The Heart of Alchemy

by James E. Wisher

  “The guild master has rescinded the contract on Wolfric and Otto. Your gold will be returned to your ship by the end of the day.” She shook her head. “I am sorry, but it was the only way to save the city. We will not accept another contract on either of them or their families. This is the bargain we struck.”

  Relief flooded through Eddred. The whole assassination business had always sat badly with him, especially after what happened to the city. Having the matter closed for good took a weight off his mind. True, they still needed to find a way to stop Otto and Wolfric, but now they could focus on finding a more honorable way to go about it.

  “Thank you for coming to tell me. We’ll be taking our leave in the next day or so. While I hope to return some time, if that doesn’t come to pass, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

  “You are a good man, Eddred of Markane. Whatever happens in the future, I wish you all the best.”

  Eddred sighed as she slipped silently out the door. He needed to talk to Lord Valtan. He doubted the Arcane Lord would take the news well.

  The voyage back to South Barrier Island seemed to Eddred the longest of his life. The hours ticked by like days and every minute he couldn’t stop thinking about the death and destruction his quest for revenge had caused. Lord Valtan claimed they were trying to save the world, but from Eddred’s perspective, it seemed they were only making things worse.

  “Land ho!” the lookout in the crow’s nest called.

  From his place by the helm, Eddred could barely make out the narrow strip of green that was the island.

  Another six hours passed before they finally tied up to the longest dock. The moment the gangplank hit into the wharf, he hurried down; for some reason Eddred, who normally loved being out to sea, felt an overwhelming need to feel the earth beneath his feet. Uther and the rest of the crew followed at a more sedate pace.

  Eddred sighed. “It’s good to be home.”

  Beside him, Uther snorted. “This little patch of dirt is no more your home than it is mine. Where is your master? We need to plan our next move. You know that bastard Shenk isn’t going to be sitting still for long.”

  As if summoned by Uther’s words, an ethereal projection of Lord Valtan appeared a short distance away. Everyone but Uther bowed.

  “What happened?” Valtan asked.

  “The assassins lost their nerve!” Uther said before Eddred had a chance.

  “Two Garenland ships loaded with wizards showed up in the City of Coins’s harbor,” Eddred said. “Wolfric demanded the assassins be handed over or they’d burn the city to the ground. Otto’s war wizards made a credible start the first day. And that night he set a bunch of ghouls loose in the streets. They killed more people than the fire.”

  Valtan shook his head. “Is there no depth the man won’t sink to?”

  “The city lords decided to make a deal,” Eddred continued. “The leader of the assassins promised not to accept a contract on Otto, Wolfric, or their loved ones in exchange for the city being spared. I have our payment on the ship.”

  “So what do we do now?” Uther demanded. “It’s been nearly a year since I arrived and we’ve accomplished exactly nothing.”

  Valtan turned his glowing gaze on Uther. “You are not a prisoner here. If you wish to take your chances elsewhere, by all means, go. A boat can be arranged by the end of the day.”

  “I don’t know how to sail a boat,” Uther growled. “I just want to save my father and free my people. Killing Otto Shenk would be a nice bonus.”

  “I share your frustration,” Valtan said. “But this was never an enemy that would fall quickly or easily. Though I had high hopes for the assassins.”

  “I’ve had enough.” Eddred spoke so softly the others didn’t seem to hear him. “I said, I’ve had enough.”

  Every gaze focused on him and his throat went dry.

  “What are you saying?” Valtan asked.

  “I’m saying, all we’re doing is making things worse. How many more people have died because of our efforts? If we’d just minded our own business, Garenland would have left us alone and our families would still be alive. Hiring the assassins only caused more people to suffer in the City of Coins. Worst of all, we’ve accomplished nothing to even slow Otto’s efforts. It’s time to let it go.”

  Uther took a step towards him and for a moment Eddred feared the angry prince might strike him. “Let it go? You mean forget that my land has been conquered and my father made a slave?”

  “Your father started this mess.” Eddred didn’t care what Uther did. He wouldn’t let the younger man pretend his precious father didn’t play a major part in the chaos that had infected the continent. “If Straken had curbed its ambition, none of this would have happened.”

  “Enough!” The force of Valtan’s roar nearly put Eddred on his backside. “If Otto Shenk succeeds in his quest, what has happened up until now will seem a pleasant memory. Arcane Lords consume and destroy. It is what we are. Only by the narrowest of margins did I escape that fate and only then after seeing the horrors the others committed. Power and lack of experience will cause Otto to overreach, probably killing thousands in the process. He. Must. Be. Stopped!”

  Eddred swallowed a sigh. That was exactly the response he’d expected. “Do you have a new plan? If it seems feasible, I will continue the fight. But not at the expense of more innocent lives.”

  “Thank you, Eddred. Unfortunately, I don’t, as of yet, have a new plan. Take some time. Rest here. When I think of something, I’ll return.” So saying, Valtan vanished.

  There was a modest, seemingly deserted village not far from the dock. Maybe they could find some fresh food and a clean bed. For now, that was the best Eddred dared hope for.

  Chapter 29

  As Otto stepped out of the portal into Lux, a warm spring breeze washed over him. After the madness with the assassins and the City of Coins, the rest of the winter passed without issue. Otto focused his time on researching the Celestial Empire, both with Ulf and on his own using the library in Lord Karonin’s armory.

  His master had very little to say about the empire. It seemed she and Lord Xi Cheng didn’t like one another and avoided each other as much as possible. The way she said this made it clear that further questions wouldn’t be welcome. It seemed that, despite there only being six of them, the Arcane Lords didn’t all especially like one another. Too many big personalities, Otto suspected. No doubt only Amet Sur’s overwhelming power kept them from going to war against each other. That and the distance between their various empires.

  He shook his head at the pointless speculation and stepped aside to make room for the rest of his team. Axel was coming, along with ten scouts, and Hans and his squad rounded out the combat portion of the group. Corina would be joining of course. If he left his apprentice behind, he’d never hear the end of it. Besides, he found her company pleasant and sometimes even insightful. On a journey of over ten thousand miles, having another wizard to talk to would be welcome and he didn’t want to bring any of the war wizards on the off chance more trouble sprang up in his absence.

  When the last member of the team emerged, Otto deactivated the portal and led the way toward the dock. Henry, his agent in Lux, fell in beside them.

  “I trust everything is ready,” Otto said.

  “Yes, my lord. All the supplies I could fit on board your ship, plus the special trade goods. If you don’t mind my saying so, the improvements make her a lovely vessel.”

  “They had better make her comfortable. The last trip was bad enough. Damned if I’m going to spend every night for three or four months in a bloody hammock. Anyway, well done arranging everything.”

  “Of course. Is there anything else I can do before you depart?” Henry asked.

  “No, we’re as ready as we’ll ever be.”

  “Then I bid you fair wind and smooth seas.”

  Otto frowned. “Isn’t that a Lux expression? Going native on me?”

  “Perish the thought, but it’s diff
icult not to pick up a few things when you live somewhere long enough.”

  Otto didn’t especially care what sayings Henry picked up and dismissed the matter at once. As long as his loyalty remained in the right place, he could talk however he wanted.

  At the docks, Captain Wainwright stood at the bottom of the gangplank to greet them. He looked as happy as Otto had ever seen him, his blue and white uniform crisp, his beard trimmed, and a big smile creasing his face.

  “Lord Shenk, welcome. All the work is done and the Star is as fit as she’s ever been. I can’t tell you how excited I am to begin the trip.”

  Otto shook the man’s hand. “However excited you are, it’s not half as excited as I am. I want to be out of here as soon as possible.”

  “You’re in luck. The tide will turn in half an hour. As soon as it does, we’ll throw lines and set sail. We’re going to make history, my lord.”

  Otto doubted Wainwright knew just how right he was. He led the way up the gangplank. Time to see what all his gold bought.

  It turned out that what his gold bought was a modest room at the best inn he’d ever visited. There was a single-person feather bed, a soft leather reading chair, a writing desk with bolted-down supplies, and a chest of drawers, also bolted to the floor, with locking drawers. It wasn’t Franken Manor, but it was a massive improvement over what he had last trip.

  He’d barely settled into the chair when someone knocked on his door. “Enter.”

  Captain Wainwright poked his head in. “Is everything to your liking?”

  “It’s sufficient. I assume you’ve settled on our final course.”

  “Aye, I have. I don’t expect any issues until we reach the Frozen Narrows. Assuming we can thread the needle, it should be smooth sailing until we reach the island. Heaven knows what we’ll have to deal with there.”

  “Let’s just worry about getting there. We have two months to plan that little adventure.”

  “Right you are. If you’ll excuse me.”

  Wainwright closed the door and Otto sighed. Now for the boring part. Weeks on end of tedium. Though if this trip was anything like the first, he’d be wishing for boredom before it ended.

  Chapter 30

  Otto’s breath puffed white as he stood beside the ship’s rail. His magic, combined with a heavy wool cloak, kept him from freezing, if not exactly comfortable. They’d been sailing for nearly five weeks with no issues.

  In fact, Captain Wainwright kept the ship well away from land lest they draw the attention of something nasty in the Dead Lands. While it might have extended the journey by a day or two, that was a price Otto would gladly pay if it avoided a fight with some undead monster. Otto didn’t know what sort of creature might think a ship full of men would make a tasty snack and he had no desire to find out.

  He’d spent much of the trip studying the undead and how best to control them. If an emergency happened and they were forced to land, it seemed a prudent precaution. Not that he was all that confident in his newfound skills.

  Unfortunately, the moment of reckoning might be coming sooner than he wanted. Directly ahead, a spit of blackened land jutted out into the ocean on the left side. On the right, thick chunks of ice bobbed in the waves. Thankfully small waves at the moment, though that would change once they reached the Narrows.

  At the helm, Captain Wainwright gripped the wheel, a grim look of determination on his face. Though certainly fearful of the risks, the handful of times they’d spoken about the passage the captain’s eyes lit up with excitement for the challenge. Otto knew just how he felt. Every time he attempted a new spell, the same excitement filled him. Granted, failing to learn a spell wasn’t apt to end up with them all dead, but still it was exciting in its own way.

  “Master?” Corina came towards him, her slight figure wrapped in a heavy, fur-lined cloak. “I thought you said it got warmer when you went south?”

  “It does, for a while. If you go far enough south, it grows cold again.”

  “That makes no sense.”

  Otto smiled. “Much of life doesn’t. Help me keep watch.”

  “For what, ice floes?”

  “No, the lookouts can spot them easily enough, we need to watch for anything magical coming from the Dead Lands.” Otto pointed at the rapidly closing mass of blackened earth. “We’ll be within a quarter mile of land when we pass through the narrowest part. If anything’s going to happen, it will happen there.”

  Corina shivered. “Just looking at the blackened earth gives me the chills. What happened to it?”

  “According to the books I’ve read, when the undead plague destroyed Amet Sur’s former empire, something happened to the land. So many beasts of corruption striding across the ground killed it in a way fire or any other natural force couldn’t. I doubt anything will ever grow there again. It is literally a land of the dead.”

  “That’s horrible.” The wind howled, blowing her hood off.

  “Focus now. We’re approaching the Narrows.”

  The wind continued to pick up, propelling them forward at a furious pace. The masts creaked and the canvas cracked like whips.

  “Reef those sails before the mast snaps!” Captain Wainwright shouted.

  Sailors hurried into the rigging. Every second Otto expected one of them to go tumbling into the sea.

  But the sure-footed men never hesitated and soon they had half the canvas down. That brought the ship’s speed to something manageable.

  Or so Otto thought. The sailors had barely finished their work when something bumped their hull.

  “Report!” the captain shouted.

  “We hit a floe!” one of the sailors said. “Just a small one. No damage.”

  Wainwright’s curse was carried away by the wind. “I need two men in the forecastle! Signal me if we’re going toward another one.”

  A pair of sailors ran to the front of the ship. Otto would have volunteered to keep watch with magic, but he needed all his attention elsewhere.

  The right-hand sailor waved and pointed.

  Wainwright adjusted their course closer to the Dead Lands.

  Otto liked that decision not in the least, but he liked sinking even less and held his tongue.

  Even with half their sails down it felt like the ship continued to pick up speed. When Otto glanced back, another sailor had joined Wainwright at the wheel and it looked like it was taking everything both men had to hold their course.

  At least they hadn’t bumped into anything else, due in large part to the frantic signaling of the men at the front of the ship.

  A shiver of dread ran down Otto’s spine.

  “Master?” The quaver in Corina’s voice made it clear she sensed it as well.

  The source of the darkness became clear a moment later. A black cloud was approaching from the Dead Lands. Somehow it moved north to south despite the west-to-east wind.

  “A Black Wind,” Otto muttered. He’d read about them, but his books indicated that they were rare. Clearly not rare enough.

  “Master, what should we do?”

  There was nothing to do except ride it out and hope they survived. “Stay alert. Anything gets past me, you’ll need to deal with it.”

  He left Corina and ran toward the helm. As soon as Captain Wainwright saw him Otto said, “We need more speed. Everything you can muster.”

  “I’m barely holding her steady as it is. We put on one more yard of canvas and we risk the masts.”

  Otto pointed at the Black Wind. “If we don’t get through that before my power runs out, it will scour the life out of everyone aboard. Every second matters.”

  “I’ll go three-quarters sail, but not full. We break the masts and we’ll be stuck here.”

  Otto nodded and left the sailors to their work. There was one more thing he needed to do.

  He raced to the stairs leading to the lower decks and shouted. “Axel, Hans, bring your men up on deck and make sure they have their mithril weapons. Now!”

  A minute later the
cloud was less than a mile away and all the soldiers were on deck. The ship thrashed through the heaving seas with such force it was all Otto could do to stay on his feet.

  “Spread out along the rail,” Otto said. “Draw your weapons and hold them aloft. Whatever you do, don’t lose them.”

  “Heaven’s mercy, what is that?” Axel stared out over the water at the Black Wind.

  “That is what I’m trying to stop. Now move your men into position before it arrives or we’re all dead.”

  Happily there were no further arguments and the soldiers quickly dispersed around the ship. As soon as they did, Otto ran ether through their mithril weapons, strengthening a barrier that quickly encompassed the entire ship. Even with the mithril enhancing his magic, it took thirty threads’ worth of ether to enclose them.

  And not a moment too soon. He had barely finished the barrier when the Black Wind hit it. The power of the corruption nearly drove him to his knees. He could feel the darkness and its desire to consume their lives. It was evil on a scale he’d never encountered. Even the ghouls, for all their vileness, were understandable as predators. But this had no mind, just an emptiness that wanted to consume everything.

  The seconds dragged on as the darkness waged a relentless assault on the ethereal barrier. Each tiny blow would have been nothing on its own, but thousands of them every minute nearly drove him mad.

  Sometime through the passage, he finally realized what they were dealing with and why it didn’t obey the gale. The Black Wind was actually a huge swarm of undead insects. It had never occurred to him that bugs might become undead, though anything living could, so why not bugs?

  At some point Otto’s mind went blank, overwhelmed by the nonstop assault. His only focus was on maintaining the barrier.

  The pain vanished into a pocket in the back of his mind.

  The rolling deck became a vague background presence.

  Keep the barrier up, damn it! Nothing else mattered.

  That mantra ran through his mind over and over.