by Jeff Inlo
Such a fate stirred great apprehension over following Reiculf's wishes. She knew Ansas and the others would not deal with her as kindly as they had done with Scheff. They would not try to free her. They could not afford to spare the energy. No, they would move to kill her as quickly as possible. Facing the invaders was a grave and misguided risk.
Unfortunately for the serp, Reiculf offered little solace.
"Would you rather I kill you?" the daokiln questioned.
That consideration almost ended Macheve's hesitation. She knew such a death would be painful beyond her comprehension. Still, she did not wish to choose between death by the daokiln or death by the invading sorcerer. She searched desperately for a third option.
"Whether you kill me or they kill me, wouldn't my death mean the end of your reach outside Demonspawn? My essence would be forever trapped here. If I can't leave Demonspawn, then you would be bound here as you were before. You can not think of me in such low regard. I was the first to bring your power outside of Demonspawn. Would it not serve you better to protect me from the invaders?"
Reiculf's pale eyes flared with pulsating fury.
"You pathetic parasite! Worried about your own miniscule existence when you can't see the significance of what has happened. I was free! Yes, you were the first, but I had other slaves to release my power, and now I am down to one, the weakest of my pawns. Do you really think I should be concerned with protecting you considering all that I have lost?"
"But you would risk losing even more," Macheve cried.
"Enough! The situation I face is far more dire than your life. When you stumbled into my presence, I had the potential of utilizing powerful spell casters, not just a puny serp with the magical ability of a flea. You were nothing but a meager step toward a far greater opportunity. I had gained more important pawns—Scheff and Gnafil—and they offered substantial potential, but they are now both dead. Do you really think I should care about your irrelevant existence?"
Macheve did not answer. She saw any hope of surviving slipping away as Reiculf made his intentions clear.
"The loss of those two could have been offset. There were two others that I truly craved, Neltus and Enin. If I controlled them, I would have little need for other pawns beyond entertainment and diversion. Neltus is now forever beyond my reach, his magic removed by the cursed ghost. Worse, the spirit of Burbon intends to do the same to Enin. If Enin is lost, then I will always be constrained. He is the one I must have, the one that will allow me to rule! Without him, I will have nothing."
The daokiln roared with curses. Raging with anger against the turn of events, he bent low over the serp and glared into her face with pure hatred.
"No! I will not lose the wizard from Connel! He wishes to protect the invaders, to keep them safe. There is a connection to the guardian spirit as well. The ghost actually cares greatly about the delver and his mate, as well as the elf guard that leads them. The spirit will not jeopardize their safety, and so he will keep Enin's magical abilities intact as long as they are here. You will use these weaknesses against them, or I will rip your soul from your body this instant."
Macheve knew she had no choice.
"What would you have me do?" she cried.
"I will send you to the outer region. You will hold sway over the demons in my realm. You will command them to attack the invaders. They are to take the human woman prisoner and you will bring her to me. They must not kill the delver, the elf guard, or the sorcerer. As for the human wizard, elf sorceress and cliff behemoth, rip them apart. And ensure you destroy the animated body of the dead elf. That is their only weapon against me. Once I have the woman, I will force the survivors to come to me. I will use them to deal with Burbon's ghost and the wizard from Connel."
"I will do as you command."
Utilizing the waves of hate that swelled across Demonspawn, Reiculf whisked the serp in an instant to a position to attack the invaders of his dimension.
Macheve found herself near the outer boundaries of the cursed domain. She could see the barriers that separated Demonspawn from the dark realm, her true home. She longed to dash to the border and break through the veil that separated the two regions, but she knew she would never get through. She was committed to Reiculf with no hope of escape, as if she was nothing more than a feather chained to an anvil.
If she was to survive, she needed to defeat the daokiln's enemies. They were also a direct threat to her own life. She knew their intentions. The elves and humans were on the offensive, using magical currents in hopes of destroying her. Her existence might have become a horror in itself, but she was not ready for her essence to enter the abyss of hate forever.
In one small moment of introspection, she cursed the irony of her fate. In Uton, she had been the manipulator. As a serp, she used her influence to control lesser creatures. She aspired to spread her domination across the entire land.
And yet, there she stood at the edge of Demonspawn ready to command a legion of demons, more dieruhnes than she dared imagine. She was in control of an army of absolute destruction, and the creatures would obey her will without reluctance.
At the same time, she was nothing. She could influence the creatures of that bleak realm only to the degree Reiculf allowed. She might have held the strings to control a multitude of demons, but she herself was only a puppet to a stronger will. To a serp, the concept was torture.
With no recourse, Macheve bent to the wishes of her master. She concocted a plan that would meet the desires of the daokiln. She would attack the invaders with all the cunning she could muster. She would first distract and occupy them, especially the delver. She needed to keep him alive, but she knew he was the most dangerous of the group, even more so than the ebony casting sorcerer or the cliff behemoth.
Once the first wave of her forces engaged the invaders in combat, she would send in the more powerful demons. They would take the human woman who served as the shield. At the same time, she could destroy the corpse of the elf spell caster. The force she would unleash against them would be overwhelming.
With the human woman in her possession, the delver would give himself up. She could use his surrender to crush the hopes of any survivors and capture the elf guard.
Having many demons at her command, she could not imagine failure, would not dare to even consider it as the consequences would be far too grave. She reached for the power Reiculf had instilled within her. She called for the demons that would form her army.
#
"The smaller demons are pulling back," Ryson reported. "They're retreating deeper into the gray shadows. I can't see them anymore."
"Probably not a good omen," Holli replied. "Continue scouting the perimeter, but keep your circles tighter. We need to stick together."
Ryson rushed off, and Holli stepped over to Linda and Dzeb.
"How are you doing?" the elf asked of Ryson's wife.
"I guess better than the rest of you," Linda admitted. "It seems as if I'm the only one not doing anything."
"That is not the case. You are facing far more than the rest of us. Enin's teleportation spell places us only marginally in this realm. We do not have to face the full brunt of the hate and rage that flows freely here. We feel only a fraction of the distress that surges through you."
Linda believed she understood. The energy that rushed across the realm like a swirling breeze contained more than just magic. It seemed to dig into her skin and chew at deeper flesh. Magic in itself would not have been able to touch her, but diseased emotions could bombard her at will.
"Do you think that's what's causing this prickly feeling I have?" she wondered. "My arms and legs are... I don't know how to describe it, tingling maybe, but not in a good way."
"That would be my guess," the elf guard offered. "Remember, this realm is a mix of base emotions as well as Reiculf's magic. The magic cannot reach within you, so you may be experiencing the brush of angry emotions."
"I'm trying to ignore it, but it's not easy."
"I'm okay. It's just strange."
"You are doing well. Hopefully, we will not be here much longer."
Holli wished her assessment was true, but she could not ignore their lack of progress. She stalked over to the sorcerer and spoke in a guarded voice.
"This is taking far longer than I would have expected."
"Would you like to do it?" Ansas asked, his annoyance obvious.
"No, but you are aware time is an issue."
"Why? We are not under attack."
"Circumstances are changing. Ryson has reported as much."
Ansas had heard the delver's report, but initially disputed its significance.
"Perhaps the demons in the distance are only backing away because I'm getting closer to finding the serp."
"Or maybe because Reiculf has used Scheff to take control of Enin back in Uton."
"If he did, I assure you I would know it. He has already taken control of Neltus."
The news astonished the elf.
"How can you know this?" Holli demanded.
"You really must ask? Your understanding of the magic is amazingly limited. What is it you think I'm doing here? I'm sending my own magic through Scheff's core to find past links. You think I wouldn't notice if Reiculf forced his way through in a similar manner and succeeded in capturing Neltus?"
"And you did not tell me?!"
"Why would I do that? It does not affect us."
"Of course it does! If Reiculf controls Neltus, he will seek Enin next."
"No longer a concern. The daokiln has already lost control of Neltus."
"You are certain?"
"The path to Neltus has been completely shut off. I don't know how Enin managed it—maybe he killed Neltus, or maybe the guardian spirit did—but the connection between Neltus and Reiculf only lasted for a few moments, then it was completely severed."
"So the threat in Burbon is at an end?"
"For now."
"Then we will most definitely be attacked. If Reiculf failed in Burbon, he has no other option. You must work quickly."
"Do not tell me how to work!" Ansas sneered. "Reiculf understands what I'm trying to do. He is purposely flooding energy through the remnants of magic that connect him with Scheff's core. Do you have any idea of how much power I must sort through?"
Holli never got the chance to answer. Her attention was pulled to a call in the distance.
"Darowks!" Ryson shouted. "Coming in from ahead of us."
Before she responded to the delver, Holli advised the sorcerer one last time.
"Do what you can as quickly as possible!" Holli demanded, and then she raced off to face the coming battle.
"Fool," Ansas mumbled to himself, but then he considered the attacking darowks.
Momentarily taking his focus from the echoes of magic hidden in the folds of Scheff's corpse, he reached out to the smoke demons rushing toward them. They were not attacking on their own. He could feel the will of another urging them forward. He knew it was not Reiculf. The daokiln's furious cravings were overwhelming and unmistakable. It was the intrinsic yet magnified power of a serp which influenced the darowks.
"Macheve," the sorcerer whispered to himself, and he finally saw a clear path for his own intentions.
Across the scorched and ashy ground, Holli never noticed the sorcerer's subtle change in focus. She needed to stop the darowks before they descended on Linda. Holli would have to leave Ansas to his own devices. Immediately, she called to the elf sorceress.
"Haven! Bring in light from another realm!'
Haven did not hesitate to cast the spell, as she had it prepared the moment they entered the bleak existence. She utilized Enin's teleportation spell which kept them in a state of magical dispersion. With a portion of her magical essence existing in two realms at once, she was able to reach back into Uton. Through the force of her will, she pulled all the light she could gather into her essence. Like a spark that turns into a raging blaze, her body began to radiate natural light across the outer regions of Demonspawn.
The sight was astounding. Haven's glow far outshined the harsh lightning which continued to burst across the gray sky. While the bleak skies flickered with ruthless and stabbing flashes, the elf sorceress sparkled with joyous warmth. As one illumination met the other, Haven's radiance overwhelmed Demonspawn's angry flares and forced the fitful lightning back into the shadows above.
Ryson knew immediately what Holli intended. With light pouring out of the elf sorceress, he could use the radiance to fight off hundreds upon hundreds of darowks. He pulled the Sword of Decree from its sheath and raced headlong into the wall of gray smoke that rolled toward them.
Slashing unendingly at open air, the delver sent beams of enhanced purity toward the surging demons. His assault was in direct opposition to Demonspawn's display of convulsive illumination. Where the flashes of hostile lightning had been wild and violent, Ryson's attack remained methodical and precise. He directed the thin beam of light from his sword's point with absolute efficiency. The glow of his blade burned so intense that he forced the darowks into mass retreat.
Understanding the flow of movement far better than even demons of meager substance, Ryson countered the assault with twists and turns that left the darowks unable to gain any ground. He moved with a swiftness that exceeded his foes, and he offset their numbers with astounding intuition.
Even as he scattered one billowing collection of demons after another, he kept a wary eye out for other intruders. He understood he was more than the first line of defense against onrushing demons; he was the eyes and ears for all those who were there to protect Linda.
Racing over the open ground with an absolute determination to defend his wife, Ryson ran ever faster. He would not concede any ground to the darowks; even attempted to press them into the gray shadows, back into the deeper regions of Demonspawn.
He moved with both accuracy and incredible speed. With each turn, he pushed himself faster, harder. He became almost a blur as he used the open ground to his advantage and allowed the harsh environment to compel him forward.
His eyes constantly scanned the horizon in all directions. He looked to every mound and past any shadow. He searched for every possible obstruction and for any sign of additional demons. He listened intently for the snarls of larger fiends and more dangerous threats. He attempted to isolate every sound, to catch any hint of a surprise attack.
A strange echo caught his attention. It always seemed to be behind him. He swerved about, turned to the left and then the right, but he never caught sight of a demon in his wake. Still, the sound of trailing footsteps continued unabated.
Defending ground against the surging darowks remained his priority, but Ryson could not dismiss the trailing noise completely. If he was being followed, he could be thrown from his purpose. A well-coordinated surprise attack would be disastrous.
Trying to determine the extent of the danger, he tried to establish the distance at which any invisible predator might be lurking behind him. He honed in on the sound of his own footsteps and compared them to the strange clatter behind him. To his surprise, they matched almost exactly.
The similarity was too much to ignore. He couldn't believe he was simply hearing an echo, and he placed even greater attention on the trailing clamor.
Eventually, he obtained an absolute match by first listening to the sounds of his own motions and then allowing for a short pause before comparing them to the trailing echo. While the following sounds did not match his current movements, they did correspond perfectly to his previous footsteps.
He was, in fact, hearing a resonance of his own movements, but it was not an ordinary echo. The sound was more of a memory, a reproduction of his previous motion. He was hearing his own history, sensing a past moment in time. It was as if he left more than just a trail in the fine
powdered dirt, but a trace of sound as well.
The realization came almost immediately, and it was as clear as a drop of pure rain water. Demonspawn was not just a breeding ground for demons. It was also a collection of past events. He had heard several discussions among Ansas, Enin, and Jure. He listened to them speak about Reiculf's existence and his power. It finally all made sense to him.
Reiculf thrived on decisions already made, actions already taken, and apparently so did Demonspawn. In that realm, the present was not quite as important as the past. Ryson believed that time moved differently in the daokiln's realm, with history being a far greater influence than any potential act in the future. In Demonspawn, it was not as important to consider what could be done as opposed to what had been done.
In order to verify his belief, Ryson needed to ensure that he was not being followed by a demon, but by a shadow of himself. While still using his sword to press the darowks away from Linda, he allowed himself a brief moment to focus hard on his own trail. He continued to move, to race against the smoke demons, but as he did, he looked rigorously for a faint trace of something only his delver eyes might see.
The moment he caught the glimmer of an outline, his vision seized the image. As he increased his efforts to capture the full scope of the silhouette, he could not ignore the features which became more prevalent. He was indeed looking at himself, as if looking into a mirror that revealed an image reflected a heartbeat behind the present.
To his astonishment, he saw more than just a reflection of his physical presence. Within the elements of the past, he saw nearly everything there was to see about himself. He saw his body as well as an aura of his emotional state. He could see curiosity and determination painted across his face. He saw decisions reflected in his eyes, and he noted the consequences of each movement. He saw everything that encompassed his state of being, but it was still a representation of the past.