by Jeff Inlo
There were very few survivors to attend to the dead, though a few bodies had been covered by blankets, and some were held tightly by loved ones. For the most part, the town remained empty. The goblins had been defeated, but the darkness of night reclaimed the land once Jure's spell of light ended. Only a few residents had ventured back to their homes, most remained scattered far to the west, uncertain of what to do.
With a simple sight spell, Enin raised his perception over the region. He could see the people had stopped fleeing. Some were even trekking through the darkness, hoping to return to the town, but they were doing so carefully, almost grudgingly. When the wizard put it all in perspective, it was not hard to understand.
The citizens of Huntston had spent many seasons learning to ignore the presence of the goblins. They were told it was for the best and received orders to accept the situation. These orders came from people that were supposed to protect all of the residents, that were charged with doing what was right for the entire town. Unfortunately, the majority of the people had come to realize much too late that those in charge were far more concerned with their own well-being. Their own captain of the guard cared as little for them as he did for a handful of weeds growing in a patch of dirt behind an abandoned home.
There would be many abandoned homes after the goblin uprising, and Huntston would struggle for many cycles of the seasons. Few would ever forget that it was there that the unrest began. The story would spread of the dwarf mines below the town of the Twin Rivers, where wealth was used to purchase the assistance of corrupt humans. The blood that flowed from Huntston washed over all the valleys, and created a wound that would take the longest to heal.
Enin felt for the town. He had seen much of the same back in Burbon, Pinesway, and Connel. When the magic first returned to Uton, the people of those towns suffered greatly. He helped save Burbon, helped rebuild Connel, and finally brought Pinesway back from extinction. He hoped the same could be done for Huntston, but before it could be salvaged, it needed to be spared.
Turning his focus to the threat that remained, Enin considered what the draevol in Ashlan had told him. The demon's twin was planning on releasing a great sickness across the valleys. The wizard noted the number of dead on the streets, and though there were only a few living occupants of Huntston within its borders, he recognized the danger. The elements for a plague were ideal. All that was necessary was the spark of the disease. He knew that in the tunnels below ground, the draevol twin was working on that spark.
Holli had previously told him about the warehouse that served as the goblin entrance to the mine. Rather than walk past the dead and disturb the few that grieved in the streets, the wizard rose up into the sky and flew westward. He soon spotted the bridge that crossed the western half of the Twin Rivers. He moved to it directly in order to gain the proper perspective. He turned back to the town center and immediately spotted his objective.
From the edge of the river, he saw the flattened remains of the warehouse. Several goblin corpses remained covered in the debris. It appeared as if Jure decided not to repair that particular building, probably out of contempt for what was allowed to happen there, or perhaps out of a sense of justice.
Shaking his head with sadness over the human losses he could see scattered across the nearest streets, Enin willed himself higher into the air and flew over the top of the collapsed building. He directed a tight whirlwind spell downward upon the shattered roof that stretched across most of the foundation. The powerful winds pushed the wood and shingles aside and revealed the opening to the tunnels below.
With a simple reflection of desire, he drifted downward and into the dwarf mine. He landed softly on the platform where Holli and Ryson once stood and gazed down the long shaft. Lacking an elf or a delver's superior night vision, he cast another spell that sent a wave of light down the lonely passage. He didn't care if the draevol twin knew he was coming. It would not matter.
Just as Holli could sense dark creatures in the distance, the wizard enhanced his own perception to reach down the tunnel. He did not wish to waste time on a useless hunt. His magical awareness took hold of the evil surrounding the demon further down the mine shaft, and Enin stepped willfully down the passage to end the calamity before it began.
Enin allowed the brilliance from his light spell to continue even as he noted a strong white radiance emanating up from the tunnel. The draevol was near and the illumination of its malevolent presence filled the lower shafts with a pale light.
At first, the draevol did not notice the wizard. Its back was turned as it bent over what appeared to be a human corpse lying on the rocky ground in front of it. It looked almost as if the demon was transferring the pale light of its own essence into the core of the dead body.
"Do not waste anymore of your energy," Enin commanded.
The demon seemed to flinch, as if startled, but it did not turn around. The transfer of light continued, but the stream dimmed ever so slightly. Even as the fiend addressed the wizard, it made no move to face him.
"I did not expect you here so soon," the twin admitted, as if it could not think of anything else to say.
"Your brother sent me."
"Not a surprise."
"You know who I am?" Enin wished to confirm.
"I do."
"Then you know I won't let you succeed."
Without another word, the wizard placed one arm out in front of him and the other behind. Two perfect circles swayed around his shoulders until he flung them in opposite directions. The ring that shot forward sailed passed the draevol and erupted in a flash of white fire further down the mine shaft. The second ring sparked in the same manner but behind the wizard in the passage that led back up to the platform. White energy crackled all along the walls, ceiling, and floor of the shaft, connecting the two points.
The demon would still not turn to face the wizard, but it raised its head slightly as if to sniff the air.
"You sealed us off. Quite a powerful barrier. Completely solid. Impressive," the twin grumbled.
"And efficient. Even magic itself can't penetrate it. We are locked in here together until I drop the barrier or one of us opens a dimensional portal."
"And what is it you recommend?"
"Leave this land... this realm, completely."
"And what of the plague I have already prepared?"
"Take it with you."
"A waste."
"Consume the magic as you will in your dark lands, but it will not be unleashed here."
"And if I told you it already was unleashed."
"I would not believe you. I can sense where the energy lies. It hasn't left this chamber."
"True, but it's no longer completely within me, either."
"I'm aware of that, but now you're aware that nothing will leave this space without my approval."
"And what's to stop me from returning to my realm and then coming back here again?"
"Give me a little credit. You are a full demon, as is your brother. Your entrance into this world is not as easy as other dark creatures. You can open portals, but passing through them is another matter. It can be done, but not without cost. As a demon, you can wait at the edges of existence, even in the space between life and death, but once you pass through into the physical plane and force your will upon this existence—as you have already done—your reality changes. You won't be able to come back. You know that as well as I do."
"You know much for a human."
"I know that you can't win."
"I can... if you let me."
It was almost comical, the sentiment, and Enin might have laughed had it not been for the tone of the demon's voice. The demon towered over the wizard in physical presence, but in magical ability, the draevol was but a dust speck in comparison. Still, there was something more than confidence in the draevol's words, something very sinister. Rather than simply discount the ludicrous proposal, Enin questioned its plausibility.
"Why would I let you win when victory wo
uld allow you to release a plague that would kill scores of innocent people?"
"No one is innocent."
"Let's not debate that. You know what I mean."
"Because your choice is not as obvious as it might seem. There are several ways you can deal with me that would be to your liking. I can't deny that. You can open your own portal and force me back to the depths of the dark lands. I could fight you, but it would be futile."
"That's why I'm recommending you leave this realm... on your own," Enin stated harshly. He was growing weary of the draevol, wondering if the demon was stalling in hopes of gaining an advantage.
"I will not leave of my own."
Enin shook his head in disgust and revealed a simple truth.
"That is the only choice I'm giving you. I'm also getting tired of talking to your back."
"Turning to face you only gives you what you want, not what I want."
"You think I won't strike because you're turned away from me? That would be a foolish consideration."
"I think nothing of the sort. I'm fully aware of that option as well. If you decide trying to force me through a portal might be too dangerous, you could simply annihilate me where I stand, but I don't think you will choose that alternative. Not because my back is turned to you, but because it conflicts with your views on balance and interference. You would prefer to see my existence determined by some other fate. If you were to be honest, you want me to make my own choice."
"Don't fool yourself on that end, either. I would destroy you in an instant if I thought you had the means to reach your goal. I won't let you spread your plague."
At that, the demon chuckled.
"Actually, that is the real question. It is not whether or not I spread the plague, but if you allow it to spread. I know, I know. It's an absurd thought, but only because you don't understand all the facts yet."
The consideration was beyond absurd. Under no circumstance would Enin let the plague leave the mine shaft. The demon was playing a game, and the wizard decided to make the situation clear... as he understood it.
"I know you have consumed a great deal of magic, that you're a draevol with the ability to cast a powerful plague, and you have already begun to do so. A good deal of your casting is already placed upon that corpse. Those are the facts. You have nothing with which to bargain. It is only you and me within this tunnel. You—and the plague—will either return to the condemned realm you came from or you both will be destroyed here."
"And yet you continue to disregard the third choice. I believe you will release the magical seal on this tunnel and allow me to leave. You will let this form leave as well and allow fate to determine how far the plague will reach."
"That's not an alternative."
The demon did not agree.
"I told you you didn't know all the facts. Let me point you in the right direction. Where do you think I got this corpse? From the town above? That would have been too easy."
Enin grimaced. His focus had been placed on the draevol, the magic, and the tunnel. He had disregarded the corpse as a simple vessel for the plague spell. He quickly realized it was an error in judgment.
He could not see the face of the body, but his magical senses went beyond sight. He reached out to the form lying on the rock ground and immediately recognized the strong residue of magic within.
"Heteera?" he whispered.
The draevol ceased its magical connection with the corpse before it, and finally turned around. Its pale face glowed with a sinister smile.
"That is why I showed you my back. I didn't want to give myself away. I find this all very amusing."
The demon stepped to the side and let the body of Heteera rise on its own. It staggered to its feet, but it did stand of its own power. No voice spoke. An expression of emptiness filled the face of the sorceress as the vacant eyes stared off into the distance.
"Now you know all the facts," the demon stated with a satisfied tone.
Enin did not ask why or how. He didn't care. All he could do was stare back into Heteera's face. He had grown accustomed to that look. It was lifeless, but it was the expression she wore for a very long time. It haunted him.
Despite the lack of questions from the wizard, the demon joyfully revealed the logic behind his decision.
"I never trust my brother. Never. I noticed the upheaval in the magic long before I contacted him. I have my own ways of obtaining information. Do you remember the human Prilgrat?"
Enin did not answer. He didn't care about Prilgrat, or about the draevol twins. His mind was overwrought by the vision of Heteera's body standing before him, her eyes looking right through him.
The demon continued despite the wizard's indifference to its explanation.
"That weak leader of the humans did not simply have a deal with my brother. It was binding to us both. I had a connection to his corrupt soul and I used it. I saw and heard what happened in his room. Not everything. Actually, very little, but I saw the care you took to send away the sorceress. You wanted to protect her. You even sent her to a dimensional crossroad to place her out of harm. I made sure I followed the trail of that spell when you cast it. I can, of course. After all, I'm a demon. A very fortunate decision."
Enin slowly shook off the numbness that shrouded his mind. He broke his gaze away from the body of Heteera and glared at the draevol with fury.
"Why would you disturb her?"
"To protect myself," the demon offered, as if the answer was obvious. "It wasn't simply to annoy you. I did speak with my brother after the goblins had been torn away from this realm. His explanation regarding the magic over his city smelled of a half-truth, and like I said, I never trust my brother. I absorbed the magic over this human town, just as my brother requested, but before I began casting the plague, I cast a spell of retrieval. I wanted to use the body of the sorceress for which you showed so much care."
"And you think this will protect you?!"
"I think it gives me a chance. I knew you were coming for me. I expected that much from my brother. I would have done the same thing if I were him."
"You have no chance!"
"But you have a choice, and that is my chance."
"What are you talking about?!" Enin demanded. He saw no choice, he saw only the deliberate defiling of a corpse... of the memory of a brave soul.
"The option I spoke of before," the demon answered in a harsh voice after a brief pause. "Remove the magical seal in this tunnel. Allow me to leave. Let the sorceress exit out the tunnel and..."
"No," the wizard cut off the demon.
"You didn't let me finish."
"I can't let her leave here and you know it."
"What does that leave for you? I assure you, I have no intention of opening a portal and taking her with me. Will you open one and push us both through?"
"I will not do that... to her."
"That certainly reduces your options. If you don't send her away, you'll either have to let her go... or obliterate her. You would do that to her?"
"You speak of her as if she's still alive. She's gone. That's an empty shell you cast your disease upon, nothing more."
"Is it? Then why did you send her off into dimensional space to protect her while you went to face my brother?"
"Out of respect."
"Then destroy her now."
Enin made no move. He glanced back over at the body of the sorceress. His most recent memories of the sorceress matched exactly what he saw. Despite the vacant expression of the soulless body, he recalled her state of detachment when the barrier cut off her consciousness. He did not see a reanimated corpse. He saw his memory of Heteera standing before him as if she never died.
"You hesitate," the demon pointed out. "I'm not surprised. You want to believe she's gone, but what if she isn't? Think of how much magic poured through her body. Such power could open many possibilities. Think of how the magic allows you to cross from one dimension to another. Would it be so absurd to assume that she could travel to
the very door of death, perhaps even step through, and yet still return? What if she was never completely dead? I could have done what you failed to try. I could have revived her."
Enin's mind raced with conjecture over the body of Heteera. He knew she had passed on to the next existence. He was within her consciousness when she let go of the physical world. Her vacant stare, however, penetrated his memories. Was she possibly still alive?
"No," Enin stated with a shake of his head, but his tone lacked confidence.
"You don't sound too sure," the demon pressed. "There is one way to find out. Allow her to leave this mine. Let the magic flow through her once more and take the plague from her. If she's still alive, the magic will cure her. If not, you can show her body the proper respect you spoke of."
Enin knew he couldn't allow it. The price was too high. If the magic flowed through the sorceress, it would take the plague with it. With so many dead bodies in the streets of Huntston and people returning to the town, there would be no stopping it. No, he knew he couldn't allow the plagued corpse to leave his chamber of magic, but was she really just a corpse?
The wizard knew the demon was capable of not only twisting the truth but torturing it into appalling deceit, yet the circumstances extended beyond the draevol. Enin had spent so much time in the sorceress' tormented thoughts and then in the blankness of her isolation. He knew her weaknesses—her madness—intimately. Heteera had taken hold of the barrier spell, used the magic to hide from reality. What if she did more? What if she twisted reality? The power was so vast within her.
Too many questions poured from the sorceress' hollow expression and into the wizard's soul. Enin began to doubt his own perceptions. He wondered if maybe there was some way to bring Heteera back.
To his dismay, there was no way to find out. He couldn't risk entering her consciousness to search for an answer. He didn't fear the plague, for the magic that protected him was far too strong, but the magic inside Heteera's body was unstable. If he carelessly added his own power to the vessel of a plague, he might give the demon the very opportunity it craved... the chance to break free.