“My sisters will feed on you, Phane,” Clotus said through clenched teeth, “one way or another, we will take your link and finally free our mother. Then the Seven Isles will be ours for the taking.”
“Hush, Witch,” Phane said, twisting the knife in her shoulder. “Do you really think me such a fool? Do you really believe I would come here without taking precautions to protect myself against your charms? Here I stand, seeing you for the thing you are, not the impossibly beautiful woman you would have me see, immune to your magic.
“I will slaughter your entire coven and rid the world of your taint once and for all, and then kill the remaining rabble from the House of Karth in the bargain. Even better, you will deliver Isabel into my hands and give me the power to exact my vengeance against my dear cousin here. And the most delicious part of it all is that you have delivered the means to accomplish all of this simply by coming here.”
Clotus looked alarmed, even through the pain of Phane’s torture.
“Once again, you and your sisters have failed to fully think through the potential consequences of your actions, preferring to believe that your plans will unfold flawlessly. Even young Alexander here isn’t so foolish.”
“What are you talking about, Phane?” Alexander said.
He looked up, smiling warmly. “A doppelganger spell creates a link between two people, a link that I can use to locate Isabel, and a number of my enemies with her. So you see, the Sin’Rath have unwittingly played right into my hands. Soon, I will send a force of adequate strength, one uniquely suited to this very purpose, to eliminate the offspring of the Succubus Queen Sin’Rath, end the line of Karth, and collect my future bride.
“With Isabel at my side, you will fall and those you protect will have no choice but to kneel before me or be crushed. Come spring, my Lancers will break your father’s defensive line and swarm into northern Ruatha leaving nothing but blood and fire in their wake. This war will soon be over and I will assume my rightful place as the Sovereign of the Seven Isles.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Phane,” Alexander said as he faded back into the firmament, reappearing next to Isabel. She was curled into a ball, struggling to breathe.
“Don’t give in to it, Isabel,” he said. “Phane is just trying to make you angry so Azugorath can exert greater influence over you. You have to fight it.”
She nodded tightly.
“I wish I could stay with you.”
“Go,” she managed through clenched teeth.
“I love you,” he said as he vanished.
He opened his eyes and sat up gasping from the pain, immediately feeling for blood dripping from his nose and ears. Finding none, he eased back into his bed and closed his eyes, willing the throbbing in his head to subside.
Chapter 17
Later that evening, Alexander went in search of Ixabrax and found him hiding in a cave accessible only through a deep fissure in the glacier north of Whitehall. The dragon was coiled up, sleeping fitfully. He was injured, deep gashes oozing blood along his side.
“Ixabrax,” Alexander said, after his projection appeared.
The dragon opened one catlike eye and stared at Alexander.
“You have made a fatal mistake, Human,” Ixabrax said. “I’m hungry and in no mood to hunt.”
Faster than a blink, he snapped at Alexander, his fangs passing through the illusion and falling on empty air.
“What wizardry is this?” the dragon said, looking about warily.
“I’m Alexander Reishi. My sister freed you from your bondage and now she’s in need of your help.”
“And here you stand before me without standing before me,” Ixabrax said. “While I am in her debt, I’m in no condition to help her.”
“How were you injured?”
“I tried to free my sire,” Ixabrax said. “I bit down on his collar with all my strength and yet it held. He did this to me, though he could have done far worse. Even as we fought, I knew he was resisting the power of his collar with all his might.”
“If I can help you heal, will you help me free Abigail?”
Ixabrax’s eyes narrowed. “How would you heal me?”
“In truth, I’m not sure yet,” Alexander said.
Ixabrax chuckled, a deep rumbling coming from his belly.
“Another honest human,” the dragon said, “you and your sister are indeed cut from the same cloth. If you help me heal, then I will help you free your sister but only if you give me your word that you will then help me free my family. Her sword can cut the collars that bind them. I know of nothing else that can.”
“Bargain struck,” Alexander said. “Look for my people within the week.”
“How will I know them?”
“They’ll call you by name,” Alexander said, fading into the firmament.
His head hurt when he returned to his body, but less so. As he’d hoped, practice and experience were beginning to expand his ability to project an illusion over such vast distances.
By dark, his headache had subsided entirely. Not long after, a dragon in the form of a woman appeared at his door.
“I’m Tasia. Lady Bragador asked me to watch for your couriers. They have arrived.”
Two Sky Knights entered, looking a little pale.
“Lord Reishi, we’ve come as quickly as our wyverns could carry us,” the lead man said.
Alexander got up, leaning heavily on his cane, and hobbled to the strongbox. He removed a book, tied securely with a stout leather thong, and set it on the table before relocking the box.
“Take this book to Conner Ithilian in FellendenCity,” Alexander said. “Do not open it for any reason.”
As the man grasped the book, Alexander didn’t let go, but instead fixed the man with his blind eyes.
“Give me your oath that you will not permit this book to be opened,” he said.
“I swear on my life, Lord Reishi.”
“That’s good, because if you open this book you will surely die,” Alexander said. “Make haste and deliver it into Prince Conner’s hands and no other’s.”
“It will be done, Lord Reishi.”
Tasia escorted the knights back to their wyverns, then transformed into her true form, a magnificent iridescent silver dragon nearly as large as Bragador, and flew with them until they passed over the Spires on their way north to Fellenden. Alexander watched with his clairvoyance until they were clear of the dragons’ domain.
“Just one more piece to put into place,” Alexander said. “I think I’ll wait until tomorrow before I go to Blackstone. That conversation’s liable to take some time and I’m not looking forward to the aftermath.”
“So use your dream-whisper to set things in motion,” Jack said. “Blackstone should still have some Rangers sleeping in shifts to receive your messages.”
Alexander snorted, shaking his head. “I’d gotten so caught up in this new ability that I’d forgotten Blackstone is the one place where I can reliably send word without projecting an illusion. I’ll be back soon.”
He went to the message board first, disembodied awareness floating unnoticed in Kelvin’s workshop as his people toiled on a variety of projects. There were a number of messages for him:
1. Blackstone’s magic has failed. The heartstone is shattered.
2. Lucky has become a mage.
3. Wren has vanished, but we’re certain that she didn’t leave by crossing the bridge.
4. We’re moving the Wizard’s Guild to Glen Morillian.
5. Duane reports that the assassins assigned to kill Elred Rake have failed. Their heads were delivered to his sentries in a basket.
He floated there reading the messages over again, trying to make sense of all that had transpired. The news of the heartstone was grave and worrisome, yet expected.
Lucky’s ascension to mage was a triumph that had the potential to turn the tide of the entire war. His security had quite suddenly become of paramount importance.
He was happy to see that
Kelvin had decided to relocate his guild to the relative safety of Glen Morillian and sad to hear that four more good people had died by his order in the attempt to kill Elred Rake.
Wren’s disappearance puzzled him. She was a beautiful and vibrant young woman, precious beyond measure for the simple fact that she was alive, but in the grand scheme of things, she was nothing more than a serving girl who’d befriended his wife and sister. Her disappearance troubled him, more for the inexplicability of it than anything else.
He faded into the firmament and thought of the waifish young woman. A moment later, his awareness coalesced over a small ship sailing south along the west coast of Ruatha near the GreatForest. He pushed into the ship, disembodied awareness floating among the crew. The men were pirates, but there were three among them that were more-two wizards and a wraithkin. Alexander avoided them and went into the hold of the ship.
He found Wren chained to a bulkhead. She was wrapped in a single thin blanket, shivering and crying softly.
Alexander materialized and knelt next to her, whispering her name softly. She looked up with a start, fear in her wide innocent eyes.
“Lord Reishi? Is that really you?”
“Yes and no,” Alexander said. “You’re seeing a projection of me. I’m not really here.”
“So you didn’t come to save me?” she sobbed.
“I just discovered you were missing,” Alexander said. “You have to believe me, I’m going to help you and you’re going to make it through this, but right now I need to know who took you and why.”
“I don’t know,” Wren said. “I was in bed when they came. It was dark. They gagged me and put a bag over my head. A wagon took me for a while, then they put me on a boat. I’ve been here ever since. They don’t talk to me, even when they bring me food. Why are they doing this to me?” she sobbed again, breaking down in tears.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out and I’m going to send help,” Alexander said. “I have to go now. I need you to be strong, Wren. Help is on the way.”
She nodded, sniffing back her tears as he vanished.
He shifted his awareness to Blackstone’s sleeping room in a blink. Three Rangers awaited his message. He slipped into the dreams of the nearest, manifesting on a battlefield as the Ranger fought to defend the walls of New Ruatha. The enemy was mounting a charge and Alexander could feel the fear and hopelessness of the Ranger as his nightmare threatened to overwhelm him.
Alexander imposed his will on the man’s dream and cleared the field of everyone save himself and the Ranger. The man was confused at first but gathered his wits quickly once the unreality of the dream set in and he remembered that he was the vessel for Alexander’s messages.
“Lord Reishi, I stand ready to deliver your orders.”
“Tell Mage Gamaliel to send all of the explosive weapons he has to the Gate immediately. I’ll have Lord Abel open it as soon as they arrive. Tell Mage Alabrand to prepare to leave for Glen Morillian in the morning. Instruct Captain Alaric to send a thousand Rangers to escort him, then tell Mage Gamaliel to send as many wizards as he can spare and all of the Sky Knights still in the Keep as well. Lucky must arrive there safely as soon as possible.
“Tell Captain Alaric to send message riders to Southport immediately. Wren has been abducted and is aboard a ship sailing along the coastline toward the city. Have him instruct the Southport Navy to locate this ship and rescue the girl.”
“I will deliver your messages immediately,” the Ranger said.
Alexander slipped out of his dreams and back into the firmament. The source of all things had become a familiar place to him. He was comfortable floating on the ocean of potential that created each moment anew, listening to the song of creation as it unfolded.
Again, he wondered about Siduri. There was so much potential and so much danger bound up in his story. His mere existence was beyond reason, and yet Alexander had no doubt-Siduri was real. He’d accomplished feats of magic beyond anything that even the most accomplished arch mage had ever considered, and yet he’d withdrawn from the world, content to observe … until Alexander’s desperation had given him cause to act.
With a flick of his mind, Alexander was in the chamber where he’d found the blood of the earth. He floated above the crystal bowl filled with the potent liquid and pondered its purpose. It screamed of puissance, power beyond mortal comprehension, yet real enough to scoop up and put in a vial.
Not for the first time, he considered putting the small amount he’d taken back, but the thought of giving up even one chance of saving Isabel caused desperation to well up within him, driving out the idea and confirming his resolve.
If it came to it, he would use the blood of the earth to save his wife, come what may. Thoughts of Siduri evoked his worries about the shades. Even if Alexander managed to banish the last of them, they were eternal, existing in the netherworld, outside of time and substance and they were determined to unmake reality.
And now they knew how.
Even if he destroyed the Nether Gate, they now knew such a thing was possible-for that matter, the Taker knew it as well. Yet, if the Taker could manifest in this world, he would have, so it stood to reason that he needed agents to do his bidding in the world of time and substance. The shades were the real problem-the threat that could end all things.
As he floated there, pondering the nature of his most dangerous enemy, a thought occurred to him. The shades were nothing but disembodied souls, empowered by the Taker to exist unbound to flesh.
What if they could be bound to something else?
He had in his possession a book that detailed the process for placing one’s soul within a specially prepared item so that the caster of the spell could become an immortal undead. What if he could use the principles within that book to create a device capable of capturing the soul of a shade and imprisoning it for all time?
One more item to discuss with the Guild Mage.
***
“Hello, Kelvin,” Alexander said a moment after he seemingly materialized before the Guild Mage. “I’ve learned how to project illusions over great distances, but only for a short time. Summon Lucky and Jataan, I’ll return when they arrive.”
Kelvin smiled. “Hope was becoming very thin around here, Alexander. It’s good to see you.”
“You as well,” Alexander said, fading out of sight but remaining present while awaiting his friends.
Lucky was the first to arrive. He’d regained the belly he’d lost from his travels and was flushed from his haste. Jataan entered the room several minutes later, moving stiffly and deliberately.
Alexander materialized in front of them.
“It’s good to see you all,” he said.
“Lord Reishi,” Jataan said, “we received a report from Captain Kalderson of the Reishi Protectorate Navy that you’d been killed, yet the letter he carried from Lady Reishi claimed that you’re alive but wounded on the central island of Tyr.”
“Isabel told Captain Kalderson that I was dead to convince him to take her to Karth,” Alexander said. “A wraithkin stabbed me through the leg. It’ll be a while before I’m ready to travel, but I’m safe in the care of the dragons of Tyr.”
“Bragador has accepted you into her home?” Kelvin asked, somewhat incredulously.
“I saved the life of her unborn daughter,” Alexander said. “We’ve come to an agreement.”
“Tread lightly, Alexander,” Kelvin said.
“I’m doing my best. She’s not happy with me being here, even less that I’ve befriended her daughter, but she’s agreed to give me sanctuary until I heal. Ultimately, she wants nothing to do with our conflict, but Phane might just be foolish enough to force her hand.”
“That may be his undoing,” Lucky said.
“We can only hope,” Alexander said. “She caught a ship full of assassins in her waters yesterday and sent the lone survivor back to Phane with a message to stay away. If he’s dumb enough to keep messing with her, she might ju
st solve our problem for us-permanently.”
“Phane isn’t stupid enough to risk the wrath of several hundred dragons,” Jataan said.
“Pity,” Alexander said. “Bragador and her family could end this war overnight.”
“Don’t be too eager to get the dragons involved,” Kelvin said. “They fought in the Reishi War and it nearly wiped them out. This time they may choose to take the side of dragons against humans instead of fighting each other.”
“I hadn’t considered that,” Alexander said.
“We’ve received your messages and have begun to implement your orders,” Kelvin said. “Much has transpired since we last spoke.”
“You have no idea,” Alexander said. “I wish I had enough time to tell you everything that’s happened, but I don’t. For now, I need a way to heal a dragon.”
Lucky looked perplexed for a moment before nodding. “I could combine a number of healing draughts into a very large dose. I’ve never tried to heal a dragon before, but I don’t see why it shouldn’t work.”
“Good, send it to the Gate along with the explosive weapons,” Alexander said. “Kelvin, do you think you could you use the principles contained in the undead book to create a container capable of trapping a shade?”
“Possibly, but I couldn’t say for certain without extensive research,” Kelvin said. “And, of course, I would need the book.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Alexander said. “Both Zuhl and Phane want it, so I don’t dare let it out of my sight. Think about it and do what research you can for now.”
“Understood,” Kelvin said.
“May I ask why you need to heal a dragon?” Lucky said.
“Abigail’s been taken by Zuhl. I plan to send Anatoly and Magda to find the dragon Ixabrax, so he can help us get her back. I wish I had more time to explain, but I have to go. Say hi to my mom for me and make sure she knows I’m doing everything I can to get Abigail back.”
He returned to his body and a pounding headache. All of the pieces were moving into place.
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