by Dean Cadman
“So what are you suggesting, lad?”
“If I had to guess where Lord Zelroth came from when he appeared in Coldmont’s book room, I would have to say somewhere within the Empire. If I’m right, that would mean he only had two options available to him. The first would be to walk all the way to Lamuria—which I think you’ll agree is slightly absurd. The second option would be to return to the Empire. Either way, it would take him and his Darkseed Elite guards a long time to reach the High Temple, that’s even if he wished to make the journey himself.
“So that leaves only his regular forces attacking the High Temple right now. If we can reach the High Temple before he sends further reinforcements, I believe that I might be able to inflict heavy losses on his forces.”
Renn laughed loudly, then slapped Lusam on the back. “Having seen how you easily dealt with those Empire agents outside Coldmont, I dare say you could at that, lad.”
“Then we’re agreed. We will stay here tonight, and possibly tomorrow night to rest. We’ll buy horses and provisions for our journey here in Helveel, and that way we will arrive much sooner at the High Temple than if we set off right now on foot—without rest or provisions. Not to mention the fact that we should arrive there in much better shape to fight,” Lusam said, turning away and walking out into the main chamber.
Renn looked at Neala, his jaw slightly slack, and she simply shrugged her shoulders at him.
“I know… I know…” was all she said, turning and following in Lusam’s wake. Alexia chuckled to herself, and followed close behind, leaving only Renn in the darkened corridor, to contemplate how and where he actually lost the argument.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lusam walked directly to the enchanted wall within the large chamber. He placed his hand flat on its surface and refilled his own magical reserves to maximum capacity. It felt good. It was like a cool drink of water after a long run, or a dip in the river on a hot summer’s day. As he drew the magical power from the wall, it sparkled red all around the room.
“What was that?” Alexia asked from behind him.
“It’s something I discovered by accident when we first arrived here. I think this chamber was used by the monks who lived here to practice their magic. Watch this,” Lusam said, creating a small fireball in his right hand, and then sending it at the wall. Just as before, when the fireball struck the wall, it radiated a red pulse outwards from the impact, dissipating all around the room.
“Whoa!” Alexia whispered.
“There’s one just like it in Coldmont. After I read the book there, I began to understand more about how it worked. The wall absorbs any magic used against it, strengthening itself in the process. Over the centuries it must have absorbed huge amounts of magic from the monks who used to live here. I don’t know how or where the magic is stored, but I do know it’s used to heat, cool and strengthen the building automatically.
“Once the knowledge from the book in Coldmont began to establish itself in my mind, I discovered that I was able to draw magical power directly from the wall, and fully recharge my own reserves with it. I don’t know if that function was intentional, or if it’s simply due to my better understanding of how magical power works after reading the second Guardian book,” Lusam said.
Renn knew that the High Temple in Lamuria possessed several walls very similar in nature to this one. Although they were considered to be secret, it was common knowledge amongst the paladins who had trained there. Occasionally, during particularly energetic training sessions, a wall may be accidentally struck by a weapon, creating a very similar effect to the one he had just witnessed—only not as pronounced. Renn guessed that it must have been commonplace to enchant walls like this in the past—when there were many more magi around to train within their confines—but now, the knowledge of how to create them had no doubt been lost to time.
Lusam had noticed the strange writing on the wall when he had first arrived there, but now he realised that he could actually read it. He stood looking at the words, trying to figure out what their true meaning was, but it seemed to be some kind of riddle.
“Is there something wrong, lad?” Renn asked, wondering why Lusam was staring at the wall for so long. Lusam looked over his shoulder at Renn and shook his head.
“Can you see those words on the wall, Renn?” he asked.
“All I can see are some strange glowing symbols. I do recognise a few of them, however. I think it’s written in an ancient language that’s used by a select few within the High Temple. I believe they use it to communicate secretly between one another. Can you read it, lad?”
“Yes. It says: The final five created five—the five creates one—and one you must possess to seek the five, and then become one,” Lusam said.
“Hmm, well, I would say the first part is obvious: ‘The final five created five’ more than likely refers to the final five Guardians who created the five books. The rest I’m not sure about. It could mean many different things,” Renn said, still pondering over the words in his mind.
“I guess you’re right,” Lusam said, remembering something else Renn had said earlier. “Didn’t you say you wanted to see the painting on the ceiling here?”
“Yes, I did. I’d love to see it, in fact,” Renn replied enthusiastically.
“It’s over here,” Lusam said, walking over to the spot directly under where the incredible work of art was painted high above on the ceiling. Lusam created a second light orb and sent it up towards the ceiling, illuminating the intricately detailed picture.
“Gods! That’s amazing,” Alexia half-whispered looking up at the painting.
“Well, lad… I thought Coldmont looked impressive when we first saw it in its current state, but after seeing that picture, apparently it used to look a whole lot more impressive with all its dragons, fountains and ponds. And just look at that glass dome on top of the roof—it’s a work of art,” Renn said, sounding overawed at the image.
“Coldmont,” Lusam said, chuckling to himself slightly, then he repeated the word again. “Coldmont.”
“Yes, I think we’ve established it’s Coldmont,” Alexia said jokingly.
Lusam looked at her as if he had only half-heard her words. Then realising he was the butt of her joke he replied, “No… I mean yes… of course it’s Coldmont, but it actually says the word ‘Coldmont’ up there on the ceiling. I just couldn’t read it before,” Lusam said excitedly.
“I don’t see why that’s so important any more. We already know about the book in Coldmont now. So how can reading about it now excite you so much?” Neala said, confused at Lusam’s reactions.
“Don’t you remember the other picture in Coldmont?” Lusam asked Neala.
“Sure, what about it?”
“Maybe that has a name on it too. Maybe I could…”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Neala said, cutting him off mid-sentence. “There’s no way you’re gong back there just to check if some long-dead artist decided to write a city name on the ceiling or not. For all we know, Lord Zelroth could still be there waiting for you, or he may have set a trap for you. Not to mention the fact the whole building could collapse at any moment. I don’t suppose you’ve even given it any thought as to why Lord Zelroth and his men turned up just as we got there? I somehow doubt it was just a coincidence.”
Lusam flushed at Neala’s words. He knew she was right: Lord Zelroth must have had some way of knowing they were there. He knew the Empire agents outside Coldmont couldn’t possibly have communicated over such a long distance. It was obvious they couldn’t even communicate as far as Stelgad, or the whole mountain would have been full of Empire agents. But if Lord Zelroth had known they were there, why did he take so long to arrive? Lusam had been unconscious for over two hours when he read the book. That would have been more than enough time to gather his forces and arrive in Coldmont. It was then he noticed the scowl on Neala’s face: she obviously expected an answer—and it better be the right one.
“I know… I
know, I was just thinking aloud, that’s all,” Lusam said defensively. Neala stared at him intently for a moment, trying to detect any signs of deception, but relented when she became convinced he was telling the truth—much to Lusam’s relief.
“I guess we better announce our return to Mr Daffer and Lucy,” Neala said, starting to walk towards the main stairs that led to the shop above.
“Wait!” Lusam called out after her. “We can’t simply walk into their shop and announce that we’re back.”
“Why not?” Neala asked, shrugging her shoulders. “They already know about your magic, and they did say we were welcome back at anytime.”
“Yes, I know, but—look at us! If we walk into the shop from their basement looking like this, and they were dealing with important customers there…” Lusam began to say, then he realised there was a much more important reason not to simply walk in on Mr and Mrs Daffer. “Besides, the last thing we want to do right now is create any gossip within Helveel. If anyone saw us emerge from their basement dressed like we are, and then witnessed Mr and Mrs Daffer’s reactions to our sudden appearance, well… let’s just say we might as well hang a sign above their door for Lord Zelroth—“Guardian book this way.” Not to mention the potential danger we would be putting them both in.”
Renn grunted. “He’s right. Which is exactly why I suggested we shouldn’t stay here in the first place. The longer we’re here, the more chance we have of being spotted. Don’t forget one thing: the Empire agents can read people’s minds. Once a description of us has been circulated, they don’t even need to see us themselves. They can simply take the information straight out of the minds of people in the streets. Anyone who had seen us coming or going could unintentionally betray us to the Empire agents.”
Everyone remained silent for what felt like a long time. All knew that Renn’s words were true, and nobody doubted the effectiveness of the Empire agents to gather information. They would have to tread very carefully while they remained within Helveel.
“May I say something?” Alexia said, breaking the extended silence.
“Sure, Alexia,” Neala replied, with both Renn and Lusam also nodding.
“I’m sure Lord Zelroth and his men never saw my face. After Lusam asked us all to join hands, I turned my head away towards the wall. I guess I was a little nervous about what would happen to us when Lusam touched the pedestal. A moment later we were all frozen in place, and then the pain started. I never saw any of them. So if I were the one who went to buy our supplies and horses, nobody could possibly link me to the rest of you,” Alexia said.
“Are you sure none of them saw you?” Renn asked.
“Yes, completely sure.”
“Okay, that’s one problem solved. What about our impromptu arrival here in Helveel. How are we going to announce our arrival without creating any unwanted attention?” Renn said.
“I think I might have an idea,” Lusam replied, still deep in thought. He had been thinking about the problem even before Renn had brought it up: how they could make sure nobody was in the shop before they entered it. Lusam thought he had discovered an answer amongst the new skills he had acquired from Coldmont’s Guardian book. He realised that it wasn’t only his shield he could now extend much further, but his mage-sight too. He walked over to one of the huge stone pillars that ran down the centre of the main chamber and hid behind it, blocking his view of the others. Then he activated his mage-sight. At first, the only difference he noticed was the expected appearance of various glowing symbols and words on the walls and ceiling. But when he concentrated on pushing through the stone pillar with his mage-sight, he found he could clearly see his three friends on the other side, almost as clearly as if the stone pillar wasn’t even there.
“Err… what are you doing, Lusam?” Neala asked, beginning to wonder if the Guardian book in Coldmont hadn’t scrambled his brains more than they thought. Lusam smiled to himself, realising how strange what he was doing must look to the others.
“I was just checking to see if I could see you all through this stone pillar,” Lusam replied, trying hard not to let the humour enter his voice.
Alexia burst out laughing. “I think lover-boy has finally lost the plot,” she said jokingly. Neala gave her a stern look, obviously concerned for Lusam’s sanity herself.
“Are you feeling alright, Lusam?” Neala asked, starting to walk towards him.
“I’m fine, thanks. Stay there, and hold up a few fingers. I’ll show you that I can see through this pillar.”
“What?” Neala said.
“Please, just do as I ask, and you’ll see.”
Neala sighed and held up four fingers towards the stone pillar. Lusam was tempted to give her the wrong number on purpose, but decided against prolonging her worry about his sanity any further.
“Four,” he said. She changed the number to five. “Five… two… three… six,” he called out as she changed the number of fingers she held up.
“How can you do that?” Renn asked. Lusam stepped out from behind the pillar and walked back towards the others.
“It’s an extension to my mage-sight. Something I gained from the book in Coldmont. It’s difficult to describe, but I can project my sight through solid objects. I’m not sure what the maximum range is yet. I’ll have to experiment with it later, but it’s certainly enough to see through most walls,” Lusam said.
“Gods! Can you imagine how much money you could make as a thief with that skill? The ability to see through solid walls. You could find the loot even before you entered the building. You could even see if anyone was guarding the place,” Alexia said excitedly.
Neala frowned at Alexia’s words, then she turned and started walking towards the corridor where they used to sleep. She walked past the first and second cells, then stopped by the doorway to the third.
“Lusam, try looking through the walls. See if you can see me in this room,” she said.
Lusam watched as she disappeared into the third sleeping cell. He moved close to the wall, then sent out his mage-sight. He could just about still see her, so he called out to her.
“Yes, I can still see you.”
Neala exited the sleeping cell and moved on to the next.
“What about now?” she shouted. Lusam tried to stretch his mage-sight further, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see through the next wall along.
“No, I can’t see that far,” he shouted back. Neala emerged from the cell smiling, and rejoined the others in the main chamber.
“It seems we managed to find the limit of your new ability to see through walls,” Neala said.
“Yeah, but he can still see through three walls—that’s amazing!” Alexia said in awe.
Neala turned to face Lusam, but spoke to Alexia, “Yes, it’s too amazing, that’s why you’ll be sleeping at least four cells away from him.” Lusam’s face flushed brightly as the meaning of Neala’s words sank in. Both Alexia and Renn burst out laughing, and even Neala couldn’t quite hide her smile as she headed towards the main stairs, leaving Lusam behind to protest his innocence.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Using his newly enhanced mage-sight, Lusam watched patiently from behind the basement door for over an hour, before giving the all-clear to enter the shop. Lucy had been wrapping parcels at the counter, and Mr Daffer had been scurrying around helping various customers during that time. Only when Lusam was certain that they had both finally left the shop area, did he open the basement door. He then quickly ushered Neala, Alexia and Renn through, before closing the door quietly behind himself. They swiftly made their way to the main shop entrance, trying hard not to make a sound as they went. With a quick glance over his shoulder—to make sure nobody had seen them cross the shop area—Lusam opened the main shop door. The bell rang out from the rear of the premises, and a few seconds later, he closed it again—firmly—and waited.
A few moments later, Lucy appeared from the back of the shop carrying a pile of several books in her arms. S
he could barely see over the top of the books, and called out from behind the pile.
“Sorry for the delay. I’ll be right with you in a moment, as soon as I…” Lucy started to say, but once she saw Lusam and Neala, she froze mid-stride. She unceremoniously dumped the pile of books onto the floor, and ran the length of the shop to embrace them both.
“Where have you been? We’ve been so worried about you both,” Lucy said, turning towards the back of the shop and shouting, “Tom… Tom… come quickly.” A moment later Mr Daffer came racing into the shop brandishing a strange looking piece of wood. From the concerned look on his face, it was apparent that he had mistaken Lucy’s calls, as a call for help. When he noticed Lucy embracing Lusam and Neala he visibly relaxed, lowering the improvised weapon, and placing it on the counter as he approached them.
“We’re sorry for having to leave as we did, but you have to trust me when I say there was no way to let you know. We didn’t even know we were leaving ourselves,” Lusam said apologetically.
“Likely story,” Mr Daffer said, frowning slightly, then looking at Renn and Alexia.
“Tom!” Lucy chastised. “If Lusam says he couldn’t let us know—then he couldn’t let us know.”
“What the lad says is true, sir. I can vouch for him. In fact, it was due to my insistence that he left so hastily,” Renn said, stepping out from behind Lusam and Neala.
“Is that so? And who…” Mr Daffer started to say, but suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Renn had surreptitiously opened his tunic to reveal his sigil of Aysha, and when Mr Daffer caught sight of it, his eyes opened wide, as did his mouth.
“I… I… I meant no disrespect, holy one. Please forgive my words, they were spoken only in jest. I can assure you, we owe Lusam and Neala a debt that could never be repaid, and if he says he couldn’t let us know they were leaving—well, that’s good enough for me,” Mr Daffer said, with his head bowed.