Dex sat on the ground, feeling foolish and weak, but happy to be alive. He had failed his quest, but he wasn’t ready to give up. Being tricked by his father was a painful lesson, but one he wouldn’t make again. He would catch up to Maslow sooner or later, and when he did he would pay for stealing from Dex.
Chapter 14
“They took everything,” Dex said.
He was huddled on a blanket near one of the coal fires. Reegan had used magic to levitate the three different coal bundles into one larger fire. The Greeg had left in a hurry, taking everything except for the food already simmering in small pots. Reegan hadn’t bothered to collect the food left by the nomads, he still had plenty of pork, potatoes, and bread from the villagers in North Gate, not to mention cheese, carrots, onions, smoked fish, and dried beef from his own rations. As usual, the outrider carried a small bottle of wine, which he poured for Dex. Reegan took one of Bliss’ long tail feathers, set it ablaze, and then shook the ashes into Dex’s cup of wine. The feather had magical healing properties, and Bliss was only too happy to help.
“But nothing that can’t be replaced,” Reegan said.
“They have Titan.”
“And you have your life, be thankful for that. If we hadn’t caught up to you when we did, you’d have been sacrificed to Agmed, the Greeg god of good fortune.”
“We don’t believe in gods, do we?” Dex asked.
“I guess your education isn’t complete,” Reegan replied. “We do believe in God, the one true God who filled the Sylykron with power and led the Marshyl Guild to our mandate.”
“I’ve never seen a temple or shrine in the compound,” Dex said.
“That’s because the first Marshyls decided that our beliefs and worship of God are personal. God gave us the power to take the magical objects of this world and forge the strongest armor and weapons possible. When we fulfill our potential we are honoring the God who gave us this sacred purpose. Our task is as holy as a priest’s in a temple, and protecting the innocent is our act of service.”
“I have to ask you something,” Dex said, the warm stew that Reegan had prepared and the medicinal wine had warmed his body. He felt loose and bold, yet completely relaxed. “What do we do with the magical objects we recover?”
“We store them, you know that.”
“Yes, I have seen the Vault of Mysteries, and the ancient fortress, even Laskis, but I haven’t seen wands or rings or sorcerers’ staffs.”
“That’s because in most cases those objects are destroyed.”
“Isn’t that a gigantic waste?” Dex asked. “I mean, surely not every person who had access to a magical wand would be corrupted by it.”
“Perhaps not, but consider just how powerful those objects are. Is it a risk worth taking? If we doled out the wands and rings we recover, wouldn’t we just be making more work for ourselves? And consider where those objects came from. The origin of a magical object is extremely important to the way in which it responds to the will of the person wielding it.”
“What does that mean?” Dex asked.
“I think you know,” Reegan replied, looking at Dex’s hand where the knuckles were bonded with platinum and opal shards. “You took a mage’s ring. When you used it, how did it make you feel?”
Dex didn’t answer right away. He remembered the malicious feelings that came over him when he used the ring. It was powerful and had filled him with dark desires to force others to do his bidding. He had to overcome the ring’s natural tendencies with the force of his own will. It hadn’t been easy at first, and tapping into the ring’s deep power had been painful. Saving the villagers in the Sawtooth Mountains had forced Dex to master the ring completely, and when he was done the metal had bonded with his skin, sinking into his pores and forming a metallic layer across his knuckles, the gemstone shattering and spreading through the metal. He could still move and use his hand, but the ring’s power was bonded to him permanently.
“I felt the desire of the ring,” Dex admitted. “But I brought it under my control. It doesn’t tempt me anymore.”
“That alone is a great feat, Dex, as incredible as your friends forging a new kind of armor or finding the hidden cavern we call Laskis. When we take a magical object and forge it into a wand, or ring, or staff, or armor, we bend that object to our will and infuse it with our own desires. For instance, when Kyp made you the dragon armor, he forced the metal and dragon scales to bond together, and his purpose for making the armor was to protect you. It has a bit of his will to protect you built into it, and the magic is infused with his desire. When an outlaw takes a phoenix feather or griffin blood to make a wand, his will to use that magic in a certain way shapes the natural tendencies of the wand.”
“So if we took wands that were created to control and hurt others, even in the hands of good people, they would still want to do evil?”
“That’s right. It takes great fortitude and altruistic intent to overcome the natural tendencies of a magic wand or ring. The result is usually a reforming of the object itself. For instance when you used the ring to help the people in the village who were in danger, you didn’t just master the ring’s intent, you broke the ring, you reforged it. The only part of the original ring that survived was its desire to be used and never lost. I think that’s why it physically bonded to your skin. Now it will always be part of you.”
“So if we shared the wands and rings we recover from outlaws, they would corrupt the people we gave them to. Even if those people had good intentions?
“In most cases, yes.”
“What about the Sylykron?” Dex asked. “Is it right for us to hide it away? Wouldn’t it be better if its light was shared with the world?”
“Of course it would,” Reegan replied, a look of hope in his eyes. “And perhaps one day we can reveal its presence, but not while there’s still a threat that people will fight and kill to control its power. Wars have been fought for much less, Dex. And by channeling the power of the Sylykron a person with just a little understanding could be invincible.”
“Why don’t we use it?”
“Do you think that would be a good idea?”
Dex thought for a second, but realized what would happen.
“It would make us too strong,” Dex said.
“Power has the tendency to corrupt, and total power corrupts completely. Part of what makes the Marshyl Guild a force for good are the struggles we go through. We don’t run Familiars through the Gauntlet just because we want to torture them. The discipline that comes through mastering our physical bodies, and overcoming extreme hardship, bonds us to the mission of our Guild. If it were easy to obtain, it would be easy to lose, or worse, to pervert. Not every Marshyl stays true to the mandate, as you well know, but most do. And the Guild is organized in a way to ensure that our power is equitable across all of Dancyll. Every kingdom has a Marshyl Ambassador, and at least one Ranger, so that no kingdom becomes too strong in magic, and so that we don’t fool ourselves into abusing our power.”
“But the Lord Marshyl has absolute power over the entire Guild,” Dex argued. “What keeps him from ordering us to do something evil?”
“The same thing that keeps you running to save the day whenever something goes wrong,” Reegan said with a chuckle. “The Lord Marshyl is appointed by his or her fellow Marshyls, usually because they have proven not only their strength in a fight, but their character and integrity as well. The office of Lord Marshyl is responsible for overseeing the entire Guild, but we don’t blindly follow orders. We each have our own will and can act on our own when we feel the need. If the Lord Marshyl ordered us to kill the innocent, would you obey?”
“No,” Dex said.
“Neither would I. So the Lord Marshyl is the head of our guild, but he doesn’t control us. We walk a fine line between being too weak to carry out our mandate, and too strong to be trusted not to abuse our power. Each Marshyl must find his own way between the two extremes. Self-control is just as important in protecting the
innocent, as the use of power to stop those who intend to do evil.”
Dex thought about what his mentor was saying. He was tired, his body weary, but relaxed. He lay back on the horse blanket that Reegan had spread out for him. Bliss snuggled in beside him, covering his body with one massive wing. The phoenix had a remarkable body heat. With Bliss on one side and the coal fire on the other, Dex was warmer than he had been since leaving the village of North Gate. He stared up at the stars and moon, thinking about what his father had argued, that the Marshyl Guild was hoarding magical power, robbing the world of the wonders of the Sylykron. He fell asleep reassured that he was on the side of right, which only strengthened his resolve to complete his quest.
Chapter 15
“I’m going after Titan,” Dex said the following morning.
It had been a huge surprise when Dex woke up feeling not only fully rested, but without an ache or pain anywhere in his body. The bruises were gone, and while there was still dried blood in his hair, the lump on his head was gone and the laceration had healed. He felt better than before he’d been waylaid, and he was full of energy.
“What? No, Dex. It’s time we called a halt to this foolishness,” Reegan said. “You’re coming with me.”
“You said last night that every Marshyl is free to make his own choices,” Dex said. “I have a quest to complete.”
“That’s madness. You don’t have weapons or armor, not to mention you have no supplies. Even if you manage to get your horse back, you’re days behind the Executioner. You’ll never catch him before he reaches whatever hole he came crawling out of. And odds are, this Master Crane you told me about has more than just your father under his control. You can’t fight them all.”
“I don’t need to,” Dex said. “My father thinks he won. He won’t be looking for me to come for him now.”
“The Greeg Lands are dangerous, Dex. You can’t hope to cross them without running into more tribes. And you’ll be slaughtered out here alone.”
“I’m not alone,” Dex said. “I have Bliss, and soon I’ll have my horse back again.”
Reegan looked at Dex with sadness. He really wanted his young friend to avoid danger, but knew he could never live with himself if he turned back before completing a quest, and he couldn’t expect his young friend to feel any differently.
“The information you learned from your father is invaluable to the Lord Marshyl,” Reegan said. “Return and report, that’s your responsibility now.”
“My father told me those things to lull me into a false sense of security. We can’t believe that any of it is true.”
“The Lord Marshyl still needs to know.”
“Then tell him if you return before I do. My goal is clear and I’m ready. I won’t make the same mistakes again.”
“You are the most stubborn person I have ever met,” Reegan said.
“Tell me you would give the same advice to a full-fledged knight and I’ll listen.”
“You are not yet a knight, Dex. You have done some amazing things, and your ambition is commendable, but you have to see that this quest is folly.”
“Perhaps, but I have to try.”
“I can’t believe you,” Reegan said, pulling the bag of rations from his saddle bag. “Take this. And be careful. The Greeg tribes are fearless in battle. Taking them on in a straight up fight is suicide. Stealth is a much more effective tactic.”
“What will they do with Titan?” Dex said.
“As long as they are entertained by the stallion they’ll keep him around, but sooner or later they’ll eat him.”
“I can’t give them that chance.”
“Well then, I hope you’re ready for a long run. I can’t divert from my mission any longer. Good luck, Dex. I hope we meet again.”
“Count on it, Outrider Reegan, and thank you.”
Dex embraced his mentor and then turned to follow the tracks of the Greeg tribe. Bliss took to the air and bellowed a long, piercing cry. Dex didn’t bother to look back. His fate was set and he was running toward it.
The Greeg tribe had fled for nearly an hour after Bliss attacked, then sheltered in a wide arroyo for the rest of the night. Once they started moving, they left the sheltered wash and made their way to a small spring to replenish their water supplies. Dex came within sight of the tribe before mid-day, but kept his distance. He wanted to get his things back, and waiting around was not his strong suit, but he remained patient. The tribe didn’t move on from the spring. Instead they sent their young warriors out to hunt, while the older members stayed in camp with the children.
Bliss spent most of the day out hunting far from the camp. Dex marveled at how fast and agile the big phoenix had become in the short time since she’d left him. She could fly so high it was almost impossible to see her, even when Dex was watching for her. When the sun began to set Bliss returned. Dex saw blood on her feathers and talons, but the bird was unharmed, and he decided the blood was from her prey.
The Greeg hunters returned to the camp as well, and once again the moon was bright in the sky overhead, as Dex slowly made his way toward the nomadic tribe. He had two goals. His first priority was to get Titan back. The big horse was invaluable in the arid desert and Dex knew he had no chance of catching his father without the stallion. His second priority was to get some type of blanket, cloak, or both. He hoped he might be able to get his silver dagger back as well. It had been tucked into his cloak, which the Greeg had stripped off of him, along with his boots, belt, and all the supplies that Maslow had left in the camp.
Dex knew the food would be gone, but if he could get his dagger, saddle bags, tack, and Titan he would feel like his raid was successful. With no desire to fight the Greeg tribe, Dex settled in to wait and watch. Most of the tribe huddled together near the coal fires for warmth, but a few of the warriors stood watch as night fell. Dex could see Titan near the cart where the women gathered coal for their nightly fires. The big man with his saddle bags was resting near the cart, wrapped in a thick, shaggy animal hide.
Moving slowly from boulder to boulder, staying in the shadows of the rocky outcroppings and keeping an eye on the sentries who seemed tired and disinterested in their duty, Dex made his way to the edge of camp. Titan was hobbled with a thin line of the grassy twine that had been braided together to form the thick ropes that the tribe had used to tie Dex to the stakes when he had been their prisoner.
Dex carefully made his way into the camp. He could smell the bodies of the Greeg, who rarely washed. Many were snoring, and the majority were huddled together near the fires. A few slept by themselves, mostly younger couples who wanted privacy, but a few of the older, larger males also slept apart. Some were guarding precious belongings by sleeping on top of the items. Others were wrapped in thick animal skins, which formed part of their wealth from having successfully hunted animals like wolves, bison, and bears.
The cart was surrounded by younger men, each asleep with their long, narrow spears in hand. Dex had decided to avoid the cart when he caught sight of something glinting in the moonlight from the mound of coal. He was certain that it was his dagger. The small weapon wasn’t really useful for hunting or skinning animals. It wasn’t even sharp enough to cut bread, and was mainly an ornamental weapon. The Greeg had tossed it into the cart with the coal and a few other treasures they had found in their travels through the desert. Dex used the magic of the opal that was bonded to his skin to levitate the dagger to him. With the weapon in hand, Dex felt a rush of magic. The dagger had been forged to lend speed to the bearer and it had saved his life more than once.
The big man who pulled the cart was sleeping on Dex’s saddle bags. It wasn’t clear what the man had stuffed into them, but he lay on the ground using the bags as a pillow. Dex decided he would take the saddle bags last. Moving silently he made his way to Titan. He rubbed the big horse’s nose and whispered quietly, “There’s a good boy. You didn’t think I’d forget about you?”
He stooped down and untied the twine t
hat hobbled the horse’s front legs together. The horse’s tack was nearby and Dex spread a thick, wool blanket onto Titan’s back. He levitated the saddle up slowly. Using magic was easy enough and it allowed Dex to be quieter than just heaving the heavy leather seat into place on Titan’s back. Once the horse blanket and saddle were in place, he quietly worked the straps.
“Stay here,” Dex whispered to the horse. “I need to get a few more things before we go.”
He found a thick blanket one of the other Greeg men had rolled off of. Dex snatched it up, along with a well-tanned deer skin. It hadn’t been crafted into anything, but was soft and supple. It was a dirty yellow color where the hair had been removed. Finally, he found a row of animal skins all filled with water from the spring. Dex took one, and made his way back to the horse. He hung the animal skin from the pommel of the saddle, and tied the deer hide inside the blanket, which he rolled up and secured with the twine that had been used to hobble Titan.
It took much longer to find his boots. A young warrior was wearing them, and the man looked very strong, with a large, intricate tattoo outlined on his muscular chest. Dex decided that caution was the better part of valor, and cast a paralysis spell on the warrior.
“Ecclass!” Dex said quietly, but with great determination.
A pale, yellow light flashed from his hand to the young warrior and Dex felt the spell take hold. It reminded him of fishing with his father. Maslow usually worked with a net, but occasionally he would take Dex and Kyp out with cane poles tied with long lines of sinew and bone hooks. Whenever a fish took hold of their bait, the constant, frenzied tug on the flexible poles was exciting. Dex could feel a similar pull between himself and the warrior. The spell had roused the man, and he struggled to break free, but Dex held him fast. He bent over and tugged off the boots, slipping them onto his own feet and then ran back to Titan.
He had to release the paralysis spell to move the big man whose head was resting on Dex’s saddle bags. As soon as the spell broke, the young, barefooted warrior shouted and jumped to his feet.
Regulators Revealed Page 9
