Echoes: A Second Skin Novel (Second Skin Book 6)

by M Damon Baker

  Kara froze in place several yards ahead of him, bringing Endreí out of his increasingly downward spiral. As he looked on curiously, she drew back on her bow and let an arrow fly at some unseen target. The sharp cracks of snapping branches followed, and Kara took off in pursuit of whatever game she’d obviously seen. Endreí followed closely behind her, eager to see what might be added to their menu that night.

  The small boar was quite dead when he finally caught up to her, its heart pierced cleanly by Kara’s arrow. Endreí’s initial sense of anticipation was dampened, however, when he realized that they’d need to build a fire to prepare the meat. But doing so would be quite dangerous; their encounter with the orc band serving as a vivid reminder that Dreya wasn’t the only threat out here in the wilds.

  Although any conflict presented a risk, none were as sure to kill them as starvation. Knowing this, Kara butchered the animal, slicing it into thin strips that would sear quickly over the fire Khael and Runil built. Once the meat had been cooked, Nate kicked dirt over the fire’s remains, and they set off once again. Obviously, there would be no leisurely meals beside a campfire here in the wilderness—just one more hardship to endure while Dreya relentlessly tried to run them down.

  Endreí left a few scattered traps as they moved through the trees, but he had little confidence that he’d catch Tási unaware again. The band that pursued them may have screwed up once, but he doubted they’d repeat that same mistake. Unless he came up with something completely unexpected, all Endreí was managing to do was perhaps slow them down just a bit. Maybe that alone might be enough, but he truly doubted it.

  Fingering the hilt of a finely crafted blade he had yet to enchant but hadn’t been willing to leave behind, Endreí imagined running its sharp edge across Tási’s throat—slicing open her neck would certainly put an end to things. Even if Dreya was still out there, without Tási to lead her to them, she’d have no way to locate Endreí. As he gripped the blade, he wished there was some way to turn his talents towards achieving that goal, but Enchanting was simply not a combat Specialization.

  Why not? Endreí almost missed a step as the thought occurred to him. Why couldn’t he combine the talents he possessed with his Enchanting to create a new sort of trap for Tási to discover? Sure, it wasn’t quite combat-related, but perhaps by using Imbue in some unanticipated way, he might catch his pursuers off guard and slip an unexpected snare past their defenses. As he began to formulate his plan, Endreí realized that the dagger in his hand might be the key to putting an end to things.

  By the time they stopped for the night, Endreí had a firm grasp of what he needed to do. Or, at least, what he was going to attempt to do. He had no idea whether it would work or not, or even where he’d leave the dagger behind for Tási to find, but he knew exactly how he was going to enchant the blade.

  “I’m going to try something, but it might not be safe,” Endreí announced as he braced himself for the inevitable opposition he knew he’d face. “It might be best if you give me a bit of room until I’m done.”

  “What are you planning?” Rissa’s tone left no doubt that she was perfectly ready to stop him if she disapproved of his scheme.

  “I’m going to try and turn this blade into a booby trap,” Endreí drew the dagger as he spoke, finding encouragement in the low hiss of the metal as it scraped against its sheath. “But rather than placing a trap Spell on it, I’m going to put a Spell inside the blade.”

  “I don’t understand,” Kara jumped in—to Rissa’s clear annoyance. “What’s the difference?”

  “Placing a trap on something is far more obvious,” he replied, making sure to address his answer to both of them. “Tási can probably detect that sort of magic quite easily. So instead, I’m going to actually enchant the blade with an offensive Spell—one that will go off when she handles it.”

  “I’ll have to combine more than one of my talents to do that, which is where the uncertainty comes in,” Endreí stilled his face, trying to conceal just how unsettled he was by that prospect. “Honestly, I’ve never even considered doing anything like this before; I have no idea what might happen.”

  “That’s just too dangerous, Endreí,” Rissa responded immediately. “They’re far behind us now. We have plenty of time to find some other way.”

  “No, we don’t,” he shook his head slowly. “They’re closer than we thought, and unless we do something soon, Dreya’s going to catch up to us before we know it. This may be our only chance to escape before it’s too late.”

  “You said two of them are already dead,” Nate added his voice to theirs. “It wouldn’t take much more to even up the odds. There’s no need to take any crazy chances right now.”

  Endreí forced himself to wait a moment before replying again. Only after he’d taken a deep breath and reined in his emotions a bit did he finally speak.

  “This is all my fault… Every last bit of it,” he nearly choked on the bitter words of his admission. “I didn’t recognize what was happening until it was too late, and even when I did, I let things just lie when I should’ve done something about it. I won’t make that same mistake ever again. I will do this, and if it doesn’t work, there’s one last thing I can do to keep the rest of you safe.”

  “Don’t you even think about that!” While most looked on in confusion, Rissa clearly understood what Endreí intended. The expression on Kara’s face echoed Rissa’s stern glare, though she wisely held her tongue.

  “If this fails, it may be all that’s left,” Endreí sighed, not truly satisfied with any of the options left to him. “Just give me some room to work here, and I’ll do my best.”

  Rissa looked away from him only long enough to signal for Kara to lead the others away. Endreí had only a moment to consider how well the two seemed to be able to work with each other before she pivoted back to him, and he found himself pinned beneath Rissa’s withering stare yet again.

  “I understand, Endreí, but you’re not leaving me behind,” Rissa’s soft tone provided a stark contrast to her deliberate expression. “No matter what happens, we’re going to see this through together.”

  “Please, Rissa,” he summoned all his reserves as he contradicted her. “If I can lead them away, you might have a chance. My sacrifice would be for nothing if you died too.”

  “You’re not very bright, are you?” Rissa’s odd smile and slightly playful tone threw Endreí off for a moment. “I told you I was bound to you for life.”

  It took a moment before her comment finally registered. When it did, Endreí found himself at a complete loss.

  “I thought you’d only meant that…” His voice faltered when he couldn’t finish the thought.

  “No, Endreí, it’s more than that—much more,” Rissa didn’t hesitate to pick up where he’d left off. “If you die, so will I. You can’t save me by sacrificing yourself.”

  With his one backup plan now shattered, Endreí knew there was only one way he could save Rissa. He had to make his gamble pay off and create something that he wasn’t even certain could be made. Banishing all the doubts he’d had only a few moments before, Endreí pulled Rissa down to the ground with him as he sat and began making his preparations. His experiment might literally blow up in his face, but after what she’d just told him, Endreí realized that Rissa wouldn’t be any safer standing a few paces away—they would either create this device together or perish in the process.

  Laying the dagger on the ground in front of him, he first cast Empower before channeling Imbue into the metal of the weapon. The steel took on a faint blue glow as the blade began to feast upon his Essence, and he could sense the increased potential that his new Spell had imparted to the dagger. Normally, this would be the time when he focused on enhancing the weapon with some beneficial property, but Endreí deviated from his typical practice and tried something completely different.

  Rather than attempt to transfer a single property to the blade, Endreí plucked several facets of different magic from his repert
oire and funneled them all into the weapon one by one. From Flame Trap, he pulled the aspect of triggering the device when a hostile being touched its surface. Then he channeled the might of Vortex, knowing that Tási might not actually be the one who picked up the blade, and hoped that its devastating effects would slay more than just one of his enemies. Finally, he added False Aura, but in reverse—trying to conceal the properties of the dagger from her until it was too late.

  Endreí was pleasantly surprised to be able to open his eyes again once the process was over; he’d been bracing himself the entire time for the catastrophic explosion that never came. Looking down at the dagger in his hands, Endreí was able to read its description, and he marveled at the weapon’s incredible power.

  Vortex Blade – Unique, single-use item. This device appears to be a normal, albeit high-quality dagger. However, when any creature hostile to its rightful owner touches it, the Blade will release a powerful Vortex Spell. The true nature of this item is masked from discovery by a protective aura.

  Holy fucking shit! Endreí couldn’t believe that he’d actually done it. Yet there it was in his hands, a new magic item; something that had never been created before. He knew such things were possible—the Sorcerer Mastery he hadn’t chosen was dedicated to that very subject—but he’d never considered attempting to make one himself.

  “It… worked,” his eyes widened in disbelief when he realized Rissa was still anxiously waiting to hear the verdict.

  “Good,” her strident reply came back instantly. “Where are we going to leave that thing so that Tási’s sure to find it?”

  “We’ll only have one chance, so I want to make sure we do it right,” Endreí responded. “Let’s think about it for a while.”

  Having succeeded in creating the device, they called their friends back to camp, and Endreí told them what had happened. Each of them seemed eager to offer some suggestion on how to plant the weapon, yet nothing they came up with truly assured Endreí of success, so he simply sheathed the dagger and chose to wait until he had a more promising option.

  After a light meal, Endreí lay down with Rissa for the night, somewhat more at ease with their circumstances now that he finally had a real hope of escaping Tási’s relentless stalking. As he took in the comforting warmth of her body pressed against him, Endreí closed his eyes and looked over the single notification that had come up after he’d succeeded in crafting the Blade.

  Quest completed – By combining magic in unusual ways to create a unique item, you have completed the hidden quest Craftsman. For your ingenuity, you have been rewarded 1320 XP.

  Endreí thought it was perhaps a modest reward for what he’d managed to accomplish, yet he also appreciated the fact that there had been any additional benefit at all. Quite honestly, all he really wanted was for the dagger to perform its intended function. Closing his UI, Endreí could only think about that very possibility. While his mind conjured up various scenarios where his creation did just that, a slight smile turned up the corners of Endreí’s mouth as he drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 14

  The next day passed much like all the others; Kara led them through the woods at a rapid pace, only stopping to prepare the meat of a deer she was fortunate enough to take along the way. With plenty of food to see them through for a few more days and the enchanted dagger still waiting to be deployed, Endreí actually allowed himself to enjoy their hike for a change.

  They’d had no need to venture quite so far from home before, so the forest around him was unfamiliar. Although it really wasn’t very distant in the grand scheme of things, Endreí thought he’d noticed several herbs and plants he’d never seen before. Passing by quickly, he didn’t take the time to make a closer inspection, but Endreí was certain they’d passed by several patches of Witch’s Tail and another that bore a suspicious resemblance to Silvas. Such diversity was common in Second Skin, with unique flora and fauna often restricted to very specific locales, and it seemed as if those same highly specialized environments had also become part of this world as well. As he walked along, Endreí noticed that Rissa and the others also grew more relaxed, talking more freely and even taking a few swigs from Khael’s supposed ‘waterskin’—perhaps it was that sense of complacency that led to their undoing.

  A blur of motion flashed in front of Endreí’s eyes a split second before Rissa’s pained cry broke the stillness. She fell to the ground, clutching at a gaping wound in her leg as blood flowed freely onto the earth beneath her. Endreí could barely track the motion of her assailant, and in a matter of seconds, Khael was stricken as well, taken by a brutal slash that sliced cleanly through his armor.

  While Endreí stood frozen in shock, Nate, Daisy, Runil, and Kara took up a defensive position over their fallen friends, swiping at their attacker when she swooped in again. Stephanie knelt among them, attempting to heal the grievous wounds that had been inflicted on both Rissa and Khael while Endreí’s mind finally clicked, and he realized exactly what had happened.

  He recognized the woman darting among the trees as Insleí and suddenly understood her mission. After he’d taken out both Nedd and Khorim, Dreya had sent her ahead to slow them down—perhaps even kill them all if she could. Considering how easily she’d taken out both Rissa and Khael, the second possibility seemed extremely likely. Alone, the Shadow had been able to travel through the forest much more quickly—the unerringly straight path they’d taken made following their movements a relatively simple task.

  At least for the moment, Endreí was able to observe her as she seemed to appear out of thin air from time to time, popping up in the corner of his vision before disappearing once again. Although he was ‘protected’ behind the ring of his friends’ armor, Endreí had no doubt that Insleí could easily pierce that layer if she truly wanted to—even as Rissa and Khael recovered and took their places beside the others. Maybe they could hold her off, but every moment they simply stood there guarding against another one of Insleí’s deadly strikes only served to bring Dreya and Tási that much closer to them. Unless Endreí could find a way to break free from the stalemate, a final confrontation with Dreya and the rest of her band was inevitable. With nothing to lose, Endreí decided on a risky plan. He’d have to bait Insleí into attacking them, but if he could, then Endreí just might have her. As discreetly as possible, Endreí cast Empower to boost the force of his Spells before placing a series of Cyclone Traps around their position. Only once every approach was covered did Endreí begin trying to lure her in.

  He started by casting Spell after Spell into the forest where Insleí was concealing herself. He used Frozen Earth to make the ground slick beneath her feet, and erected Walls of Ice to block her path. Endreí sent Shards and Unseen Blades to harry Insleí’s every move and even summoned a Vortex when he lost track of her position. Although he knew she was far too skilled to fall prey to any of his attacks, Endreí’s non-stop harassment eventually wore down the woman’s patience, and she sought to put an end to his efforts.

  A brief flicker of motion was all the warning Endreí had when Insleí finally made her move. In an instant, she was practically on top of him, twin swords poised as she bore down on Endreí, obviously intent on putting an end to his interference. Although Rissa stood between him and the dense forest she’d emerged from, Insleí casually batted aside his wife’s blade as she swooped in for the kill.

  The second Insleí stepped within the confines of Endreí trap, however, the air around her erupted in a maelstrom of razor-sharp currents of air. The whirling edges of the Cyclone Trap she’d triggered carved through Insleí’s armor as if it wasn’t even there, shredding her flesh down to the bone. One final slash nearly cut her in two, and Insleí’s body fell to the ground in a lifeless heap while her blood slowly darkened the soil.

  For a moment, Endreí stared in disbelief as her corpse lay on the ground, practically at his feet. Although it was exactly the result he’d intended, he was somewhat surprised that his plan had actually succeeded. I
nsleí’s skill was clearly far above his own, and Endreí could only imagine that it had been her impatience that had led to her defeat. She could have easily retreated a short distance away, avoiding his almost blind attacks and returning at some later time to stalk them again. Apparently, backing away from a fight simply wasn’t in her nature, and Insleí had paid the price for her arrogance. While he looked down at the dead body at his feet, Endreí realized that their triumph over Insleí wasn’t just his second small victory over Dreya—it might also be the key to ending her forever.

  Kneeling beside the rapidly cooling corpse, Endreí withdrew the dagger he’d enchanted from its sheath, pausing for just a short moment before slipping the blade into her chest. Rising back up to his feet, Endreí smiled as he stared at Insleí’s body, knowing that he’d found the perfect place to leave the weapon behind.

  “We have to get out of here,” Endreí caught the notes of fear in Steph’s strained voice. “The rest of them are probably right behind her.”

  After witnessing Insleí practically dismantle them single-handedly, Endreí could certainly understand her concern. He’d been worried that Dreya and her people were too powerful for them to take on, and Insleí had clearly demonstrated just how dangerous only one of them could be. There was absolutely no way they would survive an encounter with even a pair of those cutthroats, but he knew they weren’t quite as close as Stephanie feared.

  “No, they’re not,” Endreí replied. “She came after us alone.”

  “How do you know that?” Rissa was still rubbing at the newly healed skin of her wound as she spoke.

  “When I saw them before, Dreya whispered something to her,” Endreí motioned towards the body on the ground as he recounted his remote viewing once again. “I couldn’t tell what she said, but I think it’s obvious now. Their entire group couldn’t travel fast enough to catch up with us this quickly. Insleí was sent ahead to slow us down, or even kill us all if she could. It may not be over yet, but we’ve definitely improved our odds again.”