First Sorcerer

by Kyle Johnson

  “Well, I can see a couple, already,” he grinned, pointing at the high, narrow windows that overlooked the street. “I’m pretty sure that those windows aren’t glassed in – I haven’t seen any sign of glass in this whole city, in fact – so I should be able to float us up there and get us inside. I do agree about scouting the building, though; if there are windows around the side or the back, we’ll be less visible when we’re in the air.”

  They made their way cautiously around the building, and Aranos noted that there were, indeed windows spaced regularly along the side. He chose one at random and formed a disc, intending to check it out, but Geltheriel refused to let him. “That makes no sense,” she pointed out. “My Stealth Skill is higher, and I have superior Agility and LP if I am attacked and must dodge or leap to the ground. There is no good reason for you to go first.”

  Aranos was forced to agree – there was no real reason for him to scout except curiosity – so a moment later, he was carefully lifting her up toward the window, following her hand signals to guide her to where she could see. To his surprise, she had him place her to the side of the window first, out of sight of the interior, where she remained still for half a minute. She’s listening, he realized after a moment. Yeah, I wouldn’t have thought of that. She was the right one to send up. After a bit, she motioned for him to move her over closer to the window, and he saw her head dart in front of the window and back like a snake’s. She pointed down, and he lowered her to the ground.

  “It’s an empty room,” she informed him, “but it’s not abandoned. I don’t have your Tracking gifts, but I can tell that it’s been used, and recently. If we’re going to go in there, we should move quickly and quietly.”

  It took him less than a minute to create a second disc and raise them both to the window. Geltheriel slipped through the narrow opening first and motioned for him to remain outside. A moment later, she beckoned him, and he cautiously climbed through the window after her.

  The room within was a shattered ruin. He couldn’t tell what its function might have been, since everything that was not stone was a crumbled mass of wood and dust on the ground. He studied the floor and noticed that it was filled with edimmu tracks, but they simply entered the room and left, without remaining. It’s like they’re constantly looking for whatever it is, he guessed. Like they can’t help themselves. Maybe that’s their only reason for existing in the first place: to look for something? Wonder what will happen if they find it?

  “We should move from this room,” Geltheriel spoke in a low murmur rather than a hissing whisper. “I can see tracks of the edimmu all over the place. It will be safer to find a less-frequented space.”

  Aranos shook his head. “They’re looking for something,” he replied in an equally low tone. “Whatever it is, I don’t think they can stop looking, even if it’s in some place they’ve checked a thousand times. My guess is, the edimmu in here are wandering the place constantly, so we’ll need to move really, really carefully, and I don’t think there are going to be any unfrequented spaces.”

  She cursed quietly. “Then, we need to locate that food supply as quickly as possible,” she said with determination. “The less time we spend here, the less likely we are to run into a group of them and have to kill them. We do not wish to give away that we were here.”

  “Actually,” he replied slowly, “I think killing some of them might be the best thing we could do.” She looked unconvinced, but he hurriedly explained.

  “You said it yourself,” he told her, “once we killed the edimmu at the Tree, whoever is in charge of all this is going to figure we’re trying to make our way up the Spire Tree and have every guardian at our necks, the whole way up.

  “But,” he continued, “if we hit the edimmu here and kill a bunch of them now, what will their boss think? The doors are supposed to be barred from the inside of the Tree, right? So, they’ll think that we hit the doors trying to get up the Spire Tree, found them barred, and came here looking for food. They’ll probably think we’re still hiding out in the city somewhere and just evading their search. Then, we go into the Tree, bar the doors behind us again, and make our way up, hopefully without the guardians being ready for us.”

  “That…is well thought-out,” she admitted. “And yet, there is a difficulty. Your Spells, while powerful, are very loud. We do not want to rouse the whole building at once.”

  “Huh,” Aranos nodded. “Good point. I guess it’s a good thing I have some practice in my weapon skills, then, huh?” He smiled and forged his mana sword, hefting the glowing weapon in his hand. “You’ll still have to do most of the fighting, of course, but I can help a little.”

  She eyed him skeptically. “You will watch our back and make sure we are not caught by surprise,” she told him firmly. “If you attempt to aid me, you will likely hamper me more than help. If it is your wish to use that, once we are free of here, I will agree to teach you, but for now, your lack of skill will be as much a danger to us as to the enemy.”

  Aranos gave her a hurt look but grudgingly agreed. He followed her into the hallway outside, dropping into Stealth and being forced to release his mana sword in the process. As she led the way, he dutifully kept an eye out behind them while still analyzing the scents and tracks in the building. Something about the air was wrong, and he allowed his mind to subconsciously worry at it while he focused on staying Stealthy and alert.

  There’s a scent here that’s…wrong, he realized after some time. It’s doesn’t match up with any of the tracks I’ve seen. It smells like an edimmu, but it’s different, and whatever it is, it isn’t wandering about like the others are.

  His thoughts were interrupted as Getheriel froze, and his gaze whipped forward. Two edimmu were moving toward them down the hallway, their claws scraping against the stone walls as they walked. Their heads swung side-to-side as if searching for something, and Aranos could hear the snuffling of their breath through their slit-like noses.

  The woman waited until the pair were within range before she leapt, smashing the butt of her staff into the left most creature, then sweeping it to the right and crashing into the second monster. The first fell back, its hands flying up to protect its face, while the other tumbled to the side. As the second creature rolled on the floor, its gaze came up to lock with Aranos’, and he felt a lurch in his chest. The edimmu’s gaze was filled with pain and horror, and Aranos felt his energy drain as despair washed over him.

  An instant later, the spell shattered, and he could almost feel the tendrils of magic reaching from the creature, trying to wind about his thoughts. He hardened his will and pushed back the attack with ease, grimacing as he realized that Geltheriel was probably fighting through that sort of despondency right now. If only I had a Spell that could help with that, he thought grimly. I wouldn’t even know where to start, though; if I pumped unaspected mana into her, who knows what might happen?

  As it turned out, it wasn’t even necessary, as the woman was able to deal with the pair of edimmu with relative ease. They dropped back into Stealth and slipped down the hall, using Aranos’ Tracking Skill to follow the majority of the tracks to a set of stairs that led down to the first floor. They descended without incident and began to move toward the front of the building when Aranos once again caught that strange scent that was like but not quite edimmu. More to the point, though, it was fairly close…and along the trail Aranos finally regained that would lead them to the food.

  He tapped Geltheriel on the shoulder and drew her into a nearby room, closing the door softly behind them. “Something’s not right,” he murmured softly. “I just found the trail we followed here, and it’s leading us toward something…else. Something that smells like an edimmu, but not quite the same.”

  Geltheriel stared at him, her face blank. “You fear it to be a trap,” she said flatly. “That they have lured us with the promise of food in order to bring us here.”

  “I don’t know,” he hedged, rubbing his hand across the top of his head. �
��I mean, I’m worried that it might be. Plus, where are all the edimmu? I can smell a bunch of them – I know that they’re here, somewhere. Are we really so lucky that we only met two this whole time?”

  “I would not count luck among our allies so far,” she muttered, her head dropping. “And, yet…we must eat. I must eat. I do not know how long I have, Aranos. So, what do we do?”

  “I guess we spring the trap,” he sighed heavily. “We’ll follow the trail and be ready for them. At least, I won’t have to hold back with my Spells anymore!”

  The elf woman sat quietly for a long moment. “This is not a wise idea,” she whispered at last. “It is a myth that being aware of a trap negates it, aleen. Being aware of a trap lets one avoid it, nothing more. And, yet…” She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, “if we do not do this, I at least will perish soon. If I am to die, I would rather it be in combat than wasting from Hunger.”

  “Well, you’ll excuse me if I hope for neither,” he grinned at her. “I’ll take the lead and let you know when we get close. We can make a plan once we get closer.”

  They moved out, Aranos following the trail and the scent of the strange creature. They crept at a snail’s pace, his eyes roaming constantly for any signs of an incipient trap. He saw continual traces of the edimmu, so many that it was extremely difficult to separate them out. At his level of Tracking, though, it was not impossible, and slowly a picture emerged. As far as he could tell, at least several dozen of the shrunken monsters had recently moved through this area…and very, very few had returned. The sense of a looming trap weighed heavily on him, but something else was lingering in the air. A chill seemed to spread through the air, a tangible cold that crept into his muscles and tried to sap his energy.

  A large doorway loomed ahead, beyond which Aranos could see a large, open space, one that was so dimly lit he could see almost nothing beyond. He could see a dim, grayish light flickering ahead, but the coloration of the light felt wrong, as if it were a shade that should not be. A faint murmuring came from the room, and Aranos cautiously approached the door. Remembering Geltheriel’s example, he moved to the side, listening, and saw her slip to the opposite side.

  Her head darted into the room and back, once, then once more. When she looked back at him, her face was white and filled with terror. Her eyes were huge, the whites plainly showing even in the dim light, and her mouth worked silently. He made to cross to her, but she quickly held out a staying hand, shaking her head so vehemently he froze. She held her linger to her lips and pointed to her eyes, then into the room. Aranos nodded and glanced into the room quickly, trying to take everything in with a single glimpse as she had. Sadly, his first look gave him nothing but a vague, blurred impression of a gray light floating in the room. Stupid low Perception, he grumbled internally and slowly peeked around the corner.

  The room within was large and circular, the perimeter shrouded in shadows. A second arch exited the room directly across from him, leading into more darkness, and the center of the room was filled with a gray light. That light seemed to be emanating from a floating figure that hovered before three edimmu, one of which was much larger than the others he had seen. The floating figure was human-sized and looked to be wearing some sort of chain armor made of a series of small, interconnected chain links. The armor covered its arms and draped down to the middle of its thighs, below which were a set of what were probably gray, leather boots. Its hands jutted from its sleeves and ended in wicked-seeming claws. Its armor was drawn up over its head like a hood, and its face was buried in shadow. Two glowing green orbs burned in the center of that shadow with actual, flickering flames. As Aranos gazed at the creature, a stab of fear went through him, and the icy feeling around him seemed to grow more intense, trying to steal into his muscles and sap his strength.

  Aranos felt a sudden burst of het in his center as a surge of anger rushed through him. This thing was trying to weaken him, to drain him – to control him. Its ice was the same as the frigid darkness that had tried to possess him when he went through the Arcane Door, the same darkness that had taken Geltheriel and savaged her mind and body. His rage at the thought of that brutality burned the coldness from him instantly, pushing the darkness from his flesh and shielding his mind.

  Suddenly, the creature hissed and spoke, its voice whispered and cruel, overlaid with a coldness that made him think of the bite of dry ice. “The intruders are no matter,” the creature intoned emotionlessly. “They will not enter the Spire, and should they, the gasha will deal with them. You and your kin will find the crystal, or your suffering will know no ending. So says the Mistress. Is that clear?”

  The large edimmu nodded its head, and the floating creature seemed satisfied. “Good. Do not make me return.” The creature’s form swirled with gray light, and it suddenly vanished. Immediately, the chill started to fade from the air, and Getheriel seemed to come to herself, blinking and shaking her head.

  Aranos was curious and wanted to speak to her, but before he could move, a new sound grated from the room beyond the archway.

  “Intruders outside doorway,” the large edimmu suddenly spoke, the words jagged and broken, difficult to understand. “Bring them now.” Suddenly, the shadows around the room resolved into dozens of edimmu, all moving toward the hiding pair.

  Chapter 11

  Geltheriel’s face matched Aranos’, both set in stunned amazement, but she reacted more quickly than he did. She sprang to her feet, brandishing her staff, spinning as she saw that the edimmu had moved into the hallways to the side and surrounded the. Aranos took a deep breath and raised his hands, beginning to summon his Entangling Web, when the edimmu spoke once more.

  “No!” it barked, and the creatures ceased moving forward. “We no fight. Talk. Talk, or elves die.”

  Aranos swallowed in panic, but his mind was cranking out strategies. “Not necessarily,” he called back. “In fact, I’m pretty sure we can fight our way out of here. There’s not enough of you to stop us.”

  The large edimmu grunted. “Wizard might escape,” it admitted. “Girl elf will die. More edimmu waiting for escape, all know kill girl if leave with no talk.”

  Aranos had a bit of difficulty translating the edimmu’s words, but the gist was fairly clear. “Are you threatening to kill her to get me to talk?” he asked quietly, the anger building inside of him at the thought of their using her to get to him. His hands rose, and he felt the power of the Tempest of Rage rising within him.

  “No, no threat,” the edimmu replied quickly, and the other creatures began to retreat. “Have seen Wizard’s power. No can kill edimmu but can send to Mistress. Ekimmu not want to see Mistress. Wizard not want that, too.”

  “So, what are you suggesting?” Geltheriel called out, her staff still held at the ready. “If you are not attacking us, and you do not seek information, what is it you need from us?”

  “Talk only,” the edimmu answered, lowering its hands. “Come and talk. Edimmu no fight; Wizard send many to Mistress then, maybe even Ekimmu. Not want that. Talk, then maybe elves leave, maybe elves help.”

  Aranos glanced at Getheriel, who looked torn with indecision. “We need food, first,” he called to the edimmu. “Bring food, and we’ll talk.”

  The edimmu barked a sound that Aranos guessed was a laugh. “Food, yes, good,” it replies. “We bring small food, then you take more food. Will answer Mistress when asks why here. Come, talk. We bring food.”

  Aranos thought hard before deciding. I can get us out of here, he knew without a doubt. Entangling Web and Hailstorm in the room, cloned Mana Arrows at the edimmu in front of us, Geltheriel mops up, and we run. But, if that thing is telling the truth, we might run into a wave of the creatures out in the open. It’s right: while I could probably escape, between my Mana Armor and Trackless Skill, Geltheriel might not be able to fight through that many in her condition. Plus, without food, she’ll be dead in a few hours anyway.

  He looked over at the elf, who seemed torn with
indecision herself. Besides, he thought slowly, going into the room doesn’t mean we can’t get out. If they threaten her, I can probably use Tempest of Rage. That’ll clear half the building and won’t hurt either of us. She might have to carry me afterward, though.

  “Okay, we’re coming in,” he called at last, nodding to Geltheriel. The woman hesitated, and he could tell she didn’t want to follow, but a moment later she fell into step behind him. Aranos led her to the center of the room to stand before the large edimmu. It stood four inches taller than him, even in its hunched state, and its body rippled with whipcord-like muscle. Its eyes were just as large and luminous as the other edimmu, but below the slits it had for a nose sat a mouth that looked like a red gash in its deep blue skin. The mouth was filled with a serpentine tongue and jagged, broken teeth; it was no wonder Aranos was having trouble understanding it.

  “Okay, we’re here, edimmu,” he said confidently, trying to seem in control of the situation. “What do you want to talk about?”

  “Not edimmu,” the creature corrected. “Those edimmu. Dumb. Angry. Ekimmu different. Smart. Strong. More hate!” The beast hissed the last part, and Aranos had to stop himself from flinching.

  “Hate?” he asked, forcing his voice to remain calm. “What do you hate?”

  “Ekimmu hate all,” it whispered. “Hate elves. Hate edimmu. Hate rabisu. Most, though, hate Mistress!” The ekimmu’s voice was the sound of glass on rock as it said the last part.

  “You hate your Mistress?” Aranos asked skeptically? “Why? Isn’t she the one that created you?”

  “Not create!” the Ekimmu roared suddenly, and Aranos’ hand moved up to summon a Mana Arrow. The creature stepped back and calmed itself, though. “Not create edimmu and Ekimmu,” it said, its voice despairing. “Trap. Trap and summon. Bind here, not able to leave.”

  “So, what do you want from us?” Aranos spoke after a moment, trying not to pity the foul creature. I’ve seen too many movies where you feel for the bad guy, right up until he kills you. Nope, not falling for that. “You said, we can’t kill you and end your suffering. All we can do is send you to your Mistress, and you don’t want that, right?”