Isaiah takes the cup of hot tea and nods his head in thanks to Talos. The fireskin wastes no time draining the cup, feeling his lips become a little less dry. He hands the cup back for Talos for a refill while Ilan gets to his feet. Ilan picks up the broken chair and starts walking in the direction of his house. He stops at the fence to turn around and stare at Isaiah. A slight nod is all Ilan can muster before continuing his slow, lonely walk home.
“I apologize for my son. He is very upset about my grandson’s death. It is something that he has had nightmares about for years,” Talos casually mentions.
Isaiah quietly finishes his cup of tea and licks his lips. “A father always wishes to die before his children. I do not blame Ilan for being angry. He has spent a lot of time trying to keep his son away from the life of an adventurer. I would not be surprised if he feels that he has failed.”
“More than likely. He will get over it once Luke is back,” Talos claims, stretching his arms over his head.
“You have a lot of faith in that scenario,” the caster points out.
Talos smiles wide and shrugs nonchalantly. “Nyx is a student of Rainbow Tower and she is being helped by my grandson. Even as a spirit, Luke will succeed in his quest. He never fails once he puts his mind to a task.”
“Your reasoning sounds flimsy,” Isaiah declares.
“It’s enough to keep my heart at ease,” the elf admits with a lazy grin. “Besides, I have accepted the fact that my grandson is able to do the impossible. I realized this on the day he climbed Grandma One Arm.”
“Grandma One Arm?” the fireskin inquires, a rare feeling of curiosity coming over him.
“She is an old pine tree, which is five miles east of Haven. She is one hundred and eighty feet high. Her only branch is one hundred and thirty feet up her trunk,” Talos fondly explains. He finishes his tea and gently places the cup at his feet. “We don’t know how Luke climbed up her because he won’t tell. He was covered in scratches and he had pine sap all over him, but he got to the branch. Watching him proudly wave from that high branch, I realized just how far my grandson’s determination and courage could take him.”
“Well, I thank you for the tea and the cot. I should leave before Kalam regains his strength,” Isaiah says, gently patting Talos on the back.
“You sure that you don’t want to stay for the next fight?” Talos asks.
Isaiah gets to his feet and leans on the closest patio post. “Considering what happened last time, my involvement in the fight would prove to be a disaster. I would be restraining myself and Kalam would be using my previous mistake against me. It is in everyone’s best interests if I leave the area. Besides, I do not wish to see the death of my own flesh and blood. It can be argued that my brother died many years ago when he became a vampire, but I still believe that a part of my brother’s spirit lives on in that sad creature.”
“I understand why you don’t want to see him die, but you sound sure that he will die,” Talos says, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t see how that’s possible without you.”
“It’s simple, Doubleblade, but I think I will let you see it for yourself. I’m sure it will surprise everyone including myself,” Isaiah claims, his toothy grin brimming with amusement. “Enjoy the battle and keep your family safe. Tell your grandson that I am sorry for what happened to him. I hope to make it up to him some day.”
Isaiah can feel his sore joints creak as he takes a few slow steps off the porch. The fireskin turns back to Talos with a weak smile and extends his clawed hand toward the building. A low hum rises from inside before Isaiah’s dark red staff floats through an open window and into his outstretched hand. Isaiah fades from view a few seconds as soon as he grips his staff.
“I hope you watch this battle, old fool. It’ll be one for the bards to sing about until they lose their voices,” Talos swears, laughing to the sky.
12
“Are you sure the entrance is here, Suzu?” Nyx whispers while she peers through the thick bushes. She watches as three armored corpses stiffly march from one end of a narrow clearing to another. Each of the decaying guards carries a rusty halberd that they grip with their rotting hands. There is no sign of a door on a thirty foot tall boulder that sits across from where Nyx is hiding.
“Yes,” the sprite hisses from behind a leaf.
“There’s probably a hidden door in the boulder. Haven’t you ever listened to old bard tales? That happens all the time,” Luke says with no effort to hide his voice.
“Keep your voice down,” Nyx hisses through her teeth.
“They can’t hear me,” Luke reminds her.
Suzu’s smile changes to a frown as he flies to Nyx’s shoulder. “This is where I must leave you. Good luck.”
“Hold on a second, firefly,” Nyx quickly snaps. “We don’t know how to get inside.”
“I already told you. It’s a hidden door in the boulder,” Luke drones, annoyed at being ignored.
“There is no need to worry. I was going to tell you before I left. The entrance is hidden in the ground at the foot of the boulder,” Suzu explains, waving his spear at the clearing. “I am not sure how you can open it, but it does have something to do with the boulder. You must get closer to the boulder and examine it. I would do it, but those guards will attack anything that is alive and bigger than a fly. The rats that I get my information from use underground tunnels to get in and out of the lair. Unfortunately, these tunnels are too small for you to fit through, Lady Nyx.”
“The trick is to get close without getting noticed,” Nyx says to herself.
“You can try invisibility,” Luke suggests.
“That wouldn’t work,” the caster mentions. “The eyes of undead are no longer natural, so they can see through invisibility.”
Suzu flutters to the ground and steps under the bushes. “I wish I could help more, but I must return to my post. I hope to see you again.”
“Thanks, Suzu. We will tell you how this little adventure goes when we see you in a few days,” Luke promises with a cocky grin. “I can sense a celebration for us already.”
“I look forward to it,” the sprite says. He walks further into the bushes and disappears.
Nyx sighs as she falls back and continues staring at the boulder. Minutes pass before the caster decides to talk. “We have three undead guards that will attack us immediately. The key to opening the door is in the boulder. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Suzu did say that they only go after things that are alive. Maybe I can get to the boulder and check it out,” Luke thoughtfully offers.
“That sounds like our only option,” Nyx says, her voice straining to stay low. “I can’t believe we are having difficulties when we aren’t even through the door.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” the forest tracker promises.
Luke wastes no time stepping through the thick bushes and confidently striding over to the large boulder. The zombie guards ignore him while he stares at the massive chunk of rough stone. A minute of standing around and scratching his head gets Luke nowhere, so he tries walking around the boulder. He is a few feet around its side when a barrier violently repels him. Luke skids across the clearing and flips to his feet, narrowly avoiding one of the oblivious zombies. The half-elf starts wiping his arms before he remembers that he is a ghost and can’t get dirty.
“I can’t get around it, Nyx,” Luke loudly announces.
“No kidding,” the caster mumbles.
“We need to find a way to get you to the boulder. I can’t see any physical triggers, so it has to be magical,” Luke claims, returning to the bushes and crouching next to Nyx.
“Those guards would attack me the moment I leave the bushes. We need to find a way to incapacitate them without making a scene,” Nyx whispers. She continues watching the pacing guards. “I’m surprised those things haven’t noticed me sitting here talking to myself. I wonder if they can’t sense anything outside of the clearing. That means I can cast
magic without them reacting. I can take a look at the boulder from here and try to figure out the trick.”
Nyx takes a deep, calming breath and slowly inches her face through the bushes until she gets a clear view of the boulder. Her eyes shimmer with magic while she looks across the clearing. The first thing she notices is the translucent mountain that appears behind the boulder. She holds back a whistle of awe and focuses on the smaller hunk of stone. A subtle aura surrounds the boulder, but Nyx can’t tell if it is coming from behind the boulder or if a spell has been cast directly on the stone. She is about to look away and end her aura sight spell when a tiny pinprick of light catches her attention. A minor spell to improve her long-distance vision helps her see that it is a magical keyhole. Nyx is impressed by the complexity of the small illusion that makes the keyhole look like the surrounding boulder.
“You see anything?” Luke asks anxiously.
Nyx pulls her head out of the bush and picks leaves out of her hair. “Yes. There is a hidden keyhole in the boulder. We need to figure out where the key is.”
“It’s probably on one of the zombies,” Luke groans.
“That would be my guess too. If Kalam had hid the key in a tree or under a rock then a wild animal could take it,” Nyx states, standing up and brushing the dirt off her knees. “Do you think you can examine those guards and find the key?”
“Sure, but what do I do if I find it?” Luke asks, passing his hand through his head.
Nyx rolls her eyes and waves him away. “We’ll worry about that when we know where the key is.”
“This adventure doesn’t feel even remotely exciting,” Luke complains, trudging toward the zombies with his hands in his pockets.
Nyx watches as Luke effortlessly walks through each of the zombie guards. After passing through the third creature, he stops and eyes it suspiciously. He sticks his head halfway through the monster’s face, which causes Nyx to shudder in disgust. After a few seconds of looking around its skull, Luke passes completely through the zombie. Nyx watches patiently as Luke repeats this for the other two zombies.
“There is a key in each of the zombies’ skulls,” Luke reports, jogging back to the bushes. “The good news is that their skulls have been bashed in from behind, so there is a hole for you to put your hand in to get the key out. The bad news is that I can’t tell which key will open the door.”
“Can you describe the keys?” Nyx asks, her voice tired and edge. She casually rolls a pebble-sized fireball around her palm.
“All three are dirty and have three teeth,” Luke explains, looking back at the pacing guards. “One is made out of rust-covered bronze. The second is made out of blackened silver. The last key is made out of tarnished gold. I didn’t see any odd markings or signs of continuous use on any of the keys.”
“We’ll have to take a chance then,” claims Nyx as she cracks her knuckles. “I will rush the zombies and grab the . . . silver key.”
“Why the silver key?”
“Because.”
“That isn’t a reason. It isn’t even a sentence.”
“If you must know, I’m depending on my luck this time. It’s the only thing we can do at this point. We can’t waste any more time,” Nyx whispers, impatience and anger burning in her eyes. “Now, back me up when I get out there.”
“There is another way for us to get close to them since the zombies only attack the living,” Luke says with an uncomfortable smirk.
Nyx clenches her fist and covers it in a green fire. “No. You are not going to control my body. Where did you even hear that a possessed body is perceived as a corpse?”
“I heard Aedyn mention it at the academy. Now, let me handle this and we’ll be fine,” the forest tracker adamantly swears.
“Do you even know how to possess a living being?” Nyx inquires, wishing she could smack Luke upside his head.
“I got the gist of it when I possessed part of Zephyr,” Luke replies, ignoring Nyx’s skeptical glare. “You have to be willing to let me control your body. Otherwise, there will be resistance and we won’t move quickly. We don’t have any other choices, Nyx.”
Nyx stares at Luke’s translucent form for a few seconds. “Fine, make it quick and no funny stuff.”
Luke gets behind Nyx and moves like he is about to hug her around the waist. His aura slowly passes into Nyx’s body, which shivers and twitches. A powerful force tries to expel Luke, but it dies down once Nyx relaxes. Luke blinks a few times as he gets use to seeing the world through Nyx’s eyes. Their first unsteady step almost sends the possessed body stumbling out of the bushes. Luke quickly regains their balance and freezes on the edge of the clearing. One of the zombies looks at the sudden motion. Several nerve-wracking minutes pass before it goes back to its mindless pacing.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Luke. My body isn’t as strong as yours, so fighting will not be an option,” Nyx warns him from inside her mind. Her eyes bulge slightly when she feels her hands wander around her body. “Would you watch where your . . . my . . . our hands are going?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m trying to loosen up your shirt,” Luke replies, talking directly into her ear canal. “It’s too tight around the chest and I’m amazed that you can breathe in this thing. What in the world do you have on underneath anyway? Is this a corset? Why would a scrawny half-elf, like you, wear a corset?”
“Can we focus here?” the caster snaps, almost yelling out loud. “Let’s grab the silver key and hopefully get on with this adventure.”
“Have you always worn this thing?” Luke continues, stepping into the open. The zombies look at the intruder and sniff the air. They snarl and hunker down to the ground like they are ready to pounce. “That might explain why you get tired and fall behind so often. You should ditch the corset after this. I don’t see why you would want to wear this thing.”
“Just get the key before they decide to attack!”
Luke catches a brief sense of embarrassment and shame from the caster. “You’re sexy without the fake cleavage, Nyx.”
“Shut up and get to work!”
Luke and Nyx march up to the middle zombie and cautiously reach toward the monster’s face. It quickly moves to bite at her hand, but it refuses to continue moving after she jumps away. Luke has Nyx pick up a small rock and throws it over the zombies where it bounces off a tree and into the bushes. Only one of the zombies turns around while the others continue staring ahead. Out of frustration, Luke decides to lash out with her left arm and punches the middle zombie in the nose. The feeling of decaying flesh and brittle bone shattering against her bare skin makes Nyx cringe. She is barely aware of a metal object in her hand because of the horrible screeching coming from the other zombies.
“I got the key, but it takes a lot of effort to grab it,” Luke gasps, ignoring the smell of rotting flesh on Nyx’s hand. “Your aura is trying to reject me, so we have to hurry.”
“Then run!”
“I can’t move the legs. You have to do it,” Luke states through gritted teeth.
“Great. Now, I have to take orders in my own body. This is one of the worst plans you have ever come up with,” Nyx complains. She manages to get her legs to move, but they are stiff and awkward steps.
Luke desperately sticks her arm out as her body begins a sudden and uncontrollable stumble toward the boulder. The closer they get to the hunk of stone, the more he feels the key get attracted to the keyhole. The blackened silver key sinks through the illusion at the same time Nyx’s face collides with the stone. A large patch of earth behind them folds away to reveal a dirty, leaf-covered staircase. The zombies are preparing to leap over the hole and attack when Nyx forces her body to take a blind step back. The half-elves fall into the opening and land on the stairs with a heavy impact that is hard enough to knock Luke out of her body. They hear the entrance close a few inches above their heads, followed by three muffled screams.
“Are you okay, Nyx? Your face looked contorted for some reason,” Luke says, turning to
Nyx. He is surprised to see her sit up and smile wider than he has ever seen her smile before.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Nyx whispers with a small laugh.
*****
Trinity rests in her chair, watching Kalam calmly pace from one end of the guest room to the other. The chaos elf lazily dangles her arms over the arms of the chair. She glances at the Lich who is sitting in a shadowy corner. She barely notices Kalam stop his pacing to sit on a short stool. His massive body forces the piece of furniture to creak and groan in protest. The thick silence is broken by a gong-like crash and a five-foot tall mirror rises from the floor. Everyone looks at the mirror to see Vile standing in the frame and wearing a stern expression.
“You wished to speak with me,” Vile says blandly.
“Don’t make it sound like we’re wasting your time,” Trinity teases him, yawning from boredom.
“I have several reports to write and I must continue investigating leads about the other champions. Now, please make this quick and to the point,” Vile requests, his arms crossed behind his back.
“We have need of the Sword Dragon that the master promised us,” the Lich states, quickly getting to the point. “You were the one that we were told to contact if we needed it.”
The mirror smoothly turns to Kalam, so Vile can speak to him directly. “So, you failed to accomplish your part of our bargain.”
“How dare a halfling accuse me of such a thing?” Kalam furiously exclaims.
“Well, it wasn’t a flawless victory. You did lose your entire army and barely made it back alive,” Trinity points out with a polite smile. She flips into the air before Kalam’s arm lances across the room and shatters the back of her chair. Trinity gracefully lands next to the broken chair and takes a seat on the floor where she calmly stretches her legs in front of her.
“Calm down, teacher. She didn’t mean any harm,” the Lich says, stepping out of the shadows. “She merely was explaining events the way that General Vile would perceive them. He refuses to believe anything is a true success unless it is unflawed. He’s a perfectionist.”
Legends of Windemere: 03 - Allure of the Gypsies Page 27