Delver Magic Book III: Balance of Fate

by Jeff Inlo

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  Linda found herself in a place that was nearly beyond her comprehension. Pure magical energy surrounded her, yet her body could not be touched by it. In the simplest of terms, she was hovering in a state of tactile suspension. She simply floated in this existence, but the sensation went well beyond any similarities to floating in water or even in air. It was more like wafting in the merest sliver of space between the flame and smoke, never feeling the heat but knowing it was there. The moment she was placed in Baannat’s realm she lost all physical contact with everything around her. The feeling was unnerving to her and she wrapped her arms around herself as if to confirm that her body still existed.

  She didn’t understand how she could move in such an environment for there was nothing for her to stand upon or press a hand against. Still, she was able to turn about in all directions and move forward and backward with steps that fell upon this all encompassing emptiness. She somehow knew she was no longer in the same type of existence as back home in Uton. Her body was here, but she was not dependent on the same needs. She wondered if she could feel hot or cold, wet or dry, because at the moment she felt nothing about her at all.

  The sensation of touch seemed to be the only sense that was deprived of her. She could see into the white haze as she made out two figures in the mist with her, and she believed she could smell a strange, almost electric scent as if she stood in a smoldering depression where lightning had just struck. She could hear as well, and she recoiled at the sound of a bellowing, insane voice, the voice she knew belonged to Baannat.

  Baannat spoke between vicious giggles of uncontrollable laughter, but his attention was focused on the wizard who was also now present in this misty place. “Hello, Brother. I was wondering if you were going to come here right away, or if you were going to wait until I actually committed some act you viewed to be worthy of your attention. Since you’ve shown up so fast, I imagine you’ve figured out that I now possess all of the energy that used to belong to that pathetic fool of a witch from the desert. This can’t make you happy.”

  Enin gave a quick glance over to Linda to ensure her condition before responding. “I am very aware that you have taken the power of Tabris. I am aware of many things now, and so there was no need to wait.”

  Baannat actually howled with delight. “And in being so newly aware, do you realize what has truly been happening? Are you admitting how foolish you have been? I must tell you, brother, I have been so amused by your antics. You kept coming here looking for some kind of obvious clue, as if I was stupid enough to leave a clear trail for you to follow. It was beyond entertaining to watch you looking for a direct link between me and Tabris, or me and Sazar. How pathetic. Do you really think I would be that obvious? You don’t always have to use magic directly to get someone to do what you want. Sometimes all you have to do is set the stage for them, and they do it all on their own.”

  “I realize you have been interfering all this time, and yes I admit my mistake,” Enin replied without shame.

  Baannat, however, wished to relish the point. “Do you know how easy it was to make one of Sazar’s goblins walk through one of your stupid Pinesway web spells? And then you kept talking to me about how your prized delver could sense me. I allowed that. It was necessary to keep him focused on what I wanted him focused on. When you knew Sazar was attacking Pinesway, I wanted the delver interested in this as well. I wanted him to spoil the serp’s plans, which is exactly what he did. I even placed a river rogue in the town long before all of that happened to entice that elf friend of his to show up just at the right time. With Sazar defeated by the delver, it was simplicity to direct him to Tabris. Sazar was destined to grow in power. You’re not the only one that can see fate, brother. I just know how to use it.”

  “And that will be your undoing,” Enin said firmly. “Destiny is for the purpose of the individual that it belongs to. It is for him or her to experience, to learn, to grow. It is not for you to exploit.”

  “And yet I did anyway,” Baannat countered. “Do you still not understand? I needed Tabris to choose a path opposed to you so that her energy could also grow in opposition. I needed her to join with Sazar so that she could be the source of his new power. Once he became a sufficient threat, it was clear he would bring other forces down against him and his ultimate defeat. But I knew it would not end there. Those that fought Sazar would then focus on Tabris and ultimately she would fall as well. When she did, I was waiting to grab everything she had. All of that loose energy just there for the taking. I have it now, just like I wanted.”

  “It was not Tabris’ destiny to become evil,” Enin shot back. “That was her choice. You may have benefited by it, but you were simply lucky. Remember, luck can be changed.”

  “So you do not wish to give me proper credit?” Baannat asked.

  “Credit? For Tabris’ ill-advised decision? No, you earn no credit there. She made that choice of her own will and she has faced the consequences of that act.”

  “And now are you here to tell me of the consequences I face?” Baannat chided the wizard.

  “No, I am here because of my own choice, of my own decision. Your action did not bring me here on its own. In the end, I realized I would no longer try to hide from what I am, just as you hide in the shadows of your mist.”

  “You think I hide from you?” Baannat seethed with hate. “I used the mist to cover myself only so that it would continue to confuse you. It was part of the game and nothing more. The game is coming to an end, so I will indulge you and let you see me for what I am.”

  Baannat’s figure seemed to almost solidify out of the misty white shadows that covered him. His full features came into focus just as his angry growls turned once more into a maniacal laugh. The long thin fangs that jutted from his cat-like muzzle glistened in the clearing mist. He stood on hind legs that were curved deeply and bent on two separate joints, but his arms were long and straight. His hands were like the thick heavy paws of a tiger with thin razor claws. His eyes glowed green with deep black irises, and bent whiskers drooped from the balloon like cheeks that extended his muzzle. His body, however, did not match the cat-like appearance of the rest of him. A dark brown cloak covered a twisted, shifting mass. There appeared to be no solidity to his center, as if his shoulders, chest, back, and pelvis were made of nothing more than melting taffy. His core trembled with waves from each cackle, like the surface of a pond disturbed by the churning oars of several boats.

  “Is this supposed to frighten me?” Enin asked without a hint of surprise. “I’ve suspected all along that you were nothing more than a slink ghoul. You could shadow your form, but you could never truly hide your basic instincts. Each time we talked I sensed more of what you were. I have enough of an understanding of the dark realm to know the kind of creatures that are spawned there.”

  “Congratulations,” Baannat answered sarcastically. “You should also know that my physical prowess exceeds yours. You can not match me in magic and now you can be assured you can not match me in physical battle.”

  “If it’s that simple, why don’t you just get rid of me once and for all?” Enin dared the dark creature. “Use your new found magical advantage to obliterate me, or show me the strength in your arms and the sharpness of your claws and kill me with one quick strike.”

  “If I wanted to, rest assured you would be dead already,” Baannat answered with a twisted grin that wrinkled his whiskers even further. “You’ve always amused me and I like being amused.”

  “The time for your entertainment is coming to an end. I have come here so that one way or another, this will be our last encounter.”

  “But once again you did not come alone.” Baannat took a quick glimpse over at Linda. He did not recognize her, and that bothered him greatly. Still, he sensed no great magical energy in this woman and he scoffed at her presence. “I am surprised, however, that you bring this human with you. I expected the elf you’ve been training. I would have bet you might have thought the e
lf’s assistance might have leveled out the imbalance that now exists between us. You would have been wrong, but that was my guess.”

  “It does not matter who I bring,” Enin responded hoping to keep Baannat’s attention on him and away from Linda. “I am the one that will bring you to an end.”

  “You? I thought it was the delver that was supposed to take care of me? What happened to his destiny?”

  Enin did not wish to discuss Ryson, especially in front of Linda, and he turned the conversation back at his nemesis. “You were the one that scoffed at that destiny. You even came out and told me I would have to face you eventually. As it turns out, you were right. I do have to face you. It seems you know my fate better than I.”

  “It is not your fate to just face me,” Baannat giggled. “It is your fate to die by my hands.”

  “I do not think so, Baannat. Although I am not gifted enough to see my own destiny, I do not feel that it is yet my time. If anything, I feel more alive than I have in a very long time. For too long I have constrained myself, not daring to truly test my powers.”

  “This will be no test,” Baannat growled with bitter hate. “No simple game as we have played in the past.”

  “Indeed, all the games are over, even the one I’ve played with myself,” Enin admitted freely. “I’ve lived much too carefully and not taken my own advice. I have a choice just like the others in this existence. I choose not simply to be a bystander. I will not allow you to get away with what you have done. Many have suffered needlessly just so you could obtain the power you craved. I choose not to be afraid. The power that has been gifted to me is great and I have been hesitant to use it. I’ve worried about becoming too involved and excused my inaction by convincing myself it would only be interference in the lives of others. I know now that was only weakness on my part. Most of all, I choose to use my gift to help others. Right now I can think of nothing I could do more to help this land than to rid it of you.”

  Baannat was about to laugh, but he turned his head and snuck another glance toward Linda. “You seem almost confident you can beat me. At the same time, you know I am now more powerful than you. Why is that?”

  “The elf that I am training once told me that the battle doesn’t always go to the strongest,” Enin replied.

  “That is true.” Baannat admitted while continuing to glare at Linda’s form in the swirling mist. “Some times it goes to the better prepared. How have you prepared for me in such a short time, and what does this woman have to do with it?”

  “I’m sure you’ll figure that out eventually,” Enin offered without giving further details. “Until then there are some spells of my own that I’ve always wanted to try. I wouldn’t dare back at my home as I might obliterate the town I live in. But I’m not really too concerned if that happens here, so I guess I’m free to give them a try.”

  Baannat heard Enin’s words but his attention was now fully on Linda. Enin took advantage of the opportunity. He placed his hands far apart, extending both arms across their full width. He mouthed a few words and two snow white rings appeared near his hands, one at each palm. He quickly threw his arms together, clapping his hands and the rings together with great force directly in front of him. The white magic exploded into thousands of tiny jagged stars all about the size of a fingernail. They shot toward Baannat with great velocity, so fast in fact, they appeared like small lightning bolts darting through the space between them.

  Baannat did not have time to cast a counter spell and the vast majority of the shrapnel imbedded itself into his body. He growled in pain, but then shouted a spell of his own. Two white hot circles dropped about his body and began to swirl around him. The jagged pieces of magic shards began to melt into his body. He quickly turned his own hands toward Enin. The circles of magic then rode down his extended arms and unfurled into two long spears. The pulsating javelins flew toward the wizard but they made no impact. They passed right through him as if he was not there. Baannat understood almost immediately.

  “You are a coward and a fool!” Baannat screamed. “You chose to split your being and hide behind this woman in the walkway of existence as she exposes herself. But you can only use her to reach me as long as she lives, and that ends now.”

  Baannat cast another spell and the two white circles that encircled his arms erupted into cascading flames that burst over Linda’s entire body. He let the flames roar into an inferno until Linda’s body was no longer visible through the white plasma that now surrounded her. When he ended the spell, this time Baannat could not fathom what he saw.

  “She lives? What games are you playing, brother? Are you wasting your energy shielding her against my power? You could not hope to continue such folly for long.”

  Throwing his arms in the air, Baannat called for another spell and this time a wave of energy exploded from over his head. It rushed toward Linda like a tidal wave of immense proportions. It flooded his intended target with such fury that the very mist that made up this realm shook with violence. Once more, Baannat was left gaping in disbelief at what he saw.

  Enin took advantage of Baannat’s dismay and hurled his own magical spell at the demon. He waved a single hand in a ring over his head and a large circular blade appeared with hundreds of razor sharp teeth at its edges. It spun with near unfathomable speed and Enin hurled it at the slink ghoul with all his power. The blade sunk deep into Baannat and exploded at his core just as the ghoul roared with anger and frustration.

  “This can not be!” Baannat screamed. “You should not have the energy to defend this woman and still attack me with such power. Unless…”

  Baannat waved his hands and called for a force barrier to protect him from further onslaughts from Enin. He then turned to Linda and whispered a simple spell of light. A small beam of yellow broke through the misty fog, but it would not shine upon Linda.

  Baannat started to laugh again which quickly turned to an angry bellow. “You found one that is immune! That explains it all. She has agreed to assist you and so you can use her as both a shield and an anchor.”

  “Now I suppose you are deserving of congratulations,” Enin mocked the dark spell caster.

  “And how long do you think I would allow this to continue?” Baannat challenged. “I can not harm her with magic, but I do not need magic to kill her. She is a human and easy prey for me. Once she is gone, you will have to face me on your own.”

  Linda felt more than a twinge of fear as she saw Baannat’s eyes focus on her with evil intent. As he crouched down with spit cascading through angry snarls, she felt more vulnerable than she ever had before. Even when she saw the magic flame or the tidal wave rush toward her, instinctively she knew it could not harm her. Now, however, she was no longer certain if she was truly safe.

  The claws sprung out of Baannat’s fingertips as he leapt toward Linda and she braced herself for searing hot pain. It never came. When Baannat got within reach of her, a burst of energy exploded between him and Linda and flung him backward like a rag doll tossed from a baby’s crib.

  “Did you think I would actually take the chance of sending her here without physical protection?” Enin asked. “I told you I knew what you were. Of course I also knew it was only a matter of time before you tried that. She is well shielded against physical attacks.”

  Baannat roared with anger. “You have not the power to shield her and attack me as you have! What trickery is this?!”

  “Come now, Baannat,” Enin ridiculed his nemesis. “Think about it. Do I have to really spell it out for you? The shield does not require more than a fraction of energy. I only have to use enough of my magic to protect her from you physically, not magically. She is her own protection against magic. The truth of the matter is you are doomed.”

  Flailing his arms in swinging motions at his sides, the wizard sent a spell of a windspin toward his opponent. A small tornado of fierce power struck at the ghoul, but it disintegrated in a blaze of crackling energy.

  Spitting toward the wizard
now, Baannat made his own proclamation of the situation. “You are still weaker than I am. Even if I can’t harm the woman, I can protect myself from your attacks. The shield I now wear will cancel any spell you cast and I can wait until she tires. She can not stay like this forever. Eventually she will need rest. I only need patience now.”

  “Patience would work if I allowed you the time,” Enin countered. Utilizing his greatest effort, the wizard placed all of his focus on a spell of pure power. He threw his hands outward as he whispered words of a higher level of consciousness. He embraced the borders between existence, between light and dark, life and death, good and evil. He allowed the thin layer of separation between these concepts to grow into a greater magnitude of enlightenment. Black magic was that energy fueled of change and it could become a spell of ultimate power. Spinning his palms outward, he centered this bolt of pure force directly at Baannat’s being.

  A thick shadow engulfed the ghoul and though it could not touch him through the slink ghoul’s own shield, it battered the very essence of his energy. Baannat could feel the very fabric of his power being decimated by the endless turmoil inherent in Enin’s spell. Such was the strength of this one spell that the demon quickly realized his own existence might actually be in peril.

  “You insane fool!” the ghoul cried out. “I can deflect your spell, but not indefinitely. The cataclysm of our two powers absorbing each other will deteriorate us both.”

  “Is this supposed to stop me?” Enin demanded. “I came here to weaken you, and I will succeed, even if it costs all that I am.”

  “I will not allow this!”

  “You have little choice. You can’t attack me as long as I remain out of your reach. I, however, can assault you as long as I use my friend as the conduit she has now become. She serves now as both a shield and the sword against you.”

  “Then I will remove her at all costs!”