Catalyst (Book 1)

by Marc Johnson

  Prastian whispered, “There are two guards in front of the entrance to the dungeons. From the sound of it, they seem bored. They’re obviously not expecting any trouble.”

  “Good,” Behast said. A gleam shone in his eyes. “I will deal with them.”

  “No, we must not kill any of them,” Prastian said.

  “No? What do you mean no?”

  “Shhh! I mean no. These are good people, following orders they believe come from their king. What's happening is Premier's fault. We will only kill people in self-defense. No more, no less. They're our allies, Behast.”

  Behast bowed his head in agreement. He looked disappointed. “As you wish.”

  “As I was about to say,” Prastian said, “we need some kind of distraction so they don’t have time to alert anyone else. Hellsfire, I don’t suppose you could extinguish those candles over there?”

  I peeked around the corner, then slid back to where the others were. “No problem.”

  “Good. The moment you do that, we go and knock the guards unconscious.” Prastian looked back towards Demay and Behast. “Are you both ready?”

  They nodded in unison.

  “And remember, no killing.”

  I poked my head around the corner and drew the element of wind around me. In Caleea I said, “May the God of Wind carry my breath and extinguish those candles.” I opened my mouth and blew. My breath divided, streaming towards each of the candles. The strands of air brushed against the guards. They looked around in confusion before the wind crushed the light.

  As soon as the light was gone, the elves became a blur. The three elves, though smaller than the guards, were able to surprise and take down the first one easily. Prastian used the hilt of his dagger to hit him in the temple, knocking him unconscious before he could respond. The second guard reacted fast enough to almost draw his weapon. Behast was on top of him before he could. Demay helped Behast contain the guard while Prastian hit the man in the neck, then in the head. The guard grunted before falling to the ground.

  “Let’s go and get your friends,” I said, walking towards them.

  “Hellsfire,” Prastian said and gestured to the candles.

  I waved my arm and the flames re-lit.

  “Wow,” Demay said. “How’d you do that?”

  “Come on, we haven’t much time.” Prastian took the keys from the guards. One by one, we went down into the dungeons.

  The dungeon’s mouth seemed to open wide and swallow us. The stairs were cramped, enclosed by the damp, mildew-covered walls. I shuddered. Even after spending almost three years in the caves on the White Mountain, I still hated enclosed spaces. As we descended into the blackness, the stench that crept into my nose was unbearable. It smelled as if a carcass had been left to rot in the baking sun. When we reached the almost pitch-black dungeons, we were in a hallway lined with cages. There were no windows. Luckily, there were also no other prisoners to deal with, although the dungeons were big enough to hold a hundred people. There were only the elves.

  Two were slumped against the wall. One of them had open wounds on his arms. Flies hovered around the blood-encrusted cuts. The other’s face looked like it had been slashed with a knife. A third elf lay on a thin layer of hay. His breathing was erratic, and his green skin was covered with welts where it showed through the rents in his ragged clothes.

  But things were far worse than their physical wounds.

  When I extended my magical senses, I felt that their green mana was fading. I barely sensed anything in them. They were dying inside, piece by piece, withering until they were nothing. Even their ears pointed down.

  I grasped the steel bars in anger, letting their rough surface scrape my palms. Premier was responsible for this. How many other people had Premier destroyed? I concentrated, trying not to lose control of my powers.

  “Prastian, hurry up and open the gate,” Behast said, the anger in his voice rising. “I can’t stand to look at this. This is no way to treat an ally.”

  Prastian unlocked the gates, and the three elves rushed to their fallen comrades. “My friends, we’ve come for you,” Prastian said. “Get up. We must get you out of here and back into the forest so it can heal you.”

  “What’s going on here?” The oldest elf slowly opened his eyes. “Am I dreaming again, or is Premier tormenting us once more?”

  “You old fool. It is I, Prastian. I’ve come to rescue you.”

  The elf’s eyes widened in surprise. He blinked several times and stared at Prastian. “Prastian? Is that really you?”

  “Yes, Marlese. But if you really like it here, I can leave you.”

  “I’m sorry. My eyes are sore, but it must be you. Only you would have such terrible wit.” Marlese struggled to rise, and Prastian helped him up.

  “Dashion, Wintrop, we must get a move on. They’ve finally come for us. I knew Sharald wouldn’t let us down.”

  Behast and Demay helped Dashion and Wintrop, while Prastian explained the situation to Marlese. Marlese and Prastian walked over to me after their conversation was done.

  “So you are the one to thank,” Marlese said, smiling at me. “I have a feeling my people are going to have a hard time repaying you for all the good you’ve done.”

  I shrugged. “I haven't done anything yet.” I glanced up at the stone ceiling, imagining Premier out there. He had to be stopped.

  Marlese grasped my arm. “I thank you nevertheless.”

  I nodded. “Why were you thrown into the dungeons, anyway?”

  “It was probably something Wintrop said. I think he angered Premier and was insubordinate.”

  “Me?” Wintrop said. “I believe it was you who accused Premier of being a simple-minded fool.”

  Marlese coughed. “As I was saying, things got out of hand, and a slight misunderstanding arose. I don’t think it mattered. Premier seemed eager to throw us in here before we could talk with King Furlong and, more importantly, before we could return to our king to tell him what we saw.”

  “Marlese, we don’t have time for this,” Prastian said. His ears twitched.

  Marlese's ears rose. “You’re right.”

  “Wait,” I said. “Before we go, did Premier do anything when he visited you?”

  “Aside from having the guards beat us, no. He took a perverse pleasure in watching and studying us like we were an experiment. From his interest, I don’t think he’s ever seen elves die in captivity before.”

  “What's wrong, Hellsfire?” Prastian asked.

  “I don't know. It's just something about Premier.” I exhaled. “I wish we knew more about him, but not even the princess knows all that much. He's dangerous. I know that.”

  All the elves nodded.

  Prastian's ears perked up. “We have to go. Now. Someone's going to find the guards and we have to be past the city walls before sunup. Is everyone ready to go home?”

  The elves' faces lit up with joy and relief.

  “Good. Everyone follow me and stay close behind. Trust me, we’re going to get you home.”

  The rescued elves had to lean on the others as we climbed the stairs. “Are you going to be able to make it, Marlese?” Prastian asked, supporting him.

  “I'm fine, Prastian. We'll make it. Just get us out of here and into the forest.”

  As we made our way up the flight of stairs, I couldn't help but think about Premier. What would happen after we made it back to Sharald? Even if I convinced King Sharald to send his army up here and help, he could run into some serious resistance if Premier was a wizard. It was bad enough that Premier had weakened Alexandria, but if he was a wizard, he could destroy Sharald’s army as well.

  There were entirely too many variables, and they all hinged on Premier. I had to find out more about him so we could plan our next move. There was no one else who could handle it. I couldn't put any of them in danger. I was the only one with magic. It fell on me.

  Marlese was winded and breathing heavily when we reached the top. Prastian gave him a questi
oning look. “Oh, don't look at me like that. As long as there's no more stairs, we'll be fine.”

  “Is everyone ready?” Prastian asked. “As the story goes, fast and quiet wins the race.”

  “No,” I said. “I can't go on.”

  “Why not?” Prastian asked.

  “I've got to know more about Premier. He's the key to all this.”

  “You could always come back.”

  “It might be too late then.”

  “But—”

  “Let him go,” Marlese said. “He's right about his instincts.” Marlese's green eyes burned with hate. “Premier's our true enemy.” Dashion and Wintrop nodded.

  “I understand,” Prastian said.

  “I'll try to catch up with you if I can,” I said. “One last thing.” I took a deep breath. The problem with staying behind was that I was the best one to convince King Sharald. “I need you to talk to King Sharald. He has to send his army here. Krystal—I mean, Alexandria needs his help.”

  “We shouldn't involve ourselves in their politics,” Dashion said, grimacing. “Let the humans die to the Wasteland creatures.”

  Dashion's words angered me, until I remembered what Sharald had said. “I know you elves were wrongfully imprisoned, but if Alexandria falls, we all fall.” I turned back to Prastian. “There are good people here. They need your help.”

  “I agree, but I don't want to risk my people's lives.”

  I sighed. “I won't push this issue any further. There’s no time for that. At least promise me you'll relay my words to King Sharald.”

  Prastian bowed his head. “I will, but I hope you will be there to present your case to our king yourself.”

  “Me too.”

  “Good luck,” Prastian said before the elves disappeared into the darkness.

  I hid in the shadows near the entrance to the dungeons while the elves made their way out of the castle. To buy us more time, I dragged the guard's bodies to the stairwell. Hopefully, by the time they woke up or were discovered, I'd be long gone and have found out what I needed to know.

  But to learn more about Premier, I first had to find him.

  From what my master had told me, wizards were a secretive folk. At least, post-war. They wanted to be left alone to work on their magic, and not be hunted down. If Premier was a wizard, he'd want the same thing. I kept that in mind while I wandered the castle's dark halls.

  As I went, I tried to imitate my elf friends. I moved on the balls of my feet and crouched low. I relied more on my ears than my eyes, in the dim light between torches.

  There were far too many rooms in the castle, and I couldn't search them all. Premier was someone of importance. He would have his own space, probably away from everyone else. My mind flashed back to the first thing I had seen of Alexandria—the towers.

  That had to be it.

  I ran as quietly as I could to the base of the towers. The light inside the castle wall grew brighter as the sun prepared to make another day’s journey. It was only a matter of time before everyone awoke, instead of the mere handful of servants and guards I had to avoid right now. Unfortunately, the first tower I tried was guarded far more heavily than the rest of the castle. I bypassed it and hoped the others weren't. The second and third towers were guarded like the first. I pinned all my hopes on the last tower, praying my reasoning would be right.

  I peered around a corner at the entrance to the last tower. I let out a breath. There were no guards at all.

  I moved silently to the wooden door. On one side was a sconce with one candleholder and one unlit candle. The matching sconce on the other side hung sideways, as if it had broken and no one wanted to repair it.

  This had to be it. Premier might have acquired power in Alexandria, but most of the people still wanted to avoid his dark aura. And if he really was a wizard, he wanted to avoid them even more.

  With my magic by my side, I lifted my shaky hand and pushed the door open.

  CHAPTER 15

  I opened the door and peered through the crack. Barely any light shone through. I imagined Premier standing there, waiting for me, and shivered. I took deep breaths, trying to gather my courage. Someone did it for me. I heard heavy footsteps coming across the stone courtyard. Quickly, I slipped through the door and closed it. I leaned against it, hearing the footsteps approach, pause, then fade away.

  I didn't move until I was certain he was gone, and I could no longer hear my heart pounding. Then I was able to focus on my surroundings. I was in a large, circular stone room that took up the whole base of the tower. There were no torches on the walls, but the morning’s dim light shone faintly through the arrow slits on the far side of the room. About halfway across were two staircases—one leading up, the other down. I felt faint magic tugging at me from the lower level.

  As I descended the stairs, following the trail of power, I knew something was wrong. There wasn't any feeling of life in the tower. In the other parts of the castle, there were always faint noises—people snoring or making love, servants getting ready for the day’s work or running to do their master’s bidding. And always, like a faint hum underneath everything, the life mana of so many people. This tower had a dead, oppressive feel to it—like the feeling I’d gotten when I tried to probe Premier. Awareness with no life force behind it, just malevolence. The tower's eyes were on me, and they weren't friendly. I rubbed the goose bumps on my arms and kept my magic at the ready. I didn't draw on it, in case Premier could sense it.

  The lower I went, the hotter it felt. The humidity and dampness crushed me, reminding me of being enveloped in Cynder’s breath. I wanted to rip off my wizard’s robe.

  I reached a landing on the staircase—and the magic that had drawn me. I sucked in my breath when I saw a light gray web shimmering at the top of the next set of stairs—a simple detection web. This was the evidence I was looking for. Premier was a wizard. But what was I going to do about it? I couldn't accuse him publicly. The princess would believe me, but we couldn’t prove it to anyone else. No one else could see the web. I needed more evidence, and the only way I was going to get that was by venturing deeper.

  The web was like the first one I had passed through when I met Master Stradus. This time, I was equipped with the knowledge of how to dissipate it.

  I rolled up my sleeves and began to unmake the web with my fingers. Little wisps of magic danced on my fingertips. I moved the opposite way the web was formed. It was easy to follow, because all webs left little traces of how they were made. The simpler the web, the easier it was to see. The gray web lost all its color, then collapsed to the ground and faded away. I made my way down the stairs. Torchlight flickered up from the bottom, and I moved carefully, not wanting to alert anyone below. When I got there, I was in a small open space, faced by a wooden door.

  I exhaled all the breath from my body. There was a web in front of this one too. It was much more complex than the first, stronger and interwoven with more strands. It shone bright crimson. I paused for a moment to figure out how to bypass it. I could see that it was set to cause excruciating pain to anyone who passed through it. Interestingly, it was specifically designed to affect only humans, with the exception of its maker. Other life forms, like animals, could pass through unharmed. And so could creatures.

  As I studied the web, I realized it was slightly out of alignment, as if something had passed through it. As I watched, it settled back into its proper place, which meant that whatever had passed through had done so recently. And since it wasn’t lying on the other side of the door screaming in agony, it wasn’t human. I didn’t know what it was, but I had no choice but to press on. It was too late to turn back now.

  Since the web was designed to cause pain, a counterbalance must be used. Life was that counterbalance. Normally, I could use the life force of a nearby plant, but there were none down here. There was an alternate way to get rid of the web, but it was much more dangerous to me. No mistakes must be made.

  “Gods help me,” I whispered.
>
  I let a small portion of my fire trickle into my finger until it lit up with a tiny flame. I sprinkled it with dirt from the floor, igniting it with earth mana as I recited a brief incantation in the old language. I glanced at the door, half-expecting Premier to feel the magic I was using. I waited several minutes, just in case, but he didn’t appear. I took a deep breath and retraced the web, using the greenish/red flame to disintegrate it, strand by strand.

  It was slow and tedious work. If I rushed and messed up, the spell could backfire and magnify the web’s power a thousandfold. I could die from the backlash.

  A sudden howling noise from above made me jump. I went perfectly still, hardly daring to breathe. If I had to stop this in the middle, I was doomed. Then I felt a breeze, and realized the noise was the wind, blowing across the arrow slits in the base of the tower, making its way down the stairs. It came again, and I relaxed, letting my breath out again.

  Too late. The web glowed, and I felt its magic gathering force. I cursed myself. My flame had accidentally touched the wrong strand. The flames raced along the web, with me trying to extinguish them with my magic before the web could alert Premier. I finally got it out, but Premier could appear at any moment. The web hung in tatters, and it was only by luck that it hadn’t exploded in my face. At least the gaps in the web should make it easier to get rid of.

  I had relaxed too soon. The web's crimson color deepened. I had a second to register what was going to happen, and got off an incantation just as the web unleashed its magic. A blinding, searing pain flashed up my right arm. I clenched my teeth so as not to cry out in pain. I worked a counterspell with my left hand, as the pain worked its way across my chest. The color faded from the web.

  My arm hung numb and useless. I used my left to destroy the last remnants of the web, worried that Premier would come through the door at any second. I couldn’t put up a defense with one arm.

  I finished demolishing the web, and Premier still had not appeared. I hesitated to open the door, once more picturing him standing behind it, ready to destroy me. But I hadn’t come this far to give up now. I carefully opened the door, staying behind it. A horrible stench hit me, and I bit my tongue to keep from coughing and gagging. There was no one behind the door, just an empty stone room with two more doors and more stairs. These doors didn't have webs on them, and I couldn't sense any more active magic. I picked a door and opened it slowly. One torch lit the gloomy hallway beyond. I was going to take a look around when I heard voices from downstairs.