The Merchant of Nevra Coil (Legends of Windemere Book 8)

by Charles E Yallowitz

  “Just go now. You’re not winning anyway.”

  The game opens with Nyx rushing forward and stopping at the halfway point, the tip of her tongue sticking out from between her lips. She slowly moves to the side while Trinity patiently guards the wooden cylinder that sits against the glass wall. Spins and feints do nothing to help the half-elf get an advantage, her opponent simply standing still and waiting for a throw. Nyx cannot make an opening, so she tries to arch her shot over her sister and charges in the hope of catching a rebound. She mutters a curse when the chaos elf jumps to catch the ball and hurls it at the opposing, undefended column. The projectile hits the wood with a loud slap and bounces into a pile of weights.

  “Long shots are cheating!” Nyx shouts as she walks across the room. The weights subtly roll away from her as she approaches, clearing a path to the ball. “You know the rules are that you have to travel to the midpoint before you can score. Otherwise, we’ll spend the entire time hurling the ball back and forth until we get bored. You always try to cheat if I don’t remind you about the rules.”

  “Do I?” Trinity asks, scratching her head. She catches the ball with one hand and bounces it as she walks to the middle of the room. “That does sound right. Though if we never competed against each other, how could I cheat to beat you?”

  “Maybe that’s why we never did it? I don’t really know since our memories aren’t really dependable.”

  Trinity shrugs and continues the game, shoulder rushing Nyx in the chest for an easy throw at the goal. She hurries back to her wooden post, but is knocked over by the ball smacking her in the back of the head. The sound of heavy footsteps makes her think the nurses are approaching and she swiftly rises only to realize that her sister is a few feet ahead of her. Pouncing like a desperate cat, Trinity gets her hand on the ball and tries to yank it from the half-elf’s hand. Using both hands and spinning, the chaos elf steals the rubbery orb and runs toward the goal to touch it for two points. Before she can gloat, she is tackled from behind and her face slams into the wooden column. Blood drips from a split lip and a gash over her eye as bursts of strange memories course through Trinity’s mind.

  “What is wrong with you, Nyx?” she asks, melting the ball into a puddle of ooze. She touches the wall and changes the enchantment a second before globs of foam explode against the building. “You’re such a violent, irritating pest. I try to be nice and show some respect to you, but there are times where you anger me beyond all rational thought.”

  “Well I’m tired of your confusing words and actions,” Nyx rallies back, shoving her sister in the chest. A burst of wind knocks the nurses against the wall, preventing them from getting involved. “Half the time you want to kill me and the other half you’re trying to help me. I can only assume this is some sick game of yours. I don’t want to hate you, Trinity, but you make it impossible to trust you.”

  “I can’t afford to be nice!” the chaos elf screams. She grabs the wooden column and turns it into a flaming club, which causes the other channeler to back away. “I don’t know why, but the fact that you’re scared of fire makes me sick. It feels unnatural and you should be put out of your misery for being so damn weak. The truth, little sister, is that I don’t want to hate you either. Yet I also know we can’t be friends, allies, or anything more than enemies. So I slip from time to time and get myself in trouble, but in the end I know we’re going to wake up one morning and have that final battle where one of us doesn’t get up. On that day, I’m going to spread your ashes over the entire world.”

  Trinity repeatedly swings at Nyx and drives her across the room, the half-elf maintaining a powerful shield spell. The chaos elf grows an extra set of arms and grabs another wooden column to attack her enemy from both sides. Terrified by the flames, Nyx turns into mist and tries to float for the distant doors. Trinity’s weapons become fiery whips that bind the zigzagging cloud and force her rival to assume a solid form. Panic sets in and the champion thrashes violently, her magic increasing her strength and speed to a point where she is nothing more than an earth-shaking blur.

  “Stop struggling or you’re going to bring the building down,” Trinity growls through clenched teeth.

  Her arms turn into rubber to prevent them from getting torn out of their sockets, but the change makes it difficult to control the whips. Nyx breaks free and grabs a metal weight, which she snaps in half and melts into liquid that flows up to her elbows. The coating hardens into solid gloves that she bangs against each other, each impact sending sparks onto the floor. A wall rises behind Trinity and sprouts clamps that catch her wrists. The chaos elf’s body erupts in flames to meet her enemy’s strike, but a jet of foam knocks both channelers to the floor.

  They struggle to maintain their spells and continue the fight until a pulse of electricity ripples through the thick goo. Trinity’s flames puff out as she loses consciousness, but Nyx screams in pain as her metal gauntlets become locked around her hands. They are slowly crushing her fingers now that her magic is unable to keep them flexible like leather. With a high-pitched shriek, the half-elf shatters the glass walls, dissolves the gauntlets, and sends the roof of the gymnasium soaring over the distant mountains. She gazes at the unexpected destruction and opens her mouth to speak, but she flops to the floor before she can utter a word.

  “I’m afraid the time has come to end this,” Doctor Eltzer tells Nurse Bola, the pair standing in the doorway with foam-dripping hoses. Grunting as he takes his arm out of the sling, the dwarf grabs the channelers by their legs and roughly drags them down the tunnel. “Such a shame.”

  *****

  Nyx and Trinity wake up to bright lights in the faces and cold metal on their bare skin. The channelers try to move, but find they are tightly strapped to the wheeled tables. A cold breeze comes from the ceiling vents and makes them shiver, their simple underwear giving them no protection from the chill that sinks into their bones. They hold their breath in anticipation when they hear the sound of someone getting off a squeaky chair. Both women chuckle at the touch of soft paintbrushes on their bellies, the tickling sensation too strong for them to focus on what is being drawn upon their flesh.

  “I’m still hoping we can fix this problem with words,” Doctor Eltzer says as she leans over Nyx. Her fingers are gentle as they widen her patient’s squinting eyes and she gets a closer look at the sparkling pupils. “Your delusions have grown stronger. I believe their influence triggered your joint episode, which corrupted your aura and made it unstable. This makes you a danger to yourselves and those around you. Now are you willing to talk or should I begin the procedure that the nurses are making the incision marks for?”

  “What are you going to do to us?” Trinity asks, straining against her bonds. She tries to use her magic, but is subdued by a burst of pain. “Hurt us and we’ll bring this place down around your head. Though not before I get one of those hoses and fill Nurse Bola with enough foam so that it spews from his ears.”

  “You don’t even know what I plan to do and you’re threatening me,” the doctor says with a tired sigh. She rubs her eyes and leans back in her chair, watching her assistant finish the drawings on the chaos elf. “If you must know, I plan on turning your aura off if you fail to come to terms with your issues. It has been years and I’m afraid that recent events have forced me to consider this option.”

  “If we settle our delusions then you’ll fix our aura, right?” Nyx nervously asks while she wriggles beneath the paintbrush that has moved to her legs. The silence from the doctor tells her more than any worded answer. “It was nothing more than a spat. All siblings have them from time to time. Maybe we went a little too far and our delusions were set off, but we don’t need this procedure.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Doctor Eltzer claims, patting the half-elf on the shoulder. She moves Trinity closer, which allows her touch both of her patients. “First we have to put you into an agitated state. That’s the only way we can get to the core of your shared issues. I’ve noticed that yo
u are protective of each other, which I originally thought would help your recovery. Now I wonder if it is holding you back and masking the true problems. I apologize in advance for putting you through this. Please bring me the ogre blood, Nurse Bola, and get your people ready.”

  The dwarf carefully hands his boss two pinky-sized syringes that are filled with a dark green liquid. A halfling nurse dabs a numbing gel on the side of the channelers’ necks while Doctor Eltzer makes sure the blood has not coagulated. She waits for her assistants to take their positions with foam hoses, all of them remaining calm. The only sounds come from Nyx and Trinity who struggle against their tightening bonds. As the barriers in their minds crumble, they are driven into a maddening rage by agony pulsing through their veins. Both women are red-faced and foaming at the mouth by the time they are injected with the ogre blood.

  “That should give you a focused fury,” the blonde elf explains as she takes a seat between her patients. “I have always sensed that there were some issues that you held back in our meetings. You put up a good front of being loving, protective siblings, but we’ve seen hints that there is conflict. Now we have undeniable proof. Being honest with each other can only help, so start whenever you’re ready.”

  “You hit me with a flaming chandelier!” Trinity shouts, her violet eyes shining brighter than ever. “You tried to incinerate me when we first met. I had to borrow a regeneration ring from the Lich and the entire process hurt.”

  “I wouldn’t have done that if you hadn’t tried to kill my little brother,” Nyx retorts in a slow, calm voice. Having more experience with her fiery temper, the half-elf’s rage is boiling beneath the surface and slowly seeps into her mind. “It isn’t like I’m always hurting you and walking away unscathed. After I hit you with the chandelier, you zapped me and handed me over to Kalam.”

  “And you eventually killed him in battle,” the chaos elf smugly points out. For a second, her body turns to mist that churns beneath the sparking leather straps. “This is what I hate about you some times. You have so much power, but you have to be near death or really angry to use it. That’s such a waste of magic and yet you’re the champion. I’ve honed my skills and let myself be used by a monster. The best I can get from that deal is death or a lifetime of servitude. I would kill to take your place. In fact, I have once or twice.”

  “Interesting,” Doctor Eltzer interrupts while she writes her notes. The elf wipes sweat from her brow, vaguely aware that the room is getting hotter. “The older sister is jealous and wants to take the role of the younger one. Yet part of you doesn’t want to kill her outright, so you feel trapped. Your frustration might be fueling your side of the shared delusions. After all, they involve both of you fighting in some destined war. ”

  Nyx’s magic flares from her arms and the windows melt before she is struck with a jet of foam. The goo evaporates into white vapor that is sucked out the open portals, the wisps drifting down the mountain. A deep rumbling rolls out of the ground, which causes the furniture to shift across the room. One of the halfling nurses tries to spray the champion again, but the nozzle is crushed by an unseen force. The hose bursts and sends its owner into the wall along with a spray of foam that turns into acid on his skin.

  “You’d be a terrible champion!” the half-elf screams, her voice booming throughout Zelacryd. Every window rattles in its frame and cracks appear around the edges. “It isn’t about saving one race, but protecting all of them. The only thing you care about is your own people, which means you’re easy to manipulate. The Baron and Stephen hold the chaos elves in the palm of their hands. That’s why Queen Trinity is nothing more than a magical pet that will dance whenever her masters clap their hands.”

  “Let’s try to remain civil,” the doctor says. A prickling sensation runs over her arms and she looks down to see her hair standing on end. “An outburst will force me to begin the procedure. This is your final warning.”

  Doctor Eltzer jumps to her feet when tendrils of raw, churning aura erupt from the channelers’ bodies. The energy grows keen edges and swings around the room to sever all of the remaining hoses, preventing the foam from being used. As the enraged women thrash, their bonds snap and more of their power is released. Nurse Bola hurries to knock the doctor away from an incoming tendril, which shatters his torso into fading shards. The dwarf’s lower half staggers forward a few steps and collapses, the silver ooze that filled his empty husk flowing across the white-tiled floor. Horrified by the fate of her assistant, Doctor Eltzer scrambles away until she reaches the door, which fuses with the frame.

  “Receptacles,” Trinity growls, her eyes nothing more than predatory slits. She floats toward the terrified elf, her nose wrinkled as if she has caught a whiff of rotten food. “Now I can smell all of you empty ones. I don’t like being toyed with by your kind.”

  Before she can attack the doctor, a blast of fire sends Trinity crashing through the wall. Nyx remains standing on the metal table and admires the vibrant flames that coil around her slender body. Even with her temper boiling, the feel of magical fire on her skin plunges the half-elf into ecstasy. It is as if she has been reunited with a long lost lover and they are getting passionately reacquainted. She hops to the floor and leaves burning footprints as she approaches the smoking hole that Trinity left behind.

  “Thank you for saving me,” Doctor Eltzer gasps while Nyx walks by.

  The channeler stops and turns a cold, emotionless stare on the shivering elf. “I can barely see you now, receptacle. You’re really nothing more than a corpse. A dead thing that tried to take my magic and manipulated me for years. Join your friend.”

  With a flick of her wrist, Nyx sends a spear of hardened flame at Doctor Eltzer. The empty vessel cracks like fragile glass and explodes into fine powder. Barely sensing the other nurses running for the door, the half-elf destroys them with a rolling barrier of fire that melts through the wall. None of them scream while their bodies crumble into piles of ashes, their consciousness fading away like the wisps that they always were.

  Before she can go after Trinity, Nyx is knocked through the far window. She hooks the building with a flaming tether that stretches and rockets her back into Zelacryd. Her enemy is waiting with an invisible barrier that she slams into with enough force to blow out the ceiling and remaining walls of the white-tiled room. With a screeching punch of sound, Nyx breaks the shield in half and grabs Trinity by the neck. Her fingers slip through the soft skin to wrap around the chaos elf’s windpipe.

  “I’m done playing with you!” the half-elf roars. She struggles to crush her rival’s throat, but a flesh to iron spell prevents her from delivering the killing blow. “You’re my enemy and I’m going to kill you like I should have long ago!”

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Trinity transforms into acidic mist that burns Nyx’s hand and forces the champion to back away from the blossoming cloud. A strong gust of wind dissipates the dangerous spell, but it leaves the half-elf open to a surprise attack. Dropping from the ceiling, the chaos elf catches her with a thorn-covered net and hurls her further into the complex. The screams of nurses and patients echo throughout the crumbling hallways as Nyx frees herself from the painful bonds with a small explosion. The flickers of movement from the receptacles irritates her and makes it difficult to pinpoint her enemy’s attacks. One of the empty vessels bumps into the half-elf and causes her to roar in unbridled rage. Streams of white flame fly in every direction and cover all of Zelacryd, destroying many of the sentient husks that Yola crafted from the unfortunate residents.

  Trinity bashes through the walls with an ebony battering ram ahead of her, the weapon shattering everything in its path. She grabs the back end of the ram and launches it at Nyx, who slices it down the middle with a fire blade. The halves continue traveling through the rest of the complex and explode against the tunnel to the gymnasium. The cliff breaks and tumbles down the mountain along with the building, which violently ejects the receptacles that were hiding inside. Nei
ther channeler pays attention to the destruction as they continue hurling powerful spells at each other. Within minutes, Zelacryd is nothing more than a pile of rubble and all of the receptacles have been reduced to splinters and ashes.

  “Stop holding back!” Trinity yells as she unleashes a blast of green lightning.

  “You first!” Nyx counters while blocking the incoming spell.

  The half-elf spins away from an incoming javelin and retaliates with a swarm of fist-sized fireballs. Not wanting to give Trinity time to counterattack, Nyx hurls an orb of ice that explodes among her roiling projectiles. Temporarily blinded, the chaos elf is unable to avoid a vicious tackle from her enemy who charges out of the fog. Spikes grow from the champion’s arms and chest, but they break against the armor that coats the powerful queen’s body. They land at the edge of the crack-covered cliff and roll off, both channelers kicking off the mountainside and separating to soar into the sky.

  The mountains shake and the weaker peaks crumble to dust as Nyx and Trinity cover their bodies in aura. With their powers surging, the area distorts as if something is violently pulling at the fabric of reality. Clouds silently fall from the sky and harmlessly explode against the jagged cliff sides. Animals can be seen retreating across the mountain ranges, their senses picking up on the looming danger. For a brief moment, the channelers think they hear a familiar voice yelling for them to stop, but their minds are deafened by the howling rage coursing through their essence.

  Nyx and Trinity fly at each other with their bodies enveloped in blinding energy. They collide with a thunder-like boom and send a wave of force through the region, which warps the sky for hundreds of miles. Flying beasts caught in the magical blast are driven to the ground where their wings flap and flail against the earth. Appearing like blisters in the atmosphere, pink clouds release strange types of rain that ranges from burning acid to potent healing potion. Rivers are tied into knots and small villages find themselves struck by sleep spells. Both channelers sense that they have done something wrong and stop their fighting to pull the released energy back into their cores. The aura slams into them and creates a black portal that swallows Nyx and Trinity whole before closing with an ear-rending screech.