Lara kept an eye on the countryside, interested in the new environment. She had never travelled this way before. She mostly kept to the bigger cities, and the ways to get in and out unseen. They passed through several small farming communities. Each one was a small cluster of farms and houses, with vast tracts between them. But the road persisted.
"This road seems out of place in such a quiet and rural place," Alrion said.
"They still need to access the cities, and sell their goods. In fact, my first commission as a blacksmith was for farms just like these," Vincent said.
"Really? What was it?"
"Horseshoes. Quite tricky actually. But it brings back fond memories."
"It must have been a fun time," Alrion said. Vincent didn't comment further and Alrion returned to gazing at the landscape. Lara did the same.
Vainbly came up sooner than she expected. In between some snacks, the rolling countryside looked so similar that she was almost entranced by the trip. The town was rather unassuming, with a small river running out in front. They crossed a petite stone bridge to enter the town.
"There should be a decent inn here, although it's been a while I have no idea if it's still open," Vincent said.
"What was it called again? The Frisky Farmer?" Celes said.
"Something like that."
"Looks like it's still here," Lara said, pointing to a distant building. Right in the centre of the town was a large structure with a peaked roof and large wooden doors. A simple sign hung above the entrance.
"Let's get inside and have a decent meal," Vincent said.
Lara glanced around as they walked through Vainbly. It looked like a fairly quiet town, without much going on. But she could see the evidence of trade from Brangtur. There was a bustle and clinking of coins that betrayed the simple setting.
The smell of ale smacked them in the face as they entered the inn. The hall was full of patrons, each with a beer or two.
"Looks like the whole town is here," Lara said.
"Are you alright?" she said to Certan. He nodded without replying, but he was visibly affected. Once she had mentioned it the others seemed to cotton on as well.
"I'm sorry, you just sobered up and the first place we took you was an inn. Do you want us to go somewhere else?" Alrion said.
"Thank you for your concern. It's more of a physical reaction right now, which I can manage. Despite the unpleasantness, I'm finding value in it as a type of penance." Certan looked uncomfortable but resolute.
"Wow that's harsh," Lara said.
"I'll enquire about rooms, try and find a table," Vincent said.
Lara disappeared into the crowd, reappearing at a far corner of the hall and waving.
Celes spotted the wave and directed the rest over. They managed to squeeze onto a tiny table, knocking elbows. "It'll be a brawl just trying to eat anything," Celes said.
"If this lot can handle it, we should be able to," Lara said gesturing at the crowd. They were predominantly men and of large builds.
"Must all be labourers from the area," Alrion said.
"Or travellers? I'd say this is the first stop out of Brangtur for many, depending on your destination. Do you think they will look for us here?" Certan said.
"They may do, but I doubt the guard has the resources to venture outside the city. As long as we don't hang around longer than a night I don't see any danger," Celes said.
"There'll be danger, regardless," Certan said looking around the room. He seemed quite distracted. A slim woman deftly weaved through the tables and dropped down an armful of ales. To her credit very little sloshed out and onto the table.
"We didn't order these," Celes said.
"The man up there did. This is the only drink we have available. Food is on its way, but there's a delay in the kitchen," the dark-haired woman said. Before there could be any further questioning she disappeared into the crowd. Celes looked over and saw Vincent waving at her in the distance.
"Fine," she muttered and pulled one of the ales closer. Alrion followed suit, and Certan who found a spot on the ceiling to examine in detail instead.
"Don't worry, I'm with you," Lara said, pushing aside the ale.
"We have rooms for the night, and dinner as well. Lucky that we found a table, this is the busiest time of the day. It should be much quieter in the evening," Vincent said, squeezing in next to his wife. She passed over his ale and he drank deep.
"Sounds good to me. What do you we in the meantime?" Alrion said.
"We need to source some horses. Any volunteers?"
"I'll do it," Lara said.
"Great. Celes and I will scout around the town, and make sure there's no unwanted attention from Brangtur. Alrion, did you want to come with us?" Vincent said.
"No, I think I'll do some training. I have a few things to look into as well," he said. Lara saw the excited glimmer in his eye.
"He's up to something, I wonder what," she thought.
"How about you hang around here too Certan, although our rooms may be more comfortable," Vincent said.
"I will remain to assist Alrion," Certan said, pausing just long enough to give direct eye contact to Vincent then turning his attention elsewhere.
After a brief meal of meat and potatoes, the group went their separate ways. Alrion and Certan walked upstairs to find the rooms. Certan settled into a corner and meditated, while Alrion retrieved his spell book.
He leafed through the pages quickly, hoping to not find his recently discovered spell for amplifying his voice. His excitement grew as he reached the end of the book and didn't find it. He combed through once more, paying special attention to the pages that might contain a mention of it. But there was not a single reference to be found.
"So, according to what Falric said, I should be able to read the spells that I am capable of using. And if I used it, and it's not in the book, that means either I created it or I just know it now," Alrion thought. It seemed unlikely that he had created such an obvious spell. Which meant he had probably absorbed it from the Pool of Knowledge. He was buzzing with excitement.
"I wonder what else I can do," Alrion whispered. He leafed through the spell book again, but this time with a different purpose. Instead of a specific spell, he wanted information on how to increase his strength and capacity.
"The knowledge I have gained must work in a similar way to the books. The more capable I am, the more spells I can unlock for my use. I just need to keep pushing my strength and try new spells," Alrion said quietly to himself. It was important to find a focus for himself. His current goal was so far away, some strange test in a distant land. On the way, he had to improve his skill. His encounter with Branthor was a lucky escape. Next time he didn't want to rely on luck. He looked over at Certan, but the monk didn't react.
"He must be busy, I'll push on," Alrion thought.
After an afternoon consulting the book, Alrion didn't have many more answers. But he had consolidated some of his learning, and was excited about his new focus. His plan now meant finding opportunities to use his magic as much as possible.
"You're still up here?" Lara said as she entered the room. Alrion put away the book.
"Yes, is it late?"
"Yes, the sun has already set. We are about to have dinner. Come down," Lara said. Alrion was confused, he hadn't noticed it getting dark. He looked again, and saw that he had cast a light spell and hovered a sphere of light above his shoulder. Unlike his previous attempts, this one didn't emit any heat. Just light. He waved it away and rushed off to join Lara.
"Certan, come down when you're ready, you need to eat some at some stage," Alrion shouted.
"You're just in time," Vincent said as Alrion arrived downstairs.
"Of..." Alrion began to say, but was cut off by a loud groan. He spun quickly and noticed the main doors of the inn slowly bending over. Suddenly they splintered into large chunks, and a massive shape occupied the doorway. Alrion knew what it was instantly. He looked over at his father.
"Yes, I know what it is. Lara, can you fetch the swords?" Vincent said calmly, without taking his eyes off the creature.
"Is that a Shade?" Lara said.
"Yes," Vincent said.
"On my way.” Lara turned and sprinted off.
"My body is my weapon. I will engage the creature while you wait for yours," Certan said, rising gracefully from his seat. There was an intensity to the look in his eyes.
The Shade stepped forward, and grabbed a nearby patron who hadn't had time to flee. The rest had retreated to the bar and hidden behind it. The poor man screamed in terror. But Certan did not hesitate. He dashed ahead, engaging the Shade head on. The Shade threw the limp body it was holding at Certan, who adjusted his stance to duck underneath. He didn't just dodge though, he caught the body and carefully set it down on the ground behind him. The Shade was enraged, lashing out at Certan. He blocked the attack with his arms, and slid under to continue his approach. The Shade moved to strike him again, but Certan was too fast. He landed a strong blow to the creature's side, knocking it back.
"It's tough," Certan said.
"Incredibly tough. It's why we need these," Vincent said.
Lara had returned with the two blades. The diamond on the end of Alrion's sword glowed furiously.
"I'd say it works," Alrion said, accepting the sword from Lara and looking it over. Then he set it aside. Before his father could say anything, Alrion launched into an attack. Last time he had been on the sidelines, but this time he could prove how much he had grown since then. He led with a wave of force, which rocked the Shade slightly.
"Be careful, it looks like the same one. It remembers our last fight," Vincent shouted. Alrion heard, but did not respond. He was completely focused.
"Fire didn't do much, but maybe it was the intensity. I'll overload it," he thought. He drew on his spark and started building for a fire based attack. But this time, rather than just let it loose, he tried compacting it. He launched a miniature ball of flame. It was so hot that it started to ignite the air that it passed through. The Shade didn't even try to block the attack, which hit right in the middle of the chest.
"Damn I missed," Alrion whispered. Before he could initiate another attack, he saw that his previous one was behaving strangely. Rather than just exploding on the surface of the Shade's skin, it was still continuing.
"It's burning right through," Vincent said.
The Shade seemed to notice too, trying to shake off the ball of intense heat that was slowly passing through its body. But once it realised that the attack was not fatal, it stopped and focused its attention back on Alrion.
"I have to get the upper hand, so we can finish it," Alrion thought. His force attacks had been quite powerful, but hadn't done that much to the creature. He decided that he could overcome that with sheer quantity. He concentrated and drew up several strands of force.
Alrion unleashed them in a barrage, trying to hit the same target area with each strike. He could see the attacks landing, each one having a minimal effect on the Shade. But it did seem like something was happening. Lara noticed the attack, and pulled out her new dagger.
"This will do the trick," she said and hurled the dagger at the Shade. Despite the movement of the Shade and the multiple attacks from Alrion, the dagger flew true and pierced the Shade in the chest, right where the heart was. The monster staggered back, not expecting the attack and furiously grasping for the dagger. However, Certan was faster, darting in amongst the confusion and striking the dagger with his open palm, forcing it in up to the hilt.
The Shade stumbled back and fell against the bar. As it came to rest, it's skin started to change undoing its transformation. The black surface was crumbling away, revealing pale skin underneath. Alrion looked on in wonder.
Lara retrieved her dagger, wiped it quickly and stashed it away.
"Never forget that this was once a person, even if they are beyond help now," Vincent said, walking closer and sheathing his sword.
"I don't want to alarm anyone, but I think we have a bigger problem here," Celes said pointing at the bar. Alrion's concentrated flame ball had passed through the body of the Shade and was about to hit the kegs behind the bar.
11
Alternate Paths
"Everyone out!" Vincent shouted, pointing at the door, and making his way there. The group scrambled out as fast as possible.
"I can probably stop it," Alrion said.
"No time, and too risky," Vincent said, grabbing Alrion's arm. A whoosh sound and a forceful shockwave buffeted them and as they looked back at the inn, they could see it was being consumed with flames.
"I wonder," Alrion thought to himself. He watched the flames with interest. If he could create flames, and issue them from himself, maybe he could bring them back.
"Let's try this," Alrion whispered. He reached out with his hand, trying a reverse of his previous spell. It was a twist on the fireballs. Instead, he was drawing the flame back to him, trying to build it into another ball. He visualised the ball of flame hovering above his hand, and containing all the flames and fire that had overtaken the inn. He could feel the heat and the power concentrated in a single spot.
Alrion opened his eyes and looked. The spell had worked.
"What are you planning to do with that?" Vincent said, looking over at Alrion. There was a curious concern in his features.
"Extinguish it," Alrion said, but what he really wanted to try, was to integrate the flames and the power. What if the Spark was more than just a concept? Maybe it was more literal than that. He tried feeding the flames into himself, trying to absorb their essence. He could feel himself heating up and the fireball shrinking.
"Stop it, that's not safe. Dump it," Vincent shouted. Alrion couldn't understand the concern, then looked at where Vincent was pointing. His arm was glowing bright red and looked wrong. Alrion panicked and looked around, finding a patch of dirt next to the inn. He funnelled all the flames into it without any finesse. The ball of flame streamed over and collected within the dirt, extinguishing but not without displacing quite a bit of dirt. Alrion sank down to his knees.
"What were you thinking?" Vincent said. Alrion looked around and the whole group were looking at him with concern.
"That's my line. Do you have an answer?" Celes said.
"I was just trying something out. I saved the inn, didn't I?" Alrion said.
"This isn't a game, you shouldn't take risks like that," Celes said.
"Your mother is right. The situation was contained, you didn't need to do more," Vincent said.
"Yes I did. I have to grow and learn an incredible amount in a short time, and there's nobody around to teach me. So, I will take every opportunity to do that," Alrion said.
Vincent sighed and walked into the inn. Celes followed after him. Lara walked over to Alrion.
"See I'm right, you should listen to me more and not take as many risks," she said, hoping to get a smile from Alrion. When she didn't she tried a different angle. "They're just worried, don't take it to heart."
"I know, but there's this incredible pressure on me and I have to do it. I can't let everyone down." Alrion felt older, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
"You have help, so don't forget that," Certan said.
"Yeah, look at the monk. He did the killing blow on that Shade. Now that's a team effort," Lara said.
"Well, you're right about that. Let's take a closer look at it," Alrion said.
Lara helped him up and they walked over to look at the body of the former Shade. "At least it works. But look here, mine isn't the only wound in the heart," Lara said.
"We encountered a Shade earlier, and it took a dagger in the heart and was knocked overboard. This must be the same one. I wonder how it tracked us here," Alrion said.
"Overboard?"
"Yes, we fought it on the ferry," Alrion said.
"Wow.” Lara wiped the dagger she had pulled out earlier on her clothing and hid it once more.
; Certan was kneeling over the body. "I haven't seen one of these up close. It looks like the body has completely reverted to a normal state. What a strange process," he said.
"I don't understand it myself, but this is what happens to people who have an advanced taint from the Blight," Alrion said.
"We've worn out our welcome," Vincent said, tossing a bag at Alrion.
"Time to leave, we will camp outside the town. At least we have horses now," Celes said joining them.
"It looks like the same Shade that attacked us on the ferry," Alrion said to his father as they walked over to the stables.
"I know, I recognised it instantly."
"How?" Alrion couldn't contain his surprise. Since when was his father an expert on Shades?
"I've seen a few in my day, they tend to closely resemble the person they originally were. It's there plain as day if you look closely."
"I'll remember for next time."
"I'd like to say there won't be a next time, but that would be a lie. We need to divert from the main path. I'm not sure what tipped them off, but they tracked us too easily. I'll think it over tonight," Vincent said.
They entered the stables, and only the horses greeted them.
"Where is everyone?" Lara said.
"Evacuated. They don't feel safe now. I can't blame them," Vincent said.
"I know the feeling," Lara said. The group saddled up and rode out of town. Alrion could sense eyes watching them, and hoped it was just scared townsfolk and not more creatures of the Blight.
After a short ride, they took a minor dirt track and left the main road.
"Can you give me a light?" Vincent asked and Alrion paused for a moment. After a minute a small orb of light danced above Vincent's shoulder.
"Thanks," Vincent said, and continued riding.
"I wouldn't have tried that if he hadn't asked, good to know," Alrion said to himself. The group rode in silence until they came to a small clearing.
"We will set up camp here. Alrion, help me with the horses," Vincent said.
Alrion nodded and helped guide the horses to a nearby spot and tie them up. He was about to head back, when he noticed his father's eyes looking directly at him.
Vault of Silence (The Hidden Wizard Book 2) Page 8