“You should be concentrating on reading instead of talking with me,” Aedyn suggests, politely covering his mouth as he yawns. “I am simply here to critique your illusions and act as a healer to fix any personal damage. Even illusions can be painful if cast incorrectly.”
Fritz lets a laugh escape his lips as he shoots a sideways glance at Aedyn. “I guess you never learned about gnomes. We are natural multi-taskers who are able to use one side of our brain for one thing while doing something else with the other side. My left side is studying while my right side is handling our conversation. It is this little trick that allows us to think outside the realm of normalcy. Also, it increases our intellectual reaction time quick enough that you will rarely catch a gnome off-guard in a conversation. Some days I can never understand how people exist with a brain that only allows for single task thinking. No matter what you say, your brain is not capable of doing more than one thing at the same time without both tasks suffering. Would you stop yawning and listen to me, Karwyn?”
“I am listening, but I do not concern myself with the way gnomes think and how they are mentally superior in some ways,” Aedyn responds.
Fritz pulls out a piece of red chalk and makes a mark on one of his spellbooks before closing it. “This spell might be useful in making a believable illusion of her scent and help with the way she will interact with the grass around her. This will be a lot easier if I have the illusion sitting down. Anyway, I am glad you are here. I heard a rumor from Nimby before he left to get his gear.”
“This would involve me in what way?” the priest asks suspiciously.
“Supposedly, our halfling friend thinks you sent a letter to your temple about some important stuff that the rest of us are in the dark about,” Fritz states, getting up from his books and stretching. “Personally, I think you sent a letter to tell them about the Lich and the demon. Feel free to tell old Fritz what’s going on.”
“You two are without a doubt the nosiest creatures ever to exist. A man cannot even send a letter without being questioned?” Aedyn complains, jumping to his feet. “Next thing you will tell me is that Nimby went through my personal scrolls.”
“Uh, I can’t prove or disprove that,” Fritz nervously claims. “Safest thing is to say that he did or is at least planning to.”
Aedyn hangs his head and lets out a small groan before sitting down. After giving himself some time to get his emotions under control, the priest pulls out a sealed scroll from inside a hidden sleeve pocket. The blazing sun emblem of Durag is barely visible in the bright yellow wax seal. Aedyn holds it in his open hand, but makes sure to keep it out of the curious gnome’s reach.
“This is the letter that you are wondering about and it has more to do with Luke than with our enemies. I believe I can tell you since you are a fellow caster, but it is a secret that must stay between us, especially out of the ears of Nimby,” Aedyn says, tucking the scroll away. “I do not think it is time for Luke to hear what I have to say either. That time will be chosen by me or my superiors after I follow Luke from this academy.”
Fritz raises an eyebrow at Aedyn’s statements. “You have my promise of secrecy. I find it strange that you already decided on leaving with Luke. Isn’t it too soon to make that level of commitment? After all, the Lich might not be a threat once this excitement is over.”
“It would be what my temple and our allies want. I have to make sure he reaches a man who can show him his destiny,” Aedyn answers, picking his words carefully. “As odd as that sounds, there is a man somewhere in the world who is looking for people like Luke. This man is someone who only a few people in Windemere are aware of.”
“This is a magical thing about our reckless friend,” Fritz proudly infers, casually fixing his skewed bed covers. “Well, I should hear this right away. I'm betting it has something to do with the magic sight spell you used in the treasure vault. I saw you look at Luke and get a little stunned.”
“Precisely. I was unable to hold the spell for too long once I glanced at Luke,” Aedyn humbly admits. He shudders when he remembers the mesmerizing feeling that had washed over him. “I believe you are familiar with the auras of living things. When I looked at Luke, I saw a magical storm inside his aura that was simply incredible. I could feel the power transfix me and it took all of my strength of will to turn the spell off. Our friend has more potential than we could ever dream of and he has an important role to play in the future. I just wish I knew enough to have some certainty of what Luke is destined for. Ever since I arrived at this academy, I keep running into situations that I am not prepared for.”
“You worry and think too much, Aedyn. Powerful aura or not, you have to remember what he is and I’m not talking about him being a Callindor,” Fritz says as he skims a small notebook that has a scorch mark on the cover. “Both of us have seen the skill that Luke has and there is no denying his courage. What we should always remember is that he is our trusted friend. I know that makes me feel better since Luke is what stands between my throat and a demon’s sword.”
“But you hardly know him,” Aedyn protests half-heartedly.
Fritz shakes his head and turns his back on the priest. “Your point, kid? None of us really know each other aside from Nimby and myself. Luke barely knew Nimby when he confided in him. None of us knew much about you or Luke when we met in your room. If you ask me, we are all putting a lot of faith in each other. So just go with it and trust that Durag is leading you on the correct path.”
Aedyn can’t help but smile at the gnome’s words. He gets to his feet and is about to leave when the world begins to swim around him. A glimpse of the forest fills his eyes and a feeling of dread grips his chest. The end of the vision leaves Aedyn with the horrid smell of rotting flesh and bone in his nostrils.
“The Lich is in the forest!” the priest suddenly exclaims. “I fear that one of our friends is in trouble if we do not find them immediately.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Fritz declares, trying to keep himself calm. “Kellia can’t leave the hidden room. The only other targets are Luke and Selenia. The latter needs our help like a dragon needs a goblin as backup. As for our young friend, he is being watched by Kevin, Daniel, and Selenia. They would jump in as soon as the Lich makes a move toward Luke. So, who else could be in danger?”
“I do not know. Do we know of anyone in the forest? Maybe Fizzle,” Aedyn suggests.
“I doubt that . . . Crap! Nimby’s hideout is in the forest!” Fritz snaps, scrambling to get his shoes on and hopping to the door. “Remember after the meeting yesterday? He said he was going to get some better equipment, but he waited until today because of the wall repairs. We have to move now and find him. Just follow me and maybe we can find that pain in the ass before the Lich does.”
Aedyn rushes to follow the gnome who quickly casts a speed spell on himself. They move swiftly out of the academy and reach Visindor Forest within minutes. The priest can already feel the presence of unnatural creatures in the forest. A sickening feeling of being too late crosses his mind before he pushes it away and concentrates on keeping up with Fritz.
*****
The forest is silent as Nimby walks to his hidden shack. None of the birds are singing and even the wind seems too cold for the time of year. Many of the trees are turning black, losing their leaves to disease. Nimby knew that it was just a matter of time before this area became a wasteland. That is unless they manage to push the Lich back to the Caster Swamp. His thoughts are stopped when the smell of rotting flesh hits his nose and his eyes water from the nauseating stench. Nimby cautiously backs up until he is against a dying oak. He scans the area, but as hard as he looks, the halfling cannot see anything among the dying trees.
“I remember a halfling who wandered into the Caster Swamp in search of a lost treasure,” the Lich announces, rising from the ground in front of the halfling. “He was a curious fellow who never considered the consequences of his actions. If I remember correctly, he found the remains of a powerful being
and brought it back to life. He was such a foolish creature. Did you think I would forget about you, Nimby?”
“Kind of,” Nimby charmingly admits, rolling away from the Lich. “Since I brought you back, I guess you owe me. So let me go and we’ll be even. Good luck with the destruction of Serab. Give my regards to the Hellfire Elf.”
A quick spell causes the ground under Nimby’s feet to change into quicksand and the halfling swiftly sinks up to his neck. The ground hardens, forming a tight tomb of earth around his body. The Lich cackles as he reaches out to grab Nimby by the ear, yanking hard enough to cause the halfling to yelp in pain.
“Halflings are such ridiculous creatures. My debt is paid to you by not telling Selenia the circumstances of my resurrection. Selenia destroyed my body and you were kind enough to bring me back by giving me some of your blood,” the Lich menacingly whispers. “Now, I need information from you and you will tell me what I want to know. We might even have a place for you in our world if you are very helpful,” whispers the Lich menacingly.
Nimby spits at the necrocaster and suddenly disappears beneath the ground. He burrows up a few feet behind the Lich and sprints in the direction of his house. Nimby only gets a few steps away before colliding with the Hellfire Elf. The demon picks him up by his hair and slings him over his shoulder like an empty sack. Nimby stops struggling when one of the demon’s shoulder spikes stabs his earlobe.
“I see that your choices are still poor, Nimby,” the Lich says with a creaky grin.
“Let me go, you waste of bone. There are things going on that you’re too stupid to notice,” Nimby defiantly claims, trying to carefully slip out of the Hellfire Elf’s grip. All he can do is cling to the demon’s neck to prevent his hair from being ripped out. “It doesn’t matter. I doubt you can get within a few yards of Kellia before Luke puts you in your place. No amount of information can save either of you, so you should give up now and slither away.”
“Those are brave words from a doomed fool. You will be dead before this is all over,” the Lich swears, receiving a sadistic smile form the Hellfire Elf. “I have already seen that you won’t survive this as long as you stay with the Callindor. I may not have the magic and guile of my master, but I still have some talent in the realm of future sight. You are not meant to live while your fate is entwined with the boy’s path. Bring him to me and you extend your life.”
A sudden snap of a twig draws all of their attention to the direction to where Aedyn and Fritz can barely be seen through the distant trees. With the speed that the pair is moving, the Lich knows that the young priest has already sensed him. A loud incantation booms from the Lich’s mouth and the stale wind of the forest grows stronger. Aedyn and Fritz arrive in time to see the end of a teleportation spell. They wave away the cloud of green smoke, hoping to find Nimby, but the halfling is gone.
“We’re too late. This is bad. We should get Luke,” Fritz panics as the smoke from the spell disappears.
“We can save Nimby without Luke. I want to have at least one attempt at beating that monster before someone else gets to him,” Aedyn declares, his body glowing mildly with holy magic. “Besides, Luke is spending the next two days training for the demon. You know he would charge into the swamp as soon as we told him. This incident could ruin our plans and bring the Lich to victory if Luke falls early. The fate of our friends and Kellia are now on our shoulders until we rescue Nimby.”
“Being a little overdramatic, are we?” Fritz asks suspiciously.
“Battles such as these are part of my path.”
“Well, I won’t let you go alone.”
“You would only be a hindrance to me, Fritz.”
“I have some teleportation stones that we can use once we get there. Once you’re hit by one of them, you go wherever the person throwing the stone tells you to go. They don’t do anything if you keep your mouth shut after throwing them. I learned that lesson the hard way a few years back,” Fritz explains, searching his pockets for the magic items. “Anyway, they are my emergency weapons and this counts as an emergency. I’m willing to sacrifice my aces for the halfling, but I’m confused on one thing here. Why would they take Nimby? He’s the last person they should worry about. He isn’t a threat to either of them.”
Aedyn runs a hand through his black hair, taking deep breaths until his holy aura disappears. “Nimby has been involved in this longer than us. There are things he knows that we have not been told. There might even be some information that he has kept secret from Luke. He is a thief after all and he has proven to be very good at gathering information. I will handle the Lich while you get Nimby and yourself to safety. After all, this type of fight is what I have been trained for. Can I have one of your teleportation stones?”
Fritz hands a thumbnail-sized orb to Aedyn, which the priest gladly accepts. He tucks it under his collar where he can get at it easily. Aedyn doesn’t say anything as he picks up the gnome and casts a speed spell on himself. They become a blur among the trees as they race toward the Caster Swamp. Within minutes, they are passing into the borderlands of the swamp where nobody would ever think of looking for their bodies.
13
“You hear that classes are cancelled?”
“Yeah. We can’t be out of the dorms at night either. Selenia is making this a jail.”
“I heard that it has something to do with him.”
“Ever since he arrived, strange things have been happening. He dragged Kellia into it too.”
“Let’s not forget the wall of the stables and Clarence’s dogs. I think that guy is a walking hazard.”
Luke ignores all of the whispered gossip and insults as he practices with his sabers in the middle of the academy. His shirt is neatly draped over a tree branch while the rest of his gear is in a messy pile at the base of the thin tree. The only things on his mind are the sound of his blades cutting the air and the feel of the sun on his skin.
Sweat trickles down his face as he struggles to make his arms move faster. The sweat carves faint streaks in the patches of dirt on his chest that were left from burying Stiletto. A few students gather to watch as Luke flips onto the edge of the fountain and continues moving as fast as he can. He starts backing up along the fountain rim, windmilling his sabers until they become metallic blurs in the air. Luke leaps off the rim at a wooden practice dummy he had set up near the fountain. Luke vaults off of the dummy with all of his strength in order to land on top of the fountain. He crouches and catches his breath, feeling his lungs burn as he inhales.
“I think . . . I think I . . . overdid it,” he gasps. The young warrior reaches toward the sword arm of the statue to brace himself, but he just barely misses. The air is filled with shouts as Luke falls off the statue and into the cold fountain. He can barely move as he lies face down in the water. He smiles when it crosses his mind that drowning in a fountain due to exhaustion would be one of the most pathetic ways to die. He continues to float helplessly, mentally kicking himself for not going to sleep after yesterday’s excitement.
A rough and callused hand grabs Luke by the hair, dragging him to the rim of the fountain. Kevin drapes Luke’s arms and head over the rim before sitting down next to him. A few minutes of silence follow while Kevin lights up his pipe and Luke regains his strength and pride.
“Thanks,” Luke coughs to break the awkward silence.
“Think nothing of it,” Kevin mutters, puffing out a long stream of smoke. “It would have been a serious hassle to drag your carcass out of the fountain, clean the damn thing, and bury you. Last thing my old nerves need right now is more paperwork.”
Luke pulls himself out of the water and sits next to the older warrior. Kevin pretends to ignore Luke carefully examining him. The half-elf’s green eyes focus on either his bad leg or his weak shoulder. The low, unnatural hanging of his left shoulder and the rigidness of his right leg are obvious injuries that the old man refuses to hide. Kevin knocks the ashes out of his pipe before placing it next to him on the fountain rim an
d stretching his good arm.
“I got involved in a fight that I shouldn’t have,” Kevin calmly explains, grinning when Luke jumps in surprise. “It was a trio of ogres. A calico maiden was under attack and getting robbed. The ogres were going to do worse to the poor thing until I stepped in. I managed to kill one of them, but I left myself open to his friends thanks to my recklessness. I took a club to the shoulder and another to the leg at the same time. Selenia arrived to save my keister before my head was crushed into powder. She brought me back here and I’ve been stuck ever since.” Kevin pauses to rub his sore leg. “Can’t ride a horse or travel too far with these injuries. Not unless someone drags me in a cart, but I’ll be a vampire’s mother before I allow that.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare,” Luke quietly whispers.
Kevin slaps him on the back and laughs loud enough to startle a few students. “An old saying states that old warriors like me are kept around because the gods need us to train the new generation. I did what I did and I learned from it. Now, I’m around to pass my knowledge and philosophy to those young enough to be my children. Honestly, these injuries were bound to happen to me after surviving fights against all manner of mortal and monster. You see, luck can’t hold out for your entire life, kid. Your old man learned that, but he was smart enough to learn it faster than the rest of us. Out of everyone I have ever known on the road, I’d say Ilan Callindor was the luckiest of us. Many people say it’s Daniel because of his wealth and his position of power, but the man is alone and haunted. Your dad got out of harm’s way to make a family before the life of adventuring scarred him beyond repair.”
Beginning of a Hero (Legends of Windemere) Page 31