host of spells.” His tone went dour. “But now I can’t even do that.”

  “I’m truly sorry. But perhaps the work we’re going to do with this jade will bring him around. Besides, you already have improved your skills since then, haven’t you?”

  “True.” Pyron sat down and asked to hold the jade again. “It’s a shame this isn’t the earth jade. That would make things so much easier right now. I could tap into it and draw up new spells. That would make my father happy.”

  “I don’t think it’s a total loss, having the wrong jade in our possession. It’ll give us insight into another element, and I think it can still help us with our earth magic.” He explained a little about his antimagic theory, of reversing spell components, and of combining elements together.

  At last Pyron was intrigued enough to stop lamenting his expulsion. “My father should still reside within Magehaven, so that’ll give us access to the tower. What we do inside will depend on other factors, but at least it’s a start.”

  Chapter 15
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br />   Journeying

  The trio remained in Meralion for several days, decompressing from the trials that had taken place in the Magitorium. They decided not to do any new spell work in the meantime, preferring to use this opportunity to learn more about each other.

  Donya and Delminor spent some time alone, their relationship blossoming more each day. They complemented each other well. Where Delminor could be impulsive and rash, Donya was thoughtful and calm. He enjoyed running his fingers through her long brown hair and staring into her dark green eyes. Tracing the curve of her cheek always made her blush and smile.

  They were careful not to shut Pyron out. Each took walks with him through the town and they worked together to help villagers with chores as payment for their stay. In some ways, they all felt they could remain there for the rest of their lives; calm, simple, with a bare elegance that would satisfy their hearts.

  Yet the jade in Delminor’s possession was a constant reminder of the task that awaited them. The air jade whooshed softly in the silent nights, and Delminor could hear the faint whispering from within the shard, though the other two could not.

  Once they felt content with their stay, they bid their farewells to the villagers and made their way further south toward Magehaven.

  As they went, the landscape shifted from rolling green hills to a strangely cool desert. It was as if there were overhanging trees keeping the sun’s light from warming them, despite there being no cover at all. The desert spanned miles and the villagers of Meralion had hinted at their fears that the desert would one day overwhelm them.

  As they went, a smattering of feral creatures impeded their progress. Swallomers were a source of stress nearer the village, but sandorpions were a heartier threat in the desert proper.

  The long tails of the sandorpions held poisonous barbs that could paralyze a foe, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Donya was intent upon disabling them each time with the deluge spell, a highly effective means against a creature that survived without water. She carried numerous vials of water, which she refilled when they neared pools of water, allowing her to use the spell more often.