by Eric Vall
I headed over to speak with Raynor at the bar, and after he swiftly lined the countertop with fresh mugs to go around, he sent orders to the cook in the back to get breakfast for twenty-five going at once.
Kurna and I joined the others as the conversation around the pub slowly picked up again, and I tried to focus on the Defenders rather than the gossip spreading around the room.
Three Ignis Defenders were explaining to Kurna about the dwellings they’d moved to in the capital once things became strange at the Oculus, but it seemed about a third of them had held their ground in the magical city to keep an eye on things.
“Temin and Wyresus have left us with no orders,” one of them added in a low voice. “We’ve been patrolling the various quarters of Serin to be sure the citizens don’t misinterpret our role here, but we’ve stopped running night patrols after our numbers started dwindling more rapidly.”
“How many have gone missing?” I asked, but no one seemed to have a clear idea.
“I know about ten Defenders who returned to their homes in Cedis,” a woman estimated, “but that doesn’t account for the holes in our ranks.”
“That’s true.” Kurna nodded. “I did all I could to find you lot, but there should have been at least a hundred Defenders within reach of the capital.”
“Shit,” I sighed as Raynor came by with the first round of ale. “No wonder the younger mages are so aimless. They came here with clear intentions only to be left completely to their own devices, and no Defenders in sight.”
“I heard you’re organizing them,” a Flumen Defender led suspiciously. “There’s been talk of an army.”
“I heard the announcement in Serin,” another agreed. “I’d like to ask you, Defender Flynt, what exactly your intentions are with this army of yours.”
All of the Defenders lowered their pints to await my answer, and I couldn’t help but notice there weren’t a lot of friendly looks out there.
“What are you implying?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Those Defenders are part of this Order,” a gruff looking Terra Mage pointed out. “Don’t matter what that Master’s up to, they’re still a part of our ranks. I fought beside you up in Orebane, Defender Flynt, and I was proud of what we accomplished there. But if you think you’re gonna lead us against our own in the same fashion, I’d be more inclined to battle you before anyone else.”
Several mages grunted their agreement, and I noticed the rest of the pub had gotten quiet during the conversation.
Kurna glanced at me, and Raynor even slowed his work as he handed plates around to the mages. I felt every eye in the place on me at once, but I couldn’t deny the Terra Mage had been right to call me out.
He didn’t want to kill his mages, either.
“I haven’t made my intentions clear to anyone yet,” I admitted, “because I haven’t fully set them. King Temin charged me with building an army of mages because he felt the King’s Guard wouldn’t be able to defend Serin against the Master’s forces. I did as he asked without any indication of what that army would do next. So far, my primary concern is the safety of the mages themselves. That includes all of us. The Oculus has been targeted along with every mage within the kingdom, and I’m determined to prevent the mass enslavement the Master has chosen to take on here. That means organizing and training the younger mages, guarding the Oculus and Falmount from attacks, and ensuring the non-magical citizens don’t get caught in the crosshairs.”
The Defenders nodded their hearty agreement to all of this while the rest of the pub broke into low muttering, but the gruff Terra Mage kept a stern gaze on me.
“And what of the missing Defenders?” he challenged. “Where do they fall in your grand scheme? Are they to be slaughtered on sight? Lured in and ambushed like the ice giants?”
“No,” I replied honestly. “I’m working on a means of recapturing them and freeing them of the Master’s mark.”
Silence fell heavy around me the moment the words left my lips, and I could tell more than half the Defenders doubted the claim. Then I heard a throat clear, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Lyro rising from a table in the far corner.
He hobbled on his bandaged leg to come over, and as Kurna stood to offer the man his seat, the Defenders eyed him suspiciously.
“This is Lyro,” I explained, and a few of the Defenders craned their necks around each other at the name.
“Lyro?” a woman asked in disbelief, and the mage beside me sent her an uneasy grin.
“Hi there, Camda,” he mumbled. “Good to see you again.”
“Have you been hiding out here all this time?” another asked.
“No,” Lyro replied, but he kept his eyes down on the table. “No, I haven’t. I am now, of course, but … ”
The man looked like he might throw up from the state of his nerves at that moment, and he flicked his gaze toward me just long enough for me to catch the utter shame he was warring with.
I cleared my throat. “Lyro is our first recapture. He’s still recovering, but thankfully, he’ll be alright.”
I gestured toward his leg, and several Defenders quickly leaned to get a look at the bloody bandage. Lyro dipped his head lower as his hands began to tremble, but the woman who had recognized him spoke up on his behalf.
“It’s a relief to have you back with us,” Camda announced firmly, and several Defenders blankly nodded their agreement.
Others seemed determined to cut straight to the point.
“What did you do for him?” one of them pressed eagerly. “Did the Master set you to work taking the rest?”
After a long moment, Lyro managed a shaky nod, and I half expected the others to break out in disgust, but the same blanket silence returned.
Eventually, the same Terra Mage who recognized me from Orebane cleared his throat. “How is this possible?”
“As some of you might know, I’ve been in Nalnora for the past few weeks,” I explained. “I went there to learn about rune magic from the elves and see if I couldn’t get an upper hand where the Master is concerned. It’s a messy business, but with some runes, it is possible to remove the brandings depending on the type of hold it has on the person wearing it.”
The Defenders narrowed their eyes, but after some muttering amongst one another, the Terra Mage slid his pint away and stood up to level me with a somber look.
“Defender Flynt,” he announced, “if you swear to uphold the honor of the Order of the Elementa, and return our stolen Defenders safely, then you have my loyalty.”
“Mine as well,” Camda quickly agreed as she stood.
“But if you take to murdering our own,” the Terra Mage clarified firmly, “then you’ll be going through me, first. Defender Urn, eight years of service, eleven years within the Oculus.”
I stood without pause and extended my hand across the table.
“I’d expect nothing less of a Defender of the Order,” I assured him.
The man grinned and shook my hand, and the others rose at once to pledge themselves to our cause as well.
A few young mages behind us started clapping, but when I sent a sober look over my shoulder, they abruptly turned back to their own business.
Kurna chuckled and clapped me on the shoulder. “So, what’s the order, Defender Flynt? We’re at your command.”
I had just opened my mouth to respond when the door of the pub opened, and Jenik sent me a huge grin as he came strolling in. Then he stopped in his tracks and flat out gaped at the wall of Defenders around me, but after a few tries, I finally got him to snap out of it and come over.
“This is Jenik,” I told the others with a smirk. “He’s my squire.”
Defender Urn nodded his understanding without question, and I pulled a spare chair over to my side as we all returned to our meals. Jenik just stared in shock while I casually nudged him into the seat, and I tried not to laugh at his expression as I turned my attention back to the others.
To be fair, he probably hadn’t expect
ed to start his new post in this particular way.
“You were sayin’… ” Urn led, and he waved Raynor over for more ale.
“Right,” I chuckled. “Well, I’ve got several areas I need help with at the moment, so I’ll lay out the entire operation for you, and you guys just let me know where you think your abilities could serve best.”
I began at the top with our scouting of the Oculus, and as fresh ale was passed around, I found myself with the undivided attention of twenty-five Defenders of the Order willing to serve my cause.
Well … until it became time to start killing mages. Then they’d join the list of my opposition.
It was only now that this understanding was reached that I realized all of my experience fighting the Master’s rune in this realm had left me sure of one thing.
The question wasn’t actually if this would happen, but when.
Chapter 17
The Defenders divvied themselves up very efficiently. Seven of them volunteered to help at the training fields, and ten headed for the Oculus at once. I instructed them to guard the entrance and patrol the underground city until I could create my own line of defense there, and I made sure they all read over the list of suspects I needed them to keep an eye out for.
Initially, I suggested the remaining Defenders form a scouting troop to try and locate Mors Pass and the Master’s camp of mages, but Urn swiftly shot this down.
“Won’t catch me goin’ within ten miles of Mors,” he snorted, and the others nodded their immediate agreement.
“You’ve heard of it?”
“Of course,” the man said. “It’s the dragon nesting grounds.”
“Wait …” I mused and furrowed my brow as something familiar rang in my mind. “The dwarves told me the dragon nesting grounds were in the Eastern Pass.”
“Might be the Eastern Pass to them,” Urn allowed, “but here it’s known as Mors Pass, and you’d have to be crazy to go anywhere near the damn place.”
“Really?” I grinned. “Then I guess this one’s on me. I’ll go to Mors Pass, but the rest of you--”
“Horse shit,” Urn countered. “You’ll be dead within ten minutes of arriving.”
“I’ll manage,” I assured him, “but I’ll be taking Defender Solana and Princess Balmier with me, so why don’t the rest of you split between the lookout towers on the training walls, and the rest can train with the mages for today. That way you can take the women’s places while we’re gone. I need the directions to Mors Pass, too.”
None of the mages were eager to give up this information, but eventually, Urn relented, although he shook his head intermittently at the idea. With everything settled, the Defenders dispersed to their posts, and I noticed several of them eyeing me uneasily while I headed back to my workshop.
Personally, I could have whistled a merry tune for how well the day was already going.
If Mors Pass was where the dragons nested, then there was no place better for me to head next. Thrungrig had only mentioned the place before because we’d been discussing channeling gems at the time, and although the risk of braving a hoard of dragons outweighed my interest in gems at the time, now it was little more than a hiccup in my plans.
Because if I could find enough channeling gems in that pass, I could protect the Oculus and Falmount without sacrificing the use of my Mustang. Not to mention, there was another idea already brewing in the back of my mind where those dragons were concerned.
With the added chance of scouting the area for the mage camp, it was undeniable that this was the best plan of action. I only had to be sure both of my newest projects were completed and ready for action the second I returned from Mors Pass.
I tried not to add the phrase, ‘if I return’ to this train of thought, though.
When I got back to the house, I found Shoshanne glaring at her healing books as if they’d somehow betrayed her trust, but Deya sent me a sweet smile when I entered.
“I have a question about that rune of yours,” I told the beautiful elf. “Do you think it would work on another type of dragon?”
Deya thought about this for a moment. “Aurora and I have been wondering the same thing. In truth, I don’t know, but runes are rarely designed with that kind of exclusivity. Before Dragir managed it with your bazookas, I’d never heard of something like this. I do think I could engrave the rune again, though. I have been practicing with it and visiting the sea dragons every day, and I have such a strong connection to the elements now. Why shouldn’t I be able to do it again?”
I grinned. “Then I think I’ve got a new weapon I want you to practice with.”
Shoshanne looked up from her books.
“This sounds dangerous already,” she muttered.
“It is,” I admitted, “but it turns out Mors Pass is the dragon nesting grounds, which also happens to be the primary spot for mining channeling gems. If we play our cards right, we can locate the mage camp, mine some gems for the new sentries, and also get Deya some scales to work with.”
“What would I do with them?” Deya asked nervously.
“I just spoke with the Defenders from the Order,” I told the women in a low voice. “They’ll help us so long as we don’t plan to kill off the possessed mages, but we all know that’s not a promise I can strictly keep up. The longer the mages wear that rune, the more savage they’ll become, and the higher the risk becomes when trying to recapture them. Plus, there’s always the chance some of them could end up like Abrus and genuinely support the Master’s work here. That’s not something I can reverse.”
“I thought the same thing,” Shoshanne muttered, “and I’m having no luck with this tranquilizer yet. There’s a few that alter consciousness, but they don’t subdue function, and then there’s serums like the one I used on Dragir, but I can’t revive dead mages who have been sitting around in a net for who knows how long. The closest thing I’ve found is a plant called Meletun, but it doesn’t grow this time of year.”
I nodded. “Don’t give up, there’s something we can use. In the meantime, we need to keep thinking ahead, not just to saving the mages, but preparing for the worst. If the camp is near Mors Pass, and Deya finds a means of transmuting with any of the dragons, she could be our number one weapon when the time comes to decimate the Master’s hold here. Maybe even get the bastard herself and end this once and for all.”
Deya’s violet eyes glinted. “You mean I could help you destroy his army this time?”
“If we can work out how to do this without dying first,” I chuckled. “Thrungrig said the dwarves even stopped mining the pass because the death toll was too high.”
“We will do it,” the beautiful elf said with a decisive nod. “When are we leaving?”
“As soon as I finish building the sentries,” I decided as I headed back toward the atrium. “I want them completed and ready for action the moment we return with the gems so I can get one over to the Oculus and start the recapturing process as soon as possible.”
“Then we will not distract you,” Deya replied before she rose and closed the atrium doors, but not before she sent me a coy wink.
I grinned and settled in at the work table, and I quickly decided on a building scheme that would see the work finished in record time. If I duplicated Big Guy, I could probably have the sentry for the Oculus finished in only an hour, even with starting this one from scratch. The process would just be muscle memory, especially after rebuilding Big Guy the day before. Plus, the snatcher was already half done.
So, I finished both of the pulley systems I’d only begun yesterday before chaining up Aurora had become more important, and once I mounted them within the broad housing of the snatcher’s shoulders, I rigged the netting and wound it all into place. I considered searching for a rune to release the netting, but when I thought back on my experience so far using channeling gems, this didn’t seem necessary. As long as the snatcher chose to release the netting, the direct connection he had to the pulley system via his wiring should be e
nough.
I wasn’t so sure about the blow guns, though. The channeling gem could power the sentry, but as far as I knew, it couldn’t create the air pressure needed to propel the darts. For now, I would focus on finalizing the design and hoped Deya’s book of runes could offer an answer for the blow gun dilemma.
Dragir said I shouldn’t risk designing my own runes just yet, and I couldn’t imagine where to start in this case, but he had suggested I practice with the runes in the book, and something of this nature seemed simple enough. So, I moved on to the torso and central wiring hub for the snatcher, and I replicated Big Guy’s design before I slowly began assembling everything together.
I fused the torso around the cylinder I’d mounted in the large bearing on the base, and then I attached the shoulders to two ball and socket joints on either side. The last thing I did was add a head with only two eyes and a slightly different shape than Big Guy’s, and when it was in place on the pivot joint that served as the snatcher’s neck, I stepped back to admire the full effect.
He was as large as Big Guy, with his torso built more solidly to account for weight, and he didn’t have a sword or crossbow, but he made as intimidating of an impression. I sparked my magic to test his range of motion real quick, but now he only lacked the blow guns I wanted to rig on his forearms and the magazines to house his darts.
First, I formed two magazines similar to the ones I’d used on the bows for House Fehryn. These would be shorter in length, though, and I could adjust the exact measurements later once the darts were formed. I was doing a scan of the village while I fitted the spring system in the magazine when I heard the clinking of fresh mugs being set down on the counter at Flynt’s Pub, and I froze.
I’d left Shoshanne to her own devices trying to figure out the tranquilizer all this time, but now I realized the answer had been staring me in the face since the first day we arrived back in Falmount Rift.
When I threw the atrium doors open, Deya sent me mock scowl and shook her head. “Not until you are finished.”
I held up my hands. “No sex,” I chuckled. “Shoshanne, come with me.”