I felt the drain this time as I performed another rush of cleansing Blood Magic. In fact, I had just sat there panting for the first dozen seconds or so, unable to handle the new questions the restored Gaelguard invariably asked. Thankfully they accepted Alum’s command and accepted that he deferred to me, despite me being so ‘short and young’ for an Earthborn warrior. After a moment of breath, I noticed that the Woadfolk were behaving less like horribly traumatized victims and more like people who had become unconscious during a pivotal combat. They didn’t seem very aware of what they had gone through while poisoned.
I had just enough time to irrationally resent them for that fact before I got my thoughts in order and gave the command to move out. The five newly rescued Gaelguard gave me one more odd look and then they fell into Alum’s formation behind me.
Now I had a decision to make. How many more people could I free before running out of mana? My Mighty Pump spell helped me recover mana quickly, and I already had a massive pool to work with, thanks to my incredibly high Traits. It was enough to let me hurl powerful magic at a frequency that even the most dedicated magic users of our group had trouble matching. And every person we had freed so far had increased our combat potential. But was it enough to matter? Would extra sword arms really help that much when we delved into the heart of this place?
As I asked myself that question, Alum directed us to a relatively safe part of the forest to catch our breath. When I gave everyone a moment to rest, the eight tattooed warriors pointed to one of the trees, and they circled around it. One of the younger ones put his hand on the tree and concentrated. The Woad glyph on the giant plant pulsed, and the warrior’s own tattoos pulsed in response. I heard Breena hiss in response.
Wood Magic, she told me through the mindlink. Mixed with powerful ritual magic using the tattoos. On a level only done with experts in both schools of magic. No! she added suddenly, a note of panic entering her voice. You are not allowed to get any ideas!
Sure, I promised blandly. Wouldn’t dream of it.
I mean it, Wes!
What is it doing to them, though?
As I asked that question, the young man suddenly sagged, and flecks of stone fell from a line along the trunk. A vein of green-colored magic glowed from the line, traveling down the Gaelguard’s tattoos. He straightened as the light poured into him, and then he reached behind to grab the shoulder of one of the warriors circled around him. The light traveled along them all, tracing a pattern along some of the tattoos, as if it was using part of every warrior to form a certain symbol.
Script magic as well, Breena whispered. I can’t believe it.
So this used to be done all the time? Combining magics like this? I asked, curious. That could probably open up some possibilities for—
Please don’t ruin this, Wes, she sent back. Just enjoy the history of a lost magic returning.
I shut up and let whatever the heck this was finish happening. The light only lasted for a few more moments. But when it ended, all of the woad-marked warriors sighed in refreshment.
“I’ve missed this,” Alum’s son said. He ran his sword across his wooden round shield, and a moment later a green glyph glowed on it.
It’s said that they weren’t just warriors in the past, Breena supplied. The oldest of them could work magic from the symbols on their body. It was like a second power source they could draw from.
It’s also rejuvenating them, isn’t it? I asked, studying the warriors carefully.
Breena nodded.
That’s supposedly the first function of it. That and strengthening their bodies. Those gifts still exist among the few Gaelguard alive today. It probably helped protect them while they were in stasis. But now new things I haven’t seen in forever are coming back, Wes. Thank you, she added softly.
The three Testifiers next to me had watched the whole event silently. When another of the Gaelguard began to trace a green line along his blade, the three of them suddenly spoke up.
“Another gift of the ancients has been recovered,” Karim intoned formally. “Man and Woad have spoken face-to-face, and magic long thought lost has returned. This event is hereby witnessed in script…”
“Witnessed in song…” Weylin added.
“And witnessed in stone,” Eadric finished.
From the mindlink, I sensed that they had been waiting for this very event ever since we found Alum.
I walked over to the Celt-like warrior, who to my surprise was tracing a line in front of him and creating a shield effect similar to Karim’s own script magic.
“Alright, you’ve all gotten stronger,” I said to the man. “And that’s good. But I need to know how good. You’ve seen how I cure your people and you’ve seen what it takes out of me. So we have to figure out how many more we’re going to help before we try to strike deeper into this place.”
“No.” Alum shook his head. “Now we’re going to help you. The Gaelguard are back, Earthborn. Set whatever plan you wish.” His tattoos glowed again, and this time his entire body hummed with power. “We promise we will make it succeed.”
CHAPTER TEN: AWAKEN ME
I really needed to think faster, I told myself. Because this wasn’t a hard decision.
There was one more nest we could have possibly hit, according to Alum. Again he had been one of the last warriors overwhelmed and so he had known where most of the others had fallen. Not all would be recoverable, because he had seen some slain in direct combat. But he knew of at least one more place where exhausted warriors had been overrun.
We hit that place, and the Gaelguard tore through it like paper.
The rest of us almost had nothing to do. A few of them wrote some glyphs into the air much like Karim would, and then green fire swept through the spiders high up in the trees. The Arachmen put up more resistance. This group was composed of older Arachmen, possibly even survivors from the ancient battle in this place. Their skin and carapaces were darker, and they had a number of bristly hairs sticking out of their body. These were actually wielding swords and axes in some of their hands. But there were only eight of them, which meant we outnumbered them almost two to one after their spider-pets began to burn. As soon as one of the monsters were distracted by my own team, the Gaelguard would take advantage. One of their warriors would slam into the Arachman in a glowing blur, bashing them down with a wooden round shield while hacking away at their many appendages with sword or axe, shouting some chant my mindscreen wouldn’t translate.
The entire fight had taken less than three minutes. Afterwards, I was staring at the six stone bodies and preparing myself for the wracking pain that would accompany their freedom. Assuming I had enough power to restore them at all. But this time the woad-marked warriors all surrounded me and put their hands on me.
“We can help you now,” Alum said respectfully. “Please help us gain back our own.”
Breena? I asked, figuring things could still go wrong with using unfamiliar magic.
It should be fine, my fairy companion said cautiously. But I’ll keep an eye on everything when they start helping.
So will we, Karim added. Even though you’re making more work for us.
I heard Eadric and Weylin sigh in agreement with how much new history they’d have to record, and smiled.
Once again, I spoke to the magic of Blood, casting Vein to Vein. Once again, Teeth and I put aside our differences and worked together. Hopefully that wouldn’t become a trend yet; we still weren’t ready to get along. But when the Woadfolk put their hands on my shoulder and flared their own power into me, the blinding whitewash of power turned into a sea of green. I could still maintain my control of the spell, but this time I was wracked by the flow of vibrant power entering my body, instead of the blood and magic leaving it. The power actually felt nice. Soothing, even, after the initial shock. It dulled the pain I normally felt casting this spell, and after a moment I began to feel healthier, like I used to feel after a really good bout of exercise.
Then my
vision went red.
ERROR, a message drilled into my mind, different from the messages my mindscreen sent. Detecting an Earthborn undoing key Council restrictions. Violations include: genetic tampering, unlawful seizing of territory, and interacting with restricted civilizations.
I finished the spell, but the wracking sea of red remained, locking up my limbs, drilling painfully into my mind.
Triggering termination protocols now.
There was a high-pitched buzzing in my inner ear, but nothing else happened.
ERROR: termination algorithms failed. Tampering from outside source suspected. Introducing further restrictive measures now.
This time, there was a splashing sound in my inner ear, and my brain, lungs, and heart suddenly weighed a few hundred pounds heavier.
That was what it felt like, at least. I had no idea what was actually happening. All I knew was that the act of breathing, thinking, or just living suddenly felt completely impossible. Every part of my body started to fold or clench itself.
No, my compressed brain suddenly said.
Yes, Aegrim spoke up again. This is your true place, traitor-prince. If you will not serve me, you will bow under the Council’s decrees. These burdens are now your true skies, your true limits, your true heavens.
No, the last of my brain cells said again.
Hold fast, Earthborn, Vinclum said in my mind. Heed not the tyranny of frightened old men.
You cannot help him this time, Vinclum! Aegrim snapped. Just as he cannot help them! Just as he cannot save her!
The burden upon me pressed even harder. A ringing sounded in my ear.
Someone outside was calling out my name.
Outside. Someone outside.
There was such a thing as outside.
No, my damaged brain growled. These are not my limits, not my skies, not my heavens. I have an outside. I have a whole universe just outside. I will save them. And I will save her. You cannot stop me.
The burden pressed down on me again, making my insides weigh tons instead of pounds. By now I could realize that the weight was a message, the same two words over and over. You can’t. You can’t. You can’t.
I felt the green power again, crushed down with me. It had triggered all of this somehow. It had given me too much of something, and that frightened someone else somewhere. Who and where, I did not know. But I grabbed back at the burden, wrapped my defiance around every message saying “you can’t.” I shook and throttled them all, and then with a heave inside my soul I lifted up…
and pushed.
ERROR, the red wall shouted futilely. ERROR. Containment protocols breaking. Class 1 threat detected. Emergency protocols triggering. Dispatching notice of recent events to Stellar Council immediately. Dispatching notice recommending destruction of planet containing defiant Earthborn. ERROR: Unable to dispatch message. Communication network no longer available. ERROR. ERROR. ERROR…
Teeth, I thought out.
What? my inner dragon gasped, fighting the same fight I was.
Lunch, I commanded.
Damn straight, the New Guy replied.
I felt the dragon part of me shake off the last of his own restraints and lunge violently at the contaminant inside of my very soul. More futile “ERROR” messages shouted out from it, until Teeth tore the thing apart in the same way he had with Raw-Maw’s essence and devoured the foreign intelligence bite by bite.
Then he gave a smug, satisfied snort, and my vision and hearing slowly returned.
The first thing I could dimly make out was Breena shouting urgently, along with feeling more familiar magic pour into me. Moments later, all of my sensations blurred together again as I suddenly processed just how many people were moving, casting, and shouting around me all at once. But a few rapid blinks fixed all of that somehow.
I was still standing upright somehow. In the distance, the Gaelguard was steadying and sometimes embracing the newly rescued warriors, saying the word for “Earthborn,” over and over. Breena was hovering protectively over me, and I noticed Val holding my hand and saying my name over and over in a frightened voice.
“Wes?” Breena and Val said at the same time. “Are you okay?”
“I… think so?” I answered carefully. I was struggling with the fact that my mindscreen was blinking furiously at me.
“What happened?” Alum’s son asked from behind me. My mindscreen kept blinking. I finally focused on the message.
Pre-recorded message, designator Avalon.
Greetings, Lord Challenger. This is a message informing you that further contaminants were discovered within your brain, linking directly to the soul itself. These contaminants predate the device recently discovered in your brain, and seem to be contaminants inherited from a previous host, possibly a birth mother. Avalon is complying with previous conversations to delay delivery of information until Lord Challenger indicates a readiness to process said information or said information becomes immediately relevant. This recording has been triggered by said parameters.
Upon comparing the Lord Challenger with recently repaired logs, Avalon suspects the existence of restrictive contaminants present inside of every Earthborn, passed down genetically and with the intent to prevent or restrict the Earthborn race’s ability to Rise. Further examination of fellow rescued Earthborn supports said hypothesis, as does the Lord Challenger’s recent transformation of his native race. Avalon has worked to inhibit and counteract said contaminants and this warning is to inform the Lord Challenger that Avalon has recently prevented the contaminant from enacting lethal behavior. Please contact Avalon directly for more information.
End of message.
“Breena?” I asked carefully. “Do you remember when I asked you about something called the Stellar Council, and how you’ve never heard of them?”
“Yeah, Wes,” Breena said slowly. “That’s still true.”
“What do you mean?” Breyn asked. “My father just said you were an Earthborn, did he not?”
I sighed, closed my eyes and counted to five.
“I am, in fact, an Earthborn,” I try to say patiently. “But I am unfamiliar with many of the assumptions people are recently having regarding my race. Please explain the connection my race has with the Stellar Council.”
“Connection.” The young man blinked. “Right. Um, your race leads it? Does that count?”
“Yes,” I replied levelly. “That completely counts as useful information.”
“Why?” Breyn asked. “It’s common knowledge even among us Woadfolk. We were counting on it, in fact. It’s the reason we tried to hold out as long as we did. So that you would be able to get the rest of the races and come here to help us. Isn’t that why you’re here? Because the rest are on their way?” He looked around hopefully, as if he was expecting an army to show up behind me any minute.
“No,” I answered gently. “And you’re all probably going to have some disappointing news when we really have time to talk. Let me ask you this: Did my race have any enemies on the Council?”
“Enemies?” Breyn snorted incredulously, then shook his head. “Sorry, Lord Earthborn, sir. Yes. Your race has a number of enemies on the council. You’re all quite famous for it.”
“Great,” I said dryly. “That’s just great.”
“It’s why you’re all so popular, too,” Breyn continued, quickly, but sincerely. “You were the only ones with the woad to stand up to those monsters. In fact, a few of them are no longer members because of your people’s work. A lot of our worlds probably take it for granted now,” Breyn added guiltily. “But the truth is that the people on a hundred thousand worlds have the freedom to hold their heads above the ground, because of what the Earthborn have done. Sorry. I uh, didn’t mean to talk so much. It’s just that I’ve always admired the people from your world. It’s an honor to finally meet a member of your race.”
“Breyn!” Alum called out from the throng of newly awakened Gaelguard. “Don’t talk the Earthborn’s ear off!”
&
nbsp; The young man ducked his head in embarrassment.
“Um, Wes?” Val spoke up. “What is he talking about? What other worlds? What council? Is this something everyone but us knows about?”
“No.” Karim shook his head. “This knowledge is new for all of us. And Earthborn no longer have a grand and lofty place in the Expanse. Off of their world, they are now hated and feared.”
“What?” Breyn’s head snapped up. “Why? Why would they ever?”
“Because for the last hundred years they have waged a war of conquest on the six sister worlds of Avalon.” Karim’s voice grew heated and strained. I saw anger leak out from his face, an anger he had probably been repressing around me for some time. “The two before you are the first two I have met that have not left death and slavery in their wake.”
“That’s impossible!” the woad-clad man shouted. “And how dare you! The heroes on a hundred-hundred worlds owe their training and foundation to the Earthborn! Much less our seven worlds, not six!”
“Okay,” I said out loud. “Everybody calm down. We can shout at each other when we’re all safe and above ground. Breyn, thank you. My people don’t have a positive image even on our own planet. But a lot of things have changed since you were all taken by the Keepers. If we survive all of this, you’re going to be in for a lot of surprises when you get back to the surface. Let’s get ready to move out again.”
“Yes, Lord Earthborn.” The man nodded at me. “But, may I ask you why you are so young?”
“I’m not that young,” Val insisted, thinking he was talking to her. “I’m fourteen.”
“He’s talking about both of you,” Virtus sighed, speaking up. “Because he remembers what your people used to look like, so he expects you both to be much taller. I’ll try and bring his people up to speed.”
“Okay,” Val grumbled. “But I don’t want to hear him making any short-Asian jokes.”
Nobody but me understood her. But Virtus took the woad-clad warrior aside and began whispering to him.
Woad Children (Challenger's Call Book 3) Page 14