What Once Was One (Book 2)

by Marc Johnson

  “You’re still here?” I asked, seeing it was only an hour or two until sunrise. “You’re never here when I wake up.”

  “I know. I just wanted to experience it with you before you go.”

  “And?”

  “It’s nice.”

  I squeezed her tighter and nuzzled against her chest. “It is.”

  She pulled away, forcing me to look into her soft, purple eyes. “Did you have a bad dream?”

  “It was...more than that.”

  “Tell me.”

  And I did. It was hard to talk about it, but once I did, I couldn’t stop. The princess listened and didn’t say a word until I was done.

  “Can wizards communicate through dreams using some kind of spell?” Krystal asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe Premier can and he’s warning you to stay away because he’s scared of you. After all, he did create an avatar and I didn’t think such a thing was possible.”

  “Maybe.” I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Premier needs to be stopped so that he has no chance of harming you or Alexandria again. I’m the only known wizard in the land that can make that happen. I beat him before. I can beat him again.” I found my voice surprisingly steady, even though I knew I had beaten him with Stradus’s help.

  Krystal intertwined her leg with mine. “Just be careful, hero. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I don’t want to lose you either.”

  I lusted at her bosoms and my fingers slid across them. “A guy could get used to this.”

  Krystal laughed. “You wish.”

  I danced my fingers over her side. She squirmed in delight. I tickled my fingers on her body and she cried out in laughter, the beautiful musical noise ringing in my ears. She tried to get away, but the bed was small and there was nowhere for her to go. She couldn’t do anything about it, or so I thought.

  A pillow slammed into my face. Feathers scattered everywhere. She smashed it into me again, forcing me to stop. I plucked the pillow from her hands and threw it aside. I forced myself on top of her and pinned her against the bed, holding her wrists and binding her in place. I knew if she wanted to, she could easily wrest herself from my grip, but she made no move.

  “I still have a little bit of time before I have to get ready and leave,” I said.

  Krystal’s eyes sparkled. “Then stop talking, and let’s make the most of it.”

  “As you command, Your Highness.”

  ----

  Afterwards, she left and I dressed and rushed to meet the others. We had a light breakfast of fresh fruit, bread, and cheese. We rechecked our supplies, loaded them on the horses, and made our way out of the castle to the northern walls of Alexandria.

  Krystal and King Furlong waited for us, along with some of their soldiers.

  “Your Majesty,” I said and bowed.

  “Hellsfire,” the king said, nodding. “I came to see you all off and wish you well.”

  “Thank you, sire. We appreciate it.”

  King Furlong’s blue eyes scrutinized me and his brow furrowed. I had seen him often during the time I was here. Because of the spells Premier had performed on him to gain the king’s trust, I checked on him daily to make sure there were no lingering effects. The king’s mind had been influenced by Premier, allowing him to weaken Alexandria’s defenses.

  The king and I never talked long. He was always curt and direct. In the beginning, I tried to make conversation with him, at Krystal’s urging. I wanted to see what I could do to help Alexandria or even just make small talk, to get to know the king. Those discussions never ended well. Eventually, I just gave up. Even though I’d saved his life and his kingdom, I felt I made him uneasy. I didn’t know whether it was the fact that I was a wizard or that he knew I was seeing his daughter. I hoped it was the first part.

  Furlong’s eyes and face softened when he saw his old friend Prastian. “Is there any message you want me to relay to King Sharald?”

  “No, sire,” Prastian said. “I believe we have everything taken care of. Thank you.”

  “What about you, Jastillian? Any last message?”

  “Aye. Tell my mother I expect great songs about us when we get back.” We all laughed at Jastillian’s words, but I knew he wasn’t kidding.

  “Maybe we’ll write our own song about you,” the king said.

  Jastillian grinned. “We would be honored.”

  “Good luck to you all,” King Furlong said. “May the gods walk with you.” We all bowed to him. He folded his arms within his red and white robes and walked away.

  A handful of Alexandria’s Guardsmen and the princess waited around the horses.

  “Patrols will be sent out every day to keep an eye out for your return,” Krystal said. “For as long as it takes.” She met my eyes when she said that.

  Captain Rebekah said, “We’ll ride with you until we reach the mountains and we’ll depart there. My patrol will shadow you for a time in case you run into trouble.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  Prastian and the others checked our supplies of food and water. I went to check the blood and skins I would need for the ritual.

  A lone horse carried all the supplies. He could barely keep still from the rank smell that covered him. The horse bucked and whinnied, but a soldier held his reins in place. I had to breathe through my mouth and tried not to remember that I would be drenched in that smell. Five goblin skins were laid across the horse’s back. Flies encircled him as if he was a carcass. There were six bags of blood. Five of them were marked with different numbers. I lifted a goblin skin and saw an identical number to match one of the bags. The sixth bag held a mixture of blood from all the creatures found in the Wastelands. I ran my hands over each bag, inspecting them for drips. The bags were secured tightly.

  From the corner of my eye, I saw the soldier controlling the horse glaring at me. I wondered what his problem was, until I realized half of the soldiers there had that same look on their faces. Every time I moved to check the blood, their glares worsened.

  “Everything’s ready,” Prastian said, walking over to me, forcing me to turn away from the soldiers.

  “Me too,” I said.

  Demay had a look of disgust on his face and stopped when he was seven feet away. He pinched his nose. “That smell. There’s got to be another way.”

  Jastillian slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry, lad, you’ll get used to it. Soon, you’ll wonder how you lived without it.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  Krystal came over to us and said, “Good luck to you. All of you. Take care.”

  We bowed to her, then climbed on our horses. I gazed at her. There was so much more I wanted to say that I didn’t get to say last night. I finally settled on, “Goodbye, Your Highness.”

  “Go,” she whispered. “Come back to me.”

  I nodded.

  As we rode out, I tried my best not to turn around. I knew that if I did I would see how much pain I caused her. I grasped the reins of my horse until they dug into my hands, leaving marks.

  I finally caved in and turned when she was just a small dot. I thought she might have been gone by then, but she was still there, waiting for me.

  ----

  Because of its location near the Wastelands of Renak, Alexandria wasn’t the most fertile of places. Most of its farms were to the east as a large river ran there. But it could still support people. I hadn’t been up north before, but I saw what Jastillian had talked about while we were in the library.

  The land became brittle and hard the farther we traveled. The cracked ground became uneven with weeds and shrubs and gangly, leafless trees sprinkled about. Huge gray clouds blocked out most of the light. They seemed to never move, just hovered there despite the howling wind. That wind came from everywhere like a wild creature hunting in the night.

  As we rode, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. From the corners of my eyes, I saw shadows flashing fr
om behind boulders. A large branch wobbled, but when I turned my head, nothing was there. The longer we rode, the stronger the rotten, sewage-like smell became. It reminded me of the battle with the creatures in Alexandria. But there would be no escape here, and we couldn’t kill them all.

  An hour later, we arrived at the drop-off point. My friends and I got off our horses. The Guardsmen surrounded us, keeping us out of view, while we grabbed our supplies. The bags of blood were awkward to carry because of how the heavy contents swirled with each movement. I slung them across my shoulders. The smell reminded me of the animals I used to butcher for Farmer Andrick back in the days before I became a wizard. Except far more pungent.

  With the soldiers surrounding us as shields, we took out our goblin skins. I draped mine over me, almost gagging from how disgusting it was. The slimy skin rubbed against my face and I shivered. While the goblin looked awkward on me, considering how tall I was and how short he was, I had an easier time of it than my friends. They might not have had to worry about their height, but their weapons got in the way. Prastian and Demay had hunchbacks because of their quivers. Behast and Jastillian weren’t going to be able to draw their weapons with ease.

  “Yuck,” Demay said, and shuddered. His face paled to a darker shade of green.

  “Don’t forget to rub their innards on you,” Prastian said.

  Demay stuck his tongue out at his brother and everyone laughed. I stopped laughing when I ran the entrails and intestines over my face. Blood and slime clung to my skin. I bent over and gagged, almost heaving up my light breakfast. I kept going though, even smearing it against my black wizard’s robe.

  “It’s not so bad, lad,” Jastillian said, having no problem with the bits of entrails entangled in his bushy beard. “I remember when I first did this, I couldn’t stop myself from puking. Now, it’s no bother. Some of the creatures have an excellent sense of smell. This will help throw them off.”

  I shook my head. “I’d rather rub dragon’s dung on me.” Jastillian laughed and patted me on the back.

  When I finished, I tied my food and water to my belt, making sure everything was secure. My back strained from how heavy it all was, but I knew it would lighten after the ritual and days of travel.

  “You may not see us, but we’ll shadow you,” Rebekah said. “We’ll try and take care of any large group of creatures that look to cross your path.”

  “Thank you,” Prastian said.

  “Good luck, all of you,” Rebekah said. She stared at me. “Return in one piece. Don’t make me give the princess bad news.”

  “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we all return in one piece,” I said. “But if we don’t return by the new moon then…” There were so many things I wanted to say to Krystal that I never had the courage to say. I couldn’t tell the captain first. “Tell her...I’m sorry.”

  “I will do as you ask,” Rebekah said.

  “We’ll take good care of him,” Prastian said.

  Rebekah nodded. “Fare thee well.” She and her men sped away.

  “We had better get a move on,” Jastillian said. “We must reach the cave before night falls.”

  Jastillian took the lead and we followed. While walking through the alien environment, the elves and I constantly glanced around the bleak landscape. They had their hands on the hilts of their swords while I had my mana within a thought’s grasp.

  “I feel ridiculous,” Demay said as he tugged the loose skin on his arm. “Are you sure this will work?”

  Jastillian laughed. “To where we’re going, no. But for right now, yes. I know where the dense population of creatures is. We’ll be fine. I’ve traveled this area many times, and Rebekah and her people have cleared the area of creatures ever since the battle.”

  “I also need time to gather my magic,” I said. “By drawing it from the land itself. I could have done it back at Alexandria, but incorporating the magic from the area where we’ll be is better. And with this much energy, I have to worry about affecting people in the area. Here, there aren’t any people to worry about.” I also wasn’t sure the effect the spell would have on us. It would be better if we were alone.

  As much as I wanted to rest my weary feet, we barely stopped for any breaks. As the day progressed, the creatures became more visible. They were shadows no more. A pair of trolls lumbered near a boulder and an ogre chewed on a large piece of meat with the bone protruding from his hand. We had walked so long that I wasn’t sure if Captain Rebekah and her men still shadowed us. If they did, we couldn’t see them.

  I couldn’t even be of any help if we ran into trouble. I meditated and focused on gathering in as much mana as I could, in preparation for the dangerous ritual I had to perform. Gathering mana from the environment was difficult. While the creatures and small animals gave me some, the land itself didn’t.

  I tried to access the earth mana, but found the land damaged. In Northern Shala, the land greeted me in response, its mana racing up my arms. Here, it was like a dying heartbeat. I couldn’t help but feel like I was crafting a candle with the wrong kind of wax.

  I stared at Jastillian’s back in front of me, his broad shoulders looking awkward as they shifted underneath his goblin disguise. The theory he had discounted was right. I might be a new wizard, but I could tell that something had drained the mana from the land, and a huge spell powered by a nexus seemed like the only explanation. The land shouldn’t feel this...wrong.

  I glanced back south towards Alexandria, then at the hard ground underneath my feet. The Wastelands was once a place of beauty, but it had changed and continued to do so. What would happen in the years and centuries to come? Would all of Northern Shala be touched by this blight? And since I was a wizard, with an unimaginably long life ahead of me, would I be forced to witness it?

  I exhaled and stared ahead. I couldn’t worry about that now. While I was a wizard, I wasn’t a god. I had no idea how to fix an entire land. The only thing within my power was dealing with Premier.

  I stopped taking mana from the land itself, drawing it bit by bit from my friends, the Wasteland creatures, the lizards that scurried across our path, the spiders that hid under rocks, everything. It was slow and tedious, but also safer. Eventually, the power built up, throbbing against my fingertips, aching to be released. Extracting magic and storing it inside you was a very unstable thing to do. My body could explode with magic at any moment, and I didn’t want to waste it on an attack.

  Jastillian said we were making good time. I felt it in my burning thighs. We climbed a small hill, but when we reached the top, we were shocked to confront a large ogre. Despite the elves’ excellent hearing and the ogre’s large feet and heavy footsteps, the beast seemed to emerge from nowhere. We froze, not daring to breathe or reach for our weapons.

  The colossal creature was over fifteen feet tall. His long arms hung nearly to his knees, dragging a granite club the size of an elf, and his dark gray skin was the color of the ominous clouds overhead. Numerous scars were etched across his arms, peeking through the tattered brown rags he wore. The monster paused and glared at us. His big lips had been ripped away on one side, forever giving him a terrifying grin. His dark eyes burned with rage. He raised his club and unleashed a ferocious growl.

  All the energy I’d gathered had been for naught. I was going to have to blast it on this brute.

  “Cast your eyes down!” Jastillian whispered. “Make no sudden movements.”

  Jastillian made high-pitched screeching noises and danced around. The ogre growled again. I leaned back, feeling the hair on my body rise as his roar shocked my heart, praying that the ogre couldn’t see past our flimsy disguises. Jastillian snarled back, stomping his feet. Jastillian then quickly bowed and lowered his head.

  “Lower your heads,” Jastillian said. “Now!”

  We did as he said. The ogre stopped and stared at us with a thoughtful look on his face. He seemed to be weighing the desire to kill us against the trouble it would take. A low rumble came fr
om his throat, but the ogre lowered his club. He walked away, continuing on his course.

  “Let’s go,” Jastillian said, leading us in the opposite direction.

  “What just happened?” Demay asked. “Why didn’t he kill us?”

  “In nature,” the dwarf said, “animals puff themselves up to make them look bigger, or screech to scare off a bigger predator. I did the same thing here.”

  “But ogres are smarter than animals,” Prastian said.

  “Aye, but not by much. Just be thankful she wasn’t hungry.”

  “She?” I asked. “I thought that was a he?”

  Jastillian laughed. “No, lad. It’s hard to tell the difference, but that was definitely a she.”

  “I’ve never seen such a huge ogre before,” Behast said.

  “Me neither,” Jastillian said. “She’s older and bigger than any I’ve seen, and she walks alone. That makes her extremely dangerous. Let’s hurry before she changes her mind and decides she’s hungry.”

  As darkness descended and more creatures woke, a shiver rode up my spine. I felt as if I was trapped in a sea of crazed predators, and I was meager prey. Bloodthirsty howls and screams raged through the night. In the distance, small armies of creatures crashed and fought against each other. We scurried to get out of plain view. Our makeshift disguises wouldn’t last if any of them got closer than that ogre. Jastillian led us to a small cave in the side of an elevated plateau.

  We stood off to the side of the entrance. Before we stepped in, the elves used their ears to scout the dark caves. Quietly, they motioned with their hands, saying there were four, possibly five goblins.

  In complete silence, my friends took off their goblin hides and freed their weapons. They deposited the bags of blood and supplies on the ground. I watched over everything, keeping an eye out for any creatures in the area, while they made their way inside the caves.

  Shrieks and screams echoed from the cave. I wanted to peek inside, but I needed to keep watch over our belongings. Without them, I couldn’t perform the ritual that could get us into Masep, and my friends could handle a few goblins.