Soul of Light (The Hidden Wizard Book 4)

by Vaughan W. Smith

  “Go on through.” He waved them over to a passage in the back of the room. Vincent went first and Celes whispered her thanks as they passed by the scholar. After a short walk, they entered a much larger room. Bookcases lined the shelves, each one stuffed with books in every possible orientation. A ladder was propped up against one bookshelf. In the centre of the room, an old man with a brown robe sat writing. The hood was up, obscuring his face. He kept writing, not acknowledging their presence. After they stood for a few moments, the man put his quill down and looked up.

  “Not going to say hello?” he said. Celes gasped and ran up.

  “Falric? You’re alive!”

  Falric gave her a wry smile. He looked over at Vincent.

  “Good to see you both. Welcome to Paperton.”

  “It’s good to see you too. A lovely surprise. But you better start explaining what you are doing here.” Vincent didn’t look impressed after the initial shock.

  18

  Change in Approach

  Alrion looked around the room, his mind reeling with what had just happened. He tried to think of what to do next, and his mind was blank. Lara gave him a reassuring smile, but he knew that it was just for support. She knew that he had blown it too. Branthor finished his rant and wandered back. He had a strange grin on his face.

  “Alrion, Alrion, Alrion. What are we going to do now?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what you expected, right?”

  “Of course, we just lost our lead. But it was the one they gave us. Always trouble that. I think something else is required.” Branthor eyed off Lara and Alyx.

  “You two can search this fortress for any clues. I doubt Rindale left anything, he’s a careful operator. But we need to know. Alrion and I need to do some creative planning. What do you say?” Branthor waited for a response.

  That’s not a bad idea. Maybe I should listen to what he has to say. We can’t keep ignoring each other and trying to work separately.

  “Sure, let’s try that. Please meet us back at the inn with your findings.”

  “We’ll leave no stone unturned.” Lara led Alyx to the opposite end of the room.

  “Shall we take the secret tunnel? I’d love to see it.”

  “If you must.” Alrion started picking his way over the rubble and they started down the tunnel to return to town.

  “Nice work with the door, by the way, that was very clean.” Branthor noted the cuts in the stonework as they entered the tunnel.

  “You didn’t seem so impressed a few minutes ago.”

  “I was caught up in the moment. I expected more awareness, but your precision was good. Credit where credit is due.”

  “Sure. Thanks.” Alrion continued walking, after giving Branthor an odd look.

  I can’t figure this guy out. He’s all over the place.

  “Not much to this tunnel, is there?” Branthor said as they progressed.

  “No, the only thing to note is over there.” Alrion pointed to the storage rooms and Branthor quickly checked them out.

  “Ah, secret supply tunnel. Nice one. Nothing more needs to be said.”

  “Fair enough. I’m amazed it didn’t collapse while I was in it.”

  “And why would that be?”

  “Whatever you did rocked the entire place. Stone was falling from the ceiling.” Alrion looked at Branthor and the wizard was grinning.

  “Pretty amazing, yes? And note the tunnel did not collapse. I didn’t even disrupt the Wizard Gate.”

  “Are they quite sensitive?”

  “Not really, but I wasn’t sure exactly where it was.” Alrion stopped walking.

  “You didn’t know where it was, but you berated me for not knowing about it?”

  “Precisely. You didn’t detect it, you were practically on top of it. There’s quite a difference.” Branthor resumed walking and Alrion sighed.

  “You have much to learn.” Alrion shook his head and kept walking.

  The trip back to town was uneventful, but Alrion was curious where Branthor was heading. It wasn’t too surprising when they ended up back at the inn.

  “We’ve done this, haven’t we?” Alrion said.

  “No, that was the prelude. The warmup. This is the main event. Take a seat.” Branthor didn’t specify where, he just sped over to the innkeeper. Alrion picked a table in the corner. The plump seat was damaged and sagging, but the location was good. It provided a wide view of the rest of the inn. He saw Branthor negotiating with the innkeeper. Whatever it was about, the innkeeper seemed quite dissatisfied. Finally, Branthor produced a rather hefty sack of coins and the innkeeper relented. Branthor ran back with excitement, brandishing a nondescript brown bottle.

  “Ah, we are in luck. Managed to score the innkeeper’s special reserve. This stuff will put hair on your chest, and other places I imagine.”

  “I sincerely doubt that.”

  “I can put a spell on the bottle?” Branthor winked.

  “Just open it.” Branthor stood and fetched a few glasses from the bar and returned, pouring two thumb-widths in both glasses.

  “First glass, down the hatch. We can sip the rest.”

  “This is going to help us. Two wizards getting drunk?”

  “You’ll thank me later.” Branthor lifted his glass and waited for Alrion. The young wizard raised his, they clinked glasses and quickly downed the contents. Alrion’s throat burned away into nothing, leaving him wondering if he’d even manage to swallow anything ever again. The pain eventually subsided, leaving a warm glow.

  “That was ridiculous!” Alrion barely squeezed the words out, his voice hoarse and a coughing fit followed soon after. Branthor laughed and slapped Alrion on the back.

  “Good on you for not lessening the impact.”

  “I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of commenting on that.”

  “Very well.” Branthor chuckled, and Alrion could tell that the wizard had probably done something to reduce the effect of the alcohol.

  “Why don’t you start with your ideas,” Alrion said carefully, trying to avoid another coughing fit. Branthor refilled both glasses to the same point. He pointed to the glasses and they both had a sip. It still burned terribly, but not as bad.

  “We’ll get to that. But first, I think we need to understand each other a bit more. That will improve our cooperation.”

  “Yeah, you can explain how you did all that evil stuff and can look at yourself in the mirror.”

  “I see the special reserve is already working. Happy to discuss my own shortcomings, but right after you answer this: why do you need information from me on the location of the source of the Blight?” Branthor had an intensely serious look on his face which surprised Alrion.

  “Why? Because that’s where I need to go. You know that.”

  “Ah-hah, yes now we’re getting to it. Yes, I know the location. I know the purpose, the general workings of the spell too. Because I drank from the Pool of Knowledge. As did you. Why don’t you know?” Branthor kept his gaze fixated on Alrion. The younger wizard looked away and took another sip of the drink.

  “That detail has not been revealed to me yet.”

  “Obviously. I learned a bit about how the Pool works, from those guardians. Mostly they threw it in my face as reasons why I would fail, but it was useful all the same. The short explanation is that your mind brings out the information when you need it.”

  “Are you saying I don’t need it?”

  “Well, you reached the Pool. You completed that Vault of Silence trial and pulled a big ol’ trick afterwards. And you cured me. That sounds like you should be ready. Why aren’t you?” Branthor downed the rest of his drink and poured another. Alrion was floored.

  What is he getting at? Does he know why?

  “I don’t know why. You tell me.”

  “Oh, I think you do. I can only guess. Why can’t you complete your quest? Why, Alrion?”

  “I don’t know why. Lucky you can tell me what I need to know.”

/>   “No, not this time. We have a deal, so I will eventually. But you don’t need me. Why? Why? Why? Why can’t you see it!”

  “Because I’m not good enough. I’m not ready,” Alrion blurted out, louder than he expected. He looked around the room sheepishly. Nobody seemed to notice.

  “And why is that? You managed to beat me without any real training. You have all that knowledge in your head. Why not?” Branthor kept pushing. Alrion was tired and frustrated.

  “Because I keep failing people. Falric was killed, by you no less. Alyx was infected then turned. And transformed into the Skull Queen. My grandmother sacrificed herself to save me. I sacrificed a whole town to save Alyx. The list goes on.” Alrion slumped down in the chair and sipped the drink again. It was empty and Branthor refilled it. He leaned back finally, looking satisfied.

  “You’re taking it all too personally.” Branthor took a deep swig of his drink. “And don’t get hung up on Falric. That old paper-pusher went down far too easily. I wasn’t even trying!”

  “That’s not helping.”

  “Listen, kid. I’m not your mentor, not cut out for it. At least Falric seemed to be good at that. But it doesn’t take a genius to see what’s going on here. You need to sort this out, or you’ll fail. Because I can tell you the location, but if you don’t correct this…”

  “Then I’ll never figure out the rest of the spell?”

  “Precisely. And take it from me, you’re going to want to know the full details before you step in there.” Branthor leaned back and closed his eyes, deep in thought.

  “That’s all you’re going to say?”

  “Yes. Perhaps we should move on to discussing our plans for Rindale?”

  “What about you, though? Why are you the way you are? You don’t get to change topic so easily.”

  “What’s there to say? Sometimes people get broken one too many times. Now I just want to get my revenge on those who have wronged me.”

  “Rindale?”

  “Yes, he’s my main target. There were others responsible, but of lesser importance.” Branthor finished his drink once again and refilled it.

  “Like who?”

  “Your family.”

  “My family?” Alrion drained his glass and Branthor quickly added more from the bottle.

  “Your grandfather, your father to a lesser extent. More recently you’ve been a thorn in my side. Your mother, well she seems alright actually.” Branthor laughed.

  “You’re twisted.”

  “I told you, didn’t I?” Branthor sighed. “Today is not a day for my darkness.” Branthor slammed down the drink in his glass and lounged back, his eyes closed.

  “The plans then. We need another way to track down Rindale, one that we trust.”

  “I doubt we can track the Shade Wizards again,” Branthor added.

  “Maybe not, I’m not sure if they caught on to that as an approach. But if they were training them here, we may have less luck.” Alrion took a sip of his drink.

  “Do we know anybody that can get to Rindale.” Branthor kept his eyes closed.

  “Not really. We know Fermur, but he’s not quite in the trustworthy camp.” Branthor sat up and opened his eyes.

  “Yes, but he could be persuaded to speak something that we can trust in a relative sense, yes?”

  “If we had no other options.”

  “Do we have other options?” Branthor stared at Alrion.

  “None come to mind.”

  “Then we should see what your companions think.” Branthor made himself comfortable, leaning back in the seat and assuming a sleeping position.

  “You’re going to nap?”

  “Why not? You can keep drinking if you want.” Branthor pushed the bottle closer to Alrion and closed his eyes. Within moments, Alrion could hear him snoring.

  “I’ll never understand him,” Alrion muttered under his breath. He tried to think of alternative options while waiting for his friends.

  Hours later, Alyx and Lara stumbled into the inn, weary. They sat down roughly next to the wizards.

  “Any luck?” Alrion said.

  “No. We combed that place, and it was picked clean. I think Rindale was ready and waiting.” Lara looked to Alyx who shook her head.

  “I agree. It was a fool’s errand. But we eliminated the possibility.”

  “Alrion had a bright idea,” Branthor added. He didn’t change position, but he did open his eyes.

  “Which is?” Lara said, prompting Alrion to speak. But Branthor jumped in.

  “Fermur. He’s the only one that seems to know of Rindale’s movements. We just need to figure out a way to get information from him that is complete and trustworthy.”

  “No easy task,” Lara said.

  “And we need to figure out where he is. I’m not sure stumbling around until we find the trail he left for us is the most prudent option.” Alyx was looking over at the bar as she spoke.

  “Hold that thought.” Branthor jumped out of his chair and rushed over to the bar. He returned swiftly with two new glasses. Placing them before Lara and Alyx he filled them to the same level he had been doing previously. Lara smelled the liquid.

  “You’ve been drinking this? How bad is it?”

  “I thought I would lose my ability to speak,” Alrion said. Lara laughed.

  “You better not drink it, he promoted it as putting hair on your chest.” Alrion laughed and Lara smirked, taking a swig. She made a pained face and Alrion could watch her forcing it down. Alyx threw it down like water and looked bored.

  “Great, great! Good teamwork, all,” Branthor said. “In the interests of teamwork, I thought it helpful to mention that I can track Fermur’s location.” Alrion stared at Branthor.

  “How?”

  “When we met earlier, I imbued a speck of dust with a unique signature from my Spark and attached it to his leg in a way that will not come off.” Branthor poured himself another glass and took a sip.

  “You started tracking Fermur but didn’t think it worth mentioning until now?” Alrion said, anger building in his voice.

  “It’s not as simple as that, and I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Besides, we just did some valuable bonding.”

  “You’re impossible!”

  “Truly. But, as I said, I am a master wizard who has visited the Pool of Knowledge.” Branthor shrugged.

  “All that aside, it means we have a lead on Rindale and a way to find him. We just need to figure out how to get what we need from Fermur,” Lara said. Alyx grunted, and Alrion didn’t like the expression on her face.

  This could get ugly.

  19

  Capturing the Wind

  Alrion waited for silence before speaking.

  “I think the most important question, to begin with, is: where is Fermur now?”

  “That will take some pinpointing,” Branthor said. Alrion kept his gaze on the older wizard.

  “You’ll need to give us something to both back up your claim and begin our planning,” Lara said.

  “Very well.” Branthor closed his eyes. His breathing slowed, and he looked deep in concentration. After a few minutes, his eyes snapped open.

  “There’s another town not too far away. He seems to be circling it but not staying put. My guess is that he’s waiting for something and is staying out of sight.” Branthor gave Lara a smirk.

  “Town have a name?” Alrion said.

  “Not sure, but I can see how to get there.”

  “Good enough to start with. We need a way to deal with his speed once we get there.” Lara started drumming her fingers on the table.

  “Alyx, I remember you being good with a whip. Does that extend to ropes and other similar items?” Branthor asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “That’s our best bet of restraining him. I don’t believe he’s that strong, if we can get enough steel chain around him, he won’t get away.”

  “I can handle that, provided he is stationary or moving at a walking p
ace,” Alyx said.

  “Maybe we can just ask him nicely?” Lara chuckled.

  “I might be able to catch him with a force spell,” Alrion mused.

  “That’s too obvious, but a good idea.” Branthor poured himself another drink and slowly drained it.

  “You know, I wonder if you can pull a similar trick like you did back at the desert temple. You trapped me quite handily.”

  “Yes, you never saw that coming. I’m not sure though.”

  “Why not?”

  “At the time I had just cleared the trial, and I think the location of the temple somehow amplified the effects.”

  “We don’t need something of the same magnitude. Just enough to disrupt that speedster.” Branthor looked to Alyx and Lara for support.

  “If you can do something on a smaller scale, that will help.”

  “Maybe focus more on slowing him down rather than trapping him?” Alyx added.

  “Happy to try, but we need a proper test. We can’t waste the next opportunity.” Alrion finished his drink and blocked Branthor from adding more.

  “A test!” Branthor stood immediately, his chair falling behind him. He scooped up the bottle of alcohol and tucked it into his robe.

  “No time like right now,” Alrion muttered. He stood a little shakily and eagerly accepted a steady hand from Alyx.

  “You have a sobering up spell?” Lara said to Branthor.

  “No, that would ruin my fun. Follow me.” Branthor left the inn and strode away with confidence. The light was fading but he didn’t seem bothered. They walked down the path a little until Branthor led them into a clearing.

  “This will do.” With a wave of his arm, four big balls of light appeared and ascended into the corners of the clearing, bathing the area in bright light.

  “How is this supposed to work?” Alrion said.

  “I’ll create a projectile of the appropriate speed. Alyx here will…” Branthor stopped suddenly. “Alyx will go back to town and find a suitable steel chain then return.” Alyx sighed and left.

  “You will practise slowing down the projectile. Once that is working, Alyx will practise catching it with the steel chain.”