by Eric Vall
Then I squinted, and far beneath the images that flashed inside the ruby, I could make out a series of fissures that formed the familiar shape of the rune of the Master.
I pointed to it, and Haragh leaned closer to try and see through the strange gem. As he took a long look, his face became blank until he stood straight and said nothing to me.
“That’s the rune,” I told him, but the half-ogre didn’t blink. My stomach dropped, and I recognized the same empty stare Deli had when I first saw her between the giants.
He’d become entranced by it when he leaned in close to the gem.
“Shit,” I cursed, and I threw my arms in front of me and called my magic to the surface. The gem resisted, but I forced it to rise from its resting place and brought it to hover above my head. I was about to move with it, but a low growl started in the half-ogre’s throat.
“Haragh,” I said through gritted teeth, “you’re a good man, but I will flatten your ass into a trench if you go crazy on me now.”
He bared his teeth at me, and I quickly opened the ground beneath him. I let him sink up to his giant neck, then I locked him there and left him to cool off for a bit. I wove through the Ignis Mages who battled with the last three giants and could hear the hideous screeches of Deli through her rocky dungeon, paired with the furious growls of the half-ogre behind me.
I didn’t stop until I was at the far end of the cave, and I focused my magic carefully as I held the giant ruby above me. I now knew not to look at it if I could help it, so I put my mind into my hands and envisioned what I wanted to do. The gem began to spin, slowly at first, until the air whistled with the speed of it as it orbited like a top.
Then I took a deep breath and ripped my arms apart like I’d seen Kurna do.
My eyes flew open just in time to see the ruby explode and send a searing red light in every direction as the shards flew all the way to the walls of the giant cave. The light and the shards remained suspended in the air like that, and nothing seemed to move except for my heart pounding in my chest.
Then the glow turned to a vivid white, and a shriek like the sound of a thousand ice giants suddenly split the air. The sound crumpled me to my knees, and I shielded my head from the onslaught of the terrible noise which howled and whirled through the cave until it spiked to a painful screech.
Hundreds of rubies fell to the ground around me, and suddenly there was silence.
I breathed heavily against the rocks beneath me before I slowly lifted my head.
Rubies glittered everywhere, and the flames of Aurora and Mina danced against the walls of the cave. I turned and saw everyone stood completely still. Deli’s ice giants had been destroyed and were nothing but melted pools doused in enchanted flames, but then a new sound echoed through the cave.
It came from the rocky dungeon, and it was a series of hysterical and terrified screams.
Pindor jumped up from where he’d joined a circuit with Jovian and Zerla, and he quickly stretched an arm toward the dungeon, but Aurora stopped him.
“Don’t!” she yelled out, then looked to me. “What if she’s still possessed?”
I quickly stood and ran over to the group, but Pindor answered before I could.
“Listen to her,” he insisted. “She’s fucking terrified, we have to let her out.”
I could tell the screams were different than the demonic shrieks she’d been giving off before, so I nodded my agreement, but braced myself as the kid blasted the wall apart.
Deli sprinted out blindly the moment the rocks blew apart, and her face was pale and lined with utter terror as she shrieked in panic.
Pindor caught her up firmly by the shoulders and tried to talk her back down.
We all joined him in the effort, and as we gathered around the young mage, tears sprang to her eyes, and she buried her face in her hands.
“Wh-what happened?” she screamed, and her body trembled from head to toe.
Before I could respond, Aurora suddenly grabbed my arm.
She pointed to the girl’s ankle, and I realized it was gushing blood all over the floor.
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “Sit down, Deli. Right now. Pindor get that leg elevated.”
Deli let out a blood curdling scream as we came toward her, and she tried to bolt the other way, but Aurora clamped her wrist with one hand and her chin with the other.
She forced the girl to look at her as she spoke. “Deli. You know I would never hurt you. You need to breathe and listen to me. You’re losing blood, and you’re panicking so you’re gonna lose it a lot quicker if you don’t sit down.”
The mage whimpered in the half-elf’s grip, but she finally nodded, and we carefully lowered her to the ground and propped the bloody ankle up. Aurora rested Deli’s head in her lap, and I heard her work to calm the girl while she stroked her cheek.
I looked closely at the ankle, and Zerla came to my side with her sleeve wadded up to dab the blood away.
Just before the blood gushed out once more, I saw a small but clear hole punched through the skin just beside her Achilles tendon.
“What the fuck?” I growled as I tried to imagine what could make an injury like that in here.
I looked up to the trembling Ignis Mage. “Deli, what happened to your ankle?” I asked gently.
The young mage whimpered, and tears spilled from her face onto the half-elf’s lap as she shook her head, but she worked hard to speak between her shaky breaths. “I … I don’t know. I tried to get it out when I got to the room. It stung, and I couldn’t get it, and then it started to … to burn. I … I don’t know how it happened. It hurt s-so much, and I blacked out. Then I woke up, and I was … angry. Really, really angry.” She shook her head and covered her face, and Aurora comforted her once more.
“You mean after the battle? The other night?” I asked, and the mage nodded through her hands.
I stared at the ankle more closely, and then I remembered the scene more vividly. “You were running from the ice,” I muttered as the pieces fell together. “I heard you cry out, and I thought I didn’t stop it in time, but then I saw you were running with Mina to get that giant.”
Aurora furrowed her brows. “You think it was enchanted ice?” she asked, but Deli nodded through her hands before I could answer.
“I saw the end of it in there, but I c-couldn’t get it out,” she wailed.
“It must have exploded when I destroyed the gem,” I said and looked back to the gaping hole in her ankle. “We have to get her to Shoshanne. Now.”
Pindor jumped up and looped his arms beneath Deli before anyone could ask him to, and Aurora and the others quickly turned to head for the gates of the cave.
Then a familiar voice caught my attention.
“Alright, I know you’re mad, but you’re not gonna fuckin’ leave me here are ye’?” the half-ogre growled. “I can’t use my powers if I can’t use my damn hands.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle with relief as I jogged over to the cluster of boulders I’d buried him behind.
Haragh glared at me from the rocks, and I crossed my arms as I studied him.
“There now,” I chided with a stern look. “Do you feel a bit better now that you’ve had a chance to think about your behavior?”
“Oh, fuck you,” he growled. “Could’ve happened to anyone.”
“Agreed,” I said as I stretched my arm out in front of me and loosened the ground around the half-ogre.
Haragh grunted and struggled to pull himself from the stone, and he finally rose to his full height. He had a menacing glint in his eyes, just before it shifted to embarrassment. Then he cleared his throat.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” he offered as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Didn’t mean to … you know.”
“Get possessed and turn on me?” I chuckled, and the half-ogre rolled his eyes.
“Alright, you don’t need to rub it in,” he grumbled. “I would’ve had it ye’ know, if you hadn’t told me to look right at it like that.”
>
I waved him off, and we turned to follow the others who were already at the opening to the blackened hallway. As we got closer, however, a loud thunk rocked the walls of the cave, and I turned back around.
“Those giants are going to be pissed if we leave them locked in this mountain much longer,” I muttered.
“Can’t we just leave them in there for, I don’t know, forever?” Pindor suggested.
“Possibly,” I mused, “but if they ever did get out, the dwarves would have hell to pay.”
“Don’t you think they will already?” Aurora questioned, but I shook my head.
“I think without the Master’s influence, they’ll just go back to the way they always were,” I theorized. “Just creatures with base instinct. They should stay in their territory now.”
Haragh let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, Mr. Bleedin’ Heart, on the count of three … but then we had better fucking run.”
The others exchanged glances and quickly disappeared into the hallway while Haragh and I raised our arms and joined in a circuit.
“Ready?” I asked.
Haragh grunted. “One … two … three.”
Chapter 19
The sun was just beginning to set when the army of mages, dwarves, and the Warwolves rolled up to the gates of Aurum once again. The sound of the engines must have travelled ahead of us, because the dwarven capital was filled with excited onlookers as the great gilded gates opened before us.
The citizens were packed together in every corner of the stone streets, and several climbed onto pedestals and fountains to get a better look at the returning soldiers. I could tell by their worried eyes most of them looked for their family members or friends amongst the dwarven troops, and the relief that slowly spread to each face was the best homecoming.
I’d promised Dorinick not one more would fall, and together we’d managed to keep that promise. As the general climbed from the sidecar and removed his helm, he had a glow of pride on his face I hadn’t had the opportunity to see since we’d met. He shook the hands of the dwarves and his soldiers, and he even scruffed a few young dwarves on their shaggy heads as the gathering quickly became a street celebration.
Traditional instruments made of hand carved wood and well-crafted silver were brought out, and the air filled with the merry sound of flutes, hand drums, and something that looked like a guitar mixed with a harp. Several of the dwarves took their wives and children up in their arms, and as the news spread through the crowd that the threat of the ice giants had been dispelled, cheers rose up all around, and the dancing began.
I laughed as the mages linked arms with the dwarves, who eagerly pulled them into the joy of their celebration, and Cayla rested her head over my shoulder.
“I’ve never seen such joy,” she laughed, and I honestly couldn’t remember a time I’d seen a celebration quite like it either.
Kurna did his best to keep time with a little dwarven girl as he crouched low to hold her hand, and the girl giggled at his clumsiness in a way that made me wonder if I’d really seen the mage create a supernova less than a day ago.
The easy laughter of the dwarves, and the pride on all of the mages’ faces gave me hope for the future of our nations. All of my nerves about the train and the elders quickly dissipated as I considered the gathering in the square, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
Our nations had so much to offer one another, and hopefully our dedication to the survival of their race in the last few days would help the elders to see this.
A gilded guard had been trying in vain to get the general’s attention as Dorinick sat on the stonework of the fountain and clinked his frothing mug of ale against any mug that rose up to meet his.
I chuckled as I dismounted Bobbie and moved forward to give the guard a hand.
“Maybe I could pass the message on when he’s done?” I hollered to the gilded guard.
He nodded enthusiastically and motioned for me to follow him a little ways away from the joyful crowd.
“The elders,” he shouted up to me, and I leaned down low to catch his words as several more musicians joined the gathering. “The elders have summoned Sir Dorinick and yourself. They await you in the throne room.”
I nodded and waved the guard back to his other duties, but he only stayed where he was and shifted uncomfortably.
“You mean now, don’t you?” I finally asked, and he sent me a grateful smile and a nod. I shook my head and chuckled. “Alright, I’ll get him. We’ll be up there soon.”
I waded through the throng of dwarves and mages and managed to get up close enough to Dorinick to let him know we’d been summoned. The general nodded as he drained his mug and let out a loud burp before he climbed down from the fountain’s edge. Then he clapped several well-wishers on their backs as we made our way toward Bobbie.
Aurora, Cayla, and Shoshanne laughed from their place on her back as they watched us get derailed several times by dancers, but we finally made it back to Bobbie in a wash of laughter. Deli was tucked between Cayla and Shoshanne, with her heel already wrapped by the Aer Mage, but her smile was a tired one, and her face was still quite pale.
“We’ll get you to the infirmary before we see the elders,” I assured the young mage, and she nodded with the same listless smile.
I didn’t want to leave the party that had begun inside the city gates, but I had grown more worried about Deli on the journey back through the mountains and would feel much better when we’d addressed everything she’d been through. She didn’t speak to anyone once we’d left the great cave of the ice giants, and the things she’d said up until then had unnerved me.
Mainly this surge of purpose she felt, and the anger that blinded her. I wanted to know what went on in her head when the Master took over so I could try to decipher what this guy was like.
Right now, all I knew was Deli had been to hell and back and would need some time to recover, so I brought Bobbie to the gilded gates of the fortress, and then helped Shoshanne support the girl’s weight.
We brought her to the infirmary, where several silver-robed dwarves immediately came to aid us. They checked her ankle and looked carefully into her eyes, and I could tell the young Ignis Mage was uncomfortable with the scrutiny, but Shoshanne gave her a reassuring nod.
Then the Aer Mage turned to me with her eyebrows pinched in worry. “I’m going to stay with her and see if I can’t help in any way,” she said. “I don’t feel right leaving her in this state. You should see the elders, though, they’re waiting. Maybe later she’ll be able to talk to us a bit about what happened.”
“Thank you,” I said as I laid a kiss on the woman’s copper curls. “Don’t push her though, she’ll get there in time. Right now, I just want her back to herself.”
The Aer Mage nodded her agreement and sent a small wave to the others as we left her to her work. If anyone could help Deli, it was Shoshanne, and we’d all just have to be patient in the meantime.
We followed Dorinick back through the golden hallway and up the great stairs that led to the throne room.
The guards at the gate offered their own congratulations to all of us before they opened the door, and I was surprised to see all of the elders wore smiles on their faces as we entered. So far, I’d only seen a glimmer of one on Agrokea’s aged face, but to see them all rise and greet us warmly was an honor.
Especially after Dogra had last threatened to bury me and all of my mages under the streets of Aurum. I smirked at the recollection, but I returned the elder’s handshake in friendship and was pleased to see his eyes shone in earnest.
“You have more than impressed us, Mason Flynt,” Dogra said. “The Elders of Aurum are in your debt, and you should know you’re the first mage to ever hear those words.” Then he turned to his nephew, who had become much more serious since we’d entered the room.
Dorinick received the congratulations from his uncle with politeness, but as the elder began to speak further, I saw his eyes grow wary.
“You truly honor the dwarves, Dorinick,” the black-haired dwarf said with ceremony. “Once again, you have proven your loyalty to the capital, and your determination to protect the dwarven nation is unparalleled. It is with great pride that I offer to you a noble position here among--”
Up to this point, Dorinick had only studied the toe of his boot while it scuffed against the stairs in front of him, but now he interrupted his uncle’s grand gesture with a clearing of his throat.
“That’s alright, uncle,” he said quickly, and I couldn’t believe he’d actually shrugged. “Thank you, but no.”
Dogra’s face quickly lost the glow of pride, but he tried once more. “Dorinick, I don’t believe you grasp what we are--”
“Oh I grasp it,” he muttered to his boot. Then he sighed, met the sights of his uncle, and spoke more earnestly with the dwarf. “Thank you, uncle, and elders. I understand the privilege of what you offer, but I don’t wish to join the elders of Aurum. With all due respect, of course, I’m a general, and a miner. I’ll gladly carry on just as I’ve been.” He offered a respectful nod to Foreg, who smiled from his place.
When the general finished, Dogra looked as though he hadn’t understood a word, but Foreg chuckled.
“I expected as much, and it is an honor to have it so,” the white-haired elder said with a small bow. “I do not question that you know your place, but know the Elders of Aurum celebrate you and your loyalty, and we will always have a seat prepared if you should change your mind. It is a position many dwarves have wasted their lives dreaming of, and one which only ten dwarves have ever had the fortune of holding.”
I raised my eyebrows and looked at Dorinick to be sure he really understood what was happening, but I could see the resolve in his face, and I could honestly admire it. Not many would turn down a position like that, but I could understand it. Dorinick was a hell of a general, and it’d be a shame to see him locked to a throne with this lot.
The general cleared his throat and only said, “Yep,” before he moved the conversation in a different direction. “Anyway, Mason Flynt and his mages … they served us well. Their strength and loyalty never wavered, and they returned the dwarven troop here today without any casualty or injury.”