by D. M. Almond
Logan could not believe his eyes. They had done it. They were back in Vanidriell!
Chapter 8
Even from their vantage point on the small outcropping of rock that jutted thirty feet above the raging green waters, Corbin could feel the refreshing spray. He moved strands of his long black hair, which was already growing damp from the mist, out of his face and surveyed the area. The skex tunnel came out almost directly above the river. Unfortunately, there was no way to climb down from their perch, since it was more or less an opening in the ceiling of the cavern.
A wide stalactite hung just to their left, but even if they could somehow make the jump to it, there was nowhere to go from there.
“How are we going to get down?” Corbin asked.
“We could just dive into the river,” Logan offered.
“Without knowing how deep it is?”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Logan said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Don’t wanna break our necks.”
“Besides,” Bipp said, pointing at the water, “the Green Serpent flows in the opposite direction from where we want to go. And there’s no telling how far down the current would take us before we got out…if we managed to get out at all.”
Corbin had fought the very same river once before, and it had been no day at the beach. “No sense in reliving that nightmare,” he grumbled.
“What do you propose then?” Nero asked.
Corbin shook his head and turned to see what Isaac thought. The mage was frowning and mumbling under his breath. “Isaac, do you have some magic that could help?”
Isaac looked up as if he had forgotten they were there. “Yes, well, I do have a spell that might do the trick. Unfortunately it’s a rather short deal, and it would only be strong enough to carry me and maybe Bipp.”
“Lot of good that does us,” Logan said.
Corbin eyed the stalactite, measuring the distance between the jutting brown rock and the closest bank of the river. Studying every angle of the descent, he tapped his fingers absently against his thigh. “Hmm…that might work,” he murmured, searching the area around his feet for a loose rock. He snatched up one the size of his palm and handed it to Logan. “Here, take this.”
Logan cocked his head to the side. “A rock? That’s our ticket off of here, a rock?”
Corbin ignored his older brother’s usual skepticism. He knew Logan was just venting some frustration. “Give it a good throw toward the riverbank,” he said.
Logan nodded and pulled back as far as he could before releasing. Corbin carefully studied the rock’s downward trajectory, tapping on his thigh to count the beats before the rock landed with a splash just at the edge of the river. It disappeared under the raging green waters.
“Here,” Corbin said, handing Logan a new rock, “do another. But throw a little pepper in it this time, eh?”
“What’s your brother up to?” Bipp asked.
Logan shrugged and hurled the rock. This time it made it to the rocky riverbed before bouncing back into the water.
“Very good, lad,” Isaac said, coming up beside them. “It’s a splendid idea.”
“Really? I’m not sure I can make that distance.”
“Sure you can,” Isaac said, rummaging through one of his pouches.
“What are you two prattling on about?” Logan asked, sounding a bit annoyed to be left in the dark.
“It’s better if I show you,” Corbin said.
He lifted a rock, turning it around between his finger and thumb so Logan, Bipp, and Nero could see. With a sharp snap of his wrist, he hurled the rock.
Logan laughed. “You barely made the middle of the river.”
Corbin had already pressed his right hand to his temple and begun focusing a line of psionic energy that emerged from his psyche. Invisible to the others, the ephemeral light touched the tail end of the rock, spurring it on further, like a spinning marble tapping it to send the rock ricocheting far beyond Logan’s farthest throw.
Bipp chuckled and punched Logan’s thigh. “Looks like your brother’s got a stronger pitching arm than you.”
Logan took it in stride. “That was some throw. But I still don’t see what that means for us.”
“I used telekinetic energy to buoy the rock farther, balancing its weight and tapping it with an eldrich bolt,” Corbin said.
Logan arched an eyebrow. “Eldrich bolt?”
It was Corbin’s turn to shrug. “That’s what I’m calling it. I figure Lady Cassandra’s Order of the Second Sight is no longer around to teach me properly, and it’s a lot easier than explaining the mechanics of it to you.”
“Hey, whatever man.” Logan smiled, rubbing his hands enthusiastically together. “As long as you can get us down there, I’m game.”
Corbin paused, clamping his mouth shut and staring at the rushing river below. He wiped a slick of mist off the side of his face and frowned.
“You can get us down there, right?” Logan asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Corbin said. “I’ve been practicing my telekinetic magic for almost a month now, but never with anything larger than my backpack.”
“I hate to tell you this,” Bipp said, “but I’m a lot heavier than your supplies.”
That only made the butterflies in Corbin’s stomach flutter around more.
“The lad is going to do just fine,” Isaac said, drawing their attention to a small handful of nuts he held in his open palm.
“What are those, Master Isaac?” Nero asked.
“Just a little something I cooked up for a rainy day,” Isaac said with a devious twinkle in his eye. Nero held his hand out as if checking for falling water. “Oh, for goodness sake, do you have to take everything so literally? I don’t mean actual rainfall. It’s just an expression, something that rolls off the tongue.” That only seemed to perplex Nero even deeper. “Never mind that, it’s not important. These cird nuts are a special little concoction of mine. Go ahead and give one a try.” Isaac shoved his open palm under Corbin’s nose.
Corbin gingerly selected one of the nuts, wrapping his fingers around it. The shell felt smooth, and he let it roll around in his closed hand. The more it moved across his skin, the hotter the nut became. “Whoa,” Corbin said.
“What’s it doing?” Logan asked.
“I don’t know,” Corbin said, while Isaac looked on like a kid waiting for the fireworks to go off. “It feels…I feel lighter. Like all of my worries just slipped away. My feet have been sore for weeks now, but suddenly they don’t ache anymore.”
Bipp laughed, pointing to Corbin’s feet. “Ferrigan’s ghost, you’re floating, Corbin!”
Corbin was shocked to see the gnome’s statement was more than a metaphor for his state of mind. His feet were indeed hovering a few inches from the ground. In a panic, he let the nut drop and tumbled down onto his backside. Logan and Bipp scrambled to retrieve the magic-infused nut before it could roll off the edge, catching it just in time.
“Tsk tsk,” Isaac scolded, “that’s no way to treat such a fine enchantment.
“Sorry about that,” Corbin said, trying to ignore the hot pain in his backside. “It really is great, though. Now that we have these, I think we can manage getting us down from here.”
“It’s not as easy as all that, lad,” Isaac said. “The enchantment will only make you as light as a feather.”
“Right, so we can just float down to the shore?” Logan said.
Isaac shook his head. “If you could manage a wide enough jump, which I doubt, and if you could control the breeze, which you can’t, then that would be the solution. But don’t worry. I see that hot and bothered look building on your face, the one you get whenever you don’t see the big picture.”
Logan stewed, crossing his arms over his chest and buttoning his mouth.
“Each of you can take turns. I have three of these. When one of you grabs it, Corbin can use his telekinetic power to carry you to the shore.”
“Hmm, that might work, if I can supp
ort their weight,” Corbin said.
“But how’s Corbin going to get across?” Logan asked. “I mean, if he can’t take the first jump, how will he be able to carry himself the rest of the way?”
“Hmm,” Isaac said, “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“We’ll have to give him a toss first!” Bipp said cheerfully.
Corbin pursed his lips. “I’m not sure I like the sound of you two throwing me over the edge of a cliff.”
Logan laughed, feigning innocence. “What? We’ll make sure you get across.”
“Alright,” Corbin said, “but if I go for a swim, you better be prepared to jump in after me. Here, Isaac, give me back that nut.”
He took the nut in his hand and let it roll around again until the warm tingling ran from his fingertips down to his toes. This time Corbin could feel the sensation of weightlessness as he gently swayed in the breeze.
Logan snatched hold of his leg and moved toward the edge of the cliff.
“Okay, wait, hold on for a second while I focus the eldrich bolt.” For a second Corbin thought Logan did not hear him, or that he might push him off the cliff to be cheeky, but he held firm.
Corbin fell in on himself, closing his eyes and channeling the wavering lines of light encircling each of their bodies. It was a strange sensation to pull his being into that rift while being weightless, like temporarily being separated from his body. He could see in every direction at the same time, as if floating just above his head. He, Logan, and Bipp were bathed in a silhouette of shimmering light, just as he had seen so many times before. But with this extra feeling of buoyancy, he felt absolutely immersed in the psionic energy, at one with its raw power, and so he saw much deeper than ever in the past. For the first time he could see Isaac’s aura, which was bright orange, like the flickering heart of a star, and Nero’s as well, which was a dim turquoise.
Corbin focused on the center of energy within himself and readied the bolt. He opened his eyes and nodded at his brother.
“You ready Bipp?” Logan asked. The gnome grunted and grabbed Corbin’s pant leg. They pulled him back and gave a great shove, hurling Corbin’s body over the river.
At first he fluttered down like a feather in the wind, but then the line of energy worked under him like an invisible highway, and Corbin shot the eldrich bolt away from him, propelling his body far over the shore. Once he was in the right position, he let the nut drop to the shore and sent a blast of psionic energy underneath him to slow his fall. Corbin gingerly touched down to the ground and his companions shouted in glee above.
“Alright, now it’s your turn,” Corbin shouted.
Logan was first, with Bipp and Nero giving him a shove. With Isaac’s enchantment, bringing Logan down was as easy as levitating his backpack. He didn’t even need Logan to drop the nut to get down.
Nero came next. Corbin learned that light as a feather was a relative statement, and his mind strained to balance the android’s weight. Nero was as heavy as fifteen backpacks, and it took all of Corbin’s will to keep him on track. The android was barely at the riverbank when Corbin let go of his telekinetic hold.
“You alright?” Logan asked.
“Yeah,” Corbin said, rubbing his sore temples. “Nero’s a lot heavier than he looks, though.”
“I should think so,” Logan said. “The bucket of bolts is made of metal, isn’t he?”
“Actually my frame was built from a polythen silvrel compound, which is twice the weight of a bucket of bolts,” Nero said.
Corbin saw his brother’s dry expression and he began snickering. The side of Nero’s mouth curved up in a way Corbin had never seen before.
“Wait…did you just make a joke?” Logan asked.
“I believe I did,” Nero said, still smirking. Corbin and his brother laughed hard to see the android finally showing a sense of humor, even if his idea of a joke was a complete fail.
“Wait,” Logan said, slapping Corbin on the chest and pointing at the ledge above. “They’re coming down.”
Isaac had worked his incantation and stepped out into midair. He used his staff like a walking stick and held Bipp’s forearm in his free hand. Bipp had his eyes pinched shut and pushed his face up toward the ceiling. Down came Isaac, taking an invisible flight of stairs toward them.
“How’s he doing that?” Logan said in awe.
Corbin shook his head, unsure how the mage was able to pull off the feat. Perhaps he was bending the air to hold his weight? But then he would have to give it mass. Hmm, in order to understand Isaac’s magic, you must think like him, Corbin thought, but no matter how he approached the problem, he could not force himself to think like the strange man. Finally he gave up and decided to ask.
“Isaac, how are you doing that?” he called.
“It’s a simple spell really,” Isaac said, halfway across the river and fifteen feet above its raging waters. “To walk through air one has only to believe they are as light as it is, lighter even, and that the water molecules can be condensed and shaped into a staircase.”
“Interesting,” Corbin said.
“You understand what the Hel he’s talking about?” Logan asked.
“Not a clue,” Corbin said, “but that makes it no less impressive.”
“Wait a darn minute!” Bipp hollered, opening his eyes and scowling at Isaac. “Are you saying you dragged me out here with nothing more than positive thinking?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that, but, yeah,” Isaac admitted.
Bipp looked down and opened his mouth as if he might be sick. Logan’s smile faltered. Corbin took a step forward and held up his hands.
“Now, Bipp…just stay calm,” he called.
Bipp’s knees gave out and his body slumped so that Isaac suddenly looked like he was holding onto a giant limp teddy bear.
“Get a grip on yourself, gnome,” Isaac strained. “Stand up straight.”
Though he was trying to hide it under a mask of sarcasm, Corbin could see the mounting concern in Isaac’s eyes. The mage was walking quicker now, more recklessly, as if he needed to get to shore as fast as possible.
Bipp shook his head and whimpered, “Stand? On what? There’s no ground.”
“Shizz,” Logan said, “he’s losing it.”
They could see he was right. Bipp looked bewildered and confused, as if in an adrenaline induced stupor, one where his brain screamed flight, flight, flight!
“Hang tight, we’re almost there,” Isaac grunted. Sweat rimmed the mage’s brow, and each step became labored.
“He’s not going to make it,” Logan whispered in disbelief.
As if the words were a prophecy come to life, Bipp stumbled in midair, and his stubby fingers slipped from Isaac’s grasp. The mage screamed and tried to snatch him, but it was too late. The gnome spiraled headfirst for the river. He barely had enough time to throw his hands over his head and scream, “Ohm protect me!”
Corbin jumped to the edge of the riverbank and threw his arms out wide, as if he could catch the gnome. Logan went from screaming for Bipp to staggering away from his brother as bright sparks of blue and white light shot from Corbin’s eyes. Bipp crashed to a halt only inches above the water, braced by Corbin’s quickly thrown psionic net, which wrapped around the gnome.
Corbin felt as if his head might explode, using only his sheer willpower to hold the gnome aloft. He raised his hands in the air, lifting Bipp another few feet and turning his body to face the riverbank. Corbin’s muscles cramped and he was forced to his knees. He felt something pop, and a line of blood ran freely from his nose.
Like a fisherman reeling in the net, Corbin began to grasp at the air and pull back, one hand at a time. With each tug, Bipp came closer, until finally he hovered above the rocky shore. Isaac had caught up to him, and the mage grabbed the back of Bipp’s collar.
Corbin could have cried from gratitude at the relief that provided, and he fell on his back. Nero was already above him, scanning for signs of injury. Logan p
ulled a rag from his pack and soaked it in the river water to wipe the sweat that covered Corbin’s face.
“Your rash use of magical energy has not caused any permanent damage to your well-being,” Nero said. “Though you have severely overworked just about every muscle in your body, as well as popped a blood vessel in your nose and right eye.”
Corbin smiled weakly and mumbled, “Water.”
Logan gave him a waterskin, and Corbin greedily sucked on it, draining the entire thing. “Help me up,” he said.
“You should rest—”
“Help…me…up,” he said more insistently. Corbin winced as his brother helped him to his feet, and he looked at their little group. He found Bipp sitting by the river, clutching his knees to his chest and averting his gaze in shame. Corbin staggered over to him, “Stand up.”
Bipp looked like a berated mule and did as he was told, still staring at the ground. “I-I’m so sorry, Corbin…I don’t know what came over me.”
“You were clearly in a state of hysteria,” Nero said, “which almost caused Corbin to damage his vital organs.”
Bipp blanched, looking as if he wanted to melt into a puddle.
“Come over here,” Corbin said sternly.
“Corbin, take it easy,” Logan said.
“Now,” Corbin said.
Bipp, who was just about the bravest person Logan had ever met, looked like he would rather be anywhere at that moment than there. He took a couple steps toward Corbin, still staring at the ground. When Corbin moved forward, the gnome flinched, readying for a punch.
Corbin fell to his knees, wrapping the gnome in a hug. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again,” he said.
The tension burst with nervous laughter from Logan as Bipp hugged Corbin back.
They stayed at the edge of the river for some time, letting Corbin rest before setting out again. Bipp knew the Green Serpent well and determined they were not too far from home. He figured if they marched at a steady pace, or as steady as they could manage with Corbin being exhausted, they could make it to the gnome town of Dudje in just under two days.